"Er...sorry, Hermione, I "
"Sorry, sorry, don't worry. Just go down to breakfast, I expect you're quite hungry"
"Um, alright. See you later, then?"
But she was already trotting up the grand staircase.
Harry finished the route down to the Hall and sat down next to Ron, who was accompanied by Neville and Dean, and numerous other members of Gryffindor House. The three were already more than halfway done with breakfast, and it seemed the only thing keeping them was a fiery discussion which seemed to involve a secret girl, the library, and mistletoe. Harry was amused as he quietly listened to Seamus' badgering Dean for more details, while Ron only looked wistfully at his bacon. Harry felt a pang of pity for Ron - it had only been a few weeks since the breakup with Parvati. Eventually the throng scattered and Harry was free to talk with his best friend.
"Morning, Ron...seen much of 'Mione lately?" Harry greeted.
"Nah, she ran upstairs a bit after 10, why"
"I dunno, she just seemed rushed"
"Oh, you know - she's probably eagerly awaiting the new arrival at the library," explained Ron.
"Yea...you're probably right." But as he and Ron took their leave of the Great Hall, Harry couldn't help but feel a smidge of curiosity.
--
Though not for lack of trying, Harry couldn't find Hermione anywhere. In somewhat lesser moods, he and Ron shuffled up to the Gryffindor Commons and amused themselves by playing Wizard's Chess. As was expected, Ron crushed Harry's valiant players, but with a sweep of his wand the crumbled men were soon solid and eager to fight again ("Nobody gets the best of me axe this time, cowards and yellerbellies!").
A tapping was heard.
Harry straightened. "You hear that?" he asked.
"Eh?" was Ron's answer.
"A tapping...I thought I heard...nevermind. It must have been Neville exploding snowballs again."
The two were silent for about a minute, until the tapping sounded again in Harry's ear.
"That's it"
"What"
"Shhh!" Harry tried to shush Ron but only a puzzled expression appeared on his friend's face.
This time the tapping was more like a steely knocking, and as Harry whipped around to face the noise he noticed something smudged in the corner outside a window. It was Hedwig.
"Great trolls," Harry muttered as he swept over to the window to allow Hedwig inside. An annoyed hooting erupted from her beak as she landed on an armrest, which then quieted to a muffled purr as she was fed some of the peanut brittle left in Harry's pocket.
Harry tried to steady his heartbeat as he watched his owl. I really need to stop getting so easily worked up, he thought to himself. As he noticed Ron discreetly looking at him with concern, he hurriedly put his worries out of his mind.
"Were you getting bored in the Owlery? Oh no, you must have gone out for a bite..." but his words faltered as he noticed a piece of parchment tightly knotted onto her leg. He quickly untied the note and wondered belatedly who it could be from, then realized that it would only be from someone inside Hogwarts, as they were the only ones who had access to the Owlery at any time.
The note was written on a regal piece of parchment with a silvery sheen to it, and the ink was a deep red.
He nearly dropped the letter as his mind came to the conclusion that the ink was blood, then mentally shook himself and tried to calm his imagination. His disturbed thoughts never seemed to escape him - he was always on alert nowadays, even though Christmas would be coming soon. His heart was lightened as he eagerly thought of Christmas morning with his two best friends, and merrily enjoying the day until sitting round a burning fireplace drinking cinnamon cider. He was grateful to have Hogwarts as a sanctuary over the holidays.
With a steadier mind and a lightened heart, he realized that the ink was just the excess of a Norda tree's roots. The ink was prized for being a vivid and splendid red, but was also collected in other colors. However, he thought the red was an appropriate color for thetime.
Harry turned back to the note and began to read. It's writing was one he'd not seen before, and he was intrigued.
Dear Harry,
Don't be lonely this evening.
Meet me at the gate of Hogsmeade.
Signed,
A friend
Harry didn't know what to think. He quickly showed the letter to Ron, who chuckled as he read the last few words.
"Looks like you've got a secret admirer, mate"
"You think so?" Harry replied, disbelieving.
"All the signs are there! Meet me, don't be alone, all that hush-hush blab is just code for 'I want you'", Ron explained with a grin on his face. Harry couldn't help but remember how Ron's face had looked exactly as so when Parvati had said yes after he'd asked her out for a date to Werewolf City. The two had had a marvelous time, and he came back with a gleam in his eye that wasn't there before. Now, it seemed, the twinkle was back again as Ron encouraged his friend to meet the special someone, but Harry had a twinge of sorrow.
"Look, Ron...I know it didn't work out with you and Par"
"Harry! Don't worry about it mate, I'll live," Ron assured.
As he noted that Harry seemed to be riven, Ron reached a compromise.
"Oy - how 'bout I go with you? You'll need someone to get you out of trouble when Malfoy catches you sneaking around past curfew"
Relieved, Harry consented.
"So, you gonna use the cloak?" Ron asked.
"Em...I suppose we'll have to. I'll use the Marauder's Map as well, it won't do to get lost underground in the dark."
Just then Harry realized something.
"Ron! What if the note is a trap"
"Eh"
"I mean, we have to be careful about this. What would Hermione say?" Harry explained, noting that he still hadn't seen her.
"Oh, I know exactly what Hermione would say," said Ron. "She'd forbid us to go and threaten us with a week's worth of detention"
"Not to mention she wouldn't let us copy her homework," Harry reminded, as Ron's face turned sour at the thought.
Ron took a deep breath and proceeded to say, "Harry...I think we can risk it. I mean, you're getting a girl!"
Harry smiled slowly as he realized that this was Ron's way of expressing his utmost sincerity to the cause, but he wasn't going to be waylaid.
"I just want to be careful. What if it's Voldemort or one of his followers trying to lure me out of the castle?"
After Ron got over his shuddering spasm at hearing the name, he pointed out that Hedwig would have warned Harry, which seemed to lessen his cautions.
"Besides," Ron pointed out, "we can't let down our inner rebels. You and I both know that we're going to go one way or the other. We'll have our wands, and you HAVE warded...HIM...off about three times now." His eyes anxiously filled with a plea, a plea for adventure that had not been had for quite some time now.
"Oh...alright. Just be ready for anything," Harry consented.
The two sat in serious thought for about three seconds, and then looked at each other mischeviously and grinned.
--
It was late afternoon when the two started for Hogsmeade. Harry had brought everything he needed - the invisibility cloak which would cover both Ron and himself, the Marauder's Map, his wand, and the note. Ron had convinced him to wear a bit of his cologne (though Harry thought it smelled a bit like sweet cabbage), and had encouraged him to use a breath-freshening charm every once in a while. Harry good-heartedly took the advice and hoped for the best.
"Ready?" Harry whispered as the two threw the cloak over their heads. As Ron nodded, they stepped out through the Fat Lady's portrait (she grudgingly muttered something under her breath for waking her from her nap).
The two trudged through the halls, anxiously checking the map for any sign of movement nearby. They made it to the secret entrance of Harry's personal favorite passage to Hogsmeade and made their first steps onto the mossy staircase which led for a few miles. Once the passage had closed Ron and Harry quickly took off the cloak and tucked it in a corner, invisible to the average passerby. Not that there would be any, Harry reminded himself.
With each a word, the two lighted up their wands and silently made their way through the passage.
It was a good hour later that a thin stream of moonlight was seen at the end of the tunnel, and, though tired, Harry relayed his find to Ron as they quickened their pace. Finally they reached the end and welcomed the feel of fresh air hitting their faces and they stepped outside.
"Bloody long tunnel," Ron grunted.
Harry shrugged, "It's the only way without being caught"
Ron nodded in recognition and led the way to the gate of Hogsmeade, just visible to their eyes.
They stood on a hill covered with fresh snow, each shivering a bit in the brisk air. Moonlight showered them, and as they stood in silence Harry reflected on the note. He shivered again, not just with cold but with a bit of excitement, wondering who this person could be. Suddenly, doubts sprang to mind and he almost turned back to Hogwarts, but Ron chided him.
"Honestly Harry, you'd think you didn't fancy women! Look, the girl's probably just as nervous as you and wondering if you're ever going to show up. We better hurry if we want to catch her."
Harry marvelled at his friend's thinking. "Alright," he complied.
It was around 8 o'clock when they reached the gate. There was no sign of a girl anywhere.
Instinctively, Harry reached for his wand and pulled it out, as Ron did the same. The two stood stock-still for nearly two minutes, but no threat met them. All they could see were miscellaneous witches and wizards getting their last-minute Christmas shopping done. One witch scolded her child for beginning to eat what looked like a chocolate frog, saying she'd ruin her dinner. The two then apparated and were seen no more.
Sighing, Harry said to Ron, "We might as well look around"
Ron agreed and the two traversed into Hogsmeade. It was a brilliant town to come to so close to Christmas - multicolour lights danced their way across rooftops and carolers were heard round every corner. Harry found himself wishing he had brought a bit more money; shops held stock that he wouldn't mind buying as presents for his friends.
Once they couldn't stand the cold any longer, and as Ron's nose started to turn a fiersome pink while snow landed on it, Harry suggested they duck into the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer. Ron eagerly agreed and they soon found themselves merrily sipping their beverages in a far corner of the room (so that they would not be seen), but thoughts of the note lingered in the back of Harry's mind.
Although he could have stayed for the whole night, Harry decided it was getting a bit late and if they wanted to sneak back in at a reasonable hour, he and Ron would have to leave now. Ron grumbled as they stepped back out into the frost.
As they wound their way towards the gate, Harry squinted. He thought he saw a small figure leaning against a post, and as they walked closer he noticed something perculiar. With quick thinking, he encouraged Ron to go look around the candy shop (this did not take much encouragement) and strode towards the figure. Now his observations confirmed his thoughts - the slight figure, porcelain skin, bushy brown hair...Hermione. She was unmistakeable, even in the silver glaze of the moon.
Harry stopped abruptly. She wasn't facing him, so he had time to think. Hermione? She was the one who sent me the note...no wonder she's been gone all day! And acting flustered in the morning...
Suddenly Hermione started to walk away, towards the way he and Ron had come. He couldn't just let her walk away - "Hermione!" he blurted out.
She turned around swiftly and they met each other's eyes. He could see even in the dim light that her dainty cheeks were red, and she fumbled with her scarf as he walked towards her. Now merely a foot apart, Hermione became extremely uncomfortable and this moment became the only time Harry had ever seen her lost for words.
"Harry...er, I just - I mean, I didn't know if you would come, but it's alright because I'm just leaving now, so you don't have to stay here -"
"You sent me the note?" Harry asked incredilously.
Hermione's cheeks became a darker shade of red and she laughed nervously.
"Yes, silly thing of me to do, I suppose...I mean, why would you ever- oh look, mistletoe!"
But her words were lost as Harry's lips descended upon hers. The silver sheen of moonlight eagerly shone upon their faces as they stood motionless in the snow, and the moment seemed to last forever. Somewhere the clear note of a silver bell was heard.
The two were silent for some time after the kiss ended, and then Harry said jokingly, "I don't see any mistletoe." For it was true, as they were standing under a clear night sky with only the stars to pass as ornaments.
As Hermione blushed again at the comment, Harry whispered, "Don't worry. I would have done it anyway."
The two smiled at each other.