A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with chapter two in my Harmione story! thanks to those who have left reviews, and also to those that have followed and added the story to their favorites! so without further ado, let us be off! :) Wow I've been so busy! I've hardly had time to come on Fanfiction, but well I'm here and managed to complete the second chapter! So sorry for the wait on this! hope you all enjoy! ^.^
The duo was lucky to take three steps in front of them, before Harry stopped them; The eerie howls of the Gytrash were close, as they reached his ears within no time.
Stopping at his side; Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. Instantly she held up her wand, her brown eyes slightly wide as the ghostly dog like creatures rose up from the ground.
Narrowing their pale eyes, the trio of Gytrash snarled loudly; Their transparent bodies were letting off a wispy appearance, it looked almost like fog as it rose up from the creatures' bodies.
Silently they moved with an elegance that was almost as if they were gliding across the darkened ground.
"Here they come, be ready to cast Lumos against them Hermione, watch their movements closely; careful they can be quick". Harry had warned.
Crouching down, bearing its sharp fangs, a Gytrash lunged straight at Harry; Though it started whining and was forced to back off as the light of the Lumos spell blinded it.
Hermione saw one coming for her; standing her ground she called "Lumos!" the tip of her wand lit up with a bright light, hitting the Gytrash directly in the face; Cowering it backed away, before it sunk back down into the earth, disappearing from sight.
The third made a move and threw itself at Harry, he quickly stepped out of the way and pointed his wand, sending a shot of his Lumos spell straight at it from behind; yelping from the brightness, it then vanished into a wispy fog, just as it made contact with a near by tree.
Feeling Hermione's back come to rest up against his; the both of them scanned the area, bodies tense as they waited to see if anymore of the creatures were going to show up.
"I think we got them". Harry said; straining his ears for even the slightest sound that may indicate there were more Gytrashes near by, just waiting to attack.
Lowering her wand, but remaining on alert; Hermione turned to Harry "That's the first time I've personally encountered those creatures, there is something very eerie about them.." She sounded slightly out of breath.
"You'd be surprised just how different a lot of creatures are when encounter them in real life, they're not always how books describe them to be" Harry replied, focusing his emerald eyes upon her "Come on, we better get moving".
Swiftly the pair crossed the grounds, they headed around the massive pumpkin patch that Hagrid had outside his hut; Checking to make sure they wouldn't be spotted by their massive friend.
Careful not to make a sound, Harry led Hermione past the somewhat grubby window of the hut; They could just make out the orange flicker of the lit candles dancing against the glass.
Reaching their destination, Harry stopped at a large gate, which was hidden behind thick layers of vine "This is the way in...Alohomora.." he muttered, there was a slight glow from the tip of his wand and then the sound of the massive, somewhat rusted lock, unlocking itself.
Resting his hand against the gate; Harry pushed it open, it let out a slight groan from the rather rusty hinges that held it in place.
Hermione was shocked that the gate had such an easy lock to unlock "Its not a very well protected place...anyone could get through here, if they know the right spell, if it weren't for all this overgrown vine in the way, who knows how many students would find it". She shook her head, she figured she shouldn't be surprised, this was Hagrid after all.
Once they stepped inside, Harry made sure to close the gate behind them.
Casting a bluish glow upon her face, Hermione's attention was soon upon the mushrooms that were decorating certain areas on the earth, as well as along the side of cliff faces. They grew in clusters and the brunette took notice of the bluish glow they were emitting, it was almost as if someone had come along, placed a whole heap of little lamps everywhere and turned them on.
"Wow.." she whispered, it was rather beautiful; The mushrooms cast a bluish light right along the pathway, it would dim and then go a little brighter every now and again.
Noticing Hermione had seen the glowing mushrooms, Harry smiled and stepped forwards, taking in the illuminated pathway "Pretty cool aren't they; I'm not Neville, so I have no idea what they are, but I think I do remember him telling they were called 'Luminous Mushrooms' or something along those lines, either way, we won't need to use our own magic along the path".
Stepping forwards, Harry made a motion with his hand for Hermione to follow him.
"I've heard of such plants that let off a glow, but I was unsure of the name until now" Hermione expressed her interest in learning about new things, she always did have a deep interest in knowledge.
As they walked side by side, Harry felt Hermione move in closer to him; her arm gently brushing his, it made that fluttering sensation, something he had been feeling for quite some time return.
The silence that was between them wasn't awkward in the least; Harry always felt the gentleness in their silent moments, it was comforting and he often found himself seeking Hermione out, just so they could sit together and enjoy each others company.
Walking the pathway which Harry seemed to know so well, he led them around a corner and casually started up a conversation "Those Horklumps really love this place, I swear there is more since I was last here".
Emerald eyes falling on a rather large group of the odd, pink fleshed creatures; he watched as they appeared to breathe, in doing so they were letting off a yellowish spore, which floated up into the atmosphere.
"Careful not to breathe in any of the spores they release, I read they can cause terrible dizziness temporarily" Hermione wasted no time in pointing that out to Harry, though not considered dangerous; the pretty brunette made sure not to get too close to them.
Already aware of this, Harry replied "Don't worry, I already know that".
Though it was currently night, the fifteen year old could hear squeaking voices of a group of Doxys in the distance; They often came out at all manner of the day, and were considered to be a real pest among Wizards and Witches.
"Those sounds, aren't they from Doxys..?" Hermione questioned softly, but before she could comment on a bite from just one of those could prove fatal if not treated immediately; Harry had beaten her to it, holding a half smile "Yeah that's what the sounds are coming from, their fangs have a very potent venom; one bite can make you sick, or worse it can kill you, if you don't get treatment right away".
When he saw the slightly surprised expression come across Hermione's face, Harry felt a little embarrassed and he quickly added "I've just done a bit more studying on Magical Creatures, since I started to come here, you need to know some things..that's all..no big deal really". he sounded a little flustered.
Unable to stop the smile from spreading; Hermione found herself giggling at Harry's modesty.
"What? what's so funny?" The fifteen year old wizard questioned her, arching an eye brow.
"You, honestly Harry, there is nothing wrong with studying about the creatures that live in our world".
Calming herself; with that smile still visible she looked up into Harry's beautiful emerald eyes, finding herself getting lost "This is Hagrid we're talking about after all, who knows what we may find in here, so we should take extra care Harry, and knowing a thing or two about the creatures that live in here, well it may just save our lives.."
Scratching the back of his neck with his hand, Harry smiled at Hermione "Yeah, you have a point, I haven't gone very deep into the garden, but most likely there will be dragons or some manner of powerful creature waiting.."
Something catching from the corner of Hermione's eye drew her attention away from Harry; Having paused in their walk, the dancing glow that was emitting from a massive tree in a nearby clearing was what caught the brunettes attention.
"Harry.." she breathed softly "Look at that tree" walking over, it soon occurred to Hermione that they were seeing hundreds, upon hundreds of fairies occupying the large tree.
Weaving in and out of the branches and leaves, the fairies fluttered about; the whitish glow that surrounded their bodies faded in and out like the light from fireflies. If one listened closely enough, they would hear the soft giggling of the pretty creatures.
Though fairies in the Wizard world were nothing like what was read in fairy tales; They were quite nasty little creatures and could be aggressive, but nonetheless, Hermione found herself mesmerized by them.
"These are fairies Harry, look how many there are in this one tree, the light they give off is rather beautiful.." The brunette whispered.
"Yeah, beautiful.." Harry replied, but he wasn't talking about the fairies; in fact he was no longer admiring the tree, his emerald eyes had come to rest upon Hermione. Under the flickering glow the fairies were letting off, she looked absolutely stunning under the glow of the fairies.
Able to feel her best friend watching her; turning her chocolate brown eyes to focus on the Boy Who Lived, though he was hardly a boy anymore, Hermione felt a gentle heat rising to her cheeks.
"Um, Harry..?" brown eyes soon met his emerald depths once more; It was in that moment that Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, and that feeling, the one where it felt like butterflies were fluttering all around in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling she had been feeling since her third year at Hogwarts, but within the past two years it had steadily grown in strength.
Back when she was thirteen; Hermione hadn't really thought too much into it, but after last year and the fright she received while seeing Harry be put through those grueling and almost cruel tasks, for a tournament he was never supposed to be in to begin with.
With the extra time she had been given to spend with Harry, while Ron was too busy fuming over his jealousy of his best friend; The clever witch had come to know Harry even better, they had grown closer and now...something had changed.
The jolt she felt in her stomach whenever she first saw Harry in the mornings, that flutter that enters her heart whenever he smiles at her; There had been a shift in the feelings she held for him, it was no longer as simple as him being her best friend. No, something else was now taking up that spot.
Taking a step closer to Harry, Hermione couldn't tear her gaze away from his; those emerald eyes were hypnotizing.
Harry didn't step back as the brunette moved in closer to him, his own heart was hammering against his chest. He watched as the glow from the fairies cast an alluring aura over Hermione, the light danced across her flawless features.
"Hermione.." was the only word that Harry could say, being drawn into the moment that was upon them out of no where.
Before she could even acknowledge what she was doing, Hermione stepped in closer, her hand automatically coming to rest on Harry's forearm. Unable to stop herself, she looked up into his beautiful green eyes, she was instantly drawn in and soon found herself leaning up towards his face.
Harry responded to her action by leaning down to her; with both their hearts racing, they were only inches away from their lips touching, when a rather eerie growl came from somewhere in the distance.
The sound made Hermione jump slightly, the moment was gone just as quickly as it had come between them; Both she and Harry faced the direction it had come from.
"Harry, what was that?" the brunette whispered, she gripped her wand tightly within her hand.
When they heard the growling again; Harry had a feeling he knew what it was "That..doesn't sound good, I think I know what it is..come on, we need to get away from here".
Noticing the fairies had stopped all their alluring dancing, they all scattered and quickly went to hide, making the entire area dark once more.
With her hand in his, his wand gripped in his other; Harry led Hermione away from the massive tree and over towards one of the many pathways that led to a different part of the massive garden.
Feeling her back come up against the side of one of the massive cliff, through the darkness her brown eyes came to focus on Harry "Harry, what is it?" she had hissed in a voice that was barely a whisper.
Before he could even answer, Harry heard the sounds of bushes being forced apart, the crunching of twigs and leaves against the earth as the sound of many legs could be heard moving beneath the inky night sky.
Squinting through the dark, too cautious to use the Lumos spell; Harry could only just make out the massive shape, but it was the pale eyes that were shining through the darkness that gave away what they were.
"Blast-Ended Skrewt.." the fifteen year old muttered quietly.
"What? but I thought Hagrid told us those creatures had all killed each other...!" Hermione replied.
"So did I..we can fight them with the Impediment Jinx, it'll slow them down, but if we get stabbed by that stinger, it'll be fatal.." Harry remembered that the Impediment Jinx had aided him during his time in the maze of the final task of the Triwizard Tournament a year ago.
"I'd rather we didn't engage them in battle Harry, I know how dangerous they can be.." Hermione voiced her concern.
Knowing she was right, if they could avoid a fight then he would be grateful, looking down the dark pathway as a breeze whipped up, Harry had a feeling this would lead them further into the garden.
"Let's go this way, the sooner we get away from here, the better.." gently he took Hermione by the hand "Stay close, this place is full of creatures of all sorts".
"Which is what I've been worrying about this entire time Harry.." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, she followed him "We could've at least gone somewhere that wouldn't be as unpredictable as Hagrid's garden..honestly".
Harry could tell Hermione wanted to lecture him on leading them into trouble once again, he forced himself not to roll his eyes, but he could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"We're fine Hermione, seriously you worry way too much, once we're out of this part of the garden, we should be-Harry didn't have a chance to finish, as from out of the pitch black darkness, something long and hard came whipping from the right and made contact with Harry's ribs, forcing him and Hermione apart.
Feeling his back make contact with the lower part of one of the cliffs, his wand had been knocked out of his hand; as he landed on the ground, Harry could see specks of light obscuring his vision; dazed, he tried to make sense of the sounds that were around him.
"HARRY!" Hermione shouted, she had been forced to the opposite side; barely missing being hit.
Wand clutched tightly in her hand, she was soon face to face with a massive Blast-Ended Skrewt, which had obviously been hiding near by.
Growling loudly, it advanced on the brunette; waving its long, scorpion like tail about dangerously. Moving to attack, Hermione wasted no time in pointing her wand and shouting "IMPENDIMENTA!" Instantly the creature was forced to an abrupt halt in its movements.
Knowing it would only last for a short while, Hermione scrambled over to Harry, her eyes slightly wide as she reached for his arm and helped him to his feet "Harry! are you alright!?" there was panic within her tone.
Besides being winded and dazed, Harry didn't feel too bad, although it hurt to breathe "I'm fine...that thing came out of no where!"
Commanding his wand to light up with the Lumos spell, Harry felt his stomach sink when he saw a second Skrewt heading swiftly towards them "Hermione, run! go! IMPENDIMENTA!" the second creature was brought to a halt in mid jump, as it had lunged right at them.
Holding tightly onto each others hands, the duo quickly fled the area; Harry led them down one of the pathways, making a sharp turn on a number of occasions. He had no idea where they were going, but he had to get them away from those dangerous creatures.
"Harry, where are we going!?" Hermione questioned, almost out of breath, gripping tightly onto his hand.
"Anywhere but here, I don't fancy running into those things again, they were hard to beat during the third task last year, and that was just one.."
It was the sound of rushing water that brought Harry to a stop, chest rising and falling heavily, he raised his wand trying to find where the sound was coming from.
"I think we may be near a waterfall or something.." he muttered, quickly straining his ears and listening to see if the Skrewts had followed them, but besides the sound of the rushing water, the rest of the area was silent.
"Harry, we can't stay out in the open like this..who knows when those things will find us again, we need to get somewhere safe..or at least up high" The light from Hermione's own wand was casting a warm light across her worried face.
Looking around him, there still wasn't enough light for them; Then his eyes fell upon the faint blue glow of the mushrooms that decorated every nook and cranny of Hagrid's Garden.
Suddenly he was struck with an idea, they needed more light and he knew exactly how to create that; Pointing his wand towards the closest mushroom he then called "Lumos Maxima!" the bright light shot from the tip and hit the mushroom, it triggered something and the spell traveled swiftly through each mushroom, lighting them and leaving a blazing trail in its wake.
Hermione jumped slightly, her brown eyes followed the spell that Harry had cast; she was amazed by the power it left behind, before long the entire clearing they had entered was now fully lit up.
Eyes somewhat wide, Hermione looked to Harry and it was no surprise she was impressed by his quick thinking "Harry, that is amazing, I had no idea the Lumos spell could have that affect on those glowing mushrooms..!"
Hearing the distant noise of hurrying legs as they thundered through the garden, and Harry knew there wasn't much time before those Skrewts reached them "No time to admire the handy work Hermione, we need to get to safety.."
Emerald eyes searching frantically for a place to hide, he then saw it; A small, running waterfall and behind the rushing water was a gaping hole, which obviously led into one of the many hidden caves this garden would surely have.
"Up there, Hermione we can reach that ledge by climbing up the rocks around the stream, it should hopefully shield us from view, and I don't think Blast Ended Skrewts can climb rocks.." Well the fifteen year old could only hope they couldn't.
Wasting no more time, Harry and Hermione hurried over to their destination, scrambling over some of the rocks that surrounded the stream.
Climbing up on one of the lower, Harry then held his hand out to Hermione "Take my hand, I'll boost you up" Harry had to say somewhat loudly, over the sound of the waterfall, the spray from it was landing on his round glasses.
Reaching for Harry's hand, Hermione was soon pulled up onto the rock beside him, she looked nervously over her shoulder as the angry Blast Ended Skrewts came thundering into the area.
"Come on!" Harry's voice snapped the brunette's attention back to him, she then let out a somewhat surprised noise as she felt his hands around her waist; Harry wasted no time in lifting Hermione up slightly and she quickly grabbed for a thick tree branch, one that was sticking out of the rocks, she used it to pull herself up to the higher ground, with Harry's help in boosting her up.
Once she was up; Hermione brushed some strands of hair out of her face, before reaching her hand down to Harry "Harry, come on take my hand!"
Reaching up and grasping her hand, Harry then pulled himself up onto the ledge and not a moment too soon; One of the Skrewts had thrown itself at the side of the rocky ledge, throwing its weight against it, trying to knock them back down.
Still hand in hand, both Harry and Hermione scrambled back away from the edge, they were soon shielded from view by the rushing wall of water; Harry had been right, when he had a hunch this small hole led into one of the caverns of the garden.
The angry sounds of the Skrewts was soon drowned out by the rushing water "Well that was close". Harry said loudly over the rushing waterfall, he focused his attention upon Hermione, she was a little white in the face and was taking a moment to recollect herself.
"Too close...honestly Harry, maybe coming here wasn't the best idea.." Hermione frowned and locked her chocolate brown eyes with his emerald green ones.
Trying not to roll his eyes at Hermione's caution, Harry then shook his head "Well we're safe, so that's all that matters..come on, all these caverns lead over to the other side of the garden, we're almost there" he reassured her.
With the tip of his wand lighting up once more; Hermione's hand in his, he then started to lead the way through the caverns, thankfully they weren't difficult to decipher, which Harry was grateful for the lack of endless tunnels, they would be at their destination soon enough.