Chapter 7: Revelations
July 5 - 7:23pm - Grimmauld Place
Hermione bit her bottom lip as she watched Harry closely. Obviously he felt there was something he needed to tell her, but she knew he was struggling with that decision. She hadn't been one of his best friends for the last five years without learning that he tended to bottle things up inside and pull away until he finally exploded, generally in anger. She waited quietly for him to find the words. Finally, after several long moments, he spoke.
"Dumbledore told me what the prophecy said," Harry began, and before he could lose his nerve, he repeated "The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies, born to those who have thrice defied him, and the dark lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have a power the dark lord knows not, and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives," Harry's voice trailed off into silence.
He couldn't meet her eyes. He only hoped she didn't hate him. He felt the sofa shifting for a moment, and then her hands were on either side of his face. A jolt passed through him as she touched him. She forced him to meet her eyes as she spoke in a fiercely determined voice.
"I am so sorry, Harry."
"I have to kill or be killed, Hermione. I'll understand if you don't want to be friends anymore."
"Harry James Potter, you are my best friend. And we will vanquish Voldemort because I will be there with you every step of the way. You are not a murderer, Harry. When the time comes you'll do the right thing and stop Voldemort from hurting anyone else. I love you, Harry, nothing can change that." She knew he needed her to be strong, and she would be.
She hadn't intended to confess her feelings for him, but he needed to know. Merlin knows she knew he hadn't heard it enough during his childhood.
"Hermione?" She saw hope flicker in his eyes. "You love me?"
"Yes, I do." Harry wasn't sure what to think. He knew his feelings for Hermione had deepened over the summer. But no one had ever told him that they loved him. He'd known that Hermione, Ron, and the Weasley's cared for him. He wondered if she meant that she loved him as a friend or as something more.
Hermione watched Harry carefully. She knew he was struggling with this new found information. She also knew him well enough to know that he was not used to anyone saying that they even liked him, let alone loved him. She wasn't sure if she should push this right now. She really did consider him her best friend and she needed that friendship desperately right now. She was scared of losing that friendship if she pushed for a relationship and he didn't feel the same.
Harry struggled to get a hold on his feelings. Part of him wanted to lean in and kiss her, but another part worried that if he did, she'd pull away. He thought about what she had told him and how she had turned to him for comfort. He'd been determined not to tell her of the feelings he suspected he held for her for fear of putting her in even more danger.
People who got close to him had a tendency to die. He'd been willing to push her away if it meant her safety. Now he knew that no matter how hard he pushed, she'd never really let him protect her like that. She'd follow him or find some other way to put herself in danger if it meant helping him. It was this last bit of knowledge that pushed him to his decision.
He leaned forward and kissed her. He felt a jolt through his entire system and something inside him seemed to burst free. He was hesitant at first; his only kiss with Cho had not gone so well. Hermione seemed to notice his hesitation and responded by deepening the kiss. Her hands found their way into his hair pulling his face closer. One of his cupped the back of her head, tangled in the tousled curls. The other pulled her upper body closer to him before sliding down her back. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily.
"Hermione."
"Yes, Harry."
"I love you, too." Hermione smiled at his words before leaning in to kiss him again. This time when they broke apart Harry sighed and pulled her into a hug.
"I don't know what I'd do without you," Hermione whispered quietly by Harry's ear. Harry hugged her tighter before replying.
"I don't know what I'd do without you either, Hermione. You've always been there for me."
"I'm worried about Ron. He looked so pale," Hermione said tears coming to her eyes again as she thought about her other best friend.
"So am I, but Madam Pomfrey has always come through for us in the past." Harry did his best to reassure her. He knew she was crying again.
He felt almost numb, like the events of the last few hours hadn't happened. The only thing holding him back from crying himself was the young woman in his arms and her confession of love. He'd never had someone tell them they loved him, not that he could remember anyway. After several moments in silence lost in their own thoughts, Harry spoke.
"Hermione, would you stay here with me, tonight?" Hermione tilted her head to look up at him. She saw the uncertainty in his face mixed with his desire to not be alone. She felt the same.
"Okay." At her soft response, Harry pulled back and grabbed some throw pillows. He leaned back against them stretching his legs out on the sofa and pulling Hermione down beside him. She snuggled her head against his chest and he rested his chin above her head. Hermione pulled a thin blanket from the back of the sofa to cover them. Hermione listened to his heart beating as Harry lost himself in the sweet smell of her hair. Latching onto the sense of comfort they fell asleep in each others arms.
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July 5 - 8:04pm - Grimmauld Place
Poppy Pomfrey observed Luna carefully as she followed her previous instructions and worked to make a blood replenishing
potion. The girl worked quietly and efficiently and seemed to have a natural talent for healing potions. The blood
replenishing potion should have been above her level of schooling, but she was mixing the complicated potion as if
she'd done it many times before this.
She paused for a moment and stared down into the girl's cauldron. It was exactly the right shade.
"Excellent work, Miss Lovegood," she commended.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Luna replied in her usual dreamy voice. She had found it difficult to concentrate at first, but her commitment to do anything she could to help the young red-haired man get better won out and she applied all her knowledge to carefully make the important potion.
She had loved Ronald Weasley from the moment she saw him. She knew he thought her loony as did most of her classmates, but she was sure that in the end he would notice her. She began to hum a tune to herself, a lullaby her mum used to sing to her when she was sick as a child.
"Miss Lovegood, please bring me a vial of your newly mixed potion, please," Poppy Pomfrey ordered. She just done another exam of Ron and he was not doing as well as she'd hoped. Luna quickly bottled some of the potion and handed it to Madam Pomfrey. Luna watched closely as Madam Pomfrey gave Ron the potion. He seemed too pale, too still.
"Madam Pomfrey, would a strengthening potion be helpful here? I know that it is not typically thought of as a healing potion, but I've always thought it could be applied to strengthen one's health," Luna commented.
Poppy Pomfrey turned to Luna. Luna was looking down twirling a strand of her around her finger. She seemed not to care at all what the healer's response to her suggestion was at all. The girl had an excellent point. Ron had been weakened by the loss of blood and various other injuries, a slightly modified strengthening potion could be very helpful.
"Excellent idea, Miss Lovegood," Poppy Pomfrey stated pondering the young witch before her. "Would you assist me please in concocting this potion?"
"Certainly, Madam Pomfrey," Luna replied following Madam Pomfrey back over to the area the older woman had set up as a potions area.
"Please bottle the rest of this potion as we may need it, while I gather the ingredients for the strengthening potion," Poppy Pomfrey ordered. Luna did as she was told and had soon emptied the cauldron of its contents. Poppy cast a quick scourgify spell to clean it, as Luna placed the newly filled vials of blood replenishing potion in a container at the far end of the table. The two worked well together and soon the new potion was simmering before them.
"Miss Lovegood, would you like to take some private lessons on healing magic with me this upcoming school year?"
"Yes," Luna answered promptly. She could hardly believe the healer's offer. Private lessons on healing magic, it was too much to hope for really. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
"Your welcome, Miss Lovegood. You've got talent and I could use the help," Poppy replied. "I'll speak to the Headmaster about it." The two worked on in silence for several minutes when they were interrupted by someone entering the room. Arthur and Molly Weasley made their way to their youngest son's bed.
"Has there been any change, Poppy?" Molly Weasley asked.
"Not really, Molly. Miss Lovegood and I are finishing a strengthening potion that we think should help. It was Miss Lovegood's idea in fact. She has been a tremendous help." Luna blushed at the praise and stirred the dark blue concoction in front of her three times counterclockwise. Now the potion just needed to cool for eight minutes. Poppy turned the heat off and moved the cauldron from the still hot burner.
"Thank you, Miss Lovegood, for all your help," Molly Weasley said gratefully.
"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley. I only suggested the idea. Madam Pomfrey is the one who modified the potion so that it should work." Luna answered.
"It was an inspired suggestion," Poppy Pomfrey pointed out as she checked the potion again. As it cooled it was becoming a lighter shade of blue. "Our potion should be done soon, and then we'll try it."
"If I remember correctly, Miss Lovegood, your mother was Ariel Ravenclaw, a brilliant potions master," Arthur Weasley commented.
"Yes, she was. I learned a lot from her before she died." Luna remarked quietly.
"I'm sorry dear, I hadn't realized you'd lost your mother," Molly Weasley apologized.
"It's alright. It happened years ago. A potion she was working on went wrong," Luna explained. Poppy Pomfrey looked at the girl with newfound respect.
"I knew your mother as well, though I never made the connection. She was a gifted witch. It's no wonder you're so good with potions," Poppy remarked.
"Mother always went by her maiden name of Ravenclaw. She was quite proud of her ancestry and father always said that it made it harder for people to make the connection between the two of them adding another level of protection with the secrecy."
"Ah yes, Jeremiah Lovegood, the ex-auror and current owner of "The Quibbler." The only man I know who could probably give Mad-Eye a run for his money in terms of vigilance," Arthur Weasley commented. "I wasn't surprised at all to find that the two of you had taken out those death eaters at Stoats Head. To be honest that's why I only brought Charlie with me. I was counting on Jeremiah recognizing me and trusting that the only person with me was one of my sons. I would not have wanted to get taken out by one of his blasts, from what I hear it leaves one with a horrible headache for several days."
"Father has always taught me that if one is prepared, you will have a better chance of remaining alive," Luna stated "And that preparedness has come in handy on many of our adventures."
"I'm sure it has," Arthur replied viewing the young woman before him with much respect. She was obviously intelligent, articulate, and gifted at potions. He wondered briefly if his son realized any of this. Molly had told him of the girl's actions and her belief that Luna had feelings for Ron.
"I think it is time we try this potion now," Poppy interrupted carrying a vial of the newly cooled strengthening potion to Ron's bedside. She propped him up carefully and forced him to swallow the whole vial of light blue potion. She lay his head back down on the pillows before addressing the others in the room.
"I think we should let him rest for awhile and give the potion time to take effect. I will be checking on him on an hourly basis to see if there are signs of change. As I know that all of you are unlikely to leave, could I at least suggest that you sit by his bedside in shifts and alert me if you notice any changes?" Molly, Arthur, and Luna looked back and forth amongst themselves. Finally, Arthur spoke.
"I'll take the first shift and wake Molly in a few hours. Then if you'd like you can sit with him in the morning, Miss Lovegood."
"It's Luna, sir, and that sounds alright to me, if Madam Pomfrey is no longer in need of my assistance."
"You should get some rest my dear. It's been a long day and Mr. Weasley is not likely to wake up until at least tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey reassured the young witch.
"Alright then, where should I go?" Luna questioned. She had never been in this house before so she had no idea where she might be sleeping tonight.
"I'll show you where to go," Molly answered.
"Thanks," Luna said as she touched Ron's hand and gave it a light squeeze promising him that she'd be back in the morning. Molly led her from the room a moment later after placing a kiss on Ron's forehead. The two wound their way up a narrow staircase before Molly stopped in front of the third door on the right.
"I think this room is where Remus said they were putting your knapsack," Molly Weasley explained as she knocked and then opened the door. The room was indeed empty except for an old four poster bed and a small bureau in front of which sat Luna's well-worn knapsack.
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Luna stated before entering the room and closing the door. Molly Weasley waited for a moment outside the girl's bedroom door. She said a short prayer that her son would wake up and she could ask him about this young woman who obviously liked him, but whom he had never mentioned. Though knowing her Ron, he probably hadn't noticed. She sighed and feeling very tired walked towards her own room.
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