Forbidden Love
Chapter 18
Harry grinned as he instantly disappeared from the busy streets of London, only to appear on the quiet streets of Paris just a moment later. Taking a deep breath he inhaled the crisp morning air and his grin got impossibly wider as his gaze fixed on the enormous architectural revolution that was the Eiffel Tower. Putting his hand on the strap of his knapsack he started forward, making his way through the crowd. He was almost to the large structure when he was heard someone calling him.
"Harry! Harry!"
He groaned. He knew that voice. That voice was the voice of torture... torture and homework.
"Harry James Potter I know you can hear me!" Hermione yelled.
Harry's eyes snapped open and the annoyed face of his beautiful best mate instantly came into focus.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"What? What? You were supposed to be clearing your mind that's what," she responded in an agitated tone.
"It-I was, my mind was totally clear. I wasn't thinking about anything but darkness, space and mazes," he countered, giving her his best offended look.
"Ha! What bollocks! You were thinking about apparating," she retorted in a superior tone.
"How-wh-"
"Honestly Harry, I don't have to be a trained Legilimens to know what you're thinking about," Hermione continued with a smug look. "You've thought of nothing else since Mr. Weasley took you to get your license."
Harry flushed and looked down guilty "Sorry," he mumbled.
This year for Christmas Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Weasley had made an appointment for him go and get his Apparition license. The elder Weasley had even come by Hermione's house a couple of days later and had personally taken him down to the ministry to take his test. Harry had been so excited that he had passed on his first go, that he immediately apparated back to Hermione's house, with his new license mind you, to let her know the great news.
When he suddenly appeared in the room and startled her with his sudden manifestation, a frowning had Hermione lectured him sternly on the importance of not apparating unannounced. Then assured him that him that he was lucky her mum hadn't seen him. Otherwise she would have had a fit and forbade Harry from ever doing it again, especially in her house. After she felt he was duly chastised Hermione then gave him one of her world-class hugs and congratulated him on a job well done.
Harry smiled to himself. Mr. Weasley's had been the best Christmas gift he had gotten that year, well next to Hermione's. He still remembered how odd he had thought it was when she told everyone that she forgotten his present back at her house like, in her words, "a silly goose".
He had thought it odder still when Charlie suggested that she apparate and she and politely declined saying that Harry could wait till later and that he had enough presents already anyway. However, when she called him into her room after they made it home and he opened his gift he knew exactly why she had waited to give him the present. As he held up the Puddlemere United jersey and stared in wonder and the signatures of the various team members. Hermione studiously explained that she had corresponded with Oliver Wood and after a bit of persuasion he had agreed to help her out with the autographs. Then blushing, she quietly added that she hoped that he liked it and understood why she couldn't give it to him at The Burrow. He had hugged her and replied that he understood completely, and then thanked her profusely for the gift.
"Harry," Hermione's annoyed tone interrupted once again. "Could you stop thinking about apparition for one minute please?"
"I wasn't thinking about apparating," he said. When she gave him a skeptical look he continued. "Actually I'm thinking of a much better present that I received this year," he finished with a roguish smile.
Hermione opened her mouth, and then closed it as she turned an attractive shade of red. "We-well, what you should be thinking about is your Occlumency. So let's get back to studying ok?"
He gave a small sigh but nodded his head in agreement. Hermione reached past him to the radio on her nightstand, flipping the switch on the side, a muggle pop song came on. She then turned the volume up a bit and sat back giving Harry an expectant look.
"What?"
"Go on, clear your mind," Hermione responded with a small shooing motion.
"With that on?" Harry asked giving a look to the tiny but loud radio which was playing an annoying song from some muggle girl group. Harry couldn't really remember their name because he usually turned the station as soon as they came on, though he thought it was `The Kitty Kat Bears' or, `Putty Tats'- or something. Eh, it didn't matter, whatever it was it was obnoxious.
"Yes with that on," she responded in a tone that implied she was talking to a child. "You need to learn how to clear you mind when it's being disturbed in some type of way. Since I'm not able to invade your thoughts like Snape, I figure I'll just let the Pussycat Dolls do it for me."
"Is that what they're called?" he asked giving the radio a disgruntled look as the lead singer continued to screech away.
"Yes, that's what they're called, but it's a moot point. Harry close your eyes and focus," Hermione replied frowning and turning his head to face her.
Giving a sigh Harry closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but he could still hear the women warbling on the radio in the background.
"Take a deep breath, in and out, in and out," he did as he was told. "Okay," Hermione continued "now close your mind to all sounds except for my voice. Picture a black room, completely empty just like the new book said. Devoid of all objects and just black as night," Harry took a deep breath and focused as hard as he could. Gradually the light from the window, he could still see through his lids, began to fade away.
"Tune out all noise Harry, you should hear nothing, nothing but my voice," she continued in a calming tone. As the room darkened it began to quiet too, the "singing" of the girl group slowly faded away until all Harry could hear were Hermione's voice and the chirping of the birds just outside the window. "Close your mind Harry, close it to everything, and make a path- the path that you want to be followed. A path that leads to whatever memories that you've created," the room suddenly had a door, though there was no light beyond it. As he made his way towards the opening the sound of the birds faded away leaving Hermione's soft and soothing voice to float around him as the only indication he was not alone.
"That's it Harry, steady breathing, lead the way, you're in charge of your mind and therefore you control all who enter it." She said in a voice that sounded somewhat far away. "I will leave you here. Lead the way, take your time and make your path. You can do it, I believe in you." With that her voice disappeared completely from his mind.
Harry continued through the dark empty hallways completely alone, except for the feeling that Hermione was still somehow with him. As he took a door that had suddenly appeared to his left, a bright light burst though. When it faded Harry was in a room full of memories... but, they weren't. There were many there, countless to choose from, but three stood out from the rest. One was of him winning the Quidditch world cup, next to that was a memory of Draco Malfoy groveling at Hermione's feet and begging her forgiveness for being such a prat. However the best one was just beyond that this one was of Professor Snape, full on snogging… Mr. Filch. Harry cringed, then chuckled.
"Harry? Harry, are you in there?" Hermione's voice called from a distance. "Come back Harry, open your eyes," she continued, her voice getting progressively louder.
Harry opened his eyes and instantly began to blink rapidly from the sunlight coming though the room. Shielding his eyes a bit he allowed them to adjust to the brightness as the sound of yet another muggle pop group played loudly from the radio. When he was once again able to see properly, Harry removed his hand and looked up, immediately coming face to face with a beaming Hermione.
"You did it Harry!" she exclaimed, coming forward and pulling him into a brief but tight hug, before quickly shutting off the radio. "I knew you could do it, I just knew it! What was it like? What did you see? Did you get to actually see the false memories like in the book? How about the maze or did you just do the bottomless pit? Come, don't leave me hanging here, give me details!"
Hermione finished staring at him expectantly with her hands clasped together in front of her chest and a radiant smile on her face.
"Well I must admit, at first I thought all of those exercises were a bit iffy, but then," he shrugged "I don't know, somehow they worked."
Harry then went on to explain about how he first got rid of the light and then the sound. Next, they both had a great laugh over the fake memories that Harry had implanted into his mind especially the Malfoy and Snape ones.
"That's wonderful Harry," she said once he was done, giving him a bright grin.
He returned the grin with an appreciative smile "I couldn't have done it without you Hermione."
She blushed slightly "Well, thanks… so, let's get back to work huh? Now, I want to you do it again, but this time try to do it quicker," she said, switching to business mode. Leaning forward she turned the radio back on.
"But-"
"But nothing Harry, I'm proud of your accomplishment, however, do you really think Snape is going to wait while you slowly tune him out?" She arched a brow, and gave a perfunctory nod when he shook his head. "Me either, you need to learn to do it instantly, and now that we can that you can do it, I don't think that taking that next step should be to hard."
Harry gave a pained expression that grew even more pronounced as she leant forward and turned the radio up even louder. Harry gave the small contraption an aggravated look; how could something so tiny be so ruddy loud?
"I put a small spell on it!" Hermione yelled over the music answering his silent question and leaving Harry to wonder if she was in fact a trained Legilimens. "Oh please Harry it's written all over you face!" she yelled again a moment later, once again guessing his thoughts.
"Won't you parent's mind the noise?!" he asked giving a worried look to the door.
"They're sill at work! Besides, I put a temporary silencing charm on the room anyway! Now come on, get on with it!"
Harry gave another groan, then closing his eyes he did his best to once more shut out the sound.
-----
Harry's hand slammed down on the radio. "That's enough Hermione it`s New Years Eve, eve and I`ll we`ve done is cram! Look I just need a break, just one small break! We've been at this for hours!"
"New Years Eve, eve?" she released an unlady-like snort. "There`s no such thing. As for the break thing what are you talking about?" she continued, reaching forward and plucking her radio off the night stand to check that he didn't break it. "You've had at least five breaks today."
He gave her a peeved look "Those were not breaks! They were called breakfast, lunch and dinner, not to mention a couple of bathroom breaks."
"Ha! Breaks- see I told you they were breaks," she replied with a smug look.
Harry leaned forward and gave her a menacing one of his own. "Hermione if I don't get at least fifteen minutes to recuperate, I swear to you I will make sure that the first memory that Snape sees- is the one of you."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she started to respond then stopped; giving him a death glare she stood up and stormed out of the bed room without saying another word and leaving the door wide open behind herself. Harry figured that was her not so subtle way of hinting that he should leave her room.
"Not bloody likely," he mumbled to himself lying back on the bed.
Giving a huff when he landed on a set of books that were resting on the pillow, Harry took a minute to gather all of the texts off of the bed and set them on the floor just next to it. Once the soft surface was completely devoid of all of the hard tomes he laid back and stretched out, releasing a small sigh of contentment.
However, after lying quietly for a few minutes Harry once again opened his eyes. As tired as he was, his mind was too amped up from all of the exercises they had been doing and he found himself unable to relax. Giving an agitated sigh he remained where he was on the bed, but took this time as an opportunity to look around Hermione's room. He smiled to himself as he remembered his first day at her house. He really hadn't had much of a chance to really look at her room since then, but that was no big deal considering the fact that everything seemed to be exactly the same... well, almost everything. Harry's eyes were drawn back to the night stand where Hermione's small radio sat occupying a place that, at one point, was previously taken up by Ron's picture.
As soon as they had come back for break and he had entered her room, Harry had noticed that he picture was gone, but he had figured she'd just left it at school. Either way he had thought it was best not to comment on it. His expression turned thoughtful. He didn't know what was going on with his two best mates, Hermione and Ron seemed to be fighting more lately and Ron and Luna - for some odd reason - seemed to be fighting less... not that Luna ever really fought with anyone. Then again, he considered as his brain switched back to the original topic, what did it matter? Hermione had already basically said that it wasn't the picture of Ron that she had been holding that night. But if it wasn't him then, who? Could it have been-
'Whoa, dangerous thought's there Potter,' his mind cautioned 'best not to even go that route.'
Realizing that his brain was right Harry decided to direct his attention elsewhere. He looked up at the scrolls on either side of her bed before allowing his gaze to wander to the other pictures on her wall. He smiled as he saw one of the gang at Hogsmeade. Neville was fanning his mouth profusely because Ron had given him one of the twins' fire sweets. He laughed when photo Neville belched and nearly caught photo Ron's hair on fire. Looking down to the one below it, he smiled as Hermione, Ginny and Luna waived back at him happily. Picture Ginny gave Harry a wink and blew a small kiss, much to the annoyance of picture Hermione. Harry chuckled as the two girls glowered at one another; however his smile froze on his face as his eyes came into contact with the next photo. There, in the frame just under the three girls, stood a photo version of him. Photo Harry gave him a wave and a large grin before looking around. As he looked around the frame Harry noticed something very important about the picture… he was alone. Photo Harry was alone... alone in the frame.... alone in the black frame.
Scrambling off of the bed Harry stood and slowly approached the picture, his photo image seemed to give him an amused look as he continued to wave. Taking the picture cautiously off of the wall he examined it closely, turning it back and forth and front and back. He then looked back up at the wall of photos and did a quick sweep of the room for any other black frames with one lone figure in them. After finding none he looked back down at photo Harry who continued to wave but also seemed to give him a small wink.
"No way," Harry whispered to himself, photo Harry looked suspiciously like he was now laughing.
Harry continued to stare at the picture in a mild form of shock until he was broken out of his reverie by Hermione's voice calling out to him.
"What are you doing Harry?" she questioned sternly, walking back into the room and closing the door behind her. "Are you finally ready to study again?" she continued when he didn't respond. "Harry? Harry?" Hermione walked the rest of the way into the room until she came to a halt on the other side of the bed. "Harry?" she questioned once more her tone now going from one of annoyance to worry.
Harry turned slowly and looked at his best friend with an expression that indicated that he had never seen her before. Looking around and then back at him, Hermione raised a brow.
"What?!" she demanded after a minute, once again looking annoyed.
Instead of responding Harry turned and faced Hermione fully, closely scrutinizing her reaction. At first he saw none, until her gaze flicked to his right hand where he held the picture frame. Her face took on a sickly shade of white and her eyes became panicked. It was then that he knew….
*****************************
`He knew!' her mind screamed as Harry continued to stare at her as though she had grown another head. `Oh. My. God. He knew!" Hermione's eyes went wide and darted around the room for her quickest escape route. She couldn't think, she could not think, she could feel herself starting to freak out. `No, no, no, no, no this cannot be happening!' her brain yelled. `Stupid, stupid, stupid, why didn't you take it down, why?! I need to think. I have to get out of here!'
Turning abruptly she dashed towards the door, however, before she could reach it she was intercepted by Harry. She wasn't sure how it happened, all she knew is one minute she had been about to touch the knob and the next she was pinned between his warm muscular body and the hard bedroom wall.
"Hermione," he said softy.
She didn't look at him, she couldn't. Feeling her face aflame Hermione decided that the best course of action was to focus on the small scratch in the paint, on the wall across the room.
"Hermione," Harry tried again, this time a bit louder.
She continued to ignore him.
"Hermione, look at me!" he said a bit more forcefully then, to her surprise, he took his hand off of the wall and used it to turn her face so that had no choice but to look at him.
"Let me go," she told him softly, glaring.
Harry gave her an amused look and slowly shook his head. "Not until we talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about," she put her hand on his wrist and attempted to pull his hand from her face. He arched a brow but said nothing. "Harry, you're hurting me," she stated with a frown.
The look of amusement instantly disappeared and was replaced with a look of genuine concern. "I'm sorry Hermione," he said softly, letting go of her face but not removing his fingers. Instead using them to caress her chin where he had been holding her. "I didn't hurt you too bad did I?"
"N-ye-yes," she cleared her throat "yes, you did. Look lets just call it a night ok? Like you said its New Years Eve, eve we should get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow." She finished giving a nervous laugh and a longing look to the door.
Harry shook his head, effectively regaining her attention. "No, not until we talk."
"There's nothing to talk about Harry."
"Yes there is."
"No there isn't," she replied giving him a pleading look. "Can we please just drop this?"
"Fine," he said, she relaxed "if you answer one question for me."
Hermione gave him an anxious look and threw another longing glance to the door.
"What?" she asked hesitantly after a few minutes.
"Was it me?" Harry pinned her with a heated gaze. "That night Hermione, was it me in the picture that you were holding? Was it me that you were thinking about?"
He was watching her so closely that she felt like he could read her thoughts, her breath quickened and a dizzying feeling took over as she once again began to panic. Hermione just knew she was about to faint and Harry must have sensed it to, because his other hand went from the wall to her waist in an effort to steady her.
"I just-" he licked his lips "I need to you tell me, Hermione… was it me?"
She stared at him for a minute longer, feeling herself falling into emerald green eyes. As she became overwhelmed with intense feelings of desire and longing that she was no longer sure were hers, her mouth whispered the words that her brain never meant to release.
"Yes," the affirmation came out as no more than a breathy whisper, but to Harry it seemed to have the effect of a yell.
His eyes widened and his mouth opened a bit, as a breath escaped that smelled like the chocolate and mint they had shared earlier. His eyes became clouded and his body moved so close that there was no more room between him and her than there was between her and the wall.
"Hermione," he whispered a scant second before his head dipped down. Without thinking, her mouth came up to meet his half way.
"Hermione!!! Hermione are you in there?!!!" Harry jumped back from her as the voice bellowed through the wall.
Both teens looked frantically at the door and Hermione quickly reached out her hand, pressing the lock down just a second before the handle rattled.
"Hermione, it's your father!! Are you in there?!" Dan Granger yelled beating on the door and once again trying the knob. "Is Harry in there with you?!! Why is this door locked young lady?! Is he in here?! Did he touch anything?! He better not have touched anything -I'll kill him, wizard or no, I'll have his neck!"
Harry grimaced and gave an anxious look at the shaking door.
"Daddy!" Hermione called out. "Daddy, stop it!"
"Let me in Pumpkin, I promise I won't hurt him… much!"
Hermione gave a panicked look to Harry who shrugged in response before grinning. Furrowing her brows she gave him a `What?' look and placed her hand on the shaking door.
"Daddy, give me a moment ok?!"
"What do you need a moment for? I looked in his room he's not in there, open the door and I mean now young lady?!"
"Dan," Hermione heard her mum say, she released the breath she had been holding.
"What are you doing?"
"It's almost two o'clock in the morning and Hermione and Harry are locked in her bedroom, what do you think I'm doing?! I'm trying to break the door down- now stand back dear!"
"Dan that rid- wait, Harry's in there?" A moment later Harry and Hermione heard more
pounding on the door. "Hermione is Harry in there with you?!" her mum yelled. "He better not be, open this door right now young lady."
"Move dear," Mr. Granger said, "stand back; just give me some room and I'll have that door down in a jiffy."
Hermione threw Harry a distressed look, but instead of being as horrified as her he just smiled. Giving her a wink he mouthed the words `open the door' and then, before she could question him, he was gone with a light `pop'.
Hermione groaned and rolled her eyes, why didn't she think of that?!
"Wait daddy, I'm opening the door!" she called out. Then, after giving one last look around the room she unlocked and twisted the knob.
As soon as she opened the door, her mum and dad swept past her. Dan Granger did a quick survey of the room before bending and looking under his daughters' bed. Finding nothing there he quickly made his way to her wardrobe.
"Ah-ha!!" he yelled as he flung the doors open dramatically, frowning lightly when the only things that greeted him were clothes and books.
Hermione rolled her eyes "Daddy, I told you no one was in here. I was just finishing up a chapter and didn't want to stop half-way thorough."
Both of her parents gave her suspicious looks, but neither commented.
"Then where's Harry?" her mum asked after a moment, still closely watching her daughter.
"I don't know, I supp-"
"What's going on?" Harry asked entering the room with a glass of juice and surveying the scene. "Is everything ok?"
"Where were you?" Mr. Granger demanded, coming forward and standing directly in Harry`s face.
Mrs. Granger sighed at her husband's antics before grabbing his shirt and yanking him back a few steps so that he was next to her. "My husband didn't see you in your room and became a bit…er," she looked at Hermione then back at Harry "worried."
Harry raised his brows and then frowned, looking thoroughly confused. Hermione found that she was impressed, had she not known that Harry was in her room just a few minutes ago she would have believed that he truly had no idea what was going on.
"Well," Harry started looking thoughtful. "I couldn't sleep so I went out to get some air, just took a small walk around the neighborhood. Then, after that I came back inside and went to get a glass of juice. I was just on my way back to my room when I saw everyone in here and decided to investigate," he supplied effortlessly.
Mrs. Granger nodded her head easily excepting the explanation, but Mr. Granger continued to look at Harry suspiciously.
"Your bed didn't look like it had been slept in at all," he pressed, still watching Harry closely.
The boy didn't comment but instead settled for a shrug and a sip of his juice.
"Dan, give it a rest, Harry wasn't in here. Look we have a lot of things to do tomorrow so lets all get some sleep, ok?" Ella said.
Turning she gave her daughter a quick hug and a soft spoken apology for not trusting her before grabbing her husband and pushing him out the door. In the hall she said goodnight to Harry and pulled Dan towards their bedroom. Hermione suppressed a laugh as her dad insisted that he stand at the door and watch Harry enter his room before going into theirs. Once both Harry and Hermione were in their respective rooms with both of their respective doors closed, Dan Granger finally entered his own room and went to bed… making sure to leave his respective door wide open.
A.N. That's it for this chapter, so close yet so far!! I know. Next chapter New Year's Eve, I can't wait and I hope you can't either!!! Oh and I know that the Pussycat Dolls weren't around in the exact timeframe of this story but I didn't feel like researching annoying nineties pop bands so… (pulls out creative license and flashes it) here you go! Yay, author privileges! Till the next chappy, please review and Ja ne!
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