Year 6, Chapter 6, Betrayal and Heartbreak

Hermione looked up as she flipped through some pages in the journal, stopping when she got to a page that was somewhat wrinkled, as though it had gotten wet and dried again. The first half of the page was crossed out and the writing started over with a new heading at that point.

“Nothing much happened for the rest of the term,” she explained to her daughter. “Now, this next part is pretty intense, and contains some, um, adult discussion, but I think you’re old enough to hear it.”

Rose rolled her eyes and gave her mum the sort of all-knowing, long-suffering, woman-of-the-world look that only a preteen girl can give, and replied. “Yes, mother.”

-oooOOOooo-

From the Journal of Hermione Granger – December 21

Oh God, I never thought anything could hurt so much! Even though it’s settled now and I’m over it, I can still feel how painful it was when I think back on it. But I should start from the beginning.

Almost as soon as Harry entered Slughorn’s party he found himself wishing it were over and he could leave. Cho, on the other hand, was thrilled to be there so he resolved to stick it out for her sake. She kept close to him with a hand lightly holding his arm, not enough to make him uncomfortable or to suggest any inappropriate level of intimacy, but enough to let every female present know that she was there with him.

Slughorn insisted on showing him off, introducing him to a bewildering array of evidently famous personalities in the wizarding world, but none of whom Harry recognized. Except, of course, for Gwenogg Jones, the captain of the Holyhead Harpies. He did spend some time talking to her, much to Cho’s delight, as Gwenogg was a role model for nearly every female quidditch player, and she was no exception. When the famous beater pointed out some mistletoe overhead, Harry sighed and gave Cho a friendly peck on the cheek, to which she smiled appreciatively.

When he had finally had enough of all the celebrity posturing, Harry looked for Susan and Neville to let them know he was leaving. But when he spotted them under some mistletoe, and saw that they were taking full advantage of it, he turned away with a grin on his face and resolved to leave them to their own devices. Although she would have liked to stay longer, Cho did not protest as Harry guided her to the door.

Once outside in the corridor, Cho was about to say something when they heard a familiar pair of voices coming from an isolated side passageway. With Cho following closely behind, Harry crept down the passageway until he identified the location of the conversants in a darkened classroom. He shared a look with his Ravenclaw friend as they strained to listen to the student and professor both despised, as well as suspected of being up to some nefarious scheme.

Repeatedly, the Head of Slytherin house demanded that Draco Malfoy inform him of what he was planning, and each time the demand was refused. Malfoy alternated between denying that he was doing anything, and insisting that his plan was none of Snape’s business. Finally he declared that the mission was given to him alone, and whatever vow Snape had taken to assist him was unnecessary and unwanted.

When it appeared that the argument was winding down, Harry nudged Cho and the two of them stole back down the passageway and out into the main corridor in silence. At first Harry was too deep in thought to pay attention to where they were headed, but at length he realized that they were not going in the direction of RavenclawTower.

“Cho …?” Harry began, but the dark haired girl was ready with an explanation as soon as he noticed.

“Harry, can I talk to you for a bit before we call it a night?” she asked. “I have something I want to tell you.”

“Er … OK, I guess,” he replied. His mind was still pondering the conversation they had overheard, or he might have been somewhat suspicious, especially when she led him to the seventh floor by the painting of Barnabus the Barmy. Or possibly not, since for all his life-threatening experiences he was still basically a clueless sixteen year old boy when it came to girls.

It took no time at all for Cho to glide past the entrance three times to summon the Room of Requirement, and she immediately took Harry’s hand and pulled him inside. The room she had summoned was a comfortable sitting room, ideal for a private conversation, and not at all like the ‘make-out’ room Hermione had created the year before.

“Harry, I want to thank you for letting me back in to your circle of friends this year,” she began in a soft voice.

“Oh, well, I appreciate all the help you’ve given me as well, in addition to your support,” he responded somewhat nervously, only now realizing just how alone the two of them were.

“I want to do something for you to show my appreciation,” she continued as she turned her back to him briefly.

“No, that’s not necessary …” he began before his voice died in his throat. Somehow Cho had slipped off her robes and they pooled on the floor around her feet as she turned back around and stepped forward. She was now clad only in a black lacy bra and matching knickers.

“I like you, Harry,” she continued in that soft voice. “I like you a lot.”

“Cho, no, you … you shouldn’t … I …” Harry tried to avoid looking at her slender, yet shapely figure. He fought to replace the sight before him in his mind with an image of Hermione walking toward him in her tiny string bikini. But Hermione wasn’t here, and Cho was.

Then Cho made the bra and knickers disappear. Fighting to keep his breathing steady, Harry could find no counter image of Hermione this time. And Cho distracted him by continuing to explain what she was doing, although Harry only half heard her. No, he shouldn’t be looking at her like this. He shouldn’t be letting her do this. He was with Hermione.

But Hermione wasn’t here. And Cho was.

His back hit the wall of the room and he was startled, not having realized that he had been backing up. Now the view of Cho’s lovely nude form disappeared as she moved closer to him, and only her pretty face with its look of blatant invitation was visible. Before he could protest again she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her naked body against him.

Hermione wasn’t here. Cho was.

 

Some time later back in GryffindorTower, a messy black-haired figure sat before the dying fire of the common room, his head buried in his hands in despair. What had he done? How was he going to tell Hermione? Beside him her latest letter, delivered just that afternoon, taunted him, accused him, rebuked him. She was so excited about coming home for the holiday and was so anxious to see him. The last line was clearly visible.

I’ve missed you so much! I can’t wait to be with you again!

-ooo-

The reunion of the two long separated lovers was as painful as Harry had feared it would be.

“Harry, how could you!” Tears flooded Hermione’s eyes as she backed away in horror.

“Hermione, I …” Harry moved forward, reaching out in a pleading gesture.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed, and flung herself onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

“Hermione, please …”

“Go Away!”

-ooo-

Emma Granger was shocked to find Harry alone in her living room, weeping inconsolably, curled up in a ball on her sofa.

“Harry? What’s wrong? Where’s Hermione?”

“She’s in her room,” came the reply in a completely dead, defeated tone. “She doesn’t want to see me.”

“What?! That’s not possible! She’s been looking forward to …”

Harry’s miserable voice cut her off. “I cheated on her.”

Stunned, Emma tried to gather her thoughts as she processed the situation. Whatever he had done in Hermione’s absence, the despondent youth before her clearly regretted it. If the two of them couldn’t settle this problem, the Granger family was in for a dismal holiday.

“I think I’d better leave,” Harry offered. “I’ll get in touch with the Weasleys. I’m sure they …”

“No, don’t move!” Emma insisted. If he left, Hermione would be impossible to live with. She was not about to let that happen if there were any way at all to salvage this state of affairs. “Stay right here while I go talk to Hermione.”

-ooo-

It took a while, some shouting through a locked door, a threat or two, and a large amount of patience, but Emma eventually got the two of them sitting in the same room, although not on the same sofa. She began the negotiation by addressing Harry.

“Do you still love her?”

“More than anything,” he declared fervently. From where she was curled up on the sofa, facing away from him, Hermione let out a small sniff.

“Do you still love him?” Hermione made no immediate response, but she could not stop herself from nodding forlornly, still unwilling to raise her eyes to his.

“Do you want to try to get past this and still make it work?” Harry straightened up immediately and nodded, but Hermione shrugged her shoulders miserably, which caused Harry to slump back down in his chair.

“OK,” Emma went on briskly. “Now, before we start, Harry, are there going to be any other, uh, consequences?” Harry gave her a blank look. “What I’m trying to ask is if you took precautions,” she clarified delicately.

Harry frowned in confusion; then when he realized what she was asking he turned pale. “Oh no!” he gasped. “It was nothing like … I mean … we didn’t … I didn’t … oh my God, Hermione you don’t think … Mrs. Granger, I …” Emma raised her hand to stop his incoherent rant.

“Harry, perhaps you should tell us exactly what happened,” she suggested, now puzzled at what precisely he was guilty of. Hermione winced and turned her head away in anguish, not wanting to hear it.

“Um, she took off her clothes and then she kissed me,” Harry replied in a small voice, his hands twisting anxiously in his lap.

“What else?” Emma prompted.

“Well, I didn’t stop her,” he added.

“Yes, yes, and then?” Emma began to think that this would be amusing if it weren’t so painful for her daughter.

“I pushed her away and ran,” Harry explained.

“What?”

“I ran out of the room and back to the dorm.”

Emma shot a sharp look at her daughter, whose head had snapped back to stare at Harry with her eyes wide. “And nothing else happened?” she persisted. “You didn’t …”

“Didn’t what? No! I’d never do something like that!” Harry protested.

“Well, what exactly did you mean by saying you cheated on Hermione?” Emma demanded in exasperation.

“Like I said, Cho kissed me and I let her.” Harry’s voice still had a miserable quality to it. As far as he was concerned, he had betrayed her trust and he deserved whatever painful consequences came his way. He only wished he could take Hermione’s pain on himself as well.

Emma shook her head. Of course. This sounded more like the young man she’d thought she knew. This was going to turn out all right after all, and it would become a valuable, albeit painful, learning experience for the young couple.

“I think you two need to talk,” she announced. “And Hermione dear, you have occasionally had a bad habit of jumping to conclusions before you have all the information you need. Maybe this will show you that you still need to work on that.” She got up and left the room, still shaking her head.

“Hermione?” Harry asked in a plaintive tone. Hermione finally met Harry’s eyes, her own eyes still glistening and her face streaked from the many tears she had shed. “Hermione, I’m so sorry. Can you possibly forgive me?”

“Yes.” Hermione wiped her face with the back of her hand as she nodded. “On one condition.”

“Anything,” Harry agreed eagerly, getting up from his chair and kneeling in front of her. He took her hand in his and squeezed it, hopeful for the first time.

“That you kiss me, and make it better than the one you had with Cho.” She dropped her head uncertainly, but a small tentative smile had crept onto her face.

“Hermione, every kiss I’ve ever had with you has been better than the one I got from Cho,” Harry protested, as though perplexed that she could ever think otherwise.

“Oh Harry!”

-ooo-

Some time later Dan Granger made his way into the kitchen in shock and agitation.

“Emma, did you know that Harry and Hermione were making out on the living room sofa?” he inquired somewhat testily.

“Yes,” she replied calmly as she picked up a spoon and stirred some vegetables.

This was clearly not the answer he had expected. “And you’re letting them?”

“I thought it would be better having them do it in the living room than in her bedroom.” Now she opened the oven door and checked on the roast.

“What?”

Emma quickly explained the situation to her husband, whose jaw dropped as she got to the unexpected conclusion.

“So, you’re saying that he had a naked girl kissing him and he just pushed her away and ran?” he asked in disbelief.

“That’s pretty much it, yes.” Emma smiled to herself as she reflected on the character of her potential son-in-law.

“Wow.” Dan paused to consider for a moment. “Was she good looking?”

Emma scowled, but Dan missed it. Leave it to a man to come up with that explanation. “Very. She’s the girl Hermione said was after him all last year,” she informed him, shooting down that argument.

Dan just shook his head in amazement, now feeling much better about trusting his daughter’s heart to this messy haired boy.

“Why are you so surprised?” Emma asked with a mock glare. “You’d do the same thing, wouldn’t you?”

Dan suddenly caught on, and tried to figure out how he had managed to get into trouble from this conversation. “Uh, yes, sure … of course I would.”

“That’s what I thought,” his wife responded in the tone that wives use when they have just scored another minor victory in the battle between the sexes. “Now set the table while I go call the kids for dinner.”

“Yes dear,” Dan replied with the universal husband admission of surrender.

I just couldn’t let go of Harry after that. My greatest fear – that I had lost him – seemed to have been realized, but then I was given a reprieve. It was almost like a stay of execution. I climbed onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as tightly as I could, alternately kissing him and crying. I never want to have to go through that feeling again. Yes, I understand that with the prophecy I might be faced with losing him again, but I don’t want to think about that right now.

Of course, Harry couldn’t stop apologizing and this time I let him get it out of his system. Now that I’ve calmed down I really don’t blame him too much. Sure, he could have been more aware of what was happening and stopped it sooner, but the important thing is that he resisted when he did. How many other boys do I know who would turn down a naked girl as beautiful as Cho Chang? And after he settled down I explained that I had let my insecurities get the best of me and overreacted by jumping to the wrong conclusion without waiting to hear him out. Hopefully we both can learn from this.

It eventually came out that there were some other extenuating circumstances, and that led to a bit of discomfort for me.

Dinner that evening turned out to be far more pleasant than it had looked to be just a few hours earlier. Harry and Hermione couldn’t keep their eyes off each other, although they managed to participate to some extent in the conversation. It also just so happened that his left hand and her right hand seldom made an appearance during the entire meal. Finally Dan decided that it was time to shake things up just a bit to keep them from being too wrapped up in each other.

“So Harry,” he began in a friendly tone, “while I’m happy things turned out the way they did, I’m just a little bit curious about what that Chinese girl said to you that got you so confused.” He managed to avoid the glare that Hermione sent his way, which had been known to make certain Gryffindor males quake in their boots, as well as a similar one from his wife.

“Well,” Harry began, turning red at the prospect of another embarrassing revelation. “She started explaining about her NEWT Runes class.” Out of the corner of her eye Emma noticed Hermione suddenly stiffen and decided this line of inquiry was worth pursuing after all. “She claimed that next term they are going to study some nude rituals and she needed my help getting used to being naked in front of boys. Then she said that besides that, she wanted the first guy to see her naked to be someone she cared for. Then she started on how much she liked me and, well, you know the rest.” By the time he had finished this explanation he was so red that Dan and Emma thought they could feel the heat coming off his face.

Before Dan could ask a follow-up question Emma broke in. “Hermione, isn’t that a course you’re taking?”

Hermione fidgeted a bit, then made a scoffing noise. “Oh honestly, that’s one of those myths that get circulated around the school. All the upper class girls tease the younger ones about it when they first start taking Runes in third year. You should have seen the way Angelina and Alicia got Ginny going when they were sixth years and she was a third year. I wasn’t fooled a bit though, when they tried it on me my third year. I’d read the course syllabi for all of the years, of course, and knew there was nothing of the sort. Really, Hogwarts is far too conservative for something like that.”

While her daughter’s explanation sounded reassuring to Emma, something in her body language said otherwise. “I see,” she replied. “But the school you’re going to now is quite a bit more liberal, didn’t you say?”

“Well … it is, but …” Hermione hedged. Now Dan began frowning at his daughter, and Harry sent a questioning look her way. “OK, it’s optional,” she blurted out. “It’s covered at the end of seventh year.”

“And what are you going to do about this option?” Emma pressed on.

“I … I suppose …” Hermione was clearly torn between the desire to learn everything there was to know about a subject and the propriety of the situation. “But it might be something that would be important to know!” she protested.

“Hermione, don’t you think this is something you should discuss with us before you make the decision – or with Harry?” Emma demanded. Dan was nodding his head firmly in agreement until his wife mentioned Harry, when he was suddenly caught up short. For his part Harry continued to give Hermione the questioning look that was making her feel more guilty by the second.

“I was,” she protested. “I was planning to talk to Harry about it during this break in fact.” Her eyes now locked with his, pleading for him to believe her. In response he gave her a little smile, and squeezed her hand where he was still holding it under the table to let her know he did.

After that I said I thought there might be a possibility of doing it in same sex groups, so there would be only girls present. Mum allowed that she thought that was a reasonable compromise. Dad still wasn’t sure. Then Harry joked that a class like that sounded like the perfect opportunity for a guy with an invisibility cloak and that really broke up the tension. I gave his hand an extra strong squeeze for that. Dad immediately wanted to know about invisibility cloaks, and Harry promised to demonstrate his after dinner.

So, Harry has wowed my parents with the cloak and now we’re relaxing on the sofa near the fire. Harry has had his arm around me all evening and I’m trying to hold him to myself as tightly as possible without giving Dad a fit. What an exhausting day! I’m pretty calmed down now but I’m still shaking a bit inside. It feels so good being in his arms again. I wish I never had to let go.

-0x0x0-

From the Journal of Hermione Granger – December 22

We fell asleep on the sofa last night. Eventually Harry carried me up to my bedroom and put me to bed. I woke up enough to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a goodnight kiss. When he finally left my room I felt so cold and empty. I wish there were a way for him to sleep with me. I mean sleep – just holding each other. There will be plenty of time for more than that eventually. Perhaps next year when I’ve graduated and have my own place in Hogsmeade. Or maybe I can get a job at Hogwarts as someone’s assistant. I could work in the Infirmary learning healing from Madame Pomfrey, or in the library with Madame Pince.

But enough dreaming about the future for now. This morning at breakfast we talked about what we wanted to do this week. I announced that I’m going to cook dinner a few times and show off my newly acquired culinary skills. Harry and I are going to show each other the new spells we’ve learned and he’s going to show me that Potions book. And of course there’s Christmas shopping. And plenty of time for affection.

I have him here for a whole week and I want to make the most of it. We’re lucky we even have this much time together. Mrs. Weasley expected him to go to the Burrow for the holiday, as did Dumbledore, but Harry insisted that he was going to visit me. Eventually I think Dumbledore realized that he’d have to stun Harry and keep him tied up at Hogwarts for the entire break to stop him from coming to see me.

So, as far as anyone else knows Harry is at the Burrow. He used his invisibility cloak to get away, with Remus and Tonks escorting him. Fleur offered to as well, but they said they’d take care of it. I’m not certain what they’re doing now, but I think they’re taking turns keeping an eye on our house. Since I’m not even at Hogwarts this year no one’s really paying attention to me now, so it’s relatively safe as long as no one knows he’s here.

“I just don’t know, Harry,” Hermione said with apprehension. “Something about this book just seems off to me. I agree that it doesn’t seem to be cursed or enchanted or anything.” She had just spent ten minutes running every detection and revealing charm she knew on the infamous Potions manual.

“Really, Hermione, most of it is just alternative directions for making potions,” Harry insisted. “It’s like that sauce you’re making for the Boeuf Bourguignon. You found three different versions of it in your cookbooks. Not to mention how many different varieties of Chocolate Mousse there are.”

“Yes, and you decided that we needed to try every one of them before the holiday is over,” she teased. “But I’m not sure it’s the same with magical potions. I think they’re pretty standardized. Some of these potions haven’t changed for hundreds of years.”

“And you think that’s a good thing?” Harry challenged. “How many advances in muggle medicine have there been in that time? Look at these alternate instructions for Polyjuice. It says to steep the boomslang skin with the powdered bicorn horn while the lacewing wings are stewing, stirring twice a day, then add them together. It cuts the time to prepare it in half!”

“But if it works so well why wouldn’t this be the standard procedure now?” Hermione protested. “This book is ancient – it’s been nearly twenty years since Slughorn last taught at Hogwarts.”

“I think whoever this Half Blood Prince character is he must have wanted to keep his discoveries to himself,” Harry reasoned.

“It could be a her ,” Hermione added.

“It could be,” Harry agreed. “Slughorn says my mum was a genius at potions. But I can’t see her, or any other witch for that matter, calling herself a prince.” Hermione gave a noncommittal shrug, which Harry knew from experience was her admission that she had run out of arguments.

“But, potions aren’t the only thing in here,” he continued. “And here’s where you might have a point. There are also spells in here I’ve never heard of before. Take this one for example.” He turned to a new page and Hermione leaned closer to look at the small writing.

Levicorpus (nvbl)

“What’s it do?” she asked. “And does nvbl mean nonverbal?” Harry just grinned at her and pointed his wand and gave an upward flick, concentrating on the incantation in his mind. Before she knew it Hermione was dangling upside down in the air.

“Harry!” she screamed. “Put me down!” Harry moved toward her and cast the counter-jinx ( Liberacorpus ! ) and caught her in his arms as she dropped.

Hermione straightened out her jumper, which had ridden up to expose some bare skin at her waist, and then hit him on the arm in indignation when he couldn’t stop chuckling. “That’s not funny Potter!” she insisted, although she couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face at his amusement.

“Yeah, it would have been a lot more entertaining if you had been wearing a skirt,” he suggested with a cheeky grin. Hermione huffed at this and folded her arms across her chest, then got a sly look on her face.

“So, you think this is a way you’re going to get to see those French knickers I got for my birthday, I suppose?” Now the tables were turned and Harry was flustered, and Hermione laughed and gave him a hug. “We’ll just have to see about that, but only if you behave yourself,” she whispered in his ear.

It took some time and a few more whispered endearments, as well as several kisses, before they got back to the subject of the Potions book and its spells.

I complimented him on learning a nonverbal spell, and he said it was much easier than doing a regular spell nonverbally. I picked it up fairly quickly too, and he let me practice it on him a few times. Then he showed me a few more of the ones in the book. I had to admit that most of them were fairly innocuous, more useful for pranks than anything else. One that did have some promise was Muffliato, which creates some background noise around you so that it’s more difficult for people nearby to overhear your conversation. As long as it isn’t overused, so that others get suspicious every time they hear the background buzz, it could be useful for short periods.

Then he returned to the Levicorpus spell and asked me if I remembered where we’d seen that spell used before. I thought of the Quidditch World Cup, where the Death Eaters had used it on the muggle family. He had forgotten that, but reminded me that his father had used it on Snape in the pensieve memory he’d seen last year. He confessed that at first it made him wonder if the Half Blood Prince was his dad. But James Potter was a pureblood, not a halfblood, and it was his mum who was the potions prodigy, not his dad, so he quickly discarded that thought. But the point is, the spell wasn’t just used by this Half Blood Prince person, but was more widespread. Then he told me he had asked Remus about it, and he’d recalled that it was a popular pranking spell when he was a student. Apparently these things come and go like fads.

Later we talked about what Malfoy and Snape were up to.

“Harry?” The two of them were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on Hermione’s creation for that evening’s dinner, and she looked up at him with a frown on her face.

“Hmm?” he responded absently. The fragrance of the wine flavored beef dish was driving him crazy, and Hermione had already smacked his hand twice for attempting to sneak a taste.

“What do you think’s going on with Malfoy?”

“I think what I overheard the other day pretty much confirms that he’s working on some project, and I still think it’s for Voldemort. He specifically said to Snape that the job was given to him alone, and he didn’t need Snape’s help. He’s using Crabbe and Goyle, and some other Slytherins too. That must have been what he was lining up already on the Hogwarts Express. It’s apparently taking up a lot of his time because he gave up his prefect position and quidditch, and Snape was complaining that his grades are slipping too.”

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. “It must be quite a long-term project, though,” she mused. “You said he told Snape it was taking longer than he thought it would?” Harry nodded. “What I’m uncertain about is whether Snape is offering to help him to find out what he’s doing in order to assist him or thwart him,” she wondered.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“Well, he could be trying to keep tabs on him for Dumbledore,” Hermione explained. “And that vow he mentioned – that complicates things as well. I wish we knew exactly what the wording of the vow was, and who he made it to.”

“I sure wish we knew for sure whose side Snape’s really on,” Harry complained.

“Me too,” Hermione agreed. “For that matter I wish I could figure out what Dumbledore’s up to. I just don’t understand what he’s trying to accomplish with your lessons. Do you get the impression that he’s stalling you? I mean, honestly, only meeting two times all term?”

“Definitely,” Harry grumbled. “I feel like I’m still being kept in the dark. Almost like I’m being set up for something. It’s like last year all over again, only now it’s Dumbledore stringing me along instead of Voldemort.”

“Harry, that’s a pretty serious charge!” Hermione exclaimed. “Do you really think so?”

Harry shrugged. “Sometimes. I mean, first he tells me that I’ve got to defeat him, but I’ve no clue how I’m supposed to do it, and he hasn’t said a thing about the prophecy since that night. Is there some big secret weakness that we’re going to uncover by studying his life? If so, why can’t he just tell me what it is so I can spend the time training on how to use it against him?”

Hermione moved up behind Harry, who had started pacing back and forth in the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll figure something out, Harry. I promise you.”

 

Two days later Harry found Hermione sitting in the living room curled up in a chair with the Potions book open on her lap, and a very concerned look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve just finished going through this book,” she answered, “and there’s a spell in here that really worries me.” She gestured to the page and he leaned forward to peer at the writing in the margin.

Sectumsempra
For Enemies

“What do you suppose it does?” Harry asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know, it sounds familiar though,” Hermione answered, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she had read about this curse before.

“Should we try it out?” he wondered.

“It sounds dangerous,” she pointed out. “If it’s to be used on an enemy, it must be intended to be harmful.”

“Why don’t we go out back and try it on that snowman we built yesterday?” he suggested.

They were shocked at the deep incision that tore a good size chunk off the snowman, even more so when the spell proved difficult to reverse. Then they both realized where they’d heard of the curse before – it had been the one that a Death Eater had used on Ron in the Department of Mysteries the previous year. It was obviously a dark spell.

“And Snape knew how to counter it, remember?” Harry recalled.

“Well, it stands to reason he would know it, he was a Death Eater after all,” Hermione contended. “So it seems that this Potions book might have once belonged to a Death Eater. “I suppose there must be half blood Death Eaters – they’re probably not all purebloods.”

“Riddle was a half blood,” Harry reminded her. The two of them gasped in unison and their eyes bulged out as they turned to look at each other. Could it be possible?

“Slughorn did teach at Hogwarts while Riddle was a student,” Hermione informed him. “I checked in my copy of Hogwarts, a History . This Potions book has been around that long, but it isn’t the book that Snape would have assigned.” To Harry’s questioning look she shrugged and admitted with a small smile, “I looked ahead at the end of last year. Slughorn probably switched to it because it was the one he taught from.”

“He must have taught here for a long time if he taught Tom Riddle, since he was still here when my mum and dad were students,” Harry pointed out. “There are a lot of possible Death Eaters it could have been in that time period, so we can’t necessarily assume it was Riddle. And he hated the fact that his father was a muggle so I can’t see him bragging about being a half blood.”

“I think you’re right,” Hermione conceded. “It would be just too much of a coincidence that a book that Slughorn picked up randomly and gave you just happened to belong to your sworn enemy.” She turned to face him again, her worry evident in her eyes. “Harry, I don’t think you should use this book any more.”

“But don’t you think it might be good to learn any spells we might be facing?” Harry countered. “I promise not to use any of them without carefully checking them out first.” Hermione reluctantly accepted that suggestion and Harry put his arm around her as the two of them headed back into the house.

-0x0x0-

From the Journal of Hermione Granger – December 28

I can’t believe this week went by so quickly. Despite the rocky beginning, this was just what we needed. Harry and I reconnected and that closeness we used to have picked right up where it left off. It’s good to know that our love for each other could withstand the separation, as well as survive a crisis. I learned to trust Harry more, and we both learned not to let the other push us away. When we have problems we can work them out.

We’ve spent the last several days sharing spells. Harry told me about the success the DA’s been having with nonverbal spells. The idea to focus on your best spell worked. Each member now has at least one spell they can cast silently, although not all can do it at full strength. Harry’s ‘signature’ spell is Expelliarmus. He can cast it silently at full power. He thinks that will be an advantage since with his invisibility cloak he is likely to be in a position to catch an opponent by surprise. Most of the others are focusing on Protego or Stupefy. Next term he’s going to start on combat situations and the use of spell combinations that Tonks worked on with him last summer.

I taught him some of the new spells I’ve learned at Beauxbatons – Confringo, Deprimo, and Expulso. All of them are blasting hexes of one sort or another, and it’s good to vary them in combat so that your opponent doesn’t know what to expect. If you use Stupefy or Incarcerous all the time they’re easier to block. And if Reducto is the only blasting hex in your arsenal, it can easily be countered.

I got up the nerve to ask him if Cho would be welcome back in the DA. His first inclination was to say no, but the more we thought about it the less cut and dried it seemed. She didn’t do anything wrong in an illegal sense; she just tried to move in on another girl’s boyfriend. Pretty much the same thing she was doing last year, only much sneakier this time. We didn’t kick her out for it last year. Harry’s going to get the opinions of the other leaders of the group like Ron, Susan, and Neville, who can be more objective. This will probably end their study sessions together though.

We talked about the nude rituals in Runes, and I admitted that I didn’t think I’d be able to bring myself to be nude in front of other guys even if I wasn’t going out with him. And since we were together, I wouldn’t even consider it unless he was in the class too. I told him I wasn’t even sure I could do it in an all-girl class, but if the option were available I’d try. He said he was OK with that, and told me to tell him when it was scheduled and he’d see if he could visit with his invisibility cloak. I smacked him on the arm and we both laughed.

Along those lines, tonight will be our last night together for a long time and I have some plans to make it a very memorable one. I’m really nervous about it though. I just have to gather up my Gryffindor courage and go for it.

-oooOOOooo-

Rose looked up at her mother as she began to close the notebook, a faraway smile on her face. “Wait, what happened next?” she demanded. She reached in and pushed the journal back open to the page they had been on, but there was nothing more written. And the next entry was on an unrelated topic.

“That’s pretty personal, don’t you think?” Hermione responded as she turned to her daughter in amusement.

“Mum! You can’t stop there!” she complained.

“What we did that night is between your father and me,” Hermione answered firmly.

“But …” Rose tried a pout but had no success as her mother gave her a ‘that’s final’ look.

“It’s time you were getting to bed anyway,” Hermione pointed out. “You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”

As the young girl grudgingly dragged herself off to her bedroom, Hermione settled back and the contented smile returned to her face as she recalled that wonderful evening. She didn’t need a journal to remember what happened next.

-oooOOOooo-

Harry had just finished putting his pajamas on and was climbing into bed when his bedroom door opened and Hermione walked in wearing her dressing gown.

“Hermione?” he asked, rising to his feet. “What is it?”

“Mum and Dad won’t be back for at least half an hour,” she announced as she closed the door. She then fingered the sash of her dressing gown nervously before she managed to continue, “and I have something I want to show you.” Before she could lose her nerve she pulled the knot loose and let the gown fall open. Harry’s jaw dropped as it revealed that all she was wearing beneath was a light blue bra and knicker set, one of the ones her dorm mates had given her for her birthday. With a shrug of her shoulders the gown fell away to give him a full view. The demicup bra’s lacy edge only partly covered her breasts and there was almost nothing to the knickers.

“Hermione!” Harry found his voice at last. “You don’t have to do this just because …” his voice died away as she turned around and looked back at him shyly over her shoulder, disclosing the fact that these were thong knickers. Then she unhooked the bra.

“It’s not because of Cho,” she explained as she turned back to him and let it drop to the floor. “I’ve been planning to do this for some time now.” Harry swallowed hard. “What do you think, did my friends make a good choice for my birthday present?”

“Brilliant!” he gasped, unable to take his eyes off her. It was even better than his fantasies had been. “I definitely have to thank them if I ever meet them.”

Growing bolder with his positive response, Hermione pressed forward and unbuttoned his pajama top. She encountered no resistance at all as she divested him of the shirt and moved back, taking his hands in hers.

“I want you to touch me,” she whispered, raising his hands to her chest. Then she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, losing herself in the sensation as he gently ran his fingers over the soft curves and hard peaks.

Eventually she opened her eyes again and locked them with his, sinking into his passionate gaze. Closing the distance between them she pressed herself tightly to his chest as his arms enfolded her, and she raised her lips to his.

Harry couldn’t keep the grin off his face as they parted after a very satisfying kiss. But she wasn’t finished surprising him yet. As her hand dropped to the waistband of his pajamas and tugged on it she murmured in a low, sultry voice, “I want to see you too, and touch you.”

It was a memorable thirty minutes indeed, as the two of them carefully and lovingly explored this newly uncovered territory.

Just like the daydream charm, Hermione later decided, only without the sand. Better yet, it was no dream. And the memories of this evening would keep them both warm during the upcoming term apart. She also decided that nude hugs were a very good thing.

-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-