He couldn't have possibly dreamed it. It felt too real. As his breathing slowed to a normal pace, Harry stood up
and walked to the bathroom, his scar throbbing all the way. As soon as he entered it, the candles on the sconces on the
walls flared to life. He shut the door and then examined himself in the mirror. A tired, tousled-haired Harry looked
back with sleepy eyes behind big glasses. He took them off and rubbed his eyes, sighing deeply as the details of the
'dream' played out in front of his eyes.
Someone knocked on the door, jolting him back to the present. He quickly replaced his glasses and slowly opened the
door.
"You OK, mate?" Ron asked, peeking in through the crack with a concerned expression on his face. Harry
shrugged.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, pushing the door open and stepping in.
"Let's not talk here" was Harry's reply. He quietly headed out, Ron following, down the stairs and into the deserted common room. Ron sat down on the big chair, Harry sitting across from him on the two-seater.
"What's going on, then?" Ron demanded.
"Ron, I had a really weird dream," Harry started, and proceeded to explain the strange and vivid dream he had had just moments ago. When he was done, Ron stared at him with wide blue eyes and a startled expression.
"Wonder what that means, you seeing that," he finally formed a sentence. Harry shrugged again.
"I don't think it was a dream though. I mean, it was too clear to be one. And my scar hurt a lot after that. Its still does... " he trailed off, trailing a finger over his scar and immediately pulling it back as the mild pain took on a new life and became stronger for a second before dimming again.
"That's really weird," Ron furrowed his brow. "So now Malfoy has the Mark on him. Big surprise there. Do you think that has anything to do with his staring at you?" Ron inquired.
"I don't know," Harry answered uncertainly, thinking about it. Ron stifled a yawn.
"Well, I'm off to bed, Harry. Sorry, but I woke up to see if you were OK. You... are OK, aren't you?" Ron asked, making sure. Harry nodded, smiling a little.
"Good. You coming?" Ron asked, standing up and stretching.
"I think I'm going to stay down here for a little while. I'll be up soon," Harry assured.
"Suit yourself. I'm dead tired, so good night." With that, Ron walked off. Harry heard him say, "Hey, Hermione" before continuing on. Then he saw Hermione appear at the foot of the stairs, her nightgown untied, her hair up in a messy ponytail, and her face creased with concern.
"Everything all right, Harry?" she asked, wandering over and sitting next to him. He sighed.
"I had a really strange dream," he said, leaning back against the velvet seat.
"What about?" she inquired. He took a deep breath and explained it all over again. When he was done, she wasn't goggle-eyed like Ron, but she did have a strong expression of shock on her face.
"What's the purpose of that?" she asked softly.
"I really don't know," he shrugged. She put out a hand and ran her fingers over his scar, making him
squeeze his eyes shut.
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, clasping one hand in the other and looking at him in alarm.
"Don't be," he replied softly, taking her hand and kissing it. She smiled a bit, then leaned back against the seat next to him. He turned his head to look into her deep toffee eyes. She stared back into his sparkling green orbs unwaveringly.
He slowly leaned in to kiss her, but she leaned in at the exact same time and their noses collided painfully.
"Ow!" they recoiled, rubbing their noses and looking at one another. Then, they burst into laughter.
"Dare to try again?" he asked.
"Definitely," she whispered and leaned in, touching his lips with her own lightly. A loud meow startled both and caused them to pull away and look down at the foot of the sofa.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed, bending down to pick him up in her arms.
"Ron's right. Bloody cat," Harry muttered playfully.
"Harry! Crookshanks is a good boy. Aren't you? Hmm? Yes you are!" she cuddled the cat which was purring contentedly in her arms. He hissed and extracted his claws above Hermione's arm at Harry's last comment, making Harry recoil.
Hermione laughed and stood up, still holding the cat.
"I'll be right back," she said and padded up the stairs, the cat quietly screeching all the way. A few moments later, she returned minus Crookshanks and took the same seat as before.
"You may have just saved my life," Harry joked, leaning back again.
"Shut up," she laughed and shoved him.
"OW! That hurt," he said, pouting and rubbing his arm.
"It did not, you liar," she replied.
"Friends don't do that to each other!" he answered, pretending to wince. "There's only one way you can make it up to me," he added, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"And what is that?" she asked, observing the gleam in his eyes with a grin. He leaned in and captured her lips in an expected but surprised kiss. Her fingers entwined in his already messy hair and his glasses dangled dangerously on his nose. She removed them and set them on the table, not breaking the kiss.
His hands traveled to the back of her neck, his lips following.
Her eyes closed as her fingers slid to his T-shirt underneath his dressing gown.
She brought his face up to hers and looked deep in his eyes, where care shone through the lust. Amazingly, her eyes reflected his, and without a word, he pushed her down on the couch and kissed her passionately.
He leaned his forehead against hers, fighting for breath.
"You're a fast learner," she said with a smile, her breath coming in short gasps.
"I learn from the best," he grinned back. She kissed him deeply one more time before he lay down on her, his head just below her neck. She gently stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. His deep, even breaths slowly lulled her to a soft slumber, as her breath did to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What time is it?" Harry mumbled, sandwiched in between the back of the couch and Hermione's warm body. He slowly turned onto his back and stretched, glancing over at Hermione. The peaceful expression she wore brought a small smile to his face and he reached out and pushed a stray strand of bushy hair that lay across her forehead back.
She stirred, then slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the surroundings. As her eyes fell on Harry, she smiled and kissed his cheek quickly before sitting up and stretching luxuriously.
"What time is it?" she repeated Harry. He laughed and sat up next to her.
"I don't know," he replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Well, I'm assuming that its Sunday, so I am going to go take a long, hot bath," she announced, then got up and walked off to her dormitory.
Harry grinned and sprinted up the stairs to his own dorm, where he found a muttering-in-his-sleep Seamus, a grinning Dean, and of course Ron, whose arm was loosely draped over a smiling Lavender's waist. Harry laughed silently and went to his trunk, grabbed a fresh set of clothes for the day and headed to the Prefects' Bathroom for a refreshing shower.
"Aqua Refresh," he intoned to the portrait of the mermaid merrily flipping her tail on a rock by the sea.
"Oh, hello, Harry," the mermaid greeted with a sly smile and a deep voice.
"Um, hi. Can I go in?" he asked uncertainly. He knew that the mermaid had a crush on him, and it scared him a bit.
"Sure. How about a good morning kiss?" she asked in an alluring voice.
"No, but thanks for asking," he quickly answered and pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind him and hoping the mermaid got the message.
"Mione, what are you doing here?" he asked, taken aback. He had expected her to be in the girls' bathroom in her dormitory.
"I'm a prefect too," she answered simply as she stepped into the immense bathtub filled with bubbles of all colors and scents filling the length of it. Once under, she took off her wet nightgown and placed it beside her. She closed her eyes and leaned back, relaxing and drowning all the worries she had in the aromatic pool.
Harry couldn't move. Her simple beauty mesmerized him. But at last, she opened her eyes and looked at him with a bemused expression on her face.
"Can I help you with something, Mr. Potter?" she asked, shriveling up a bit underneath the mass of bubbles.
"N-not really," he answered quickly, taking long strides toward the tall shower behind the tub. "Just thinking about... stuff." He stepped into the shower and took off his clothes, then turned on the tap. Hot water gushed out, and after a bit of adjusting, he sighed in comfort and relief as the water beat down on him.
Hermione smiled to herself and turned around to watch Harry step into the shower. As he disappeared behind the solid walls, she turned back and slid deeper into the bathtub, her head now swimming with thoughts of him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Breakfast was a bumpy ride and a bad start to Ron, Harry and Hermione's day.
"Why'd you break up with Ron?" an over-excited Parvati Patil grilled Ron and Hermione, bouncing up and down in her seat.
"For God sake, Par..." Hermione trailed off, staring closely at Parvati's shoulder.
"What?" Parvati shifted in her seat uncomfortably.
"Stay still," Hermione instructed. Then, she conjured up a small glass jar with her wand and, very slowly, clamped it down on Parvati's shoulder.
"OW!" Parvati exclaimed, wincing.
"Yes!" Hermione held the jar up to her face, then muttered, "Principalis Conformus." The small beetle inside, buzzing excitedly and flying around in circles inside the jar, finally landed on the wall and stared at her with its beady little eyes.
Hermione sighed and placed the jar down.
"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I thought it was Rita Skeeter. You know, what with last year and everything." Harry finally understood her weird behavior, as did everyone else who was staring, and turned back to his breakfast. Parvati flashed Hermione a quick smile and, rubbing her shoulder, tentatively asked, "So what about an answer to my question?"
"What question was that again?" Ron asked, busily stuffing his mouth with breakfast.
"Ron!" Parvati rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Never mind," she added and turned to Hermione. "See you in Care Of Magical Creatures," she said and left.
"Bye!" Hermione replied after her and turned back to her breakfast.
"Mr. Potter," a silky voice came from behind Harry. He turned to see Snape standing with his hands crossed behind his back.
"Professor Dumbledore and I need to have a word with you," he said simply, raising an eyebrow. Ron glanced at him furtively but didn't say anything, and Hermione flashed him a worried look. Harry nodded at Ron and squeezed her hand under the table as a sign of assurance.
He looked up at Snape, nodded, and followed him out to Dumbledore's office.
"Jelly Belly Beans," Snape intoned at the large stone eagle that stood guard in front of Dumbledore's office with a look of disgust. The bird slowly rotated, producing steps from underneath, and Snape and Harry stepped onto them. In no time, it had carried them to the top, where Dumbledore's door was ajar and waiting to be walked through.
Snape pushed the door open all the way and strode in, Harry hurrying to keep up with him.
"What's going on?" he asked, stopping abruptly behind Snape as he came to a halt.
"I believe," Dumbledore appeared, "that we will be getting a visitor soon."
"What?" Harry asked, clearly confused, as he stepped to the side. The elderly Headmaster gestured with a hand toward the seats. Snape and Harry sat down at once.
"Severus, would you like to start?" Dumbledore asked gently, folding his hands in front of him on the cluttered desk. Snape nodded.
"At the last meeting, I was informed that Peter Pettigrew would be paying us another visit, and soon," Snape explained.
"I know. Sirius" - Snape flinched ever so slightly at the name - " told me," Harry answered. "What meeting?"
"The meeting of the Death Eaters, Potter," Snape answered rather impatiently, lifting up his left sleeve to flash Harry the Dark Mark that was imprinted there.
"Oh. Right," Harry replied quickly. He knew that Snape was a spy working for the Headmaster.
"Harry, please be on alert. Anything you see out of the ordinary, please come tell me," Dumbledore instructed. Harry nodded, fully determined to follow these orders.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The rain pelted the windows and drummed against the walls. As a clap of thunder resounded, Hermione Granger could be found in her room, alone, finishing up her Care Of Magical Creatures essay. She heard the door creak open, but was too busy to look up or notice. She was on a roll.
"Surprise," a voice whispered in her ear, causing her to smile. She slowly put down her quill and stood up, then turned around to see no one. Her face creased into a frown as she looked around for the whispered voice. She moved deeper into the room, looking around the whole time.
She felt a warm breath on her neck, followed by a soft kiss just below her earlobe. She giggled, then turned around to see nothing but air. She reached out and, once she felt it, closed her fist around it and yanked down.
"Ow!" Harry exclaimed, coming into view as the cloak fell to the ground. He was welcomed by a laughing Hermione.
"That's not funny!" he exclaimed, clutching his left hand, which had been tugging at the cloak before it had been ripped out of his hand.
"Yes it is! If you think you can sneak into the girls' dorm unnoticed and try to scare me, you've got another think coming!" she replied, grinning.
"Well, that's no excuse to HURT me!" he retorted, looking down at his hand.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, stepping forward and taking his hand gently and kissing the palm.
"All healed?" she asked, gazing up into his gleaming eyes.
"Not really," he answered, leaning forward and enveloping her mouth with his in a hungry kiss. She gave in for a second, then stepped back, smiling.
"What if someone comes in?" she asked, glancing at the door.
"Arcanus," he said the Locking Charm, pointing his wand at the door without taking his eyes off her.
"You're not going to charm your way out of this. What if someone asks WHY its locked?" she asked, amused.
"You can tell them I'm doing things to you that's not meant for people to see," he whispered in her ear, feeling her tense up. Then he looked at her, laughing. "OR you can tell them that you're studying for a test and it was so important that you didn't want anyone bothering you."
She grinned. "Even though I get the feeling that you would rather it be the first one, the latter would be better," she answered, tilting her head up slightly and brushing her lips against his, making him shudder involuntarily.
"Would you like that?" he asked, his breathing becoming heavier to match hers.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, grinning, before kissing him full on the mouth. He stepped back, but only for a second, before folding his arms around her narrow waist and gathering her to him. She brought her hands up to his chest as she kissed him back, her mind on fire.
He pulled back and looked at her, a softness in his eyes that did not belong to the word "friendly".
"You are incredible, you know that?" she whispered, running a finger along his cheekbone.
"As a matter of fact, I do," he replied, grinning. "I hear that every day. But the thing is, I don't have a swollen head like Malfoy." Hermione laughed. "And Malfoy doesn't have a girlfriend to impress," he added, before blushing furiously and sitting down in the chair in front of her desk.
"What did you say?" she asked, kneeling in front of him.
"I shouldn't have said that," Harry muttered, reminding Hermione a lot of Hagrid.
"No, Harry, its OK," she reassured him, looking into his eyes. "Do you consider me your girlfriend?" she inquired carefully.
"I shouldn't have said that," he mumbled. "I mean, you're obviously not, and I have no right saying that. You probably don't even want to be..."
"What gives you that impression?" she asked, half - laughing.
"I don't know," he replied uneasily. "I'm just assuming."
"Exactly. You don't have any proof," she said softly. "Harry, I would love to be your girlfriend," she declared, kissing him tenderly.
"Are you sure?" was the sentence that came out of his mouth. She laughed outright, causing him to break out in a grin.
"Yes," she nodded, biting her lip with a smile. He stood up and extended his hands out. She took them, feeling the warmth, and stood up to face him.
A loud clap of thunder made her jump. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, then blushed as she saw him studying her. She covered her face with her hands, only for Harry to remove them and lift her red face up to his.
He kissed her so deeply that it left her breathless. "Its OK. Everyone's scared of something. But you don't have to worry. I'm here," he reassured her, putting his forehead to hers.
She smiled. "I'm glad," she whispered, kissing him deeply. It was her turn to leave him breathless.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Harry walked to dinner with Ron by his side, who was fuming as usual about the four-foot Transfiguration essay they had been assigned earlier in the day, he got an unpleasant surprise not far from the Great Hall.
A snickering blonde Slytherin caught Harry's eyes and made Ron snort in disgust.
"What's so funny, Malfoy?" Ron spat as they neared.
"Well, Weasley, other than the fact that YOU'RE here, I heard that you and the mudblood broke up," he started laughing again.
"Why is that your business?" Ron asked angrily, clenching his fists.
"Its not. It just goes to show that a Malfoy can hold onto a woman better and longer than a pathetic little Weasel," the blonde drawled. Just then, a skiny brunette walked up behind him and linked his arm through his.
"Robbie," she purred in his ear in a thick Irish accent, "tonight. Eight. Coming?"
Robert Malfoy grinned in Harry and Ron's direction.
"Sod off, Thumbelina," Harry muttered. Suddenly, a small rat the size of one's fist scurried up to the younger Malfoy's expensive-looking shoes and scratched at them.
"Crap," Malfoy muttered. He shook his foot and bent down to pick up the rat by its tail.
"Look, Potter!" he said, the girl still linked to his arm. "It's the mirror image of you!"
"Malfoy, I swear..." Harry started, but was cut off as the rodent turned its head to regard Harry with its tiny eyes. Harry's eyes grew wide, and as the small Malfoy turned to mutter something to the girl, Harry urgently whispered in Ron's ear, "Ron! That's Wormtail!"
Ron's eyes grew wider than Harry's, and he nodded.
"What, Weasley? Finally acknowledging that maybe even this rat's wealthier than you?" the youth chortled.
"I'm warning you..." Ron threatened, his hand gripping around his wand.
"Give me that rat, Malfoy," Harry extended a slightly trembling hand.
"Why?" the blonde asked.
"Because, it's my friend's pet. And, um, he's been looking for it. So hand it over. NOW," Harry commanded.
"No! You're not the boss! You're just Potty!" he retorted, then grinned widely as the girl next to him laughed a high, squealing laugh.
"Oh, you're so funny, Robbie!" she exclaimed. Harry stared at Malfoy piercingly, and the small Slytherin stared back coldly.
"Robert! What are you doing? And why do you have a filthy rat?" the older Malfoy's deep voice cut through them. Robert glanced up to see his cousin scowling down at him.
"Potter wanted it, Draco. So I decided to hold it hostage," Robert said.
"Well, as honorable as your intentions are," Draco sneered at Harry, "give it back. Malfoys have better ways of humiliating people."
"Not that they need Malfoys humiliating them. I mean, this is Potty and the Weasel we're talking about," Robert chuckled, and Draco joined in. Robert dropped the rat on the floor.
"Have a good time," Draco said and the evil duo walked off. Harry quickly bent down and picked up the squirming rat that had been trying to run off.
"Dumbledore," him and Ron said at the same time, then ran full-speed to Dumbledore's office.
"Beaky Butterbeer," Ron hurriedly called and they ran up the swirling stairs and rushed through the door
to find the Headmaster stroking Fawkes, his beautiful pet Phoenix.
"Professor! We found Wormtail!" Harry exclaimed. The professor turned at once and strode over to where the
two boys were standing.
"Follow me," the elderly man said curtly and walked fast to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. As he passed the Potions classroom, he called, "Severus!" and Snape joined them at once.
They ran into the deserted Defense Against the Dark Arts room and Snape shut the door behind him.
"Remus!" Dumbledore called. Lupin came out a few moments later, half- running.
"Its time," Dumbledore said, nodding. The men all pulled out their wands, so Ron and Harry did the same.
"Harry, when I tell you, place Peter on the ground. Remus, you place the Immobulus charm on him. Severus, you have the Veritaserum?" Dumbledore asked. Snape nodded.
"Good, Dumbledore continued. "When I tell you, give him the serum. Mr. Weasley will then place the spell on him that changes him into his human form, and Harry will take the spell off of him. Clear?"
The others nodded grimly and aimed their wand toward the floor.
"Now, Harry," the Headmaster ordered. Harry immediately bent down and placed the gray rat on the floor. At once, Remus cried, "Immobulus!" Wormtail now moved, but painfully slowly. As if setting off a chain reaction, Snape bent down and took out a thin vial of clear liquid. He gently pried Wormtail's small mouth open and placed two drops of the serum into his mouth, then closed it and squeezed the rodent's throat gently to make sure it was swallowed.
Next came Ron's voice, which clearly intoned, "Principalis Conformus!" In the blink of an eye, the rat transformed back into a still immobilized Peter Pettigrew, the same short, stocky, watery-eyed man Harry remembered from his third year.
"Finite Incantatem!" Harry followed. The small man blinked several times, then glanced with fearful eyes up at the people surrounding him, all their wands pointed at him.
"Start talking," Snape ordered curtly.