Chapter Six:
"Dragons!" Harry said to his friend Fluer Delecor in a hushed tone. "The first task is dragons. I think you each need to get past one." Harry had met secretly with his friend from Beauxbatons.
"Yes, I know zis," Fleur responded. "Is 'agrid a friend of yours? It zeems he is a friend of my 'eadmistress as vel. He showed her zee dragons and she of course, told me as well."
"Oh… well, good," Harry said.
"Did you sink my 'eadmistress would not tell me of zis?" Fleur said. "You are a funny leetle boy, 'arry to sink she would not."
"I don't know anything about your headmistress," Harry said. "It's technically cheating that she told you what to prepare for isn't it? On the off chance she hadn't planned on sharing it I just had to make sure you knew. It's a dragon for fucks sake. You'll be lucky to survive."
"I appreciate zis very much, 'arry," Fleur said. "But you still have not told me how to came about zis knowledge."
"Hagrid is a friend of mine," Harry said. He thought me and my friend Ron would like to see them. We once helped him with a dragon problem. We had to smuggle a baby dragon out of the castle grounds. Guess he thought he was paying us back letting us see an adult one."
"Krum knows by the way," Harry said. "We spotted Karkarov sneaking through the forest."
"And how did he not see you as well?" Fleur asked curiously.
"Oh, er, that's a secret," Harry said. "Can you keep a secret?"
"But yes of course," Fleur responded.
"I've got a really good invisibility cloak," Harry revealed. "If we duck down I can fit myself and a friend under it. We used to be able to fit three underneath but I was a first year at the time. We've all gotten a lot taller since then."
"Vell, does your Zedrick Deegary know what to expect?" Fleur asked. "Eet seems 'e is zee only one who is unprepared."
"I was going to tell Cedric right after this," Harry said. "I just couldn't live with myself if either of you got hurt and I could have warned you in advance."
"We'll, even zough I already knew of zee dragons, I steel think I shall give you zis as thanks," and before Harry knew what was coming, Fleur had leaned on and kissed him on the cheek.
Blushing, he parted ways with his beautiful French friend and went off to find Cedric."
…
The next morning was a secret Wednesday so first thing in the morning after breakfast Harry and Hermione headed directly towards the secret room. They always made note of the exact time they entered the secret room so they could make sure to avoid themselves leaving the following morning, which was of course, the same morning.
Harry was not only caught up with all of his homework, he was actually a few chapters ahead in most classes. Thus he spent the morning reading more about werewolf history. Hermione was working on some complicated looking side project so he did his best to leave her alone. He made her a sandwich for lunch with food from the mini kitchen.
"Time for a break, Hermione, you should have eaten lunch an hour ago," Harry scolded, delivering her sandwich along with a glass of pumpkin juice. He sat beside her in the couch. "What are you working on anyway?"
"Thank you, Harry,"Hermione said, putting down her work and accepting the food and immediately tucking in. "I'm working on two things actually."
"Want to tell me about them?" Harry asked. "I love hearing about your little projects."
"Well this one's not little," Hermione said, gesturing towards her notebook. She took another big bite, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. "I'm trying to figure out time turner magic enough to create my own."
"That's highly illegal, isn't it?" Harry asked.
"Oh shut up, Harry, we break the law all the time," Hermione laughed, getting close to finishing her food already. "I will likely drop several classes after OWLs next year," she added. "At that time I'll lose access to this necklace. Considering how often you find yourself in trouble I thought it would be a good idea to still have a time turner after I have to return this one."
"How close are you to making one?" Harry asked.
"Oh nowhere close," Hermione said. "I'll be lucky to understand all this before the end of next year."
"Wow, okay… so what about your other project you're working on?"
"Oh I'm just taking notes about a potion a took," Hermione said, setting her empty plate aside.
"Oh? Something else illegal?" Harry quipped.
"Perhaps," Hermione said coyly. "It's borderline illegal. And by that I mean it's perfectly legal but I think it shouldn't be illegal."
"Harry, speaking of potions, how are you doing handling Snape? I feel like he's been twice as horrid to you as usual this year.
"He has been much worse this year," Harry said. "I think he really wanted Sirius to get the dementors kiss. And he wanted Lupin punished for missing his potion that night. He seemed to be taking the fact that neither happened out on me."
"How are you dealing with the stress?" Hermione asked.
"Snogging mostly," Harry said without thinking.
"Good heavens, Harry, who on earth have you been snogging?" she asked.
"You know how you have to run off after arithmancy to back step and hour so you can make it to Muggle Studies as well?" Harry began.
"Oh is that when you're getting it done?" she asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Go on then. Who is she?"
"Hermione, who are you leaving me with when you run off?" Harry asked.
Hermione thought for a bit before she answered. "Daphne Greengrass!" she almost shouted.
"You really are the smartest witch of the age," Harry grinned. "Well done, Hermione, you got it in one. We've only done it twice though. She pulls me into a cupboard Tuesday's right after arithmancy class."
"So are you dating or what?" Hermione asked, avoiding his eyes.
"Or what just about sums it up," Harry laughed. "We kinda pretend it didn't happen and just go about our days afterwards. In any case, that's not all. I've been doing more snogging than that."
"But you just said you've only kissed Daphne twice," Hermione said, clearly confused.
"That's right," Harry said. "So who else am I kissing? You can figure this out, Hermione. Who is she? Go on."
"Oh my gods, it's Fleur Delecor, isn't it?" Hermione said, sounding stunned. "But she's so much older than you…"
"Nope, not Fleur," Harry said. "We really are just friends. Good guess though. Come on now. One last guess before I just tell you."
"You didn't…you haven't… you're not snogging Ginny, are you?"
"Two for three isn't bad," Harry laughed. "You should be a detective after you graduate. Don't tell Ron about me and Ginny, okay?"
"Oh, heavens, there's no way I would," Hermione said. "Harry, Ron would kill you if he knew."
"Yeah, we know, that's part of the fun," Harry said.
"Harry I'm worried you might be leading Ginny on," she scolded. "That girl loves you, you know."
"Don't worry, Hermione, Ginny and I talked a lot about our feelings for one another. On our date to Hogsmeade. I love her as well. There's something special about Ginny. I can't put my finger on what it is. In any case, we aren't ready to date. We agreed to try to hang out a little more and try to be closer friends… and we also agreed to snog in secret. And before you freak out on me, she knows I snog Daphne. Ginny and I are not exclusive. She said she's snogging someone else too but won't say who."
"Oh, Hey, Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked. She was avoiding his gaze.
"N…no, Harry, I'm fine. Great actually," she said, trying to hastily wipe a tear from her eyes. It had not gone unnoticed by Harry.
"Oh, Hermione,… do you… fancy me?" He asked hesitantly. "Is that's why you're crying? I had no idea, I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have told you all that if I had known. Let's talk about it. How long have you liked me like that?"
"What? Oh, no… er, maybe? No… definitely no." Hermione said quickly once she realized what Harry was saying.
"Ok, well if that's not it then what's got you upset?" Harry pried.
"It's… hard to explain. It's my second project," she said. "I took a potion today."
"And it's got you feeling sad? Or are you in pain?" Harry asked.
"Both maybe? Oh gods, Harry, this is going to be hard to explain and I imagine you'll be quite upset with me for a while once I tell you what I've done.
"Start at the beginning," Harry said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Hermione immediately felt a bit more relaxed at his touch. It gave her enough courage to tell him what was going on.
"Okay, from the beginning…" Hermione said psyching herself up. "I've been stressed this year. Snape has been awful and using the time turner an hour here and an hour there every week is really starting to get me feeling worn down."
"Our secret days are the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart and dropping all my extra classes. But, at this point, I need more ways to manage my stress."
"I didn't want it to be an activity like reading novels or playing games. Those take time… and I'd rather spend all my time on school work and my side projects, you know, important things. Playing chess with you and Ron or reading the books Ginny keeps recommending to me would make me feel more stressed, not less, seeing as that's a bunch of time I'm spending not getting things done."
Harry nodded and slid the hand on her shoulder to her back. He began drawing circles there through the fabric of her shirt, much like they did to each other when hugging sometimes. He stayed quiet and let her continue.
"So I decided to spend a bit of time researching both magical and non magical ways to relieve stress. That's also why I asked you what you were doing to relieve stress."
Hermione paused and Harry got the distinct impression she was embarrassed about the answers she had found. Given the story he'd just shared with her and how she'd reacted to it, he thought he had some ideas regarding what she found.
"And for non magical methods I assume you found were, what… masturbation, snogging, and sex as potential methods?" Harry said, doing his best to keep his face serious. Hermione was too distraught to make jokes.
"Y… yes," Hermione said. "And seeing as I don't really know how to do the first one… and I haven't got a partner to try the other ones with, I gave up on non magical solutions."
"Okay, so you found a potion that should relieve stress?" Harry asked.
"Several, in fact, but none have had the desired effect. The drought of peace, for example, also takes away my ambition during the duration of its effect and I don't get any work done. Before today I'd tried all the potions I found except for one, the potion I tried today… the potion that I reckon ought to be illegal."
"I won't think poorly of you, Hermione," Harry promised. "Just tell me what you took today."
"I brewed a… a weak love potion," Hermione said, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. "One of the side effects of fuzzy fizzies is a content, calming feeling. I… I needed someone else's DNA and I found one of your hairs on a towel. I thought I could just ignore any pining I had for you as it's a weak potion. I just wanted that calm feeling."
"Oh, Hermione, it's okay, come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up into his lap with her legs off to one side. He'd never held Hermione quite like this despite their propensity for hugs.
"Oh my gods, there it is!" Hermione said. "Harry, it was instant. The contented feeling. I got it when you picked me up." Hermione's tears quickly dried up.
"I guess the good feelings only show up if you're touching the person the potion is keyed to," Harry postulated. "We're touching skin to skin now."
"Yeah, and if you aren't touching that person, I guess it fills your head with bad thoughts," Hermione said, tracing a finger along his chest absentmindedly. "I'd convinced myself you hated me… that you were ignoring me. It's all I could think about. It hurt."
"How long does the potion last?" Harry asked. "I'm all caught up on school work. I'll hold you at least until it's out of your system."
"Just six hours total," Hermione explained. "So, about two more hours to go. Also, H… Harry… I… nevermind," Hermione said, losing her nerve.
"Come on, Hermione, what is it?" Harry asked, periodically stroking her hair.
"It's stupid… it's dumb," she said.
"Oh, come on now. I'm not going to stop pestering you until you tell me, you know," Harry chuckled. "If it's dumb, we can laugh together."
Hermione sighed. "Fine, but please don't laugh. I'm going to tell you and you're going to say no and then we'll forget I ever had the idea."
"I promise I won't laugh," Harry coaxed. "Go on then."
"So… um… snogging?" Hermione asked, not quite forming a sentence. Nevertheless, Harry understood.
"Are you asking me to help you find someone else to snog… or are you asking to snog me?" Harry said, unable to hide a smirk.
"I w…want to try it," Hermione began, "b…but only with someone I know and trust."
"I'll do it," Harry said, pulling her into a tighter hug, "but not til this potion wears off. A few hours from now, when you're thinking better, you might not want it."
"Thank you, Harry," she smiled before snuggling in closer to him.
Hermione smiled. "Harry, this relaxed, contented feeling is amazing. Call me crazy but after today I want to try it again. Next time we can hold hands while we study instead of me spending four hours straight trying to ignore how much I'm pining for you."
"That good?" Harry asked. "Maybe I'll try it too."
"My only concern is what if we, like, have sex or something crazy," Hermione said. "Maybe we shouldn't both take it at the same time."
"Isn't fuzzy fizzies the weakest love potion currently known?" Harry asked.
"Well done, Harry, that's sixth year knowledge," Hermione praised. "Yes, it's the weakest love potion. It just makes you want to touch the person it's keyed to. It won't give you any other compulsions. Me wanting to snog… that's all me."
"Oh," Harry said. "I was a little convinced the potion was making you want to snog me. We, er, don't have to wait two hours if you're certain the snogging thing isn't from the potion."
"Er… yeah… okay," Hermione said hesitantly. "So, you're a pro at this, apparently… so… tell me what to do. Explain it to me like I've never kissed someone before and don't know a single thing about it… because I haven't and I don't."
"I doubt there's much I can explain. A lot of it is instinct," Harry explained. "I'll just take the lead. You follow."
"Thank you for doing this, Harry… I'm ready," Hermione said.
"Okay, first, I just want to see if you can kiss," Harry said. "That seems like the place to start. Snogging implies your mouth is open but for a kiss your mouth is closed."
Hermione's eyes were locked with Harry's. She was taking in every word.
"I'm going to lean in and kiss you now. Ready?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded timidly. Harry tilted his head, closed his eyes, and planted a short, tender kiss on Hermione's lips. She pushed back into him just a little but Harry was completely in control.
The kiss lasted maybe two seconds before he opened his eyes and pulled away. As he did so he saw Hermione's eyes were wide open.
"How was that?" Harry asked.
"It felt… exhilarating," Hermione said. "On my end it wasn't any different than when I kissed you on the cheek this summer. Sorry about that by the way. I could tell it freaked you out."
"What? No, your kiss this summer was really nice. It got weird because Ginny also kissed me on the cheek right after you," Harry explained.
"Oh," Hermione smiled. "Well good. So, er, can we try that again before we move on?"
"Yeah, of course," Harry smiled. "But this time, close your eyes and this time you kiss me."
Harry closed his eyes and puckered his lips ever so slightly. He didn't have to wait long before Hermione planted another kiss on his lips. This one lasted four or five seconds before she pulled away.
"Awesome," Harry praised. "Okay, now forget that. That was just to get you to relax a bit. Snogging and kissing are nothing alike. A snog is completely unpredictable changes from moment to moment."
"Surely there's a formula or a pattern to it," Hermione said. "You're telling me what you do with your mouth is completely random?
"Ee, no, it's not completely random," Harry said. "I guess there's a playbook. I'll explain a few of my favorite moves."
"Playbook? Moves? It's starting to sound like quidditch," Hermione mused.
"For starters, a snog is a little like kissing except your mouth is a little open…like this," Harry began. He opened his mouth just a tiny bit, not making any particular shape with it. Hermione copied him.
"Yeah, good. Now your basic motion will be what I would describe as munching. Imagine trying to eat something but only using your lips, not your teeth… but after each munch or bite or whatever, you give a little kiss" Harry opened and closed his mouth and kissed the air a few times. Hermione copied him again.
"Great. Okay now, the first move is sucking on your partner's lip. Depending on how your lips align you will have your partner's top lip or their bottom lip between your lips."
"Fred and George say some people prefer one lip or the other. I kinda switch back and forth with Ginny but Daphne thoroughly claims my bottom lip, so I suck on her top lip… sorry, I shouldn't be talking about other girls."
"No, that's okay, Harry," Hermione said. "I asked you to explain."
"I don't suck on my partner's lip for longer than a second," Harry continued. "And I don't suck every time I close my mouth around her lip. Just every third or fourth time. Got all that?"
"I think so," Hermione said.
"Okay, now let's practice," Harry said, feeling like a professor who had first lectures on a spell before then having the class all attempt said spell for the first time. "Remember… munches and kisses and the occasional suck. Ready?"
Hermione nodded. Harry leaned in once more and captured Hermione's bottom lip between his lips. At first she seemed tense and wasn't moving much, but Harry slowly and patiently teased at her lip with munches and kisses and sucks. Eventually Hermione also found a rhythm. They continued for nearly half a minute before Harry pulled away.
"Oh my gods, Harry, that was mind blowing," Hermione said.
"Well that's just the basics," Harry laughed. "All my other moves are with my tongue."
"Harry, do you think we could, er, keep practicing that basic snog and save tongue moves for another time?" Hermione requested.
"Of course," Harry smiled. Before he could say anything else, Hermione's lips came crashing back into his and they shared another simple song. This time Harry ran his fingers through Hermione's hair and he watched as she melted into him. This snog lasted about a minute before Hermione finally pulled away."
"Wow," was all she could manage to say. She tucked her head under his chin up against his chest and hugged him tightly once more. "Thank you, Harry. You're truly amazing."
"You too, Hermione. You too."