He felt the smile slide off his face. "Do what?"
Hermione huffed, poking him in the chest. "Don't play dumb with me, Harry. I saw the Headmaster's phoenix stare at you and Daniel."
"So the bird looked at us. It doesn't mean I did it."
"Did Daniel?"
Harry stayed silent for a moment before speaking resignedly, "I wouldn't know."
Hermione sighed and slumped back against the stone wall. "Harry, I'd like to think I'm getting to know you, but you're going to have to let me in at some point."
"I do let you in," he protested, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
Hermione shook her head, stepping back. "You don't, not really." She paused and then looked up at him. "I'm not stupid, Harry, don't treat me as such."
"I know you're not stupid," Harry said feeling awkward with his arms held akimbo, unsure with what to do with them before finally settling on crossing them over his chest.
"Then don't treat me like I can't see what's going on!" she exclaimed, pushing her hair behind her ears, irritably. "You came in twenty minutes later than everybody else--after an announcement was made throughout the castle to return to your dormitories immediately--your hand was sweaty and you were anxious and tense. You got worse once Fawkes arrived and better when Dumbledore and everybody left. You have something to do with what happened this afternoon. I wish you would trust me enough to tell me."
Harry uncrossed his arms and ran his hands through his hair. He was tired, frustrated, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep through classes tomorrow. He looked up through the shield his bangs provided, studying her, looking for any sign of insincerity.
She met his gaze with her own clear and steady brown eyes. Harry wanted to trust her with his secrets and the desire warred with his head; logic telling him that some things needed to be hidden for the better part of valor.
Harry opened his mouth prepared to tell her everything about today's fiasco. "I think Dumbledore is using mind magic," he said instead.
Surprised at his bold statement, Hermione gaped at him before shutting her mouth shut with an audible click. Thoughts and feelings flittered over her face in rapid succession. Harry was only able to identify a few of them, the clearest one being disbelief. There was one though that had his pulse speeding up; it was trust. Trust that he would explain it to her, trust that he'd let her decide if it was factual or not.
"Okay, Harry," she said softly, crossing her wrists over her stomach. "What makes you think that?"
"His actions today in the common room," Harry said immediately, raising a hand and ticking off each indiscretion. "He met everybody's gaze directly, or tried to; when he moved from person to person, it looked as if leaving the person he was currently looking at was the hardest thing for him to do; and on top of that he called Fawkes mentally. Mind magic."
Hermione thought about that and slowly nodded her head. "Okay. So Dumbledore is what--a mind reader?"
"I don't think anybody can read a mind. It's not like our brains can be read like a book. We make all sorts of leaps of logic that don't make sense to anybody else and we connect different situations in crisscrossing patterns in an image another person couldn't understand. I really think it's like a surface scan for emotions and thoughts."
"Are you saying he could only pick up on things that have happened very recently? What about long buried memories or long lapses of time between events?"
"I assume old memories would only stand out when the emotions we tie to them are exceptionally strong."
"Or like light house beacons," Hermione supplied helpfully.
"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.
"Muggle reference--"
"No, I get that," Harry said, waving away her explanation of the term.
"I meant that the memories only get highlighted when certain things are triggered or to continue the metaphor, once for every rotation of the beacon in light house."
"We really need to get a book on the subject," Harry said, grinning.
Hermione agreed, leading the way out of the alcove. "Or an interview with somebody who can do what Dumbledore does."
"I think I might know who, but the likelihood of an interview is about as good as the Canons winning the British League."
"The Charlie Canons?" she asked, quirking a brow and turning the corner back toward the common room. "Boys and their Quidditch references. Okay, I'll… er… catch the snitch. Who?"
Harry hid a laugh behind a cough and smiled weakly at her pouting expression. "First, it's Chudley Cannons, and I think you meant to say snitchnip, because you're not a seeker. I'm actually thinking about Professor Snape."
Hermione stopped and stared at him. "Professor Snape?"
"Didn't you ever get the feeling he knows more than he should?"
"Well… yes, but mind magic?"
He gave her a look and steered her away from the portrait and back down the hall to the alcove. The librarian called out to them in warning that should the sounds behind the curtain sound like more than snogging she was going to go get a professor. Hermione turned pink but Harry just smiled cockily at the portrait and pushed Hermione through the curtain.
"Why are we back here?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips, trying valiantly to subdue her blush.
"We're not done talking about this and I'm pretty sure the common room is about thirty degrees cooler than when we left."
"Or hotter."
"Whichever."
"They have a right to be angry, Harry. Someone from Ravenclaw just got the whole house on probation."
Harry shrugged and leaned back against the wall. "It only hurts the ones involved in extracurricular activities. It's not like the house was banned from taking finals or something that hinders their academic career."
As Hermione processed that, her face turned a little green. "That would have been awful."
"It's not even like it's a good system of testing knowledge anyway, Hermione, you know that. Besides, I don't see what the big deal is."
Hermione looked like she would protest his blasphemous declaration but decided against it. "So if Dumbledore and Snape can do this particular brand of mind magic, then we have to find a way to stop them from using it on us."
Harry hummed an affirmative. "Sounds like a job for the Restricted Section. I'm sure I read about mind magic somewhere but glossed over it when I was searching for information on Horcruxes."
"When you were looking for Horcruxes?" Hermione said, perking up. "Oh Harry, I'm so glad you gave up looking for stuff on that awful topic."
"I didn't give up," Harry stated slyly as she continued to praise him for his restraint.
She stopped talking and frowned at him. "But I clearly heard you imply past tense. Did I hear wrong?"
"No, it was past tense," Harry said, pausing for a minute to consider things. "Can you keep a secret, Hermione?"
Her eyes widened momentarily before she nodded quickly and confirmed, "Yes, of course."
At her answer he pulled the book out from his pocket and simultaneously canceled the charms on it. "I found this book that's all about Horcruxes."
"It's so old," she murmured in awe, eagerly reaching for the book he held outstretched.
Hermione exclaimed over the leather binding and gold leaf, touching the delicate surface tenderly. Then she opened the cover carefully and squinted, trying to read the handwriting inside. Delicately flipping through the book, she shook her head at the foxing found on many of the pages and muttered to herself about looking for restoration charms.
Harry stifled an amused laugh. "You are such a bibliophile, Hermione."
She shut the book, clutching it to her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement at something new to read and learn. "So, what if I am?"
He took the book back from her. "Don't worry your secret is safe with me."
"Oh, good," Hermione said, drawing nearer and tilting her head back so that she was almost kissing him. "I feel much safer knowing you would guard it with your life."
"I never said that," Harry countered, resisting the urge to close the last sliver of distance between them.
Hermione, however, did not have his strength of will and crossed that distance, running her hands up his chest and kissing him lightly on the mouth. Seeking entrance, she nibbled softly at his lips before gliding inside and tangling her tongue sweetly around his.
She stood on tiptoe and explored his mouth leisurely. Harry placed his hands on her waist and gently sucked on her lower lip. She moaned softly and briefly deepened the kiss before breaking it off and slowly falling back onto the soles of her feet. The movement caused his hands to skim up her body until they were resting just underneath the warmth of her breasts and her nipples pebbled against the black robes expectantly.
He breathed in deeply, momentarily paralyzed by the possibilities rising between them. Possibilities he was eager to explore but was sure she wouldn't. His palms grew damp from nerves and his pulse raced erratically in his veins. He waited for her to pull away and held himself very still, half-afraid that one wrong move on his part would send her running.
But she didn't run and Harry found that his heart of its own accord had relocated itself to the base of his throat. Their gazes locked and several seconds ticked by until it sunk in his lust addled mind that she wasn't pulling away from him and breaking the moment.
Static electricity built up between them as he caught her gaze. Hermione bit her lip nervously, uncertainty written clearly on her face. Then a trace of desire flashed in her eyes, answered by something primal that flashed through his own. Something he couldn't control and he became bolder. Harry took the initiative and deliberately touch her. Her breath caught in her throat as he grazed the edge of his thumb over her pert left nipple.
"Harry…" Hermione breathed hesitantly, her hands moving on his arms to stop him.
"Hmm?" he murmured, running his right thumb over the other one, enjoying the sensation of her nipple tightening further because of it.
"Never mind," she said, her voice catching in her throat on the last syllable as he did it a third time.
Slowly he moved his hand up to fully cup her breast. Harry watched, fascinated as her lashes fluttered shut and her mouth parted as her breathing changed and quickened. He took the opportunity to capture the other one. Her lashes trembled as his name escaped from her lips.
Carefully, he explored the shape and weight of them in his hands; lifting and squeezing and caressing until her head fell backwards, spilling her hair out behind her in a voluminous wave. She clutched at his forearms, using them to balance herself as she pressed her body into him.
Harry studied the expressions on her face as he touched her. His fingers trailed up to her throat and fanned there briefly before sliding beneath the warm weight of her hair. Her tongue darted out and wetted her lips before disappearing behind pearly teeth. He bent his head and caught the plump lower lip, collecting her sighs into himself.
His other hand slipped from the curve of her breast down her side, slipped past the soft hollow of her waist, over her hip and down to the bend of her knee. Pulling her tightly against him, Harry ate at her mouth. Her hands came off his arms and up between them, weakly pushing against his chest as she made a soft protesting noise.
"Harry…"
Reluctantly, Harry broke off the kiss, his harsh breathing matching hers. His nose bumped gently against hers as he let out a groan. Hermione licked her swollen lips and stared up at him. He closed his eyes against the look in them and slowly eased away from her trembling form.
He blew out a sigh and ripped off his glasses. He raked his hands through his messy black hair and pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart. A soft hand touched the fist he had made around his glasses.
"Harry?"
Harry lowered his hands and blinked at her blurry form. "Hermione," he croaked, much to his horror. He cleared his throat and repeated her name.
"It's much too fast."
Harry nodded and stared at a spot over her head, the feel of her breasts etched firmly in his mind. "Sure…"
Hermione bit her lip and shook her head, flinging her bushy hair everywhere. "It's not that I didn't like it--"
"Okay."
"But, I'm just not ready for that…" Hermione trailed off, wringing her hands.
Harry nodded again, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the stone floor. He slipped his glasses back on his nose for something to do. As she talked his gaze drifted over to a corner to watch the frenzied movements of the spider nesting there.
Hermione focused on her feet, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "The stuff in the beginning was good…no great… I wouldn't mind more of that."
"Yeah… okay--wait--what?" Harry's focus snapped to her again as she gulped and shifted her gaze from the floor to his face.
"I said," she started, pausing to wet her lips, "I liked you touching me… you know… there."
"And?" Harry asked, watching her fight the raging blush in her cheeks.
Hermione tilted her chin up defiantly and said in spite of her embarrassment, "And I wouldn't mind if you did it again."
Harry broke out into a grin. "Would it be too juvenile to say, wicked?"
Hermione broke into weak laughter. "Wicked isn't a very good descriptor, I don't think."
"Well then, how about, spectacular?" Harry asked, feeling cheeky once again, as he ruffled his hair.
Hermione gave him a look that said he was using weak adjectives again.
"Cool?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Er… totally awesome?"
Hermione stuck her hands on her hips, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Harry shrugged helplessly, stuffing his hands into his pockets, before remembering the glamour and hastily extracting them, hoping that she didn't notice the magic hiding the hole.
Finally, she took pity and exclaimed, "It was bloody brilliant, all right!"
"You cussed, Hermione," Harry teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and steering her out of the alcove.
"Don't look so chuffed," she responded mildly, fighting her own grin.
"Of course not," he agreed just as mildly, as they headed back toward the common room.
As they slipped by the portrait, he shot the librarian a knowing smirk and laughed at her irritated huff. Hermione shoved him through the portrait hole, imitating the librarian with an exasperated, "Boys!" Harry laughed, turning around to help her through.
"Just wait until next time, Hermione."
She glared at him momentarily before breaking down into giggles. "What makes you think there's going to be a next time, Mr. Potter?"
"Are you saying there won't be?"
Hermione tried to look stern but couldn't pull it off. Harry beamed, a feeling of excitement building in his chest. He couldn't wait to pull Hermione into a broom closet between classes.
º«««º»»»ºEnd Chapter 16º«««º»»»º