A/N: This is just for all of you who are dying to see some more Harry and Hermione fluff. I hope you enjoy it. I know that I have many of you interested in where I am going with this story, and I have to tell you that it is nothing like book seven (Thank goodness!) The whole idea for this came to me well before that book came out, and uses some of the forgotten information from the earlier books, including Chamber of Secrets. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all of the reviews, they have been great, and leave me eager for more!
Once again I am faced with the fact that I don't own these characters. My therapist did say that writing about my feelings is good for me…. :D
Chapter 20
What Are You Really Scared Of?
When Harry came out of his room he wasn't surprised to find his two friends waiting for him with set looks of determination on their faces.
"Uh…Good morning?" Harry asked warily.
"So…How was your meeting, Harry?" Ron asked as he crossed his arms.
Harry glanced at Hermione who worriedly bit her lip, and he sighed. He should have known she'd tell him.
"He was telling me what we need to do to beat Voldemort. It's not going to be easy."
Ron snorted. "So this is something new?"
"Look, I know you want to help me and I'm not planning on doing this by myself. It's just…I need to figure some things out. That, and I have a meeting with Lupin this afternoon. I promise, when I have all the information, I'll tell you, okay?" Harry said.
Ron glanced over at Hermione who nodded.
"Fine," he muttered. "I hate bad news on an empty stomach anyways," Ron said as he headed for the portrait entrance.
Harry turned and looked at Hermione and raised an eyebrow accusingly.
"I'm sorry Harry. I'm just worried about you," she said as she cast her eyes to the carpet.
Harry closed the distance between them and took her hands in his.
"How worried?" He asked quietly.
Hermione looked up at those emerald green eyes and was shocked by the way he was looking at her. She realized that Harry wasn't just looking at her as a concerned friend. There was something more there, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of Ron's words from a few nights ago.
`Would you rather spend a lifetime regretting what you could have had? If you wait until the war is over, you may never have the chance.'
A single tear escaped from the corner of Hermione's eye and Harry reached up to gently wipe it away, his hand lingering on the side of her face.
"I'm scared, Harry. I'm so scared that it hurts…" she whispered brokenly.
"Me too," Harry whispered back. "Why don't we be scared together? That way, we can comfort each other when we are feeling alone or afraid."
Hermione smiled at him through her tears. How could she hold back her feelings for him? He always put the needs of others before his own, it was about time someone cared for him for a change. Harry slowly leaned down, and when she didn't back away, he cupped both sides of her face and gently touched his lips to hers. Hermione brought her hands up and tangled them in Harry's hair as she pulled his head closer to hers. Harry deepened his kiss, running his tongue over Hermione's soft bottom lip, seeking entry. He could feel the tingle radiating out from his heart, filling him, and he wanted to share it with her. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, reveling in the taste that was Hermione, and pushed the sensation he was feeling towards her. Hermione made a small moaning sound in the back of her throat, and pulled her body closer to Harry, enjoying the sensation of his hard body against hers, and the magic that Harry seemed to be sending her.
Harry had never felt anything like this before. Nothing else mattered except Hermione. She became his world. He could feel her heart beating against his chest, feel every spot where her body touched his, and feel her response to his touch. He slipped his hand around the small of her back and let his other hand get tangled in her soft curly hair. He lazily explored her mouth, savoring the feeling of her soft lips pressed against his. The feelings coursing through Harry were intoxicating. He couldn't get enough of her. He ran his hand up her back, touching her, feeling the warmth of her radiating through her shirt and it exhilarated him. Was this what it felt like to love someone? His heart was beating so fast that he thought it might burst, and he suddenly felt powerful, like he could take on the world. He pulled away from her in amazement, gasping for breath.
"Hermione…I…wow," he gasped. "I've never felt like that before," he murmured in her ear as he held her close, allowing her hair to tickle his face while he hid his embarrassment.
"Me neither," Hermione said quietly.
They stood like that for a few moments, until Harry's stomach started to gurgle. Hermione laughed and pulled back to look up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Maybe we should get some breakfast before you faint from hunger."
"Only if you promise me that we will discuss this further tonight during our rounds," Harry said.
"Deal," said Hermione as she headed for the portrait opening.
It was late afternoon when Harry had his meeting with Lupin. Harry was both anxious and eager to find out what he needed to do with these Horcruxes. As he entered the classroom he noticed the big chest that held the boggart in his third year was sitting in the middle of the floor. Lupin came out of his office carrying a tray with an assortment of objects on it.
"Ah, good, Harry, right on time. We have much to cover today before dinner." Lupin put the tray down as Harry approached him.
"Now we are using some very ancient magic that Professor Dumbledore found before he…uh…well, anyways, the incantation is `Ostendo Vestri Veneficus'. Try it."
"Ostendo Vestri Veneficus"* Harry repeated.
"Good. Now, when the spell is done, the object will glow and give a slight shake. Let's deal with that aspect first shall we? Then we can talk about how to rid the object of the dark magic." Lupin directed Harry's attention to the tray of objects on the table.
"Let's try this. Choose an object. Some of these objects have a small amount of dark magic trapped in them, but it is not strong enough to attack. This will give you a chance to practice revealing their dark magic."
Harry looked at the items and pointed his wand at an old cup.
"Ostendo Vestri Veneficus," he said.
The cup began to glow and shook on the tray.
"Good! Good! Now try some of the others," Lupin said.
Harry tried the spell on some of the different items on the tray. He noticed that those items that contained dark magic seemed to send off a pulse that he could feel.
"Can you feel it Professor?" He said as he watched an old boot trembling on the tray.
"What do you feel Harry?" Lupin asked.
"I don't know. Some sort of a…wave of energy or something."
Lupin nodded at Harry's description.
"Excellent! That means that you are in tune with the dark magic. You are getting a sense of what you will be looking for. Do you understand what it is? Can you recognize it now?"
Harry nodded in agreement. "I think so," he said.
"Good. Now, let's try it on our friend the boggart, shall we?" Lupin said, directing Harry to the trunk. "You can just use your Patronus to get rid of him."
Harry turned, and waved his wand at the trunk. "Ostendo Vestri Veneficus," he chanted.
The trunk glowed, shook, and unlatched itself, and Harry waited for the Dementor to come out. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, ever so slowly, a hand, and then an arm became visible, followed by a head of bushy brown hair. Harry watched in horror, as the dead sightless eyes looked his way as the Hermione boggart rose from the trunk, her clothes covered in blood. She staggered towards him as Harry backed away, feeling sick to his stomach. He heard a voice screaming in his head, and the last thing he remembered was that it was no longer his mother's voice that he heard, but Hermione's.
When Harry came to, Lupin was there with a concerned look on his face. Harry sat up and shakily looked around. The boggart had tapped into his worse nightmares.
"Harry," Professor Lupin said gently, "Your boggart has changed. Did that come from your nightmares?"
"I don't know," he said slowly as he sat up. "I was thinking about the Dementors, but then I thought that losing Hermione would be just as bad. I don't know if I could handle that."
"Harry, I know that losing a friend is dreadfully hard but-"
"She's more than a friend," Harry mumbled, looking embarrassed.
"I thought Ron and Hermione were-"
"They split up," Harry said, "and I kind of…told her that I…uh…have feelings for her," Harry said as his face went even redder.
Lupin scrubbed his face with his hand before looking closely at Harry again.
"Did you tell her you love her?" He asked gently.
"Do I? I don't really know what love is. All I have ever had to compare it to was the Dursleys, and a few girls who wanted to snog the great Harry Potter. I don't even know what to do with Hermione."
Lupin could hear the frustration in Harry's voice.
"Have you…kissed her?" Lupin asked. `Lord, I'm not ready for this role,' he thought.
Harry waited a beat and then nodded, the embarrassment evident in the way he avoided looking at his professor.
"The first time was at my birthday party. I'm not sure how, but I knew it was her, even though I was blindfolded. That was the first time I felt it."
"Felt it?" Lupin asked warily. `Blindfolded?' he thought. `Must have been an interesting party…'
Harry nodded. "This feeling. Then this morning…it was incredible," he whispered in awe. "I felt things I've never felt before. My whole body began to tingle, almost like a surge in my magic powers. I felt…well, it was pretty amazing," he said with a silly grin.
Lupin smiled wistfully at him. `How I wish Lily and James were here to see this,' he thought.
"Harry, you are going to have to get past this vision. Shut it away in your mind." Lupin helped him up. "Think of a happy thought. Something more powerful than that boggart."
Harry closed his eyes and pictured the kiss he shared with Hermione earlier this morning. He let it fill him, making him tingle. He smiled as he felt her soft lips on his…
"Ready," he said as he opened his eyes. "Ostendo Vestri Veneficus" he said as he pointed his wand at the trunk.
The trunk glowed, shook, and began to open. The bloody Hermione boggart slowly made its way out of the trunk. Harry shakily pointed his wand at her, and as he backed up, the fleeting thought that he had never pointed his wand at Hermione crossed his mind.
"Steady, Harry," he heard Lupin say.
Harry took a deep breath and thought about the time that Hermione had turned into a cat. "Riddiculus" he yelled at the same time as he had a fleeting thought as to what it would be like to kiss a furry Hermione. Time slowed, and his thoughts became a blur, as he thought about where their relationship might go, what might happen…
`I'm not ready for this…'
Suddenly, the boggart whirled, and Hermione was standing there in a slinky spaghetti strap nightgown. She smiled seductively at Harry and moved towards him as she slowly started to lower one strap from her shoulder. Harry just stood there gaping at her.
Lupin jumped between them, and the boggart changed into the full moon, which Lupin turned into a balloon and sent it back into the trunk, slamming the lid behind it. He turned to look at Harry, who was still staring and looking a little slack jawed.
"Uh…right…we won't share that with Hermione now, will we?" Lupin said clearing his throat.
"Oh yeah," Harry whispered, the image still very vivid in his mind, his stomach still in knots. "Sure."
"Let's leave it there for tonight Harry. We can work on this some more in a few days."
Harry just nodded as he turned to leave. Lupin shook his head as he began to put things away. He heard a noise and turned to see Tonks watching him from his office doorway.
"I'm too old for this," he said as he moved towards her. "No one told me I would have to be keeping teenage hormones in check."
Tonks laughed. "Would you care to discuss this Professor Lupin? I don't mind being a little late for dinner," she purred.
Lupin gave her a wolfish grin. "Well, as long as we are not too late. I've worked up quite an appetite today." He pulled her into his office and shut the door.
Harry wandered down to the Great Hall for dinner, thinking about the boggart of Hermione. She had looked so beautiful in that nightgown; all he could do was stare. How was he going to fight if Hermione occupied his every thought? He sighed as he hoped that he would be able to use some of his Occlumency tricks to keep himself focused.
Harry made his way down the Gryffindor table to the open spot between Ron and Hermione. He looked at Hermione, taking in her curly brown hair and soft features. Hermione looked up from the paper she was reading and caught him staring.
"What?" she asked shyly, her cheeks flushing as she saw the look on his face.
Harry shook his head. "Ask me later, when we are alone."
Hermione blushed even further and looked back down at her paper, but cast a quick glance at Harry to see if he was still watching her. Harry grinned as he helped himself to some chicken. Ron was frowning as he looked at the schedule for the Prefect's rounds.
"Something wrong?" Harry asked.
"I want to know who was mental enough to put me on patrol with Loony Lovegood…" he took a moment to count, "seven times in the next two weeks!"
"That would be me," Hermione said without even looking up. "And her name is Luna."
"So what did I do to deserve this?" Ron fumed.
"She's actually quite nice," Harry interjected.
Ron snorted. "So is McGonagall if you get all your homework done. Harry, this bird is just plain out of it! Do you know how many weird things she talks about?"
Harry choked on his pumpkin juice as he laughed, and Hermione glared at Ron before going back to her paper.
"Honestly Ron, I didn't hear any complaints from her when I made the schedule. In fact, she seemed quite thrilled," Hermione said, as she turned the page.
"She did?" Ron said as he puffed his chest out.
Harry held back a laugh. He remembered listening to Luna hum `Weasley is our King' as Hermione gave her the schedule. He turned and looked towards Hermione, and instantly sobered. She was reading the paper with a worried look.
"Something in the paper?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded, visibly upset by the news.
"Two students have gone missing from the Beaubaxton's Academy. Apparently they were visiting the local village the last time anyone saw them."
"Do they have any idea where they are?" asked Harry.
"No," replied Hermione, "But there is one piece of information that you might find interesting."
"What?" asked Ron.
"They were last seen in the company of a platinum-blonde haired boy."
Harry didn't even have to think about it. The anger boiled to the surface in a rush.
"Malfoy," he growled.
"What would he want with two girls from Beaubaxtons?" Ron asked.
"Who knows?" Harry said as he leaned against Hermione to scan the article, "but I bet that whatever
it is, he's up to no good."
* Ostendo Vestri Veneficus: Reveal your poison (dark magic)
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