Hermione's Harry

Author's Note: Here it is, the beginning of the animagus transformation and the second task. Who's going to be Harry's hostage? How quickly will he retrieve his hostage? Will anyone get hurt? Or maybe killed? What stupidity have I put together this time? Well, I suppose you'll see

Also, I'd like to mention that I have been reading all of my reviews, and I still appreciate all of the support. I recently read one posted by someone nice enough to share an opinion on Hermione's reaction to Harry attempting to protect her from Malfoy. I would like to express that I feel the exact same way, and I was actually using that fight to create a way to evolve Hermione, which I am finishing in this chapter. Thank you so much for the time you took to share how you felt, and I just want to say again that I feel the exact same way, and I'd likely break up with any guy that didn't act like a man and stand up for me, and I'm a full on feminist taking Women's Studies in College (also known as Gender, Race, and Class). That was simply an opportunity to give Hermione a bit of an inner conflict and add more to my story.

Chapter 10

"Back again you two?" Myrtle asked from her toilet as Hermione stirred the contents of the cauldron in the middle of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Come to gloat about how you have Harry, cat girl?" She prodded at Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes. "If you're not going to make polite conversation, maybe you should go back to the prefects' bathroom and continue your hobby of stalking." Myrtle huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't stalk!" She cried as she let out a sob and dived back into her toilet.

Hermione looked up at Harry with a smile and he crossed his own arms over his chest. "That's not a little sensitive, she's just completely lost it. Moaning Myrtle, the peeping ghost of Hogwarts."

"Oh really?" She asked and stood up, leaning against the sinks. "How do you know that she peeps?"

Harry paled and scratched the back of his neck. "Cedric told me to go to the prefects' bathroom with my egg to figure out the clue… and I did… and she showed up and told me to put it under the water… I freaked and snapped at her until she left."

Hermione's eyes widened and she crossed her legs at her ankles. "So she saw you naked?" She asked.

Harry shrugged. "No idea, the bubbles were so thick I doubt anyone could see through them, and she said that she didn't look until she heard a splash, but she could have been lying. Hence why I told her I was dating you and demanded that she give me privacy."

Hermione grinned and Harry took several steps toward her. "How sweet, you told off a gloomy ghost with a crush to stay faithful to me." Harry laughed and placed his hands on the edge of the sink she was leaning against.

"Of course I did Mione, you're my girlfriend and I love you." The brunette wrapped her arms about his neck and kissed him lovingly.

When they broke apart to breathe she glanced behind her. "So… this is really the entrance to the chamber of secrets?" She asked. Harry blushed and nodded. "And the basilisk is still down there… decaying as we speak…" He nodded again. "I want to see it."

He took several steps back and nearly knocked over their cauldron. "Mione, you can't possibly be serious. Do you know how dangerous that was?"

She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "The danger is gone now, isn't it? You killed the monster, the diary is gone, and there's nothing else down there that poses a threat, is there?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and sighed. "If you're really going to refuse to drop it, we can go. Tomorrow night, after the second task."

Hermione pulled him back to her by the collar of his shirt. "I just want to know what I missed. Every year I've been involved in a dangerous adventure with you, except our second year. Besides… I could use a bit of closure, don't you think? That giant snake took away a month of my life, a month of time that I could have spent harping on you to do your homework.

Harry smirked and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "Alright, alright, I understand. As I said, we'll go tomorrow night after the second task. Tonight I'd prefer to focus on our potion and each other. Can you agree to that?" He asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I can agree to that Harry. You're more fun to focus on anyway."

They continued their playful banter as they sat back down next to the cauldron and worked together on the first potion necessary for the animagus transformation. By the time they walked out of Myrtle's bathroom under the cloak Hermione was sure that the process would take double the necessary time if they couldn't keep their hands to themselves in the future.

It was late when they finally made it back to Gryffindor tower, and once they were back in their common room they immediately cuddled up together in the big chair by the fireplace. Hermione pulled out a book to read and Harry occasionally read over her shoulder as he watched her react to the words in front of her. Almost an hour after they came back, the twins walked up with smiles on their faces.

"Sorry to bother you darling love birds-"

"But McGonagall and Dumbledore said they need to see you Hermione."

The couple looked up at the twins together. "Just Hermione?" Harry asked and they nodded. Hermione turned to Harry and bit her lip, obviously worried she'd done something wrong. Harry shook his head with a smile. "Will you quit worrying Hermione? They probably just want to tell you that you're likely going to be a prefect next year."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and Harry and kissed his cheek. "You're probably wrong but that's sweet of you to assume." She turned to the twins. "Do you know what they want to talk to me about?" She asked.

Fred shook his head and George shrugged. "All we know is that you're not in any trouble."

Harry nodded. "Why are you two delivering the message?" He asked out of curiosity.

Both twins' grins returned. "Oh… we got caught helping you out, Harry." Harry raised an eyebrow and George laughed. "Our baby brother decided he was going to try and attack you while you were asleep so we temporarily trapped his wand with a potion of our own invention that's designed to redirect magic at the caster. He's still in the hospital wing attempting to get his favorite appendage returned to its proper size."

Harry's eyes widened and Hermione burst into a fit of giggles. "Okay then, I'm guessing McGonagall decided to make you my designated escorts to the headmaster's office?" She asked between laughs.

Fred and George nodded, holding out their hands. "And we'll be perfect gentlemen, cross our hearts and hope to die."

Harry quirked an eyebrow and smirked as he stood up with Hermione and gave her a quick kiss. "Just don't flirt with my witch and you won't have to die at all," Harry said with a laugh. Hermione hit his arm and hugged him tightly before looping her arm through Fred's.

"Not a chance that'll happen Harry-"

"We've already got girlfriends-"

"Not that Hermione isn't wonderful of course."

The small group left through the portrait hole, laughing themselves silly. Harry smiled as the portrait swung back into place and sat back down in his chair. He picked up the book she left behind, which happened to be Hogwarts, A History. He shook his head with a smile and picked up where she left off. It couldn't hurt to read his girlfriend's favorite book while he waited for her to come back, right?

Unfortunately, he fell asleep an hour later and did not wake up until eight in the morning. Once he saw what time it was he began to panic. Hermione couldn't have come back while he was asleep because she would have woken him up the moment she returned, and if she hadn't come back it could only mean that she was somewhere else that may not be pleasant.

A thought crept into his mind that he attempted to ignore and push aside. We've taken what you'll sorely miss… He shook his head, telling himself over and over that Dumbledore wouldn't do that. His headmaster wouldn't hide his girlfriend at the bottom of the black lake… would he?

We've taken what you'll sorely miss…

"Dobby!" Harry called with a shaking voice. The elf appeared in an instant holding out the gillyweed and shuffling his feet. "Dobby, do you know where Mione is?" He asked.

Dobby nodded. "Dobby is knowing, Harry Potter sir. Harry Potter's Miss Grangey is in the black lake." The elf's legs began to shake with fear.

Harry nodded and took the gillyweed from Dobby. "I have to go," he said quickly and hugged the elf. "Thank you for everything Dobby, you're one of the greatest friends I've ever had." The teenage wizard released Dobby and ran upstairs to dress himself for the task. He took one look around the dormitory before slipping the gillyweed into his pocket and running down to the great hall.

He seemed to move robotically through the rest of the morning as he ate and made his way to the black lake with the rest of the students. Hermione's in the lake, he kept telling himself silently. Hermione's in the lake. She needs me. Hermione's in the lake.

He took his place with his fellow competitors, all dressed in their swim suits and ready to dive into the lake and save a hostage. Did the others know that they had to save a person instead of retrieve an unknown object? Was Hermione at least safe under the surface of the water? Would he find her in one piece or ripped apart by a bunch of creatures that didn't take to having a human invading their lake?

Finally, Dumbledore stepped forward. Harry turned to him with an expression that showed just how much pain and anger he felt. Dumbledore could see the question burning within the boy, how could you take her from me? All the elderly wizard could do was offer an apologetic smile. "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Dumbledore announced to the crowd, his voice magnified overwhelmingly. "Something has been taken from each of our champions, and they will have to navigate through our black lake to retrieve what has been stolen. They have only one hour to retrieve their treasure."

Harry stuck the gillyweed in his mouth and chewed it into nothingness. He jumped into the lake with his fellow competitors when the word "Begin!" was shouted out. When he hit the water he felt his neck and found that he had gills, and kicked his legs to find that his feet were webbed and much longer. It took only a couple moments for him to come to grips with what Dobby told him would happen, and he was off looking for Hermione.

He felt as though he'd been wandering for forever when he finally heard the song again. By that time he'd already seen Fleur attacked by grindylows and had nearly been attacked himself. But once he heard that song he shot forward like a bullet from a gun. The sight in front of him was something he hoped he'd never come in contact with again. Hermione, along with Cho, Fleur's younger sister by the looks of it, and the Durmstrang girl that Krum had taken to the Yule Ball all looked dead. They were each tied to a rock by one ankle and simply bobbed to the movement of the water. They were obviously in the middle of the merpeople's city because there had to be at least twenty more of the half-human half-fish creatures nearby.

He shook himself mentally and swam up to Hermione. He placed both his hands on her face and sighed, praying he'd never see her like this again, it reminded him too much of his visits to see her while she was petrified. Without another moment of hesitation he untied her and began to pull her up to the surface of the water.

Hermione couldn't see anything, she couldn't breathe, nor did she need to. All that was there was feeling, and when she felt Harry's hands she wished she could smile and lean into his touch. Spending the night in the lake instead of in his arms was one of the most unpleasant things she'd ever experienced. She was thrilled of course when they broke the surface of the water and she could finally move again.

Harry was struggling to bring them both to the wooden boards they needed to get to. She looked down to see a grindylow pulling on his ankle. Without hesitation she grabbed his wand out of his hand and shot a spell at the creature that was hindering her boyfriend. They made it back rather quickly after that. Once they were seated on a bench with several towels and blankets wrapped around them Harry pulled her into a tight embrace that nearly hurt her incredibly sensitive skin, but she didn't care one bit.

She held on to him as if her life depended upon it. "You did it, Harry," she said in an effort to comfort him. "You found me, and from the looks of it we're the first ones back."

Harry shook his head. "I don't care about that, Mione. I could have lost you," he whispered in her ear and kissed her neck softly. "You know my life doesn't matter to me, but you're a much different story. I can't imagine being without you again."

He let go of her, holding his girlfriend at arm's length so he could gaze into her eyes. She was his world, he couldn't lose her. Hermione felt a good kind of odd feeling at being looked at by Harry. He seemed to be memorizing every detail of her appearance as if it were the first or last time he was seeing her. Then he quirked an eyebrow and picked something out of her hair which turned out to be a rather large and ugly bug.

"That's weird…" she said as he dropped it onto the wooden boards. "Beetles aren't active in water, are they?" She asked.

Harry shrugged. "Not my area of expertise," he said with a smile and pulled her back to him. It was clear he was not yet sure she was completely safe, and didn't want to give her the opportunity to be hurt again. Hermione would have thought it was adorable if she weren't being nearly crushed.

"Harry," she gasped out. "I promise I'm okay, and if you let go of me I promise we'll visit our pond tonight and wait until tomorrow night to go to the chamber."

Harry loosened his grip on her. "Can we just make new and more positive memories in the chamber tonight?" He asked, whispering in her ear again. "Best way to insult Slytherin, a half-blood shagging his muggle born girlfriend in the chamber of secrets."

Though it was rather ridiculous a thought, Hermione couldn't help but agree and laugh about it with her boyfriend. "Okay Harry, we'll insult Slytherin tonight, but only if you let me breathe."

Only a few moments after their conversation was concluded, the other two champions returned with their hostages while Fleur desperately tried to dive back into the water. She was saved the embarrassment only a minute or two later when little Gabrielle was sent up to the surface of the lake and swam all the way to safety. The moment the little girl was on the wooden boards Fleur took hold of her sister and embraced her, crying and berating herself.

Eventually Fleur was calmed down by her sister and headmistress. Dumbledore, after conferring with the merpeople, came back to the other champions and announced that Harry came in first place, with Cedric in second, Krum in third, and Fleur in fourth.

Harry didn't care the slightest bit that he'd come in first place. What he cared about was the fact that he'd been lead to believe his girlfriend would disappear after an hour, and that she was safe and sound in his arms at last. He was still shaken up as she led him back to the castle, and she even brought him all the way up to his dormitory, worried that he wouldn't make it on his own in his current state.

When she moved to leave, Harry took hold of her hand and shook his head. "Please stay," he said softly and pulled her into a hug. "I thought I was going to lose you. Please don't leave me."

Hermione had never seen Harry like this. She'd seen him angry, full of hate, shy, sweet, loving, and overwhelmingly caring. She'd never seen him quite this vulnerable, even when he'd been honest with her about the abuse the Dursleys inflicted on him. He seemed completely lost, so she nodded and lay down beside him, allowing Harry to pull his blankets over them both and to wrap his arms around her.

Harry wasn't sure how to handle the events of the day. Sure, he'd made a joke about insulting Slytherin, but it was only in an effort to hide how he was truly feeling. He trusted Hermione, she wouldn't judge him for needing her that night. She would understand, and even if she didn't she would try. That was one of the things he loved most about Hermione. She knew him better than anyone and was always willing to learn more in an effort to help or simply play a larger part in his life. She'd shown just how much she loved him.

Both concluded that tonight Hermione needed to be strong for Harry. He hadn't known she was safer than she had appeared to be. He hadn't known that it wasn't possible for him to lose her this way. Now that she was safe, not only was he having a hard time wrapping his head around that fact, he was finally allowing himself to feel everything that he hadn't been able to take when he was too busy waiting for the task to begin and too busy attempting to save her. He didn't just love Hermione, he was completely in love with her and could not imagine spending another minute without her, let alone the rest of his life. As far as he was concerned none of the teachers in his school were getting any sympathy from him or forgiveness for a long time, if ever.

For once, Harry managed to sleep peacefully while Hermione was the one plagued with nightmares. Her mind seemed to have created a reversed version of what happened in the lake, and in the library with Malfoy. Instead of Harry saving her she was saving him and nearly failing both times. By the time she woke up she had a new-found understanding for why Harry was so protective of her. Just as she couldn't bear to see him hurt, he probably couldn't either. He was constantly stepping in to protect her not because he believed her to be weaker, but because she meant as much to him as he meant to her.

Harry woke shortly after Hermione and smiled when he saw that she was still lying in bed with him. It was morning, but the Sun had yet to rise. Eager to keep everyone from freaking out, Harry threw his cloak over Hermione after giving her a kiss and turned over in bed to enjoy his last hour or so of possible sleep.

Hermione carefully made her way through the dormitory and the common room until she was able to climb into her own bed. Sleep never came though, and she passed the hour she had thinking of how she would talk to Harry about her nightmare. Now that she'd finally found an understanding for his previous actions it didn't seem fair in her eyes not to apologize to Harry for the way she treated him when he dueled Malfoy.

Eventually she gave up trying to sleep and found herself showering first out of her dorm mates and making her way down the stairs and into the common room with Crookshanks at her feet. Harry was already sitting in his favorite chair with a book in his hands when she made it to the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at her with a smile, which faltered when he caught the look of uneasiness on her face.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked.

Hermione looked around and noticed the few people that were already in their common room for the morning. She shook her head and took hold of his hand. "Can we talk privately? I'm not angry about anything, I promise. I just need to talk to you about something that I don't want everyone to hear."

Harry nodded slowly and followed her out the portrait hole. "Are you going to talk to me now?" He asked as they walked through the corridors making their way to the great hall slowly.

Hermione nodded and bit her lip. "Yeah," she said softly. "I wanted to apologize for how I behaved after Malfoy attacked me and you stepped in." Harry stopped and turned to her in order to tell her that she had nothing to apologize for but she shook her head and put a finger to his lips. "Harry, last night I had a nightmare about us in that situation again, but with me in your shoes and you in mine. I understand now, honestly. You didn't step in and defend me because you felt I was weaker, you did it because you would hate to see me hurt. I would have done the same thing, and it was wrong of me to assume something so wrong about you. For that I apologize, but I am still demanding that you not simply take over in the future if I have it under control. I need to know for myself that I can handle the situations thrown at me, and though I appreciate your protective nature I don't want anyone to think I need a knight in shining armor to save me every five minutes."

Harry nodded slowly and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "I'll do my best to let you fight your own battles as long as you don't argue with me for stepping in when I find it necessary. We're equals, and we are strong for each other."

Hermione nodded in agreement and kissed him softly, running her hands up his chest and grabbing his shirt to pull her boyfriend closer. Harry ran one of his hands up her back, tangling his fingers through her hair and kissing her back passionately.

He didn't know why, but every time he kissed Hermione while they were alone together he couldn't seem to control himself. He ended up pushing her against a wall and kissing her with a fierceness she alone seemed able to bring out in him. Maybe it was because he loved her and because he'd shared so much of himself with her that he had difficulties keeping his cool.

Hermione didn't seem to mind how intense their snogging had gotten that moment, but she certainly did not want to get caught by a staff member while in such a compromising position. She pushed Harry back softly, and after smirking at him flirtatiously she laced her fingers through his and led him to Myrtle's Bathroom.

"Why are we in here, Mione?" Harry asked breathlessly as he pushed her back against the sinks and kissed her neck. Hermione whimpered, unsure how she felt about him figuring out her weak spot. She just couldn't resist anyone being anywhere near her neck.

She wrapped her legs around him and bit her lip as he softly nipped at her neck. "We didn't go to the Chamber last night… I still want to…"

Harry grumbled but pulled her away from the sinks before giving her a quick kiss. "Are you sure Mione?" He asked and peered deep into her eyes, hoping to find doubt or hesitance lingering in her gaze. There was no such thing, only a deep longing to discover something new.

"I'm sure Harry," she said with a clear determination. "You were there alone, and I want to know what I missed. We can't go back to the final chamber where you faced off with Quirell, and last year we went back in time together. This is the only thing I've missed that I can still share with you."

Harry nodded slowly and sighed before letting her out of his embrace and simply holding on to her hand. He took a deep breath and stared at the snake engraved on the faucet in front of it. He imagined it as a real serpent, moving and hissing. Open… He hissed.

Hermione watched Harry with interest. She hadn't heard him speak Parseltongue in two years, and it intrigued her. Sure, he'd done it during the first task but she couldn't hear him, and hadn't realized he'd done it until he told her that he did. Somehow she'd forgotten how it sounded to hear Harry that odd language that so many witches and wizards considered evil.

Rather suddenly she saw the sinks all move out from each other and watched as the one in front of them sank into the floor, replacing the tile in front of them and revealing a huge hole. She took a deep breath.

"You jumped into that?" She asked, her voice shaking.

Harry chuckled and nodded. "I'll bet you're thrilled you didn't come with me now."

She smacked his arm and turned back to the hole, gulping. "Summon your broom," she said in a whisper. Harry quirked an eyebrow. "I'll deal with it if I've got you to hold on to and don't have to just jump into a hole devoid of light."

Harry nodded and summoned his broom with a sigh. He didn't like the idea of taking her down the Chamber of Secrets. He'd almost died in there… he'd almost lost her to the monster that had called the chamber home.

Before he could muster the courage to try talking her out of it again, his broom showed up. He mounted it quickly, Hermione following suit almost reluctantly. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and hid her face against his back. Harry smiled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly before taking off down the tunnel. They landed together easily and Hermione instantly hopped off the broom when their feet touched mostly solid ground.

He'd almost forgotten that the floor was nothing but bone. He lit up his wand and took in the sight of the snake skin they'd found before and the rocks that Ron had moved away after they'd fallen and separated the two preteens two years ago. Harry repressed a shudder.

So many memories, so much pain, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue. But one look at Hermione and he suppressed the urge to force her back on his Firebolt and fly back up to the bathroom they'd just been in. She needed this, she needed closure, and she needed this experience.

So, on they went until they reached the final point before the chamber. The door… it was the same as Harry remembered. Snakes all over it, hooked over the opening. He took another deep breath and hissed the same word he'd used to get this far. "Open…"

Author's Note: Yes I know, you probably all hate me for leaving you with a cliff hanger. I'm partially sorry, I know how much I hate them and I'm sure everyone else does just as much. Please don't hate me too badly, I don't plan on doing this often and the only reason I did it with this chapter is because it was getting way too long. I'll continue their visit to the chamber in the next chapter, which I'm about to start right now and will likely have up within a couple days. What can I say? I can actually write at the moment! Thank you all again for your support and I truly adore all of you!