Here at the End

Here at the End

By

Ahn Na Blue

Rated PG-13

Chapter Eight: The Pitfalls of Love Potions

Disclaimer: Ergh…too tired to do a disclaimer…

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“What on earth-!” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, as Ron burst through the door carrying a still unconscious Ginny. She motioned to a bed and quickly shooed Ron out of the way as she felt Ginny’s cheeks, which were extremely white.

“She’s out cold,” Ron said, and Madam Pomfrey gave him a severe look. “We were practicing,” he explained hastily, “And Her-I mean- I got a little carried away.” Ron looked sideways at Harry, who nodded at him. They couldn’t let Madam Pomfrey find out that it was Hermione who had hexed Ginny; Hermione would be mortified.

“What kind of hex was it?” Madam Pomfrey asked, as she applied a cool rag to Ginny’s forehead.

“Well-” Ron hesitated. “I don’t know. Like I said, I got a little carried away, doing nonverbal after nonverbal, and then Wham! My sister’s flying through the air.”

“Someone ought to take points from Gryffindor,” Madam Pomfrey grumbled, but neither Harry nor Ron said anything. Points didn’t matter a lick this year, because there was no house cup.

“Is Ginny going to be all right?” Harry asked.

“She just needs some rest. You boys get back to your Common Room.”

Harry stared down at Ginny’s still face. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. Hermione and Ginny….had dueled….and they were dueling over ME, he realized and his eyes widened.

Ron tugged on his sleeve and headed for the door.

“So,” he said quietly to Harry as they left, “Do you want to tell me why my girlfriend just tried to hex your girlfriend’s head off?”

“Ginny’s not my girlfriend,” Harry said tersely, wishing that Ron wouldn’t call Hermione ‘his girlfriend’ either.

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Harry pushed the last few days out of his mind as he whipped through the sky on his Firebolt. After leaving Ginny, he never made it back to the Common Room, but said goodbye to Ron and went down to the unused Quidditch lockers. He needed to think, something to get his mind off of everything that was happening, and to Harry, that meant flying. He felt much better already, nothing up here but him and clouds, the wind rushing through his ears as he dove and accelerated, spun and curved around wide to fly through the Quidditch pitch, trying to remember the sound of the crowd as he swept past the empty stands.

He pulled his broom to a stop and looked down at the lonely playing field. All of his adventures as a seeker ran quickly through his head: the possessed broom, the rogue bludger, all of the times he had beat Malfoy to the snitch…I’ll probably never play Quidditch again, he realized numbly, just before he was almost knocked off of his broom.

“What?!” Harry exclaimed, and whirled angrily, expecting to see Ron, messing around, but instead there was Buckbeak, flapping his wings very hard in order to hover, and on his back, nibbling her lower lip, was Hermione.

Harry couldn’t speak, because the thousand thoughts and questions spinning around in his head had suddenly run into each other, forming a clog. Hermione didn’t say anything either. She was just sitting there with a rather ashamed look on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked.

“I needed to think,” she said, looking down and toying with Buckbeak’s feathers.

“Me too,” Harry said. They sat there for a few minutes more, she on her hippogriff and he on his broom, neither one saying much. Then Hermione smiled hesitantly.

“Follow the leader?” she suggested uncertainly, and Harry barely had time to grin and nod before she nudged Buckbeak forward very fast, racing past him and dipping into a dive.

Harry dove instantly after them, and he saw her look over her shoulder just before Buckbeak tucked his wings and freefell towards the ground. Harry could hardly catch his breath, the wind was so strong against his face…had the hippogriff lost his mind? They were going to crash….but at the last second, Buckbeak unfurled his wings and skimmed across the grass, and Harry too, pulled up just in time, the end of his broomstick kicking up dust and dirt. He heard Hermione laughing and accelerated past her.

“A hippogriff can’t beat a Firebolt!” Harry shouted at her.

“Well, maybe not any old hippogriff,” she shouted back, “but this hippogriff can!” And then Buckbeak took off like a shot, bounding higher into the air, unbelievably fast. Harry stayed right on his tail, listening to the flapping beat of his wings as they all streaked across the sky.

“Woo hoo!” Harry shouted as he followed the hippogriff through the trees, dodging the trunks, watching him glide down to the ground only to leap back up again, matching him dive for dive and corkscrew for corkscrew. They even did a loop de loop.

He could have passed them at any time, of course.

*******************

“That was incredible,” Harry gasped when they were on the ground. Hermione was just sliding off of Buckbeak’s back in the middle of a circle of stones, on the very northernmost portion of the Hogwart’s grounds. She gave the hippogriff a tidbit of something from her pocket, which he ate, and then clicked his beak and trotted a short distance away before flopping down onto the grass, obviously exhausted.

“You let him win on purpose,” Hermione smiled. “I think he needed that.” She was staring at Buckbeak’s hindquarter, which was oddly puckered around the healed bite. There appeared to be reddish fur growing around the area.

“Hermione,” Harry said, alarmed. “The fur-”

“Don’t worry,” Hermione shook her head. “Hagrid’s had a MagiVet out to see him, and he thinks that it’s just a reaction to the bite. Nothing more. Just kind of a- funny scar.”

“Well, I know all about funny scars,” Harry said, relieved, and almost in a jovial mood. Flying always took his mind off of things. But beside him, Hermione still seemed troubled.

“Harry, is Ginny all right?” She was looking away from him with a very embarrassed expression on her face.

“Yes,” he said. “Ginny’s fine. But Hermione, you really shouldn’t have.”

“I know,” she said, but Harry thought he heard a little bit of defiance in her voice. “I’m sorry. It was a foolish, stupid thing-”

“Especially after all of your talk about me and Malfoy-” He stopped. He didn’t really know why he was rubbing that in, he wasn’t in the mood to scold her, and really, part of him did think that Ginny had it coming. But part of him also thought that it was nice to be able to be her conscience, just this once.

“I know,” she moaned, her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I did that! I’m so disappointed in myself!”

She really did look sorry. “Don’t be too disappointed,” Harry said gently, leaning his broomstick against one of the rocks and sitting down. “Some of the things she was saying to you…they were pretty ugly.”

“Really?” Hermione said, surprised. She sat down on the rock beside him.

“Yes really. And I hope that you know, you’re a lot more than just books and cleverness. I’ve been trying to tell you that since first year.”

Hermione blushed, and Harry smiled softly, remembering that first adventure through the trapdoor, and his very first hug. They hadn’t known then that those things would be the first of many.

“Why did you come out flying?” Hermione asked quietly.

“I needed a break. To think. All of this business, with Voldemort, it was starting to weigh on my nerves…though I suppose it should be very run of the mill actually-”

“You’re not a horcrux, Harry.”

Harry blinked at her. She sounded so sure. So resolute. “How do you know?”

Hermione was staring at Buckbeak with a stony look on her face. She had her bushy hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a few strands had come loose during their chase. He couldn’t help noticing that she looked very pretty. He wanted to reach up and tuck the loose strands behind her ear.

“Even if you are a horcrux,” she said seriously. “We’ll find ways around it. All right?”

Harry nodded, even though he had no idea what those ways might be. He sighed. He wished they were back up flying together instead of down on the ground where things were real, but from the way Buckbeak was snoring, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“What was that spell you hit Ginny with, anyway?” Harry asked, trying to lighten the subject.

“I don’t know, actually,” Hermione said, blushing again. “I just got so mad; and then she was flying through the air….That’s the trouble with nonverbal spells, they’re harder to remember, after the fact.”

“Well, whatever it was, it was awfully good,” Harry said, and then “What?” as Hermione was looking at him very curiously.

“Well, I thought that- I thought that you’d be-”

“You thought that I’d be mad?”

Hermione nodded. And she had a point. Why wasn’t he angry? Ginny was lying in a bed in the hospital wing and he was out swooping after Buckbeak. Shouldn’t he be by her side when she woke up? I’ll get her some flowers later, Harry thought absently, and then pushed her out of his mind.

“Is Ginny really your girlfriend again?”

Harry looked at Hermione, exasperated, as though she should know he was trying not to think about Ginny. But Hermione was watching Buckbeak again, and wringing her hands softly in her lap. She was also nibbling on her lower lip in that thoughtful, worrisome way that she had.

“No,” Harry said gently. “I broke up with her. I told you that.”

“Right,” Hermione said without looking at him, “Because you wanted to keep her safe.”

“Yes,” said Harry, although he wasn’t sure anymore if that was the only reason. Flying with Hermione just now had been better than any of the moments he had spent with Ginny, better than any of their kisses, or any of their time by the lake. He glanced over at Hermione; they were sitting so close…he could just reach out to her…touch her hand…her face… “Ron isn’t mad, either,” Harry said, feeling guilty.

“Oh,” Hermione said, and smiled. “oh, well that’s a relief.”

“Yeah,” he said, and sounded unconvincing, even to himself. But what was going on? Why did he suddenly feel guilty being alone with Hermione? Why was an innocent hug from a girl who’d been hugging him since he was eleven suddenly giving him shivers?

It’s because she and Ron are dating, he explained to himself. I’m just feeling on the outs…and come to think of it, he did feel a little bit on the outs. They were a couple now, and where did that leave him? Would Ron become more important to Hermione than he was? The thought filled him with a surprising surge of jealousy. Maybe they would become so involved with each other that they would forget about him completely….

“No one’s ever said that they loved me,” Harry said softly.

“What?” Hermione asked, turning to him wearing a look of disbelief. “No one? Ever?”

Harry shook his head. He didn’t know why he was telling her this, except that he had never told anyone before, and the possibility of being a horcrux brought it to the forefront of his mind.

“I never realized- I thought that someone must have, surely-” Hermione looked at him searchingly and the concern in her eyes made his heart start to beat faster. “But you know, don’t you Harry?”

Harry felt hope leap into his throat. He found that he couldn’t move, or breathe, or even blink.

“You know that….that I…That Ron and I- we-”

“Yes, I know,” Harry said, dropping his eyes. Ron and I. That was it then. He felt very stupid, and said in a clipped voice, “You’re my friends. But it would be nice to have something else too….to be something else….to be someone’s everything…” Harry trailed off. “I want to have that, before I die, you know?”

Hermione punched him hard in the arm. “You’re not a horcrux,” she snapped.

“Ow! You’re starting to be very violent, you know that?” Harry said, and then he noticed the tears standing in her eyes. “Hermione, what is it?”

Her lip trembled and she opened her mouth, but only a very small squeak came out.

“Hermione-” Harry said, and placed his hand over hers. It was ice cold. “Hermione what’s that matter?”

“You should be with her!” she exclaimed suddenly, and with that declaration, the tears fell out of her eyes and she began to cry in earnest.

“What?”

“Ginny- you should be with her…you deserve that….she’s in danger anyway, really, we all are- you don’t have to be noble, it won’t make a difference,” she stammered, trying to regain control of her voice but in the end that only made her cry harder.

“Hermione please stop crying,” Harry said, horrified. “I didn’t mean to-”

“No, no it’s fine,” she said, still shaking, and Harry placed an arm around her. She appeared to be calming down, to his relief. He felt awful, making her feel so bad for him. She stared at Buckbeak again, and then squeezed her eyes shut. “Why shouldn’t you love her?” she said, trying very hard to keep her voice strong. “She’s beautiful…and….and she does that ‘bat bogey’ thing and….and….” Hermione paused and searched her brain. “Help me out here, Harry.”

“Hermione,” Harry said in a careful voice. “You want me to be with Ginny…”

“You love her,” Hermione said, and began to cry again, then hugged him desperately. “I want you to have that.”

Harry held her until she quieted, and then she pulled away and looked at him so intently that he was sure she could see right through. Her hands were on either side of his face. She glanced up at his scar, and then dropped her eyes to his lips.

Harry felt his heart flutter like it had wings. That warm, tingling feeling was back in his chest and he was starting to feel dizzy. He placed his hand hesitantly on her waist. Don’t be a dope, his mind cautioned, she wants you to be with Ginny…she’s dating Ron…..

I don’t care, Harry realized suddenly.

“I’m sorry nobody ever told you they loved you, Harry,” Hermione said resolutely, snapping him back into reality. She pulled away and shut her eyes very tight, then wiped them dry. “But it’s obvious, to me at least, that they did. Even if they never said it.”

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Harry returned from his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson exhausted. Professor Lupin had drilled him on every disarming spell known to wizard kind, so intensely that Harry was actually relieved every time that his wand was knocked from his hand, as it gave him a break to walk over and retrieve it. As he was leaving, he heard Professor Lupin say, “Blocking spells next time, Harry,” which of course meant that he would have to run around the room while Lupin tried to hex his head off. He wasn’t looking forward to it, although he also couldn’t wait to show off Hermione’s Lateo.

Harry exchanged pleasantries with the Fat Lady and then pulled himself through the portrait hole, thinking of his nice warm bed and feather pillow. He paused when he heard Hermione’s voice.

“Would you like me to look over that for you, Ron?”

Harry looked over at the pair of them where they sat by the fire, and tried not to frown. It had been just one day since he and Hermione had flown together, but since then, she’d been almost unnaturally pleasant to Ron, which was evidenced by the bewildered look that was now constantly on his face.

Ron was wearing it just then, actually, as he handed over his homework. “Oi, Harry! How was your lesson?”

“Long,” Harry said, walking over and plopping down next to Ron. Hermione it seemed, was ignoring him.

“This looks very good Ron,” she said brightly. “Except that it’s ‘their’ and not ‘there’, and amber is used to purify things, not fix them.”

“But I did the rest right?” Ron looked amazed.

“Well,” Hermione tried very hard to keep her smile broad. “Mostly right…it’s much better than last week…um, good job Ron.”

“Er, thanks,” Ron said suspiciously.

“Maybe tomorrow I can help you on your transfiguration report, what subject did you draw?”

And that, for Ron, was apparently the final straw. “What the bloody hell’s gotten into you Hermione?”

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked innocently.

“You know exactly what I mean,” Ron accused. “This “Miss Nice” routine- everyone’s noticing it…me, Luna…I bet Harry’s noticed it too, haven’t you Harry?”

Harry looked at Hermione, who was beginning to blush and refused to meet his eyes.

“It’s not a routine,” she said, and Harry could tell that she was trying very hard to remain calm. “I’m just trying to help you…I’m just trying to be nice!”

“Yeah? Well cut it out! It’s just not normal!”

“I’m not nice normally?” Hermione said shrilly.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to hear whatever idiotic thing Ron would say next as though he was waiting for an explosion.

“No!- Well, sure, but not like this, it’s weird,” Ron said, backpedaling.

“Oh, so now I’m ‘weird’ am I?” Hermione fumed, gathering up her books. “I’m going to bed. See if I ever try to help YOU again!”

“What’s with her, anyway?” Ron grumbled as Hermione disappeared up the stairs in a blur of brown hair and robes. But he didn’t give Harry time to answer, just gathered up his scattered homework and disappeared up the stairs as well.

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A day later he heard from Neville that Ginny was finally awake and was asking for him. When he arrived in the hospital wing holding a bouquet of tricolor daisies, she was sitting up and turned in bed, absently staring out the window.

“How are you feeling?” Harry asked, setting the flowers on the table.

“Fine, for someone who was just hexed by one of their friends,” she quipped, cocking her eyebrow, and then clapped her hands and bounced when she saw the flowers. “Oh Harry! They’re lovely! But they need water, and a vase!” She motioned with her hand. “Dobby! Would you get a vase and some water for these flowers?”

“Dobby?” Harry wondered aloud, just as the little tomato-nosed house elf trotted into view and said, “Yes Miss!”

“He’s been helping Madam Pomfrey now,” Ginny explained. “I think there was some trouble with him in the kitchens. He wasn’t getting along with the other elves…probably because someone was putting ideas about unionizing into his head…”

Harry ignored her. “Well good, because I need to see him. Hermione needs something for her-”

“Hermione?” Ginny exclaimed, her eyes becoming fierce. “You’re still helping her?”

“She’s helping me,” Harry corrected her, “to find the horcruxes.”

“Harry,” Ginny said with an incredulous look on her face, “she HEXED me!”

Harry sat there dumbly. He didn’t know what to say. He tried to make himself look as small as possible, and scanned the room for a way to change the subject.

“There are loads of other people here that you could get to help you,” Ginny continued. “Professors, other students…I don’t see why it’s always got to be her.”

Because it’s always been her, Harry thought to himself, but said to Ginny, “Look, she’s really sorry about what happened; now that you’re awake I’m sure she’ll come and tell you so herself.” Ginny just rolled her eyes and reclined back against her pillows.

“Harry Potter sir!” Dobby exclaimed, running into the room with a sloshing vase.

“Dobby! It’s good to see you. I have something to ask-”

“Harry Potter has need of Dobby?” Dobby said excitedly, stuffing the flowers into the vase.

“Yes,” Harry smiled. “Do you remember the diary I gave to you…well, that Lucius Malfoy gave to you?”

Dobby blushed with joy. “Yes,” he said wistfully. “It contained the clothes…it made Dobby free!”

Harry couldn’t help grinning. “Do you still have it?”

The elf nodded.

“May I have it?” Harry asked, and then he remembered Hermione’s warning. “For ten galleons?”

“Harry Potter sir may have it for free,” Dobby said. “But ten galleons is also very nice-” and then he snapped his fingers and disappeared, presumably to fetch the diary. In a moment he was back, and placed it in Harry’s hands. Harry reached into his pocket and paid the house elf, who put the money into the sock he was wearing on his head and bowed, then trotted away.

“What do you need THAT for?” Ginny asked, looking fearfully at the diary.

Harry quickly regretted asking for it in her presence. He hadn’t thought about how she might feel seeing it again. He tucked it into his robes. “I’m sorry, Ginny,” he said sincerely. “I wasn’t thinking-”

“It’s all right,” she said stiffly, but she seemed much better with the book out of sight.

“When can you- well, when can you get out of here?”

Ginny smiled. “Madam Pomfrey says I can leave today!”

Harry glanced down. “Good,” he said softly, and then looked up at her. After a moment of hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her.

“Hermione!” Ginny exclaimed, and Harry turned. Hermione was standing in the doorway, holding what appeared to be a basket of sweets wrapped in gold ribbon.

“Would you like me to come back later?” Hermione asked, taking a step backwards.

“No!” Ginny said, grabbing Harry’s hand. “You can come in.”

Harry looked at Ginny. She looked like the cat who had just mauled the canary. He looked at Hermione, who was beaming down at Ginny with an apology in her eyes. Harry saw her glance down at his and Ginny’s linked hands, and saw her gaze drift to the flowers on the table. He thought that for a moment she looked regretful.

But this is what she wanted, Harry thought. This is the way it’s supposed to be, me with Ginny and Hermione with Ron. One big happy family.

He watched Hermione and Ginny talk to each other with forced cheerfulness, and tried to be glad, but couldn’t quite manage it.

*********

Ginny was going to be in the hospital wing until at least dinnertime, so Harry left to go and find Hermione, who had only stayed at Ginny’s bedside for a few minutes, just long enough to deliver the sweets and to apologize profusely. Harry walked quickly down the quiet corridors. He couldn’t wait to find Hermione, to show her the diary, and to tell her how he had paid ten galleons for it. Only she hadn’t told him where she was going. He decided to head for the library, which was the most likely place, and ran into Ron and Luna.

“Hey Harry!” Ron said.

“Hi Ron, hi Luna. Have you guys seen Hermione?”

“Yes,” Luna said in her dreamy voice. “She was headed down towards the Potions classrooms.”

“Yeah,” Ron added. “Professor Oddburg is her new best friend.”

“Thanks,” Harry said quickly, turning towards the Potions classrooms and then doubling back and reaching into his pockets. “Hey Ron, Ginny wanted me to give these to you.” He handed him several packages of chocolate frogs.

“Thanks Harry! Here, Luna, do you like chocolate frogs?”

“I prefer chocolate three-toed mooktoos, actually,” she said, turning up her nose.

Ron burst out laughing and looked at Harry. “She’s completely nuts!” He grinned, and Harry looked at him, stunned, until Luna said,

“It’s all right, Harry. I think that Ron likes nuts. You’d better go find Hermione,” she added.

“Okay, I’ll see you guys later,” Harry said uncertainly, and then hurried off down the hall. He vaguely wondered what Ron was doing spending so much time with Luna, but the thought didn’t stay with him for long; he was too busy thinking of what Hermione might say when he showed her the diary. And would it even work? After all, the bit of Voldemort’s soul had been eradicated in the Chamber of Secrets. It wasn’t even a horcrux anymore really…just a shell.

Harry counted off empty potions classroom after empty potions classroom. He was starting to wish he had consulted the Marauder’s Map. Except that it doesn’t work anymore, Harry remembered. Hermione borrowed the locator spell from it.

There was only one classroom left in the hallway, and Harry had almost given up hope. He barely glanced into the room, expecting it to be as empty as the rest; when he saw Hermione inside he had to do a double take.

She was standing with her back to him, clearly making some sort of potion. On the table before her was a clear tumbler filled with red, fizzing liquid. She was surrounded by empty vials, some of which were still emitting wisps of smoke from whatever they had contained. Harry sniffed the air curiously. It smelled very strongly of roses. He took a quiet step into the room and looked closer.

The liquid in the vial was swirling excitedly, enticingly, making Harry’s mouth water. He had no doubt that whatever the potion was, it was wonderful. It was such a lovely shade of pinkish red…it had to taste like raspberries…or maybe strawberries…and honey…

Hermione was holding something listlessly in her hand, and Harry heard her sigh and wipe at her eyes. She lifted her hand, and he could see that the item she was holding was actually a photo of Ron. She stared at it for a moment, and then dropped it into the tumbler. Harry blinked as he saw Ron’s face, waving and smiling, float to the bottom and dissolve in a haze of red fizz. The room was suddenly filled with the sound of Ron’s laughter.

Harry’s mind suddenly cleared. It was love potion. And she had just put a picture of Ron into it. His mouth opened to say “Stop!” or, “What are you doing!?” but he didn’t have time.

Hermione had raised the tumbler to her lips.

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AN: Yes, the hippogriff theory never dies. Because for all of her snide remarks about “Witherwings” and “hippogriff tattoos”, JKR still has Buckbeak save Harry’s butt in the end. Haha! Not even she can escape it!

Thank you reviewers for continuing to be entertaining, and witty, and wittily entertaining. And for continuing to amaze me with your careful reading. Already you’ve pointed out that Ginny’s eyes are brown, not green, and that the boys can’t take Divination because they sucked it up on their OWLs. Dang it you guys are good. And apparently, I’m not.

Sorry about the cliffhanger, next time we’ll see just what Hermione was up to, and I’m pretty sure that the horcrux hunt begins. I think there’s just two more short chapters, and an epilogue…