A/N- thanks again to everyone for reading along and reviewing. I really do appreciate all the reviews, it helps to know whether you like it or not…Then I know whether to continue the story the way it is…Or change it! I had a couple of reviews asking if Voldemort was going to be in this chapter, remember that we're still looking for the Horcruxes and Voldemort likes to set little traps so that they are well protected. This is one of those traps. There's still quite a few chapters until Voldemort J Until then, happy reading!
**Islanzadi**
*************************************************************************************
Can you remember what it's like to be young and in love? You're first love, the one who you fall for so deeply you feel that they are ingrained into your very soul. You wake up at night and have been dreaming about them, you wake up in the morning and they are the first person you think about, and when you go to bed they are in your mind when you fall asleep. You can't concentrate during the day because some tiny thing that happens inevitably reminds you of them, and then getting them out of your mind after that is virtually impossible.
Can you remember the passion? Not the passion that mature people feel but the young and raw kind you only experiences a couple of precious times. It's almost foolish because all caution is thrown to the wind. A tiny peck on the cheek can ignite a whole host of feelings, and controlling them is hopeless. Can you remember kissing the first person you wanted, really wanted with every fibre of your being? If not let me remind you, it starts with a simple kiss, and you feel such heat, passion and obsession for this one person that the whole world around you fades away. Inevitably you enter the world again, only to find that hours and hours have passed, and all you did was kiss. Can you remember making love with them for the first time? The feeling of never wanting it to end, and how that one thing filled most of your time as if the other person were a drug. If you didn't have more of them you would surely die, and the thought of not being able to have them is enough to drive you to the point of insanity. Some people say it's all in the hormones that young people have and they have difficulty in controlling them. I think it's because love is so new and so exciting that it cannot possibly wait to be explored. It's because you haven't yet been hurt by love and so you can give up to it, sacrifice everything that you are for those few precious moments with this person who has become your whole world.
Can you imagine feeling all of this, wanting someone so much you can hardly take a breath when you think of them, and not be able to have them? Can you imagine feeling so happy when you share those precious kisses, then having an enormous guilt crashing down upon you? The fevered inner torments of the young in love, trying to do what's right but unable to stop themselves from the most perfect temptation of all.
What if you were too scared to give yourself to these feelings? What if you tried to hold back on those burning thoughts that plagued you day and night? Why would you do that? Fear. Being afraid to lose who you are by giving yourself to them entirely, the fear that now you'll be emotionally vulnerable. You have to wear your heart on your sleeve. What if the other person decides to break it in two? What if you feel that love is too much of a risk after everything you have already been through? What if you couldn't handle heartbreak but knew it would happen either way?
This is Harry and Hermione. Hermione deeply in love with Harry and so far gone that she would give up her friendship with Ron just to be with Harry for a few happy hours. Harry scared to admit his feelings because of what it might mean for all three of them, for what it might mean to him and the risk it will put Hermione in. Living day in day out with the threat of death over their shoulders, and these smouldering feelings getting stronger and stronger. How long will it take for Harry to understand and admit his feelings? How long will he wait until he realises that the biggest risk of all is losing the one you love?
Can you remember?
*************************************************************************************
They were standing in pitch black. Harry tried to put his hand in front of his face but couldn't see a thing. He could feel Hermione and Ron standing close by, but couldn't even see an outline of their figures in the darkness. It seemed unnaturally quiet, almost as if everything around them were dead. He heard Hermione trying to quietly light her wand but nothing was happening.
A sudden scream filled the air and they moved closer together. The darkness seemed to be receding, turning to a very dark grey to lighter shades of the same colour very slowly. There was a thick fog surrounding them and the air was heavy and humid, making breathing difficult and unpleasant. They clutched onto each other and moved forward very slowly, not wanting to crash into an unseen enemy. Harry's hair was standing up on the back of his neck, he could feel something moving out there in the fog, but what it was he didn't know. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. He felt a strange breeze above his head and he looked up anxiously.
The fog was so thick that they couldn't see what was above them, but Harry had the ominous feeling that whatever it was not there to help them. They began walking forward again and they could hear squelching under their feet. They looked down, but again couldn't see anything below their shins due to a thick mist covering the floor. As they walked on they could hear a groaning sound from beneath them, which quickly turned from groans to shrieks and then to agonised screams. They were breathing quickly now and stumbled forward, not knowing where they were going or what they were going to find when they got there.
The screeches and screams grew louder and louder the quicker and harder they walked, the squelching noises becoming more prominent. He could hear Hermione start to sob and put his arm quickly to her waist and decided to leave it there. He doubted Ron would notice too much and he couldn't stand to hear her like that and do nothing to help her.
They trudged on for a while longer, until Ron suddenly began shouting in fright, but no decipherable words seemed to be coming out of his mouth. Harry whirled around to see what he was shouting at and saw Ron staring at the ground with a terrified look on his face, and then screaming as if it would be his last. Harry looked down and immediately vomited. The mist had cleared momentarily and he could finally see what had been squelching so loudly beneath his feet. There beneath him were faces of the dead, screaming in an endless agony. It didn't help that they were standing on them. Harry looked at the face Ron was screaming at and saw that it was Mrs. Weasley. Her face was pale and her gums had rotted away. She had deep bags under her eyes and her face looked like it had blood splashed all over it.
"It's not real Ron!" shouted Harry, desperately trying to stop Ron's endless screaming. "It's a trick! Voldemort likes to play with people's heads! RON!!" Ron stopped screaming but Harry could see that tears were streaming down his face. Harry moved quickly to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, urging him to keep walking.
"Voldemort is scared of death. He's going to use it on us a lot. Just try to remember that it's not real…" said Harry quietly. Hermione's face looked pale and almost haunted. He knew he shouldn't have let her come along. He put his arm back around her waist and pulled her along while grabbing onto the fabric of Ron's shirt.
It seemed like hours later, Harry's legs were stiff from walking so far. He had almost gotten used to the continuous screams and wails, but his nerves felt ragged. Hermione and Ron had been silent for a long time, and Harry was seriously considering using the recorder to go back to the orphanage. He could come back here some other time, they shouldn't be here. He looked anxiously to the side and could see Hermione visibly trembling as her feet tortured the things beneath her. 'Right,' he thought 'that's it, we're getting out of here, I can't believe I even let them come with me in the first place…' His thoughts were interrupted -
"Look," said Hermione, her voice sounding hollow and distant "There's a house up there," Harry was about to tell her she was hallucinating but then he saw the glimmer of lights ahead and, as the fog whirled around them and cleared momentarily, he saw an old looking house in the distance. With renewed vigour the three of them traipsed faster, and eventually found themselves at the house, very breathless and very nervous.
Harry ascended the steps first, his wand drawn. There was an awful smell of death and decay, and he had to breath through his mouth to stop the constant waves of nausea that gripped him. He grasped the door handle and turned it clockwise. The door swung open to admit them, though the darkness inside made Harry think twice about going in. He walked through the door and heard Ron vomit behind him, obviously not breathing through his mouth. They all walked into the hallway very cautiously and suddenly the door swung shut…
A pretty woman came into the hallway with red hair and startling green eyes. Harry tried to tell himself that it wasn't real, she wasn't real…she was dead. But he still found himself moving towards her. She was wearing a small white apron and she smiled beautifully at Harry. She opened her arms to him and Harry's heart was beating faster and faster. His mother, how long had he wanted to be with his mother?
"Harry, no!" said Hermione "It's not real! Please, get away from her! It's a trap!" A staircase seemed to materialise in front of them and a man that looked just like Harry began to walk towards them with a broad grin on his face.
"Son!" he said happily, though the voice sounded hollow and sickly sweet. "Glad you stopped by, I was just thinking of getting the broom out for a fly around. Fancy joining me?"
"Oh that sounds wonderful," said the red headed woman "Why don't you two fly around for a bit while I make some biscuits? Chocolate chip…your favourite Harry…" Harry smiled dopily at his parents and began to move forward again. The red headed woman opened her arms and he moved slowly towards her as if in a dream…
"Chocolate chip biscuits are most certainly not his favourite!" said Hermione loudly "Harry please! Don't go near them!"
Her voice cut through Harry like a knife and he suddenly realised where he was. In a strange house, looking for a Horcrux. His parents were dead, and this was a sick joke. He stepped back and looked disgusted. The thing that looked like his mother looked upset at Harry's retreat, and then slowly began to blur and fade away. The room in front of them wavered and changed. It looked like they were in a small cosy kitchen, and in front of them was a 'Harry' kneeling behind a little girl with his arms around her shoulders. The little girl had black hair and brown eyes, and she was smiling happily at something and waving with one hand while clutching a teddy bear in the other. She looked just like him, except her eyes. Her eyes looked just like Hermione's… He turned around quickly and saw tears in Hermione's eyes. The second Harry hadn't said anything yet; he was just looking at Hermione with utter adoration.
"Mummy!" said the little girl in the background and held her arms out to Hermione. "I'm glad your home! Daddy and I made you a special dinner and I picked you some pretty flowers from the garden…" Her voice sounded eerily high pitched and seemed to echo around the room.
"IT'S NOT REAL!" screamed Hermione, holding her hands over her ears "GO AWAY!" The scene before him seemed to melt before his eyes leaving only darkness. Hermione was breathing heavily, and Harry was having a hard time trying to get that image out of his mind. Is that what his little girl would look like? He'd never thought about getting married and having children before. Is that what Hermione wanted to do with him? He felt warm at the thought but couldn't stop a thread of fear making its way through him. What if he didn't make it through this? Then where would she be? They stood in the dark for a few moments, only their breathing breaking the silence.
"Wow," said Ron "This place is really trying to mess with our heads, showing what Harry wants and my worst fears…I'm beginning to think Snake face might be insane…" Harry felt a lump in his throat and tried to quickly swallow it. The darkness around them was beginning to fade, so he forced what Ron had just said from his mind and readied himself for whatever was next.
The room suddenly changed from pitch black to one full of colours. There were trinkets all over the place and Harry recognised the room he was standing in front of immediately. They were in Hepzibah's house, and she was sitting in her chair happily eating some cake. They all looked at each other curiously and Harry walked over to her.
"Uh, hello," said Harry nervously "We've, um, come to see that cup you have. If you don't mind showing it to us that is…" Hepzibah simpered at Harry and retrieved a box from under her chair. There was the cup, gleaming brightly.
"Wait," said Hepzibah quickly "You didn't bring me any flowers. You don't get to see my special treasure unless I get my flowers." Harry looked at Hermione and Ron and shrugged slightly. He looked at his wand and thought 'orchideous'. A bouquet of bright flowers shot from the end of Harry's wand and Hepzibah clapped her hands delightfully. She offered Harry the box and he quickly took the cup.
The moment the cup was in his hands the room started to lose its colour once again. The smell of death and decay hit him and he had to fight the urge to vomit. He looked up at Hepzibah and was horrified at what he saw. Her ginger wig had gone and a bald wrinkled head had replaced it. Her eyes had become suddenly hollow and sunken in. Her flesh seemed to pale before him and became more translucent. She lunged at Harry with an evil moan and had her hands wrapped tightly around his neck, squeezing harder and harder until Harry could see white spots dancing in his vision. Hermione rushed over to him and pulled the Inferi's hands off of his neck and she was thrown to the side and crashed violently into a cabinet. Harry rushed over to her while Ron pointed his wand at the Inferi and shouted 'Incendio'. Bright flames engulfed the Inferi, and they ran towards the door. When they got to the door however, it wouldn't open. Harry tugged and tugged, Hermione tried various spells and Ron tried kicking it. Nothing seemed to work. They could hear a lot of movement behind them and saw Inferi coming down the stairs, from the back of the house, out of the room Hepzibah was burning in and out of the various closets in the hallway. Harry saw his parents and the little girl walking towards him and he raised his wand, knowing they weren't real but feeling sick at the thought of having to do something like this. His wand trembled in his hand as the little girl smiled brightly up at him. He took a deep breath and readied himself to destroy the child and his parents, but Hermione stepped in front of him. Her eyes were blazing pools of anger and she thrust her wand angrily towards them. The little girl's hair seemed to fall away from her, and her face began to sink into itself. The red headed Inferi that looked like Harry's mother began to change also, her skin wrinkling as if someone had pressed the 'fast forward' button on a remote control. Her skin started to sag and her teeth began to darken. The trio found new strength in the changed appearance of the Inferi, it didn't seem like the murdering of the innocent when they looked like they had just risen from the dead.
They all shouted 'Incendio' over and over, and burning bodies suddenly filled the house. Harry tugged on the door again, but still nothing. Now the house was burning and thick black smoke filled the air. 'We're going to die in here if we don't get out soon,' Harry thought and frantically tried to find the wooden recorder. He suddenly felt Hermione slump against him and Ron was coughing violently. He was still desperately trying to find it when he felt the odd shaped lump within his robes. He put an arm around Hermione's waist and one around Ron, and then seized the wooden instrument.
A moment later they were back in the room that had once belonged to Voldemort. Ron was coughing hard, but Harry was looking at Hermione. She was lying very still on the floor, her face slightly blackened from the smoke. "Oh please don't let her be gone, please don't let her be gone,' he thought desperately to himself, repeating it over and over in his head. He could feel hot tears down his face and slowly blew a breath into her mouth, listening anxiously for her breathing. He did this over and over until he was shaking badly and thought he'd lost her. He began to cry and cry and held her head in his arms. She had gone into this because of him, and it felt like a knife had just pierced his heart. He looked at her smoke blackened face and slowly began to stroke it, wiping the black marks tenderly from her face. 'Hermione wouldn't want to have a dirty face' he thought, then buried his head into her shoulder and held her as tightly as he could.
She suddenly coughed lightly and he stopped and stared at her, not sure if he was dreaming or not. When she smiled up at him he let out a shaky sigh of relief and put his head back into her shoulder, so very thankful that she wasn't gone. What would he have done if he'd lost her? How could he have carried on without her? He couldn't, there was just no way…He was nothing without Hermione.
"You're not coming with us again," said Harry shakily, wiping the tears the seemed to keep streaming from his eyes. Hermione gave a small laugh and closed her eyes, enjoying having Harry so close to her.
"It'll take more than that to stop me going with you," she said quietly, and a small smile played across her face.
They didn't notice Ron looking at them with narrowed eyes, or the deep suspicion written across his face.
*************************************************************************************