Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Harry85

Rating: NC17
Genres: Romance, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 03/04/2008
Last Updated: 02/05/2008
Status: completed

Starts after OoTP. Harry is mourning for Sirius' death, when Dumbledore brings him to Grimamuld Place much earlier than the boy expected. There, he finds Hermione, and though the summer they become closer, with her giving him hope about his godfather not being really dead. Follow our beloved pair as they go through a rollercoaster of ancient rituals, new allies, cures to be discovered and traitors to beware of.

Chapters

1. Worrying in Privet Drive and a Surprise

2. Summer at Grimmauld Palce

3. New guests, A revelation and new hope

4. Finding Each Other

5. The Arrival of the Weasleys

6. Diagon Alley and End of Summer

7. Start of the Year

8. Researches and Alliances

9. The school year progresses

10. Trouble in Little Whinging

11. Finding Some Information

12. A Fight and a Night-time Encounter

13. Making Up and A Solution

14. The Ritual

15. Padfoot and A New trouble

16. Return to School

17. Snape's Story

18. First Breakthrough

19. An Offer and Steps toward the Cure

20. Easter Break and New Ideas

21. A Surprising Letter

22. Shocking News and a Farewell

23. untitled

24. Quidditch and Scandal

25. Exposing the Traitors

26. Curing the Lycanthropy

27. A Deal

28. The Battle of Hogwarts, Part I

29. The Battle of Hogwarts, Part II

30. Explanations and Promises

1. Worrying in Privet Drive and a Surprise

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter One: Worrying in Privet Drive and a Surprise

Harry Potter got down from his uncle's car without a word, carrying his trunk inside the house, and then up the stairs to his room.

His uncle came up right after him, and shouted orders at him, to keep quiet, not do anything “he learned at that freak school of his”, and be ready to do his chores first thing in the morning. He didn't seem scared much by the Order's threat, especially Moody's. Although, Harry fleetingly thought that his uncle would be much less commanding if the retired Auror was there at the moment with his spinning eye. The thought would be amusing, and he would have smiled, if he didn't have a huge weight on his heart keeping him from every kind of happiness, as small as it may be.

Harry nodded wordlessly, just staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Minutes, then hours passed that way, and when one of the Dursleys slipped a plate through the cat-trap in the door, he completely ignored it.

Finally, sleep engulfed him in the middle of the night, but it was far from a pleasant experience. He relived the night in the Department of Mysteries, those last moments of life for his beloved godfather, Sirius Black, killed by his own cousin, Bellatrix.

And then, being possessed by Voldemort, before being able to push him out of his head. Only, in the dream he didn't push the Dark Lord away, instead he let him control his mind, and one by one he killed all his friends.

Harry awoke screaming, as his uncle was pounding on his door, threatening to beat him to a pulp if he didn't stop shouting and waking up him, Petunia and Dudley.

Harry shut up, wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead, and opened the window to let some fresh air in.

He watched the empty streets of the neighbourhood, but not really seeing them as his mind was currently occupied mourning one of the two best friends of his father, who he had got killed with his foolish actions.

“Sirius” he whispered into the night, closing his eyes as tears started to collect in them, the tears he hadn't been able to shed since that night, keeping all his sorrow bottled up. “I miss you” he finished, now openly crying.

It was a while before he got back to bed, and he made a point to not fall asleep as he was afraid he would have another nightmare. They had always been constant in his life, especially in the last couple of years, but since Sirius' death they had become almost a constant.

So, the next morning, he trudged down the stairs at half past six, prepared breakfast for his “relatives”, and then went out to take care of the garden. He knew he could stop that treatment with a letter to the Order, but he felt like he deserved it. And besides, having something to do kept him from mourning Sirius all day long.

More or less an hour later, he saw his uncle leaving in his car, then Dudley going out, probably to join his gang and terrorize some little kid. His cousin has always prided himself on his abilities as a boxer, but Harry had never seen him fight with someone his age, only with little children in the nearby parks, and always with the support of his gang.

The only Dursley in the house was now his aunt Petunia, and he was quite surprised when she came out a couple of hours later and offered him some chilled orange juice.

He was quite thirsty, so he accepted the offer. As he sat at the kitchen table, sipping his juice, he wondered about her sudden kindness.

“You know, Harry, I never really despised you” his aunt started, while working on preparing lunch for the two of them. “I admit I've always envied your mother for being a witch, I mean, I was used to being the center of attention, and since she was born she had stolen part of that from me, but when she got her letter, well, that made her a her even more special than me to my parents and I had a hard time adjusting to it” she kept talking, and Harry was intrigued by her story.

Another distraction from his mourning, at the very least, so he made the most of it, and kept quiet, listening to her words.

“When I married Vernon, well, it was clear he didn't like her and your father being magical. He despised everything out of the ordinary, and this led me further away from her. When you were left on our door…well, it was a shock to know she had been murdered, and I could barely stand Vernon's rants about how she and that Potter got what they deserved, and things like that” she continued, bitterly. “He made me swear I would treat you terribly, and would squelch any tendency of magic you might demonstrate. As if we could do such a thing” she snorted.

“I wanted to refuse him, I really wanted to, but he threatened to send me away, without money, without a home, and keep Dudley” Petunia kept talking, her words underlined by the rhythmic sound of the knife chopping carrots and potatoes.

“I was weak, and gave into his will. I still don't think I would have the strength to resist him, actually. So, I'll try to be nice to you when we are alone, but with them around…sorry, Harry, but I really can't” she said, now looking at him with an apologetic look on her face.

He nodded, washed the glass he had drunk from, and wordlessly returned to his chores. He mulled over her words for the most of the afternoon, and reckoned he was somewhat glad Petunia hadn't really hated her sister like she wanted to let the others believe. It had always been something he couldn't understand, how one could hate his own blood that way.

--

For a week life at Privet Drive continued with the same routine. Harry would do his chores at day, and mourn Sirius at night. More chats with his aunt followed, where she told him some more about how his mother had been at his age, and what Petunia had been able to witness of Lily's relationship with James.

Harry treasured those memories, now that he had lost Sirius he was glad for anyone who could be a source of information on his parents. The only other one he had was Remus, but the Lycan hadn't been seen since the battle at the Ministry, and Harry wondered where he might be right now, and how he was.

He was sure his old Professor would be devastated by the loss of another of his best friends, and the sense of guilt over provoking Sirius' death with his reckless actions doubled.

However, something came to disrupt his mourning, that night. A brown owl kept pecking on his window to be let in, and when Harry finally woke up, he hastily opened the window to let the bird in.

Saying that the animal wasn't pleased to have been left waiting outside was an understatement, and the bite he gave Harry while the raven haired wizard took the envelope from its leg was just proof of that.

Sucking on his bleeding finger, Harry said once more he was sorry, and then the owl flew away quite haughtily, if a bird can be haughty, waiting for his reply near Hedwig's cage.

Reading the parchment, Harry just had to smile, for the first time in some weeks, maybe.

The letter was from Hermione.

Hi, Harry!

I just couldn't stop myself from writing,

I know you are sad for Sirius' destiny, and

I just wanted to make sure you're well. I'd

like to visit, and I asked Dumbledore about

it but he told me he has better plans. He wouldn't

say more though, so we will just have to wait and

see. I know you'll probably also be worried about

me, with that curse I got at the Ministry a few weeks ago,

which is also why I'm writing you.

Harry, I'm fine, so if you've been worrying about that,

you can stop doing so. Poppy healed me perfectly and

although I'm still a bit sore, I'm fine.

I hope to see you soon, Harry. I miss you so much and

knowing you're alone with those terrible Muggles makes

me anxious about you. Take care, and don't do anything

I wouldn't do, ok?

Love,

Hermione

P.S. I hope you got along well with my new owl, Apollo.

He quickly scribbled a note to her, saying he was fine, that the Dursleys weren't so horrible, especially since he had somewhat started a civil relationship with his aunt. He told her some of the things Petunia had revealed to him, and told her he wouldn't worry too much, and try to not let sadness about Sirius overcome him, but that if he was truthful, it would be hard. As for her owl, he joked that the two of them weren't the best of friends at the moment, but he hoped to right the situation soon.

He attached the note to the bird's leg and let it fly away, hoping Hedwig wouldn't be jealous. She didn't seem to be though, as she hooted softly when the other bird left, and Apollo did the same looking back to her.

Harry smiled, and quickly let Hedwig free. It didn't take much for her to catch up with her new friend.

“I definitely have to tell Hermione about it the next time I see her” he chuckled to himself before going back to sleep. However, soon his elation at receiving a letter from her vanished, as he got engulfed by guilt for not having thought the tiniest bit about how Hermione was doing after they parted at King's Cross.

He knew Madam Pomfrey was an excellent healer, but with a curse from a Death Eater you can never tell. And so, worrying about how his female best friend truly was, aside her reassurances that she was fine, became a new routine for Harry, that second week of his staying at the Dursleys'.

--

The biggest surprise of all, though, came at the start of his third week there. He was just sitting in his room, after finishing his daily chores, when with a flash Dumbledore and Fawkes appeared in his room.

“Sorry for the intrusion, Harry” the headmaster said, with his usual twinkling eyes. “I'm sure you'll be glad for my visit once I'm finished though” he winked.

Harry was speechless, wondering why Dumbledore was here in his room, and feeling slightly ashamed about how he had trashed the older man's office few weeks earlier.

“Don't worry, I know you needed an outlet at the moment” Dumbledore said, almost reading in his mind. And maybe he had been, Harry never asked, but now that he knew of the existence of Legilimency, it wasn't so farfetched anymore.

“I've come to realize that the time you need to stay here has decreased with your growing up. Basically, I guess you could have left here much sooner last year, and in the previous summer too” the old man sheepishly said. Harry groaned, thinking he could have spared himself the company of Vernon and Dudley.

Dumbledore chuckled, and nodded. “I know, Harry. Believe me, I'm quite ashamed at myself for making that mistake. Anyway, I've come to fetch you and bring you to Grimmauld Place, where you'll be safe. You just finished the time required for you to activate the protections keyed on your mother's blood half an hour ago” the other man explained.

“So I can leave?” Harry asked, hopeful. He had enjoyed the chats with Petunia, but the rest…well, it was just awful.

Dumbledore nodded, and helped him pack. A wand and few charms were handy in that situation. Then, the two of them made her way downstairs, where Petunia was sipping her tea watching some television.

“Hi, Petunia” Dumbledore said, smiling. The woman was a bit shocked, but regained her composure quickly. She remembered the man, so she politely invited him to sit.

“I'm sorry, but Harry and I are on a bit on a tight schedule. I just wanted to let you know he has ended the required amount of time to spend here for this year, so I'll be escorting him to a place where he will be with his friends. I'm sure it will do him good”

Petunia nodded, although Harry could spot a bit of sadness in her eyes.

Five minutes later, he and the Headmaster landed in the hall of Grimmauld Place. He had just regained his bearings, when a voice he didn't expect startled him.

“Harry!”

-->

2. Summer at Grimmauld Palce

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Two: Summer at Grimmauld Place

Harry barely had the time to see who had called him before he was hit by a mass of brown, curly hair, and held tight by a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection.

He hugged his best friend back, grinning.

“I missed you, Hermione” he said, and she finally pulled back, showing a grin to rival his own, and a couple of tears shining in her eyes.

“I missed you too, Harry”

Her parents had by now entered the hallway too, and upon seeing the two teens wrapped up in each other, they shared a knowing glance with Dumbledore, who was still standing behind Harry, and a sly grin. Both went unnoticed, as Hermione was already leading Harry away chatting with him.

“Well, I guess this is it for today, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger” Dumbledore excused himself. “I'd like to stay for dinner but sadly I have some business to attend” he said, before calling Fawkes and disappearing in a flash of flame with the phoenix.

In the living room, Hermione was excitedly telling Harry about her vacation to Sydney with her parents, and he was glad to listen to her.

He hadn't realized it till that moment, but he had truly missed her, much more than he missed Ron. Speaking of which, he wondered where the redhead and his family were.

But that thought was easily forgotten when he turned, and looked once more at Hermione.

He had always known she was a girl, well, at least since he saw her at the Yule Ball in their fourth year, and he never thought her to be ugly, as he told her last year after the Cho fiasco, but now…he didn't know if it was the tan she had developed in Australia, or her way of dressing, with a snug white top, and a pair of tight jeans, which both exalted her body, or maybe she had just developed quickly while they were apart, but he knew he had never guessed her to be so pretty. Of course, school robes didn't do anything to show off her assets, so she might have developed through the year, and he wouldn't have had the slightest hint.

He lost himself in that train of thought, so he stopped listening to her. Suddenly, he blurted out what was on his mind.

“Australia did lots of good for you, you know”

She stopped mid-sentence, blushing. “Thanks” she whispered shyly, looking down.

The two of them resumed their chat till Madeleine Granger called them.

“Dinner's ready!” she said, peeking her head inside the living room.

“We're coming, Mum” Hermione said, nodding, and a few minutes later the pair entered the kitchen, Hermione first, naturally holding Harry's hand, like they had never walked in a different way. He wasn't embarrassed, either. It just felt good to hold her hand in his own.

“Mum, Dad, this is Harry. Harry, these are my parents. Sorry for earlier, I got a bit sidetracked and forgot to introduce you” she admitted with a blush. Harry chuckled, and nodded.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger” Harry said, shaking their hands. “I think we saw each other at Diagon Alley once, but we were never properly introduced”

“Oh, Harry, please call us Madeleine, or Maddie, and Michael; we feel we've known you for a long time” her dad said. “With the amount of time Hermione has been talking us about you in the past years…” he added, and Hermione blushed furiously.

“Dad!” she called, and everyone at the table laughed.

“Your cooking is wonderful, Mrs. Gra…Maddie” Harry said, correcting himself as he was the object of her mother's stern look.

“I'm glad you like it, Harry” she smiled warmly at him, and with that the four of them set to wash the dishes and then retreated to the living room for some more chatting.

Hermione chose to pass her time reading a book, while now and then involving herself in the conversation between her parents and Harry. Both adults noticed with how much ease the two teens settled on the same couch, Hermione leaning on him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, both with contented smiles on their faces.

--

As days passed slowly in the house, Hermione convinced Harry to get some of his homework done. It would be the first time for him to get it done before the last possible day, and he was glad when he finished it in a week. At least, he would have the rest of the summer free, and he planned to enjoy it to its fullest with Hermione, and when they arrived, with the Weasleys.

The brunette had told him that Dumbledore had thought it wise to place them there for safety, and that she was surprised when he and the headmaster had popped in.

“So this is what he meant when he said he had a better idea then me visiting you at your relative's house” she mused, with a pretty smile. suddenly realizing what the old man had meant when he said he had a better idea for their summer upon her mentioning the possibility to visit the raven haired boy at Privet Drive.

“Well, I'm extremely happy about his decision, this time” Harry joked, remembering how the previous summer he had been left in the dark while Hermione and Ron were together at the Headquarters.

The two teens were growing closer and closer, not that they weren't already, with being best friends and all, but now you could spot one of them glancing at the other then blushing when he/she got caught, walking hand in hand when they would go for a stroll in the gardens or walking inside the house, and missing that warmth when they were forced to let the other's hand go.

Michael and Madeleine were glad to see their relationship progress, and they were pretty sure the two of them would be an item before the summer ended.

However, it wasn't all happiness, for Harry. More than once, he would wake up at night with a nightmare, involving Sirius, Cedric, his parents, or Hermione.

That night, he had a particularly nasty one, in which he was bound to a tree, watching Voldemort and his cronies taking their turns in torturing Hermione with the Cruciatus Curse, before killing her slowly and painfully.

They would cut off her fingers one by one, then her hands and feet, followed by her arms and legs, leaving her to bleed to death, a barely recognizable mockery of the beautiful witch she had become.

“Noooo! Not Hermione, please! Not her! God, not her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” he shouted into the darkness.

The brunette was roughly roused from her sleep by his inhuman shouts, and quickly ran to his room, opening it and kneeling beside his bed.

She took his hands in her own, and with soothing voice she woke him up. “Harry, I'm here. Wake up, Harry”

He finally opened his eyes, and blinked twice. “Hermione? You're here? Alive?” he asked, and she nodded.

“Yes, Harry. I'm alive. We are at Grimmauld, we are safe here” she soothed him pulling him close and feeling his sweat make her own nightgown sticky.

“Thank Merlin” he whispered, holding onto her as if his life depended on it. And maybe it did.

--

Next day, Harry gathered his courage, and while they were reading in the living room, he asked her one thing he had been mulling over for a couple weeks now.

“Hermione, how are you?”

“Fine” she said, looking at him strangely.

“No, I mean, really” he stubbornly said, giving her a mild glare. She sighed, and nodded.

“I'm quite well, Harry. Not perfect, though. I still get some pain in the scar now and then, I can't really see a pattern to determine if it is some movement or anything else that provokes it. It becomes more and more rare, though, thanks to Poppy's potions” she explained.

Harry nodded, gulping.

“Can…can I see it? The scar, I mean?” he asked, blushing furiously. He knew she had been hit in the chest so he had a pretty good idea of where her scar might be, and he knew he shouldn't have asked, it wasn't his right to, but he was shocked when an equally blushing Hermione nodded.

She locked the door with her wand, rolling her eyes at Harry with a smile as he gaped at her.

“Seriously, Harry. The Ministry can't track magic here, in a magical household” she said, and he breathed his relief. He really wouldn't like her to go through a trial like the one he had had to attend the previous year.

Then, she nervously lifted her shirt up, until she discarded it completely. Harry was amazed, and not only by the pinkish scar running through her chest, right between her breasts, but by the previously mentioned parts of Hermione's body too.

True, they were still held in place by her white bra, but he could see they weren't exactly small. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Willing himself not to stare, he traced her scar lightly with his fingers, making her shiver. When he retreated, Hermione put her shirt on again.

“God, Hermione, I'm so sorry” he said, looking sad. “It's all my fault…” he started, but she stopped him, and made him look up at her.

“Harry, if I didn't want to come, I wouldn't have, and I wouldn't have gotten this scar. I wanted to be there, on your side, so don't blame yourself for it. All of us in the DA know the risks we are going to face in the upcoming war, and I can't speak for the others, but I'm more than willing to stand on the first line with you”

He was moved by her words, and let some tears spill, as he pulled her into a bear hug.

“Thanks. You can't imagine how much that means to me” he whispered into her hair. “You're welcome, Harry” she whispered back, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms.

-->

3. New guests, A revelation and new hope

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Three: New Guests, A Revelation and New Hope

For days Harry had been having mixed dreams. At times, he would have nightmares in which Hermione would be killed, tortured, or a mix of the two. She was always the first one to rush to his side in that case, and she had even decided to transfigure a chair into a bed every night, so that she could sleep in his same room and be ready to soothe him if the need arose.

However, there were also much more pleasant dreams, always involving Hermione, in which the two of them were kissing, having fun as teenagers should do, and sometimes he had very wet dreams about her.

He always woke up embarrassed by those, especially because now she was sleeping in his same room, and he feared he might let something slip in his sleep.

The fact the two of them were constantly together during the day didn't help, because he had many chances to notice just how well she had filled out certain areas. The image of her in her bra kept flashing into his mind too.

Maybe asking her to see the scar hadn't been such a smart move.

Adding to it, he also felt guilty because he was having fun, when he thought he was supposed to mourn Sirius. However, the few times he had tried to detach himself from Hermione, she had been stubborn and would not let him getaway with that.

Today was no exception, and they were reading some books from the Black library. Harry knew why Sirius had left that house at the age of sixteen. You could feel the Dark Arts penetrating into your bones, reading some of the tomes in the family library.

Even Hermione was mildly disgusted by them, but she insisted they could always learn how to be prepared to block those curses, should the Death Eaters use them in a fight. He couldn't exactly fault her.

Often, during the afternoon, they would relax in the backyard of the house, sunbathing, joined by her parents when they were free.

Michael and Madeleine had treated Harry as one of the family since the first day, and he was really comfortable around them. Maybe even more than around Mrs. Weasley. Michael was very interested in magic, so Harry would often chat for hours with him explaining things, aided by Hermione. They would sit in the living room, and the teens would always sit together on the couch, leaving the armchairs for the adults, comfortably snuggling into each other without even thinking about it.

It was around his birthday that Harry came to struggle with the realisation that he might fancy Hermione.

“Bloody Hell” he thought. “She's my best friend, plus Ron fancies her too. I shouldn't think about her that way” he chastised himself. His mantra had become that he fancied her because he was spending so much time with the girl, so it was normal he would feel attracted to her.

His belief was shattered when on July 31st Luna and Neville joined them at Grimmauld Place, accompanied by Dumbledore. Harry expected the Weasleys to be there too, but the Headmaster had explained they were in a different safe-house with Tonks and Lupin.

“I feel it's better to spread our forces, so that we don't offer only one target to the enemy” Dumbledore explained, and Hermione immediately agreed with his logic. That might have also been because of the selfish belief on her part that if Harry was away from Ginny, he couldn't fancy her.

The brunette had come to terms with her feelings for Harry and knew she definitely fancied her best friend. Maybe, she was even in love with him.

So, when Harry saw Luna, he couldn't stop himself from noticing how beautiful the blonde had become. Or maybe she had always been, but he hadn't stopped looking twice at her.

Her figure was definitely lovely, with a cute bum, and a pair of fairly nice sized boobs. Harry felt relieved that he could notice those things, because that meant he didn't fancy Hermione, right?

But when he turned toward his brown haired best friend, and she smiled at him, he felt a tug at his heart that he hadn't felt when Luna had hugged him and smiled at him, as she had stepped into the house.

“Blimey” he thought. “I really fancy Hermione”

He wanted to bang his head on the nearest wall. This was sure to cause a strain between him and Ron, whatever way the matter went, and that was exactly what he didn't need at the moment.

Trying to distract himself from those feelings, he started chatting with Neville, and found that Dumbledore had thought wise to keep in hiding all the six of them who had been to the Ministry at the end of the term.

“I'm sorry for ruining your vacations” Harry said. Neville shrugged, and clapped him on the back.

“I wans't doing anything really interesting, just being at home with Gran, so no harm done” the other Gryffindor replied. Harry grinned, and nodded, as he downed his Butterbeer.

Madeleine had made a cake for his birthday, even with his insistence that she didn't need to.

“Nonsense. I want you to have a nice birthday, Harry” she smiled. Harry knew then from where Hermione had gotten her stubbornness, and smiled at his beast friend, who was beaming at him.

Maybe, just maybe, fancying Hermione wouldn't be so bad, he thought, once more gazing at her and finding her absolutely stunning.

The fact she was one of the few people, if not the only one, who could see him for who he really was, Just Harry, was a bonus that made him love her even more.

“Love?” he asked himself. He didn't know what love was, but he guessed if something could be called love, then it was what he felt for Hermione.

The party continued all day long, with the four of them eating Maddie's delicious cake, drinking Butterbeer, singing (it had been Luna's idea), and generally having lots of fun together.

The fact the Weasleys weren't there was soon forgotten by Harry, as he found Neville and Luna's company just as enjoyable. He noticed that the two of them were often holding hands, and decided that some teasing was in order.

So, while Neville was grabbing another Butterbeer in the kitchen, Harry went with him.

“So, you and Luna, uh?” he said, and his friend blushed madly.

“No, it's not like you think, I mean, yes, she's nice, and she's smart, and…”

“And you fancy her” Harry finished for him with a smile as he opened both the bottles. “I can see where you're coming from, Nev. She's really a great girl. A bit strange at times, but loyal as they come, and I daresay quite hot too” he winked, and Neville chuckled nervously.

Then, the other boy remembered how close Harry and Hermione were sitting on the couch, and smirked. “What about you and Hermione?” he suddenly asked, and Harry spit out the Butterbeer he had in his mouth, making Neville laugh heartily.

“Mate, you are tense” he said, then sobered again. “She's an amazing girl, Harry, and if you want my opinion, she fancies you back. You shouldn't let her slip from your grasp”

The raven haired wizard nodded, vanishing the mess he had made with a flick of his wand, and then they went back to the ladies in the living room.

--

Neville and Luna settled in the house, there were lots of empty rooms after all, and the four became inseparable. Well, apart for the times when Luna would drag Neville away with some excuse.

“I suspect she's trying to push us together” Hermione said, deadpanned, when the other two left for the third time that day.

“Or, they go to snog each other madly” Harry retorted, and Hermione giggled, nodding. “You noticed too, then?” she asked a couple minutes later, when she had straightened up again.

“I may be a guy and thus dense in such matters, but it is evident that they fancy each other. I just wonder if they are a couple already or not” he said with a grin.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Not really observant, are you?” she rhetorically asked. “Why do you think they have been sporting swollen lips at least once a day for the last three days?”

Harry was bewildered. He hadn't noticed. Then, a grin spread on his lips.

“Way to go, Neville” he chuckled, and Hermione nodded, smiling. “He deserves it. He's such a nice guy”

“And brave too” he said.

“Well, since they left us alone, Hermione, there's something I need to tell you” he sighed then, after a moment of pause.

She nodded, ready to listen.

Taking a long breath, Harry started. “You remember that prophecy?”

“Yes, it was smashed during the fight, right? No one knows what it said” Hermione interjected. Harry shook his head.

“Someone knows. Dumbledore was the man who heard it for the first time before it was registered, and he showed me a Pensieve memory of the night he heard it from Trewlaney”

“That old bat made a real prophecy?” Hermione snorted, and Harry smiled ruefully.

“Yes, she did, and that's why Dumbledore has kept her at Hogwarts this long. To protect her, because he knew Voldemort would want to hear it” Harry continued. Then, he told her the content of the prophecy itself.

Hermione was shocked, and scared. “This means…”

“That I have to kill him or be killed, yes” he confirmed. As soon as his words left his mouth, he was engulfed in a bear hug, a mane of brown curly hair in his face and he automatically hugged her back. He could feel her tears staining his shirt.

“It's not fair” she mumbled, and he nodded. “Life rarely is” he replied.

They remained that way for a long time, both revelling in the contact with the other, enjoying the feeling. No words were needed, until Finally Hermione gently pushed herself away from his chest, and spoke.

“Harry, there's something I want to talk to you about too, but please don't get angry, ok?” she said, a bit fearfully.

Harry was worried. “What's happened?” he asked.

“Well, I have an idea, but I'm not sure how you'll take it, and especially if it can be true. I still need to research but…” she started, and Harry was getting impatient with her rambling, although he had to admit she looked cute when she rambled.

“But?”

“I think Sirius is still alive, Harry”

-->

4. Finding Each Other

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Four: Finding Each Other

“I think Sirius is still alive, Harry”

The raven haired wizard stared at her like she had sprouted a second head. Then, he suddenly felt anger boiling inside him.

“What do you mean, alive? He fell behind the veil!” Harry shouted, glaring at her.

Hermione had rarely seen him this angry, especially at her, but swallowing hard, she willed herself to continue.

“Right. Behind the veil. The spell that hit him, was it green?” Hermione asked, trying to reason with him. She might be wrong, of course. But she had a hunch she wasn't.

“No” he begrudgingly admitted, without even thinking. He had relived that scene so often in his dreams in the last weeks, he remembered perfectly well the light of the spell was red.

Red…

“It was red” he whispered, tears pooling in his eyes as once more he thought about the night his godfather died. Or vanished, if Hermione was right.

“So we know it wasn't the killing curse” She said, with an hint of a smile. “And, the stunner is red, Harry” she reminded him.

He nodded, mulling it over. “He wasn't killed by the spell” he said then. “At least, we can think he wasn't” he cried.

Hermione nodded, happy that she was making progresses in leading him to see her point. “Then he fell through the veil” she continued. “Harry, you and Luna were the only ones who could hear voices coming from behind it, and dead men don't have voices” she told him.

Harry was almost transfixed. She was opening a whole new possibility in front of his eyes, and he had nothing to counter her logic with. Till now, it had worked perfectly.

“You're suggesting behind the veil there might be some kind of other world, and he's only trapped in there?” he said, to confirm his understanding of her idea.

“Exactly, Harry. A world only you and Luna, having seen death before, could sense. Just like the Thestrals. A midway step between life and death, if you will, one the alive people trapped there can't take back to the living without some kind of aid from us” Hermione continued her explanation.

Harry nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. “He might not be dead” he whispered, as an huge weight lifted from his heart.

“Now, Harry, don't get your hopes up too high. I might be mistaken” she cautiously said. She would hate for her idea to be proven false and his hopes be smashed. The blow would probably be even harder on him.

He nodded. “It's just a possibility, right?” he said, and she smiled, nodding, as she took his hand in her own, rubbing her thumb over its back.

He noticed, and gazed at their entwined hands, then back at her face. She was truly pretty, and the way her hair was glowing in the light of the room made her look almost angelic.

“Also” she said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended in the room, “There's another thing to consider. Harry, have you received anything from Gringott's regarding Sirius' will?”

He shook his head, and Hermione almost squealed with joy.

“Do you know what it means, that you still haven't got a letter from them, considering how long it has been since his supposed death already?” she continued, and he shrugged. She rolled her eyes at him and huffed.

“Honestly, Harry! Goblins send out letters for a will reading at most two weeks after the death of the person”

“I might not be in his will” Harry reasoned.

“Yeah, and I'm Voldemort” Hermione scoffed. “Harry, he was your godfather, there's no way he wouldn't give you something in his will. I bet you're the one who would get the most, if anything”

“I don't care” he said, shrugging again. Hermione moved closer to him, smiling warmly.

“I know” she whispered. “But Harry, if you're in his will, and you haven't received a letter for the will reading yet, what do you think this means?”

“That some Goblin forgot to owl me?” he asked, knowing very well what she wanted him to say, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

She poked him on his chest with her finger. “Goblins are really precise beings, Harry. There's no way they would forget something like that”

He nodded. “So he's alive, somewhere in another world, but alive” he finally said, and Hermione beamed at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling close to him. He knew he should feel awkward, but it felt absolutely right, so he held her , and for a few minutes neither of them spoke.

Finally, she pushed herself away from his chest, and looked him straight in his green orbs. “I'll do whatever I can to help you find him, Harry” she promised, and he smiled at her.

“I know” he said. “You've never left my side” he added then, before boldly claiming her lips with his own. He didn't know what possessed him to do that, but her face so near to his own was just too inviting, her rosy, soft-looking lips so inviting, and so he did.

He wasn't disappointed, they were really soft as they seemed, and he knew he'd love to kiss them all day. He also knew he had messed up enough already, so he moved to pull away, but Hermione's right hand buried herself in his unruly locks of hair, keeping him there, as she started kissing him back.

Soon, he felt her tongue run on his lower lip, and he let her in, his own tongue meeting hers, as both started to explore the other's mouth, tongues clashing, dancing, touching, as the two teens snogged each other silly.

Harry had only had a single kiss before, the one with Cho, and he could easily tell that this one was on a whole other level. He was also amazed at how well her body fit against his own, and as they kept kissing furiously, he caressed her back, and dared cup her buttocks, pulling her on his lap.

It took them fifteen minutes before they were the tiniest bit sated, so that they could pull apart, both blushing but sporting equally stupid grins and swollen lips.

Neither of them had noticed the four pairs of eyes witnessing their snog fest, and quickly retreating to the kitchen to celebrate the good result of their matchmaking.

--

When they were called to the kitchen for dinner, Hermione reluctantly pulled herself up from Harry's chest, where she was quietly lying, his arms wrapped around her. He stood up too, and automatically grabbed her hand in his own. She noticed, and blushed the tiniest bit.

“Do you think we should tell them?” she asked, and he grinned.

“I'm sure they would guess it even if we didn't tell them, sweetheart” he said. She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Er…am I not allowed a nickname?” he flushed, and she giggled.

“Of course you are. That is, if you're going to be my boyfriend” she retorted, shyly looking at him through her eyelashes.

“I'd like to” he said softly, pulling her to him and pecking her on the lips just before entering the kitchen.

As dinner went by, the new couple admitted to the others they were together now, and both her parents and Neville and Luna congratulated them.

“It was about time, Harry” Neville joked, and the raven haired boy nodded.

“Definitely about time” he admitted, looking lovingly at Hermione on his right side. She squeezed his hand, before all of them tucked in. Madeleine had outdone herself once again with the food.

--

After dinner, the six of them reunited in the living room. Neville was amiably explaining Michael about some magical herbs, the boy had always had a fascination with Herbology, with his arm around Luna's shoulders. The blonde was serenely listening to what her boyfriend was saying, now and then interjecting with a strange creature they had never head of that supposedly lived near or on the plants Neville was talking about.

Harry and Hermione were listening too, her sitting on his lap, her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder.

They would now and then say something to Madeleine, but mostly listened to Neville. Hermione joined him in his explanations at times, to make things clearer for her parents. She was, after all, at the top of their classes, and for good reason, so who better than her to explain things?

It was for this reason that they headed to bed way after midnight, knackered, but overall happy. Luna and Neville went to their rooms, but Hermione had a feeling they might modify their sleeping arrangements later in the night, or in a few days time at last.

She shrugged, and followed Harry inside his room, which had by now become hers to.

Her parents hadn't exactly been thrilled about it, now that the two teens were officially a couple, but the brunette had been adamant. Harry might need her, and no one would stop her from sleeping in his room, not even her parents, even if now they were together.

--

That night, Harry had a particularly nasty nightmare. One would wonder at how he got them, considering the happy evening he had just had, but anyway, he dreamed once more of the graveyard where Voldemort regained his body after the Triwizard Tournament. Only, this time, it was Hermione there with him, not Cedric. He saw a horde of Death Eaters chaining her to a rock, and torturing her.

“You've failed to protect your little Mudblood whore, Potter, and now I'll make her my slave. I'm sure her wits will be entertaining for a while, before I decide to get rid of her” the Dark lord taunted him.

“Noooo!” he screamed into the night, and the brunette was ready to soothe him with her touch. However, she felt him tense once she left. She bit her lip. The prospect of climbing into bed with him was alluring, but she feared it would be improper. Would he think of her as a scarlet woman in the morning?

Hearing his ragged breath, she decided his mental sanity was more important, so she slithered under his covers, and spooned with him. Immediately, his breath relaxed, and she felt his strong arms wrap around her body.

Grinning happily, she let sleep take her again, as she rested her head on his chest, his regular breath lulling both of them into the best sleep they had ever had in their lives.

-->

5. The Arrival of the Weasleys

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Five: The Arrival of The Weasleys

After Hermione's revelation that Sirius was probably alive and stuck in a parallel world between life and death, she and Harry had started searching the Black library for anything that might enlighten them on the subject.

All day they would read, snuggling together on the couch in the living room, interrupting the research only for some well deserved snogging. Luna and Neville were helping them too, even if they were less dedicated and made themselves scarce more often, just to return with dazed looks and silly grins.

Hermione suspected the other couple might have started going past the simple snogging, but kept quiet about it. She was sure if the adults heard her suspicions, they would watch Neville and Luna much more closely and she didn't want to embarrass them or get them in trouble.

Plus, she was content with what she had, thank you. Harry was a really good kisser, she had to admit with a smile and a little giggle, and sleeping in his same bed, with his arms wrapped around her, was a wonderful sensation on its own. They would have plenty of time to bring their relationship to a more sexual level, she was sure of that.

Her parents had been pretty understanding too, although now and then she had spotted her father glaring at Harry when he thought she wasn't looking, at least for the first few days.

Once the fact they were a couple and she wasn't going to stop sleeping in his bed had sunk in, Michael was as friendly as ever toward the raven haired boy.

“I'm glad your dad doesn't hate me anymore” he whispered, caressing her cheek, during one of their “pauses”.

“He knows I would castrate him if he tried scaring you away” she retorted with a smile, and he chuckled.

“I have no doubt that you would be able to” he teased her, pulling her down for a kiss. When they parted, she smirked at him.

“Which is why I would be very attentive of what I do, if I were you, Mr. Potter” she fake-threatened him.

“Oh, don't worry, Miss Granger, I know very well to not find myself on the business end of your wand” he said, tickling her sides, and making her laugh. The two of them had started rolling on the floor, trying to get the upper hand on the other in their tickle fight, when the door of the living room opened, and a very tall redhead entered, with a smile on his face that soon vanished when he noticed the position they were in.

Hermione was on the floor, Harry straddling her, both flushed and with their clothes a bit rumpled.

“Hi, Ron” Harry said, after a moment of awkwardness.

The redhead nodded briskly. “I see the two of you aren't boring yourself to death” he sarcastically said, before closing the door and walking back to the kitchen where his other relatives were.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and sighed.

“I don't think he's going to take it well that we are dating now” the raven haired said, and Hermione agreed.

Harry shrugged. “His problem. I don't plan on giving up one of the few things that make me happy, if not the only one”

Hermione beamed at him, placing her hands on his cheeks and pulling him down for a very long kiss.

“You're so sweet when you want to be” she said, smiling warmly at him.

“You inspire me, luv” he retorted, before kissing her again.

--

It was a couple minutes later that they, after straightening their clothes, entered the kitchen to greet the Weasleys and Remus who had popped by to check how things were going there, something he had already done a few times since Harry had been moved to Grimmauld Place.

Hermione had told him he had also been there when they had come to the house, fixing devices so that her parents could cook and do any kind of thing inside the magical house, even if they were Muggles.

“Harry! Hermione!” Molly shrieked, going to hug both of them with her trademark bear hug. Then, it was the twins turn, and both clapped Harry on the back.

“We expect you two to pay us a visit at the store when you go to Diagon Alley for your school supplies” George said.

“Of course” Hermione replied sweetly, surprising everyone. She had never been a fan of the twins' pranks. “At least, I'll know what to ban when I'm making my prefect rounds at the castle” she finished with a smug expression.

Everyone laughed, even Ron, his previous bad mood forgotten. After all, he hadn't caught them kissing. That would have truly ruined his day.

For the remaining of the day, Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna caught up with their friends, especially Ron and Ginny.

Hermione was reluctant to tell them about her idea of Sirius still being alive though, so they didn't touch the matter. Ginny hugged both Neville and Luna when the couple announced they were dating, and Ron clapped the Gryffindor boy on the back.

“Way to go, Nev!” he said, making the boy blush and everyone laugh.

--

The relative happiness of that day, though, wasn't to last. Since there were much more guests in the house now, the sleeping arrangements were changed. Hermione was to sleep in the same room as Ginny, while Luna still had her own. Harry managed to keep his own for himself too, as Ron and Neville would share one.

Being in the same room as Ginny stopped Hermione from spending the night with Harry, at least till they told Ron about them dating. Needless to say, both teens were particularly grumpy when they woke up the next morning.

The two of them sat together at the table in the kitchen, pouring themselves some coffee, and eating some toasts, bacon and sausages Molly had prepared.

Michael and Madeleine shot them an apologetic look, but both Harry and Hermione knew it wasn't their fault for the new sleeping arrangements. With a shared look, the two teens decided this would be the day they would tell Ron, and then everyone, that they were dating, so they could resume sleeping together.

However, finding a moment to do so wasn't easy, and the more they had to restrain themselves from kissing, holding hands and such, the more annoyed they became. The tension was clear, and after Hermione had snapped twice at Ginny, even if she had apologized immediately after, it was clear something was troubling them.

“So, spill. What got both your wands in a twist?” Ron asked that afternoon, as the three of them were alone in the living room, Neville having gone to read something on exotic plants and Luna and Ginny catching up in the redhead's room.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, and knew the moment had come.

“Ron, there's something we need to tell you” Harry started, taking Hermione's hand, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the redhead, who immediately tensed.

“Please, don't” he thought inside his head. It couldn't be true. Not now that he had come to terms with his new feelings for Hermione…

“Ron, Harry and I are a couple now” Hermione said, with a sympathetic look. She knew the redhead fancied her and this would be a big blow for him, but there was nothing they could do.

Ron remained silent for a moment or two, and then finally laughed hollowly. “But of course. You had to take her from me too, uh, Harry? You knew I fancied her, and couldn't accept that I would beat you to something, so you snatched her from me. One more thing in which I can't best the mighty Boy-Who-Lived” he said coldly.

“Ron…” Harry started, but the redhead had already left the room, slamming the door after him.

“Well, it went worse than expected” Hermione said, deadpanned, still staring at the door.

Harry didn't say a word, so Hermione wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. “It's not your fault, Harry. He will get over it. Eventually” she tried to reassure him, and then softly kissed him.

He kissed her back, trying to drown his disappointment in his best friend's reaction with the feelings of love Hermione always managed to elicit from him.

--

Dinner that night was a tense affair. Ron kept glaring daggers at them, when he didn't ignore them altogether. The top was reached when he asked Ginny to pass him the salt, which was mere inches from Hermione, and across the table from his sister.

That was the moment it became evident to everyone that something had happened between the three of them.

After dinner, when it was time to go to sleep, Ginny spoke to Hermione.

“So, what have you and Harry done to get Ron so angry?” the redhead spat. The brunette rolled her eyes, gathered her pyjamas and then turned toward the other girl.

“We told him we are dating, and he overreacted” Hermione admitted, ready to face Ginny's anger and match it with her own. Ron was a prat, and she was already tired of his petty envy toward Harry.

“You and Harry what?” Ginny shouted. It was clear that she still had a crush on Harry and was deluded enough to think she might manage to snatch him this year.

“We are dating. Now, if you let me, I'd like to go spend the night with my boyfriend” Hermione said, nonchalantly. She knew she was provoking Ginny, and that wasn't right, but seriously, the two younger Weasleys had been reacting a bit over the top to the news.

“Shagging him already? And with your parents in the same house? I never thought you to be this sluttish, Granger” Ginny retorted. She barely finished speaking before Hermione's hand collided with her cheek.

“Don't insult me, Ginny. After all, it's not me who changed three boyfriends in one year. What, weren't any of them satisfying you enough in bed?” she retorted, before leaving the room, and a stunned redhead touching where she had been slapped behind.

--

When she slipped in bed with Harry, she was still angry, and he could sense it.

“What's troubling you?” he whispered, running his hands through her brown silky curls, something he had enjoyed immensely since they had started dating.

“Nothing, just a bit of a divergence with Ginny” she downplayed it, but she knew Harry would want the details.

When she was finished telling him their spat, Harry seriously wanted to hex the younger girl into oblivion. Hermione calmed him though, with a very thorough kiss that left him breathless.

As he was doodling circles on her back with his left hand, he sighed. “You're amazing, you know that, right?” he said, and she grinned.

“Thank you. You're not bad yourself” she countered and both chuckled. He cupped her face with his hands, and kissed her again, pouring all his newly found love for her into it, in a battle of tongues, as she soon kissed him back just as fiercely.

His hands slid under her top, caressing the bare skin of her back, hoping he hadn't gone too far, but she didn't protest. Instead, she imitated him running her hands over his bare chest, lightly pinching his nipples and making him grunt in pleasure.

Harry decided some retaliation was in order, and started kissing her on her neck, a spot he had learned was particularly sensible to his ministrations, while bringing his hands on her stomach, and caressing it.

In a rush of boldness, he slid them upwards, to the lower end of her bra, and then cupped her breasts through it.

“Oh” she breathed, as her nipples stiffened and Harry started playing with them, still kissing her neck at the same time.

Wriggling in his lap, she felt his arousal awaken, and a jolt of feminine pride for making him react that way ran through her.

Looking down at him with mischievous eyes, she pushed him back to the bed, and kissed him hungrily.

“You seem to enjoy the game, Mr. Potter” she said, grabbing him through his pyjama bottom. He hissed.

“You minx” he said through gritted teeth, grabbing her bum with his hands, making her yelp softly, and then giggle, as she lay back on him. However, he wasn't finished, and slipped his hands inside her nightclothes, feeling her panties under his fingers for the first time, and appreciating the firmness and silkiness of her skin on her round buttocks.

She threw him a lustful glance as she felt his hands slid to the front, and bury themselves in her bush.

He nibbled on her lower lip as he kissed her again, his hands still exploring. His shaft was now rock hard, and he could feel her wetness on his fingers. Her little whimpers were another clear indication that she liked what he was doing with his fingers, now brushing her bundle of nerves just over her core.

With supreme willpower, he retreated his hands to safe ground, caressing her back. Her growl of annoyance made him chuckle.

“Believe me, luv, I'd like to continue too, but if we keep going I doubt we would stop before having gone all the way. And while I'd really like to do that eventually, I'd also like to see the start of my sixth year at Hogwarts alive, if you get my meaning”

Resting her head on his chest, she giggled. “Scared of my dad, Mr. Boy-Who-Lived?”

“Very” he said, with a smile. Pulling her close, he kissed her forehead, before sleep engulfed them.

That night, they slept soundly till someone came pounding on their door the next morning.

-->

6. Diagon Alley and End of Summer

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Special thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Six: Diagon Alley and End of Summer

“Harry, are you awake? Breakfast is ready!” they heard Molly shouting.

Looking at each other in panic, they still had to break the news to the other Weasleys, the two teens devised a plan.

“Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I'm awake. I'll be up in few minutes, do not worry about me” Harry called back, while Hermione rolled under his bed just in case the older woman decided to enter the room.

Luckily, they head her steps fading away as she returned to the kitchen, satisfied with Harry's reply.

Both teens released a breath they didn't even realize they were holding.

“That was close” Harry said, pulling his trousers up.

“Too close” Hermione replied, exiting her hiding spot, and realizing Harry was still only in his boxer, although he was in the process of getting dressed already.

She blushed profusely. Fooling around like they had done last night, in the dark, was one thing, but this…well, being in their underwear around each other was new for them.

Harry realized her discomfort, and blushed too, as he noticed her eyes still glued to his chest, which resembled more and more that of a well built young man, not a scrawny boy.

He hastily pulled a shirt on, and then walked toward her.

“I guess it's best you sneak back to your room and get dressed there” he said, pecking her on the lips. She nodded, and walked toward the door, cautiously opening it to see if anyone was in the corridor.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she hastily turned and pulled his face down for a long kiss, and he responded in the same fashion.

“Good Morning, Ha…” a voice interrupted them, and they sprang apart, blushing madly, to see George coming down the stairs.

The redhead took in the scene, and Hermione's attire, and it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened.

With a smirk, he bowed to Hermione. “And good morning to you too, Hermione”

“George, please, can you keep this quiet till we break the news to everyone? Ron and Ginny already know of us dating, but this added detail…well, they already have difficulties with accepting our feelings for each other, this would only make things more complicated” Harry asked, and George nodded.

“Your secret is safe with me” he said, in one of his rare serious moments. “Of course, a fee of five Galleons is required” he added then with a wink, and Harry grinned.

“Deal. I'll get them to you once we go to Diagon Alley for our supplies” the raven haired boy said, while Hermione scampered to the room she supposedly shared with Ginny to get dressed.

--

The presence of the Weasleys and Hermione's reluctance to share her belief that Sirius was alive and stuck in some other world with them put a damper on their research.

This annoyed Harry quite a bit, so Hermione devised a plan. They would take the needed books to his room, and they would read them before going to sleep, every night.

Needless to say, they didn't do much research, as other activities had the highest priority once inside his bedroom, nonetheless they managed to get some useful information.

According to a very ancient book, which they guessed was more or less three centuries old if not more, there was a link between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and it was speculated that alive wizards and witches had been able to explore it at the very start of magic on the British isles, Merlin being one of those few rumoured to have gone there and come back to tell it.

Unfortunately, that was mostly a legend, and gave them little proof. However, at least they did know their idea wasn't so far fetched as it may seem to some.

“Hermione” Harry called.

“Mmh” she said, flipping the pages.

“I think it's time to get some rest” he announced, as he stood there, changing into his pyjamas. Hermione looked up, and gave him a seductive grin.

“You mean it's time to play, right?” she purred, as she walked up to him, and placed her hands on his bare chest. The heat of the summer, even there in England, had led him to sleep half-naked in the last few days. The fact his top would be tossed away by Hermione almost as soon as he got into bed was an added reason to not bother with it in the first place.

“I'm always ready to play with you, you little minx” he said, before kissing her. His hands went to her bum, and he almost effortlessly lifted her off her feet.

As she was still kissing him, her legs automatically wrapped around his waist to support her weight. He walked them both to the bed, and gently lay her down.

They had talked about taking the next step in their relationship, but both felt it may still be too soon. Of course, Harry, being a teenage boy, was more than ready to plunge into it, but Hermione had told him she wanted to wait for her wedding night, feeling that it was the most appropriate occasion for her to lose her virginity, and he loved her enough to respect her choice.

So, with much willpower, they had always managed to stop before it was too late and their passion clouded their judgement too much.

This night wasn't different and after lots of “play”, as Hermione called it, they cuddled together in his bed, contentedly falling asleep.

--

As the days passed, Harry was disturbed by the fact Ron didn't seem to come around like he had hoped. Of course, he guessed the redhead might need some time, but by now it had been a week since they had told him, and still there hadn't been the slightest sign of his best mate coming around.

Hermione sensed his discomfort as they were reading in the living room, and squeezed his hand. He smiled at her.

Neville and Luna were there too, and both reassured Harry that both Ron and Ginny would come to terms with him and Hermione dating soon, although no one could be certain of that.

Harry appreciated the support, but he knew Ron had always had jealousy issues with him, and fourth year had been a clear sign of that. If the redhead could think Harry truly wanted to participate in a deadly tournament, then what would sway him from the belief that Harry had purposely one after Hermione in an attempt to once more best him? Then, the Hogwarts letters they had received that day, with noticeable delay compared with the previous summers, added another issue to the already strained friendship between them.

Dumbledore had seen fit to not deprive Harry of what he had deserved anymore, and so he got a Prefect badge. Hermione got hers too, which meant they would be the Sixth Year Prefects for Gryffindor, once more leaving Ron behind as the redhead had lost his badge in favour of no one else than Harry himself.

He realized he might have to talk with his short-tempered mate, eventually, to try and smooth things between them, but the memories of how his attempts in fourth year had gone bad kept him from doing so.

Instead, he just hoped time would lessen the blow for his friend and they would be ok again. This was one mistake he would later come to regret dearly, though.

As it was now, though, Harry was more than happy to join in a game of Exploding Snap with Neville, while Luna finished her essay for Flitwick, and Hermione was reading a Muggle novel.

That night at dinner, Molly announced the next day they would head to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for the upcoming school year. It was after all only two days before they would have to board the Hogwarts Express and reach the castle once more.

Harry mused that the summer had really flown by, with Hermione and then Neville and Luna keeping him company. Especially, he was glad for his budding romance with Hermione. If only his other best friend could be happy for them too…

--

The following morning, Harry and Hermione were up and about before Molly could come and call them. They didn't want to risk being caught in a compromising situation by the older witch, who would probably not be happy about them sharing a bed.

As the group Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry realized with a start that they would have to sleep in different dorms at Hogwarts, and wondered how they were going to achieve it for a whole school year when they had become so accustomed to waking up near each other in the morning.

For the moment, though, he had to search for the books he needed inside Flourish and Blotts. Scanning the shelves he gathered two copies of every book they needed, one for himself and one for Hermione. He met her at the entrance of the shop, where they paid for their purchases, Hermione carrying another pile of books dealing with death and worlds in between.

Ron and Ginny kept to themselves for most of the day, and Molly knew her children were taking badly the news of Harry and Hermione dating, she had been surprised herself when they had mentioned it at dinner one night, and if she was honest with herself she was a bit sad too, she had always hoped that her only daughter would manage to charm Harry, but alas it wasn't to be.

After all, she mused as she watched the two teens laugh together to something Harry had whispered in her ear, Ginny might resemble Lily for her physical appearance, more than anything for her red hair, but Hermione was the one who reminded her the most of Harry's mother, with her brilliance, her “no funny business” attitude.

Yes, Molly was sure if Harry was anything like his father, and she knew he was, despite the heavy weight of having to face Voldemort more than once in his life she could see the Marauder hidden in him through his rule-breaking, his recklessness, his bravery, then Hermione was really the match for him.

She had always been able to keep him grounded, and had always been by his side, even when her own children had deserted him. With a deep sigh, Molly nodded to herself. Things were like they were meant to be.

--

Ginny had been watching the couple too. She felt like Hermione had stolen Harry from her. The brunette had been so full of advices the previous summer, “act like yourself around him”, “you shouldn't be so shy when you talk to him”, and now the redhead felt betrayed. Hermione was her best friend, she wasn't supposed to stab her in the back like that.

As for Harry, she had truly hoped things could progress between them after that chat in the library the previous Easter, she had even dated some other boys to make him jealous, but with no result whatsoever.

She had hoped to raise his interest that summer, but Dumbledore, the old fool, had kept them apart most of the break, and when she had arrived, the damage was already done. She needed a way to get back at the boyfriend-stealing bitch and get Harry back, but how?

--

Ron was sulking. Neville was happy with Luna, and Harry with Hermione. He had no one, and he felt lonely. He missed his best friends, but he was also angry at Harry. He knew Ron fancied Hermione, why couldn't he stop himself from going after her? Wasn't Ron allowed to get something Harry didn't have?

With these thoughts, he wandered through the alley, following the rest of the group at a distance. Not even Quidditch Quality Supplies raised his interest above the casual glance to the window, where some new Keeper gloves and a Beater bat were displayed.

He was glad when they all Flooed back to Grimmauld and he could resume his isolation in his room.

-->

7. Start of the Year

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Seven: Start of the Year

The morning of September 1st was as usually hectic at Grimmauld Place. Molly was trying to organize the trip to the station so that everyone was on time. Remus and Tonks had been sent to escort them too, with Mad-Eye Moody and Arthur. The group of six students would be relatively safe with those four adults, plus they had already proven themselves able in combat a few months before.

Harry and Hermione were already down with their trunks, and were currently having breakfast with Luna. Neville joined them a bit later, his trunk placed near theirs in the entrance hall.

The last to arrive were Ron and Ginny, who gulped some breakfast down before being shooed out of the house by their mother. It was already five past ten, they had less than an hour to reach King's Cross, pass the barrier and board the train.

All the way to the station, Harry was tense. He feared Voldemort would try and strike, but it didn't happen. This, however, didn't keep Mad-Eye from barking at them to keep “Constant Vigilance”, as his usual.

Once they were past the barrier and on Platform 9 and Â¾ , Harry and Hermione immediately boarded the train, trying to find a compartment that hadn't been occupied yet. Neville and Luna joined them in the one they found, but Ron and Ginny didn't.

Sighing, Harry pulled Hermione close, and the four friends chatted for a while, till the Express started moving from the station.

From the windows they could see parents waving their hands at their children, and Harry let himself hope one day he might be in their place, seeing his own kids off to the castle. He sincerely hoped Hermione would be on his side, if such a day was ever to come.

--

As pleasant as chatting with Neville and Luna had been, Hermione reminded Harry that they needed to go to the Prefect Meeting.

“We'll see you in an hour or so, I guess” Harry said, taking Hermione's hand and closing the door. They strolled through the train, their badges shining on their clothes. When they finally reached the other end of the Express and entered the Prefect compartment, it was almost full already.

The Head Boy and Girl greeted the new prefects, Harry being one of them, and chastised them about not abusing their position of power, reminding them of what rules they had to ensure, and wishing them a good school year.

They also told the Prefects that weekly meetings were to be held at the castle, and a pattern for those would soon be developed, according to everyone's schedules with lessons and Quidditch practice.

“Attendance to those meetings is crucial to let us know how things are going in the school and if some more drastic intervention is needed, so please try to not miss them” the Head Girl, a pretty Hufflepuff, told them. “Now, you're free to go back to your friends, but remember that some of you need to be patrolling the train once every hour or so, following this schedule” she said, handing them the sheets.

The meeting was then dismissed, so everyone left. Harry lead Hermione by her hand, he was eager to go back to their compartment for some snogging. She must have guessed his desires, because she giggled, and spoke softly.

“We have a few hours left, Harry. No need to rush”

He grinned sheepishly at her, and slowed down. As he did so, he spotted Ron and Ginny in one compartment, with a couple Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

His ex best mate's sister must have sensed him because she looked toward the window and glared at Harry, who sighed and kept walking.

Their stubbornness was starting to get on Harry's nerves. With everything he had been through in the past and what he would need to deal with before the war was finished, wasn't he allowed some happiness too?

When they finally made it back to their compartment, Neville and Luna were involved in an heavy snogging session, with her straddling his lap, her shirt half open, and her skirt hiked up her legs as Neville's hands were making themselves comfortable with the blonde's body.

Harry instinctively shut his eyes, and Hermione chuckled.

“Sorry guys, but you really need to slow things down or we will need to take house points from you” she said, finally catching the attention of the other pair.

Neville blushed profusely, while Luna merely nodded, straightened her clothes, and sat back on Neville's right side, leaning her head on his shoulder. Despite the embarrassment, he pulled her close, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Harry couldn't help smiling at the sight.

--

The train ride continued smoothly, and soon they were at the castle, enjoying Hogwarts' usual feast. Dumbledore had introduced them to the new DADA teacher, a tall, dark haired man that Harry thought inspired respect and seemed to know what he was doing. His name was David Trevors.

Ron and Ginny were still giving them the silent treatment, although Harry had caught the tall redhead looking their way a couple of times.

Maybe there was still hope of reconciling, at least with him.

Right now, he had another problem. For the second time since they had gotten together, he and Hermione would have to sleep away from each other, but this time it would have to happen for the entire school year.

When the common room emptied itself, Hermione showed his same reluctance in going to bed.

“Well, we could always transfigure the couch in a bed and sleep here” Harry suggested, shrugging. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

“And risk being caught by the entire Gryffindor tower next morning if we don't wake up soon enough?” she countered, shaking her head.

“Crazy, uh?” he joked, with a sad smile. Finally, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. Her eyes suddenly widened, but it didn't take her long to succumb to the passion and kiss him back in the same fashion.

After at least twenty minutes snogging each other silly, during which Harry had pinned Hermione against the nearest wall and had his hands exploring under her clothes, just like her hands had unbuttoned his shirt and caressed his chest, grazing it with her nails, they finally pulled apart, lips swollen and breaths ragged.

“At least we can enjoy each other like this before heading to sleep. Poor Neville had to stay apart from Luna since after dinner” Harry joked, his forehead resting on hers.

Hermione smiled. “That is true” she said softly, tracing his cheek with her left hand.

Finally, Harry pulled back. “We better get some sleep now” he said, and she agreed, albeit sadly.

“Sleep well, and dream of me” he cheekily called to her as she was going up the stairs to the girls dormitory.

She laughed, and nodded. “You can bet on it” she called back, and he grinned, before blowing her a kiss and disappearing up the stairs.

She sighed contentedly, and went to get some sleep herself.

Needless to say, the next morning they were visibly less rested than when they slept in the same bed, but they had to get used to it. Hand in hand, the two of them went down to the Great Hall to grab a bite and receive their schedules from Professor McGonagall.

As Harry was reading his own, he groaned. “Great start. Double Potions with the Slytherins”

Hermione nodded. “I know. But after that we have DADA, I really wonder how this new teacher is” she said. Harry agreed, sipping his pumpkin juice.

--

The day proved to be pretty uneventful. Snape was as stern as ever toward Harry, but the young man was used to it by now. He used all his willpower not to respond to Malfoy's taunts, otherwise he would only get in trouble, and thankfully he was successful. The fact Hermione was holding his hand under the table helped too.

The new Dada teacher was a person who didn't accept funny business. Malfoy got kicked out of the room five minutes after the lesson started, for having called Hermione a Mudblood.

“I guess we won't see you here anymore, Mr. Malfoy. Your choice of words clearly shows you have no intention of fighting the Dark Arts, instead you're quite set on embracing them” Professor Trevors had shouted, pushing the blonde boy out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

Harry already liked him.

That night, after dinner, he and Hermione went to the library to resume their research about possible parallel worlds between life and death. If something on it could be found, the Hogwarts library would provide them the information, the brunette was sure of that.

For three hours they scanned big tomes, which they charmed to look like their school texts, and took notes on possible interesting facts. But in the end, when they headed to the Common Room, they knew little more on the subject than what they had been able to find at Grimmauld Place.

Sighing, the tired couple kissed good night, and then trudged up the stairs to their respective dorms.

--

While Harry and Hermione were involved in their research in the library, Ginny Weasley was wandering in the corridors. The Common Room with its happy atmosphere was suffocating her. She was still brooding over Hermione stealing Harry from her, and she didn't notice where she was going.

Suddenly, a hand pinned her against the wall, holding her by her neck.

“You should be more careful where you wander at night, Weaslette” a cold voice drawled. Ginny was scared. Being pinned to the wall by Draco Malfoy, his hand around her throat, wasn't exactly how she had envisioned the evening to go.

“Leave me alone, Malfoy” she growled, trying to appear sure of herself. But she wasn't, and he knew that. He smirked, releasing her throat, which she immediately massaged.

“I know you're angry at Scarhead and the Mudblood. I've heard they are together now, shagging each other's brains out” he said. “Pathetic” he muttered then, almost too lowly for Ginny to hear it, but she did. “I can help you get revenge on her, on them”

“I don't want your help” Ginny growled, before walking away from him. Draco just smirked, watching her go.

“She sure has filled out nicely” he thought to himself while walking back to the Slytherin common room.

On her way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny was replaying their encounter in her head. Sure, she was angry at Hermione and Harry for getting together. She also suspected they had been shagging, after all Hermione snuck out of their room every night at Grimmauld Place. She wondered if her parents knew about her nights spent with Harry. Maybe she could write them about it and use them to break the pair.

That was definitely something worth some thought, she smirked evilly as she changed for the night. And then there was Draco. He was a Slytherin, of course. But he wans't bad looking. Maybe she could seduce him and charm him to do her bidding. This way, she wouldn't be suspected of being the one breaking Harry and Hermione up.

As sleep took her, she thought her plan was brilliant.

-->

8. Researches and Alliances

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Special thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Eight: Researches and Alliances

Next day, Ginny sent Draco a note to meet her at midnight, in the Room of Requirements. He knew how to get there, since he was with Umbridge when the DA was discovered the previous year.

The Slytherin sneered, glancing at her neat calligraphy once more. “Who knows, it might be easier than I thought” he smirked to himself as he walked through the deserted corridors of the castle, finally finding himself in front of the door to the Room of Requirements.

He entered, and scoffed as he saw it was mimicking the Gryffindor common room.

“Don't like what you see?” a voice surprised him from his left. He turned to see Ginny advancing toward him, a seductive smile on her lips, and swaying her hips just a bit more than normal.

He had to restrain himself from laughing.

“Planning to seduce me, Weaslette?” he drawled, looking at her. She was pretty, if you were able to look past her blood-traitor heritage. Maybe he could have some fun with her.

“I dunno” she purred. “What do you think?” she added then, running her hand on his chest.

Draco was startled to see a cozy love chair appear out of thin air, and let her drag him there, hand in hand. She pushed him down, and then sat on his lap.

“You know, you're quite handsome when you're not insulting people” she whispered in his ear, and he had to restrain himself from groaning. She sure knew what she was doing, and he had to be careful to not let her get the upper hand.

Retaliation was what he needed at the moment, and so he suddenly kissed her hard, making her eyes widen in surprise and then moan in pleasure as his right hand tweaked her hardened nipple through the fabric of her shirt.

He didn't stop his assault on her mouth, his tongue forcibly plunging inside, and exploring, as she kept herself stead with arms looped around his neck.

Another moan escaped her throat as he started kissing her neck, finding a particularly sensitive spot. He knew she would soon feel his own state of arousal, and he didn't want her to realize she had even the smallest amount of power over him, so he suddenly stood up, pulling her up with him as he did so, and a bed appeared, just as he had wished.

Laying her there, he resumed his ministrations, and soon the redheaded girl was putty in his hands. He ripped her shirt open, and soon the bra followed. He took her nipples in his mouth, first one and then the other, just as his hands wandered down and slipped under her skirt.

An hour later, a glassy eyes Ginny lay spent on that bed, completely naked, after having been brought to orgasm three times. Draco smirked at her, as he Scourgified his hands.

“I guess this means you accept my offer to help you get revenge on Pot-head and the filthy bookworm” he sneered, and she nodded lazily.

“Then, let's get you back to Gryffindor Tower, shall we?” he said. Since most of her clothes were ripped, he offered her his Slytherin robes.

“Silver and green looks good on you” he smirked, and she grinned. However, she knew she could not go in her dorm with Slytherin colours on herself, so she Transfigured them to look like her house ones by the time she was in front of the Fat Lady.

“Meet me again tomorrow night. I have an idea to start getting back at the bitch” Ginny said, and Draco nodded, before quickly making his way to his own dorm. A night encounter with Filch was not what he wanted to experience at the moment.

--

It was a week after the start of the term, and Hermione was reading the Prophet while sipping her coffee, as she and Harry were having breakfast, when the owls with the mail swooped in.

The brunette recognized her own owl, Apollo, and was eager to read what her parents had to tell her. She had sent them a letter the previous day.

Her smile, however, vanished as she read it. Harry sensed her change in mood, and looked up from his plate to see what troubling her.

Reading over her shoulder, he frowned too.

Hermione,

We are appalled at you. We let you sleep

in Harry's room this summer because we thought

we could trust you, but it seems you failed to meet

our expectations, young girl. Honestly, having sex

with him so soon after you two got together!

Mum and Dad

“Someone must have wrote them some lies” Harry said, and Hermione snorted.

“I could have guessed than on my own, Harry” she snarled, and the raven haired boy moved away from her, hurt by her snappish attitude.

She realized what she had done, and turned to him.

“I'm sorry, Harry” she said softly. “It's just, I can't believe someone would write them such blatant lies! They know I want to wait till my wedding for that!”

He rubbed her shoulders soothingly. “Don't worry, sweetheart. We will write them back and explain everything. Plus, I have a good idea of who might be behind this” Harry said, his gaze shifting toward the end of the table, where Ginny was doing her best to hide her smug smile at Hermione's distress, but failing miserably.

It was then with a happy bounce in her step that she walked to her next class, Charms, unaware of the angry Harry Potter stalking after her.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm roughly, and she turned. Her anger at her attacker vanished instantly when she found herself looking inside the green orbs of Harry.

“Oh, hi Harry. Where is Hermione?” she asked with fake innocence in her voice. “Has she locked herself up in the library again? I can keep you company” she purred, but he just glared at her.

“Don't fool yourself into thinking I don't know it was you, Ginny. Pull another stunt like this one and you'll have to face my anger” he icily hissed, before releasing her and walking the other way.

“I'm going to get you, Harry, mark my words!” she shouted after him. Harry just raised his middle finger at her, not even bothering to stop walking.

--

Neville and Luna had just entered the library. They were late, Hermione and Harry had asked for their help to speed up the research process, but they had been, er…sidetracked…right after dinner, which caused them to be twenty minutes late.

As they sat down in front of the other pair, they were greeted with a curt nod.

“You know, Luna, you should take care which side you put your skirt on, in the morning. Right now, it is backwards” Hermione remarked, hiding a smile, as she never looked up from the book she was reading.

Harry snickered, while Neville blushed crimson red, suddenly finding the book he had just grabbed from the pile on the table extremely interesting.

“Actually, I got it right this morning” Luna said, unfazed. “It was while I dressed in a hurry to come here after the quickie I just had with Neville that I got it wrong”

By now, Harry was almost howling with laughter, and doing a bad job of keeping it in, and Neville wanted to disappear. Hermione blushed too at the blonde's directness.

“Never mind” the brunette said, effectively ending the discussion.

That night wasn't much more enlightening than the few previous ones, as they only found vague references to worlds which were a mid-step toward death. They did, however, find some information on the Veil.

The Veil in the Department of Mysteries had been created around 1080 by Barnaby the Brilliant, but few know its true nature, which is why it is still being studied by Unspeakables. Some people claim they could hear voices from behind it, but this is thought to be part of the legend about the Undead Limbo, a place where supposedly some people were stuck, not dead, but not alive too either here, as they weren't in this world anymore.

“A legend” Harry growled. “There's nothing more than a legend about it” he said, slamming his head on the table.

“Maybe we could ask Dumbledore if he knows anything” Luna suggested.

“No!” Hermione and Harry both whispered furiously. “Dumbledore will just tell me that he is in peace now” Harry said. “Maybe he is right” he added then, shrugging.

“Harry…” Hermione pleaded with him, and he nodded. “I know, I know. I guess I'm just tired”

“We better call it a night then” Neville said.

The four friends agreed, and Neville accompanied Luna to her tower, claiming he wanted to be sure she got there ok.

“And get your good night kiss” Harry piped in, making him blush.

“You should be careful, Mr. Potter, or you might not get your own” Hermione mock threatened him, and Harry immediately asked for Neville's forgiveness.

The other Gryffindor accepted, but as he walked away, he muttered something resembling “Whipped”, glancing back at the other pair who was hastily making its way to Gryffindor Tower.

--

As soon as they were inside the common room, Harry immediately pulled Hermione to him, kissing her fiercely, their tongues immediately meeting and clashing together in a fight for dominance.

It had been several hours since he had been able to do that, and he could feel she was impatient too, by the way her hands frantically opened his shirt and slid over his chest, before she unbuckled his trousers, and slid her hand in there too, over his growing erection, her lips never leaving his own in the process.

His hands weren't much less active, as they wandered under her skirt, to caress her perfectly round bum over her panties, before moving to the front, where he could feel a damp spot.

“Eager much?” he whispered huskily to her. They knew they were alone, as no one was going to be up at such an hour, and so they were a bit bolder than usual.

“You can't imagine how much” she said, pulling him down with her on the couch, where they continued their heated rendezvous, unaware of Neville entering the common room.

The other Gryffindor boy covered his eyes as he slipped unnoticed up to the boys dorm, shaking his head with a smile at their friskiness.

Not that he was much better when he was with Luna, so he couldn't really complain.

--

As Hermione's birthday drew nearer, Harry took some time to plan a surprise for her. It was her first birthday since they had become a couple, and he sincerely hoped it would be the first in a long series of eventful celebrations.

He had already gotten her a present while in Diagon Alley, now he snuck to Hogsmeade, his cloak and the Marauder's Map trusted companions to avoid Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris. Emerging from the trapdoor in Honeydukes, Harry reached a well know Wizarding jewellery, and placed his order with the clerk.

Once assured that the shipping would not be delayed and would fall exactly on September the 19th , he paid the required amount of Galleons before making the trip back to the castle.

He met with Hermione in the library, but told her he would be back soon, he just had a thing to check.

She looked at him amusedly, but then let him go. The raven haired boy really hoped she wouldn't get mad, but he needed Dobby's help with this.

--

On her birthday, Hermione woke up, went through her usual morning routine, and walked down to the common room. She expected Harry to be there to wish her an happy birthday, but he wasn't.

Frowning, she walked to the Great Hall, where she found him, engrossed in conversation with Neville and Luna. He barely acknowledged her before resuming his conversation, and kept ignoring her for most of the day.

She couldn't believe he could have forgotten her birthday, not when they were finally dating! So, it was an extremely grumpy Hermione who plopped down on the couch in the common room that afternoon, hoping to forget about her anger doing some assignments due in a couple weeks.

As she opened her Transfiguration book, she found a single white rose with a Protection and a Freshening Charm that kept the scent strong and the flower intact even if it had been inside the book, and a short note,

Meet me in the Room of Requirements for dinner

Harry

A smile immediately graced her features as she took in the wonderful scent of the rose, and she wondered if he had done the same on all of her books. She found he hadn't, which told her just how well he knew her if he could guess what book she would open first after being so upset.

“He didn't forget, he just wanted to let me think he did and then surprise me” she thought fondly as she walked to the Room of Requirements.

As he heard the door opening, Harry turned, and his mouth dropped open. There she was, in a simple black dress which exalted her natural beauty, a nice V-neck which showed part of her cleavage, her hair elegantly cascading in soft curls on her shoulders.

She had never looked more beautiful to him.

“You're gorgeous” he told her as he chivalrously kissed her hand, and led her to the candle-lit table for two he had just finished setting.

They ate quietly, a meal made of all her favourites, finishing with a Sacher cake that they shared.

Once she unwrapped her gift, a rare first edition of Charms from the Ancient Times by Griselda Fawnerbanks, a book she had wanted for ages, and a beautiful locket with an heart pendant with their initials engraved on the back, she felt tears of joy welling up in her eyes.

“Harry, really, you shouldn't have…” she started, but he interrupted her, clasping her hand in his own.

“Hermione, I wanted to. You mean the world to me, and this is just a small gesture for me to show you” he said, kissing her softly.

As if on cue, slow music started playing, and he grinned at her, then bowed.

“Would you concede me this dance, Milady?” he asked, and she chuckled, wiping away the last tears.

“I would be honoured, my lord” she replied, taking his offered hand.

They danced together for a long time, and Hermione knew she had never been happier in her life as she was right at the moment.

-->

9. The school year progresses

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Nine: The School Year Progresses

Harry woke up, as usual by now, alone in bed. Light was permeating into the room from the window, and he knew he had to get up, but he really didn't want to.

His dream had been really pleasant, involving him, Hermione and a white sand beach.

Hearing the other Gryffindors stirring and starting to get dressed, he sighed, and finally got out of bed himself.

Trudging to the bathroom, he took a long shower, before putting on his school uniform and Gryffindor robes.

He walked down to the common room with Neville, who made no mention of Harry and Hermione's activities of the previous night, as they chatted amiably. Seeing that his girlfriend wasn't there, Harry guessed she had already gone to the Great Hall for breakfast, so the two boys continued their way out of the portrait hole, and down the moving stairs.

Finally, they joined Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

“Good morning luv” Harry greeted her with a peck on the lips. That had become an habit for them, even if at first Harry had wanted to keep it a secret that they were dating. Voldemort was already powerful enough without supplying him with another weapon to use against them in the coming war.

However, the Weasleys' coldness toward them and the fact the two of them spent most of the time together quickly made the other students whisper, and so it was useless to keep hiding it.

As they finally walked away from the Great Hall and toward their first lesson of the day, Transfiguration, Neville excused himself to go and spend some time with Luna. Hermione and Harry nodded with a smile then continued walking toward the classroom.

Harry, chivalrously, took her bag with the books, and she playfully rolled her eyes at him.

“I'm not a china doll, Harry” she said, and he grinned back.

“I know, but I like to spoil you” he retorted.

That day, McGonagall had them start on Human Transfiguration, assigning them four chapters to read, and then she randomly asked questions to see if they had understood what the text said.

Hermione, as usual, replied correctly to all questions, and earned Gryffindor fifteen points. Harry couldn't be more proud of her.

--

As the week progressed, a notice appeared on the board in the common room that Hogsmeade weekends would start that week. Harry knew with whom he wanted to go, and he was pretty sure she would agree, but you can never be so sure, so that night as they were in the common room, writing a five feet long essay on the proprieties of Vampire Blood in potions for Professor Snape, he cleared his throat, then spoke.

“Hermione, this week there's a weekend at the village, and I was thinking…well, if you wanted to…”

The brunette had to smile at his shyness. “Of course, Harry. I'd love to go with you. We are, after all, dating, aren't we?” she asked with a small smile, and he flushed.

“Well, I didn't want to assume…” he started rambling again, and she couldn't help thinking how cute he was at the moment. Putting her quill down, she turned toward her boyfriend and planted a light kiss on his lips.

“Don't ever change, Harry” she said, looking lovingly at him, and he grinned.

No other words were exchanged that night, as they finished the assigned essay, but the silence wasn't awkward. Most of the time, they could communicate without words, with a simple glance, and even when they weren't doing that, Harry always felt the silence to be comfortable, with her.

So, when the weekend finally arrived, the four teenagers, Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville, were making their way down to the village, glad for a chance to relax a bit, as they had kept meeting at night in the library to do some research on the midway worlds between life and death and were understandably a bit tired.

Lately, Luna had brought them some old issues of the Quibbler in which her father had addressed the matter, but Hermione wasn't sure they could trust that, as much as she thought of the blonde as a dear friend.

Right now, though, they only wanted to relax and enjoy the still warm weather, strolling trough the small village.

As they made their way to the Three Broomsticks for lunch, though, Harry noticed Ginny with someone. He wasn't jealous, of course, however he was curious to see who had raised her interest now. Maybe, if she started being friendly toward them again, Ron would soon follow…

He almost tripped, though, as the mane of blonde hair accompanying her was revealed to be Malfoy.

Nudging Hermione, he pointed to the far away couple, raising his eyebrows.

“Ginny and Malfoy?” he said, sceptical.

Hermione shrugged. “I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid. I wish we could tell Ron, but considering how our relationship with him is now, I doubt he would listen” the brunette frowned, still staring at the odd pair. Neville and Luna were interested too.

However, the group agreed that it wasn't their business, and that there were already enough hard feelings as it was between them and the redhead siblings, so they quickly entered the pub, engrossed in some other topic of conversation.

--

The stares of the other couple, however, hadn't gone unnoticed. “See, I told you this would surely catch Scarhead's attention” Draco whispered in her ear, and she shivered, moving closer to him. The Slytherin boy inwardly smirked.

“It did” Ginny admitted. But if she was honest with herself, she was starting to lose interest in Harry's reaction to her. Draco's touch always set her on fire, and she couldn't get enough of him. His friends had been hostile, at first, but he had such an authority over them that even Parkinson now didn't insult her anymore, albeit she could see the other girl glaring daggers at her quite often.

She could understand her. After all, the Slytherin prefect had always thought she and Draco would be together, and now Ginny was in the way. But Draco loved her, right? And she was going to enjoy the attention.

The fact he was downright hot and quite skilled in bed was a plus.

Smirking smugly at the fact the four were still watching them, she turned and snuggled closer to Draco, kissing him softly, just as the little group entered the pub, which meant they didn't notice the display of affection.

Ginny frowned for a moment, but then shrugged.

“Want to go to the Shrieking Shack?” she seductively suggested. Draco wanted to laugh. The redhead still thought she had some kind of power over him.

Sure, she was hot, and a good shag. Much better than Parkinson and Bulstrode, that was sure, but after all, it wasn't exactly difficult to be better than those two trolls. But if she thought she had some control in their relationship, she was sorely mistaken.

However, he let her think that. Till she was sure of having that control, she wouldn't be scared and wouldn't leave his side. He could keep manipulating her, and use her for his scopes.

--

The whole school from third year upwards was enjoying the day at the village, but Ron wasn't as giddy as most of his companions. He wandered through the streets, glancing at the shop windows, occasionally kicking a pebble that was in his way.

Zonko's managed to keep his attention for some minutes, but he had seen better pranks from his twin brothers.

Honeydukes was full of squealing little kids, and he just bought some Liquorice Wands, Sugar Quills and few other candies, and then walked away, munching on them.

All in all, he was lonely.

At the school, he had started hanging out with Dean and Seamus, and they were fun, but now…well, both were with their girlfriends, Parvati and Lavender, and he was left alone.

Sighing, he made his way back to the castle, and that was when he spotted his sister with Malfoy, heading toward the Shack. Narrowing his eyes, he quietly followed them, wanting to wring the Slytherin's neck for touching his sister. When she kissed him hungrily as they stepped inside the ruined building, however, Ron froze.

She was with Malfoy out of her free will, and she seemed quite content with it.

Careful to not be seen, Ron walked back to the village, and then to the castle. What he had seen had left him thinking. Sure, Malfoy wasn't exactly the boyfriend he would have chosen for his little sister. But if he made her happy, something he couldn't say of Harry, who would have been the redhead's choice, then who was he to protest?

At least, she seemed to have found someone who could distract her from the pain of seeing Harry and Hermione together.

He couldn't say he had been so lucky. Seeing his former best friends kissing, holding hands, being all lovey dovey with each other still made his stomach burn with anger. He knew he was being irrational, but he couldn't help it. Which was why he still kept his distance from them.

--

The Quidditch season had started. Harry had been appointed captain, another thing that disgruntled Ron, who however was still on the team as Keeper.

Harry hoped playing together on the team could reconcile them a bit, but as the first practice came, he realized he had been mistaken.

Ron barely talked to him, and when it was Harry who spoke to the redhead, the other boy merely nodded when needed.

In two hours of training, they hadn't exchanged a single word. Of course, the fact that Harry was busy trying out new Beaters and Chasers due to the twins, Angelina and Alicia being out of school now, didn't help.

That night, Harry barely reached the common room before crashing on a couch. He was completely knackered, and fell asleep in five minutes time.

Hermione, noticing his absence from dinner, was thoughtful enough to bring him a plate with some food, and she gently shook him awake.

After a moment or two regaining his bearings, Harry smiled thankfully at her.

“You're an angel” he said, as he tasted the delicious food she had brought him. “My angel” he added then pulling her close for a quick kiss, and she blushed, but smiled, pleased.

Once he was finished eating, he went to change his clothes and have a quick shower, before meeting her in the library, where they were examining some old tomes she had discovered that afternoon.

As they read, Hermione glanced sideways at him, biting her lip. He looked up in that precise moment, and grinned at her. He loved when she did that.

She blushed as he took her hand in his own, entwining their fingers.

“Harry, I was thinking…” she started, unsure of how he would take her suggestion.

“Yes, honey?” he said, now giving her his full attention.

“Maybe we should start learning Legilimency and Occlumency”

-->

10. Trouble in Little Whinging

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Ten: Trouble in Little Whinging

Harry was taken aback.

“Why do you suggest that?” he asked, now serious.

“Well, see, I was thinking, Voldemort might try to use your connection again to trick you, so maybe you should close your mind to him” she explained, a bit nervous.

He thought about it for a while, and he realized it made sense. True, Sirius might not really be dead, but still it had been a close call. He didn't feel like risking something like that happening again.

“I think you're right” he said. “Occlumency will surely be handy. And, since I'm not going to let Snape teach it to me again, I guess at least you should master Legilimency so you can help me train”

She nodded, happy that he had accepted her suggestion. Making a mental note to search some books on the matter the next day, she resumed her reading.

--

As the first Quidditch match arrived, it was Gryffindor against Slytherin, Hermione was tense, watching the pitch from the stands. She knew Slytherins always played dirty, and feared for Harry's safety.

The fact that her boyfriend was reckless didn't do anything to ease her worry.

Covering her eyes at every bold move Harry made on his Firebolt, she let the gasps coming from the stands, followed by cheers, tell her if he had smashed himself on the ground yet or not. For the moment, he was still up in the air, trying to shake Malfoy from his tail, as he flew at full speed toward the Snitch, or so Hermione guessed.

Gryffindor was losing 120 to 20, due to Ron's disastrous play as Keeper, and Hermione felt bad for her former friend. She knew how much the redhead liked the sport and playing so badly was not going to raise his spirits, which from what she could see everyday when they met him in the corridors, were far from good.

Harry really needed to catch the Snitch soon, before it would be too late, and he knew it. Malfoy was taunting him as usual, but Harry was concentrating only on the little golden ball flying in front of him.

He was almost there, almost there, just a few more inches…

Suddenly his Firebolt jerked, and he turned to see Malfoy pulling Harry's broom to him. With a growl, Harry flattened himself on the handle, accelerating and effectively escaping Malfoy's grasp. The Snitch, however, was gone.

The boos from the stands told him Slytherin had scored again. The situation was getting desperate. Suddenly he spotted it. A grin spread on his lips, as he rocketed at full speed toward the Gryffindor stands, the little speck of gold hovering just over it.

Malfoy stood no chance, and Harry was a few meters in the lead when he realized that if he grabbed the Snitch where it was right now, he would crash himself straight into…Hermione!

Steadying himself for his boldest move ever, he turned upside down on his broom, and let it zoom just a couple meter over her head, outstretching his left hand toward the Snitch. As he closed his fist, he could feel the winged ball in it, and grinned, steering the broom upwards so that he would avoid hitting the other Gryffindors in the stands.

As he resumed a straight position on his Firebolt, he zoomed in front of the stands, his fist raised in victory, and stopped in front of Hermione, hovering there, and outstretching his other hand to her.

Blushing furiously, she took his hand and with his help mounted on his broom, then he flew the two of them away from the crowd, kissing her as they landed in the middle of the pitch.

Ron, who was walking toward Harry to congratulate him and thank him for helping them win even with the redhead's awful play, stopped in his tracks, jealousy resurfacing once more, and he stomped the other way.

--

That night, after the party in the common room, Harry and Hermione started working on his Occlumency shields.

She had quickly grasped the basics of Legilimency and could provide the not too forceful approach needed for him to start learning how to defend himself from someone probing his mind.

It took him three hours, but in the end he managed to build shields strong enough o resist her probing, even when it became a bit more forceful.

“Good job, Harry!” Hermione complimented him. “I'm really proud of you” she said, pulling him down on the couch with her for a kiss. He gladly obliged, and started sliding his hands under her sweater, making her shiver as his rough skin wasn't exactly warm.

It didn't take him much to find her bra and unclasp it, lifting the offending garment over her mounds.

She kissed him with new enthusiasm and even more passion as his hands started playing with her hardened nipples, and her legs locked around his waist, grinding their crotches together. She could feel him getting aroused, and was glad of the effect she had on him, because he was definitely getting her aroused, as her damp panties could prove.

“Oi! Get a room, you two!” Neville called to them as he entered the common room after a meeting with Luna which had gone more or less along those same lines. Well, to be truthful, it had gone quite a bit further, the Gryffindor boy thought with a blush, recalling their heated encounter in the Room of Requirements, where he and the blonde Ravenclaw had made love to each other three times.

The two lovebirds immediately sprang apart, embarrassed, as Hermione hastily covered herself, looking down.

Harry wrapped his arms around her, but she moved away, and up to the stairs to her dorm. The raven haired boy sighed, scratching his head, while Neville told him he was sorry and had no idea Hermione would be so upset. Harry reassured him it wasn't his fault, then remained for a while alone in the common room, staring at the fire and wondering how to make it up to Hermione.

--

For a couple weeks she avoided most intimate contact with him, limiting their exchanges of affection to only quick pecks on the lips.

Finally, he confronted her about it.

“Hermione, look, I'm sorry that we got caught by Neville the other night, ok? I didn't like it any more than you did, I can assure you” he said, and she nodded, still looking down.

He pulled her close, and this time she didn't resist. “Maybe we should follow their example and make some time to meet each other in the Room of Requirements” he suggested. “There, no one could walk on us”

She nodded into his chest. “I'm sorry for how I reacted these days, Harry” she admitted. “I was so embarrassed!”

He soothed her, both with words and rubbing circles on her back, and finally she looked up, Harry wiping away a couple tears with his thumbs, and she smiled warmly at him.

“I love you” she said, before claiming his lips in a deep kiss.

“I love you too, Hermione” he said, resting his forehead on hers, once they parted. “It kills me to see you sad”

“I know” she whispered, caressing his face. “I'm glad we are ok now” she admitted, as he took her hand and they walked out of the portrait hole to the Room of Requirement for some quality time together.

--

The four friend were studying in the library when suddenly Madam Pince appeared, quite troubled to say the least, and spoke.

“Mr. Potter, the Headmaster wants you immediately in his office” she said. Harry exchanged a look with Hermione and after a curt nod they both ran to the spiralled staircase guarded by the gargoyle. It had been instructed to let them pass without a password, and a minute later, they were inside the office.

“Ah, Mr. Potter. I see you thought wise to bring Ms. Granger with you” Dumbledore smiling said, his eyes twinkling, but not as much as usual.

“I'm sad I have to report to you a bit of bad news, Harry” the Headmaster continued then, seriously. “It seems that Voldemort had decided it was time to make an appearance, and sent his inner circle of Death Eaters to attack your relatives on Privet Drive. Order members are currently there, fighting to protect them”

“I want to go” Harry said, determined. His eyes were burning, and Hermione knew he hoped to find Bellatrix there.

“Now, Harry, the Order is definitely able to control the situation…” Dumbledore said, but Harry wouldn't be swayed. He remembered his chats with his aunt, and as much as he didn't care for Dudley and Vernon, he wanted to make sure she was safe. In the end, the Headmaster sighed.

“Very well, Harry. If you want so much to go…” the old man said, and prepared him a Portkey to the Dursleys' home. Hermione joined him on the trip, and when they more or less graciously landed there, they found the house on fire, and a skirmish between some Order members and a few Death Eaters still going on.

“Reducto!” Harry cried, striking down one of the two dark wizards, while Hermione silently cast a binding charm on another, just as their new DADA Teacher Professor Trevors had taught them to do.

“Harry!” Remus Lupin said. “What are you doing here?” he reprimanded the boy once the last two Death Eaters had been overcome too.

“I wanted to make sure they are safe” Harry said.

Tonks looked nervously at Harry, then at Remus, who nodded. Sighing, she spoke.

“Harry, your uncle and your cousin were killed in a most atrocious way” she said, telling them how the two male Dursleys had been cut to pieces.

“What about my aunt?” Harry asked, worried. Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder in a sympathetic gesture.

“She's been brought to Grimmauld Place. She's safe, luckily she managed to hide long enough for us to arrive, this upset the Death Eaters who set the house of fire, but she got just a couple burns” Remus explained, his face suddenly tired and weary.

Harry nodded, deep in thought.

“I'd like to see her” he said then. Hermione wasn't as surprised as Remus and Tonks by his request, he had told her about his aunt's different behaviour that summer.

Few minutes later, they were all in the Order's Headquarters, and Harry was chatting with his aunt, reassuring her that she would be safe there, and expressing his condolences for Vernon and Dudley.

Petunia nodded, and caught sight of Hermione, waiting on the other side of the room and nervously glancing their way now and then, even if she was involved in a conversation with Tonks.

“She's a nice girl, Harry” Petunia said. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Harry's grin spread wide. “Yes, she is. Amazing, really. I still can't believe it myself, I never truly expected her to like me back”

“Albeit you being a bit strange” his aunt joked, “you are a nice lad, Harry. Don't put yourself down” she told him and he actually laughed, and nodded.

“Take care, Aunt Petunia. Hermione and I have to go back to school, but we will visit at Christmas, for sure, if not sooner”

They kissed each other on the cheek, and then Remus prepared a Portkey to the school for the two teens, who embraced each other and then touched the object, feeling the usual tug behind their navel, before landing back in the Headmaster's office.

-->

11. Finding Some Information

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Eleven: Finding Some Information

As the attack on the Dursleys was discussed that night, Dumbledore, Harry and Hermione all agreed that Voldemort had wanted to stop Harry from renewing his blood protections the next summer. If the attack managed to lure Harry out of the school and be captured, all the better.

This is why Dumbledore had waited till the situation was mostly under control to alert Harry of the attack, and while the raven haired boy could see the logic in that, he didn't necessarily like it.

Hermione managed to calm him, though, as they were walking back to the Gryffindor common room.

“You know that Dumbledore only has your well being at heart” the brunette told her boyfriend, squeezing his hand.

“Hermione, you and I, as well as Dumbledore know that in the end it has to be me against Voldemort, no one else. He can't keep me safe and out f the battle forever. I have the right to fight my battles” Harry protested.

“And you have to be ready to fight Voldemort when the moment of the final confrontation comes. Can you honestly say you're ready to duel the Dark Lord to the death and come out victorious?” Hermione looked sceptically at him.

Harry remained silent.

“Thought so” Hermione said. Then, stopping in her tracks, she pulled Harry to her, cupping his face in her hands.

“I know you will defeat him, Harry. I have faith in you. But the time is not right yet” she said, and he could see she was sincere.

“Thanks” he croaked, wondering what had he done to deserve her love. He claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, and she yelped as he lifted her from the floor and pinned her against the nearest wall, snogging her silly.

“You had already stooped so low, Scarhead, but snogging a Mudblood…” a cold voice drawled. The pair sprang apart, and in a flash Harry had Malfoy slammed against the wall.

“Never. Call. Hermione. A. Mudblood” he hissed, his green eyes flaring with anger. Then he left the other boy, who slid to the floor, massaging his throat, as the pair walked away hand in hand.

--

When Malfoy made it to the Room of Requirements, where he had a meeting planned with Ginny, he found her already there, the room reflecting the cosy atmosphere needed for an amorous encounter.

The Slytherin had to admit, the redhead was really pretty, and shagging her was fun. He knew she, as every Gryffindor, thought feelings were involved, and he knew they were, on her part.

Draco had always been good with the ladies, although his house didn't offer much material to practice with, so the fact that Ginny Weasley, Weaslette as he liked to call her, was falling for him wasn't so surprising.

As for his own feelings, his policy had always been to never get attached, but he was starting to think that maybe this time it wouldn't be so easy.

The Weaslette was passionate, funny, had a smart tongue, all qualities he liked in a woman. The fact she had an hot body was a well accepted plus, thank you.

So, that night, after they had made love to each other for hours, Draco found himself staying, for the first time, pulling her lose and snuggling before sleep took them both. Ginny smiled contentedly at his gesture, as her eyes closed for the tiredness.

--

It was by now a couple months since school had started, and Ron found that apart for the Hogsmeade weekends when they would be with their girlfriend, hanging out with Dean and Seamus was fun. Of course he missed Harry and Hermione, and now and then he would cast a longing glance at them, but he knew he wasn't ready yet to see them snogging and such. And he wondered if he would ever be.

“Hey, Ron, car to join us in a tournament of Wizard Chess?” Seamus called, and Ron grinned.

“Ready to lose again, Finnegan?” Ron asked, walking to that side of the common room with a grin.

“Aye, mate. You are the toughest player I ever tried myself against, but after this comes Exploding Snap, and there it's you who should be afraid of losing” the Irish called back, clapping him on the shoulder.

This was how the three of them spent most of the evening playing against each other, Ron obviously beating both of them at chess, but just as obviously losing badly at Exploding Snap.

When they finally decided to call it a night, they were the only ones left in the common room. Seamus and Dean bid Ron good night, but the redhead remained there, sitting on the couch. He had seen Ginny sneak out of the portrait hole earlier that evening, and she still wasn't back.

“I hope she's not doing what I think she's doing with the ferret” Ron thought, almost angrily. That was the moment the hole slid open, and Neville barged in, a stupid grin on his face.

“Night, Ron” he called as he walked up the stairs.

The redhead cracked a smile, and wished him good night too.

“Even Neville has got himself a girlfriend” he thought ruefully once he was again alone. “And what a girlfriend! Loony, I mean, Luna Lovegood has grown to be a really pretty girl” he mused,.

Few minutes later, as he had finally decided to give up waiting for Ginny and was climbing the stairs to his dorm, Harry and Hermione stepped in, both whispering to each other, grinning madly.

Hermione blushed at something Harry had told her, and the raven haired boy chuckled, before kissing her long and deep, and finally parting ways with his girlfriend.

Ron, who had witnessed the whole scene thinking maybe it was Ginny who was coming in, quickly scurried up to the dorm, and slid into his bed to avoid Harry knowing he was there.

That night, the redhead cried himself to sleep once more, as for the umpteenth time he had proof he would never get Hermione to like him.

--

It was by now a few days after the Little Whinging attack, and Hermione was working with Harry on his Occlumency shields.

The fact he hadn't been able to feel Voldemort's mood when the attack had been done was good, of course, but they knew to fully master Occlumency Harry needed to work constantly on it.

It was time for Hermione, who had in the meantime learned Legilimency very well, to start being more forceful in her probing. Voldemort wouldn't use silk gloves if he were to try and break into Harry's mind, after all.

The raven haired boy responded very well, but he also felt he was getting more and more tired. As Hermione did her last attempt for the night, Harry was too weak to resist her, and she managed to get a good glimpse at his memories, in particular to the memories of his first ten years with the Dursleys, before he pushed her out.

“Oh, Harry!” Hermione cried, flinging herself at him, and holding him tight as tears escaped her eyes. “I had no idea it was this bad!”

He held her close, too, inhaling the vanilla scent of her hair, and sighed. “I never openly talked about it, did I?” he said then, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckled shakily, pulling back slightly, and kissing him briefly.

“I'm even more amazed that you turned out to be such a gentle, caring young man, Harry” she admitted.

He blushed at her praise, but looked down. “Well, it is mostly thanks to you, you know” he said, then, pulling her to him again. “You're the most amazing young woman I could have had the luck to know” he said, and from his eyes she knew he meant every word , and that they came from the depth of his heart.

They kissed for a little while, hands roaming in an escalading passion, but sadly their playtime was cut short.

“As much as I'd like to continue this,” Harry said with ragged breath, his eyes twinkling in mirth, “we need to get going. Neville and Luna may already be waiting for us in the library” he said, and Hermione scoffed.

Harry laughed heartily.

“Ok, so maybe they won't be already waiting for us, still we need to get going” he said, taking her hand. They walked down to what Harry had come to call “Hermione's sanctuary”, which earned him a slap on the arm every time he said it, and made their way to their usual table.

Surprisingly, Neville and Luna were already there.

“I'm shocked” Harry said, deadpanned. “I would have never expected you guys to be here on time” he continued, smirking, and Neville blushed madly.

“That's because we did it right here” Luna said, airily, making Neville blush even more and both Harry and Hermione look at her with wide eyes.

“Merlin's beard!” Harry muttered under his breath.

When they had all calmed after Luna's revelation, Harry covered himself and Hermione with his Invisibility Cloak, and the two of them slipped inside the Restricted Section. Then, he made two more trips to accompany Neville and Luna there too.

All Harry's hopes to find a way to bring Sirius back, if he really wasn't dead, lay in the forbidden part of the library, and so it was with an heavy heart that he joined his friends in the research.

As they were almost about to call it a night, Hermione gasped loudly, and Harry had to put an hand over her mouth to avoid her making more noise and risk giving away their position.

“What's so interesting?” Harry asked, looking over her shoulder to the book she was holding. It was called Death and similar though the ages.

“Listen to what it says here” the brunette replied, and started reading.

“While many think that there are only two worlds, the world of the living and the one of the dead, many legends have arose through the ages about a world in the middle, where those who weren't dead, but not alive either, remained stuck for all of eternity.

While knowledge of this possible other world is not widely known, and it is mostly regarded as legend in present times, at the origins of magic it wasn't so. Many believed in a midway step, let's call it so, between our world and death, Merlin himself being one of those who helped in developing rituals to access this other world”

“So it exists then!” Harry excitedly said, and Hermione nodded, then continued reading.

“Merlin has left diaries in which he detailed the journeys he made to this other world and back, thanks to rituals that allowed him to go through the barrier between the worlds and then return to this one, the Veil currently held in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic being the way to access the Undead Limbo. However, the proceedings to complete the two ways trip are dark, as to call back a person from that Limbo, one must sacrifice another human being, his blood being the mean to balance the equilibrium between the worlds”

“What?” Harry gasped. “To try and get Sirius back we must sacrifice a person?” he said, horrified.

“It says so here” Hermione confirmed, looking at him apologetically. “I'm sorry, Harry” she said then, pulling him close and comforting him as possibly the last hope to bring Sirius back was gone. Harry would never kill someone just to get his godfather back, and all of his three friends knew that very well.

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12. A Fight and a Night-time Encounter

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

I warn you, there's a bit on angst here. I don't think their relationship would be totally realistic without fights and such, after all.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twelve: A Fight and a Night-time Encounter

Saying that Harry was moody after having discovered that he wouldn't be able to bring his godfather back was an understatement.

For days he was unapproachable, snappish and gloomy. While Hermione could understand his disappointment, she was also tired of him snapping at her every time she tried talking to him.

“Harry, will you please just talk to me?” Hermione pleaded with him again.

“Leave me alone” he hissed through gritted teeth.

The brunette huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “Honestly, Harry! Stop wallowing in your self pity!” she shouted at him, and he glared at her, his gaze murderous. Suddenly, he stood up, and shouted.

“What do you know about what I'm going through right now? Uh? Thought it would be fun to make me think I could have Sirius back, and then watch as my hopes got crushed?” he shouted, advancing toward her.

“Harry, I…” she stammered, tears prickling at her eyes. Did he really think she had enjoyed giving him false hope? How could he?

“Shut the hell up!” he growled, and for the first time in her life Hermione was truly scared of him.

Letting her tears fall, she spoke again.

“I-If you think of me this way, then maybe we shouldn't be together anymore” she stammered, before running away from the common room, almost knocking Neville down in the process, as the boy was entering the portrait hole at that moment.

Harry let himself fall back into the armchair, sulking.

“Why was she running like that?” Neville asked, puzzled.

“Probably went to entertain herself with the books she loves so much” Harry spitefully said. Neville sighed, and sat in front of him.

“Harry, mate, I know you don't want to hear me saying this now” Neville started. “But you really screwed up big time, whatever you said to her”

And with that he left too, leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

--

It had taken him several days, but finally Ron was confronting his sister. She had often manage to avoid him, but not today.

“What are you doing, Gin?” he spat, glaring at her.

“What do you mean?” she said, annoyed.

“You very well know what I mean!” he shouted. “You're always hanging out with Malfoy!”

“Maybe I found myself someone who really cares about me, something I can't say of you” she retorted, glaring back.

Ron scoffed. “Malfoy doesn't care about anyone that is not himself, you know that” he said.

“He's changed” Ginny said. “Now, if you were so kind to let me go, I've somewhere else where I need to be” she haughtily said, making her way past him.

“I see. You've become his whore then” he said, and his sister spun on her heels faster than you can say Quidditch, slapping him with full force, and leaving a red mark on his cheek.

“I thought you had more respect for me, Ron. Especially since those two…those two betrayed us! We need to stick together, and what do you do instead? You call me a whore! Why don't you call Hermione that? She deserves it much more than me!” she cried, tears spilling on her cheeks, and ran away.

“Bloody Hell” Ron muttered, massaging his cheek. “Maybe she truly feels something for the ferret” he mumbled under his breath as he made his way back to the common room. On his way, he spotted a mane of curly brown hair, which he immediately recognized as Hermione, and by the way her shoulders were shaking, she was crying too, while going into the library.

“What's up with girls and crying tonight?” he mused, scratching his head, and keeping going up the stairs. He had a feeling Harry had hurt her somehow, and he felt he wanted to punch his former best friend for that.

Harry, however, was nowhere to be seen when Ron entered the common room, and he wasn't in the dorm either, so the redhead tried to get to sleep, still angry at Harry for making Hermione cry.

--

It had been a few days since the fight and consequent break-up, and Hermione kept avoiding Harry like the plague. Neville and Luna kept themselves away from him too, most of the time, and he knew they were probably comforting her.

He knew he had been a jerk to her, and now that he had cooled down a bit more since the disappointment of finding that ritual, he realized his accusations were completely unfair.

She had done nothing else than trying to help him, and what if she had given him false hope? She hadn't meant to do so, she truly believed Sirius could be saved.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair, lying on his bed, and wondering how could he beg for her forgiveness. The few days that had gone by had been hell for him, and he knew that he was nothing without her.

Deep in his thoughts, Harry was startled by the door of the dorm opening. He looked that way just to see Neville sheepishly poking his head in.

“Harry, are you awake?” the boy asked, and Harry nodded. Neville approached him, and nervously sat on the bed too.

“Uhm, Harry…I need to ask you a favour. Since today is Luna's birthday, I'd like to sneak into the village with her, so…”

Harry grinned for the first time in days. “You need the cloak and the Map, right?” he asked his friend, who nodded.

“Take them, they are in my trunk. Just, don't lose them, ok?” the raven haired boy said, and Neville nodded, taking the two objects and then walked away. As he was closing the door, Harry called him back.

“Neville…”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Do you know where Hermione is?” Harry asked, hopeful.

“I think she is in the library doing some research. She was there half an hour ago” Neville said.

Harry nodded. “Good luck with Luna” he winked at Neville who blushed. “Good luck to you too, Harry” the other boy said before leaving.

Harry sighed, and ran his hand through his hair again. It was time to stop being a git.

--

Neville nervously led Luna by the hand through the grounds, till they reached the Whomping Willow, the Invisibility Cloak draped over their forms and the Map having made sure that they met no one during their trip there, especially not Filch or some prefect doing the rounds.

As they emerged in the Shrieking Shack, Luna was most interested in exploring it, but Neville had other plans for the evening, so he gently led her away from it and to the heart of the village.

They ate quietly at the Three Broomsticks, and there Neville gave her a wrapped package that was her gift. Well, the second gift he had given her that day, to be truthful.

She quickly unwrapped it, and was amazed at the finely crafted necklace. It had a silver radish pendant, and she had to wipe away a couple tears, as she realized he had had it made only for her.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him soundly on the lips, engaging in a battle of tongues with his own.

“I love you” she told him, her big blue eyes full of emotion.

“I love you too, Luna. You're an amazing girl and I'm so lucky to be with you” he said, pulling her close for another kiss, even more heated than the first one.

As luck was on his side that night, Luna suggested they spend the night there, and he didn't protest. Madame Rosmerta winked at them as she directed them upstairs, where a few bedrooms were, knowing exactly what would take place there.

She knew it was against school rules, but everyone had been a teenager in his/her own time, and she knew young love was something extraordinary. So what if the two teens spent the night together out of school grounds once in a while?

It took them few minutes to have all their clothes thrown in a pile on the floor, and Neville soon started kissing Luna's neck. He might be shy around others, but he and Luna had a deep understanding and he felt completely comfortable around her.

Sliding one hand between her legs, he was surprised but pleased to find she was already wet, as he started caressing her clit with his thumb, eliciting high pitched moans from her. Luckily the room was soundproof, bless Rosmerta for that he briefly thought, but couldn't continue down that line of thought as Luna's hand wrapped itself around his erection, stroking him, and making him grit his teeth as a wave of pleasure hit him.

“You like that?” she purred and he nodded.

“God, Luna, you're going to be the death of me” he hissed, as he pulled her on top of him for a passionate kiss, while his hands played with her hardened nipples, making her writhe against his crotch.

Then he took one in his mouth, flicking his tongue at it, grazing it with his teeth, and sucking. She kept pushing his head toward her bosom, and he dutifully exchanged nipples, not wanting one to feel less loved.

Then he trailed kissed down her abdomen, before he moved back upwards, sliding into her.

“Oh, Neville!” Luna gasped when she felt him filling her, and slowly starting to move, his rhythm quickly gaining speed. Her hips instinctively matched his strokes, her muscles clenching as her release neared.

“Nevilleeee!” she finally cried into the night as wave after wave of pure bliss hit her, and at the same time she felt his seed spilling inside her, and the boy collapsing on her side, spent but happy.

For the first time, they were free to cuddle as long as they wanted after having sex, and Luna sighed contentedly as she rested her head on his chest, his arm wrapped around her naked body, before both fell asleep.

--

Harry tentatively stepped into the library. He knew where she would be, at their usual table in the back. He hoped she could forgive him, although he knew he wouldn't forgive himself, if he were her.

Sighing, he made his way to that table, and there she was, scribbling furiously. He smiled warmly, albeit a bit ruefully. He knew there was a good chance that he had screwed up the best thing to ever happen to him.

Gathering his courage, he approached the table, and sat down in front of her. She looked up, startled, and gasped in surprise as she saw him smiling at her.

She hastily made to pick her things up, but he gently stopped her, holding her wrist.

“Hermione, wait” he said, his tone a bit pleading.

“What do you want, Harry?” she said coldly, glaring at him. Honestly! After what he said to her, he had the nerve to show up and want to talk to her?

“Hermione, I screwed up, I know that. I'm sorry for what I said the other night, I was so upset that we couldn't find a way to bring him back, but I had no reason to take it out on you” he admitted, and from his eyes she could see he was truly sorry.

Still, he had hurt her badly.

“I know I probably don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm here to apologize. I'm sorry, Hermione, and I know now that I can't live without you. I guess when they say “you don't know what you have until it's gone” they really know what they are talking about” he attempted a joke, and albeit she was doing her best to keep glaring at him, he spotted her lips turning up in a half smile, and his heart soared.

Maybe, just maybe…

Hermione was confused. She wanted to stay mad at him, but his lost expression, the hollow in his eyes told her he had probably berated and punished himself enough as it was.

After a couple minutes of absolute silence, she made up her mind.

“Harry, I believe you. Just, you hurt me really badly. I think I need some time to fully forgive you, so I'd appreciate it if you left me alone now. I need to be by myself to think”

He nodded, if he was honest with himself he had expected nothing less from her. She was a very strong person, and wouldn't run back into his arms just because he said he was sorry. He appreciated that in her, he truly did.

Standing up, he walked back to Gryffindor Tower, leaving a pensive Hermione behind, staring at his retreating back.

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13. Making Up and A Solution

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Thirteen: Making Up and a Solution

After their meeting and Harry apologizing, Hermione was once again friendly toward him. But strictly friendly.

She wanted to make sure Harry learned his lesson well, even if that had her use all her willpower to not kiss him senseless every time she saw him, or go comfort him when they would be alone in the common room and he would throw her a longing glance, his eyes dull as if something inside them had died.

And yet, she knew she shouldn't go back to being a couple immediately, otherwise she would look weak.

She wasn't weak.

However, after a week her resolve broke. They were studying in the common room, at two different tables, and they were the only ones still there.

She tried to resist, but curiosity got the best of her, and she looked up to glance at him. She noticed he wasn't writing his essay, he was simply doodling on his parchment, his mind clearly a thousand miles away.

Frowning, she went against her better judgement, and walked to the table where he was.

“What's wrong, Harry? Why aren't you doing that essay?” she asked.

He shrugged, like he didn't care. “It's not worth it” he whispered. “Not anymore”

Hermione was shocked to see a stain suddenly appearing on the parchment, and realized it was a fallen tear. Looking up at him, she noticed he was furiously brushing them away from his eyes, then he suddenly stood up and started walking away.

Her heart wrenching in her chest at the pain he was obviously going through, she instinctively reached out for him, grabbing his wrist.

“Harry” she called softly. He turned, his expression a mixture of annoyance for having to face her in such a vulnerable state and hopefulness, wondering what she was going to tell him.

She didn't speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down for a heated kiss.

He didn't have to be told twice, and lifted her up from the floor effortlessly, his hands placed on her bum to sustain her as he effortlessly walked them to the couch, gently laying her there, trailing kisses all over her face, and down to her throat, pushing her robes down her shoulders and revealing her white shirt, which he slowly unbuttoned, following the descent of his hands with kisses.

He unclasped her bra, pushing its straps down her shoulders, while her hands were buried in his hair, pushing him down toward her now exposed chest.

Once her bra was removed, he cupped both her breasts with his hands, fondling her nipples, tweaking them as they hardened, all the while kissing her with all the pent up passion of those few weeks they had been apart, fuelled by the fear of having lost her forever that had consumed him since their break-up.

“You're overdressed, Potter” she hissed as she worked on his shirt, pushing it down his shoulders and caressing his chest, not anymore that of a scrawny boy but the one of a growing young man, with developing well sculptured muscles. She grazed his nipples with her nails, and he growled with desire.

Hermione still had a hard time getting used to the reactions she could elicit from him, and his growl sent a jolt of warmness to her core, dampening her panties even more. As his hands slid under her skirt she bit her lip, knowing what was coming next.

It took him few moments to slip a finger inside her, making her whimper, trying to contain her moans. He grinned wickedly at her, and cast a silencing charm on the room with his wand, before resuming his ministrations.

As he slipped another finger in, and then a third, he felt her muscles contracting, and he knew she was close. Smiling inwardly, he decided to try something new, so he buried his head between her parted legs.

“Harryyyyyy!” Hermione cried as she felt his tongue probing her entrance, and then circling her clit. He kept it up, lapping at her love juices and slipping his tongue inside her, till she arched her back, shaking, as wave after wave her orgasm washed over her.

When she finally calmed down, he crawled back up to her face, kissing her deeply, letting her taste herself n his lips.

“Harry, that had to be the most intense orgasm of my life yet” she thanked him as they parted.

“I'm glad you enjoyed it, as that was my goal” he grinned, pulling her close. “I'm so sorry, Hermione, and I've learned the hard way just how much you mean to me” he said then, turning serious.

Hermione smiled, nodding. “I know. I admit I left you stewing a bit longer so that you'd learn your lesson well, but then tonight I saw just how much pain you were in for the whole ordeal, I knew I couldn't torture you any longer” she said, tracing his chest with her finger.

As both were too tired, both physically and emotionally, to get up and go to their dorms, Harry cast Disillusionment and Notice Me Not charms on them, then he pulled her against him, and they fell asleep cuddling together, for the first time since that summer.

--

Ron was angry. Since that night he had spotted Hermione crying he couldn't find it in himself to forgive Harry for hurting her.

Sure, they were ok now, they were even back together, and as close as ever. The two of them had even started being a bit more public with their displays of affection, and the redhead knew whatever Harry had done, Hermione had fully forgiven him by now.

So, if she had forgiven him, Ron shouldn't have been angry, right?

Yet, he was. He couldn't forget the image of her crying, it was burned in his brain, and knowing it had been Harry who had made her cry had him angry at his former best friend.

Adding to the fact that he still fancied Hermione, and felt he would never have made her cry. the resentment the redhead felt toward Harry was even grown larger.

Never mind the fact Ron himself had made Hermione cry more than once thru the years, and over petty matters too. That was before he fancied her, or so he justified it to himself. And anyway, they weren't together at the time.

So, it was a sulking Ron who walked toward the Quidditch Pitch for practice, that afternoon. Harry being the team captain, Ron wondered how he was going to get through the following two hours without beating the crap out of the Boy-Who-Had-Everything.

Sighing, he slung his broom over his shoulder and covered the rest of the distance to the changing rooms.

--

Ginny had been ecstatic when she had heard of the break-up. Not that she wanted to get together with Harry, mind you. Not anymore. Now she had Draco who satisfied her completely, and she didn't need Harry.

Still, knowing the bitch was in pain and had broken up with Harry almost made her shout with glee. Maybe the raven haired boy was starting to see what a failure she really was as a girl. Sure, she could be handy in a fight, or to do research. But as a woman? Ginny was ten times better than her. In her looks, in her flirtatious attitude, and of course in the sack.

Ginny wondered if maybe Harry had gotten tired of her lack of skills in bed and that lead to the break-up.

“Would be priceless” she had mused.

However, when they got back together, Ginny was not as happy. Not at all. The bitch wasn't in pain anymore, and the redhead wanted to make sure she would be. She had to talk to Draco about it. They needed a plan for a definitive break-up.

Ginny had promised herself she would bring Hermione down, and she was going to, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

--

Just as Harry was starting to get used to the fact that he wouldn't be able to bring Sirius back to the world of the living, even if his godfather was technically still alive, only trapped in another world, Luna sent him a note to meet her in the library that night, she had something she needed to show him.

So, after dinner, Harry excused himself from Hermione, showing her Luna's note, and wondering what the Ravenclaw might have to show him.

The brunette agreed to wait for him in the common room so that they could discuss whatever the Ravenclaw had come up with, if Harry deemed it interesting.

Walking to their usual studying and researching spot, Harry found the blonde surrounded by open books.

“Oh, hi Harry” she greeted him with a smile. “I see the Rattleskanks haven't ruined the note I sent you” she added then, as he sat down.

Harry was mildly taken aback by her comment, and shook his head. “Er…no, they haven't” he confirmed. “So, you told me you had something to show me?” he asked, wanting to get down to business.

“Oh, yes. I would have invited Neville and Hermione too, but he's busy with Professor sprout with an extra curricular activity in the greenhouses, and Hermione…well, I think the matter is a bit delicate, so it would be better if the two of you discussed it alone” she explained, grabbing a thick book from her bag, and scanning it till she found the needed page.

Harry wondered what might be delicate enough that he and Hermione would have to discuss it alone, and took the offered book.

“It's a solution to the ritual problem” the blonde explained, pointing to a particular passage. “I stumbled upon it doing some research for Ancient Runes. I call it the Pure Blood Ritual” she added then.

Harry scoffed. “I don't want anything to do with Purebloods” he said, and Luna shook her head, completely unfazed by his snappish tone.

“Not Pureblood, but Pure Blood. A blood that is pure, a blood that holds virtue in a certain sense” she explained, motioning for him to read.

Rituals involving blood were common in the past, albeit most of them are now banned because deemed dark magic, and not wrongly so, as they usually require a quantity of blood that causes the death of the subject.

However, what most wizards do not know is that not all bloods are the same, and they have different properties, especially different powers regarding rituals and potions, for example.

From an analysis based on some Ancient runes power when activated with small amounts of blood, it has been found that purer blood is more magically powerful. This means that small quantities of purer blood can have the same effect of big quantities of non-pure blood.

Now, for the sources of purer blood, the most known is that of a virgin.

Of course, what characterizes a virgin as one, and which symbolizes her virtue, is the hymen, her maidenhood.

When the hymen is broken in a sexual encounter, it spills a small quantity of blood. That small quantity, coming directly from the symbol of a woman's purity and virtue, is the most powerful blood that can be used in rituals, and even if the quantity is small, it holds the power needed for all the ancient blood rituals, which would have instead required litres of blood from a normal human being, causing his death.

Harry looked up startled. “You mean that if we use the blood of the hymen of a virgin, we could make the ritual work and call Sirius back to life?” he asked, to be sure. The blonde nodded, smiling prettily at him. Harry grinned and flung himself at her, hugging her tight, feeling his heart swell with affection for her. He kissed her on the cheek, and then pulled back.

Luna was blushing the tiniest bit. “You're lucky no one is here, or you could be in trouble with Hermione for that” she joked with him, and he grinned sheepishly at her.

“Sorry, I got carried away” he admitted. “Now, the problem is to find a virgin and someone to have sex with her so we can collect that blood” he mused.

“That is why you have to speak with Hermione alone” the Ravenclaw said, and Harry suddenly understood. Of course, they couldn't trust someone they didn't know very well to do it, and they needed to be sure the girl was a virgin.

Hermione was one, but she had told him she wanted to wait for her wedding night…could he ask it of her?

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14. The Ritual

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Fourteen: The Ritual

As Harry came back from his meeting with Luna, he was still deep in thought. Could he really ask Hermione to give up her dream to keep her virginity till her wedding night just so that he could have Sirius back?

It turned out that the matter wasn't really in his hands. As she had promised, Hermione wanted every detail of what Luna had told him, so Harry sighed, and steadied himself for what he was about to tell her.

Hermione listened to him attentively, and when he was finished, she had an unreadable expression on her face.

“Hermione, I want you to know, the decision is only yours. I won't be mad if you choose not to do it. I'm getting used to the idea of never seeing Sirius again anyway” he shrugged, trying to be strong.

He knew he would never pressure her into taking part in that ritual, and he was also sure he could find a replacement if he so wished, but that would mean he would have to shag another girl. There was no way in the world he would break Hermione's trust like that.

He had already hurt her enough as it was with his angry outburst a few weeks before. Plus, he had a dream too. Since he realized he was in love with Hermione, Harry had vowed to himself that she would be his first, and if he had anything to say about it, his last too.

It was her or no one, but of course he didn't tell her that.

Finally, she spoke. “Harry…I know I said I wanted to wait, but if this is what it takes to bring Sirius back…” she started with a hesitant smile, then she sighed. “I'll do it”

“Hermione, luv, are you sure about this? I know it meant so much to you to wait till your wedding night” Harry asked her, taking both of her hands in his own, and looking her straight in the eye.

“I won't lie, Harry. I really wanted that. But…I can't be selfish when sacrificing my virginity can save a life, can I?” she shrugged. Harry knew she was trying to be strong for him.

Silently, he pulled her to him, and hugged her tightly, letting her know he would support her whatever her decision was. “You don't have to feel obliged, Hermione. I can live without him” he told her again, and she pushed him away roughly.

“Not everything is always about you, Harry!” she snapped, but then immediately softened, realizing his hurt at her words.

“I'm sorry, it's just that I really want him back too” she admitted. “And knowing I have the power to bring him back or not…well, that's a lot of pressure” she said.

He nodded. As they were in the Room of Requirements, they didn't have to worry about some fellow Gryffindor finding them in the morning, so Harry asked the room for a nice, fluffy bed, and it suddenly appeared.

“Why don't we sleep on it, and you can make your final decision tomorrow?” he suggested, pulling her toward him.

She smiled warmly at him. “You're too thoughtful for your own good, Harry” she teased him, before settling against his chest, a sheet covering them and a fireplace roaring and keeping them warm.

Just before sleep engulfed them both, he kissed her deeply. “I am only that way when it comes to you, Hermione. You're very special to me, you know that, right?” he said, and she nodded, sighing contentedly as she let her mind wander to a realm of dreams, a realm where she and Harry had already been intimate lots of times, each time better than the previous.

--

When morning came, Hermione was the first to wake up. She wondered briefly where she was, and then she remembered the previous night. She knew that today she would have to give Harry her answer. And she also knew what her decision would be.

Sacrificing her virginity for bringing Sirius back was a price she was willing to pay. She had witnessed first hand what the possibility of bringing him back meant to Harry, when they had had their huge row over the impossibility of doing it without killing someone else.

She wasn't going to let him down this time. Plus, what she had said last night was true. She had grown quite fond of Sirius herself, and if she was truthful, she had felt she deserved part of blame about what had happened that night, for not having dissuaded Harry more forcefully when he wanted to go to the Department of Mysteries.

Giving up her dream to wait till her wedding night for her first time was a way for making up for her mistake, too.

So, when she felt him stir, she lifted herself up till she was at his eye level.

“Good morning, handsome” she murmured, inches from his lips, before kissing him. She felt him smile against her lips.

“Good morning, sexy” he greeted back when they parted. She giggled.

“I'm going to do it, Harry” she said, then, turning serious. “I'm sure” she added then, seeing his look.

He sighed. “Very well then. Make sure to let your father know this was your decision though, wouldn't do to bring Sirius back and then be killed myself by my gorgeous girlfriend's dad, would it?” he said, trying to lighten the mood. She swatted him lightly on his arm, and nodded.

--

In the following days, Harry, Hermione, Luna and Neville did more research, so that they would be able to have a detailed plan of how to go through the ritual. They snuck inside the Restricted Section again, to look at the book where they had found the first ritual. After all, they had to follow its instructions, only use the blood from Hermione's maidenhood instead of that of a man.

“Bugger, we have to hurry” Harry swore as he read a particular line. “It says here that the ritual can be performed only on two special days, Halloween and New Year's Eve. Since Halloween's gone already, we have to be ready in three weeks time” he said. They were, after all, at the beginning of December.

The fact they had to do it on a break period made another problem arise. “Harry, my parents and I usually go skiing at Christmas” Hermione said. He nodded.

“I know. Although, I doubt you will this year, what with them being hidden at Grimmauld and such. Still, we will need to ask for their permission” Harry mused.

“Then there is need of a priestess” Hermione noted.

“I can do that” Luna offered, and Harry thanked her. Hermione scowled, though.

“Here it says the priestess has to be naked during the ritual” she pointed out. The blonde looked at her unfazed.

“So, what's the problem?” Luna asked, and Hermione felt ridiculous for a moment. She wasn't overreacting, was she?

“The problem is, I don't want my boyfriend seeing you naked” the brunette finally protested. “And I bet Neville wouldn't be so happy about that either”

“Actually, I don't have a problem with that” Neville smirked. “Harry will be so wrapped up in you that he will barely notice you two aren't alone” the boy said, and both Harry and Hermione blushed.

That problem settled, they agreed that they would owl each other over the break to let the others know if they were still going to follow thru with their plans. Of course, the biggest problem would be to sneak into the Department of Mysteries again, as the ritual had to be done in front of the Veil, being that the blood had to be smeared upon it before calling Sirius back to their world.

--

The next few weeks passed in a blur for Harry and Hermione, both extremely nervous about confronting her parents and asking for their permission to have sex.

His girlfriend had been adamant that she wanted to do that in person, while Harry thought wise to start warming them up to the idea beforehand by letter. Anyway, he didn't protest too much. They were already stressed enough as they were.

Finally, the pair found themselves at Grimmauld Place, in a locked room with Hermione's parents. They were a bit worried by the ashen faces of the teens sitting in front of them.

“You didn't get pregnant, did you, pumpkin?” her father Michael said, voicing his worries.

“What?” Hermione shrieked. “No, no not at all! Although…” she replied.

“Although?” Madeleine repeated, to keep her daughter talking. Squeezing her hand, Harry cleared his throat, then he spoke.

“Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger…” he started, but her mother shushed him.

“Call us Michael and Maddie, dear” she reminded him. Harry smiled nervously.

“Ok then. Maddie, Michael, Hermione and I would like to ask your permission to have sex” he said. The shocked faces of her parents were enough to let him know he needed to elaborate, so he went into a retelling of the ritual they had found, and how they planned to use it to bring his godfather back.

Stunned silence met him when he was finished.

“Well, one can't say it isn't for a noble reason…” Michael said, breaking the tension. “I'll admit it, Harry, I'm not entirely fond of you and my daughter being involved in such actions, when you are the father of a teenage girl you'll understand how I feel, but for now just know even if she's a grown up now, she's still my little princess and I won't stop seeing her as such anytime soon, if ever. But, I give you my permission” he said, smiling.

Madeleine was in agreement with her husband, so in the end the issue was settled. They were going to proceed with their plan. Now they just needed to let Luna know and find a way to breach the Ministry once more.

--

Christmas morning came with snow, that year, and Hermione couldn't help grinning. She loved snowy Christmases. Doodling on Harry's chest, she watched the little snowflakes fall outside, while in the house they were warm and cozy.

The Weasleys had gone to visit Charlie in Romania so there was no risk of seeing the sulking face of Ron or the haughty looks from Ginny.

Hermione knew her parents would sleep in, they always did since she had stopped believing in Santa Claus, so when Harry finally woke up, and after having kissed him good morning, she led him out of bed, despite his protests, and down to the living room, where the Christmas tree was.

Together, they opened their presents, Harry being surprised to find one from his Aunt Petunia there too. No sooner than he had opened it, the older woman peeked inside the room, and smiled warmly at her nephew.

“I hope you'll like it, Harry. It's not much, but…” she said, and the teenage boy went to hug her and kiss her on the cheek.

“It's great” he said, holding the album of photos of his mother in his hand, and peering through it. All her friends had been right, she was truly a beautiful woman. He felt a surge of affection for Hermione, knowing Lily would have approved of his choice of girlfriend.

Hermione got a couple books from Harry, and a silver bracelet with various charms on it too, while he got a new Quidditch robe from her, and another small photo album, this time of the two of them. He had kissed her quite thoroughly when he had seen it, unknowingly putting a show on for her parents, who had silently padded down the stairs and could now easily see just how much in love the two were.

--

On the night of New Year's Eve, Harry, Luna and Hermione found themselves in front of the red phone booth that was the visitors entrance for the Ministry of Magic.

One by one they gained entrance to the deserted atrium. When they took the lift to the Department of Mysteries and gained entrance there, Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He had honestly thought it would be harder.

Finding themselves in the spinning room, Harry trusted Luna's judgement as she claimed she knew which door would lead them to the room with the Veil. She was right.

Approaching the antique artefact, Harry could again hear the voices. Steeling his resolve, knowing Sirius would be out of there soon, he conjured a stone altar, like the instructions for the ritual told.

After all, inside the Ministry he couldn't be caught for doing underage magic. The monitor for it was only active on places where there wans't supposed to be magic from adults, which meant pretty much only the Muggleborns were subject to the law.

Hermione grimaced, and Harry smiled at her. “The book never prohibited Cushioning Charms” he winked at her, placing some on the cold surface.

Then, following the book instructions, Luna started stripping first, as she had to perform some duties as priestess before the couple started their part of the ritual, and she needed to do them already naked.

As she tossed away her robes, then unbuttoned her shirt and slid down her skirt, Harry was trying hard not to stare. However, he could easily see that the blonde had a very well built figure, with an ample bosom, well bigger than Hermione's he had to admit, and a slim waist, with a nice butt.

As the Ravenclaw discarded her flimsy, lacy black underwear too, Harry felt himself getting aroused against his will, and panicked, wondering what Hermione must think of his reaction.

The brunette, however, was amused at his discomfort. The fact he was trying not to stare and get aroused was enough to prove his faithfulness to her.

Whispering inside his ear, she eased his situation.

“It's ok to look, you know. I can hardly blame you” she said, flicking her tongue to his earlobe and making him shiver.

In the meanwhile, Luna had placed a couple charms from the book on the Veil, and walked back to them. Her blonde trimmed bush proved without doubt that she was a natural blonde. As he and Hermione started undressing after having received Luna's ok, Harry fleetingly thought that Neville was an hell of a lucky guy.

He, however, couldn't complain about Hermione's body. Not at all. While Luna might have bigger boobs, Hermione had a decidedly better bum, and he just loved caressing it.

Helping his girlfriend out of her panties, he did just that, before he led her to the altar, where she lay down. With a flick of his wand, a pink glow engulfed her for a few moments, signalling the contraceptive charm had been properly cast.

Hermione felt a surge of love for him, seeing that he had thought of that even before she could do it herself.

He could see she was nervous, and he was too if he was honest with himself. So he decided to ease her into the mood, kissing her fully on the lips, and gently thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Soon, she responded, and kissed him back, burying her hands into his hair. Harry let his own hands caress her sides, and then move to the front, where he cupped her breasts.

“You're gorgeous” he whispered to her, and she smiled, pleased, then moaned as he took a nipple in his mouth, circling it with his tongue, nibbling on it, all the while fondling her other one with his thumb.

She could feel his erection pressing into her thigh, so she wrapped her right hand around him, making him hiss at the sensation. Stroking him gently as he kept lavishing her nipples with affection, she inwardly smiled with feminine pride gauging his reaction.

As he moved downwards, trailing kisses over her stomach, she had to let go, and resumed burying her hands in his unruly mane of ebony hair, her whole body aflame with the sensations he was eliciting in her. She knew he was skilled, almost naturally so, from their previous encounters, but this tome he was outdoing himself.

It took him a few minutes to reach her legs, and what legs she had, he fleetingly thought, as he started kissing them from her calves upwards, moving closer to his real target. As he lay feather-like kisses on her thighs, she writhed under his touch.

“Harry!” she cried, begging him not to tease her. He smirked, and obliged her, plunging his head directly over her core, his tongue playing with her little nub of nerves, making her go crazy with pleasure, her back arching and her hands keeping him firmly there.

She was wet, drenched for him, and he felt his shaft harden even more at the thought. He had never desired her as much as now. As his tongue entered her opening, he felt her quiver, as her first orgasm washed over her.

He didn't hold back though, and by the time she turned the tables on him she had come two other times already.

“My turn” she huskily whispered as she grabbed him again, and stroked him, quicker this time. Harry could only lay back and let her have fun with him. It was only fair, after all.

However, he was shocked to see her give him a mischievous smile and then lower her head to his crotch, circling his head with her tongue, then slowly engulfing his erection in her mouth, her head tentatively bobbing up and down as she gave him a blowjob. He had never had one before, but somehow he knew she was doing great.

Had he not been too busy to think at the moment, he would have thought she might have read about it somewhere.

“Hermione, slow down,” he hissed through his teeth. “or I'm gonna cum soon!”

She nodded, and after a last, long lick of his shaft, pulled him out of her mouth. Then, she straddled him.

“Make love to me, Harry” she said, her eyes glazed over with passion and love for the young man currently under her. He nodded, and turned them so he would be on top. Then, slowly, tantalizingly so, he touched his tip to her entrance, then retreated, only to touch her outer lips again.

“Harry!” she growled, and he actually chuckled. Then, he finally slipped in, careful not to hurt her very much, although he knew he couldn't avoid all of her pain.

Hermione held her eyes shut, wondering how much it would hurt, and then she felt it. A stinging sensation, and something warm oozing out of her. A moment later, that liquid was gone, the only indication that they weren't alone, as Luna, who had attentively watched the whole process, had banished her blood to the golden cup they had brought with them.

Hermione, however, didn't notice, as she was too engrossed in the now pleasurable sensation Harry was giving her, sliding in and out, slowly. Harry himself was past the ability to notice what was going on around him, amazed at her tightness, and at how well she fit around him, just like a glove.

“Faster, Harry!” she cried, and he complied, picking up speed, pushing deeper into her, knowing the pain was fully gone now.

Their cries of ecstasy reverberated through the big room, Hermione leaving nail marks on his back, Harry feeling his climax approaching, as he pumped inside her with all his might, Hermione meeting his thrusts one by one, in a perfect rhythm.

“Mioneee!” Harry cried at the same moment Hermione shouted his name, and felt him spill himself into her. That drove her over the edge for the fourth time that night, and both collapsed on the altar, next to each other, too tired to do anything else but lovingly caress each other's face.

Luna instead walked to the Veil, and completed the ritual. Collecting Hermione's blood, she smeared it over the centre of the archway containing the Veil, then chanted the required incantation.

“Sirius Orion Black, I hereby call you back to the world of the living, as the blood of a sacrifice has been spread to pay for your return” she said, in her usual ethereal tone, her eyes closed and her hands outstretched toward the Veil.

For a minute or two nothing happened, and Harry started to dread he had taken Hermione's virginity for nothing, then a blinding white light forced the three of them to shut their eyes tight.

The next thing they knew, a familiar voice was heard.

“Hey, cub, I didn't think you were the threesome type, you little pervert”

-->

15. Padfoot and A New trouble

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Fifteen: Padfoot and a New Trouble

“Hey, cub, I didn't think you were the threesome type, you little pervert”

“Sirius!” Harry grinned, waving his wand to cover himself, and then he ran to hug his godfather. “I missed you” he said then, tears spilling from his eyes.

“I missed you too, Harry. Kind of boring, to be six months in absolutely nothing, no way to come back…”

“You're back now” Hermione piped in, now clothed.

Sirius nodded at her, then cast a questioning glance at Harry. The teenager seemed to understand, and nodded.

“Well, I guess congratulations are in order, Harry, Hermione” Sirius grinned, clapping his godson on the back and making both blush. Luna had just finished dressing herself.

“And who is this other lovely girl?” Sirius asked, his old flirtatious self coming back to life.

“Padfoot, she's too young for you, and she's already taken too” Harry teased him, and the man gave a fake pout before winking at him. “Well, in that case, pleasure to meet you, Miss…”

“Lovegood” Luna replied. “I'm Luna Lovegood” she said, shaking Sirius' offered hand. “You don't seem as evil as the Ministry led us to believe” she pointed out, with her uncanny ability to speak whatever was going though her mind at the moment. “I guess that's to be expected, considering you're Harry's godfather you couldn't be evil” she concluded, and everyone else stared at her a bit awkwardly.

Finally, Harry cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we should go. We don't want to be caught by some Ministry guard after all, right?”

The other three agreed, and so the quartet made its way back to the Atrium, and then to London. Finally, they were sidelong Apparated by Sirius to the outer steps of Grimmauld Place.

They all walked inside the house, where Harry and Hermione introduced Sirius to her parents. Madeleine actually blushed the tiniest bit when she met the handsome man's gaze, but it was gone in a flash.

As Maddie busied herself in the kitchen for an early breakfast, Harry decided it was time to let everyone know what they had accomplished and that Sirius was back.

Twenty minutes and a lot of Floo calls later, they sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the other guests to arrive.

Tonks, Remus, Mad Eye and a woman Harry didn't know were the first to step out of the flames, followed shortly by Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley. The rest of the family had remained in the safe house as the oldest Weasley hadn't thought it wise for all of them to travel.

“So it is true!” the redhead shouted, and then went to clap Sirius on the back. “You're really alive!”

“Seems so” Padfoot replied. Harry grinned as his godfather winked at him over the other man's shoulder.

The reunion with Remus was the most touching, as it was to be expected, and the two men hugged for a long time.

“I really thought I'd lost you too” Remus admitted.

As Harry watched them, he noticed his old Professor seemed to have grown even more weary and tired since the last time he had seen him, and looked way older than his thirty-five years.

Hermione must have noticed too, because when she clasped her hand in his own, she whispered her observation into his ear. He nodded, agreeing with her that something wasn't right with the werewolf.

The hug with Tonks was pretty emotional too, after all she was his cousin. Her hair was a bright pink now, clearly a sign of her happiness at seeing him alive, she had not been as bright since he was lost to them last June.

Finally, Remus introduced the other woman, the one Harry didn't know.

“Everyone, I want you to meet Samantha. She's a werewolf” he started, but the icy glare from the pretty woman made him backtrack a bit. “I mean, a Lycan, too. She joined the Order a few months ago, when she moved to England from France. She seems to think werewolf is as bad a word as Mudblood, so those in our…condition should be called Lycan. This is what we are called, on the continent at least, or so she tells me. She says werewolf is an insulting word because it insinuates that those in our condition are only half human and half animal and unable to control themselves and lose their minds when they transform and instead we don't, we just lose inhibitions but we are not out of control monsters if we don't want to be. Of course, many choose that path but that's not the point, Lycans can be bad or good just as any other wizard can, it's our choices who decide who we are, part for rare cases when the bite interacts with already existing defects. I have to say I perfectly agree with her on her explanation of our condition, I was just used for too long to call myself a werewolf, not knowing of that other word describing us better”

Harry was a bit surprised by that, but even more by the warm glance Samantha gave Remus as he explained, properly this time, about them.

He had a feeling something might be going on between the two of them, or might happen in the future, and a small smile graced his lips at the thought. Finally, with help from Samantha to enlarge the table and prepare food for everyone, they all sat to have a bite and chat. Remus chose to spend the day there, and actually, a few days to tell the truth, and Samantha decided to stay with him, confirming Harry's suspicions.

He had to admit the black haired woman was really pretty, with a hot body, and he found himself wondering at the harsh contrast between her apparent youth and Remus' quickly aging form.

--

As he lay in bed with Hermione that night, he talked with her about it.

He was currently playing with a lock of her curly brown hair, after a really heated shag, when he approached the matter.

“You know, Samantha seems really young, I know Remus is only 35, but he looks 50 or there about. I think something is wrong with him and he is trying to hide it from us so we won't worry about him” he said.

She snuggled more into him, and nodded. “I had the same feeling, you know. I mean, were-I mean Lycans should constantly heal and regenerate themselves, so he should look as young as Samantha” the brunette pondered, wrapped in his embrace.

“Thinking about it, he shouldn't even have scars from the nights he spends as a wolf, he should recover from them too” she realized. “I can't believe I've been so silly not to see it before!” she said, frustrated with herself. Harry chuckled.

“Hermione, you can't pay attention to absolutely everything going on around you. you're only human, you know, so you're bound to have something slip by unnoticed by that wonderful brain of yours” he reassured her, kissing her forehead.

She sighed contentedly. “You're the most amazing boyfriend, Harry. How come you always know what to say to cheer me up?” she said, as his hands caressed her bare shoulder.

“Natural skill, I presume” he boasted, puffing out his chest, and she rolled her eyes at him playfully, slapping him lightly on his chest.

“I think I need to get out of the room now. There's no space for both me and that inflated ego of yours” she said, moving as she was really going to get out of bed.

“And where would you go?” he asked, playing along. She feigned to be deep in thought, then smiled sweetly at him.

“You know, Lycans are supposed to have an insatiable sexual drive” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Or, there is always Sirius…” she trailed off.

Harry growled, pulling her back to him for a kiss. “You little minx” he joked, and she giggled, kissing him back.

“You know I'd never leave you, right Harry?” she asked then, while they were again spooning, and sleep was starting to take them.

“Mmh” he mumbled, pulling her even closer. “I wouldn't let you go” he whispered into her ear, and she smiled, closing her eyes and vowing to ask Remus about his condition the next day.

--

In the meantime, in Remus' room, their old professor and Samantha were proving Hermione's claim about the Lycans' sexual drive was true. Despite his quickly aging form, Remus was extremely active in bed, and the extra strength and stamina from his condition were an added bonus.

“Come on, Remus! Faster!” Samantha growled, sprawled under him, as he thrust in and out of her at an already fast rhythm.

“I swear, Sam, you're going to be the death of me” he growled through clenched teeth. She smiled sexily at him as she pulled him down for a long, wet kiss, their tongues searching each other and fighting inside their mouths, as he cupped her large breasts with his hands, all the while still pumping inside her.

Finally, when they were spent, which meant Samantha had come five times and Remus twice, they lay together, under the sticky, sweaty sheets, and she played with the trail of hair on his chest.

“You're going to wear me out faster than I'm already doing to myself, you know that, right?” he joked, as he pulled her close.

“I'll find a way to reverse your problem, Remus. I swear I will” she mumbled as sleep finally engulfed them, and the last thing he thought before he got some well deserved rest was, “Merlin, how much I love this woman!”

--

The next morning, as they were all eating breakfast, Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, and he nodded. Remus noticed, but kept silent about it. He was extremely pleased that Harry had come to his senses and had finally noticed Hermione, they reminded him so much of James and Lily.

So, when the meal was finished and the raven haired boy asked him for a quick word alone, Remus spoke first, congratulating him once more on his relationship with Hermione. Harry blushed, thinking about how it had taken a leap in the sexual aspect since the night they had brought Sirius back. After all, once they had done it the first time, there was no reason anymore to hold back, right?

Finally recomposing himself, the young man spoke.

“Remus, Hermione and I have noticed the stark contrast between your ragged appearance and Samantha's youthful look, and we were wondering if something was wrong with you” Harry asked, looking his old Professor straight in the eye.

The older man sighed, sitting on the couch. He pondered if he should tell Harry or not, but in the end he knew the boy was stubborn and would find a way to discover the problem on his own. That would also make Harry mad at him for keeping the truth from him.

Taking a long breath, Remus finally spoke. “Yes, Harry, something's wrong with me. Samantha has been trying to figure out what, but we don't really know yet, and thus we don't know how to reverse it”

Harry was attentively listening, knowing he would have to tell Hermione everything after that chat.

“It has always been a peculiar characteristic of mine, to age and look older than a Lycan should. I mean, you surely know we are supposed to be almost immortal due to our regenerating ability, right? Not even a Killing Curse can kill a Lycan, Harry. Well, an healthy Lycan. It produces extensive damage, though, and that could be harder to heal even with the regenerative skills we have. That it also depends on age, older Lycans are able to regenerate faster so it is not a problem for them, they control the ability to the fullest. Young ones have a bit more troubles, and there is also a difference between born and bitten Lycans, with the firsts having a stronger grip on the regenerative power, thus being less damageable. A full grown, healthy, born Lycan can usually take six, seven AKs before the damage becomes so extensive that he's not able to regenerate fast enough and dies” Remus explained. “But somehow, I've never developed those regenerative skills, instead it seems I'm quite the opposite, aging even quicker than normal people. This got definitely worse after the battle of Little Whinging on Halloween. Some spell must have worsened the situation, because since then I've been growing older at an incredibly fast rate” Remus finished.

Harry was shocked. If that was true, his father's friend had probably only a few months of life left, a year at tops!

-->

16. Return to School

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Sixteen: Return to School

When Harry discussed the matter of Remus' illness with Hermione, she immediately offered to research a cure for the werewolf, no, scratch that, for the Lycan. Indeed, she busied herself for the last few days of holidays doing just that, with Harry's assistance, of course.

Remus and Samantha had told them all that they knew of his condition, which sadly was very little. Hermione, being a Muggleborn witch and thus familiar with Muggle illnesses, suggested that maybe it was the result of a genetic mix-up, but Remus explained to her it couldn't be. After all, he wasn't born Lycan, he was bit by another one and thus turned that way.

“I still remember his name, Gilles Garnier” the older man spitefully said. “Turned my whole life into a nightmare when I was only five years old” he said, his eyes clouding with sadness. Samantha soothingly rubbed his back, and Harry and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance at the gesture.

When their chat with Remus was finished, Hermione remained there, reading, biting her lip. Harry knew she was mulling over something, and that soon she would come up with some kind of idea. He loved when she bit her lip like that, by the way. He found it extremely cute.

His girlfriend proved him right when she smiled uncertainly at him.

“I was thinking, maybe the bite of the other Lycan produced an unexpected result when paired up with something already present in his blood. This way, the genetic theory I made up earlier might still stand”

Harry had to admit it made sense. Otherwise, Remus couldn't have turned to be an atypical Lycan, he would regenerate like the rest of them. Something must have interacted with the Lycanthropy in him and produced this side effect.

“Now we just need to check if anyone in his family, both on his mother and father lines, had some special power. Maybe some generations back, that would have left him the genes but maybe not the full ability, this would explain why he doesn't know about having those genes” she thought, making a note for her to research more at Hogwarts. She knew the school kept an archive of all past students, well at least for those of the last century, and maybe they would be able to find his family tree there.

--

On the train back to the school, Harry and Hermione shared their news with Luna and Neville, who were more than happy to help with the research.

“You never have a dull moment, uh, Harry?” Neville teased him, and the raven haired boy punched him lightly on the arm.

“You can say that again” he admitted with a smile.

The trip was uneventful, if you don't count Ron barging into their compartment before realizing who was there and hastily walking out, and Harry spotting Draco and Ginny snogging heatedly while doing his prefect rounds on the train.

He still had trouble believing Ginny could fall for the ferret, but Ron didn't seem to mind, so maybe he should do the same and just let the girl be. He was still miffed at her for sending that letter to Hermione's parents at the start of the school year, but he guessed if he ignored her, she might keep ignoring them, as the redhead hadn't pulled any stunts since then.

“Who knows, maybe Malfoy has come around and become kinder” Hermione suggested, but from her eyes he knew not even she believed that.

“Yeah, and I'm Minister of Magic” he snorted. Hermione looked at him appraisingly, before smiling. “You could be, if you wanted, you know that right? Not now, but in the future, you could” she said, and he nodded.

“I know, but I have no plans of becoming a politician. Too many empty words and too few facts for my liking” he said. She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

“That could change, if someone qualified took the post” she whispered, and felt him grin.

“That's why I'd recommend you, in fact” he said, kissing her forehead, and she blushed at his praise.

--

After the usual welcoming feast, Harry agreed with Hermione that if they were to find something useful for Remus, they needed access to the archive, thus they needed to tell Dumbledore about their research. So, he found himself walking the corridor to the gargoyle, while Hermione was in the library with Neville and Luna, starting to search for anything useful about genetic illnesses in wizards and witches.

He didn't know the password, but he guessed the Headmaster would be there shortly, so he simply waited. Fifteen minutes later, Professor Dumbledore finally arrived.

“Harry, were you awaiting my arrival?” he asked, his eyes twinkling as usual.

“Er…yes, I didn't know the password, but I needed to talk with you” the young man said, and the headmaster nodded. Leading him up the stairs to his chambers, Dumbledore as usual offered him a lemon drop, which Harry refused. Sitting in front of the desk, he told the older wizard about Remus' condition, what he and Hermione had come up with, and their need to browse the archive to see if they may be right.

“A most interesting theory, Harry” he mused, suckling on his candy, seemingly deep in thought. “You will find that I have already given the task to someone to look for a cure, but this never came to our attention”

“Would this person be Samantha, Professor?” Harry asked, barely hiding a grin. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more, as a smile graced his lips.

“So you have met her. Lovely woman, that she is” he said, shaking his head a little, “but no, she is doing her own research of course, but not on my orders. Professor Snape, on the other hand, is the one I tasked with this”

Harry groaned, and Dumbledore chuckled. “Believe me, Harry, I know that your relationship with him is not the best possible. Sadly, if you want to find a cure for Remus you will have to work with him. You will find he truly possesses a knowledge of potions unmatched by anyone else, thus is the best candidate for the job”

“I'm sure Hermione could do it too” Harry protested, and Dumbledore nodded. “She could indeed, she is a very bright girl. Quite like your mother, in fact, and this is something Lily herself would have been able to do, had she still been alive” the headmaster mused, his blue eyes darkening with regret.

Harry felt his own eyes water at the thought of his deceased mother, and hastily wiped the tears away.

“Do not hide your emotions, Harry, nor be ashamed of them. They truly make who you are, and in the end it is them what makes the difference between us and Voldemort” Dumbledore reminded him. “Back to the matter at hand, Miss Granger would be able to do so, of course, but not before having gotten the needed knowledge, something that would require her years even at her incredibly accelerate pace of learning things of various difficulty. And years is not a time span we have, I fear”

Harry begrudgingly nodded. He had suspected Remus had little time to live, as things were at the moment.

In the end, it was agreed that Dumbledore would give them access to the archive at any time, but they would have to work with Snape on finding the cure.

--

The four friends went to work once more, researching Remus' files through the archive. That feat alone took them several nights to complete.

“Blimey, I would never have thought they would keep so much information concerning each of us” Neville said, scanning a group of parchments.

“Look, Hermione! Here is your file!” Harry excitedly said, and showed it to her. She knew they shouldn't lose time, but she was curious too, so they spent the night peering over her ancestors, finding that there had been magic in her mother's family till a couple centuries before her birth.

Tracing back her heritage to the time of the founders, she found that her mother's family descended from Godric Gryffindor's first cousin. As for Harry, the Potters were one of the oldest magical families in England, tracing back to even before the birth of the founders. They also found he was loosely linked to Rowena Ravenclaw, something he would have never expected. If anything, he thought Hermione would be the one related to that particular Founder. His girlfriend, however, pointed out that he didn't lack intelligence at all, he only didn't like to use it to its best, or preferred to rush following instinct instead of thinking.

He playfully rolled his eyes at her, then he declared that maybe now she should start calling him the “smartest wizard of our age”, considering his heritage. Hermione pretended to swoon, before jabbing him in the ribs with her finger, and telling him he would have to gain that particular title, if he wanted it.

“Fair enough” he winked at her as they resumed their research.

Neville and Luna's families were pretty old too, they found, but not as much. As things were, Harry found the Ravenclaw to be his distant cousin, while Neville wasn't related to anyone of them.

“I guess this explains why I've always felt comfortable talking with you, Luna” Harry smiled, and the blonde nodded.

“Makes sense” she declared, peering through a stack of sheets in front of her.

It was a few hours later that finally Hermione announced she had found Remus' file. They set to work tracing back all his family lines, and searching for known abilities like being Animagi, or Metamorphmagi.

It took them a couple days to research all of the Lycan's known relatives, but in the end they found it.

A few generations back in time, from his mother's side, they found two Metamorphmagi. Knowing that a gene carried on for at least fifteen generations before being lost if the ability didn't show itself, this told them that Remus had Metamorphmagus genes in his blood.

--

“Professor Snape, we are here to report on what we found about Remus Lupin's condition” Harry said, replying to the teacher's question about why they were knocking on his office door. “The Headmaster told us to report to you as you're in charge of finding a cure for him, and we would like to help. We can give you an insight the Headmaster feels both of you have overlooked, since we are both Muggle-raised. Particularly, we can explain to you the mechanisms of genetics, and how this might have affected Remus when he was bitten”

“Very well, Potter” the older man snarled, turning and billowing his robes as his usual, motioning for them to come in.

When they were finished telling him about what they had found, Snape looked sceptically at Harry.

“Potter, is there something you contributed to this theory, or is it all Granger's doing?” he asked, and Harry balled his fists, counting to ten before replying.

Hermione, however, was faster. “We developed it together, Professor” she said, which wasn't a lie, even if the basic idea had been hers. Snape seemed content with that, and was willing to let them work with him on the cure.

“If anyone asks you why are you coming to my office after hours, tell them it's for an extra curricular project” he advised them before dismissing the pair. As they were walking up to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was puzzled over Hermione's behaviour back in the Potions Master's office, and she elaborated.

“Harry, I admit it took me almost six years to understand it, but I've a pretty good idea why Snape treats you so badly”

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17. Snape's Story

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Seventeen: Snape's Story

“Harry, I admit it took me almost six years to understand it, but I've a pretty good idea why Snape treats you so badly”

“What?” Harry asked, dumbfounded.

“Think about it, Harry. Snape is a spy for the Order, so he can't openly appreciate you otherwise he would jeopardize his position in the Death Eater ranks and ruin our chances to know what Voldemort's doing quickly enough to plan a defence. He also knows first hand how powerful and dangerous the Death Eaters are, and Voldemort most of all. He also knows you have to face him in the end, right?”

Harry nodded, wondering where she was going with that.

“Plus, he was in school with your father and mother, and as much as he despised him, he knows your father was a smart guy, and Lily...well, everyone who speaks of her can't help saying she was one of the best witches of her age, possibly the best” she said, and Harry smirked, pulling her close.

“Reminds me of someone” he whispered into her ear, making her shiver.

“Harry” she warned him. “Behave” she added then, swatting away his hand, which was sneaking under her skirt.

He sighed, and resumed listening to her.

“Plus, he is a teacher, and they all have access to the archive where we found you are distantly related to Ravenclaw”

“Your point being?” Harry asked, a bit miffed after all that talk about Snape.

“That he knows you're a smart guy, and not the stupid, arrogant brat the papers make you look like” she said, smugly. Harry was staring at her.

“So you say he is just pretending to hate me, to keep his position as a spy and to challenge me to give my best?” he said, wanting to be sure he had understood her point.

“Precisely” she said, smiling at him and kissing him softly. “So you'd do better to prove to him that you are indeed a bright young man both while developing this cure and in Potions”

--

In the meantime, in the dark, smelly dungeons of Hogwarts Castle, Severus Snape was working over the notes he and the two students had taken that night, while brainstorming to find a cure for Remus Lupin. He had to smile to himself.

The Granger girl, he had always known she was bright, but Potter...well, it seemed that being with her was starting to have a positive effect on the boy.

Their combined theory of genetics being involved in Remus' anomaly was ingenious and the suggestions Potter had come up with that night were excellent.

Sure, they lacked the fine art of potion making to find a cure on their own, but he could provide that. His knowledge of every single ingredient available for potions, and its effects, would be enough to create a working concoction, once they had the basic idea of what they needed the potion to do, and that would be where the two teenagers would prove important.

As he worked on some routine potions for Madam Pomfrey, he let his mind wander back to how exactly he came to be in this position.

Severus Snape had never been an evil person. Sure, there had been a time when he had joined the Death Eaters and not as a spy. Now there was no backing out of that, so he was making the most of it, providing the Order with useful information on their enemy's plans.

But that was not the path he would have chosen for himself, had he been free to make the choice. Sadly, that right had been taken from him when he was teenager by his own father.

Serion Sterneus Snape, and his wife Abigail Optelda Gotlerbusk who was almost as ruthless as him, were supporters of Grindelwald, two of the most vicious. When Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, they bid their time, waiting for a new Dark Lord to come, someone worthy of their support. Sadly, when it happened and Lord Voldemort built his first reign of terror, they were both ill and too weak to join his army of Death Eaters. However, there was still someone in the family who could.

When their son Severus was sorted into Slytherin, his parents had held a huge feast to celebrate it, but Severus had easily slipped away, hating the attention for something he didn't actually do, it was all the sorting Hat's doing after all.

His parents barely noticed him when he was home, unless they had to punish him for something. His father had never been a patient person, and he often beat the boy, leaving him bruised for weeks.

So when young Severus was old enough to take the Dark Mark, Serion forced him to, even if the boy had strongly protested that he didn't want to do Voldemort's bidding.

After that particular row, and the long minutes under the Cruciatus Curse that followed Severus' act of defiance toward his father, the future Potion Master at Hogwarts School had eventually had to bow to his parents' will, and took the Mark.

He always tried to retain a low profile as a Death Eater, but Voldemort wouldn't have it, especially because he was the most skilled in potions in the whole lot, so he would often be in the spotlight for that reason. The fact he had learned Occlumency to protect himself from his father's probing to see what he was really thinking was useful, thus, as he often found himself in the presence of Lord Voldemort himself, the most skilled Legilimens on Earth, probably, or at least as good as Dumbledore.

Then the night of the attack on Lily and James Potter came, and while he had hated the boy in school, as he and his friends constantly picked on him for being a Slytherin, he hated traitors even more. He had more than once toyed with the idea of killing Peter Pettigrew once the rat had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters, but then he would have to explain to Voldemort exactly why he had killed the only one who could lead him to those who had already defied him three times.

Shattering a vial as the anger within him mounted again at the thought of the deceiving rat, he growled as his hand covered in blood.

Healing himself with a quick spell, he magically cleaned the mess he had made, and with a long breath decided to call it a night.

--

A couple weeks passed by, and while Snape was as stern as usual in class, Harry watched him with interest, trying to determine if what Hermione had theorized might be true. He did notice that their Potion Professor seemed to lose patience easily when someone made a blatant mistake, thus his repetitive shouts at some students who more often than anyone else managed to mess up their potions.

Harry, with the help of Hermione, had improved lots, and willing himself to believe that Snape wasn't set out to hate whatever he did helped him relax enough to brew satisfying potions. Well, they would have been satisfying hadn't the Professor been Snape, at least.

“Potter! This is not good enough!” the man snarled, and Harry fought his first instinct to retort that the potion was instead nearly perfect. Only Hermione had done better than him, he knew because he had watched all the vials the students had brought to the front of the classroom, and only he and Hermione managed to get a transparent looking liquid, although Hermione's was perfectly clear while Harry's was just a tiny bit less transparent.

He guessed Hermione's claim that Snape only wanted him to do his best and push him to do it might be as true as his own that the man simply hated him. Without the man openly telling them the truth, they would never know.

As they filed out of the dungeons, Hermione squeezed his hand supportively, knowing what he must be thinking. To tell the truth, while she was pretty sure of her assumption, still she found the behaviour of the Professor a bit out of line.

--

During the Christmas break, Ginny had missed Draco lots, and being around her grumbling brother Ron had done nothing to lift her mood. So, it was with a happy sigh that she greeted the return to school. She would finally be able to spend time with her boyfriend again.

The redhead girl had lately wondered why she hadn't noticed Draco before, but she was surely glad she had now. She felt on cloud nine whenever she could spent time with the silvery haired boy, his once upsetting smirks and sneers having become the light of her day, his rough touch when they would make love for hours in the Room of Requirements setting her body on fire.

The fact he was a Slytherin, thus supposedly forbidden for her, was an added thrill to the love she felt for him

“Oh boy” she giggled as she walked to their usual meeting point at night. “I'm truly in love with him” she realized, a smile gracing her lips as she felt her heart flutter with the feeling.

“Weaslette” he greeted her when she finally reached him on the Astronomy Tower. “You're late” he growled, and she blushed.

“Sorry, lost myself in thought and didn't realize how late it was” she excused herself. He nodded briskly, pulling her to him for a kiss. He had thought he could have some fun with her, maybe humiliate her in public when he broke up with her, but he found himself addicted to her porcelain skin, her flaming red hair, her hot-tempered attitude, and boy she was sexy when she glared at him with her hands on her hips.

He couldn't explain why he felt that way, but the fact was he did, and he was a bit scared by it.

During the Christmas holidays, he had thought that maybe being away from her would help him rationalize his situation, but it didn't. It only heightened his longing for her company, and that was the moment he knew he had fallen in love with the Gryffindor girl. And on top of that, she wasn't only a Gryffindor, she was a Weasley!

But they are right when they say you can't order your heart and you can't help who you fall in love with. He would be damned if he let a petty family hate come between them. He was a Malfoy, and all Malfoys got what they wanted. Right now, he wanted Ginny Weasley, and no one was going to stop him from being with her.

It was so that after a long night of passionate lovemaking, when they lay in the bed the Room of Requirements had conjured for them, cuddling, he wasn't freaked out like most would think he would, hearing her utter those words.

“Draco, I love you” she said, looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

“I love you too, Red” he said, caressing her nice breast and calling her with the pet name he had lately started using in their intimate moments. After all, the trimmed bush between her legs left no doubt that she was a natural redhead, just like the rest of her family.

--

Since their afternoon was free, Harry and Hermione had arranged with Luna and Neville to meet in the library for a bit of research on how to cure genetic diseases in wizarding people. Hermione had found that some cases of maladies like cancer had happened through the years, but they were rare as it seemed that magic would automatically right any possible genetic disorder known to Muggles, or at least, it did most of the time. When it couldn't, no cure for the condition had been found.

However, they found very little about conflicting magical genes.

It was frustrating, but no one of the quartet lost their hope. They kept researching, and then at night Hermione and Harry would meet with Snape to report their findings and help the man come up with a potion that could hinder Remus' Metamorphmagus dormant recessive genes, which would not have affected him normally had he not been bitten and infected with lycanthropy. In fact, he would not have known about the recessive dormant genes because he didn't have the ability to morph so he wouldn't notice the change, if he had never been bitten in the first place. But these dormant recessive genes, made partially active in his DNA by lycanthropy, would leave the field free for the Lycanthropic genes to fully develop the powers associated with that condition.

So far, they had had little success in developing such potion. Harry was concentrating as hard as he could but to no avail.

Then, he suddenly was struck with an idea. Looking up to see his two companions still deep in thought, he proudly announced, “Hermione, Professor Snape, I think I found the solution”

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18. First Breakthrough

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Eighteen: First Breakthrough

“Hermione, Professor Snape, I think I found the solution”

Both of them snapped their heads up from the parchments they were working on, and looked at him.

“If his dormant recessive Metamorphmagus genes were only partially activated by being infected with lycanthropy, it could explain the instability of his cell structure and his inability to heal or regenerate properly. Normally a Metamorphmagus has the ability to control the shape shifting of their bodies but lycanthropy is something that is normally uncontrollable and the two conditions are not usually compatible if we go by what the books say that I have read in the medical references section of the library. But since Remus didn't have active Metamorphmagus genes to start with, he didn't die when he got bitten. I believe that if he was one, his cell structure would have become too unstable and his body would have broken down within hours from the time he was bitten” Harry started, and Hermione interrupted him.

“Oh, yes, I saw records of that in the books. It was recorded by Healers for research purposes but they didn't seem to really care about the patients that were bitten.” She gave out a huff of disgust at the idea that Healers in history were as biased against Lycans than Death Eater were of Muggle-born wizards and witches. “They were only worried about more wizards and witches getting infected by Lycans and were looking for better and more efficient ways of killing off Lycans and were thinking of using blood of Metamorphmagus donors but luckily enough, they are very rare so the project was halted and finally stopped by the Ministry of Magic because they wanted to protect the Metamorphmagus wizards and witches instead of the Lycans if you can believe that!” She grunted in disgust.

Harry grinned at her, nodding. He had read that information too. “Usually the condition shows up in pureblood wizard families and that was their main concern” he added to conclude her explanation on the matter, earning himself a smile from her.

“But, I should get back to my idea of how to cure Remus” he started again then. “See, I was thinking, if we need to hinder his Metamorphmagus genes, considering that it is in the bone marrow that the blood cells are produced, and many other kinds of cells too, as it's there that the staminal cells are located, particularly the ematopoietic ones which produce the three kind of cells contained in blood, I was thinking that maybe we could have Samantha donate some of her bone marrow and then we could transplant it to Remus, so that he would have a source of production of the “healthy” Lycan genes in the new cells, which would slowly override the ones where the Metamorphmagus genes get in the way” Harry explained.

Snape and Hermione pondered for some time over his suggestion. Finally, his girlfriend launched herself at him, kissing him soundly on the lips, forgetting where she was and with whom.

Only when the Potion Master cleared his throat rather loudly she pulled back, blushing scarlet red and mumbling her apologies.

Snape nodded, then turned to Harry, the corners of his lips turned up in a shadow of a smile. “Ingenious, Potter” was all the man said, but to Harry it felt like the highest praise. Maybe Hermione was right, Snape knew how to push his buttons to make him try his best and that was why he was stern with him in class.

As they discussed more of the details of Harry's plan, Hermione adding her knowledge about what kind of staminal cells were in the bone marrow besides the ematopoietic ones, which are the mesenchymal ones which can produce many kinds of different cells that are in the human body, and finally the epithelial ones, Harry nodding and joining her in the explanation to the Potion Master, the brunette also came up with another suggestion.

“Maybe we could also brew a modified Blood Replenishing potion, keyed to Samantha's blood, the blood of an healthy Lycan so to speak, and replace Professor Lupin's blood with that. It would make the process of overriding the Metamorphmagus genes quicker” she explained, and Harry nodded. He was thinking along those lines too.

“Interesting idea, Miss Granger” Snape mused. “I shall see if keying the Blood Replenishing potion to a particular blood is possible, of course, but in case it is, that would surely make the whole process quicker, indeed. Now, I think we should call it a night. I need to do some research on how to concoct the needed potions anyway”

Harry and Hermione recognized the dismissal and with a curt nod left the office, walking up the stairs from the dungeons to the Entrance Hall, and then up to Gryffindor Tower.

“You know, that was really a brilliant idea about the bone marrow, Harry” Hermione beamed at him. He blushed at her praise.

“It was nothing much, I just recalled the biology we studied in that primary school I attended” he tried to minimize his intuition, but Hermione wouldn't have any of it.

“Well, I didn't think of that, and I studied the same subjects you did before attending Hogwarts” Hermione reasoned. “As for Snape…well, I don't think he ever studied human biology much, not like we Muggle-raised wizards and witches do anyway. Did you see the look on his face? I swear, I've never seen the man smile, and yet he was on the brink of doing just that when you explained your idea” she said, excited.

Harry smiled warmly at her, pulling her closer for a kiss, as they were now sitting on the couch in the common room. “You must be rubbing off on me” he said, kissing the tip of her nose, and she good-naturedly rolled her eyes at him.

“You don't need that, Harry. You're smart on your own, when you want to be” she said, praising him but also admonishing him for not using his brains to the best of his ability, most of the time..

He grinned sheepishly at her, and pulled her on his lap. “Don't I get a reward for being a smart guy this evening?” he huskily whispered as he kissed her neck. She moaned softly, and it was enough of a reply to him, so he kept kissing her, his hands caressing her sides, up to the swell of her breasts, making her breath hitch in her throat.

“Harry!” she gasped after a particularly long and wet kiss, her eyes clouded with desire, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck. He guessed that was as good a time as any to experience the thrill of shagging it in the common room, where someone could catch them, and she seemed thrilled at the risk they were going to take, from what he could gather by her damp knickers.

Pushing them aside, he slid a finger inside her, stopping her from moaning loudly as he kissed her again, his finger sliding in and out of her wet hole, and his own arousal evident from the bulge in his trousers.

His sexy girlfriend made quick work of relieving him of that particular constriction, though, as well as of his boxers, then she straddled his lap again, guiding him inside her. Harry gritted his teeth at the sensation, she was always so tight, squeezing him from the moment he entered her to the moment he finally let it go, and then he started picking up a fast rhythm, their hips crashing together as they travelled toward the heights of their orgasms, until Hermione finally cried out his name as she climaxed, and he followed moments later, as she collapsed, spent, into his embrace. Conjuring a blanket, he covered both of them with it, then placed his invisibility cloak over them, to avoid anyone knowing they were there.

The pair planned to rest just long enough to catch their breath and then get dressed to reach their separate dorms, but the tiredness both felt changed their plans, making them fall asleep on the couch, Hermione's head nestled into the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped protectively around her, their chests pressed together, and the last thing Harry knew before sleep took him was how nice Hermione's breasts felt against his skin.

--

The next morning, Ron woke up strangely early, and noticed Harry's bed was empty, once more. He had overheard rumours that he and Hermione had started sleeping together, meaning they had started shagging, and the frequent absences from the dorm since the start of the new term seemed to prove it.

However, nothing could have prepared the redhead for what he saw when he entered the common room.

The invisibility cloak must have slipped off of them during the night, at least partially, because he could clearly see Harry's black hair poking out, and a feminine bare foot too.

He half thought to leave them there and embarrass them in front of the whole Gryffindor Tower, maybe get them in trouble with McGonagall, but then an even more “evil” idea formed in his mind. He pretty much knew he could never have Hermione, he wasn't stupid and had realized it wasn't a passing fancy what she and Harry shared.

At least, he could peek at her naked body, and fill his night fantasies with that. He felt a bit of a pervert as he raised his wand to lift the invisibility cloak and expose them, but he was determined to do it, even if that meant he would get an eyeful of Harry's naked body too. Not something he cared for, thank you, but the temptation of drooling over Hermione's curves was too much to resist.

However, it seemed the redhead had to get continuously frustrated, because that was the moment Harry woke up, and spotted him.

“Ron!” he called out, while with his wand he summoned his and Hermione's clothes. His harsh whisper woke her up too, and soon she was aware of the situation just as Harry was. When the raven haired boy was dressed, he stood up, careful to not uncover Hermione's body to Ron's hawk-like eyes.

Their ex best friend, seeing his only chance at peeking at Hermione vanish, decided he could at least pick a fight, and sneered at them

“Shagging in the common room? Aren't you two bold?” he smirked. Then he turned toward Hermione, who had by now got hastily dressed, and had stood up too.

“I tell you, he's being a bad influence for you, Mione” the redhead said, and she scoffed.

“Oh, come on, Ron, don't play the saint with me. And don't call me Mione” she retorted.

“He does” Ron pointed out, looking at Harry.

“He's my boyfriend, if you hadn't noticed” Hermione said, glaring at the redhead boy, who glared back and stormed out of the portrait hole.

Both teens sighed. “I start to think he'll never get over it, you know” Harry said, running his hand through his hair.

“Me too” Hermione said, sadly.

--

It was a couple days after the Ron incident, and Hermione was mildly freaked out. All day Malfoy had been giving her smug looks and smirks, like he knew something she didn't. Ginny seemed overly cheerful too, at lunch and dinner, and now the redhead had left quickly from the table, claiming she had a meeting to attend.

Shrugging, she walked up the stairs to the library, where Harry was supposed to meet her for another night of studying, this time for their classes though and not for Remus as they still had to hear from Snape about it.

She heard someone giggling, and recognized it as Ginny. a moment later, she turned the corner and stepped into the hall to the library, and froze. There Ginny was, indeed, standing on her toes, her arms wrapped around the neck of a boy, they were snogging quite heatedly in fact. As Hermione's eyes travelled to the face of the boy, she felt her knees go weak.

It was Harry who was snogging Ginny quite thoroughly!

She, however, didn't have the time to run away, nor to shed tears, as a hand rested on her shoulders.

“She's putting up a nice show, isn't she?”

Hermione's head snapped to her right, and her mouth remained open, shocked. There Harry was, his hand on her shoulder, an amused expression on his face as he watched the scene unfold.

“But…you…her…” was all that Hermione managed to choke out.

He chuckled, and she glared at him, forgetting for a moment that her eyes had seen him sucking face with Ginny, and from the sounds she was hearing he should still be there.

“I assure you, Hermione, that is not me. I don't know who he is, but we're going to find out soon” he said, raising his wand toward the other Harry.

“Identitas Revealo!” he cried, and a turquoise beam shot from his wand, hitting the back of the boy, whose form quickly started changing, and reverting to normal.

The silvery hair and grey eyes left no doubts about who the boy was.

“Malfoy” Harry said, rolling his eyes. Hermione was suddenly angry at Ginny for trying to trick her into believing Harry was cheating with her, and as the pair passed to enter the library, the brunette slapped her ex friend quite hard. Malfoy was a bit miffed that their plan had been discovered, but he planned to comfort Ginny about that failure in a very convincing way, so he took her hand and led her away, to the Slytherin dorms. His dorm-mates wouldn't protest bringing a Gryffindor there, after all, not to him. His father might be in Azkaban but he was as respected as ever in the Slytherin house.

--

While the almost drama took place in front of the library, Neville and Luna were enjoying a bit of quality time with each other in the Room of Requirement. Lately, their efforts in helping Hermione and Harry with saving Remus had cut short their meetings for a good snog, or more. Tonight, they would make up for lost time.

Neville had never felt more happy in his life, he had never thought he would end up being in love with Luna Lovegood of all people, but he reckoned they completed each other well. He hoped his Gran would approve, but even if she didn't, he would never leave the blonde's side.

As these thoughts filled his mind, her stepped forward, and claimed her soft, full lips in a kiss, his hands finding her bum and squeezing.

Oh yes, this would be a night to remember, he was sure of it.

-->

19. An Offer and Steps toward the Cure

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Nineteen: An Offer and Steps Toward The Cure

Draco was nervous. Easter was coming close, and he knew what he had to do during that break. His mother had been pretty clear with him, the fact his father was in Azkaban would not delay his entrance in the Death Eater ranks. He would, in fact, take the Mark in less than a month, and the fact Lucius was in prison would put even more pressure over him to prove himself worthy.

The blonde Slytherin also knew that with his taking the Mark, his relationship with Ginny would be destroyed, and it pained him. They were on two opposite sides of the fight, and their love was destined to be shattered.

He had started it as an adventure, a way to have some fun, a good number of excellent shags, and then he had planned to break up with her. But it had grown into something he didn't expect, and he had fallen in love with the redhead Gryffindor. Alas, with her being a Weasley, even more obstacles were on their path to happiness.

But family hatred could be overcome, fighting a war on two different sides no. He knew he might have to kill her in battle, and he would have to do so remorselessly.

There was only one alternative solution, and he was set on pursuing it tonight. He would ask her to join him.

For a month now he had browsed through any other possibility, and he had no intention to switch sides and disgrace his family. He was in love, but still a Malfoy. Plus, the girl had shown no interest in joining Potter in his fight, even if her family would be on Scarhead's side. If anything, Weaslette had showed she wanted revenge on the Mudblood, which was exactly what being a Death Eater would give her the chance to obtain.

“Think about it, Ginny. Wouldn't it be satisfying to have Granger writhe at your feet, under the power of your own Cruciatus Curse, till she begs for you to kill her, or till she goes mad and becomes nothing more than a piece of meat?” he told her, as they lay in his bed in the Slytherin dorms, a Silencing Charm isolating them from Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Zabini. And their snores, too.

The redhead smiled at him, imagining herself on the battlefield, humiliating Hermione in front of Harry, besting her in a duel and then making her beg for death, and then she wouldn't give it to her, no, she would torture the bitch some more, make her suffer like she was making her brother, and like she had done to Ginny herself before she fell in love with Draco and lost interest in Harry.

“It's alluring, I have to admit” she said, playing with the blonde hair on his chest, as he curled her fiery red locks around his finger, or caressed her pale, bare shoulder.

“You just have to come with me on Easter holidays, and get the Mark together with me. The Dark Lord will reward you if you do his bidding well, and believe me you're way smarter than many of his followers, so if they can do it, you can too. You've got the power, you just have to unleash it” he purred in her ear, and she shivered as his hot breath tickled her.

Turning to face him, she kissed him hard on the mouth, straddling him once more, and immediately feeling his growing reaction to her as she massaged his chest.

“I'll do it” she murmured against his lips. “Not only for revenge, although that's a fascinating thought, but mostly because I don't want to lose you, and I already know you won't switch sides, so it's me who has to do it” she reasoned, and he was amazed. Maybe she had always had more control than he thought, in this relationship, if she could figure out him so well.

“I will only ask you for one thing” she added then.

“What?” he huskily whispered, fondling her breasts.

“Help me convince my brother to join too” she said, and those were the last words they uttered for a long time, as their passion picked up and another glorious shag started.

--

It didn't take Ginny long to get in touch with brother the next day. She told him she had something to talk with him about, and to meet her in the Room of Requirements that night after dinner.

The redhead boy shrugged, and nodded. “I see you later then” he said, then his eyes met Harry and Hermione entering the Great Hall hand in hand, and his face contorted in a scowl.

Ginny noticed, and inwardly smiled. It may be easier than she had expected to convince Ron to take the Mark too.

--

When the time came, Ron walked up the stairs to the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirements was, and found the door. Pushing it open, he stepped into a room that resembled the Gryffindor common room, only with neutral colours.

He took a look around, and glared at Malfoy when he spotted him, an arm around Ginny's shoulders.

“What is he doing here?” Ron asked his sister.

“He's part of what I need to tell you, and I asked for his help” Ginny replied, and Ron's eyes widened.

“Malfoy, I swear if you got my sister pregnant…”

Draco only smirked, while Ginny rolled her eyes.

“No, Ron, he hasn't gotten me pregnant” she said, and Malfoy piped in. “Not for lack of trying, I assure you, Weasel” he drawled, and Ginny slapped him on his leg, giving him a look that clearly meant, “Behave”.

Ron was growing redder by the minute, his temper raising. Ginny, however, swiftly changed the subject to avoid more damage being done.

“Ron, I'm here to make you an offer. I know you're angry at Harry for stealing Hermione from you. I know you've always thought the two of you would have your happily ever after, but now you see your dreams shattered, all because of Harry” she said, moving around her brother as she spoke.

“He couldn't be happy enough with one of the many girls who throw themselves at him for his fame and money, no, he had to go after the one he knew you fancied” she said, still purposefully incensing her brother against Harry.

Draco, who was listening, was amazed at her manipulative skills.

She would have done well in Slytherin, that was for sure.

Ron waited expectantly for his sister to continue her speech. She had just reminded him of all the reasons why he was angry with Harry, and right now he felt like he wanted nothing more than to be on his way and pick a fight with the sodding Boy-Who-Lived.

“But you're angry at Hermione too. She also knew of your feelings for her, and she knew you would be crushed from seeing her with Harry. Still, she didn't care, and went with him anyway. I'm sure she's already planning on how to trap him into marriage and then get hold of his huge vault. What other reason could she have to choose him over you? She acts mighty, but deep down she's money and fame hungry as anyone of us” she spat, her hatred for Hermione clear from her words. “She started shagging him immediately, she can deny it as much as she wants, but I know she was shagging him this summer already” she also said. A little lie couldn't hurt if it helped her reach her goal, right?

“And that is not all, Ron. I have heard rumours that she often goes to see Snape at night. I wonder why, if not to learn how to brew a Conception Potion and get herself pregnant, then he would surely marry her, he would feel obliged to. What a wench! Don't you think she deserves to be punished? Planning to trick a wizard into marriage this way, she's no better than a slut!”

Ron knew his sister was exaggerating, her words dripping with venom from her hate for the brunette, but the way she said them, he found it mesmerizing, and he believed them.

“She definitely needs to be punished” he admitted.

Ginny grinned at him. “Right you are, brother. And here comes the offer Draco and I want to make you. We are going to get the Dark Mark on Easter hols. Join us. Gather the power to punish the Mudblood and get revenge on Potter” she said, and Ron gasped.

“You're going to join You-Know-Who?” he said, shocked.

“You should start calling him Master, or Dark Lord, or Lord Voldemort” Draco drawled, “if you're going to join us, you know. And I'm sure if you joined, he would let you keep the wench, if you were faithful and effective enough in what he asked you to do”

Ron's gaze moved to the blonde boy he hated so much. He gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists.

“Hermione would never agree to be with me. She would choose death over it” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Ronald, don't be stupid! What are Love Potions for? Even Mum used one on Dad, when they were young, and look at how happy they are now, with seven children! I'm sure you'd be delighted to give Hermione seven babies” Ginny interjected, wriggling her brows in a suggestive manner.

Ron chuckled. “Yeah, I'm sure I wouldn't mind that” he admitted with a rueful smile. Then he became serious again.

“I'll think about it, Ginny. I'll let you know in a few days” he said, then left, his head filled with her words.

As he walked back to Gryffindor Tower, he heard them over and over in his head. He knew he should be appalled at his sister joining what their family was against, but her words had fascinated him.

Power. Revenge. Hermione all for himself.

These were alluring prospects, he had to admit. And what had he to do in exchange? Get a magical tattoo and help Voldemort kill Potter. Big deal. He wanted to do it himself anyway…

That night, Ron never fell asleep, even if he was in his bed. He stayed awake for hours mulling over the chat he had with his sister and her boyfriend.

He had told her he had to think about it, but the more he did, the more he realized there wasn't anything to think about. His choice was made, and he allowed himself a smirk, feeling like for once he was going to get the upper hand on Potter, eventually.

--

While Ron had his meeting with Ginny and Draco, Harry and Hermione were busy with Snape. The Potion Master was a much more pleasant person when it was just the three of them, especially since Harry had had the intuition about how to cure Remus from his anomaly as a Lycan.

Now they were brewing the Wolfsbane Potion their old Professor and his girlfriend would need. The process of the cure had to be done there, at the castle, which meant both Remus and Samantha would have to come there, it was scheduled for Easter holidays when fewer students would be there, and since the full moon would fall during that time, having two Lycans around without Wolfsbane Potion was too risky, even if they were much more controlled than many people thought.

All night they worked, Snape at one cauldron, Harry and Hermione at the other, expertly mixing ingredients, stirring, and checking the potion was coming out just as it should.

Snape was also now and then checking another cauldron in the back of the office, and Harry just had to ask.

“Sorry, Professor, what is that?”

Snape smirked. “This, Potter, is the Blood Replenishing Potion keyed to the healthy Lycan blood” he said, frowning a bit over the cauldron. “Or it will be in a few days time when it's finished brewing” he added then as an afterthought.

“It's surprising how once again you came up with the right solution, Potter” the Potion Master said then with that hint of a smile Harry had already seen when the raven haired boy had come up with the bone marrow idea.

It had after all been Harry who suggested how to link Samantha's blood to the potion.

-->

20. Easter Break and New Ideas

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty: Easter Break and New Ideas

Knowing that the three main kind of cells composing the blood are the leucocytes, erythrocytes and the platelets, and that all of those were produced by the bone marrow, Harry had developed a theory, with Hermione's help of course, and then presented it to Snape. He had wanted to credit her, but she insisted he tell Snape he had come up with it on his own, to gain the man's respect.

Albeit Harry would never admit it, Hermione knew it was somewhat important to Harry, and that was the reason he had been so peeved at Snape's continuous annoyance with him.

So, basically, the two of them had thought that since it's the ematopoietic staminal cells which produced those three kinds of cells, the resulting blood cells must have an imprint of the DNA of the human being they belong to.

This lead to them theorizing that if some blood could be taken from Samantha, which would cause her no harm whatsoever given her regenerative skills, not that it affected normal humans, after all Muggles donate blood often without problems, they could extract her DNA and key the potion to once more produce blood.

Only, the blood wouldn't be based on the DNA of whoever drinks the potion, instead it would produce blood containing the DNA of Samantha, in this case. More generally, of the individual who had donated the blood.

It had been two weeks earlier that Snape had gone to take a blood sample from both Remus and the female Lycan, and with Dumbledore's help they had developed a method to extract the DNA of the cells. Better, they had copied them, thanks to a particular examining spell the Headmaster had shown them, which allowed them to have a scan of the genetic info inside the cell.

“I had been tinkering with these kinds of spells numerous times before I became Headmaster” the old man admitted. “I have always known Muggle medicine would come in handy for us also one day, but alas my many occupations have forced me to forego my research on the matter” he admitted, sighing. Then, his eyes twinkled madly.

“But I see someone else has travelled on that same path” he said, proudly looking at both Harry and Hermione. “Your mother would have been ecstatic about your findings, Harry” he stated then, resting his hand on the young man's shoulder.

Harry just nodded, and Hermione squeezed his hand for support. He squeezed back and smiled at her, albeit shakily, thanking her for being there for him.

Since they had obtained the genetic code of Samantha's blood, they could compare them and see where the differences with Remus' one were. Hermione spotted them first and explained those to the others.

Together, they agreed that inserting the whole DNA of Samantha into Remus might be dangerous, so they had to “cut” the healthy part of it and replace it into Remus' DNA.

The job had not been easy, and it had brought Dumbledore to excuse Harry and Hermione from their classes, and Severus to be substituted by the Headmaster himself for a while, as they worked night and day on it.

With the help of some others of Dumbledore's self-made spells, which were contained in a book he had meant to publish but never truly finished writing, it had taken them a week of hard work to obtain a DNA stable enough to key the Blood Replenishing Potion to it. Then, it had taken a few more days for the Potion Master to modify the original potion, and create the special version which was right now brewing in the dungeons.

Harry was satisfied with how their work on the cure was going, but he could tell Hermione wasn't as happy. That night, when they went back to Gryffindor Tower, he asked her about it.

“It's nothing, really” she tried to dismiss him, but she knew he was a stubborn as her. When she finally gave in, she told him about how it wasn't fair the way the Lycans were judged by people, and that they should do something to let the masses know the truth about their condition.

“It's an illness as many in the world, they are not monsters” she proclaimed, and he had to admire her passion about it. However, her first experiment with S.P. E.W. hadn't gone too well, and he feared she would be disappointed once more.

He realized his beautiful girlfriend had given the matter a good deal of thought already, though, when she told him she had intention, once the war was finished, to do just that, and promote the S.P.E.A.R., Society Promoting Equality for All Races.

“Oh my” Harry muttered under his breath, but she heard him all the same. “I'm going to do it right this time, Harry. Not only Elves, but Lycans, Giants and Centaurs too” she proudly announced. “I hope you'll stand by me, but if you won't, I'll do it all the same with or without your help” she defiantly added then.

He pulled her into his arms. “Of course I'll help, luv” he whispered into her ear, and she smiled warmly at him.

“I knew you would” she murmured against his lips.

--

When finally Easter break came, Harry was excited, but also a bit nervous.

Their speculation was right in theory, but administering Remus the cure was going to prove it right on a practical level.

While the Lycan had reassured him by letter that he was more than eager to take the risk, the raven haired boy hoped all would go well, and no complications would arise.

Hermione was by his side as he watched all the students who would go home for the holidays file away from the main doors of the castle, down through the grounds, till they would reach Hogsmeade and the station, where the Express would be waiting to take them home.

He spotted two redheads in the crowd, one of them hanging on a silvery haired boy who could be no one else than Draco Malfoy, while the other awkwardly walked on the right side of the couple.

He didn't allow himself the time to think about his former best mate and his sister associating with Malfoy, as he and Hermione needed to check with Snape that everything was ready. Samantha and Remus would arrive by Portkey a few minutes after the Express departed from the station, and the process for the cure would start immediately.

They still needed to extract Samantha's bone marrow, make sure it was compatible with Remus, then destroy Remus' bone marrow and finally transplant Samantha's one in him.

It was how they would extract her bone marrow and then put it into Remus that troubled him. Hermione had everything under control, she said, as she had read books on the Muggle techniques about that kind of transplant, and knew how they could adjust it to their magical abilities.

He trusted her completely, so that eased his worry some, but did not erase it completely.

--

When Remus finally arrived at Hogwarts, he had to lean heavily on Samantha. It was incredible how fast he was aging now, he wasn't more than thirty-five and looked at least 80. Harry helped his old Professor to the Hospital Wing, where he would stay, and the first thing both Lycans did once there was to drink the Wolfsbane potion. The treatment would take some days to complete and they had no time to lose.

Then, Remus was helped into bed, with Samantha in the one next to him. They held their hands clasped together, and Harry was moved at seeing how much they must love each other. He pulled Hermione close, and could feel she was quite emotional at the moment too.

Snape cleared his throat, and both teens snapped to attention again. With a curt nod, they raised their wands toward the beautiful woman in front of them, and they anesthetized her. The fact she was a Lycan required that all three of them cast the spell twice before she was numbed enough to go through with the rest of the operation.

They then cast a spell to open her flesh enough to gain access to her hip-bone. There, Hermione cast a Replicating Charm, and a perfectly identical hip-bone appeared in her hand. Resting it on a nearby bed, she helped Harry and Snape close the wound, and then they revived Samantha.

“Ouch” she protested as the numbness left her body. She could feel her right side throbbing, and squinted her eyes, out of habit, focusing her mind on where the pain was. She didn't even need to know what had happened to her, in a few moments the scar caused by Harry, Hermione and Snape's spell vanished, and she looked at them bright as ever.

“So, did it work?” she asked cheerfully.

“Er…we still have work to do, actually” Hermione said, grabbing the hip-bone and cracking it open with a well placed flick of her wrist. Then she levitated the bone marrow out of it, Harry providing her with a sterilized glass box where to place it.

Then they repeated the process on Remus, who however needed a pain-relieving potion to get rid of the throb in his leg. When they were finished, and the man was asleep, resting, they turned to Samantha, who had paled while watching their actions.

“That's…barbaric” she whispered, lovingly caressing Remus' face as she walked to his bed.

While the Lycan slept, they extracted a large amount of blood from his body, immediately shoving four vials of special Blood Replenishing potion down his throat, as he lost colour.

“There's nothing more we can do for the moment” Snape declared then. “We will have to get rid of some other tainted blood later, and give him more potion, but for now he needs his rest”

They all nodded, and left him in the care of Madam Pomfrey, instructing her to alert them if his conditions changed.

--

For a couple days they took blood from him and then dosed him with large amount of the modified potion, and Snape was pretty sure they wouldn't need to do it anymore.

“If his regenerating skills have awakened when he wakes up, he will be able to change any tainted blood in him to healthy on his own” the Potion Master explained, and so they waited. When on the third day Remus finally awoke as they didn't make him drink Sleeping Draught anymore, Harry and Hermione held their breath.

Samantha was sitting on his bed, and he smiled at her. Snape was observing the scene from a far corner of the room.

“I feel…rested” Remus declared, and everyone chuckled. “You slept for three days, you lazy git” Samantha swatted him across his chest, and he chuckled too.

Then everyone became serious as the moment of truth came. Harry took a deep breath, and then spoke.

“Remus, try focusing on your hair. Make it go back to the colour it was in your Hogwarts days” he instructed. It was a simple enough change, but one that would tell them if the cure worked or not.

The older man concentrated, and for minutes nothing happened. Then, when everyone was already cursing under their breath for the wasted effort, from white his hair turned back to that sand colour Harry had always seen in the photographs of his father with his best friends.

Everyone grinned and cheered, Hermione and Harry exchanging a sweet kiss as both silently congratulated the other on their accomplishment. Dumbledore, who had come to check on the progress of the cure minutes before Remus woke up, looked at them and pride was clear in his blue twinkling eyes. Snape's expression was unreadable, but as Harry looked his way, the man gave him a curt nod, his way of telling the boy he was proud of him too.

When the cheering died down, Harry pointed out something. “He should have been way faster though”

Samantha nodded. “I know, but he's not used to the ability yet. I'll help him understand it fully, and that should make him able to fix himself in a few seconds time, from now on”

Satisfied with the answer, Harry announced that maybe it was better to leave Remus rest a bit more, and then he winked at Samantha, who blushed and mouthed him a thank you.

As everyone left the two Lycans alone to catch up and spend time together, Harry took Hermione's hand and lead her to the lake.

As they sat under a tree, his back against the bark, her sitting between his legs, her back resting on his chest and her head tucked under his chin, he held her close.

They stayed that way for a long time, enjoying the closeness and the company.

“I'm glad we could help him” Hermione finally said.

“Me too” Harry nodded, squeezing her hand. He could tell she was deep in thought, and wondered what she was coming up with now.

“You know, Harry, that regenerating skill of theirs, and the fact they can resist the Avada Kedavra…” she started. “It could be very handy in the war” she said, turning to face him, and by the way her eyes were sparkling he knew she had just had a brilliant idea, as her usual.

-->

21. A Surprising Letter

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-one: A Surprising Letter

“You know, Harry, that regenerating skill of theirs, and the fact they can resist the Avada Kedavra…” she started. “It could be very handy in the war” she said, turning to face him, and by the way her eyes were sparkling he knew she had just had a brilliant idea, as her usual.

“Well, of course, I mean, if we managed to sway them to our side, they would be a force to be reckoned with” Harry mused, but Hermione shook her head.

“That would be great, of course, but it was not what I had in mind” she smiled. Then she launched into the explanation of her idea.

“You see, we know in the end it's going to be you and Voldemort, right? And sure enough at some point he will try using the Killing Curse on you. Now, if you were to be protected from it, you could use it to your advantage, because you wouldn't need to care about the spell, and you would use the time while he casts it to attack him instead. He wouldn't have the time to shield himself”

Harry was confused. “Are you suggesting I let Remus or Samantha bite me so I become a Lycan too?”

Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. “Of course not. But if we could develop a way to give you that kind of protection…” she mused, and Harry smiled, shaking his head.

She was again in her own world.

“I got it!” she cried almost half an hour later. “If you were to bathe in their blood, and we could have you drink a potion to stick its properties on you, then you'd be shielded!”

Harry's eyes widened. Of course, given their regenerative skills, the two Lycans would have no problem providing them the necessary quantity of blood. The trick was to develop a potion to stick it to him.

“We should talk with Snape about it” he said, suddenly standing up and taking her hand.

“Professor Snape, Harry” she scolded him as he dragged her at mad speed through the grounds.

When they finally reached the older man's office and told him about Hermione's idea, he gave her an appraising look.

“I will look into it, Miss Granger. It certainly has possibilities, but then we should test to see if it really keeps Mr. Potter, or anyone going through the treatment, from being injured. I daresay if it can shield him from extensive physical damage, it would be good enough to protect him from the Killing Curse” he mused, holding his chin.

A few minutes later the two teens left, having agreed with the Potion Master that they would take a couple days to rest before starting to look into a definitive cure for the Lycans. It seemed that Severus Snape was convinced that Lycanthropy was nothing more than a permanent illness too, and as all illnesses, it had to have a way to be cured.

--

Since they were free form their research with Snape and they had already done their assignments for the holidays, the two of them went to ask the Headmaster permission to go to the village for an afternoon of relaxation.

Dumbledore regarded them with the usual twinkle in those blue eyes of his, and smiled. “I am sure if anyone deserves some time for entertainment in the village, it is the two of you” he said. “Just, be careful to be back before dark” he advised them, before dismissing the two of them with a recommendation to have fun.

As they strolled through the main street, shops on both sides of the street were mostly empty, due to most of the Hogwarts studentsÂ being home for the holidays.Â Â They entertained themselves with pleasant conversation and justÂ enjoying each others company.

Harry wondered what had he done to deserve her. He just couldn't believe how happy she made him. He just hoped he could make her anywhere close to how she made him feel.

Pulling her to him, he softly kissed her, pouring all his love in the gesture.

“Thanks” he murmured against her lips, and she smiled, cupping his face with her hands. She had understood, there was no need of other words.

“You're welcome” she softly replied before kissing him again. She couldn't get enough of him, and it was only because they were in the middle of a village that the two of them managed to keep their hands at bay, because right now she wouldn't have minded a good, long shag, had they been alone in the castle.

Pushing those naughty thoughts out of her mind, Hermione sighed, and after a look at the sky, suggested they head back to the school. It was already almost sunset and they were going to miss dinner if they didn't hurry.

--

The next morning, while they were having breakfast in the Great Hall, some owls swooped in, as usual. What was strange, though, was that Errol, the Weasley family owl, landed unceremoniously in front of Harry, a letter tied to his leg. Exchanging a puzzled look with Hermione he shrugged and untied the envelope, then opened it.

As he read the short note, he frowned.

Dear Harry,

How are you? I hope you and

Hermione both are enjoying this

holiday. I'm writing you because

for days I've been trying to contact

Ron and Ginny, after the Easter eggs

we sent them came back unopened, and

we still have to receive a reply.

I know they are there at the castle, they said

they didn't feel like coming home, so please,

ask them to write home. I realize you and Ron

aren't on the best of terms right now, but if you

could do this, we would be truly grateful.

Molly

“What? They left on the Hogwarts Express, I saw them amongst the crowd heading to Hogsmeade that day!” Hermione exclaimed.

“I know. I spotted them too” Harry growled darkly. “And Malfoy was with them. God, let it not be what I think” he whispered, and Hermione must have guessed what he was referring to, because she paled.

“Surely they wouldn't…” she whispered, aghast.

“We don't know them all that well anymore, do we?” he muttered, and she nodded.

“Still, it seems really strange that they would do this, Harry. Please, don't jump to conclusions. After all Draco is her boyfriend, and maybe they got invited to his Manor and didn't want their parents knowing” she suggested, but even to her ears it seemed a stupid explanation.

Narcissa would have never accepted her son inviting two Weasleys to their house, after all. The two families were constantly at each other's throats, and it was surprising enough that Ginny and Draco were together, it would be easier if hell froze over than that the two redheads being invited and welcomed to Malfoy Manor.

Harry sighed. “Let's hope it's just that, but we better keep an eye on them from now on. One best friend turned traitor is enough, I don't want that story to repeat itself” he muttered, his reference to Pettigrew and his betrayal of Harry's parents obvious.

--

While Harry and Hermione were at the castle for the break, Neville and Luna had gone to her house. Luna's father had wanted to meet the “young man who so strongly captured my baby's heart”, to tell it in the words he had written her to invite them. The house had been placed under the Fidelius Charm and the Secret Keeper was Dumbledore, so it was perfectly safe for them to be there.

Right now, the two were in the yard, enjoying the sunny day, cuddling together against a tree, his arms around her waist as she leaned against his chest.

The blonde sighed contentedly.

“I'm so glad Daddy likes you, Nev” she said in her usual tone. He smiled.

“He's a nice man, I was sure he would have liked me” Neville said, trying to sound confident. Luna giggled.

“You were shaking when we left the Express and walked toward him” she reminded him, turning in his embrace so that she could face him.

The boy blushed, and grinned sheepishly. “Ok, then, I was a bit afraid of meeting him, but honestly, what teenage boy isn't, at the prospect of meeting his girlfriend's father?” he retorted.

She gave him a brilliant smile. “I'd say you were terrified, not just a bit scared, but I found it cute. It spoke volumes about how much you care about me that you were so scared my dad wouldn't like you” she murmured against his lips, before she kissed him.

This continued for a few minutes before parting for lack of air. “You make me feel incredible, Luna, you know that, right?” he whispered to her as they rested their foreheads one on the other.

She just nodded. “I could say the same about you” she admitted with a faint blush, before kissing him again, this time hungrily, as her hands moved up his sides, to start caressing his chest through his shirt. He responded in the same fashion, and started running his hands up her sides, gently cupping her fairly large breasts through the fabric of her clothes.

Both were completely unaware of Mr. Lovegood approaching them to tell them dinner was ready.

“Oh! Here you are!” he suddenly shouted, and they sprang apart, blushing furiously. Even Luna seemed a bit embarrassed that her father had caught them in such a compromising situation, but the older wizard didn't seem to care.

“Oh, don't worry, it's perfectly normal” he said, reading their expressions. “You should have seen what I did with my Stella when we were your age” he said, a far away look in his eyes, blue just like Luna's.

“Dad!” Luna called, and the man immediately turned again his attention on them.

“Right. Dinner's ready” he said with a smile and both teens got up from where they were sitting.

“Thanks, Mr. Lovegood” Neville said, still quite red in the face.

“No need for those formalities, Neville, how many times I've to tell you? You're family now” Mr. Lovegood said with a mild glare.

“Right, sorry Mr…I mean, Astrus” the boy said, then while they were walking behind her father, he asked Luna, “family?”

She giggled softly. “Dad is convinced you and I will be married as soon as I'm out of Hogwarts” she revealed, and Neville blushed again.

“Blimey” he muttered under his breath, so softly that not even Luna heard him.

-->

22. Shocking News and a Farewell

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-two: Shocking news and a Farewell

Before starting to work on her theory about the Lycan blood being able to provide a shield for a non Lycan person, Hermione wanted to run it by the Headmaster and see what he thought of the subject. She had told Harry to meet her in the library after dinner and she would tell him how the meeting had gone.

Once she had finished telling him, Dumbledore remained pensive for some minutes, before a wide smile spread on his lips.

“I do think you have outdone yourself once more, Miss Granger” he started. “Yes, I actually think something like that could work, and it would be a great help for Harry in the final confrontation with Voldemort” he said. “Professor Snape has informed me just this morning of a plan of Voldemort to infiltrate the school at the end of the term, and I fear with all my efforts to avoid a meeting between them, if Tom really manages to breach the castle, it will be unavoidable” he wearily said. “Trusting Severus' information, Voldemort processed some new recruitments while the school was on break, allowing some students to join. Who these students may be, I do not know yet, though” he admitted.

Hermione almost gasped. Maybe Harry's suspicions about Ron and Ginny might not be too farfetched, after all.

“I trust you will inform Harry of all of this, yes?” Dumbledore added then, his eyes peering at her with mirth, and for some reason Hermione found herself blushing.

“Yes, I will tell him of course” she breathed.

“Very well then. I will instruct Professor Snape to ask Remus and Samantha for some of their blood before they leave in a couple of days. Remus should be strong enough now to allow us to take some from him” the headmaster concluded, letting her know she was free to go if she so wished.

Hermione thanked him for listening to her, then rushed to the library, her heart beating in her chest.

They were more in danger than they thought already!

When she approached Harry at their usual table, she was breathing hard, and trying to tell him the shocking news.

“Harry…school…Voldemort…end of term…recruits…”

Concerned about her, he eased her into a seat.

“Hermione, why don't you calm down a bit?” he suggested, and she nodded, taking a few long breaths, before finally speaking.

She told him about what Dumbledore had revealed to her, and together they immediately started researching a way to adhere the effects of the Lycan blood to him.

“I think we should ask Snape to create a potion to do that. Seems the easiest way to me, as creating a spell is much more complex” Harry suggested. “In the meanwhile we can try and brainstorm on a way to cure the Lycanthropy. I'm sure we should keep looking at it from a genetics point of view”

Hermione agreed, so they set to work. They needed to find a cure fast, so that they could use it as a bargaining tool for the Lycans to join them in the war.

Hagrid and Grawp would be in charge of convincing the Giants, and as for the Centaurs, if Firenze could convince them, then it was good, but if she was truthful, Hermione didn't have much hope of that happening. But the Lycans…well, Voldemort would offer them blood, killings and more respect than the Ministry has given them. If they could come up with a cure, they could offer them a normal future, no more monthly transformations, of course no extra powers too, and that would be a downside, for sure.

“Harry!” she suddenly cried. “I think we should look at the cure from another angle. I mean, Lycans have useful powers, too, heightened senses, regenerating skills, more physical strength” she listed, and he grinned mischievously at her.

“Not to mention an insatiable sex drive” he piped in wriggling his eyebrows, and she blushed, hitting him lightly on his chest.

“This is not the time to joke, Harry James!” she scolded him, but he could see in her eyes she was amused.

Resuming her speech, she told him that probably the Lycans weren't too keen on losing those powers associated with their condition. So if they could work on eliminating only the bad aspects of the Lycanthropy, then they would surely have a powerful offer for the pack.

“I like how you think” he huskily said, kissing her hungrily, and easily lifting her up, pulling her on his lap.

As much as she wanted to keep researching, she knew they also deserved some quality time together. Plus, she wasn't exactly in a position to resist him at the moment, not when he was kissing her on the neck, sucking on her flesh and leaving marks there, finding that particular spot that always made her sigh in contentment whenever he kissed it, and then nibbling gently on her earlobe.

“Harry…” she whimpered, holding tightly on that little part of reason still in her brain, “not here…if Madam Pince catches us, there will be Hell to pay…” she protested, but he grinned at her again, his eyes shining with mischief. In those moments, he truly was the son of James Potter, proud member of the Marauders.

With a flick of his wand he cast Silencing charms on the area, then Notice Me Not charms, and finally he enlarged his cloak and put it over them.

“Satisfied now?” he asked, resuming his ministrations, pushing her robes off her shoulders, then slowly unbuttoning her shirt, exposing more and more creamy skin to his caresses.

Next it was her skirt, and he looked appraisingly at her, sprawled on the library table in only her underwear, a set of lacy black bra and knickers, not knowing that life was about to repeat itself, as another couple of Gryffindors had shagged on that same table many years ago, those Gryffindors being none other than James Potter and Lily Evans.

Her underwear was sexy without being sluttish, and he loved it.

Kissing her shoulders, he unclasped her bra, while she pushed the shirt she had in the meantime unbuttoned off his shoulders, leaving him bare-chested too. He felt her yank him at her by his waistband, and then her fingers worked on his belt and fly. In few moments, while he was lavishing his affection on her breasts, all that was left of his clothing was his boxers.

Hermione gasped softly as he flicked his tongue over her right nipple once more, his other hand sneaking between her legs, and into her knickers, his fingers gliding over her brown trimmed bush, finally resting on her core, teasing her outer lips, circling her clit with his thumb, all the while still kissing her.

Retaliation was in order, she couldn't let him think he had the upper hand in their relationship when it came to sex, so she hastily pushed his boxers down, freeing his raging erection, and grabbed him in her hand.

Harry hissed at the touch, and when she started stroking him, he knew he couldn't resist much. Looking down at her, he noticed a satisfied, impish smile playing on her lips, and smiled back, closing his eyes. He would never be in control when it came to sex between them, he knew that. But maybe, just maybe, he still had a card to play. Kneeling, and quickly removing his shaft from her grasp, he buried his head between her thighs, his tongue running over her lower lips, lapping at her flowing juices, teasing her little nub, making her arch her back against the table.

Hermione was in Heaven and right now she couldn't care less if he was the one in control. She just craved her release, but he was playing dirty, and stopping every time she was on the brink of her orgasm.

“Harryy!” she called, clearly annoyed, and he chuckled. “At your orders, luv” he huskily whispered, before licking her, thrusting his tongue inside her, until he felt her muscles tighten and knew she had cum, the juices flowing in his mouth clear proof of it.

He moved up to kiss her, making her taste herself on his lips, and she gave a last shudder when he did. He knew she loved it.

“You're mean, you know that” she whispered, but he had no plans to end their encounter there, thank you.

“I know, but the best part is still to come” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver. Then, in one swift motion, he slid into her, making her shout his name. Her arms laced around his neck, she met all his thrusts, squeezing him, and from his grunts of satisfaction she knew she was doing good in pleasuring him.

When he finally felt her walls clench around him again, he knew he could let go, and with a last thrust he spilled himself inside her.

Finally, he collapsed on the chair behind him, not wanting to break the table with the added weight.

Once they had regained their breath, the pair started getting dressed again, and then they headed to Gryffindor Tower.

“That was amazing” Hermione admitted, holding his hand, as they walked up the stairs. “I never knew doing it in the library could be so thrilling”

He just chuckled, pulling her close.

--

Finally, Remus and Samantha had to leave. The students would come back to the school that day, and the Lycans thought wise to leave before that.

Harry couldn't believe how different Remus looked. It was like he was twenty again, just like Samantha.

“I could never thank you enough for what both of you did for me” he said, hugging both of the teens. “I was sure I had no chance, and had already resigned myself to die in a few months, but you two have been…amazing, really”

Both blushed, but they were happy with the praise.

“I'm glad we could help” Harry finally said, embracing Samantha too, who had joyful tears in her eyes. She too didn't think Remus would make it, but these two teens in front of her had saved him, and she couldn't help being grateful to them. She had been so scared to lose the only person she had ever truly loved in her life.

“Thank you” she whispered into Harry's ear. “Feel free to ask me anything, I'll only be glad to help, ok?” she added then, smiling, and looking at Hermione too.

The brunette nodded, looking up from her hug with Remus, and then finally the two Lycans were on their way, crossing the grounds to reach Hogsmeade and Apparate away from there. You can't, after all, Apparate in or out of Hogwarts grounds, as Hermione always tried to remind Harry.

“They seem really happy” he said, squeezing her shoulder as he pulled her to him.

“They are” she agreed, a smile gracing her lips. “I'm so proud of you, Harry” she admitted then, looking up to meet his green eyes.

“You helped too, and a lot” he reminded her, before placing a gentle kiss on her pink lips. “I love you”

“I love you too” she murmured, her heart swelling in happiness, and she could only hope it would last, even through the looming war that awaited them all.

She would sure do her best to ensure Harry came out of it alive, but she didn't know if that would be enough.

With that thought, she dragged him back to the castle, where they went to see Professor Snape about the “Lycan blood shield” as they had started referring to her theory.

-->

23. untitled

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-three: Testing the Shield

Snape was intrigued by Hermione's idea, and immediately set to work on developing a potion to “glue” the proprieties of the Lycan blood to the skin of someone who wasn't a Lycan.

Hermione and Harry spent the last hours before the train would bring the students back helping him, locked in the dungeons. The brunette tried asking some veiled questions about who the new recruits were, but Snape didn't know.

The ceremony had taken place in a secret location, and the other Death Eaters had been let in only when it was done, and masks covered the new recruits' faces.

“I fear the Dark Lord has started to suspect he has a spy in his ranks” he sighed, knowing that if that was the case, his Occlumency shields wouldn't keep him safe forever.

However, there was no time to dwell on that revelation because all three of them needed to go to the Great Hall for the usual feast. Sitting at Gryffindor table just as the students started to file in and take their places at the respective house tables, Harry was tense. He could feel Hermione was nervous too.

They had purposefully kept their suspicions to themselves, even if it would have been wise to tell at least Dumbledore about them, if not Molly, because they didn't want to discredit the two Weasleys if their ideas were false. There were enough hard feelings between them already, and if the pair hoped to ever re-establish a friendship with Ron and Ginny, accusing them of being Death Eaters without solid proof was not the path to follow. Harry had learned that acting on instinct didn't always mean you did the right thing, so he resolved to keep quiet for the moment, and his beautiful girlfriend agreed with him, which only cemented his belief that it was the right thing to do.

This, however, didn't mean the two of them wouldn't watch the redheaded duo closely, ready to pick up any hint that might give away their betrayal.

So, it was with baited breath that they locked eyes on the two figures approaching the table, Ginny exchanging a last quick kiss with Malfoy before parting ways with her boyfriend and sitting near her brother at the opposite end of the table of Harry and Hermione.

The two pairs exchanged mild glares, and Harry noticed both the Weasley kids wore long sleeve shirts under their robes.

“Isn't it starting to be a bit hot for long sleeves?” the raven haired boy whispered to Hermione, who nodded.

“This proves nothing though, Harry” she reminded him, and the boy nodded moodily, picking at his food. Suddenly, he wasn't so hungry anymore.

Couldn't the two redheads come in with short sleeves under their robes? That wouldn't have showed Harry Ron's left arm, because of the school robes covering it, but at least he would have known his friend had nothing to hide there.

--

That night, Harry was paired up with Luna to do prefect rounds. He played with the idea of telling her about his and Hermione's suspicions, at least she and Neville could help them watch the Weasleys and find out the truth. But he held back, because of his fear of spreading false rumours about them.

Luna, however, wasn't stupid, although many still called her Loony for her beliefs in strange creatures only she and her father seemed to know about. After all, the Sorting Hat had placed her in Ravenclaw, that must have meant something.

She was also very perceptive of the moods of people around her, and it seemed, especially Harry. So, it didn't seem too strange to him when she gently took his hand, and turned to face him with her blue eyes.

“Is there something troubling you, Harry?” she serenely said, and he felt compelled to tell her. He and Hermione had trusted the blonde girl and Neville with many things they didn't share even with the adults that year, for example their research to save Sirius. Dumbledore had been delighted to know about it, but the headmaster only became aware of it after the man was saved, or at least, if he knew beforehand, it was not because Harry or Hermione had told him.

This strengthened the connection Harry felt with Luna since last year. Sighing, he cast a Mufflatio spell to avoid anyone who might be around them to overhear, and explained what had happened during the break, the Weasleys leaving together with Malfoy, Molly's letter, Snape's info that new recruits had been made amongst the students, and finally his and Hermione's belief that Ron and Ginny might be those new recruits, with Malfoy of course.

As shocking as the news might have been to anyone else, Luna didn't seem unfazed.

“I see” she only whispered, then squeezed his hand for support. “This must be hard for you, Harry” she added then. “I'll make sure Neville and I keep our eyes open to anything suspicious about those two” she offered, and Harry thanked her.

Resuming their rounds, they walked quietly through the corridors of the castle, with no need of speaking. Harry was glad that if he had lost a best friend that year, he might have just found himself another two.

It was an overall quiet night, and they only had to take points from a couple Hufflepuffs who were snogging in a broom closet, when the time to go back to their dorms came.

“I'll see you and Hermione tomorrow, Harry. Good night” the blonde said, starting to walk toward Ravenclaw Tower.

“Good night, Luna” Harry said, with a small smile, as he climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. She had really become a good friend of his, and to think he didn't even know she existed two years ago.

--

In the following days, the research about the potion to create a Lycan shield, so to speak, ran a little slower. Harry and Hermione had lessons to attend, assignments to do, and they also had to research a cure for the standard Lycanthropy, without wiping out the good effects of the illness. Not to mention the need to keep an eye on the redheads.

Professor Snape also had to plan lessons, revise essays, and all the usual work a teacher had to do to teach his course, adding to the extra-curricular activities he did at night with the two Gryffindors, or alone, but working on those projects.

Luckily, Neville and Luna helped too, just as they had done before, albeit not all evenings. They needed some alone time for themselves, and Harry understood perfectly.

Luna had also suggested she might research some old Ravenclaw books, as the founder was rumoured to have been involved in studying cures for many maladies, and Harry accepted her offer, although he didn't think Rowena would have followed their genetic approach to the subject. Still, if they could get some ideas, it was worth a shot.

Hermione's most pressing priority, though, was to develop the shield, so that was what the quartet focused on the most in their nightly encounters. The Restricted Section had been useful once already, so they often wandered in there, with the safety of Harry's cloak protecting them from prying eyes.

The brunette found a couple interesting tomes she wanted to read, so she reduced them and snuck them into her pocket as they were too big to read all in one night. Madam Pince wouldn't be happy with her behaviour, but the future of the whole Wizarding World could lie on their success in developing such a weapon against Voldemort, so she thought she was allowed to break the rules for that.

When they were barely able to keep their eyes open, Harry decided to call it a night, and the four friends separated. Neville escorted Luna to her common room, with the news of Death Eaters in the student body and their obvious association with Harry, he didn't want to take the chance of anything happening to his girlfriend. Harry and Hermione made their way up to Gryffindor Tower, then inside the common room after having given the Fat Lady the password (“Cornish Pixies!”).

He then pulled Hermione to him, and kissed her soundly on the lips, his arms sneaking around her waist, while her hands buried themselves in his unruly locks of black hair, their tongues dancing slowly, entwined, in their mouths. Harry's left hand slid downwards, caressing her bum, one of the many features of her that he couldn't get enough of and she sighed softly as they parted just a moment for lack of air, before resuming their kissing.

They were completely unaware of their surroundings, wrapped up in each other as they were, pouring all the pent up passion of a long day of lessons, study and research into their kisses, and Harry could already feel his blood heading southwards, Hermione grinding against his hips as their tongues picked up the pace and the kiss became more heated, needy, with the slow dance changing into a fight for dominance, when a voice startled them and had them sprang apart.

“Do you really need to put on such disgusting shows?” an icy drawl came from the corner of the room, and there she was, Ginny, a book in her hands, evidently taking notes.

Hermione flushed, embarrassed, but this didn't stop her from noticing the long sleeves the girl was wearing, her robes discarded on the nearby couch, as the redhead was sitting in front of the fire.

She bit her lip, and a shared glance with Harry told her he had noticed too.

“Well, good night then, Harry” she called, and moved toward the staircase to the girls dorm, only to be pulled back by an arm circling her waist. He planted a last long, wet kiss on her, before he let her go.

“Now it will be” he said with a grin, and she rolled her eyes playfully at him for his cheesiness, but couldn't deny that when he did things like that, a giddy feeling would spread inside her, making her feel like she was about to float a few inches off the floor.

--

It took them two more weeks, but finally around the end of April the first attempt at making the Lycan blood shield could be made.

Remus and Samantha had been kind enough to provide them with enough blood for Harry to bathe in on the last few days of their staying at the castle, and Madam Pomfrey had kept it fresh with special spells she had learned when she had studied to become an Healer.

Now that the potion was ready, according to Professor Snape who had found another interesting use for a bezoar, or so it would be if the potion was successful, Hermione was bubbling with excitement to see if her idea might work.

A special bathtub had been arranged for Harry in the Potions class that night, the door sealed so no one could enter while the experiment was taking place.

Harry eyed the bathtub, then the vial of potion Snape was holding, and then the potion master.

“Er…sir, not to be disrespectful, but I'll have to undress, and I was thinking if maybe…” he stammered, and Hermione giggled softly at his predicament.

Snape only raised his eyebrows, a small smirk appearing on his lips.

“Are you embarrassed to get naked in front of your professor, Potter?” he asked, teasing the boy who was now completely red in the face.

“Make sure he gulps that down all at once, and while he's still inside the blood bath, Miss Granger” he advised her before closing the door after him.

Following the agreed procedures, Harry stripped, and Hermione couldn't help noticing once more how well built he had become, and well hung in “that” compartment too, a jolt of hotness travelling through her body and settling in her core as he lowered himself into the tub, immerging himself completely, head to toe, into the Lycan blood. Shaking herself from her stupor, she neared the tub and as soon as his mouth emerged, she shoved the potion inside it in one swift motion, urging him to swallow all of it at once.

He did, and then stepped out of the blood bath, his skin shining lightly, almost glowing, for a moment, before it returned to normal and he started dressing.

When he was done, they asked the professor to come back in, and the real test began.

Snape fired a series of spells at Harry, starting with light ones, which would cause little physical damage, and ending with a very dangerous cutting curse aimed at his shoulder, causing a large gash to be opened there, the incantation being “Lacero Seorsum”.

Hermione gasped but before she could even grab her wand to close the cut, it started healing itself. The process took twenty seconds, and only a small quantity of blood was spilled onto Harry's shirt. He felt weak for another fifteen seconds, while his blood was being regenerated, and then was as good as new.

“It works!” Hermione cried, hugging him tightly. Snape seemed satisfied too. That was the most dangerous curse he could try shy of the Killing Curse, but the response told him it would work for the Avada Kedavra too.

They needed a last test how long the effects lasted, so they repeated the series of curses after two hours, and they found the mild ones caused Harry damage that wasn't being automatically repaired.

Snape scratched his chin, deep in thought. “It seems I need to do some more revisions on the potions to assure a longer lasting effect, but we're close” he announced with a rare smile.

Seeing that it was well past midnight, he finally dismissed the two teens so that all of them could get some much needed and well deserved sleep.

-->

24. Quidditch and Scandal

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-four: Quidditch and Scandal

Harry woke up groggily, that morning. That was the day of the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, and he smiled to himself as he thought the Quidditch Cup could be theirs once more. They just needed to not lose for more than one hundred points, and he was confident they could pull it off.

Quickly putting on his Quidditch robes as he realized he was running a bit late, Harry dashed to the Great Hall to grab a bite before heading to the pitch. There, at the Gryffindor table, he met with Hermione, who had already prepared him a plate with all his favourites on a Quidditch day.

He smiled thankfully at her and started eating, musing about how well they knew each other, and how thick he had been to not notice that before.

“At least last summer I woke up and noticed her” he thought as he walked quickly toward the Gryffindor locker room where the rest of the team was waiting. He had just finished giving them a pep talk, telling them they could do it, the Cup was within their grasp, they just needed to claim it as their own, all the while noticing the permanent scowl that had taken residence on Ron's face with an inward sigh, when there was a knock on the door. Motioning for the team to start getting on the pitch, he then went to open the door, and was surprised to see Hermione standing there.

She looked up at him a bit shyly, a tiny blush on her cheeks.

“I didn't give you your good luck kiss” she whispered, and he grinned, pulling her to him and kissing her quite thoroughly, making her moan softly when they parted. With ragged breaths she smiled at him, and wished him good luck once more before going to join Neville in the stands.

As Madam Hooch spoke with Harry and Cho, the two captains, about wanting a fair game, no dirty play and her usual ramblings, Luna was announcing the players' names, being the new Quidditch commenter now that Lee Jordan was out of school.

Soon, the game started, and Harry immediately set to look for the Snitch, Cho constantly on his side, tailing him in every turn.

“I won't make this easy for you, Harry” she called at him with a wink, and he smiled back. “You never do, Cho” he acknowledged her ability. Seriously, since Cedric had died, but maybe even before that, Cho had always been the second best Seeker at the school, after Harry, and he always had a hard time beating her. Nonetheless, he always did.

Circling the pitch with the hope of spotting a glimpse of gold, Harry was also checking on how his team was doing, and he had to admit they were really giving their best. He spotted Ron make a spectacular save and he smiled at his ex best mate, who just nodded, the scowl still glued to his face.

Harry sighed and shook his head, once more searching for the Snitch. Cho had left him alone, a rare event in their matches, to have a look on the other side of the pitch, but she must have be deluded because a couple minutes later she was again tailing him.

The match went on for other two hours, with the score of 130-120 for Gryffindor, when finally Harry spotted something and launched himself at breakneck speed. Cho was trying to keep up, but the Firebolt wasn't the best racing broom for nothing, and with Harry's skill it was soon clear who would get the Snitch first, if there weren't outside interferences like Bludgers.

Following the little golden ball, Harry dived toward the ground, Cho still following him but with little hopes to get the snitch first. Both Seekers were so caught up in their target that neither noticed how near to the ground they were already.

When Harry did, he pulled up with all his might, and his Firebolt harshly turned toward the sky, its end barely brushing the grass of the pitch. Cho wasn't so lucky, and her Cleansweep would have made her crash if Harry hadn't dived again, this time to catch the Ravenclaw seeker before she killed herself, or at the very least hurt herself badly.

As he gently landed, letting the pretty witch out of his arms, the crowd roared in approval, and even Hermione couldn't believe how self-less he was. It wasn't his job to save Cho, and surely Dumbledore would have intervened, so he just had to turn his head right and grab the Snitch hovering near him, she knew he had spotted it too, but he didn't care, and sacrificed the chance of ending the match because he just had to help Cho.

“He's really amazing” she heard a dreamy voice whisper behind her, and she knew it was one of his many fans, but this time she couldn't help agreeing.

--

Eventually, Harry caught the Snitch, Cho too shaken by her near death experience to be effective in her play, and Gryffindor won the Cup. Harry lifted it to the sky in the middle of the pitch, the students roaring on the stands, apart from the Slytherins, as usual.

When finally the celebrations ended, and everyone moved from the stands to go back to the castle, while the teams retreated to their locker rooms to have a shower and change, no one noticed the spell hitting the back of the Ravenclaw Captain.

--

Harry was enjoying a warm shower, his team-mates having already left and telling him they would be in the common room to have a party, when a husky voice was heard.

“Do you need any help with that scrub, Harry?”

He turned, and gulped as a very naked Cho was leaning on the doorframe.

“Cho! What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, glaring at her while covering himself up the best he could, and trying not to peek at her great body, especially her heaving breasts.

The Asian witch giggled, and walked toward him, seductively swaying her hips in the process.

“Why, to shag you senseless and show you who is a real woman of course, silly” she said, having finally approached him, and pressing herself to his chest, her hands caressing his face. That was the moment Harry noticed her glassy eyes, and knew she had been Imperiused.

Gently pushing her aside, he ran to the locker rooms, leaving a trail of soapy water behind him, and grabbed his wand. Then he stunned her, dressed her with her clothes which he found near his own on the bench, and then proceeded to dress himself.

When that was done, he dragged her out of the locker rooms, Disillusioned himself, revived her and broke the curse, before Obliviating her so she would not remember anything of the events that took place in the shower room.

“Sorry Cho, but it is better this way” he thought, while walking away from her, still Disillusioned, the fact that someone had Imperiused her to seduce him troubling him. He knew probably the Death Eaters among the students were responsible for that, but he couldn't understand why.

When he reached the common room, the party was in full swing, and he searched for Hermione with his eyes. Spotting her on the couch with Neville and Parvati, he made his way there, knowing he should probably talk with her about the incident, but deciding not to. She had already helped him lots that year, he would find who had Imperiused Cho on his own. Plus, he didn't want to make her jealous for nothing.

He would soon discover he was sorely mistaken in his decision.

--

The next morning, when he entered the Great Hall, Harry found everyone staring at him. He wondered why, but since it had happened before, he didn't let it trouble him.

However, when he sat near Hermione and she suddenly got up, he noticed her eyes were filled with tears.

“Sweetheart, what has happened?” he asked, and she glared at him.

“Don't sweet talk me, Potter” she hissed, throwing the Prophet at him. There, on the front page, was a picture of Cho and him, naked, in the shower room, her body pressed against his. The photo conveniently didn't show the part when he pushed her away, though.

The article read:

Potter plays the heart of young witches

By Rita Skeeter

Harry Potter, 16 years old and thought to be the Savior of the Wizarding World, is nothing more than a spoiled brat who thinks he can have it all. Not happy with having the affection of the caring, smart, beautiful Muggleborn witch Hermione Granger, who has always been on his side since first year, Potter thought wise to seduce the pretty Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain Cho Chang too, the two could be seen flirting all through the match and Potter even gave up an easy win to save her from a fall, it surely adding to the infatuation Miss Chang felt for Potter, of which clear proof could be seen last year when they briefly dated.

The article continued inside, but Harry had read enough. Crumpling it with his hands, he ran after Hermione, slamming the Great Hall doors in the process as he left.

He regretted not having told her about it now. Thinking furiously, he grinned as he realized where she would be. They surely needed to talk.

The library would be the obvious choice, so he knew she wouldn't be there. She could guess he would search her there first. Instead, he was pretty sure she had retreated to what he had come to call “their” spot, near the lake, outside from the view of the castle.

He ran there as fast as he could, and there she was, sitting against the bark of “their” tree, her shoulders rising and falling with her sobs. Harry felt his heart wrench in his chest at the sight. It was the second time in a few months that he made her cry, and he hated himself for it.

“Hermione” he called softly.

“Go away!” she shouted. He was prepared, though.

“No” he said

“Leave me alone, Harry! You've done enough damage already!” she cried, images of him and Cho talking and smiling as they flew coming back to her mind. She hadn't given them much thought at that moment, but maybe what the paper said was true, maybe they were flirting openly in front of the whole school, and that made her feel so stupid.

“I thought you loved me” she sobbed then, seeing that he had no intention to leave. “I was mistaken, though” she added with a bitter chuckle.

Harry had had enough, and sat near her, forcing her to look at him. She tried freeing herself from his grasp, but he was stronger, and she had to stay.

“Hermione, look at me. Nothing that article says it's true. I never seduced Cho, but she was Imperiused to seduce me. Look into my mind, if you don't believe me” he said, and after some insistence, she caved in. Raising her wand, she cast the spell.

“Legilimens!” she cried, and Harry pushed the memory he wanted her to see to the front. She watched how he was having his shower when Cho arrived, already naked, and all that followed.

When she finally broke the connection, he pulled her into his arms, letting her cry as he rocked her, drawing circles on her back to soothe her.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night, I thought I could handle it on my own and find who had done that to her without putting another problem on your shoulders. I didn't notice anyone taking pictures, and I wonder how they did it, since I'm sure no one else was there, unless he/she had an Invisibility Cloak”” he confessed, and felt her nod into his chest.

“I'm sorry I believed the paper, too. I should have known it was printing lies, but when I saw that photograph…” she said, and he caressed her hair, smiling at her.

“It was pretty convincing, uh?” he admitted, and she chuckled, nodding. “You know, I've always dreamed of doing it in the Quidditch shower room…” he suggested, and she swatted him on his chest.

“Pervert” she teased him, as he leaned in for a kiss.

From afar, a lone figure swore under his breath. It seemed nothing could break up those two, the person thought as he walked away to avoid being spotted.

--

Later that night, Harry was on the couch in the common room after having studied all night, toying with his Marauder Map, Hermione asleep with her head on his lap, when he spotted three dots walking to the Forbidden Forest.

“Malfoy, Ginny and Ron” he hissed. “I knew it” he added then, barely containing himself from shouting as that would have awakened Hermione. After the day she had had, he felt she deserved some rest, and kept running his hand through her locks, as she had been lightly purring since he had started doing that.

With a small smile, he closed the map and sighed.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

-->

25. Exposing the Traitors

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-five: Exposing the Traitors

The next morning, Harry walked down to the Great Hall with a purpose. Hermione could feel his anger, and his determination, and squeezed his hand. He had told her about spotting the three suspected Death Eaters scurrying off to the Forbidden forest in the middle of the night.

He also told her he would risk making a fool of himself, but he just needed to know.

So, when they entered the Great Hall, Harry scanned Gryffindor table searching for the two redheads, and found them at the far end, as usual.

He walked toward them, never looking away, taking deep breaths considering what he was about to do. The risk of having the whole school laugh at him was real, but he didn't care. He would be glad to endure it if that meant Ron and Ginny weren't Death Eaters.

However, before he could even talk, an expression of pain passed on Ginny's face, but it was gone in a flash. Not so good at acting was Ron, whose right hand immediately clutched his left arm.

Another clue, Harry thought sadly, and finally spoke.

“Show me your arm, Weasley” he said coldly.

Ron glared at him, and sneered. “Why should I?” the redhead said.

“Because if you won't, I'll expose it myself” Harry said, his wand out in a flash. Before Ron could even think about taking his out, Harry had disarmed him.

“Now, let's see why you don't want to show me your arm” Harry said, and pointed his wand at Ron's left arm.

“Perseco sleeve” he cried, and the piece of garment fell on the floor, a small rushing sound as it collided with the cold marble, leaving the redhead exposed.

Harry had hoped he was wrong, but there it was, the skull with the snake leaving its mouth. The Dark Mark.

Hermione immediately did the same to Ginny, and sure enough, she too was Marked.

Both teens were too shocked think about checking Malfoy, but Neville did, exposing the Slytherin's left arm too, and revealing another Dark Mark. Whispers were running furiously through the Hall, mostly at Neville's daring and at Ron and Ginny's betrayal. That Malfoy would join the Death Eaters was pretty much expected.

“You two are worse than Pettigrew” Harry finally spat, his eyes flaming, and if looks could kill, the Weasleys would be dead by now. “It seems I was right, after all, to think history was repeating itself. Too many things didn't add up, first of all you telling your mother you'd be here for Easter, and instead you leave with him” Harry said, referring to Malfoy.

“Did you think this up, Harry, or is it the whore's doing?” Ginny spat icily, and in a moment she found herself pinned to the wall as Harry turned his gaze on her.

“Whore? Who is the whore here, Ginevra? Hermione, who sticks by who she loves, or you, who goes to the enemy just to have a dick between your legs at night?” Harry retorted, and Ginny would have gasped if the magical shockwave from Harry, which was keeping her against the wall, hadn't made it difficult for her to breathe.

Finally, Harry turned his wand on Ron to bind him while Hermione did the same to Ginny and Neville to Draco, but their spells met thin air, as the three activated emergency Portkeys and vanished, Ron flashing a smug grin at Harry for having avoided capture.

Dumbledore entered the Great Hall in a rush, followed by McGonagall, but it was too late.

--

Harry, and Hermione missed their first lesson, Potions, as they were called by the Headmaster into his office. Neville was there too, but he had a free period so it wasn't a problem for him.

After a brief story of what had transpired at breakfast, Dumbledore sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, which had lost their usual twinkle at the moment.

“It seems that Tom's offers of vengeance, power and wealth still appeal to some, even amongst the Gryffindors” he finally commented. “Minerva is surely so ashamed that she couldn't see it coming” he added then, as an afterthought.

Harry explained how his suspicions had started, and that the coincidence with what Snape had reported was too hard to ignore, so he started watching them, and sure enough he noticed they were very protective of their left arm, wearing long sleeves and such.

“The pain they suffered this morning must have been a relapse of the pain from the Marking, or Voldemort summoning them” Hermione reasoned. Harry looked at her, and she shrugged.

“Magical tattoos are no less painful than Muggle ones and I doubt Voldemort would go soft on his followers” she reasoned.

Harry had to agree with her logic.

The raven haired boy sighed. “I guess we will have to inform Molly and Arthur about this” he voiced his concern, and Dumbledore nodded. “I will look to that, Harry” the Headmaster said, but the young man shook his head.

“It's something I need to do, sir” he explained. “Mrs. Weasley wrote to me, and I feel the need to be the one telling her. I will write to her immediately, if you allow me” he said, and Dumbledore nodded.

“Feel free to use Fawkes for the delivery” the older man suggested, and Harry was torn. Fawkes would be faster, but maybe Hedwig would be angry at him if he used the phoenix. Hermione seemed to sense his indecision, because she placed a hand on his arm, and spoke.

“Don't worry about Hedwig, she and Apollo seemed very comfy in the Owlery few days ago, and both hooted angrily at me as I asked him to take my parents a letter. Once he had flown away, Hedwig practically glared at me” she said, and everyone in the room laughed heartily.

Harry then set to write the most difficult letter of his life. How do you tell a mother that her two youngest had defied everything their family stood for, and risked lives for, to join their enemy?

It took him an hour to word it in a way that conveyed the message, but not too bluntly.

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I'm writing you to deliver bad news.

I didn't reply to your letter before,

because I didn't know about Ron and

Ginny's whereabouts. They had, in fact,

left the school with the other students, going

to board the Express.

I've found today what they were up to, and

I can't find the words to tell you, because I'm

sure the truth will shock you and hurt you beyond belief.

Sadly, both Ron and Ginny have changed sides. I'm sure

with the info the Order has on what Voldemort has been

up to in those days, you can figure out what I mean.

Dumbledore has filed the forms for their expulsions, along

with that of Draco Malfoy, but they escaped before we could

snap their wands.

Love,

Harry

Hermione checked it for him, and she nodded her approval. It was clear enough what he meant, but he didn't say it carelessly.

Harry hoped Arthur would get the letter first, but he knew the oldest Weasley would probably be at work when Fawkes arrived. Giving the bird the folded parchment, they watched him vanish in a burst of flame.

Hermione then enveloped him in a bear hug, knowing how emotionally tiring the day must have been, even if they were still only halfway thru the morning. Dumbledore must have guessed that too, because he suggested the two of them take a day for themselves and rest.

“I will excuse you with your teachers” he said, with a grandfatherly smile, and both teens gladly accepted the offer. Harry didn't feel like concentrating on anything else than his former best mate's betrayal, and how a similar occurrence had cost his parents their lives.

Hermione knew he would need all her emotional support, and so she was set to give him that, even if it meant for a day she wouldn't attend classes. There were more important things than hearing a lecture and taking notes, at the moment.

Neville instead went to his classes, and except for Potions he had their same schedule (not Herbology though, Harry didn't take the course, while Neville and Hermione did), he offered to give them his notes at the end of the day.

Both thanked him for his thoughtfulness, while they made their way to Gryffindor Tower.

--

The pair sat in front of the empty fireplace in the common room, on the couch. Harry stared ahead, blankly, while Hermione curled herself around him, her arms around his neck, her face buried in the crook of his throat, her whole body squeezed against him as she tried to soothe away the terrible hurt he was feeling.

After a minute or two, he finally spoke, his voice cracked.

“I never really thought they would do this. I mean, I had my suspicions, yes, and adding everything together it makes sense, but I kept hoping I was wrong” he confessed. “But when I saw the Mark on their arms…I swear, I wanted to kill them. Is it not enough that Pettigrew betrayed my parents? Is the Potter name always going to attract traitors?” he asked, and Hermione's heart wrenched in her chest at his defeated tone.

“Harry, you still have me, Neville, Luna, and the Order” she reminded him softly. “We would never betray you. Especially me” she added as an afterthought.

His features softened, as he looked down at her, green orbs meeting chocolate ones.

“I know” he whispered, kissing her and in that kiss he poured all his need to know she would never leave his side, no matter what. He also needed to let her know she meant the world to him.

Hermione must have understood his feelings, because when they finally parted, she softly whispered, “you're my everything too, Harry”, making his heart swell with joy for the first time since he woke up that morning.

--

That night, Harry was inspired by new determination as they worked on finding a cure for Lycanthropy.

Snape had offered his comprehension if the boy didn't want to research that night, but Harry had only one thing in his mind. Defeating Voldemort, and getting revenge on Pettigrew and the two redheaded scum.

He would show no mercy for the four of them, and he would come out victorious, so that he could have his future with Hermione. He could feel it in his veins, pulsing madly through his whole body, a new power had awakened inside him and was only waiting to be unleashed at the right moment.

-->

26. Curing the Lycanthropy

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-six: Curing the Lycanthropy

The betrayal of the two redheads put behind them, they finally managed to get some results in the research of a cure for the Lycanthropy. It had taken the four friends three weeks of experimenting, cutting to pieces the DNA of Samantha that they got from her blood cells, trying to understand what genes were responsible for the changes of the Lycans when they were exposed to the full moon, as those were the only genes they wanted to eliminate, while the others regarding the additional physical strength, the ability to regenerate and their sexual drive were to remain.

It wasn't an easy feat, because once they managed to isolate the searched genes, they needed to come up with a way to delete them from a grown Lycan. Snape's skill as potion maker was important in that phase.

Harry and Hermione had assisted him in the various attempts but till now the blood cells never responded to treatment, their DNA never changing or if it did, it was with unpredictable results in the cell life. They had also asked Samantha for another piece of her bone marrow, putting it in an environment where it could work just like it does inside the body. Harry had guessed that if they could change the way the bone marrow produced the cells, then they could have the cure, so it was the ematopoietic and staminal cells that they might need to work on.

This proved to be the decisive breakthrough, as manipulating the DNA in the staminal cells was easier to do. Hermione also made an important suggestion when she guessed they might just have to make the “guilty” genes ineffective, instead of erasing them from the DNA, which had resulted in unstable cells in their earlier attempts.

Keying a Numbing potion to that particular gene, they were pretty sure they would stop the transformation from human to wolf. Now they only needed to make it a life-lasting effect, or at the very least month-lasting so that the Lycans would have to take the potion only once a month, but that was the lesser of the problems, Snape told them.

“In fact, I've finished the modified potion for the Lycan Blood Shield. I'd like to test it now” he announced to them, so the three went through the same routine of a couple weeks earlier. This time like the first one the shield protected Harry completely, and when they made the second attempt two hours later, Hermione held her breath as Snape raised his wand to perform the most damaging spell.

“Lacero Seorsum!” he cried, as happened earlier, the extensive ripping on Harry's shoulder and arm healed in a matter of seconds.

Hermione squealed with joy, before meeting Snape's gaze and blushing for her girlish attitude, while Harry simply smiled.

The older man dismissed them for the night, claiming he should have the long lasting potion for the Lycanthropy cure ready in a week or so.

“This will allow us to give it to either Lupin or Miss Danglenor before this full moon and see if he/she changes or not” the Potions Master said, and the two teens nodded.

“Will we bring them here, or will we perform the test at the headquarters?” Harry asked out of curiosity.

“That is something the headmaster will have to decide, so let's not worry about it for the moment, Potter. Now, if the two of you were to leave me alone, I'm sure you can find some activity to entertain yourselves” he commented, giving them a small smirk as they both blushed scarlet red and hastily left to reach Gryffindor Tower.

“Was he teasing us?” Harry said, his eyes wide, as they walked through the portrait hole.

“I think he was” Hermione confirmed with a small smile, pleased that the man wasn't so outright awful to Harry anymore. All in all, this ordeal with Remus' genetic disorder had proved to be a blessing, allowing them to cure him, help Harry prove himself to Snape, produce a regenerating shield that would keep Harry safe in battle, and now was allowing them to find a cure for the standard Lycanthropy without erasing the positive effects of the condition, which should grant them the support of at least part of the pack in the upcoming war.

As they sat on the couch for some quality time before heading to bed, Harry mentioned that she should get a blood shield too, otherwise he wouldn't allow her anywhere near the battlefield.

“What?” Hermione shrieked.

“Mione, I know you can take care of yourself, better than me probably, so don't think it is because I don't believe you're able in a duel. You can be deadly when you want to be, I know that. In fact, it's my own safety that I fear for, because I would be too distracted by worrying about how you are to be fully concentrating on the battle” he said.

Hermione knew he wasn't in the least concerned for himself, but only for her, so his attempt at sounding egoistical was lost on her, still the fact he knew she was able in a fight but still wanted to protect her gave the brunette yet more proof of just how much he cared for her, if there was need of one.

“Ok” she agreed, before cradling his face in her hands and kissing him softly.

--

In the following days, Snape performed the series of curses on Harry again, without him renewing his shield, and it lasted. They knew now that it would last at least a week, but probably more as it gave no signs of fading.

--

Dumbledore had decided that even with the administering of the Wolfsbane potion, it was better to conduct the test at Grimmauld Place, so Remus and Samantha were placed in two different cages that night, one in front of the other, both exposed to the full moon. Remus had been given the potion which should numb his transformation genes adding it to the Wolfsbane, but as a precaution he had asked to be locked into a cage too, so Snape conjured one for him.

Then, Harry, Hermione and Snape left, to avoid any kind of risk. When the full moon finally bathed the cages with its light, from the dungeon they were in howling could be heard, as the transformation began, the body of the Lycan covering itself with fur of the same colour of the person's hair, bones adjusting to a wolf-like form, but still keeping a mostly human shape, their eyes becoming wolf-like too, and their heightened senses at their maximum.

It was a few hours later that the two teens and Snape decided to check on how things were going down there.

Cautiously entering the room, Snape first, then Harry and finally Hermione, who good-naturedly rolled her eyes at him for his protective attitude, they were amazed to see Samantha transformed, curled in a corner of her cage, sleeping peacefully, her human form still clearly recognizable, and Harry could easily guess that she was a very attractive woman, if the heavy curves of her fur-covered body were a hint.

Then they turned to Remus' cage, and found him looking at them amused, in his human form.

“You've not changed” Harry pointed out, and his old Professor let out a chuckle. “No, I haven't, as you can see. The cure works, Harry, and this will be a huge help with the war. Will you and Hermione ever cease to amaze me, to amaze all of us?” the man said, moving in his cage to step closer to them.

“Well, we could release you now” Hermione suggested, and Remus' eyes turned to her. Harry watched his professor roam his eyes up and down Hermione's body, then force them closed.

“I don't think it's wise, Hermione” the older man finally sighed. “The cure stops the transformation, but not the even higher sexual drive a Lycan has on the transformation day. I'd probably end up jumping on you the moment the door of the cage is open” he admitted. “This is something you might want to tinker with a bit more”

The three nodded, and left.

“Good night then, Remus” Harry said, being the last to leave the room.

“Good night, Harry” his father's best friend greeted back with a sincere smile that the boy returned.

--

The next morning Harry, Hermione and Snape, who had all slept at Grimmauld for the rest of the night, greeted Samantha and Remus for breakfast. The female Lycan was quite sore, her regenerating ability could ease the pain and heal the scars but a certain soreness remained for at least the whole day after the transformation.

After a cup of tea, some bacon and eggs that Molly had cooked, and some pancakes and toast, the three Flooed back to the Headmaster office at Hogwarts, where they reported how the experiment had gone to Dumbledore.

“Mmh, I see. So the cure is basically ready, it just needs a couple of corrections. This can prove interesting. I shall talk with Remus to organize a trip to visit the pack for him and Samantha soon” the headmaster said. “Severus, I trust you will inform me if new information on Voldemort's plan to attack the school shall arise?”

“Of course, sir” the Potion Master nodded.

“Very well, then. Harry, Hermione, I believe your Transfiguration lesson is about to start, and you will arrive on time if you leave now” Dumbledore said, and both teens recognized the dismissal and with a last nod they left, descending the spiralling staircase, and quickly making their way to the Transfiguration classroom.

They sat near each other mere moments before Professor McGonagall arrived, and commenced her lecture about Animagi.

--

With all the experiments they had had to do for the cure, Harry and Hermione had had relatively little time for each other lately. That night, he vowed to right that situation, and sent her a note in the afternoon to meet him in the Room of Requirements at dinner time.

She smiled, wondering what he had planned for her this time, and quickly showered, before dressing with a pair of tight black jeans from D&G, a gift from her mother, and a pink shirt. She then styled her hair in soft curls cascading on her shoulders, she knew Harry loved when she wore her hair that way, plus he seemed to have a fascination with her bum, thus the tight jeans.

If she was honest with herself, Hermione had always thought her round bottom was one of her best features, along with her long legs. When she was with Harry, though, he managed to make her feel like every single inch of her skin was the most beautiful thing in the world, and she couldn't help but giggle to herself as she thought how perfect her boyfriend was.

She put on her robes just for the trip from the common room to their meeting place, and when she let them fall on the couch the room had conjured, she knew Harry would be speechless.

She was right, and the way his eyes were glued to her form made her feel incredibly sexy. However, the boy wasn't the only one surprised. The room was candle-lit, with a table for two, soft music playing in the background and a bottle of chilled champagne on the table.

“I wanted this night to be special, since we have had little time for ourselves lately” he said, guessing her awed look for what it was.

“You're wonderful, Harry” she beamed at him, and he grinned back.

They sat, and immediately a meal made of rare and delicious dishes like lobster, oysters, and such, appeared. They ate quietly, chatting amiably and now and then holding hands over the table. Both were completely wrapped up in each other, their passionate stares testifying of their deep love.

After dinner, the room changed and provided them with a nice living room, with some Muggle electronics too, of course the room made them magic-resistant, so they snuggled on the couch, watching a movie. There was an ample choice, ranging from action movies to horrors to romantic comedies or funny ones. Harry let Hermione choose, and she surprisingly chose an action movie.

“I love Nicolas Cage” she explained when she noticed him looking at her with his eyebrows raised.

“I thought girls would only choose chick flicks” he retorted, tickling her sides, and she scoffed.

“Most girls do, Harry, but I'm not most girls” she reminded him. He pulled her close kissing her deeply.

“Don't I know that” he huskily whispered, making her shiver.

Once the ending credits rolled on the TV, a comfy double bed appeared, and now it was Hermione's turn to question his motives.

“No need to get mad, I just wanted to be able to wake up with you in my arms for once” he explained, and Hermione's heart melted for the umpteenth time at his sweetness.

“I love you, Harry” she murmured against his lips, and felt him smile.

“I love you too, Mione” he said, leading her to the bed, where they quickly discarded their clothes, and slipped in, covered by only their underwear.

Hermione decided that he deserved a reward for the wonderful evening, so she slipped one hand into his boxers, and started stroking him.

“And I'm the naughty one, uh?” he protested before the sensations became too much for him to form a coherent sentence.

Few moments later, Hermione engulfed him in her wet mouth, bobbing her head up and down, and Harry grabbed the sheets in his hands, pushing himself more inside her mouth, till his tip touched the back of her throat.

When she felt he was about to come, she stopped, and quickly unclasped her bra, and slid her damp panties down her legs, tossing them in a corner, then she impaled herself on him, a long, deep groan escaping her lips as his shaft slid in to the hilt. Slowly, she started moving up and down, Harry's hands on her hips, her head thrown backwards, and her lips forming a small O, silently screaming in her building ecstasy.

Picking up the pace, they both started moving faster, their orgasms nearing, and Hermione bent down to capture his lips, muffling her scream as finally her release washed over her, before she collapsed, spent, on his side.

Their breaths ragged, both smiled at each other, then Harry pulled her to him, holding her tight to his chest, the soft mounds of her breasts squeezed between them, as they blissfully fell asleep, tired but satisfied.

-->

27. A Deal

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-seven: A Deal

It took Snape few days to make the necessary changes so that on the day of the “transformation” also the higher sexual allure would be tamed, and finally the Order was ready to try and make a deal with the pack. Of course, Remus and Samantha would be the ones to conduct the negotiations.

On a Saturday morning, Dumbledore called Harry and Hermione in his office, where the teens found Snape and the two Lycans waiting for them, some vials of potion on the Headmaster's desk.

“Harry, Hermione, so kind of you to join us” Dumbledore greeted them. “As you know, today Remus and Samantha will attempt to convince the Lycans to join us. I would be a fool if I thought all of them would accept, but I am confident many will be attracted by the possibility of being cured from their monthly transformation, if they can keep the good qualities that come with the condition. Only the most vicious of the Lycans enjoy the full moon nights, because they go hunting, killing innocent people. But then, there are evil ones also amongst us who are not affected by this illness, as we very well know” he said, his eyes twinkling. The reference to Voldemort and his Death Eaters wasn't lost on anyone of those in his office.

“I would like for you and Severus to accompany them, since you three are those who identified and created the cure. You might be able to better answer questions on it, if they shall arise” Dumbledore explained. “Which is why I chose a Saturday for this mission, since none of you has lessons to attend or teach”

Harry and Hermione immediately agreed, and a few minutes later they found themselves spinning in the familiar Portkey travel. When they finally landed, Hermione graciously did so on her feet, while Harry stumbled, falling on his bottom.

The brunette couldn't help a little giggle at his predicament, while Snape smirked at him, but not in an evil way, and Remus and Samantha just laughed.

Harry hastily got up grumbling something that sounded like “I'll never get the hang of Portkey travelling”

As they walked toward an inn, Hermione took his hand in her own, entwining their fingers together, and the simple gesture immediately brightened his mood.

The building was dark, and full of people. Remus and Samantha escorted Harry and the others to the front of the room, while stares followed them.

Remus cleared his throat, and then after casting a Sonorus charm on himself, he started speaking. He was a bit nervous, it was the first time he had come to a pack meeting in a long time. He didn't really condone such things, which isolated the Lycans even more from the unaffected wizards and witches.

“Brothers werewolves” Remus started, and Harry and Hermione were surprised, being by now accustomed to calling him and Samantha Lycans, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, Remus had explained to her that proposing a cure to the pack was a shock in itself, so they would start working the “Lycan, not werewolf” campaign later. This had the highest priority, so for that day Samantha let Remus use the word she despised so much.

“I'm sure you all know who I am, and that many of you consider me a traitor because I rarely come to pack meetings” Remus continued, and he was right, many were glaring at him. “I'm here today though, and with good news for all of you. My friends Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Severus Snape” he continued, motioning for the three of them to join him, “have developed a cure for our condition. A potion that hinders our transformation, but doesn't remove our good qualities, like the added strength, the ability to regenerate, the heightened senses and the higher sexual drive, too, of course” he ended with a smile, and a few cackles and laughs were heard in the room. Remus then turned serious again, continuing to explain how the cure worked.

Actually, he gave a basic outline, adding that he would let the creators of it explain the details, and when he motioned for Harry to speak, someone protested.

“He's not one of us! He has no right to speak at a pack meeting” a few voices were heard. Samantha stepped in.

“I am one though. If you would like, I could explain it to you, but I believe it would be better to let the inventor answer your questions” she suggested, glaring at the few who were opposed to Harry speaking.

The tension was growing, everyone could feel it. In the end, the majority of the pack agreed to let Harry speak.

When he, Hermione and Severus had finished their lecture, keeping it the simplest possible, Remus took the lead again.

“So, we are here today to propose a deal to all of you. Join the Order of the Phoenix in its quest to bring Voldemort down, and you will be able to have the cure. I know he has promised you power, blood, killings, but I'm also aware that only a few of you condone his methods. Here is your chance to live a normal life, with the added perks we discussed before, and enjoy your rightful position in our society. Do not forget how Voldemort broke his promise once already, during his first reign”

Loud whispering could be heard, while the Lycans discussed the deal offered to them. Harry held Hermione close, hoping they would accept, and also ready to protect her should a crazy Lycan decide to attack them. He had, after all, the blood shield that she still hadn't gotten for herself.

Minutes passed, and even Snape could be seen nervously fidgeting with his robes as they waited for the response. Remus and Samantha were watching their similar with interest, and a mild frown because they still hadn't reached an agreement. Both thought the possibility to get rid of the monthly transformation would be a huge chance that any Lycan should immediately seize, but it seemed the pack had grown so used to it that they didn't see it as such a big deal. Or maybe they did, but were cautious about giving away what they had, maybe fearing the good qualities of their condition wouldn't really remain.

“If you need a demonstration that the positive abilities won't be erased, we can provide it to you. I've already taken the potion, and the last month I didn't transform, so if any of you would like to try and arm me, you'll find I can regenerate all the same. Professor Snape, if you wish” Remus said, and Snape nodded, raising his wand. He cast the same curse he used to test Harry's shield, and a deep gash opened on Remus' shoulder and arm. It was healed three seconds after it had opened.

“Wicked!” someone whispered, and the muttering resumed, this time a bit more awed from what Harry could understand.

Finally, the Alpha male came forward. “Remus Lupin, you brought us new hope today. I can't say all of us will follow Dumbledore and his Order, of which we know you are part of, but I can give you my word that the majority of the pack will” he said, shaking Remus' hand.

The old DADA professor smiled. “That is what I was hoping for” he admitted, and the deal was sealed. Hermione, being the overzealous witch she was, provided a magical contract to be signed, and the Alpha male raised his eyebrows at her.

Remus chuckled, and shook his head. “That won't be necessary, Hermione. Werewolves honour their world to their death. This handshake will be far more binding than any magical contract you can devise” he explained, and the brunette blushed at having been found at fault, stepping back to Harry's side. He pulled her close and whispered kind words into her ear to reassure her that she couldn't have known.

--

Ten minutes later, the last details of the deal being refined, the five Portkeyed back to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was there, waiting for them, and this time Harry managed not to fall holding onto the desk, still his landing was far from perfect. He grumbled again under his breath.

Remus reported how the meeting went to the older wizard, who nodded, satisfied. “I expect some of them will now leave the pack and go take the Dark Mark” the headmaster mused, “but we have most of them on our side. This is better than I could have expected only a few months back, and it is all your doing, Harry, Hermione” he praised the two teens. “And Severus, of course. Without your potion making skills, all that Mr. Potter and Miss Granger here theorized would be useless”

The Potion Master nodded curtly at the acknowledgement.

The six of them discussed the meeting with the Lycans some more, and then Harry and Hermione were left to go enjoy their Saturday. Since it was almost lunch time, they headed to the Great Hall, hoping to catch up with Neville and Luna and tell them about the deal, but their two friends were nowhere in sight.

“Of course. Today is an Hogsmeade weekend, they will have gone to the village” Hermione remembered, and Harry nodded.

“Well, then, what about a small trip to the kitchens so we can get some sandwiches and then we head to the lake for a picnic in this nice weather?” Harry suggested. The brunette was a bit hesitant about loading the Elves with more work, but in the end she caved in, and they had their picnic basket ready in two minutes time, once they got to the kitchens.

Dobby was more than happy to help them, and the pair ended up with much more food than they needed. Harry couldn't help chuckling.

“Dobby never changes, he's always fascinated with me for some reason” he noted, and Hermione beamed at him. “That's because you freed him” she said.

Harry knew what she was getting at, and corrected her. “Because I freed him from the Malfoys” he underlined. “Elves like to serve kind masters, Hermione” he reminded her, and she frowned.

“That's because they don't know freedom!” she protested, and Harry sighed.

“Sweetheart, I don't want to spoil the afternoon with a row over elves, ok? But take Hogwarts elves for example. If they don't want to be freed like Dobby but remain here at Hogwarts with a kind master like Dumbledore, that should mean something, don't you think? He even offers to pay them, and they constantly refuse, except for Dobby, who's treated like an outcast by the rest of them”

Hermione grudgingly had to accept his explanation. “I just wish they could be free” she mumbled, leaning on his shoulder and picking one of the sandwiches Dobby had prepared for them.

--

Meanwhile, in Hogsmeade, Neville and Luna were strolling hand in hand through the village. “I wonder what Harry and Hermione were up to, this morning. I spotted them heading toward Dumbledore's office” Neville mused.

“I'm sure it was something about that cure for the Lycans” Luna said in her usual tone. “They were successful in their attempt to stop the transformation, remember? They told us a couple days ago. Maybe the headmaster wanted a report on that or something” she said.

“I guess they will tell us when we get back from the village” he agreed, effectively concluding that topic of conversation. “Right now, I can think of much more pleasant activities for you and me” he huskily added then, pulling her close. She giggled, cupping his face in her hands for a kiss.

“You naughty boy” she playfully admonished him when they parted, but from her sparkling blue eyes he knew she was just teasing him.

“And you love me for that” he retorted before kissing her neck, as they stepped into a deserted alley for a bit of privacy.

“You bet I do” she sighed, burying her hands in his hair, and letting him continue his ministrations. He slid an hand under her top, caressing her skin till he met her bra, and cupped her breast through it, kissing her again.

It was astounding, really, how they had never seen each other as more than friends the previous year, but since the summer they had been inseparable, and how both couldn't get enough of the other.

“M-Maybe we should continue this at the castle” Luna suggested, panting, as he slid his other hand on her leg, upwards, caressing her thigh and playing with the sides of her panties, teasing her.

“I'm sure no one will spot us here” he said, casting a Disillusionment Charm on them, and coupling it with a Silencing one.

And so they had sex in the open, and none of the passing by students or inhabitants of the village was the wiser.

--

“Lestrange! Dolohov!” the Dark Lord hissed. “What can you tell me? Did your mission have success?”

Both Death Eaters bowed, and Bellatrix was the first to speak. “Yes, Master, we managed to breach the school defences. When the kids got themselves expelled, they had already weakened them enough in the Forest for us to complete the work. We will be able to get inside the grounds from there” she explained.

“Very well. We will strike soon then, and who cares if the werewolves chose to join the old fool, we will crush them too” Voldemort hissed, his red eyes gleaming in the scarcely lit chamber.

-->

28. The Battle of Hogwarts, Part I

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

To all LoTR lovers, here you will find something inspired by “The Return of the King” movie. Enjoy! ;)

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-eight: The Battle of Hogwarts, Part I

The end of the term, and of the school year, was nearing, and since Ron, Ginny and Malfoy had been expelled, there had been no suspicion of Voldemort trying to continue his plans to get into Hogwarts.

It was also true that Snape had been kept away from the last few meetings of the Death Eaters though, or at least Voldemort hadn't let him in when discussing matters with his inner circle.

The Headmaster suspected that Voldemort now knew where Snape's true allegiance lay, thanks to Ron and Ginny telling him. Harry had protested that if it was true, Snape would had been already killed by now, but Dumbledore shook his head.

“I believe Tom is trying to let us think we still have a spy in his ranks and we thus know what he is planning. He has kept Severus alive and not revealed that he knows he is a spy because he wants us to live in a sense of false security and lay down our defences. That would make it easier for him to hit us hard, and thus is something we need to avoid at all costs” the Headmaster had reasoned.

Harry could see the logic behind that, and Hermione too of course.

This is why the raven haired boy had taken to watching the Marauder's Map frequently. The last thing they needed was to have Death Eaters at the school door without them even knowing. If he could spot them entering the grounds, they would have some minutes time to organize a defence.

Dumbledore had agreed too, and kept the teachers on alert, should anything happen. They had already laid down the basic lines of the defence plan. The younger students, up to fourth year, would be locked inside the common rooms. The oldest ones would have to choose if they wanted to fight or not.

DADA lessons were much more practical, so that those who chose to fight would do so with a better knowledge and more of a chance to survive.

Professor Travers duelled all of the students from fifth year up in his classes, being a tough opponent and not holding back. Many ended in the Hospital Wing after his lessons those days, but not even Pomfrey protested. Everyone knew they would be against ruthless enemies out there, when the time for the battle came, so what was the point of duelling, if you weren't ready to face anything thrown at you?

Harry and Hermione duelled each other for hours every night, involving Neville and Luna in their training, which lasted hours, till all four of them were too exhausted to keep a wand in their hands. The four friends also started a routine of running laps around the castle early in the morning, something Harry had been doing since the start of the year on and off, Hermione only now and then joining him.

Neville and Luna never trained physically, and all four of them regretted not doing so more extensively, too caught up in their researches to properly train themselves for a long physical battle. They could only hope it wouldn't last too long, and it wasn't exactly the best tactic, but there was little to do about it now, they were just trying to make the best of the time they had.

Even Charms and Transfiguration aimed their lessons on more battle-useful spells. The tension was building in the school, but it was not fear. It was more determination to fight for freedom, and Harry was proud of his schoolmates. He might be the one to have to face Voldemort in the end, but all of them needed to fight together till it came to that moment. His irrational desire to protect everyone would have told him that this way many more lives were on the line, but his rational side knew they would be anyway, if the war was lost, and rushing to seek a one-on-one confrontation with Voldemort was not the smartest way to win it.

So, it was not really a surprise to anyone when Harry, checking his Map as usual after his afternoon lessons, noticed a pair of dots appear in the Forest, followed by another two, and then another pair.

The group was growing larger.

“It's finally upon us. The biggest battle of our times will take place today on Hogwarts grounds” he thought, while rushing to the Headmaster's office to alert him of the upcoming attack, after instructing Hermione to reunite the fighting students in the Room of Requirements. A single look told her why.

“Sir, they are coming!” he shouted as soon as he was inside, showing Dumbledore the map. The man glanced at it, and frowned. He wondered how they had managed to breach the wards, but there was no time for that.

“Very well, Harry. Organize the oldest students like we agreed, I will set the teachers to immediately escort the younger ones to the common rooms and then be ready to fight. I will also send a note to the ministry to send Aurors and call the Order” he said, standing up and throwing some powder in the fireplace, sticking his head in.

Harry didn't hear who he was talking to, as he was running down the steps two at a time.

“Hermione!” he called, as he barged in, finding most of the students already there, whispering to each other. She nodded, answering his unvoiced question.

He took a long look at those in front of him, who were now looking at the raven haired boy like he was some sort of great leader. He felt Hermione's hand slide into his own and squeeze, and he sighed. Then he took a step forward, and addressed all of those who were there, a couple other students having come in just after him.

“Calm down! Calm down!” he shouted, setting the whole room silent. “Fellow Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws. Even Slytherins” he addressed all of them, pacing in front of the large group. “I see from your eyes that you're scared. You're right to be. I should be scared too, and maybe in my heart I am. There maybe a day in which the Light will fade, in which the looming Darkness will make us betray friends, brothers, lovers, but it is NOT today. There will be the hour of Dementors, sucking out the souls at will, of wands abandoned on the battlefield as their owners lay slaughtered there, the Dark Arts taking control, but it is NOT today. Today, we fight! For all that you love and cherish, on this beautiful earth, I call you to fight, students of Hogwarts!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Hermione had tears in her eyes at the beautiful and highly motivating speech he gave, a speech that came straight from his heart.

All of them ran through the halls, a burning desire to stop the invaders flaming through them, and in few minutes time they were in front of the castle, facing the approaching wave of Death Eaters. Harry and Hermione were in the middle of the first row, wands drawn, Neville and Luna being on their sides.

Finally the two armies faced each other, and a curse erupted from a Death Eater.

And so it began.

The light of various spells lit the darkening sky as sunset approached. Harry knew the numbers were against them, there were at least thrice Death Eaters than students, but reinforcements would come soon. They just needed to resist till the Aurors and the Order could arrive.

At mad speed he started taking down Death Eaters, incapacitating them in various manners, stunning, binding, freezing them.

He soon lost track of Hermione in that madness, but he had no time to think about that, more enemies surrounding him. They were really too many, but Harry's speed at casting spells had improved in the last few weeks, and most of the Death Eaters must be new recruits or not experienced ones anyway.

They proved no great challenge for him, as he progressed in taking them down.

Hermione, in the meantime, was doing just as well. Her stunner met one Death Eater attacking her, then she spun around and froze another one who was approaching her from behind. She cast a glance at Harry and saw him dispose of two more opponents, seemingly without great effort. She smiled and focused again on the fight.

When she felt a sudden jolt of pain in her back, and the tingling sensation of the cut healing, she silently thanked Harry for his stubbornness at having her get a Lycan Blood Shield too. As she turned, she pointed her wand at her attacker.

“Reducto!” she cried, effectively killing him as the body exploded. “Ugh!” she thought, banishing some pieces of it that had landed on her robes.

Neville and Luna had managed to stick together, and while slower than Harry and Hermione in spell casting, they too were taking down many enemies. It seemed all useless though. As much as they incapacitated their opponents, many more would come out of the forest.

Finally, Neville spotted Snape and McGonagall coming with the other teachers, and few minutes later from the gates Aurors started arriving, together with Samantha, Lupin, Sirius, and many other Order members. Of course, Mad Eye Moody was with them.

The fight picked up intensity now that other fighters had come to help the students, and many of them could indeed use that help, as they were surrounded by two or more Death Eaters, being forced to defend themselves and pretty much unable to fight back.

Kingsley didn't think twice before slashing a Death Eater who was attacking a fifth year Ravenclaw boy with the spell Snape had used on Harry, Lacero Seorsum. It was mild dark magic, but at times necessary to be used by the good guys too[Author ID1: at Sat Apr 19 00:19:00 2008 ].

Tonks helped a couple sixth years out of a sticky situation, and Dumbledore's appearance frightened many of the Death Eaters.

“Novices” Sirius cackled, and Harry turned for a moment to grin at his godfather, nodding at him before they shot in different directions, to tackle more Death Eaters.

Harry noticed they were getting harder to beat, and realized Voldemort must have sent forward those more expendable, trying to reduce their defences before launching the stronger attack.

The real fight was just starting now.

As time passed, the flow of Death Eaters reduced, and finally ended, but this was not of great help to those on the side of the Light, which were still strongly outnumbered, and all involved in harsh duels with one or more opponents.

Harry spotted Hermione fighting against two, and wanted to go help her, but he was kept busy himself by another pair of Voldemort's minions.

When he finally managed to get a spell past the defences of one of them, stunning him, it became easier, as he had only one enemy left. That was fair duelling, and he found his added speed in spell-casting allowed him to outsmart the guy, who Harry had to admit was pretty good, in no time, luring him into an attack, quickly shielding himself and counterattacking before the man could defend himself.

He turned to go help Hermione, but a voice he knew all too well stopped him.

“Not so fast, Potter”

Harry turned to be met with no one else than Ron, icy blue eyes glaring at him.

“Ron, you're still in time to right your mistake” Harry said, not really wanting to hurt his former best mate. Ron gave an hollow laugh.

“I've already done that, if you hadn't noticed” the redhead spat.

“You don't mean that” Harry said.

Ron's reply was in the spell he cast, surprising Harry. “Moreo!”

The black light hit Harry's wand arm, and he felt it go limp at his side. Ron smirked. “You won't be able to defend yourself now, Potter. Your wand arm is dead” he said, and then cast again.

“Lacero Seorsum!”

Harry's eyes widened, but a moment before the curse hit him, he felt his wand arm return to life. Evidently, it took some time for his shield to regenerate it.

“Protego!” he shouted, defending himself form the curse. It was clear Ron had no intention to switch sides again, so Harry decided he had let the redhead have his fun long enough. Ron's eyes widened at Harry's spell, but before he could realize how Harry had managed to keep his wand arm alive, the black haired boy cast his spell.

“Ignis Flagellum!” he shouted, and a fire whip emerged from his wand, wrapping itself around Ron's body and completely burning him to death, leaving only a smoking pile of burned flesh and robes behind.

Harry knew the spell was a little extreme, but he had had enough with traitors, thank you. Running away from the awful stench, he tried to look for Hermione, and finally found her. She was fighting with a single Death Eater, so Harry knew she would be fine. Looking around he noticed a seventh year Hufflepuff struggling to defend herself from two enemies, and ran to help her. Had he stopped to look at his girlfriend a moment longer, he would have noticed who was duelling Hermione.

--

“I'll make you pay, bitch” the Death Eater snarled, throwing her mask away.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “You can't beat me in a duel, Ginny, you know that” the brunette retorted.

“You would be amazed at the things I've learned since we left the school, Mudblood” Ginny sneered.

Hermione had had enough, and attacked her with a stunner.

“You're not very imaginative, Granger” Ginny taunted, blocking the spell and sending back a curse of her own. Hermione frowned, she didn't recognize the spell, and that moment of hesitation had her being hit by it.

Instantly, her clothes turned into snakes, cobras to be precise, hissing as they surrounded her.

After a moment of shock, the brunette conjured new clothes to cover her and banished the snakes, but while she was busy doing so, Ginny cast the killing curse. Hermione's reflexes kicked in and she dropped herself on the ground, the green light barely missing her.

Ginny's smirk of triumph turned into a mask of rage, but Hermione was definitely pissed now, and attacked the redhead with a volley of rapidly fired curses, that put Ginny on the defensive. Her shield barely contained them all, but when she was about to renew it and retaliate, Hermione swung her leg, pushing Ginny's away, and making the redhead fall on the ground.

“That's not fair!” the younger girl cried, and Hermione rolled her eyes. “War rarely is, Ginny” she said, before cutting the girl's head with a well placed “Lacero Seorsum” spell.

--

Sirius had just disposed of another Death Eater when he noticed someone he could never forget. It was her fault he spent six months trapped in that midway world between life and death.

“Bellatrix!” he roared. The vicious Death Eater turned, and a flicker of shock passed on her face, before being replaced by a smirk.

“You want a rematch, cousin? Too bad there isn't any Veil to make you fall through here” she taunted him. Sirius knew he should not fall for her tricks again, so he remained focused on the fight, sending a stunner her way. Bellatrix easily blocked it, and cast the Cruciatus curse on him, but Sirius shielded himself.

Their duel continued for several minutes, neither getting the upper hand, and Sirius knew his cousin was getting frustrated. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from taunting her, and making the same mistake he did the last time.

Bellatrix, instead, didn't learn from the duel they had almost a year before, that you should never lose focus on the duel to taunt your opponent, and spoke.

“You should give up, Black, you'll never best me” she said, with a smirk, that remained etched on her face as a silent Petrificus Totalus hit her, making her fall backwards. Sirius completed the job binding her, and only then he spoke.

“Didn't they tell you to never underestimate your opponent?” he said, kicking her in the ribs before searching for someone else to duel.

--

The Lycans had joined the fight, and true to their word most of them fought on the Light side, but few had joined Voldemort, as expected. Their added strength and heightened senses made duelling easier for them as they would have a better understanding of what was happening behind them too, thus surprising them from behind was harder, and if the fight came to a one on one physical brawl, their strength could easily let them kill their opponent with their bare hands.

However, even they had trouble, understandably, when wrestling the Giants, who had joined the Dark side. Hagrid and Grawp had managed to convince some to join the Light, but the greater number didn't listen to them.

Dementors started to come from the depth of the Forest too, making things even more difficult for those defending the castle, a sense of cold and despair filling their hearts.

Those who had joined the DA knew what to do, and immediately focused on a happy memory.

Hermione couldn't help blushing as she focused on the first time she and Harry had made love before crying, “Expecto Patronus!”, a corporeal silvery doe coming out of her wand, the light from the Patronus almost blinding her as it set to hunt down the Dementors, who shrieked as they were attacked.

Many more Patronus joined hers, and Harry's stag was leading an array of shining animals of varying consistency, with dogs, cats and birds to mention a few[Author ID1: at Sat Apr 19 00:19:00 2008 ].

Only when the tenth Dementor was instantly vanished by the contact with it, Harry's stag became too weak to keep hunting and vanished, by far the one resisting the longest.

The fine mist however didn't vanish, as the retreating Dementors went back into the Forest, and everyone on the side of the Light knew they were regrouping before a new attack.

For the time being, however, the repulsive creatures had been dealt with.

It was then that Harry heard a cold, evil voice he knew much better than he cared for.

“Harry Potter, we meet again”

-->

29. The Battle of Hogwarts, Part II

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Twenty-nine: The Battle of Hogwarts, Part II

“Harry Potter, we meet again”

Harry turned, and found himself facing no one else than his life-long nemesis, Lord Voldemort, emerging from the Forbidden Forest.

“Tom Riddle” Harry greeted back, taunting him. He could see the monster's nostrils flaring.

“Do not use that name, boy!” Voldemort snarled.

Harry shrugged. “It's yours, why not?” he said, tightening his grip on his wand.

“I. Am. Lord. Voldemort!” the Dark Lord shouted, and many cowered but not Harry. The boy knew Dumbledore would probably intervene soon to stop a possible confrontation between the two, as the old man deemed Harry still not ready to face Voldemort and come out victorious.

Harry agreed.

But Voldemort was no fool, and his plan was well detailed. At his appearance, all the most vicious Death Eaters had centred their attention on the Headmaster, keeping him occupied, as Dark Creatures attacked him too, and the other Death Eaters did their best to stop the Order members and the Aurors from helping him.

Harry would have to face Voldemort on his own, this time, and find a way to at least force him to leave, if not destroy him for good.

The two rivals started circling each other, Voldemort knew of Harry's wand connection with his own, and not even he was good enough to cast a wandless Killing Curse. His only hope was to catch the boy by surprise.

“Are you ready to face Death, boy?” he taunted Harry, who shrugged.

“Should be used to it by now with all the times you and I faced each other, but strangely I never got to meet her” Harry called back, reminding Voldemort of his previous failures. “Why should this time be different?” he smirked then.

“Because this time I'm going to kill you, your Mudblood whore, and all those who oppose me, this is why!” Voldemort shouted.

Harry's eyes flashed with anger at the way he had addressed Hermione.

“Never. Insult. Hermione. In. Front. Of. Me” he hissed, slashing his wand through the air. Voldemort was caught by surprise, he didn't expect the boy to start the duel.

He barely managed to wandlessly erect a shield strong enough to protect himself from the Lacero Seorsum curse Harry had used. He didn't want to be trapped in a Prior Incantatem again. As well, Harry had no intention of [Author ID1: at Sat Apr 19 00:19:00 2008 ]stalling the inevitable duel[Author ID1: at Sat Apr 19 00:19:00 2008 ].

The way Voldemort had addressed Hermione had made him feel it again, the power within his veins, pulsing to get out, to be unleashed. It was slowly building, and for the first time Harry felt completely serene while duelling the Dark Lord.

After that first skirmish, the two resumed circling each other. Harry was searching for an opening to attack, not just waiting to see what Voldemort's move would be.

“Crucio!” suddenly Voldemort shouted, but Harry rolled away from the path of the curse, sending one of his own back to keep his enemy busy enough to get back on his feet.

“You're not imaginative, Voldie” Harry taunted him again. “You only use the Unforgivables”

He could see from the flash in those red eyes that Voldemort was definitely pissed now.

“What, are you upset because I mocked you?” Harry called in a childish voice, shielding himself from another Cruciatus Curse.

“Shut up!” Voldemort roared, sending a Killing Curse flying his way. Harry knew he couldn't shield himself from it, and while he was pretty confident his Blood Shield would stop the curse, he didn't want to risk it if he could avoid the situation.

He conjured a rock in the path of the green light, which collided with it provoking a small explosion and stone debris flying everywhere. It seemed that the duel was going to be a draw, if something or someone didn't intervene soon, and when they cast the next curse at the same time, their spells collided, creating the golden cage of the Prior Incantatem. Harry knew he should hold on to keep it going, this would force Voldemort to stall, but he wanted victory, not another draw. He felt powerful enough to do it, the throbbing in his veins increasing now, and so he snapped his wand away from the connection, and both opponents landed with a thud on the ground.

“You're a fool, boy. That was your only chance to stop me today, and you threw it away” Voldemort sneered, but Harry shrugged.

“It would just have let you escape again” he explained, firing another curse at Voldemort, who swiftly conjured a shield to protect himself.

“Ignis Flagellum!” Voldemort shouted next, and Harry raised his eyebrows, while letting the curse hit him to test his Blood Shield.

Voldemort's smirk of triumph was quickly morphed into an expression of rage, when the burned flesh of Harry's arms was immediately regenerated.

“You're a werewolf!” Voldemort cried, his snake-like eyes wide.

Harry chuckled. “No, I'm not. But I'm not going to tell you how I achieved this” he said smugly, before vanishing the Fire Whip curse and attacking back with a spell of his own.

Dumbledore had by now managed to disable most of his attackers, although dealing with the Lycans on Voldemort's side hadn't been easy, and would soon be able to join Harry in the duel with Voldemort.

“Resist just a bit more, Harry” he thought, while duelling with Dolohov, Rockwood and the two Lestrange brothers at the same time.

Neville wanted to go help Harry too, but he was stopped by Malfoy, who challenged him.

“You better move from there, Malfoy” Neville growled. “I have not time to waste with you”

“You think you can beat me, Longbottom?” Malfoy sneered, and cast his Killing Curse. Neville jumped out of its way and sent a Lacero Seorsum curse at the Slytherin, whose eyes widened at the advanced spell Neville had perfectly cast, and while rolling on the ground too!

Malfoy's moment of indecision cost him his arm, which was ripped open in many places by the curse.

“Told you I had no time to waste” Neville said, standing up and shrugging the dirt away from his robes before he mercifully stunned his opponent, so that he wouldn't feel the pain.

He then looked around to see where Luna was, and in doing so his eyes widened.

“Bugger!” he swore under his breath. A Death Eater had managed to capture Hermione and was bringing her to Voldemort. “This is not going to be good” he thought, watching with baited breath what would happen next.

--

When Voldemort spotted his minion bringing him Hermione, he smirked. He just had to keep the boy focused on him a little longer and then things would get interesting.

And he was right. He just had no idea how much interesting things would get.

As the Death Eater threw a bound Hermione at Voldemort's feet, Harry's eyes widened.

“What, you surprised to see your little whore here, Potter?”

“Leave her out of this, Tom. It's between me and you” Harry spat, feeling the throbbing within him accelerate even more. He didn't know where all that power rushing through his body came from, but he was having a bit of a problem keeping it bottled up. Since he didn't know what would happen if he let go, he thought it was wise to control it, but that was proving difficult to do right now.

“I don't think so. Crucio!” Voldemort cast, and Hermione writhed in pain, her screams muffled by the Silencing charm the Death Eater had placed on her. Voldemort lifted it, and everyone on the grounds could easily hear her cries of agony as the curse lingered on her body.

Voldemort was watching with amusement as Harry clenched and unclenched his fists.

“Not so bold now, uh, Potter?” he taunted. He then turned to look at Hermione, and spat on her face as her eyes clearly begged him to stop her torture.

“You will get much worse, Mudblood. I'll have you crawling on the ground begging for me to kill you, and then I'll give you some more of this” Voldemort cruelly told her. He knew if he didn't stop the curse soon, she would end just as Longbottom's parents, but he honestly didn't care. He wanted to enjoy watching her going mad, and so he never looked back at Harry.

That was the Dark Lord's mistake.

Harry was now circled by a golden aura, pulsing around his body. His eyes were glowing green, and he finally let go of the power building up within him. Raising an arm toward Voldemort's curse, a golden beam interrupted it.

The Dark Lord hastily turned to see who had interfered, and his red eyes met Harry's burning ones.

“You've had it your way for too long, Tom Riddle. It's time you meet your destiny” Harry said in a voice that wasn't his own. He started walking toward Voldemort, who fired curse after curse at him. All were absorbed by his Lycan Blood Shield.

When the green light of the Killing Curse impacted with Harry's chest, it fizzled for a moment, but the boy kept advancing. Voldemort was scared now, and fired another killing curse at him, hitting the boy on the shoulder, causing another fizzle and black mark to appear there, nothing more.

Now Harry was too near for Voldemort to cast again, and Harry grabbed his wand arm, snapping the thin piece of wood.

Then, he placed his outstretched hands on Voldemort's chest, with the Dark Lord unable to move as some force was keeping him rooted to the spot.

Everyone watched with fascination as Harry kept extracting something black from Voldemort's body, the Dark Lord screaming in pain, before he collapsed on the ground, unconscious, and Harry vanished the big black sphere he had extracted from his nemesis' chest.

“I have never seen anything like that” Neville whispered, as Luna hugged him. The Death Eaters were too shocked to keep fighting and were easily bound, to be later transported to the Ministry.

The Order members still standing watched as the golden aura around Harry subsided, and he kneeled on the ground to gather Hermione in his arms.

Dumbledore was beaming at his two favourite students, while many others looked at him, silently asking for an explanation of what had happened.

“I do not exactly know either” he started, answering them. “I can only guess that Harry finally found that "power he knows not" and put it to good use, and if my guess is correct, his love for Miss Granger is at the base of this newfound power.Â I am sure he will share with us more when he has rested and recovered his strength[Author ID1: at Sat Apr 19 00:19:00 2008 ]”

“And what about Voldemort?” Sirius asked.

“We bind him in the dungeons. I want to check if my theory is right before we send him to Azkaban. If it is, then Harry has truly learned my lesson about some things being worse than death” he said with a chuckle.

“Do you always need to speak in riddles, Albus?” Minerva McGonagall said, giving him a mild glare, and the blue eyes of the Headmaster twinkled. “I fear this is how I am, Minerva” he vaguely replied before starting to walk toward where Harry was still cradling Hermione in his arms.

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30. Explanations and Promises

Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish it were so we would have had HHr, but alas it's JK Rowling's.

A/N: My reply to the challenge issued by PJ, you can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26635 . This story will start right after fifth year, and it will involve sex, some blood, and such, so this is why it is rated NC17. I hope you'll enjoy it, I think this is the most complex challenge I've ever dared to reply to, so I sincerely hope I'll be able to pull it off well.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Harry Potter and His True Sixth Year

Chapter Thirty: Explanations and Promises

Harry was whispering soothing words into his girlfriend's ear, telling her it was all finished, they had won, and Voldemort was gone for good. He told her it would be all right, as he gingerly lifted her from the ground, holding her in his arms and trying to shake her as little as possible, her nerves still a wreck after being under the Cruciatus for so long, thus the smallest amount of movement made her grit her teeth in pain.

They met halfway with the Headmaster.

“How is she?” the older man voiced his concern. Harry looked down to her beautiful face, currently frowning as she tried to resist the pain.

“I think Poppy will have her share of work, but I'm optimistic” Harry said. “Isn't there a way to stop her from feeling the pain?” he asked then, his green eyes staring hopefully at the headmaster, who nodded and wandlessly numbed Hermione. She smiled gratefully at him, and everyone took that as a good sign. She was still conscious so with a bit of luck she would be as good as new in few days time.

Harry took her to the Hospital Wing as fast as he could now that he knew she wouldn't feel any pain, and sat near her bed, resisting Poppy's attempt to shove him away.

“I won't leave her side, Madam Pomfrey, so you better start her treatment without even trying to send me out of the room” he said, determination in his voice. “Even if you have to undress her for some reason, you won't uncover anything I haven't seen before” he added then, with a grin, and the medi-witch huffed, but the corners of her mouth lifted imperceptibly in what Harry took as a smile.

Meanwhile, on the grounds, Aurors and Order members were starting to transport the prisoners to Azkaban, where they would wait for their trial, but the life sentence seemed pretty obvious for all of them anyway.

Others, Sirius and Remus being amongst them, set to retrieve the corpses of those fallen on the side of Light. Samantha was helping tend to the injured ones with some field healing, before they were transported to the Hospital Wing too.

Despite his long standing hate for the man, Sirius was saddened to find Snape's dead body near the edge of the Forest.

“Seems like a giant stepped on him, probably not even noticing he did” Remus commented, seeing the broken state of the late Potion Master's body.

Amongst those dead they also found Alastor Moody, five bodies of Death Eaters all around him.

“He must have put up a hell of a fight before going down” Tonks noticed with a rueful smile, as Sirius wrapped her in a bear hug, glad to see she was ok. He had always been really close to her when they were kids and he thought of her more like a younger sister than a cousin.

“No wonder Molly was so on edge lately” Hestia Jones piped in as they spotted the remains of Ginny and later of Ron. “Her two youngest took the Mark”

Sirius and Remus both gasped, barely able to imagine what must have gone through Harry's mind when he found out, knowing what, or better who, had caused his parents' deaths almost seventeen years ago now.

They also sadly noticed that many students had fallen, even a couple Slytherins, and many others were badly injured, currently being under the cares of Samantha and some Healers from St. Mungo's.

Those had arrived just minutes before once word spread that help was needed at Hogwarts with the wounded.

As they roamed the grounds to seek other bodies of friends or allies anyway, they spotted Pettigrew's dead body on the ground.

“Suits him well” Sirius growled, glaring at what once was the lumpy little man.

“I think he was killed by a fifth year” Tonks giggled. “At least, they were fighting here the last time I saw him during the battle”

Finally, they moved to join Dumbledore and McGonagall, who were still around Voldemort's unconscious body.

“…he seems to be alive” Dumbledore said. Sirius frowned.

“Can't we kill him now?” he suggested, whipping out his wand. The Headmaster placed an hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Harry would have easily killed him if he wanted to. I am sure you saw his amazing display of magic, and how Voldemort was absolutely helpless against it. It must have been something he could not grasp, something he never bothered trying to understand, and thus he knew not how to counter it” the headmaster explained.

“But ironically, Harry gave Tom the worst punishment, even worse than death, from Riddle's point of view. Harry completely deprived him of his magic, so if he ever recovers he will have to live as a Muggle. Considering how deep he delved into the Dark Arts and how much he was attached to his magic, though, I seriously doubt he will ever fully recover, and might become nothing more than a soulless body. In which case, I would see it as only merciful to kill him, but for the moment, let us wait. He can not do us any harm anymore”

The others grudgingly agreed with his logic.

“Well, I would say we can proceed to the castle. This is an astounding victory, but it has come with a high price, and rightful respects must be paid to those who fell fighting on our side” Dumbledore announced then, his eyes suddenly losing their sparkle at the thought of the dead students, old friends and colleagues. Professor Sprout had fallen too, as well as Professors Vector and Sinistra.

--

For three days Harry remained at Hermione's side, not leaving even for meals. Neville took care of that, bringing him something to eat, and almost forcing his friend to gob it down. Luna could be pretty convincing too, when she wanted. Luckily, both of them had gotten only superficial scrapes, although the blonde had been kept for one day in the infirmary by Madam Pomfrey, just to make sure she had no lingering effects from the spells she had been hit with.

The brunette had been conscious most of the time, but her arm or leg would twitch on its own now and then, so it was clear her nervous system hadn't fully recovered from the ordeal yet. Poppy gave her potions to help the process, but told her it would just have to disappear on its own.

When she was finally released, a week later, she still felt a bit weak and leaned on Harry as she walked. He didn't mind in the least, he was too happy about her being ok to care, and so it was with his help they reached the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore had invited them to discuss some things about the battle, and Harry had agreed. He had wanted to ask a couple of questions anyway.

They sat on the two chairs facing the desk, and Dumbledore as usual offered them a lemon drop, which both refused.

“Very well, then. First of all, I cannot express how glad I am that you made a full recovery, Miss Granger” he said, smiling at the girl, who blushed a bit and nodded.

“Now that this has been taken care of, Harry, I am sure you have questions about what has happened to you during the fight. I will say that I can only offer hypothesis, theories, but nothing certain. You, dear boy, have once more gone beyond the magic known till now.

If you were to explain from the beginning what you felt, I might be able to give you a better insight though” he suggested, and Harry nodded.

He cleared his throat and started his tale, of how he had first felt the throbbing in his veins the night after they had exposed Ron and Ginny as traitors and Death Eaters.

“I felt like I would not let something like what had happened to my parents happen again. Not to Hermione” he admitted, looking sideways at his girlfriend who blushed.

Then he explained how he had felt it again when Voldemort had insulted Hermione, addressing her as a Mudblood, and it grew during their duel, to the point he was having difficulties controlling it. The moment Voldemort put Hermione under the Cruciatus Curse, he lost his battle to rein the building power in, and it lead to him doing what he did.

“This seems to be what I suspected then” Dumbledore said, peering at them over his spectacles, his blue eyes twinkling madly. “I would say that it is indeed proven that the “power he knows not” is love, Harry. First, he was almost killed when the curse rebounded on your forehead, the love of your mother protecting you, doing it again in your first year. Then you pushed him out of your mind at the ministry last year when you focused on your love for your friends” the headmaster continued his explanation.

“This year, you felt this bubbling power inside you when you set to do anything necessary to protect Miss Granger from harm, and again when she was insulted by your nemesis, the very symbol of what you wanted to protect her from. Finally, when Voldemort actually harmed her, you lost control of it, because your love for her needed to be unleashed to allow you to keep the promise you made to yourself to never let her be hurt” the headmaster concluded his speech.

Hermione was looking at Harry with glistening eyes now, and even if they were still in front of the Headmaster she couldn't help kissing him passionately, her arms flying around his neck. Harry gave just as much as he got, before a loud clearing of throat reminded them of where they were.

Both teens blushed crimson, earning a chuckle from Dumbledore.

“Well, I do think you both deserve some time to relax so I won't keep you longer. I think this conversation cleared up some things for both of us, do you agree Harry?” he said, offering his hand to the teen, who enthusiastically shook it, grinning.

“Definitely” the raven haired boy said, before he and Hermione left to go spend some time together in the Gryffindor common room.

“You know you're going to be tormented by the papers and everyone who wants a piece of you now, right?” she teased him as they lay in each other's embrace on the couch, her fingers playing with his hair.

“Which means you'll have to put up with it too, because I'm not going to let you get far away from me” he teased back, tickling her sides and making her squirm and squeal, before she claimed his lips in a long kiss.

“Wasn't planning on leaving you anytime soon” she huskily replied before kissing him again, their hands having a mind of their own as they started exploring.

--

It was the last night at the school for the students, then they would go home for a summer of rest, happiness and finally total freedom from any looming darkness.

The last few days had seen Hermione slowly find her strength again, and now she didn't need to lean on Harry to walk, which the raven haired boy was happy for, although he quite enjoyed when she leaned on him, but that was another matter altogether.

Hermione was heading to the Great Hall for the last feast of the year when Harry caught up with her.

“Hermione, wait!” he called, a little out of breath. Considering the direction he had been coming from, she guessed he had been in the village, and wondered why, but for the moment she let it slip.

“What's up, Harry?” she asked, and he grinned at her.

“I know it's the last feast of the year, but would you be terribly upset with me if I asked you to skip it and have dinner with me instead?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“I could never be mad at spending time with you, Harry” she said, taking his hand. “So, Mr. Potter, what have you planned this time?” she teased him, and he grinned, pulling out of his pocket his shrunken broom, and he instantly restored it to its normal size.

“If you were to join me on my broom, Miss Granger, you'd find out in a few minutes” he said, and she eyed the broom warily.

“I won't let you fall, promise” Harry said, and she knew she could trust him. With a sigh, she nodded.

“Ok, then. Let's go” she said. Harry grinned again and pulled her with him back out of the castle, then he helped her mount his Firebolt, placing her in front of him.

“Now just relax and lean back ok?” he whispered in her ear as he kicked off the ground. Hermione followed his advice, willing herself to keep her eyes open, and when they were flying over the castle, the sunset painting the lake a mixture of red and orange, she gasped. The view was truly breathtaking.

“This is beautiful” she said, and he nodded. “It is. But not as much as you” he replied.

“That was cheesy, Potter” she joked, and he chuckled. “I like cheesy, so what?” he retorted, as he finally landed on a rather large flat rock protruding from the mountain behind the school. From there, they had a perfect view of the school grounds, all the way up to the village.

He had all ready for their romantic dinner, a bottle of wine, comfy cushions for them to sit on, silverware, and a basket full of all her favourites.

“I admit I had Dobby's help with the food” he said before she could even ask. She wondered how did he know what she was about to say, but then smiled. He knew her too well.

They ate quietly, now and then commenting on the beauty of the scenery, a glass of wine accompanying their dinner.

“You're not trying to get me drunk to have your way with me, uh, Mr. Potter?” she joked as she downed the third glass of the night.

“Do I need to?” he cockily replied, and she swatted him on the arm.

“Jerk”

“But you love me for it” he countered, and she smiled.

“That I do” she admitted, snuggling closer now that the air started to chill, the sun having disappeared behind the horizon. He wrapped his cloak around both of them, and then pulled out a small box.

“This is why I went to the village this afternoon” he said, answering her previous unasked question.

She gingerly picked it up from his palm and opened it, gasping as she saw what was inside.

A white gold band with a small diamond on it stared back at her, while the brunette kept moving her mouth like a fish out of water.

“It's a promise ring” Harry explained. “I know we are still too young to be engaged, but I also want to make perfectly clear just how much I love you” he said, suddenly serious, his jade orbs staring at her, scanning her face for some kind of reaction. “I wanted to let you know that I do plan to propose to you and ask you to be my wife and the mother of my children, but I didn't want to scare you away doing it now that we still have a whole year of school left”

Hermione picked the ring up, and slid it on her finger, admiring its beauty, how the diamond would glint in the fading sunlight, and how it perfectly fit her finger.

Then, she suddenly jumped on Harry, kissing him hungrily, her tongue seeking his, letting him know that she would be more than happy to accept his proposal when he got around to it.

When they finally parted, resting on the blanket spread under them, she sighed softly as she nestled her head in the crook of his neck.

“I'd be honoured to be the mother of your children, Harry” she said, and felt his smile as sleep took them both.

The evil was in the past, now they had their whole life ahead of them and both were determined to get their deserved happy ending with each other.

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