Control

Control

Chapter 2 Love and Revealations

After about a week, Harry seemed to come alive again. He smiled more often as we took walks through the woods near my house and he laughed a lot more than he had in the previous year. But sometimes I could see the sorrow in his eyes. Perhaps for Sirius, perhaps not. But he was almost certainly suffering inside, and I only wish I could help him. I don't know what got into me, but was actually feeling like I had just met Harry for the first time in my life. And this wasn't Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived or the boy with the scar. He was just Harry, and that's how I liked it.

I had recieved a letter from the Department of Improper Use of Magic. Luckily, it was my first time using it off school grounds, therfore, it was only a warning. I was surprised at first, but after considering all the other things we had done in the past, I wasn't anymore.Harry seemed more and more grateful towards me as each day passed and each with it's own blessing. And soon it was undenyable in me. Why when he smiled and those emerald orbs of his filled up with warmth, I felt like I could just be me, and that's okay for once. Why that everytime he said 'Good night, Mione' I felt like more than just Hermione Granger, I felt....you know, it's so hard to explain. I think I just...felt.

One scorching summer day, Harry and I sunned ourselves lazily in my backyard. The sun was a great big neon light in the sky emitting waves of heat hot enough to melt an iceberg it seemed. We talked for about two hours about anything. Anything except for our fifth year at Hogwarts. We talked about Ron and Muggle items and what we wanted to do as our career when we were of age. But after a while, it became so hot...

"Come on, Mione," said Harry, standing up and slipping on his sandals. I pushed my sunglasses down a bit so I could look at him properly.

"What? Where?" I asked, becoming slightly perplexed.

"Well," he said looking into the woods and grinning, "not here, it's too damn hot, you agree?"

I smiled, stood up and slipped on mine.

"Well, let's go!" Harry said enthusiastically. He grabbed my wrist and started running into the woods.

"Harry! I'm- I'm in my swim suit!" I gasped as I ran along with him.

"That's the point...you'll see..." he said as we ran though the trees. I looked up at the canopy of branches overhead. Animal noises and a soft summer breeze made me feel so at home and I laughed out of sheer happiness. It's funny how a nice summer day can completely alter your mood.

We ran until we stopped at a small creek enclosed by boulders and large rocks. Lush vegetation teemed all around it and rays of golden sunlight reflected off the glassy surface of the calm turquoise water. I was suddenly reminded of those tropical coves in movies where people get stranded on remote islands. I, even though had lived here all my life, never knew this place existed.

I gasped and gave a small jump as there was a huge splash. I was spattered with water and I laughed.

"Oh Harry..." I said, shaking my head.

He had cannnonballed into the creek and was now yelling up at me.

"Come on in, Mione!" he yelled, splashing huge amounts of water at me.

I was just about to protest when I realized he wasn't in the water anymore. The spot where he had just been was now was empty and rippling. A subtle jolt of panic rose in me for a moment.

"H-Harry?" I said, looking down into the water. "HARRY?"

Before I knew what was happening, I was falling into the water. I opened my eyes and saw endless green. Letting my breath go, I surfaced and treaded over to a low rock. Then a head popped up out of the creek and grinned in a cocky manner.

"Oh, you!" I yelled, feeling extremely embarrassed. I splashed him and he splashed me back. He came over to me and pushed my head under water. And I did the same to him when I came back up. Then once we became tired, we swam laughing to a smooth flat rock sticking slightly out of the water and pulled ourselves up onto it. I wrung out my drenched chestnut hair and flung my head back to get it off my face. I glanced at Harry who was ruffling his hand through his raven hair. I noticed the tiny beads of water shimmering on his tanned body. It was in an odd way entrancing. I never noticed it before, but his body was quite attractive. He looked more built, probably from all that Quidditch and the labor he must have been through at the Dursleys... But I wasn't supposed to look at him like this was I? After all he was just my friend, right? I quickly turned my head the other way and tried to concentrate on something else. But may have noticed me staring, for he had brought my chin next to his and turned my head so that our gazes met. There is no word to describe how I felt at this moment. I guess I just went with it as I stared into his deep, emerald eyes. And then, before I had time to rationalize, our lips met. A sharp tingle tickled my lower abdomen as his toungue parted my lips. His kiss was warm and sweet. It all happened so quickly, I didn't know how to react. Pulling my head away I gazed into his eyes once more.

"I-I'm sorry, Mione..." he said slowly, still looking at me. His eyes crossed slightly as he tried to look at my whole face at once.

"Harry..." I whispered.

"Yeah?"

Forget rationalization.

"I never said stop."

And it happened again. All my emotions welled up with this one kiss and exploded as tears of joy, angst, sadness, sorry, happiness, and hope all streamed down my face and dissolved into our kiss. And for once in my life I felt truly happy and it was a good feeling to have.

    ~ * ~

Harry and I walked back to my house again, hand in hand. We didn't have that awkward moment after the kiss, we had lay down on the rock, my head on his chest and his arm around my shoulder. There was no noise besides that of nature as he carressed my neck.

We walked into our own rooms, showered and changed for dinner. He came out wearing khaki pants and a black T-shirt, and I a knee-length floral dress with a white blouse. My hair was up in a loose bun and brunette ringlettes dropped about my face. We met in the hallway, smiled at each other and walked into the dining room, our fingers laced.

We took seats across from one another and simply sat there staring at one another as though we each were a pot of gold. I don't know why but I couldn't stop myself from staring lovingly at him. I couldn't stop myself from feeling as though I was viewing Harry in a completely new and different light. But maybe I was. But still I had felt bad about setting off what I needed to tell him about myself. I Hermione Granger, was procrastinating.

After what seemed like an hour, my mum strolled cheerfully into the room with cooking mittens on her hands and setting a large, steaming pot in the middle of the table.

"I was feeling a bit Italian tonight, you lot," she said, taking Harry's glass plate and loading his food onto it.

"Hope spaghetti and meat sauce is all right, I was a bit uncreative..."

"Excellent," said Harry as she handed him his plate. "Thanks, Mrs. Granger,"

"Oh Harry you can call me Elisabeth, or Beth, whatever you like, dear. Ms. Granger makes me sound old, doesn't it?" said mum, smiling. Harry returned the same, warm smile and started on his dinner.

After most of the spaghetti was eaten and the dishes washed, Harry and I set off to bed. We walked up the stairs together in silence and then after he gave me a quick goodnight kiss, we split and occupied our own rooms. As soon as I step foot into mine, I locked the door, shut off the light and while smiling madly, threw myself onto my bed. I grabbed one of my old and worn Teddy Bears (whom I had named Sir Swoofy) and hugged it tight to my chest. I lay my head on my pillow and stared out the window at the midnight blue sky spotted with shining silver specks. Memories of Harry and I flashed through my head and I realized my feelings for him weren't always the same. It was not like one of those love stories where I had loved him since the moment I saw him. Maybe I loved him because he was so many things I never viewed myself as. Maybe I felt his pain. Because I, like him, had lost a father also. Maybe not in the same way, but I had definitely lost him. And in both our cases, they weren't coming back. And after some more deep thinking I drowsed off and fell asleep.

     ~*~

The next day, rain fell unmercifully as I sat in my family room on an old velvet couch reading 'Hogwarts A History: The Up to Date Version', I felt the sudden urge to talk to Harry. Not just throw half sentences at each other and smile and laugh, but to actually sit down and have a deep conversation with him. So I stood up and made my way up the stairs to his room where he was most likely to be.

When I opened his door, he was sitting on the head of his bed on top of his pillows, fluffing his snowy white owl Hedwig's feathers on her neck, staring out the window. He turned his head to me slowly and there we had a moment just to gaze at each other until I began to speak.

"Harry can I sit?" I asked, though I knew I could.

"Er, yeah," he said, shifting over his pillows.

"I think I've put this off long enough, Harry, but I need to tell you now," I began, my voice quivering slightly. Oh, I would have to just make my point. "I was born with a rare type of Telekinesis, Harry"

His expression had not changed much. He only nodded and swallowed a bit.

"But," Harry started, "aren't all witches and wizards telekinetic? I mean, when I was angry at Dudley when I was eleven, I made the glass at a zoo display vanish and that time with my uncle's sister, her wine glass--"

"Yes," I said, trying desperately to fit my thoughts into words, "yes, true, but like I said, I have a rare case. I will the things to happen, and I know just what I want to move.

By the age of five, I could make windows shatter when I didn't get my way. By age nine, I remember a parked car in a market parking lot rolling about twenty meters out of its spot without anyone inside. And what you saw before, that was nothing Harry. And the most awful fact is..." I broke off as a sharp pain ripped through my heart. No I had not just had a heart attack, by god I wasn't even in physical pain. It just hurt me so badly to try and say what I needed to. I knew it would hurt or confuse Harry further. He didn't need this or deserve it.

"What?" said Harry, his brows furrowing in confusion. "are you alright?"

"Harry the only other person with this gift-or curse- was Voldemort."

     ***