Hermione and the Radiant Chaos
Chapter 14
Into the Rabbit Hole
Hermione had finished answering the dozens of questions that Harry had posed and at the end of the conversation he suddenly drew closer to her.
"H-Harry?" Hermione asked hesitantly once he was mere inches away from her.
His body was smaller than hers, frail and weak, but he had an air of power that Hermione knew as distinctly Harry's. It made him seem far larger and more powerful. As though he was a titan or god hiding in a mortal's shell. Slowly; hesitantly, Harry began to move. His arms rose and wrapped around her.
He was...holding her! She sighed in both contentment and sheer delight before she laid her head against his shoulder. It was a little awkward since she was several inches taller than him but she somehow managed.
"You...don't need to be...forgiven...since you did nothing wrong...but my heart wasn't so...understanding...So...I...forgive you...I'm so sorry." Harry whispered as he held her.
His head only came to her chest and she noted that if he were to lean against her his head would be pressed against her developing breasts. She then pulled her head away from his shoulder to look him in his emerald eyes.
"It's okay Harry, you had every reason to believe you were betrayed. I however, can't, and won't turn against you. Ever." She reaffirmed her vow.
"But...why me? Why would you give me everything?" He asked weakly.
Hermione pulled his head to her heart.
"I love you Harry. I've always loved you." She whispered gently.
"But...I just can't under-" Harry whispered but Hermione interrupted him.
"Those Dursleys....Damn them. Harry, you wonder why someone would love you? I understand that it's even harder for you after the betrayal but...You've got a noble heart. You care for people and you love and love deeply. You place unconditional trust in those you love. What isn't to love about you?" She asked rhetorically.
Harry's eyes widened at her curse but they would widen even more in a moment. She then kissed him, unexpectedly, passionately, letting all of her emotions flow through her kiss. Her joy, her hope, and most importantly her immense love for him.
Needless to say Harry was more than a little surprised at the kiss but he began to respond in return. That's when she knew...That Harry had loved her even in his old life. For whatever reason he didn't say anything back then. Perhaps because of Ron? She didn't know but...she didn't care. Not anymore. She was with Harry again and that's all that mattered.
When they broke for air Hermione spoke again. His eyes held a sense of wonder and she knew that she had been able to assure him that she did love him. That she was his.
"Harry, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." She assured.
"Hermione? Harry? Where are you two?" Susan called.
Her voice was muffled due to the door to the empty classroom being shut.
"I think they might be in one of the classrooms." Neville replied.
"It looks like our friends are looking for us." Harry noted.
Hermione nodded before she looked at Harry.
"I'd rather kiss you again than go out there." She admitted with a small grin.
Harry blushed lightly but smiled in return.
"I-I like the sound of that but...I think we need to see our friends." He replied.
Hermione felt delighted at his admittance but she managed to keep it calm and the two of them met up with their friends.
"Were you kissing?" Susan asked jokingly.
Immediately Harry blushed furiously.
"You were!" Susan gasped in surprise.
Hermione, as old as she was mentally found herself also blushing like a school girl. (Which technically she was.)
"You're girlfriend and boyfriend then? At eleven?" Neville asked in shock.
"W-well..." Harry stuttered, unsure what he needed to say.
..............................................................................................
The months continued their march. Winter shifted to Spring and then the day that Hermione had been waiting for arrived.
Dumbledore had been asked to meet with a few former members of the defunct ministry and so the school was 'unguarded'.
"It's gonna happen tonight." Harry mumbled.
"The Sorcerer's stone...It's under attack?" Susan asked.
Harry nodded.
Hermione then nodded her head in agreement.
"Don't place yourselves in undue danger. McGonnagall wouldn't ever believe a group of First years that aren't even supposed to know about the danger. So...we have to be careful. Let's go." Hermione agreed.
"If 'miss I-don't-break-rules' is encouraging us to go then we better go." Susan agreed.
The four of them quietly made their way to a certain corridor.
"This is it. If we go on there's no turning back." Harry warned.
Susan smiled weakly.
"I'm with you."
"Me too." Neville's face was fearful, but he was set in his path.
Hermione kissed Harry's cheek lightly and spoke.
"I'll always be with you." She whispered.
Harry smiled at that and nodded.
"Let's end this." Harry muttered.
Hermione knew that he wasn't just talking about the Sorcerer's Stone.
"Right." Hermione agreed before she muttered a spell and the door clicked open.
They carefully opened the door and observed the room in front of them.
"It's a Cerberus. They're also known as 'hell hounds' Apparently they' are put to sleep by one thing...Music."
"Then how are we supposed to get past it? The trap door's been opened see? The door's slightly ajar." Susan muttered the observation.
"Thankfully, Harry was given a gift from Hagrid that he keeps on himself frequently right?" Hermione grinned.
Harry chuckled.
"She knows me too well." They shared a faint snicker at that.
Harry pulled a flute out of his breast pocket and began to blow a melody through the coarse flute. The melody was slightly eerie and hallow but the dog fell to sleep in a few moments. While the hell hound slept Hermione quietly but quickly ran over to the trap door, opened it and jumped in.
"Is it okay?" Susan asked nervously from above.
Her voice echoed down to Hermione who was busy lighting a fire to make the plants flee her.
"Yeah, there's a soft landing platform." She assured.
A few seconds later Nevile and Susan dropped down.
"Harry! We're all down here!" Hermione yelled back up.
The music cut off suddenly and the Cerberus began to growl. Then it began to bark as a soft thudding noise caught Hermione's attention.
"Looks like we're all down here." Harry noted as a tendril of green Devil Snare began to envelop him.
Susan screamed when she realized that the plant had wrapped itself around her waist. In response, Hermione casually cast the bluebell flames at the plant, forcing it to break it's hold on Harry, Susan, and Neville.
"Couldn't you have done that sooner?" Susan complained as she brushed her skirt and straightened her blouse.
"Sorry Susan." Hermione apologized before she turned and faced the chamber in front of them.
"Looks like we've got some work to do still."
"What's wrong Neville?" Harry asked him.
Hermione turned and saw Neville frowning in thought.
"It's strange..."
"What's strange?" Susan asked curiously as they began to walk down the corridor.
"It's just...isn't this a little...too easy?" Neville asked.
Harry looked at him and spoke.
"Go on." He encouraged.
"A Hell Hound. Hermione knew all about it. If a first year knows about Cerberus' then why wouldn't a Dark Wizard know about them? And Devil's Snare...It's a common plant. People are taught how to deal with in in first year. The Gryffindor Prefect told me that Fifth years have to answer questions about it on the O.W.L.s. So...this is too easy. I don't get it." Neville admitted.
Hermione opened the door to the next chamber.
"I think you're right Nevile. What if this...Is supposed to also be some sort of test?" She wondered aloud.
"A...Test?" Susan asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Neville is known as the best at Herbology, and we've faced Devil's Snare. If I hadn't already burst us out of there then...Neville could have told us that Devil's Snare is weak to fire."
Neville nodded.
"Hermione." Harry said in an 'odd voice'. (Hermione knew it was faked.)
"What is it?"
"I think we found my challenge." He said dryly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Susan asked curiously as she glanced around the large room.
"Look, those aren't birds, they're keys."
"And that's a broom right?" Hermione added glancing at the broom leaning against the wall.
Harry walked over to the broom, investigated it and before he addressed everyone.
"I am my father's son." Harry grinned as he launched himself up on the broom.
"The odd thing is...Are we just playing a game of some sort?" Neville asked.
Hermione shrugged as she sighed at Harry's antics on the broomstick. He did loop-de-loops, barrel rolls, dives, and much, much more.
"Sometimes you have to go along with your enemies plans to understand what they're thinking." She responded with a shake of her bushy haired head.
(She was more than willing to admit that in the damp corridor her hair was a fright. As a first year she couldn't use magic to fix it...Not in front of Neville and Susan at any rate.)
As she finished speaking, Harry buckled down and caught the correct key.
"What are you thinking Hermione?" Harry asked as he dropped off his broom and landed next to her.
The broom smashed against the wall a second later.
"Now that was impressive." Neville said in awe at Harry's moves.
Harry blushed lightly before Hermione spoke.
"If we go along with this little test they'll think we're being led around by the nose. That means they'll underestimate us. In turn..."
"We can turn the trap on them!" Susan exclaimed quietly as it clicked.
Hermione nodded.
"That's right. Now, let's keep moving." Hermione agreed.
The next room was Susan's Challenge.
"A board? This isn't chess." Susan noted.
"Susan, have you ever noticed that you've got a brilliant tactical mind? You think things through and use logic. You puzzle through situations." Hermione said.
"Not as good as you do." Susan muttered.
Hermione shrugged.
"I'd like to have your detective skills Susan."
(Admittedly over the centuries Hermione was able to figure this out in a heartbeat but she wanted Susan to use her mind.)
"Let's see..." Susan muttered as she walked onto the board.
Suddenly as her foot touched the board a table arose with a piece of paper which Susan read aloud.
"I have to figure out the murderer? A detective job?" Susan asked in some surprise before she read aloud.
"A young woman was murdered in the sitting room." At that a figure appeared, her body resting next to a fake couch.
"There were three men Dan, Mark, and Nathan in the house." Three figures appeared on the board.
"There was two women as well, Ciel who called the police, and Ridley whom was found out cold. She has amnesia now. There was trauma found to the skull on Ridley."
Two more figures appeared. One laying down.
"Apparently Yuna had flirted with each of the men and they all wanted her. However, Ridley and Ciel also were jealous because they liked the men that were being flirted with."
"The men's prints were all found on the trophy that was used to kill Yuna. However, only Ciel's prints were found on the vase used to knock Ridley out. Umm...what are fingerprints?" Susan asked.
"They're prints on your fingers. No two fingerprints are the same so are used in Muggle investigations to help uncover killers."
"Oh, okay." Susan nodded thoughtfully.
"That must mean that the killer or killers were wearing gloves." Susan mused.
"Oh?"
"Think about it. All three of the men's fingerprints on the trophy while the woman's on the vase. It's possible that the vase and trophy were touched beforehand right?"
Hermione nodded.
"Go on." Hermione encouraged.
"Only Ciel's purse, Yuna's dress, Ridley's dresser, Dan's Trunk, and Mark's trunk had gloves in them. Nathan's didn't have gloves." Susan commented.
"Well, that rules out Nathan doesn't it?" Neville asked.
Susan frowned thoughtfully before she walked across the board.
"No...I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Everyone else had gloves so where were Nathan's? If there are six people and five of them have gloves then why didn't Nathan? It appears as though the gloves were used for some kind of event or something." Susan mused.
"What does that mean?" Neville asked.
"I think...there's a chance that Nathan used the gloves, killed Yuna, and then knocked out Ridley after she saw the event." Susan mused.
"But that doesn't make sense. Why would he kill his love interest? And why would he only knock out the one who saw her kill Yuna?" Harry asked.
Susan frowned.
"That's true...Then...Maybe...maybe...he attacked Ridley over something, Yuna saw it and he was forced to attack her, which killed her so she didn't call the police?" Susan wondered.
"But why would he attack Ridley?" Hermione questioned.
"I think there's a better question to answer first. If he is the potential killer we'd need to find the gloves. If he used gloves. The odds are that blood would have gotten on them. He'd have to get rid of them."
Susan began to investigate the board. Finally she came across a large rubbish bin that had a pair of white gloves. There was some blood on the palms of the hands.
"There's the murder gloves." Susan said in satisfaction.
"The gloves have two sets of prints inside of them. Nathan's and Ciel, the one who called the crime in."
"Why would she wear his gloves? Her hands are probably a lot smaller." Neville asked.
Susan nodded thoughtfully.
"Then...Ciel must have been the one to kill Yuna and knock Ridley out."
"But why?"
"I don't know but...That's not the detective's job. It's the detective's job to reconstruct the crime scene." Susan said simply.
With that the door swung open slowly.
"Not a bad job Susan." Hermione congratulated.
Susan blushed at the praise.
"Thanks."
Not long later the four of them were in a chamber with blue and black flames blocking their paths.
"This must be my challenge." Hermione noted.
A few moments later Hermione smiled.
"The smallest vial. It must be able to regenerate it's contents as well."
"Why do you say that?" Neville asked.
"There's a line in the riddle that suggests it." Hermione replied.
"How long does that take?" Susan asked.
Hermione shrugged.
"Shouldn't be but a few seconds." She answered.
Quickly Harry gulped down the contents of the smallest vial and headed past the black flames, the ones blocking his path. Once the vial refilled a few moments later, Hermione took a gulp and passed over.
"Quirrel. Why am I not surprised?" Harry was saying coolly as Hermione snuck down the passageway to assist him.
Once again Hermione would be facing the monster that had once made her barren, taking away her ability to give her husband children.
She had a score to settle with the 'Dark Lord' and she was going to make him regret it.
AN:
Ohh boy. Hermione's Mad. Not that I blame her. It was in LOH that she lost the ability to have kids. Thanks to Volde. He destroyed her womb and she's never forgiven that.
Yes, this was a small chappie but I didn't want to confront Voldemort this chapter. I felt that he should be given his own space.
Request for assistance: As a guy I know that I might have some trouble catching several important things about the remarkable creation known as Woman. If you're a woman and you want to give me tips on helping me keep Hermione sounding real, I'd appreciate it. Yes I know that girls undergo several physical and mental changes as they mature but I know that women think quite a bit differently than men do. As I currently don't have a female that I can consult on Hermione's personality (and seeing as I'm not one.) I'm only able to do my best as a person who never has or never will experience childbirth,... or any of those other things that we males generally get nervous talking about.
Now, I know that there are some things that women want from men and if I ever find that 'one' I'll be sure to do my best to do those things for her but...That isn't enough to construct a female mentality.
Just please remember, if Hermione sounds a little obsessed...she is. She's longed for Harry for a long, long time...
Meh, I don't think this was my most solid chapter but...It was what it needed to be.
Okay! Don't sue me! I don't own the matrix (The title...) nor do I own Harry Potter....If I did Hermione would have kicked Ron in the head a few times for being an idiot and she wouldn't have married him either.