A/N: Woah. I hit 1,000 followers. Just wow. The only thing I can say is thank you and I'm glad you're enjoying. My ma thought I was a loon because I've been walking around my house with a big dumb grin on my face.
Some action in this chapter, some fluff, a fight, an apology, and a clue.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.
Chapter 8
It was the night before they returned to Hogwarts and the two teens were sitting out on the Grangers back porch, sharing a quilt and drinking some hot chocolate to keep warm. They had a nice view of the pink sky as the sun set, the teenaged girl part of Hermione's brain was thinking that it was quite romantic given the position they were in.
They felt comfortable with each other, even more so than before. Hermione speculated that Harry opening up to her parents and her telling him to forgive himself closed a book. They could both move on from the past, and look forward to a brighter future. Hopefully together.
Ever since the breakdown, Harry felt lighter and even more comfortable with Hermione and her parents. They saw him at his most vulnerable as he didn't like people to see him cry, but they didn't judge him, they didn't think he was weak, they still treated him with the same care they did before. He thought that it might have forged a stronger connection with Hermione too.
The teens were a bit more affectionate with each other, sharing sweet short kisses and cuddling together, neither was ready for full on snogging just yet. Harry definitely liked the contact as it was described in his mind as prolonged Hermione hugs. He felt the need to just hold her hand, or keep his hand on the small of her back if they were standing close together. If the Grangers noticed, they didn't comment on it.
Even now, Hermione was sitting in between Harry's legs with her back against his chest. He held the first quilt she had ever knitted around them, but Harry's warmth was what was keeping Hermione nice and toasty. He rested his chin on her shoulder and she would sometimes catch him leaning into her neck and discreetly inhaling, before he would quietly hum in satisfaction. His arms were wrapped around her waist and hers rested above his. In simple terms, Hermione and Harry were happy.
He hadn't asked the 'question' yet, but Hermione hoped that he would soon. Obviously she knew what her answer would be. She was falling for Harry, incredibly fast and very hard, and she had no problem with it. It felt incredibly natural, like all the pieces in her life were falling together.
"I don't really want to go back tomorrow," Harry broke the silence with a weary sigh.
"Me neither," Hermione admitted, placing her hands over Harry's which rested on her stomach and intertwining their fingers. Holding hands in the theatre, Hermione noticed that there were a couple of scars on his hands, many looking like burn marks.
"What's going to happen when we go back, Harry?"
It seemed like they had formed their own little bubble in Kent, and when they went back to Hogwarts, Hermione didn't know if they could keep that bubble. She wanted to, badly, but didn't know if Harry wanted to as well.
"What do you mean?"
She blushed as she clarified, "With us."
"I want things to be the same," Harry said and Hermione's heart fell to her stomach in despair. 'He wants things to be the same as they were at school? Of course he does...' she thought and physically deflated.
Harry noticed Hermione's head drop to her chest and her shoulders slump. He wondered what he had said to cause that reaction and replayed his words.
His eyes widened at his poor choice of words, "No! No, Hermione, I didn't mean the same as they were." Harry gently turned Hermione and she looked up to him with glassy eyes, the sight more painful than a dagger to his heart. He leaned foward and placed a sweet peck on her lips, watching as her face brightened. "I want them to be the same as they are now. I...I've been trying to build up the courage and find the appropriate words to ask this."
"Well, go on then," Hermione encouraged mock-primly and straightened up from her dejected pose. Harry smiled at assertive Hermione being back and tenderly brushed a lock of curly hair behind her ear.
"Hermione Granger, will you be my girlfriend?"
Hermione's smile lit up her face and she nodded. "I'd love to, Harry Potter," they both just smiled at each other, Harry gazing down at his beautiful girlfriend. Oh, he wasn't going to tire of saying that. She then leaned in and whispered, "I think this is the part where you kiss me."
He laughed and closed the space between their faces, "I apologize for being remiss, milady." Harry said before pressing his lips against hers, muffling her laughter.
-oOo-
A destroyed cup sat on the Headmaster's desk after it had been destroyed. Sirius Black sat across from Albus, the only other one aware of its existence, along with the other pieces.
Being the Head of the Black family, Sirius was able to nullify Bellatrix's marriage to Lestange. Sirius was then able to have her vaults checked. Albus was able to deduce that Tom would have entrusted her with one of the pieces, just as he did with Lucius. Bellatrix was his right hand (wo)man.
"Three down," Sirius said, breaking the silence in a bittersweet voice. "When will we tell him?"
"I think that the end of this year will do," Dumbledore said, already dreading telling him of the prophecy. "I was going to wait until next year, but he has matured this year beyond my expectations."
Albus gazed at the orb on his desk. It was usually locked down in his office with the most powerful wards he could create surrounding the safe it was kept in. "I'm having some suspicions regarding Severus," Albus sadly admitted, "I think that he may have turned, but I have no real evidence to condemn him."
Sirius grimaced at the mention of Snivellus. He knew how the bastard treated his godson, he hated it, and he hated even more that he couldn't do anything about it. He wished that James hadn't stopped Moony from eating him when they were younger, a whole lot of problems could have been avoided. Ridiculously really that James saved his pathetic and worthless life, only for him to report the prophecy to Voldemort and risk their lives.
He was going to die, and Sirius only hoped he was the one to deliver the killing blow. He would do so without remorse. Revenge for Harry, for Lily, for James.
"You need to take away his Head of House title. He has too much power here," Sirius said severely, his tone not open for any arguments.
"The Slytherin House would be in an uproar with the way he treats them. If I were to have some kind of evidence against him, however, I would be able to do so," Albus said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
The Marauding brain in Padfoot started cackling with glee and a smile spread across Sirius' face. He had some planning to do.
-oOo-
Harry and Hermione walked hand in hand down the hall of the Express, their shrunken trunks in their pockets, the charm taught to Harry by Hermione. It was quite easy to find an empty compartment since it was just the little ones returning to Hogwarts. Both were glad that they'd have some privacy on the long way back to Hogwarts.
Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye to Hermione, seeing her walking with a small smile on her face. A lot had changed in the last two months, 'for the better,' Harry thought. It really didn't matter anymore that he was turned on by his House, he wouldn't have it any other way with the outcome of it.
He never would have gone to the library for solace, in turn, probably would have never met Hermione. He would have tried to outfly the dragon in the first task and would have died. He wouldn't be as happy and light as he was holding that beautiful girl's hand, being able to kiss and hug her. He was seriously contemplating telling her everything, all about the Dursleys, his fears from past years, things only Sirius knew about. Things even Sirius didn't know about.
It fightened him that he trusted her that much, but it also comforted him. He knew that she wouldn't judge him or make fun of him. He felt like he finally found some missing piece he had no idea was there. He felt whole.
They sat next to each other on the express, Harry's arm wrapped around Hermione as she burrowed into him. He took the time to Hogwarts to close his eyes and organize his mind since he completed the Occlumency book. It seemed easier to concentrate with the close contact with the girl in his arms.
Hermione pulled out the animagus book that Harry got her for Christmas, eager to start the transformation. Fortunately, it said that it would take three-six months to complete the transformation and they didn't have to worry about the potion since Sirius and Remus were going to brew it for them.
She idly wondered what her form would be as the book said that your forms take on your characteristics. She hoped it wasn't something silly or embarrassing like the rat Harry told her Peter Pettigrew was.
The journey was mostly shared in relative silence, a few affectionate gestures shared between the new couple in between Harry's meditating and Hermione's reading. When they pulled into Hogsmeaded station, the two immediately walked over to a carriage for the ride back up to Hogwarts, a bit bittersweet.
When they walked through the large doors hand in hand, Harry was not hiding the fact that Hermione was his girlfriend. He saw a couple of students mingling around the hallways staring at the two, before either hurrying off or whispering to their friends. Hermione's face showed that she was slightly uncomfortable with the attention, but Harry squeezed her hand in a silent message. 'I'm here, they don't matter.'
She smiled at him as they got to their usual dividing point of their Houses. "I'm going to put my bag away in the dorm. I'll meet you in front of the Great Hall?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded, pecking her lips once before heading toward the Gryffindor tower.
Hermione solved the riddle and walked up her tower to her dorm, seeing that her trunk was already there by her bed. Thankfully none of her roommates were there so she quickly deposited her bag on her bed and headed back down.
She was almost at the Great Hall, when she heard a most unwelcome voice.
"Well, look at this," Hermione groaned, but picked up her walking as quickly as she could, knowing that Malfoy and his two baboons were tailing her. Unfortunately, Malfoy easily caught up to Hermione and cut her off. Of course, he had a sneer on his face as he looked at her like she was the dirt beneath his shoe. "Did you spend Christmas with your filthy muggle parents, mudblood?"
"Malfoy, don't you have anything better to do than pick on me? Oh, that's right, you have no life so this is the high point of your day, isn't it?" Hermione asked sarcastically, her hand itching toward her wand in her pocket. She couldn't bite down the retort, every time she saw Malfoy's face she just wanted to smack the smug superiority off of it. Malfoy was a cockroach who though that he was invincible because of his daddy.
His pale face started to redden with anger, before he smirked and Hermione knew that something was going to happen. "Actually, I just wanted to give you your Christmas present," Malfoy said, whipping his wand out and sending a stinging hex to her face before she could put up a shield.
Hermione cringed and waited for the pain, which didn't come. Malfoy watched in confusion as the hex just dissolved a couple of inches in front of Herimone's face. It gave her the opportunity to whip out her own wand and disarm him, before sending a hex of her own to his face. One she had created herself.
The word COWARD suddenly appeared in dark red and inflamed looking pimples across Draco's forehead. Hermione had taken to finding counters for any curses and hexes, since she had been the victim of some by bullies in Hogwarts. In doing so, she found a way to create her own offensive hex she could use if the occasion arose. She didn't have the guts to cast it, unitl now. Safe to say her confidence had taken a major boost this year.
She didn't feel bad about casting it, after all, it was Malfoy and he definitely deserved it for everything he had put her through. It was the first opportunity for her to use the hex, and she was quite proud of it as she looked at Malfoy. He reached up and felt the words on his face, before letting out a very girlish scream.
The spectacle had attracted many students who formed a circle around Malfoy and Hermione. They then started laughing when they saw Malfoy's forehead, many agreeing with the word.
Coward. It really was what Draco Malfoy personified. He hid behind his image of being the 'Silver Prince', who threatened to tattle to his daddy, who wouldn't think twice about cursing you when your back was turned, who constantly looked for the easy way out of things. He had not one ounce of courage in him.
The gruesome twosome, also known as Crabbe and Goyle, saw their leader get hexed by the mudblood and started to take their own wands out, only to feel something tap the back of their heads.
"Don't even think about it," Crabbe and Goyle heard identical voices from behind them and Hermione turned to see Fred and George Weasley with their wands raised toward their heads, ready to fire if they made a move.
With a pop, Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared from her office. Hermione knew from Hogwarts, A History that their are powerful apparation wards around the school, though she suspected someone with a mage level of magic like Dumbledore would be able to, but you can apparate from inside of the school to another part of the school, like McGonagall just did.
Professor Dumbledore had wards put up around the school that let the Deputy Headmistress know when the word 'mudblood' was even uttered under someone's breath. No one had said it until now and as she took in the scene she sighed. Surprise, surprise, it was Draco Malfoy who had said it.
"What is going on here?" she pushed through the crowd, her wand out as she took in the crying form of Draco Malfoy and had to suppress a chuckle of her own at the word across his forehead.
"Hermione!" the girl in question heard her boyfriend's voice before he pushed through the crowd, rushing over to her. "Are you okay?"
She only had time to nod before Malfoy opened his big fat mouth, digging his heels into the shit he had already stepped in. "The mudblood bitch hexed me!"
Harry's emerald eyes flashed dangerously as he whipped around to the blond ponce. "You want to say that again?" Harry hissed, stepping toward Malfoy, hands clenched at his side. He then stopped up short when he saw the word across his forehead. "Malfoy, you might want to take care of your personal hygiene and wash your face some more. Then again, it could just be residual grease from Snape's hair that splashed on your face.
"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall snapped at her Lion, who muttered a 'sorry', though he sounded anything but with the amused grin on his face. She wasn't exactly peeved at his comment, but she had to keep face.
"What is going on here?" Everyone turned to see Professors Snape strutting over, sneer on his face.
"I'd like to know that as well," Professor McGonagall said, before seeing the two mischievous redheads, wands still raised at Crabbe and Goyle. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, please lower your wands and tell me what is your take on what happened here?"
"Well, Professor," the boys started before Fred...or was it George...motioned for his brother to start.
"Miss Granger was walking toward the Great Hall when Malfoy here-"
"-asked if she spent Christmas with her, and I quote, 'filthy muggle parents'. He also called her a...you know...begins with an m-"
"Foul word for muggleborns-"
"A word only cowards say-"
"Such a disgusting word that the speaker should be hanged by their toes from the Astronomy tower for even uttering it!" the twins glared at the red faced blond ponce, McGonagall holding up a hand to halt the dramatics.
"I understand. Please continue."
"Miss Granger responded in kind-"
"-none of her words were instigating or threatening-"
"-but, of course, Malfoy, like the brat he is, sent a stinging hex right to her face," Harry's eyes were glowing Killing Curse green as he glared at Malfoy from his spot next to Hermione, tightening the hold on her waist. His own hand was itching toward his wand to hex to git.
Protective feelings had been constantly crashing over Harry, especially since Hermione was his girlfriend. She was in a relationship with him and he was damned if anyone was going to hurt her with him around.
"The hex didn't even reach her though-"
"-it just dissolved. Bloody wicked, right Gred?"
"Indeed, Forge."
"That's because of her bracelet, Professor. Sirius helped me place Charms on it to protect her," Harry said, Hermione looking at him in surprise before smiling at him, along with every other single witch in the radius. The fact that Harry Potter bought Hermione Granger a bracelet laced with charms to protect her brought his desirable stock up even further than it was as just the 'Boy-Who-Lived'.
"Anyway, Hermione disarmed Malfoy and that's when we started coming over. She did that to his forehead-"
"-and it rather fits because he is a coward for hexing a girl who did nothing to him."
Snape, showing his glaring preference for his own House, snapped at the muggleborn witch. "A hundred points from Ravenclaw and detention for a month for attacking a fellow student."
"What?!" Harry yelled, shock and anger welling up inside of him as he glared at the self-satisfied face of Snape.
"Are you joking?" the twins asked in unison. Herimone's heart fell to the ground. She had never lost points for her House before, now she lost them a hundred and detention? Her face paled and her heart rate started to pick up as well as her breathing.
"Severus!"
"What? It is my job to make sure no students in this school are bullied, isn't that right, Minerva?" Snape smirked, twisting the words of the Headmaster around. If the Scot could kill with her eyes, Severus Snape would be six feet under. "I am the Head of Slytherin House-"
"Do not forget, Professor Snape, I am also the Deputy Headmistress and your superior," the Lioness growled at the Potions professor. "All points Severus Snape has deducted are to be returned and no detentions will be given to Miss Granger. I was thinking along the lines of twenty points from Ravenclaw."
"Yes, ma'am." Hermione muttered with a nod. It certainly looked a lot better in comparison to a hundred points and detention.
"But, Professor-" Harry's protest was cut off by the Scot's stern glare, before she turned back to Malfoy.
"Mr. Malfoy, you were warned what would happen if you used that word. For saying it more than once, you'll spend two weeks detention with Mr. Filch and a hundred points docked from Slytherin."
"What?!" he shrieked, but McGonagall ignored him and turned to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, will Mr. Malfoy's forehead clear up?"
"It will be gone in two weeks, ma'am." Hermione responded politely, Malfoy's anger reaching dangerous levels at the statement.
"Two weeks?! Wait until my father hears about this, you filthy mud-" Harry moved forward to pummel the git, but before the Slytherin could get anymore out, he was silenced by Professor McGonagall. Malfoy continued to silently rant and rave while McGonagall turned to Hermione.
"I'll be sure to inform your Head of House, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said sternly, Hermione wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. She had never been reprimanded by a teacher before and felt horrible. Well, until she heard the Deputy Headmistress' next muttered words. "I'm sure Professor Flitwick will be most pleased to hear about your excellent Charms work. Thirty points to Ravenclaw."
Professor McGonagall glared at the Potions Master who swept away with an exaggerated flourish, before the Lions Head of House dragged Malfoy away, who was still silenced. The two baboons followed at the glare by McGonagall.
Once they were alone, the twins turned to Hermione, "You can't remove the hex?"
"Oh, of course I can, but she didn't ask," Hermione shrugged, all three Gryffindors smiling at her bashfully mischievious admission. Harry thought she looked so cute blushing with the slightly evil glint in her eye and didn't resist the urge to wrap an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek.
"Brilliant, Miss Granger," he murmured in her ear, his girlfriend smiling at him.
"A prank worthy of the Marauders!" the twins exclaimed in unison.
"We should recruit you for our future plans!"
"We plan on opening a joke shop after Hogwarts."
"With your brilliance helping with the charms-"
"-and our incredible pranking talent-"
"-we would make a killing!"
They then decided to butter up the deal. "And is there anything more sexy than a devious little witch, Fred?" George asked with a lascivious grin, making Hermione blush and duck her head.
"I don't believe there is, George," Fred said, winking at the now tomato red muggleborn and her glaring boyfriend.
"Oi!"
-oOo-
Harry entered the Gryffindors fourth year boys dorm with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. He was happier than he had been in a long time and it showed from his whistling as he started to unpack his clothes. He started thinking about the summer and if maybe he could spend some time at the Grangers and they could also come to the Potter's manor.
"So, did you enjoy your Christmas?" Harry heard a sneering voice from behind him and turned to see Ron Weasley by the door, arms folded across his chest, his face painted into a scowl. Harry just turned back to his things, shaking his head and ignoring him.
"I don't even know what you see in her." Ron said, that statement freezing Harry. "Between her hair, the teeth, and her flat body, it's no wonder she has to resort to other techniques to get people interested. Is she an easy fuck, Potter? Is that it?"
The temperature in the room dropped to frosty limits and magic cackled in the air around Harry. His whole body tensed like a Lion ready to feast on its prey at Ron's last statement. Ron seemed to understand he made a mistake when Harry turned around. The Boy-Who-Lived's eyes were glowing green as he glared at Ron.
It seemed that Harry didn't even move before Ron felt the blow to his jaw and an enraged Harry Potter was towering over him. "Don't you ever say anything like that again!"
Ron Weasley's temper went into overdrive and he sprung off the ground, responding with his own attack, hitting Harry in the eye, which was the commencement of the fight. Both of the boys traded blows, yelling oaths and trying to beat each other silly.
Harry couldn't believe that Ron had said something so vile about Hermione, he wanted to beat some sense into him, until a thought crossed his mind. He was fighting with Ron, his former best friend. Ron would never say anything like that. Yes, he liked to talk about the Beauxbatons girls and how pretty they were, how he wanted to get a date with them, but never something that nasty.
"What the fuck are we doing?!" Harry asked, which caused his magic to push Ron off him, sending the redhead across the room. Ron landed flat on his back, the breath getting knocked from his lungs and delaying him getting up.
Both young wizards just sat in silence, the adrenaline slowly leaving them and the pain from the blows they inflicted finally hitting them. Harry reached up his hand to under his eye where swelling at started and winced at how tender it felt. When he lived at the Dursleys', he was used to rough treatment, but they never outright hit him. He could also feel a bruise forming on his jaw as he moved it around. His body had taken some blows judging from the soreness in his ribs.
He glanced up to see Ron sitting against Dean's bed, holding his stomach where Harry had gotten some hits in. He was also bleeding from his nose and lip, something that pleased Harry as he gave as good as he got. All that was heard in the room was their heavy breathing as they simmered down.
"Not her, Ron." Harry said, his voice rough. "You can say anything you want about me, do not have a go at Hermione. She's done nothing wrong-"
A trail of fresh blood fell from Ron's lip and he angrily wiped it away, "Oh, she's done something."
"What, Ron?" Harry asked exasperated. "What has she ever done to you, Ron? What terrible crime has she committed against you?"
"She replaced me! Suddenly you're hanging out with her, you're best friends, turning your back on your own House. What happened? Where did my best mate go?"
"No," Harry frowned, shaking his head in confusion. "No, she didn't. You abandoned me before I even spoke to Hermione this year. You cut the ties, Ron, and you know it. This isn't even about that." Ron physically deflated at this, "Where did my best mate go? When did you get so nasty? What happened?"
"You! You happened! You always get everything!" Ron exploded as he counted off on his fingers, "The fame, the girls, the recognition, all the money you could ever want. Why? Why you? Why is it always you? No one ever pays attention to me aside from being Harry bloody Potter's sidekick."
Harry just blinked at his former friend's outburst, finally getting a clear picture of who he actually was. Ron's usual and inane reaction was to lash out and get angry, his mother's temper shining through, and he truly doesn't process the words in his brain before they leave his mouth. He never gave any thought about his actions before he did them.
Things started making sense to Harry, the rhyme and reason to Ron and his actions and his words. He was the youngest male in a family of successful brothers. Two former Head Boys, a former Quidditch captain, and popular master prankers. He felt like he needed to do great things to get some recognition in his house. He saw the success of his brothers and sometimes expected it to just happen to him, he never processed he might have to put in actual hard work thanks to the coddling of his mother.
"Why do I have all of that, Ron?" Harry asked calmly, not giving Ron time to answer. He knew he didn't know the answer anyway. "The fame? You mean being the 'Boy-Who-Lived'? Lived as in my parents were killed."
Ron was silent as he watched Harry, the anger coiled in his body starting to unravel as Harry's words got through his thick skull.
"The girls?" Harry grimaced, before a picture of his girlfriend's face flashed through his mind and the grimace was replaced by a small smile reserved for only her. "Hermione is the one girl in this bloody school who doesn't care about all of that. She likes me for me, as just Harry. She's done nothing to you yet you insult her. If you had just taken the time to get to know her, you would see how great of a person she is."
Ron's head dropped, the telltale signs of shame starting to show, but Harry wasn't finished. This was a long time coming and Ron needed to hear all of this.
"The money? Oh the money that I never even knew I had until I was eleven when I found out that I'm a wizard. That's my family's money, the family I never had the chance to meet because of the psychopath who wants to kill me. I would trade it all away for my parents to be alive. I don't always get everything. Do you know how much I envy you, Ron? Do you?"
"Envy me?" Ron asked, bewildered. What did he have that Harry didn't?
Harry nodded, "Yes. You have a family, parents, brothers, a sister, love. Put yourself in my shoes, Ron. Use your brain and think before you speak. You really hurt Hermione when you accused her of brewing potions to keep my interest. Like I said, I can deal with people talking about me, I don't care. But not her. Never her."
Ron stood in silence for a couple of minutes, contemplating what he just said. He then thought back to all the times he spent at the Burrow with his family."I never thought of it like that. I never even...I'm sorry, Harry. You were my best mate and I just...I was jealous and I..." Ron was struggling with his first genuine apology, but Harry appreciated the sentiment.
"I forgive you, Ron, but I'll never forget how you hurt, not only me, but Hermione."
"I'll...I'll apologize to her," Ron said quickly, but with a determination in his voice that shocked Harry. Ron then flushed red and he winced. "Bloody hell, I was so mean to her. Not even just this year...bloody hell..."
"Yeah, you were," Harry said, an underlying of steel in his words.
"I'm sorry. I...I can see how important she is to you," Ron said, before a small smile crossed his face as he looked at Harry. "Did you ask her out, yet?"
"Yesterday she agreed to be my girlfriend," Harry replied, a smile curving at his own lips at the statement.
"Congratulations, mate." Ron said, but the word didn't sound right as he said it. He had a slight pained expression on his face, "Things...they'll never go back to how they were...will they?"
Harry was faced with a small revelation because the answer was, "No. They can't, Ron."
Ron nodded before falling into a pregnant silence fille the room. "Can I ask why? I-I think I know, but I want to hear it...I need to hear it."
"I think we've become too different. I think things were said and done that can't be ignored." Harry said, admitting the reasons out loud was cathartic and a weight lifted from his shoulders. "Maybe one day we could go back to being friends, but it'll never be the same."
Ron nodded, a look of understanding crossing his face, impressing Harry. Ron then did something that Harry would always look back on as a beginning sign of Ron Weasley growing up and mentally maturing. He stood up and walked over to Harry, who stood up just in case Ron decided to pull something.
He didn't. He just stuck out his hand.
Harry was surprised, but shook it, a small smile on his lips that Ron mirrored, though he looked more than a bit uncomfortable. The handshake a symbol of acquaintance, of forgiveness, of moving on. Taking a page from his girlfriend's father, he'd forgive Ron, but never forget what he did.
Ron was Harry's first friend, and he'd be forever grateful to him. Harry had some hard life lessons to learn this year: you cannot forgive those who aren't remorseful, hate is baggage, bullying someone can have terrible consequences on your conscience, and sometimes people drift apart from each other.
There were going to be people coming in and out of life, if you were fortunate enough, they'd stick, but sometimes you had to let them go.
"What happened in here?" both turned to see Dean and Seamus standing in the doorway of their dorm, looking at the two roughed up boys shaking hands.
"Just some stuff..." Ron shrugged, before changing the subject. "Seamus, did you see the new Quidditch Illustrated?"
Harry and Ron walked their separate ways, Ron going with his new friends and Harry finishing unpacking his things. He wondered what Hermione's reaction to his wounds would be in the morning.
-oOo-
"What happened? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Who hurt you?" she immediately fired off questions, the last one held a chill in Hermione's voice that both startled and touched Harry. The implication she would hurt whoever hurt him to protect him really warmed his heart. He had never really had anyone looking out for him before growing up, so all these people willing to protect him was incredible.
He saw in the mirror that his eye was bruised and still slightly swollen, his cheek was cut, and he was a little sore in his ribs, but it was nothing that he didn't get in a Quidditch match before.
"I'm okay," he said, gently grabbing the hands that had traced over the cut on his cheek and the bruise on his eye, and kissed the back of them. "It was just a misunderstanding that's been settled. I'm fine. Honest." he added at her skeptical look. She then smiled at him and leaned up, brushing her lips against the bruises and the cut.
She laughed when he looked at her in shock. She figured that Sirius had never kissed his boo-boos before and had no idea about his aunt and uncle he used to live with, because he never talked about them. "My parents always did that when I had a 'boo-boo' to make it feel better. Do they feel better?"
"They feel great, but I think I might have cut my lips too," Harry joked. To add some dramatics, he playfully pouted, getting the wonderful reward of a musical laugh followed by a kiss.
Hermione took his hand and leading him towards the Great Hall. "Have you given any thought to the egg?"
"Not really. I know we have to figure it out, but at least we have some time since the task is next month." Harry said and Hermione smiled at the use of 'we'. They were back in their bubble formed back in Kent as they took their seats at the Ravenclaw table, filling their plates with food.
"Mind if I sit here?" Harry and Hermione looked up to see Neville Longbottom standing there looking slightly unsure.
"Sure, Nev," Harry said, the Gryffindor smiling and taking a seat across from them. There were a couple of odd looks from the Ravenclaws at the two Lions sitting in the Eagle's nest. The three just ignored them, something Hermione had gotten very good at over her years of ridicule.
"Congratulations," he suddenly said, smiling at the newly minted couple, who both grinned.
"Thanks, Nev," Harry said, slipping an arm around Hermione.
"Nice to see you again, Hermione."
"You too, Neville. How's Trevor?"
He laughed, remembering the bossy girl who helped him scourge the train for his lost toad. "He's back at my home since he never liked to stick with me. He likes hopping around the gardens anyway."
"Hi, Neville," a silky voice said and Harry and Hermione turned to see Daphne Greengrass, Slytherin's ice princess, standing there.
"Daphne! Hi," Neville said, his face starting to flush but he was smiling at the Slytherin, which confused Harry. He had no idea that they knew each other.
"Harry, Hermione, you know Daphne, right?"
"Granger. You're in my arithmancy class."
"Yes," Hermione said, her guard up which was a natural reaction to a Slytherin.
"I was wondering if I could compare my notes to yours?" Daphne asked in a very un-Slytherin like tone, shocking Hermione.
Daphne Greengrass was anything but stupid so she understood Granger's guard being up around her, especially with all the stuff her House put the muggleborn witch through her years at Hogwarts.
Hermione saw Neville nodding at her out of the corner of her eye. "Er...sure, I guess. Why don't you sit?"
"Thank you," Daphne said, before taking a seat next to Neville, taking her arithmancy notes out of her bag and showing them to Hermione. The two girls fell into an easy discussion on the class and Neville noticed Harry eyeing the Slytherin, flicking his gaze to her every couple of minutes.
He also noticed that wasn't how guys would usually watch Daphne though, their eyes full of lust and want. No, it was more along the lines of making sure she wasn't pulling a trick on Hermione. Neville saw the look in his eye that promised retribution if she did. One thing was for sure, he did not want to be the one who hurt Hermione Granger.
-oOo-
Harry was walking to Charms class with Hermione, chatting pleasantly. They were about to turn down the hallway leading toward Flitwick's, when their way was blocked.
"Potter," to their surprise, Cedric Diggory standing there looking slightly uncomfortable. "Can I talk to you?"
Harry shared a glance with Hermione, who just shrugged in response to his unspoken question. "Anything you have to say can be said in front of Hermione," Harry said and Hermione's smile promised a very warm kiss later on.
Cedric looked back and forth between the muggleborn witch and the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. "Er...well, okay. Listen, I'm sorry for not believing you about not entering the tournament. I just want to repay the same tip you gave me," Cedric started, peaking Harry's attention. "Take a bath with the egg. Prefects bathroom, the password is pinefresh."
Harry frowned in confusion and saw that it was mirrored on Hermione's face. "Uh...er...okay. Thanks, Cedric."
"You're welcome, Harry." he said with a smile, before walking around the duo and continuing on his way.
"That was odd," Hermione commented, Harry nodding his agreement. "Well, I suppose you don't exactly have to go to the Prefects bathroom, the Room of Requirement will provide us with what we need..."
She then thought about seeing Harry in a swimsuit and gulped, though a small smile pulled at her lips. She reckoned it would be quite a nice sight.
-oOo-
Harry stepped out of the changing room the RoR provided, feeling a little shy that Hermione was going to see him with just a pair of swim trunks on.
He knew that he was shorter than most boys and even some of the girls in the school thanks to growing up in the broom cuppoard at the Dursleys'. In turn, he was scrawnier and didn't have much of a body, though he supposed that the past year had helped him gain some muscles from flying around the Potter's home. His size was one of the reasons he was such a good seeker.
The Room of Requirement had provided Harry with a pool sized bath and a changing room, along with towels. Hermione was sitting by the pool with some parchment, quills, and books. She glanced up when she heard Harry walk out and her jaw dropped, her face flushing. He wasn't bulky by any means, he was lean and Hermione felt her mouth go dry. 'He's so handsome,' she thought.
Harry's shyness disappeared and he grinned at her response, but was in no way, shape, or form going to tease her. He walked over to her and grabbed the egg, before walking into the lukewarm water. He took a deep breath and ducked underwater, opening the egg. Instead of the ear shattering screaming, there was a soft melodious song.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
we cannot sing above the ground.
And while you're searching, ponder this:
we've taken what you'll sorely miss.
An hour long you'll have to look,
and recover what we took.
But past the hour's, the prospects black,
too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Harry poked his head up out of the water, taking deep breaths and quickly copy down what the song said. Hermione took the parchment and he got out of the pool, wrapping a towel around his waist and drying himself with another.
Hermione's brain was processing things faster than Harry could comprehend as he took a seat next to her. "Where our voices sound, cannot sing above the ground...the water, obviously and I assume the Lake...there's a variety of creatures that live there...merpeople, grindylows, the Squid..." she was muttering, writing things down on a piece of parchment.
Harry noticed that a book suddenly appeared next to them, courtesy of the Room of Requirement.
"Creatures of the Black Lake by James Gillard," Harry read the cover, "Brilliant."
"'What you'll sorely miss'. What do you think they'll take?"
Harry frowned, "I don't know...my invisibility cloak and my photo album are irreplaceable. Would they take them?"
She gave him a dry expression. "This from the same people who put students up against a dragon," she said, Harry letting out a disgruntled noise as he dried himself off. "An hour to look or else the item is gone. You need to be able to breathe underwater for an hour."
"Great," Harry muttered, not exactly looking forward to the second task. Would they really take his invisibility cloak? It was his most prized possession, a connection to his father.
"If you're going into the Black Lake, then I know what we need to work on. Well, two things."
"What?"
"The bubble-head charm and silent casting."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Can you do silent casting?"
As an answer, Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at the desk which levitated off the ground before she guided it back down. "I can cast all of the first year charms silently along with most of the second and third year charms, to an extent."
"Bloody hell," he said, staring at the desk she had just levitated. "My girlfriend is incredible. I'm one lucky guy."
"Harry," she blushed, which only darkened when he picked her up, swinging her around. They both laughed joyfully, before they realized that Harry was still shirtless and wet, and that the front of Hermione's shirt was now wet where it had touched Harry's bare chest. He put her down and saw that her school blouse was sticking to her chest, showing off a bit more of what he saw on NYE in that dress.
"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry," Harry said, averting his gaze as Hermione's light pink bra is visible through the shirt along with her breasts reacting to the water.
To his horror, his body started reacted to his girlfriend's beautiful body and closed his eyes, focusing on a naked Filch, a naked Snape, a naked Dumbledore. Anything to stem the blood flowing toward a certain part of his anatomy.
"It's quite alright, Harry," she said with a dark blush on her cheeks, casting the drying charm on herself. She saw his eyes closed with a grimace on his face and her heart dropped into her stomach. 'Am I really that repulsive looking?' she thought.
"Did I really look that bad?" Hermione asked sadly, Harry looking up at her in shock.
"Bad? No, farthest thing from, Hermione."
She was pleased but also puzzled with his answer, "Then, why did you look disgusted?"
"Because...b-because...because I was disgusted with myself..." he admitted, averting his gaze once more. His brain kept replaying the image of her and he knew that later on he would have to relieve his situation.
"Disgusted with yourself?" Hermione asked, completely bewildered.
Harry understood that Hermione still had some insecurities that wouldn't leave overnight. "Does the phrase 'pitching a tent' mean anything to you?" Harry asked, a blush staining his cheeks. 'Great, I've probably scared her off with my perving,' Harry thought, berating himself for being such a pig in front of her. She was a lady and he should treat her like one, not having these urges to ravish her.
Hermione thought that it sounded familiar, before her eyes widened in realization. She then blushed, but the girly part of her was very pleased and happy that she could cause such a reaction out of him. She stepped forward and firmly pressed her lips to his, letting instinct take over.
Harry was shocked, but didn't let that hinder him as he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with fervency. Hermione opened her mouth and Harry responded in kind, before he felt her tongue brush against his and groaned. It was their first 'snog' and it was quite perfect.
When air became a necessity, they both slowed down before pulling back to rest their foreheads against each other. "That did absolutely nothing to help my problem, but it was amazing nonetheless." Harry grinned, a little impishly.
Hermione reached up to cup his cheek. "Harry, don't ever be disgusted with yourself. I never even thought I could invoke such a reaction from a boy. A handsome one at that," she admitted with a blush, Harry leaning forward to kiss her.
"Have you seen yourself, Hermione?" he asked when he pulled back. "Don't you know how beautiful you are?"
"I do when I'm with you," Hermione breathed out with a sweet smile, brushing the wet hair away from Harry's forehead. "You make me believe it."
Harry just smiled and kissed her once more.
A/N: Hormones suck! Also, that fluff in the end almost gave me a cavity. I'd schedule a visit to the dentist after reading this.
This chapter battled me, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out. So, looks like Ronnikins is starting to grow up. I went through something like this with one of my former best friends. We were as close as sisters but had a huge falling out - that fortunately did not result in a fist fight - and realized that things would never be the same as they were. Very sad, but also true.
Someone asked what is my opinion on Ginny and it is much like Ron, I don't like her character. Right now, Harry's not going to hang the life debt above her head out of respect for Arthur, Fred, and George and because he's not cruel. He also understands that she is a thirteen year old girl. Girls in their early teens, like I once was, are over-dramatic, emotional, immature, jealous, and sometimes obsessive fangirls (Beliebers, anyone?) Ginny's still technically a child and she has some growing to do.
Next: Valentine's day, the second task, and Harry opens up about his early life.
