AN: Hope you guys like. Please Review! Love to hear what you guys think. And I would like to thank a certain Ms. Ambrosia for passing judgment on this FF even though of her disapproval on a certain ship. Thanks A.! :D the poem at the beginning of this is by a very good friends, Marissa, and I'd like to thank her for letting me use it!
~Alexa.
5 months prior to Prelude: The Reluctant Servant
The Hunt Begins: Part 1.
Love, what words to describe it?
Love. What descriptions have you for this word?
Never can one say that he has never felt it nor heard
It lives and charms ones senses, with every delicate touch
It gives you a picture of a warm sunset, which you'll love to watch
Delicate, pure and fragile as a butterfly's wing
The words of love, with soft silvery voices, sing
When you love, it is something beautiful and its peace
That rests and reassures one's soul, that never will cease
It makes you fly, reach the stars and beyond the moon
At night, golden stars, sliver moon and the nightingale's sweet tune
A magnificent waterfall, one lovely spring day
Or a green forest, where the tall elegant trees all sway
So many descriptions, so many words to describe
That sends your mind soaring and buzzing like a beehive.
By: Marissa E. Black
`~~~~~`
After Ginny's little `confession' all she could do was stare at Draco. Saying it out loud and admitting it to someone other than herself had only made the feeling seem more real than ever before. Before she could ignore him, but now she noticed almost everything that he said or did. The way he would always try to avoid being in the same room that had any Weasleys in it, unless it was Mrs. Weasley. The way he never said anything unless if it were absolutely unavoidable. The away he was always deep in thoughts, but still would catch her staring, almost as if he could feel her gaze on him. But still the strangest of all these were when she would catch him looking at her; most of the time it was nothing but a glance, but the look his eyes would hold as his gaze passed over her was so intense and so captivating, that all she ever wanted to do was stare into his eyes.
She had tried to get Hermione's point-of-view on what she should do next, but every time Hermione wasn't being lovesick over Harry she was with him! It was strange, the way that they could finish off each other's sentences or pass things to the other without having to utter a single word. Most of the time they were together, and it wasn't as if they spent all their time snogging or something, most of the time they just talked. And that's what I'm suppose you get for having a hard-core friendship for six years.
You'd think that Ron would be affected by any of this but, surprisingly, he wasn't. They were they the same as always, they did everything together, but now rather than spending time on their own once in a while, Ron would be off by himself and Harry and Hermione would be together. They'd read together; eat at the same time and always next to each other; went to bed at the same time after their goodnight's and kisses had been exchanged and when they wee together they'd be smiling or they would an expression that made their feeling quite obvious.
Why can't I have something like that? This was the only thought in her head as she watched them on an afternoon sitting in the backyard on the picnic blanket. Harry's head rested on Hermione's lap as he lay on the blanket and Hermione leaned back against a tree. They were `meant' to be talking about their `Trio-Plans', one things she wasn't allowed an `inside' about. But by the looks of the two, the only thing they were talking about was each other.
XXX
But of course, looks could be deceiving, as it turned out Harry and Hermione were talking about their plans. So far, they had come to the conclusion that they had already wasted too much time at the Burrow and really need to get back to their `Horcrux Hunt'.
`So if we leave tomorrow, we should be able to use Grimmauld Place for a little while to research, we don't know enough about them in general. Yes, sure they are piece of someone's soul, but how did he make them and more so- how do we destroy them when we find them?' Hermione spoke as her hand passed through his Harry's hair.
`Um-hum,' came his reply as he kept his eyes closed.
`We can't tell everyone else where we are going, so we'll have to come up with a story or something, but I highly doubt that we'll need one as everyone kind of expects you to stop him. I also think we need to pay Hogwarts a little visit; I'm sure Professor Mcgonagal wouldn't mind us spending some time there.'
There was the same silence, in which Hermione continued to run her hand through Harry's hair. When she bent down and took his glasses off, he still didn't open his eyes. She softly kissed the tip of his nose, then each of his eyelids and then finally his lip before muttering; `Open your eyes, I want to see your eyes.' Her face was barely an inch from his.
Harry opened his eyes and stared into her chocolate brown ones above his face, before getting up a little and kissing her.
`I love your eyes.' Hermione commented, as they broke apart from their kiss. At first he didn't say anything but then after a moment of staring at each other he said in an almost whisper: `I love you'
At this Hermione's eyes filled with tear, before bending again to kiss him.
`I love you too'
XXX
In the couple of days that they spent at Grimmauld Place, Hermione outdid even herself by spending every waking moment with a book in her hand.
So far all the library at Grimmauld Place had told them was that a Horcrux was a piece of someone's soul and that if one part of the soul was destroyed the Horcrux would be put into action, thus keeping the soul of the person Earth-bound. But this existence was a mere imprint on Earth and it wouldn't be able to do much without a body. (`And the Blacks were meant to be Dark Wizards- well, their library could tell you other wise!' Hermione had yelled when it became obvious the library had nothing of interest or importance to them.)
All this they had already known, meaning it didn't help their cause in the least. While they had been at Grimmlaud Place, Hermione had sent an owl to Headmistress Mcgonagal requesting permission to stay at Hogwarts for a few days to perhaps a week and within the same day they had gotten a reply from a very happy Minerva, who had said that they could stay as long as they wanted.
Their arrival at Hogwarts sent an uproar within the student-body (a very small student body, consisting of a handful of Slytherins, a dozen Hufflepuffs, thirty or so Rawnclaws and about forty Gryffindors.) The Trio was delighted to be with their remaining friends. Ron and Luna were talking in hushed, yet happy tones; Neville was saying something or the other about his Grandmother; while everyone else just seemed to be staring at the fact that Harry and Hermione were holding hands.
But soon everything died down and the Trio could get on with their hunt for information. Hermione was practically living in the Room of Requirement, where she had `thought' herself a library the size of the Quidditch Pitch, towering over everyone else in the room.
But like she had suspected, she found nothing. The Room could only provide her with information that students had access to and most of the books in Hermione's library were copies of the books from the Hogwart's library. Of course, she couldn't read all the books, but that wasn't from lack of trying. If it weren't for Harry she would probably have never come out. This matter had caused them to have their first fight as a couple.
`Hermione, you can't spend the rest of your life in here.' Harry had tried to reason.
`Don't tell me what I can or can't do, Harry.' Her head was still buried in a book that looked like it weighted a ton.
`These books are going to be the death of you, come on, you've barely eaten since we got here and you sleep a total of four hours at night and what for? Just so you can read the stupid boo-!'
`They aren't STUPID!' Hermione had screamed as she stood up, causing the book to the hit the floor with a loud thud.
`They are driving you nuts- so- yes! I'd say they are STUPID!' Retorted Harry.
`They have information- knowledge- which can help save your life! Is that stupid? Is it stupid that I don't want you to die? Well, is it?' the tears had been running down her face as she yelled and screamed.
`Well, maybe it is, if it means that you sacrifice your own health and life in return for mine.' He looked down at his shoes, not being able to hold her gaze any longer.
The tears had continued, as she walked up to him and hugged him like her life depended on it. `I don't want to you die- I couldn't live with myself if the answer were right here- in this room- and I'd just left it because I was too tired to read. I could never live without you in my life-'
`Hey, it's okay,' he whispered to her as he rubbed her back gently. `I'm all right; I'm not going anywhere. And you know I'd never leave you willingly. And I could never blame you for not reading enough or not knowing enough to save me. It's okay to not know the answer once in awhile- even for you.'
`But what if- what if when he comes and you aren't ready- what then? If you didn't make it through the fight- I would have failed you-!'
`Hermione- you could never fail me. And Moldywart hasn't got a thing on me and you know why?' when she shook her head, which was still buried in his chest. `Because I have you!'
Hermione looked up shocked at first, but then a small watery smile broke out across her face, as she muttered. `Modywart, I'd love to see the look on his face, if he ever heard you.'
XXXX
After Hermione had forcefully been stopped in her crazy rampage of the libraries she had calmly announced one morning that she if she couldn't find anything in a book to help, she was going to get them to learn every defensive spell that she could find or think of. Ron had choked at this announcement and had muttered something about Hermione and the word `mental', but Harry had agreed; he was just glad that she wasn't killing herself in the library.
So became their new routine: they would get up, have breakfast and while the students had classes they would train, then they would have lunch with the rest of the school which was followed by their leisure time, in which Hermione usually would read or spend time with Harry; Harry and Ron would either play chess or exploding snap, but sometimes Ron would decide to spend his time off with Luna. The two had grown exceptionally close in the last couple of weeks that they had spent at Hogwarts, but of course Ron denied that anything had happened between the two- according to him they were just friends. After dinner they usually had meetings with the Order or just Professor Mcgonagal in her office to discuss current situations around the Wizarding Community and security measures.
XXX
So far in their training they had managed to cover shielding spells for minor hexes and spells, most defending charms. Most of the things they covered they had already known, but Hermione said that they should be prepared and it was better to be safe than sorry, so they had revised them.
`Okay, I want to try and do something a little different today- I hope you guys don't mind?' Hermione said as got her wand out, as they all stood in the middle of the Room of Requirement, which had been transformed into a gym like area. `I want to have two of us in a team, to be the attackers and the third to be the defender. So it's sort of like a duel, but only a little more Death Eater style, with the odds against the defender. Of course, the defender doesn't only have to use defensive spells, but seeing as we aren't really Death Eaters, there are no dangerous hexes or spells to be used. Oh, and the game ends when anyone is disarmed- any questions?'
`Got it- so whose first?' called out Ron as he too got his wand out.
`How about: Ron and me first against Harry; then Harry and me against Ron and lastly you two against me?' inquired Hermione.
`Yeah, that works, but guys- don't hold back,' said Harry as he got his wand out.
They started out easy, with a spell from here and a hex from there, with simple shields to defend. But as their first duel continued the pace started to pick up. The spells were thrown at random and at a much faster pace. Soon, Harry had disarmed Ron.
`I win,' called out a grinning Harry.
So their second duel went under way, with Harry and Hermione against Ron. This one ended even more quickly than the one before it. Harry and Hermione worked great as a team, they drew off each others moves, assisting the other when needed and adding their own little twist to the others' spell or hex. Ron didn't stand a chance and soon he was disarmed, sweaty and sore as he got up from the floor.
`Merlin help anyone who has to put up with you two together,' muttered Ron sourly.
Lastly, it was Hermione's turn to go up against Harry and Ron. This duel seemed to take the longest of the three. They again started out slow, but soon they were at it like crazy. Hermione had taken to conjuring and transfigurating up things, such as armchairs and sofas, and then using them to shield herself rather than using shield spells. At one point Hermione even Disillusioned herself, but soon Harry and Ron found a way around that, as she hadn't thought about her shadow, which was clearly visible in the well-illuminated room. But finally the duel came to an end, as Harry managed to disarm Hermione while she was trying to run for cover behind one of her transfigured armchair.
`We win!' Ron jumped up and down and did a little victory dance just to make his point.
`Yeah, yeah- you guys got lucky,' at this Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.
`Oh, very mature Hermione!' retorted Ron.
`Cut it out- both of you,' called out an amused Harry.
`Okay, the whole point of that was to see what our weak points are; Harry since you happen to have won in all three of the duels, I suppose you'd be the one with the least amount of things to work on-'
`Surprise, surprise,' muttered Ron.
Hermione ignored him and continued. `Ron you need to be quicker. And I need to use more than one strategy at a time.' With that said the Trio made their way down to lunch.
XXXX
That evening they sat in McGonagall's office discussing their usual topic of order business. Currently they had McGonagall, the Trio and Tonks present.
`… the tabs work quite well. They function similarly to Tracking Charms, only they have a much wider range of coverage. If the subject is in any sort of suspicious situation an Order member is put on their trail and the best part: the Death Eaters have no idea that we have the tabs placed on them,' reported Tonks in her usual perky and cheerful tone. `But, of course, we can't have these placed on higher ranking Death Eaters, in case Voldemort finds them. So far we have had nothing that should alarm anyone-'
Almost as if on cue at that moment Remus burst in through the doors of the office looking very disorientated and out of breath.
`There's an attack!'
XXXX
A/N: this is part 1 of this chapter…as I didn't want to keep everyone waiting any longer, so this means that this `month/chapter' will be spread out over 2 chapters. If you would like to read any of Marissa's work here is the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2817236/1/ . Lastly- please review! And a huge Thank You to Amna…. Who is AMAZING!!! And takes time off her own busy life to help me with mine! And part 2 of this chapter is maybe gonna be co-written with her… she's the D/G maniac!! :D
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