It Started With A Kiss.
A/N: Hi, this idea came to me the other day as I was thinking back through the book and the instances which could have been trigger moments for Harry and Hermione. This particular story starts off in the Philosophers Stone at the point where Hermione and Harry have just worked out Snape's challenge on the way to the Philosopher's stone. This story will go on through the entire six books and probably beyond and will show how I think things would change from this moment occurring.
Chapter 1.
"So that bottle will take you back through the flames and this one will take me through to face Snape?" Harry asked just to make sure. Hermione nodded and then opened her mouth to argue about what Harry had said. Harry forestalled her protests by raising his hand and said "Hermione, I don't know how long I would be able to hold Snape from the stone. I need you to go back to Ron and revive him and get upstairs and owl Professor Dumbledore. You can probably use one of the brooms from the key room to get past Fluffy." Hermione just nodded at this, realizing that there was really no choice. "But Harry what if Voldemort is there as well?" She asked quietly, scared at the thought. Harry just shrugged and said "I got lucky once, perhaps I will again."
At these words from Harry and realizing the gravity of the situation and she may never see him again, a decision was made in her mind and heart. She had secretly harbored a crush for Harry ever since the night of Halloween when he had saved her from the mountain troll. She thought it so romantic that he came charging in like a knight in shining armor to save the damsel in distress. She also knew that the only reason why Ron had been there was the fact that Harry had basically forced him through guilt to help him rescue her. She moved over to Harry and threw her arms around his neck and held him tight to her and said "You're a great wizard Harry. You really are." Harry for his part blushed and said "Not as good as you." She smiled and moved her face back slightly so she could look him in the eyes and said "Books and cleverness count, but so do bravery, friendship and love." With these words, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Harry was startled for a moment when Hermione kissed him, but he knew that he had had a crush on Hermione for quite some time now and within a few seconds; he returned the kiss and deepened it, opening his mouth as Hermione did and his arms slipped about her waist as her hands tangled in his hair. They were like this for a couple of minutes before they broke apart, breathless. "Wow." Harry said after getting his breath back. Hermione giggled; secretly pleased at the effect she had upon him. She pointed a finger into his chest and said firmly "You come back to me Harry. Now that I have you, I don't want to lose you." Harry smiled at this and his chest swelled with a new emotion he had never felt before. He nodded and watched as she gulped down the liquid in the vial and looking back at him once, stepped back through the flames and off to help Ron. Harry took a few deep breaths and then swallowed the mouthful of liquid still left within the bottle in his hands. A freezing sensation swept through his body and he quickly stepped forward and through the flames, feeling a slight heat as he did so, but was not harmed at all by them.
When the flames cleared from his vision he found himself in another chamber, like the previous one, except for two differences. Instead of the table with numerous potions on it, there was the mirror of Ereset and staring into it was Professor Quirrel. To say Harry was shocked was an understatement. "But, but Professor Snape…" He stammered after a moment of watching the small little man and his ridiculous turban. "Ah Harry Potter, I knew that I would see you here. Especially after that night I let the troll into the castle to distract everyone. I wasn't sure if you had been on your way to follow me when you ran across your friend. Of course Professor Snape was onto me from the moment I came into the great hall. He went immediately off to the third floor to head me off. That stupid three headed dog didn't even do a good job of ripping his leg off. It was helpful of course that he provided the perfect disguise to hide behind. With him walking around the castle like a giant bat, who would suspect poor stuttering Professor Quirrel. Now hush boy I need to work out how to get the stone from this mirror. Curse Dumbledore to come up with something like this. What is its secret though? I see myself with it. I see myself presenting the stone to my master, but how do I get it? Do I need to break the mirror?" he said this as he walked around the mirror studying every aspect of it, completely ignoring Harry.
There was then an ethereal and cold voice that echoed through the chamber but seemed to have no origin to have come from. "Use the boy!" It whispered in its high pitched, cold voice. Quirrel immediately turned to Harry and said coldly "Come here Potter." Harry, knowing he had no choice, carefully approached the man and stood before the mirror. Professor Quirrel leaned over his shoulder and Harry's sense of smell was immediately assaulted with the smell of something that was definitely not garlic. It was loathsome. If Harry had to describe it, it would be the smell of very slow rancid, rotting meat. "Tell me what you see, Potter." Quirrel demanded, his hands on Harry's shoulders, preventing him from moving away from the mirror. Harry looked into the mirror, expecting to see his parents and family again, but the image was different this time. This time he saw himself, but he was a few years older, probably 20 he thought. Leaning against him, with her arm wrapped about his with her head on his shoulder, was an older and incredibly gorgeous Hermione. Her hair had tamed somewhat and had become flowing curly locks. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled with an intense happiness that he saw reflected in his own. Clutching at her skirts was two children. A little boy of no more then 2 years old, with messy black hair and brown eyes was shyly looking through the mirror at him, while a little girl of roughly the same age, but with bushy brown hair and piercing green eyes stared through the mirror in wonder. The scene before him brought a lump to his throat as he looked at his family that he now so wanted badly. Before he wanted the family he had had. Now he wanted the family that he could build with the girl he loved. He knew without a doubt that he loved Hermione now and promised that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Quirrel was prevented from getting the stone and get back to Hermione to make this scene before him true. As he thought this, the Harry in the mirror winked at him and putting its hand into its pocket, pulled out a blood red stone. Harry instantly knew that this was the Philosopher's Stone and then he saw the mirror Harry wink at him once more and replace the stone in his pocket. When he did this, Harry felt a sudden weight in the pocket of his robes and instantly knew he had somehow retrieved the stone. "Well?" Asked an impatient Quirrel. Harry decided to tell most of the truth. "I see myself as an older man, with my wife and two children." Quirrel hissed in irritation and pushed Harry to the side once more and looked into the mirror. Then the mysterious voice sounded again. "Let me talk to him!" It said.
Quirrel paled at this and said "But you are too weak master."
The voice responded "I have strength enough for this." Harry's mind was a buzz. "Voldemort is here?" He asked, looking all around him, trying to figure out where he might be. Quirrel shivered at the name and replied sadly, saying "He is always with me. I first met him when I was traveling in the forests of Albania. I was a foolish young man then, filled with this moral compass of what was right and wrong. Lord Voldemort showed me the error of my ways. I then tried to get the stone for my master by breaking into Gringots, but failed as you probably know. My master was most unpleased with me then." Quirrel shivered at the memory and Harry's mind suddenly put a few facts and memories together. Of course, he had first met Professor Quirrel at The Leaky Cauldron when Hagrid took him to get his school things. Hagrid had obviously just emptied the vault with the stone just in time as Quirrel's attempt was obviously later on that day. Quirrel then continued. "Once I had failed once more to collect the stone on Halloween, my master thought he needed to keep a much closer eye on me." Harry suddenly remembered something "I heard you talking in a classroom one day, pleading it sounded. Was Voldemort there then?" Quirrel again smiled sadly and said "He is always with me Potter, I am never alone." He then turned around and began unrolling his turban. When he finally removed the last strip of cloth from his head, Harry gasped as in the back of his head staring out, was the face of Lord Voldemort.
"Harry Potter." He whispered in that deadly cold voice. "Once again we meet." Harry was speechless at the abomination in front of him and said nothing as frankly nothing came to mind that he really felt like saying to the thing that was Lord Voldemort. "Do you see what I have become? Having to share the bodies of servants who are willing. Sustaining myself off of the blood of unicorns. All I need is the stone in that mirror Potter. The stone that conveniently enough lies in your pocket!" Harry at once knew he was in for it and raced towards the exit and Voldemort screamed "Seize him!" Quirrel quickly turned and ran over to where Harry was and went to grab him. As he grabbed Harry's hand though, he screamed as Harry also felt a tremendous jolt of pain come through his scar. Looking down he quickly saw that Quirrel's Hand was crumbling into dust at the point where he had touched Harry's hand. Harry instinctively knew that Quirrel for some reason could not touch him so he launched himself onto Quirrel and grabbed his face, holding on for all he was worth while Quirrel thrashed under him screaming as his whole body disintegrated. Harry's vision was beginning to darken from the agony when he heard other voices. He was violently pulled away from Quirrel and then he heard her voice. "Harry! Harry!" He heard Hermione calling out. He smiled, knowing he was safe as the darkness engulfed him in its peace.