Harry frowned as he exited the Divination classroom for the day. Ron's comment to Lavender about seeing Uranus had earned them all a detailed analysis of planetary movement or some such nonsense. It was the perfect end to a strange and often disgusting first day of classes. After collecting bubotuber pus in Herbology, they tried to feed disgusting creatures called blast-ended skrewts for Care of Magical Creatures. Hermione ate her lunch in a manner reminiscent of Ron and disappeared to the library.
Then he Ron and James had gone to a double session of Divination with Trelawney in which she'd threatened that his fears were about to come true before he'd nearly nodded off. She'd made some accusation concerning Saturn at the time of his birth then had the class try to determine planetary position at the time of their birth. It was during the assignment that Ron had made his unfortunate remark and now they were loaded down with homework.
Ron groaned as he slung his bag over his shoulder and said. "Miserable old bat. This'll take all weekend."
James cuffed the red-head over the head, "Hey, it's your fault! You have to keep comments like that down."
Harry sighed in annoyance, "I should have taken Arithmancy with Hermione. I hate her homework assignments."
An arm looped through his and Hermione's cheerful voice announced her arrival. "You have homework in Divination? Professor Vector didn't give us any." Harry tensed up and tried to avoid blushing as he realized it was Hermione's arm that had looped through his almost possessively. He caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye and noticed his friend in a cheerful mode, which was a change from last night.
James groaned and Ron grumbled, "Bully for you and Vector then!"
A drawling voice stopped the quartet in their tracks, "Weasley!" They turned to find Draco Malfoy with his ever-present trio of Slytherin-sycophants; Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. The pale pureblood brandished that day's copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him. "Read any interesting news today?"
Ron started to speak but James cut him off. "Did they finally out your fathers as Death Eaters? Or has the affair between your mother and a goat finally come to light?" He raised a finger, "Wait I know, the Prophet declared you and your father to be a pair of prancing-poufters."
Draco smirked, "Better then that, you son of a blood-traitor, the Weasleys are famous." He cleared his throat and began to read an article by Rita Skeeter which reported some run-in Mr. Weasley had with muggle police at Moody's house the day before. The article went on to accuse Mr. Weasley of incompetence then brought up the incident from second year with the Angila, as well as criticize him for having to modify the police officers' memories. The Slytherin re-folded the paper and pointed to the picture of the Burrow. "Is this your mother, Weasley? She could stand to lose a few pounds."
Ron lurched forward reaching for his wand, but Harry stepped in front of his friend, "What about your mother Malfoy? That expression she has, as if she was just served a steaming pile of dung, is that permanent or is it because you're around?"
Malfoy reached into his robes for his wand with a scowl then suddenly paused, his face went white and his expression became pained, he turned and raced out of the Entrance Hall, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy exchanged confused looks before following him a moment later.
Harry turned to his friends to see a smug expression on Ron's face. "I'll be damned, their spell worked."
James smirked a moment later and slapped Ron on the back, "Brilliant!"
After exchanging a confused look with Harry, Hermione turned to Ron. "What spell?"
Ron pocketed his wand and then folded his arms over his chest smugly, "A little spell Gred and Forge perfected. It's a charm that sends your stomach into fits; you can cast silently and with a very discreet wand movement. They're putting together a spell-book for the spring catalogue. I'm afraid Malfoy will have to find a bathroom before he messes himself."
All three boys turned to their straight-laced friend with mildly worried expressions as she mulled over the idea of Ron hexing Draco in the hallway, with a spell Fred and George created no less. Finally, the bushy-haired girl surprised them by smiling, "Well done, Ronald." She looped one arm through Harry's and the other through Ron's and led her friends to dinner.
They made their way down to the Great Hall without further incident and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Ron eagerly began to pile casserole on his plate, James was doing much the same. Hermione placed a more modest portion on her plate but once again she was shoveling food into her mouth at top speed.
Ron and Harry exchanged a looked before Harry said, "Library?"
She nodded as she washed down her mouthful with pumpkin juice, "I have loads to do."
Ron frowned and spoke through his full mouth, "Buf you zed thaf Vecfor-"
Hermione scowled, "Don't talk with a full mouth and I didn't say it was for class." She quickly cleared her plate of dinner and took another drink of pumpkin juice before gathering her things. Harry then noticed James look him in the eye and motion his eyes towards Hermione.
Harry flushed and took a nervous drink before stammering, "U-um Hermione… Would you, I mean would you like some… err… would you like me to come?"
Hermione gave him an amused expression then said. "No that's all right Harry. You and Ron and James enjoy dinner, I'll see you tonight."
Harry nodded and blushed before looking down at his plate. Hermione rose from her seat and at almost the same moment a sharp kick struck Harry's shin. The sudden attack caused him to leap from his chair and yell loud enough for the entire hall to hear. "OW! Bloody Hell!" The look James gave him was even more severe than his kick. He grimaced and tried to ignore his throbbing shin, "Are-are your sure Hermione? I mean… I'd like to come along."
She smiled at his latest bout of strange behavior and simply said, "All right."
Just as the pair was about to leave the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall swept into the room and she quickly made a bee-line for him and Hermione. "Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore will see you now concerning your letter."
Harry exchanged a look with Hermione then frowned, "'Letter?'"
She nodded, "Yes, Mr. Tonks gave me your letter this morning." She handed him a slip of paper and said, "Here is the password."
Hermione followed him out of the hall and towards the stairs. They arrived on the second floor before Hermione wagered that the meeting was regarding the dream he'd had that caused the pain in his scar. They came to a stop outside of the large stone gargoyle that protected the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Hermione's hand found his forearm and she gave it a comforting squeeze. "I have to go to the library; I'll likely be there until Madam Prince sends me away."
Harry smiled, "I'll come find you, I don't know how long this might take." She smiled and continued down the hall towards the fourth floor staircase and the library. After she disappeared he pulled the scrap of parchment from his pocket and read the password aloud, "Bubble-gum."
The gargoyle moved aside and Harry stepped onto the stairs as they began to rise towards the office. When the stairs came to a stop he entered the Headmaster's office with a touch of reverence. He found Dumbledore at his desk with his dinner before him, the elderly wizard looked up from his plate with a kind smile and he waved Harry towards a seat. "Ah Harry, sit down. Would you care to join me for dinner?"
It was as he sat down that Harry realized that he hadn't really eaten a proper meal since breakfast before they left the Burrow. He smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you sir."
With a pop a plate and utensils appeared before him, a moment later another pop announced the arrival of a goblet filled with pumpkin juice. The pair ate in comfortable silence for a few moments before Dumbledore took a napkin and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. "Now Harry, young Mr. Tonks tells me he is concerned about a dream you had a few weeks ago. Would you care to tell me what happened?"
Harry told him every detail of the dream he could remember. Frank Bryce, the Riddle House, the mention and presence of Wormtail, the weak voice of someone he assumed to be Voldemort, the snake called Nagini and the jet of green light that woke him with a start. He then explained that upon waking that his scar was hurting terribly for long enough that it worried Harry enough to decide to tell James and Hermione.
Dumbledore sat quietly for a long time before he stood from his desk and beckoned Harry to follow him. He led him over to a cabinet which opened to reveal a stone basin on which many runes and symbols were carved. He looked inside the basin, it seemed to be filled with a silver liquid and it gave of a bright glow. Dumbledore then said, "I'm guessing you've never seen a pensieve before Harry." Harry shook his head, "With this, we can access your memory and I can review it for further research. What I want you to do is gather the memory of the dream and that night in every detail. Imagine it very clearly in your mind." Harry tried to draw the memory to him as clearly as possible, recalling every detail he could.
"When you are ready I want you to imagine yourself pushing that memory to the inside of your skull near your right temple." Harry nodded and imagined himself doing just that. Dumbledore then took his wand and pressed it against Harry's right temple. Harry felt a very brief, sharp pain in his temple then as Dumbledore drew the wand from his skin Harry noticed a long silver string being drawn from his head sticking to the end of the wand. When the string came free of his head, Harry suddenly realized that he could no longer recall the night of the nightmare.
Dumbledore dropped the string into the pensieve and smiled. "You did very well Harry, especially for a first attempt. I will study your memory and return it to you in a few days." He closed the cabinet. He then went to the shelves of books behind him and plucked a book from them and moved to the desk, "But for now, I wish for you to study this." He handed the book to Harry.
Harry looked the book over and read the title, "'Occlumency: A Mental Discipline.' What is Occlumency sir?"
The Headmaster sat down at his desk and gave him a gentle expression, "Harry, Occlumency is a way for Wizards and Witches to control their thoughts and organize their minds. That book will teach you the basics, and when you're competent in the techniques in that book, I will help you take the next step in this discipline. Occlumency is a difficult skill to learn, but I believe it may help with these dreams in the future Harry, should they occur again. For now, I think you should take your leave, I believe you promised young Miss Granger you'd meet her in the library?" He smiled and his eyes twinkled mischievously.
Harry blushed slightly before grabbing his bag and stuffing the book inside. "Good night, sir."
&&&&&&&&&
He found her behind a pile of books in the back of the library near the history section. The only other student he'd seen in the library was Neville who was glued to a book on North American fungus and their uses. He walked over to her table discreetly and found her engrossed in a book about the history of house elves. A lock of hair wound around her finger while she chewed gently on her lip.
Harry found himself nearly enraptured by her in that moment. The crush he'd developed on the train was becoming more encompassing with each passing moment it seemed. He wondered why, Hermione was certainly pretty, but there were other girls he'd found pretty without being completely dumbfounded by them.
Perhaps it was that he knew her so well, there was a difference between finding Susan Bones or Cho Chang pretty and finding Hermione pretty. He didn't know them, Susan seemed like a sweet girl and he could imagine that Cho was an interesting person, but for all he knew Cho could be a bore and Susan Bones could be an even bigger harpy than Pansy Parkinson.
He knew Hermione, he knew that she was intelligent and knew about nearly everything. He knew she was kind, almost to a fault and fiercely loyal to those she cared for, like himself. He knew that when she cared for something she was passionate about it, like the plight of the house elves.
He knew her so well that the prospects of kissing her because she was Hermione were almost more exciting than kissing her because she was pretty. At the same time, that very same thing frightened him into inaction, because loosing Hermione would hurt him far more than loosing a pretty girl he didn't know.
As he was about to announce his presence she closed her book and looked up at him with a grin, "Are you standing on ceremony?" His brain froze and her laughter led him over to the table as he sat down heavily in the vacant chair next to her. She leaned over to speak to him and in that moment Harry was grateful that Hermione was still wearing her jumper over her blouse as he didn't know what seeing the skin beneath would do to him.
"You've been acting strange since the Express. Are you all right?" He nodded mutely and fought off the blush he knew was trying to turn him scarlet at the moment. She reached over and patted his hand gently, "Are you sure? Because you know you can tell me anything." The contact was enough to turn every inch of his body tense and she noticed. She frowned in a worried fashion and her eyes bored into him. "Did I upset you Harry? Did I do something wrong?"
A part of him wanted to say yes just to get enough space to be able to think properly again. That part was shouted down quickly as it would require willingly hurting Hermione's feelings. "No, you've never done anything wrong. You're my best friend."
She smirked slightly, "Even over James and Ron?"
He grinned, feeling slightly more at ease. "You are and occasionally, mostly during a meal, especially over James and Ron."
She nodded, "Good, and if you finally figure out what's wrong I want you to know I'll listen."
He blushed, "What if it's embarrassing?"
She squeezed his hand, "Harry, unlike Ron or James, I'm a girl. Girls don't use embarrassing secrets to pick on each other. Well, I don't use embarrassing secrets to pick on anyone at least." She grinned, "You do know I'm a girl right, not just some bloke with breasts?"
He nearly choked on his tongue, first at the shock of Hermione saying the word "breasts" then to prevent from saying something catastrophically stupid. In fact the effort it took to not say any of the clumsy things that sprang to mind was so large that he shuddered.
He then noticed something strange in her eyes, as though she was studying him for a moment. He could see the wheels beginning to turn behind her eyes. She was thinking of something… it was a moment of horror that came as he realized that she was putting it together. Her eyes flashed for a moment, she'd found him out.
It wasn't like he was subtle. He'd been stammering and stuttering in front of her for two days and how many times had her grin or laugh or voice caused him to flush like his Uncle Vernon in a rage? Of course she'd figure him out; he'd been transparent about his feelings after all.
He felt completely exposed and his first instinct was to run screaming out of the library. The only problem was that she had a grip on his hand. She smiled and then said, "So, what did the Headmaster want?"
His shoulders sagged with relief as she let him off the hook. He knew for certain that there'd be no way she would just ignore his pathetic crush on her, he was sure in a few days after she'd prepared her arguments she'd explain to him that she didn't think of him that way and that it would be for the best if he realized that. She'd spare his feelings all the while stomping out any hopes he had of kissing her.
He smiled weakly as that line of thought caused the bottom to drop out of his stomach. He didn't look forward to that conversation. "You were right. He wanted to talk about my dream. He showed me a thing… I think he called it a 'pensieve.' He helped me put the memory of the dream in it. Then he gave me a book on something called occlumency."
He couldn't help but grin at the way her eyes widened in anticipation when he mentioned a pensieve. She'd probably read all about them and their uses by now, some of that "light" reading that made Ron quake in fear. Then the way she practically bounced in her chair when he brought up the book on occlumency was simply adorable. "What book Harry? Was it 'Pathways of Thought' I found that to be wonderful and informative, though 'Make Your Thoughts Your Own' was charming in its approach."
He reached into his bag and pulled the book out. She took it and nodded approvingly, "From what I've read, this is the best for beginners. I just couldn't find it in Flourish and Blotts, it's very rare."
He smiled, "Were you planning to learn occlumency?" Then he blushed, "Silly question."
She grinned slightly, "It's not silly Harry and yes I wanted to try. The ordering of one's mind is something every wizard should attempt and someone skilled in occlumency would be able to repel attacks from others."
He nodded, "Well, you could study it too…" He coughed and stumbled on, "I would appreciate the help… and well…"
She laughed lightly, "Harry, if you'd like to spend time with me, just ask. I'd be thrilled to, not because it's the chance to learn but because I'd be helping you. You're my best friend too Harry, even over Ron and James, especially when we're eating together."
He looked down at the table, 'Friend' he thought, 'of course.' Sometimes he wondered if his father was this awkward around the girls he fancied. She cracked the book open and began to read it. After a few minutes (he had to fight not to look at her while she chewed on her bottom lip) she looked up and said. "All right, we'll start with a basic exercise. This will help you concentrate and help you in recalling detail. I want you to close your eyes and begin by taking slow, deep breaths."
He did as she asked and began to breathe slowly. Her voice was very gentle and soothing. "In… out… steady… good… I want you to clear your mind… push every thought out one at a time until you can only hear my voice. Concentrate on breathing, use each breath to expel your thoughts." It took a while, but eventually he began to quiet his mind and he slowly fell into a relaxed state almost like those last moments before he drifted off to sleep.
When she spoke again, it was almost as from far away. "When your mind is clear and calm I want you to build an image in your mind. Someplace soothing, someplace private, where you can be away from everyone, I want you to make it as detailed as possible. I want it to be clear, so detailed that you could almost actually go there and if your mind wanders while you do, I want you to clear your mind again and start from the beginning."
He vaguely registered nodding as he tried to imagine what kind of place he'd find soothing. He finally decided on a beach. He'd always wanted to go to a beach somewhere and lounge about on the sand. He decided it would be a tropical beach, on a warm summer morning. The white sand stretched out before him until it was swallowed up by the crystal clear ocean before him. The waves gently lapped at the beach until the sand was swallowed up the endless blue.
Clouds scattered across the morning sky were lit up in pinks and oranges by the sun as it crested the horizon. He turned and looked down the endless beach to see palm trees swaying gently in the mild breeze as was the grass that was at the end of the white sand. He took a step forward into the surf and noticed that the wet sand gave way easily under his bare feet and squished into the space between his toes. He felt completely relaxed as though standing in the wet sand with warm water lapping at his shins would protect him from all the world's troubles.
Why hadn't he come here before? Why couldn't he find a place where the most excitement to be found was a school of very tiny fish that raced around his legs under the water and a tiny crab that skittered across the sand just out of reach of the tide?
"Are you there?"
Harry shook his head and the beach slipped away as the library resolved itself around him. He turned to Hermione, "Yeah. I was on a beach, standing in the tide." He smiled as he recalled the scene very clearly in his mind, "There were these little fish…"
She smiled at him, "Good Harry, very good. That place you went to, I want you to try and reconstruct it every day for at least an hour. Each time I want you to recall even the smallest detail, the stronger that image is the easier it will be to recall it. This is a very basic shield, concentrating solely on a meditative image like this will also help you to order your thoughts."
She reached over and squeezed his forearm, "You did very well Harry, you'll be teaching me in no time at all."
He felt his cheeks become scorched, "Ah… well…"
When Harry recalled the event later, he'd realized that Hermione actually giggled as she stood up. "You can be so cute." But he was simply stunned when she left a fleeting kiss on his right cheek and gathered her things. "Come along Harry, Madam Prince will need to lock up soon. You were gone for almost two hours."
He stood up and gathered his bag then followed her out of the library all the way to the tower. When they arrived she handed him the book then said good night before disappearing up the girl's stairs.
Harry just stood in the middle of the common room staring at the staircase she'd left through with a dumb expression on his face to be sure. Finally the Twins broke him loose. George nudged him in the side, "All right there Harry?"
Fred laughed and said, "I've seen this before George, remember when Wood got that crush on the recruiter for the Arrows?" He snapped his fingers in front of Harry's face, "Potter! Wake up!"
Harry managed to snap out of his daze and mumbled, "I'm going to bed, good night."
The Twins' laughter followed him all the way to his dorm.
&&&&&&&&&
Harry frowned at the chessboard in front of him. James' disapproving tone broke the silence, "C'mon Pronglet, you can not be this bad." His king looked as thought he was begging to differ. James had already crushed most of Harry's pawns, his knights, a bishop and his Queen was looking rather frightful at James' knight.
His friend was trying to teach him to play chess after watching Ron tear Harry to shreds the other day. However it was rapidly becoming evident that chess was never and will never be a game that Harry would excel in.
Admittedly, chess wasn't his biggest focus. He'd been studying with Hermione much more than in previous years, for his classes as well as his study of occlumency. As she'd requested that first night, he'd spent at least an hour a day working on the focusing exercise she'd taught him. He'd spent the time looking for the smallest detail, he'd even counted and named the little fish that seemed to enjoy racing around him while he stood in the surf.
They'd also done other exercises designed to teach him to clear and/or order his thoughts. Once he'd mastered those exercises she'd help lead him through the process of constructing a mental shield, something designed to prevent people reading his mind.
The occlumency studies were taking up such a large part of their free time that Hermione had become disheartened in her quest for House Elf Rights. This, coupled with a long discussion about them with James and Angelina Johnson, Hermione had disbanded S-P-E-W before it ever really began.
Thinking of Hermione had started to set Harry on edge. It had been nearly three weeks since that night in the library when Hermione had seen right through him and she'd yet to come to him and tell him what he felt was wrong. It wasn't that he wanted her to run into the common room and break him into jagged little pieces but the waiting was becoming excruciating, even without her strange behavior.
Hermione had taken to hugging him over almost trivial things as well as sitting much closer to him than before. She had picked up a habit of touching him when they spoke, just the day before they had sat in the common room discussing McGonagall's essay on transfiguring rocks into animals. She was sitting on the couch while Harry had sat down on an ottoman in front of her. She'd been explaining some of the finer points when he made a joke. It wasn't a particularly funny joke yet Hermione laughed lightly and then touched his knee.
The result had been instantaneous; Harry looked down at her hand and coughed uncomfortably while he tried to fight off his latest blush. He looked back up to see Hermione with a strange expression on her face. She was looking at him as though she was expecting him to do or say something but he had no idea what. There was a brief flash of disappointment on her face before she removed her hand and continued her explanation.
Another curious change in her behavior was holding his hand when they were walking in the halls. It was not every time and rarely when Ron and James were around, but when they were walking to class or out to the spot near the Quidditch pitch they used to study occlumency her hand would grasp his and once or twice she even laced her fingers through his.
He didn't dare ask about her behavior or even comment on it as it always gave him a pleasant feeling while she did these things and he was afraid she'd stop if he mentioned it.
He sighed, "Sorry Padfoot, I think I'm just hopeless at this."
His friend smirked, "You know, I bet I could teach you chess if I had bushy hair and better legs." Harry scowled but he continued on, "It's amazing really, Hermione can teach you a discipline that most people fail to grasp after they're done with Hogwarts but I can't teach you a simple board game. Maybe I should bat my eyelashes at you," He did just that, looking about as obnoxious as Harry had ever seen, then said. "Did that help?"
Harry shook his head and gave his friend a mock-scowl then said, "Prat." Harry moved his protesting queen and realized too late why she was protesting as James' knight swooped in and cleaved her in two. He groaned and tried to ignore the way his king was waving his fists at him.
Harry moved his remaining bishop and put James in check. "Check."
His Godfather shook his head in a saddened fashion and clicked his tongue before saying, "Oh Harry…" His rook then slaughtered Harry's bishop. "I just cannot believe that you are this b-"
Harry was crashed into from behind so forcefully that he jarred the table which toppled his now grateful king, arms wrapped around his neck tightly and brown hair obscured his vision. Hermione's voice sounded in his ear, "Thank you so much!"
The first sound Harry made sounded something like "Gurk" but he managed to croak out, "Hermione!"
He could hear James laughing while he said, "Let the poor boy breathe Hermione. He's turning purple."
She released her vice-like grip and turned him around. He found his friend absolutely beaming at him, even though it looked like she had tears in her eyes. "Your card was just beautiful Harry." She then reached into her shirt and produced a necklace with a little snitch charm. "And this is wonderful!" She surged forward and crushed him in another hug, "You and Ron… you've never asked… How did you know it was my birthday?"
She pulled back and looked at him, he started to stammer and James broke in. "He wrote your parents first week back and asked of course."
She smiled widely, "You are… just wonderful Harry." Again she hugged him tightly, this time kissing his cheek before she let go. "Thank you!"
She then seemed to float out of the common room. Harry watched her leave with a baffled expression, his hand slowly drifting up to lightly touch the spot on his cheek her lips had touched. He then said, "She kissed me…"
James chuckled, "She did."
A silly smile tugged at his lips and he said, "She thinks I'm wonderful…"
"You're welcome."
He turned around slowly, "You?"
His friend's eyebrows waggled, "Me."
Harry smiled, "What did you write, Padfoot?"
He folded his arms over his chest and presented Harry with a smug expression as he said, "'Happy Birthday. Affectionately, Harry.'"
He frowned slightly, "'Affectionately?'"
James grinned wickedly, "Would you have preferred something else? 'My undying passion,' perhaps? Maybe, 'Love you, can't live without you' would have worked better?"
Ron entered through the portrait hole at that moment with a stunned expression, "I just saw Hermione in the halls. Blimey, she was practically bouncing towards Lavender and Parvati." He sat down and immediately began to help James set up the chess board while he talked to Harry, "Why didn't you tell me it was her birthday Harry? I could have signed your card too!" He scowled at his friend for a moment.
James frowned at both of them, "You mean you two didn't know Hermione's birthday?" He scowled and muttered, "I couldn't have been like this at your age," before he said, "I won't ask you Ron, because everyone knows Harry's birthday. Harry, do you know Ron's birthday?"
Harry frowned and turned to Ron with a sheepish expression. His friend just shrugged as though it didn't bother him, "Not really, no."
The animagus shook his head, "At least you're consistent."
Ron and James launched into a game while Harry stood from the table and made his way to a more comfortable chair. He found a piece of parchment and quill and quickly wrote, "September 19th, Hermione's birthday." After blotting it, he pocketed it before he could put it in his trunk to remember.
Lavender and Parvati entered the common room a moment later, they saw him and giggled before whispering to each other. Harry sighed, as much as he enjoyed Hermione's reaction to "his" gift, he wasn't too sure he'd enjoy the looks her roommates were giving him. As he thought about her lips on his cheek and the feel of her hugging him, he realized that it was more than a fair trade.
&&&&&&&&&End Part 4&&&&&&&&&