Clichés, Kisses and Killing

Clichés, Kisses and Killing.

Chapter 3: One Moment Can Change A Lifetime.

I know, baby, I know you're the nervous kind

There's so much going on in your mind.

Universe inside of your heart

You got to let me know

So you can be free

'Universe' - Savage Garden.

Harry woke up and felt like he had swallowed his wand. His throat constricted painfully as he tried to do something with his vocal cords, and a familiar voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, making him look up.

"Harry?" Madam Pomfrey was looking down at him, her eyes curious as she handed him his glasses. "Can you speak at all?" Harry tried again and then shook his head. She made an irritated noise and handed him a goblet of something that was suspiciously greenish-brown in colour. Harry drank some at her instruction and then tried to speak again.

"What happened?" he croaked. Madam Pomfrey made the noise again and moved out of his line of sight so that he could see Hermione sitting on a bed across the room. Ron was standing behind her and they both looked happy at him being awake, but there was underlying worry that he had seen all too many times.

"I think your friends can explain better than I can. I'll go and inform Professor Dumbledore that you are awake, he will be interested to know, I'm sure." Bustling off towards her room, Madam Pomfrey left Hermione and Ron to rush up to Harry's bedside.

"Wow, Harry, that was amazing! The speed you went up the pitch! I didn't think even a Firebolt could move that fast!" Hermione just smiled down at him.

"Harry, thank you so much. I can't believe you did that for me, Malfoy practically passed out, he was so surprised about who he had really hit." Harry laughed, or at least attempted to.

"What did he hit me with?"

"It was a really strong Throat-Freezing charm, designed to stop the cursed person talking for at least a week." She sat down on the chair next to the bed and smiled again. "It hit you with a lot of force, and it was far too strong for Malfoy to control, so you've been out since the match, which was yesterday afternoon."

"Why are you smiling about this?"

"Because you're still here. He was so angry, Harry, I didn't know what he was trying to hit me with, so I had no idea what was going to happen to you." Harry nodded, understanding what she was talking about, and then looked up at Ron.

"You alright, Ron?"

"Just fine. I was a little shocked when you suddenly went shooting up the field. We all were really." Harry grinned.

"Harry," another familiar voice said, "I see you're feeling better." Dumbledore walked to the end of the bed and smiled down at Harry. "How does your throat feel now?"

"Okay, thanks, Professor." He wondered about whether or not he should say what he was thinking, and then he just thought 'what the hell!' "Professor, what's happening to Malfoy?"

"He has detention every night for a month, he has to make a public apology to you at some point, and he has already apologised to Miss Granger. He has had all his privileges revoked, and we are rethinking his status as a prefect of Hogwarts." Harry's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"That's pretty severe, Professor."

"Harry, Mister Malfoy's command of powerful spells is extraordinarily good for a young man of his age and he needs to be taught that he cannot just unleash these spells on his fellow pupils because they answered him back during an argument."

"I understand, Professor, and, just so you understand me, I wasn't complaining." Dumbledore smiled slightly, the familiar twinkle lighting up his face.

"I'll see you when you're up and about, Harry, Madam Pomfrey says that will be soon." He stood up and then left the Hospital Wing with a hint of a smile, leaving Harry to talk happily with his best friends about Malfoy's punishment.

"Harry, I'm really glad you're up and everything, but I have to go and meet someone."

"Sure, Ron, I don't mind if you go. I'm okay now. Who are you meeting?" Ron seemed to hesitate and then he smiled.

"I have to go and see Ginny, to tell her you're alright, and then I have to see McGonagall about the Transfiguration homework. In fact, I said I'd see her earlier so I'm late." He grimaced and Harry nodded understandingly before Ron waved at them both and hurried out of the door. Harry looked up at Hermione and opened his mouth to say something but he didn't get the chance. She swooped down on him and kissed his surprised mouth forcefully. Harry sat there for a moment and then his arms snaked around her waist and she ended up sitting on the bed, half lying on him as they kissed.

"What's that for?"

"What isn't it for?" Hermione smiled at him and swept some hair away from his eyes. "It was my thank you." Harry grinned.

"I'll have to ask Malfoy to try and curse me more often then."

"That is such a clichéd thing to say, Mister Potter."

"Don't I know it. Now kiss me before I sink into unconsciousness again."

*~*~*~*~*

Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room and found a small crowd there to greet him, and congratulate him on saving Hermione and getting Malfoy into several degrees of trouble. Harry smiled as Ginny flung her arms around him.

"What's all this then, young Weasley?"

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried when you went streaking off like that, I was so scared when Dra-, when Malfoy hit you with that curse, I thought he had really hurt you." Her worried face looked up at Harry and he smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Ginny, just a little hoarse." She nodded and released him, letting Harry fall down into a big comfortable chair by the fire. Hermione sat opposite him and smiled a lot as some of the sixth- and seventh-years did spirited and extraordinarily realistic imitations of Harry's accident, including slow-motion versions of what Malfoy's face had looked like. Harry laughed until his throat seized up again and Hermione had to send Ginny to Madam Pomfrey to get a throat-cooling lotion.

"Come on, you guys, we have to get to the stargazing evening at the Astronomy Tower," Ron suddenly put in. A lot of the sixth year and almost all the seventh year were involved in a big astronomy evening at the Astronomy Tower which was part of their Divination study. Harry would have gone but Madam Pomfrey had forbidden it, telling him he needed rest, and had completely ignored his pleas that he had slept for over a day.

"Harry, are you going to be okay all on your own?" Lavender Brown looked mildly worried and Harry realised he had really frightened a lot of people by saving Hermione.

"I'll be fine. And I have Hermione with me anyway, she doesn't take Divination."

"Oh yes," Lavender sniffed, obviously remembering Hermione's furious exit from Madam Trelawney's class in their fourth year. Hermione smiled sweetly at her and crossed her legs as she sat in the chair opposite Harry by the fire and sipped at a mug of hot ButterFroth, which was a stimulant-free version of Butterbeer. "We'll see you later."

Lavender disappeared out of the portrait hole with the rest of the crowd and they were alone in the common room, except for a few younger members of the house and Neville, who returned quickly because he had forgotten something, then returned again because he had forgotten his telescope that he had left the last time he had come back. Laughing quietly at Neville's second muddled exit, Harry stared into the fire and smiled contentedly. He looked up and Hermione was looking at him over her mug, a half smile playing seductively on her lips.

"You okay, Harry? Not feeling a little tired at all? Madam Pomfrey said you would be. Sure you don't want to go upstairs?"

"No. I'm fine." He gave her a smile back and she pressed her lips together, still smiling. They started talking about other things then and it wasn't long before they were talking normally and Harry was having a better time inside than he would have had at the Astronomy evening.

"I'm serious, Harry, I think Malfoy's shouts could be heard every where in Hogwarts. He was so angry when he got the news that he would be in detention until after Christmas." Harry laughed with Hermione as she set down her empty mug and put her feet up on the arm of his chair. Then she suddenly gasped and her face screwed up on irritation. "Oh, I still have to do that stupid roster."

"You know it has occurred to me that we write too many lists about the stupid prefects. We should make them write their own bloody lists." Hermione rolled her eyes and leaned down deeper into the chair.

"But then what would we do?" Harry looked baffled for a little bit and then he shrugged.

"I don't know." He looked at her and then made up his mind quickly. "Do you want to come up to my room? I think I did that list anyway, I can give it to you." Hermione nodded and stood to follow Harry up the long spiral staircase towards his bedroom at the top of the tower. She walked into his bedroom and he closed the door behind her.

"Harry, I-." She turned around and he cut her off by closing his mouth over hers. She responded quickly and he pushed her slowly towards his bed until she fell across it, her legs entwined with Harry's.

"Hermione, I really couldn't care less about the stupid roster," he murmured.

"Hmm, what a coincidence. Me neither." She smiled into his mouth and he ran a hand inside her robes, making her shiver. "Harry," she whispered, "should we be doing this now? People might walk in and see." Harry sat up slightly, picked up his wand, and muttered something as he pointed at the door. The door lock snapped closed and he threw his wand down on the floor before turning back to Hermione.

"Okay now? Can I kiss you again?"

"Um...okay then. But just once." He leaned in, smiling, and gave her a long, lingering kiss on the lips.

"Just one, as you said."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hermione pulled herself up the bed a little and took him with her. "A world-class wizard like you and that's the best you can come up with? Those Witch Weekly articles really lie a lot." Harry raised his eyebrows and leaned his face down so he was an inch from her nose.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to reassure your faith in our dear reporters at Witch Weekly."

*~*~*~*~*

Hermione lay next to Harry as he gently stroked her hair and she wished she wasn't so afraid of taking their relationship further when the time came. She was wearing a pair of black trousers and a black bra; her robes and t-shirt were lying on the floor beside the bed. Harry's shirt was hanging open as they lay there and his legs, in blue jeans, were thrown across hers in a protective gesture. He was smiling as he played absentmindedly with her hair, and she liked it a lot, because she felt so comfortable with him. She was staring up at him when he suddenly looked down and smiled in a surprised way.

"What?"

"Nothing, really. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"You and me. And about what's going to happen when we have sex again." She clapped a hand up to her mouth quickly and he looked down at her in even more surprise. "I have to start thinking before I speak!" He grinned at her and leaned down to take her lips in a soft, chaste kiss.

"Whatever happens and whenever it happens, we'll be fine, because as it's with you, I couldn't imagine anything better." Hermione sat up a bit and stared down at him as she rested herself on her hands. Then she leant down and kissed him hard on the lips. When she finished, she hopped off the bed and pulled a book out of his bookshelf.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something that will help me with something."

"That's entirely vague, useless and not at all what I asked."

"I'm just looking, leave me alone for a minute." She was flipping pages in his Potions notebook faster than he and ever seen her go through a book and he sat up impatiently.

"What are you looking for, Herm? Oh, tell me. Please, Mione, tell me. Tell me, tell me tell me! Pleeeeeeeeease! Oh, go on, you know you want to, and-"

"I'm looking for birth control charms!" He shut up.

"I have Muggle birth control, if you can't find anything in there," he said quietly after a few minutes. Hermione turned around slowly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know my ex-girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"She was half Muggle, she gave them to me to keep in my drawer, so that if we ever got carried away, we could-."

"No details, please!" Hermione beckoned to him and he scrambled off the bed towards her. Pulling him close, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smiled seductively. "Just kiss me again." He obliged.

"Herm, are you sure about this?" She nodded slowly and looked up at his face.

"I'm sure." She slid his shirt off his shoulders and he moved his hands down to her trousers to work on the button there. Kissing her face softly, he ran his lips over her eyes and cheeks as she undid his zip and pushed his jeans on to the floor. "Harry, I'm a little afraid."

"Don't worry, I'm here, Herm. I'll always be here for you." She nodded slightly and pushed her trousers off her hips to stand in front of him with only her underwear on.

"It doesn't match, sorry." Harry found that so absurd that he had to laugh.

"Are you kidding me? I don't care if your underwear doesn't match! Hermione, you're beautiful, your knickers don't matter." She pulled him down to kiss her and breathed in the heady scent of Harry's skin. When he pushed her backwards gently to lie on the bed and he moved on top of her, Hermione's eyes misted slightly as he took both her hands and softly kissed each fingertip. And when everything got confusing and she felt her whole world falling apart and rebuilding again in the space of minutes, Hermione held onto him tightly and let her entire body relax into his gentle grip.

"Hermione!" Harry relaxed against her after he cried out and she didn't loosen her grip on his body. "Oh my God," he whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just kind of breathless."

"Ditto." She kissed his mouth softly and buried her head in his shoulder.

"That was pretty amazing, Miss Granger."

"Thanks. You were pretty good as well." She smiled up at him and he kissed her nose.

"Hermione? What changed your mind today? Why did you sleep with me now?"

"Harry, when we slept together for the first time, I was feeling bad because I promised myself that I would save myself. And do you know who I was saving myself for?" He shook his head. "For someone who would value me more than life itself. And yesterday you took that curse for me, and you didn't even know what it was. You flew in front of me and it could have been anything. It could have been one of the deadliest curses known. But the fact is, you didn't care." She snuggled up to his body and kissed his chest. "And that's why I chose now." Harry smiled contentedly and tightened his arms around her.

Ten minutes later, Hermione rolled away from Harry as he moaned at her not to get up and she tried to strengthen her will.

"Harry, we have to. Or people will know something has happened." She stood up and tried to find her underwear, then just couldn't be bothered and tried to find her wand instead. "I know we forgot the sound charms, so people may have heard us, but I don't think anyone did because this is a long way up. Aha! Found it!" She picked up her wand, pointed at herself, and muttered 'Habille!' and she was washed and fully dressed. Harry lounged in bed for a moment and then reluctantly sat up. Hermione pointed her wand at him and muttered the same word. He was about to open his mouth to complain about the fact he was washed and dressed again when a noise cut him off. And that's when they heard the screaming.

*~*~*~*~*

Running full pelt down the hall and into the common room, Harry and Hermione came face to face with a group of frightened younger students who had also heard the screams echoing around the castle. Hermione immediately began to calm them, telling the crowd of terrified children that everything was fine, and that she was sure the teachers were sorting out whatever had happened. But Harry saw the worried looks she sent him and he had to agree with her. Whatever had happened was not going to be good.

"Just keep behind Hermione, and keep quiet, because we don't know what's going on." Harry herded the Gryffindors out of the portrait hole and followed them through. Hermione and he had decided to take the remainder of the house out with them when they searched for a hint at what was going on because they didn't know what was happening and figured, if worse came to worse, they could send them down to Hogsmeade to escape any danger. Harry was keeping up behind the group when he heard Hermione's short shriek. Pulling out his wand, he rushed to he front of the crowd and found her with her hand over her mouth, staring down at the unmoving body of Professor Sprout. Harry knelt down beside her and felt gently for a pulse.

"She's alive, Herm, but she's been knocked out by a charm, maybe, or Stunning Spell." Hermione nodded and waved her wand, making the Professor float in mid-air in front of her so that she could transport her around the castle with them. Harry went back behind the group again and smiled comfortingly at a few first-years who were huddling together, obviously very frightened.

"Okay, everyone, let's get going. And hurry!" Hermione struck out at a fast walk and Harry herded the Gryffindors along towards the Great Hall, which was where they were headed. Hermione opened the doors with a wave of her wand and they found almost the entire population of the school standing and staring at them in silence. Harry pushed his way in front of the Gryffindors and stood next to Hermione as they scoured Hall in search of someone in charge, the school had begun talking again and the racket made it hard to think. There was suddenly an explosion from the end of the Great Hall where the teachers' table was and everyone turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing there, with her arms outstretched and her face stony.

"Everyone will please remain quiet!" There was silence. "Now. Please sit down in your normal house places and await my further orders." She swept the Hall with her gaze and settled on Harry and Hermione. "Would the Head Girl and Boy please come up and see me?" Harry stepped forward and Hermione followed, after she had set Professor Sprout down, as they walked up the length of the Hall, between the tables. McGonagall smiled tightly at them as they arrived next to her and Hermione spoke first, her forehead creased into a frown.

"What's happened?"

"Please remain calm, you two, you are setting an example to the rest of the school and I expect you to keep that in mind." Her voice was low so no one else would hear her. "The Astronomy Evening has been..." she was struggling for the right words, "...The Divination group has been attacked."

"Attacked?" Hermione whispered urgently. "As in, attacked, and they're in the Hospital Wing mending up, or-"

"No. Not that kind of attacked, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall sighed heavily. "Dark wizards have taken the Astronomy Tower and everyone in it, and it won't be long before they have dealt with those people and take the rest of the school."

"What's Professor Dumbledore doing about this right now? Is he up there? Is he battling?"

"No, Potter, he isn't. In fact, I don't know where Professor Dumbledore is. He is...missing."

"Missing?" Harry's voice rang around the Hall and people looked up from their own conversations. McGonagall glared and he closed his eyes at his own stupidity. "Sorry," he muttered.

"I have a responsibility to get these children out of here. But I have to stay and help. So I want you two to take them to Hogsmeade and make sure they are safe."

"But, Professor-!" McGonagall held up hand.

"No, Miss Granger. I wasn't asking and I wasn't advising, I'm telling you. You are to take them to Hogsmeade and then stay with them."

"We'll come back," Harry said without hesitation. McGonagall opened her mouth to argue.

"No, Professor. I'm telling you this. I'm coming back to help. Those are my friends up there, and this is my school. Dark wizards took my family when I was a baby and this is the only place I have ever felt at home. They aren't taking this as well." McGonagall was about to argue again but then she gave up.

"Very well, Potter. I know I won't be able to stop you if you put your mind to it." Harry nodded curtly and Hermione took a deep breath. Harry could sense her fear in the way she was holding herself and the way she was playing nervously with her wand. He touched her hand gently.

"'Mione, we'll be fine." She nodded and McGonagall gave them a knowing look as Hermione went off to herd the Gryffindors into an orderly queue.

"She's a fine witch, Potter, and she can hold her own. Don't threaten anyone's safety because you want to get to her." Harry looked at his head of house searchingly and she smiled slightly. "I'm no idiot, Harry, and I know you'll take care of each other, but still be careful." Harry realised she was trying to say a kind of goodbye and he smiled despite everything.

"You're one of the best teachers around, Professor, and you'll get away from those wizards, I know you will." She nodded shortly at him and he walked away from her to help Hermione herd up the juniors.