Chapter 2- Reconciliation

A/N: Thanks to the Sword of Magnus 90 ITA and shrek2be for reviewing the last chapter! The support is very much appreciated.

I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter so here it is:

I own nothing of the characters and world depicted in this story, all of which belongs to the brilliance and creative genius of J.K. Rowling.

There will be a few more chapters after this one. Hopefully you enjoy it and if you can, please review- I appreciate all of the feedback I can get as this is my first story involving Harry and Hermione as the main characters.

Harry rested his chin on his hand. Because of the cold wind outside, he had moved himself and the Horcrux still resting by his side just inside the tent to avoid the wind; however, he still could see through the opening and had cast a Detector charm to alert him of any intruders coming from either side.

He bit his lip anxiously. It had been at least twenty minutes since Hermione left. He was almost ready to leave the tent and start looking for her but he held himself for he knew Hermione would not be happy if he came searching for her. Still, the terrible desperation and fear throttled him. He never realized how important she was to him, how he relied on her so often as a source of support. But maybe, Harry thought bitterly, she felt she was safer without him; a fact that Harry could not dispute. If she wanted to leave and seek her parents, he would not try to stop her; she never deserved to be a target of Voldemort, to be hunted like he was. But the idea of Hermione leaving to survive gave Harry the shaking and horrifying sensation of inevitability. An end, marked by red slits and long, pale hands, was fast approaching. Harry clenched his fists. He would not let Hermione meet that end. He may see the end but Voldemort would not get to her.

His wand vibrated, a sign the Detector charm was alerted. And as if to confirm he vibrations, Harry heard footsteps coming from the right side of the tent. With his wand pointed ahead, he crouched low to ground and shuffled along the tent's edge, waiting for the person to emerge. The footsteps stopped at a spot a few feet in front of him and Hermione suddenly appeared, the invisibility cloak draped over her arms.

Harry stood up, lowering his wand. His body seemed to expand in relief at the familiar bushy brown hair and brown eyes.

"Harry, it's me," said Hermione quietly, not meeting his eyes. "You and I saved Sirius together using the Time Turner in Third year."

Harry almost wanted to laugh at her relentless use of the secret question to confirm identities.

"You'll take guard duty for the next three hours, Harry?" continued Hermione. "Keep the locket besides you. I have an idea of how we can wear it without it physically touching our bodies."

Harry nodded numbly, panicking. He had been too preoccupied with worrying about Hermione leaving than planning what to say to her. Looking at the distant, somber expression on her face, he was at a complete loss for words. She seemed so disinterested that she might not even take him seriously. He wondered whether he could leave it for later, but a part of him knew that the right moment should be now. Only he had no idea what to say and did not want to blurt something harsh and insensitive.

"Harry, you're shivering," noted Hermione, a trace of concern creeping into her voice. She stepped closer to him, raising her wand and casting the warming charm. Instantly, a curtain of warmth wrapped itself tightly around his body.

Harry nodded again at her. Say "thank you, you fool," hissed a voice in his head.

"Well, I'm going to go have a rest," said Hermione, her voice returning to its emotionless tone. "Call me if you need anything."

She walked past him and Harry finally relented. He grabbed her arm and forced his gaze directly upon her face.

Hermione turned around, her expression surprised but also a different emotion that Harry could not quite decipher.

"Harry, what's wrong?" said Hermione softly, her eyes still averted from him.

Harry opened his mouth and closed it without any words coming out. How should he start? Should he let go of her arm?

"Harry?" stated Hermione apprehensively.

Harry continued to look blankly at her, his mind a mess of thoughts and emotions. As she looked ready to pull out of his grip, he needed to say something.

"Hermione, about earlier," began Harry cautiously.

Hermione gave a subtle shake of her head. "Harry it's fine. I just don't want to talk about Ron."

"Neither do I," blurted Harry.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. Harry took this as a request for him to continue. "What you said earlier-

"Harry, we were both acting irrational," interjected Hermione though her tone remained weak. "I did not intend-

"You were right," said Harry forcefully and finally her eyes met his. "And you were being honest with me so thank you."

The sentences and phrases began to form much more easily in Harry's mind as he gained confidence. "You were right. I've been so consumed and obsessed with this quest and everything Dumbledore did and didn't tell me that I haven't paid enough attention to you. I've been so selfish and I'm sorry."

"Harry," said Hermione, emotion finally laying her voice. "You don't need to apologize- anybody would be taken up by this assignment."

Harry gave a shaky laugh. "Yes, it is difficult but that's no excuse for me to never ask about your parents. And then to ask about Ron without even considering them. It's terrible what you had to do your parents and I can't possibly imagine how you must feel. You've helped me so many times and I was being an absolute git over one thing you shouldn't have had to handle alone."

A warm expression unfolded over Hermione's face. She placed her hand over Harry's hand. "Harry, I'm not handling everything alone."

Harry shook his head. "I should have helped you more. After all you've done."

Hermione smiled at him, the first genuine, content expression he had seen for weeks. "Harry, we're best friends. You don't owe me anything."

"Yes we are," said Harry, suddenly uplifted by the smile on Hermione's face and the way she was holding his hands. Normally, he would have felt awkward in this position with her, but now, he felt unusually comfortable and satisfied. "But you've always stuck with me and helped with practically everything each year. I reckon I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you-

"Harry, come on, don't be so dramatic," mumbled Hermione, her eyes starting to becoming slightly shiny.

"I'm serious," said Harry, gripping her hands more tightly. "I really do appreciate all of your support and help- you're a wonderful person and friend. I was thinking about it earlier and I don't think I've said thank you- you deserve more than this but you need to know that I'm very grateful and happy that you're here."

"Oh, Harry," breathed Hermione, flinging her arms his neck and bringing him into a tight hug that Harry, to his surprise, exuberantly reciprocated. "I should be the one thanking you. You've done so much for me as well."

She pulled back so that their heads faced each other. "And I'm never going to leave, whether you like it or not."

Harry swallowed at her, not wanting to say the next sentence but feeling that he needed to clear it off his chest. "Hermione, er, I'm really happy that you want to stay with me but you can leave you know if you have any concerns or you're worried about –

"Harry, no!" exclaimed Hermione sharply. "What are you talking about?"

Harry averted his gaze from her scowling face, chastising himself for so artfully ruining the moment. "Well, er, I'm probably going to sound to like a prat, but I know Ron and you were talking about-

"No," said Hermione, her face dawning in comprehension. "Harry, we weren't- we would never- talk about you in that way-

Harry released himself from her hold. "Hermione, I know that both of you expected more."

"Harry, no!" excalimed Hermione. She grabbed both of his wrists with her hands. "Harry, listen to me. Yes, we were disappointed. But not with you."

Harry frowned. "What?"

Hermione smiled grimly at him. "We were disappointed in Dumbledore for not giving you enough help and information. These past few months have been hard on all of us but we- I do not blame you at all. You told us everything you knew and we're working with that information."

Harry was starting to understand her. She was right. Dumbledore always spoke in riddles, even after his death. But there was one question still forming in his mind that he could not leave, not now. He knew Hermione would not be happy, but he needed to know.

"Hermione, I know," said Harry tentatively. "But you don't have to stay with me just because of an obligation."

"What obligation?" cried Hermione with a blazing expression.

"You remember what you said that night Ron left?" said Harry quietly. "When he asked you to leave with him?"

"Harry, I told him that we promised we would stay with you no matter what happened," recalled Hermione before her expression cleared in horror. "Oh, Harry, no, I never meant it that way."

"Hermione-

"No, Harry, stop thinking like that," snapped Hermione. She pressed slightly against him, intertwining both her hands with his. In a much softer tone, she said, "Harry I want to be with you. Despite how moody we can both be at times and how strained we've been over the past two weeks, there' s no place I'd rather be right now than with you in this tent; not Ron, not with the Weasleys and not with my parents. You're my best friend and I need you more than you can imagine. This job Dumbledore gave you; it's not your job, it's our job. I would never consider leaving you. None of this is your fault."

Harry lifted his head to meet Hermione's gaze. He had not realized how close their faces were; he could count the number of freckles on her nose. Again, he was surprised at how comfortable he felt; normally, his tendency would be to pull away.

The intensity in her brown eyes struck him. They were so bright and wide. He swallowed at the fierceness of the concern in those eyes. It seemed like all of her energy was directly vibrating against him, imploring and urging him to understand.

A strange warmth filled Harry's stomach. He could not tear his gaze away from her eyes. They were so indomitable, so adamant and all for him. The warmth continued to spread across Harry's body, reaching his chest and causing his heart beat to race. It was nice, Harry thought, to have someone care for him like this. And with that sentiment, a powerful clarity overcame Harry. The person standing in front of him could not possibly leave him. Every word she said was true. Hermione. She cared for him, perhaps more than anybody else.

A smile stretched across Harry's features. He felt his face relax, his eyes clearing and a wonderful content infusing him as the warmth disseminated through his body.

"Yes, I believe you."

Hermione smiled. A beautiful curving of the lips that lit her face in an ebullient daze.

"I'm never leaving you Harry," she repeated, her eyes sparkling.

For the first time he could remember, Harry pulled her into the hug, his arms clinging on as tightly as he could as he immersed his face in her hair.

Hermione startled before she reciprocated, her face falling into the nook between his head and shoulders, her breath washing over his neck. They must have held onto each other for a few minutes, each wanting to prolong and savour the moment as long as possible.

Once they reluctantly released themselves from each other, Hermione smiled at Harry. "Thank you."

Harry nodded at her though he did not know exactly for what she was thanking him. "I should go back on guard duty."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, and can you give me the locket?"

"Hermione, it's my turn to wear it," said Harry firmly. "And you said not to wear it before."

Hermione gave a shaky laugh. "I'm not going to wear it- I have an idea about how we can keep it close to us without wearing it and letting it throw us into those terrible moods."

"What are you planning to do?" asked Harry apprehensively.

"You'll see."

Harry rolled his eyes in a comical imitation of her before picking up the locket from the chair and handing it to her. "Fine but remember that thing is very resilient."

"Of course Harry, look what it contains," said Hermione with the same roll of her eyes. "Replace the warming charm around you- I think it may have broken off when we hugged."

"Yes, I should have thought of that charm earlier," muttered Harry. "Would have saved me a lot of shivering." He closed off the entrance to the tent, casting the spell around him.

Hermione stared at the spot where Harry just stood. She shook her head, the warm smile returning to her face. She quickly picked up the invisibility cloak that fell, placed it in her beaded bag and then turned her attention to the locket.

Her mind could barely stay focused on the Horcrux in her hands. She kept thinking of the conversation they just had and pure bliss came over her. Harry was so…. For once she could not find any words and settled on brilliant, though in her mind, the adjective was an immense understatement.

The expression of gratitude and the apology that she still felt he never had to make filled her with a fresh, rejuvenating burst of energy. She just felt so satisfied. It was like something that she wanted for a long time, but feared was gone actually existed. She had an idea what that something was, but was willing to leave it unknown for the time being to enjoy the pleasure and joy pervading her. Even the locket, with the insidious dark magic radiating off it, could not contain her giddiness.

And then her breath hitched as her mind flashed over Harry's admission that he thought she would leave her. Her exhilaration was momentarily replaced by irritation for the words she said to Ron that night. How easy was it for Harry to interpret her sentence the wrong way; she had only tried to appease Ron… But Harry believed her. For once she sensed that he truly knew she would never leave him. And that in itself was worth a hundred victories over Voldemort.

Hermione rolled her eyes at herself. She needed to concentrate and find a way for them to transport this locket. After what happened today, she was definitely not going to let either her or Harry wear the locket; it was far too damaging.

Her mind ran over an idea she started to contemplate last night. The books she summoned from Dumbledore's office described the Horcrux as being dormant in its original location because usually this was the place intended for the object by the same soul which fragmented to make the Horcrux. Effectively, the Horcrux "obeyed" the request of its own soul to not attempt to leave that position. So Hermione reasoned that if she could sufficiently mimic the previous location of the locket, it would be far less troubling for them; they would not have to worry about the locket attempting to escape.

She wondered how closely she would have to replicate the location. One of the textbooks also explained that the one who makes the Horcruxes can set the parameters by which the location stifles the Horcrux. Hermione read this as the details of the location that would "deactivate" or turn off some of the dark magic within the object.

She bit her lip. Maybe she should wait for Harry to come back and ask him to give a full description of the cave they found the Horcrux. But Hermione countered, Voldemort may have not considered the possibility of the Horcrux being found and taken away. Then, he would not have paid much attention to the exact characteristics of that cave. Harry also said that a basin full of liquid poison contained the locket.

So, Hermione reasoned, with a few Transfiguration spells, she could easily conjure a basin full of water for the Horcrux. To replicate the cave, a permanent humidifying charm may be sufficient.

How she would create the basin? Ideally, the object she was transfiguring should have a similar shape to a basin, but they had no such object. Her eyes flickered over the pile of parchment on the table. And a small smile suddenly appeared on her face. She knew what to do.

She took a piece of blank parchment and rolled it into a ball. She made a slight indentation in the top of the ball with her quill. And then Hermione closed her eyes. She visualized the white of the parchment turning into a surly grey, the grey breaking into hundreds of small little fragments that interwove and attached themselves through clearly cut lines cutting across in intricate crisscross patterns, the and then finally, the indentation she made hollowing out to the very bottom of the ball like an inverse cone; very wide at the top but narrow at the bottom. As she pictured the transformation, she continually whispered a series of incantations designed for the transfiguration of circular like objects, her wand tracing around the ball several times.

After she pictured the transformation with the incantations, she opened her eyes slightly to see the ball of paper still there. Hermione held her frustration, knowing that these transfigurations required multiple visualizations. She focused on the visualization again, this time concentrating more on the individual grains of pebble, streaks and lines within the stone of the basin, how the indentation cleared through the rest of the ball, allowing the insides to fold into a part of the outside. As she completed this visualization, Hermione heard a soft, whizzing sound. Waves of heat billowed over her followed by multiple sharp, clicking sounds. Hermione grinned. The transfiguration was occurring and judging by the heat emanating off it, the transformation required some energy. After the last clicking sound, Hermione kept her eyes closed for a few extra moments, the anticipation building within her.

She then opened her eyes to see a very small, stone basin sitting on the table in front of her. Hermione frowned. She had not considered the size of the bowel; an engorging charm would be required. Looking at the locket, Hermione judged the proper size of basin to comfortably accommodate the locket. And then she pointed her wand at the basin with its enlarged image filling her mind.

"Engorgio!"

The basin buzzed and vibrated for a moment before concentric layers begin to form at the bottom and around the sides, pushing the basin upward and outward. The widening and rising stopped once the size Hermione pictured was reached.

Hermione nodded, satisfied at her work. She pointed her wand into the hollow of the basin, muttering "Agoumenti." A stream of water issued out of her wand into the basin. She filled the hole to a few centimeters from the top of the basin.

After reversing "Agoumenti", Hermione placed a finger over the end of her wand. Imagining the sensation of cool, damp air on her finger, Hermione whispered, "Humidifio." Almost immediately, she felt the exact sensation on her finger. Hermione swept her wand over the entire surface of the basin, including the closed bottom and open top, keeping her wand about one or two centimeters above the surface. Once she was finished, she placed her hand in the area around the basin. A pleased smile formed on her face at the moistness appearing on her fingers. She reversed the humidifying charm on her wand.

And for the last spell: Hermione reached into her beaded bag, pulling out her Ancient Runes textbook. She turned to the page containing runes for a Permanence spell. She quickly copied those runes onto a blank piece of parchment, writing the runes in a large circle. She then changed the page to the runes for the Humidifying charm, neatly writing those runes down on the parchment in a circle within the outer one containing the runes for the Permanence charm. And after glancing back at the table of contents, Hermione found the page for hollowed spherical objects such as a basin. She wrote the runes for that shape in a smaller circle within the ring for the Humidifying charm runes.

With her left hand, she held the parchment in front of the basin. She used her wand as a beam connecting the parchment to the basin; the magical end of the wand touching the area of humidification. Hermione closed her eyes once again, centering her focus onto the idea of the runes flowing from the parchment through the wand and then onto the edges of her humidifying charm, replicating themselves so that they covered the entire area and permanently set the charm.

Hermione maintained her concentration for a few moments before she felt the wand tingle under her fingers, the familiar buzzing sound reaching her ears from around the bowel. Hermione continued to keep her focus on the transfer of the runes as the buzzing sound became incrementally louder. And then suddenly, with a resounding click, the buzzing stopped. Hermione opened her eyes and breathed. A slight tiredness crept into her; rune transfers always took their energy from the caster and not the surroundings.

Hermione took the trembling locket in her hand and dropped it into the basin. The locket quickly sank to the bottom, hitting the stone with a dull thud. The shaking increased initially but then slowed down quite sharply. Hermione smiled in relief; it looked like her experiment was working. But then to her surprise, the locket sprang up from the bottom to the surface, the vibrations becoming much more rapid. It broke the surface of the water before stopping mid air at the top of the basin and falling back to the water.

Hermione watched the locket repeat this energetic motion in astonishment three times. The fourth time, she caught the locket in the air before it fell. As soon as it touched her hand, the locket's vibrations slowed. She placed the disquieting object on the table.

She frowned. The locket was certainly trying to escape. It looked like the humidifying charm was preventing it from jumping straight out of the basin. So that meant, although she managed to recreate the cave's atmosphere, the basin was not successfully replicated. Hermione snapped her fingers in frustration. Maybe Voldemort was more attentive than she thought…. If he was, then she would not be able to mimic the basin because she surely did not have the poison he used.

But she had a few potions ingredients that were used in several poisons. Would that make the water close enough to the poison? She could also change the volume and temperature of the water to mimic the potion. Or, perhaps her basin was too different to the one contain the locket. Then, she would need Harry's description of the basin.

Hermione sighed. She would try to change the basin and potion as much as she could to see if she managed to reproduce the original Horcrux location, but if she was unsuccessful, she would simply wait for Harry.

A/N: How did you like this chapter? And their conversation and Hermione's experiments with the locket?