"Thanks Hermione for helping me I know you've been busy…" Harry said as he and Hermione snuck into the dark library. It had been a week since her last date with Viktor. He had been so busy with press conferences and his head master that she had hardly been able to see him at all. So once again she was by Harry's side helping him with whatever he needed.
"It's no problem…" she said. "Now what did Moody tell you again?" she asked.
"Well he started out by telling me how great of a flyer he heard I was and when I said I wasn't allowed a broom in the challenge he replied that I was allowed a wand and then walked away."
"So the question is how do you summon your broom using magic…" Hermione said as she lit a candle on one of the many tables in the library. "It has to be a relatively easy spell for you to do, something quick…"
"Why simple? Think I can't do a big spell?"
"Oh I know you can do magic well past that of a fourth year… what I mean is that you're going to be facing a dragon you're not going to have a lot of time to do a hard intermediate spell." Hermione thought about it for a long moment before smiling. "Accio." She said.
"Ackey what?" he asked making her laugh lightly.
"Accio… It's a summoning charm." She said with a smile. "Basically all you do is flick your wand forward say Accio whatever object you seek will come to your hand.
"It just appears?" he asked.
"Well… No… it will come to you not just poof into sight."
"So I have to wait for my broom to get to me."
"Bring your broom with you set it outside the gates or inside the champions tent so it will get to you faster… What do you think?" she asked.
"I think it Sounds like a plan…" Harry said.
"Here is the only issue it isn't the simplest of things it takes a great deal of concentration of the object you desire."
"Are you able to do it?"
"Of course." She said. Harry looked at Hermione for a long moment it seemed as if he were waiting for something. "What?"
"Could ya show me?" he asked.
"Oh of course." She said with a smile as she pulled out her wand. "Accio catcher in the Rye." Hermione said. Harry couldn't help but smile at the elegant way she moved her wand and said the incantation. "Here it is…" she took the book as it floated to her from behind a book case.
"Nice." Harry said watching it fall easily into her hand.
"Alright you try… I want you to summon this book to you." She walked a table away from him and set it down before walking back to sit beside him. "Ready?"
"Yeah…" he held up his wand. "Alright… Accio Catcher in the rye." The book stayed put on the table Harry sighed. "What did I do wrong?"
"You said it all in one sentence… When doing an incantation it has to be taken with a separating breath or it can get jumbled."
"Right." He said.
"Now take a breath." He did as she said. "Now move the book."
"Accio Catcher… In the rye." The book slid to the edge of the table and then fell to the ground.
"Hey that's good you made it move!"
"Yeah but it didn't levitate now did it?" Harry asked.
"That'll come in no time you'll see. Now try again Harry." She said as she picked up the book and set it on the table once more before going back and sitting beside him. "You can do this…" Harry nodded. He tried for the next two hours to summon the book. A few times it had lifted into the air only to drop back to the ground. The rest of the time it merely slid to the edge of the table and dropped.
"Damn it!" Harry shouted as the book hit the ground once more.
"Harry you'll get it." Hermione said.
"It's been two hours Hermione! You think I would have gotten it by now!"
"Everything is about practice Harry." She said. "You will get it. You just have to keep trying." He looked at her; sometimes her confidence in him could be a little annoying.
"Hermione how long did it take you to accomplish this spell?" he asked glaring into the book.
"Oh you know… At least… Well a few-."
"Hermione." he said.
"Okay twenty times… It's really kinda difficult." Harry looked to her.
"Hermione…" he said his teeth grinding as he thought about the hundreds of times he had attempted the spell. "When did you really get it?"
"Okay I got it the first time but we're two different people." She said.
"I would give my snitch catching hand to have your power."
"If anyone has power here it's you Harry." Hermione said and he instantly glared at her.
"Are you kidding me ever since your first year you've been able to do everything the first time, it takes me hours to get it right."
"That's because I know the theory behind the magic… It makes things a whole lot easier." She said with a soft smile. "You though you have real power."
"So do you."
"No… no… If I had any real power I would be able to produce a patronis." He looked to her his expression softening.
"You can't?" he asked.
"No… I try but I get tired really quick… I don't even know what its form is… All I get is a lot of white mist and a blinding bright light." She admitted.
"Some of the greatest wizards of our time had trouble producing a patronis." He said, knowing the inability to cast any spell would hit Hermione's ego in the most sensitive of places.
"Yeah well… They also had trouble at one time summoning an object to them." Hermione said making Harry smile.
"You're a good friend Hermione." he said. "I don't know what I would be doing right now if I didn't have you as a friend."
"You'd probably be failing every class." He laughed along with her.
"Yeah…" he said sheepishly before looking to her. "You know you're not just my friend for that reason right?" he asked.
"Of course I'm also good for quick thinking in a tight spot." She laughed while Harry frowned.
"Hermione you're more important to me than that." He said as he rested a hand over hers. "You've always been very kind to me when others weren't…" he smiled. "I've always considered you to be like my sister you know? Like an older sister who constantly watches my back…" he smiled at her to see she had a watery look. "Oh god what did I say? Why are you crying?" He asked horrified as a tear fell. She laughed.
"Because… You know." She gushed. "Oh just… Get over here." He laughed as she threw her arms around his neck. Harry smiled into her hair. "You've always been like a brother to me." He smiled even wider. He felt something in his heart change. There had always been a hole that the absence of a family had left him, but slowly and surely he could feel it beginning to fill. She pulled away and wiped a few tears away. "Not to be weird but I love you Harry." He laughed.
"I love you too Mione." He said with a smile before frowning slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well… I dunno." She frowned as she watched Harry sit back against the table.
"It's because Ron isn't here…"
"Yeah… the great holy git." Hermione smiled at his words.
"It's understandable to be sad that he isn't here… he is like your brother after all."
"I keep losing family Hermione…" he suddenly said. "Everyone always leaves me one way or another… I just… I never thought Ron would."
"He's just going through something right now… I think maybe it's in small part this competition and in large part something else. Something he's keeping hidden from both of us." Harry nodded slowly. "He's going to come around Harry, family always does." He smiled at her.
"You always know what to say." She nudged him with a smile.
"Hey… What are sisters for?" he laughed before they hugged once more. "Now why don't we head back to the common room and try to get a bit of shut eye before breakfast."
"Good plan." He said as Hermione blew out the candles. As they left the library Harry slid his hand slowly into hers. Hermione looked down at it and then looked up to Harry who had a pained expression.
"Don't ever Leave… Okay Hermione?"
"I won't…" she said squeezing his hand. "Besides I promised I'd be with you until the very end. I keep my promises." Harry stopped and looked to her for a long moment.
"You would stay by my side even if it meant your life?"
"Yes." She said her voice un failing as she stared at him her eyes full of fire.
"What if I don't want you to risk your life to be my side?"
"When I made my promise I said nothing in the world would keep me from being by your side, that included you…"
"You're too good to me you know that?"
"I know… Someday I expect you to pay me back in full with chocolate." He laughed.
"I'll remember that." He said with a smile as they continued to walk their hands still held tightly with in each others. Harry glanced at Hermione with a soft expression as she started to talk about the theory behind the accio spell.