Chapter 03 - A Beginning
"Excuse me, but you both seem to act like I said something horrible."
"No… No, please. I, um…" Harry tried to regain his composure; the mention of her name had him visibly shaken.
"It's just that his mum's maiden name was Lily Evans," Hermione interrupted coldly.
"Wow, that's a coincidence, I'd love to meet her. Do you live nearby with her?"
Harry stood there in disbelief. It was the one question that never came up before. It had never occurred to him before, since the only people that knew he lived on Privet Drive where his closest friends and other relatives of the Dursleys, and even then he was kept hidden. Until last year, even Dudley's gang really didn't know who he was. Hermione closed the gap and took his hand in comfort.
"My mum's in Godric's Hollow with my dad," he said coldly, staring this girl down. The coldness of his reply told her far more then his words.
"So then, you're visiting here?" she asked tentatively.
"They're buried there, in my family graveyard," he replied. The venom in his answer said far more to Hermione; she remembered that Sirius said in his will that he wanted to take Harry there to visit, but had passed thru the veil before he was able to fulfill that task. With everything that happened last year, he still had not been able to visit his parent's grave.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend or upset you. Has it been long since they passed…"
"They were murdered fifteen years ago, while I watched as a baby." His tone was detached and distant. Hermione noticed and held his hand tighter, hoping he'd notice she was there for him, at his side.
"Is this a joke? Who put you up to this?" he demanded.
"Please, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to stir bad memories. My name really is Lillie. We moved to Little Whinging three years ago. That's when your cousin started beating up Mark. Daddy tried having the authorities deal with him, but no one could ever prove he did it. When Mark told us that you helped him, and you actually invited him in this house, we almost didn't believe him either. It was when your cousin's gang actually avoided Mark one day that we knew something extraordinary happened."
"I really didn't do anything. They are a group of cowards anyway, one of them struck me from behind last year, and I dealt with them," Harry said, noticeably calmer.
"What ever you did, Mark said you really scared them. I just wanted to meet you, since I heard you've come home from your school, and I was hoping…" Lillie began, but was quickly cut off by Hermione.
"That he'd be alone… don't mind me, I'm just visiting here myself anyway. I need to call home and tell Daddy I may be coming home soon." She turned and left Harry alone, she desperately wanted to tell Lillie to 'bugger off, he's mine' but she also needed to follow Dumbledore's instructions, no matter how painful. She left the room as quickly as she could, without appearing to be in a hurry. She had to control herself for just a few more minutes, just until she returned to the safety of her room.
"Mione, wait!" he called to her, but she ignored him and continued on her way. She felt her palm chill again, but ignored the possible reasons.
"Harry, it's fine, talk to your new friend, I'll see you later on." She turned to say and continued up the stairs to her room. She ran up quickly so he wouldn't follow, and leave the girl alone, that wasn't his style, he was too much of a gentleman to abandon anyone. Once safely in her room, she locked the door, placed a silencing spell on the room and collapsed on the bed unable to control her emotions.
Harry stood in the hall confused and unsure what just happened and what to do next, he knew something upset Hermione and wanted to help her as she's helped him when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to upset things. I have to leave anyway."
"It's ok, I really don't know what's gotten into her. Lillie, please say hello to Mark for me, I may be leaving soon as well, to be staying with my new step family."
"So this was a temporary visit?" She asked at the door.
"Yeah, I needed to return for a few personal things. I've never been welcome here, because my Uncle never liked me or my parents. This has never been my home, I've had to live here because my aunt is my only living relative and she would be glad to be rid of me as well. And it's really complicated, but I needed to come back."
"I'm terribly sorry, having a family is one thing, but I can't imagine having a family that doesn't want you. I'm glad I got to meet you, enjoy your visit and I hope we can meet again some day."
"Thanks."
"And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come between you and your girlfriend. I just wanted to meet the 'Hero of Privet Drive." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and turned for the door. He escorted her out, glancing over his shoulder hoping to see Hermione standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for him.
"She's not my girlfriend, there's another guy, it's complicated."
"I don't think so, if that's what she told you, then she obviously had a good reason. I really should be leaving. Now you'd better patch things up with Hermione, she seemed really upset." She waved as she left the house on Privet Drive.
Harry stood in the doorway wondering what she meant; he put his feelings for Hermione so far aside so she could be happy that it nearly hurt to think about her these days. He hoped she would finally tell that guy how she felt, but she hadn't mentioned that bloke in months. He wandered aimlessly back into the house, and found himself standing in front of the door to the guest bedroom. He raised his hand to knock, and stood there frozen, unable to strike the wooden frame. He couldn't even see a light from under the door and rationalize she must have gone to bed already. He sighed deeply and turned to his own room, and retired to his bed for the night. He fought sleep for a while, as he racked his brain to understand why he hurt so deeply inside.
She sat in her bed, and tried to push her feelings back. Lillie's appearance shook her confidence in herself. She knew he had to find the one meant for him and she was going to help him find her if it broke her heart. She opened her journal one last time for the day and wrote three simple words before she too fell into a deep sleep.
Hope guides me.
- - -
"Harry… HARRY… Wake up… you were screaming…" she whispered hoarsely while trying to shake him awake. She knew from her brief encounters that his 'family' wouldn't tolerate any outbursts, so she tried to calm him as quietly as she could.
He had another one of his dreams. The dreams started when Voldemort returned in that graveyard the night Cedric died and reoccurred seemingly randomly. They'd disrupted his sleep constantly since Sirius died, and recently the dreams had become almost real. His visions of his friends in his dreams had caused him stress and depression, knowing that those closest to him could die and have died. One in particular weighed heavy in his thoughts. Ever since Cho was murdered, Harry had the same dream, a different dream than before, but still about her. No, not a dream, he knew it was real. It was a vision. Hermione felt his pain every night as he slept.
She first felt her signal flare up, then she had heard his screams from in her room. Tonight was different, the pain was more intense then any other night, and after meeting Lillie, she sensed Harry was beginning to drift back into his depression. This night she ran down the hall to his side. "Harry, was it the-that dream again?" she asked once his eyes finally opened. He was dripping with sweat, and his eyes were full of fear. Not for himself, but for those close to him, he swore to himself it would never happen. She knew he'd had these dreams often, but he never revealed them to her, he couldn't.
"N-No. T-This one was different," he stammered, he could still see the visions and the pool of blood at his feet and her limp body hanging in the air. The images of the broken, bleeding bodies at his feet were real. The blood under her body was real. The terror in his eyes frightened her but she hid it from him. She had to. She had to be the strong one when his guard was down. She was told this would happen. Different dreams, real, vivid, frightening; enough to terrify even Hagrid. He had them before.
All she could see in his eyes was the horror and terror, things a sixteen-year-old boy should never have to deal with. Things that had become 'normal' for the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. What she saw in him that night wasn't normal for even him. She knew he could handle the strain of Voldemort's gloating threats and his visions of those he watched fall. This dream was different.
His shaking with fear and the cold sweat from his body made his best friend do something no one else would have done, something she's never done before, and without a word she crawled into his bed and pulled him close to her. She didn't do it for pleasure, or enjoyment but because someone needed to just hold this frightened boy and caress his hair the way a mother would sooth her child, the way she always seemed to treat him. He was no child to Hermione. He was far more, more than even she realized that night. She needed to ease his pain. Now she was beginning to know what he was beginning to feel.
As she cooed comforting words into his ear and stoked his sweat-matted hair, the fear and pain slowly passed. Emerald green eyes and honey brown eyes met in a way that they'd never met before, and in that split second, time froze as their eyes became locked, his eyes began to close while she continued to stroke his hair and whispered in his ear. "Sleep my sweet... precious..." His eyes closed into a deep trance like sleep. "…love."
She pulled him as close as she could, vowing to never let him go. She felt the cold sweat of fear through his nightshirt, she felt his young, taught muscles begin to relax and she knew at that moment that he was safe.
She vowed she would continue to comfort him every night, even if it meant she had to share his bed; it was the most peace he felt since being sung to bed in his crib so long ago. She instinctively felt it; it was the least she could do. 'Uncle Vernon and Petunia could say what that want, but I'll never leave him again. He needs me… I-I need him… I must not fail him.'
Her thoughts drifted to a line she heard and now made sense, ' She will ease his pain and help find his life's bond with the lost witch' , his pain was gone. It always seemed to ebb away when she held him close, like now.
She still didn't understand why she was there, why she had to help him find someone else to love. It wasn't fair, she had fallen in love with her best friend since just before Christmas, but her brain would never let her heart admit it. It would never work out, it could never happen. She finally admitted her love for him, but only to herself. She could never find the right moment to tell him, as if the fates played a cruel game with her. She gave him the strength and reason he needed, even though they never thought of each other in a romantic light before. She lay there, stroking his hair, felt his comfort in his sleep, and she watched him until her eyes closed for the night.
The following morning he woke to find her lying with him, still wrapped in her protective arms. He vaguely remembered waking from his nightmare with her voice soothing him. 'She must have heard me last night, that's why she's here,' he rationalized.
He turned to face her and softly stroked her hair. It seemed so different, no longer bushy, but it flowed and framed her soft face. The face he thought he knew so well, the deep honey brown eyes, the slight nose, and the soft moist lips, her smooth neck that flowed to her smooth shoulders. She looked so soft and vulnerable lying there asleep, an angle to protect him. He thought he knew her every detail and feature of her face, but today it was different. While she slept, he cautiously leaned over and placed his lips on her cheek in a chaste kiss and thought about how attracted to her he was at that moment. Like in a dream, she smiled. He felt his desires for her grow; he felt new urges he'd never had. He realized what was different, what had been different with her since Christmas. He realized in that instant why he felt safe and comfortable when she was near. He realized he had been in love with her all this time, she was important to him since he had first seen her on the train six years ago, but he couldn't hide his feelings anymore. Recently, he thought he was beginning to fall in love with her, now he was certain.
He knew why he didn't love Ginny, and why he now felt differently about Hermione. Ginny was more of a free spirit, and Hermione was always too rational when he was depressed. But Hermione always kept him grounded; she always knew the right course to take. Maybe that was why they never shared fun times together, unless Ron was with them. He smiled as thought about her, just her. 'All the times I was rude to her, all the times I ignored her, the times I refused her help, or abused the help she did give me, I'm surprised she doesn't hate me,' He thought as he lay in her arms.
He then remembered. It was still Hermione, his best friend. He thought about that one word, 'friend'. That was all he was to her, a 'friend'. Those words gnawed at his stomach as he lay there and watched her sleep. She'd never feel for him the way he felt for her. She was, after all, admittedly in love with someone else. His mood began to wane when he realized this was a mistake. He knew things were going to happen. And they were going to happen to her because of him.
He remembered the visions, the fear he felt, and the terror he saw. It flashed back into his mind's eye. He wanted to tell her all he saw, but if he could only keep it to himself, it wouldn't happen; she wouldn't die alone, as in his dream. 'She can't…' He closed his eyes to try and shut out the images. He rolled away from her arms and clutched at his head. He felt his pain swell as his scar began to throb. He opened his eyes, ready to scream in pain when as quickly as it began, and the pain suddenly disappeared.
In his mind he heard a familiar voice. "Listen carefully you must. Follow your true feelings, trust them, they shall guide you well. What you truly feel believe you must. Your feelings will lead you to your truth. Realize your feelings you now have. Believe in them, they will guide you. Leave now I must, weak I have become. Follow your true feelings."
Harry suddenly felt queasy as he snapped his eyes open, not understanding what he had just imagined. He quietly got up and dressed, letting Hermione sleep as he sat at his desk and contemplated the message he heard. He remembered hearing the voice before, and it had a soothing, calming force. 'Trust your feelings, they shall guide you well,' he thought. He knew what he needed to do, but he also knew he could lose her friendship forever. 'Today,' he thought, 'I'll tell her that I'm in love with her today.' He quietly opened the door to slip out and let her sleep, when he came face to face with his uncle.
Uncle Vernon gave him the same look of genuine disgust and contempt he always had for Harry, but when Uncle Vernon saw Hermione sleeping in his room that morning, he began his tirade; the one Harry had expected the moment he realized she was there.
"HAAAARRY POTTER---" he yelled as his face began to redden, and his veins in his forehead began to pop. Harry saw the back of a large hand begin to swing directly at his face. He pulled back just as the hand swiped past him, the force of the missed blow throwing Uncle Vernon off balance long enough to give Harry the opening he needed.
The air around Harry began to swirl, his eyes began to glow green, and there were light pops in the air like static charges exploding. "SILENCIO! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" he screamed with the same force as when he used the Patronus Charm against the dementors to save Sirius' life three years ago. The anger that had been brewing in him for these long years of oppression was finally about to erupt. He could ignore anything they did to him, but not her, not to his Hermione… The massive bulk hit the floor with a thud.
"You will not say a word…" Harry's tone was as cutting as a sharp blade to virgin skin. "She is my only friend here, you've seen to that! I had a bad night and she helped me get through it when I needed it. That's more then you've ever done. If you ever say one more nasty thing to her, you'll wish you were never born! I can see to that! Just remember MARGE!"
In his bedroom Harry's cousin felt a chill run down his spine.
"Now, before I really lose my temper…" Harry turned to her and realized his wand was lying on the nightstand next to her.
"Hermione, we need to get out of here for a while…"
As quickly as she could, she ran to her bedroom, changed out of her bedclothes into shorts and a loose fitting tee shirt, grabbed her wand and rejoined him in the hall.
"Let's go…" Harry insisted after retrieving his wand and grabbing her hand.
"What about him?" She asked while pointing to Uncle Vernon.
"Leave him. The spells should wear off in a little while; I really don't care if he lays there forever." His temper had eased only a little as they left the house he grew up in, hands clasped tightly together.
They ran down the street, not following the path they took the other day, but took a direct line up Privet Drive, stopping at the bench in the park under an ancient oak tree. They stood facing each other while she was about to explode; she wanted to tell him everything she felt. Tell him everything will be all right and that she'll never leave him alone. She wanted to tell him she was in love with her best friend, the hell with what she was told she had to do. Her mind hit that one memory that she had to help Harry find his 'lost witch', the hell with that she told herself, 'Love comes first'.
Harry had no idea how to tell her, so he began with what he thought she wanted to hear. "Mione, you need to know what I saw in my dreams. It was the FINAL battle with Voldemort. We were separated. You were alone and I saw you fall. It was like at the Ministry that night Sirius… that night, but different…"
"No. I don't want to know. You know and that's enough. You'll know what to do when it's time. I trust you to do everything you can; I know you will. Not because you're Harry Potter 'the boy who lived', but because you're Harry Potter, my best friend. And because I---" Her words failed her for the first time in her life. She turned her eyes away as she bit her lip. She couldn't do it, again.
Harry looked at Hermione, no longer wanting to hide his feelings. He reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear and put a finger to her lips. He wore a smile borne of the sadness of his life, yet at the same time showing the happiness he was finally feeling, as he was about to finally tell her what was in his heart.
"I won't let anything happen to you, you're too important to me. There's so much I want to tell you, I can't begin."
"Just tell me what's on your mind, I'll try to understand," she cooed softly as she turned to look him in the eyes, as she pulled him to sit on the bench.
"I can't tell you what's on my mind. It's that… I... I love you, Hermione Jane Granger." There, he finally blurted it out, there was no going back now. He finally put into words the thoughts that rushed in his young brain for nearly the entire past year, thoughts that had just become clear to him these past few days, really in just the past hour. "I've always known you were important to me, but I always believed it was because we're friends. I just realized today, this morning, that I've loved you since I almost lost you last year at the Ministry, it was because I loved you that I tried to push you and Ron away. It took me this long to understand what I felt then, what I couldn't feel for Ginny."
"Harry…" she tried to interrupt.
"No, Hermione, I need to finish now that I've gone this far. I can't be in love with you or anyone else now, not until it's over. I won't put you in danger again. I can't let what happened to…" The visions of those that died because of him, Sirius, Cedric, Hannah, Padme and Cho, flooded his thoughts. The tears of grief he's been holding for the 15 years since he lost his parents and the tears of sorrow he's held since Sirius was lost and the tears of pain he's held since the first time he though she was lost began to flow. The flow of tears that began inside his broken heart called to her healing heart.
"And I know you don't feel the same, because you're in love with someone else. I just can't go on without telling you. I understand if you can't or don't want to stay here." He sat there waiting for her inevitable rejection and began to understand how Ron felt.
The reaction he received was nothing like he expected. She threw her arms around his neck kissed him, with a passion that more then surprised him. She broke away momentarily so he could understand her response fully.
"Oh, Harry!" she whispered. "There's no 'mystery guy'." She released her embrace and gently held his face in her hands. "I just couldn't tell you that I've been in love with you too."
"Y-You're in…?" he stammered in disbelief, while he stared deep into her eyes.
"Yes, Harry, I was afraid to tell you or let anyone know. I love you too and I don't care who knows or comes after us." She held him tightly and vowed to herself to never let him go. "I love you!! I love you!! I need you… I was so afraid after last year that I would lose you too. When you pushed me away, if Ron wasn't there, I… I felt like I wanted to die."
"I was in a lot of pain and grief. I wanted everything and everyone to just go away. I'm glad you didn't. I never would have gotten through it without you," he whispered softly.
They held each other in a tight embrace for what seemed like a lifetime. Their eyes locked in the same embrace as last night. The boy wizard again pressed his lips to her soft, tender lips for their true love's first kiss. It was truly the first time either experienced this kind of love, the time Harry spent with Cho and his first kiss with her was clinical, without the feeling of love, and his time with Ginny, although he did have strong feelings for her, he was with her out of grief, not love. The time Hermione spent with Viktor Krum was more to make her best friend jealous, although she always thought Ron was the target. After the short time she and Ron spent together trying to get past the awkwardness of their friendship, she knew he wasn't the one she would give her life to, and the love they shared wasn't the right kind. Not like this. He touched her soul, as he now touched her lips. It was a gentle and soft kiss, meant to be given between friends; but it was going to go further. She parted her lips slightly and lightly touching his with her tongue, he parted his and together, they began an exploration of each other, each teasing the other with true love's first expression, neither wanting to stop.
He held her face in his hands as if holding the most delicate flower in the world, which to him, she was. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, as she rested her head on his shoulder. They felt safe in each other's arms. They sat on the park bench for over an hour, in each other's arms, barely talking.
"I know why you could talk to Ginny but not me. I understand that. She and I had a long talk last year. She was worried for you, but then you pushed her away, and it broke her heart. That's when she came to me. You know she still loves you."
"I know. I love her too, but I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with you."
"You know I was the one that sent you that anonymous singing Valentine in our second year. I wanted you to know that someone does care for you," she whispered.
"Thanks, it did make me feel wanted. I still have it in my photo album. I always wondered who sent it. I know that no one has told you, but when you were petrified in our second year, I spent every night of those three weeks I could with you, I cried myself to sleep beside you in the bed; holding your hand, I wanted to keep you safe. Not even Ron knew I was there or Madame Pomfrey. I had to sleep under my father's cloak. Professor Dumbledore seemed to be the only one who knew. He seemed to know the way I felt, no, the way I feel, about you."
He held her tightly as they shared another deep, exploring kiss.
When they finally released each other, they both felt in their hearts that this was right, this was meant to be, as if it was pre-ordained. She thought about her prophecy and her orders from Dumbledore, 'a lost witch? Screw that,' she thought as she crushed her lips to his again.
He now had more than his dead mother's love to protect him.
- - -
Arm-in-arm, they walked back to the house, now both hungry for breakfast they missed. "Please let me deal with your uncle, I'm not afraid of him, and I have a few things to tell him."
They walked inside, into the kitchen only to see the Dursley's sitting at the table. Without looking up Uncle Vernon addressed the couple. "I see you and your tramp friend are back."
"Sir, please don't take that belligerent attitude with me, you have no justification to your language or tone," she politely replied.
"I'll do bloody well what I want in my own house. One more word from either of you, and you'll be on the street." His face showed the purple hues of his anger at this girl talking back to him.
"I wouldn't recommend threats, especially when you can't back them up," she calmly added.
"That's it… BOTH of you OUT! I WON'T have some brat or tramp in my house performing what ever illicit acts the two of you have been up to. OUT!"
"So you're attempting to through Harry Potter out of this house?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"ARE YOU DAFT? I said, GET OUT NOW!"
"Hermione, let it go. He's not worth it." he cut in, agitated that they treated her as poorly as they'd treated him.
"Harry, you have more right to be here then they do," she said reassuringly.
"THE HELL HE DOES!!" The veins in Uncle Vernon's forehead were close to popping.
"I would rethink your position, and I would double check the proper ownership of this property, if I were you," she commented almost as a matter of fact.
"Just WHAT do you mean by that?"
"Harry will be the legal owner of this and the other properties left to him in trust by his parents and godfather when he turns seventeen, in a few weeks time."
"And I'll have you know that I'm still his guardian! So he owns NOTHING. And since there's no will, this house IS my property."
"There was a will. And it was executed last summer. All the properties will belong to Harry on his seventeenth birthday."
"Well then he'll have to have ME sign it over as his guardian. And since he left for that school, we've had him listed as legally incompetent. So even if he DOES inherit something, it will revert to us," Uncle Vernon smiled smugly at the revelation of Harry's legal disposition.
"You are aware, that according to the law, a minor child cannot be declared incompetent unless examined by licensed physicians. You haven't had any exams, have you, Harry? I didn't think so. So unless you're making that up, I believe you've perjured yourself, which is a crime with 10 years incarceration. And you are no longer his guardian; Mr. Arthur Weasley is, as of last summer. He has to stay in the house because of her." She pointed a finger at Petunia. "Or I should say because she is Harry's blood aunt."
That bombshell left Uncle Vernon speechless and left a smirk on Harry's face. She got the best of him with logic and reasoning and never had to raise her voice.
"You have no idea what you're talking about, you don't even have a CLUE what the legal process is, being from that weird group and all."
"Sir, both my parents are not part of the wizarding world. I was raised, like Harry, in your world. So I believe I do understand your laws and legal procedures. I have researched the laws accordingly, and you are wrong."
"Then, LET him inherit them, he can't afford the taxes."
"Really? He inherited the entire Black family fortune and the entire Potter family fortune. Combined, he'll be the wealthiest wizard in Britain. I'm sure he'll have enough to cover the taxes. Sirius said there's enough from the Black Family fortune alone so he and his entire family won't have to work for the rest of their lives. Right Harry?" He simply nodded.
"Besides, I still have enough of my school 'allowance' left to live comfortably, in either Godric Hollow or the London house."
"School allowance? London house? Who'd be fool enough to give you any money?"
"My mum. It's a pile of gold a meter high, and two meters across, and that was just for school. So now you know why my parents didn't 'work', they didn't have to. And I'm sure they would have welcomed you into their circle had you been civil."
"Gold?" The shock that Harry had money was almost too much at this point. It was time for a different attack. "So, you're here to try and con him out of what's rightfully his and his family, us?"
"Unless you've been ignoring the posts from the local magistrate, you would have known Harry was legally adopted by the Weasleys this past Christmas. So you have no claim to him or his money."
"You never considered me part of your family, and I never thought of any of you as family," Harry exploded. "No, you'll not get a penny. I might let you continue to live here at a nominal rent, IF you behave." He was angry at the insinuation that Hermione was out for money.
"Sir, you've met my father, let me assure you, I don't need or care for any of Harry's inheritance, as my parents' have done well for themselves. He's my closest friend and he and I are in…"
"That's NONE of their business, Hermione, that's between you and me. Let's grab some food and go upstairs." The young couple grabbed a plate of toast and sausages from the table, amidst complaints from Dudley, and left the stunned Uncle Vernon to ponder the news. They quickly retreated to Harry's room, although Hermione's room was larger, to simply be alone together and nourish the seeds they had sown that morning.
They spent the rest of the day in his bedroom, beginning their life by sharing their hidden feelings for each other. She admitted having the same schoolgirl crush on him when they first met on the train; he was, after all, the famous Harry Potter. That all changed on that Halloween night when he and Ron saved her life from the troll. He admitted to being impressed with her confidence on the train and throughout their early friendship. But, being only eleven, neither had the feelings they have now.
Harry opened his heart to her like he'd never done before. Harry told her he loves and admires her because she is smart, brave, talented, quick thinking, sensible, hard working, generous, and loyal. He told her of all the times she annoyed him in class, constantly showing off and the constant bickering with Ron, which she grinned and admitted she knew it annoyed them both. But since last year, when she stopped trying so hard to prove herself and let others speak up, he told her he began to see her differently. He told her since the Kings Cross incident, or more notably, since his rescue from the Chamber, she stopped trying to 'mother' him, another one of his 'annoyances'. She began to really listen to him when he needed it and stopped being so judgmental. She told him how he made her feel special when he always stood up for her, when others in the class mocked her and teased her behind her back.
They shared all their good and bad feelings they'd had when they were together and apart. She listened to him when he explained how he felt. She responded with her confessions of her long hidden feelings for him, first as a friend, then a close companion, then since Christmas, as more. The only thing she didn't confess was why she was told to stay with him for the summer. She was afraid she had made a major mistake in her task. A mistake that would have deep ramifications.
She had no choice but to inform Dumbledore of this development. She was afraid of what could happen if their newfound love for each other was known. She knew he had given her a special task, but she had to tell him she failed. She was going to send Hedwig off with a full scroll of parchment detailing what she felt and her fears for Harry's safety.
She knew that until his task was done that they were in danger; they must hide their feelings from all. Even from Ron.
"Harry, we have to tell Dumbledore about us. He asked me to stay here to help keep you safe. I don't think this is what he meant, do you?"
"Knowing him, it's possible."
"I'm afraid of what could happen to us if the wrong people found out."
"Now you know what my greatest fear has been these last couple years. I always lose those I love."
"I have written a letter to him, and if it's ok, I'll send Hedwig to deliver it."
"Good, we need to get his help. I want to take every precaution we can. I won't have another King's Cross happen just to get to us."
Harry read the scroll she wrote, and added a few lines of his own, expressing his fears for her safety. They gave the document to his owl, and she flew off to deliver the cargo.
That night, while Harry was in the shower, she sat at his desk with her diary open ready for a new entry. As she put her bag away, she moved the chair away from the desk. It hit a loose floorboard. Curiously she pried the board open, to reveal Harry's secret trove. She saw the broom kit she gave him, and knew why he didn't have it with him last year. She picked up his album and thumbed through the pictures he's collected of his family. She smiled as she gained a deeper insight to him, noticing the pages were well worn. 'He must have spent many hours looking through this book.' She knew what family meant to him, and how he'd never known that closeness before.
The young witch knelt down to replace these precious objects back in their secret place when she saw the scrolls of parchment. She picked these up and smiled as she saw his handwriting. The smile quickly faded as she read on. She read through his diary of his dreams, he had dated them, they were recorded in the short weeks before he fled last year, the last date was the day she had called him.
As she read, one of the first descriptions clearly detained the events of only few days earlier with Cho, but it was written nearly a full year ago. Everything was detailed, almost exactly as she heard him tell Ginny at the beginning of last year. The next entry was quite a bit shorter, very little detail, but read much like the first entry; she dismissed it to be a repeat of first dream, just as he had. The next entry was difficult to read as soon as she saw the word 'Mudblood'. She read further and as he described the images she saw them as familiar, but she couldn't figure out why. Before he returned, she carefully replaced everything back in their original places.
- - -
It was Albus, not Professor Dumbledore who answered her pleas for help, now a friend and not an educator. He apparated to Privet Drive and announced himself at Number 4's door. Uncle Vernon looked at the elderly gentleman with disgust but allowed him access to the house, calling to Harry and Hermione that they had a visitor.
"Sir, I must ask you to leave us alone, my business with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger is of the utmost urgency."
"Say what you will, I'll not leave my home for some old crack-pot."
"And would you like to see what this old crack-pot is capable of?" the elderly wizard said with a smirk. Uncle Vernon saw strength radiate from the old frame that made the coward in him surface.
"It's just as well, we were going out anyway. NO funny business in MY house, Potter!"
Hermione gave the three leaving a sneer, causing Harry to let out a chuckle.
"Miss Granger, a word in private if you please." He had a stern look that told her she was in trouble. Harry left to the kitchen to prepare some beverages for the three.
"I see you have followed my instructions completely; he looks healthy and quite happy for once, what ever you've been doing agrees with him."
"Umm, what about what you told me I had to help him find? I couldn't do that. I couldn't help him fall in love with someone else because I love him. I guess I always have. I'm sorry I failed you. He'll never find this 'lost witch'."
"My dear child, you haven't failed anyone. For once you did as your heart told you, not what your head told you. You helped him finally find love. You always knew who was right for him deep in your heart, and found yourself in the process. You both have been lost, to your true selves, what you found together has helped you both find your true selves. So, in a way, you being a witch and being lost to yourself are a 'lost witch'."
"But… I was curious and looked up "The Lost Witch" and there's a legend some five hundred years old, and the prophecy you told me clearly mentioned 'The Lost Witch", I thought that…"
"You tend to take too many things too literally. You see, I knew that if I planted such a clue, you would find all you could, taking your mind off your internal conflicts. You helped him more then you'll ever know. Now, before he comes back, I must know, are your feelings for him true?"
"Yes sir. I-I've never felt like this before. And he feels the same, too."
"Then we have quite a bit of work to complete. Harry, can you join us, please? Good, please sit." Harry sat next to Hermione, taking her hand as he sat. "I've discussed your new 'development' with Miss Granger," He raised an eyebrow as Harry fidgeted in his seat and smiled at Harry's discomfort, "and there's only one thing that could possibly come of this." He paused to test Harry's resolve.
"Sir, she's been my best and closest friend besides Ron, almost since the day we met. I know we're both too young to know what we feel, but I do love her. I've always loved her. But now, I'm in love with her. I can't, no, I WON'T change that…"
"Please, Harry, let me finish. You two have already found what could come of this, love and happiness. I can't begin to express how pleased I am for you both."
"But Professor, I can't let anyone know, Voldemort will hunt her down, like he's done to anyone that's been important to me."
"There is a way that will allow you to continue your budding relationship and hide it from the world at the same time - the Fidelius Charm. You two will be together and appear as you always had, as close friends, no one would notice the special glances you give each other. I will act as your secret keeper."
"So, no one will know how I feel for her? Hermione, that's not fair to you. I want to tell the world I love you."
"You will, Harry, when it's over," she replied. "I'll know and that's all that's important."
"I must warn you both, this is the most powerful form of this spell. The feelings you two share will be completely obscured to all, no magic known can break this spell. However, I must warn you that only a blood relation with these same feelings toward you, either of you, can see through the spell and only if that blood relation has experienced those deep feelings. To all outward appearances, you, Hermione Jane Granger and Harry James Potter, shall remain merely friends and companions. To each other, your true feelings will be shared, but they must remain true for the spell to last. If this is your wish, and your wish is for me to remain your secret keeper, answer now."
"Yes, professor, I, Harry James Potter, love you, Hermione Jane Granger,"
"And I, Hermione Jane Granger," A name flashed in her head, 'Hermione Jane Potter', "love you, Harry James Potter."
"And we wish to conceal to others what we mean to each other until you lift the charm," they said in unison.
"So be it…" and with a wave of the elder wizard's wand, the couple was engulfed in a light blue haze. Harry's heart felt as if it would explode from the love he felt for this girl. "It is done. You must be careful, even though most won't see it, simple actions still can be interpreted and questions may arise. And if your feelings remain true, then the wards protecting you, Harry, will also protect Miss Granger."
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore."
"Please, my dear children, from now on, when we are alone, please call me Albus. With this form of secret, I don't think such formalities are needed. And let me be the first of many to wish you two all the happiness you seek. I know you'll find it together, as both of your parents had."
Albus maintained the secret throughout the year, up to the end of the war. When they were together, they were happy, and they kept the secret.
And she never left his side.