Author's note: First, to get this straight: I'm still not a native speaker, so keep that in mind, please.
Chapter one is the prologue, so note that my main focus won't be on the third year in this story – although I must admit that "Prisoner of Azkaban" is by far my favourite movie and book of the Harry Potter saga. That's why I included it in the prologue at least.
Also, as you might have guessed, this is a Harmony fanfiction (Harry x Hermione) and I am a really big supporter of these two – just as much as I ship Kataang.
Maybe one or two weeks ago me and a very dear friend of mine started a Harry Potter rewatch and although I previously had told myself not to start another fanfiction because of a rewatch (like with AtLa) I soon found myself fighting within me whether I should write another story or not. Well, here I am. Harmony is too much to resist, they have so much chemistry.
I'd also like to mention that it was the same person that triggered my urge to write "A week of excitement" and now also "The Boy Who Loved". So thanks again, I guess?
Even if this should take a year to finish like the last time I embarked on a journey of words, I'm quite certain that I'll finish it. This time I actually have a plan and a structure for what I want to say and what I want to leave out.
As for updates I can't guarantee anything, because right now I have holidays and thus more time to write/upload, but when I'm going to school I don't have too much time, quite naturally. But maybe that's the kind of upload rhythm you can expect, eh?
And last but not least: The perfect song for this story is "Sweet Harmony" by The Beloved.. The title couldn't be more fitting for this ship.
"And now we wait." Hermione said as she settled down beside me on the trunk of the tree, gazing at the Whomping Willow and the castle from afar.
"Yeah, I guess so." I responded, fingers fidgeting with the wand that I held in my hands as silence fell between the two of us.
My thoughts drifted off and I soon found myself recalling what a wicked year I had yet again experienced here at Hogwarts.
A dementor that made me faint in the Hogwarts Express, flying on a hippogriff, Malfoy getting injured by Buckbeak, great lessons from Professor Lupin and bad lessons from Trelawney, omens of death predicting my demise, falling of my old Nimbus in a quidditch match, an anonymous Firebolt for Christmas, sneaking into Hogsmeade with a crazily useful map.. Oh god, so much happened, both the good things and the bad. But one memory shone brighter than all the others.
Standing not far from the tree I currently gazed at absently, me and my godfather talking.. And him saying that I could live with him.
Sirius was already family to me. I didn't even know him for more than mere hours, but after I realized that the accused mass-murder never betrayed my parents, I knew he was meant to be the relative I never had.
"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Hermione asked with a slight grin and I smiled back at her.
"Just how happy I am to actually have a godfather that wouldn't mind if I lived with him." I responded and my friend gave me a compassionate look.
"I don't know a person that would deserve a bit of happiness more than you two." She admitted with glistening eyes and I chuckled.
"Oh c'mon, that makes me feel like I and Sirius have the most miserable lives on earth. You know that's not true, Hermione." I said.
"That might be true.. But you were abused by your aunt and uncle as far as you told me, and he "lived" more than a decade in Azkaban for crimes he didn't commit! And that's not even barely everything bad that happened to both of you." Hermione countered, her expression something like "Don't you dare playing the modest one!".
"I told you it could have been worse.." I mumbled nonetheless, which triggered Hermione's famous temper. And the second I said the words, I regretted my decision.
Nobody ever wanted to enrage Hermione Jane Granger. She was smart enough to always come up with a perfect counter-argument, had a voice that just made you cave in no matter what, and seemed to be capable of hexing you with a hundred nasty jinxes and curses. Oh damn, everybody had to run for their lives once those brown eyes narrowed and fixed on yours, burning right through your soul.
"Do you have a clue how many muggle and wizard laws they broke with the way they "raised" you, Harry James Potter?" She asked with a dangerous tone and I raised my hands in surrender immediately, knowing exactly that I had already lost. The more one argued, the more unpleasant it got.
"Alright, alright! Don't make me feel stupid again.." I intervened and then the next second, Hermione giggled and her face lit up.
"It's not my fault you feel that way..",She said, obviously amused by my behaviour, "But to put this straight: You are not stupid, Harry."
"Yeah, that's true but I'm also not a bright mind either." I countered and she sighed.
"And why do you think that?"
"Well, since you're the person that voluntarily proof-reads my essays you should know why I believe what I believe." I told her and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Really? Essays? That's how you define your intelligence by?", She responded, "And even if that was true, then I would encourage you to study more."
I smiled because of her answer and chuckled.
"Yep, that's so Hermione." I thought.
"What's so funny, mister?" She asked with a slight grin of her own.
"You advising me to study more is just so you, Hermione." I said and she rolled her eyes again.
"I've told you a hundred times why I say that. If you would study more, Harry James, then you'd be top of the class in quite some subjects." She declared but I just shook my head.
"But that's just it: I don't have this motivation to force a million bits of information into my head. I just.."
"Harry, no, that's not studying. Studying is when you try to learn something that you know you'll need for more than exams and tests. Like you learning the Patronus charm as a way of self-defence. That's very, very advanced magic for a thirteen-year-old, and as far as I can see you're really close to mastering it." Hermione cut me off but I raised a brow.
"But what does that have to do with my intelligence?" I asked.
"What I want to say is that you can achieve incredible things if you have a real drive to accomplish them. There are people Harry, countless people, that have this drive and still do much worse than you do. Look at me for example: I am just as passionate about Defence Against the Dark Arts as you are and still you have an O in the exam while I have an E. And that's just a modest example! I don't think I have to remind you it was you who killed a Basilisk last year, right?"
"That was lucky. I just acted on instincts and somehow managed to survive." I countered but the brunette wouldn't hear any of it.
"Yeah, and where do these instincts come from? From an incredibly bright mind! You are a clever head Harry. If you want to believe it or not." The Brightest Witch of Her Age explained in a soft voice and an amused smile on her face.
"Umm.. thanks, I guess?" I responded, a sheepish blush creeping up my cheeks at her praise and I prayed she didn't notice it.
"You and your modesty. Why can't you just accept it when you're good at something, hm? It almost feels like it's a reflex of yours." She asked with a hint of concern in her voice, and I hated it when she was concerned, especially when she was concerned for me. It always made me want to help her getting rid of her worries.
So I decided to open up a bit more to her. She was the one person in my life I could always rely on, that never laughed at me or made me feel uncomfortable. She deserved something from me in return: Honesty.
"I guess you're right, Hermione. Every time I managed to be better at anything than my cousin, my aunt and uncle would punish me severely, because I was only the rat that was allowed to live under their roof and I couldn't possibly be better than their golden boy." I admitted and watched as her eyes filled with tears before she leaned her head against my shoulder, wrapping both her arms around me while doing so.
I stiffened for a moment at her touch before I felt the warmth of her skin and the light tickle of her gold-brown hair and I instinctively snaked an arm around her shoulder as well, hoping it would comfort her.
"Oh Harry.", Hermione sobbed and I just held her close, "That's so, so awful."
"I'm sorry that I never spoke about it earlier. It's just that.. that I hate to see you in pain or make you worry about me." I whispered gently and my fingers gave her shoulder a firm squeeze.
"Please know that you can talk to me about everything. And when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING. You had to bottle up so much.. Oh Harry, don't do this to me." Her voice was a mere whisper, filled with the deepest sadness I had ever heard in my life and I couldn't help but to lean my head against hers, sensing how much she cared about me, even more than I cared about myself.
"Promise me Harry. Promise me that you'll talk to me about your sorrows from now on. You're my best friend, after all. I want to see you happy." She quietly breathed and I felt her irregular breathing beside me, how she shuddered and quivered. It was heartbreaking to watch.
"I'll promise, Hermione. On everything that's holy to me." I swore and rubbed her back with my free hand, feeling her relax slightly under my touch.
"What would I do without you, Harry?" She suddenly sighed before raising her head and looking at me with puffed and tear-stained eyes that made me avert my gaze, the emotions behind her words too powerful for me to bare.
"No, no, no. Please look at me." She begged and when I locked eyes with her again I had to fight back my own emotions as I saw the unwavering trust and care she felt for me.
"You were the first friend I ever had in my life, you saved my life when you and Ron knocked the troll out, you defend me whenever somebody says something bad about me, you inspire me to be braver, I.. You've made my life so much better and I don't know how to repay you for that except with my friendship. The least thing I can do is helping you however I can." Hermione said, every syllable full of emotions.
"Just don't leave me, Hermione. I don't know what it is we have, but it's so much more than friendship." I told her with a sincere voice and then her face lit up again, a sight that lifted so much weight off of my shoulders.
"I don't know how to call our state of relationship either.. But one thing is sure: You'll never get rid of me, Harry Potter." The brown-eyed witch soon followed my example when I laughed heartily because of her statement before she rested her head on my shoulder again.
"I never want this to end." I thought as I closed my eyes and concentrated on the warmth of my very best friend's hug.
"That tickles Buckbeak!" Hermione squealed after a few minutes when the hippogriff nuzzled her cheek with his beak and I remembered the reason why I had this wonderful moment in the first place: We had to rescue Sirius.
I smiled lightly when I looked at the magical creature obviously trying it's best to brighten my best friend's mood and I gently petted the side of his eagle head, making Buckbeak close his eyes in response.
"That was a close rescue mission for sure." I mumbled absently and Hermione hummed in agreement.
"And another one lies ahead, still." She remarked and I chuckled.
"Yeah, actually two even." I said and the brunette raised a brow.
"And how is that?" She asked, making me grin brightly at what I knew had to be the truth.
"My father will rescue me and Sirius from the dementors down by the lake with his patronus." I stated and looked into her brown eyes, feeling anticipation simply by reminding myself that I would see my father for the first time in such a long, long time.
"Harry.. Your father is.. Well, you know.."
"I know, he's dead. But I know what I saw: The patronus was a stag. And shortly before I passed out I saw two people standing at the other side of the lake, which means that I'll see my mother as well. Hermione, what if they returned as some kind of ghost to the world to rescue me and Sirius?" I asked and she gave me a compassionate look.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I've never read about such a phenomenon in a book.", Hermione said, "But one thing is for sure: Whoever conjured the patronus was a very, very powerful wizard or witch."
Despite her appeal to me to forget the idea of my parents coming to my rescue I held to it, adamantly.
"They'll come, you'll see." I thought as I continued watching the castle in it's undisturbed slumber, my companion silently following my lead.
She was such a wonderful person to have around: Always willing to help me, no matter what I needed help for, always standing by my side with an almost brutal determination and seeing things in me that I myself didn't see. And yet I had wronged her in the past.
How furious I had been with her when she had told Professor McGonagall about the anonymous firebolt this Christmas.
How I had yelled at her for trying to save my fucking life.
How she had cried because of my rudeness.
Now was the time to make up for it.
"Hermione?", I asked when I looked her directly in the eyes, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what, Harry?" She asked in return, her brows knitted in confusion.
"For the way I treated you when you told Professor McGonagall about Sirius' firebolt.", I said, "I behaved like an idiot."
The corners of her mouth quirked upwards for a second before she hugged me.
"I've already forgiven you for that, you know that, right?" She whispered and I chuckled.
"But I haven't forgiven myself for it until now.", I admitted, "And I promise you that I'll never treat you this way ever again."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry." She said, her arms still wrapped around my shoulders and her eyes locked on mine.
"Alright then.. promise me that you'll jinx me the next time I act like a fool." I corrected myself and Hermione giggled in response.
"It would be my pleasure, Potter." She said and I smiled in amusement…
"What are you doing?" I asked with disbelief in my voice as I desperately tried to make Hermione stop howling.
"Saving your life!" She responded briefly before I saw the werewolf getting distracted by my friend's call, effectively enabling my past-self to slip away from the now murderous Professor Lupin.
"Great, now he's coming to us!" I groaned and looked at my companion to see if that was what she truly wanted. And then my heart missed a beat.
"I didn't think about that!" She exclaimed with absolute horror written on her face, but I came up with just the perfect plan.
"Run!" I yelled, took her hand and sprinted away from the werewolf as fast as we possibly could.
Jumping over branches on the ground and getting cut by various nasty shrubs we fled into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, our head start allowing us to hide behind a particularly wide pine without being seen.
"Shit, do you hear that?" Hermione whispered after a few moments, eyes screaming with the panic we currently experienced, and when I concentrated on my surroundings again, I could hear it: The silent breathing and panting of a killer wolf.
"He's on the other side of the tree." I breathed back and when I heard a twig snap to our left, I instantly pulled her with me to the right, right around the trunk.
With extreme caution we moved, the semi-darkness a curse and a blessing at the same time. And then a werewolf lowly howled.
Turning around I suddenly found myself face to face with the werewolf, Hermione shrieking in absolute fear and I didn't think twice as I firmly wrapped my arms around her torso, pulling her close in a protective manner.
I moved so my body was in front of hers, ready to die for her in this very moment as I watched a transformed Lupin approach us and I closed my eyes, concentrating on how right it felt to have her in my arms, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against me.
"It will be over in just a moment, don't worry.." I thought and inhaled Hermione's scent of vanilla, knowing that it would be the last thing I ever felt on this earth.
I then heard the sound of flapping wings and a slash of claws before I opened my eyes again and saw Buckbeak hitting the werewolf right on the side of it's skull, making the creature whimper in pain. And then he fled, heading into the thicket of the woods.
I glimpsed, one, two, three times before realizing that I had in fact not died but survived this situation thanks to the hippogriff that now craned it's head proudly, yellow eyes fixed on me. Thanks Buckbeak.
Still shaking in my arms, Hermione turned her head and looked at me with infinite gratitude for what I had done, and quite reluctantly I let go of her.
"You should thank Buckbeak. He's the.." I wanted to clarify but all out of the sudden it got cold. Stupidly cold.
"Sirius!" We both exclaimed in unison before running towards the shore of the lake, opposite of where my past-self and godfather almost got our souls sucked out.
Still hiding so that my past-self couldn't see Hermione and me, I saw the clearing where I knew my father would appear in any moment.
My friend and I watched in horror as the sheer endless swarm of dementors hovered over the lake and descended upon my godfather and my past-self, it's surface freezing as a result of the their presence.
I watched myself conjuring my usual patronus shield and watched it getting destroyed by the tenacious attacks of the dementors in no time.
"You're dying. Both of you." Hermione gasped when my shield broke and the demonic creatures began feasting on our memories, my eyes nervously darting towards the spot where my parents should have appeared by now, but hadn't.
"C'mon dad, where are you?" I thought in what could have been a silent prayer as one of the dementors took of it's hood, revealing a disgusting second mouth on it's forehead.
"Please, if you don't rescue us now, both I and Sirius will lose our souls." I begged mentally, cold sweat running down my back and Hermione let out a whimper when the dementor came close to my godfather. And then it just clicked inside of me.
Dashing towards the clearing and ignoring Hermione's "Harry, don't!" I drew my wand and pointed it across the lake, pure determination coursing through my veins as I focused on the best of memories.
How it felt when Sirius had told me that I could live with him one day, how it felt when I had realized that I still had a family member that cared for me so deeply, how good it felt when I had realized that I would leave the Dursleys one day. But then something entirely different sprang to my mind.
Hermione. How it felt to see her smile, see her laughing. How it felt to have her close, have her in my arms. How happy I was that she was my best friend.
"Expecto Patronum!" I roared with a demanding voice and not even a second later it felt like the sun had never set.
Blinding, eternal light erupted out of my wand and forth came a stag, galloping across the lake's surface with such grace I thought was impossible to have.
Waves of pulsating light surrounded my patronus as the guardian smashed it's antlers into the dementors with an elegance that made it look like a dance and soon the hooded creatures were fleeing like spiders from a basilisk, effectively rescuing my past-self and godfather from a fate worse than death.
When the threat was averted, my patronus turned towards me and bowed before it vanished. Night descended again.
I watched myself fainting before feeling a human rocket launching itself at me, pulling me into a fierce embrace.
"I can't believe it! You conjured a corporeal patronus, Harry! Oh my god, you saw yourself doing it before and that's why you.."
"Hermione! Let me breathe, please!" I rasped and the brunette immediately let go of me, her cheeks a nice stain of tomato red.
"Sorry.. But that's so incredible what you've done Harry! You're not even fourteen and yet you managed to do something that most adult wizards can't. Oh, Professor Lupin and Sirius will be so proud of you!" She continued her tirade, admiration and pride dominating her voice, before she pressed her lips to my cheek, a sudden warmth and tingle rushing towards the area where her lips lingered for a second. And it felt so good.
" Um..", The person responsible for the new sensation then stuttered after retreating from my face, "I guess we should go back to Buckbeak now, right?"
"Yeah, definitely. We don't want anybody to see us here, right?" I added with a sheepish voice and scratched the back of my head before retreating from the clearing, Hermione not far behind.
"Oh my god, things are getting crazy now.." I thought, the tingle on my cheek still reminding me of how her lips had felt on it, "But that will make it a lot easier to conjure a patronus in the future.."
I knew that I didn't have a crush on Hermione. The way the other boys always behaved and talked about their feelings when they had a crush on a girl were so different from the way my best friend made me feel. It was so much deeper.
But it couldn't be love either. I never learned how it feels to be loved, so I couldn't know how it feels to love someone on my own. Although deep in my heart I knew that when I was ready, I would find a way to love. But that was a concern of the future. There were more important things to do right now.
"C'mon Hermione, let's save Sirius." I said, absolutely convinced that this evening would have a happy ending.
"You say it, Mr. Patronus." My companion teased and I rolled my eyes with a chuckle.
"Should I ever tell her again that I'm somewhat stupid she'll use this as a perfect counter.." I thought and my grin only widened when I realized that my best friend had been right about me achieving things when I really wanted to achieve them. And for once I was proud of myself, proving that I truly was James Potter's son.
And well, it wasn't something new that Hermione Jane Granger was right, of course…
Thanks for reading and leave a review if you got to say something about this new project of mine!
Also.. Merry Christmas to all of you brave people who clicked on this story. You are my motivation to keep going when it's the hardest to write. Though this first chapter was written in not even 48h, so I can't say it was too challenging. But I enjoyed the process, very, very much.