Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Heyhihello my lovely readers! Welcome to another exciting episode of Hermione's Guide to Newfound Sorcery. I'm the author, Shar, and am heartily welcoming you into the wonderful world of both myself and JKR's creation. I hope you enjoy the following installment of the story, and remember to leave a review! -end cheesy monologue-

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Jessica's Guide aren't mine; they belong to their rightful authors. The only thing I own is my style of writing. If only that was enough…

Enjoy!

-

Sway

"I talk to you as to a friend
I hope that's what you've
come to be
It feels as though we've
made amends
Like we found a way
eventually

I don't wanna hurt you
I don't wanna make you sway
Like I know I've done before
I will not do it anymore
I've always been a dreamer
I've had my head among
the clouds
Now that I'm coming down
Won't you be my solid ground?"
The Perishers (Sway)

"You're sure it was a Death Eater?"

"Yeah, Remus." I said with an eye roll. "He was all in black, had a mask shaped like a skull, and looked like he ate a few baby foxes for dinner."

"That's disgusting, Harry." Hermione said in distaste from behind me. She stuck out her tongue to emphasize her point, but I blatantly ignored it.

"Disgusting, but probably the truth." Sirius chirped in a cheery voice. I could always count on him to make light in a very dark atmosphere.

I had just finished telling Remus and Sirius about what had transpired a few minutes ago - the Death Eater, the message, and everything in-between. By the time I was finished there was a pause longer than the Nile and filled with a dark, thick mood. Hermione insisted on being present during the floo call. At first, I thought it was because she wanted to see how the Floo Network worked, but she threw me for a loop. In case they needed more answers, she wanted to provide details about the attack. She sure had gotten over the shock quicker than I expected.

"Is that Hermione I hear?" Remus asked suggestively.

She had stayed quiet the entire story and was a foot's-length behind me so she couldn't see either of the Order members on the other side. It was a wonder they heard her at all, or she my comment about the Death Eater eating foxes. They must all have impeccable hearing abilities. I nodded in answer to Remus's question and his face brightened.

"Why doesn't she stick her head in the floo? I haven't seen her since she was a tyke!"

I gave him an odd look. "Why?"

"I want to see her, of course." Remus answered offhandedly. "And ask her a few questions."

At the prospect of questions I had no choice but to agree. "Hold on."

I pulled my head from within the flames and turned to Hermione. "They want to speak with you."

"Really?" She asked.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to come here to answer questions?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, yes." She replied. "Of course. Just tell me what to do."

"Just stick your head into the flames. The connection is already made so you'll be directed straight to Grimmauld Place. I'll go in right beside you if you'd like. With a fireplace this large, we can fit easily."

"Sure. I'd very much like you to be there with me." She sounded abnormally formal but I chose to ignore it.

She crawled in place next to me and our shoulders touched briefly. I felt a short tingle where the contact was, but it disappeared quickly, so I couldn't place it. We stuck our heads in the green flames and were instantly transported back to Grimmauld Place. Remus and Sirius were conversing in hushed tones and I cleared my throat to alert them of our presence. Remus turned to us with a grin.

"Hello, Hermione." He greeted brightly.

"Um, hi." She responded nervously.

"No need to be afraid. We're the good guys." Remus said soothingly. "We just need you to answer a few questions for us."

"Alright."

Remus nodded to himself and searched his mind for some of the blank spots my story had provided. "What spells did the Death Eater use? Anything advanced or had an unfamiliar effect?"

"No. He used a body-bind hex and a gag, both simple spells. But when used on someone wandless and caught off-guard, very effective."

"Indeed." Remus agreed. "Did he mention at all where he was going to take you?"

"He just said that we were going on a trip, he never mentioned a place."

Again, Remus nodded. He was the kind of person to absorb information like a sponge and not respond with a heartfelt comment. Not that he was cold-hearted or anything of that nature, he was just very brain-oriented. Without him, the Order would have lost many missions due to careless mistakes in planning.

"Were you hurt?" He asked gently, knowing he was touching on thin ground. "Did he try anything else on you?"

"No. On the contrary, I think he was purposefully using weak curses on me to keep me in good condition."

I was reminded how he was preparing to use the Cruciatus curse on her when I stood against him. "He tried to torture you, though."

Hermione turned toward me. She looked different enveloped in green flames, the embers framing her face just so - almost nymph-like. "He could have been bluffing. Was he even aiming his wand at me?"

"I…" I searched in my memory for the answer. When it came to me, I shook my head. "No."

"Is that so?" Remus said ponderingly.

"Yes. If he was meaning to kill me, he would have done so with one of the Unforgivables." She said plainly. I was surprised at how much she observed while traumatized. "He used very weak spellwork in order to bind me. My guess is that he was planning on taking me somewhere."

"Now why would he do that?" Remus asked softly, almost to himself.

"Our question exactly." I said numbly. "And with the added message on the pavement just outside the house, it's like a cherry on top of the fucked-up sundae."

"Harry." Hermione chastised me.

If I could, I would have held my hands up in defense. "You have to admit this complicates things a bit."

"Of course." Hermione agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't solve it and go back to the way things were."

"Let's decipher the message before we get ahead of ourselves." Remus interjected. "What did the message say again, Harry?"

"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."

"How do you remember all that?" Hermione asked with her mouth slightly agape.

"I've had to memorize longer predictions of doom in my day." I answered bitterly. Sirius gave me a knowing look. I changed the subject before Hermione began to ask questions. "Any idea as to what it means, Remus?"

One of his hands was stroking the tip of his chin in thought. It was a gesture that signified he was using his all to concentrate on twisting the cogs in his brain just right to come up with an answer. We all remained silent, Hermione following my lead, as we waited for Remus to come out of his reverie. A good five minutes passed before he showed any sign of progress. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good sign.

"I'm afraid I have nothing." Remus said sadly. "Voldemort is a smart being; he wants us to figure it out on our own so the effect is more dramatized than if he spelled it out in black and white. Or, in this case, red flames engraved in pavement."

"So what are we supposed to do?" I asked. "Look up riddles in a children's book?"

Remus chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far. I don't think it is a riddle at all. That would be far too convenient." He paused a moment before continuing, trying to put his theory into words. "It's a clue, but worded in such a way that it has the appearance of a riddle. It's a tactic used to cause confusion among your enemies. All we have to do is decode it without thinking of the meaning until we're absolutely certain, and then study evidence to back it up."

"In English, Moony?" Sirius asked with a dumb look on his face. And I mean that literally.

"We have to figure out what it means before heading to the library."

"Ah. Well, how are we going to do that, then?"

"Patience and brainpower."

Sirius clapped Remus on the shoulder. "Well, good luck with that one, mate."

"Sirius." Remus said warningly.

"I was kidding." Sirius said with a grin.

"Now is not the time to joke, Padfoot. The Death Eaters know where Hermione lives now. We have to take extra precautions for her and Harry's safety."

"Agreed." Sirius said with a nod.

"You mean a ward?" I asked.

"Yes. I think it would be best until we figure out the meaning of this message. I assume Dumbledore taught you the basics of how to conjure one?" Remus asked.

"Um, yeah. But I don't think I should do it. It wouldn't be as strong."

"It's the only choice we have right now, Harry. Sirius and I will be hard at work trying to decode this message." Sirius groaned from beside him and Remus shot a look of annoyance his way before continuing. "Your job is to protect Hermione. Remember that."

"But I could help - we both could! Hermione is wicked smart and I know Voldemort inside and out. I could try to tamper with our connection again and see-"

"Absolutely not." Remus interrupted, a serious look upon his worn features. "You know what happened last time we tried to use your connection for the Order."

"What happened?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"Noth-"

"Harry was in a coma for a month."

I gave Remus a hard look. "I'll be more careful this time."

"We can't risk it, Harry." Remus said evenly. "With a connection like the one between you and Voldemort, the results are unpredictable and could be much worse than the coma. You're on a mission to protect Hermione at all costs and you can't do that very well from the afterlife."

I sighed. He had a fair point. It was in my nature to want to contribute as much as I physically could for the good of others. They say I got it from my mother and that combined with my father's stubbornness, I was not one to be trifled with. But I knew that Hermione was my main responsibility, so that was why I gave in.

"Okay. I'll lie back."

"Be on your guard, though." Sirius said, sounding more his age than I had ever heard. This, if you knew him, was something of a miracle. "If one Death Eater showed up, there's bound to be more in the future. The first may have just been a messenger - a wake-up call. If Voldemort is serious about capturing Hermione, he'll send someone like Dolohov or one of my insane cousins. Never leave one another's side."

"I wouldn't go that far." Remus said in his technical voice. "But keep tabs on each other so you're ready in case something like this happens again."

"Will do, Moony." I replied, using his nickname to show my comfort with the new plan.

He gave me a small smile. "One more question, though. How is your training going, Hermione?"

We all turned to Hermione and she blanched with the shift of attention onto her. It took her a moment to register the question and even then her voice was a few notches softer than I was used to hearing. "Fine, I guess."

"Just fine?" Remus prodded. "How many spells have you learned?"

"I lost track after fifty." She responded honestly.

I had taught her upward of eighty or so spells. Only one-fourth of them were considered an advantage in battle.

Sirius whistled. "That's pretty impressive for a witch your age considering she's only been practicing for three months, give or take."

Hermione blushed. I could tell by the slight darkening of the embers that made up her cheeks and the way she bowed her head lightly to try and hide it out of sight. It was all quite fascinating to behold, really.

"I try my best." She replied shyly.

I let a silly smile slip past my lips which didn't go unnoticed by my godfather. The wanker. "Oh ho, and how is Mister Teacher over here, smiling all proud-like?"

"He's great." Hermione said fondly, making my stomach churn with pride. "But he can be a bit overbearing at times."

Sirius let out a howl of laughter and Remus chuckled to himself. I glared at the pair of them and looked at Hermione to make sure that what she said was in all seriousness. At first, she looked as passive as a statue, but with my eyes on her, she cracked and began to giggle. My jaw tightened as I quickly became annoyed with the people surrounding me.

"I'm not that bad!" I said in my own defense before they could find the strength to speak.

"Not all the time." Hermione concluded through her bubbly laughter. "You can be quite controlling when you want to be, though."

I huffed as Sirius and Remus sobered.

"He's always been that way." Sirius said. "When he gets passionate about something, he can get a bit out of hand. Not - not that it's a bad thing, though." He caught sight of my irritated face and tried to defend himself. "You just need to tell him how it is."

"Oh, I do." Hermione said smugly. "I tell him when he's being an insensitive prick and that normal humans need to have a break in-between learning new spells."

"It's not my fault." I muttered as Sirius erupted in laughter again. "I think I got it from Snape."

"Oh that makes it tons better." Sirius said through his heaving breaths. "You picked up a trait from old Snivellus. That's enough to explain everything wrong in the world."

"Shut up." I said irately. "After a year of Occlumency lessons from the creep, I learned a few things about Voldemort that helped me better prepare myself. He isn't resting or taking breaks. He's out there planning to kill me."

Remus nodded in understanding. Sirius was still too enamored with his own laughter I wasn't even sure if he had heard me. I sighed loudly.

"I know you're doing it for my own good, Harry, but Voldemort didn't have to learn six years of spells in the span of three months." Hermione said calmly, melting my angry demeanor slightly. "After being attacked, I know the danger. But I'm sure that with time, I'll be fine to face something like that on my own."

"A positive outlook." Remus said approvingly. "A very admirable quality in a situation like this."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you."

Remus nodded. "Harry, you have yourself a great student. Don't go overworking her."

"I won't." I said. "Often."

I could feel Hermione roll her eyes beside me.

"Before you go," Remus started, pulling out a piece of paper and writing something down. "I want your word that you won't go meddling into Voldemort's mind."

I sighed. "You have my word. I'll set up the wards and then go back to my role as the protector."

Remus nodded. Sirius, finally overcoming his laughter, spoke next. "We'll be seeing you Christmas holiday, right?"

"Of course." I looked over at Hermione. "We wouldn't miss it."

Hermione nodded in conformation, catching my eye briefly before turning back to the Marauders. "I'm really looking forward to meeting you all when I'm not surrounded by green flame. Now, it won't be as awkward since I've already met you informally."

Sirius chuckled. "It's not us you have to worry about at any rate."

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Oh?"

I was as confused as she and mimicked the same motion. Sirius looked at us oddly for a moment before a wave of realization washed onto his features. "I didn't tell you! The Weasleys are coming here during the holiday as well."

"Really?" I asked, excitement bubbling up in my chest.

"Once they caught wind of you coming back for the holidays, they insisted." Sirius said with a wide grin. "It'll be a full house."

"Excellent!" I exclaimed, not bothering to hide my joy at the prospect of seeing my second family. "We'll see you in a couple of weeks, then."

"We can't wait to meet you in person, Hermione." Remus said.

"Ditto."

"Be safe!" Remus called just as I began to pull my head out from the fire.

"You know I will!"

Before Sirius started crying, I left. And judging by the look on his face, he was very close to doing just that. When I returned back to my loft and straightened up, my back made an unpleasant sound and cracked loudly. I winced and moved my arm around me to massage it gently. While I was doing this, I noticed Hermione's head was still in the floo. I shrugged, thinking she was just saying longer goodbyes. She shifted slightly, as though she was just about to leave, and that drew my attention to her very apparent rear end. Her slacks were stretched out just so and it provided a very nice sight for me indeed. I had never been one to pass up a glance at the female figure, and now was no exception.

"Harry?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at Hermione's calling of my name. My eyes darted upward and I saw that her back was still turned to me. I let out a breath of relief before speaking. "Yeah?"

She turned around then, a worried look on her features. "What exactly is the connection that you have to Voldemort?"

I stiffened. I had been so comfortable talking about it with Remus and Sirius that I had completely forgotten that Hermione had no knowledge of it whatsoever. "I'm not sure you want to know."

"If it was strong enough to put you in a coma for a month, I think I have a right to." She said blatantly.

"It's not pleasant." I said, almost pleading with her not to talk about it.

She shrugged. "I don't care."

I sighed. "Fine. We'd better take a seat then."

"Somewhere comfy. My back is killing me." She said, massaging her back in a similar way that I had just been.

"My bed okay?" I asked hesitantly.

"Anything with cushions within jumping distance sounds like heaven." She said with a slight moan when her back cracked.

I nodded and pushed myself off the floor. I offered her a hand to get up and saw her wince as her whole body was forced to stand upright. I led us over to my bed and collapsed on the pillows. Hermione followed suit and we both let out a sigh of contentment.

"Is severe back pain always a side effect of using the Floo Network?" She asked.

"Only when you first use it. You get accustomed to it after a while."

"What's your excuse, then?" She asked, turning over on her side and smirking at me.

I turned to face her. "Probably more usage than I'm used to. My weekly updates and impromptu calls like this must have put a real strain on my back."

Her face suddenly brightened. "How about I give you a back massage?"

I gave her a weary glance. "I don't know if that's the best idea."

"Come on." She prompted, sitting up and crossing her legs Indian-style. "I'll do you and then you'll do me in return. You can tell me all about your connection with the guy trying to kill us, too."

I had to admit, her fingers massaging my aching back did sound plenty appealing in more ways than one. When I sat up, I felt an unpleasant twinge and knew that if I didn't take care of this, it was going to get worse by morning. Making my decision, I turned around so that my back faced her and scooted into her legs. Her hands were on my shoulders instantly and they felt like pure nirvana.

"Start from the beginning." She prompted.

I had trouble starting, wanting to just feel her hands on me. But she wanted answers. "You remember when I told you about Voldemort and the night he killed my parents?"

She paused in her movements, as though afraid to answer. She picked up again and spoke gently. "Yes."

"When he gave me my scar, he also transferred some of himself as well." I paused, holding back a moan as Hermione hit a tender spot in the crevice between my neck and my shoulder blade. "He made a Horcrux out of me - a seventh that we hadn't discovered until my fifth year."

"You said there were six earlier."

"I lied." I said bluntly. "We didn't discover I was one until I began having nightmares. They started early in my forth year, but didn't become anything serious until my fifth. In the dreams, I was inside a strange body and carrying out tasks both barbaric and horrid to behold. I was disgusted with myself because I thought they were normal dreams, the kind brought about by undisclosed desires. After a while, they began to get worse to the point of me waking up in a cold sweat. It wasn't until Ron told me I had been talking in my sleep in a voice that was different from my own that I went to Dumbledore. He concluded that Voldemort had made a connection between him and me the night he gave me my scar, allowing me an insight into his mind."

"Wow." Hermione breathed, her hands softening on my back and beginning to travel south.

"Mm." I mumbled in both affirmation and bliss. Gods, her hands were like heaven. "I also inherited his ability to speak to snakes."

"You can talk to snakes?" Hermione asked disbelievingly.

"It's called Parseltongue. It's a rare gift usually bestowed upon dark wizards like Voldemort or other decedents of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. It comes in handy once in a while, contrary to popular belief. Also, the chicks love it."

Hermione stopped massaging my back and I opened my mouth to protest, but she spoke before I could. "It's my turn."

I nodded, very much disappointed, and we reversed positions. I placed my hands tenderly on her back and was pleasantly surprised at the feel of her under my hands. Even though she was very much clothed, there was a heat radiating off of her that I wanted to explore. I began to gently massage her the way she had just been doing to me. Her back was extremely tense around the shoulders and I dug in deep to rid her of the knots. She arched into me and let out noise of pleasure of which I had to clear my throat in order to distract myself from becoming too enamored with. I continued speaking quickly after.

"Dumbledore enlisted the help of my Potions master and member of the Order, Snape, to help me control the dreams. He used complicated bits of magic called Occlumency and Legilimency to teach me. Ironically, Voldemort used to torture the minds of some of his victims before he killed, so it was a double positive for me knowing one of his old tricks."

"Did it work?" Hermione asked breathily.

"For the most part, but they still bothered me on occasion." I said, kneading another knot in her mid-back. "After vast amounts of research, I passed the idea to Dumbledore that I may be another Horcrux. He didn't discredit the idea, but found it highly unlikely. After reading up on it, we found that making a person into a Horcrux was possible, but very difficult to overrun. We searched for ages for the solution that didn't involve my death."

She inhaled sharply. Partly because of the sharp cutoff I made with my sentence and partly because I touched a tender part of her shoulder. I paused a moment and waited for her to give me the okay to carry on. After a moment of silence, she spoke up softly. "Go on."

I first resumed the gentle caress of my hands upon her skin, reveling in how such a tender moment could be so relaxing. Then I remembered that this was only a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" ordeal and spoke up once more before I got too carried away.

"Finally, we came across something to pull the Horcrux out of me. It took a few days of mental conservation and upwards of five hours having painful spells shot into my ear, but it eventually worked. The thing came out of my mouth in a rush so quick I passed out. Later when I awoke, Dumbledore told me about how he had to hit the Horcrux with a very strong splicing spell in order to destroy it. But, it was out and all was well."

"And what of the con… nection?" The slight pause in her speak was due to my hands moving downwards across her spine and causing a delightful shiver to wrack her body. I smirked at the effect I had on her and did it again. She didn't seem to mind much as she let out a guttural moan. I was having too much fun with this.

"It was still there, only not as strong. It never came to me in dreams again, but my lovely scar and I still felt his emotions whenever they were vivid enough."

"What about the coma?"

I hesitated before I spoke up, not reveling in the idea that I had to relive one of my darker hours. "It was last year during Christmas holiday. There was an emergency Order meeting and I accompanied them in the hopes that I could help. A troupe of Death Eater's was moving towards Diagon Ally and no one had any idea what angle they were coming from in order to stop them. I blurted that I may still have the connection with Voldemort to use. Dumbledore didn't think very highly of it, but everyone else was willing to give it a go."

I stopped talking after that, hoping that it was enough information to keep her sedated. It wasn't. She spoke as evenly as one could while having their aching back massaged. "Keep on talking."

I sighed. "I was put in a safe room with Dumbledore, Remus, and Sirius. They had the floo ready in case anything went wrong or I needed emergency medical assistance. I concentrated hard on making the connection between our minds, thinking it was a one in a million shot since we had gotten rid of the Horcrux months ago. But, to my surprise, I made it inside. He was talking to Bellatrix Lestrange at the time, so I had the advantage. I plucked around for something that may give us a hint as to what his battle strategy was. I found something after a few minutes, but just before I pulled out, Voldemort stopped talking with Bellatrix and said `Hello Harry' right before he sent a massive mind attack on me that threw me out of his brain and put me into a frenzy. I don't remember what happened after that. Remus said that I was having some sort of seizure in the chair I was sitting in and they had to floo me to St. Mungos to have my heart restarted. I think you can guess the rest."

"Oh, Harry, that's awful." To my surprise, she turned around, causing my hands to flop down to her breasts. I blanched and pulled away, avoiding her eyes. There was a long silence lasting a good minute.

"I'm sorry." I said softly.

"What are you apologizing for?"

I blushed, a very different characteristic about myself I was still getting used to. "For, erm, feeling you up when you turned around."

"Oh." Her cheeks colored as well. "Well, it's okay. It was an accident."

I nodded. Usually, when something like this happened with another girl, I would have made a corny, suggestive joke and get a nice snog out of it. But with Hermione, it was different. I still couldn't place why, something that bothered me to no end.

Her face then turned serious. "I'm sorry about what happened last year. It must have been horrible."

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember most of it." I confessed, feeling slightly guilty. "I just remember waking up to Sirius sleeping in the chair next to my bed at St. Mungos. I gave everyone a right scare, though. The hospital was beginning to drop hints about pulling the plug not a day before I woke up. Sirius wouldn't have it, though."

She smiled sadly. "He's great to you. So is Remus. I can see why you miss them. When I meet Ron and Ginny, I'm sure they'll have the same effect."

There was another pause, but this one was caused by me having nothing to say in response. I was happy for her to meet Ron and Ginny, but also worried that they might not get on. That was always the problem in situations like these. Your best friend brings home a new friend; there's bound to be some tension. But I couldn't say that. I didn't want to worry her. I wanted more than anything for her, Ginny, and Ron to get along. You can never predict redheads, unfortunately, especially when their last name is Weasley.

"To tell you the truth, I should be apologizing for everything." Hermione spoke, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "You have to stay here playing babysitter while your friends are off with the Order and at Hogwarts."

"There's no need for that, Hermione." I said seriously. "I chose to come here. They gave me a choice."

"That doesn't mean you're entirely happy about it." She said sadly.

"I wasn't at first. But after getting to know you and seeing what a great witch you're becoming, it's all worth it." I ended with a warm smile, hoping to ease her worries. "Believe me when I say that being with you is the furthest thing from a chore."

She looked down at the comforter atop my bed and began to fiddle with a piece between two fingers. I wasn't sure if it was because my last comment made her uncomfortable or she simply had nothing else to say. In order to figure out, I let her concentrate her attention on the fabric for a few moments before she spoke. Her head craned upward but her hands still remained busy.

"I hope that when this is all over, you'll come to visit."

Her words took me by surprise. I had been expecting a thank you or a wistful comment about the thick surroundings. Not the future. It was something that hadn't been touched upon much in our conversations. Nevertheless, I spat out the first response that came to mind.

"You know I will."

"No, I don't." She said simply. "You can go on in the Wizarding World and I'll be - I don't even know where I'll be. How can you know for sure if we'll meet again, how can either of us know?"

"Because the future is what we make it." I said knowingly. "We can't let anything but our own choices dictate it. And right now, I know that you're going to be a hard person to resist paying a visit to. These past few months have been great. Besides-" I cut myself off. I was going to continue on saying "I don't know if I'll even be here in a year or so." That was definitely not the way to lift her spirits, though it was the truth. I continued on with a more acceptable prediction. "I wouldn't leave one of my friends for good, especially when they were my fiancée at one point."

She chuckled at that and I let out a breath of relief. "I'm being silly, surely, worrying about the future when not twenty minutes ago I was being attacked by an unknown Death Eater in my own kitchen."

"It's not a crime to think of the future."

"When the bad guys are out to get us it is."

"Good point." I concluded. "I should probably start on those wards."

She nodded. "Right. Do you need any help?"

"I'm sure I can manage."

I began to get up, but a hand on my forearm stopped me. I turned and saw that Hermione biting her lip, thinking about something, while keeping a loose grip on my forearm. I paused and scooted closer for a reason I couldn't place at that particular moment. Her eyes drifted up towards me and I was hit with how lovely of a shade they were - a gorgeous chocolate brown.

"Harry I…"

She was hesitating. I think it was then that it hit the two of us how close in proximity we were. I had absolutely no problem with it, she, on the other hand, shifted away and I tried to hide my disappointment. Whatever this thing that was happening between us was, it was unfamiliar ground. Unfamiliar, but in a way that I wanted to explore it and excavate its secrets. But with Hermione shying away, I was beginning to realize that I may never get the chance. Perhaps I should try and forget about it.

"Make sure to tell my parents about the ward. They should know."

I wasn't sure that was what she had set out to say in the first place, but I accepted it nonetheless. I nodded and swiftly lifted myself off the bed. My back was now fighting fit and I nearly smiled to myself at the cause. But, before anything else transpired, I left Hermione alone in my loft as I began to make my way into the main house to wait for Edward and Jane to get home.

Halloween really did have a sick way of twisting the mind. I just hoped that Christmas would bring some answers.

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