Hermione stumbled up the stairs, almost leaping over banisters as the staircases moved and made her way to the portrait
of the Fat Lady and struggled to remember the password. Unfortunately, cognitive thinking had not yet begun to function
properly and she stood stuttering idiotically. Finally, her chocolate addled brain flashed an image of a fairy-like
creature.
"Pixie licorice."
As the portrait swung open Hermione hurried inside and up the steps to her dormitory. Reaching her room, Hermione flew
through the door, barely touching the ground and flung herself on her bed after placing a locking charm on the door. As
far as Hermione was concerned, this day was officially over. She was completely mortified and there was no way she
would ever be able to face anyone ever again. Her career at Hogwarts was ended in one foul, and she did mean FOUL,
swoop. Suddenly she heard a knocking on her door. Fearing it was the first of her tormentors getting a head start she
raised her head and her wand.
"Give me some peace. You can wait to laugh at me with all the others."
"'Mione, it's me, Harry."
"Go away Harry. I don't want to speak to anyone."
"Come on Hermione, open the door."
Hermione's voice was mournful.
"I'm not going to face you or anyone else after having made such a wild spectacle of myself."
Harry continued to plead with her.
"It wasn't that bad and you really weren't that wild."
He winced as Hermione wailed
"Harry, my finger's bleeding!"
"Hermione-"
Hermione shook her head knowing he couldn't see her.
"Just go away Harry. Please just go away."
There was a pause outside the door and she could picture the look of disappointment on Harry's face as his hand stayed raised to knock again. Hermione heard a soft sigh and then the sound of retreating footsteps as Harry did as she requested. Hermione laid her head back on her pillow as she thought about the other reason she didn't want to face Harry. How could she after she had practically tried to seduce him in order to get at a bit of chocolate?
"How could I have done that? He must think me such a fool."
Soon she found the sleep given to the truly miserable.
Later, Harry was having a very hard night. First, there was the Chocolate Challenge debacle, then there was the teasing that Hermione had anticipated, though missed due to her not coming out of her room, and now his dreams kept fluctuating between worry over Hermione and Snape in that ridiculous tutu. As Harry was once more clamoring up the steps to escape the ever-leaping professor, a bright light caught his eye. He turned to look at it and almost fainted, assuming one could faint in a dream, because before him stood his mother.
"Mum?"
Lily stared at her son a moment before answering.
"Harry."
"What are you doing here?"
"I've come to ask you a very important question."
Harry was eager to hear what it was she wanted to know.
"What?"
"What are your true feelings for Hermione?"
That was the last thing he had expected but he didn't hesitate to answer.
"She's my best friend, besides Ron of course."
Lily's look was inscrutable.
"The best friends make the best lovers."
Harry visibly started and began protesting.
"What? No! I could never, I mean Hermione's…"
"She's what Harry?"
Harry stammered
"Well… she's Hermione."
Lily smirked at him.
"Really? So it didn't affect you at all being so close to her today."
"I admit it was a bit different, but Hermione's like a sister to me."
"So knowing she wanted that chocolate so badly, but was still distracted by you has no bearing whatsoever?"
The question left Harry's head spinning and he shook his head to clear it.
"Look Harry, Dumbledore's going to have another challenge in a few days, it's important that you win.'
"One, Hermione will never agree to go through that again and two, how can I possibly beat her? She's no average witch you know."
Lily smiled in that way only a woman can.
"Distract her."
Harry had no clue as he asked
"How?"
"You'll know when the time comes. She'll be stubborn-"
Harry smiled for the first time since the conversation took this strange turn.
"That's for sure."
"But Harry, you must follow your heart no matter what."
With that she begins to fade.
"Wait!"
Lily looked sad to leave him.
"I have to go now. I love you Harry. Always."
The light faded and Harry found himself awake and reaching into the darkness.
"What a very strange dream."
Shrugging it off to worry over Hermione and overactive teenage male hormones he laid back down and fell asleep again.
In the Gryffindor Common Room Hermione Granger tiptoed her way down the steps, careful not to wake anyone. If anybody should see her it would be very, very bad. For this was Hermione Granger, but with a few changes. Like being older, being a mother and…
" Hermione Granger Potter!"
And being married to Harry. She turned to look at her husband, his handsome features made slightly rugged by the jagged scar above his brow and the one that slightly puckered the skin by his eye.
Hermione turned to him.
"Yes Harry?"
Harry looked at her disapprovingly.
"I thought we agreed not to meddle and to let our past selves find each other on their own."
Hermione shook her head and paced a little ways away from him.
"No, you agreed. But I for one can not just stand by and let the most important thing in both of our lives go unnoticed because of my being stubborn and you being too… well too male. We have to find each other sooner than we did, or else we may never be together and we might also never have Robia. I couldn't bear the thought of that."
Future Harry looked at his wife and pulled her to him desperate to get her mind off of the negative.
"Do you think the pregnancy will help it along?"
Hermione shook her head sadly.
"It didn't before. And I can't for the life of me remember why. Even back then I knew I wanted to be
with you, but something held me back."
"Well don't worry Luv, everything will work out."
Hermione looked up at her husband.
"How can you be sure?"
Harry grinned rakishly
"We found each other before, and we will again. But you're right, we will have to help it along a bit."
He smiled a dazzling smile and pulled her chin up for a kiss that successfully took her mind off the problem at hand.
"Come on now. We've got to get back to our own time."
Pulling the time tuner out from under Hermione's shirt and turned it to take them back to their own time. In a flash there was nothing where they had been.
But on the stairs was a speechless Ginny Weasley. Harry? Hermione? Married? Pregnant? Need to be together? So many thoughts were swirling around in her brain and yet none seemed ready to cling to anything solid.
"What on earth is going on here?"
Shaking her head Ginny decided that whatever it was, she would do everything in her power to help. Including getting her prat of a brother to help her. Of course she couldn't tell him about the future, or what little she knew anyway. That in itself would be difficult, but the course to true love never ran smoothly. For now she'd have to sleep on it. Ginny made up her mind to discuss another Chocolate Challenge with Dumbledore in the morning. Smiling and scheming she made her way back to bed. This certainly would be an adventure!
TBC…