Author - Kiara
Pairings - Harry/Hermione
Rating - General/Romance
Disclaimer - Not mine, folks.
Summary - When Ron takes Hermione on a blindfolded tour of the castle, what exactly is in store for her? A fluffy romantic story about Harry and Hermione.
"Are your eyes closed?"
Hermione laughed.
"Ron, I have a blindfold on. Why do I need to close my eyes?" she asked logically.
"Hermione!" Ron said impatiently. "I know the way you are...I'm not going to have this ruined because you thought of some spell to see through it or something. Now close your eyes!"
Hermione sighed but obediantly closed her eyes behind the thick red cloth that had been laid across her face. She really hadn't been able to see through it, but she knew from past experiences that it was best for her to just humour Ron when he was like this.
"Are they closed?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered. "I don't suppose I can get you to tell me where we're going?"
"Not a chance."
Ron's voice sounded happy and amused, but determined, and Hermione wondered for the millionth time where her best friend was taking her. He had shown up at the library about twenty minutes ago, pulling her determinedly from her table despite her protests. He hadn't even given her time to check out her book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She really did wish he had let her sign it out, she had been reading it to find out more information on the use of Phoenix tears. But no, he had pulled her out of the library and all the way back to the Gryffindor common room, where he had then produced the blindfold and wrapped it around her face.
"Ron, what on earth are you doing?" she had asked, but Ron had only smirked and refused to answer.
And so for the past twenty minutes or so she had been following him blindly, having to rely on his guidance so that she didn't end up wandering into a suit of armour or some other such thing. She had heard whispers and giggles as they moved through the castle corridors, and Hermione couldn't help but wonder if everyone except her knew what was going on. She heard the sound of Ron's footsteps tapping on the cold stones of the corridor slow and paced her own to match, wondering what she was going to encounter next.
"All right Hermione, we're at some stairs," he warned.
"You expect me to climb stairs blindfolded?" she asked incredulously.
"There's nothing to it," Ron said with a laugh. "Come on, you don't spend that much time in the library. Climbing stairs is pretty basic."
Hermione grumbled to herself but hesitantly lifted her foot up, feeling for the first step from the landing. Her foot came down with a rather disconcerting clunk as she aimed rather too high, and no sooner had she adjusted for height than she found her toe catching on the next step. She heard Ron chuckle beside her as he moved to stop her from falling, and she scowled. After that she did not have much trouble, as she determinedly worked out approximately how high the steps were, and she climbed with relative ease.
Just when her legs were beginning to ache a bit and Hermione was wondering if Ron had found a never ending staircase by mistake, her foot came down hard again, and she realized that they had reached the top.
Ron's hand slipped away from her elbow where he had been supporting her, and suddenly Hermione found herself standing alone, in the dark.
"Ron?" she said quietly. "Ron, where are you? Whats this all about?"
Silence, then soft whispers and a quiet chuckle.
" - ready?"
"-not sure. Think so."
"Alright then."
"Ron?" Hermione demanded again. "Ron Weasley, I don't know what this is all about, but you'd better take this blindfold off before I lose my patience!! First you drag me off to Merlin knows where, and now you make me stand here in the dark when I could be studying? We have finals coming up soon, you - mmph!"
Hermione's flow of angry words was abruptly cut off by a hand being placed gently over her mouth.
"Hush, 'Mione."
The words were spoken softly, with a touch of gentle amusement. Warm breath wafted over the back of her neck, and Hermione felt all her senses jump into awareness of the person who was standing right behind her, very close indeed.
The gentle fingers were at the back of her head, nimbly unfastening the ties of the dark blindfold. Hermione itched to pull it away from her eyes, but waited impatiently as it slowly fell away. When the cloth no longer covered her face she opened her eyes and prepared to speak once more, but her mouth snapped shut and then fell open once again in wonder at the sight before her.
A pristine white cloth was laid out on the grey stone floor of what looked to be the top of one of the turrets of one of Hogwarts towers. Two candles that burned brightly against the night sky had been placed at each end of the cloth, their heavy silver bases preventing the cloth from flying away in the light breeze that was blowing. A bowl of mixed fruit sat in the middle of the cloth, and a smaller bowl of what looked to be melted chocolate sat beside it. In the direct center of the display sat a display of white roses, looking as if they had been plucked straight from the bush before being placed in their golden vase.
"Oh..." Hermione said softly.
Two strong arms came out to wrap around her waist, pulling her back against the form of the person still standing so close behind her.
"Like it?"
Another gentle question.
Hermione turned in the embrace of the arms to stare into a pair of brilliant jade eyes that she knew better than anything else in the whole world.
"Oh Harry, I love it," she said quietly.
He smiled then, a quick flash of pure happiness before he leaned forward to gently cover her lips with his own. Hermione allowed her own eyes to flutter shut and lost herself in the pure pleasure of kissing Harry Potter.
They were interrupted a few moments later by a soft cough. Reluctantly moving her lips away from Harry, Hermione looked over to see Ron standing near the edge of the tower. A cheeky grin spread across his face as he saw that he had her attention.
"Glad I brought you up here, Hermione?" he asked.
Hermione wrinkled her nose at him, to which he replied with an even wider grin.
"Of course I'm glad," she exclaimed. Then her expression softened. "Thank you Ron," she continued quietly. "This really means alot to me."
"Good," he said with a grin, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Ron was Ron, she thought, shaking her head. He would never change.
"Come over here," she scolded. "Why are you standing so close to the edge? Its dangerous!"
She felt Harry's arms tighten around her once again as soon as the words left her mouth and she turned her head to look at him once more.
"Harry?" she asked.
A small smile quirked the edge of his lips and he returned her intent, questioning look."There's more to this, Hermione," Harry said, taking her hand and leading her over towards the edge of the turret.
"What?" Hermione asked. "Harry, what else do you have planned?"
He didn't answer her, and Hermione started to pull gently against his grasp on her hand, staring at the edge of the tower. It was growing to close for her liking, and by the light of the moon shining over head, she could faintly see the sprawl of the grounds around the school. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes briefly, fighting off her fear of heights and the feeling of vertigo that was overwhelming her. Why, she thought, did Hogwarts have to be so tall?
"Harry, we don't need to go any closer. Let go of my wrist," she pleaded. When once again he didn't answer, she tugged frantically once again. "Harry, let go! I don't want to go any closer to the edge!"
By this point they were almost to the edge, and only now did Harry finally stop, turning to look at her. He pulled her closer until she was right up against his slender frame. She could feel the warm heat radiating off of him, and when his eyes caught hers she couldn't tear her gaze away.
"Hermione, do you trust me?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione stared at him for a moment in shock before quickly answering. "Harry, of course I trust you! What kind of qu-"
Once more her words were cut off, as Harry placed a finger over her lips.
"Then I need you to close your eyes and do this for me."
For a moment Hermione stared at her best friend. She wasn't quite sure as to when they had crossed the line between the friendship and love, but she knew that Harry was the one person in the world who she believed would never willingly let any harm come to her, and who she trusted completely. Every sense in her body was screaming at her to get as far away from that steep drop just a few feet away from where they were standing, but as she looked into Harry's eyes, she knew that she couldn't say no.
She nodded her head and then closed her eyes. She felt the faint, moist pressure of a kiss being pressed to the tip of her nose, and then once again she found herself being gently guided. Harry took her a couple of steps and Hermione had to fight the urge to open her eyes. She was sure that they were extremely close to the edge now, and she was surprised when underneath her feet she felt the softness of what seemed to be cloth. Were they back at the impromptu night picnic that she had seen?
"Here, sit down, Hermione."
Ron's voice.
Hermione sat down willingly, her fingers finding and stroking slightly material that she knew instinctively was too soft and velvety to be the cloth she had seen laid out on the stone floor of the tower. She felt movement behind her, and then the familiar presence of Harry once more at her back. His arms came around her, pulling her back so that she rested against the solid warmth of his chest, and she found herself relaxing slightly.
"Do you trust me, 'Mione?" Harry repeated once more. His husky voice was soft but demanding next to her ear.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
"Then remember that I would never let you fall."
Before Hermione had time to wonder at the meaning of his words, the cloth beneath her fingers gave a slight shudder and a small shriek escaped her lips as she felt it lose contact with the stone of the tower. A magic carpet! she thought wildly. Harry's arms tightened, holding her close against him as she felt their ascent continue. A gentle breeze tugged at her hair and she was vaguely aware of the fact that it smelled like flowers, but she found it hard to focus on anything other than the distinct fear of heights and flying that was overwhelming her.
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as still they continued to climb higher and higher. Then the upwards motion slowed, and the carpet stabilized beneath her, so much so that Hermione would have thought that they were on solid ground once more.
"Open your eyes, Hermione," Harry spoke quietly in her ear.
For a moment Hermione kept her eyes shut fast, but she could feel Harry's gentle patience as he waited, still seated as close as he could get behind her on the carpet. She sought out and found his hands, taking comfort as his slender fingers linked with hers. At last she allowed her eyes to slowly flutter open, only her faith in Harry allowing her do so.
When at last she could see what was laid out before her, Hermione gasped faintly. The first thing that met her eyes was the shimmering night sky. It was a beautifully clear spring night, and the stars were out in abundance, twinkling brightly. The full moon stood out like a beacon against the backdrop of the night sky, which tonight was a rich dark blue instead of the normal black.
Without even realizing it, Hermione's gaze was drawn lower, to where the night sky was reflected in the gently rippling waters of the lake. From there her eyes flitted over the Quidditch pitch, the elaborate gardens that sprawled over a corner of the school grounds, and then rested on the school itself.
Even shrouded in the night, Hogwarts was a friendly presence. Hermione could faintly make out the small form of Ron vanishing back into the castle from one of the many towers, and here and there a few windows were still outlined by light radiating from within. They were high enough that she could even see beyond the school, and she was fairly sure that the small, squat building she could see was Hagrid's hut.
As Hermione gazed upon the scene, she was struck by the serenity of everything laid out before her. She squeezed Harry's hands gently, not sure what to say. He seemed to understand what she meant, however, for he squeezed back and then the carpet was moving once more.
They glided forward through the night sky, growing closer to the castle. The carpet soared smoothly in a wide arc over Hogwarts, and Hermione gazed down at the old school in wonder. She had never really paused to think about what the place looked like from above, and now as they drifted over it, she was struck by the magestic beauty of the school, as well as the sheer size.
The carpet began to speed up, and Hermione gasped as the wind whipped at her face, tugging merrily at her hair. Harry's arms tightened around her and he spoke in her ear once more, his voice raised to be heard over the breeze.
"Here...we...go!!"
At the third word, the carpet shot forward into a tight spiral. Hermione squeaked wordlessly and knew somewhere inside that she should be frightened, but still she was unable to close her eyes as together she, Harry and the carpet barrelled towards one of the walkways between the towers. Just when she thought they were going to crash into the old grey stone, the carpet twisted sharply and the next thing she knew was headed in a circle around the castle. As the walls passed close enough that Hermione could have reached out and skimmed her fingers over the rough stone, she caught glimpses of familiar classes, as well as wonderfully odd rooms that she had never seen in all her years at Hogwarts.
As they rounded one of the corners of the school, the carpet abruptly soared almost straight up, and Hermione found herself leaning back against the firm warmth of Harry's chest, staring into the darkness of the night sky. Then they were levelling out to soar slowly over the rippling waters of the lake before pulling up to circle high over the Forbidden Forest. Hermione caught glimpses of strange, luminescent eyes staring up from within the darkness of the trees before the woods were left behind once more.
The carpet soared up high once more, then went into another tight spiral. Hermione's breath caught in her throat, but she couldn't help laughing in delight as they once more pulled out of their descent to glide directly over the school gardens. Harry leaned off of the carpet for a moment, and when he straightened, he brought his hand around to present her with a delicate blue flower that still had dew droplets shimmering on its petals.
Hermione lifted it to her nose, drawing in the light, sweet scent. She looked up to find that they were headed back towards the original tower and she leaned back against Harry comfortably as they descended. The carpet flew lower and lower until it hovered mere inches off of the stone, then settled gently onto the stone.
Harry stood up behind Hermione, stepping off of the carpet and then offering her his hand. She took it willingly, and was pulled up to stand, flushed and breathless beside him.
"Hermione - " Harry began. "I know that you don't like flying, but I just thought that if I could take you up on something other than a broom, you could enjoy it as much as I do. I'm sorry for forcing it on you like that, but I didn't know - "
Hermione stared at him for a minute. Her heart was still pounding wildly, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Never in her life had she been more frightened than when she had opened her eyes to find that she was soaring high above the school. Her hair was a mess, she was slightly chilled from the cold winds that had whipped around her up in the air - and she had never felt more alive in her whole life.
She gazed at Harry, whose own normally messy hair was decidedly tousled. Small spots of colour stood out on his cheekbones and his green eyes were shining with excitement from the recent flight, even as he apologized for taking her on it. As she stood there, she realized that never had she felt so full of sheer happiness at being with Harry - not only that, being with him and seeing exactly why he got that look in his eye when talking about flying.
Hermione cut off his rambling apology with a radiant smile and a shake of her head.
"No, Harry," she said. "I understand what you were trying to do, and I just have one thing to say."
Here she paused and she saw him wince slightly, but still he met her gaze head on.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly, smiling slightly when his eyes widened. "Thank you for loving me enough to want to show me why you enjoy flying so much, for wanting to share it with me."
Harry stared at her for moment, obviously taken aback at her words, then he smiled and pulled her close. As their lips met and they kissed sweetly underneath the soft light of the moon and stars that seemed to smile down on the young lovers, Hermione knew that she would never forget this magical spring night.