Chapter 35: A Quest
Hogwarts - September 2
Hermione took a deep breath, switched her heavy bag of books to her other shoulder, and knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door. She'd given the professor's request some thought, and even discussed it briefly with Harry during lunch. Ron had begged her not to suggest another bloody dance, and she understood his reluctance. She also doubted a dance, while fun, would help with inter-house alliances and communication.
"Come in," Minerva McGonagall ordered from her seat at her desk. She removed her spectacles and wiped them with a cloth before replacing them as Hermione entered the room. "Please, have a seat, Miss Granger." Hermione took the seat in front of her desk, placing her heavy satchel on the floor by her seat. The older woman stared at her for several moments, offering her some tea, which Hermione declined, then caught her completely by surprise when the professor's face softened and she asked.
"How are you, Miss Granger?" At first, Hermione didn't know what to say. The question was unexpected.
"Alright," she managed catching her lower lip between her teeth wondering why the professor has asked.
"And things with you and Mr. Potter are going well," the older woman continued. Hermione felt her face flushing. She had never imagined talking about Harry to her head of house.
"Yes." Minerva smiled then.
"I am not asking these questions to make you uncomfortable, Miss Granger. I just wanted to let you know that I am here for you if you have any concerns, or should feel the need to talk to someone. So things are going well?"
"Yes, mostly anyway," Hermione replied honestly feeling a little relieved to say that.
"And what would the drawback be, dear, you seem well suited and you have been friends for quite some time," the older woman remarked settling back in her seat and pouring herself a cup of tea from which she took a sip while she waited for Hermione's response.
"His protectiveness gets a bit annoying really," she revealed thinking about Harry's reluctance still to accept the bonding or go to Dumbledore about finishing the process through the ancient incantations of the spell. Their training to control her elemental abilities clearly delineated that although Harry could do some of the spells, he had no where near her range or ability, meaning he insisted on maintaining some semblance of separation between them. His refusal to accept their bonding had prevented the final cementing of their relationship and powers.
Minerva settled back into her seat as she watched the emotions whirl across the young Gryffindor's face. She could certainly understand the young woman's frustration, and she had seen Harry's protectiveness of her exhibited on several occasions.
"I just want him to accept that I can take care of myself," she added almost to herself. "I worry that he'll do something stupid in an attempt to protect me." Hermione stared down at her hands twisting in her lap.
"I am certain Mr. Potter does not doubt your abilities. I suspect he is terrified of the possibility of losing you. He has lost a good deal more than most," Minerva said in an attempt to reassure her charge. "Give him time, Miss Granger." Hermione nodded hoping that she could. Tonks had essentially told her the same thing only a few days before the start of school. Minerva waited to give her best student an opportunity to get her feelings back under control. She really did want to talk to the young woman about suggestions to encourage the houses to get along better. When she felt sufficient time had passed, she broached her next topic.
"The Headmaster is seriously considering canceling Hogsmeade visits for the year due to the uncertainty of the times. He has requested that the staff make suggestions for events or other activities for the students. Activities that would enhance inter-house relations would be wonderful. Have you any suggestions?"
"Well, professor, I rather liked the idea of a quest," Hermione put forth.
"What sort of quest," Minerva pressed beginning to mull over the idea in her mind.
"A competition with teams consisting of members from each house who use skills to make their way to an ultimate goal," Hermione explained further feeling more confident about the idea as she spoke.
"Would these tasks or hurdles be dangerous?" Minerva had to ask. She certainly did not want to encourage a miniature tri-wizard tournament where students might die.
"No, not necessarily, professor, Harry and I discussed it, and we were thinking of items more like those he, Ron, and I went through in first year. The teachers could each submit riddles or tasks for the students to solve in order to advance to the next level." Minerva contemplated the idea.
"Team members will have to rely on each other. Each team should have four members, one from each house, and the tasks will need to draw upon the strengths of each house. I think this suggestion has real potential, Miss Granger. When would you like to make the presentation of the idea to the headmaster?" Minerva questioned thinking more about the idea. She knew Miss Granger would not fail to disappoint her. The girl really was brilliant.
"Whenever you like, professor," Hermione answered pleased that McGonagall liked the idea.
"Very well, Miss Granger, I shall send you a note with the time once it has been set. Any other suggestions you wish to set forth?"
"Not really, professor," said Hermione.
"Do come to me if you have other suggestions. For now, I suppose you should get back to your dormitory and any homework that you might have," Minerva stated dismissing her. Hermione rose to her feet, and after shouldering her bag, headed back to the Gryffindor common room.
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Hermione arrived in the common room later that evening after a trip to the library to work on her arithmancy assignment to find Ron and Neville in a heated match of chess, and Harry engrossed in a book in his favorite chair by the fire. She noticed several other students eyeing the boys strangely, and smiled. Harry looked up as if sensing her presence and returned her smile with one of his own. She perched on the edge of his chair for a moment and glanced at the title of his book, Offensive Dueling Tactics. She should have known. When he wasn't practicing dueling, he was generally reading about it in preparation for the next duel.
"Anything interesting in that one, I haven't read it yet?"
"Harry, mate, that's just wrong," Ron interjected, "you may be becoming worse than Hermione."
"Really, Ron, I think its wonderful Harry's taking his studies more seriously. You should give it a try," retorted Hermione crossing her arms across her chest and glaring sternly at Ron.
"It's the first night of classes," Ron protested just before Neville's knight crushed one of his castles. Ron looked positively shocked.
"And we already have homework, unless you've forgotten about our DADA assignment, McGonagall's essay, and the one from Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures," she replied not giving an inch. Ron ignored her this time engrossed in his game and feeling a little concerned for the first time. Neville really appeared to be giving him a challenge.
"How did your talk with McGonagall go?" Harry asked in an effort to stem any further arguing between his best friends. Hermione's face brightened and his heart constricted as he once again thought how beautiful she looked when she was excited about something.
"She really liked the quest idea, and wants to tell Dumbledore about it."
"Brilliant, it was a great idea," Harry complimented her pulling her down onto his lap.
"Thanks, Harry, for helping me work out some of the details," she returned kissing him on the cheek.
"You're welcome," he replied capturing her lips and making the common room disappear.
"Enough of that," Ron called, "checkmate," he then said to Neville. "How much more do we have to do to finish off that DADA assignment?" Hermione and Harry pulled apart breathless.
"What?" Hermione murmured confused.
"What did you do to her, Harry?" Neville asked smiling despite his defeat as he looked at Hermione's confused expression.
"I think whatever it was, Hermione affected Harry worse," Ron snickered eyeing his other friend who not only didn't seem to have heard his question, but looked a bit dazed.
"The assignment," Neville prompted them both laughing a bit. Hermione blushed crimson.
"It's okay, Hermione, if I got kissed like that, I wouldn't be paying attention to anything else either," Parvati said sympathetically from her seat nearby. She closed her own book and headed up the stairs to the dorm.
"Alright," Hermione said recovering, "based on what we found earlier, I think we are almost ready to start our own papers. I did find a few more potions that sound helpful in situations requiring stealth," she informed the boys standing and retrieving her bag once more from the floor.
The four settled around an empty table in the common room to review any additional methods any of them had found. Harry contributed several more defensive spells, and Neville reminded the others of gillyweed which would allow a person to stay under water to avoid detection. Hermione added each to the master list they had been creating, and was pleased to see that the four of them had come up with twenty-three items to aid in stealth with at least a couple of spells or methods from each discipline that Professor Black had suggested, and even a few she hadn't, like Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. She made three copies of the master list and gave one to each of the boys.
"If anyone comes up with any others, let me know, and I'll add them to the list," she reminded them. Ron yawned and looked at the clock above the mantle. While Harry, Hermione, and Neville pulled out more parchment and began on their essays, he packed his books away.
"Aren't you going to work on yours some tonight?" Hermione questioned as she watched him pack.
"All I have to do is pick ten and talk about them. I can do it tomorrow," he replied yawning again and shouldering his knapsack. "I'm knackered, night all," he added before disappearing up the boy's stairs.
"He'll do it, Hermione," Harry reassured her placing a hand over hers comfortingly. She sighed.
"I know," was all she said before she bent over her own parchment and notes and began her essay. The three worked silently until nearly midnight, when Neville finally pushed aside his essay and announced he was going to bed.
"We'd better get some sleep, too, Hermione," Harry suggested casting a drying spell on his own parchment so the ink wouldn't smear and gathering up his supplies. He was a little surprised he wasn't finished with the essay, as he normally would have scratched out something and been done with it. This time, he found himself referring to his books a lot more and taking his time to really discuss and analyze the methods he had chosen. 'Perhaps there was more to Ron's remark than he previously thought,' he considered as he watched Hermione finish the paragraph she was working on before casting the same spell he had and collecting her own books, parchments, and quills together. Once they were both ready and had walked to the base of the staircases, they both stopped.
"Goodnight, Harry," she said softly.
"Goodnight, Hermione," he answered then kissed her. When they broke apart several minutes later, both were breathing heavily, and all he wanted to do was haul her up the stairs to his room with him. He had never hated staying in the dormitories at Hogwarts until last night, and tonight seemed even worse. He missed her. He stayed at the bottom of the stairs until she disappeared from view at the top of the girl's stairs. Sighing heavily he made his way to his own room and his own lonely bed.
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