Beautiful Dreamer

Chapter 5

Christmas and Mirrors

"That's the best excuse I've ever heard."

She smiled and Harry felt his relief wash over him. There was still a lot that he didn't understand, but at least now he had a chance to. She walked over to the door and the two of them walked back into the room crowded with Vesuvians.

"He's OK," she said and Harry saw a look of relief flicker across Sirius and Margaret's faces. Harry looked around as the crowd parted. Hermione was standing in the middle of the crowd, smiling at him. Harry could think of nothing else as he ran to her and caught her up in his arms and spun her in circles. He relished in her laughter as she planted a kiss on the top of his head. He gently let her back down to the ground and kissed her, not caring that everyone was watching.

He broke the kiss to look at her. She looked so healthy for once. He pushed the hair out of her face to look in her eyes and he finally knew that everything was going to be all right.

"Harry. Everything is going to be fine," she whispered unnecessarily. She reached up a hand and brushed the tears from his cheeks. He hadn't even been aware that he was crying.

"I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Harry. Merry Christmas."

Harry laughed and kissed her once more.

_-_

Later that afternoon there was another surprise. Around one o'clock the doorbell rang. When Harry opened the door he found nine shivering Weasleys on their doorstep.

Mrs. Weasley made herself at home in the kitchen, which relieved Harry and Sirius as Margaret was supposed to be cooking supper. Mr. Weasley filled much of the empty space below the Christmas tree. Fred and George soon fixed the silence that had settled over the house as Bill and Charlie stoked the fire. Percy sat in the corner, watching Ginny play with Crookshanks, and Ron kept Harry and Hermione busy with crazy stories about Christmases past.

The dinner was delicious and although Harry loved receiving presents as much as anyone else, he delighted more in watching everyone else open theirs. After the wrappings had been cleaned up, all thirteen in the house sat around the Christmas tree in front of the fire as snow fell outside the window, coating the yard in sparkling frosting.

When it came time to say goodbye, Sirius, Harry, Hermione, and Margaret stood on the front porch and waved until the Weasleys were out of sight. Sirius and Margaret turned and went back inside but Harry stopped Hermione as she turned to follow suit.

"Wait, I haven't given you my present yet."

Harry reached inside his coat and pulled out the black velvet case and handed it shyly to her. She raised an eyebrow and she took it. Harry watched her face carefully, illuminated by moonlight, as she opened the lid. She gasped and her hand flew to her chest.

"Oh, Harry," she said, breathing softly, "it's beautiful!"

Harry took the light blue diamond-like heart shaped necklace out of its box and Hermione turned and held her hair as he fastened it around her neck. She turned back around, the heart gleaming on its silver chain. She touched it delicately and then threw her arms around Harry.

"I'll wear it forever!"

Harry smiled.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Like it, I LOVE it!"

Harry interlaced his fingers with hers as they turned to go back inside the house, bringing the perfect Christmas to a close.

_-_-_-_-_

"Ron, can't you get that owl to shut up?!" Ginny yelled at Ron. Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione were back on the Hogwarts Express again, heading back to Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione were sitting across from each other by the window and Ron was sitting next to Harry across from Ginny, the two had been fighting all morning.

"You try and make it shut up!" He yelled back childishly, brandishing Pig's cage in her face. Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. Harry looked across the room at Hermione.

"Being back on the train reminds me of the ride to Hogwarts earlier this year."

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"What about it?"

"I was just thinking about how I discovered your hobby of connecting songs with people and how you said that I have to pick out our song."

She raised her eyebrows even more.

"Did you find one?"

"Yeah, I think I did. I was looking through the collection of c.d.'s at the manor and I found this."

He held up a shining circular compact disk.

"Do you have your c.d. player?"

Hermione nodded and rummaged through her backpack and finally produced her purple personal c.d. player. She put the headphones on her ears and took the disk from him.

"Track five," he said. She nodded and pressed play. Harry watched her smile grow and she looked at him.

"Celine Dion, Harry?"

"Well, I thought Because You Loved Me fit rather well, actually."

She nodded.

"Yes, it does."

She patted his arm.

"You did good, honey."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Oh, get a room!" Ron yelled from across the compartment as the two of them had begun kissing. Ron made a gagging noise and nobody noticed the envious, almost hawk-like, look on Ginny's face as she watched.

-_-_-_-

Upon arrival back at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagal stopped Harry and Hermione at the entrance. She was looking less well groomed than usual and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

"Potter, Granger, a word if you please," she snapped and shepherded them over out of the way.

"The Headmaster would like a word with the pair of you."

The two of them followed Professor McGonagal, rather confused, to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Sherbet balls," said Professor McGonagal and the statue sprung to life and Harry and Hermione boarded the escalator like staircase to his office door. They knocked on the door and it wasn't long before they heard,

"Come in."

They pushed open the door and Harry once again found himself in the room full of trinkets that whizzed and emitted puffs of purple smoke with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses snoozing in their frames along the walls.

"Hello, Harry. Hello, Hermione," Dumbledore said. He was sitting behind his desk and motioned for the two of them to sit in the two chairs in front of his desk.

"I have some bad news and some good news for the both of you. Which would you like to hear first?"

Harry said 'good' at the same time Hermione said 'bad'. They looked at each other and then back at the headmaster and Harry said, "You pick."

"Very well," Professor Dumbledore said as he stood to face them. He walked over to Fawkes' perch, which was unoccupied.

"The good news is, Miss Granger will not be turning into a Hessonite and the charm worked successfully to take the enchantment off of her. The bad news is that she is not quite, how do you say, 'out of the woods yet'."

At this Harry and Hermione exchanged nervous glances: Harry couldn't help thinking, "What now?"

"What do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"I mean, Miss Granger, that you are still in danger. The enchantment may be gone, true, but the spell was on you for so long that the effects will last for a while even when it has been taken off. At the very least you will feel aches for a few weeks to maybe a few months. There might even be some slight muscle failure, which is why I'm requiring you to see Madam Pomfrey every day after lunch to take a muscle-strengthening potion. However, any illnesses you obtain or accidents like a fall down some stairs in the next month or so could have life long consequences. It might be fatal."

Harry looked over at Hermione, who was looking quite terrified. Harry reached over and grasped her hand in his.

"I am giving you two these," he said, holding out two identical mirrors. Harry reached out and took one. It was small and round, easy to fit in his pocket. Otherwise it looked like and ordinary mirror.

"These are two way mirrors. When you want to talk to the other person, all you have to do is say their name into the mirror. The other mirror will start shaking to alert the person that you're trying to contact them. All you have to do is talk to the other mirror and they'll be able to hear you. Also, I would like to put a spell on you two, but I would like your permission first. You see, Harry I'm counting on you to keep an eye on Miss Granger. You alone already know her secret, with the exception of Mr. Malfoy and it would look suspicious if he were around her all the time like you already are, so I'm asking you to look after her. The spell would be one that 'connects' the two of you until the affects of the enchantment are over. In other words, Harry will be able to sense where you are and vice versa. There are side affects such as sometimes exchanging certain personality traits, but that is pretty much it."

"Whatever it takes I'll do it, Professor," Harry said, not looking at him, but at Hermione. She smiled at Harry and said.

"Me too."

Professor Dumbledore smiled and then said,

"I'll need a bit of your hair for the ceremony then."

He went behind his desk and took a pair of long silver scissors from his desk drawer and walked over to Harry and Hermione. He snipped a strand of Hermione's hair and tied it together with purple string and did the same thing to Harry's with blue string. He walked over to his desk and placed the two strands together in a silver pot on his desk and began muttering the incantation in undertones. Hermione's grip on Harry's hand tightened and he felt a tickling sensation rising in his chest. The spell must be working, he thought to himself and smiled at her. There was a flash of light and the sensation was gone.

"It is done."

Harry felt odd. He suddenly felt the need to curl up in a spot of sun with a good book and eat chocolate. He shook his head. He could feel Hermione inside of him somewhat. Hermione had always been the voice in his head that played his conscience but it had never felt like this before. It was like he had a mini-Hermione inside his chest. He looked over at her and she was looking like she felt the same way.

"You ok?" Harry asked her. She nodded and said,

"Yes, but I have an odd urge to take a ride on your Firebolt."

She grinned at him.

"I can feel you in me. It's really odd," she said. Harry smiled.

"I know how you feel."

And somehow he really did. He could almost feel the thoughts running through her head. It was bizarre.

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore said, commanding Harry's attention again, "I want you to check up on Hermione with those mirrors but not to interrupt her during class or other times that you can tell would be inappropriate. And Hermione, if you need Harry, there is no reason you can't contact him. Now, off to your dormitories and goodnight."

-_-

Harry and Hermione were walking down toward the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was examining the mirror and then began laughing.

"What is it?"

"I thought so, this is a Vesuvian mirror. They're Niwt Srorrim. That means Twin Mirrors."

"You Vesuvians sure have a thing for mirrors."

"Of course we do! In fact other than Vesuvians we are known as the Mirror People. It was believed long ago that mirrors were portals to another dimension. The Vesuvians tried to enter this other dimension and succeeded somewhat. We've been able to manipulate mirrors to do certain things, like the Rorrim fo Seiromem, or Mirror of Memories, back at Chrysoberyl Manor. That is a Vesuvian mirror. And Harry, back in first year you told me about a Mirror of Erised. It's inscription said "Erised stra eh ruoyt ubsi tahwt onuoy wohsi." Harry, that's Vesuvian for "I show you not what is but your heart's desire."

Harry's mouth was open. So Vesuvians made the Mirror of Erised? It made sense. Harry smiled and took out his own little mirror. Somehow he didn't think keeping an eye on Hermione was going to be a problem.