Chapter 6
Hermione sat as if the Petrificus Totalus spell was cast on her person. She was stunned to say the least. Her mind raised to the possibilities or the impossibilities for that matter. She remembered back in the sixth year when they'd had to deal with an impostor, actually two impostors.
"Harry, are you trying to say that Sirius is alive?" Hermione found her wits.
"Yeah, I'm sure this time, `Mione. My empath powers were still strong enough to confirm. Besides, if he wasn't Sirius, then he wouldn't have cried and laughed at the same time from sheer joy of seeing me. His reaction could not have staged. Actually, he had a hard time believing that it was me than the other way around."
"Really?" She was not yet ready to believe Harry.
"Yeah. You should have heard all the questions he asked me before he was sure that I was who I said I was. You couldn't tell who was interviewing whom. It was hilarious when we look back. But at the time, we looked at each other warily."
"What sort of questions did he ask that made you certain he was Sirius and in the flesh, not a mere soul?"
"Firstly, he was not at all transparent. All the other souls that I've encountered looked transparent and most looked healthier than Sirius. You know since you retain the way you look on the day in which you die, right?"
Hermione rolled her eyes heavenward which indicated that she knew very well what ghosts look like.
"Anyway, he asked me how he barely escaped the dementor's kiss. I had to tell him all about how you and I rescued him during our third year and at the same time saved buckbeak's life as well. Then I asked him who the Marauders were and what were their names. He answered correctly of course. Then he asked me another question and after I answered, I would ask him another question. It went on and on for a while until we were both satisfied of each other's identity."
"Okay, so what happened after?"
"That's were the difficulty was. I was slowly losing my powers and for some reason I couldn't regenerate my strength in that place like I could here in this world. I couldn't leap us out of there. So we wandered around and asked other souls if they knew how to get out at the same time trying to dodge evil souls that are trying to steal your life, your soul at least." Hermione's eyes grew big. Harry kept going. "I don't think we knew whether it was supposed to be day or night. We really had nothing to eat except for the meager food I'd brought with me for the trip. When that was all gone, there was nothing left. Sirius was really in a bad way, so I let him eat most of the food to get some strength back. He was starting to look like a walking toothpick." You were starting to look like one yourself, Hermione thought.
Hermione still kept silent and waited for whatever it was that Harry would say next. She felt a tightening in her heart for what Harry and Sirius must have been going through. She knew at that point that she could no longer keep blaming Harry for not getting back on time for their children's birth.
Harry saw the change in her eyes, but he did not dare open himself up to feel her emotions. They'd had an agreement once before, and he'd never broken any of it. He continued re-telling and reliving the days in which he'd missed her so much and the only thing that kept him sane was their wedding photograph. He took it out of his pocket. It was the muggle photo her mom took. It was wrinkled. The corners curled.
Hermione held it. Her hand shook at the sight. She knew it was probably one of the only things she had left of her mom's memory and she didn't even know if Harry knew what happened to her parents.
"I don't know how long we were wandering around, but it only felt like days instead of months. At least we had each other for company, but not a day went by, even a second when I wasn't thinking of you." His voice became emotional and he dared to look at Hermione's eyes. He saw regret, and what he hoped was understanding underneath the tear filled brown eyes staring at him.
She didn't dare say a word. She didn't trust her voice at that point. She felt the last brick of walls around her heart crumble to open up for feelings that she thought she would never feel again.
"I don't know if it matters at this point, but I still love you Hermione. I've never stopped and I always hoped you would always feel the same. But that's getting off the subject." He didn't want to look at her after the declaration that slipped out of his mouth. He hadn't meant to say it, but it came out nonetheless.
"Anyway, Sirius and I decided to walk, or in our case hobble our way to the Department of Mystery, the other world's version anyway. We went to the room where the curtain was stored in this world, but it wasn't there. We'd about just given up, but then my parents showed themselves. They told us they could only be there for a few minutes because their journey is very far after they've completed the journey. They directed us to where the curtain was moved to, since I wasn't aware of the move. I assume they moved it after the incident in our fifth year. We thought we'd simply walk through the curtain and be back in the real world, but apparently it wasn't as simple as that. We had to concentrate on the place in which we would like to be. I told Sirius to go to Avalon since Remus and Mad-Eye were there to tend to him. I came straight to where you were."
"Oh, Harry." She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was fine. That she still loved him. That she never stopped. But pride stopped her. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"It's okay Hermione. I just want you to know what happened. That's all. I just wanted you to know. I thought it was time you were ready to listen."
"I'm sorry. I guess I've been giving you a bit of a hard time." Harry rolled his eyes. He just wanted to hold her and love her, but he wasn't sure if he should. Only Hermione made him second guess himself. "How was it that you've been gone for almost two years and Sirius for longer and yet you both managed to stay alive even without food?"
"See, that's the strange part. Mum and dad explained before we left, that the in between didn't really go as fast as the living world. Since they have eternity to go where they want to go, time was irrelevant. So what seemed like only days over there, were actually months or years here on earth."
"That's why you thought you weren't gone that long?"
"Yes."
"I see."
"Do you?"
She looked up and saw the hunger in his eyes. Her mouth went dry. She swallowed. He still made her respond physically. She knew the first time she saw him again, even with all the anger she felt, she still wanted him. No one else made her yearn for the physical contact. No one else but Harry.
"Harry."
Harry changed the subject. "So, what about you? I guess you and that bloke Simon are dating?"
Hermione's mouth dropped open. "What?!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The nerve of the man.
"Hermione, it was just a question. Besides, that was the impression he was giving."
"Do you think so little of me?" She felt a little hurt that he would think she would simply go on with her life so soon.
"No, I don't it's just that he really wants you badly. And others seem to think you are dating him. I just want to hear it from you I guess."
"Merlin! We went out to dinner once! ONCE! Just because I thought I needed a break and didn't want to be with anyone who looked at me with pity. I had enough self pity for everyone! Every time anyone so much as looks my way it was with pity. Oh there goes poor Hermione. SO I went out to one lousy dinner after he'd asked me more than 10 times by the way. I tried to enjoy myself for a few hours. And what do I get. People think I'm dating. DATING! I can't believe the gall of these people! Who told you I was dating? I bet Ron did, didn't he? He never did like Simon one bit even though I told him many times that we were just friends and we weren't dating. UGH!"
Harry smiled.
"What in Merlin are you smiling at Harry? This is frustrating. I can't believe people actually believed I fancied Simon." She continued to walk around muttering. Harry's smile became bigger and bigger with each step she took. Hermione stopped and looked at him. He looked as if he was about to burst out laughing, but was simply trying to hold it in.
"You think this is all funny, do you?" She walked up to him and kissed him.
It took less than a second for the kiss to register in Harry's brain. He immediately became the aggressor. Wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with all the pent up passion and frustration he'd been through for the past weeks.
The kiss continued on for what seemed like forever for Hermione. She missed Harry so much, she'd forgotten how much until that moment. She knew she let her pride stand in the way, but all those foolishness no longer seemed to matter when he was kissing her. She slowly put her arms around his neck and opened up to him.
They explored each others mouths as if it were the first time. Harry felt his control slipping away and broke the kiss. He looked at her closed eyes and swollen lips and couldn't help himself. He kissed her again. His hand slipped under her blouse. Before his hand could go further, there was a loud knock on the door.
Harry had to concentrate very hard to shake his body out of its heightened state. Hermione righted her blouse and fixed her hair a bit.
"Oy, Hermione," Ron shouted when Hermione opened the door with the most irritated face he'd ever seen. Ron felt as though he'd just walked into a hornet's nest and was about to get stung. Then he saw Harry with his eyes closed still calming his body down.
"Ahem, I was just in the neighborhood, and I saw that Simon character walking out of the gate, and did I just interrupt something really important."
"What do you think?" Hermione asked him sarcastically. She couldn't seem to calm her raging hormones down.
After Harry finally calmed himself down, "It's okay Hermione, I think Ron needs see someone as well." He walked over to her and touched her shoulders. He sent her a calming charm he'd learned from being near her for the past few weeks.
"Who are you talking about?" Ron asked. He welcomed the change of subject after smoldering from Hermione's deadly stare.
"You'll see. Where's Lavender?"
"At home with the babies."
"Okay, then I guess we'll just take the boys and grandfather for now. Ron you want to go call him before we leave?" He could have leapt Dumbledore to them, but he needed a few moments with Hermione.
"All right, I'll be right back." Ron hurried out of the room to fetch Dumbledore. He knew something significant had happened between his two best friends and he couldn't help but smile.
"That was quite smooth, Harry."
"What do you mean, Hermione?" He looked at her with the innocent puppy dog face.
"You know very well you could have leapt grandfather over here."
"Yes, but I wanted to be alone with you for a few minutes."
She couldn't help it. Her body reacted to him instantly. The anticipation of being with him overwhelmed her to no ends.
He saw the look in her eyes and chuckled. He kissed her forehead. "I don't think we have time for what you're thinking Hermione."
"And what was I thinking, Harry?"
"The same thing I've been thinking about since I saw you again." The heat in the room became unbearable for Hermione. "But for now, I'll settle for kissing you." He kissed her gently. "And holding you." He put his arms around her.
She sighed. "I missed you so Harry." She held him tight. All the walls around her heart disappeared.
"I missed you, my love. I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you for the birth and when you lost your parents."
"I still miss them so much Harry."
"I know sweetheart. I'll arrange for you to have a little reunion with them as soon as I get all my strength back."
"You'd do that?"
"I'd do just about anything for you Hermione."
"I'm glad you're back."
"So am I. I love you Hermione."
"I love you too Harry. Even when I was angry with you, I never stopped loving you."
They held on to each other until Ron and Dumbledore arrived.
A/N: Well, that chapter was over and I have to admit it was a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Thanks for your reviews.
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