Part Two
Of Hearts and Masks
By: Steve Lewis


I want to thank all of you who submitted a review of my work, as I really appreciate the feedback. Now, if you liked the first part, I think you're in for a terrific treat here. This is part two, and it's much longer. I actually do something crazy and try to begin a bit of a plot line along with all the fluff, and I'd like to see how many readers out there are sharp enough to see where I'm going just yet, (if you can't tell, don't worry, I'm not too sure myself! :) ). You hopeless romantics out there will love this one, as will I hope, typical Harry Potter buffs, as I tried to incorporate a lot of my HP knowledge in this one.


Harry awoke the next morning in a kind of euphoric daze. Last night was, well confusing. He didn't know what to think about Ginny anymore. She was, great, but he wasn't quite sure about it. All he did know, was that electricity like that didn't pass between acquaintances. Now, he'd committed himself to seeing her again, a date almost, and he was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't the best thing to do.
Harry dressed in his robes quickly, and started down to the great hall, where his friend Ron had already gone. He found him sitting at the table, munching contently on some toast, and staring across the room blankly. Harry sat down next to him, grabbing some toast for himself.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts should be good today," Harry said conversationally. Ron's eyes snapped back into focus as he heard Harry's voice. It was as if he'd only seen him at that moment.
"Oh, um, yeah, we're studying more on vampires today right?" He said stupidly. Harry just looked at him with a bemused expression on his face.
"No you nutter, that was yesterday, today we're moving onto Wraiths!" Harry grinned at him, "I know that's not exactly you're favorite class in the world, but we've got Lupin back, you should at least pay attention!"
Ron suddenly got defensive, "I am paying attention! Harry, you're beginning to sound a lot like Hermione!" With these words his eyes clouded and became dreamy again.
Harry noticed his expression and laughed, "If Hermione makes you look like that, I'm sure I don't want to be her!
Ron turned red the instant Harry spoke. "What are you talking about! Hermione and I are like...oil and water! He went silent again, concentrating hard on his toast.
Harry smirked a little, "Yeah, and you weren't at all jealous of Krum last year. I saw the way you kept looking at them!"
Ron shot Harry a dark look, and stood up. "C'mon, we're gonna be late for class, Lupin's gonna set a Bogart after us or something. Harry smiled again, he couldn't blame Ron for changing the subject, he was being a bit harsh. After all, the way Harry was feeling about Ginny right now, he was sure he wouldn't have appreciated any ribbing from Ron at the moment.
The two set off for Defense Against the Dark Arts in silence. Harry knew that Ron wasn't mad, he just probably didn't want to provoke any more comments from him. About halfway to the class, they met up with Hermione. When Ron saw her, he flushed a slight pink, and switched sides with Harry so that he could stand next to her. She noticed him move, but didn't make any comment.
"So, did you two get your homework done, or did you slack...as usual?" Hermione asked in her typical scolding, (but concerned) tone. Harry nodded his assent, holding up the parchment that was due to Professor Lupin. Ron shrugged slightly, muttering something about being half-finished.
Hermione shook her head and said in an exasperated tone, "Ron, I swear, I don't know how you expect to make it out of this year without doing your homework. Defense Against the Dark Arts is one of your most important classes this term!" She nudged him affectionately, allowing her body to stay close to his as they walked. Ron glanced over at her, somewhat surprised, but Harry could tell from the smile on his face that he didn't mind the fact that they're bodies were almost touching.
A moment later, they arrived at their classroom. Taking their customary seats at the front of the class, they waited for Professor Lupin, who was sitting at his desk, to begin. Loud whispering and shuffling feet announced the arrival of the rest of the class, and in a moment they were all silent. Professor Lupin never had trouble keeping his class quiet, as they all seemed to enjoy the course.
"As you all know," Lupin began, "I planned on introducing Wraiths to you today, but as I occasionally like to surprise you, I've decided to change things up a bit today. There was a murmur of excitement through the classroom. Lupin's lessons were always interesting, but his surprises were even better.
Lupin continued, "Today, in light of recent events in the wizarding world, I would like to begin studying some of the most dangerous, and yet mundane users of the dark arts. They are none other than Voldemort's closest supporters, the Death Eaters." Silence fell over the class as they heard their professor use Voldemort's name. He looked over his students curiously and said, "Remember the lesson learned in your third year with the bogarts. Evil gathers its strength from fear. The bogarts prey on your worst fears, the Dementor's of Azakaban on you happiness, leaving you with nothing but negative energy...and fear. If each of you learns to face the challenges ahead without fear, we will defeat the master of fear himself, and we need not be afraid to speak his name.
At his words, the whole class erupted into cheers. A few students began a taunting chant, "Voldemort...Voldemort..." Lupin let it continue for a moment before silencing them.
"It is well and good that you all have decided to face your fear, but again, we need not give passersby in the hallway reason to believe anything odd is occurring," he said with an indulgent smile at his students.
"Now, onto Death Eaters," Lupin said, his voice retained its usual classroom air, and the lesson began. "Death Eaters were organized by Voldemort in his rise to power, to assist him in carrying out his evil deeds. The Death Eaters themselves were a power-hungry and bloodthirsty lot, doing Voldemort's bidding not because they were controlled, but because they simply enjoyed doing it." Lupin let out a sigh before he continued, "The Death Eaters disappeared, apparently disbanded after the Dark Lord was destroyed, and some found their way back into the grace of the magical community by claiming to have been controlled by curses that I'm sure you've been taught about in previous classes." Harry remembered all to well the curse that had given him that wonderful feeling of euphoria, beckoning him to do the most ridiculous things, until he learned to completely shake the effects of the curse.
Lupin continued on about Death Eaters for some time, and at the end of the class, he indicated that they would be studying their ways further in the classes to come. The bell rang, and the students left their seats. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the class together chatting amicably, "I wonder what Malfoy will think of that lesson," Ron said sourly. It was an openly known fact that there was no love lost between Ron and Malfoy.
"I don't know, maybe it'll give him ideas," Harry laughed, but he wasn't entirely joking. Harry knew from the previous year that Malfoy's father, Lucius, was indeed a Death Eater, specialized in Muggle torture. Harry supposed that it wouldn't take much for Malfoy to turn out just like his father.
As the students filed out, Ron stopped Hermione in the hallway. Harry didn't notice them stop, and he kept walking. Ron had to talk to Hermione. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he couldn't deny the way he felt. Harry had been right, seeing Hermione with Krum last year had bothered him. Just when he thought he might have a chance to make something more out of their relationship than friendship, Hermione had fallen for some stupid foreign boy. That was in the past though, and Ron could only hope that he'd not lost his chance completely.
"Um, Hermione, I was just wondering...you know we've got that trip into Hogsmeade coming up, and if you like, do you think we could well, meet at the Three Broomsticks or something?" He waited for her answer, hardly daring to hope. Her reaction was not exactly what he expected.
"Well don't we always? I mean, Harry you and I go together every year, I don't see why we need to make a special occasion out of it," Hermione answered smiling.
Ron was more nervous than ever now, but he wasn't about to back down, "Actually, I was kind of thinking that maybe this time we could sort of...leave Harry behind?" He shuffled his feet a bit, looking down to avoid eye contact with her. He was afraid that one look into her eyes, and he would literally melt, as if she'd put a spell on him with a glance.
Hermione was somewhat taken aback by Ron's question, but instantly she felt a surge of sympathy for him. After all, hadn't it been just last year that Harry had been Hogwarts champion, and Ron, his best friend, had felt like a forgotten relic. Hermione knew that they had made up, but she imagined that it still stung Ron to think about it. She decided to accept his offer. Besides, Ron wasn't always such bad company, even alone. Hermione raised her eyebrows at her own odd thought, she'd never really focused on being with Ron alone, but now that she thought about it, it seemed like it could be kind of nice.
Ron could hardly believe his luck. She was going to go with him, just him. It was fantastic! He had to fight the urge to pinch himself, to verify that he was actually awake, but instead he just said, "I suppose around 7:30. All of our classes are done by then, and we can hang out with Harry until then.
Hermione flashed a smile at him and said, "That sounds great, see you then." With that, she whirled around, and headed for her next class. Ron watched her leave, staring at her receding form until she disappeared around the corridor. Breathing a heavy sigh, he walked on to his next class.

Harry spent the rest of the day in a kind of trance, until lunchtime when Ginny came over at sat across from him. Harry looked up at her and had to catch his breath. He had made immediate eye contact, and the now familiar electrical feeling had hit him again. She smiled, lighting up her whole face, and said, "Hi there, I was wondering if you'd ever get in here!" Harry had taken a long time to get away from Potions, as Snape had again forced him to stay and clean up.
"Yeah, just some bad luck with Potions. Snape kept me later than I expected," Harry explained. He looked down at his plate and began idly picking at his mince pie.
"Speaking of time, when should we meet tonight? Ginny asked. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Her question jolted Harry somewhat. He'd been thinking about their meeting all day, and still couldn't decide if it was the right thing to do. His best friend's sister was obviously taken with him, and he was beginning to feel that it was mutual, but what would Ron think? The last time he and Ron had discussed girls at all had been before the Yule Ball the year before. Ginny's name didn't even come up, and she ended up going with Neville out of sympathy. As he thought about it, Harry couldn't help but think of what a kind and thoughtful gesture that had been. He'd never given her enough credit for that...Harry shook his head. He was beginning to think he was delirious, thinking all sorts of random thoughts about this friend of his. He'd talk to Ron, just to find out what he thought, but he couldn't break his date with Ginny in the meantime. If things didn't go to well with Ron, he'd just explain it to Ginny when they met.
"I suppose midnight would be good. Do you think you could be down in the common room then? It's a bit difficult to not make any noise in the girls dorm,"
Ginny beamed at him, "That would be great. By the way, where are we going?" she asked.
Harry gave her another one of his brilliant smiles and said, "That's my surprise, but you'll like it, trust me." He leaned over and gave her a small peck on the check, which had the effect of turning her scarlet, and warming her insides at the same time. Swept with happiness, Ginny grinned widely and watched as Harry turned to go to his next class. Things were looking very good.

That night, Hermione met with Harry and Ron, who were playing a game of wizard chess, verbally commanding their pieces to make moves. Ron was winning by a fair margin, and Harry wasn't showing any signs of catching up. He took the beating quietly though, he knew that Ron enjoyed being able to best him at something. Hermione knelt beside the two of them, and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. Her touch made him shudder with a kind of warm ecstasy, and he made no move to remove her hand. Again, Harry saw the touch take place, but smiling, he said nothing. A romance between these two seemed unlikely, but Harry could only hope for the best for his two friends. Besides, he had other things to worry about.
Ginny was sitting across the common room, pretending to read, but keeping her eyes riveted on Harry the whole time. She just loved the way he talked, so calmly, with just enough reserve, but the right amount of excitement at the proper time. His smile, and his green eyes that Ginny felt lost in every time she looked at him. They reminded her almost of Professor Trelawney's crystal orbs, and Ginny would have loved to have seen her future there, in his eyes.
She gave herself an exasperated sigh. Obsessing again Ginny? She thought to herself. Oh well, it was a nice feeling, and she would be with him tonight, so close underneath that invisibility cloak of his. It would be wonderful. She had no idea where they were going, but if it was with Harry, she knew it would be somewhere special.

Hermione and Ron left Harry alone to his thoughts around seven o'clock. They proceeded together through the passageways of the ancient castle, until they reached the main doors. As they stepped outside into the fresh spring air, the sight that greeted them soured their mood in an instant. Standing with his to thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, Draco Malfoy stood with a sarcastic sneer on his face. "Well, well, aren't we just the happy couple?" Malfoy said derisively. "Really Weasly, do you think you can afford to be taking Hermione out anywhere? How will your family eat?" He laughed loudly, and his two thick friends joined him.
Ron instantly turned scarlet. Malfoy's insults usually had that effect on him. "We're not on a date, dungbrain, we're just going to Hogsmeade together!" He retorted.
Malfoy looked at them curiously, "Without the famous Harry Potter? Oh, however will you be recognized?" Malfoy cracked with a wide grin.
Before he could stop himself, Ron replied, "Maybe we don't want to be recognized, okay?" Malfoy just looked at him with a smirk on his face, until he walked past.
"Oh, and by the way," Malfoy's voice had just become serious, "You should watch yourself Granger, you're a Mudblood, with Voldemort back, it'll be hard to mask that." He smiled wickedly, but only just had time to, as Ron blasted him with a hex from his wand. Instantly, Malfoy contracted, his face turning bright red, a moment later, a burst of hot flame jetted from his mouth. He let out a cry, and ran into the building.
Hermione started to give Ron a reproachful look as they walked away toward the carriages taking them to Hogsmeade, but when she saw the expression of triumph that had settled upon Ron's handsome features, she forgot about it. He really was good looking, she'd never noticed it before really, but he had quite a nice build for being so tall, and his red hair gave him a wild quality that his deep brown eyes subdued, giving him very well balanced features. Hermione turned her thoughts away, she was his friend, it would stay that way.
Ron himself was brooding. He had to say something to her. What if he really had lost his chance? There would be no way of finding out until he tried. He had other things on his mind too. Harry had talked to him just before they'd left, and told him that he, Harry was enamored with Ron's own little sister. Ron could hardly believe it, but the thought of it made him grin. He had always known that Ginny was very taken with Harry, but he'd never really let on exactly what the extent of that crush was. He just hoped that Harry was prepared to deal with a girl that practically idolized him.
He and Hermione reached the Three Broomsticks, and walked inside. There, they ordered two butterbeers, and sat down. Sipping at there drinks, the two of them chatted idly about the day they had experienced. After a while, Hermione took Ron's hand and said, "I wanted to thank you." She gave his hand a slight squeeze, and sensing no objection, kept it there.
"Thank me for what?" Ron asked curiously. He was looking into Hermione's eyes, which seemed to be searching back into his. Could she somehow see what was going on in there?, Ron wondered.
"For standing up for me with Malfoy," Hermione said. She let her gaze slide across his features, watching his reaction.
Ron shrugged her thanks off and said, "Anytime," very quickly, and to his own chagrin, he added, "Harry would have done the same thing." He wanted to kick himself for saying it, he didn't know why he said it, but something in the way Hermione was looking at him made him want to seem like less of a braggart.
Hermione smiled indulgently at him, "But Harry didn't do it, you did. And I thank you for that." With these words, she leaned in closer, concentrating again on the depth of Ron's eyes. Ron stared back, transfixed, unable to speak, and hardly to move. Something in his mind spoke though, "Now's the time!" His heart skipped a beat as the full realization of what he was about to do dawned on him, reaching a hand out to caress her face, Ron whispered as he drew closer to her, "I love you Hermione."
It was all that Hermione needed to hear. Her heart melted in that moment, and she felt a rush of fantastic release as Ron's lips met hers. The embrace was slow, sweet, and somehow, Hermione thought, magical. When it ended, Ron looked at Hermione with an expression she'd not ever seen on his face. It was an expression of intense passion that took her breath away. All she could manage to say was, "I love you too, Ron. I love you so much..."

Midnight came too slow for Harry Potter, but finally, at quarter till, he slipped on his invisibility cloak, grabbed his Marauder's Map, a gift from Fred and George in his third year, and headed down to the common room. There, sitting in an armchair by the fire, he saw Ginny, wringing her hands in her lap, and glancing nervously at the clock on the mantle. He crept up behind her silently, and gently placing a hand on her shoulder, he said gently, "Expecting someone?"
Ginny jumped out of the chair and turned on the spot. She looked confusedly around for a moment, before Harry enveloped her in the invisibility cloak, wrapping his arms around her. Underneath the cloak, Ginny could see Harry's sparkling green eyes and his wide smile directed at her. She instantly began to feel the warmth of his body against hers, as she stared up into his face. In a nervous voice she spoke, "So this thing makes us both invisible?"
Harry smiled and whispered, "Right now, not a person in the world can see us, we're isolated from everything...except each other." Harry didn't know why he'd added the last part, but his words seemed to have a positive effect, Ginny absolutely glowed up at him. She pressed her body against his, and Harry felt her heat glide through him like a trembling wave. Spontaneously, he took her face in his hands, and tilted her head back, allowing one of his hands to gently caress her long, flowing hair. Their lips met, and both were washed away with the intensity of the other's touch.
Harry's mind was a blur of emotion. He felt more intense passion than he had ever felt, but his mind whirled, trying to rationalize it all. He kissed Ginny more intensely, letting his lips travel the length of her smooth throat. She tilted back passively, but soon regained herself as Harry's lips found hers again. Finally, Harry gave up trying to hold back, succumbing to the wonderful feelings that threatened to lift him away.
Ginny was swooning as the kiss ended. She collapsed into Harry's arms, and started to cry, "I love you so much Harry, so much I couldn't hardly contain it all this time, and now, now you...you..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, after all, she wasn't sure.
She didn't have to, Harry finished it for her, "I love you Ginny. It's been a bit of a struggle for me to realize that, but now I know." He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. Trying to regain his composure, he said, "We should be going now, I'd like to show you something."
Ginny followed Harry out of the common room, under the protection of the invisibility cloak.