Listen to your heart
I know there's something in the wake of your smile
I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah
"No, Hermione. I can't take that risk. It's over."
"You mean- you mean it- Harry, please! I love you!"
"Oh please, don't say that. It's hard enough already! I'm trying to save your life!"
"It is MY life to give away. What do I care about you being Voldemort's arch-nemesis?" With that, she stormed out the Gryffindor common room into the hallways of the castle.
You've built a love, but that love falls apart
Your little piece of heaven turns too dark
Fool,
she thought to herself, not sure whether she was referring to herself or to him. Her eyes were full of tears, and her mind was spinning. Until she bumped into someone."Oh, sorry..." She wiped her eyes with her robe and stared at the person opposite her. "Professor Lockhart!"
The tall blonde man smiled. "Just Gilderoy. I'm not your teacher anymore, Hermione."
"You remember me?"
"Surely. I may not have been the best teacher, but I have an excellent memory." He smiled again, ruefully. "Must have been all those amnesia spells."
Hermione stood up. "So, you found your memory?"
"Yes. It took me about four years, but here I am. To be honest, I'm horrified at the things I did before that little-ahm-accident." He examined her. "What seems to be the problem? You look
as if someone just dropped you."
She wiped her eyes again and shot a suspicious glance at Lockhart. But the change in him was evident- while still dressed in a fancy blue robe, he was not nearly as styled as back then, and his
eyes clearly showed that he was worried about her state. "He- he dropped me because he thinks of himself as a time bomb- he believes I'm in danger if he gets too close to me."
"Aha." Lockhart actually looked pensative- the first time ever Hermione had seen that. "Hermione, I may not be the best teacher in Defense against the Dark Arts, but I do believe I know a lot about relationships." He looked around. "But this is no place to talk about it. Why don't we go to my office?"
"Your office? Why are you actually here, now that I come to think of it?"
Lockhart smiled again. "Dumbledore hired me as a sort of school psychologist." He seemed to beam with excitement now. "And I do believe", he turned around and walked towards a door,
"that I have found my first patient. In here, please." He opened the door and entered, with Hermione following.
It was a small room- a writing table, two armchairs, and two certificates on the wall. Hermione studied them. Both were quite new. One read: "Gilderoy Lockhart, approved member of the Wizard and Witch Counseling Association (WWCA)"; the other, "Dr. Gilderoy Lockhart,
summa cum laude
wizard psychology graduate from Tingerwolper Academy, Germany.""You took lessons in psychology?"
"Actually, yes. I want to help people locked up in mental disorders- I was a case of severe narcissism myself, after all." He sat in one of the armchairs. "So, why don't you sit down?"
She did so. "I think we should start by establishing the facts. Who is it you love so much?"
"Harry Potter."
"Ah yes, I thought so." On her strange look, he added, "I had to know what was going on here. You cannot have a school advisor who knows no facts about the pupils now, can you?
"And he believes a close relationship between the two of you would endanger you, hm?"
Hermione felt she was going to burst into tears again, but she held back. "Yes."
"This is difficult. But I know from experience that such cases resemble marriage-eve fear. If you are convinced of your love", he shot a look at her signifying the importance of what he had just said, "then convincing him should be not that difficult. You need to follow your feelings, Hermione."
She smiled as she stood from the chair. "Thank you, Pro- Gilderoy."
He returned the smile. "Nevermind. I'll have the time of my life here if all my cases are as simple as this one."
Listen to your heart
When he's calling for you
Listen to your heart
There's nothing else you can do
I don't know where you're going
And I don't know why
But listen to your heart
Before
You tell him good-bye
She went out of the room, pondering what Lockhart had said. Am I sure I love him?
And there are voices
That want to be heard
So much to mention
But you can't find the words
Of course, one voice in her mind cried out. You two are made for each other!
Aha? Then why did he seem so eager to get rid of you? Was it just his wish to protect you? Or is there more to it? Hermione knew that little nagging voice only too well.
A third voice came up from the depths of her mind. How do you want to know? You are too young to feel true love anyway!
The scent of magic
The beauty that's been
When love was wilder
Than the wind
The next week, she avoided Harry as good as she could. But she still saw him a lot of the time, and he seemed less than pleased with the current situation. All this time, her thoughts kept spinning.
It was a Thursday evening, just after Potions class. Even Snape seemed to realize Hermione's thoughts were way out. When she hadn't managed to make her antidote turn blue as it should, Snape hadn't taken any points from Gryffindor.
She was walking down the corridor to the Gryffindor tower when she heard the voice. "Hermione?"
Harry,
she thought. What should I do?Go to him immediately, fool!- No! He dropped you like a hot potato!
"Hermione, please- I need to talk to you."
Listen to your heart
When he's calling for you
Listen to your heart
There's nothing else you can do
Something inside her clicked. She turned to face him. "Yes, Harry?"
"Hermione, I- I was such a fool to say all those things. I..."
"Don't say anything. You had very good reasons for it. But you need to understand that it is
my decision to stay as much as yours." She examined his face. "Do you want to lose me?
"I..." Obviously at a loss for words, he simply kissed her.
When they broke the kiss, Hermione gasped, "I love you, Harry. Nothing can change that."
"And I love you, too. And nothing in the world will get between us."
A/N and disclaimer: OK, nothing in here is mine. The characters belong to Joanne K. Rowling
(who belongs to the triad of authors whose next release I await frantically), the song "Listen
to your heart" belongs to Roxette (wonder why no songfics to their songs exist as yet, some are
perfect for it). The story is completely mine, however.
