The mirror of erised

By Sinful Starlet

Rating: PG probably - maybe PG-13 but that's pushing it.

Disclaimer: Not JK Rowling (though I wish I was) so clearly not mine.

Summary: Some time during their later school career, Harry and his friends come across the mirror of erised again with some surprising results!

Blurb: Part five. Harry finally confronts Hermione about what she saw in the mirror, but how will she react, and what will she do now? *SS*

Chapter Ten

He got up the next morning feeling nothing if not seriously apprehensive. Ron seemed to notice that he was acting a little strangely, but he brushed off his concerns and went back to focussing on the job in hand. He had to somehow get Hermione on her own, as soon as possible he thought, sure that it would be worse the longer he left it. He had been running through ways of telling her all night, dismissing each new idea almost as soon as he had thought of it. They all sounded ridiculous anyway - 'Dobby told me', 'Peeves was spying on you and he blurted it out' - in the end he decided the most difficult way was probably the best. He would just have to tell her the truth.

In the end, he got his opportunity a lot earlier than he thought. He, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had spent most of the morning walking round the school grounds, taking advantage of their lack of homework and the continued good weather. They had visited Hagrid, while he attempted to feed the Giant Squid in the school lake. None of them asked what kind of meat Hagrid was throwing out to the waving tentacles - none of them wanted to know anyway. Luckily, at that moment, Fred and George came over to them, asking if they wanted to come in for lunch. Ron and Ginny gratefully accepted, willing to go anywhere to get away from 'feeding time', but Hermione said she wasn't hungry yet and wanted to stay out for a bit longer.

Harry immediately jumped in, offering to stay with her so they could go in to lunch together, later on. Ron also offered to stay, but Hermione laughed away his concern and told him to go, after his stomach gave a very audible rumble. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, but she too followed her brothers back towards the castle. Harry asked Hermione if she wanted to go for a bit more of a walk before they went in, and she seemed fairly pleased to be escaping from the squid too, so they both said their goodbyes to Hagrid and started walking back towards the castle around the outskirts of the Dark Forest.

They chatted away quite happily for a few minutes, saying the occasional 'hello' to friends of theirs that they ran into along the way, who were also taking advantage of the sunny weather. Hermione started talking about an arithmancy assignment she had to do, but stopped, laughing, when she saw the look on Harry's face. They walked on in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes, before Harry eventually plucked up the courage to tell her. "Um, Hermione?", he started, inwardly bracing himself for the imminent 'Hurricane Granger' that he was sure was about to hit, "There's something I need to talk to you about".

"Yes?", she said, stopping and turning to him, concern filling her face, "Harry, are you alright?" "I'm fine", Harry said, "it's actually you I was worried about". She waited for this to sink in, the question obviously surprised her, or so it seemed to Harry anyway. "Me?", she asked, attempting to sound casual, "I'm alright - I've got loads to do before the end-of-year exams, but I say that every year, don't I?" Harry smiled at that, but shook his head, "I wasn't talking about the exams 'Mione - I think this has something to do with the mirror".

He saw a definite flash of panic cross her face, but she obviously decided to try and brazen it out, "What do you mean?" "Something changed after you looked in that mirror", Harry said, turning more serious, "you saw something that you weren't expecting, so you made up a lie about you becoming the next minister for magic, because you thought was the sort of story that Ron and I would be likely to believe about you". Hermione definitely looked a little flustered now, but she still wouldn't come out and just admit it, "I don't know what you mean Harry - it took me a while to answer the two of you that night because I didn't recognise myself at first, I think I must have been about thirty in the reflection".

She chanced a look at him then, and the expression of scepticism on his face was all the answer she needed. She still didn't have a clue how to tell Harry that she had feelings for their best friend though, so instead she just looked down at her feet, and stayed silent for a moment. In the end, it was Harry who spoke first, though it took him more than a few minutes himself, to get the courage to speak. "Hermione?", he began again, though she didn't look up at him, "I...I know what you saw".

Chapter Eleven

That certainly got her attention, her head whipped back up so she was looking him exactly in the eye. She didn't question him for a second - she could see the truth in his face - there really would have been no point. She just sighed and looked down again, her voice suddenly sounding very small, "How?" Harry hesitated, Hermione was already upset, he didn't particularly want to drop this bombshell too. "I...", he started, pausing to sit down on the ground and waiting for her to do likewise.

"I knew there was something wrong", he began again, "but I didn't know what it was, so last night I...", he trailed off again, already seeing the look of horror in Hermione's eyes. "I came to talk to you", he said, the words coming fast now, he couldn't risk stopping again 'til he was finished, guessing what her reaction would probably be, "I waited till everyone was asleep and then I sneaked out of my room, alone, and came over to yours". "I wore the invisibility cloak, just in case Lavender or Parvati was still awake, but when I got there, you were all still up and talking".

"I was going to leave then, but I heard you mention the mirror so......I stayed, I'm sorry Hermione, but I just wanted to know what was wrong, so I stayed, and I heard it all". He trailed off then, waiting for the tirade he was sure would come - but it didn't. Hermione just nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her head on them. "I'm really sorry", Harry said again after Hermione had been quiet for about five minutes. "It's ok", she said at last, "I mean it's not the way I would have chosen for you to find out, but I suppose you had to know - I mean this does affect you too".

She managed a weak smile then, seeing the alarm on Harry's face, "I won't let you keep doing that", he said, sounding more firm than he'd meant to. "Doing what?", she asked, nervously. "Putting yourself and your feelings last", Harry said, resting a hand on her shoulder, "you could be on the verge of something really important for you here, and instead you're worrying about how I'm going to react?" "Hermione, you're one of my two best friends in the world", he said quickly before she could interrupt, "all I want is for you to be happy - whatever that might mean".

"Thank you", she said, smiling and moving so she could lean her head on his shoulder. They sat comfortably for a few moments before either spoke again. Hermione was relieved to have the burden of her lie lifted from her - Harry, relieved because she wasn't angry with him and had completely forgiven him for basically spying on her. She sighed before she spoke, not moving from her position leaning against him, "I don't know what I'm going to do". "Well I think you know what you have to do, at least eventually", Harry replied, "but how and when - that's completely up to you."

Hermione nodded, smiling gratefully, but she clearly wasn't entirely back to normal yet either, "I'm not even sure if telling him is the right thing to do". Harry was about to object very strenuously to that, but Hermione beat him to it, "I mean, he's had six years to figure out how he feels about me, and he's never really shown me anything other than friendship". "Well", Harry said, not quite sure what to say exactly because Ron had never actually said anything to him about having an interest in Hermione, "he did take you to the ball last year".

"Come on Harry!", Hermione said, laughing a little now, "He asked me because he didn't want a repeat of what happened in our 4th year - and anyway, we all went together really - me, Ron, you and Ginny". She deliberately grouped the names that way, but Harry pretended not to notice her fairly unsubtle hint and dragged the conversation back round to Hermione's problem again, "You can't just ignore it though". "I know", Hermione said, sighing a little in exasperation this time, "but for all I know - Ron just doesn't see me that way - and I don't want to ruin our friendship".

"Well whatever you do decide to do is fine by me", Harry offered, "and I promise I won't say anything to him". Hermione nodded, pulling away from him to sit back, facing him. "Thank you, Harry", she said again, "the idea of you being hurt by...whatever, if anything, might happen between me and Ron was killing me". "Well you ought to have more faith in your friends!", Harry said teasingly, a wicked thought crossing his mind, "And you know, you could stick up for me once in a while!" "What do you mean?", Hermione asked, looking concerned. "Well it might be nice to have one person say I look better than Ron in Quidditch robes!" She gasped in mock-horror then, swatting him playfully. "I think we both know there is at least one person who would agree with that", she said, raising one eyebrow in a challenge.

"Later, later!", Harry said, holding up his hands in a mock surrender, "Let's get your love-life sorted out first, then we can think about mine!" "Deal!", Hermione said, laughing and getting to her feet, "Come on, we better get in for lunch before Fred and George completely clean out the kitchens!" Harry also got to his feet, laughing at the seemingly bottomless stomachs of the Weasley twins. "You ready?", he asked, as they approached the Great Hall. "Lunch I can handle", Hermione replied, walking towards the doors, "it's what I have to do later that's worrying me!"