Harry Potter and The Gilded Portrait - Part Two
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Chapter Twenty-Two - Holiday (Part 3)
The weather remained almost perfect as the end of their first week on the island approached.
Harry was a bit nervous as Hermione helped him slip the air tank harness over his shoulders and buckle him in.
The instructor allowed her to assist when he discovered she was already certified so he could attend to the others taking his short instructional course for first-time divers.
After Harry was all buttoned up they waited until the instructor went over the regulator, gages, simple procedure and weight belts.
Finally Hermione helped Harry slip in his breathing apparatus and settle to the bottom of the deep end of the pool.
He sat looking out his mask at a smiling Hermione. Bubbles leaked out of both sides of her mouth. He tried to smile but his lips were stretched tight around the mouthpiece. He gave her a thumbs-up instead.
She patted him on top his head then drifted to the surface, her wonderful lithe body sliding slowly passed his face mask. The tight black diving top and bikini bottoms doing nothing to assist in helping keep his breathing calm.
He sat wondering how he had completely not noticed how amazingly beautiful this girl was. It simply astounded him how utterly daft and distracted he had been for most of his life.
As he watched her move off to assist the diving instructor with some of the others Harry found his mind going back.
This was very different then the last time he had spent any time under water. His experience with the Gillyweed had been rather surreal but it had been much simpler than this. It amazed him how much stuff was required for a Muggle to spend time under water.
Even though magic could be complicated, strange and often difficult to comprehend at times it made life so much easier in many ways.
He began watching the bubbles from his exhales and found himself a bit hypnotized by them so it was a bit of a jolt when the instructor tapped the top of his head. When Harry's attention snapped to the instructor's face the dark man tapped his air gauge.
When Harry looked he realized he was almost at reserve air which, he was told was also called return air, enough air to get back to the surface plus a little extra just in case. It was set up that way for novice divers like Harry who would tend to forget about their dive gauges.
Harry then dropped his weight belt and with a bit of help from the instructor floated to the surface. Harry removed his mask a bit red-faced at his lack of attention. He completely forgot the instructor told them they would only have about 15 minutes of air for the pool test so they needed to keep an eye on the air gauge.
"You don't want to be 30 feet down and run out of air Mr. Potter." the instructor said, "It's not like you'll drown because there will be several dive assistants along but it can be quite uncomfortable."
"Sorry," Harry replied, "I got really relaxed down there. It was kind of nice," his glance darted to Hermione helping an old woman out of her tank harness, "I'll do better at keeping an eye on my gauges."
"Not to worry Mr. Potter," the instructor smiled, "The idea is to have fun on the first dive. We're more than happy to take care of the details for you. It's our job to keep an eye on everyone! Besides," he too glanced toward Hermione, "you'll be with someone who almost has as much dive experience as some of my assistants so I don't really have to worry about you."
He winked patting Harry on the shoulder then moved off toward an American couple coming to the surface.
After they concluded their short training in the pool the small group had a quick lunch then was taken by the resort van to a waiting boat at the harbor near where Harry and Hermione came on the island for the first time. After being ushered aboard the dive instructor and his three assistants loaded the tanks and equipment onboard and stowed it all in their proper places.
Once the boat shoved off from the dock the dive instructor, who was also the boat's captain came forward and addressed them.
"Ok folks, now that were hear I'm sure you're all anxious to get in the water but there are a few things we need to talk about before we get to our diving location. First, please remember what we went over in dive class and please, while you're down stay with your dive partner. Since we have all couples this time it shouldn't be a problem."
"You may go in your own direction if you choose but please try to keep the other groups in sight. Let's not stray too far from the launch please."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The instructor continued.
"Now, we have a choice for you to decide on as a group. We have three different dive sites we can go to each a bit different for various reasons. The first sight is approximately four miles due west. It's a small coral grove that has quite a bit of marine life in, on and around the short reef. It's a good diving spot and only about fifteen to twenty feet down. The second location is approximately twelve miles north-west. It will take a bit longer to get there but is a cove on one of the smaller islands in the Archipelagos. It is also a bit deeper dive at about twenty five feet. There are underwater caves and such that can be quite amazing to see. It's a bit difficult to negotiate some areas of the cove due to the currants but I think most of you could handle it without incident. However, due to the longer travel time and the depth there will be less time down."
"The third location is one of our most popular for experienced divers. It is approximately 18 miles to the south of the main island and is a wrecked Spanish merchant ship that went down in what was suspected to be a very strong typhoon somewhere around the late sixteen hundreds."
Harry's eyes went wide and he brightened instantly.
"A real shipwreck Hermione!"
His boyish enthusiasm made her laugh as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"That's right up your alley Pirate Potter!" She quipped kissing him on the cheek. Everyone laughed.
"However," the instructor added, "I must tell you it can be a bit challenging for first time divers partly because it is very close to the limit of the standard dive or what we call shallow dive air mix. Any deeper than say…thirty feet or so requires a specialized mix of air called tri-mix or the use of what is called a re-breather."
"Since we don't get quite that technical on these pleasure dives we try to stay shallow. So, diving on the shipwreck is possible without too many problems but we have had divers experience a variety of discomforts after because of the depth. Just letting you know. Again, as a result of the trip time and depth we'll only have about an hour down."
The instructor looked over the five couples and smiled a bit sheepishly.
"Since we have so many first time divers in this group I would recommend the first choice…Carnival Reef…but it's your decision. We'll take you where you decide but it must be unanimous with the group. Fair enough?"
Everyone nodded. When the instructor went back to the bridge they all began discussing the choices. Harry was convinced he wanted to dive on the shipwreck but after some common sense advice from not only Hermione but from both the young Americans who were both certified divers Harry reconsidered. He knew they were probably right about the stress in deeper water and didn't want to ruin it for everyone else.
"The first time I went deep was in the U.S. Navy," the American man said, "After I hit fifty feet I thought my head would explode. I threw up in my face mask. It wasn't pretty."
Some of the other woman gagged while others made faces. Harry looked at Hermione who just shrugged.
"Strange things happen under water Harry. It's one of two places humans don't really belong."
"What's the other," he asked.
"Outer Space," she said smiling, "Complete vacuum!"
So the unanimous decision was Carnival Reef. When they told the instructor he smiled and told them they made a wise choice. As a result of their kindness to the less experienced divers the experienced and certified divers were given a fifty per-cent discount coupon if they wanted to come back for a second trip. Hermione thought that was very cool.
One of the crewmen turned on a stereo that blared music for a moment until the cd player stopped working. One of the guys smacked the top of the player a few times.
"Stupid thing," he grumbled, "Only works when she wants to."
Hermione got to her feet with a smirk and moved to where the crewman was fiddling with the player.
"May I," she asked with a smile.
"Be my guest," the crewman grinned, "I'm about to make the thing walk the plank!" He laughed. Some of the other crewman laughed as well.
The others watched as she did something with the disc, then using her finger she reached inside the player and did something. When she was done she set the cd back in the cradle and snapped the lid shut.
When she hit the play button the music played just fine. Harry could only look at her with amazement as some of the other passengers cheered along with the crew.
"I swear Hermione," Harry laughed as he got up and kissed her unabashedly, "Is there anything you can't do?"
She looked up into his beaming face and a very snarky thought occurred to her. She gave him a silly little smirk.
"Well I can't piddle standing up," she smiled.
Everyone cracked up laughing at her response. Not to be outdone Harry thought of a snarky comeback of his own. It came completely out of the blue.
"I think," he retorted, "Not only can you piddle standing up. I'm willing to bet you could write your bloody name in the snow!"
Hermione turned bright red and her mouth fell open wide in affected shock. She thumped Harry on the shoulder as everyone on the boat burst out in raucous laughter. The captain/dive instructor was laughing so hard he had tears coming out of his eyes. Some of the other crew were rolling around the deck.
When the cd player changed to a very popular song everyone seemed to know the American couple jumped up with shouts and began dancing on the deck. The next few moments had the rest of them joining in, Harry and Hermione included. Before they knew it many of the crewman joined them and it was a happy, wonderful celebration of life and freedom.
Harry had no idea what he was doing but he didn't care. He just moved his arms and wiggled his butt. They laughed and whooped and hollered all the way to the dive site.
Hermione overheard the instructor comment to one of his dive assistants he wished all their trips were like this, people having fun and getting along with one-another.
When they reached the dive site the celebration concluded and everyone began suiting up and slipping into their tanks and gear. The mood was light and happy as the crew dropped anchor. It wasn't long until one after the other slipped over the side and waited treading water for the rest of the group to join them.
Hermione double-checked Harry's gear before she let him drop backwards over the side. Once in the water herself she showed him a little trick to keep his mask from fogging under water.
"Just spit inside your mask then rub it around like this," Hermione puckered up and spit a little on the inside of the lens. She smeared it around a little with her fingers then looked at Harry.
He did as she illustrated then slipped his mask over his head smiling.
Once all the dive assistants were in among the divers they handed out weight belts. They then swam a few yards away from the boat then gave the pre-assigned hand signal to let them all know it was ok to go down.
With a thumbs-up Hermione took Harry's hand and slowly pulled him below the surface. As they sank he was absolutely amazed at what awaited them at the bottom. He marveled at the color of not only the plant life but the brightly colored fish that swam all around them in large schools.
As they neared the bottom Hermione tapped Harry's shoulder. When he looked at her she pointed to her depth gage. When Harry looked at his he saw they were at about 18 feet. She pointed to him then made the ok sign with her fingers. Harry knew she was asking him if he was ok so he nodded. With that they finished descending to the bottom.
The small reef they were diving in was horseshoe shaped. There were all types of coral and shells with creatures still living in them as well as larger more menacing looking fish. Harry marveled at it all taking everything in as they swam along the edge of the reef.
Many of the others had underwater cameras and were taking a lot of pictures. Critters scuttled here and there at the bright flashes from the cameras.
At one point Harry found himself drifting slowly along just above Hermione as she dove to the bottom to get a closer look at a huge fan coral. As he watched he couldn't help but let his eyes take all of her in.
She was amazing. Her long hair in a tight French braid - her tanned legs moving slowly propelling her slender body along effortlessly. It was as if she had been born into this world. It was having a rather peculiar effect on him.
One of the dive assistants managed to catch a rather large spiny crab and they all gathered around to look at it. It seemed quite content to let itself be held as everyone looked and some who were brave enough touched its shell.
When the assistant placed it gently back on the sand it scuttled off quickly sideways slipping under a nearby rock to safety. A bit later they watched a huge sea snake slither by along the top edge of the reef.
As Harry and Hermione reached the southern end of the reef Hermione found a huge abandoned conch shell that she had to keep. It was beautiful with multi-colored layers and dotted with little brown speckles everywhere.
Hermione found a rock that had several very large starfish attached and they looked at them for a while.
It was then Hermione glanced at her dive gauge. She tapped Harry on the shoulder pointing to her gauge then to the surface. Harry nodded reluctantly and they very slowly began finning toward the surface of the reef.
When they broke top water they found they had drifted a fairly good distance from the boat. Harry followed Hermione's lead as she swam toward the boat much like they did when they were snorkeling. It was a bit difficult for Harry to manage because the weight belt and gear was trying to pull him back under. It didn't seem to bother Hermione at all.
When they reached the launch Harry was about exhausted. He felt muscles pulling he didn't even know he had.
Many of the first time divers were already back aboard and it wasn't long until the rest came back. The American couple was the last to return. The woman had found what looked like a rusty length of chain. Everyone gathered around to look at her find.
She willingly turned the artifact over to the captain knowing that anything found in the waters around the Archipelago were sent to the Department of Maritime Antiquities for research and preservation and belonged to the French Polynesian Islands. They were just excited to find it.
The whole trip back the group was lost in discussion about where the chain may have come from. The captain and crew told stories of ships lost near the islands and they listened with rapt attention. Any mention of pirates and Harry would brighten like a light bulb.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh each time. They were having a wonderful time.
That evening after another outstanding meal at the restaurant they found themselves wondering the streets of Pepeete once again, Harry in a pair of jeans and one of his tropical print shirts and Hermione in a light yellow sun dress.
As they made their way to what appeared to be a small park they heard music. It was unlike any they had ever heard. The drums and instruments were not the conventional types but the music was quite rhythmic. When they made their way deeper into the little park area they came upon what looked like a festive celebration of some kind.
A large group of what appeared to be local native people were all gathered under an open shelter. Multi-colored festoon lights were strung around the outside of the shelter and the inside was a mass of tiny twinkling white lights that looked almost like stars.
The floor of the shelter was a mass of people dancing and laughing and having a wonderful time. Children ran here and there chasing after one-another. It was a happy celebration of some kind.
Harry grinned down at his radiant and lovely companion.
"Let's go see what this is all about Hermione," He looked at her, his eyes sparkling in the reflection of the distant festive lights, "What do you say?"
Hermione couldn't help but marvel at how different he seemed completely removed from the world of magic. How relaxed and at ease he was…and she was finding she liked this Harry…very, very much. She held out her hand chuckling.
"After you, Mr. Potter."
They found themselves greeted with smiles and very warm welcome as they found out it was a birthday celebration for several family members and friends. One of the elder women was 101 years old this day.
Harry and Hermione paid their respects to the wizened old woman who seemed quite spry for someone just over a century old. She told them they were welcome and to enjoy the celebration.
The music was happy and joyful with a rhythm that pulled them both toward the dancing crowd. Harry took Hermione's hand and pulled her close as the people near looked at them smiling. A very large woman with a wide smile patted them both on the shoulders.
"Welcome to you both. Enjoy yourselves," she beamed. She had a heavy French accent, "Don't forget to try the puinta!"
"Pweenta?" Harry asked.
"No…no," the woman laughed, "Poo-een-ta! It's a local drink made from fruit. It's very good. We use it for celebrations such as this. But be careful…" she smiled as she danced in place.
"Careful?" Hermione asked.
"Oui," the lady smiled, "Too much puinta can make you silly!" She cackled loudly as she spun away from them dancing in circles.
Harry and Hermione looked at one-another ginning. As he looked into her sparkling brown eyes he found himself becoming lost in them.
As they danced and moved together he pulled her body close and held her. Her warmth and the sheer magnetism consumed his attention. The people all dressed in brightly colored dresses and shirts seemed to fade into the background as the music swept them away.
Hermione was feeling it too - The all-consuming strength of Harry's presence was almost overwhelming as he pulled her close. She pressed her soft warm lips to the side of his neck as she allowed him to move them around the dance floor. She didn't care how they looked or if their dancing was any good or not. It didn't matter. She felt her love for this boy becoming as strong as an industrial strength binding charm.
They had no idea it was even happening. They were so lost in one-another they had not noticed the others around them began moving away and staring in wide-eyed wonder at the young foreign couple dancing in the center of the shelter floor oblivious to all around them but each other.
When Hermione finally noticed the wide empty space that had opened up between them and the pressing crowd she saw they were all standing quite still gawking at them. Some of the older women were chuckling, speaking to one-another in hushed tones behind their hands. A few of the younger children were tugging on their mother's or father's garments and pointing.
It was then Hermione realized she and Harry were surrounded in a bright blue swirling mist filled with silvery sparking light. It swirled in a spiral up from the floor and drifted in tendrils along the ceiling of the shelter in every direction.
"Erm…Harry," she whispered in her ear.
"Hmm," Harry looked down at her with peaceful dreamy eyes.
"I…erm…think we're attracting a bit too much…err…attention," She pressed herself even closer to Harry's body as if trying to hid inside him. Her face had gone bright crimson.
When Harry finally snapped back to attention he saw what was going on. It was then the bright blue sparkling mist dissipated and they were left standing there looking like two deer caught in the bright headlights of an approaching vehicle.
It was the rotund woman who had first spoke to them when they first started dancing who approached them with a very bright and surprisingly knowing smile on her plump lips. She wrapped her ample arms around them both laughing loudly. She first kissed Harry on the cheek then Hermione in turn.
"It is obvious to all," she said. She then released the two of them and turned to the gaping crowd, "These two were made for one-another! It is love as true as the Heavens above and they have been touched by the Creator with his blessings!"
The entire crowd exploded with applause and joyous shouting and laughter.
A very relieved Harry and Hermione were then pressed in a crush of well-wishers and friendly faces. The celebration continued with even more happiness.
Still blushing slightly Hermione pulled a rather bewildered Harry to the side near where the impromptu band was playing.
"Harry," Hermione asked wide-eyed, "What in Merlin's ghost was that?"
"You're asking me?" He replied glancing around. He shrugged, "I've no idea. I think I need a drink!"
Moments later had both of them holding glasses full of a light pink colored liquid with unmistakable bits of fruit pulp floating through it. When Harry sipped it the flavors of several different fruits exploded in his mouth making his lips pucker at the tartness.
"Wow, that's really good!"
Hermione couldn't help but grin at him as she took a sip of her own. She squealed slightly as she took a sip. When the initial shock of the strong citrus tang subsided she knew at once what the slight after-taste was - Alcohol!
Oh my!
She was about to warn Harry to drink with care when he tossed back the entire glass full and handed it back to the smiling dark-skinned man for a refill. He looked at Hermione suppressing a long belch as best he could smacking his lips with unfettered delight.
"Erm, Harry. I'd be careful if I were you…" She was about to explain why when he waved off her warning with a toss of his hand.
"It's alright Hermione," he grinned, "We're here to have fun yes?"
A little over an hour later she realized Harry was getting very `silly' as the large woman had said earlier that evening. She decided to take charge and began pulling him away from the celebration. The festivities seemed to be winding down anyway.
The little band stopped playing putting their instruments away and most of the adults began gathering in groups talking. The large woman bid them a jovial goodnight as they made their way back to the resort.
By the time they reached the entrance to the resort hotel Harry was trying to recall the song Ron and Seamus had taught him about `Ladies in short skirts with no knickers doing high kicks' or something like that. Hermione thought she should have been mortified but he was butchering it so badly it only made her laugh.
When they reached the door of their room Harry leaned against it smiling down at her with a look of pure love and desire on his slightly inebriated face.
"I love you Hermione," he whispered, reaching up and cupping her face gently, letting his thumb caress the apple of her cheek, "I love you with all my heart. Tonight was…was…"
He looked in her eyes lost in his own mind searching for the right word when Hermione's soft whisper cut through the slight imaginary haze hovering around his buzzing head.
"Magic…Harry…It was magic and I love you too."
They fell together kissing one-another with such intense passion it could have set the entire hallway ablaze. Hermione knew they needed to get control of their strange run-away magic before they did some real damage but she was stumped as to how to go about it. That bothered her much more than she was willing to admit.
They separated gasping.
"Merlin Harry," she whispered, "You're bloody dangerous with those lips of yours you know."
He laughed loudly. Hermione reached up covering his mouth gently shushing him.
"You'll wake the whole resort…oh let's go in before we're arrested or something!" She was grinning when she said it.
Hermione was completely enchanted with this Harry who seemed to sprout from within him almost overnight. He was charming and witty, passionate and confident and it was almost impossible to resist him.
She pushed a still-chuckling Harry into the room backwards gripping his shirt with a tight fist so he wouldn't fall over. He really wasn't that dunk but she wasn't taking any chances.
Once inside Hermione reached to flip on the light but Harry, with a rather devious grin on his face reached out and flipped the light right off again. He then reached out and pulled his beautiful and sexy little witch into a tight embrace kissing her with as much heated passion as he could muster in his present state.
Hermione could do nothing more than allow him letting her arms fall limply at her sides as Harry kissed her into complete submission. He could have done anything he wanted to her at that moment and she would have been powerless to stop him. The realization both thrilled and frightened her at the same time. There was something else she was certain of at that moment…
"I want you Harry," she whispered into his lips, "I want you so badly!"
Her own forwardness shocked her. She thought maybe the fruity alcoholic brew was having an effect on her as well but as she proceeded to unbutton his shirt and practically tear it of his body as they worked their way to the bedroom she didn't really care.
She was throbbing with need again, coming upon her almost as quickly as turning off the lights.
A cool stiff breeze blew through the open French doors as Harry kissed as much of Hermione's warm soft skin as he could get his mouth on. The power of her taste and heat and scent was even more intoxicating than the drink he had earlier.
The slight chill caused goose flash to rise all over Hermione's heinously sensitive skin. The breathless moan that escaped her throat made Harry throb almost painfully. Her breath came in heaving panting gasps as Harry's hungry mouth captured her swelling nipple. He sucked gently feeling it harden against his tongue…another gasping moan sent a shuddering tingle through his entire body.
"Yes Harry," Hermione hissed, "I want you inside me please!"
Her heated breathless plea was enough to make him obey. He crawled above her and without any subtlety or inexperienced hesitation he drove himself into her warm, tight and very moist body in one smooth motion.
Hermione's threw her head back pressing it deep into the mattress and let out a deep guttural growling scream.
"OH YES HARRY," she growled through gritted teeth.
Harry looked down to see the muscles in her neck tight, her eyes closed tightly and teeth clenched as he drove himself into her again picking up the pace, moving even faster. She was gripping his upper arms like she might fall if she let go as her slender hips rose off the bed to meet Harry's pounding downward thrusts.
On an on Harry rode his lovely, sexy little witch as she exploded in muscle-twisting, bone-snapping climax after climax. Hermione was completely lost in a swirling hurricane of sensual bliss and mind-numbing orgasmic release and she found herself wishing it would never end.
After what seemed like hours of Harry's relentless assault on her heaving sweaty body she could feel him swell inside her. With an almost animal-like growling cry Harry's loins tightened and he could feel himself about to let go.
"Hermione!" He cried out still slamming his hips against her gushing sweaty bottom.
"Give it to me Harry," she growled as she tightened her grip on his arms, "I want all of you! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
The sound of her own demanding voice shocked her but as the first hot jet of semen filled her she let go of his arms slapping the bed as she gathered up as much of the comforter in her clenching fists as she could. She knew she was about to have an earth-shattering climax and she wanted to anchor herself to something so she didn't throw them both completely off the bed.
Harry couldn't believe how intense this girl beneath him had become. Her taste and scent - the heat coming off her sweat-soaked tanned body was more than he could take. He let himself be consumed in the sheer power that was her. He slammed into her hard as he felt himself let go.
The inebriating effects of the drink was completely gone now and he was well aware that he could burst into flames at any moment and burn to ashes loosing himself inside this amazingly sensual girl's incredible body, mind and spirit.
Whatever was happening between them was so much larger than both. It was pure and real and stronger than any force in the universe. It was a true love of the rarest kind, unyielding, unbending with a devotion that could even span the chasm between life and death itself.
As they both lay there in the afterglow of their second time making love. It was even more intense than the first but this time Hermione had wisely placed wards around the room so as not to damage anything further.
Hermione lay in Harry's arms, her head cradled in the crook of his arm.
Her finger idly traced small circles on the sweat covering his chest. Harry notices she looked very far away staring off into the night sky out the open sliding glass doors to the balcony.
"Thinking about your parents?" Harry asked in a whisper.
Hermione glanced up at him with a rather sad smile but shook her head slightly.
"No actually," she whispered in reply, "at least not at the moment."
Harry looked down at her for a long time but decided not to enquire further. He felt completely at peace and content and he didn't want to do anything to ruin it. As he lay there lost in thought Hermione shifted slightly to look up into his sleepy eyes.
At first she wasn't sure she wanted to share her thoughts with Harry. She too was feeling things that at first were exciting and thrilling but now in the aftermath were a bit difficult to categorize in her overly-regimented mind.
She was convinced what she felt for this boy was real and true…and she knew why. It was time to finally admit it to herself. Sharing her thoughts with him felt only right. He deserved to know the truth.
"Harry I have a confession to make," She said softly, looking at her hands for a moment.
Harry stiffened. When Hermione said things like that she usually followed with dropping a bomb right in the middle of his forehead.
Hermione could sense his tension. She knew he was afraid of what she might say and didn't know what she was about to tell him would make him feel better or just cause him more confusion. It was too late now though…
"I think I've been in love with you from the day I met you on the Hogwarts Express. Maybe even before that though I'm not quite sure…I was just a little girl then."
Harry was expecting her confession to contain a potentially explosive revelation…but that wasn't it…at all!
He was stunned beyond speech or rational thought. As the words echoed around in his head for a few moments the implications of what she was saying finally landed on him…but so did a multitude of questions that all crowded the front of his brain at once. Sorting out the most important to know first was difficult.
He drew in a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He kept his voice soft and low so as not to cause her any unnecessary stress. He knew she could sense his surprise. No one else was so closely tuned to his emotions and moods as she was but she said nothing, perhaps waiting for him to come to terms with her revelation.
He chose his words carefully for the first time in his life. This was important. It needed to be handled just right. It wasn't something to just bulldoze through with annoyance and discord and he had learned long ago that had been a large part of Ron's problem. Ron had no tact. Neither did Harry but he was learning…slowly.
"I see," he whispered, "and when did you come to this conclusion if you don't mind my asking?" It sounded almost snobbish and trite but she didn't seem to take offense to his question at all. In fact, she seemed to give it serious consideration judging from the concentration on her face.
"To be perfectly honest I think it was at the beginning of our sixth year. I'm sure it was nothing more than an acknowledgment of my physical attraction to you…"
Harry was stunned again but did not interrupt.
"I mean, after all Harry, you and Ron hit some sort of unnatural growth spurt or something, I'm not sure but you were just…well…" her thoughts seem to trail off with her voice for a moment but then she snapped back to the present, "I don't know…so much more put together than ever before. I wasn't the only one who noticed you know." She smirked up at him.
As he sat there hearing this he was suddenly filled with a bit of self-righteous indignation. He shifted to face her more squarely.
"Then what was all that rubbish about trying to get me to notice other girls like Cho and Ginny and all that?"
"Oh Harry don't you understand?" She said with lips pursed slightly, "It was because I wanted you to be happy. It didn't matter to me where that happiness came from I just wanted you to be able to feel...normal for as long as our insane lives would allow it."
"I guess I realized early on you didn't really look at me like you did other girls. I knew why but I guess there were times when I just wished you would look at me the way you looked at Cho or Ginny or the way Ron looked at Madam Rosmerta or the mermaid in the Prefects bath."
"Part of me didn't really care but then there was another part that…longed for it sometimes I suppose, even though I refused to admit it."
"When neither you nor Ron asked me to the Yule Ball it hurt me…much more than I was willing to admit to myself at the time. It was as if I was invisible to both of you that way."
"Is that why you went with Viktor?" Harry asked softly.
"I suppose that was part of the reason. The other was that I guess I just didn't want to be left out and Viktor was a convenient excuse. Beside," she flashed a devious little grin, "I knew it would drive Ronald spare. A little payback for that whole Lavender Brown thing I suppose. Quite juvenile of me I'll admit, stooping to his level."
"Well, you hit the mark on that score," Harry chuckled, "Believe it or not I was happy for you."
"I do believe you," Hermione said laying her hand softly on his chest, "and I think that's why it wasn't so difficult to look past things like that when it came to you because you wanted me to be happy as well."
Harry nodded.
"So you were secretly crazy about me before you came to Hogwarts? How did that work? You'd never even met me before."
Hermione laughed. It was a real laugh and it sent a tingling thrill down Harry's already sweating spine.
"It wasn't you so much as it was the idea of you."
"Huh?" Harry wrinkled his brow in confusion, "Sorry for being a bit thick but I'm not sure I get it."
"Oh for the love of Merlin Harry, think about it?" She stared at him grinning, "Here I was a pure Muggle-born girl about to enter the world of magic reading about the famous Boy-Who-Lived in wizard books and publications. I guess you captured my imagination. You were larger than life to me then like a Muggle actor or…I can't believe I'm admitting this…Gildaroy Lockhart."
She made a face that caused Harry to crack up.
"Well!" She looked at him wide-eyed for a moment, "I was just an impressionable little girl then!"
"Hermione," Harry smiled, "You've never been an impressionable anything."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"To be honest I really thought you'd be more like Draco Malfoy than anything, this spoiled, pampered snot that everyone treated special and only got by because he was famous. Oh was I going to show you a thing or two."
"That was one reason why I studied so hard to become proficient in first year magic and what drove me to learn as much as I could…"
"What!" That revelation stunned Harry, "You mean you turned yourself into a know-it-all just to show me up?"
"No, of course not Harry," Hermione smirked again, "I've always been a bossy little bookworm. I think it was genetic, passed down from my mother's side of the family I'm not sure but I wanted to show the Great Harry Potter what real knowledge and hard work could accomplish," all mirth and playfulness was suddenly gone, "and then I actually met you."
A look of sadness washed over her beautiful face so profound it caused Harry to sit up. She looked as if she was about to start crying.
"What Hermione," He asked gently as he pulled her into his arms.
"You were nothing like I had imagined," she whispered sadly.
"Yah," Harry replied a bit darkly, "I must have been a real disappointment to someone as smart and clever as you. I couldn't even mend my own glasses."
"What…no!" Hermione sat up staring at him intently, "No Harry that's not what I meant at all. What I discovered that day on the train was that you were…a lot like me."
Her voice trailed off as her mind went back to that day she had met the famous Harry Potter then after she had returned to her compartment and began realizing the truth trying to come to grips with her miscalculation of judgment where he was concerned. It had been a bitter pill to swallow then and it wasn't much better reliving her narrow-minded thinking.
"A lot like you?" Harry scoffed, "Hermione I'm nowhere near…"
But she placed her fingers gently on his lips to silence his protest.
"I realized we weren't that much different when it came to fitting into a world were neither of us really belonged…at least not initially. I came to realize that once I got to know you better. We were misfits…oddities everyone else looked at like we were exhibits in a freak show. You more than I once Voldemort decided to re-emerge from the dead."
"Neither of us had any friends and most of the time people treated us like we were contagious or something."
"I know it might sound a bit crazy but I think that might have been why I thought I felt something for Ron. Here he was this pure blood wizard bloke. It was like he was immune or maybe just a bit too thick to notice, I'm not sure which but then we both know how that turned out in the end don't we? At least for me."
"I tried to remain immune to your notoriety myself for a time, thinking it was nothing more than the wizard worlds way of explaining your survival and having a sacrificial lamb to rally itself around. I think it was after we started our D.A. meetings when I finally realized you really were the real thing…Somehow I knew inside you would succeed."
"I just convinced myself if I followed you and tried to help in any way I could we would get through it somehow. It didn't hurt that one of the greatest and most respected wizards of all time believed in you as well."
She smiled so brightly at him he could feel his heart skip wildly all over his chest.
"And guess what…we were right."
Harry smirked as he reached out gently taking her by the chin, then pulled her to him.
"You just love being right all the time don't you?"
She just shrugged a shoulder as she leaned into a steamy kiss that made his bones turn to liquid.
Great Caesar's ghost! If I only knew then what I know now…
As she curled into Harry's lap and laid her head on his chest she could hear the strong pounding of his heart.
"All I know Harry," she whispered as she began drifted into a peaceful slumber, "to lose you would have been a fate worse than death for all of us."
He couldn't resist…
"Or worse…expelled!"
Hermione swatted his shoulder playfully then chuckled.
"You're never going to let me live that one down are you?" She asked smiling.
"Not in this lifetime Granger," Harry sighed.
Physical exhaustion and the cool evening breeze lulled them both into a peaceful dreamless sleep clinging to one-another in the darkness of their own private paradise.
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