Unofficial Portkey Archive

Title: Forever a Secret (chapter 7)

Author name: LittleWitch

Author e-mail: littlewitch_br@hotmail.com

Category: H/H

Sub Category: Romance, Drama, General

Rating: PG-13.

Spoilers: 1-4 books.

Summary: The Wizard World was a mysterious place -- full of secrets. Three years after the fall of the Dark Lord, darkness was still spreading over. A secret was held. A secret that was killing their souls. But they had to pay the price -- or else the rest of the world would. No matter what, it had to be forever a secret.

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The lyrics used in this chapter are from the song "You'll be in my heart" by Phil Collins.

Special thanks to perivayne who beta'ed this chapter.

Chapter 7: How Dreams End

" The truth is rarely pure and never simple."

Oscar Wilde

**************

In his dreams, he was happy. In his dreams, he lived. In his dreams, he remembered.

A bright and sunny day.

He was back to his Hogwarts' days; his seventh and last year as a student there.

He could hear the sound of some first years trying to find their way through the stairs, the sound of running feet on the second floor; obviously they were breaking some rules. He could hear Myrtle moaning in the bathroom and the House Elves working in the kitchen; he could hear Professor Snape and his godfather, Sirius Black, in the middle of a row in a secret room; and the tick-tock of a clock somewhere in the Hufflepuff dorms; he could hear the last carriages to Hogsmeade leaving and the flap of the wings of the owls as they came and went with the students' correspondence. He could hear everything. Most of all, he could feel everything.

It was everywhere. It was in the magic around him; a magic that he could feel in each of his cells. It was a strong feeling; intoxicating even. It was more than magic; it was life - and he could breathe it.

And he was suffocating.

"ARGH!" Harry opened his eyes abruptly and collapsed on the grassy ground of Hogwarts' outer park. He was out of breath.

"Harry!" Hermione collapsed at his side. "Are you all right?"

Harry looked up at her. He could see the fear and worry in her eyes; and he could also see there the streaming tears which she was fighting to not let flow.

Come stop your crying it will be alright
Just take my hand, hold it tight

He placed his hands above hers and gave her a weak smile.

For moments they just stayed as that; lost in each other's eyes. Lost in a silent communication. Lost in time.

It was a bright and sunny day. They should have been in Hogsmeade with Ron and their other fellow students. But once again, they skipped the entertainment for time alone. There would be time for frivolity later, they told themselves. First, they needed to find a solution for the problem that was haunting their dreams and their lives.

I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don't you cry

"I'm fine. Let's try again," Harry eventually said, standing up.

"You are not fine, Harry. Look at you. I don't think this was a good idea. It is not working... We'd better stop now."

"I can't stop, Hermione. We are running out of time. I need to learn how to control it before something happens..."

"I know, Harry. But let me do a little more of research. I'll go to the library. I will find another way - another charm --"

"It won't work. We have already tried over a hundred charms, they were all in vain."

"One of them has to work, Harry." Despair and exhaustion lurked in her brown eyes.

Harry' eyes softened and he wrapped her in his arms. "Oh, love. Don't. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to me. It kills me to see you like this."

For one so small you seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm

"Oh, Harry..."

"You think that I don't know that you are using the time-turner again, Hermione. So you can spend more hours in the library researching...I know you, my love. You are stubborn as a mule." He grinned at her and she cuffed him on the arm and made a face. "You know you are. You are my Hermione Granger and I love you for that and for a lot else. But, you know, a clever witch once told me that books and cleverness aren't everything...sometimes books just don't have the answer you are seeking...I know you just want to find the most perfect way to help me, love, but you are already helping me... You are here with me and that's all I need. If your books can't help this time, your bravery still inspires me...And if your cleverness can't help us find a solution, your friendship gives me strength to keep searching for one. And above all, your love is my only reason; you don't need to fear anything, Hermione. I won't let anyone keep us apart."

This bond between us, can't be broken
I will be here, don't you cry

"I know, Harry. I believe in you. Always have. Always will. I love you, Harry Potter. And love is trust. And love is true. And I have trust myself to you, Harry. The true me only you know. Only you'll have."

"But you still fear..."

"Don't you?"

He nodded. "Very much."

"It's okay to fear, Harry. It doesn't mean that we don't believe in our feelings or in each other. It just means that we are human beings and as any other human we have fears -- we fear what may come. But this fear doesn't mean that we won't stand up and face it. 'A man who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing'; 'And a life without love is no life at all.' Typical sayings. Typical truths."

Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more

You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart always...

"I want to try again, Hermione."

He looked into her eyes.

She looked into his eyes. And sighed.

"All right. Close your eyes."

She tiptoed and their lips brushed.

"I love you."

She stood back.

"I love you, too."

She took her wand and pointed at him.

Her wand was trembling. Her hand was shaking.

She hesitated for a moment then clenched her wand firmly. And the words flowed.

"Avada Kedrava."

**********************

In his dreams, he was happy. In his dreams, he lived. In his dreams, he remembered.

But where his dreams end; so do his memories.

Harry Potter woke with a jump.

His scar was burning.

In the darkness of his bedroom, he groped on the nightstand for his glasses.

Little by little, the pain faded down. The pain faded; but not the confusion in his mind.

Something was wrong with him. He had been having dreams that he couldn't quite remember fully, not that this was all very unusual. But these dreams were increasing in frequency and lately, it seemed that he was having these dreams while he was awake. Yesterday at the party when he had those flashes or visions for example...

Something strange was happening. It had started that day in the cemetery.

Harry got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. As he walked through the corridor, he tried to ponder over some of these things...

Until today, he had had no idea of what happened in the cemetery. How had he ended up in the hospital? Why was he in a magical coma? How could he have left Malfoy escape like that? Why did those symbols seem familiar to him, when even the Yellow Team couldn't discover their origins? Was it related to the old prophecies? To his predestined fate given by Trelawney's prophecy? What were the Death Eaters planning? Who was this new IT figure that the captured Death Eaters talk about? And why, even under Veritaserum the Death Eaters swore they didn't know who this IT was? I mean who would be stupid enough to accept orders from an unknown person without knowing at least who was giving the orders? OK, The Death Eaters would, but still - Anyway, what was IT planning?

Harry shook his head at the sight of his own reflection in the mirror.

What the hell was he thinking when he dyed his hair green?

He passed his fingers through his hair and its natural black colour and wild behavior were back. His scar was hidden again.

So many questions...

No answers...

Harry wished Dumbledore was back, if he would ever be back someday, because he didn't think he was doing a good job as The Order of the Phoenix's leader. Besides he didn't like the job. Hermione was right - as always - when she said that he should have accepted the job as a D.A.D.A. teacher, even when he already had a lot of work as the Order leader; "You already live in a world full of secrets, Harry. Even your job in the Order is a secret. This is no way to live, Harry. You need a real job, where you can be just yourself. Take Professor McGonagall's offer. You're a great teacher. No one knows the mysteries of The Dark Arts like you do.", she had said.

The truth was that Harry liked teaching. His classes and students were a respite in the middle of all the evil that he witnessed during his missions for the Order...Of course his Slytherin students were not very easy to deal with but after two years teaching them Harry had learned that they were not that bad - really, they weren't -- they were just kids like any other kids; kids trying to understand the world and their place in it. And like any other kid, they needed direction, orientation and opportunities to learn so they could use this experience and knowledge to make their own choices for their own lives.

Harry was trying to give them that opportunity. It was complicated, but Harry had no thought of giving up on them. They were Harry's hope. All his students were his hope nowadays. It was for them that he was fighting the forces of evil daily. So they could live in a world in peace. A peace that he hoped they could learn how to respect and keep; that was why he was teaching them.

Both a warrior and a teacher at the same time. What a strange combination.

Well, not very strange if you consider that half of his teachers at Hogwarts were engaged in the fight against the Dark Forces as well.

Yes, not that strange at all.

But still something strange was happening.

And he had no idea of what it was.

*********

As Harry left the bathroom and was crossing the narrow corridor to his room, he heard a small noise come from Hermione's room.

The first thought was that she was up to one of her night escapes again. But he dismissed that thought quickly. If Hermione had had even the slightest yearning to leave the flat, the dozen of charms that he and Ron had placed in the flat would have been screaming like mad, not that Hermione would be able to realize it since one of the charms silenced the alert for her ears.

But who was Harry kidding. It's been over a month and Operation Hermione On The Radar (a silly expression that Ron had invented) was a complete failure. He and Ron had tracked all her movements...the only time they didn't was when he was in hospital, but even then, Hermione spent most of her time there so there was nothing out of the ordinary... A month following Hermione and what did they find out? Nothing. Absolutely bloody nothing.

Maybe he had just dreamed of -- Hermione's escapes. -- After all, it never happened again. Hermione had a very normal, closer to say boring routine. She spent most hours of her day studying at home or locked at her office at the WIR lost in her research .

However, deep down, Harry knew that something strange was happening. That it had been no dream.

He stared at her white bedroom door. Should he knock?

Perhaps not.

Yesterday night, when he was dancing with her, when he had her so close… he felt something. Something he could not describe.

And he saw…

What was it that he saw?

It was all so blurred…so confusing…flashing of images that he could not…

Was it another dream?

It must be…

Was he losing his mind? Going crazy?

Words keep playing in his mind. Words that made no sense to him.

There was a hum in his mind; it was a calming one.

With the hum there was also a scream; a deeply disturbing one that Harry couldn't place.

His dreams used to be just a blur… a green flash was all that he could remember. But now the dreams were becoming clearer, and stranger. Because the green light was fading and the shadows in his dreams were little by little becoming more visible.

He had had a strange dream at the hospital. Again, he could just remember few parts of it. He remembered about Voldemort and Hagrid. Uncle Vernon and the little himself…there was some images. Some - Damn it! Why couldn't he remember?

Yesterday night he saw her…

And they were dancing and…

They were at Hogwarts …but no, that couldn't be right. He never danced with her at Hogwarts. Never. He certainly would remember if -

He knocked on her door.

"Come in, Harry."

Harry opened the door. Hermione was standing at the middle of the room, pointing her wand at her shelf. One by one, her books were leaving the shelf and floating to a suitcase opened on her bed.

"How did you know it was me?" asked Harry.

"Really, Harry. Ron wouldn't knock. He usually just barges in complaining about the fact that I'm never naked when he does so."

"Ah."

They stood there looking at each other. Hermione, noticing that his black hair was back, smiled. The potion must have already faded, she thought to herself.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, while her books were still flying packing themselves into her suitcase. She tapped the spot beside her, inviting Harry to sit with her.

"Is everything alright, Harry? You are not leaving for another mission, are you?"

"No. No. I just couldn't sleep."

"Oh. Do you want me to prepare a Draught of Living Death for you?"

"No. I don't need a sleep potion. I'm fine. It's just that - I'm fine."

"If you say so."

Silence.

Hermione's stare was intense and for some reason Harry could not face it. He avoided her eyes, looking up to the flying books.

Silence.

Okay, this was ridiculous. This silence was killing him. He needed to say something. Nothing stupid or Hermione would notice he was nervous. WAIT. Why was his nervous around Hermione? She was his best friend, the one he shared everything with. He didn't need to be nervous. All he had to do is open his mouth and tell her everything. Tell her he was having some strange dreams and visions and that it was all very confused but he was pretty sure it was she that he had been dreaming about over the last few weeks. And in one of these dreams they were dancing and in other they were kissing...

Oh, Merlin. This was really sick. Bad. Bad. Bad Harry. Hermione was like a sister to him. A sister. There were no hidden feelings. He really never ever had these kind of feeling towards her. A naughty part of him would probably ask him: 'Why not?' And he would answer: 'Because there was no chemistry between us'. And a sleeping part of him would probably say: 'Who needs chemistry when there is magic?' No. No. No. This was all very wrong. Sick . Disgusting.

He must be under a curse. He couldn't tell any of that to Hermione. She would freak out. She would cancel her trip and they would spend days at the WIR Library trying to break the curse. No, there was no need for that. No, the last thing he need is to spend days locked in a library with her… Not when he was having these strange visions. Besides, he didn't want to give her another thing to worry over. She already worried too much about him and everything. This was his problem and he would fix it. He just didn't have any idea how but he would fix it. He was Harry Potter. He could fix anything. He hoped.

"Harry?"

"Huh?"

"Are you sure you are all right? You seemed kind of…lost."

"Yeah, I told you I'm fine. It's just that I have some things on my mind. Some Order business, you know." Harry knew by the look on her face that she wanted to ask a lot of questions about 'this Order business'. Change the subject. Change the subject, his mind was screaming. "Now, what about you, Hermione? What are you doing? It's kinda of late. Doesn't your train leave tomorrow early in the morning?"

"Oh. I've been so busy today at the office that I didn't get time to finish packing…But I'm almost finished. Just packing some books to take with me."

Harry looked to all the books who were flying, waiting in line as one by one got into the suitcase, which Harry noticed must be enchanted or else there was no way all those books would fit there. There must be hundreds of books there. "Oh and how long do you intend to stay there? A year?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Okay. Okay. Just kidding. But, honestly, Hermione. haven't you considered leaving the books behind just this once? Try have some fun for a change?"

"Do you really think I'm that boring?"

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you implied."

"Hermione, please… I just thought that you were going to spend some lazy time with your family. I just don't understand why do you need all that books?"

"First, Harry, you need to acknowledge the fact that there's no lazy time when you are around my family -- not my mother's side of the family, anyway. If I was going to stay some days with Grandma and Grandpa Granger, I could probably have some lazy time around the farm. But believe me with the Dalloways, there's always something going on. And second, just because I'm taking some time off doesn't mean that I don't have a lot of work to do. Honestly, I still have thousands of ancient spells to research and thousands of runes to translate…I have to find the right charm…the right potion…and find a way to transfigure it…I'm so close…if only I could find something, anything about that spell…"

**************

(flashback/memory)

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Shouldn't you be training?"

"Snape cancelled, something to do with a potion that Professor Dumbledore asked him to make?"

"A potion?"

"Yeah, I know. I thought the same thing."

"The spell?"

"Yes, the spell."

"I don't understand, Harry. Why does Professor Dumbledore insist on this? You have already said no. Can't he understand what no means?"

"I guess he believes that somehow he can make me change my mind. I don't know… I guess he's only trying to do what is right."

"What is right? What do you mean? That we are wrong?"

"That's not what I said, Hermione."

"That's exactly what you said, Harry. Tell me what is going on."

"Nothing."

"Harry?"

"Please, Hermione."

"Harry. What did he tell you this time?"

Silence.

"Harry?"

More silence.

"It doesn't matter what they say, Hermione. I love you, that is all that matter. I won't cast the spell, Hermione. I will never cast the spell. I would rather die."

***********

"Harry! Are you listening?"

Harry looked at her in a daze. "Hermione. Would you tell me if something wasn't right, wouldn't you?"

Hermione froze.

BANG!

All the books that were flying about fell on the floor.

She slowly get off the bed, walking to the middle of her room, feeling Harry's intense gaze on her.

She knew this was coming. She had been waiting for this moment.

She knew she had three options: Lie openly; Tell him the truth (whether he would forget all in a second or remember everything and free The Dark Lord who would use the Ancient Power and destroy everything that stood in his way, she didn't know); or she could be a smart witch and use her ace in the hole to win this game.

Although she was really tempted to go with her second option, she knew the third one is the best choice.

She faced him.

"If I said yes, will you believe in me, Harry? Would you and Ron stop following me around?"

"I --" Harry gaped at her. She nodded with her head. "But, how long?" He looked at her and no words were needed, he knew the answer. She had known since day one. "Oh my, we are so stupid."

"Oh, I wouldn't call you stupid. I prefer the term complete morons."

"Why didn't you just stop us?"

"And spoil your little game? Why should I? You and Ron seemed to be having so much fun following me up and down, though I've got to say I'm a little disappointed at Ron. He used to be a part of the Red Team. He used to spy on Dementors and Death Eaters. I thought he would be better at the job. Obviously, when he left the Order, he also left some of his spy skills behind. Do you know that last week I almost stepped on him?"

Harry let his head down. Oh, yeah. She was pissed. She was very pissed. He would be hexed any time now. Maybe he could just get on his knees and ask for forgiveness.

Shyly, he looked up at her. "We really screwed up this time, didn't we?"

"Yes, you did. God, Harry, friends do not go around following each other. Friends talk to each other."

Harry could not see a way out of this. She was right. Friends talk to each other. Oh, she was going to turn him into a Ghoul or worst she was going to turn him into a Quill and use him to write all her essays. Perhaps if he bought her that new Magical Encyclopedia that she wanted…"I know that we shouldn't have ever started with this but --" Wait a moment. Friends talk to each other? What the hell was she talking about? She was the one hiding secrets from him and Ron. Damn, how come she always does this? "This is also your fault," he finally said.

"My fault?" Hermione seemed indignant with such accusation. "You and Ron go all spy on me and it's all my fault. Honestly, Harry, that's ridiculous."

Harry stood face to face with her. "No, it is not. You said yourself, Hermione. Friends talk to each other, but you didn't talk to us to start with."

"There was nothing to talk about, Harry."

The tension was rising up.

"Really? Because I had the impression that there was a lot to talk about, like why did you take my invisible cloak? Where did you go? Were you meeting someone? Were you meeting the one you secretly love? The one you said I already knew about?"

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, please…"

"Why, Hermione? Tell me why? Why can't you tell us? Why can't you tell me what is going on?"

Pause. Both stared at each other. Both felt an empty pit in their stomachs. Both seemed tired; tired of mind; tired of soul. A battle was happening within them…a daily battle that they were both tired of fighting. But it had to go on. It had to.

"Because", Hermione started, "some secrets are meant to be kept secret, Harry. We all have our secrets. I'm sorry. You have no idea of how sorry I am. But there are things that I can't share with you, Ron or anyone else. I just wish you and Ron understood that if I'm keeping things from you, I have my reasons. Believe me, I have very good reasons.''

Harry sat on the bed again; shoulders down. "I don't know what to say, Hermione. It was all so strange. I -- "

"You what?" she asked softly.

He looked in her eyes. "I worry about you. You are my best friend."

Hermione smiled at him, though her heart was broken it pieces. Best friend. Only his best friend. "Yes, I am"

"I just don't want to see you hurt."

She bit her lip. She was fighting the urge to cry. She had no answer to that. He didn't want to see her hurt; that wish haunted her. Even when he cast The Spell, he did it to save her from Nagini and because he thought she would be protected…protected from this world. But she was still here. She was still a witch. She still remembered. Why? She didn't really know why. Sometimes she thought it was some kind of punishment for trying to go against something beyond her. Sometimes she thought it was because they still have a chance to make it work out. To make it come out right. The truth was that she was hurt already. Without him, everyday hurt.

************

MEANWHILE, IN A CORNER OF KNOCKTURN ALLEY…

"I see that green hair is the latest craze around here," Draco Malfoy teased, as soon as Professor Severus Snape, who had his usual black hair changed into a shining green tone, arrived at the alley through a Portkey. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

Snape glared at Malfoy, "It's none of your business," he hissed at his former student.

"Oh, alright. I'll just pretend I don't know this has something to do with the fact that there are Green-Haired Potter pictures all over the Wizarding World or with the fact that you've been messing up with scar-faced's potion again." Draco smirked.

Snape increased the intensity of the glare, if that was even possible.

"Wow, you don't need to get this touchy. Besides, I think you look great. After all, green was always the Slytherin color."

Snape mumbled something inaudible.

Oh, would you like to know what he said? Or maybe you would like to know exactly what the hell happened to his hair? Well, you see, Severus Snape, being the Potion Master that he was, was responsible for Harry's potion. What potion?

Well, it was a long story…or maybe not. Three years ago, Harry cast a spell to defeat Voldemort and save the day. It was a very complicated spell, with many details, not to say a whole intriguing ritual necessary to the casting of the spell. Between the things necessary was a potion, one that took a lot of study and months of work from our Potion Master to be ready…

Well, it really was a long story. So let us skip some parts.

For some reason unknown the spell didn't exactly went as planned and Potter had some problems dealing with the whole 'I Can't Remember' context, so Professor Snape had to adjust the spell potion, creating what you could call a restraining potion. Every time that Harry seemed to have a relapse, they just slipped some potion on his drink, without his knowledge, of course.

Yeah, yeah. Really long story. Let's get to the point.

The thing was that Professor Severus Snape and Harry Potter had a very unique relationship. It was not that they hate each other, far from it. They didn't dislike each other, either. They just had some kind of… a unique relationship; for lack of a better way to describe their unique relationship.

As Harry Potter's years as a Hogwarts' pupil progressed, they even learned how to respect each other, maybe even like each other.

However, there was some kind of scuffle between the two that not even time, spells and lost memories could erase.

It was the same between Snape and Sirius. A lot of things happened at Harry's last years at Hogwarts. They had to forget their personal pride and join their forces…their past was not completely forgotten but you could consider both of them as friends. It was an unique friendship, really, a bizarre friendship…Well, who were we kidding? At least they were not always on each other's throat. Just now and then…

Oops…Didn't I just tell you we were going to get to the point? Sorry. My mistake. The point was…

That the scuffle between Harry and Snape was never truly over. Sometimes Snape just like to mess with Harry's potion, mixing them with other potions, sending Harry a bit out of his mind. Think of it like a pay back for all the pranks they played on him…

It was nothing that bad really… Severus really thought the boy had too much problems over his shoulders. He needed to loosen up a bit. He has a big and boring destiny ahead, let him have some fun while he could. After all, it was not like Snape had given him a potion to change hair color. The potions were just to help the Boy Who Lived to relax; forgetting his problems and the fact that he is supposed to be Mr. Perfect Hero. Now, if the wildest side of Harry Potter like to dye his hair, tattoo his body or sing 'There's a Boggart in my closet' during the Quidditch Finals. It was not the Potion Master's fault.

Too bad that Hermione and Sirius didn't see things that way…

He could still recall Black's words when he showed up at the Order this morning, holding up the newspaper, 'You son of a…witch. How many times did I warn you to stop messing up with Harry's potion? You think it's funny to play with my godson's life like this. Very well. I will show you what is funny.'

As it was, Snape was cursed and had to live with this bizarre hair for forty-eight hours.

But Snape smirked to himself. It was worth every second. He was going to do a poster with the newspaper's picture and hang on his office, so he could always laugh at Potter's stupidity.

But right now. Nothing of this was relevant. Snape was in this awful place for a reason. And he really wanted to know what was this reason.

"I got you didn't call me here to discuss this season tendencies of hair color. Why am I here, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I want to talk to her."

"Impossible. The two idiots are still following her. I'm your handler for the time being. Just leave your message. I'll make sure she got it."

"Cut the 'agent thing' down, okay. This is serious. This is huge. Really huge."

"Huge? Really huge? Could you be more specific, please?"

"No. First, I want to talk to Hermione."

Snape arched an eyebrow at this. "Hermione?"

"I mean Granger…" Draco corrected quickly.

"I see… Don't be a fool, Mr. Malfoy. She has only eyes for him. She will find a way for them to be together, or she will die trying."

"I hate him," Draco snapped, out of the blue. Snape just gave him a sharp look. "I hate him for saving my life. I hate him for the sacrifice he made. I hate him for being the bloody hero. I hate him just for being Harry Potter."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Yet, here you are -- here we both are -- trying to help him."

"Now, who is the fool here, Professor? I'm not trying to help him. I'm trying to survive," Draco said coldly. "Don't tell me you don't feel it, Professor? A tingle on your arm. Tonight was just a tingle. But you know what comes next. You know what will happen if we don't stop this. The tingle will be gone; replaced by a burning pain…"

"Is that all you have to say Mr. Malfoy, because, if this is the case, I'll be leaving to get back to my duties. Despite what it may look, we Hogwarts' teachers don't just work in the fight against evil, we sometimes have normal teachers' duty. So, if you excuse me, I have some essays about Elixirs to correct." Snape said, taking a candy out of his pocket and throwing it in the air. A Portal was opened.

"Wait," Draco called. Snape, who had already a foot inside the portal, stopped. "It's Pettigrew."

"What?" Snape asked not understanding the meaning of Draco's words.

"Peter Pettigrew. He is IT."

Snape stared, perplexed, at Malfoy. It just couldn't be.

*****************

THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX'S HQ…

Five young wizards and three young witches were sitting around the table. Two wizards were wearing orange cloaks. One was wearing a green cloak. The other wizard beside the first one wore a red one. A wizard and a witch were both using blue cloaks. And the two other witches were in yellow.

There was a high level of tension in the air as these wizards and witches glanced at each other. After all, these members of the Order were in the middle of something very important…

"Are you sure?" the one in green asked.

"It can be dangerous," the witch in blue said.

"It's the only way. I'm in," exclaimed the one in red.

"Okay… so you enter into the cage of the dragon and…the dragon awakes and attacks…you lost The Wand of Merlin and …yes, sorry, you are dead."

The 'miniature wizard' brought his hand to his heart and did a dramatically scene before collapsing dead on the board. The 'miniature dwarf' and 'miniature amazon' started to cry and the 'miniature dragon' went back to sleep.

"Damn! I hate this game."

Everybody around the table started to laugh.

"Trevor! Trevor!"

They stopped laughing and turned their heads. Eight pairs of eyes stared at Neville Longbottom as he came into the room.

Immediately, the young wizards and witches stood up trying to hide the table from Neville's view.

"Can we help, sir?" the wizard in blue asked.

"Oh, hey guys, I didn't know you were still here. Have you seen Trevor?" Neville asked, smiling shyly at them.

"No, sir." They all shook their heads.

"Oh. Okay then."

"Do you need some help, sir?"

"Help? Oh, no, no. Keep up with your", Neville words trailed off as he glanced at the table and saw the 'miniature dragon', "work." He chuckled at the terrified look on The Order Trainees' face.

As Neville left the room, the Order Trainees sighed relieved, sitting back on their chairs.

These Order of the Phoenix Trainees were young wizards and witches from different corners of this planet, selected by each Team Chief to be new members of the Order. However, as the word trainee suggested, they were still training, so they weren't allowed to go on missions yet.They still needed the Order of the Phoenix leader's approval for that.

Usually, there were few Order Trainees which was a good thing, seeing that during that time, the summoning of a new member could mean the death of an old one.

"I can't believe he lost his stupid toad, again."

"Yeah, I really don't understand how can a guy like him be in the Order?"

"I tell you how. He used to be Harry's friend here in Hogwarts"

"Really?"

"Oh, don't be such a jerk. You know that's not true. Harry would never favor a friend like that. Even because when Neville become a member it was Dumbledore who was the leader on duty."

"Besides if you can be a member anyone can be."

"Hah-hah. But I'm not in the Black Team. He is, though. And I thought only the most powerful wizards could be a part of the Black Team."

"It's not only about power, it's about who you are."

"Still. A guy with a toad? How's that supposed to frighten the enemy?

"Maybe there's more about him than he lets show. Besides, I think he is very cute."

"Whatever, I just hope he doesn't tell Moody about our little game."

"Or McGonagall."

"Or Snape."

"Or Black," they all say together.

"Speaking about Sirius, we'd better get back to work before he came back from his walk."

**************

SOMEWHERE IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST…

"Hello, there, Dog Star."

"Hello, Firenze."

Sirius, who had been lost in thought as he watched the full moon, glanced at the approaching centaur, giving him a weak smile.

"You are far from the castle. Are you missing the dead again?"

Sirius sighed. "When it's going to stop, Firenze?

"This, Dog Star, not even the stars know."

The wind blew, whispering secrets that no mortal could understand.

"I lost all my friends to this battle. James, Lily, Remus...so many died. Sometimes I wonder why I am still alive."

"Everything has a purpose in this life," the centaur remarked.

"Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. I spent twelve years of my life in Azkaban. Can you tell me what the purpose of that was?"

"Believe me, Dog Star. It had a purpose. Everything has a purpose -- even this moment."

"Codswallop..."

"You wizards are men of little faith."

"What are you talking about? We have a lot of faith."

"No, you wizards have faith in your own magic; Faith in Merlin's words. However, the ones of your kind had forgot that magic goes beyond bouncing chocolates and a sparkle that comes from the tip of a wand. In a way. wizards have less faith than the ones you like to ironically call Muggles. Because your belief is in what you see and their - some of them, believe in us, believe in magic even without never tasting it or seeing it. They write about us with such love and respect. And they dream, they dream about a world like this. A world even better than this."

A strange silence descended upon them as the wind blew again around them, and as the tree leaves rustled under it's influence, the whole forest seem to dance under the moonlight.

"Look up there, Dog Star. What do you see?"

"A star?"

"It's not a star. It's Mars", explained the centaur, "the red planet is very near to Earth."

"And?" Sirius looked at him with inquisitive eyes.

"You wizards are men of little knowledge, too. Don't they teach Astronomy in this school?"

"What does it mean, Firenze?"

"Mars is also known as the planet of destruction. If Mars is near the earth. It means--"

"That the destruction is near." Sirius concluded.

"Indeed." Firenze nodded slowly.

"Will we be able to stop it?"

"You forgot, Dog Star…There's always hope. Hope, Dog Star…Even when everything seems lost…we still have ho--"

"FIRENZE!" Bane, another centaur, came galloping. Sirius stepped back as the centaur faced Firenze, angrily. "WE SHALL NOT TALK WITH HUMANS. How many times do I have to remind you of that?"

"They need help, Bane."

"That's not our concern. We shall not interfere in the guardians' decisions."

Sirius looked to one centaur to the other, curiosity rising within him, as the centaurs stared fiercely each other. Eyes which could read stars and planets, were reading now one another.

Firenze let his head down, letting out a bitter breath. The angry facial features of Bane, softened as he placed a hand on Firenze's shoulder.

"Let's go, Firenze. Our people are leaving this wood. We are just waiting for you. Come, our place is no longer here."

Firenze nodded.

The two were about to leave when Sirius stepped on their way. "Wait! What is going on? What were you talking about? Why are you leaving? Firenze, you got to tell me, it's about my godson, isn't it? What is going to happen with Harry?"

"He --"

"Firenze!" Bane reared.

Firenze looked at Bane, hesitating.

Once more, a gust of wind passed thought them, whispering in their ears.

"Don't lose hope, Dog Star." The centaur gazed at him intensively, like he wanted to tell him something and just couldn't. "Farewell."

Sirius saw both centaurs going away, disappearing in the darkness of the forbidden forest. Millions of thoughts were running through his head and he couldn't concentrate in any of them.

He looked up. The full moon was still bright on the sky.

SQUEAK!

Sirius turned abruptly.

"Fawkes? Fawkes, why are you here? What is it?" Sirius asked nervously as the magical bird flew around him, squeaking. "Oh, Merlin, why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

************

BACK TO HERMIONE'S ROOM…

"I just don't want to see you hurt."

Silence.

A silence so intense that Hermione could hear the beat of her heart.

She bit her lip. If only he knew how much everyday without him hurt.

She looked down and saw her books scattered away on the floor. She felt so sad, so small, so tired. She just wanted to clatter down on the floor like that books. And she just wanted to stay there…

"Wingardium Leviosa"

Hermione blinked. Her books were again floating around her -- No, she was floating with her books. She looked at Harry and he softly smiled at her.

She smiled back. She noticed he was not using his wand. He didn't need it; like he needn't have spoken the charm. Hermione knew Harry could probably make things fly even when asleep. He was Harry Potter, and Hermione knew that name carried more than just a scar.

The books lined up and one by one they were getting into her enchanted suitcase, when a book caught Harry's attention. He grabbed the book and let the others follow their path.

Harry arched an eyebrow at her.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling her feet touching the ground again.

"Hogwarts, a History? I can't believe you are taking this book with you."

Hermione tensed up when she saw the book on his hands. She laughed nervously. "Well, you know what they say: old habits die hard."

"What is so special about this book, anyway?"

Hermione sat beside him, apprehensively, taking the book from his hands and contemplating its cover.

"Nothing," she said too quickly.

"Nothing?!" Harry exclaimed with an incredulous tone.

"There is nothing special about this book, Harry." She paused and opened it, leafing through some pages. "But, once, there was."

"What do you mean?" Harry stared at her, a little confused.

"I knew nothing about Hogwarts or the Wizard World. This book was my first teacher into the world of magic. It became some sort of bible. A guide. A friend. This book introduced me to a Hogwarts, which was a synonym of perfect paradise, a wonderland. I was fascinated by the place. So, when I was a kid, when I was still innocent, this book became very special to me. However, along the years I discovered a different Hogwarts. I guess it all started with the house-elves and the fact that they weren't mentioned in the book. But that was only the beginning. Little by little I saw that Hogwarts wasn't as magic as it seemed. So many things were wrong. Do you know what I mean?"

He nodded sadly. "Yes, I understand what you mean. As a Hogwarts teacher I have the chance to see another side of Hogwarts. Another view. When I was a student there I was so proud to be a Gryffindor…Now I see my students and all the house competition and I think to myself; Merlin, how stupid we were, how stupid we still are. Why couldn't we just be equals, you know? I mean we were all labeled…stigmatized…the braves, the bad ones, the loyal fools, the smarts…The worst is that we ended up believing in those labels, we ended up living up to them, like we had no choice. Sometimes I just wonder what would happen if I was sorted in Slytherin. I mean, would I be Evil Harry, just because of the house I was sorted? Would you and Ron not even want to talk to me just because I was from the rival house? Isn't that kind of thought insane? How many Slytherin friends do we have, Hermione? I mean, are they really that bad? Or do we just believe that? We didn't give them the opportunities to show how good they could be?"

Hermione placed her hand above the one he had laid one her bedspread. "It's not only in Hogwarts, Harry. It's everywhere. The Wizard World is full of stigmas and prejudice. Remember Krum and the Durmstrang students? The whole pureblood versus non-magical born issues? " Hermione sighed.

"The Wizard World is not so different from the Non-Magical World. Both worlds are full of hypocrisy an injustice…violence…wars…It makes you think, doesn't it?"

"Think about what?"

"If it's worth fighting for these worlds."

"It is, Hermione." He squeezed her hand and stared at her chocolate eyes. "It always is."

Hermione glanced down at their joined hands, bitterly. "Even if you lose everything to this fight, Harry?"

Harry eyes softened at her words. More than that, he softened entirely. The great walls around his heart, walls that he had never realized were there, were melting like candy-floss in a child's mouth. Mouth. Lips. They seemed so close. She was so close to him… Yet, she was not close enough. He needed to get closer. He needed to have her lips melting on his, tasting like candy-floss in his mouth…

MEOOOOOWWWWWWW!

Crookshanks, who until then had been calmly sleeping (or at least seemed to be sleeping) on his cushion on the corner of the bedroom let out a loud meow and bounced onto the bed, startling Harry and Hermione and then bounded off through the door.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione jumped off the bed. "Crookshanks! Come back, here." She ran after her cat, disappearing through the door before noticing the lost look on Harry's face.

Harry blinked, his left hand going automatically to his forehead, covering his scar. His vision was blurred.

Had he just thought about kissing -- NO. NO. TEN THOUSAND TIMES NO.

Yet…

Oh, Merlin…There's was something VERY wrong with him.

*******************

INSIDE HOGWARTS' CASTLE…

"Mr. Frogtongue. Mr. Green. You two should be ashamed of yourselves. How many times do I have to tell you that this school will not tolerate this kind of behavior? I'll take ten points from Gryffindor and ten points from Slytherin for this. And I am sure Professor Snape will be delighted to hear that you will be cleaning all his cauldrons tomorrow. And that's only the beginning of a week of detention. A week, should I added, with no Quidditch for you both."

"No Quidditch? But Professor McGonagall…"

"I don't want to hear any buts. Now, Mr. Filch, please take Mr. Frogtongue and Mr. Green to their respective dorms."

"Yes, ma'am." Filch said, giving the boys a grimly amused smile, as the Hogwarts' Headmistress turned away.

Minerva McGonagall was really tired. The students never seemed to give her a break, not even to sleep. But the truth, she knew, was that it was not entirely the students' fault if she couldn't sleep properly. She had been having trouble sleeping ever since Dumbledore had come back.

It felt horrible to have to hide this information from them all, especially from Harry. And it felt even worse to go to bed every day not knowing if the next day will be just another ordinary day or if it would be the day Dumbledore would make his move to end it once and for all.

'So many lies, so many secrets, so many sorrows. Hermione didn't deserve that; no woman does.'

As she made her way through the corridors, she heard a strange noise.

"Ah, what is it now?" She thought aloud as she followed the noise, until she entered in the Divination classroom.

"Hello? Sibyll, is that you?" Minerva entered the room that was in a complete blackness. She held up her wand and muttered, "Lumos."

Minerva gasped as soon as she had a complete view of the room. Tea cups were broken all around the room…Her eyes went wide as she saw, collapsed in the middle of the classroom, Professor Trelawney.

"Oh, my goddess, Sibyll! Sibyll!" McGonagall ran to her side. "Sibyll, talk to me. Are you alright?"

Professor Trelawney opened her eyes, only they were unfocussed. "Seven they were, but when the balance was broken, only five returned," she said in a voice very different from her own. "The ones who were gone are now back. One to revenge; the other to protect."

"Sibyll, what in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

"Wrong paths, wrong choices. Even the beings beyond were lost. What he needs, he can't have. What we need, he can't give. Truth or lie it doesn't matter anymore, what once was, it will be once more. It'll last forever, or it will end whichever. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus…"

****************

Dearest Mum and Dad,

I was delighted to hear from you. I am glad to know that you are all doing fine, especially Ginny. I was worried the last time I saw her - she was pretty down. It's good to see that she is finally moving forward and forgetting her old schoolgirl crush.

As for me, I'm perfectly alright. I've been working a lot but as I love my work I don't really care. The only problem is this also means that I get to see you less and I really miss all of you.

Please, tell George and Fred that I'm sorry I couldn't make to their 'little' party. I read about it on The Daily Prophet. What about Harry's hair and Ron's outburst? Anyway, I heard it was a big success, it was a pity I missed it but I'll see if I can get a break so we can I'll be together at Ron's game.

Thanks for the cookies, Mum. They were delicious.

Love,

Ch --

"CHARLIE!"

Charlie Weasley dropped his quill as he heard his name followed by someone's screams.

A woman came running into his tent.

Charlie stood up. "What's wro --" Charlie didn't have the time to finish his sentence as the woman grabbed his arm and both disapparated.

They Apparated, a second after, outside the tent, just in time to see it being destroyed by a fireball.

The screams echoed in Charlie's ears again. Still in a stupor, he shook himself off, ripping his gaze from his tent on fire and looking around the camp.

His eyes widened in disbelieve as he saw his colleagues trying to stop the dragons which, somehow, were at large and bent destroying the entire camp it seemed.

Charlie stared at the woman who had saved his life.

"I have never seen anything like this, Charlie. The dragons just became restless out of the blue. They --"

It was Charlie's time to not let her finish her sentence as he pushed her out of the way of the incoming blow from a Norwegian Ridgeback's whipping tail. He then faced the dragon, and once more his eyes widened in disbelieve; it was Norbert, the same dragon Hagrid has hatched and kept in his possession during Harry's first year at Hogwarts.

"Norbert!" Charlie yelled to the dragon, which in reply shot fire in the air. "Norbert, Stop!" Charlie couldn't understand. Norbert was a friend. All the Dragons around the camp, which numbered ten including Norbert, had always been friendly with them as his team proceeded with their study of dragons, but now…

He didn't have time to think, he had to act before the dragons hurt someone.

"Let's conjure a shield!!!" he yelled to his friends, who immediately nodded.

Dodging the attack of the dragons, the twenty wizards and witches ran to different points of the camp, formatting a big circle and pointing their wands to the middle.

"NOW!" Charlie ordered. Magic came out from the tips of their wands.

The dragons shot fire. A wizard from the circle shut his eyes in fear when he saw the fireball coming in his direction but the fire as repelled by a golden shield. The wizard sigh in relief, as he kept his wand pointed to the middle.

The dragons tried to fly away but were imprisoned by the golden shield. But that didn't stop them. They kept trying and trying to break the shield.

"WE WON'T RESIST MUCH."

"WE NEED TO STOP THEM."

"HAS ANYONE GOT ANY IDEA HOW?!"

"I VOTE WE APPARATE TO THE FURTHER PLACE WE CAN."

"ARE YOU CRAZY? WE CAN'T LET THEM ON THE LOOSE, NOT WHEN THEY ARE LIKE THIS. THERE'S A MUGGLE TOWN NEAR. WE CAN'T RISK THEIR LIVES."

"CHARLIE. IT IS WITH YOU, MAN. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?"

"I'M THINKING, OKAY? I'M THINKING."

"GREAT! COULD YOU THINK A LITTLE FASTER? I DON'T WANT TO BE THESE DRAGON'S DINNER!"

Before anyone could say another word, they all felt a strong gust of wind coming from the east. A roar cut the air.

They all looked up.

For the looks on their faces, they all seemed to have seen a ghost -- although being wizards and witches that wasn't really that frightening. It was indeed very pathetic. So let us change this metaphor …They seemed to have seen He-Who-Now Can-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort.

However, it was not Voldemort who was flying above their heads. The moonlight was illuminating dozens, no; it was hundreds of flying dragons of every type and size.

The wizards and witches there couldn't believe in what they were seeing. Never in their lives had they seen so many dragons…so many species…even extinct ones.

POW!

The magic shield was broken. Norbert and the others dragons joined the other flying above the camp.

Charlie and his friends were experiencing a cold sweat. For dragon lovers like them this moment was the apex of their lives. It was magical. Sublime. And it would probably be perfect except they weren't a hundred per cent sure that moment would also be the last of their lives.

Only, it wasn't. The cloud of dragons didn't attack them. They didn't even stop. They just kept flying to the west.

"I, I just can't believe it."

"Where do you think they are going?"

"Going? Where did those dragons came from? It is impossible --"

"We must warn the Ministry."

"Do you think they -- "

"Charlie? Charlie, what are we going to do?"

Charlie Weasley didn't answer. However, he knew very well what he had to do. He had to write a letter to his parents. But, this time he wouldn't be writing about parties and cookies.

SOS

Code Black. Call the Order.

Charlie

********************

BACK TO THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX'S HQ…

"Trevor! Alright, Trevor, this is getting boring. You'd better appear now or I promise all exchange you for a nicely owl."

CROAK! CROAK!

Neville turned abruptly. He looked at the empty corridor behind him.

CROAK!

Following the sound, Neville ended in front of a door, labeled:

Forbidden Room

Do Not Enter

Nevertheless, the door was opened…a small gap, just enough for Trevor.

Neville handled the doorknob and opened the door further. He got in the Forbidden Room.

CROAK!

He spotted Trevor in the center of the room beside a big box. The box had the initial HP on it.

Surely, Neville had heard about the box. Harry had received it sometime ago in his flat -- his own owl had delivered it. But so far no one could open it, destroy it or even know what was inside the box. The Yellow Team, their research team for the Order, had tried everything while the other teams made bets and jokes about it. Some said that HP didn't stand for Harry Potter. It stood for HORSEPOWER or HIRE PURCHASE. Or others said it could stand for HOGWARTS' PROFESSOR, HOGWARTS' PUPILS, HOGSMEADE PARTY, HEADLESS PEOPLE, HENRY PHILLIP OR HECTOR PAMONHA. There was even someone in the Violet Team that suggested that HP stood for HIGHEST POWER and they all should be careful because that box was an alert that the doomsday was near.

There were also ones who proclaimed that the box was upside down and in truth it was not HP initials but a dH.

Well, theories aside, the truth was that the box remained as it arrived there: locked. As, locked should be that doom. Neville couldn't understand why the door was opened. Surely, Trevor couldn't have opened it. No one non-authorized could.

And suddenly…

The door shut behind him as the box started to shake before him.

Trevor, frightened, croaked and jumped in his master's hand. Neville stepped back, as the box started to shake with more and more intensely, emitting an yellow aura of power. It looked that whatever was inside wanted to be out.

Neville eye's narrowed as his docile features gave place to a deadly expression. He put Trevor in his cloak's pocket and held his wand.

Whatever would come next, he was prepared to face it.

**********************

IN THE TRIO'S SITTING-ROOM…

Hermione stood in front of the fireplace. She heard his steps behind her. "Have you found him?"

Harry shook his head negatively. "Nope. Sorry."

"Have you looked in Ron's room?"

"I believe that would be the last place Crookshanks would be. But, yeah, I checked there already -- almost woke Ron while levitating his bed."

"He must be around here somewhere."

"I don't know if you have noticed, Hermione, but our flat is not exactly the size of Buckingham Palace. If he had been here, we would have already found him."

"Great. I can't believe that he's decided to disappear again." Hermione let herself fall down, exhausted, on the sofa. Her long bushy hair was covering her face as she let her head down on her hands. "Why can't I even have a normal cat?" she murmured.

"Hey." Harry went to her side for some comfort. "What's so good about normal, anyway?" He crossed her arms around her shoulders and squeezed them.

She looked up at him. "Do you want me to make a list?"

"I'm serious, Hermione."

"So am I. Sometimes I just wish to be a non-magical person."

Harry just stared at her for sometime, like he was trying to reach something. "You know, you keep saying non-magical? What's the problem? Why don't you just say Muggle?"

"Because of my mother."

"Your mother?"

"Well, as I'm going to see her, tomorrow. I'm already practicing not using the word 'Muggle'. My mother doesn't like it. She said she feels offended by it."

"Offended? Is it because it reminds her that in some ways you are different from her?"

"No, it it's not that. I mean, I guess in part it can be that but - Have you never thought about it, Harry? Have you never thought why wizards and witches use the word Muggle for the ones who aren't part of the Wizarding World?"

"Not really. I -- " Harry paused and stared down at the palm of his hands. "The first time I heard it, it was Hagrid who had spoke it when he rescued me from the Dursleys that first time, I remember that I didn't understand why he had called my uncle that and he told me that was -- God. I can remember like it was yesterday…" Hermione took a hold of his hand. He looked up at her. Her eyes were like a large pool of understanding, sharing the same emotions as his. " 'it's what we call non-magical folk like them,' he had said. I never asked why."

"My mother did. She didn't like the sound of the word, didn't like the way some wizards spit the word on her face the first time we went to buy my books in Diagon Alley. She said that the word Muggle reminded her of the word MUG which means: a stupid person, someone easily deceived. She said that in truth, wizards think they're better just because they can use magic. That they were in fact, laughing behind the Muggle's back, thinking how stupid they are, how easily they can deceive them; that after all these years, the 'Muggles' still didn't know about their existence or the existence of a magical world with magical creatures and… You know, because of that I almost didn't go to Hogwarts."

"What?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yeah. My mother was afraid for her little daughter. She has this bad habit of wanting to protect me from the world. She was never afraid of the fact that I was different, that I was a witch. It was a relief for them really. It was an explanation for some bizarre things that happened around me. But she was afraid I wouldn't be fully accepted in the school because of the whole Muggleborn thing. She asked me not to go. I cried so much. I was really angry with her. How could she ask me something like that? I mean, the Wizarding World was every child's dream. I didn't understand her fears then. However, it was my father who had the final word. He talked to my mother, told her she put too much thought into things; that sometimes, a word is just a word And that a word has power only if you give power. He convinced my mother that I had to grow up and that she couldn't protect me forever from everything. So, in the end he told me…

"Life is to take risks, darling. Your mother and I understand that this moment is something that we can't share with you. However, we can't stop you because of that. If this is what you want, if you think this is who you are, who you want to be, go for it. Just don't ever forget that we love you more than anything. And if for some reason, you don't like this magical school and want to come back, we are going to be here, waiting for you, with arms wide open."

Hermione closed her as she remembered her young-self being hugged by her father and her mother at the same time. She remembered the gentle kiss her mother planted on her forehead and her whispered words.

"Be happy, my little witch."

"Hermione?"

She blinked, staring at Harry's caring emerald eyes.

"She was right, Harry. Things were so difficult in the beginning. You probably didn't notice at the time, because you were too new to that world and you didn't know the rules yet either. That's not to say you wouldn't have noticed how people looked at me, but you had to deal with all the unwanted attention people gave at you and your scar. But truth is, some people actually looked me different, treated me different. I felt so insecure. I felt like I had to prove myself to be accepted because…" She paused a moment, then seemed to come to a decision and said, "That day in the girls bathroom, after Ron mocked me after Charms, I was really thinking about going back home…if it hadn't been for you two saving me from the Troll… if it was not for your --"

Hermione turned her head, looking down. 'Eyes', she thought to herself, an ache in her chest.

Harry gazed at her speechless. He could hear the beating of his heart as he looked at her. He knew he should have say something but he just didn't know what. Right now, his thoughts were very confused.

"All I know is that, in the end, my mother was right. I was educated in a world where there are people who hate me just because I came from a world they can't understand. I was petrified in my second year because of that. I had to lie to my parents. I had to say it's all perfectly fine in the Wizarding World. I never told them the truth about Vol- You-Know Who."

Harry noticed her wincing, as she almost said Voldemort's name. He thought it really strange that now that he was gone and everybody could say his name freely she was avoiding it.

But he knew he couldn't just bring up this fact to her because they are already dealing with a host of complicated feelings here and maybe because he was still reminded of how she had avoided him last time he had tried to get this information from her: "It's not that I fear him, Harry. It's just that I fear myself every time I hear his name." And that was that. No more explanations.

"What could I have told them? Hey mother, you were right. Some wizards do believe Muggles are the low species on the planet. Actually, there was a living-dead Dark Lord who wants to kill all the Muggleborns like me. It wouldn't do any good for anyone. So, I always told my mother that Muggle was just a word, you know, like chair is chair, and spoon is spoon. But she knew. My father knew, too. But I kept lying. Sometimes I have the impression that my whole life is a lie."

Hermione sighed and reclined back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "I love my parents, Harry. I know that things changed between us since I went to Hogwarts. After all, a boarding school in the middle of nowhere does tend to isolate one, but there is more than a geographical distance between us."

"I don't like the idea that my parents feel excluded in my way of life. I know that after graduation they were expecting to have me back. I know that my father secretly still dreams about me going to a normal University and, who knows, maybe become a dental surgeon. I can tell you there was a time when I shared those dreams with them. I planned to study at Cambridge before I discovered I was a witch…But I had to give up of this dream." Harry focused beyond her words to the pain underneath and ached for his friend.

Hermione continued, "I had to give up of a lot of dreams. Oh. These last three years had been … I don't even know how to describe them. But I know I have been an absent daughter, sometimes even an absent person." She looked back at Harry. "I miss them, Harry. I miss my non-magic parents. Because it doesn't matter what the Wizarding World thinks, my parents are not 'Muggles'. I can guarantee you that they are better people than I am, and they don't even need magic for that. They make me proud of what I am. Proud of where I came from. And I wouldn't want them in any other way."

Harry nodded, giving her an understanding lopsided smile. He never really stopped to think about how this whole Muggle World versus Wizarding World could be very difficult for Hermione. In truth, what did he know about family? He never had a true family. And he probably never would have a family, considering who he was and what he did.

Well, just to start, his parents were gone before he had the chance to know them and the Dursleys were, well, the Dursleys were the Dursleys, full stop. But then he had Sirius, who was the best godfather The Boy Who Lived could want, but between Azkaban, the losses, the war and their jobs in the Order, it was almost impossible for them to have a relationship as it should be in family terms. They are both always fighting their own demons, real or not.

Then, there was the Weasleys. Yes, for Harry, the Weasleys were the perfect model of family. Whenever he thought about family he would envy Ron for his family -- Of course, he knew Hemione's parents but it was a reality so distant that …

"I'm sorry, Harry."

"Huh?" Harry looked up at her, not understanding why she is apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I just realized I've been here talking about my parents and how I missed them when you…" She started babbling "You must think how pathetic I am and that I have a heart of a stone. I feel so stupid..."

Harry placed a finger upon Hermione's lips to silence her. It had been enough… He know that her apologies come from the heart, though they were unnecessary… He knew her, better than he knew himself.

He knew that they had been circling each other all night, ever since that stare they had shared in her room when they both seemed so tired of fighting. What he was fighting exactly, he didn't know. He was afraid to know.

But what about her? What was she fighting against? What brought them to here, to this moment? They had talked about trust, about friendship. Then, about books and dead illusions. Now they were talking about parents, about identity. Where are they going with all of this? Why did he have the impression that everything she had been saying had another truth hidden inside the lines? Like she was trying to tell him something important, but couldn't say it aloud. As this night of insomnia was maybe telling him something as well. Something he could not comprehend at the moment. And why did those burning feelings keep flaring up inside him?

"It's alright to miss your parents, Hermione. I miss mine all the time and I didn't even get to know them. I don't even know if I love mine, as you love your parents. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to apologize for anything. You aren't doing anything wrong when you are just missing your loved ones."

"Sometimes emotions need to be discussed before they become a monster that can destroy us from within. Every time when I've needed to talk about the silliest things or the most terrible things, you were there for me. So, it's okay if you want to talk about this or something completely different. I'll be here to listen to you. I want to know about what is bothering you and what I can do to make you smile. I have Sirius and I have you and Ron and the Weasleys. You are all my family. And it's enough for me. It's more than I could have asked. And Hermione, it doesn't matter Muggle, non-magical, Muggleborn, Pureblood. As you father said, they are just words. What matters is who you are inside, Hermione. Don't let anyone take this away from you."

He withdrew his hand from her lips. For a moment, Hermione just looked at him and he thought she had stopped breathing. She threw herself into his arms, burrowing into his should to hide her crying.

Hermione wanted to say so much to him, but knew she couldn't say what was in her heart. She shouldn't even be in his arms like she was. She just needed him so, but she had to control herself; she couldn't just let her emotions talk for her like that.

It was then that she felt a shiver that ran through all her body and reaching her soul. She had the presentiment that would be the last time they would be together like that.

****************

(dream/memory)

Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust, what they can't explain

She hesitated for a moment then clenched her wand firmly. And the words flowed.

"Avada Kedrava."

Once more, the Forbidden Curse hit The Boy Who Lived.

Straightly on his forehead…

A blinding green light wrapped Harry's body.

In anguish, Hermione watched at the light, trying to contain her emotions, while she waited for the best… or for the worse…

All of sudden, the green light began to fade. It was as if all the magic around Harry was being drained away by his scar.

Harry could feel the magic running through his veins once again. He could hear everything that he had before and more.

He could hear the first and second years in their respective Common Rooms, talking, playing, studying and complaining about the homework or that they weren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade.

He could hear Celestina Warbeck's voice echoing through a small radio in Filch's room and the meowing of Mrs. Norris.

He could hear Professor Sprout talking to her plants and Professor. Flitwick practicing some charms.

He could hear and fell the presence of every living soul in the castle and even the dead ones like The Bloody Baron and Nearly Headless Nick.

And then, it went beyond Hogwarts this time. He could feel the presence of all

the trees and all the creatures that inhabited the Forbidden Forest.

He was hearing the words spoken from the Hogsmeade's villagers and its visitors. He was hearing their thoughts - feeling their emotions; living their lives…

In a beat of his heart, he could feel The Planet pulsating life…

I know we're different but, deep inside us
We're not that different at all

Harry Potter, bluntly, opened his eyes. A jade glow emanated from them. A jade glow exploded around his body.

Hermione gasped, seeing the clear sky replaced by dark grey clouds foretelling of an upcoming storm.

Lightning bolts descended from the sky, creating craters all around as the first drops of rain fell down.

The lightning increased. The rain fell strongly.

Hermione screamed as a bolt hit Hogwart's North Tower, destroying pieces of its roof in a shower of stone and debris.

"HARRY!" she yelled, as another lightning put a tree on fire. "HARRY!" She yelled again. He was losing control. If he didn't stop - "HARRY!"

Harry didn't answer.

Lightning was coming in Hermione's direction. She raised her wand to conjure a shielding charm but her wand burned suddenly in her hand and then shattered into pieces.

She shut her eyes and waited for the crucial moment - It didn't come.

Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart

The lightning ricocheted off of the bubble of green energy that had suddenly surrounded her.

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Harry. He was the same spot he was before, only he had his hand raised, pointing at her and there was no unnatural glow in his eyes, only the soft emerald color she loved so well.

Their eyes met and he gave her a weak smile before turning around, facing the storm. His scar glowed and the intensity of the green aura around him increased. Slowly the lightning decreased, then seemed to reverse -- as if someone was rewinding a tape - the drops of rain began to evaporate and the clouds dissipated. The stone debris gathered itself and rebuilt the damage to the North Tower as if nothing had ever happened.

Harry turned back to Hermione, as the craters disappeared and the trees and other plants around them were growing in a faster speed. The green bubble around Hermione disappeared and the green aura around Harry faded. As Harry Potter walked towards Hermione Granger, he summoned the pieces that had rested from her wand, and in a blink he was handing the restored wand to her.

Hermione looked at the wand at his hand, then into his eyes.

From this day on, now and forever more

You'll be in my heart

She threw herself at his arms, and the first of many tears rolled down. She held him tightly as her life depended on it.

Harry dropped her wand as his arms, too, involved her in a tight embrace as his life depended on it. He let his head fell onto her shoulder and inhale her scent.

No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart always...

The Boy Who Lived let out a single tear as he sighed.

It was a bright and sunny day.

A rainbow was arching through the blue sky.

*****************

THE FOLLOWING MORNING…THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX'S HQ…

"He what? Why wasn't I consulted about this?"

Harry was really angry. He had just arrived an the Order's headquarters after a fatiguing meeting with the Unspeakables to find out that the whole world had gone crazy in his absence.

"I don't know, sir." An orange-cloaked figure replied.

"Where's Snape?" Harry asked while he ran through a mountain of reports and maps scattered way on his desk.

"I don't know, sir."

Harry stopped what he was doing and looked at the Order member before him and raised an eyebrow at him. "Arthur?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Moody?"

"No, sir."

"McGonagall?"

The figure in orange just shook the head negatively.

"Is there something that you actually do know?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Great. Really great. Can you just do me a favor and find someone who actually knows something?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Oh, and wait. Put me in touch with Bill and the Indigo Team, as soon as possible, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

As the wizard left, Harry turned to the bunch of paper on his desk. He was trying to organize then when he suddenly stopped. He gazed at a tiny spider on the corner of the room.

"You know you shouldn't be here." Harry seemed to be talking to the spider?

"So, what happened?" Harry asked absently, looking down at the papers on his hands, doing a quickly analyze of them. "Did she pick up her parents? Did they catch the train?"

"Yes," came the answer from the corner.

Harry looked up and chuckled as Ronald Weasley was whining as he dusted his robes.

"I hate spiders."

"I know." Harry nodded, still chuckling. "You should be used with it by now, though. So, Hermione did travel with her parents and not with a Hot Caribbean lover like you suggested. Nor were she abducted by bookworm haters like you also suggested. Are you happy now?"

"No." Ron crossed his arms, angrily.

"Why not, Ron?" Harry, too, crossed his arms, defiantly.

"I still think that we should have gone with her. I have a bad feeling about this trip."

"We have already talked about it. We can't go. I can't leave the Order now -- too many things are happening. And you have an important game this week. And, yes, you do need to attend the practices. You are the captain, for Merlin's sake. Besides, Ron, Hermione went to Paris with her parents. All her family will be there. They'll be celebrating her grandmother's seventieth birthday. What bad things do you think it can happen there? A drunken relative? A nosy aunt?"

"I don't care about a stupid game or if some dark wizards are not in the mood this week. All I care is about Hermione. And a lot of things can happen in between, Harry. What about the Death Eaters? You said that they are back. I'm sure Hermione is on the top of their 'Must Kill' list. She is a Muggleborn and she is your best friend."

"You think that I don't know that? You think that I don't know the risks? That I haven't already sent an order to our French facilities to take care of Hermione's security? That I don't have all the Teams there ready to protect her and her relatives from any Death Eaters threat?"

"Right. But who will protect her from herself? She is hiding something, Harry and I want to know what. I say that we should go after her. We need follow her every move... We must increase Operation Hermione On the Radar. We can put some of this Muggles locate tracks on her clothes... Perhaps slip some Veritaserum into her tea and ask -- "

"Ron. Ron, listen to me. What did I tell you this morning?"

"You told me she already knew we have been following her."

"And?"

"And you told me to not follow her anymore."

"And?"

"And… and stop treating me like a child, Harry!"

"I would, if you stop acting like one. I was very clear with you, Ron. I told you to stop with this whole craziness. I told you how she got angry. And all her speech about friendship and trust and how she would like us to respect the fact that there are some things that she can't share with us. I told you that I thought she was right, and that we should just call this whole thing off and go on with our lives. Yet, what did you do? You followed her to her parents. You followed her to the train station. It just amazes me how she didn't just step on you this time, deliberately."

"I don't know, mate. What if --"

"Ron. Get over it, all right? We've been following her for almost two months. And you know what we have found out? Nothing. Absolutely bloody nothing. There's nothing wrong with Hermione. All she does is work and. She spent all day locked in that office doing research after research."

"No. Harry. Can't you see? It's so bloody obvious. Hermione is too damn smart for her own good. She had been fooling us. Think, mate. If she knew all along we were following her, she must have changed all her routine. That's why the night escapes stopped. She must have found another way to do whatever she was doing. Whatever was wrong with her still exists and it is our duty as her best friends to follow her and find out what is happening."

"Ron, if you ask me, the only thing wrong with Hermione is her social life or lack of one, for that matter. Oh, and let's not forget her little obsession for books. You had to see how many books she was packing last night. I mean, I know that she loves books and we just love her for that but for a week in Paris and all she is thinking about is to stay in a room reading? That is way wrong."

"I don't get you, Harry. You were the one who woke me up on the middle of the night to tell me that there's something going on - that you felt there's something wrong with Hermione, and now you are joking? What happened? The feeling is gone? What about her night escapes, Harry? What was she doing? Why did she use your invisible cloak?"

"I don't know, okay? I don't know and I don't care. It's her life and it's her problem."

"I can't believe you just said that. It is Hermione we are talking about here."

"What do you want me to say, Ron? Look, I can't deal with this right now, okay? Sirius disappeared with the whole Black Team - they went to a mission that I know nothing about. Two agents of the Red Team who were in a confidential mission in the Middle East were missing. I have one member of the Violet Team in a serious condition at the hospital thanks to another attack of dark wizards in the Muggle World. Snape is missing as well. I can't find your father. It seems that all the Team Commanders decided to disappear together. So, you want me to say what about Hermione? Because, believe me, Ron, you are not going to like anything I might tell you. I have enough of Hermione on my mind already. Actually I have so much of Hermione on my mind that I think I'm going crazy."

"Hold on a second. What do you mean with you have enough of Hermione on your mind?"

"I…" Harry paused. His head was a whirlpool of confused thoughts. 'Yeah, right, Harry. Why don't you just tell Ron that you have been having these strange feelings when around Hermione? Actually, why don't you tell him about the visions, too? Tell him that you can't quite remember them, that they were all blurred on your mind but you are pretty sure in on of them you were kissing Hermione. Oh, talking about kissing, why don't you just tell him about last night? Perhaps, Ron could do you a big favor by killing you and ending up with all your problems, although you know this is rather impossible, but who knows? One can only hope.'

"So, I'm waiting."

Harry sighed. He could feel his head starting to hurt again. "Ron, please, just let Hermione alone. Your little obsession for her was really funny and sweet in the beginning, but now this is becoming unhealthy. Two days ago you just got yourself drunk and proposed to her again. Why, Ron? Why do you keep doing this to her? Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You don't deserve it. You deserve to be happy, Ron."

"She is my happiness. And I am hers. She just needs to realize that."

Harry rolled his eyes. Usually Harry would just pity Ron and his unrequited love for Hermione. But today things were too confused; he just couldn't stand more of the 'Ron Loves Hermione' show. "Oh Ron, you can't fool yourself forever. Are you blind or something? Can't you see that she doesn't love you like that? That she is already in love with someone else?"

Ronald Weasley glared at Harry Potter. He came face to face with Harry. There was a flame behind his blue eyes. He looked furious. "Ah, she is already in love with someone else, you say. And who that other might be, Harry? You?"

***********

(flashback/memory)

"So, have you talked with him? Harry?"

"I couldn't."

"Harry…"

"I don't know how, Hermione."

"Just tell him the truth."

"It's not that simple…"

"Okay, so I'll tell him."

"No. You cannot. That would be worst. It's me. I am the one who have to talk to him. Wizard to wizard. Oh Merlin, he will hate me."

"No, he won't. He is Ron. He is our best friend. He is going to understand."

"No, he won't. Can't you see, Hermione? He loves you."

"Harry --"

"No. Don't. Don't say anything. He really loves you. And that is the truth. I can't blame him. How could he not fall in love with you? How could anyone not fall in love with you? I don't know how I am going to tell him about us. I spent all these years finding really interesting the way Ron blushed around you; noticing his strange behavior around you, watching the way he looked at you, the way he got jealous about you and it took me years to understand his odd behavior. This odd game that he was playing until I figured it all out and it felt really strange when I did. And it was even stranger when he told me himself.

I was glad for him. I told him that I already knew, that I had seen the signs and I encouraged him to talk to you, but again it felt like a burning inside - but, of course, at the time I just thought it was the effect of one of Hagrid's cakes. Anyway, I even planned a romantic date for you two in Hogsmeade. Only you never went. You said no to him. Ron smiled and said it was okay and ran to our dorm. I really wanted to scream at youfor breaking our best friends heart.…I was so mad at you for his sake, but even as I tried to demand to know why you refused, I couldn't yell at you. When you looked up at me, I thought you were going to cry,but instead you gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered you were sorry and to go him.

I still remember your exact words… 'Go to him,' you said. 'Take him to the kitchen, let him eat as much as he can, break some rules, play Quiddtich, play chess - just stay with him, Harry. He needs a friend now. And I'm afraid I can't be that friend today. Stay with him. And when he is ready. I'll stay with him too.' All I did was nod as I watched you disappeared through the portrait hole. Goodness, we broke so many rules that day that we ended up in Dumbledore's office and with a month of punishment ahead of us. And then in a week Ron was asking you out again and we all laughed. Everything was back at how it was supposed to be until…

Sometimes I really think that people should call me The Stupid Boy Who Lived…How could I be so blind? Was I just too busy trying to figure out Ron's signs that it never crossed my mind to just stop and try to recognize my own feelings?

Now, please tell me, Hermione; you told me to stay with him, to be his friend. But what kind of friend I am? What kind of friend falls in love with the woman he knows his best friend loves and…steals her from him."

"Are you finished? Good. Now you listen. In my opinion, this is just a bunch of rubbish. Don't look at me like that. It is and you know it. It was a really sweet and touching monologue, Harry. But honestly, Harry, you are stealing me from Ron? I was never his to begin with in the first place. And you want to know what kind of friend you are? You are the best kind, Harry. The kind that trusts his friends enough to tell them the truth…even if it hurts…even if sometimes the last thing we want to hear…We need that truth. Friendship is confidence in each other. Believe in Ron. Believe in his friendship. Believe that his friendship is stronger than the truth. That his friendship is a truth, because it is, Harry. Because Ron believes in it, Harry. He believes in your friendship and he believes in my friendship…We can't betray this Harry. We can't betray his trust…we can lie to all the world about us…but not to Ron."

"And you call my monologue touching?"

"Harry!"

"Phew…Oh, Hermione. Hermione. Hermione. It is more complicated than it seems."

"Why?"

"Because --"

*******************

BACK TO HARRY AND RON'S PRESENT…

Harry staggered back. He was taking over by an excruciating pain. Oxygen was missing. He felt like all his organs were being smashed to pieces.

"Harry," Ron gasped, noticing something was wrong with his friend. He tried to help Harry, tried to grab him but his hand was burned by the green aura that surrounded his friend.

"Harry," Ron yelled in vain. Harry couldn't hear him All he could hear was soft humming while his scar burned, while his soul burned.

***********

SAME DAY… ALMOST SAME TIME… COMPLETE DIFFERENT PLACE.

*POP*

Albus Dumbledore was disappointed. Very disappointed.

It just took him four hours to break through Hermione's Protective Charms. He certainly expected more from her.

He glanced around Hermione Granger's WIR office. It was clear to him that she desperately needed a new room-decorator. The place was awfully dark. Those curtains gave no chance for light to come in and she could think of adding some color to the walls, perhaps a baby blue. A fireplace wouldn't hurt either, not to say that it would create a cozier atmosphere opting bright colors to the wall and - Well that was it. He would be doing her a favor. That place needed some serious redecoration and she would sure have to do one after he was finished there.

At this last thought, Albus Dumbledore frowned.

Ah, the things he had to do.

He slowly wandered around the room. Stepping closer the bookcase, he adjusted his glasses and read the title of some of Hermione's selections.

"The Ten Things You Really Don't Want Know About You-Know-Who. Hum, very interesting choice. Unwanted Curses And How To Get Rid Of Them. Excellent book. Saved my life more than once. B.M: A World Before Merlin. Mm, never heard of this one. Forbidden Curses: Don't Use Them. Mm…Utter Potions… "

Dumbledore continued wandering through Hermione's shelves, passing from titles like Hyper Super Advanced Charms to titles like Myths, Legends And Other Lies Who Might Be True or Spelling: The Secrets Of The Spells.

Then he turned his attention to the little flasks on the shelves, all of them labeled. He picked one and read it. "HRH, Veritas." He picked another one. "HRH, Crucio" And another one " HRH, Poisona."

He sighed sadly. "So close, yet so far. 'What if'. Oh, my dear girl, if you only knew what your 'what if' truly meant."

Then there was something caught his total attention.. From the corner of his eye, he saw what it was he had been searching. In a simple vase on the top of Hermione's desk was a unique rose. Well, seeing it like that, it really didn't appear that special. After all rainbow roses were common in the Wizarding World. In fact, if Professor Sprout was here she would say that were more beautiful and extravagant flowers in the Wizarding World than a rainbow rose. What Professor Sprout wouldn't know was that this rainbow rose contained in every petal more power than an average wizard could dream of having. And that rainbow rose was once a real rainbow.

*****************

(Dream/Memory)

The Boy Who Lived let out a single tear as he sighed.

It was a bright and sunny day.

A rainbow was arching through the blue sky.

Hermione finally drew a little aside, so she could smile at him.

"You did it, Harry," she said in a whisper.

"We did it," he whispered back, wiping her tears. "However, I was barely…I almost… We both know that this is just a small point of light in a sea of darkness. We still have a long way to go, but I believe I can do this, love. With you by my side, Hermione, I believe in everything. I will learn how to control it. I will master this power. I will vanquish Voldemort for once and for all and then," he trailed off.

She placed her hand upon his lips and all of sudden she became very sad. "Shh. Don't. We both know what comes next." She stepped aside, leaning on and collecting her wand.

Harry had the same sad expression on. "Hermione…"

We need each other to have to hold
They'll see in time... I know...

Hermione shut her eyes at his whisper and then, looking up, she opened them. She crossed her arms around herself, rubbing her upper arm, felling a cold shiver run through her as she notice for the first time the rainbow at the sky. She stared at it.

"Do you know, in Greek Mythology, The Rainbow was believed to be the bridge that separated the Mortal Realm from the God's Paradise?"

A surprised Harry gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm not going to cross any rainbow, Hermione."

However, Hermione did not smile back. "You will someday."

Harry frowned at her words.

When destiny calls you, you must be strong (you gotta be strong)
I might not be with you, but you got to hold on

For what felt like eternity, they just stayed there looking at each other.

Until Harry, started walking towards her and then he passed her by.

He passed her by without a word and Hermione didn't have the courage to look back; to see him going away. Because that was surely what he was doing. He knew what came next, even if Harry didn't perform the Spell, even if they found another way to stop Voldemort. The truth remained the same: Harry would still be who he was and she would still be who she was and there was no star in the sky that could change this.

She should cherish her memories while she could; be grateful for all those wonderful moments they had had so far and tell herself time and again that it was better this way; that there's no other waybut this path, so he would be free to cast the Spell and there would be no risk of him losing control. And they would all be saved. He would follow his destiny and she would follow her life and … she didn't want any of that. She wanted him.

It hurt just to think about not being with him. She didn't care about what might come next. She needed him. It didn't matter how long they would be together so long as they could be together inh the now. She needed him and he needed her. They would deal with this entire issue later. First, they needed to be together to win this first war against Voldemort, so then they could be free to fight against destiny. She needed to go after him, she needed to tell him how much she loved him and that she wasn't going to give up on this love, because she believed in that love, she believed in him and she -

Hermione's hair blew with the wind -- only it was not a normal wind. It was an explosion of Harry's magical essence.

"Hermione," came his whisper.

She slowly turned and faced him. The look in his eyes was so penetrating that Hermione could feel like his soul was touching hers.

"Harry, I --"

"For you."

Hermione lost her breath. In Harry's hand was a rose. The most beautiful rose she had ever seen. A rose like no other. A perfect white rose with each of its white petals shimmering with a trace of the seven colours of a rainbow.

Colours of the rainbow? No, it couldn't be -- Hermione looked up to the sky, the rainbow was no longer there. Had Harry just 'imprisoned' the rainbow in a rose?

Harry just nodded at the amazed look on her face. He took her hand and placed the rose there.

They'll see in time... I know...
We'll show them together cuz

"This rose is to remind you that I'm not going to cross any rainbow; I'm not going to eat ambrosia. I'm not going to pass though any white gate. I promise you I'm not going to follow a corridor of light or climb on a bean pole… You are my heart. You are my only home, Hermione. My place is here with you. If you stay, I'll stay. If you go, I'll go. I don't care about destiny. I don't care about anything they say. I care about you. About us. I care about our future, because we are going to have a future together, my love. I'll defeat Voldemort and then…then we will have forever before us, what do you think?"

Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes you'll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more

You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart always...

"I think that I'm complete, utterly and crazy in love with you, Harry Potter."

"What do you mean with you 'think', Miss Granger? I thought you were smarter than that. Of course, you are completely, utterly and crazily in love with me. I'm Harry Potter. And, as Ron says, no woman in this world can resist the charm of the famous, powerful and great Harry Potter."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake. Oh, poor me. Yes, now I see that I'm indeed just another victim of the great Harry Potter's irresistible charm. Oh, heavens have mercy of my soul. Merlin, free me from this spell that was cast upon my heart."

"Sorry to inform you, Miss Granger, but once you under my spell, there's no way out. My advice is for you to surrender for once and all. And you know what? WE TALK TOO MUCH."

He placed his lips upon hers. In every brush of their lips, they increased the kiss and soon, they were embraced in a passionate and breath-taking kiss. Harry take her up in his arms but he was still too weak because of all the magic he used and -

OUCH!

Harry fell backward on the grass, taking Hermione with him.

"Hermione, honey?" Harry was trying to see something past Hermione's hair.

"Mm?" Hermione fixed her hair and gave him a weak smile as their chins and eyes met.

"Remind me of never again do something as stupid as try to carry you, after you have just used the killing curse on me."

They stared at each other. Realizing what Harry had just said and the absurdity of the situation they found themselves in, they burst into laughter.

You'll be in my heart (you'll be here in my heart)
no matter what they say (i'll be with you)

"Harry, love?"

"Yes, princess?"

"I loved my rose." She said picking the rose. I will keep it, always. I promise."

"I know you will," he said, hugging her and planting kisses on her neck.

you'll be here in my heart (i'll be there) always..
always...i'll be with you
i'll be there for you always, always and always

"Harry?"

"Mm?"

"Don't you think we should get up and head back to the castle? We still have that Potions' essay to finish."

"Oh no, love, please, anything but Potions. You know what, 'Avada Kedrava' me again and this time, make sure to really kill me. Even the afterlife must be better than Potions with Snape."

"Harry Potter!"

"You are so beautiful."

"Thank you. But we are still going to do that essay."

"Damn. All right, it will be Potions then. But first…"

just look over your shoulder
just look over your shoulder

Harry and Hermione rolled on the grass; laughing and kissing, unaware that they were being watched by three figures. Three figures that (for a yet inexplicable reason) Harry hadn't sensed before, and still wasn't able to, though they had been very close all the time.

Dumbledore, Fawkes and Croockshanks had their eyes fixed on them and the unique rose lying on the grass beside them…

just look over your shoulder
i'll be there always....

*****************

BACK TO WIR'S FLYING BUILDING…

"Finite Incantatem." Dumbledore had his wand pointed to the rose. A silver energy involved the rose. The vase was broken and the rose was levitating in the air.

After some minutes, Dumbledore, let his wand down, panting. It was a strong magic. Very strong. But he had no choice. He had to end with it.

He raised his wand "Finite Incantatem," he chanted again.

Albus' eyes were focused on the rose as the silver energy around it increased. He could feel all his energy being drained. His hands were starting to change, the skin was becoming more flaccid, it was wrinkling. The same effect was taking place in his face…Albus Dumbledore looked tired, looked old, for the first time he looked how he aged.

A rainbow of colors exploded around the room. One by one, the seven colors of the rainbow flashed before Dumbledore's eyes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Afterwards, a wave of green aura of power was released, hitting an already enfeeble Dumbledore and throwing him against the bookcase.

From the ground, Dumbledore looked up to the rose that now was just a common white rose.

A rose petal fell, burning and become ashes. The same occurred with each of the petals and with the stem until there was just ashes. Dumbledore felt his strength coming back, his face and hands slowly came back to normal.

He stood up and took off his glasses; his blue eyes were dead pale. He took a deeply breath and a single tea rolled down, falling on the ashes.

He raised his wand above his head. "Incendio," he whispered.

In an instant, Hermione's office was covered in flames.

"I'm sorry, children. But it had to be done. The dreams have to end."

***********************

Author's Note: Sorry, again, for the long delay. Hope you had enjoyed it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.