Harry Potter and a Marauder Revival
Author's Note: I usually write my notes at the end of each chapter but in doing so, I thought it would ruin the tone of this chapter's ending. Emotional feelings don't do justice to what I felt after I completed Chapter 14. It is a rollercoaster! Chapter 15 is a work-in-progress and will be posted MONDAY NIGHT (MONDAY NIGHT). Please let me know what you all thought after reading Chapter 14. Prepare for the beginning…prepare for the fluttering hearts and the depths of desire. Here is Chapter 14 of "Harry Potter and a Marauder Revival."
Chapter 14: Imbroglio
The rest of the day passed by in a flash; one minute Harry found himself and Hermione talking with James, and the next, Harry was in the Great Hall eating his dinner. The following day followed the same suit as if time was now a timeless imbrication.
Harry and Hermione walked down to the second floor girls' lavatory. Before entering, they heard a hushed conversation taking place between James and Sirius.
"How could they have possibly found out about Remus' secret? It's not like he struts around the castle and tells random passerby he's a werewolf," Sirius whispered harshly.
"Give it a rest, Padfoot, they found out and that's it! Besides, Remus already knows they know and he didn't overact like you are doing right now," James retorted.
"Of course I'm overreacting, Prongs! Two strangers just found out a secret our best friend has been keeping from us for four years; and they found out about it within a couple of months! Surely you have to wonder about that," Sirius replied.
"Yes, I have thought about it but why would Harry and Hermione go out of their way in order to help Remus, then?"
"Well, we don't actually know they're really helping Remus, do we? They could be poisoning him for all we know," Sirius said.
"Oh come off it, Sirius! What, better yet, why would Harry and Hermione want to poison Remus for," Peter piped in, surprising Harry.
"How should I know Wormtail? I just think we should be cautious on all accounts!"
"I just don't understand why you don't trust them," James wondered suddenly. "They haven't given us a reason not to trust them."
"And they haven't given us a reason to trust them, either," Sirius shot back.
"What about returning my invisibility cloak? I lent it to them when they went off to Hogsmeade and they returned it to me that same night," James said.
"Well, what else would they have done with it if not return it to you?"
"Exactly! What exactly would Harry and Hermione have to gain harming Remus? The three of us will be there anyway," James reasoned.
This seemed to quiet Sirius, for the time being, as Harry looked down at Hermione. He saw a look of assuredness on her face which gave him the determination to enter into the bathroom.
When he did so, the first thing that caught his eye was the rising full moon, which was hanging against the dark blue sky, which he spotted through the vast bathroom window. The dark figures of James, Sirius, and Peter looked ominous against the growing white orb as neither Harry nor Hermione could see their faces.
James stepped out of the darkness and into one of the light beams the moon was providing.
"I was starting to wonder whether you two had lost your way," he said, grinning at both Harry and Hermione.
"Well, we don't have a map of sorts to guide us," Harry said playfully to which James. roared with laughter.
"You told them about the map, too," Sirius asked in disbelief, smacking his hand over his forehead.
James, ignoring him, turned to Hermione and said, "Are you sure it's ready?"
"Yes, I'm positive. All that is left to do is to administer the potion to Remus," she replied confidently.
"Well, then, shall we begin," James asked, smirking down at Hermione to which she rolled her eyes. She took out a three vials from her robes and marched into the stall housing the Wolfsbane Potion.
"You kept the potion in there? Is that sanitary," Sirius asked, looking with disgust as Hermione entered into the stall.
Harry found himself answering his future godfather, "No one ever comes in here."
"And why is that," Sirius shot back, placing his hands on his hips.
"Because of Moaning Myrtle," Harry replied.
"Who?"
"Moaning Myrtle," Harry said again.
"And who in Hogwarts' name is Moaning Myrtle?" No sooner had the words escaped his lips did the ghost form of Moaning Myrtle float out from one of the many empty stalls. Her blue form floated directly through Peter, who bent over, quivering in fear, as she glided over in front of Sirius.
"I'm Moaning Myrtle!" The ghost's face was mere inches away from Sirius who had a dumbfounded look upon his face.
"B-but, you're a g-g-ghost," Sirius stammered, pointing his finger directly at her.
"Well, aren't you intelligent," she mocked. "Of course I'm a ghost! What gave me away: was it my gliding or my floating?"
As Sirius was about to respond, Harry intervened, saying, "Enough. Never mind Myrtle, we were just getting ready to leave anyway."
"Oh, hello Harry, I didn't see you there," Myrtle said sweetly before fixating her eyes back towards Sirius.
As Sirius and Myrtle continued to glare at one another, Hermione exited the stall and walked over to Harry, holding up three vials filled with a midnight blue potion.
"Okay, so Remus needs to drink these three vials over the course of the night," Hermione stated. "Just drinking one will not keep his mind in a human-state for very long."
"Why not give him the entire cauldron-fill," James asked.
"Because, since Remus is not a full-growing wizard, these three capsules will be enough to last him the night; then, for the next full moon, we can give him another sampling until the cauldron is empty."
James nodded as he pocketed the three thin containers, looking over at Sirius and Myrtle who seemed to be in the midst of a staring contest.
"Sirius! Come on! Remus should be transforming any moment," James said urgently, as Sirius tore his gaze away from the ghost. "We need to go now!"
With that, the five Gryffindors left the bathroom and as silently as they could, tore down the empty halls of the castle, leaving through the unlocked oak front doors and into the quiet grounds.
As the grass crunched beneath their feet, the five students ran over to the Whomping Willow which thundered against the ever darkening sky. With breaking pace, Peter immediately transformed into a rat, leaving behind a mess of his robes lying on the ground.
Sensing movement, the branches of the ancient tree sprung to life instantly, however, with Peter being so small, he ran over to the knot unharmed. The tree stilled at once when Peter pressed the knot near its base.
Sirius walked forward and transformed into a great black dog and charged under the tree's roots, disappearing from view as James collected both of their clothes from the ground.
"Do you always collect their clothes," Hermione asked.
James looked over at her and said, "Yeah, pretty much. As I've told you already, my animagus form can't fit within the passageway leading to the Shrieking Shack."
As James walked forward, Hermione said, "Listen, James, there's something Harry and I have to tell you." He whirled around again and saw Hermione wringing her hands together in nervousness.
"What is it?"
"A couple of days ago, Harry and I went to the Shrieking Shack and we…well, we decorated the rooms up a bit," she finished, not meeting his hazel eyes.
"You decorated the shack?"
Harry nodded his head and replied, "Yes; Hermione thought it was best since Remus would be keeping his human mind, if the place felt more comfortable for him and I agreed with her."
"Okay, well let's get going then," James said, leading the way over to the Whomping Willow. One after the other, the three students disappeared from view into the darkness of the passageway.
Following a rat and a dog, James, Harry, and Hermione walked on for twenty minutes before James lifted himself up from the dark tunnel and up into the Shrieking Shack. After Harry entered the hovel, he turned around and helped Hermione up.
"I think it would be best if the two of you waited on the stairs," James said, eyeing Hermione nervously, "Just in case."
Harry nodded in agreement as James ascended the creaking staircase. "Nice decorations by the way, Hermione," he called back, noticing the garland that wound itself around the banister of the stairs, twinkling with bright white lights.
"Thanks but Harry helped me too," Hermione replied, smiling. Both Harry and Hermione cautiously climbed the stairs, hearing whispered voices as they inched closer to the top.
Peeking through the wide open door, the two students saw Remus, his face looking extremely pale and his eyes bloodshot.
James walked over to him and laid out the three vials and explained to Remus what Hermione had told him before.
Remus picked up one of the capsules and downed the potion without any hesitation. As the rat and the dog watched intently, James himself turned into a stag.
Harry thought to himself it mustn't be long now before Remus unwillingly transforms himself. No sooner had Harry thought those thoughts did Remus' form start to go rigid.
It seemed as if he was convulsing rather violently and was out of his own control. Harry and Hermione saw the iris's of Remus' eyes disappear as his mouth opened, screaming in agony. His fingernails morphed in sharp claws as his body began to grow at an alarming rate.
Harry and Hermione looked on in horror, seeing their former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wither in pain. As Remus continued to scream out, his teeth changed into jagged razors, his voice now turning into the sound of a tortured wolf.
The stag turned its head to look at Harry and Hermione worriedly. As Remus' clothes fell to the ground, he was now a werewolf. Yet, no howl was heard as the wolf looked intently around the room.
The look in the wolf's eyes told Harry and Hermione they had correctly brewed the Wolfsbane Potion. Harry felt Hermione grab his hand in the darkness of the stairs, as Harry could practically feel relief sweep through her.
The werewolf slowly walked over to the mirror Harry had fixed days previously, looking at his own reflection. A large paw started caressing the face of the wolf, its eyes growing soft in both wonder and admiration.
Harry and Hermione witnessed the four forms of animagi, sitting together in the upstairs room of the shack, garland hanging around the room, as the white lights twinkled on merrily around them.
"I think we'd better go, Hermione," Harry said at last, looking down at her beaming face. She nodded in return and started to walk down the stairs. Taking one last look at the four best friends, Harry then departed as well, leaving the comfortable silence behind him.
As they descended the stairs and entered into the dark tunnel, Harry said, "So are you relieved now you know your potion worked?"
"It's not my potion, Harry; besides, how many times do I have to remind you that you helped me with it," Hermione said over her shoulder.
"Well, help or no help, I'm just glad it worked," Harry said.
After a few moments of silence, Hermione said, "Harry, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure; what do you want to ask?"
"Well, I don't believe I ever asked you formally so I want to make sure I do," Hermione said, stopping suddenly, and turning around.
Harry, who had not anticipated Hermione stopping, ran into her, knocking her over. His quick seeker skills, however, managed to grab hold of Hermione before she hit the ground.
As they gazed into each other's eyes, Hermione softly said, "I'm sorry about that."
Harry, gazing intently into her warm brown iris's replied, "No, I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going."
Carefully, Harry pulled Hermione back to her own two feet as he waited patiently for her question.
She took a deep breath, looked into Harry's eyes and asked, "Would you like to attend Professor Slughorn's Christmas Ball with me?"
Harry smiled slightly and replied with a question of his own, saying, "Didn't we already agree to go with each other?"
Hermione knew Harry was taunting her playfully but she responded nonetheless, "Yes, but as I said before, I don't believe I asked you formally."
"Yes, Hermione, I would be more than happy to accompany you to Slughorn's party," Harry replied. "Come on, let's head back," Harry said, grabbing Hermione's hand and leading her down the dark passageway. Yet again, when Harry grabbed her hand, he felt an electric shock reverberate down the length of his arm; he could only wonder whether Hermione felt the same jolt he had when their hands touched.
Soon, the pair found themselves climbing out from under the tree, the dark figures illuminated against the giant, bright moon.
Harry, making sure to press the knot at the base of the Whomping Willow, still had Hermione's hand in his as they walked up toward the glowing castle.
Entering through the still unlocked oak front doors, the pair ascended the stairs off of the main entrance hall. Reaching the second-floor landing, a quiet voice said from behind them, "Late is the hour in which peacefulness is found, Miss Granger and Mr. Harry."
Startled, Harry instinctively pushed Hermione behind him while drawing his wand. A second later, he found he had his wand pointed at the headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore.
The aged wizard chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender, as he said, "Believe me, Mr. Harry, I mean no harm."
"Sorry, sir," Harry said, lowering his wand and placing it back in his Gryffindor robes. "I just didn't see you there."
"Nor I, you, though I am rather pleased we ran into this festive gathering of sorts; if the two of you would please follow me up to my office," Professor Dumbledore said, leading both Harry and Hermione up three flights of stairs and down a long corridor.
Harry noticed the headmaster was not in sleeping attire as he and Hermione kept pace with Dumbledore's long strides. Soon enough, the trio found themselves standing in front of the stone gargoyle, barring entrance up to the office of Dumbledore.
"Fizzing Whizzbees," Professor Dumbledore called out. Instantly, the gargoyle jumped aside, revealing a staircase leading up to his quarters.
Upon entering the room, two cushioned chairs appeared with the flick of Dumbledore's wand.
"Please, have a seat and make yourselves comfortable," he said, walking behind his own desk and sitting down.
"Now, I wish to let the two of you know that finding a solution to your dilemma is coming to an end. I have not found the perfect explanation, however, I believe I am bound to make a breakthrough sooner rather than later in which both of you will be sent back to your own time."
"And will we have to give up anything to do so, professor," Hermione asked anxiously, both of her hands gripping the arms of her chair tightly.
"No, with this new method I have discovered, nothing will have to be given up for you to return to your own time," Professor Dumbledore answered, his bright blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
Hermione breathed a loud sigh of relief as she leaned back in her chair, clearly happy with the new development. Although Harry felt happy Hermione was at ease, he, himself, was surprisingly bothered that they would be going back.
The headmaster seemed to sense this as well for he asked, "Mr. Harry, you do not seem affected by this information in any way whatsoever. May I ask if there is a problem?"
Harry looked into the electric blue eyes of the Hogwarts head, feeling as if he was x-raying Harry intently.
Seeing no reason to lie, Harry said, "I'm just not sure if I want to go back, actually."
Hermione shot him a warning look which Harry interpreted as 'do not give any crucial information away that could alter the future.'
"I'm afraid to ask why, although I'm not too sure either one of you could answer my question on the basis of what could happen," Dumbledore said, staring at Harry with increasing curiosity.
Harry stood up from his chair and began pacing around the office, not feeling comfortable sitting down.
"It's just that, the time Hermione and I come from…it is not a great time," Harry said, not meeting Hermione or Dumbledore's eyes. "Heaving burdens are placed on those in which they ought not to be placed. Many people expect great things from those that see nor feel any hope; that is what we have to go back to."
Professor Dumbledore placed the tips of his fingers together and rested them under his chin, seeming deep in thought.
"I don't know if it's cowardly or not but that's just how I feel," Harry finished, plopping down in his chair once again.
"Mr. Harry, I obviously cannot remedy your situation without knowing what it is and I'm not asking you to tell me. But thinking of your thoughts and actions as cowardly is certainly incorrect."
Harry looked up to see Dumbledore looking directly at him, a warm look upon the powerful wizard's face.
"Voicing your own thoughts and opinions about trying and difficult times is the first step in admitting and accepting uncertainty, for nothing is for certain in our world. Indeed, magic we have, though power it holds not. The test of a true hero comes not from outside forces but rather from internal questions. You, Mr. Harry, pose questions that require a great deal of thought and hold a certain amount of weight that is coming crashing down on your shoulders.
"But you must fight on, Mr. Harry. A war is only won when one side prevails. If a war comes to a draw, are both sides truly better off?"
Harry looked down to the office floor, mulling over Professor Dumbledore's words in his head. He shifted his gaze over to Hermione who was sitting on the edge of her seat, hanging on to every thought their headmaster voiced.
"I just wish that in our time, we had more unity and more of a willingness to stand together. Why is that so difficult to achieve," Harry asked, looking once again over at Dumbledore.
In response to Harry's question, he gave a small smile. "I'm afraid, Mr. Harry, that achieving unity is a very difficult task to accomplish. With each person comes another mind and no two minds are alike. I could even call into question the time we are so woefully in right now: Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters poison the ranks that stand against theirs. In doing so, they create fear and terror which causes any opposition to dissipate in a fortnight."
"But why can't we use that tactic against them? We can't we spread panic amongst them," Harry asked.
"Because we have something that's worth fighting for; something that's worth dying for. As I bid the two of you a good night, I want both of you to remember one last thing: life's hardest battles come to its strongest people."
As the two students left the headmaster's office, Hermione stopped Harry while walking down one of the long corridors.
"Harry, why didn't you tell me about this," Hermione questioned.
"Tell you about what?"
"That you think it might be cowardly by not wanting to go back to our own time," Hermione explained.
Harry thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders, stating, "I just wasn't comfortable saying it out loud; if I did, then it makes it seem like I'm a coward for wanting to stay here. But, with Dumbledore, I get this feeling like he knows what we are thinking so I found no reason not to say it."
Hermione nodded, accepting Harry's answer. "Well, do you feel better now?"
"In a way, I do feel a lot better but that still doesn't take away the fact what the prophecy states. But, I do realize that I have many people that will support me every step of the way. I've got Dumbledore, the entire Weasley family, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Remus and Tonks -,"
"Ahem, ahem, I think you're forgetting about someone," Hermione intervened.
Harry thought about her comment and said, "Well, I said I have Dumbledore, the Weasleys, Hagrid, McGonagall, Remus, and Tonks…nope, I'm sure that's everyone."
Hermione smacked him in the arm playfully as he smiled down at her. "Of course, I can't forget about Hermione."
Harry, in this brief moment of good-humor, wondered how he could instantly change from being moody to fooling around with Hermione.
Hermione wound her arm around Harry's as they headed back towards Gryffindor Tower, ending a long day, reading to begin anew.
The following morning, after Harry and Hermione had breakfast, they headed to Charms. Filing inside the classroom, Harry was not surprised when Remus did not show up. However, James, Sirius, and Peter walking in as if they were still half-asleep.
In the next moment, Professor Flitwick appeared and said, "A good morning to you all! Now, today we will be…Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and Mr. Pettigrew, come alive if you will! Now, where was I? Oh, yes, well today we will be practicing the bird-conjuring charm. Now can anyone tell me what this charm -,"
Before Professor Flitwick could finish asking his question, both Hermione and Lily's hands shot into the air.
"Very well, Miss Evans?"
"The bird-conjuring charm conjures a flock of birds; it is given by the incantation 'AVIS'," Lily said.
"Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor! Now, I want each of you to think hard about conjuring birds; believe in your abilities to do so and you will accomplish this charm. Carry on then!"
Harry closed his eyes and focused on conjuring a flock of birds from his wand. However, after a few moments of concentration, Harry heard a twittering near him.
Peeking his eyelids open, Harry saw Hermione had already successfully conjured her birds which were flying around her head in a circle.
"My goodness, Miss Granger, I do not believe I've seen anyone successfully cast the spell as quickly as you have," an astonished Professor Flitwick announced. "Take twenty points to Gryffindor," he said, leaving a beaming Hermione behind him.
Harry smiled to himself and closed his eyes in concentration again. Thinking hard, Harry, once again hearing the twittering of the birds above, firmly said, "AVIS." Harry opened his eyes and saw, to his immense relief, he had also conjured a ring of birds.
"Great job, Harry," Hermione said, smiling proudly over at him.
"Thanks; um, great job to you too."
"Detention, Mr. Black, and ten points from Gryffindor for sleeping in class," barked Professor Flitwick. Harry was surprised by how loud his Charms teacher was, taking into consideration he was a tiny wizard.
As Harry shook his head in exasperation, Hermione leaned over and said, "This morning, Lily and I received our 'official' invitations to Professor Slughorn's party. It is in a couple of weeks, actually."
"Really? But we haven't any dress robes," Harry commented, suddenly feeling very warm.
"I think I'm just going to transfigure one of my school clothes into a simple dress," Hermione replied. "I don't want to do anything too fancy and besides, I don't have any money. And I especially don't want to loan money from James again."
"You can do that – transfigure your clothes into something else? We haven't learned that yet."
"I know, but I read ahead in our Transfiguration book and we're supposed to learn that when we come back from winter break."
"I take it we're staying here over the break," Harry asked.
"Yeah, I mean there's nowhere else for us to go," Hermione replied.
For the rest of the lesson, Harry and Hermione conversed quietly about Slughorn's party as Professor Flitwick took away another ten points from Gryffindor as Sirius had fallen back asleep.
Later that day during lunch, Hermione and Lily were talking about Slughorn's upcoming ball.
"So did you ask anyone yet, Lily," Hermione asked.
Before answering, Lily looked over shyly at James who was laughing loudly at a joke Sirius had just told him.
"No, but I plan to soon," she replied.
"I take it that you're planning to ask James," Hermione conceded as Lily nodded her head.
"It's not obvious, is it," she asked.
"Well I have noticed that lately, you do seem to look at James more often than usual…not that it's a bad thing or anything," Hermione said.
"Yeah, well we still have another two weeks before the ball so I think I'm going to ask him soon," Lily added.
"What made you change your mind suddenly," Hermione asked.
Lily thought about this for a moment as Harry looked at her intently. "It's just that he's changed suddenly, mainly when he's around you two, actually. Before you guys came, he's always been extremely arrogant and cocky. But recently, he hasn't been acting like that; he's more humble now and I like that aspect about him."
Hermione smiled over at Lily. "I'm sure a time will come where you will have the perfect opportunity to ask him."
The perfect opportunity came sooner than Harry had thought. Later that night, while in his dormitory getting ready for bed, James burst inside, a huge smile on his face.
"What are you so happy about, James" Sirius called out, watching James make his way over to his bed.
"I, gentlemen, am happy because a lovely Miss Evans just asked me to accompany her to Slughorn's Christmas ball."
Sirius' eyes bulged as Peter's mouth dropped open in shock.
"A-are you serious," Sirius stuttered, looking at James with both surprise and astonishment mixed over his facial features. "You're not having a go as us, are you?"
"Would I ever joke about my feelings with Evans," James asked.
Sirius considered this for a moment before he went over to his best friend and clapped him on the shoulder. "How did this happen?"
"I don't really know, actually, because it all happened so fast. She just came out and asked me after Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"And how did you react initially," Peter asked.
James laughed as he replied, "I don't think I actually said anything at first; I was too stunned to speak. Once I found I had the power to talk, I said 'yes'."
"What do you think about this, Harry," Sirius had asked him suddenly.
"What? Oh, I think that's fantastic," Harry said, throwing them a smile. Ever since he and Hermione had brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for Remus, and seeing that it worked, Sirius had been on much friendlier terms with them to Harry's immense relief.
"Are you going to the party," James asked, looking over Harry.
"Yeah, I'm actually going with Hermione," he replied. James and Sirius looked at each other knowingly. "What," Harry asked, eyeing the looks they were giving one another.
"Sirius and I always thought there was something going on between you and Hermione," James replied, smiling coyly.
"There's nothing going on between us," Harry defended, not believing his own words.
"Sure there isn't," Sirius said smartly. "You may notice nothing between you and Hermione but everyone else does."
"By the way, I believe we are due to take another trip to Hogsmeade," James said.
"Why is that," Peter squeaked in.
"Because, our friend Harry, does not have dress robes for the ball."
The following weeks flew by in a daze as the atmosphere of Hogwarts castle turned into festive cheer. Garland and wreaths had hung over every door, as mistletoe seeped out from the nooks and crevices of the castle. The Great Hall now housed twelve Christmas trees as snow had begun to fall outside the walls of Hogwarts. Fairies had arrived and decorated the castle with multi-colored lights.
The night of ball, Harry and James had dressed into their dress robes as a heavy snow pummeled their dormitory window. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were looking on with glee at their two friends fumbling with their bowties.
"You two look so hopeless," Sirius commented, smiling ruefully.
"Shut it, Sirius," James said, straightening his collar to which Sirius roared with laughter.
"Oh to be young in love," he replied.
Harry's heart was beating in anticipation. As happy was Harry was about going with Hermione to the Christmas ball, he was now nervous about what he would have to do at the party. Was Hermione expecting him to dance with her? Would she expect a goodnight kiss-on-the-cheek from Harry when the night was through?
Although Harry had attended the Yule Ball before, going with Hermione to Slughorn's party had Harry reeling in greater anxiousness.
Taking one last look at himself in the mirror, James turned to Harry and said, "Well, I think we're both ready as we'll ever be." Turning around, James asked, "So what do you think?"
Silence engulfed the room until Sirius, Remus, and Peter howled with laughter.
"What is so funny," James asked. None of his friends answered as they were now crying with laughter.
James rolled his eyes as he followed Harry out their dormitory and down the staircase into the Gryffindor common room.
"How are you feeling, Harry," James asked.
Truthfully, Harry felt like he was going to be sick. "I'm fine," he answered.
"Really? Because you're turning green," James replied.
Harry shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts about the night ahead. He looked out of the common room window and saw a dark, snow-ridden landscape. Seeing James' reflection in the window, Harry turned around and asked, "What about you? How are you feeling James?"
"Like I'm going to choke to death from this bowtie," he answered, pulling the bowtie looser.
Harry smiled as he began to watch the flames flicker in the grate of the common room. "Listen, Harry, before we leave for the party, I just want to genuinely say 'thank you' for everything you and Hermione have done. Helping Remus with the Wolfsbane Potion was something I would never even dream of. And also…I guess, in one way or another, you inadvertently got Lily to notice more other than some stuck-up Quidditch player."
Harry smiled slightly over at his father and said, "James, the latter part you did all on your own; Hermione and I had nothing to do with that."
"Even so, I felt like by you two being here has improved my attitude a lot for reasons I cannot explain. You guys mean a lot to me, more than can be expressed in words," James said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"It's no problem. I guess I should thank you as well for being there for me and Hermione when we first arrived at Hogwarts. I don't think Hermione will ever forget the very detailed tour of the paintings you gave her after we first left the hospital wing."
James laughed loudly as he said, "Well, it was the least I could do for the two new students. You know, though, I still can't get over the fact of how alike you and I look. I swear it's like looking in a mirror. You almost seem like my s-,"
But James was cut off when they both heard an "Ahem, ahem."
Harry and James turned their heads towards the source of the noise and saw Lily slowly descending the stairs, her golden dress robes swishing softly around her ankles.
"You look a-amazing," James breathed out, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Lily blushed lightly as she said, "Thank you."
"Where's Hermione," James asked, looking behind Lily, expecting to see Harry's date.
"Oh, she'll be down in a minute."
"You two go on ahead…Hermione and I will be there soon enough," Harry said. James nodded once and stuck out his arm in which Lily wrapped her own arm around.
Before leaving, Lily leaned towards Harry and whispered, "She looks amazing." With that, the pair left Gryffindor Tower, arm in arm.
Harry started pacing around the common room, rift with increasing eagerness. His heart was extremely jumpy, seeming as if it would jump out of his chest at any moment. His breathing quickened as he closed his eyes, focusing on evening out his breaths.
Upon opening them again, Harry turned towards the stairs and felt his breath hitch instantly: Hermione was slowly making her way down the staircase, her dark green robes beautifully complimenting her glamorous style.
Harry stopped pacing and watched as Hermione descended the stairs; in doing so, he remembered their time here in 1976. The few times he and Hermione had spent by the Black Lake clearly stuck out in his mind because their shared moments by the Black Lake were when Harry had decided one thing: Hermione had captured his heart.
Never admitting it before tonight, Harry stared into the warm, brown eyes of Hermione Granger. Never before had he seen her in the way he was seeing how now. It was not because of how she looked with her beautiful dress robes along with her hair and makeup done, it was because of who she was.
Hermione never saw Harry anything more than who he was as a person: Harry Potter. She never saw him as "The Boy Who Lived" or "The Chosen One." She just saw him as another human being, brought into a new world, fascinated by magic, just like Hermione was herself.
The first day they met on the train to Hogwarts, Harry had thought Hermione was just a bossy-know-it-all; how right he was to be. Her bossy attitude kept him grounded; it made him see the truths life had to offer if one could feel wanted.
Hermione gave him what Harry wanted: she gave him a place in a world where both of them were trying to gain footing. Harry and Hermione had only experienced the world of Muggles, not knowing why lay before their very eyes.
Now, Harry knew completely and with his entire heart that the young lady who stood before him was the sun to his internal darkness.
"You look absolutely stunning, Hermione," Harry said.
"Thank you, Harry. You look dashing yourself," she replied quietly.
"Shall we," Harry asked, sticking out his arm much like his father did earlier. Hermione smiled slightly as he tucked her arm within his and the pair departed from the common room.
Passing window after window decked with multi-colored Christmas lights, of a long corridor, Harry noticed Hermione was looking out at the snow.
"It's so graceful, isn't it, Harry? The snow outside," she said.
"Yes, it sure is beautiful," he replied.
On and on they walked, approaching Professor Slughorn's office. Round red orbs hung close to the ceiling, a single candle lighting up each sphere, casting red glows on Harry and Hermione as they walked underneath.
The sound of music and laughter grew louder and louder with each step the pair took. Turning another corner, Harry and Hermione saw a curtain of pink silk; beyond, Slughorn's Christmas jamboree was in full swing.
Passing the smooth screen, Harry and Hermione were awed by the extravaganza their Potions master had managed to pull off: his office had been transformed greatly, expanding from its initial size. Smooth drapes of midnight blue and glittering gold had lined itself up along the length of the ceiling, meeting directly in the middle, hosting a dazzling chandelier, from which diamonds were hanging from.
The walls of the office had been charmed to mask the walls as if one were standing in the middle of a large, quiet forest. A light fog was swirling around the bases of each tree as brightly colored fairies flew around the mock forest, twisting and winding itself between the leaves of the trees.
In one corner, an entire host of violins and a grand piano were playing on its own accord, casting the office in a peaceful rhythm. The harmonious mix of the strings of a violin and the soft pressing of the keys on the piano soothed the entire room.
On the only balcony within the entire office, Harry could see the soft snowfall continue to swirl around in the darkness outside.
Professor Slughorn stood proudly in the middle of the room, pairing up his most promising students with his contacts within the Ministry of Magic.
"This is beautiful," Hermione breathed out, taking in the quarters of the party.
"Yes, it definitely is," Harry replied. He spotted James and Lily and pointed them out to Hermione.
"Oh, don't they look so lovely together," Hermione said, looking over at the pair of them talking quietly with one another.
"Would you care for a drink, Hermione," Harry asked.
"Oh, yes, I would love one," she replied as Harry walked over to one wall lined with a massive set of assortments of snacks and drinks.
Grabbing two goblets of pumpkin juice, Harry traveled back to Hermione to find her in conversation with Professor Slughorn.
As Harry approached, their potions master walked away, beaming proudly.
"What did Slughorn want," Harry asked, handing Hermione her drink.
She rolled her eyes as she answered, "He just wanted me to meet someone from the ministry. I said I would once I had some food to eat."
"Are you hungry," Harry asked.
"No, I just said that so he would leave me alone."
After a few moments, Harry noticed many couples had started to sway slowly to the beat of the soft-playing music.
"Would you care for a dance," Harry asked nervously, placing out his hand for Hermione to take. She smiled widely and took his hand as he led her out on the dance floor.
Placing his hands on her hips as she wound her arms around his shoulders, Harry and Hermione started swaying to the tune of the beat.
"I'm not really good at this," Harry said, smiling in embarrassment.
"Which is strange considering you were a Triwizard Champion and had to dance in front of the entire school," Hermione chided, giving Harry a playful smirk.
"Yes, well, I think I was a bit distracted that night," he replied.
"Really? Why were you distracted," Hermione chided.
"Well, there was this one pretty girl who didn't really seem to take much notice of me because she, herself, was dancing with her own date," Harry explained.
"And who was this lucky girl?"
"You," Harry stated simply.
Shock crossed over Hermione's face. "Me?"
"Yes, Hermione, you."
"Harry…I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything because you're here with me now," Harry said, pulling Hermione slightly closer to him.
As Hermione wound her arms more tightly across Harry's shoulders, Harry saw his mother and father dancing too, feet away from them. James had a glowing expression on his face while Lily could not keep from smiling.
Seeing his parents like this made Harry feel extremely happy inside. He then realized he wanted to tell Hermione something he had been harboring inside of him for so long.
"Say, Hermione, can I talk to you in private," Harry asked, looking down at her.
"Sure," she replied. Harry took her hand and guided her through the dancing crowd, passing a few tables, and leading her onto the balcony.
"What is it, Harry," Hermione asked, looking up at him.
As the snow continued to lightly fall on the balcony, Harry looked back and could make out dark couples dancing behind the lace curtain that obscured the balcony from view.
"Hermione, there's something I've been meaning to tell. I've known for a while now that I can't keep distancing myself from the people that care for me the most."
The violins played a sharp note as the piano continued to flow in time to a soft beat.
"This is especially hard for me to do since I'm not that great at displaying affection, seeing as who I grew up with."
Unbeknownst to Harry, James and Lily leaned into one another, kissing each other softly on the lips.
"Hermione, I've known you ever since we were eleven. I remember meeting you on the Hogwarts Express. I remember first year, saving you from that troll. I remember how scared I was in second year when I found out you were petrified. I remember how wonderful it felt to fly on Buckbeak with you, as we rescued Sirius. I remember how I watched you walk down the stairs in the entrance hall right before the Yule Ball, and I thought that no other beauty could match yours. And I remember last year when my heart stopped when I saw you fall in the Department of Mysteries…everything all makes sense now, Hermione."
After reaching a crescendo, the violins and piano stopped suddenly, giving way for the beautiful sounds of a harp that had come to life.
As its strings were strung, the snow had begun to fall slightly harder.
On the other side of the castle, as Dumbledore watched the snow pound harder against his office window, he knew it was time.
His heart racing a mile a minute, Harry Potter looked into the eyes of Hermione Granger as he said, "Hermione, I love you."
As the couple pulled together ever so slowly, the violins and the piano joined the harp with a moving piece of beautiful music.
Dumbledore closed his eyes and bowed his head as he stood in front of the window. His hands clasped behind his back, he wondered if he had made the correct decision.
Inching together slowly, Harry and Hermione's lips met for the very first time. The softness of the kiss sent shock waves through Harry Potter, as he felt elated that he had finally expressed his true feelings for his best friend, Hermione Granger.
After they broke apart, darkness surrounded the couple, plunging them back into madness.