Revelations and Results

Revelations and Results

By FenrisWolf

~~~~~

"Hermione? Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Go away, Harry."

He frowned. This had been going on too long. Ever since she started dating Mark Petersen from Ravenclaw, Hermione had been holding him and Ron at a distance, and he was getting tired of it. "I'm not going away, Hermione. I miss talking to you...I miss the trio."

He could barely make out her silhouette in the light from the embers in the fireplace. She hunched lower onto the couch. "Things change, Harry. People grow apart."

"Not us," he objected. "You're my best friend, that's never going to change." He laid a hand above her elbow and she flinched and hissed. What the devil--? "Lumos!"

Hermione gasped and turned away, but not before he saw the bruise swelling one cheek. White-hot rage erupted in his mind as he shoved up her sleeve to reveal the bruises there, some fresh, others far older. "That bastard," he snarled. "I am going to kill him..."

She grew frightened at the look on his face. "Harry, no, you mustn't! It was my fault..." That, unfortunately, was the wrong thing to say.

"Your fault? Your faults!?! Hermione, how the devil can you say such a thing? That sonofabitch uses you as a punching bag and you defend him?" Suddenly he noticed how his anger was making her cringe; he forced his temper under control to keep from upsetting her further. "All right, Hermione, I'm sorry I shouted, but I am having a hard time accepting that there is anything you could have done to justify...this...there is no way this is your fault!"

"But it was," she said miserably, staring at her hands. "Mark loves me so much, he doesn't like to hear me talking about other boys. So when he was complaining about how much time I spent studying, and I said you and Ron never minded, that set him off. He just cares so much about me, Harry. He's always sorry after it happens; he even does the healing charms so nothing shows. He's coming around later to make sure I'm all right." She finally looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. "Please, Harry, don't be mad at me..."

If it hadn't been for his years of experience with the Dursleys, Harry would never have been able to mask his emotions. As it was, her last question, which made it clear she'd been convinced he would blame her for what happened, almost broke his resolve. Instead he sat carefully beside her, trying hard not to jar her bruises. "I'm not mad at you, Hermione, I'm mad at myself for not realizing sooner what was happening. My best friend was being hurt and I didn't even notice."

He put an arm around her shoulders to give her a gentle hug; she started to relax against him, and then gasped. He stared at her; she'd gone deathly pale. "Hermione? What is it? What else is wrong?"

She tried to speak, but was clearly having a hard time catching her breath. Feeling real concern, he cast a diagnostic charm, and paled himself at the sullen red showing around her abdomen, indicating internal injuries. "That's it, I'm taking you to see Poppy."

"Harry, no," she protested, her voice thready with pain. "If you do that, the whole school will know. I'd rather--"

"Somnus," he cast, sending her to sleep. He knew she would be mad at him later, but he wasn't taking any chances that her injuries were even worse than they seemed. "Mobillocorpus." Hermione floated off the couch and drifted beside him as he worked his way across the room.

He was just about to pass out of the Gryffindor common room when the Fat Lady's portrait swung outward, admitting a tall boy with flaming red hair.

Ron's face lit up at the sight of best friend. "Hey, mate! Where are you off to...Hermione!?! Harry, what happened?" he cried, stumbling as he recognized his friend's floating body.

"Petersen happened," Harry said flatly. He nodded as comprehension dawned on Ron's face. "I came in and found her sitting in the dark. Seems Mark didn't like her talking about us all the time. She didn't want me to know, but she's hurt bad. I've got to get her to the infirmary."

"What about Petersen? We can't let him get way with this!" Ron growled.

"First we get Hermione to Poppy," Harry insisted. "Then I'm going to go have a...chat...with her soon-to-be EX-boyfriend."

"You mean WE are, don't you, Harry?" Ron objected. "I want a piece of the git, too!"

Harry struggled to find a way to explain how he felt to his friend. Finally he said. "Ron, if that was Luna and not Hermione, would you let me help you?"

Ron's eyes widened, as he finally understood what Harry was trying to say. "Okay, mate," he said softly. "But if there's anything left after you're done, I get second call."

Harry smiled in a way most unGryffindorish; it was the sort of smile that would have had most people agreeing with the Sorting Hat's original sentiment that Harry would do well in Slytherin. "For what it's worth, you've got my word on it, Ron," he said as he led the way back out through the portrait hole, Hermione floating at his side, "but I don't think there's going to be enough to go around..."

~~~~~

Mark Petersen strolled down the corridor leading to the Ravenclaw common room, well pleased with himself and the world. His project with that mousy Gryffindor was going just about according to plan, and it was only a matter of time before he had her completely broken to heel.

It had amazed him how well it worked the first time he'd played this game; pick a girl who is bookish, who isn't popular with the boys, and shower her with attention. Make her feel special, feel loved. And then destroy her, whittling away bit by bit, until there's nothing left to play with. He'd had to transfer from Durmstrang after the last one, but his family's money had hushed hers up, especially since they didn't want her suicide attempt noised about.

He was worried when he first arrived at Hogwarts that rumors about him would have preceded his arrival, but apparently everyone was too concerned about You-Know-Who to pay attention to an overly bright boy who liked to play mind games. He'd convinced the Sorting Hat to put him in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, because he knew the hunting would be better there. What he hadn't hoped for was Hermione Granger.

He knew who Harry-bloody-Potter was, of course; one couldn't swing a dead cat in the Wizarding world without hitting someone praising the Boy-Who-Lived. Which made Granger all the sweeter as a target; imagine nailing Harry Potter's girlfriend. Oh, he knew they both denied it, claimed they were just friends, but anyone with half a brain could tell how things really stood, even if they couldn't admit it to themselves. Pathetic, really.

So he'd wooed her, pushing all the buttons he knew how to push, quickly putting her off balance. He also played Harry and Ron perfectly, being just enough of a jerk around them to make them dislike him, without giving them anything concrete to tell Hermione. She of course saw it as them being overprotective, which made her that much more stubborn. Priceless.

He'd had to go slower than he liked, but the end result would be worth it. He could tell Granger had quite a body under those robes, and he would thoroughly enjoy using it before he dumped her. He had to be careful, though; she'd had more friends than he thought, and he had to get her completely hooked on him before he could start the whittling process. Last night had been the first time he'd really been able to work on her, and he was a little annoyed with himself for getting carried away. His frustration at being patient meant that he'd been a bit rougher than planned, especially that bruise on her face; bruises that showed were a sign of carelessness. He knew he should have healed it as soon as it happened, but it had turned him on so much he couldn't bring himself to do it. He really should take care of it, before someone saw--

Suddenly a hand gripped the collar of his robes and spun him around, thrusting him face first into the corridor wall. What felt like an iron bar pressed against the back of his neck, pinning him there, and then someone slammed a sledgehammer into his kidneys. "Hello, Petersen," a voice said conversationally. "Time for a chat." He was dragged away from the wall and thrown through the door of an empty classroom, crashing into several desks before ending up on the floor.

As he staggered to his feet, he heard the door click shut, and felt a silencing charm settle into place. He spun around and flinched at the sight of the black-haired, green-eyed person who'd accosted him.

Petersen had always been aware, in a distant sort of way, that his attentions towards Hermione Granger might lead him into conflict with Harry Potter, but his supreme ego had convinced him that he could do whatever he wanted to her with Potter none the wiser as to why his best friend had abandoned him. Now, however, the cat was clearly out of the bag. He waited for the explosion of anger he knew how to manipulate so well, and became nervous when he saw how cool Harry was.

Meanwhile, Harry was struggling to remain calm and focused. The smug bastard had been humming as he walked down the corridor, and the impulse to stomp the insufferable git into so much goo on the soles of his shoes was almost overpowering. Using his wand would be too easy, and once he started hexing him, Harry didn't think he would be able to stop. Not that he was worried about anything that happened to Petersen; he just didn't want to end up in Azkaban for it. For the first time he felt happy about the sparring lessons he'd taken last summer to defend himself from Dudley's attempts to 'practice' on him. "You know, Petersen, for a Ravenclaw, you're about the stupidest thing walking on two legs."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Ravenclaw blustered.

"No? Well, let's see if I can jog your memory. Hermione Granger, your girlfriend, the one you've been using as a punching bag? The girl who happens to be my best friend? Who is thought of as a sister by every other boy in Gryffindor? Who also happens to be friends with most of the teachers at Hogwarts, including Professor Dumbledore? Do you have any idea just how many people are going to be after your head on a pike?" Harry shook his head and stalked towards his target. "You couldn't have picked someone more likely to get you killed if you tried, you git--not that it matters." He smiled; it wasn't a very nice smile, and Petersen swallowed.

"You see, Mark--you don't mind if I call you Mark, do you--we're going to come to an understanding right now." His fist slammed into Petersen's gut, doubling him over. "You're not Hermione's boyfriend anymore," he continued, chopping a short punch to his face, splitting his cheek. "You're never going to go near her again," he added, throwing two more jabs, one to the mouth, the other to the nose. "In fact, you're never going to look at her again, because you're dropping out of Hogwarts," he said, hammering another blow to the kidneys. "You're going to be gone within 24 hours, I don't care if you have to walk; because if you aren't, Mark, this will seem like a pillow fight compared to what I'll do to you." The last punch landed well below the belt and left Petersen retching on the floor.

Harry crouched down and gripped Petersen's hair, giving his head a shake. He waited until the other boy's rapidly swelling eyes focused on him and said, still in that calm, conversational tone, "Now in case I haven't made myself clear, let me put it to you this way: I haven't been at Hermione's side through thick and thin for the last seven years, facing trolls, basilisks, and Voldemort himself, just so a little pissant like you could waltz in and hurt her. You'll be off Hogwarts' grounds before another day has passed, or by Merlin, you'll be under them. Do we understand each other?"

~~~~~

Harry stepped out of the classroom and paused at the sight of Professor Dumbledore standing before him, a worried expression on his face. "It's all right, Professor, I didn't kill him--much."

The headmaster restrained a sigh of relief and smiled. When he'd been summoned to the infirmary by Madame Pomfrey and received her report on Hermione's injuries, he'd been terribly afraid he would arrive to find Harry standing over a corpse. "I'm very glad to hear, that, Harry; not that the young man is not deserving of chastisement for his actions, but bodies require so much paperwork." He eyes twinkled in their trademarked manner.

"Well, I'd guess you could say he's been 'chastised'." Harry shrugged. Now that he'd dealt with the git, the eventual fate of Mark Petersen was the last thing on Harry's mind. "How's Hermione, Professor?"

Dumbledore's twinkle faded. "Her physical injuries will heal quickly, but the damage he did to her spirit will be another matter. I'm afraid Mr. Petersen is all too adept at manipulating a person's insecurities, and Miss Granger, for all her brilliance, is as subject to human frailty as anyone else." He paused for a moment, as if debating what to say, and then continued. "Fortunately, Miss Granger is also a very strong-willed young woman. I believe that given the right... encouragement... she might be able to quickly put this behind her."

Harry had to strangle the impulse to go back and make good on his promise about putting Petersen under Hogwarts' soil. Instead he asked, "Can I go spend some time with her?"

"Of course, Harry; I cannot imagine anything that would be better for her right now than to have you by her side." At that somewhat cryptic remark, he sent Harry on his way, and then stepped into the classroom, an extremely dark expression on his face. "Mr. Petersen; my, it seems you have had an accident. How...unfortunate..." His voice faded as the door closed behind him.

~~~~~

Hermione's eyes slowly opened, taking in the regrettably familiar sight of the infirmary's bed curtains around her. "I wonder what happened this time,' she thought, stretching. A sharp pain in her ribs startled her, and she gasped as the memories came flooding back. Mark talking with her, flirting with her, making her feel special. Mark getting angry, belittling her, manipulating her. Mark losing his temper and hitting her as she cried out in pain and shame. She sobbed and buried her face in her hands, weeping furiously.

As she wept, she slowly became aware that someone was perched on the bed next to her, someone's hand was gently caressing her brow, and that a voice she almost recognized was making soothing noises at her. She raised her face from her hands, choking back the tears, and looked up at... "Harry?"

He smiled slightly and nodded, his eyes filled with concern, and Hermione felt something break loose in her. She flung her arms around him, weeping inconsolably, and he just held her and rocked her, letting her cry herself out.

Finally the tears slowed and, feeling self-conscious, Hermione disengaged her arms from around Harry and tried to sit up straight in the bed. Her eyes were swollen, her nose was stuffed up, and she was sure her complexion had gone all blotchy. She hated how she looked when she lost control like that, and hated even more that Harry had seen her that way. "I'm so sor-" she started to say, but he sealed her lips with a finger.

"Hermione, I don't want to hear the word 'sorry' cross your lips for the rest of the term, if not longer. Nothing that happened was your fault, nothing! If anyone is to blame, it's me! Yes, me!" he insisted when she tried to shake her head. "I let that bastard hurt you, Hermione. I should have known something was wrong, I should never have let him pull us apart. I should've been there for you from the beginning, instead of waiting until it was almost too late."

"I thought he loved me," she whispered so softly he could barely hear her. "I guess I just wanted to hear...someone...say it to me...I should've known better...."

Harry felt like a knife was twisting in his gut. "Ron and I both love you, Hermione," he said softly. "So do your other friends at school, and the professors, and your parents. You have lots of people who love you."

"It's not the same, Harry," she mumbled into his arms. "I know they love me, and I know Ron does, even if he is a pain sometimes. And I know that you love me too, Harry, but you're not in love with me. That's why he was...that's why I let him..."

She trailed off and Harry wrestled with his instincts. There was something he's wanted to tell Hermione for years, but had never found the courage to say. He'd wanted to tell her after their fifth year, when she helped him deal with the loss of Sirius. He'd wanted to tell her during their sixth year, when she was upset from hers and Ron's disastrous attempts at dating. And when she became involved with Mark, and had seemed so happy while at the same time drifting away from him, he'd thought he'd lost his chance forever. Now that chance was back, but he was still afraid of her reaction. Afraid, but not enough to stay quiet, when she needed to hear it so badly... "Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I...I love you."

She tensed for a moment, and then relaxed. "I know, Harry; I told you I knew that. I love you, too."

"Hermione, you don't understand...I'm not very good at this...I don't just love you. I'm in love with you, Hermione." This time she stiffened in earnest, and he let her pull away. "I've been in love with you for a long time, I was just too stupid to realize it. I almost went insane when you went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, and those few dates you had with Ron just about killed me. Then you started going out with Petersen and I thought I'd missed my chance to tell you."

He felt her shifting next to him, and realized how uncomfortable he must have been making her feel. "I know you don't feel the same way about me, and that's okay. I just thought...if you knew...you might not feel so bad about Petersen...you'd know that someday the right guy will come along..."

"Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Ron smiled and pulled the curtains closed, giving his two best friends some privacy. They hadn't even noticed he was there, and for the moment, that was as it should be. What she needed to heal, she had, and he went to give the rest of their friends the good news. "It's about ruddy time," he whispered to himself as he left the infirmary.

~~~~~

It was two weeks after Mark Petersen's expulsion, and the whole school was agog over the news that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were now a Couple, with a capital C. A few of the girls who had been thinking they might have a shot at the Boy Who Lived were furious, but most of them, including all the girls in the Gryffindor dorms, were happy for them both. The smiling, glowing girl on Harry's arm was quite a bit different than everyone was used to seeing, and a number of the boys were kicking themselves for not noticing before just how pretty Hermione really was.

One of the more interesting side effects of their public declaration was the number of wagers that suddenly were seen being settled all over the school. Wagers between students, pools within houses, and even some of the teachers and staff seemed to be involved. A Ravenclaw even reported seeing a very sour-looking Professor Snape handing over a stack of Galleons to an equally cheerful Professor McGonagall.

As for what had happened with Mark Petersen, there were rumors, but with the exception of their closest friends no one knew what had really happened. The most accurate guesses had Harry and Mark getting into a fight over something he'd said (or, some whispered, done) to Hermione, with Harry emerging as the victor. The same rumors had Petersen expelled for trying to use an Unforgivable Curse on Harry, which even Harry's worst enemies thought was an incredibly stupid move for anyone to try against the Boy Who Lived.

The one real fly in the ointment was, as usual, Draco Malfoy. His stock had fallen quite a bit since his father's conviction as a Death Eater and subsequent sentencing to Azkaban, but he apparently was determined to make up for it by being even more insufferable than ever. Even most of the Slytherins refused to have anything to do with him, not that it made him any more cautious. His whole purpose for existing had been reduced to finding ways to get under Harry's skin, and his new relationship with Hermione seemed to be tailor made.

BIG mistake. Huge.

~~~~~

"My, my, don't you two look...cute," the voice drawled, and Harry sighed. He felt Hermione shift, and exerted a little extra pressure to keep her next to him.

"Don't even start, Malfoy. We're not in the mood for your mouth, so go be an annoying git somewhere else." He felt his girlfriend poke him in the ribs for his language, but right then he didn't really care. He wanted to nip off any confrontation with Draco before it started, and if it took a bit of crudity to pull it off, sobeit.

Unfortunately Draco was being even thicker than usual, and took the dangerous glint in Harry's eyes as a sign he was scoring points in his little game, and not as the warning it was. "Really, Potter, I just wanted to congratulate you. Everyone's been saying you two belonged together for years, and here it's finally happened." He looked Hermione over in a way that had caused other girls to slap his face more than once, making her flush and Harry blood boil. "Yes, I'd say, congratulations are definitely in order," he smirked, and then decided to drive the knife home. "Too bad you have to make do with a Ravenclaw's leavings, but beggars can't be--"

Pop.

The albino ferret squealed indignantly as it rose into the air. Harry gaped at his girlfriend, who was calmly levitating the Transfigured Malfoy through the air with her wand. "Really, Draco," she scolded, "you should know by now that I won't let you get Harry into trouble by goading him about me. And now that he's not just my best friend but my boyfriend, I have an even better reason to look out for him."

Hermione ignored the furious chittering of her victim and mused, "Now what to do with you; I wonder if Pansy Parkinson would like a new pet... No?" she asked as the ferret shrieked in horror. "Oh well, it was just an idea." She flicked her wand and muttered, materializing what looked like an oversized hamster ball around the angry little mustelid. Hermione lowered the sphere to the floor, and then sent it scooting with her toe. "Run along now, Draco; maybe Professor McGonagall will change you back to your odious self before Pansy finds you."

Harry watched, mouth gaping, as the plastic-enclosed ferret skittered down the hall, and then collapsed in laughter. After a moment Hermione joined him, and the just held onto each other as tears of mirth ran down their cheeks. Finally they regained their composure, and Harry pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, Merlin, that was...just about the...funniest thing I've ever seen!" he gasped, still chuckling.

"I've been wanting to do that ever since fourth year," Hermione admitted, happy in Harry's arms. "It'll only last for about fifteen minutes, then he'll change back, none the worse for wear." She paused and frowned. "Of course, I'm not sure his clothes will show back up...ewww, a naked Draco, that's a nasty thought."

That almost set Harry off again, and he held her at arm's length, just so he could look at her face admiringly. "The most brilliant, most beautiful witch at Hogwarts, and she's my girlfriend," he marveled as she blushed. "Have I told you today just how much I love you, Miss Granger?"

She smiled up at him, her eyes shining. "Why no, I don't believe you have, Mister Potter."

"Well, then, let me correct that oversight; I love you, Hermione."

"And I love you, Harry."

And all was right with the world.

~Fin~