money from it, so please Ms. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
Please, if you read, take two minutes to review.
Harry walked slowly up the stairs headed towards the Gryffindors’ dormitory. After giving the password to the fat lady, he stepped through the passageway into the common room looking around to find Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Spotting them in the corner, he headed over to join them, sitting down heavily in the one chair left at the table.
Harry was tired; it had been a long day. Double potions with Snape - somehow Harry had made it into Snape’s NEWT level class, Ron had too. Neither had been thrilled, but they were both still thinking about being Aurors, so they had little choice but to continue with the class.
That had been followed by the first meeting of the DA for the year. And then Cho, Harry had been more than a little surprised to see her show up in the first place. And she had wanted to talk after the DA meeting. The conversation with Cho had created a new problem for him. All told it felt like more than his emotions could take. And on top of it all the Quidditch tryouts were tomorrow. Harry leaned forward resting his head on the table.
“What’s up mate, you ok?” Ron asked.
“Was it Cho, Harry?” Hermione prodded. She had not been happy when Cho had cornered him after the DA meeting.
“Yes,” he sighed.
“Oh she makes me so mad,” Ginny said, angrily slamming her book closed, “first she brings that sneak friend of hers to the meetings. Then she mopes about expecting everyone to forget about it. She’s got a lot of nerve showing up tonight. If she doesn’t stop being such a pain, I’m going to turn her hair green.”
The three of them looked at Ginny in surprise. Since the battle at the Ministry, Ginny had found her place in what had always been a group of three, enlarging it by one. The group was really six now when you counted Neville and Luna. Harry thought it was just like his first year. He and Ron had saved Hermione from the Mountain Troll, and she had saved them the wrath of Professor McGonagall. It had bonded the three of them together, and now the same thing had happened making the six of them almost one.
The rest of the students at the school found out real quick that messing with one got you in trouble with the other five. None of them went looking for trouble; they had more than enough with Voldemort to think about. But trouble seemed to find them anyways.
Luna seemed to have benefited the most from this. No one was calling her Loony Luna anymore. No one dared after Hermione had cursed the offending girls mouth shut. Hermione had refused to tell Madam Pomfrey how to correct the curse, which had infuriated Professor McGonagall. She had threatened Hermione with the loss of her status as a Prefect and detention until a counter curse was found. Harry replayed the incident in his mind.
“I don’t suppose it occurred to you that she can’t eat,” Professor McGonagall had stormed at Hermione. Hermione had simply changed the curse. The girl could now open her mouth to eat but couldn’t talk.
“Is that acceptable, Professor?” she had retorted. Fury had lined Professor McGonagall’s face.
“Fifty points and a week’s detention, now get out!” she had hissed at her. The professors never did figure out what to do for the girl, and it had been just that morning before Hermione relented and gave the girl her voice back.
“You can do that?” Ron asked his sister. Harry snapped out of his thoughts.
“Of course I can, it’s very easy,” Ginny replied flatly.
“Well don’t, we can’t afford another fifty points,” he told her. “Ouch, that hurt, Hermione.” She had kicked Ron under the table.
“Good,” she grumped back at him.
“I didn’t say I didn’t agree with what you did to that girl, Hermione, just that we can’t afford to lose anymore points,” he snapped hotly at her.
“Loyalty and friendship are more important than points and that silly house cup, Ronald.” Ron sighed.
“You’re right. Make sure it sticks if you do it, Ginny.” This seemed to dampen Hermione’s temper, as she remained quiet. Harry broke in, really just wanting things to calm down so he could think.
“It’s ok Ginny, really, we just talked. Mostly she wanted to know about Cedric. She never really heard what the truth was. In fact we’re friends again now,” he added. Ginny looked at him for a few moments.
“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know,” she replied lightly, and went back to the book she had been studying before Harry had sat down. The other three looked at each other.
“Remind me not to make her mad at me, will you?” Ron commented to the others.
“Yeah, me too,” Harry added.
“Honestly, you two need to read more,” Hermione quipped, rolling her eyes at them.
“Whatcha got there, Ron?” Harry asked, catching site of the book Ron had been writing in when he sat down.
“Nothing important,” Ron replied, shoving the book into his bag. Harry looked at him. Ron’s ears had turned red.
“Oh, that’s just his diary. He’s been writing in it since last Friday,” Hermione answered the question for him.
“What….how did you know? You haven’t looked at it have you?” Ron stammered, starting to panic.
“Of course not Ronald, you should trust me a little more than that.” Harry had tensed along with Ron. He had a pretty good idea of what Ron might put in there and didn’t want Hermione to read it either. Ron could very easily spill the secret for both of them.
“Then how do you know it is a diary?” Ron asked.
“Just a guess from the way you hide it whenever you write in it,” Hermione replied. Harry started to relax again. He believed Hermione when she said she hadn’t looked at it.
“Actually,” said Ginny without looking up from her book, “he was writing in it at the start of summer. But I haven’t seen it for a while till now.”
“Why you little…”
“Careful Ron,” Ginny interrupted, waving her wand at him, “you wouldn’t want to have green hair all year.” Harry and Hermione burst out laughing; she had baited him so easily.
“Fine….I hope you all are enjoying yourselves,” Ron said sulkily.
“Ron, I hope you have that thing protected,” Harry said. Ron smiled.
“Yeah, actually I had a little help with that. I don’t think too many people will be able to get through it.”
“Who helped you?”
“Professor Dumbledore,” Ron said smugly.
“Really?” Hermione’s interest level in the diary suddenly changed. Harry looked from Ron to her.
Uh-oh, he said to himself. Hermione had a gleam in her eye. The one she got after just solving a difficult puzzle or when she was thinking about one.
“May I see it, Ronald?” Ron looked at her, considering. “I promise I won’t read it, I just want to see if I can figure out what Professor Dumbledore did.”
“Actually, I came up with it myself. Dumbledore just set me on the path,” Ron said to her.
“May I?” Hermione persisted.
“Ron, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Harry interjected.
“I gave him my word, Harry. I should think after everything we have been through together that would mean something.” Harry could hear the hurt in her voice and felt his heart sink.
“I’m sorry, Hermione,” he said quietly. Hermione gave him a thin smile in return.
Trust her. Dumbledore’s voice rang in Ron’s head. Ron reached into his bag pulling out the diary. He slid it across the table towards Hermione.
“I’m going up to bed. I plan to be on the Quidditch team after tryouts tomorrow and want to make sure I’m on top of my game.” He then picked up the rest of his stuff and headed up the stairs to the room he shared with the other Gryffindor sixth years.
“Wait up, Ron,” Harry called after him. “I’m coming too.” Harry followed him out of the common room.
“They’re handling it remarkably well, don’t you think?” Ginny asked after they had left.
“What do you mean?” Hermione replied.
“You silly, they’re fighting over you, with out fighting each other. Actually, Harry is not so surprising. But with the way Ron handled you dating Viktor, I’m really quite proud of him.”
“Them, fighting over me, I have no idea what you are talking about, Ginny.” Hermione was truly surprised at what Ginny had said. Ginny was picking up her stuff now also.
“If you say so, Hermione,” she remarked, as she headed to the girl’s dorm rooms. Hermione shook her head and reached for the diary.
“Hermione,” Ginny called over her shoulder, “make sure you don’t read that, green hair would be the least of your problems.” Ginny disappeared around the corner.
Hermione sat at the table turning Ron’s diary over in her hands. Figuring out the secret to its protections didn’t seem quite as thrilling as it had a few minutes ago. First Harry, then Ginny had questioned her integrity. Harry had apologized and she believed that he truly was sorry, but Ginny?
Maybe she was just trying to protect Ron, the first voice said to her.
I would never do anything to intentional hurt Ron, Hermione snapped back.
You have before, the second voice said.
I went to the dance with Viktor because he asked me to and no one else had, and he was nice. Hermione was really angry now.
And you were hoping to make Ron jealous. Hermione wanted to argue but couldn’t.
Maybe Ginny was protecting us as much as Ron. Reading this without permission could cost us our friendship with all three of them, the first voice said.
I hadn’t thought of that, Hermione replied, feeling a little better. She opened the diary to see nothing but blank pages.
“What do you suppose he and Dumbledore did to this thing?” she quietly asked the voices.
I don’t know, but it’s going to be fun figuring it out, said the second voice excitedly.
Harry followed Ron into their dorm room.
“Ron, I need to talk to you.”
“She won’t read it, Harry. Even if she does, she won’t find out about you,” Ron replied quietly. Harry stopped.
“I know she won’t.”
“You really hurt her you know.”
“I said I was sorry and I meant it, Ron. Why did you need Dumbledore’s help to begin with, to keep Hermione out?” Ron looked down at the floor catching the implication in Harry’s question.
“Yeah, you’re right….So what did Cho want anyways?” he asked, changing the subject. Ron had secretly been hoping that Harry would come back to the dorm tonight and tell everyone that he and Cho were back together again. He had not thought it very likely.
“Not here, somewhere we won’t be bothered,” Harry replied.
“Well the common room is full, and it’s after hours, we’d have to sneak out, but we could go to the prefect’s bathroom,” Ron said.
“That should work, come on let’s go,” Harry answered grabbing his invisibility cloak.
A few minutes later, with people everywhere, Ron and Harry found themselves having trouble getting through the common room unnoticed under the invisibility cloak. Harry nudged Ron and pointed over to Hermione. She was waving her wand slowly back and forth over the diary.
“Bet you a galleon it takes her a week,” he whispered. Ron shook his head.
“Naw two days tops, says she figures out a way in.” Harry looked at Ron, surprise on his face
“I thought you said Dumbledore helped with it.”
“He did, it’s the same spell he used for his own diary. He thought it would take her an hour or two.”
“Bets off,” Harry said. Ron gave him a shove. The portrait door had opened, it took them ten minutes of carefully sneaking through the halls to get to the Prefects’ bathroom. Once inside, Ron locked the door, modifying the diary spell to work on it.
“That should keep people out,” he said to himself before heading for the pool.
“A couple of hours, it can’t be too complicated then,” Harry remarked.
“Well it’s not, the trick is that no one knows what it is. Look, I already showed you the Recognition charm right?” Harry nodded. Ron went on, “The diary only recognizes me too. It also only recognizes spells from my wand, which no one else can use. It’s not difficult but you have to realize how the magic that protects it works before you can break it.”
“Polyjuice potion?” Harry asked.
“It’s not a counter spell, even Dumbledore hasn’t figured that out yet, but that is one way you might trick it. I’m sure there are others. Dumbledore said he or Voldemort would recognize it right away, but that most people would work on it for years. I asked him to help me, and he taught me the best he had come up with in his life. I was feeling pretty good about it, thinking I might finally be able to use the diary to write out what I feel, cause Hermione would never see it.” Ron shook his head.
“Then he tells me. Hermione is not most people and would figure it out in an hour or two. That girl has been a pain from the first time I saw her,” he finished, smiling in exasperation at Harry. Harry had been filling the swimming pool sized tub while he listened to Ron’s explanation of the diary protections.
“She’s really that good?” Harry asked, shaking his head. “And I’m the one who has to defeat Voldemort” he mumbled.
They both sat there for a while soaking in the tub. Harry pulled himself over to the edge hanging onto the side with his chin and arms up on the ledge. Ron joined him.
“So what’s the big deal Harry, what did you want to talk about?” Harry took a deep breath and staring straight ahead proceeded to relate what had happened with Cho earlier that night. He told Ron about Cho asking about Cedric and how he died, and some other questions about the night at the Ministry. She had asked him if there was a chance that they could try to date again.
“I told her no, that there was someone else. She sat there a minute, and then she said, ‘It’s Hermione, isn’t it?’ Ron, I was too tired to deny it so I said yes,” Harry said with a sigh. Ron had also been staring at the wall while he listened to Harry, and after a minute he asked.
“So Cho knows you are in love with Hermione now?”
“Yeah she does….Ron, I knew I could trust you not to say anything. I made her promise to be quiet, but it could be around the school by tomorrow. Heck the whole of Ravenclaw could know by now. I can’t take the chance that she finds out from someone else. I have to tell her myself. I’ve figured out what I’m going to say, I’m going to tell her tonight. I won’t let her give me an answer till next Friday. So if you are going to try, you have until at least then.” Ron was quiet for a minute before he responded.
“Do you love her, Harry? This is not some crush?”
“No, Ron. It’s not a crush.” Ron was quiet again.
“You’re not mad, Ron?” Harry asked.
“No….scared, scared more than when I played chess first year, to get you to the stone. More scared than last year at the Ministry and more than during second year in Aragog’s lair. Harry she scares me as much as when Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets.”
“I know Ron; I’ve had my heart ripped out before. I don’t want it to happen again.”
“And if she picks me?” Ron asked.
“Then you’re still my brother and my best friend,” Harry answered, pausing before adding, “but I might have Ginny turn your hair green.”
Ron jumped him dunking Harry into the pool, and dragging him under the cold water spout. Harry fought back; getting hold of his wand he created a whirlpool around Ron that spun him in circles so fast it spit him onto the deck of the pool. Ron grabbed his own wand pointing it at Harry.
“Wands are cheating. On the deck with it or you’ll be swimming in a pool of troll boggies.” Harry tossed his wand on the deck. Ron dropped his and jumped back into the pool. They continued to horse around in the pool until both were too tired to fight anymore.
“Come on Harry, it’s late, and you’re going to have to sneak into the girls dorm if Hermione has gone to bed already.”
Harry and Ron snuck back to the Gryffindor Dorms to find the common area empty.
“Suppose she when to bed or snuck out?” Harry asked.
“Don’t know, check the Marauder’s Map,” Ron replied. They went up to the dormitory and Ron watched as Harry rummaged around in his trunk, pulling out the package he had bought with help from Ginny. He checked the map and could see Hermione in her dorm room.
“Harry,” Ron called, as he headed for the door, “you’ll understand if I don’t wish you good luck.” Harry looked down at the floor, and then back up to Ron.
“See you in the morning, Ron,” he said before he left.
Harry made his way to the foot of the steps to the girls’ dorm. How to get up there was the question. If he climbed the stairs he would set off the alarms. Harry was stumped.
Hedwig! he thought, and he headed for the portrait hole again.
Tick, Tick, Tick. Hermione rolled over at the noise. Tick, Tick, Tick.
What, she thought sitting up, is that? Tick, Tick, Tick. Hermione looked over to the window, Hedwig was sitting on the sill pecking at the glass. She walked over to let her in.
“Hedwig, what are you doing here?”
“What’s the matter Hermione?” asked Lavender.
“Nothing, it’s just Hedwig, go back to sleep.” Hedwig nipped at her ear and held her leg out. Hermione took the note and Hedwig flew out the window.
“What in the world?” she asked herself.
Hermione:
I need to talk to you; can you please come to the common room?
Harry.
P.S. Dress warm.
“What could he want? It’s almost midnight,” she asked herself.
Only one way to find out, the voices popped up.
Harry stumbled back into the Dormitory, pulled a chair over to the stairs so he could see her coming and sat down to wait. It didn’t take long and he was glad to see she had dressed like he told her.
“Harry? What’s going on, did something happen?” Hermione asked, alarmed at being pulled out of bed.
“It’s nothing bad, come with me,” Harry said leading her to the portrait hole. Using the Marauder’s Map and the invisibility cloak he led her out of the school and down to the Quidditch field.
“Up here,” he said, taking her to the stairway to the top box as he pulled the cloak off of them.
“Harry, what’s going on?”
“Up,” he said pointing up the stairs. Hermione shook her head and started climbing. A minute later they stood in the box leaning on the rail looking out over the field. Through the darkness Harry could just make out the giant goals at each end.
“Harry what are we doing here?” Hermione asked him softly.
“I love it out here on the field,” Harry said, “It has always been my favorite spot. No homework, no Snape, no Voldemort, just me and the snitch and can I catch it. And if I don’t, the world doesn’t end….I love it out here,” he said again after a short pause. Hermione watched him curiously while he talked, when he finished he turned to her and took a deep breath.
“Hermione, I promised myself that I wouldn’t and I’ve tried desperately to stop it, but I can’t anymore. I failed to keep that promise and because of that I made another one. One I could keep, one that I will keep.”
“Harry, what are you talking about?” Hermione was very confused. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Whatever you do, don’t answer me tonight, Hermione. But I love you.” Harry saw her eyes open wide. Hermione felt her heart ballooning inside her chest.
He didn’t just say that, she thought to herself. No, I just didn’t hear him correctly.
Well I know I did, the first voice said in elation. She looked up at him, into those green eyes.
“What did you say?” she whispered.
“Hermione, I am in love with you,” he replied calmly.
That settles it, the second voice remarked to her. Hermione opened her mouth to reply.
“I….” Harry put his hand over her mouth.
“You can’t answer,” he said. “That’s the second promise I made, at least not yet.”
Hermione tried again.
“No. Hermione, I failed once tonight. I won’t again.”
Why is he doing this to us? both voices cried together.
“I love you, Hermione. But you can’t answer me tonight.”
I don’t care about his silly promise, Hermione thought. She tried again.
“Harry….”
“No. If you answer tonight you might cost me more than I can stand to lose.” Hermione stopped; she could see how tense he was. Harry had lost more than anyone she had ever known; his parents gone, murdered trying to protect him, his godfather gone, because Harry had made a terrible mistake.
I won’t take the chance of hurting him like that, the second voice said to her. She nodded her head, and saw him relax.
“When?” she asked softly.
“You’ll know. Trust me, it won’t be long.” Hermione nodded at him.
“So,” she said looking around, “what now?” Harry sank to the floor, leaning back against the wall, he looked up at her.
“Just sit with me for a while, let me pretend you said yes.” Hermione sat next to him with his arm wrapped around her, her head leaning on his shoulder. She could feel him breathing and his heart beating in his chest. His fingers were running through her hair, and the feeling in her own heart was different than anything she had ever known.
Well, we certainly chose well telling Viktor no, the voices remarked. Hermione smiled. She didn’t remember falling asleep next to him.
Harry sat with his eyes closed, though he wasn’t sleeping. Tryouts tomorrow were going to be difficult but he didn’t care. Sleeping now, with her next to him was not possible. Harry felt sure she would choose Ron, but for tonight she was his, and he wasn’t going to waste a second of it sleeping. He didn’t notice a lone figure shift in the shadows of the box, silently watching over the two of them, magically heating the area so they wouldn’t be cold.
Harry could tell the sun was coming up even with his eyes closed.
Not yet, please not yet. Don’t let it be morning, he silently pleaded. It continued to get brighter, and when the first rays of sunlight hit his face he opened his eyes. He jumped slightly, there was someone sitting on the bench at the other end of the box. Harry’s hand moved to his wand, the figure turned and he recognized it.
“Dobby, what are you doing here?” Harry asked in a loud whisper. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest from the rush of adrenaline. Hermione was beginning to stir.
“Dobby is making sure Harry Potter and Miss is safe sir, Dobby is keeping you warm in the night. Dobby is doing what he is paid to do sir,” the elf said as quietly as his squeaky voice would allow. Harry smiled.
“Thank you Dobby, I think we will be ok now, why don’t you go home.” Dobby bowed to Harry, and raised his hand to snap his fingers.
“Not here Dobby, don’t wake her.” Dobby bowed again and ran off down the steps.
Hermione stirred again waking up, she blinked her eyes in the bright light of the morning. Looking around she sat up straight, what had happened last night flooded back into her brain.
“We fell asleep,” she gasped, horrified.
“Actually you fell asleep, I was up all night.”
“Harry, you have tryouts today, you’re going to fly into a tree or something,” she said frantically.
“I think I’m a little better than that. In fact, I think everyone here is going to see me flying like they never have before,” Harry replied. Hermione smiled at him.
“Well come on, you better at least get something to eat.” Hermione led the way back down the stairs, and stopped at the base of the tower before going out into the open. She turned to face Harry. Harry stiffened.
“Hermione you….” She placed her finger on his lips.
“Shhh, not an answer,” she said with a smile. Placing her hand on the side of his face she moved close to him. Standing on her toes, her lips pressed to his giving him a soft lingering kiss.
“Thank you for loving me, Harry,” she said and turned into the field heading to the school. Harry was rooted to the floor, she may as well have petrified him, for as well as his legs would work.
“Come on!” she yelled over her shoulder breaking into a run. “I’ll race you.” Harry bolted out after her, finally catching up at the front doors. It was still too early for breakfast so they headed up to the dormitory. When they entered the common room, Hermione turned to him.
“So, I’m supposed to behave like last night never happened?” she asked quietly.
“For now, yes,” Harry answered. Hermione took a deep breath.
“I need to clean up before breakfast,” she said. “See you guys down there?” Harry reached into his pocket and handed her the box with the necklace that Ginny had helped him purchase. She reached to take it from him, a quizzical look on her face.
“You’ll know, when the time is right. I’ll see you at breakfast, Hermione.” Harry turned and headed up the stairs to his dorm.