Chapter Fourteen

Confessions, Promises and Temptation

Harry thought that he'd be feeling accomplished at this stage of his recent sexual adventure. He had done what felt impossible to him when he was handed the list of ingredients. He had fucked Luna (twice!), stole Veritaserum (with the double detention backfire), he had fucked his divination professor and he had passionately broken down the beautiful Cho Chang. He had every ingredient; he had saved Hermione's pregnancy! But despite the positive news, his thoughts were conflicted. His first thought was positive, he had done it, and everything looked great. But this was soiled by the second thought that bruised his subconscious: the fact that he would shortly be taking Hermione up to the Owlery to confess his second time with Luna during that unforgettable detention. And what further battered his thoughts was a thought that hadn't crossed his mind until now when he was standing outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower…Hermione bared his child…their child. He never really understood the hatred that shadowed abortion, but now that it was his child on the line he felt an odd affection swell in his heart.

The portrait swung open and Harry climbed through the gaping arch it delivered. The common room was warm and welcoming. Ron sat with Hermione and Ginny at the fireplace. The tall tower window looked like icicle that stood upwards. Harry approached them and sat on the warm the carpet.

'Afternoon guys,' Harry begun.

'Afternoon,' they all said together.

'Did you find that book for me in the library?' Hermione asked, as the fire reflected off her widened eyes.

'Uh – oh, yea…couldn't bring it but I did find it,' Harry said, catching on to Hermione' subtle question.

'Oh, good…thank you…' Hermione said awkwardly as her facial expression changed from concern to delight.

'So you were at the library then?' Ron asked, smirking. 'Amazing holiday this is, eh?'

Harry and Ginny laughed. What made Harry laugh wasn't only Ron's joke, but that fact that this was an "amazing holiday". There had been so much going on during this Christmas break that nobody apart from Harry, Hermione and Ginny knew about. Next time Ron and Harry went to divination class, Ron would have no idea why Trelawney might insist Harry to stay behind for a "chat". Next time Hermione looks pained to sit down after an "experimental" night, Ron would have no idea about the history behind it. And it all spawned from this "amazing holiday".

They all sat by the fire for another ten or twenty minutes, discussing how they would spend their day. Gryffindor Tower had awakened now and Fred and George were throwing odd fireworks about the place that sparkled magnificently with the Christmas colours (red, white and green). Hermione and Harry were quite quiet during most of the conversation, the sooner they left for the Owlery the better. It was one in the afternoon now and Ron rose to his feet, stretching enormously as he did.

'Think I'm gonna go down to lunch, anyone coming?' Ron asked.

'Yea, let's go,' Ginny replied also getting to her feet and rubbing her stomach. 'I'm starving.'

'Alright, see you two later then,' Hermione said dismissively.

Ginny left behind Ron, as they crept out of the portrait hole, she turned and winked at them both.

It was a quarter-past one in the afternoon now, Harry and Hermione had left the common room and made their way to the Owlery through the blistering cold. The tear stained envelope, the accusing dead-hand in Harry's nightmare and Luna's teasing red skirt…it all flashed in Harry's mind as he and Hermione made their final step up the Owlery and entered its hooting hole. It was empty, as they had both expected; empty and absolutely freezing.

Hermione sat on the long crate that was frozen to the stone it slept on; the air that left her lungs was crystal white from the bitterness of the weather. She shivered and looked up at Harry with a faint smile. Her innocent brown eyes tugged at Harry's heart. Regret filled his body as she stared up at him. This was his girlfriend…his fucking girlfriend…and in a minute…he might just break her heart.

'Hermione,' Harry started, white oxygen leaving his body as he spoke. He had begun to feel as empty as it looked.

Hermione took his hand and he slowly joined her on the icy crate. Her palms felt like carefully sewn velvet, the warmth they kissed Harry's palms with defeated the winter demons that choked his words.

'First, I want to say something' Hermione breathed as her white smoke licked Harry's winter-bitten face.

'Alright.'

'Thank you, Harry. I know I rushed you on what you've been doing recently, I'm sorry. I know everything you must have been doing was a lot harder than how you made it seem, but you're seriously amazing. I…I just wanted to say thank you…' Hermione said as her cheeks went pink. Her eyes never left Harry's for a second, and his never left hers.

'It's okay; you don't need to be sorry Hermione. We've done this together and without your pushing and encouragement I – I don't think I could've done any of this…' Harry responded, smiling. The guild however, did not yield in his mind for a second.

Hermione forwarded slowly, the left side of her brown hair sticking to the cloth of Harry's shoulder. He felt the taste of her breath enter his mouth, but before she could press her pink lips to his, he backed away.

'No – Hermione, I – I really need to tell you something.'

Hermione stopped and retreated her romantic advance slightly, her lips still remained parted and some of her hair still stuck to the fabric of his clothes. She looked deep into his emerald eyes, but Harry had managed to tear his pupils from hers to her winter shoes. She waited for him to explain.

'Hermione, you're the one apologising to me. But really, I need to say sorry to you,' Harry begun, lifting his pupils to lock with hers a moment before returning to her feet.

Hermione breathed in, her lips closed and a dozen negative thoughts flooded her head. Still, she said not a word but listened patiently to her boyfriend.

'I – you're my girlfriend, Hermione. And when we're like this…well…in relationships you make promises. Remember how I promised you there'd be nothing with me and Luna?'

Hermione held her breath.

'I'm sorry Hermione I – I'm so – so sorry,' Harry stammered, running his fingers through his black hair and burying his guilty eyes in his palms.

Hermione sighed, but that was all, she looked down towards the stone floor and remained silent. Her heart felt betrayed, she felt like scrap paper.

'I'm a terrible boyfriend…' Harry stated, his eyes red from fighting back tears at further images of Hermione's smiles, her laughter…the nightmare. But then finally Hermione spoke.

'Harry,' she started as she moved closer to him so her thigh pressed against his. She took his hand in both of hers and sandwiched it. 'I'm hurt. And I don't know if I should trust you again…but…'

Harry looked up and stared again into Hermione's wonderful eyes, they were so close that their noses brushed. No words were shared, but mutual forgiveness and promises were shared in their eyes. They sealed it with a long kiss.

No more, you're mine and I'm yours, the kiss whispered in their heads.

'I'm sorry,' Harry whispered as he broke from her lips a moment, and then returned to their excellence.

It was half past one; Harry knew he was on his final line now with Hermione. But despite that knowledge, he was in no fear of snapping it. He knew that she was the girl for him…he would make sure that he never betrayed her love again. Harry didn't feel the need to tell her about what happened to Luna recently, he thought that it was for the best that her name didn't leave his mouth. He decided he would only mention the dementor attack if actually needed.

They had been kissing a solid ten minutes, along with feeling each other's bodies; they had no intentions of going the extra step. They both knew that the main priority at this precise moment should be creating that potion. The negative thoughts had washed away from Harry's mind; Hermione's forgiveness had banished all of the negative emotion. She was his angel, she was incredible. The nightmare, the envelope, the detention, it all burned and drifted like ashes from Harry's calming mind. The only negative thought that lingered in Harry's mind, the only thought that turned to charcoal rather than ash, the only thought that remained buried deep in Harry's subconscious…was that Hermione held his and her baby. And they had the choice over life and death - over responsibility or just running away.

'Hi lovebirds,' Ginny intruded.

Harry and Hermione both jumped, broke apart and looked at the entrance to the Owlery, Ginny stood there with her luscious blazing hair. She laughed joyfully at their shock.

'Where's Ron?' Harry asked before Hermione could.

'Oh he's just scoffing down still in the Great Hall. I swear, he's a pig,' Ginny informed them, as she stepped in from the frostbitten entrance. 'So did you and Cho do it then?'

Harry's cheeks didn't burn up at this, he had been through so much recently that he found embarrassment difficult to burden. 'Yea, so everything's set now,' Harry said, hugging Hermione close for comfort. He didn't want her to think at all about him and Cho.

'Sure?' Ginny asked cautiously, stepping several steps closer so that her head shadowed over them.

'Oh – yea I forgot, I think we'll need some of Hermione's blood and…yea that should be it then! Right beautiful?'

Harry hadn't ever really called a girl beautiful before, but right now the happiness overpowering his mind brought the words from his mouth. And he thought that if anyone deserved the title, it was his Hermione Granger.

Hermione hummed, looking down at her fiddling hands. Her head had fallen to Harry's shoulder as though she was trying to use it as a pillow. Her brown hair sent a delicious scent up Harry's reddened nostrils.

'Is there more?' Harry asked, laughing at this question. But due to the silence that followed, he begun to panic.

'Me!' Ginny cried, stamping one foot assertively to the blistery stone.

'You?' Harry gasped, utterly bewildered, 'what do you mean?'

'Don't you remember?' Hermione asked, raising from his shoulder and staring into his eyes, their noses almost brushing again. 'I promised…we promised Ginny that…you know…'

'What ?! I – I don't remember this!' Harry asked, his face surprisingly growing hot again. He wasn't alone; Hermione had grown a faint red too. Her eyes had also grown wider in shock to Harry forgetting his apparent promise.

Then Harry remembered, but it wasn't at all as bad as it sounded, all he had to do was kiss Ginny. He remembered what Hermione had told him, she had told him that she had read a way on how to enhance the potions effects. And she had claimed that kissing a redhead in a twenty-four hour bracket after receiving the "presence" ingredient would greatly increase the success rate of the potion.

'Oh, I remember now…the kiss – the presence - the enhancement…of course, how could I forget,' Harry said bashfully.

'Yes,' Hermione said numbly.

Harry looked into Hermione's eyes again; she was looking down at Ginny's shins. She didn't at all look happy; Harry could detect depression but acceptance in those brown gems. Then Harry looked up towards Ginny, she looked impatient, feverish…sexy. And Harry could detect from Ginny that she wanted more than just a kiss, Hermione knew this too…and whatever their previous "little chat" was before those days ago…whatever it was…it probably sealed some sort of sexual agreement.

So now Harry sat in the icy Owlery, buried in a dilemma that he greatly struggled to crawl out of.

And now I let you step into the story, I will let you end this tale, I will let you guide Harry's teenage mind.

If you think Harry should not follow through with this additional ingredient, if you think Harry should not stand up, press his lips to Ginny's and follow through with love-making turn to chapter fifteen. Keep in mind that though this choice will make both Hermione and Harry happier, it will make the potion less likely to succeed.

If you think that Harry should enhance the potion while he can and give Ginny a kiss that will follow through with sex because her desires will overpower, then jump to chapter sixteen. Keep in mind that this will not only curse Harry's mind once more with guilt, but will further the depression Hermione is suffering. However, this will make the Betty Draughtstrike potion very likely to work.