Harry Potter and the Orb of Slytherin

Chapter 16: The Foal Banquet and the Moveable Star

January 24^th

High in the bleak, winter sky that hung like a grey blanket over Hogwarts, a black streak shot through the air, a veritable blur to anyone who had chance to look up. Harry was flying on his broom, feeling free and unhindered despite the frigid winter air that had just endured a heavy snowstorm the day before. He tilted and swerved and buckled and jolted in an array of moves that made him feel completely alive... all thoughts faded away into the rushing current of biting wind and frost. He barely even needed to move his hands - his Firebolt knew exactly what he was thinking. He leaped from his broom, thousands of feet in the air, and spread his arms as if to fly on his own. He somersaulted backwards over and over as he freefell to the ground with nothing between him and the earth. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, knowing nothing but exhilaration. All cares... all worries... they were gone and he was swept away to the nether region of his mind, where he knew only himself and the love he had for life and magic and flying.

He opened his eyes, still reeling towards the ground. He stopped flipping and faced the ground as it rushed towards him like a freight train. Just feet before he hit the ground, his broom rushed underneath him and Harry landed neatly on its handle and leveled out before flying swiftly back into the air. He pulled up to look out over Hogwarts, its glorious towers slicing through the heavens in direct defiance of the sky's austere dominance. He was directly over the Quidditch pitch, but he was alone - all the students had sought shelter from the blistering cold. However, he suddenly noticed one person far below, sitting in the stands and looking up at him. He flew towards the ground, and as the person came into focus, Harry recognized Hermione. She was lightly bundled up and she was holding in her hands a glass jar that had a small blue fire merrily ablaze inside. Harry shifted his broom to where he was standing on the head and leaning comfortably against the shaft as he floated down to where she sat.

"I'm surprised you're not huddled beside the common room fire like everyone else," Harry said teasingly.

"Oh I'm quite warm thanks," Hermione countered, holding up her little fire. She then frowned slightly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, though, watching you do that near dive to your death."

"Sorry about that," Harry said sheepishly. "I never do anything like that while others are around. I didn't know you would be watching. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I was actually here wondering the same about you."

"I guess I'm fine." Harry paused and his broom began to slowly rotate in place as his mind started racing again, thinking once again of everything he couldn't avoid thinking about. His head rested against the end of his broom as he sighed, his warm air creating a fog of breath against the cold chill. He stopped spinning and faced Hermione again. "I don't know if I will ever escape the fear of failing you and Ron."

"You could only fail us if you gave up," Hermione said reassuringly, holding up her hand and offering him a seat beside her on the bench.

Harry took her hand and stepped off his floating broom, sitting next to her and putting his hands on her jar. She placed her hands over his and looked up at him. His pale skin contrasted to her flushed, pink face, but they were both warm enough.

"Hermione, something inside me knows that what we saw will come true," Harry continued. "What can I do?"

"Fight him anyways."

Harry looked at her in surprise. That was the last answer he had expected. She met Harry's eyes and he saw something there he had always seen but never really noticed. It was a determination to help him, to be with him so he was never alone. He looked into her eyes and saw she would be by his side. It was like a sparkle or a glint - whatever it was, something in her eyes made Harry feel more secure than he had in the weeks since he had seen the vision.

"Where do we go from here?" he asked.

"We start with the Forbidden Forest. If the vision's end is the location of the Horcrux, then we should follow the steps it took to get there. The first thing shown to us was the centaur herd, which means we will have to find them and see where it takes us. My guess is we ask them if they know anything about the Horcrux, Voldemort, or the acromantulas."

"We're going to have to find a way to make peace with them. Perhaps we should have a talk with Firenze - see if we can get any helpful information before we take the plunge into that forest. I hope Ron will be able to deal with the spiders we're going to eventually come across."

"You know, I think he will be okay," Hermione said confidently. "He is as determined to help you as I am. While you were away visiting Azkaban last week to help Viktor set up new security, he was practicing his Trinny magic for hours. He's become quite good at it. He can change into form and back in seconds."

"I'm glad. I need Ron as much as he thinks I do."

"When do you want to do this?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"I'm thinking this weekend. I will contact Scrimgeour, who will notify the public." Harry held up his hands and squared them as if picturing a headline. "'Harry Potter Addresses the Masses!' It will be great!"

"But you will actually be hunting down Voldemort's very soul," Hermione said, smiling, her finger to her chin. "You can't get much further from the truth, I don't think. How disappointed everyone will be!"

"But hopefully it will do the trick," Harry replied, nudging Hermione in play. "My return to school was for the very purpose of misleading Voldemort in the first place."

"I'm glad you've come back, Harry... at least for a little while, that is."

"It wasn't hard. This is my home and for the first time, it really does feel like all of the students are working together to be a real school. I want to be a part of that."

"You're the reason for it Harry. The rest of us in our classes feel great about going to class, knowing we will only find friends and never enemies."

"You know, I actually like going to class now. This is entirely your fault!" Harry winked.

"It was bound to happen eventually!" Hermione said, flipping her hand with a wave of superiority. "How can one not be influenced by the greatness of books and learning? Although, I have to say, I would bet a lot of what you are being 'taught' you already know, right? I don't think there is a thing our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has taught that you didn't already know or think was outdated."

"Professor Glascock is still very good though. He's teaching the other students what they ought to know. I couldn't expect a professor to do more than that. Besides, if I'm attending classes already knowing the material, then that means I am the second student in this school to do so. You've been that way your entire time here!"

"Not necessarily. Much of the time I knew the fundamentals, but I still needed lessons in practicality as well as how to use what I knew. As I have always said, being book-smart does not make you a great witch."

"Then that just makes you even more amazing," Harry said confidently, looking out over the empty Quidditch field. "You know the material and you master it. There is nothing you can't do. I am very proud to have you as a best friend, Hermione. In light of all this 'mudblood' and 'pureblood' nonsense, I can know the answer to what's right and wrong about it by seeing you and how well you do things, simply because you wanted to show the world your true colors. You are the most amazing girl I've ever known."

Hermione looked up at Harry, flushed from his remark. Her hands were beginning to quiver despite being on Harry's warm hands, and she removed them quickly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing!" Hermione said quickly, smiling. "Let's go inside, shall we? We should tell Ron about our plans."

In lieu of a response, Harry stepped back onto his waiting upright broom and grabbed the handle so that he was hanging onto it like one would when standing on the side of a trolley cart. He held out his hand as he floated beside Hermione. She took it and he pulled her up to him as she stepped onto the crook of the leg brace attached to the broom. He held her close to him with his other arm and the broom floated off towards Hogwarts castle.

* * *

January 26^th

"Well that went fantastically!" Ron said sarcastically as he opened the door to the Astronomy tower and he, Harry, and Hermione walked through. It was well into the night already and most of the other students had gone to bed. The stars were out and there was not a cloud in the sky as the brisk wind blew around them.

"This will make it difficult," Harry replied, frustrated. "Firenze was the only one who could have helped us with the rest of the centaurs."

"Yes, but you heard Professor McGonagall," Hermione said. "He hasn't been seen in a week. Apparently the stars have been shifting or some other nonsense and he went missing. So we're just going to have to do this on our own."

"The stars are shifting?" Ron asked, surprised. "I thought we learned in Astronomy that they never did that. They had fixed courses and that's that."

"Ron, who cares?" Hermione said, irritated. "It's a load of rubbish anyways! There are more important matters. Minister Scrimgeour has agreed to announce Harry's fake speech to the public that is supposed to be in two days, which means we have that much time to figure out what we should do when we approach the entire centaur camp!" Ron ignored her and looked up through a nearby window at the stars.

"We're just going to have to make some kind of peace offering," Harry said. "They must realize Voldemort has been a threat to the forest before. If we convince them he is back in the woods, they might listen."

"Harry... they almost had us killed!" Hermione said, shocked. "I think it will be hard to convince them of anything the stars don't agree with!"

"You may be right, but we have to try. I know Dumbledore had their respect and that was because he respected them first. We have to try the same approach."

"Hey look!" Ron said, pointing at the sky. "Firenze was right!" Harry and Hermione walked over to Ron and looked up at where he was pointing. "Do you remember our O.W.L. exam? The last one I labeled before everything happened that night was that star right there, but if I remember correctly, it should be much closer to the Pleiades cluster. It's moved!"

"Anyways!" Hermione glared at Ron, who broke his gaze from the sky and rejoined her and Harry. "There are other matters we have to focus on right now, such as Harry's Occlumency. I am assuming you have been practicing?"

"Yes," Harry replied, smirking. "I have come to the conclusion that destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes really, really hurts." Ron chuckled. "I have to shut my mind off from our connection, so I have been working on it."

"That's probably why you had me destroy the Horcrux in the vision Harry!" Hermione said brightly. "You were probably concentrating on closing your mind as it was being destroyed!"

"That actually makes a lot of sense," Harry said, putting his hand on his chin in thought. "And you would be able to use my staff with all of its enhanced abilities, because you've taken a drink from Helga Hufflepuff's cup. The pieces are starting to fall into place!"

"So now what we have to worry about is what's actually guarding the wand," Ron said with a hint of pessimism in his voice, "and how we approach it in the first place."

"Well, I doubt Voldemort would take the time to guard it himself," Harry said. "He is probably still too vain to admit it could be found or touched by anyone but himself, so it's a good bet the large group of Death Eaters we saw in the vision will be led by either Lucius Malfoy or Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you find out anything about Malfoy's escape while you were at Azkaban?" Ron asked, curious.

"No. The place is a dingy mausoleum, but it's pretty secure and his cell was located in the interior. I don't really know how he escaped. He is just another obstacle we will have to deal with as we progress, but we can't stop to consider. There simply isn't any time."

"Well, we do have a little time before we enter the forest. What should we do in the meantime?"

"Prepare," Harry said firmly. "Firstly, it is time you two and the rest of the Order were protected under the Spell of Untraceability. Then, we might want to make a stop at Fred and George's shop and see if there is any protective gear we might be able to get from them. As far as I saw the last time we were there, they have a lot of useful things we could use. Lastly, we research everything we know about centaurs, acromantulas, and Rowena Ravenclaw's wand." Hermione smiled and Ron rolled his eyes when he saw her giddy face. "And then of course," Harry finished with a smirk, "we'll have to prepare in more practical ways."

* * *

January 27th

Ron picked himself off from the snow-laden ground and faced Harry once more. They were in the middle of a makeshift Quidditch pitch outside of Hogwarts grounds meant for practice - Hogwarts could still be seen towering up into the sky; they were dueling and Harry wasn't allowing Ron any false steps.

"This is brutal Harry," Ron complained, completely disheveled, his ears and nose red from the cold. "I don't think I could have beaten you in a duel before you left. There's no way I can now."

"You can't think that way Ron," Harry said calmly. He and Ron were in full protective garb (They had made a trip to Fred and George's shop the day before and acquired a host of magically shielding apparel) and wearing their winter cloaks. "It's true, I've trained myself up a lot but I am not ready to face Voldemort. The time is coming when the two of us along with Hermione will have to face him head on. So, give me everything you've got."

Ron nodded and raised his wand. Harry lifted his staff and held it between him and Ron, ever wary of Ron's slightest moves. Ron acted first and shot Harry a curse that he easily dodged. Harry then countered with a Back-blinding hex, but Ron blocked it with little effort. Harry was secretly impressed with Ron's abilities. With each new duel, he gained by leaps and bounds - Harry was determined to be as rough as possible so that Ron would be ready when the time came. He twirled his staff in his hands as he decided on his next move, still completely focused on Ron. He saw Ron's eyes shift to his left slightly and Harry knew what he was going to do. As Ron Apparated, Harry sidestepped and waited until Ron appeared right in front of him. When he did, Harry took his staff and placed in quickly in front of Ron's face, his intimidating orb glowing fiercely as Ron raised his hands in surrender.

"Ramses taught me that one," Harry said, lowering his staff. "You have to imagine where you are apparating to without looking at it... you gave away your position and I caught you red-handed."

"Care if I have a go?" a voice said behind them. Harry and Ron turned to find Hermione in a bright crimson cloak, facing them with a whimsical smile.

"Sure!" Ron said with a laugh. "It will be nice to see someone else's butt handed to them for a change."

Harry stood his ground as Hermione made her way opposite to him on the snowy pitch. They faced each other with determined faces. Harry was slightly intimidated by Hermione's resolute look - he was looking at that same twinkle in her eye that he had seen before. She had no intentions of losing. They bowed and, like Ron, she then struck first. She waved her wand in the air in a delicate manner, but nothing happened. Ron roared in laughter, but Harry narrowed his eyes. Something happened. Hermione knows what she is doing. Before he could do anything, Hermione once again acted. She waved her wand once more and Harry sensed something happen this time, but still, there was no physical sign she had done anything. Ron began to laugh hysterically once more, but both Harry and Hermione stood poised, not flinching a muscle and not giving anything away. Harry was starting to become thrilled. Now that they were fully capable of performing most spells and curses without saying anything, it was a battle of the minds and wands, and there was no better mind to go up against than Hermione's.

Harry couldn't wait for her to do anything any longer. He performed a Back-blinding hex once more, which shot at Hermione with full force. She stood resolute as it shot towards her, but right before it hit her, the curse bounced off and spread towards Harry in five split rays. He shielded himself with his staff, but he was knocked back by the sheer force of the bounced curse until he was standing a good five feet from where he stood before. Ron's mouth dropped as Hermione smirked and raised her wand in readiness.

A hex-blocker, Harry thought to himself. She's using a ward to deflect my hexes, knowing the orb puts her at a disadvantage if she fights my spells head on. You're very clever, Hermione, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Harry Apparated quickly to a spot behind her, and Hermione whirled in anticipation; however, Harry Apparated again, this time to her right. She turned around and back again as Harry Apparated and re-Apparated over and over until Hermione stood still, waiting for him to stop. He did stop, right behind her and immediately launched a leg-locker curse, which hit her squarely in the legs, knocking her over. Harry rushed towards her but Hermione quickly Apparated to the far end of the pitch where she performed the counter-curse on her legs and freed them. She then Apparated back, ready once more. As they faced off, she looked past Harry towards the castle and smiled. Suddenly, a large sort of sheet rushed past him and landed neatly in Hermione's hands - it was his invisibility cloak.

"Hope you don't mind that I borrow this!" Hermione said as she quickly put it on and disappeared.

"Looks like you got more than you bargained for, mate!" Ron said.

"Tell me about it," Harry said, wary of his surroundings. She had summoned his cloak in the beginning of their duel and just bided her time.

He heard a flash and ducked quickly as a curse shot over his head from behind him. He turned to look where it came from, but he saw nothing. There was another flash to his right, but this time he wasn't quick enough. He was hit and his right arm quickly went numb. His left hand took his staff and he started running, just to avoid being a still target. As his mind raced, he got an idea. He lowered his staff to the ground.

"INFLAMARI SOSIA MAXIMUS!"

Fire shot from his staff and spread through the field like wildfire, melting or vaporizing the snow in its path. Harry watched as it spread, looking for any sign of Hermione. He soon spotted her - a glow of protection that blocked the fire from one small area in the snow. He launched a curse in that direction, but missed as the glowing circle moved.

"It's no good now Hermione!" Harry shouted as he performed the counter-curse to remove the numbness in his right arm. "Look around you! The pitch is now a giant puddle. I'll hear you coming a mile away!" To his left, Hermione pulled off the invisibility cloak and dropped it, smitten at Harry's brilliant idea. However, she smiled and raised her wand in confidence.

"Nice one Harry, but I'm not done."

"Bring it," Harry said, twirling his staff in readiness. Hermione responded by Apparating towards him. She appeared to his right and launched curse after curse, Harry dodging or blocking them, while launching curses of his own. He thought he finally got her with a Confundus charm - she was knocked squarely on her back and Harry felt a twinge of guilt in doing it, but Hermione scrambled up quickly and launched her bird summoning spell in order to recover. A dozen birds erupted from her wand and swirled around Harry as Hermione came to her senses and faced Harry again. He magicked the birds away and confronted her. They were both breathing hard, but smiling with intense enjoyment. Harry was completely invigorated - Hermione was fighting him with everything she had, pushing him to be the best he could be. They were both fueled by a desire. It wasn't to win... at least not to him. He wanted to win, but losing wasn't important right at that moment. He was just happy to be there... with Hermione....

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, flicking her wrist towards Harry. His staff flew out of his hand. He reacted quickly, Apparating behind Hermione.

"Adesdum!" he said, holding out his hand. Harry's staff shot instantly back to him. He turned towards Hermione who had started to utter another curse.

"Expelliarmus!" they shouted at the same time. Both of their staves rocketed out of their hands, Hermione's wand landing just a few feet from him. He dove for it, and picked it up from out of the water, but before he could lift his head, he felt it - the smooth, warm surface of the Orb of Slytherin against his face.

"Drop it," Hermione said in a fatigued voice. Harry slowly upturned her wand, holding it from the tip. He stood up with his hands raised and looked at her, smiling. She had a victorious smile on her face, but her lower lip was slightly trembling as she looked up at him, his staff still pointed at his chest. Harry knew what she was thinking. She was shocked that she had actually beat him, but also relieved she could match him at times... Harry knew right then that Hermione finally believed she could truly be useful to him, as Harry always knew she was.

"As I said before," Harry said warmly. "Amazing."

Hermione smiled, dropped his staff to her side and fell into Harry's arms in exhaustion. Suddenly, a loud cheer came from the stands where Ron had been sitting. They both turned to see what was happening and they saw a large group of students standing near the Hogwarts entrance gate near the field; they were applauding them! They had watched their duel and most of them had looks of amazement on their faces.

A few seconds later, chants of: "HER-MIO-NE! HER-MIO-NE! HER-MIO-NE!" came forth and Hermione blushed against Harry's chest as she still held onto him.

"Come on," Harry said tenderly as Ron joined them with a great big look of awe and inspiration in his face. "We have a big day tomorrow."

* * *

January 28^th

The Forbidden Forest at night was always a grim prospect, even when Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been inside so many times. Were the circumstances not dire, Harry would have considered it to be amusing to remember all students were always reminded never to go into the Forbidden Forest, and yet he always found himself wandering amongst its trees in an endless flight from danger that seemed to pursue him relentlessly. But the circumstances were dire and Harry pushed all unnecessary thoughts aside as the three of them and Hagrid walked through the forest. They were all cloaked with their hoods up while Hagrid carried his crossbow steadily as he led the way, each of them alert as they moved cautiously with their wands drawn, or, in Harry's case, staff at the ready.

Where they were going, they didn't exactly know. Hagrid knew what they did: the centaurs lived north of the castle. Each of them had put their heads together to decide where exactly Harry's vision had traveled to in pursuit of the centaur camp. Harry and Hermione also had some idea from their ordeal with the centaurs and Umbridge two years' previous. They knew the direction, but beyond that, they were hoping for a little luck. Ron and Hermione felt more secure than they usually were in the Forest, partly because the Spell of Untraceability was now protecting them and partly because they were with Harry and Hagrid, but the Forest was never a place they felt completely at home in. Worthwhile felt ill and Harry decided it was best he not come with them. He reluctantly agreed, but vowed he would be able the next time around.

"I'm glad you're with us Hagrid," Harry said quietly.

"Aye, I'm glad I could be here," Hagrid said in a voice as low as he could. "These centaurs won' be takin' a likin' to you Harry, no matter what you have to say. Are you sure you don' just wanna make yur way to the spiders direct?"

"I'm afraid not. There must be a reason the centaurs are important. We have to know what it is."

"How are ya gonna do it? Yur not just gonna walk up to em are ya?"

"I don't know. If they aim to fight me, I might have no choice, but I have to believe we can make peace."

"Well don' you worry Harry. These centaurs are stubborn beasts, but they do at least know there's a war goin' on. I don' think they would ever side with You-Know-Who."

They continued to scour the forest, looking for any signs of the centaurs. Harry was afraid they might have to give up soon, when he heard a noise coming from nearby. He hushed the others and perked his ears. It was definitely something, but he couldn't tell what. He moved towards it, still listening intently, but walking in utmost silence as the others quietly followed.

The noise became louder and louder and Harry was able to determine there were definitely voices - cheers in fact. There was a light in the distance.

"Uh, I think we may have come at a bad time," Hagrid said ominously.

"Why -" Harry began to ask, before there was a loud snap and then a shout from the near distance. Harry had stepped on a large branch and someone nearby, most likely a guard or scout, had heard it. In seconds, there was a large rumble like a stampede and dozens of centaurs came bursting into the clearing they were in. The four of them grouped together as more and more centaurs came from the place Harry had heard the noises - many more than the day they had tried to cart Harry and Hermione off along with Umbridge.

"Harry! From the vision!" Hermione said anxiously.

"I know," Harry said. "This was why they rushed off. It was us."

They were soon surrounded by centaurs, most of whom bore weapons and angry faces. The one Harry recognized as Bane came to confront them and wore the most unpleasant face of all. His black hair was lined with gold streaks and he had a wreath on his head.

"Why do you humans persist to hassle us?" he said angrily. "You were lucky to escape us once, but now you throw your lack of respect for our kind in our faces."

"We did not come here without the utmost of urgency and respect," Harry said firmly, "but there is more at stake here than any of you realize. Or perhaps you do -- it is obvious your skills in reading the stars must tell you the world is in dire straits right now."

"Do not patronize us. We have told your master, Albus Dumbledore, we cannot join him or the rest of you humans. However, you have interrupted a great ceremony of ours and you must pay for it."

"Stop!" Ronan, the other centaur Harry knew by name from the group, came up to Bane and put his hand on his shoulder He also had golden streaks in his red hair as well as alongside his back. "We cannot do this! This is Harry Potter, Dumbledore's apprentice." Harry's ears perked at being called that. "We cannot touch the one cherished by the man who we called an associate."

"They have degraded our ways and customs long enough!"

"We have done no such thing!" Harry said angrily. "We have always come here in good faith and with respect for all life, much like Hagrid, in whom you know is goodness, but you have been biased against us from the start, simply because we are human!"

Bane angrily shouted, but Ronan held him back.

"You're not doing yourselves any good by coming here," Ronan said patiently. "You must go back to where you came from."

"We cannot do that. Don't you all see?" Harry looked around, pleading to the rest of the herd. "The world will soon be mired in evil and we must prevent it! I am sure you all know Voldemort still has a presence here in the Forest, and yet you do nothing!"

"We cannot set ourselves against the heavens!" Bane said haughtily. "We know the future that awaits!"

"The heavens?" Ron suddenly said behind Harry. Harry and Hermione both looked at each other and then at Ron. "If you are the ever-watchful stargazers, surely you would have seen that." Ron pointed up at the sky and many of the centaurs looked up, not in surprise, but as if they already knew what he was talking about. Bane, however, did not look up. He just stared at Ron with a look of shame as well as anger.

"The stars that have always been fixed in the sky are moving," Ron continued. "I'm not an expert, but my guess is that this particular star has all of you doubting everything you thought you knew." Harry was incredibly impressed, although he didn't show it. He glanced at Hermione who had a mixed look of adoration and guilt on her face.

"We did not come to trouble you," Harry said to break silence. "We came to seek your friendship..." Bane looked up in surprise at Harry. "And your help."

"He is right!" a voice said from behind them. They all turned to see who it was. A break was made by the centaurs for the new face and a palomino body entered the fray - it was Firenze and he stood boldly next to Harry, facing the rest of his former herd. Unlike the rest of the centaurs, his white-blond hair was free of any streaks or paints. He had obviously not been invited to their party.

"You all have seen the changing of the stars' positions. It would seem destiny can change its mind once in a while." The other centaurs began to rumble amongst themselves. Finally Bane lifted his arm to quiet them and he approached Harry.

"Do you consider us to be your equals Harry Potter?"

"I always have."

"Then I ask for your forgiveness. I have been foolish and would like to represent all of the centaurs here by requesting that we join you in your struggle."

"That would be most welcome," Harry said, smiling.

"Come," Ronan said, coming up to them and offering his hand in greeting to them all. "One of our women has given birth and we are in the midst of a foal banquet. Please... we would be honored if you, Hagrid, and your friends joined us."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid all followed the much happier group of centaurs back towards their festival. A large fire was still roaring and centaur women and their children came out to greet them. Harry and Ron chuckled when Hermione gasped after seeing nothing was covering the women except their own long hair. They were all much friendlier towards them, however, and showed them around as their celebration got back under way. Many began to dance to strange music Harry had never heard before and still others congregated in various small groups, talking, many of them often pointing towards the sky. Hagrid went off to join a group of centaurs who were drinking from large pitchers.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all joined in the festivities. Harry saw Bane and Firenze make up and Harry was glad to see he was reinstated with his people. Ron used one of his Trinny charms to turn into a beautiful unicorn with streaks of red in its mane and joined some of the younger centaurs in games they were playing. Hermione meanwhile joined some of the women and talked with them. Harry wandered in and among the various conversations, fascinated with what they were talking about. He still considered Trelawney to be a fraud for the most part, but he liked hearing the centaurs talk, much as he always liked hearing Firenze talk about the stars. He was encouraged by what had happened that night. He had made friends and allies against Voldemort, but more importantly, he had seen destiny change... he had watched as a star in the sky moved for no apparent reason except to allow everyone to think. He certainly did.

He finally moved towards the dwindling, but still chipper fire and sat against a large log that had been placed in front of it. He watched the flickering licks of flame while contemplating how serious the next day would be. Hermione, after a time, came over and sat next to him, also quiet in thought. Finally she spoke.

"The girls say tomorrow there will be a storm."

"Yes, that's what Ronan said as well. We will have to leave early. We are in for a fight tomorrow."

"Do you think we will be alright?" Hermione asked.

"I think so. Now that we have centaurs willing to fight with us, the spiders will be less daunting. It will still be dangerous, but after seeing your skill with the wand, I'm sure I will be protected." Harry winked and Hermione smiled, before becoming nervous in her demeanor again. She looked away from Harry, towards the fire, her thumbs fiddling with each other.

"Harry, I need to tell you something - I meant to tell you the day I found you, but we were... interrupted."

"Oh that's right!" Harry exclaimed thoughtfully, scooting closer to her. "What is it?"

"Well... Harry..." She breathed deeply and paused for a few seconds as if contemplating even telling him. She finally looked at him. "Harry -- Ron and I broke up because of me... I entered our relationship because I settled for something I wasn't inspired to pursue. I-I love Ron very much, but I could never be in love with him, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise... I knew this from day one."

"I see." Harry was caught off guard but gathered himself quickly. "Then why did you date him?"

"I was selfish. I knew Ron had feelings for me and I used that so that I could feel cared for as you cared for Cho... and for Ginny. I wanted that and, in my head, I somehow imagined eventually I would fall for the boy who I knew was interested in me: Ron. Ginny came to me and asked me if I was attracted to him and I said yes and I was, but it was more the idea of being involved. I used Ron's feelings for my own reasons. Ginny came up with a plan to use Fred and George's love potion to make you start noticing her - she had me convinced you would have fallen for her anyways because of how popular you both were, but that you just needed a nudge. She knew Ron had fancied me and she reasoned that what she was doing was for the best 'so we could all be a family' - that it was meant to be. And I believed her - it actually sounded good for a while actually. It would have assured we were always together, even if it meant sacrificing what I held closest to my heart."

"Hermione, you always said love isn't so trivial that it can be taken for granted."

"I know... I know," she said very quietly, almost whispering as a tear ran down her face, followed by another. Her heart was broken, something Harry knew. "In return for our stupidity, Ginny and I were devastated. We were both women in love with faulty ideas. She pursued it and I shied away."

"What idea Hermione? It sounds as if you're saying you love someone who would never return that love. Is there someone else?"

Hermione looked deeply into Harry's eyes and he returned the look, diving deep into her soul and connecting to her heart in ways he never thought was possible, losing sight of all matters of importance. All was not fair in love and war - in fact, there was nothing else at all and he knew... he knew her true love.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "I love you. I've loved you for a long time... I just didn't know how much." She moved closer to him. Harry's heart was pounding so loud, he was afraid Ron might hear somewhere nearby, although he knew it wasn't possible.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Harry replied breathlessly.

"How could I? I was just an average girl with feelings for the boy chosen to deliver the entire world from evil! You always seemed like you were meant for popular and beautiful girls like Cho Chang... maybe I should have had more courage. You always stood up for me and believed in me. Ron was always making up for what he lacked and it was kind and sweet, but you and I always had this connection - I could always trust you. You were awkward, but sincere; sometimes we said unkind things to each other, but I always knew that what we had was special and I hated to think I could ever lose that. So, I made the biggest mistake of my life by pursuing Ron despite my real feelings."

"Because you wanted us to be a family."

Hermione nodded. "I had resigned myself to the fact you and I could never be, but when Lavender started catching Ron's eye, I panicked. I set out to make sure I didn't lose both of my boys, and in the process, I turned into a conniving and petty little monster. To say the least, I had to do a lot of soul searching last summer. I had used Ron for my own selfish reasons and for what gain?"

"Why is it girls can never just say what they need to say?" Harry said with a small note of frustration, running his hand through his hair.

"That is what makes us girls, I suppose." She smiled bitterly. "I know I have gotten on your case about romance at times in the past, but to tell you the truth, until recently, I didn't even know what I wanted, nor did I let anyone else know either. The first time you kissed Ginny, I was all smiles, but inside I was devastated. I had denied my heart for fear of loving someone who could never possible love me, but it just tortured me no matter how much I tried to get rid of the feelings I had. The truth is, the day I learned you were proudly telling people I was the best in our year was the day I truly and deeply fell for you... and it was the day I gave up on you. It basically set me up for the worst year of my life." Hermione paused as she searched Harry's eyes and he looked back. "I mean... you're Harry Potter! What kind of chance did a girl like me have?"

Harry was at a turning point. Something was different... as if it were out of place. He knew he had something, but it didn't seem right. Could he permit this love? He could see her in front of him: a beautiful woman who hadn't transformed over night, but, in fact, had grown with him, through hard times and good times, through cheer and gloom, through life and death. They used to be two kids, boarding a train without a real ounce of sense about the magical world like the kind Ron possessed. They were two of a kind and it was that connection that helped them survive seven long years. She was always there for him and for that, he had come to recognize her importance... or had he? Could it be so glaringly obvious? he thought. That true love is so close and so easy to find... so easy to possess? When has anything ever been so easy? What if I screw it up and lose her? I would never be able to forgive myself!

Harry was about to say something... anything... to change the subject and avoid having to look into Hermione's imploring face, when suddenly a light switch clicked on. He saw that same glimmer in her eyes... he had seen it before... when they spoke on the Quidditch field and when they had dueled. He couldn't explain it or define it, but it was wonderful and he didn't want to stop looking. Then he heard a voice... his voice. It called out to him and rang in his head like a blaring gong that reverberated through his heart and soul and gave him the answer he never knew existed.

Take her, you idiot.

Harry leaned forward, took her into his arms and kissed her. She held his face gently as they kissed differently than either of them had kissed before - they needed it, wanted it, and could not part in those seconds, even if the world implored them to pull apart. It shattered their friendship into a thousand different pieces, but their kiss picked those various pieces up and constructed something new - and it was far more wonderful and glorious than either of them could have imagined.

They finally parted, she still touching his face, he still holding her close. They looked deeply into each others' eyes, wondering if the other was thinking the same thing, and as suddenly as they had kissed, they began to laugh. It wasn't loud or quiet. It wasn't a chuckle or a shout - it was a laugh of relief, for both of them felt like they had just let go of a huge load on their shoulders - a load neither of them knew why they were carrying in the first place.

They finally calmed down and Hermione clutched close to Harry, putting her head in the crook of his neck and smiling warmly. Harry's heart was still pounding like a drum, but he felt wonderful inside as he squeezed Hermione in earnest. They sat in peace, wondering what was to happen next, but not caring... drifting to thoughts and dreams that never came close to the next day that was drawing ever more steadily near.