CHAPTER NINETEEN:
Hermione made her way to stand by Harry. The simple movement made it clear whose side she was on. She did not take her eyes off of the newcomers and her expression was wary, but at the same time she touched Harry's hand.
A quick glance was enough to tell Harry that Hermione wanted to hear more. But she wasn't going to say anything that would make the others doubt that they were anything less than a united front.
He turned back to the older wizards. "I've heard this before," he said sharply. "What danger, and how can you help?"
"Professor Lupin has kindly shared with me the results of the test," Faveure said in his careful English, as the tension in the room eased by a fraction. "Perhaps it is best if he explains."
Lupin nodded, and began, "The Solvamus is still in you, as you guessed, but the antidote arrested its progress, weakened it. We're not sure of all the effects that this will have on you, but...do you feel more in control, Harry?" he asked delicately.
Harry took a moment to answer. Do I? He remembered earlier, how Hermione and he had woken together. It was still there, the wanting, the jealousy, but it seemed...less urgent? That wasn't it exactly, but it was the closest he could come to explaining it.
When he had kissed her before, in the library, he had been restrained only by Hermione's deft handling and his own certainty that he would lose her if he tried to take the matter further than she wanted. Today, he realized, he'd been able to think about tomorrow. And hadn't he been content to simply have her beside him last night? His feelings for Hermione were as strong as before, but they were no longer raging and stamping every bit of sense out of him.
"Harry?" Hermione was looking at him with concerned eyes. She tried not to sound too hopeful.
He returned her gaze. "I...think so."
The smile that lit up her face was incandescent. In the next second, she was hugging him fiercely.
Harry gasped as every nerve in his body reacted to her the sudden contact. 'Okay, still raging!' he amended. 'Think about tomorrow, Potter. And Lupin and whats-his-name - remember, you've got an audience!'
With a huge effort, the youth wrenched most of his attention away from his armful of girl. Merlin, she's lovely...and oh so bloody hot. Argh, focus! "Is that it, then? I'm halfway cured? If I take another dose...?"
Faveure was already shaking his head.
If Lupin noticed how wobbly Harry's voice was and its likely cause, he politely ignored it. "Unfortunately, the Solvamus isn't a simple chemical mixture. It's an advanced magical potion, and it's on guard now."
"You think it's going to fight off the antidote?" Hermione murmured as she slowly detached herself from Harry, her cheeks pink.
"Like it didn't this time?" Harry asked ironically. He doggedly strangled the urge to draw her into another embrace, but couldn't stop himself from reaching for her hand.
"Yes, but it knows what's to expect now. It's a bit like," Hermione searched for a fitting analogy, "Veritaserum. If you're ready for it, there are ways to fight it. That's why wizards have been able to lie under the potion."
"But you're talking about a person resisting a potion. This is one potion to another. Why won't it work?" Harry asked stubbornly, unwilling to let go just yet of this possibility.
It was Faveure who answered. "The Solvamus is a potion, oui, but it works on the brain...the psyche, you understand? The longer it is in you, the more it tries to merge," he brought his hands and clasped them together, "like this."
Hermione looked thoughtful. "So it will use Harry's mind to fight the next attempt. That explains the maze." With a nod from the youth, she told the others about the mental labyrinth that they had gone through, leaving out the portion about her and Ron.
Faveure's expression grew more serious as she went on. He was barely able to wait for the end of her story before he broke into rapid French. Some of it sounded suspiciously like swearing.
When Harry couldn't stand it any longer, he simply broke into the tirade. "Fa-Professor, what's going on?"
"Monsieur Potter, one thing must be clear to you," the old wizard resumed. "You are not 'halfway cured.' The Solvamus is still inside, and from what Mademoiselle Granger says, it has combined. It's been weakened by the antidote - that is why you are steadier - but in time it will grow strong again. We gave the antidote too late," he said sorrowfully.
Even if he was half-expecting it, the news hit Harry like a blow. He barely registered letting go of Hermione's hand, or staggering back until his legs met the bed. He sat down shakily, his legs felt like lead. "So this is it?" he asked hoarsely. "Snape's bloody potion stays in me until I, what, lose control? Attack everyone I love? That's just...insane!" His eyes lifted to the girl. "Hermione, while I still can, you've got to -"
"No!" She knew what he was going to say, and she cut him off before he could finish. "Harry, don't give up yet. There is another way -"
"She's right," Lupin interrupted. "The antidote hasn't cured you, but it's given us time. With Monsieur Faveure's help, we can modify the formula, make a new antidote that can slip past the Solvamus' defenses. That's the treatment we propose, but for it to work you must cooperate. Don't give up yet...either of you," he said, trying to catch the girl's eye.
But the young witch was focused solely on Harry. "I'm not going anywhere," she told him. Her expression was resolute. "Moments ago we thought that the Solvamus had won, and I said we would get through this together. Now there's actually hope."
"Hermione..." he choked.
She brushed aside the locks of hair falling over his weary eyes. "I'm not leaving."
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Eventually, and on Faveure's oath as a healer that he meant him no harm, Harry was persuaded to let the old man examine him.
Lupin and Hermione left the room to afford them some privacy.
"Would you like something to eat?" the disheveled wizard asked. "I know I could use some. I think I'll start supper."
"I'll help," Hermione offered as they walked together. "Is Faveure really a healer?"
Lupin nodded. "He's a noted specialist in magical poisoning, though he's retired now. At first I was headed to St. Mungo's for help, but I couldn't think of anyone we could approach without bringing the Daily Prophet on our heels. I knew Harry wouldn't react well to Faveure, but he was really the best choice."
He glanced at the teenager. "That was nicely done, by the way, fetching Harry back like that. But it was also dangerous. You realize you could've been trapped in there with him?"
The witch shrugged. "It's Harry," she said, as if that explained everything.
"I understand, but let's avoid situations like that in the future. Speaking of which, are you still planning...?" he asked awkwardly. "I mean, it sounded like you were about to tell him back there."
"Shouldn't he know?" she returned. "Maybe not right now, because I honestly think Harry can use a day without hearing the words 'Solvamus' and 'imminent death,' but it is his life at stake. I'm not 'planning' anything, Professor. I'm just...trying to see where this leads. I'm glad we're still looking at other options," she admitted. "Besides, we're not even sure that it'll work."
"Faveure thinks it might. I broached the idea in general terms," Lupin explained, "though now that he's met you, he'll probably guess. He was intrigued. Apparently no one has ever tried that approach before. Will you take my advice, Hermione?" he asked suddenly.
She looked at him warily.
"Don't tell him," the wizard said. "The Solvamus is still inside Harry, even if it's dormant for now. If he finds out that you've got this idea..."
"You think he'll use it against me?" she asked bleakly.
"I don't know, but we can't discount the possibility," he replied. He hated bringing this up, but she had to be aware of the danger. "It might not be something conscious on his part, but we can't rule out that he wouldn't take advantage of it somehow."
"Harry would never do that." Hermione's denial was emphatic.
"Harry wouldn't," Lupin agreed, "but we shouldn't forget that we're not dealing with just him. He's under the influence of some very strong magical forces."
Suddenly, the girl felt bone-tired. It was as if everything she'd done today was finally catching up with her. "What do you suggest?"
"You said you're trying to see how things are between the two of you. I don't see anything wrong with that. If in the end that leads to, well..." The thin man's cheeks turned red. "But I wouldn't tell him, Hermione. The Solvamus has got its claws deep into Harry, and the Solvamus is our enemy. We shouldn't give it an advantage, if it can be helped."
They arrived at the kitchen. Hermione didn't say anything, just walked to the pantry, and started rummaging. She knew Lupin was right. When the wizard talked like that, he wasn't simply being her friend or a concerned elder.
Hermione realized that for the last few minutes, she'd been hearing the counsel of the best teacher she'd ever had in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
=======
Supper was mostly a quiet affair. Harry was obviously uncomfortable with Faveure, but for now he seemed to have resigned himself to the other man's presence. It helped that when he posed some questions about his condition, the healer readily answered.
Around the time they were finishing, Hermione spoke up. "Harry and I are going out tomorrow evening. That is, if you still want to?" she turned to ask him.
The boy nearly choked. Unable to speak, he nodded vigorously.
Lupin and Faveure exchanged looks. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"We think it is," Hermione replied. "Harry's better, and we've both been cooped up one way or the other since this whole thing started. I, for one, would love to take a break."
"But there are Death Eaters everywhere," the thin wizard protested.
The young witch actually smiled. "I don't think Death Eaters would come within a hundred feet of the place we're planning to go to. We're talking about deep muggle territory here."
"Perhaps we can get someone to come with you..."
Harry knew that wouldn't work either. "Except for Tonks, anyone from the Order would stick out like a sore thumb."
"It's just a night out, Professor," Hermione said reasonably. "We'll be careful. We'll turn back at the first sign of trouble."
"Just make sure your wand's ready," Lupin muttered reluctantly.
"Wands," Hermione slipped in casually as she sipped her frothy butterbeer. "Harry will need his, too."
The reactions were instantaneous.
"What?" Harry looked stunned.
"What?!" Lupin choked.
The girl calmly put her glass down. "After everything that's happened, surely we stop pretending that Harry can't do magic without his wand? His escape from you proved that. In case we do run into trouble, though, I'd rather be able to rely on predictable spells. If we need to run, there won't be time to experiment. If we're spotted by Death Eaters, I'd rather that Harry be able to stupefy someone than hope for a bolt of lightning to strike out of nowhere."
"But the second Harry does a spell outside, the Ministry will know -"
"No, they won't." Hermione's hazel gaze locked with green, and slowly she smiled. "You turn seventeen tomorrow."
To tell the truth, with everything happening around them, Harry had almost, well, not forgotten, exactly, but he'd put it aside. That Hermione remembered and wanted to something for him, after all that had happened between them...it robbed him of words. He could only nod.
"More reason to go out and celebrate. You only come of age once."
Harry saw that Lupin was about to protest. "Professor," he said quietly, "it will just be for tomorrow night. I promise I'll turn in my wand as soon as we come back. If we do run into trouble, I want to be able to fight."
Faced with unassailable arguments from both sides, Lupin gave in with a sigh. "Just take care of yourselves," he said gruffly.
With that, they all turned back to their meal.
=======
"Thank you." Harry's voice was soft as they walked towards their rooms.
Hermione shrugged. "I was just being practical."
"No." His gaze on her was warm and admiring. "No...you're never 'just' anything."
A red tinge colored the girl's cheeks. "I only wish we could do more. For your birthday, I mean. If we had time to plan this properly, I bet Mrs. Weasley would've had a feast ready. There'd be cake, and you'd be surrounded by well-wishers."
"I am," Harry said seriously. "There are so many people, here in this house and elsewhere, and they're all trying to protect me. As for tomorrow, I'm going to spend it with you and I get my wand back. What more can I ask?" Suddenly, something else occurred to him. "The Dursleys...the protection ends tomorrow, doesn't it? Will Voldemort come looking for me there?"
"I doubt it," Hermione replied after some thought. "If the Death Eaters have been watching the Dursleys at all, they'll know by now that you haven't been back there in ages. Besides, I heard Lupin saying that there were plans to move them."
"That's good." The youth looked relieved. To be honest, part of him wouldn't mind if the Dursleys got a good scare. The problem was, where Death Eaters were involved, it was unlikely that things would stop at the scare level.
"So tomorrow, what are we going to do, pretend we're muggles? Act like Voldemort isn't out there?" he asked cheerfully.
To his surprise, the question caused Hermione to stop. "We are muggles...or at least we can be. Harry, listen to me for a second, okay?" She turned towards him and grasped his hand, as if to make sure that he would stay still. "I want to give you something tomorrow, only I'm not sure it's something you want."
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.
She hesitated. "First, I need to ask you something. How do you really feel about muggleborns? I mean, that stuff about purebloods and mixed bloods, do you believe any of it at all?"
Harry looked at her in disbelief. "Of course not! Hermione, my mother was muggleborn. And you're my best friend, and I know you could out-magic Malfoy any day."
"I know, but..." The girl took a deep breath. "I'm not explaining myself very well. What I'm getting at is this: I know what the wizarding world thinks of the muggle one. Even at its most enlightened, there's some form of pity. But do you know what it means to me? Being a muggle is part of my heritage. It doesn't mean that I'm half-this and half of something else, the way everyone else seems to think. It doesn't," she searched for the right word, "take anything away. To me, being muggleborn means I'm lucky enough to belong to two worlds. That could be true for you, too, Harry."
"We've been raised as muggles," she continued softly, "and each summer we return to that life. I know that that's been torture for you - God, another thing I loathe the Dursleys for - but do you realize what an advantage that can be? Unlike other wizards, we can move in the muggle world. We can dress and speak as muggles. We can go into stores, use the underground, and not be entirely lost when the talk turns to cell phones or blogging. We can blend in completely, because it's part of who we are. And what that means in a war like this, is that we can get lost in the greater part of England because, unlike so many of the others, we're part of that world, too."
"I've been so much luckier than you, Harry," Hermione said earnestly, "because each summer I return to my family, and for most of that time, even though I miss the magic, I enjoy the fact that I'm an ordinary person again. It's a good feeling, because I'm not Hermione Granger then, 'know-it-all, possibly talented witch, pity she's a muggleborn,' but just another girl. And as just another teenager," she suddenly smirked, "I've had my share of going out. I've been blessed with a number of cousins my age, and some of their friends have become mine. We get pretty crazy when we're all together."
The grin faded and her expression turned serious. "I want to give that back to you," she said. "That world, your heritage, I'd like you to get to know it better. So that you understand exactly how ludicrous this entire thing about being pureblood or muggle is. But something like this only works if you want it." She dropped her hand, and they started walking again.
"I didn't know you felt like that," Harry said when they stopped outside her door. "So...tomorrow is about all of that?"
"Tomorrow is about your birthday," she replied softly, "but it's a start."
"I can't promise I'll feel the way you do. The Dursleys," he grimaced, "did a pretty good job. I hated returning to them every summer, and not being able to do magic. But..." He looked at her. If Hermione felt this strongly about it, didn't that mean that there might be something to it? "I'd like to try."
She smiled. "That's all I ask, Harry." Impulsively, she went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Harry watched her go into her room. He touched his cheek in stunned amazement, barely aware that his lips were stretched into the mother of all grins. Perhaps there's something to this coming of age thing after all.
A/N: I'll try to do this without spoilers, but to those of you who have read it, you'll understand when I say that Deathly Hallows was a shock. (Some risk of spoilers after this point. If you haven't read/finished HPDH yet, you might want to skip to the next paragraph.) I'm not referring to the epilogue or the pairings since we all pretty much expected what would happen, but certain deaths, and the way they happened, shook me. It was just hard to deal with, and much harder to write after that. I was prepared for Biding to be AU, but not quite on that level.
Next, the reviews. I am so grateful to the readers, old and new, who've given me something to look forward to. I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to all of you. I hope you liked this chapter. It's a bit short, but it had to be because the next part is too long and it'd be too awkward to put it here.
However, to a certain Anonymous/HSM2, who feels I "copped out" - I really wish you'd left an email address so I could reply properly. After all, you felt strongly enough to leave reviews on two sites. Anyway (and I apologize to everyone else for putting this here; please feel free to skip this) to Anonymous HSM2: If you'd taken the trouble to read the author's notes at the first site you went to, you would've understood that there are two separate stories, or versions (Biding and Biding: Our Way). They run along similar lines and then at a certain point they branch off. Portkey hosts H/Hr fics, and that's what Biding is. I wouldn't even be able to post this here if it weren't. As for Hermione not being able to forgive Ron for being upset while she's trying to forgive Harry for something much worse, doesn't Hermione herself say that Ron had every right to be angry? Does that mean, though, that Hermione can't get mad at him? About Ron being OOC, this is a fanfic, now even an AU fanfic, so some amount of OOC-ness should be expected (though I'd think that Harry would win the award for being OOC here). Have I turned Ron into a monster? I don't think so. I wrote about how sorry he was, how Hermione still had faith that he would help find the Horcruxes, how Lupin marveled at Ron going to Ireland even if he was furious with his friends. That said, if you don't like the story, you don't really need to read it. :shrugs