[Disclaimer:] I do not, I repeat, I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, only JK Rowling and her minions do so. If you think I make money off this, then why does she get the billions and I only get a paltry Social Security Disability check from the government, then? Huh? Huh? You talking to me? I'm sorry, but the writers of this disclaimer have been sacked...but since they already wrote the disclaimer, disregard the rest after the mention of JK Rowling and her minions. Yeah, that's it.

Story Description: Instead of being in the Great Hall, Harry is in the Hospital Wing waiting for Hermione to be awakened from petrification. Because of the relative solitude, Hermione gathers her courage and gives him a kiss, and they become a couple. (Accepted but changed a bit)

Challenges:

~Ron gets jealous (Accepted)

~Ginny is disheartened, but accepts it and moves on (Accepted)

~Ron must refer to Hermione as a "practice girlfriend" and get pummeled by Harry (Accepted)

~The story must go through at least third and fourth years (Accepted)

~Hermione must find that Harry can get emancipated before third year and gain the title of Lord Potter (Accepted)

~Using his status as Lord Potter, Harry must get Sirius free at the end of third year during the summer (Accepted)

~Harry must still live at the Dursleys, but Sirius joins him (Accepted)

~Sirius becomes the new Defense Professor, but Harry still must be entered in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and portkeyed to the graveyard (Accepted)

~When Wormtail cuts him, Harry must say "I willingly give my blood." How this affects the ritual is up to you. (Accepted)

~Everything else is up to you! (Hey, do I have to accept this or is that a given?)

Harry Potter's Magic Heart

Chapter 1

Waking Up

Harry let out a low groan before opening his eyes. After grabbing his glasses off the bedside table, he looked around and realized that he was once again in the Hospital wing. He idly wondered when Madame Pomfrey would start charging him rent. As he looked around he noticed that Hermione's petrified form was lying in the bed next to his. He sighed sadly and began to remember what caused him to be in the hospital bed this time.

He had just taken his seat for Charms when his scars from the Basilisk tooth and on his forehead both seared his being. His blood seemed to surge through his veins and he could hear the rushing of his blood in his ears. Spots began dancing around his vision, and his head throbbed in pain. He tried to grab both scars to will away the pain; but, before he could actually do so, everything went black.

"What happened? Why did my scars act that way? How long have I been out?" he questioned himself. As his questions flowed through his mind, he realized that he felt a lot more energy than he used to. It wasn't nervous energy. It was like he could feel magic easier and it was flowing and infusing every part of his being. He, also, noticed for the first time a strand of magic flowing from him towards Hermione. It was very faint, but he wondered what this connection was. He, also, became aware of two other connections. One he knew was to Hedwig and the other was to some unknown animal.

He turned his attention to examining the connection to Hermione. Why was it so faint? The connections to Hedwig and the unknown animal were strong and bright, while the connection to her was almost barely there. Then, realization dawned, she was petrified still. She was in a type of limbo and he had no way of reaching her and bringing her back. He collapsed back onto the bed as a wave of utter sadness and despair hit him. He was lost without her. When he didn't know which way to turn or whom to trust, he always went to her. She was his one constant, human, companion. Ron had turned on him and had thought he was the "Heir of Slytherin" just because he was a parselmouth.

To pull himself out of his sadness and despair, he started to examine the connections deeper. He recognized that the connections to Hedwig and the unknown animal were the very similar, except the connection to Hedwig was a lot stronger. The flow of magic in both those connections was the same; it was just the difference in strength. The connection to Hermione, though, was quite different. It originated from his chest and connected to her chest, and it had a sort of pinkish cast to it. Also, it seemed to be exerting a pull on his magic as well as the now faint magical signature that was Hermione's. Subconsciously, he got out of his bed and slipped into a chair next to her bed and gently took hold of the same hand that held the slip of paper letting him know about the Basilisk. His free hand brushed over her cheeks and forehead, as he contemplated how he felt for her.

He couldn't afford to lose her, she was way too important to his heart. And, with him finding the connection between them and its locations on their bodies, he knew…He was desperately and deeply in love with Hermione. That admission to himself made its way to his lips and escaped as he admitted his feelings aloud for the first time. "I love you, Hermione. Come back to me and let me repeat it when you can actually hear it. And, I will tell you everything that I have already told you as well," tears gathering in his eyes caused his voice to crack. "I miss you, and I need you to help me when I am lost. In the darkness you are my beacon and the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I know the mandrake potion will be ready soon, but I was lost during all of the days you've been petrified. Only by pure chance did I find the piece of paper in your hand that allowed me to know what was causing all of the petrifications and figure out what needed to be done. I know, I told you this after I rescued Ginny; but I can't stop letting you know how much I appreciated what you've done for me. And, I can't stop feeling somewhat guilty for not finding the note sooner."

He fell silent and kissed her hand in appreciation knowing that she wouldn't feel it. He sighed and bowed his head until his forehead touched her hand. Another wave of despair washed over him as he thought that she would not love him in return, because he had failed to protect her and had put her at risk for allowing her to go to the library alone knowing that something had been petrifying students. Yes, he didn't know it was a Basilisk at the time; but he should have made sure that someone was protecting her. If only he hadn't had Quidditch that day, then he could have been there to hear it and give her and Penelope Clearwater some warning. He sighed again.

He looked at her face and a sudden urge to kiss her ran through him. Before he knew it, he was leaning over her and his lips had pressed gently against hers. He felt how unyielding they were and it sent another wave of sadness through him and guilt woke up deep in his stomach. He had taken advantage of her in her petrified state. He stood back and tears once more started to flow down his face.

At that moment, Madame Pomfrey approached the bed. "Mister Potter, I'm so glad to see that you are up and about. Would you mind staying here and helping me administer the Mandrake Draught? It's ready now, and I know you'd like to see Miss Granger back on her feet again."

"Yes, I'd love to help," Harry said. "Ummm…Madame Pomfrey, what happened to me today? I only remember pain and blacking out."

"From what I was told when they brought you in, you screamed in pain and collapsed as a black mist flowed from the scar on your forehead," Madame Pomfrey replied. "You were pale as a white sheet when you were brought in. However, you did recover quickly, in fact, much quicker than I thought you would. You were brought in this morning and I swore you would not wake up for two or three days. But now, you're right as rain. Okay, now what I need you to do is to give Miss Granger a little bit of the draught at a time and let it run down her throat. Wait about five minutes between doses, and once you give her the entire bottle pull her into an upright position to allow the draught to reach her stomach. Understand, Mister Potter?"

Harry nodded his head as he took a bottle of the draught from the tray that Madame Pomfrey was carrying. He gently pried open Hermione's mouth, and poured a little bit of the draught into her mouth. He waited five minutes before repeating the process. Once he had gotten the entire contents of the bottle into her mouth, Harry stood back for a second and tried to figure out the best way to get her into the upright position that Madame Pomfrey told him to get her into. He decided to use levitation and move her so that he could sit on his bed while holding her upright. He held her so that she was facing away from him; so that he could set her into a sitting position should her legs unpetrify first. He had no idea what to expect, so he decided to prepare for any eventuality.

Hermione blinked as she awoke. The last waking thought she had was using Penelope's mirror to check around a corner as they were heading back from the Library, where she had discovered that the creature petrifying people was a Basilisk. She had seen a pair of yellow snake eyes and everything went dark. However, she could remember feeling someone holding her hands and talking to her while she was in the limbo brought about from that last moment. She remembered every word he had said to her and could remember the feel of his lips on her cheek, hand, and lips. Just the thought of those kisses sent warmth through her entire body and caused her lips to curl into a small smile.

Her body was still stiff, but she felt arms around her holding her up. She wished she could turn her head, but the effects of the petrification prevented her. However, her eyes could move and she saw out of the corner of her eye a small neon sign with an arrow pointed downwards proclaiming "Harry Potter's bed" as it flashed gently over the bed she was next to. She, also, noticed on a small table beside the bed that there was a cup that was labeled "Harry Potter's cup". When she noticed both of these labels, a small chuckle escaped her throat, which caused the person holding her to jerk slightly.

"Hermione?" asked Harry, his voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"

"I would be, if I wasn't so stiff," Hermione replied in a nearly inaudible dry whisper. "What happened with the Basilisk?"

"I killed it," Harry said, flatly. "Partly because it hurt you and partly because I had very little other choice. It bit me, and Fawkes healed the wound. I destroyed Tom Riddle's diary with the fang that had been lodged in my arm when I killed it. Tom Riddle's spirit which had been contained in the diary had possessed Ginny and had nearly killed her when I destroyed the diary. Then, this morning, I was in Charms when my scars on my forehead and from the Basilisk fang both hurt and I passed out. Supposedly, a dark mist left the scar on my forehead after I had passed out. I had just gotten out of bed, when Madame Pomfrey told me that the Mandrake Draught was ready. She had me administer it to you and now you sort of know what's been happening."

"Oh, right, you told me about the Basilisk while I was out of commission," she said ignoring the jerk from Harry at the revelation that she had heard him. "I thought that had been a dream."

Harry let out a sigh of relief, maybe she was thinking that she had dreamt him telling her that he loved her, or maybe she actually hadn't heard him say that. At that moment, Hermione turned and caught him by surprise as she kissed him with surprising passion. At first he was stunned and did not react, but when she started to pull away he let his love, worry, desire, and hope flow into the kiss and tightened his arms around her drawing her closer to him. He felt her react to the kiss and deepened it. They broke apart when that annoyance known as needing air started burning their lungs.

Gasping for breath and gazing at him with half-closed eyes, Hermione whispered, "You really meant it when you said that you loved me, didn't you?"

Harry blushed and nodded; the words stuck in his throat and his eyes averted away from Hermione due to the reality of his fears, or were they hopes, being realized. Hermione's giggle brought his head snapping up as indignation swelled up inside him at her laughing at him. Her wide smile and bright eyes shining full of love stopped any protest in his throat.

"Harry, I love you too," Hermione stated warmly as a small blush bloomed in her cheeks. "I have since last year, when you saved me from the troll. I just didn't know how to tell you or even if you felt the same way."

Harry gave a short, sharp, and self-deprecating laugh, which caused Hermione to cock an eyebrow at him in curiosity. When he noticed this, he screwed up his Gryffindor courage and stated, "Here we both were trying to dance around our feelings for each other, trying to figure out how to express them, while all this time we've felt the same way. Hermione, I'd feel privileged if you would be my girlfriend. I promise to buckle down on my studies, if that helps. What do you think?"

Her giggles changed into a full-bore laugh that was music to his ears. When she had settled down enough to speak, she said, "Harry, are you trying to bribe me into being your girlfriend? You know you didn't have to do that. I'd happily say yes to be your girlfriend without extra promises. However, since you have already offered to buckle down in your studies that will have to remain in effect."

Harry groaned knowing he had just screwed up, but was shocked when Hermione gave him another passionate kiss. After a few minutes of looking goofy and dazed after the kiss, he smiled at Hermione. He said, "I guess we are boyfriend and girlfriend now, right?"

Hermione gave him a mock glare before laughing, "Yes, we are. Do I need to make notes for you to study about when a girl means 'yes' when she says 'yes'?"

"No. No. No," Harry said. "I can do without notes for this, I believe. I love you, Hermione."

Hermione blushed before saying, "I love you too, Harry." Then, she snuggled into him. "I think I could stay this way forever, my love."

Just then, both Harry's and Hermione's stomachs grumbled. Harry just laughed at that. "I guess that idea has been nixed by our stomachs needing food. You've been out of it for nearly a month and I've been in here since this morning and it's past lunchtime."

Just then Madame Pomfrey walked over. "I just need to check Miss Granger.," she said. "Then you both can head to the Great Hall to get something to eat, if there are no complications."

Harry let Hermione stand away from him so Madame Pomfrey could conduct her diagnostic scans. He smiled as he watched Hermione follow Madame Pomfrey's instructions. His smile widened when Madame Pomfrey had Hermione bend over, giving Harry a great view of her bum. When Hermione had straightened up, Madame Pomfrey said, "You two can head to Great Hall to get something to eat now."

Hermione smiled and asked, "When did you start labeling things around here as being Harry's?"

"Oh, after he left here from the bludger incident," Madame Pomfrey replied. "We felt that since he is starting to become a regular customer that we needed to make sure we had everything marked for him. Just in case, you know. We actually put everything together this morning when Harry was brought back in. I was actually hoping not to have to put the labels and signs up until next year."

Hermione giggled as Harry blushed in embarrassment. Madame Pomfrey chuckled and told them to go on. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her from the Hospital Wing. Once they were outside the doors, Harry was pulled back by Hermione whom proceeded to kiss him until he had a goofy grin on his face. She giggled again, and then dragged him off to the Great Hall.

Hermione was amazed at how things had been going since she woke up. She and Harry had admitted their feelings for each other. They had kissed several times. And, to top it all off were a couple now.

They were nearing the Great Hall, when she dragged Harry to a stop as something she hadn't thought about entered her mind. "Harry," she said, "what are we going to tell Ron?"

"We'll tell him the truth, love," Harry replied. "If he doesn't like it then he can stuff it where the sun doesn't shine. It's not like he has acted like a true friend to us throughout our time here so far. Remember, this year he turned on me when he found out that I was a Parselmouth."

"You're right, Harry," she responded, "but he was your first friend."

"So?" Harry asked, "It's not like a friend is based on when you befriend them, it's their actions that matter most. Yes, he helped us throughout most of this year; but only after we gave him a guilt trip about his behavior after the Dueling Club when I stopped that snake. Too bad it didn't stop Justin from being petrified later making people think that I was out for revenge."

Hermione quickly hugged Harry and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry…" she started, when Harry kissed her shutting her up and shutting down her brain for a few moments. After he pulled his lips away from hers, she looked at him dazedly. He smiled and chuckled softly at the effect he had on her.

"Now, are we ready to head in for something to eat?" he asked, smirking at her.

She shook her head and gulped nervously. "I think so," she whispered.

He grabbed her hand and walked proudly into the Great Hall with her by his side. All conversation in the Great Hall seemed to halt when they had entered and started walking towards the Gryffindor table. They were nearly to their seats when a loud recognizable voice got their attention.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HOLDING HER HAND?" Ronald Weasley yelled jealousy evident in his voice.

"What does it look like, Ron?" Harry asked calmly. "She is my girlfriend, now, so why shouldn't I be holding her hand?"

Ron spluttered trying to think of something to say. Harry just ignored him and guided Hermione into a seat at the table before sitting down beside her. He helped her pile food on her plate, before filling his own. Harry and Hermione playfully fed each other occasionally as they ate. Just when they thought they would be able to finish eating in peace, Ron decided on what he wanted to say.