Just to clarify one thing - if you're not a Harmione shipper or find it absurd or triggering, then I'd suggest you click off the story and find other ones suitable for your taste :)
Moreover, I hope everyone is staying inside and safe and making the most out of quarantine! This whole pandemic outbreak will be over soon, hopefully, and everything will go back to normal. So don't lose the optimism! :))
Well, happy reading! (and finally a long chapter yayy)
The next morning, after breakfast, the Golden Trio walked towards their first class for the day - Transfiguration, while chatting merrily.
"I hope McGonagall doesn't give me detention or something," Ron was saying, "You know, for not completing my homework."
"You're right, mate," Harry replied, "Quidditch practices are really time-consuming."
"Well, either way, you guys should have saved some time for homework," Hermione scolded them.
"Practice was more important. We have to squish those Ravenclaws in the next match," Ron pointed out. Hermione opened her mouth to reply - but somebody knocked her hard on the shoulder, which caused her to go sprawling on the floor.
"Ouch!" she yelled as she hit the floor, and her books scattered everywhere.
"Watch where you're going, Malfoy!" Harry shouted as Ron rushed to help Hermione up.
Malfoy, who had knocked Hermione over, turned around with a sneer, "I perfectly knew where I was going. Granger was in my way."
Beside him, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy snickered.
"Then you must be blind," Ron snapped, "But I guess that does good to your eyes - and your brain."
All the people around them started laughing, except for Draco and his gang.
"Oh really? Well, Weasley, maybe you should sell your brain. It will do your parents good!" Malfoy shot back.
"Come on, guys. Let's go," Hermione urged her friends because they looked eager for a fight with Malfoy.
"What will do good to your parents, Malfoy, is you kissing Voldemort's feet all the damn time!" Harry snapped.
"Oh shut up, Potter! You belong in the graveyard with your parents!" Malfoy retorted. Hermione gasped. Both of them had crossed their boundaries.
Before anyone could react, Harry had whipped out his wand.
"Another word..." he hissed, "Another word from you, and you'll be as good as Cedric!"
Malfoy gritted his teeth and took out his own wand, "I'd like to see you try."
"Harry, DON'T!" Hermione exclaimed, but she was too late.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Harry screamed just as Malfoy shouted, "CONFRINGO!"
Both of them went sprawling into either direction as the spells hit them.
"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked as she and Ron went running up to where Harry was lying.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" she demanded, "That was a really stupid thing to do!"
"Yeah, yeah. Have a go at me," Harry muttered as he pushed himself up, with a little help from Ron.
"Malfoy is a prat. He deserved it," Ron said. On the other side, the former boy was staring daggers at Harry.
"Move along, move along. What's all this?" Professor McGonagall said as she arrived at the scene. She narrowed her eyes at the onlookers.
"Can anyone care to explain what happened here?"
Harry immediately went up to her.
"Professor, it was Malfoy!" he exclaimed, "He provoked me by knocking Hermione down on purpose -"
"Don't lie, Potter!" Malfoy snapped at him, "You provoked me first, Scarhead!"
"Be quiet, both of you!" McGonagall declared as the boys glared at each other, "This is unacceptable behaviour! Duelling your fellow students is not in any way justified."
She turned to Harry, "You could have settled the matter a little more reasonably and not taken out your wand."
"But, Professor -"
"I've heard enough, Mr. Potter," McGonagall interrupted him and sternly added, "5 points from Gryffindor. I am very disappointed in you."
Harry shifted his eyes to the floor as she turned to Malfoy.
"And 5 points from Slytherin. I hope this scene is not repeated, or it will be detention for you both."
And with that, she left.
Malfoy glared at her retreating back, then turned to face Harry.
"You'll pay for that, Potter!"
"I don't care," Harry replied dismissively, "I don't want to spend any more of my time and energy on you."
Ron laughed at his reply, making Malfoy fume. Ignoring him, the three of them continued their way towards Transfiguration.
"That was awesome, mate!" Ron exclaimed, "The look on his face was worth everything."
Harry laughed, "True! Although, I don't think Hermione found it awesome. Right, Hermione?"
But Hermione didn't answer him. She was lost in her thoughts.
"Looks like her head is up in the clouds," Ron commented. Harry nodded, and both of them launched into a conversation about Quidditch.
Meanwhile, there was a frenzy going on in Hermione's head. The scene which happened some minutes ago kept repeating itself in her mind. She could almost hear Harry's voice as he said those words, "Provoked me by knocking Hermione down." Did he risk getting detention, just for her? Did he do it because he couldn't stand her getting humiliated, or did he do it because he just wanted a fight with Malfoy?
Questions...questions, and none of them with confirmed answers. And Hermione could never ask Harry those questions. But no matter what, her heart warmed up at the thought that he might not have cared about himself while trying to defend her. Her thoughts made her cheeks pink, and she shared an inward smile with herself.
"She is still daydreaming," Ron said, in the real world.
"Hey, Hermione!" Harry called, snapping his fingers in front of her face. She immediately stepped out of her stupor.
"Huh? What?"
"Where were you?" Ron asked her with a smirk.
"Umm...right here beside you?" Hermione answered, trying hard not to give herself away.
Harry smiled at her, "Not literally. But in your mind!"
"Oh. Well, I was thinking about...the homework McGonagall set us!" she lied quickly, "You know, wondering if I'll get good marks or not."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Really, Hermione? That's your excuse?"
"What do you mean? I'm not lying!" she snapped at him. Harry surveyed her face.
"What?" Hermione asked him, turning pink.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, "Just seeing if you are troubled or not."
Hermione sighed as they finally reached the Transfiguration classroom and went inside.
"The 11th use of dragon blood is for potions," Hermione murmured to herself, as she wrote the line on the parchment spread out in front of her, "Commonly for the Draught of Living Death, and for Veritaserum."
It was the night of the same day. The Gryffindor common room was chaotic as usual, because of Fred and George. She could have put the twins in detention or made them go through some punishments for their loud behaviour. But she didn't. She didn't want to be seen as a 'Fun Spoiler' or a 'Mature Girl.' Plus, creating hectic noises didn't count as dangerous! But even after having these opinions, Hermione was still getting very, very disturbed as she crossed out another wrong sentence from her essay. But the other people didn't seem to care if she was disturbed or not. Well, except for Ron and Harry.
"Hermione, can you give yourself a break?" Ron said, "You have the whole weekend to do this! Chill!"
She glared at him, "I don't like to delay my responsibilities, thank you very much."
"Ron's right, Hermione," Harry said, "Why should you do the homework now? When you can do it in peace in the morning?"
Hermione considered his words but still shook her head, "Yes, okay. But the Potions homework is almost finished. So, I should complete it."
But she didn't stay true to her words. Because of her workaholic nature, she started her Transfiguration homework after finishing the Potions one without even realizing it. As she was immersed in her work, the common room emptied gradually.
"Hermione..." Ron sighed, "Stop."
She glared at him and gave a curt reply, "No."
Harry shook his head and told Ron, "She's not going to budge until she completes her work."
Ron groaned, "Why are you so difficult, Hermione?"
She chose not to answer him and continued writing furiously on her parchment. Harry said, "Leave her be. She'll go to bed eventually."
With that, the two went to bed, leaving Hermione to be the only person left in the common room.
After some minutes shy of midnight, her quill finally stopped moving.
"There! Finished!" Hermione declared to herself, happily yet sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Fatigue was doing its job.
Before she knew it, she had rested her head on the open Herbology book before her and fell asleep.
As Hermione slept downstairs, Harry lay wide awake upstairs. He couldn't sleep, not even a little bit. And that was because his mind was clouded with thoughts. Thoughts about one thing - a dream.
It was the dream that frequented his slumber quite often. The one about the mysterious black door at the end of a mysterious corridor. In every dream, Harry saw himself walking towards the black door, to see what was behind it, but somehow every time, he woke up as soon as he reached the door, either by interruptions or by himself.
I wonder what's behind that strange door, he thought, as he stared up at the ceiling of his bed, it must be something of high importance.
These days, Harry's scar was hurting more than it used to. Now that Voldemort was back, it wasn't a surprise, but it made Harry worry a lot. What could the Dark Lord be up to now?
He wandered in the midst of his thoughts - until he heard a sound. Something - or someone, was tapping the window by his bed.
Harry immediately got up and approached the window carefully. Who was it at this time of the hour?
A look of surprise came upon his face as he saw the sound originator.
It was a tawny owl with a letter tied to its ankle.
Someone had sent a letter! To one of the boys of the dorm!
Only the timing was peculiar...
Harry quietly began to untie the letter from the owl's ankle while it tried to nip at his fingers.
"Stop it!" he told the owl in an angry whisper. It hissed at him.
When he finally managed to free the letter, he opened it as quietly as he could.
His mouth dropped open - it was from Sirius!
Dear Harry,
Meet me by the Dark Forest. I understand that it's risky, but I know you don't mind a little danger. We have to talk in person.
Snuffles
Harry couldn't believe it. Sirius was here! At Hogwarts! When he had to stay in hiding! How could he do such a thing?!
Staring at the letter, Harry slowly understood. Since the Ministry was now overseeing every means of contact between the people in Hogwarts and outsiders, because of their so-called security and suspicions, Sirius must have been forced to come in person and talk to Harry fully of whatever he wanted to talk about. Most probably about the bizarre dream. He was forced to risk his safety because of the Ministry - and this mere thought sent Harry's blood to boil.
But if the Ministry was going to be stubborn, so was he.
He quickly found a parchment and quill and wrote his reply.
Be there in a few minutes.
He sealed the letter and tied it at the owl's ankle, wondering how on Earth this owl managed to sneak past security.
"Go back to Sirius with this," Harry whispered, "Go!"
The owl gave him a haughty look and flew away. Harry closed the window and went for his trunk. He pulled the cloak out.
Ron was sleeping soundly, so Harry decided not to disturb him. Besides, he didn't want his friends to get in trouble because of him.
Walking with stealth, he succeeded in exiting his dorm without waking anybody up.
The common room was dark and quiet as Harry entered it. He was just about to pull on his cloak when he noticed someone, sleeping, on a table.
He squinted to see who it was and instantly realized. He could identify that hair anywhere...
"Hermione!" he whispered, shaking her shoulder, "Wake up!"
"Huh? What time is it?" she replied, waking up with a start.
"You fell asleep on the study table," he explained, trying not to laugh, "You should go to your bed."
"Is that you, Harry?"
"Yeah, it's me."
Hermione rubbed her eyes and stood up. She saw Harry - with his Invisibility Cloak.
"Are you going somewhere?" she asked him suspiciously.
He sighed, "Yeah."
"It's after hours!"
"I know!" he declared, "But it's urgent, Hermione. I have to go."
"What do you mean, it's urgent?" Hermione wondered, wide awake now.
"I-I have to meet...Sirius." Harry confessed.
Her mouth dropped open, "What?!"
"Sshhh!" Harry whispered frantically, "You are going to wake up everybody!"
"Oops, sorry," she said, covering her mouth, "Don't tell me...Sirius is here...?"
"Yeah," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I need to go, Hermione. It's very important. Sirius is here to talk to me in person. It's about that dream I keep having..."
"Okay, Harry. You should go," Hermione said.
Harry grinned, "Thanks, Hermione. I knew I could co-"
"But I am coming with you," she interrupted him, "You shouldn't go alone, this late at night. Besides, I am wide awake now."
"Fair point," Harry said, "Come here, then."
Hermione did, and he pulled the cloak over her and himself.
Once invisible, they quietly swung the portrait and got out of the Gryffindor tower.
"Who goes there?" the Fat Lady said sleepily. Harry and Hermione ignored her and silently made their way outside the castle.
She hoped he couldn't tell, but Hermione's heart was beating very fast for being this close to him. Her stomach felt queasy - yet light, as if she was flying. Her cheeks heated up, and she thanked Merlin that it was dark under the cloak.
"Where is Sirius waiting?" she asked Harry.
"By the Dark Forest."
They reached the said forest, but Sirius was nowhere to be seen.
"Harry, are you sure he is here?" Hermione asked as Harry pulled the cloak off them.
"He said so in his letter."
The forest was looking spooky, and Hermione's mind was making it spookier. She kept close to Harry as he searched for Sirius.
"Where did he go?" Harry wondered out loud.
"I don't know," Hermione said, then a horrible thought came to her mind.
"Harry...what if it was not Sirius?"
His green eyes widened, "What are you saying?"
"I mean...what if it wasn't Sirius but an enemy trying to lure you in his trap?" Hermione shakily told him.
"That can't be, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, "The letter was signed Snuffles! And only we know that nickname apart from him!"
Before she could reply, a loud snapping sound came from somewhere inside the forest.
"What was that?" Hermione asked, scared.
"I don't know..."
The light from their wands wasn't providing much support.
Another snap came. Then another. It sounded like twigs snapping.
Then a low growl.
Hermione screamed and gripped Harry's arm.
But Harry wasn't scared.
"Show yourself! Whatever you are!" he shouted at the 'thing,' raising his wand in the direction of the sounds.
But when the 'thing' came to light, both of them got a wave of surprise.
A great grey Hippogriff came into view. Buckbeak. And on his back was...
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed as Sirius mounted off from Buckbeak, grinning widely.
"Harry! My godson!" he replied brightly, wrapping Harry into his arms.
"You gave us a fright!" Harry told him, "Couldn't you call out or something?"
"I am sorry, but Buckbeak here saw some delicious raccoons, didn't you, boy?" Sirius said, smiling crazily, "So we went deeper into the forest than we were supposed to."
"But you could have just called out -"
"I know, I know. I am sorry. I just didn't want to draw attention to myself."
"Hmm...that makes sense."
It was then when Harry remembered Hermione was there, too.
He turned towards her. She was still standing, like a statue, staring at Buckbeak and Sirius in disbelief.
"Hey, Hermione," Harry called softly, "It's okay, it's Sirius."
"Oh! You brought the bright witch too, I see!" Sirius said, noticing Hermione.
At their words, Hermione finally came out of her daze.
"Wow, Sirius..." she said, "You gave me such a fright! My hands are still shaking!"
Sirius laughed, "I thought it would be fun!" he joked.
But Hermione still looked unsure about the creepy forest. She kept averting her eyes here and there as if she was expecting a monster to come spring at her out of the darkness. Harry felt sorry for her, to see her this scared. So he went forward and squeezed her hand with his.
"It's all right," he assured her, "You don't have to be afraid, 'cause I am with you."
She gratefully smiled at him, "Thanks, Harry. But I am being a real wimp right now."
"No, you're not," he told her, "Now come on, Sirius is waiting for us."
She let him take her to the awaiting hippogriff and his owner.
"So, you wanted to meet me?" Harry asked Sirius.
The latter's face darkened as he heard the question. He took his godson by the shoulders and looked at him straight in the eye.
"Harry, listen to me," he said, in a grave voice, "You have to tell Dumbledore about your dream. By the sound of it, I think it's a very dangerous dream and could be linked to Voldemort's doing."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Harry asked him, puzzled, "It could be a simple dream, too. In a magical sort of way. I mean, I'm a wizard, for Merlin's sake! And my subconscious knows that fact."
"No, no, you are not getting it," Sirius argued, "Better safe than sorry in these times, Harry! You have to report this to Dumbledore!"
"That is exactly what I had been telling him, too!" Hermione burst out, unable to contain herself, "But he just wouldn't listen."
"Well, I think it's ridiculous to tell someone about this dream who wouldn't even look at me straight!" Harry exclaimed.
Sirius sighed, "Please, Harry. Be reasonable. I came all the way here for you, risking my safety, for yours. Please don't make this futile for me."
Hermione watched as the godson and his godfather stared at each other for a moment. Then Harry sighed.
"All right then, I'll do it."
"That's my boy," Sirius said happily and ruffled Harry's hair, "I guess my work here is done now."
His fixed gaze turned to Hermione.
"And Hermione, your job is to make sure he lives up to his promise. Send me a letter if he doesn't."
"Oh, Sirius, I don't need watching over!" Harry said.
Hermione laughed, "Don't worry, Sirius. I'll do it."
Sirius smiled at the duo and mounted his hippogriff.
"I'll be off then," he said, "Goodbye, both of you!"
They said their goodbyes to him as Buckbeak kicked itself into the sky and disappeared from view with its rider. Hermione was strongly reminded of her third year.
Harry offered her the cloak.
"No, I don't want to go back to the tower yet."
His eyes widened in reply, "What? Why not?"
"I just don't feel like it," she confessed, smiling a little at his reaction.
Harry thought she must be joking because it was so highly unlikely of her. Staying outdoors at night was strictly prohibited at Hogwarts. However, here was Hermione, a girl who always preferred to follow the rules, wishing to stay outdoors for a little while. So he was bemused to see her walk towards the Black Lake, lightened by the moonlight, instead of the castle, darkened by the shadows.
Harry decided to follow her, not using his cloak because if she chose to stay visible, then why shouldn't he?
They reached the Black Lake side by side. Hermione sat down on a boulder overlooking the beautiful and calm lake, and Harry sat down beside her. For some while, there was silence, as both of them observed the scenic beauty before them, taking in the sweet smell of fresh pinewood from the forest nearby, the full moon shining down upon them from a dark sky, and the slightly rippling waves of the lake.
After some moments, Harry broke the ice.
"Are you all right, Hermione?"
"Oh yes! I'm good. Why are you asking?" she wondered.
"I don't know...maybe because this behaviour of yours is so new," he said - then grinned, "But I like it."
She blushed at his words but made herself answer, "Thanks! But really, I only felt like staying out for a little while, and I think it's because of you, Harry. You made me break the rules and everything."
"Glad to be such an influence," he joked, making her laugh.
"Really, it's a good influence," she confessed, her eyes on her hands, "It makes me more lively and daring. So...thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
Silence again pervaded them. Best friends of four years and counting, this was what it led to - awkward silence. But Hermione knew. It was all because of her. She couldn't talk to Harry the way she used to before. Couldn't even look at him properly. Something had changed drastically.
But for the sake of their friendship, she forced herself to talk.
"So, how are you holding up?" she asked him, "You know...with everything happening?"
"I can't tell for sure, but I am very worried," he confessed, "Because you know...Voldemort is on the rise again. In all his power."
The utterance of You-Know-Who's name sent shivers down her spine, but she managed a smile.
"Don't worry about it," she said to him, "You have Dumbledore by your side."
"That's true, but he has ways to get me even when Dumbledore's around. Remember last year?"
She could, and so vividly. Last year's events felt like yesterday's events, when Harry was scooped out from the great maze, had a duel with You-Know-Who, and Cedric died. Poor Cedric...
"But still, you shouldn't let your worry get to your head," she said, then added tentatively, "Besides, you have escaped V - Voldem-ort's wrath a lot of times."
Harry's eyes widened, "Hey! You just said his name!"
She had. For his sake. But she wouldn't tell him that.
"Yes, I did," she said, giving him a demure smile, "I mean since we are going to face V - Voldemort sooner or later, then why should we fear speaking his name?"
"That's exactly what I think, too," he said, then smiled, "I really like the sound of his name coming out of your mouth. It makes him seem less threatening."
She laughed, "Then maybe I should say it more."
"Ron will go ballistic when he sees you're speaking Voldemort's name, too."
"Oh, he'll start saying it himself. You'll see."
They talked some more and would have continued without interruptions if Hermione had not looked at her watch.
"Blimey!" she exclaimed, "It's 3 am! We should be heading back."
"Ah, so you're back to your old self?" Harry teased her.
"No one in their right mind would stay outdoors after 3, okay?" Hermione told him humorously.
"Yeah, yeah. Come here."
She came to him, and he threw his cloak on the both of them. For a moment, they were so close to each other, making Hermione's heart do somersaults in her chest. But he turned to face forward, and the moment was gone.
They went back to the castle and into the Gryffindor tower, miraculously - undetected.
Hermione collected her books from the table she was sleeping on earlier. They said goodnight to each other and ascended the stairs to their respective dorms. The girls were sleeping soundly when Hermione entered and thankfully didn't stir.
Tired and contented, Hermione stealthily put her books back into their place, changed her clothes, and crept into bed, not wanting to wake her dormmates up.
Her eyelids were feeling heavy, but she had thoughts in her mind. She relived the late-night adventure, Sirius' dangerous visit, and most of all, spending time with Harry, through the realm of her thoughts.
Smiling to herself, she admitted a fact before her eyes dropped close, and she went to sleep.
She was in love with the Boy Who Lived.
