Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter and this does not (to my knowledge) contain any spoilers to Harry Potter 6 or 7.
A Forest Full of Truths: Chapter 5: A Change of Scenery
(Padfoot's Hiding place, Forbidden Forest)
Padfoot came running in soaking wet and out of breath. Harry jumped up standing protectively in front of Hermione.
"What is it Padfoot?"
"Let me see your uniform Harry." Harry pulled off his cloak and handed it to Padfoot, who bought it up to his nose and smelt is, then quickly pulled it away. "Do you know the moonlight spell?"
"The what?" Harry said confused.
"The moonlight spell." Hermione answered, "mimics the moons rays and shows things that you normally couldn't see unless by moonlight." Padfoot nodded. "It's Lunos Atratas, Harry." Harry quickly performed the spell, with a sudden snapping sound the cave filled with light. Once Harry's eyes adjusted he noticed his robes where completely covered with a neon green dust. He turned and saw that it was all over Hermione's clothing, well on her skirt but not her undershirt.
"That's how they've been following you, that's why some of the forest is after you, they must have sprayed you with this pollen before you even left the stone hollow."
"But how could they track us by this," Hermione asked gesturing the dust, "it's just dust."
"No not dust, pollen you may not be able to tell but it has a very distinct smell, it's the smell of the moon tears," Harry sat there still confused and for the first time so did Hermione. "It's a rare fruit that only ripens in the moonlight, very rare and very good, I might add. But more importantly to anything in the forest you've been ringing the dinner bell since you got here."
"Okay so how do we wash it off?" Harry asked.
"I doubt you could even if you tried, it magically soaks into what ever it first comes in contact with, in this case your cloths. You shall have to get new ones." Padfoot rose and began to rummage through a pile of bags at the far end of the cavern.
"But we don't have anything else," said Hermione in an abnormally high voice.
"Well I have others, I doubt they completely fit you but their warm and won't attract anything, so they'll have to do." Padfoot returned with a large bad a dumped the contents onto the cavern floor. "Find whatever you can that fits, sorry I don't have any cloths that will really suit you," he said to Hermione half sarcastic half apologetic, "when you find something throw your regular cloths out to me and I'll send your friends on a wild goose chase for weeks." He turned to leave the cavern when Harry said.
"Thank you, for everything, the cloths, Hermione and helping us get home."
"No thanks needed, it's my job and I was headed that way anyway." He replied before he vanished into the night outside.
"Well I suppose we had better change quickly." Harry sighed as he began to sift through the clothing pile. It didn't take him long to find a pair of thick paints, black, they looked to be his size but he couldn't decide what the other articles of clothing were. He held one up against his self, it went past his knees but it wasn't a dress and it had short sleeves. "What the heck is this?" He asked Hermione, she studied it for a moment before answering.
"I think it's a tunic, clothing worn Hundreds of years ago."
"Well it is for a guy or a girl," he asked spinning it around.
"Both actually, you where it like a large shirt and tie it with a belt around your waist."
"Is their any thing you don't know, or have an educated answer for?" He said sarcastically
"I don't know but if ever I don't have the answer I will be sure to let you know," Harry laughed at this as he began to take his robes off. Hermione's face turned a bright red as she watched Harry remove his cloak and shirt. She attempted to stand and turn so she wasn't looking at him only to fall back into his arms, with a throbbing in her ankle and shoulder. Harry turned to ask Hermione a question just in time to catch her.
"Are you all right?" Harry asked with a look of utmost worry on his face.
"Ya, I'm fine," she replied as she attempted to stand up only to fall down again from the pain in ankle. She looked at him, he gave a doubtful smile, "okay so I'm not fine, I can't stand or move by right arm."
"Yet you stilled tried to use both because?"
"Well I was trying to turn around so I could change."
"Why didn't you ask for help," his face slightly hurt.
"What help changing, Harry Potter are you mad?"
Harry, suddenly realizing what he had suggested, turned a bright red, but didn't back down.
"I mean a could have helped you stand or you could have told me to wait outside."
"Ya, I know and besides I haven't even looked at what there is to change into."
"Hermione, you can ask for help you know," he smiled.
"I know but normally I'm the one giving help."
"Well then its about time you ask for it," he replied in a matter of fact tone. She only smiled in reply. Harry carried Hermione over to the pile of cloths and helped her sift through them until she found something she thought was suitable, a blue tunic and tan pants.
After a few moments of awkward silence Hermione swallowed her pride, and embarrassment, looked at a still shirtless Harry and asked, "Can you help me change?" Harry, not trusting his voice, only nodded. Slowly Harry pulled Hermione up and she leaned on his chest so none of her weight was on her hurt ankle. She rapped her left arm around his shoulder as he rapped his right around her waist, with his free hand Harry unbuckled Hermione's skirt. With her skirt gone Hermione turned the brightest red, it would have put the Weasley's hair to shame, Harry slowly lowered her, so she sat on the corner of the sleeping bags slightly elevated. Harry placed her feet in the pant legs and slowly brought them up her legs, Hermione could feel his fingers on her legs and though she knew he didn't mean to she couldn't help but notice that it seemed to take him a lot longer than it should of to stop. He grabbed her tunic and draped it over his free shoulder before helping her up again to finish pulling up her pants, after several failed attempts at tying the drawstring Hermione grabbed his hand. He looked up, into her eyes and she smiled then helped him. Why is he so nervous, she thought, he's not the one standing here half-naked having his crush dress him.
No, said another voice in her head, he's the one dressing his crush and not sure how she feels about it.
No, that's not true he doesn't see it like that, she yelled, at herself.
Then why is he so nervous huh, answer that Hermione...Hermione...Hermione. She looked around with a start, suddenly aware that someone was actually talking to her.
"Hermione...Hermione are you okay?" Harry asked.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Well I asked you to raise your arms so I could put your shirt or whatever on and you just kind of ignored me." Harry replied in a more worried tone.
"Oh, sorry just lost in my own thoughts." Hermione raised her good arm and with his help she also slid her wounded arm into the tunic. Harry gently pulled the tunic down over her, she slowly looked up and lowered her arms to rap around his neck, Harry just stared at her and she him, neither sure what to do next. It was Harry who broke the stare first, aware that he was still just in his pants.
"Well I guess I should change to." Harry slowly released Hermione, she sat on floor as he changed. His back was turned to her but she could help but watch him, she noticed that he was much more muscular than she thought, I now love Quditch, once Harry was fully clothed he through their old cloths out to Padfoot, she had no idea what he did with them but when he returned he looked extremely pleased with himself.
"Well now that that was taken care of we can settle down for the night, I imagine you are both tired, but I also imagine that you have some questions as I have many for you. But those will have to wait until morning, we will have plenty of time to discuss them on our long journey."
"What long journey?" Hermione asked.
"Back to your hollow, it may take a full moon cycle to get there by foot unaided through the forest." He replied as he began to pack various items from around the cavern. "You two should go to sleep I'll wake you when we need to go." Both to tired to resist, they curled up next to each other on one sleeping bag and under the other.
Once he was satisfied that he had packed everything needed, Black sat a few feet away from the wizard and his witch, watching them. He felt something stir inside him as he watched them sleep, what was it relief, happiness he truly didn't know. I will take them home then return to my quest, he thought but a voice screamed inside his head, NO NO stay with them. This voice was not new to Black, as soon as he left his home he felt the presence of another within him, this being gave himself no name but Black felt that he and this being shared one.
What do these magiclings have to do with me or mine, I will take them strait home then return to my quest...
NO NO NO...
Stop yelling I can't understand you, remain calm I will come.
Black turned his body so he sat on his knees, folded his arms in his lap, took a deep breath and dove into the depths of his mind to find the other and consult him about the magiclings. Within his conscious Black found him, sitting on rock at the edge of pond, the pond served as a window into what Black was seeing, it showed the two magiclings still sleeping. "What do you want?" He asked. "To know why you were against me just taking them home." Black replied. "Taking them home I have no objection to, unless you mean back to Hogwarts." "Is that not their home," he shook his head. "Then where should I take them?" "Home, but that is not Hogwarts, though they will have to return their eventually, what brought you out of the Hollow, in the first place?" "I made a promise once, long ago, to my best friend and brother, I kept it to the end of my days but somehow another broke my promise and I must find that person and help them keep it.""What if I told you that protecting these magiclings is part of that."
"Normally I would tell you that you were mad but I think you might be right, but how could you know."
"I have my ways," Black smiled as this.
"You never told me what or who you are, yet you know much about me and my, perhaps you are the reason I can't go home."
"Perhaps but the only way to find out is to play along, and full isn't for two more weeks so you have little else to do." He lay down on the grass and began to doze.
"True," Black replied, he thought a moment the decided. "I will take them North, to the caves that will tell me what they and you are, and what I should do with you all, from there I will decide where to lead them, if they can survive that long. Unless you wish to make it easy and tell what you know, I can tell you understand much of this from your feelings as you watched them today."
"Yes I know, almost, exactly what is going on but you need to learn it on your own as they do. But I will give you a hint, that boy lost someone, someone who has a connection with you and someone he still needs, you belong with your family and if you listen to me you will and he shall have what he lost and more. That is all you'll get out of me tonight know go to sleep."
Black awoke from his trace and looked around the cavern, he had been here to long anyway it would be good to be on a journey again, a change of scenery. He turned to the magiclings both still sleeping, the boy lay facing him with his arms rapped around the girl, who lay with her back to the boys chest. She shuddered from the cold, the blanket covering them had shifted exposing her to the cold. Black rose and pulled the blanket over them, a wave of remembrance fell over him, I've done this before, seen this before but where, how. The girl shifted in her sleep her unruly hair fell in strands over her face, that hair. The boy opened his eyes slightly and, for a moment, their eyes locked, those eyes, he drifted back to sleepBlack stepped backward and leaned against the cavern wall as he slid down the wall so he sat he wondered, why hadn't he seen it sooner why hadn't he noticed it before, but it wasn't possible, was it.