Revelations

Chapter 7: Old Enemies

McGonagall's speech was taking its sweet time to finish. Whatever ounce of tact Dumbledore had about short speeches it was obvious McGonagall had none. She carried on and on, her voice shrill and booming. Harry allowed his mind to wander, and his thoughts settled on the Weasleys. Ron warned him on the way there that his family would be thrilled to see him, and he should be downright prepared for an invasion of his personal space. The Weasleys all greeted him with the warmest of hellos in one huge tangle of arms and voices. Molly, upon seeing Harry, began to cry and told him implicitly that he was to immediately follow them home to the Burrow so she could cook him a nice dinner. She was older, her hair grayer, but not much, and her voice had just as much passion and directive as he remembered. It was only Bill, now with shorter hair and without jewelry, who saved Harry. He calmly told his mother that Harry was a big boy now and could take well enough care of himself. Beside, Ron added, Harry's always been a stick. They all laughed.

They all sat at the Parent's Circle that the school had laid out, the Weasleys taking up a whole section. They invited Harry to join them but Harry politely declined, saying that he had to shake some hands in the far corner of the room. Truth was, there were no hands to shake. Harry felt more comfortable being by himself than with them. He loved them all and felt incredible joy in seeing them, and yet could not shake the feeling that it was for the best if he separated himself.

McGonagall's voice loomed sharply in the Great Hall, her robes catching the charmed rays of the sun, glinted and shone. Harry became more and more weary of the rest of the ceremony and decided to stroll through the old castle.

Harry walked up and down lighted corridors, with smells of sweet pungent odors wafting through. He crossed the Cloisters into the Northern Towers, and passed statues that he, Ron, and Hermione had once sat besides practicing charms. He walked straight to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was not at her painting. He guessed that she must be in the Great Hall as well. He turned and began walking towards an unknown destination that only became clear to him as he reached the brass handle on the door.

The Astronomy Tower

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Hermione and Harry sat in the Tower for a good two hours before speaking again. Harry's voice had been caught in his throat for most of those two hours. He couldn't think straight. What did he just do? What did she just do? What did "You're sweet" mean? Usually, his girl confusions were unclouded by Miss Hermione Granger, Relationship Expert Extraordinaire. He could almost hear her voice in his head. Except this time, the girl and the understanding friend was the same person.

Hermione just stared out unto the fields, towards the dark forest. Soon Harry began to relax and simply enjoyed her company. They sat with their bodies close, touching. He could feel every breath she took, every movement she made. He just stared out into the forest, and the moon that loomed above. Sometimes, they could make out shapes floating out of them. Sometimes it would just be the wind. Hermione leaned against Harry and closed her eyes...for just a second. Harry felt his insides pool into his stomach. Their hands and fingers entwined and settled against the soft velvet. She lifted her gaze towards his green sparkling eyes and kissed his cheek. Harry's heart burst as he felt her cheek against his own, mingled with the dampness of her tears.

He kissed her again, and felt the mingling of her breaths to his own, swooshing about his brain. He brought her fingers against his lips and kissed the tips of each one. His body felt electric. This was so new and yet so ancient. Harry relished the tingles and the butterflies, drinking in her kisses like a greedy child with honey. He drew her body closer to his own, and felt his skin coalesce into hers. To him, everything sparkled and everything glowed. The sensation tasted sweeter than all the candy in the world. This, Harry thought, must be what love feels like. This must be it. I love her. More than anything in this world.

"I could love you better than he could ever..." Harry whispered in his thoughts, drowsy with happiness.

The light had come first. Then the explosion.

A sickly green light emanated from the inner workings of the gigantic forest that stood before them. A skull formed at the very top of the smoke. With a snake coming out of it.

Then the terrifying explosion that shook the entire grounds. Everything they were in contact with shook and screamed, including them.

Voldemort.

Up until that very moment, Voldemort had, in all honesty, been pushed back to the very shadows of Harry's mind. Since the incident during the summer, the school year had been unusually quiet. So quiet, that for a while, Harry was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never did, even during exams his scar had never hurt once, or anyone seen anything that suggested Voldemort's presence. That was all fine with Harry. After the prophecy of his demise in Voldemort's hands, or vice versa, Harry was fine with anything that would have put the meeting farther down the road. With things so quiet, he focused on his exams, his classes, his friends, even his girlfriend whom he never thought he would have the time to have. In fact, the only thing that worried him was the failing grade he was bound to receive in Snape's class. It had been so easy to put Voldemort away, in a dark box in a dark drawer in a dark corner of Harry's dark life.

But that had just changed.