Disclaimer: I take credit for this plot and my own characters, but everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Note: Well guys, this is the final chapter. I never meant for this to be an excessively long story; that's what Blood is Red is for. If there are any loose ends I forgot to tie up, tell me so. If they're pressing enough, I'll consider writing an epilogue, just because you guys are the best reviewers in the whole entire world! Thank you so much for being patient with my random and sporadic updates. Keep reading!
Chapter Five
Breaking the Spell
The clock read 10:50. I paced the space in front of the fire nervously. I had lit about a billion candles and had curled my hair, but I wasn't sure what you did to prepare for this kind of thing. I hadn't been able to sit still since I returned to this room. I glanced down at the bit of chest my shirt left exposed; it was red and splotchy. It always did that when I was truly nervous about something, and I was certainly nervous now. I didn't particularly want to bring Seamus in, but at the same time, I didn't want to turn him away. I briefly thought of Harry, of his black hair in the wind as he played Quidditch, of the way he duelled, the way he smiled, how he made me laugh, the things we'd been through together...and how he was a frog now, and would remain that way for Merlin knew how long. Squeezing my eyes closed, I shook my head and mentally told myself that I had every right to see other guys if I wanted to. It wasn't like Harry and I had ever been together...would ever be together...
There was a knock from the portal. I jumped and turned towards it, my hands covering my mouth. My heart pounded almost painfully beneath my chest, and for a moment, it was the only noise in the entire dorm. Should I answer it? Should I let him in, or should I ignore it and tell him in the morning that I had fallen asleep early? He knocked again, and before I could think about it any longer, I crossed the floor and opened the portal. Seamus smiled up at me.
"Hey there, beautiful. Mind if I come in?" And before I could answer him, he lifted himself through the entrance and stood in front of me, a wolfish grin plastered across his face. I forced a smile, and when he turned around to shut the picture, I took a deep breath to steady myself. When he turned back to face me, I smiled again and lead him into the actual dorm. His eyes grew wide as he took it all in.
"Wow," he breathed. I watched as his eyes landed on the staircase that lead to the loft...where the bed was located. "You have all of this to yourself?"
"Mmhmm," I answered.
He chuckled and looked back at me. "Almost makes me wish I had followed the rules when I was younger." I smiled again; it seemed that was the only response I could give him. He took in the fireplace, the rug, and the couch, then back at me. "Cozy place you've got here, Hermione. It's almost...romantic, don't you think?"
"Yeah," I said shakily as he took a step closer to me. Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me intensely, his arms around me and holding me so close, it felt like I was being crushed. I tried to enjoy it, tried to kiss him back, but I...just couldn't.
"Relax," he whispered, loosening his grip and moving his hands to my waist. "You're so tense. You need to learn how to relax, Hermione."
And with that, he manuevered me back towards the couch. Hesitantly I let him, and as he lowered me back on it, I did my best at relaxing. I knew what would happen next, but that didn't mean I was necessarily ready to open my eyes and see his face above mine. His body barely touched me, and yet the weight of him was nearly overwhelming. I was about to push him off and tell him to go when he began to trail his kisses over my jawline and then to my neck. He urgently pressed his lips against the skin beneath my ear, and I gasped and closed my eyes. I felt him smile against me and continue. He slowly moved down my skin until he reached the hollow of my neck. He kissed me hard, and when I gapsed this time, something else came with it.
"Harry," I whispered, and then instantly covered my mouth. Seamus stopped and pushed himself away to look down at me.
"Harry?" he asked. I took my hands away from my mouth and bit my lip, as was my habit.
"I'm sorry, Seamus..."
"It's okay," he said in an apathetic tone I could tell was for my benefit. He rolled off of the couch and got to his feet. He made his way to the portal in silence, but he stopped before he could open it. He turned back to me, his eyes somber. "You know, he's got it bad for you, Hermione. Maybe if you hadn't been working so hard to change who you are, you would've seen that sooner."
With that, he left me alone to my own devices. I sat there on the couch, staring blankly at the portal, Seamus's words ringing in my ears. "Maybe if you hadn't been working so hard to change who you are, you would've seen that sooner."
"He's right," I whispered to no one in particular. "He's absolutely right." I had been desperately trying to change myself. I had been more concerned about what everyone else thought about me that I had lost sight of who I actually was, and in doing so, I had missed what was right in front of me the whole time.
With only one thought in mind, I launched myself to my feet and ran out of the dorm and through the deserted halls of Hogwarts. All thoughts of Gryffindor points and rules and duties and detention were erased from my brain as I streaked through the corridors. Irritated paintings called after me as I pounded past their frames and jolted them from their slumber.
"It's nearly midnight!" Shouted a pudgy woman with curlers in her black hair shouted at me, but I hardly heard her. I took a staircase two steps at a time and skidded to a halt in front of the Hospital Wing doors. Hastily I swung them open and burst into the dark and quiet infirmary. Fortunately, Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. I made my way to the end of the room, where Harry was perched atop his pillow, his chin tucked into his chest, which rose and fell in a rhythmic, froggish swell. I fell to my knees by his side and reached out to stroke his smooth back. Almost instantly, his large green eyes blinked open and focused on him. His mouth curved into what I assumed was supposed to be a smile.
"Er-my-own-nee," he croaked softly. I smiled and touched his face gently.
"Yeah," I whispered as he closed his eyes again and leaned into my caress.
"I ho-ped to see-e you again," he admitted.
"I'm sorry I took so long, Harry," I said, my voice wavering as my eyes began to fill up. I took a deep breath to steady myself. "I wonder how we'll turn you back into regular Harry."
"What ti-ime is it?" he asked.
"Almost midnight," I said, quoting the portrait.
He smiled again. "How fit-ting. Well, you could ki-iss me. That mi-ight work."
It was both a sob and a laugh that escaped my mouth. "Something tells me a kiss won't undo all the mistakes I've made, let alone turn you back into a human."
"May-be I'm not the o-ne who ne-eeds to turn ba-ack into something I was be-fore," he said somberly as his round green eyes captured mine. My chin began to quiver and a single tear made its way down my cheek. Hesitantly, I leaned in closer to him and pressed my lips against his. Something warm and tingling leapt from my stomach to my heart. I wanted to recoil at the fact that I was kissing a frog, but my head was dizzy and fuzzy and all I could really focus on was...well, Harry.
I gently pulled away. I opened my eyes and gasped; there in front of me sat Harry like I had always known him; tall and skinny and human and perfect. Smiling, he swung himself off of the bed and reached down to me. He took my hands in his own and pulled me to my feet. There was so much I wanted to say to him in that moment, but the way he was looking at me made words impossible. He softly brushed a strand of hair out of my face and leaned down to kiss my forehead.
"It's good to see you again, Hermione," he whispered when he pulled away. Fresh tears filled my eyes, but I somehow managed a watery smile. He returned it and leaned down again to lightly kiss my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me, deepening the kiss as I did. He held me close and we lost ourselves in each other for that moment, and for what I hoped would be a very long time.
~*~
The next morning, when I entered the Great Hall for breakfast, my hair was back to its normal bushy self, and my robes no longer clung to my body. I carried my usual load of books with me and I sat down with my normal group of friends. As I passed through the rows of students, I felt their eyes and heard their whispers about my change, but that didn't matter. I had just reached the Gryffindor table when Seamus stood up and blocked my path. My heart skipped a beat; would he be angry about last night and make a scene? We stared at each other for a moment, and then his face broke into a warm smile. He nodded silently and sat back down next to Dean and let me pass. Smiling, I made my way to my usual spot between Harry and Ron...well, it would've been that way, if Ron hadn't been listening with rapt attention to Luna Lovegood over at the Ravenclaw table.
When I had set my books down, Harry slung his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek, then handed me my morning copy of the Daily Prophet. I smiled at him and opened it with a sigh and snuggled next to him, happy and content with the knowledge that at least he would always be by my side to remind me of who I was when things went wrong.
And They Lived Happily Ever After
The End