Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just copies of the books.
Moody, Harry, Victor, Fleur, Cedric and Hermione Apparated into the living room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place where Dumbledore, Sirius, Severus, Remus, Arthur and Molly were waiting. For a moment, Harry was confused as to why he was at the home of his Godfather instead of the Ministry. "You may release Harry of his bindings, Alastor," Dumbledore said with a grim look.
"Why is it I'm not surprised that you are breaking another rule, Potter?" Severus asked with his notoriously snide voice.
Harry glared at the Potion Master and did not respond. He wished he could, but people were here. People who did not know about Severus's guardianship. Harry wished he could act normally around his guardian. He wished this stupid war could be over so he could spend time with Severus like they did in the past. He missed having the ability to have fun with Severus. All those times Harry played around as a child, he knew Severus was there to watch over him. The war had put an unbearable distance between Harry and Severus. One both wished would just end.
"Someone cut the connection of our wards," Sirius said as he ran over to Harry. "How'd you manage without your cloak or robes?"
Harry just shrugged as he did not want to talk about the attack. He was more concerned about Hermione at the moment. She should have woken by now, but Hermione was still shivering. The temperature of her body was still dropping, something Harry had never come across. Hermione's breathing was abnormal as well. This was not the aftereffects of a Dementor attack. Something else was going on.
"Actually, he had a reason for not using his robes," Remus whispered to Sirius when Harry left to move Hermione to one of the spare rooms. Sirius just agreed silently as they waited for Dumbledore to pass judgment. A moment later, Harry returned, but his mind was still lingering on Hermione.
"Harry's offences are, six unapproved uses of magic outside of school grounds, stealing of a Muggle motorcycle, destruction of property and disturbance of a Muggle neighborhood," Moody grunted with a smothered laugh.
"That's quiet a list you have there, Potter," Severus sneered. "I wonder if you have passed your father in stupidity!" Sirius, Remus and Harry falsely charged at Severus while Molly, Arthur, Moody, Cedric and Victor held them back. "Oh, and quick to anger too."
"Severus, I do think that is enough insults," Dumbledore said as a warning. He was smiling inside. Although Severus was changed by raising Harry, he still had not lost his old personality. Severus is indeed a dangerous man to have as a foe. "Harry, would you care to explain why you are charged with so many violations?"
Harry could not help but smirk to Dumbledore's twinkling eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. He quickly began his story at the grocery store skipping the part of his dream. Sooner or later Harry would need to tell his guardians and maybe Dumbledore, but now was not the time. Not when so many people were around.
When Harry finished his story, leaving out several details that should only be told to certain ears, everyone, except for Dumbledore, was wide eye in shock of how Harry survived the attack. He fought against Demeantors, four well-trained Aurors and came out without a scratch all the while defending a fallen Hermione.
"Very interesting, Harry," Dumbledore commented as he sat up in his comfortable rocking chair. "I do wonder how the Ministry will react to his information."
"Ha!" Sirius spat with disgust. "It was the Ministry trying to do Harry in! They wanted to silence him for spreading a truth they do not want to face!"
However, discussion of the actions of the Ministry was cut short when Fleur rushed into the room and cried, "Hermione's not waking up!" Every head turned her direction with worry.
"Professor," Harry said to Dumbledore. "Can I talk to you privately?" Dumbledore nodded and lead Harry to the side.
"Is this about Hermione?" Dumbledore inquired as he placed a spell to cut off their voices from being heard.
"Yeah. She has something carved into her back. There are two circles, a smaller one carved inside a larger one. Inside the smaller circle is an eight-point star with two Runes, one overlapping the other in the center pentagon. At the end of each tip of the star is an empty circle and looks like more runes will be carved there eventually," Harry explained to the headmaster. "I saw something similar while looking up the anti-magic rune."
Dumbledore stroked his beard curiously before responding, "Do you know which runes they were?"
"No. I only know a few runes. I think the two are Forbidden Runes."
Few times in his life has Harry ever seen Dumbledore's eyes widen in shock, and this was one of them. There existed few people in the world with the knowledge of Rune charts, but fewer who knew the existence of the Forbidden Runes. Both were outlawed because of how dangerous it was, not because it gave a witch or wizard tremendous power, but because it used human life as a median to boost magical power.
Dumbledore stormed towards the room Hermione was kept and Harry followed closely behind. "No one is to enter under no circumstances!" Dumbledore ordered with a flash of fear in his eyes that shocked everyone there. "Come, Harry," he said quickly as they entered the room. With a quick wave of his wand, Dumbledore wove several spells sealing the room completely from the outside. Even the Weasley Twin's Extendable Ears could not penetrate in. "Now show me what you saw."
Harry winced not wanting to undress Hermione, but Dumbledore's stare was far more horrifying. Obeying Dumbledore's orders, Harry quickly sat down next to Hermione and unhooked the clips that held his robes on her body and pulled them out. Once more his blood was pumping and heart was racing as he stared down at Hermione's chest.
Dumbledore slapped his face in humiliation as he did not think Hermione did not have any clothes underneath the robes. He, too, was blushing. And staring through the cracks of his fingers. No wonder why Harry was so reluctant to move… Dumbledore said to himself.
Harry's hand was trembling as he reached down and placed a hand on Hermione's arm. It was hard controlling it to not reach over. When he clasped her arm, Harry quickly and gently flipped Hermione onto her stomach and covering her chest. Harry could not help but think how soft Hermione's skin was against his palm. Several thoughts flashed through Harry's mind before he quickly pulled off the sleeves and robes revealing the carving he described earlier.
"Merlin's Beard!" Dumbledore cried out as he recognized the carving. It was as he feared. This was Pelanore's mark. A mark that would protect a sacrifice from harm. But who could have done such a thing? Who would make Hermione a sacrifice? Dumbledore raced his hand through Hermione's back just to make sure. He wished this was just an illusion, but it was not. This was just as real as Voldemort's return. "You are to speak to no one about this!" Dumbledore ordered Harry as he spun around to face the young boy.
"Erase it from my memory," Harry replied. Dumbledore replied with a look of confusion. "This is Hermione's secret. She did not want me to know; hence erasing it from my memory would be the best thing to do."
Dumbledore looked at Harry and wondered for a moment how mature Harry sounded. No normal boy his age would every think of that request. He smiled and felt proud about his decision to let Severus, Sirius and Remus raise Harry. They had done a splendid job. "If that is your wish, Harry, then I will erase it. Actually, it might be better if I sealed it. But before I do so, there is something I need you to do."
Harry looked at the headmaster who did not look as frightening as before. He wondered what Dumbledore was requesting him to do before he nodded in agreement.
"Just before I make the request, I must state that you will not be expelled from Hogwarts for following my orders." Harry rolled his eyes when he saw twinkles in both Dumbledore's eyes. "Miss Granger has fallen into stasis and her mind is trapped within a dream. She is facing her own darkness and I'm afraid that she is failing. Her life is fading quickly and you will need to enter her mind and bring her back. To do so, you will need to be in physical contact with Miss Granger, so I need you to strip down your shirts and get into bed with Miss Granger."
Harry froze and grimaced. He thought for a moment trying to comprehend Dumbledore's request before holding out his hand. "Say that again?" Harry asked, not sure he heard he request correctly.
"I'm pretty sure you heard me the first time, but if you want me to say it again, I will," Dumbledore stated with a wide hidden grin. He knew that Harry was in his transition phase of life and was beginning to lose his innocence. This made it all the worse for Harry and all the better for Dumbledore.
"You want me to lay naked in bed with Hermione?" Harry's head was spinning so fast that he needed to lean on the wall for support. It did not help that his imagination was running wild.
"In a way, no. I believe my exact words were 'strip down your shirts'. So you technically are only half-naked. You see, in order to revive Hermione, you will need to have as much skin on the upper body contact with her as possible, or a physical and spiritual connection will not form between you and Hermione. This would also mean that Hermione will also be near naked and only clothed in her underwear."
"You're joking right?" Harry asked, but too weak to shout.
Dumbledore's grin was now showing. "No I'm not. If you are unwilling to strip down, I will do it for you." Payback's a bitch, they say. Dumbledore would never forget this day for the rest of his life.
Dumbledore was enjoying himself at every moment. In his sleeves was a hidden digital camcorder focused strictly upon Harry's face to capture every moment of his embarrassment. He had turned it on the moment he thought of this clever trick. Of course this was all for Hermione's benefit, but Dumbledore did not have a doubt in his mind. Harry will succeed in reviving Hermione as they were bound together by destiny. He only hoped that nothing would ever sever their ties.
"I don't suppose you can undress Hermione…" Harry asked as he stood in his boxers, scarlet red and crossing his arms over his crotch. It was one of the more, if not most embarrassing qualities of the male gender.
After capturing Harry's face as he spoke those words, Dumbledore discretely shut off the camcorder and said to Harry, "There isn't a need to. I stated that you needed to have as much skin in the upper body contact with Hermione. She is fine the way she is since she's topless. When you're next to Hermione, you will need to hold her as close to your body as the spell I am going to use will transfer your mind into Hermione's through the connection made by the contact between her body and yours."
There was more to the spell Dumbledore failed to mention to Harry. This spell would only work if the two people involved with the spell loved one another. Dumbledore could not say with absolute certainty Harry loved Hermione and Hermione loved Harry, but his guesses were fairly accurate. If the two did not love each other in the same way, the spell would just send them into a shared dream state which was harmless to both. However, this would mean that getting Hermione out of her deteriorating state would become even more difficult than it is now.
Love was essential to the success because the spell did not simply weave two minds together, but wove the hearts and soul together as well. It was only when two people were in love in which their heart, mind and soul had the greatest synchronization. This spell utilized that synchronizing to make it so that two people could truly become one for a moment of time. And when two people were one, they could affect the state of the other. This was what Dumbledore hoped to achieve with this spell.
The reason for Harry and Hermione being topless was such that there was nothing between their hearts other than their bones and flesh. Ideally, the spell requires more, but Dumbledore was not about to condone that kind of action. So Harry and Hermione being topless was enough for the time being. It was enough for the spell to work as Dumbledore intended.
Harry grimaced as he slowly walked over and his hands were still crossed over his crotch area. He slid into bed next to Hermione and turned to look at Dumbledore. "As much contact as possible Harry. You will need to turn Hermione so she is facing you. And hold her close."
Harry did as he was told and turned Hermione towards him. However, Harry could not help but look down at her chest. Her skin was softer than silk and smooth as his arms rubbed against hers. He could feel her gentle breathing on his face. As Harry pulled Hermione close so he would not stare at her chest, he was lost in her sweet aroma that he did not notice Hermione pull him in closer. When Harry's senses returned, he found himself entwined with Hermione. His heart was pounding as loud as a bass drum, his stomach was twisting and turning like never before and his mind was giving him such crazy images that Harry never thought he could ever imagine. Harry prayed and hoped that Hermione would not wake up while she was pressed against him. It was far to embarrassing as Harry would be stuck in an awkward situation with his best friend.
But all that stopped when Dumbledore incanted, "Adstringo Somnium!" In the last few moments Harry was awake, he felt as if he had left his body and entered Hermione's. Her emotions flooded his mind and in that moment of time, Harry understood everything Hermione felt, thought, and believed. If there was a way of stating how he felt, it was that Harry's heart, mind and soul had become one with Hermione's. They had become one person.
He was standing on a golden road. On both sides was a brilliant garden of roses, lilies, carnations and hundreds of flowers Harry did not know the names of. As he walked down the road, he found the flowers were beginning to wither. The warmth from before was diminishing and he was beginning to shiver. His red and gold robes were not providing him enough warmth, but he continued. He had one goal in his mind. Nothing else mattered.
He found a girl curled up in a graveyard. Her brown frizzy hair was all over the place and he could hear her quiet sobs. Her back was open and it displayed an image carved onto her back by a knife. "Hermione," he whispered as she pulled off his robes, knelt down next to Hermione and wrapped it around her. "Hermione, it's me, Harry."
"I'm scared, Harry," Hermione whispered through her sobs. Harry looked up at the gravestones and found her name inscribed in it. Further down was a man dressed in black robes with long messy black hair that was tied back crudely. Much like how Harry had his. "They said that I would always be alone in this world if I stayed by your side. They said that you do not need me. They said you would leave me to die."
"I would never leave you, Hermione," Harry said as she sat down next to her. However, Harry found his words hollow like empty promises. Fear was forming inside of him. Anxiety was rising. The man standing down the path looked too much like an older version of himself.
No. Everything in this world was nothing more than an illusion. "Hermione, look at me," Harry said firmly as he turned Hermione around. "I will never leave you. I promise."
Harry brushed back Hermione's hair from her face and wiped away her tears. "Harry, there's a darkness inside of you no one has seen. I can see it." Harry looked into Hermione's brown eyes wishing he could see what she sees and feel what she feels. But he did not have to wish it. Harry just needed to want it. In a moment, feelings and memories flushed through his mind.
Harry saw himself as what Hermione's eyes displayed him as. A shadow. Harry had no face, no figure and no solid form. No wonder why Hermione was scared. Harry looked ghastly. Yes, darkness surrounded Harry. It has been there since his birth. This was something Harry needed to overcome. But he could not do it alone. Harry needed Hermione with him. She was always the one to keep his darkness in check.
This realization came after Harry's meeting with Janus. Magus of the Shadows was his title in history. It is said that he's an evil wizard that aimed to destroy the world. However, Harry did a more thorough research not on the conquest of Magus, but his enemies. As he suspected, Janus fought and destroyed for his own sense of justice. A vigilante. But he was crushed in his final battle resulting in the writing of history by his enemies.
In many ways, Harry was similar to Janus. He was not one for rules and followed his own code. Harry would break any rule if it meant that he could save his friends. However, Harry would not break from his own code. He would not trade one friend' life for another. There was no way Harry could choose one friend over another. But Harry would kill to save his friends.
This was where the darkness of Harry was born. Harry needed Hermione to understand it. Maybe not everything, but enough to see past the darkness that wrapped around him. Then a thought came to Harry. He pressed his forehead against hers and pulled her into him. Harry was an ethereal shadow in Hermione's world which meant that Hermione would just past through him. For once, Harry's brash thinking actually did something good.
Hermione entered into the ghastly shadow that was Harry. A wave of emotions flooded her. They were not of hatred, pain or suffering, but of love, kindness and warmth. In all the darkness, there existed one speck of light that shined brighter than the sun. One that did not diminish to the overwhelming darkness. Hermione touched down next to the ball of light and wondered why it shined so brightly. She reached out her hand and placed her palm onto the surface.
Suddenly, memories flooded her mind. Memories not of Harry's life of himself, but memories of when Hermione was there by his side. She felt the warmth and comfort Harry felt whenever she gave him a smile or hug. She felt his heart race, his blood pump, his stomach twist, his body burn and sweat form. Hermione laughed when she saw the memories of when Harry was staring at her chest a morning after she arrived at his house. She felt his panic and lust.
When she opened her eyes again, Harry was standing there in a corporeal form with a wide smile across his face and cheeks burning scarlet. "You see, Hermione, you are the light that cast away my shadows. You are not alone in this world. There is at least one person besides me waiting for you to wake up. Dumbledore, Sirius, Severus, Remus, Victor, Fleur, Cedric, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are all waiting for you. Come back, Hermione. Some of us need you by our sides." The scenery of the graveyard shattered and a garden formed. One so of beauty and life. "I'm waiting for you."
Hermione woke in the soft sheets of an unknown bed. She turned to get up when she realized she was topless. Hermione pulled up the blankets and was relieved to know she still had pants on. However, her body was drenched in sweat. What happened to cause her to sweat so much when the room was quite cool?
Then she remembered the Demeantors that came into Harry's home without warning. Hermione had tried to summon a Patronis, but it would not take form. Memories of sadness, loneliness, pain and despair filled her with each pass of the three Demeantors. She remembered feeling as if she would never be happy again. Suddenly, something inside of her snapped and Hermione fell broken to the floor.
Looking back, Hermione realized what it was. The Demeantors had brought out feelings Hermione tried to suppress. Feelings of uselessness, unworthiness and unwanted. Because of these feelings, something burst inside of her and she felt her own life being sucked away.
Then the memories of her dream state came. Hermione had recalled the last conversation with her parents which left her in a deep state of self-loathing and despair. That was when Harry came. He was a shadow at first, but then when he showed her his memories and feelings, the darkness disappeared. Hermione remembered all of Harry's feelings and memories of her from the time they met until this very moment in time. It filled her with the warmth and comfort Hermione needed to break free from her own darkness.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she turned and saw a sleeping Harry to her side. He was turned towards her, fast asleep with a smile on his face. Harry turned slightly before reaching out one arm. Hermione quickly pulled the blanket close covering her exposed body while blocking Harry's arm from wrapping around her. She could not help feeling slightly embarrassed as she had no idea how she got into this situation. Then an image of Harry appeared at the foot of the bed.
"Hi, Hermione. Glad to see that you've waken from your slumber. You made everyone worry for a while, but thanks to Dumbledore we were able to bring you back. Oh, yeah. Don't bother covering up your body as I have seen nearly all of it," Harry said with a wide grin and not hiding his scarlet red face. "You can beat the living hell out of me later, but just a note before you do so, I don't remember seeing your body. Dumbledore had sealed my memory of it because it has to do with the mark on your back. One day I'll remember and no doubt I'll be drooling and having some wild thoughts."
Anger and embarrassment burned through Hermione's body as she clenched her hands into fists. One of the worst things about being best friends with Harry Potter was his love of embarrassing others. Especially his best friends. Hermione would beat the living hell out of Harry alright. Not only would she have fun doing so, Harry would never know why he deserved it.
Harry woke up far from Hermione's bed with swollen cheeks and a painful right eye. What did I do to deserve this? Harry wondered as he tried to get up. But his balance was off and Harry slipped. As he fell, someone walked out of the closet and into his path. He heard a yelp after he wrapped his arms around the person to keep his balance. Then a painful slap hit his swollen left cheek.
Harry fell to the ground and looked up with his good left eye. Hermione was standing there partially dressed and Harry found himself staring. A foot slammed across but Harry dodged barely in time. He dashed out the door while shouting apologies before finding himself in the living room and every pair of eyes staring his direction. "Um… hello…" Harry said as he did not know what to do. Seriously though, what did I do to deserve this?