Lakeside Conversation
Hermione found him sitting upon a bench near the lake. He had a far away expression upon his face, as he waxed his broom. She hesitated for a moment, watching him. then she cleared her throat, wincing as it sounded louder than she though.
Harry looked up from the bench, a smile forming upon his face. "Hey, Hermione."
"Where were you today?" She asked, frowning slightly. "You weren't in any of your classes."
Harry only grinned. "It was such a beautiful day, why waste it sitting inside a classroom?"
"And that's the reason you didn't go to any of your classes today? Because it was such a beautiful day?" Hermione asked, disbelief heavy in her voice.
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"That's..." Hermione tried finding the word to describe what he had done, but none came to her. "What did you do all day then?" She finally said.
Harry shrugged. "This and that." He waved out toward the open lawns of Hogwarts and the Lake. "I practiced a little Quidditch, helped Hagrid stomp rock beetles, and just enjoyed the day. Lying around and thinking mostly." He said.
Hermione shook her head. "That's insane." She took a seat beside him upon the bench, staring at him as if he'd grown an extra arm or something.
Harry only laughed. "Actually I think it's the opposite. It's the sanest thing I've done since we came back to school." He set his broom down and wiped his hands upon a rag. "I've never seen anything more clearly as I do now. It's like before everything was dimmed or clouded, but now I can see everything clearly. And I'll tell you this, I've never seen things so bright and cheerful." Harry sighed, grinning at Hermione.
"But to miss class?"
"Haven't you ever just stopped and smelled the roses? I did that, literally. I was helping Hagrid fertilize the rose gardens and I stopped to smell the, and they smelled wonderful."
Hermione sighed, staring out across the lake. Then she turned at looked at Harry. "What's gotten into you?" She asked.
Harry smirked. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean to sound offensive or anything, but you don't seem to be acting like yourself. It's like aliens came and took the real you away, leaving us with a duplicate."
Harry chuckled. "What? Being happy is acting unusual?"
"For you it is." Hermione remarked, and then she suddenly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry!"
Harry only smiled. 'No. No. You're right. I know I've been moping around the castle and not talking to anyone the last couple of weeks. But that was when I was burdened. When there was a great weight upon my shoulders that made it so that it was the only thing I could concentrate upon."
"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.
"The potion. It just didn't knock us out or make us forget the morning, it changed me. It gave me a clean slate, a fresh start. One without all the pain and all the hurt and fear that I've felt these past years."
Hermione stared at him in shock. "What do you mean by clean slate? What did that potion do?"
"It erased all the bad memories. All the painful memories." Harry said, tapping his forehead.
"We have to tell Dumbledore!" Hermione said, jumping to her feet.
"I already did. He says he's getting a healer from St. Mungos to come over, see if anything else was damaged." Harry shrugged. "I don't know why he cares so much about it. I for one don't mind those memories gone."
"How can you say that?" Hermione asked, sitting back down upon the bench.
"Do you ever miss your wings?' He asked.
"What?" Hermione asked confused.
"That's my point. How can you miss something that you've never had? I don't' recall these memories, I don't know these people, so why should it worry me?"
Hermione was quiet for a long while. "But those memories made you who you are." She said finally.
Harry shrugged. "Am I not me? Am I not the same Harry that I was yesterday and the year before? I'm still me, minus a few memories."
"But..." Hermione began.
'Can we talk about something else?" Harry asked, sighing and rubbing his eyes. "I can't change what happened. It's done and I don't think I'd want to change it back to the way it was."
"Okay." Hermione said softly. Silence descended upon the two, only broken by the shouts of other students and a bird chirping in the distance.
"There's a Hogsmeade visit tomorrow." Harry suddenly said. He stared out toward the lake, his gaze following a bird swooping over the lake's waters.
"Yeah. I've seen the bulletin." Hermione remarked, wrinkling her nose as she saw a caterpillar making it's way up her bag.
"You want to go?" Harry asked, intently watching as the water rippled and he could almost make out the form of the giant squid.
"I was already planning on it." Hermione said, brushing of the offending creature with a twig. "I really need some new quills and ink." She repositioned her bag.
"No. I mean do you want to do with me. Together." Harry said quickly, avoiding her gaze.
Hermione was quiet for a while. She glanced at Harry and quickly looked away. The quiet seemed to drag on forever, Harry sat there fidgeting and was about to speak, to say he was kidding, to say it was a joke, when she looked at him and smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Hermione found him sitting upon a bench near the lake. He had a far away expression upon his face, as he waxed his broom. She hesitated for a moment, watching him. then she cleared her throat, wincing as it sounded louder than she though.
Harry looked up from the bench, a smile forming upon his face. "Hey, Hermione."
"Where were you today?" She asked, frowning slightly. "You weren't in any of your classes."
Harry only grinned. "It was such a beautiful day, why waste it sitting inside a classroom?"
"And that's the reason you didn't go to any of your classes today? Because it was such a beautiful day?" Hermione asked, disbelief heavy in her voice.
Harry nodded. "Yeah."
"That's..." Hermione tried finding the word to describe what he had done, but none came to her. "What did you do all day then?" She finally said.
Harry shrugged. "This and that." He waved out toward the open lawns of Hogwarts and the Lake. "I practiced a little Quidditch, helped Hagrid stomp rock beetles, and just enjoyed the day. Lying around and thinking mostly." He said.
Hermione shook her head. "That's insane." She took a seat beside him upon the bench, staring at him as if he'd grown an extra arm or something.
Harry only laughed. "Actually I think it's the opposite. It's the sanest thing I've done since we came back to school." He set his broom down and wiped his hands upon a rag. "I've never seen anything more clearly as I do now. It's like before everything was dimmed or clouded, but now I can see everything clearly. And I'll tell you this, I've never seen things so bright and cheerful." Harry sighed, grinning at Hermione.
"But to miss class?"
"Haven't you ever just stopped and smelled the roses? I did that, literally. I was helping Hagrid fertilize the rose gardens and I stopped to smell the, and they smelled wonderful."
Hermione sighed, staring out across the lake. Then she turned at looked at Harry. "What's gotten into you?" She asked.
Harry smirked. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean to sound offensive or anything, but you don't seem to be acting like yourself. It's like aliens came and took the real you away, leaving us with a duplicate."
Harry chuckled. "What? Being happy is acting unusual?"
"For you it is." Hermione remarked, and then she suddenly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry!"
Harry only smiled. 'No. No. You're right. I know I've been moping around the castle and not talking to anyone the last couple of weeks. But that was when I was burdened. When there was a great weight upon my shoulders that made it so that it was the only thing I could concentrate upon."
"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.
"The potion. It just didn't knock us out or make us forget the morning, it changed me. It gave me a clean slate, a fresh start. One without all the pain and all the hurt and fear that I've felt these past years."
Hermione stared at him in shock. "What do you mean by clean slate? What did that potion do?"
"It erased all the bad memories. All the painful memories." Harry said, tapping his forehead.
"We have to tell Dumbledore!" Hermione said, jumping to her feet.
"I already did. He says he's getting a healer from St. Mungos to come over, see if anything else was damaged." Harry shrugged. "I don't know why he cares so much about it. I for one don't mind those memories gone."
"How can you say that?" Hermione asked, sitting back down upon the bench.
"Do you ever miss your wings?' He asked.
"What?" Hermione asked confused.
"That's my point. How can you miss something that you've never had? I don't' recall these memories, I don't know these people, so why should it worry me?"
Hermione was quiet for a long while. "But those memories made you who you are." She said finally.
Harry shrugged. "Am I not me? Am I not the same Harry that I was yesterday and the year before? I'm still me, minus a few memories."
"But..." Hermione began.
'Can we talk about something else?" Harry asked, sighing and rubbing his eyes. "I can't change what happened. It's done and I don't think I'd want to change it back to the way it was."
"Okay." Hermione said softly. Silence descended upon the two, only broken by the shouts of other students and a bird chirping in the distance.
"There's a Hogsmeade visit tomorrow." Harry suddenly said. He stared out toward the lake, his gaze following a bird swooping over the lake's waters.
"Yeah. I've seen the bulletin." Hermione remarked, wrinkling her nose as she saw a caterpillar making it's way up her bag.
"You want to go?" Harry asked, intently watching as the water rippled and he could almost make out the form of the giant squid.
"I was already planning on it." Hermione said, brushing of the offending creature with a twig. "I really need some new quills and ink." She repositioned her bag.
"No. I mean do you want to do with me. Together." Harry said quickly, avoiding her gaze.
Hermione was quiet for a while. She glanced at Harry and quickly looked away. The quiet seemed to drag on forever, Harry sat there fidgeting and was about to speak, to say he was kidding, to say it was a joke, when she looked at him and smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."