Hermione walked out of Flourish and Blotts, slightly limping, her arms full of books. The wind gusted her hair into her face. She struggled to hold the books at the same time as flipping her head so that it was no longer in her eyes. Suddenly the books were lifted from her arms, and she wiped the traitorous strands from her eyes. Harry was standing front of her, holding the stack her new books.
"Thanks, Harry," she said, reaching for the stack. He held tight to them, offering to carry them for her.
"Oh, that's okay Harry, I'm just headed to Brewer's Coffee to read. I can—"
"No," He interrupted. "I think we need to chat."
Hermione looked at Harry, and his lips were pursed stubbornly – a sure sign he was serious and not going to be moved from his position. He could be so pigheaded sometimes!
"You talked to Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"She might have mentioned a little something about your conversation yesterday, yes."
"Would you like to just come to my place?"
"It would be much more private, yes," he concurred, and the two apparated directly to her building, where Hermione filled him in on her nightmares.
"It does sound a lot like the types of stuff I dealt with when Voldemort was using me, sending the visions in my sleep," Harry commented.
"But he was playing you, using them to manipulate us. Do you think Malfoy is doing that to me?" Hermione asked, unable to mask the tremor in her voice.
Harry looked sharply at her.
"The real question is, what would anybody get from it? Normally the bad stuff happens to me," he said honestly. "But then again you are the smartest witch of the age."
"Maybe its just my turn?" She teased.
"Maybe, but when I had my visions, it was because I had a link with Voldemort. Part of his soul." Harry gave Hermione a searching look, as though he was looking for some sign.
Hermione felt unsettled at the thought, but before she could ponder it enough, Harry interrupted her.
"Shall we hit the books to find out?" He patted the stack on her kitchen table.
"I thought you'd never ask!" She responded, sorting through the stack. "You start with magical links, and I'll start with bonds. Let's make lists: things that are definitely important, things that might be, questions we should be asking, plans of action…"
Harry opened Magical Minds and Hermione pulled out Boring Bonds and their Benefits, and the two sat there silently skimming their respective books.
The two worked quietly at Hermione's tiny kitchen table for hour. The only sounds an occasional scratching of a quill and the muted traffic from the busy street outside.
They spent the entire afternoon and evening with their noses in books, only stopping for sandwiches and to migrate into the comfortable living area.
