As promised, I'm back with Chapter 76... Enjoy!

Harry and Hermione were in the library when it happened. It was quite late in the evening and the library was fairly empty. Harry wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he knew he had done it.

Professor White, for a while, had been telling him that he shared a connection with Voldemort. That, of course, wasn't a surprise. Harry already knew it. But White was of the opinion that this connection that Harry and Voldemort possessed was the reason Harry was able to look into the dark lord's thoughts.

Yes, looking into Voldemort's thoughts was what Harry was doing recently. Almost always, it was involuntary and happened by accident. And it also helped Harry thwart the attack on the Italian ministry of magic.

But, this evening, Harry wasn't sure whether what he had done was voluntary or involuntary. He was thinking about Voldemort, the prophecy that they shared, their wands belonging to the same core and such. While thoughts about what White was training him in Occlumency and Legilimency also ran parallelly. And somehow, Harry had another vision. Just like the previous time, this one felt less like a vision and more like a dream.

Voldemort was angry and hurt and he wanted blood. While his plans for Italy might have been thwarted, he still had the desire of conquering. Voldemort had shifted his attention from one great nation to another, this time Germany.

Harry had gone into a kind of trance for a few seconds, barely long enough for Hermione to notice, and then came back to his senses with a jerk.

"Woah..." gasped Hermione. "What was that?" she remarked, taken a little aback. "You shook the table..." she added.

"Uh... nothing... I fell asleep for a moment there," chuckled Harry. "I was up late last night," he added, guiltily.

Hermione shook her head for a moment and then replied, "You didn't have to come here right after your quidditch practice," she remarked. "It'll be a while before I'll be finished," she added.

"I'll get something to eat then," sighed Harry, faking a yawn. "Bye, Hermione," he greeted and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Bye, Harry," smiled Hermione.

Harry left the library in a hurry and off he went to Albus Dumbledore to detail his latest vision. This time around, Harry had a clearer idea of what he had seen, especially the German Ministry. And Dumbledore, worried with the increasing frequency of Harry's visions, listened to him carefully and did the needful to alert the Germans.

A couple of weeks went by. Christmas was just around the corner. And everyone at the castle was getting into the Christmas spirit. Nature played its part and one morning, Hogwarts woke up to find itself covered with several feet of snow. The great hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry.

But amidst everything that made everyone at Hogwarts cheerful that day, there was one that took the cake, the frosting and the cherry on the top.

"Twice in a row..." exclaimed someone in the great hall. The rest of the great hall was feeling the same energy. All their mornings had just been brightened up by the freshly printed news in front of them.

"You-know-who defeated again! Twice in a row!"

The delight of hearing Voldemort's defeat, this time at the hands of the Germans, so soon after the previous one, spread like wildfire across the castle. It was the only thing on everyone's tongue. Harry, like everyone else, was joyous. Finally, it seemed, his visions were starting to prove fruitful, rather than a ball of guilt. In his buoyant mood, Harry decided to pay Dumbledore another visit.

But, just as he was on his way to Dumbledore's office, something, or rather, someone interrupted him, putting a dent in his spirits.

"Potter..." exclaimed Snape as he came walking from the opposite direction.

Harry nonchalantly, walked towards Snape and came to a pause upon nearing him. "Yes," he replied. After a momentary pause, he added, "Professor"

"Where are you off to?" asked Snape, bluntly.

"Why couldn't I just be roaming the castle? It's a wonderful day, after all... Haven't you heard?" retorted Harry, cheekily.

"Don't lie to me, Potter... It's written on your face... that you're up to something," remarked Snape, disdainfully.

"I have to meet, Professor Dumbledore," replied Harry, bluntly.

"What for?" asked Snape, directly.

"I'd rather speak to him about it," replied Harry, losing patience. Snape stared at Harry keenly. Harry had experienced this stare countless times. Often, it was accompanied by a lingering uneasy feeling inside him. But, for the first time, Harry recognized the stare.

"The headmaster is resting. You may visit him later," retorted Snape, instantly. But the instant response was immediately followed by a perplexed look on his face. "Dumbledore didn't tell me that Harry was being trained in Occlumency," he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Harry stared at Snape, confused. "Resting? Why, what happened to him?" asked Harry, perplexed.

"Being a prefect doesn't give you the authority to ask so many questions, Potter," snapped Snape. And after a moment, mumbled under his breath, "you were never fit to be a prefect anyway."

Just when Harry was about to get into trouble with a frustrated comeback, both of them heard footsteps, and they were of Benjamin White.

"Harry, what's taking you so long?" asked White as he walked up to the pair, his glance completely on Harry.

"Sorry, Professor..." apologised Harry.

"Professor Snape," remarked White, with a big smile. "I almost didn't see you there," he remarked.

"Professor White," exclaimed Snape, annoyed. "I somehow find that hard to believe," he remarked.

"Be that as it may, I'd like to borrow Harry, if you wouldn't mind," retorted White.

"May I know what business the headmaster has with Harry?" asked Snape. "We both know the state he is in now. I don't think it is wise to discuss matters of importance at this time," he added, trying to poke into the secretive meeting. White annoyed him a lot. And Harry's presence in all of this intrigued him even further.

"Your input is quite valuable and is appreciated, Professor Snape. But, this takes precedence. I imagine, a man of your stature can understand," retorted White, with a big smile.

After not receiving a comeback from Snape, White glanced at Harry. "Come on, Harry," he remarked, and with that Harry and White left for Dumbledore's office.

Once White and Harry had gone a few steps, Harry spoke up. "What happened to Professor Dumbledore?" he asked, concerned.

"He is fine," replied White bluntly.

"You're lying... Snape said he is resting. Why is he resting? It isn't even noon yet," retorted Harry, annoyed. White glared at Harry and quickly turned his gaze back to the path he was taking.

"He is just feeling a little down. Nothing to worry about," replied White, calmly. But almost instantly, he continued. "But we do have something to worry about," he added.

Harry stared at White, confused. He was in a really good just a few minutes back. A Snape encounter a few minutes later, he suddenly has something to worry about?

Within a minute, White and Harry reached Dumbledore's office.

The moment Harry entered, his eyes fell on a weary-looking Dumbledore, who was sitting in his usual seat. Dumbledore looked tired, the usual glint in his eye was missing. "How are you doing, Professor?" asked Harry.

"The Gods are punishing me for my indulgences, Harry," chuckled Dumbledore in response. "Congratulations," he wished with a warm smile. "You've saved a lot of lives recently," he added, proudly.

Harry gave a short chuckle. "I don't think I have done much, Professor. I'm just lucky that I'm getting the visions," he replied.

"Harry, you're being quite modest," chimed in White. "You're braver than you give yourself credit for," he added, with a proud smile, this one definitely genuine.

Once the pleasantries were done, there was a moment's silence before White spoke up.

"Harry," he exclaimed. "We wanted to discuss your visions," he remarked. Harry glanced at White, intrigued and then at Dumbledore.

"You're to stop these visions with immediate effect," remarked White, bluntly.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, confused. "I don't know how or why I get these visions. And didn't we just talk about how many lives have been saved because of it? Why would you want me to stop having them?" he added.

"While your initial visions might have been truly... visions, the recent ones haven't been. And all of us here know that," began White. "Nurmengard, Ministero Italiano and now Deutsches Ministerium... All these 3 instances have been a little different from the norm. Your visions haven't been just visions, have they? They have been more..." he added and stared at Harry.

"Yeah, I know..." muttered Harry.

"So, what do you think they have been?" asked White.

"I don't quite understand, Professor, what you're getting at," replied Harry. "I don't know what they are, and why I get them," he added, staunchly.

"We believe," began Dumbledore and glanced at White. "We believe, that you've been, to put it simply... reading Tom's mind," he remarked. Harry had a stunned look on his face.

"But... I don't know how to..." he began. "How is it possible?" he asked.

"You may not have performed legilimency knowingly... Actually, that is the reason I started training you in Occlumency and Legilimency..." replied White.

"While your ability is useful, it poses a far bigger threat," chimed in Dumbledore.

"The dark lord is the best Legilimens known to wizards. He might not have detected your presence yet, but he will... And when he does..." remarked White and took a pause.

"Things won't end well for me, right?" completed Harry. After a brief silence, Harry continued. "How am I to stop something, that I don't know how it starts?" he asked.

"I will train you, of course. But you will have to put a conscious effort in, every single moment... to not let your thoughts wander out of control," replied White, calmly.

"Don't worry, Harry," reassured Dumbledore. Somehow, at that moment, Harry did not feel reassured.

The holiday spirit brought with it, not just the feeling of happiness and love for friends and family, it also elevated it. While some wanted to cherish the special moments with each other, there were others who weren't as blessed and hence resorted to having their special ones in their thoughts. There were some who hated each other but saw something in one another nevertheless. There were those who thought they had travelled way too long in one path to change directions and then there were those who wished they could turn back the clock but couldn't admit it to the world. The holidays often brought these feelings to the top for everyone to experience.

The Christmas feast was served the evening before everyone went back home for the break. Groups and groups of students sat together and enjoyed the meal with their friends. Such could be said for the Professors as well. In front of the great hall, was seated every single Professor of Hogwarts.

The desserts were just served, when White got up from his seat and walked up to Dumbledore, to take a seat beside him.

"What happened?" asked Dumbledore as he weakly reached for his eggnog. White shook his head in response and proceeded to tuck into his pudding.

"I would have liked some gingerbread and chocolate," sighed White.

"I'll ask the elves to prepare them for you if you'd like," replied Dumbledore.

There was a silence that lasted a few seconds, and then White spoke up. "I have been here, close to a year," he began. "It wouldn't have been possible without you," he remarked.

"You don't have to thank me," replied Dumbledore with a smile.

"This is another life for me, Albus... and that is thanks to you," remarked White, gratefully.

"I should be the one thanking you. You've taken Harry into your wing and he's doing really well," replied Dumbledore, modestly.

"I'm just redeeming myself," chuckled White. "And it is a long way away," he added and with that, he got up and went back to his seat.

Once the feast was over, the students went back to their respective common rooms. As time went by, one by one, the students went up to their dormitories. It was a while before it was just Hermione and Harry alone in the common room. Ron had just greeted the couple with a good night and had left the two of them alone.

"We're lucky that we're together at Hogwarts... Poor Ron has to wait for a while before he will see Daisy," whispered Hermione, into the silence. But, Harry did not respond. Maybe, he didn't even listen to what she had just said.

"Harry," called out Hermione, softly. "You're doing it again," she whispered.

"What am I doing, Hermione?" retorted Harry as he glanced at her, lovingly.

"You're living in a world inside your head..." replied Hermione. "And you're not letting me in," she added.

"I'm right here, Hermione, not in some other world," chuckled Harry. Hermione stared at him earnestly. After a few seconds, Harry gestured at Hermione. "Come here and sit with me," he remarked. Hermione got up from her seat and with a reluctant exterior look, walked over to Harry and squished into the same seat as he was. The moment Hermione sat down beside him, he adjusted so that she was mostly sitting on top of him, rather, squished beside him. And taking the opportunity, he took her complete scent in. It was an intoxicating feeling, he thought to himself. He loved every bit of the position he found himself in, just fingertips away from her touch.

"Hermione," he called out softly as he leaned in and kissed her cheek, and trailed down to the back of her neck, kissing along the way. To compliment what he was feeling, a low moan escaped Hermione's lips.

"I'm in so much trouble, Hermione..." exhaled Harry as he began nibbling at her earlobes.

"Trouble?" retorted Hermione in a whisper as she continued enjoying the warmth she was getting.

Harry trailed across her neck, placing soft kisses along the way, and then began a kissing descent crossing a small patch of her shoulder and arm that were covered, down to her wrist. Meanwhile, his fingers had started playing with her fingers, caressing and brushing her. After a few moments, he spoke up, "And I don't know how I'm going to get out of it," he added.

Hermione was lost in a trance. Her body was reacting like she had never experienced before. Every touch of Harry's did something to her that made her want it more. But just as she got worked up her ears and brain picked up something that paused the sensual feelings.

Hermione got up from her seat and turned around to face Harry. "Harry, what happened?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I want to tell you everything... And I don't want to tell you anything at all..." replied Harry, with a slight chuckle at the end.

"I don't get it, Harry..." retorted Hermione, pleading a little. "You've shared everything with me till now... What happened this year?" she asked.

"You know..." he began in reply. "I now understand why John kept so many secrets," remarked Harry.

"Why, why did he keep so many secrets?" asked Hermione.

"He couldn't help it... He didn't know any better," smiled Harry in response.

"You're being cryptic, Harry... and I'm not liking it," retorted Hermione, a little hurt.

"Listen," said Harry, for the first time that evening, in a slightly serious tone. "I will not keep secrets from you... Give me some time to understand it all, will you? I don't want to make the same mistakes with you... but I need some time," he remarked.

Hermione stared at Harry and after a few seconds, crashed into him. While her fingers caressed his cheeks, Hermione tilted her head a little and captured his lips with her own. A moan escaped both of them simultaneously, spurring them even more into action. Both of their hands started roaming each other's bodies as their lips showed no sign of leaving the touch of the other. It was a few seconds before Harry slightly pulled away from Hermione.

For the first few seconds, both of them were breathing hard. Their eyes were filled with hunger and their bodies wanted the same thing. But, the wiser side of the couple trumped their horny side.

"I can't get enough of you..." whispered Harry as Hermione blushed a little. "But I don't want this to happen this way... in here..." he added. Only after the words left Harry's lips did Hermione look around and realise that anybody could walk in at any moment and they'd be caught doing... wild things. Almost instinctively, Hermione got up from Harry's body and stood on the ground, brushing herself a little. Harry got up a moment later and leaned into Hermione for one last kiss for the evening.

"Hermione... you cannot keep attracting me like this," whispered Harry as he finally let go of her lips. "The more sounds that come out of you, the more I don't want to let go of you," he added.

"You do things to me, Harry..." whispered Hermione in response. "Good night," she remarked, and continued, "before we let things get out of hand," she finished. And with that, against every cell of their being, Harry and Hermione let go of each other and went back to their dormitories.

Meanwhile, there were 2 other souls in that castle that had just started their bittersweet evening. It had happened way too quickly, before either one of them could think about, "what next?" Silent moans and wheezing sounds filled the Slytherin common room as Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass explored each other's pain and pleasure. However, right after pain and pleasure, came regret.

"I... I can't... I'm sorry... I can't do this to Harry... He is my friend, I cannot do this to him," muttered Draco, ashamed and regretfully before leaving his willing partner all alone for the night.

In that untimely hour, yet another conversation was meant to happen, without which Horace Slughorn wouldn't be able to live another day.

"Horace," exclaimed Dumbledore, perplexed.

"Albus," exclaimed Slughorn as he walked into Dumbledore's chambers.

"This is quite the hour you've picked," remarked Dumbledore, taking a seat a few feet away from Slughorn.

"Your cheap theatrics did not work, Albus..." remarked Slughorn, angrily.

Dumbledore stared at him, considering his reply for a few seconds. "Cheap?" he retorted, with a chuckle as he showed him his dead-looking hand.

"What you did was wrong..." remarked Slughorn, loudly.

"Horace... you are drunk, and not in a state to discuss your affairs. We should talk in the morning," suggested Dumbledore, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"You..." began Slughorn, angrily. "... let me..." he slurred his words and continued, "... watch that poor boy suffer... All for what? To prove to me that he is a Horcrux?" he finished, angrily. "Cheap tricks..." he mumbled.

"But Harry did not suffer, Horace. You helped me achieve that. Your potion worked," remarked Dumbledore, calmly. "The last time a Horcrux was destroyed, Harry was knocked out unconscious for a long time. You made sure, that this time, the effect was minimal," he added.

"But why did it have to happen in my office, in front of me? You were playing a game and you knew what you wanted out of it," retorted Slughorn.

This time, Dumbledore listened to him quietly.

"What do you want from me?" remarked Slughorn, angrily. "I am ashamed of it," he confessed. "Happy? That's what you wanted me to say... that I am ashamed of it... I grew a monster in my club and didn't know it till it was too late," he added.

"Horace," exclaimed Dumbledore. "None of us saw it coming," he remarked, calmly.

"But he was my student, Albus... my student," yelled Slughorn.

After a few seconds, Slughorn continued. "I'm not brave, alright? I'm a Slytherin, remember? What do you lot call us? Coward? I'm a coward and I know it. My secret about Lord Voldemort will stay with me and there's nothing you can do to get it out of me... Understand?" exclaimed Slughorn, loudly.

"I'm sorry, Horace... It was not my intention to make you suffer. I won't do anything anymore to get the truth from you," replied Dumbledore. And with that ended that conversation.

Meanwhile, a long distance away, an angry Voldemort had 2 of his prized death eaters kneeling in front of him.

"What do you have to tell me?" asked Voldemort.

"We are spying on Harry Potter and his friends as you had commanded," remarked Barty Crouch Jr.

"We may not get a better chance than Hogsmeade to strike," added Eldon Redwood.

"The kids seem to love it there. We can take them easily," finished Barty.

"You will do no such thing till I command you to... Our first target is the time traveller, Jane Smith," commanded Voldemort.

Well... that is all for this one. How did you like this 2-parter?
Let me know your thoughts and reviews...

PS - For the past few days, I have been busting out chapters left, right and centre. The next chapter will be out this Saturday. And after that, there will be a 3-parter, that will drop in a span of a few days... So, stay tuned! Promote the love, everyone! Ciao!