Love On Risky Ground

Love On Risky Ground

Chapter 12

Rapture

and Sin

Silence of an overwhelming magnitude filled the tiny room. The painted subjects were intensely whispering to one another as Remus and Ron paced. Even Phineas Nigellus was anxious about his relation. Tonks sat with her head leaned back, trying to change her hair to keep the worry away, while Kingsley stared at the door ahead of him.

Ron sat down with a huge sigh, thinking about what was happening to Sirius. Harry's godfather was being administered the Veritaserum potion, and the wait was driving them insane.

Remus placed his hands on his face, massaging his tired eyes and cold cheeks. Ron knew that Lupin wanted it to be over and done with; to see Sirius walk through the door a free man. If the potion had worked well, Sirius would be freed; there was no other path. He had to be proven innocent.

They were the only ones in the room, apart from the Aurors guarding the door of the interrogation room. Outside the door, wizards and witches were waiting for the news, anticipating the outcome, just like them.

Ron couldn't stand the silence any more; he needed some fresh air as he hoped and waited. He was also there on Harry and Hermione's behalf.

At last, the door opened wide and Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge and several other Wizengamot members and Aurors filed out. Some of the witches and wizards wore expressionless faces, while others looked relieved and happy. Some were downright mad at the outcome.

At once Ron and Remus looked up, ready to hear the verdict, either against or to their favour. Dumbledore turned towards the door and from the darkness Sirius came forth with a smile on his face.

"I'm free at last," he said.

Remus stepped forward and grasped Sirius' shoulders. He was speechless; his mouth opened and shut and joy glistened in his eyes. Ron ran his fingers through his hair, welcoming the great news. He whooped in excitement all of a sudden.

"Excellent!" Tonks piped up with a loud clap. Ron smiled as they shook Sirius' hand and congratulated him.

"Well, well, I think this is up for a celebration. Don't you all?" Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Oh yes, Albus. I'm sure Mr Black will want to get out and about without Aurors after him." Amelia grinned, still shaking Sirius' hand.

"Can I join in?" Ron chuckled, giving Sirius a manly hug after Amelia finally let him go.

"Ha ... I doubt your parents will let you drink Firewhiskey, but it wouldn't be the same without you," Sirius happily replied, but then his smile faded. "I wish Harry and Hermione were here."

"They're safe, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "I think they'll be thrilled when they find out."

Ron felt the same way. He desperately wanted Hermione with him. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how much he loved her. He couldn't wait to have her in his arms again.

Ron's father touched his shoulder. "I think a couple of butterbeers for Ron should substitute for the Firewhiskey, Sirius."

"So where are we going to go?" Ron asked.

"Leaky Cauldron, of course," Remus said brightly. "Come on, let's get out of this place."

***

Back at the cottage, a potent-smelling steam rose in the kitchen above the gas stove where Hermione had placed her cauldron. Her face was wet with sweat and she flicked the strands of her hair away from her eyes with a soft blowing whistle. She turned to the table and picked up some slimy leaves of the grimyhog plant, along with a tablespoon of salamander blood, and dropped them into the cauldron. The liquid hissed and bubbled. Suddenly, a light blue coloured smoke wafted to the ceiling.

Vedas had given Harry and Hermione three different potions to help return Harry's speech. They had asked Ron to find the ingredients for them. Ron had to Floo himself to Diagon Alley, without having his mother asking him what he was doing. With Muggle money that Hermione had supplied, he'd had to exchange it to Galleons, Sickles and Knuts for him to buy the necessary things from the apothecary. Hermione had also asked him if he could also get their school books and supplies when it was time to get them; Hogwarts would be sending their O.W.L. results and school lists soon. They were sure that Ron and Ginny would receive their letters at the Burrow and that their own would probably arrive there as well.

The new school year was not that far off; only about a month away. Hermione just hoped that the danger would've passed by then and the Order could come and get them.

Mandrake, dragon blood, and unicorn horn were a few of the ingredients in the speech potions. For the first time in potion making, there was a use for flobberworms other than to thicken a potion. Hermione had to go deep into the small forest situated near the stream so she could ask the fairies for some cocoons, which their young had already hatched from. The fairies had graciously given her some. In return, Hermione had given them some chocolate, which they ate in such a flurry that it had made her slightly dizzy.

"Harry, where are you?" Hermione yelled from the kitchen. She was stirring the cauldron's contents and she still needed to cut up the roots of a Preying Tentacula.

The potion she was stirring was the last one that Harry had to take. Vedas had given Harry instructions that he had to follow, and told him what would happen once he drank the potions.

After the first potion, which had to be taken in the correct amount, Harry had fallen into a deep sleep for a day. It was an anxious time for Hermione, because if she had given him too much, he would never wake up. Too little, and the next steps would not work and his condition would be irreversible. When he did awaken, the next step had to be taken. The second potion stank horribly. The smell stuck in their clothes, in their hair, and into every pore in their skin. Harry had to practice trying to talk. He nearly said a word clearly, but there was still one more potion he had to take which would make him speak again. That is if all went smoothly.

Hermione turned around and saw Harry standing in the kitchen, a letter in his hand. He had a smile that could tell a thousand stories plastered on his face. After a slight hesitation, Harry strode towards Hermione and gave her a tight hug.

"What happened? Is it Sirius?"

Her chin was propped up on Harry's shoulder, holding out her dripping ladle. Harry let go of her embrace and gave her the letter. Ron had told them that Sirius was freed. "Oh my God ... That- that's brilliant! It's finally happened."

Harry sighed very loudly, his chest rose with pride and happiness. Hermione felt like leaping into the air, but she didn't.

She watched Harry, beaming as he shook his head in disbelief, grinning broadly. She forgot about the potion until large, blue translucent bubbles started spilling over the rim of the cauldron, bursting with a hot spray of smelly liquid, drenching the bench top.

"Oh dear," Hermione replied, wiping away the spilt potion. "It certainly is great news. Harry, you know what this means now, don't you?" Hermione closed her eyes, thinking about Harry moving in with Sirius and away from the horrible Dursleys. He could live now to the fullest, without his aunt and uncle tramping all over him.

Harry nodded, his eyes sparkling. She had never seen him this happy since the day they went fishing.

Harry kept flicking his attention to Hermione as he chopped up the Preying Tentacula roots, dropping them into the cauldron. He brushed his shoulder against Hermione. Without turning to Harry, she felt her cheeks redden as her heart fluttered faster, her steadily growing emotions for Harry seeping through her skin. She wished she could control it because of Ron.

"Th-the last potion should be ready in three days." Hermione gulped. "It has to turn black as Vedas said or it won't have worked ... pro-properly," she said. Hermione gasped slightly when she locked onto Harry's green eyes.

She secretly tried to take charge over her emotions; she wanted to look away and concentrate on the potion. Instead of controlling it, she found herself slowly inching closer to Harry. Her feelings for Ron slowly became a distant memory and she forgot what she was meant to be doing. Harry? Why are you doing this to me? she silently questioned herself, closing her eyes. You're changing me, my feelings, my heart... and I'm not hating you for it. Why?

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Harry standing much closer than before. The distance between them was closing, but it took forever to get there. Hermione felt as though fate was teasing them, slowing time to make them think of the consequences of their actions.

Harry parted his mouth and lifted his hand to her cheek with some hesitation, as though she was forbidden fruit. Yes, she was forbidden fruit, and one taste of it could spell disaster for them all.

Hermione closed her eyes again, half dreading Harry's touch, half longing for it. She didn't know what she'd feel when it happened, but when Harry's cool fingers brushed her cheek with such affection, it made her breath tremble in shock.

Hermione shivered with overwhelming emotion, the good and the ugly. "Harry, we shouldn't -"

Hermione felt Harry's finger at her lips, and she lost her will to talk, as if he had stunned her mind.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open. Harry was so close to her, their noses nearly touched. His head was tilted, getting ready to plant his kiss. Hermione felt a strange, almost magical tingle race up her body, something which she had never experienced with Ron and it hurt. She gasped, thinking about Ron again. "Please Harry, we shouldn't do this ... Ron ..."

Harry suddenly backed away. The hand, which had caressed Hermione's cheek turned into a fist, resting on his closed lips as he thought. He walked across the room, where Crookshanks and Persia were meowing for food.

Hermione breathed deeply, leaning on the kitchen bench for support. The incident had weakened her; her emotions had stolen so much energy. Now she felt empty, like she'd been denied some sort of promise coming true. But there was no promise, nothing that she deserved, except for the guilt, which welled inside her. Hermione shook her head, forcing her guilt away.

***

Three days later, a dark plume of smoke billowed from the cauldron sitting on the stove, forcing Hermione to focus on the potion. The potion thickened and turned black. Thick, shiny bubbles made the potion look like black oil. She switched the stove off, and waited for it to cool down. Harry had sat himself at the table, staring determinedly out of the window.

"Um, Harry, it-it's ready," Hermione said softly, without looking at Harry in the eye. They hadn't talked much since the little incident three days before. She thought that Harry was contemplating the consequences of their relationship. She at least hoped he did.

Harry nodded with a sigh, turning away from the window. He gave Hermione a half-hearted smile and waited.

"Ah, Harry," Hermione started as she dipped a spoon into the cooled potion and tipped the contents into a glass. "If this potion works, I think we should give it to St Mungo's Hospital. It'll help anyone suffering from a condition similar to yours. I'm sure you're not the only wizard in the world who can't talk. I think it's a great idea."

Hermione was surprised when Harry smiled, nodding in excitement. She was happy that he agreed.

With a heavy heart, she gave the glass to Harry, hoping it would work. It would take half a day or so for the third potion to take effect. Harry drank it with shaking hands, cringing at the awful taste. Hermione didn't want to know what it tasted like.

Harry tightly closed his eyes, bowing his head with a grimace until the taste was gone, which took awhile. Hermione looked on, rubbing her hands in anticipation. "Harry, it'll take sometime. So, um, I suggest you just read some of my text books to keep your mind off things, until this afternoon," she advised, her voice shivering slightly.

***

It was near dinnertime when Harry had the courage to open his mouth. His mind had kept reeling over what might happen next. Would he be able to speak? Or be forever doomed? He just feared that the potions had failed, and fearing the unknown made him unable to open his mouth.

Harry got up, biting his bottom lip, staring out of the window at the sunset. He took a deep breath and heard Hermione behind him. He hadn't seen her for half the day and he knew why. He was acting like an idiot because of a stupid emotion he couldn't get rid of. Hermione was suffering the same and between their growing affection was Ron. Ron, who was protecting them, and who trusted them.

"Harry ... have you tried yet?" Hermione asked sombrely.

Harry shook his head, but he didn't have the strength to look back at her face. He sighed, trying to build up the courage to say one damn little word. But his concentration deteriorated the moment he sensed Hermione by his side.

"Say a word, please," she whispered gently.

Harry closed his eyes. Her voice was soothing and comforting. He wanted to hear it again.

"Say it for me."

Harry smiled.

"I'm here to help you, Harry." Harry felt Hermione's fingers grasp his hand tightly in encouragement.

Harry trembled and opened his mouth. "Hhhhhh ..." He gulped, squeezing his eyes. "Her-mmmm!" Harry tried to say.

Hermione squeezed his hand harder. "That's it ... keep going, Harry."

Harry relaxed as he felt her breath warm his ear. "Her--myyyyy--neeee." Harry opened his eyes and turned to Hermione. She was smiling back, her eyes bright with joy. "Hermione."

"YES! YOU DID IT, HARRY!" Hermione jumped up and without hesitation hugged him tightly. Harry placed his arms around her, giving in to temptation and grinning at the sound of his own voice. "Oh, Harry!" Hermione said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I've never been so happy just to hear your voice. What a week: first Sirius is freed, and now you can talk." She sobbed, pulling away a bit to face him.

Harry smiled without saying a word and gently pulled some of Hermione's bushy curls from her cheek. She sniffled and bowed her head, ignoring the touch. "You'll have trouble saying some words at first. Maybe you'll even stutter, but it'll go away."

Harry nodded, staring deeply into her brown eyes. "Hermione," Harry said with a croak. He cleared his throat and stepped closer.

Hermione's smile suddenly faded a little. "Harry -" She stepped back.

"N-no, don-don't ... puuu-push me ... away. Don't push me away, Hermione."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "What's wrong?" she lied. Harry saw the lie in her eyes.

"We need t-to ta-lk."

Hermione shook her head slowly as if the words pained her. "No, Harry, please not now. I'm not ready for this."

"Ye-es you are."

Hermione halted near the window. "I don't know what to do." She buried her face in her hands. "Can't we just celebrate your new found voice?"

Harry sighed and shook his head, closing the space between them. He understood what she was feeling. He felt the same way. But his feelings were strong and getting stronger, so that he couldn't look at her without having the urge to kiss her - to love her. "W-we hav-en't ta-talked about what we are fe-feeling for each other."

Hermione began to sob. Harry never meant to make her cry. "I know, it's just been - I didn't want to discuss this. I wanted to deny it. Harry, this is wrong. I'm in love with Ron."

"You-you're supposed t-to be in love with Ron. You once were." He hoped he was doing the right thing, forcing her to admit her wayward feelings. An image of Ron laughing and playing chess entered Harry's mind. He gasped, shaking his head at the thought.

"I-I." Hermione stopped, crestfallen. Her sight wandered over to a particular spot on the ground near Harry's feet and stayed there. She didn't blink as she stood. Harry wasn't sure what to think of this. She had to be searching for her true feelings. Harry respected this and wouldn't say a word until she looked up.

Please look up,

Harry pleaded silently.

Hermione wiped her eyes with her hand and gazed at Harry. "I'm so confused, Harry. I feel the same about you, but think about Ron. We'll be hurting him," Hermione said, her brow firmly knitted. "It's just not right."

Harry bit his lip. He wasn't going to give up, not now. "Do you want to love me, Hermione?" he softly asked. He moved towards her again, hoping that she wouldn't back away.

"No," she said.

Harry stopped in his tracks.

"I don't know. I don't know!" Hermione emphasised, rubbing her eyes. It hurt Harry, seeing Hermione so frustrated. "I wish there was a book about this," she said with a sigh. Harry snorted.

"You can't le-learn everything from books." Harry caressed her cheek, this time with confidence when she didn't flinch. "The only advice I can gi-give you, which is going to sound cor-corny, is to follow what your heart says ... I am."

Harry was not going to sit back and wait for the opportunity to fully love Hermione slip through his fingers. He had bonded with Hermione more than ever. Their situation had forced them together and made them question their emotions and their paths. Every time he was near her, he felt as though they were drawn towards each other. Harry wanted to tell Ron, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words that would tear Ron's heart. When the right time came, Harry would. But Harry didn't want to think about that for the moment. Harry's heart fluttered faster in guilt, but then his love for Hermione returned, seeming to wash the dirty feeling away.

"Harry?" Hermione asked weakly, her hands resting by her side.

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking?"

Harry paused for a moment as his fingers travelled down to the slope of her neck, taking in information about Hermione's body he had never noticed in the past.

"I'm thinking ... about you, of course," and Ron, he thought silently. You traitor! Harry pulled his hand away, as though Hermione was a nettle bush he had accidentally touched. You are a traitor, who doesn't care about his best friend, who is at this moment in love with Hermione. God, Harry knew what he was doing was wrong. He didn't want to hurt Ron, but Hermione - she was with him while Ron was far away. Harry felt better because of the distance; it sort of lessened the pain for a while.

"Oh," was Hermione's reply.

"I want to ki-kiss you." He pushed on, forcing the feeling of treachery to rip away from his constricting heart. "Will you let me kiss you?"

Hermione sighed, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't. Ron, Harry. We can't do this because of Ron."

Ron again ... Harry held his breath. Damn his own heart!

"Does that mean your heart says you love Ron? Because if it does, then I ... I'll try to do whatever I can to stop ... to stop loving you," Harry asked, feeling awful for saying that.

Hermione opened her eyes quickly. She inhaled deeply and slowly shook her head.

Harry blinked in patience - in love. "Okay, I understand now. You want to wait till you - we tell Ron ... is that it?"

"No, not really. I mean, I want to tell Ron, that - Harry, I want to kiss you. I want to know what it will feel like and where it will lead. I feel a strange connection, which I haven't felt with Ron," she replied with great speed, as if what she was saying was hard and she was torn between her emotions. "But I can't, not today ... please. I need to think about this. You need to think about this."

She moved back into the shadows, surprising Harry. Hermione was far away now, too far to reach over and comfort her. The moment of near bliss vanished into wisps of air and Harry's heart thumped with an empty feeling of guilt and disappointment. He ran his fingers through his hair and tore his gaze away from Hermione's exhausted face. He knew he shouldn't have tried. Why did he have to fall in love with her? He squeezed his eyes shut, hearing Hermione walk out of the room.

"Harry ... can we just be happy that you can talk again?" she said quietly, as though he'd snap at her.

"Hmmmm," Harry could only mumble, trying not to look back.

***

On a rather quiet summer morning Sirius Black knocked on the Dursleys' front door, his eyes full of life. His chest heaved as he waited for one of the damn Dursleys to open the door. He just wanted to get his business over and done with quickly and get the hell out of there.

Remus stopped alongside him, looking at the neighbourhood as he took out a scrolled parchment with a wax seal on it.

"Are you ready, Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I am." Remus narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why, what are you going to do, Sirius?" he cautiously asked.

"Oh, nothing," Sirius replied. Nevertheless, he had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Padfoot ... if you're going to do something other than what we've discussed, then let me in on it. The last things we want are screaming Dursleys and the Ministry chasing our tails."

Sirius laughed. "Moony -"

He was about to say something when Vernon Dursley opened the door. The Muggle caught sight of the ex-convicted murderer and with wide terrified eyes slammed the door shut in the wizards' faces. "Well, hello to you too, you great big fattie," Sirius muttered.

The two wizards heard a lot of loud scrambling and yelling from behind the door. Sirius was getting impatient, not in the mood to calm down the scared Muggles. Remus knocked on the door a bit more vigorously.

"Open the door, Dursley." Remus pounded on the door. "We've come to take Harry off your hands. Sirius won't kill you. He's been found innocent."

"Yeah, well, if you don't open up, Dursley, we'll see how long my innocence lasts."

The scurrying stopped for a moment and then Vernon opened the door very slowly, holding a lamp over his head. "What do you want ...? I've had enough trouble with you lot," he spat.

Sirius ignored the man's loathsome words. "As you know, I'm Harry's godfather. I'm here to transfer the guardianship of your nephew to me ... legally."

Vernon had a look on his face that told them that he was thinking very hard about it. "You mean he'll never set foot in this household ever again?"

"Correct," Sirius nodded, hating the man even more, thinking about turning him into a pig. "We also need Mrs Dursley to donate some of her blood to protect Harry at his new home."

Petunia gasped and hid behind her husband a little more, and Remus and Sirius stared at her. But Sirius knew she couldn't refuse to do it because of her pact with Dumbledore.

"It won't hurt a bit," Remus said reassuringly in an emotionless voice. Petunia nodded and relaxed. Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus.

Remus poked his head to see the inside of the house then focused on Vernon. "Here," Remus grunted, almost wolf-like as he opened the scroll. It was a legal document set up by the Ministry to take over the custody of Harry. "All you have to do is for you and your wife to sign it and you'll never have to see him again."

"And Harry will be glad he'll never have to see you lot ever again," Sirius retorted in Vernon's purple face.

Vernon backed away, waving for Petunia to get a pen as Sirius smirked at him. "We are also here to take everything that belongs to Harry with us."

Vernon reluctantly let the men in while he and Petunia signed the documents after reading through them. Remus pulled out Harry's trunk from the cupboard under the stairs and Sirius retreated into Harry's bedroom and magically summoned every single item that belonged to his godson, putting them into a carry bag.

As he walked down the stairs, Sirius took out his wand as he saw Remus outside the front door with Harry's trailing trunk. He softly muttered a spell under his breath with an enormous wave of the wand. Then Sirius bolted out of the house, passing Remus. "QUICK - MOONY - MOVE," he yelled.

"What?" Remus said.

Immediately, all the contents within the house started vibrating and then magically sprang to life.

Vernon backed against the wall, knocking over a potted plant, which stood up and bashed Vernon's knee. "What the -"

"Argh!!" Dudley screamed from the living room. The couch he was sitting on had shrivelled up on him, trapping him within the fabric and padding and was now bouncing around and out of the living room like a ball.

Sirius ran into the street, laughing, clutching onto a stitch that had formed in his side.

Petunia jumped on the spot as a chair walked forwards with the aid of its wooden legs and touched her legs. She screeched, scared at the sight. Figurines and bric-a-brac started walking or jumping around. Clinking noises, wooden clunking sounds and the clashing of pots, pans and glasses echoed all over the house. Dudley managed to get himself freed from the couch and ran to the safety of his mother, terrified at the sudden live objects. A wardrobe from the second floor started walking down the stairs, making Petunia scream even louder. She yanked Dudley by his collar and ran into the front yard. Flaying her hands as though she had seen a rat she let her son go. But it wasn't enough to stop the wardrobe from following her. It trapped her at the side of the house, while Vernon pounded his fists on it, trying to make it stop following his wife. Dudley streaked past his parents with the kitchen fridge chasing after him, with vengeance in its suddenly magical mind.

"DAMN YOU!" Vernon yelled, running into the street. "COME BACK HERE AND PUT EVERYTHING RIGHT!"

But Remus and Sirius were already at the end of the street, bent over with laughter, holding onto Harry's things.

"Got what you people deserve," Sirius muttered through gritted teeth.

"Sirius, you're going to have the biggest Ministry fine in your life for this."

He smiled. "Yeah, but it was worth it."

When the coast was clear they Disapparated, instantly disappearing from Privet drive ... forever.

***

There was a gentle creak in the floor boards, which disturbed the peace in the cottage. Hermione was in the bathroom, slowly brushing her hair. Harry stood by the doorway watching her reflection in the mirror.

"Hey," he said glumly.

Hermione winced when she tugged on a knot in her hair. "Hullo. What have you been doing?" she asked, placing the brush on the sink. Her words sounded forced and almost timid, which made Harry fret even more.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing really, just throwing pebbles around here and there ..." his voice trailed off and he soon wondered why he wanted to confront her.

"Did you want to tell me something?" Her eyes blazed with an emotion Harry couldn't fully identify.

Harry closed his eyes. "Er ... no ... I need to use the toilet."

"Oh." Hermione's eyes drooped. She gave her fringe a little flick away from her eyes and moved past Harry.

"Thanks," he said, closing the door with a sharp snap, which sounded a little rude. He didn't really need to answer the nature's call. But he stood by the mirror, staring into his bright green eyes, like he was the devil in disguise. Perhaps I am.

He'd done the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange in the past, thinking Sirius had died. Doing that curse would land someone in Azkaban for life. Nobody knew he had preformed it, except the Dark Side by now, and he couldn't bear to tell what he did to Hermione, Dumbledore and Sirius.

Now, Harry was having traitorous thoughts for his best friend. But he just couldn't sway his feelings for Hermione. Was he beginning to connect more to his Slytherin side? Harry shivered at the thought, but then he told himself that he was in love. People will do anything when they are in love; they can do crazy, stupid and wrong things.

"Harry, are you all right?" came a voice from behind the door.

Harry snapped back to reality. "Er ... yeah I am, Hermione. I-I've just got to finish up," he said. He turned the taps, washing his hands, giving the illusion that he had just gone to the toilet.

"Harry, we can't keep avoiding each other like this ..."

A pause followed. Harry continued staring at his own reflection, water running over his still hands.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "What do you suggest we do, Hermione?" he spat. He sounded bitter and harsh. The last thing he wanted was to act like he did before fifth year; so angry and ill done by. But he couldn't help those feelings being sprung up again. However this time he wasn't angry with the people who cared about him; he was angry with himself. He wanted to avoid Hermione. The reason why he wanted to talk to her in the first place was so they could cool off a bit, by trying to pretend the other wasn't there in the cottage while the danger prevailed. It was a stupid idea, he knew, but it was the only way Harry would learn to forget the way he felt for her. Though the plan had begun to fall apart the moment he saw her brush her hair.

No answer came from the door and Harry thought he had driven Hermione away. He waited a minute, leaning his back against the cracked horrid brown tiles in the bathroom, blew his bangs away and wrenched the door open thinking Hermione had gone away.

He was wrong.

Hermione stood positioned right in front of him, as though her feet had been glued on the spot by a hex. She had her arms crossed, staring back into Harry's face.

"You're angry, I know you are," Hermione replied. Harry scoffed, moving to pass her when she suddenly gripped his upper arm. "Just stop for a moment."

"I haven't got time for this."

"You're beginning to sound just as irritating as you were last year."

"Gee, thanks for the thought, Hermione. Now please let go of my arm."

"NO! I won't," she yelled into his face. It would've been less imposing if she wasn't the same height as he was. Something about how their eyes met level on made him recoil slightly.

"Okay ..." he started calmly, inhaling deeply. "Then what is it that you want?"

"First stop acting so belligerent, Harry," Hermione sighed, her brows knitted tightly, but her grip on his arm did not lessen. Harry looked away. "No, look at me, Harry," she said a little more sharply. Harry obeyed. "Just tell me what you're feeling so we can overcome this together."

It was something about the way her mouth moved, which made Harry subconsciously move toward her. Harry licked his lips and slowly pressed his body against Hermione's.

"Oh Harry, what -"

This was the only chance he had to fulfil his own strangling fantasy.

His lips had finally landed on the destination he had wanted to explore for a long while. For a moment Hermione was pursed lipped. She wouldn't let Harry in, and he broke free, feeling like a great big bubotuber drowning in its own pus. But then, Hermione's hand snaked to the back of his head and pulled him forward again. This time she had opened her mouth, letting him in. They closed their eyes, savouring the forbidden moment.

It was a kiss that made his world spin. It was nothing like Harry's first kiss with Cho. This kiss with Hermione was more fulfilling and loving. It filled a void in his heart, which he didn't even know he had. Harry felt love, but a different kind of love ... a love which two people could only experience when they understood each other so mutually.

Soon the kiss became something more, as if they'd had the first nibble and decided it wasn't enough. Hermione ran her fingers through Harry's jet black hair, but he didn't really notice when she let out a soft moan. She gently broke the kiss and tilted her head back, allowing Harry to kiss her neck. Her hands moved down onto Harry's torso in delicate then rougher circles, moving his clothes to get beneath them.

But neither Harry nor Hermione had experienced passionate love that had gone this far, and neither were ready to take it another step. Hermione opened her eyes, breathing shallowly, resting her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry was content, just leaving it there. He lifted his hands and cushioned them on Hermione's face before he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Hermione stiffened slightly and pulled away from Harry's arms. A crease appeared between her eyes. "We've done it. We've done the thing we've been dreading, and we nearly went too far."

Harry bowed his head. "Yeah but ... I- do you feel different?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes ... I feel horrible and euphoric at the same time. This has to be a dream. I've just kissed you, and Ron -"

"Don't -" Harry said, nearly raising his voice too much. "Please, we've crossed the line now and we can't go back. Not anymore."