Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: An early chapter?! No, you're no hallucinating, it's actually happening. But the only reason I'm posting this on a Saturday is because I have to leave very early tomorrow for an impromptu family trip. Thankfully, my beta got this chapter back to me today and I can post it for all of you to enjoy. So thank you Vincent for being awesome, and thank you awesome readers/reviewers for keeping this story alive!

Get exclusive sneak peeks and a taste of my madness: http://savingpeoplething.tumblr.com
Ask me anything and everything: http://www.formspring.me/xshar

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Jessica's Guide are not mine nor have they ever been at any point in time. Not even in my dreams. They are too polluted with my other girlish fantasies.

Enjoy!

-

Airport Disco

"Just a blur of red and yellow
Lovers dancing to the beat
I saw you at the center of it all
The most beautiful thing
Oh I wanna take you home with me tonight
I wanna take you home with me tonight
It's on my head to remember
It's on my head to forget
That we used you for nothing
And we couldn't care less

Just a blur of red and yellow
That everyone chose to ignore
We all sucked that beauty from you
And kept coming back for more"
- Athlete (Airport Disco)

"H-Harry?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my God."

He nodded.

I suddenly became aware that our hands were still intertwined above my head. I squeezed Harry's hand lightly and we moved our hands from each other. I didn't move my back from against the wall for fear that my knees would give out in shock. I shyly looked up at Harry's face to see him running a nervous hand through his hair while taking a step back.

"I thought you were Drake." I said quietly.

He looked up and our eyes met. Through them, I could see that he was as nervous and confused as I in this situation. But, then again, who wouldn't be? "I thought you were Kat."

"Fantastic." I said dryly.

A long pause followed. There was no way that this conversation wasn't going to be awkward. But there was going to be a conversation. That much I was sure of. I don't know how Harry usually handled situations like this, but I was always one for confrontation at the source of the problem for a quick solution. And we definitely had a problem.

"So do you just want to forget this ever happened?" He asked.

"Of course not." I said at once. "This isn't something we can just forget about, Harry."

He shrugged. "It was worth a suggestion."

"Well, suggestion denied. I'm not one to forget about something like this."

"My mistake." He said. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"Talk. It's the only rational way to handle something like this."

"What do we have to talk about? We snogged, we both thought we were with someone else, it's not that complicated."

I sighed, wishing what he said were true. "It wouldn't be if we had a normal relationship. But, unfortunately, we happen to be engaged."

He gave me a silly smile. "I would think that would strengthen our relationship, sweetheart."

I narrowed my eyes, not amused by his flirtatious comment. "Not when I came to the party with Drake."

"Oh, let's just forget about him and run away together."

"Harry, this is serious."

"I'm being completely serious. Oh, on second thought, why don't we just accidentally push him off of a cliff and forget all about it."

"I know you don't like him and are convinced that he is a Death Eater, but he is still my date and I just snogged another guy. This isn't something we can ride off with a joke and then permanently erase from our minds."

"We can with a spell."

I gave him a look. "And we're not taking the easy way out by using magic. I think we're both more mature than that." He smiled and I corrected myself. "Okay, one of us is more mature than that. But it only takes one to veto a bad idea."

"Okay, so we don't forget about this. But that still doesn't rule out pushing Draco off a cliff."

"We're not pushing him off a cliff. Nor are we going to mention what just happened."

"Wait… so you're not going to be honest with your new beau? I thought that was key in any relationship."

I ground my teeth together. "Not if I want my first date to go well. I will tell him eventually, just not now."

"It's not as though we would break up with you over it." Harry said sourly. I gave him a look and he elaborated. "He's here to win you over, remember? So if you tell him, he'll act like the good guy and give you a second chance."

"According to you. And the dent."

He smiled softly. "I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt your relationship if you told him. Besides, it was a misunderstanding anyway. It's not as if we planned this, it just happened."

"Right." I said in agreement. "It was a mistake."

"I didn't say that."

"But you just-"

"I said it was a misunderstanding, an accident at most, but not a mistake."

There was something in the way he spoke that made me shiver. "And why not?"

"I've learned to view nothing as a mistake. Everything happens for a reason and if you regret, you'll waste too much time pondering on what could have been instead of focusing on the present."

"Wow." I breathed. "That's really deep, Harry."

"Thank you." He said. "And plus, it wasn't as if it was a horrible kiss."

I chuckled. "No, it was not. But it still wasn't right. You're here to teach me magic and protect me from the Death Eaters from using our bond. We're friends, nothing more, nothing less."

"Yeah." He said quietly. "Friends."

His face had somewhat fallen after I had spoken. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said quickly. "I'm just thinking. Nothing important."

"You're lying."

He looked surprised that I had caught him in the act, but quickly changed demeanor. "It doesn't matter, really. We need to focus on more important things like our dates. They are probably wondering where we are."

I shook my head. "No. After you left, I told Kat and Drake that I would go looking for you."

"Forever thinking ahead." He commented briskly.

"Always. Besides, someone had to find out what was wrong with you and I figured that it had better be me more than anyone."

He made an odd face at that. "Why?"

"Well, I figured it could have been magic related."

"Oh, right. Magic." He looked a bit put out.

"Was it?"

"No." He said promptly. "It was something else entirely."

"Care to elaborate?"

He smiled, almost pityingly. "You don't have to worry. Whatever prompted me to flee into a coat closet was most likely due to the alcohol in the punch."

"There's alcohol in the punch?" I asked in distaste.

"Of course there is. It wouldn't be a party without someone spiking the main source of hydration."

"How immature." I said coolly. "There are other ways to have a good time at a party."

"Like snogging in a coat closet."

I joined him in a short burst of laughter. "Sure."

"Are you saying you didn't enjoy yourself?" He asked in mock-offense.

My pause before answering was enough to get the both of us to stop laughing. We looked at each other in a long stare that made my stomach do an uncomfortable twist. I didn't want to answer honestly, because if I did, it would open a whole other can of worms that I wasn't ready to face. I needed to focus on my date, not petty feelings that this bespectacled wizard was starting to make surface. We had only known each other for two months for crying out loud! Anything I was feeling was just my body reacting to the hormones that were trying to take over my mind.

"I don't think I should answer that question." I said almost inaudibly.

He craned his head to the side and I bit my lip. "Why not?"

"I think you know why not."

He took a step towards me so that he was nearly as close as a few minutes ago when we had been attached like magnets. It made me shift against the wall to sedate the way my body was reacting.

"Hermione, you can tell me. It's not going to change anything."

"But it will." I said shakily.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes." I said, doing my best to remember why we were having this conversation to begin with. "Drake is waiting for me."

"I thought you said not to worry about that."

"I am now. I don't want to be a bad date, spending my time with the wrong guy."

"Then stay here."

I smiled sadly. "You know what I mean, Harry. I know you're trying to look out for me, but I can take care of myself."

"It's not just that." He confessed. I looked him in the eyes and saw that they had changed to a deeper shade of emerald than when we first began speaking.

"It's not right, Harry. It's just not right."

"What's not right? Damn it, Hermione, you felt that spark, I know you did." I bowed my head to avoid him reading my expression. "Don't go back to him"

"You have a date to get back to as well, Harry. I don't want to keep you away from the girl you wished you had been snogging."

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" I asked, looking at him once more. "We weren't thinking clearly. You thought I was Kat and I thought you were Drake. Any feelings we may have felt were because we thought we were with someone else."

"There were feelings, though?" He asked hopefully.

"Not for you." I answered coolly. He recoiled at my biting tone, as did I. But I knew that it was for the best. "I thought you were Drake. Anything I felt was for him."

"You don't believe that. I know you don't."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does! Don't convince yourself of this nonsense."

"I don't have to convince myself if I know it's true."

"Hermione, please."

"Kat really likes you, Harry. Do us both a favor and go enjoy yourself with her."

He inhaled sharply. "You may have convinced yourself that what just happened had nothing to do with the two of us together, but I'm not going to give into that idea so easily. I'll leave it be so you can go back to grinding against your precious Drake." He said the name as if it were poison. "But do it knowing that he's not going to be the only one thinking about you."

"Harry-"

He put a finger to my lips and I nearly melted onto the floor. "It takes one to veto a bad idea."

He removed his finger and gave me one last meaningful look before he walked over to the door and exited without another word. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and sank to the floor. The dress Kat forced me into rode up a few inches, but I didn't care. Harry's words were now deep inside my mind and there was no use trying to rid myself of them. He was insistent that we had physical chemistry, and I was insistent that it was because we weren't thinking straight. I was here with Drake, not Harry. Even after that kiss - that mind-numbing, knee-weakening kiss.

It was safe to say our relationship would never be the same, and neither would this date.

I sighed and forced myself back up, straightening the tassels on my dress and looking around for a mirror. I didn't see one and made a note to find the nearest bathroom as quickly as possible. I opened the door a crack to check if anyone was out there. I saw no one and quickly exited and began my hunt for the bathroom. I saw a door at the end of the hall with a paper on it and rushed over to examine it.

Bathroom, the impromptu sign said.

Thank God.

I jiggled the knob and found it unoccupied. I thanked the Gods for my luck and rushed inside, closing the door behind me. The lights were already on and I saw a sink a few meters away with a mirror hung above it. I made a beeline for it and wasn't surprised to see a slightly ruffled-looking reflection of myself staring back. My lipstick was smudged only just and the only thing different about my hair was a few curls being not as perfect as the others. I turned on the faucet and wet my hands to do what I could to get rid of the signs that I had just spent the better part of ten minutes in a coat closet with Harry, two of those minutes attached to his lips like a sex-driven maniac. As I was rubbing the outline of my lips, I felt a tiny tug of something that made me pause. There was a part of me, and I wasn't quite sure which one, that didn't want to get rid of the mark Harry had left on me. It was like I was washing him off.

I quickly reminded myself that I was also washing off the stink of infidelity and continued on. When I was finished, I nodded at my appearance and left for the ballroom.

I saw Drake sitting at one of the tables, waiting patiently for my return. I smiled to myself and walked over to him. He caught my eye when I was a few steps away and stood to greet me. "I was wondering where you got off too. Harry just got back and I had half a mind to find you myself to tell you he had found his way."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I found Harry and we had a little… chat about his behavior. I had to use to lady's room before I returned."

"Ah. Well, I got you some punch." He said as he reached behind him and held out a small cup.

I held up a hand. "No thanks. I heard someone spiked it."

He face fell. "Oh, well that's unfortunate. I've already had two cups of it myself. Perhaps I can get us some water instead?"

"That would be lovely."

He gave me a dazzling smile. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

I shook my head. He turned to leave and I found a seat at the table. The music had just changed to another slow song and I felt a pang in my chest as I remembered Harry intruding on Drake and I's dance. I recalled how he held me close, dipped and spun me in a way that made me feel as if I was in the middle of a high class ball rather than a Halloween Party in central London. I looked longingly to the dance floor and caught sight of a familiar tuft of ebony hair. I saw Harry dancing with Kat in the way I was just recalling and my warm demeanor quickly dropped in temperature as I looked at the couple.

"Here we are."

Drake had returned with the drinks and I thanked him softly. I took a sip and watched as he sat down next to me.

"Want to return to the dance floor before it gets too crowded?"

I looked back over and caught a pair of emerald eyes staring at me. I quickly looked away and turned my attention back over to Drake. "No, thanks. I think I'm all danced out for the moment."

"All right. We can just sit here and stuff our faces, then."

"Nothing would please me more." I said, thinking a slice of chocolate cake would be just the thing I needed to remain in a positive mood and forget all about the eyes that were still burning a hole in the back of my neck.

~*~

A few weeks passed, and before I knew it, Christmas break was only a fortnight away. Time was seemingly flying past, but with it came tons of new lessons in spellwork. It seemed that the lessons were the only thing keeping Harry and I sane. After the incident at the Halloween party, things became a little strained between us. Not that it wasn't expected, but still, the air around the two of us was thick with tension. Neither of us wanted to bring up the conversation we had in the closet, and so it was never spoken aloud since. Never spoken, but always present in the mind. With time, things returned to normal, somewhat. Kat and Harry never really became an item, of which I was guiltily happy about, and our lessons were continued as if nothing was different, aside from the fact that whenever we touched, a spark ran through us as though we had been struck by lightning. Thankfully, spellwork didn't require physically touching another, so we were safe in that aspect.

As of now, I had the knowledge base of a late fifth-year, early sixth-year, whatever that meant. I knew many simple charms, but also a fair few stunners and jinxes that would come in very handy if anyone ever got on my nerves. I was also becoming increasingly better at dueling, which was a nice accomplishment. Harry still got the better of me more times than not, but I still considered myself to be fairly adequate for someone of my experience.

Drake and I had only gone out two more times after the Halloween Party, thanks to Harry and his rigorous schedule for magic lessons. I knew he was doing it on purpose, and called him out on it more than once. But, he always had the better argument: Magic was more important than anything at this point. I didn't quite believe him until I was reminded just how vulnerable we were.

"Again." Harry said.

"Confringo!"

The board Harry had been holding in front of him blasted into a thousand pieces once more and he performed Reparo on it to restore its solid form. It was the second curse I had learned that day and according to the amount of times I had successfully blown up Harry's prop, I had it down. But, of course, Harry made me do it over and over again to "commit it to memory" or something along those lines.

"I think I have it down now, Harry." I said tiredly.

"Yes, you do. But do you have the element of surprise yet?"

"Excuse-?"

"Impedimenta!"

"Protego!" I said, creating a shield to absorb his spell. "Glacius!"

The cloud of subzero smoke I sent at him was brushed aside with an almost lazily-cast "Exorignis!" The cloud collided with a line of fire and turned to harmless smoke that dispersed.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Hermione." He said, shaking his head. "You need to do something that catches your opponent off guard. Try to think outside the elements. For every element, there is its counter-ice and fire, smoke and wind, et cetera."

"No elements. Got it."

"Don't completely disregard them. Trip them up first and then send a freezing spell at them when they have the inability to counter it. After they're on the ground, then you have the upper hand and can finish them up in two spells or less."

I nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"Try again?"

"In a second, I'm going to get some water out of the fridge."

"Okay, but hurry back. We have a lot more to cover before the lesson is over."

"Aye, captain." I said with a salute. He smiled at me and waved me off. I set my wand down and promptly twisted around to make my way to the kitchen with a bounce in my step.

I decided to be lazy when I got there and just grabbed bottled water from the bottom shelf instead of using the built in filter. I uncapped it and took a sip, letting the refreshing beverage wash down my throat and quench the thirst. The blissful moment was interrupted when I heard a crash outside. I swiftly set down the bottle and padded quietly over to the door that led outside. I moved the curtain away from the window and peaked outside. Before I could get a good look, a light hit the door and sent me flying backwards. My back hit the tile floor and I let out a loud sound of impact. The remaining shards of the door flew haphazardly around and I covered my face to avoid any scratches. When I stopped hearing the dull thuds of wood colliding with the floor, I removed my arms and saw a figure standing in the doorway covered with a black cloak.

"Hello, Miss Granger." A deep, cold voice spoke.

My blood ran cold and I felt around for my wand. It soon occurred to me that I had left it on the couch to retrieve when I got back. I was defenseless. I backed myself up against the island behind me using my arms and legs like a crab, as it was the only thing I was capable of. The figure just chuckled and began to walk slowly towards me. When the lamplight hit him, I saw that his face was covered with a mask in the shape of a skull. I knew instantly who I was dealing with and screamed.

"Silencio!" A beam of undistinguishable color flew towards me and I could no longer hear my screams. My hands flew to my throat and the Death Eater chuckled.

"Foolish girl. It does no use to scream." He said darkly. "Pertrificus Totalus!"

My body went stiff and I could no longer move my joints. I recognized this spell, as it was one of the first I learned. "That's better. Now come on, poppet. We're going on a little trip."

Before he could take another step, an enraged voice spoke from behind me. "Get away from her."

The Death Eater looked up and chuckled. "Potter. Figures you would come to her rescue."

"Got me pinned, eh?" He said. "Get out of this house before I make you."

"Not so fast, Potter." He said, raising his wand and pointing it at me. "One step and your Mudblood fiancée will get it."

"You won't kill her, you need her." Harry said.

"Who said anything about killing her? Cru-"

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted, causing the Death Eater's wand to fly out of his hand. "Diffindo!"

The curse collided with the Death Eater's chest and he let out a grunt of pain. Blood seeped from the wound and he put a hand atop it to keep it from leaking any more. He tried to run towards where his wand laid a few feet away, but Harry was quicker and cast a spell I hadn't heard before. "Sectumsempra!"

It hit the Death Eater and caused him to collapse. At first, I thought he was knocked unconscious, but he soon began to let out noises of agony. Harry walked quickly over to him and turned him over with his foot, pressing it against his chest and pointing his wand to his head. The look of pure rage on his face scared me. "Leave and I will spare your life."

The Death Eater nodded stiffly and Harry removed his wand from his neck and muttered a spell that made the masked figure stop moaning in pain. He then removed his foot and walked over to where the wand was lying on the floor. He waved his wand over it and said yet another spell that I hadn't heard before. "Portus."

The wand glowed with a blue light and began to tremble briefly before returning to its original still state on the floor. "Wingardium Leviosa."

The wand levitated in midair and Harry walked it over to the Death Eater, who seemed too weak to do anything but quiver. "Tell your master that if he wants to lay a hand on Hermione, he'll have to kill me first."

"The Dark Lord will conquer," was the Death Eater's response before grabbing the wand and disappearing into thin air. I hadn't realized that I had been crying until I felt a single teardrop cascade down my cheek and drop onto my jumper. One tear was followed by another and soon they were pouring out from my eyes at a rate I couldn't control, because I was still muted and paralyzed.

Harry turned around after a moment and saw me lying there. He immediately rushed over to counter the spells I had been hit with. After I could speak again, I let out a loud gasp and began to sob uncontrollably. Soon after when I regained feeling in my limbs, I collapsed into Harry's arms and clung to him as I poured out all the emotions I was feeling: anger, shock, horror, pain, and everything in-between.

We stayed like that for what seemed to be eternity. He held me and occasionally ran his hand through my hair, muttering sweet nothings to calm me down. Halloween was a distant blur now. When it was just us like this, it seemed as though nothing else existed. It was so familiar, so safe. After a while, I sobered and straightened up in his embrace, placing my back against the island once more. One of his hands wound around my waist and I placed my head in the crook of his neck, silently thanking him for this moment. A moment I knew would stay in my memory for a long time to come.

"Why did he come here?" I asked hoarsely. It seemed like the crying had made my voice go out.

"I don't know. Dumbledore said that to get rid of the bond, one had to fall in love with another and then it would be transferred." He said thoughtfully. "I can't think of any reason they would come here and try to kidnap you if you weren't in love with anyone yet." He looked meaningfully at me.

"No." I said, sensing his unasked question. "I'm not in love with Drake or anyone else for that matter. We've only been going out for a month and a half. It's too early to be thinking about love."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, then there must be another reason. I'll have to inform the Order immediately."

"Don't go." I said softly. He looked at me with gleaming eyes. "I don't… I can't defend myself if you leave."

"Yes you can. You were just caught off guard without your wand. It was a careless mistake that anyone could have made. But from now on, you're going to have to carry your wand with you at all times."

"Even at school?"

"Even at school." He repeated in confirmation. "Keep it somewhere safe and easily accessible like your bag. Maybe we could even put a disillusionment charm on it later so that it will be somewhat invisible."

"Okay." I agreed. "But before we do anything, we have to fix the door."

Harry looked over to the open doorway and nodded. "You want to help me do it?"

"Sure."

Harry removed his arm from around me and got up. It felt weird having him leave, like a part of me just disappeared. The warmth he was radiating on me was now replaced with the cool breeze that was coming out of the open doorway. He held out a hand to me and I took it as he helped me up. When I was on both feet, I wobbled slightly, still slack from the counter curse. Harry put an arm around my shoulder to steady me.

"You okay?" He asked. It was a double-sided question.

"A little emotionally scarred." I admitted. "I've never been so scared in my life."

"Once you're ready, you won't be anymore."

"What if I'm never ready?" I asked worriedly. "What if they come back before I'm ready and I'm just a sitting duck waiting for them to take me away to their master?"

"Don't think like that." Harry said firmly, removing his hand from around my shoulder and spinning me around to face him. "You'll be ready only when you allow yourself to be. It's all in your head. If you think you're ready, you will be. If you want to rely on the amount of spells you know in comparison to others, you'll be vulnerable. When the time comes, it will come to you. For now, let's fix your door and work our way up, yeah?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Thank you, Harry, for everything. Especially saving my life."

"It was nothing."

I wanted to ask him about the curse he used to drop the Death Eater, but decided against it. It seemed like a question for a later date. Something about the spell didn't seem right and I would eventually find out what.

Harry gestured towards the door. "You want to check outside for any pieces?"

"S-sure." I said, casting a weary glance at the door.

"Don't worry." Harry said reassuringly. "I'm right here."

"I would feel better if I had my wand."

He smiled. "Accio Hermione's wand!"

My wand came flying into the kitchen within seconds and landed safely within Harry's hand. He held it out to me and I thanked him softly. Turning around, I took a deep breath before heading out the door. My pace was slow, but I couldn't make myself go any faster. I kept telling myself that everything was fine now. Harry was only a few meters away if anything went wrong and I now had my wand to defend myself with so I wasn't completely reliant on him. I stepped out into the cool breeze and let it rush past me. I was about to cast a faint Lumos to help my search, but a glimmer in the corner of my eye stopped me.

I turned to my right where the distortion was coming from and held back a scream. Before I could think of anything else, I yelled "Harry!"

I heard him sprint from within the house and come up beside me. "Hermione what's…?" He followed my line of vision. "Oh my Merlin."

There, engraved in the pavement between my house and the garage loft, was a message written in red flames, flickering about in the wind but never extinguishing.

Old-fashioned methods aren't the only way to accomplish things. Watch your backs, for the darkness will persuade the surrender of half the light.

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