Part 1: Innocent
Chapter 1: Halloween
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews. I really appreciate it, and please continue as it really motivates me to finish the story! :-p Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie, "Love Me If You Dare", rent it at your nearest video store! But once again, a word of warning, it's not for everyone's taste. I won't give away much, but let me say this, love and romance isn't always fluff. It's far from fluff. Nothing's perfect - but don't let that detract you from love! Hee hee. Other than that, enjoy reading this chapter! Oh, and one last thing, I'm still not quite sure how long this is going to be, but I have to say it's probably going to be more than six chapters (which is my usual).
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Halloween, the 31st of October, whatever you wish to call it, is forever etched on my mind as one of the most sacred of all holidays, not because I worship the dead or because I'm a glutton for sweets, but because that was the day we first became friends. Now, the fact that I remember the day we became friends is something very unique - you see, I don't remember the exact days when I became friends with everybody else. And I do not say that to sound mean, but rather, I say that to show how different the circumstances were and are between us. Sure, I understand Ron far better than I understand her, but that's because we're men. But looking at it in another way, I know her more than I know Ron. And that makes all the difference in the world.
You may argue however that the reason I remember that particular day is because of the fact that I, for one, fought with a vicious troll. And I'm not denying that. In all probabilities, that's the most likely reason why that day is firmly entrenched in the deepest recesses of my mind. Still, that doesn't explain why I know her better than everyone else despite the fact that I don't understand her all that much. And I won't even try to answer that. There are, you see, a lot of unexplainable things in the world, and to know the answers to everything is futile. That's why I just let it go. That's why I do not act in the most rational of all ways.
You want to know something else?
She's irrational too. The queen of all rationality is actually irrational deep inside. Behind that amazing mind is madness. Madness, italicized, capitalized, emphasized. Behind that mind is madness because there is no way in the world that she'll participate in such a game.
But then again, it all started out innocently, just like everything else does. It was just a game. A game that children play, it was no worse than hopscotch or tag. We weren't going to get hurt, it was all play and fun and nothing else. And it was easy, there was only one rule: whoever has the quill has the power to dare the other to do something. The rule does not force you to take on the dare, but a couple of things do - friendship, pride, courage, the need to prove something, and so on and so forth.
How it came about however, was not so innocent. It was Voldemort that was to blame. If not for his madness, then this would have never happened. So, insane as this may sound, I'm thankful for Voldemort too-he brought us together, her and me, and this proved to be his undoing.
His troll met its demise and I met Hermione. And when the professors all came rushing to the scene of the action, there was already an unspoken agreement between us. And when accusations began to fill the room, a quill fell out from my pocket and rolled towards her.
I looked at her and she looked at me. And in that brief second, I begged, I pleaded, I dared her to please save me, save us from this trouble. And she did. With such resoluteness, and to my great surprise, she twisted the whole story to save me. And Ron. But that's a different story.
You can say that we saved each other then. And that was the pact, the silent, unspoken, yet all pervasive pact that will continue to haunt us, for better or for worse.
And the game, the game was the result of that pact. That one dare evolved to a full-blown tradition that would last twenty years. And how it remained a secret, and why it remained a secret between us is beyond my comprehension. Maybe we just wanted something special, maybe we just had nothing to do, or maybe, just maybe, we didn't want to let go of each other, and the dare, the dare served that special purpose.
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"Harry, thank you," she says, with such simplicity and much sincerity. He tries to reply back, he tries to tell her to thank Ron too, but he doesn't get the chance. She continues,
"And Ron too, tell Ron thank you too."
He gives her a nod. Once again, they remain silent as they walk down the quiet corridors back to the common room. He wonders how Ron's doing, Percy, a couple of minutes earlier, came over to check on his brother. Where they were now, he doesn't know.
They reach the Fat Lady. The portrait looks back down at them, and in a slightly elitist tone, she asks,
"Password?"
"Fang's Tooth," Harry mumbles. The door swings open, but not before the Fat Lady says,
"Don't mumble next time, my dear."
Hermione gives a giggle as she makes her way inside. He cannot help but smile.
When the door closes, she turns to him again.
"I guess, we're friends then?" She asks, a bit hesitantly. This time he looks at her; really looks at her. And for once, he notices the uncertainty in her eyes. And right there and then, he feels it. They're both outsiders, and that, above anything else is what really draws him to her.
So he gives her a smile, a real, genuine smile that creases the side of his eyes, and he says,
"Yes, of course."
She smiles back, and he notices that the uncertainty is gone. But the connection remains.
"I guess, we'll be saving each other the next time then?" He asks, jokingly. She gives a laugh, and she nods her head, and says,
"Definitely."
And then she stops. She looks at him with such seriousness as she searches the pockets of her robe for something.
A quill.
"Here," she says, handing him the quill.
He looks at her with confusion. She notices this, and she says,
"You probably think it's silly, but that's just a simple thank you-"
"Hermione, you don't have to give me anything," he cuts in.
"Honestly, Harry, you should let me finish first," she replies back. And then she gives him a giggle when she notices the look of shock on his face. She continues,
"It's just something to symbolize your bravery, and our friendship."
He looks at her with a bemused expression. He still doesn't understand. She gives a sigh, and a chuckle. Finally, after a couple of seconds she says,
"All right, we can make that a pact. That will symbolize our promise to save each other the next time we get in trouble. Is that better?"
"That's better, that's so much better," he replies.
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