Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did, so HBP would have been more pleasant. For me at least…
A/N: My take on the challenge "Harry to save the day". Hope you will enjoy this, if you read please leave me a review so that I know what you think of it.
Soul Mates
Harry and Hermione stayed there at the castle all day, and went to visit Headmistress McGonagall, who allowed them to roam in the building so that Harry could show Hermione around.
He led her in the Gryffindor common room, and then up to the boys dormitories where he had spent so much time in the previous years. He told her about some of his adventures, sitting on what once was his bed.
"One would think at school students should worry just about grades, but it wasn't this way for me and my friends. First year, we had to stop a teacher possessed by Voldemort from stealing the Philosopher's Stone, passing through an hole guarded by a tree headed dog, property of my friend Hagrid, who has a quite dangerous taste for pets, I must admit" and he chuckled. She laughed softly. "Then we passed trough Devil's Snare, flying keys, a giant chess board brilliantly resolved by my best mate Ron Weasley, and finally a set of potions, some of them were venom, other did nothing only one was good to go on. And, icing on the cake, I had to wrestle the professor to stop him from taking the stone"
"Pretty intense as a first year, wasn't it?" she said.
"Yes, but hear the second. A diary of Tom Riddle, alias Voldemort as a student, was given to my best friend's little sister, Ginny, who wrote in it and was possessed to open the Chamber of Secrets releasing a basilisk. Riddle had done it himself fifty years before, framing Hagrid for that, but that night when he tried to kill me he passed some of his powers to me, so I was able to go down there when he decided to kill Ginny draining her vital force to regain his body, as only a Parseltongue could open the Chamber…and there I had to kill the Basilisk with Gryffindor's sword. But it all started with me almost being expelled because the House Elf of the Malfoys had tried to save me closing the barrier to the train, so me and Ron arrived here with the flying car of his father."
She was now both in awe for what he did, and laughing imagining the scene of a flying car landing on the grounds.
"You find it funny now, but it was real hell back then" he said, smiling. "Well, enough with these memories for now. Maybe I'll tell you more later, but there is a place in the castle I think you'll love to see" he said, taking her hand and leading her through the corridors.
They arrived at the second floor, and he opened the doors for her. She walked in, and remained open-mouthed.
"A library! And one far bigger than anyone I had seen in my life! Oh, Harry, I could be here for years!"
He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I knew you would like it" he said, pulling her close and kissing her softly. "Anything for you"
"You're really sweet, you know" she said when they parted, still a bit light-headed from the kiss.
He simply smiled. The tour continued with a trip to the kitchens, where Hermione was able to meet Dobby and Winky, and all the other Elves. They weren't allowed to leave without accepting some food, even if they had already had lunch.
"It's unbelievable how many Elves are here" she commented when they exited the room.
"I'm sure Beauxbatons has its fair share of them too" he said, munching on some pumpkin pie. "However, I thought having Dobby with them could be an example, as he is paid and likes that too. But the others think he's a freak. It's in their DNA, they can't be freed as you would like. I think that would be great too, just I don't think it can be done"
She nodded thoughtfully. Maybe Harry was right, but still she hoped to be able to show them what freedom could be.
For now, however, they walked to the Astronomy Tower, and from there Harry showed her the beautiful view over the whole grounds.
"It's breathtaking" she whispered. "Although, maybe it's not the best for me, with my fear of heights…"
"We really need to work on that. I promise you I'll take you flying soon" he said, and she found herself nodding, although flying was the last thing she wanted to do with him at the moment. She could think of many other things involving the two of them, but not flying…
Last stop of their tour was down in the dungeons. It was the less pleasant place of the whole castle, but since Snape wasn't the Potion teacher anymore, it had become bearable. He showed her the big stocks of ingredients, some of them really rare, and she was really interested. Then they walked back to the village, stopping by at Hagrid's again, to have a chat about the creatures in the forest. If there was something Hagrid knew about it was what lived in there, and creatures in general.
Hermione shuddered when he told them about Aragog, and Harry squeezed her hand in reassurance. She smiled weakly at him.
Once back in the village, they Apparated home, and had a quick dinner.
"You know, this trip was really enlightening, but I can't help to feel like a stranger in your life" she said later, a bit sadly, once they were cuddling in front of the television.
"That's why I brought you there. To start and fill you in on my life this past years, so you won't be a stranger anymore in few time" he said, pulling her closer. "I know it's a lot to take in, but even if you don't know every bit of my past life, this doesn't matter to me. After all, I don't know lots of your past too, so we are even"
She nodded, although not completely convinced.
Sensing her discomfort, Harry spoke again. "Listen, it's already late. Why don't we go to bed, and then tomorrow I'll tell you more of my adventures?"
She kissed him lightly. "You always know how to raise my spirits, uh?"
"I try" he grinned. "And I'll set up a night with my friends too, so you can meet them. I'm sure they will all love you"
So they headed to bed, and soon fell asleep, Harry's arm around her, keeping her close. She felt secure, protected and loved, and sighed contentedly before succumbing to sleep.
True to his word, next evening Harry told her more about his life.
"So, in third year I believed I was being chased by a mad murderer, just to find out he was chasing not me but the Animagus pet of Ron, who was the real betrayer of my parents, and discovered the supposed murderer was my godfather. I saved him from the Dementors producing a corporeal Patronus…"
"You were able to make a corporeal Patronus at thirteen?" she exclaimed in awe. "That's brilliant! It is supposed to be hard magic!"
"Yes, it was in fact. It's just…I dunno how I did, but it happened, and believe me I thought it was my father. Only, it was myself from the future, as me and Neville used a Time-Turner to go back and save him and Buckbeak, an hippogriff of Hagrid's"
"This Hagrid keeps having the strangest and more dangerous creatures…giant spiders, hippogriffs…"
"Ah, but you've not heard the best. It will come in fifth year. However, in fourth year there was the tournament, and you know all about it. I must admit Hagrid was utterly fascinated by the dragons, especially by the Horntail. He had to admit himself that it was quite irritable" he chuckled, while she laughed resting her head on his shoulder.
"What many don't know about that year, though, is that the cup was a Portkey. It brought me and Cedric to a graveyard, where Voldemort killed him and used me with the help of Wormtail, the escaped traitor, to restore his body. Only Dumbledore believed me, so the news of his return were not told till next year"
"Oh my. It must have been horrible to have to witness the rebirth of the darkest wizard of all times" she gasped.
"Yes, it was. Even worse was when he wanted me to duel him. Believe me, luck was on my side that night. It was just because we had brother wands that I was able to save myself, thanks to the Prior Incantatio. It allowed me to Accio the cup and Portkey back to Hogwarts" he said, holding his arm remembering the pain of being stabbed there by Wormtail to get his blood.
It was one of his darkest memories, and she was the first person outside his circle of friends he felt able to open so much as to reveal all of that. It both pleased and frightened him.
However, he felt it was doing him good to finally speak about that, so he continued, although it was by now starting to get late.
"Fifth year was a real hell. The ministry kept calling me a liar, and they sent a bitch, Umbridge, to control the situation and stop my spreading of "lies". She rose as the total tyrant of Hogwarts, using her "Inquisitor Squad" made of Slytherins to control me and my friends. She even made me use a Blood Quill during detention to try and dissuade me from telling the truth, I still have the scar…" and he showed it to her, who caressed his hand gently.
"I'm sorry you had to live such an hard life. No one should have to endure such things in his youth, since your birth you had nothing but sadness" she said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. He brushed it away, and kissed her softly.
"If I had to go through all of that to be worthy of you, I'm glad I did" he said, and she melted in his eyes. No one had ever told her such sweet things, and hearing the great Harry Potter telling that to her made her giddy.
"However, as I was saying, fifth year was an hell. Because it was not only Umbridge who ruined it, but also the discovery of my connection with Voldemort, who used it to his advantage, luring me to the Department of Mysteries with images of my godfather being tortured, so I risked my own life and the ones of my friends to go and save him. And here comes Hagrid and his creatures again. To reach the Ministry quickly, we used something my friend had showed us in lesson, Thestrals. Only who has seen someone die can see them, so I don't expect you to know how they look, but I'll tell you just that they are winged black horses who are attracted by blood. So we went there, only, it was a trap and we had to face Death Eaters. Help came, but the battle cost us the life of the one person I thought I was going to save. If I hadn't gone, he would still be alive" Harry said, starting to cry, as he had reopened an old wound he thought he had closed for good. "It's been my fault" he whispered hoarsely.
She held him, and let him cry to mourn the loss that was still hurting him. "Harry, it was not your fault. It was Voldemort's" she said, for the first time uttering the feared name. He smiled at her for that. "You just did what you thought right. Whoever in your condition would have done the same, I'm sure of it, so don't blame yourself" she said, kissing him.
"I know. It's just I wonder at times how would have life been if I hadn't gone. But, to end fifth year, Voldemort himself joined the fight at the Ministry and duelled with Dumbledore, then tried possessing me. Only, something pushed him away from my body, so he failed. And then, in the Headmaster's office, I was revealed the reason of my troublesome life. It was decided by a prophecy" and here Hermione snorted.
"I know, Divination is bullshit. But this prophecy was true, or at least true enough that Voldemort believed it. So he chose me as the one with the best chances to be the one he would have to fear, and tried to kill me at one, when I was still unoffensive. He didn't think my mother would sacrifice her life for me, and that cost him his body, and almost his own life. In the process, he himself marked me as his equal. It could have been Neville, but he chose the Half-blood like himself. I was now marked to kill him or die trying, as only one of us could survive"
She gasped loudly.
"Well, I think it is enough for tonight" he said, and stood up, taking her hand and leading her to their bed. There was no need for her to find another flat now, and both could feel their bond grow day after day. Telling her his life helped, and both found themselves falling unstoppably for the other.
Their works kept them busy for the next days, and the little free time they had they spent relaxing together, or going out for dinner so that they hadn't to cook, and it delayed the end of Harry's narration about his Hogwarts years. But on Friday night they came home quite early, so they were able to sit again together after dinner, enjoying the company of each other, and Harry readied himself for the last bit of his story.
"Sixth year was more or less simple. I was distracted from my task by Ginny Weasley, for who I developed a crush. We were together just for few weeks, the crucial moment of the year though, as in those weeks I paid less attention to Draco Malfoy, who I thought was up to something all year, and it ended in him bringing Death Eaters into the school and in Dumbledore being killed by Severus Snape when he and me came back from searching an Horcrux"
"No! The Potion Master!"
"Yes, seems he was playing double spy. Feigning to be a spy for us, but being one for Voldemort instead" Harry said angrily. "I had always known there was something bad with him, but no one ever believed me. After all, they all trusted Dumbledore, who had one fault, he always gave people a second chance. This time, it was the wrong thing to do"
"But, sorry if I ask, what is an Horcrux?" she asked.
"Let's put it this way. Voldemort feared death, and went further than any other wizard in trying to stop it. He murdered and used the torn pieces of his soul to create seven Horcruxes, all having a piece of it in them. This way, he would be immortal. He could lose his body, but his soul would stay, and he would continue living. As it has happened. Only destroying the Horcruxes first you could kill him, but that cost Dumbledore his wand hand, as it was burnt in destroying one of them"
"That's against nature!" she exclaimed, disgusted.
"Voldemort never cared much for anything, apart for himself" Harry said coldly. "So, since my seventh year I worked on finding and destroying them, and when I did, I confronted him. It was time to close the bills, and I for once showed no mercy, and killed him" he finished.
She nodded, and held him. "It's scary, your life. But I'm glad you were able to open up and tell me all of this"
"Well, now that you know it, if you feel like you don't want to be with me anymore, I understand you, I mean, who would want to be with a murderer…" he started but was cut mid-sentence by her lips meeting his own. She kissed him hard, pouring all her love for him in that kiss.
"I love you, Harry, and I would never leave you for this. All what you went through, and you are still a compassionate young man, when you could have become like him. Why would I want to leave you?" then she led him to bed, and for the first time they made love. She wanted to show him just how much she loved him.
"I never told you before, Hermione, but I love you too" he said sleepily when they were finished.
She smiled contentedly, and both fell asleep soon.
Work was giving both of them hell, they barely were able to see each other at night, although both of them wouldn't have been able to stay a whole day without the other, now that to their relationship the pleasures of sex were added too, but in a week time Harry managed to organise that night out with his friends he had promised her. They all met at a pub.
"So, Harry, care to tell us who is she?" Neville said, when they arrived, his arm around Ginny's waist.
"She's Hermione Granger, my girlfriend and a witch coming from Beauxbatons. She works at the Ministry, and we live together in my flat" he said.
"Pleased to meet you" Ron said, as soon as he had swallowed the food in his mouth. Luna swatted him on the arm. "Wow, already living together. What, you going to get married tomorrow?" the redhead teased them. Luna glared at him.
"Sorry for that. I'm Luna Lovegood, and he is Ron Weasley, my fiancé" the blonde said, outstretching her hand toward Hermione, who eagerly shook it.
"And we are Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley" Ginny said. "Pleasure to meet you. Harry in his owl was ecstatic about you"
The raven haired wizard blushed a bit, and pulled a chair out for his girlfriend, who smiled at him and sat.
"Ecstatic?" she mouthed him, and he blushed even more, but nodded, for the amusement of them all.
Later, he went to take something to drink for both of them.
"So, I always wondered, how is he in bed?" Ginny asked, nearing Hermione.
"Gin! I so much don't need to hear that!" Ron said.
"Shut up, you! No one asked your opinion" his sister said, then turned toward Hermione again, waiting expectantly.
The brown haired girl felt extremely embarrassed but didn't want to delude the other girl, so answered the question.
"Awesome" she said, reddening even more.
"I still was far better without knowing that" Ron insisted, while Ginny squealed.
"What you lot talking about?" Harry asked, coming with two drinks in his hands.
"Your skills in bed" Neville said, making him turn as red as a tomato.
So, they enjoyed the night together, laughing, joking, teasing each other, and Hermione had to admit Harry was right. They all made their best to make her feel included, and she could tell they liked her. She thought they were really great too, exactly as Harry had told her they were.
At a certain point, a slow song started to play, and Ginny squealed. "Come on, Harry! WE can't miss this one, it was our song when we were together" she said, taking his hand and leading him on the dance floor. Ron and Luna were already there, so Hermione was alone with Neville at the table. She kept looking to Ginny and Harry dancing together, a bit sadly.
"Hey, Hermione" Neville said. She turned to look at him. "You've nothing to worry, Ginny won't try to steal Harry from you. She's been over him for years now"
"Yes, but they still share so much, things I'm not part of, and never will be" she said.
"You feel like that now, but there's no need, for you to be happy with Harry, that you were in all his adventures. We were, ok, and you can't change that, but you and Harry will have soon your own memories to share"
She smiled at him. The boy was right, she and Harry would create their own memories soon enough, and in time could look back on them laughing and reminiscing.
Soon later Ginny, Harry, Ron and Luna came back to the table, and he kissed her. "Why don't you and me go for a dance now?" he whispered to her.
"Sure" she said, taking the hand he was offering her.
From the table, their friends watched them.
"Harry seems really happy" Luna commented.
"I'm sure she's a great girl" Neville said, sipping his drink. "She'll make him happy"
Ron and Ginny agreed.
"So, did you enjoy yourself?" Harry asked her on their way back home.
"Yes, they are really great. I can see why you hang around with them"
"They think you're good too. Ron only teases that way people he likes. He got it from his twins brothers. Never trust anything coming from Fred and George, they keep inventing new pranks and you can never tell what you're going to get with them"
Both laughed, and looked at each other.
"But, as I was saying, I've never seen him be so friendly to any of my girlfriends in the past. On the contrary, he could be really rude to them if he didn't like them"
Then he embraced her, and kissed her sweetly. Then switched the wireless on, and they danced like that, alone, in the living room, her head on his chest, both of them with their eyes closed, savouring the moment.
They were still young, and marriage was something they would consider in some time, but both already knew they had found their soul mate, and they would be together and happy forever.
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