Chapter 33: New Year and New WorriesChapter TextLuna gave a stretch as she woke up in her bed back at home. Her dad made it home a couple of days before she had to head back to Hogwarts and they were spending them together. She was surprised how much she ended up enjoying her holiday break over all. It had started off seeming it would be so lonely without her dad, but she ended up having the best Christmas since her mother died.
Hermione and her family really took a shine to having Luna over for Christmas. She felt very welcomed in their home. They even took her to see a bunch of muggle Christmas trees around the area.
Luna decided muggles definitely did the whole Christmas thing better than magicals. She thought the tree at Hogwarts was huge. It was nothing compared to some of the ones they showed her. She didn't even get how they could grow trees that big and tall without magic.
She loved muggle Christmas lights more too. They didn't have literal fairy lights, but the lights they did have were more impressive to her. Luna also really liked the whole Santa thing. Hermione said he wasn't real, but she agreed with Luna he would probably be a wizard. There was no other way he could cover pretty much whole world in one night, even if you took into account time zones and such.
The Ravenclaw first year did apologize to Hermione a couple of times in private for what happened in the Rust District. She had felt really lonely Christmas Night, but she would have waited a bit before joining them, if she knew what Hermione had planned. That was part of the reason she took her time in the shower the next morning. She wanted to give them time to be with each other in that kind of a way. She also felt really hot and bothered after Hermione was that close to her privates.
Luna did really enjoy herself in that shower. She had a lot of ideas pass through her head. They involved both Hermione and Harry. Though given what happened, Hermione occupied more of her thoughts. Luna decided she was far too sexually curious for her good. Part of her really wanted to see Hermione back there too. Luna was surprised she kind of wanted to do that atomic sit-up thing with Hermione standing above her. " Perhaps that's why the Wrackspurts acted the way they did at that time, " Luna thought to herself.
Luna blushed as she rolled to her side. She really didn't get why she was interested in these things so much. She really wished her mom was here, or at least she had someone she could talk to about it. She was curious about it all! She couldn't ask her dad though. That was not only too embarrassing, but he wouldn't know what to do. He would probably run off to follow some sudden lead he forgot if she asked him about that kind of stuff.
She couldn't really ask Ginny's mom either. Ginny was still acting weird as it was. Luna really was worried her oldest friend no longer wanted anything to do with her. Even if things were still good between them, Luna was pretty sure Mrs. Weasley was the last person to ask about such things. If she knew what Luna was thinking, Mrs. Weasley would probably call her a scarlet woman. The term didn't really have an exact meaning, but Luna knew it wasn't a nice thing.
Luna sighed and sat up again. She stretched once more, but this time made her way to her bathroom. She would get her mind off of things and enjoy the time she had with her daddy before the break was over. She would have to thank both Harry and Hermione again when she saw them. She would also ask them how she could show her thanks to Davey, and Hermione's parents.
[-] [-] [-]
"How was Luna over the second half of the break?" Harry asked as he and Hermione sat in a compartment on the train. They were waiting for the others to join them.
"She was a lot of fun! We loved getting to show her a muggle Christmas. She really liked it too. She also had plenty to talk about with my parents and kept from going too Luna on them. I can appreciate her thoughts now, but it would have been too confusing for my parents. Magic at a very basic level is confusing enough for them," Hermione said with a fond smile.
"Was she a problem when it came to sleeping?" Harry asked.
"No, she wasn't. I think it's because it was just the two of us and I do have a big bed," Hermione replied.
Luna did still move a little in her sleep, but the worst that happened was actually kind of cute. Hermione woke up a couple of times with Luna happily snuggling up against her. She even got used to Luna's far too mature night clothes by the end of the holiday break.
"I'm glad to hear that," Harry said with a smile.
"Hello, you two!" Hannah said as she and Susan entered the compartment.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Susan asked.
"Yes. How about you two?" Harry replied.
"I did. I also mentioned what we discussed to my aunt," Susan said.
"Any luck there yet?" Hermione asked.
"Too soon to know for sure, but she did have that look she gets when she's figured something out. I think that's a good sign," Susan said.
"My Christmas was about the same as usual. It was nice though," Hannah said next as the others looked to her.
The compartment door opened again and this time it was Luna. Hannah and Susan decided she looked a lot happier than she did before the break. The group then settled in and told each other more about their break.
[-] [-] [-]
At the new year school feast, Hannah had a rather pensive look on her face about half way through. "What's on your mind?" Hermione asked.
"I'll mention it when we get back to our room," Hannah replied. She didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. She also didn't really want to be overheard by others.
When they got back to their room, Hermione looked to her and asked again, "What is on your mind?"
Hannah sighed. "We might want to sit down for this…" she said.
Once they were all seated, she spoke again. "Tell me. Did any of you mention what's been going on here this year to anyone?" Hannah asked.
They were in thought for a moment. "I'm talking about the chamber and the attacks in particular," she added darkly.
Three sets eyes widened at that.
"No!" Hermione almost shouted in shock.
"I didn't either… I would have mentioned something like that to my aunt for sure!" Susan said in disbelief.
Harry stood up and started to pace agitatedly. Why didn't he mention that at all? He would have surely told Lupin about it. "What's going on here? We even had a friend attacked," he said.
"That's what I want to know," Hannah said. She shook her head. "I don't like what I'm thinking… I really don't. I didn't say anything either. There were a couple of times I felt as if I wasn't saying something I should about the year when talking to my parents…" she said.
"You just thought… It wasn't anything worth ruining the Christmas mood for…" Susan answered in worry.
Hannah nodded.
Harry was glowering now. "It's Dumbledore… It has to be!" he said.
"How?" Hermione asked in horror. She really didn't like the idea of a headmaster doing something like this to their students. She couldn't think of another answer though.
Hannah made an agitated sound. "The only thing I can think of is a compulsion charm of some kind," she said through gritted teeth.
"That can't be legal…" Hermione said in a pleading voice.
Susan swallowed. "It could be… It could be justified as sort of using a long lasting and more powerful but subtle cheering charm almost. Dumbledore's also really respected… All he'd have to do was say something along the lines of wanting his wonderful students to enjoy their Holiday Break. He could even say he underestimated it would be that intense," she said.
"I really don't want to hate Dumbledore… But he's only giving me reasons to do so with this whole chamber thing," Harry said as he sat down. Why couldn't the headmaster just solve the problem already? He clearly knew what was happening and he was even willing to go to such lengths to keep the students from leaking the information.
"You're right, Harry," Hermione started with a sad sigh. "He is too focused on information control than actually solving the problem it seems." She hated having to admit such a thing about a person in such an important position. There wasn't any other explanation coming to her mind.
The group weren't sure what they could do about this though. It was rather disheartening to know their headmaster, who was supposed to have the students' best interest at heart, didn't really seem to care about what was happening. It was like Dumbledore felt it was too much of a hassle on his end to do anything about it all. He seemed to be banking on it only happening a couple of times before then ending.
"One thing is clear to me," Harry started. The girls looked to him. "We'll have to take it upon ourselves to solve a Hogwarts problem again," he said with a frustrated sigh. The girls couldn't think of a way to counter what he said.
[-] [-] [-]
Amelia Bones was not in a good mood. This wasn't too unusual given her job, however the reason for her bad mood this time was very unusual. She couldn't believe no one seemed to realize what was possibly happening at the ministry. She knew there was corruption, but she never knew they would purposefully throw someone into Azkaban without a trial.
Her niece mentioned something that got her thinking about what happened to Sirius Black. Everyone was sure he was responsible for the deaths of James and Lily Potter by handing them over, but he should have still had a trial. There was a very remote possibility he did and everyone forgot, but Amelia doubted that at the moment.
"Such an event would have been huge! No one should be wondering if the trial happened or not. It would have been all over the paper. People would probably still be talking about it even today! It would be used as an example for both Defense Attorneys and Prosecutors when it came to studying wizard law. It would be touted as a great Ministry success in putting someone so guilty and from such a proponent family in Azkaban. It would be their go to excuse whenever someone mentioned corruption in the ministry and how the old pure blood families seemed nigh untouchable, " she thought to herself as she made her way to her destination.
She was going to look into the matter now. She would be careful with it as well. This needed to be done without much notice for now. She already had ideas on how to broach the subject with Minster Fudge in a way he couldn't and wouldn't say no. She needed to be fully sure first. She even had a plan on who to get to further investigate the matter. She needed to check the very basic things first.
"Morning, Madam Bones," a clerk behind a desk greeted her.
"Morning, Clyde," she returned.
"What brings you here?" Clyde asked.
"I need to look up some records on previous trials. It is for an ongoing investigation," she said.
"Oh? Okay," Clyde said as he handed her the sign-in sheet.
Amelia nodded as she signed in. "Will this be all?" she asked.
Clyde looked it over and nodded. "Remember. You can't remove any files. You can make copies of them though," he said.
Amelia shook her head. She knew he had to say this, but it really was annoying for her. This was far from her first rodeo. Looking through previous trials was common for an Auror. In fact, it was so common it gave her an idea on how to be even more thorough about this and not take up too many official resources.
"When you're finished, ring the service bell inside," Clyde said as he opened the special doors to the records room for her.
"Thanks, Clyde. Have a good day," Amelia said as he nodded in reply.
Once inside and alone, she sighed. This could take a while. It was important though. She would not allow such an injustice. It would look bad for the Ministry on a whole, but in particular the DMLE, if there was someone in Azkaban who never had a trial. Let alone if it was proven he was innocent. There was still a chance for them to make it right though.
[-] [-] [-]
It wasn't long until everyone was back into the groove of school. Harry and the others started to look a little more in earnest for anything regarding the chamber, but weren't having much luck. They were looking through books about creatures hoping to find what Slytherin's beast could possibly be. There was a surprising number of things that could petrify. Sadly, they didn't have much else to go on at the moment. There wasn't much they could do to narrow it down.
They even tried writing down the little they did know on a magic board. It wasn't much. A strange voice. Mrs. Norris' attack and the puddle of water. The message about the heir and the chamber. Colin's attack and his damaged camera. The chamber having been opened before years ago. Justin's attack along with Nearly-Headless Nick.
It helped them keep track of everything, but they didn't really have a place they could keep it outside of their dorm. They wanted to get Luna's help on it, but they had to pass everything on by mouth to her or write it down on parchment. That did help, but seeing things written down on a board would help more. You could make connections that you didn't from just hearing it said or seeing it scribbled out on parchment.
Harry and the others feared looking for help from their house mates on this matter. The Hufflepuffs would help in full force. Sadly, that would get Dumbledore's attention. Given the headmaster was prone to covering up instead of solving the problem, they agreed that was a bad idea. There was no way he would just leave it be if a whole house was looking into the matter with strong determination.
"I wish there was a way we could look more into the last time the chamber was open…" Susan sighed for probably the hundredth time.
They tried that approach, but it seemed the Headmaster, or maybe his predecessor, covered up information from the previous incident. The group really hated how much people in power were more concerned with information control, even if they understood why. It did exactly what its purpose was. It made finding the truth more difficult.
"Even the lead from Draco all that time ago, didn't pan out. You would think you could find something about the student who died. At the very least, a memorial at the school or something," Hannah said with a frown.
"We'd have to go to the ministry for an archive of that. I might have tried to ask my aunt, but we know information is being controlled and controlled heavily. I wouldn't be surprised if they were looking through correspondence on the matter. A spell that would find out if anything regarding the chamber or the attacks was mentioned. It could even be used to spoof a reply, if they were desperate enough. Which it seems Dumbledore is," Susan said with a heavy frown.
That was another possible trick people tried she learned from her aunt. She was surprised how much her aunt's lessons regarding Aurors and dark wizards were coming into play in her life. She didn't want to be an Auror, but it almost felt like magic was trying to pull her that direction for whatever reason at times. It was like magic wanted her so used to such things that it only seemed natural for her to become an Auror after she graduated.
Hannah placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and smiled at her. Hannah knew what was going through the mind of her friend to an extent at the moment. Susan smiled back to her in thanks after taking in a relaxing breath. She really was lucky to have such a great best friend.
"There's also the whole Sirius thing. If she is taking action on that, she'll probably be very busy. Speaking of Aurors… I wonder how Tonks is doing," Hermione said to the others.
They were all kind of wondering the same. "She hasn't said anything to us. Maybe that means she is too busy with her Auror training. I kind of get the feeling if she had quit or failed out by this point, she would have said something to us. Even if it was only to have our support and let her focus on something different from leaving her dream behind," Harry said.
[-] [-] [-]
Madam Bones sighed as she waited in her office for two people to arrive. She had no doubt they would be the best for this important case at this stage. She had not found a record of Sirius Black's trial. At the same time, she felt she could trust these two to be as impartial as possible while also very determined to see this completed properly. That was key to taking any further action. The last thing she wanted was to allow someone loopholes to free other "potentially innocent" residents of Azkaban "unfairly tried". She had no doubt all of those so called innocents would have brazenly showed off their Dark Mark during their trial or something.
There was a knock on her office door. "Come in," she called.
"You wanted to speak with us, Madam Bones? You haven't forgotten I've made it clear I intend to retire after training my charge. Have you? I don't want to be dragged further into DMLE business. I've had my time," a grizzled man with a magical eye and wooden leg grumbled out.
"I have not forgotten, Alastor. I've come across something troubling, but a big part of it will be office work more or less. I figured it would be the perfect chance for you to get your charge, Ms. Tonks, familiar with assuring her cases are tied shut with little room for the accused to wiggle out of a conviction," Madam Bones said.
"Oh?" Alastor Moody asked as his eye seemed to whiz about in its socket.
Next to him, a young woman fresh from Hogwarts looked a little astonished she was getting such treatment. She knew many had said they had high hopes for her, especially because of her unique abilities, but a personal assignment from the Head of the DMLE was unexpected. Her bright pink hair styled in a bob cut turned a little darker in color briefly.
"You do have the best conviction record. You would know what all to look for in a trial," Madam Bones said.
Moddy nodded to that. "I've always hated office work in the past, but I knew how important it was," he said.
"What are we going to do?" Tonks asked curiously.
"More like. What is this about," Moody corrected.
Madam Bones took in a deep breath and let it out. "During the course of the holiday break, my niece mentioned something that really sparked my interest and got me racking my brain on something important," she said.
Tonks couldn't help but smile as she said, "That sounds like Susan. She was rather quiet compared to the others, but when she said something it was important and got you thinking."
"That's right. You were her RA," Madam Bones said as Tonks nodded.
"What was it you discovered?" Moody asked.
"There is a chance, an awful chance, that there may be an innocent man in Azkaban. One who never received a trial," Madam Bones said.
Moody's scarred face grew dark at the implications of what she said. He had no sympathy for those in Azkaban, but that was because he was sure those there deserved it. Someone being there who didn't have a trail? That was not to be taken lightly. "Who is it?" he asked.
"Surprisingly, it is the seemingly most notorious of criminals," she said.
"You can't mean…" Moody started as his eye started to whiz about even faster.
"I am referring to Sirius Black," Madam Bones said.
"What?! My cousin?!" Tonks shouted. Madam Bones was thankful she had wards in place to keep from being overheard, even from the loudest of shouts in her office.
"It would seem so. I have checked the records myself and there is nothing mentioned of his trial. I also realized I don't remember it actually taking place. I only remember everyone saying he was guilty and went straight to Azkaban," she said.
"This is a very serious matter, Madam Bones," Moody said.
"I know it is. That is why I want you two to thoroughly check over the records of trials from that time. There is a very remote possibility the record was lost. However, someone who people claim was as heavily involved in Death Eater activities as Sirius was, would be mentioned in other trials. His trial could also be sited when convicting others," Madam Bones said.
"What will we do if it is discovered he didn't have a trial? I don't like the idea of others being given a second chance simply because he didn't have a trial. In fact… I might even go so far as to say if he was used as evidence in other trials… Well… Official channels correcting this mistake should not be used," Moody said.
"You can't be suggesting my cousin be left to rot if it turns out he didn't have a trail?! Can you?" Tonks asked in horror. She always figured Moody had the strongest sense of justice in the DMLE.
"I did make a point of only saying official channels be avoided," Moody growled to her.
"Oh…" Tonks' eyes widened at the implications.
"I do not believe that will be the case. That however, is the reason I want you two looking over all of the trials from that time frame. It will be a lot of work, but it will also really help out young Ms. Tonks here. She can learn how to ensure she continues your tradition of highest conviction rate. We need to make sure this is handled properly in every way we can," Madam Bones said.
"I agree," Tonks said quickly. She would go through the pain of all this research. She wanted to be sure if he was guilty, he was tried and found guilty. If he was innocent, she wanted to make sure he had the best chances of being released after his trial. She grew up being told by her mother Sirius' betrayal was both surprising and very terrible.
Moody was nodding in thought. He could get behind this. He also realized he was in the best position to ensure this happened. He was known as Mad-Eye Moody and seen as a little crazy, but very respectable. He was seen as less full-on crazy and more overly paranoid by other people. Though he personally believed himself to be the right amount of paranoid. He knew more than anyone else what dark wizards were capable of doing. It made perfect sense he would have his initiate painstakingly go through old trial records with him. No one would wonder what they were doing or interrupt them.
"This would be a great opportunity to teach you one of the most important, if not least exciting, aspect of being an Auror, Initiate Tonks," he said to her. She nodded in agreement.
Tonks wanted to make her little firsties… actually, they were second years now… either way, she wanted to make them proud. Learning all she could from the greatest Auror, if not most paranoid, was the best chance of accomplishing that.
Madam Bones slid a piece of parchment to Alastor Moody. "That is a list of the current residents of Azkaban. I am sure you know why you need to carefully go over their trials in particular," she said.
Moody looked over the list and nodded. "I'll even be extra attentive to my own cases," he said. Pretty much everyone knew Moody was his own biggest critic.
Madam Bones handed him another piece of parchment. "This is a list I complied of cases for those who were acquitted from their trails as well. The purpose of looking them over is to be sure Sirius Black wasn't mentioned in them either," she said.
Moody looked over the list and handed it to Tonks. "Is this part really necessary?" she asked as she looked it over.
"Even if it wasn't... It would be good to see them as well. As they say, you should learn from others' mistakes. Sometimes a technicality or even something small, can be all the difference between a conviction or an acquittal in trial," he said to her.
"That will be all. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Madam Bones asked.
"Do you have a second group in mind for going over this stuff as well? Wouldn't want anyone to claim biases were used in this endeavor," Moody said.
"I'm working on that. That won't happen until after you two have finished though. If it is proven, however unlikely it is, his trial record was just lost… It would be a waste of resources for them to look into this as well. I plan on assuring if we find out Sirius Black never had a trial, Minister Fudge won't want to, or be able to, just sweep it under the rug and pretend this never happened," Madam Bones said.
"Good thinking," Moody said as he looked into her eyes. He liked the determination in them. He always appreciated how she never let politics get in the way, but once you have power and are in an office of some kind… Politics can become more enticing as a means of keeping your position. From what he saw, Madam Bones still hadn't succumbed to such practices… yet, at least.
"Come, Tonks. I doubt I need to tell you how little time we have to be wasting about," he said as he proceeded to the door. Tonks was quickly by his side. He was right. They had a lot of work to do.
" Best of luck… " Madam Bones thought as they left.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry gave a sigh as he plopped down on their bed. "Why does this have to be so frustrating?" he said with a scoff of disappointment.
"I know how you feel," Hermione said as she sat down next to him on the bed.
They weren't making progress in their search regarding the chamber. "I know we didn't find much when it was first mentioned, but still…" Harry said.
Hermione nodded. "You hoped maybe looking in earnest would get some results," she said.
Harry nodded. "It didn't…" he grumbled. He wasn't in the best of moods at the moment. "I hate that!" he said.
Hermione sighed as well. She really wanted to do something to get their minds off their failure in learning more about the chamber and beast. She blushed as an idea came to her mind. "I think we should get our minds off it for a while. You know… Come back later refreshed," she said.
"How?" Harry asked looking to her.
Hermione continued to blush and said, "I have an idea…" Her voice tapered off.
"What is this idea?" Harry asked.
She looked to him. Her cheeks were pink. "Well… I never returned the favor… For when you… Over Christmas…" she said.
[-] [-] [-] (NSFW Scene stars)
Harry was blushing now. "You don't need to worry about that… I was more than happy with helping you out… You also let me well... look at you back there," he said and looked away from her. He was pretty sure his cheeks were bright red.
"Maybe… I mean you did… smell me back there…" she said blushing at the memory as her breath hitched. She still didn't get why she found that so hot later after it happened.
"You… Noticed?!" Harry asked in worry.
"I did. I don't mind it. It was different, but I kind of liked it in a strange way," Hermione said.
"Oh…" Harry replied with wide eyes.
"Regardless of that… I want to return the favor… I'm also really curious…" Hermione said turning to him again.
"About what?" Harry asked.
Hermione almost licked her lips as she looked to his pants.
"Ohhhhh," Harry said in surprise.
Harry didn't know what to think about Hermione wanting to see his dick. "Well… I did get to see yours… I guess it only makes sense you see mine… Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"I am… Are you not?" Hermione asked in sudden worry.
"I don't have a problem. I told you I didn't want you to contain yourself. I just wanted to make sure you didn't think this was going a step too far," Harry said.
"I'm not containing myself…" Hermione said as she sort of crawled over to him. There was a lustful gleam in her eyes. Harry thought it was so very hot.
Hermione was close to him now and he was about to undo his pants. Hermione stopped him. "I-I-I want to do it…" she said.
Harry gulped but nodded. His dick was really feeling a need to spring free. His pants were far too tight all of the sudden. It seemed his penis was extra eager for Hermione's attention.
Hermione looked at his pants and reached out to start taking them off. She was really excited. She had felt Harry pressing his dick up against her a number of times. Now, she would get to see it and much more. She started undoing his belt. She then unbuttoned his pants.
She was breathing heavily as she looked at his zipper. She swallowed her nerves and unzipped his pants. She then looked to Harry who stood up a little. She pulled his pants down.
She was looking at his boxers now. There was just one piece of cloth between her and the penis that had been in many of her dreams and fantasies. The only reason Harry's penis hadn't burst out of his boxers was a button on the fly. The tent it made was clearer than ever to her.
"Here goes…" she said as she pulled his boxers down.
"Watch out," Harry warned too late.
Hermione's face was smacked by his dick. She was in a daze for a moment. Part of her really liked that his dick smacked her. It was that damnable lusty perverted part of her that always wanted really kinky things to happen.
Harry blushed as he said, "Sorry… I should have said something sooner…"
Hermione either didn't hear him, or she didn't care. She was staring at his dick which was proudly standing tall. "How did his pants contain such a thing? " she wondered to herself. She also kind of wondered why she hadn't been hurt by it smacking her face. It did a little maybe, but the sensation was already gone. And that lust overpowered everything else.
"Wow…" she said breathlessly looking at his dick. She couldn't keep herself from wetting her lips this time. There was so much she wanted to try. " Need to take this in steps, " she scolded herself.
This was about Harry and learning more about his body. This wasn't about her this time. Though… there wasn't anything that said she couldn't enjoy herself too. " Maybe a little bit later, " she thought.
Harry was blushing at how close Hermione was to his dick. He also felt a little uncomfortable, but also kind of nice, with the way she was staring at his dick. He was really glad he was a very good size, especially for his age. He would rather her stare in awe than say something terrible like "It looks so cute…". That was something no guy ever wanted to hear a girl say about his dick.
He also felt a little conflicted when it smacked her. There was a part that thought it kind of hot, but only because she didn't seem to be bothered by the action. He wasn't able to think clearly at the moment. He could feel her warm breath on the tip of his cock.
He was about to say something to her, since she was staring so much. He didn't need to though. Hermione now reached out and touched it. Harry took in a shuddering breath. A girl was touching his dick! It was so different from touching it himself.
Hermione started to touch his dick. It was warm. It felt solid, but was also pliable. She licked her lips again as she looked at his cock. A part her wanted to just go all slutty out on it and put it in her mouth. She felt that would be too much at this stage though, and really troubling. She might not want or be able to turn back if she did that so soon.
She instead wrapped a hand around it. It was really big in her hand, but she could just wrap her fingers around it.
Harry grunted a little.
"Is this wrong?" Hermione asked.
"Not really. Just different, but be careful… It is surprisingly sensitive," Harry said with a blush.
Hermione nodded and went back to examining Harry's dick. She leaned in closer and took in a deep sniff. "Whoa…" she said in a moan.
"Sorry?" Harry asked. Did it smell that bad? He didn't know.
Hermione took in another inhale and shook her head with a lusty smile. "I like it…" she said. She honestly liked it too much. Smelling Harry's cock did things to her brain. It really seemed it would unleash her extra perverted kinky part of her brain. She took in another deep sniff and moaned as she exhaled.
Harry felt a little strange when Hermione sniffed his cock, but he also kind of liked it. He figured this meant he knew how Hermione felt when it came to him sniffing her asshole over Christmas. He wasn't about to stop doing that, or passing up opportunities to do so again. He really was perverted he guessed. He liked doing that too much, especially when he could look at her ass too.
" I'm not just an ass man… I'm a very perverted ass man… " Harry thought to himself.
Hermione took in another sniff and just caught herself as her other hand almost slipped into her skirt. She blushed and mentally shook her head. She needed to learn more about Harry's cock. She started to stroke it. Harry made a gasp sound.
She liked running her hand along it. She also liked how Harry was making sounds of approval. It was mesmerizing how it seemed his cock was getting harder and less pliable in her hand as she continued.
Soon Hermione forgot all about examining his dick. She was liking how Harry's dick seemed to get harder in her hand. She started concentrating on it. A deep part of her. An instinctive part of her. Said to keep going with what she was doing.
Harry seemed to be trying to keep himself from making too much noise, but she could hear his sounds of approval. Hermione wanted to see what would happen if she kept going. She noticed some fluid leak from the hole at the top of his penis. She took her free hand and touched it.
Harry gave a gasp at her gesture.
It seemed he liked this. She also found it kind of fascinating. She knew of Cowper's fluid, or as most called it, pre-cum. Feeling it for herself was much different.
"Hermione… If you keep doing that…" Harry tried to warn her. He was getting close.
Hermione seemed too enthralled by his cock though. She was now eye level with it. She was staring right at the tip with lust filled brown eyes.
"Hermioneee," Harry tried to warn again. He didn't want to cum in her eye or something. He was pretty sure that was a bad idea.
She was speeding up her stroking though.
Harry wanted to warn her, but could only grunt. He then shook a little as his cum blasted from the end of his cock. He closed his eyes as he was overcome by pleasure. He felt his cum spray out. He was feeling too good to pay attention to anything else.
Once his orgasm subsided, he didn't want to open his eyes just yet. He was still feeling good, but more than that… he feared if he opened them, he would see an angry Hermione. He hadn't heard her shout or anything though.
Hermione happened to blink just as Harry blew his load. She kept her eyes shut as she felt his cum splatter on her face. She gasped and gave a small moan at the sensation. It was so hot and sticky! He seemed to have so much too. She felt so perverted and kinky letting it splatter on her face like this. She loved how naughty she felt.
Harry opened his eyes carefully. He looked at Hermione. He blushed. Her face and even some of her hair was covered in white. He was worried what she thought of receiving his cumshot, but he had to admit he found it really hot seeing his cum on Hermione.
It was hard to describe why he felt that way. Maybe it was because of how naughty the sight was. Maybe it was something deeper than that. There was a very deep part of him that felt cumming on her was kind of claiming her as belonging to him. It was such a deep and wrong thought, but it was there and he liked it.
He also felt proud? Impressed? Surprised? Yeah… Surprised how much cum he seemed to have. "Ummmm… are you okay?" Harry asked warily.
Hermione seemed to come out of her shock at his words. " He came on me! He came all over me! It feels so hot! So sticky! The smell! " Hermione's thoughts raced as she kept her eyes closed.
" The smelllll… " she thought in a much different voice. She would describe it as sultry or sensual, if it was a voice to be described.
"That was a lot…" Hermione said in astonishment.
"Ummmm… Sorry?" Harry asked unsure.
Hermione reached up and used her fingers to wipe his cum from her eyelids. She realized she got really lucky there. She needed to be more careful in the future. While there is a part of her that seemed to really like being covered in Harry's cum… It was like his dick was rewarding her for a job well done or something… She was pretty sure getting it in the eyes was bad.
"No… Don't worry about that. I'm not angry… I'm just surprised," Hermione told him. She wasn't ready to go full on embarrassing and admit she liked it.
She now opened her eyes and saw the cum on her fingers. She blushed as she examined it. The cum was sticky and warm. She even, without really paying attention, brought a covered finger to her nose and took in the smell.
"Ohhhh wowww…" she moaned in response. This did even more things to her brain than just smelling Harry's cock. She would later think to herself that was why she did what she did this first time. It would be too embarrassing otherwise.
Hermione looked at it with dazed eyes. She then placed the finger to her lips and gave it a lick. She blinked in surprise for a moment. She then licked again. It was salty. It was warm. It was a different taste unlike anything else. She didn't really like it, but she kind of also loved it… if that made any sense. She also wouldn't mind tasting more of it.
Harry was staring in awe at Hermione's actions. He couldn't believe it. It was so damn hot though! " Witches really aren't fair! " he thought to himself. His cock seemed more than ready again. He was a little miffed by this. He was pretty sure there was supposed to be a down period or something.
"Mmmmm…" Hermione accidentally let out as she licked her fingers clean. She then blushed. She looked to Harry. It was like she hadn't even realized he was there for a moment. She was about to panic or something and try to excuse her odd behavior. Instead she noticed his dick seemed ready again.
"Oh wow… It's hard again!" she said in shock.
Harry blushed at this. "Sorry?" he tried.
Something seemed to click inside of Hermione. Maybe it was better to say something gave in instead. She gave a lusty look to him. "Don't apologize for something like this…" she said. She then brazenly licked her lips while looking at it.
She wanted to try again with the handjob. But she wanted to change things up. Hermione stood up and almost tore her clothes off. She wanted to do more with this chance. She also decided to enjoy herself as well this time. She felt more turned on than a heat lamp and it was equally wonderful and unbearable.
Harry stared in awe as Hermione took off her clothes in front of him. It was only a thousand times better seeing her get naked with some of his cum still on her face and hair. He also liked the fiery look in her honey brown eyes. While she stood there naked in front of him like that, he thought she looked like a young sex goddess.
She positioned herself in front of him again. She once more wrapped a hand around his cock. "Ready for another round?" she said in a voice that was heavier in lust than her usual.
Harry gulped and grinned. "If you are? I'm not about to complain," he said.
"Good," she said with a sultry giggle. She licked her lips again and started stroking his cock. She wanted to see him cum on her this time. She found a way to aim his cock. She pointed it at her growing breasts.
" Pity my boobs aren't grown enough yet. I'd like to try giving him a boobjob. I'll just have to wait until we're older, " she thought in that lusty voice again. She realized her perverted and horny side was almost out in full force.
Harry let more of his sounds of pleasure slip out this time. He didn't feel a need to hide he was completely enjoying this. It was also impossible with how eager Hermione was in her stroking. Then she again proved how unfair witches were.
Hermione shifted positions a little. She wanted Harry to get a good look at her. She also wanted to make what she next planned a bit easier. She slipped her free hand down to her eager and wet pussy. "Ooooohhhh," she moaned out as she played with her pussy.
She couldn't help it! Stroking Harry's cock. Wearing some of his cum on her face. Playing with herself in front of him. She felt all kinds of hot and horny and a rush of pleasure much stronger than most before. That time over Christmas when Harry finger fucked her, was probably the only time she felt more pleasure.
Her breathing was getting faster. Harry's was as well. His cock seemed to be getting harder. It wanted to make things more difficult for her by twitching. Hermione kept her aim though. She worked herself a little more. She wanted to watch Harry cum on her and cum herself as well.
"Hermione!" Harry warned. Hermione heard this time. She took in a deep breath and braced herself.
Harry grunted and his cum blasted out again. This time it splattered all over Hermione's small boobs. Harry shook with orgasm as more cum spurted out of his tip, coating her lightly tanned skin in white.
"Hmmmnnn!" Hermione moaned as the hot stuff landed on her chest and stomach. A little went wild and got her chin. She shook with her own orgasm as well. She thought the smell was even stronger this time and she really liked that.
She caught her breath as she looked at her breasts. "Wowwww…" she said as she took in the sight. Harry's cum was white, sticky, thick and hot. She felt even more naughty with his cum on her naked body like this. It was unbelievably amazing!
"Wow… Indeed…" Harry said as he caught his breath as well. He had no idea how awesome it was to cum with a girl. He also realized that he did like seeing her in his cum. He didn't really focus on that primal part of him that felt pleased with himself for marking his girl. He also didn't really shove it away either. So many feelings were rushing through him at that moment. The main one was obviously pleasure.
"That was incredible…" he said.
"Yeahhhh…" Hermione replied. There was a part of her that wanted to just lay down there next to Harry and go to sleep. She didn't care that she was covered in his cum. She just wanted to lay with him and be by his side after that.
Harry motioned for her to sit next to him. She smiled warmly as she did just that. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close. He didn't care that she had cum on her body. Hermione leaned in to him.
Hermione felt different feelings bloom inside her chest now. She was familiar with them. She felt happiness. She felt a sense of belonging. She felt acceptance, even in such a naughty state. She felt deeply cared for. She felt loved…
[-] [-] [-]
A few minutes passed as they held each other. Hermione was starting to feel a little on the cold side. She also felt uncomfortable given her current state. The evidence on her body of what they just did was drying. "As much as I just want to stay here in your arms forever, I should probably go and clean up," she said.
Harry sighed. "I suppose so. I should probably do the same," he said.
"Hopefully both restrooms are open," Hermione said. She had a feeling she needed a lot more time than he did. She also made a mental note to look for spells that could help with clean up in the future. She wondered if the library had a naughty section for such things.
Fortunately, both bathrooms were open and the common room empty. Hermione was able to sneak to one while wearing only her outer school robes. " To think! At one time, this was all there was to the Hogwarts' uniform, " she thought to herself. She found it a little delightfully naughty, but too risky for normal attire.
She wanted Harry seeing her naked plenty. She did not want anyone else seeing her like that. It would be too easy for mischievous boys to use some kind of wind spell to cause chaos with a girl's robes. She was now starting to think naughty and kinky things were going on everywhere at Hogwarts in those days. It was something part of her craved would happen again, and another part was thankful that wasn't the case now.
It took Hermione a while to clean up after their fun. She wasn't sure if she was fully clean even. She now blushed furiously. She realized how much she really pressed her luck. She didn't remember wiping her face or anything before going to the bathroom. If Hannah or Susan were in their living room, they would have seen a cum covered Hermione coming out of her shared bedroom.
" I really need to be more careful… " Hermione thought to herself. She needed to set up something in her room. She wanted to at least keep from advertising what she had been doing with her boyfriend. The smell alone would probably be more than enough, but robes kind of hid that. They didn't hide her cum covered face or hair though.
[-] [-] [-] (NSFW ends)
When Hermione got back from the bathroom, she saw Harry relaxing on their bed in just his pajama pants. He gave her a smile. Hermione blushed anew seeing him shirtless. She had just seen his dick and played with it. She shouldn't be acting like some shy maiden around him now. She still returned the smile and felt wonderfully warm inside.
After what they did, she felt much closer to Harry. She liked this feeling of new closeness. Hermione came over and snuggled in with Harry. Harry wrapped an arm around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. She giggled and smiled. "I think I'd rather have a sweet kiss on my lips," she said.
Harry chuckled. He kissed her on her lips. Hermione closed her eyes and reveled in the kiss. "Is that better?" Harry asked with a grin after he broke off the kiss.
"Much," Hermione said almost breathlessly. "So much better… I think I'll snuggle in with you for the night," she said grinning to him and giggling. Harry chuckled to that as they both got more comfortable together.
As the two slowly drifted off to sleep, they both realized something exciting and wonderful. " This will be my first Valentine's Day while being with someone! "
Both of them started think of a few different plans they had for the day as exhaustion slowly claimed them. Before this year, it was a day of nothing but annoyance to them. They never really had a reason to enjoy the day. This year it was different though. This year they actually had a reason to enjoy the holiday.
As they slept, neither of them knew just how important the day would end up being. And not for nice and lovely reasons.
Chapter 34: Valentine's DisasterChapter TextFebruary came surprisingly quick. People were more at ease than they had been in a while. Most didn't care to think why they failed to mention the attacks to their families. Nothing happened since the double attack, so people were feeling almost as if maybe it could be over. They were still wary and chose not to speak of the heir or his beast casually. They didn't want to tempt fate.
Professor Lockhart on the other hand wasn't wary of such topics. He actually went so far as to say it was some kind of prank a student pulled and realized they went too far with it. He bragged about how they probably knew he was on the case now and feared him capturing them. He even came up with a supposedly great idea to boost morale around the school.
"That is why I've come up with a great idea for some Valentine's Day fun! One of my favorite holidays," Lockhart said after dinner the night before Valentine's Day. He clapped his hands and the doors opened as a group of dwarves marched into the dining hall.
"My friends here have agreed to delivering all of your Valentine's Day wishes and letters! They've even agreed to singing Valentines as well!" Lockhart said with his usual chuckle at the end.
The dwarves looked like they only begrudgingly agreed to singing valentines. Harry guessed Lockhart paid his 'friends' really well if they agreed to that. He heard dwarves were very strong and not to be taken lightly, even in friendly negotiations.
"So… Feel free to send that note to your crush or the love of your life. Why not make an event of the whole day tomorrow! I'm sure my esteemed colleagues will be more than up for challenge," Lockhart said giving them a wink.
The other professors looked as if they regretted him coming up with this idea. He wasn't wrong about a morale booster being good, but this hardly seemed the proper way of handling it. Professor Dumbledore seemed as if he might be regretting allowing this to an extent. He knew it would at least distract everyone, which served an important purpose.
"Perhaps, Professor Snape will teach you how to brew up a love potion," Lockhart suggested.
Harry didn't need to see Snape's look to realize you would be signing your own death certificate asking him such a thing. He despised people treating Potions frivolously. A love potion was the most frivolous thing you could do with Potions.
"Feel free to make the best of this wonderful holiday! I look forward to everyone's enjoyment of the day," Professor Lockhart finished as they were dismissed for the night.
"I think we can all agree this will turn out to be a disaster," Hermione said once they were alone in their dorm. Harry, Hannah, and Susan easily agreed. The idea was kind of nice, but the execution would be terrible. It was Lockhart.
[-] [-] [-]
Ginny took in a deep breath and let it out. She threw the diary into the Girls' toilet through a window. No one would find out what she did. She noticed things changed over the holiday break as she stayed away from the dairy. She pulled on all of that Gryffindor courage she had to resist the temptation it offered her. She still didn't have any memory of the time she lost to it.
She decided to just toss it after other attempts failed to get rid of it. It was starting to become too strong for her once more. Tom was so very enchanting and flattering and handsome, but he was dangerous. It was dangerous. She didn't like whatever it was the dairy had her do, even though she had no idea what happened. That lone fact made the whole situation even worse.
"No one will find it in there! Everyone avoids Myrtle's bathroom, " Ginny thought in relief as she quickly made her way to breakfast that day. She had a valentine she wanted to send, even if it was very embarrassing. Perhaps it would at least lighten up his day, even if it was only a laugh at the wording. Ginny was sure he could at least appreciate the feelings in it. She was very relieved she didn't need to add her name to it.
Shortly after Ginny disappeared out of sight, Luna came walking out of the bathroom looking a little confused at the object in her hands. It was some kind of diary. She felt it might be able to help them in their search though. It was old, but in good condition and was dated from about 50 years ago. It might be a bit of a long shot, but they would take anything at this point.
She was visiting Myrtle, since the ghost was a Ravenclaw herself, when the book came flying through the window. It almost went through Myrtle. That would have set the ghost girl off. Luna didn't mind Myrtle too much, until the ghost girl started crying and carrying on again.
The Ravenclaw first year was still wary of the object. She would let the others figure out if they wanted to examine it further. She had a feeling Harry would be able to do so and keep his wits about him. She wasn't sure when to give it to them though. She wanted to give both Harry and Hermione Valentine's Letters, but she would do so in person. That might be the best time.
She heard muggles gave valentines to friends as well. She didn't want to use the 'service' Lockhart spoke of though. She felt if you were going to give out valentines you should do so in person. At the same time, she wanted to do so in private. The last thing she wanted was everyone seeing her giving letters to them both. She wasn't embarrassed, but she knew it would be annoying if anyone else found out apart from her Hufflepuff friends.
[-] [-] [-]
Valentine's Day was as terrible as the Hufflepuffs feared it would be. The day was a mess. Lockhart's grumpy and gruff voiced cupids were constantly interrupting classes to deliver their cards. Lockhart's esteemed colleagues were not at all amused by this.
The students found some amusement in the situation at first. Some of the more popular witches and wizards were almost mobbed by the volunteer cupids. Cedric was able to take it in stride and even thanked the dwarves for their deliveries. Others were stuck horrified in place, or tried to escape with little success.
Harry was surprised to get a few himself. He decided to try the Cedric approach. It might be a bit embarrassing, but not as bad as it would have been if he tried and failed to escape. The surly messengers of love were very determined and strong, especially for their size.
Some of the letters were actually amusing. He looked at Hannah and Susan with a raised eyebrow. The two girls giggled and gave him very saucy winks. Their joint Valentine's card talked about how they would be willing to join him and Hermione in whatever they got up to in private. It even suggested a strip study quiz. They needlessly explained it to him in the card. The last to answer, or whoever got a question wrong, had to take off a piece of clothing.
Harry also received a card from Pansy, which was very Pansy and kind of funny. It went on about how he was good looking and impressive and a very fine wizard… for a mere half-blood at least. It also talked about how if she wasn't already spoken for, she might briefly give him the privilege of a young pure blood lady's attention.
Tracey also sent him a card as well. Her card was so overly lovey-dovey and girly it could only pass as a joke given who she was. She added winking faces and glitter covered pink hearts to it. She joked about showing him how families in the past solidified alliances when they involved a witch and wizard of the same age.
Harry looked over to Tracey. She gave him a very overly showy and ridiculous blown kiss. The Slytherins around her laughed as it happened. Harry raised an eyebrow at her before casually catching the blown kiss. He cracked up as he passed the card to an extra interested Hermione. She too was laughing after reading it.
Right after lunch, Harry was actually ambushed. "Oi! You 'arry Potter?" an extra deep and gruff voiced cupid asked him.
"Ummmm… yeah?" Harry answered unsure.
"I've got a singing Valentine for ya," it replied.
Harry was standing there stunned as the gruff voiced dwarf blew on a harmonica to tune his voice. The tuning did nothing for his voice though. The singing was way too ridiculous sounding and the words matched it.
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toaddddddd,
His hair is as dark as a blackboarddddd,
I wish he was mineeeee! He's really divineeeeeeeee!
The hero who conquered the Dark Lordddddd DAAA!
The dwarf finished the last line quickly, but decided to add an extra syllable at the end. The other students in the hall busted out laughing at the singing valentine. Harry wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. It was very ridiculous, but he didn't want to seem ungrateful in case the girl who sent it was there. He had to wonder if they chose such silly words on purpose, or if they really had tried hard to come up with them on short notice.
Luckily, Harry was saved by the bell. And Percy! "Alright! Get going everyone. That's the bell. Time for classes. Don't make me take points," Percy said in warning. Everyone quickly left the scene and hurried to their classes. Many were still laughing at it all.
Harry didn't notice as a very pink faced and heavily freckled Ginny Weasley ran by quickly. That was even worse than she thought it would be. What had she been thinking?! Harry didn't seem upset by it at least, which was more relieving to her than she thought it would be. Everyone else laughed so much though. She hadn't expected the dwarf to deliver it in front of everyone like that! She'd ask for a refund, but the service was free.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry had planned to do something with Hermione for Valentine's Day, but with all that was happening he wasn't sure it would be a good idea. The dwarves were relentless. They didn't enter the houses though. Many took refuge in their common rooms or bedrooms for most of the day. The fun had long since worn off.
Shortly before dinner they were told by their heads of house, the dwarf cupids had all retried for the day. It felt almost too late to do anything special for the day by that point though.
Harry and Hermione were making their way to the dining hall when they heard a very familiar dreamy voice speak to them. "Good. I found you two. I was hoping you could meet with me quickly after dinner. I had planned on doing this sooner, but with all Lockhart did… I'm sure you two understand," Luna said.
Harry and Hermione looked to her and each other before nodding. "Okay, Luna," Harry replied for them both. Luna seemed very happy they agreed. The two had no idea what it was she wanted, but if it made her that happy it had to be something good.
Once they finished their meal, they followed Luna to an empty classroom. The girl seemed to be blushing as she handed them each a card. "I heard muggles like to give out Friendship Valentine's Day Cards," she said with a dreamy but slight embarrassed smile.
Hermione and Harry opened their cards. Harry looked down and read his.
To my favorite wizard.
I'm glad the Wrackspurts told me you and Hermione would be important friends for me. They didn't tell me how important you would be, or how quickly you would become that important in my life though. I know I'm different, but you've been a great friend to me anyways.
You even invited me to your home and showed me the wonders of the Rust District over Christmas. I don't talk about it, but you've probably guessed by now. My mother died a couple of years back. Daddy handles it the best he can, but Christmas is difficult because of how much mom loved it. He hasn't outright said it, but I feel that is why he happens to come across leads to follow around Christmas.
You helped give me the best Christmas I've had since mom died. I felt at home for once in a long time over the holidays, even though I was just a guest.
I don't know if I would call your eyes green as a fresh pickled toad, but Happy Valentine's Day anyways!
I suppose I should add one of those sayings...
I'll never take you granite.
Love,
Luna Lovegood.
There was a little drawing of a Luna stick figure holding a rock at the bottom surrounded by a heart.
Harry gave a chuckle at the last line, but he was grinning widely. He could feel how much Luna cared for him in her Valentine's Day Letter. He also found it very touching she delivered it herself.
He would give her a tight hug, but it seemed Hermione's letter was just as personal and touching. She probably would have squealed at how cute Luna's letter was, if she was that way. Instead, Hermione was holding Luna tightly in a hug and sniffing happy tears. Luna was blushing, but smiling just a happily.
Harry thought it was interesting Luna talked about the Wrackspurts telling her something. He would have to ask her about that later. It could just be Luna being Luna, which was fine. It could also be something more.
"That was a great Valentine's Day letter, Luna," Harry said with a smile once Hermione finally let Luna go.
Luna smiled back at him. "I really meant it all," she said.
"I could tell. I really liked it. Thank you," Harry said.
"Even the saying at the end?" Luna asked curiously.
Harry chuckled again. "Even that," he said before giving her a hug.
Luna's heart skipped a beat or two in the hug. She didn't care this time though. Her heart could feel whatever it was wanting to feel at the moment. She hugged Harry just as tightly in return. Despite everything, this was turning out to be a great Valentine's Day for her. She gave her cards to her favorite witch and favorite wizard. They both gave her hugs in thanks.
"Oh yeah," Luna said suddenly as they were about to leave the room.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
Luna looked a little unsure as she pulled out what looked like a small book. She held it for Harry and Hermione to see. The two looked at it and then each other.
"I found this earlier. I was visiting Myrtle. She is actually interesting company, when she isn't crying. This was thrown through a window and landed in the toilet Myrtle usually occupied. She was hoovering about the sinks instead this time though," Luna said.
Harry took the small book from her hand. It felt strange to him. He got a sense it was an important key to their questions about the Chamber and everything. He flipped through the empty pages and frowned.
"It's very heavily enchanted. The book was completely bone dry when I pulled it out of the toilet," Luna said.
Harry now found the blank pages more interesting. Hermione did as well. She also looked like she wanted to dissect the small book in hopes of learning the enchantments. "What do you make of it?" Hermione asked. She ran a finger across the name Tom M. Riddle on the cover.
"It might be a long shot. I was thinking it could be a clue to what's going on. I just had this feeling it could be. I looked into the name. There's a trophy for Special Services to the School with his name on it," Luna said.
"They don't just hand those out to anyone," Hermione said.
"Look at the date!" Harry said excitedly.
"That caught my attention too," Luna said.
"50 years ago! That's when the Chamber was supposedly last opened," Hermione said in her own excitement.
Harry nodded and looked to Luna. "Thanks again, Luna. You've really made this an important Valentine's Day," he said.
Luna seemed to glow in happiness hearing that.
"We should get started on this tomorrow. We will want all the time we can get. If we start working on it tonight, we won't get any sleep," Hermione said. Harry nodded in agreement.
As the three friends left the room, they went their separate ways. Harry and Hermione were discussing what they would try with the diary. Luna felt really happy.
Suddenly though, Luna felt uneasy. She looked back to where Harry and Hermione rounded a corner. Her eyes widened. Something seemed to be hanging around them. She remembered giving them her Valentine's Day cards just minutes ago. There was something else though… Something the Wrackspurts were saying was dangerous. At the same time, it was also important for them to get it.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry gave a sigh after they returned to their dorm room. He placed the diary down for the moment. He looked to Hermione and said, "I was really looking forward to my first Valentine's Day with a girlfriend, but Lockhart had to go and ruin it."
Hermione nodded and frowned. "I was looking forward to my first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend, before he ruined it. I really don't like that man. It's bad enough he's a complete fraud. To ruin such a day as well? That's makes him even worse," she said.
Harry nodded. "At least the card from Luna was nice," he said.
Hermione smiled to that and nodded. "I found it really touching," she said.
Harry suddenly got an idea for something they could do together. He grinned at Hermione. "I have an idea," he said.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. Follow me and close your eyes. Don't let go," he said to her with an offered hand.
Hermione's heart was beating so loudly she was sure it would jump out of her chest. She smiled and her cheeks pinked a little as she took his hand. Such a simple gesture they had done many times before, but it was so amazing this time. "Only if you give me a kiss," she said before closing her eyes and puckering her lips.
Harry gave a chuckle and met her lips. The two kissed a couple of times as she stood with her eyes closed. She was liking this even more. It was like something from a romance novel in her mind. This was better though. This was her real life.
[-] [-] [-]
"Woooooo!" Hermione cried out in excitement despite herself. She was a little scared at first, but she was loving it now. It probably helped she had Harry to hold on to tightly as he flew them through the night sky. He was also going at an acceptable pace to her. Well… an acceptable fast pace for her. He at least wasn't doing any dangerous tricks.
"I had a feeling you'd like this," Harry said. He was loving it himself. He was flying on a clear half-moon night filled with twinkling stars. It was also really nice when Hermione leaned in to keep a tight hold on him. He could feel her chest on his back and it was wonderful.
Hermione giggled. "I don't mind flying like this at all!" she said in glee. She liked wrapping her arms around him. She got to hold on to his surprisingly chiseled chest and abs. She didn't care her breasts were pressing up against his back. It wasn't anything he wasn't a little familiar with already. She knew he would become very familiar with her breasts and more in the future.
They kept flying through the night sky. Harry would make plenty of turns and such, but it was never anything more than delightfully thrilling for Hermione. This really was as romantic as she thought it would be. It was a great way to make up for the terrible Valentine's Day sponsored by Lockhart.
Harry eventually slowed down and flew lower. Their feet were just barely skimming across still surface of the lake. Hermione looked down at their reflection and leaned in closer. She buried her face in the back of Harry's neck before looking at the reflection again. She really liked the picture their reflection showed her. She wished they had a camera to capture the moment.
Harry looked to their reflection as well. It was beautiful seeing Hermione riding on the back of his broom like this. Her beautifully wild hair was tamer than it had been when they first met. Harry knew her hair would eventually be lovely lush curls of dark brown.
He would miss seeing her beautiful wild hair. He also looked forward to how her hair would be in the future. It would also be a weight off her mind. He would hopefully still see her sexy and wild bed head in the future.
Harry grinned as he pictured that sight. It would be beautiful seeing her look to him with her hair splayed out everywhere behind her. He imagined her naked and on top of him in the mornings. Harry blushed to the vision.
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked playfully.
"Ummmm… Nothing?" Harry suggested.
Hermione giggled. "Nice try, but I'm not buying it," she said.
Harry blushed. "It's embarrassing," he admitted.
Hermione giggled and leaned in to whisper lowly, "That only makes me more eager to hear it."
Harry gulped to that. Witches really weren't fair… "I was sort of thinking of an older us?" he tried carefully.
"Ohhh? And what were… sort of older us… doing?" Hermione asked. For all her teasing though, she was blushing herself as ideas filled her head.
"I was thinking how I'm pretty sure your hair will be lovely and lush curls in the future. I was thinking I would miss your beautiful wild looking hair. Then I hoped you would still have massive bedhead in the mornings," Harry said.
"You see that as a good thing?" Hermione asked in genuine surprise.
"Yeah. A very good thing. You looked like a wild sex goddess to me," Harry said. He blushed a little and hoped he wasn't being too forward with her.
Hermione blushed at that. She never really noticed he thought that about her. She kind of liked how he thought her hair would be anything but messy and frizzy in the future. She would admit it was tamer this year than previous years, but that wasn't saying much.
"Wild sex goddess…" she said quietly.
Harry hoped she wasn't going to be angry about that. He decided to focus more on flying. It really was a wonderful night for it.
[-] [-] [-]
Right as the night ended, Harry turned to face Hermione and held the broom steady. She blushed at how close they were like this. It was ridiculous she was blushing. They had been much closer and with a lot less clothing. Seeing his intense green eyes under the moon and star lit night sky, was something else. Her heart and body stood no chance to them.
Harry turned to better face her. He leaned in closer. Hermione blushed and closed her eyes as she wet her lips in anticipation.
Then Harry captured them!
Hermione eagerly returned the kiss in kind. It was a much more thrilling kiss then the others they shared. They kept it going a good while.
When they finally took a break, Hermione was breathing a little heavily to catch her breath. Her cheeks were a beautiful rosy color. Her lips were a deep red. She felt so very weightless and not because they were hovering on a broom.
"Wow…" she breathed out.
"Yes. Wow," Harry replied with a grin. He gave her another quick kiss. He then winked at her and said, "For the return trip."
Hermione couldn't help but giggle to that and smile. She had what she felt was her first magic kiss. That was all she could describe it as. What else could you say about a kiss on a broom under the night sky above a lake? It was magic in the most magical way. She had a very wide grin on her face and lovingly held on to Harry as he flew them back.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry looked at the diary in thought. He and the others had tried many things with it, but kept it secret and to their dorm room alone. None of their attempts produced any results. This made them all more curious about it. If it was so well protected, it had to have something important in it. They just weren't sure what it would be.
"By this point, I'm almost tempted to just use it as a private diary in place of my own," Hermione said as she looked over to where Harry was. She was pretty sure whatever you wrote in it would be kept secret for all of time.
Harry then got an idea. He was pretty sure it was a stupid idea, but he couldn't see any harm in it. Harry dipped his quill into an ink pot and let the ink drip on a blank page.
The ink disappeared!
"Whoa!" he said, getting Hermione's attention.
"What is it?" she asked as she came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Watch this," Harry said as he repeated the action.
Hermione gasped as she watched the diary seemingly absorb the ink. "Write something," she whispered to him.
Harry took in a deep breath and thought what to write. "I'm going to be careful with this," he said.
He intended to write in it, but he wasn't going to let on Hermione was watching. He hoped she wouldn't be offended he wasn't going to mention her. He would even ignore any attempts she might make to get him to mention her as well. Harry had a feeling it would be best if the diary didn't think there was an extra observer. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that there was more to this diary. As if... it was almost alive.
"Hello," Harry wrote on a blank page.
The ink was again absorbed and his greeting replaced by a completely different script.
" Hello. Who is this? How did you come by my diary? " the writing replied.
Harry and Hermione were both wide eyed. Harry wrote more. "My name is Harry Potter. Someone tried to flush it down a toilet before I found it." He felt it best to leave Luna's name out of it as well.
"I'm Tom Riddle. It isn't very surprising someone was trying to get rid of my diary. I know things. Information the powers that be at Hogwarts wouldn't want getting out. Fortunately, I knew a way to better preserve my memories. "
"I'm attending Hogwarts now! What sort of things are you talking about? I too have noticed the powers that be will go to extraordinary lengths to cover up information," Harry wrote.
"It is probably one of the biggest cover ups at Hogwarts. There was a place called the Chamber of Secrets. We were always told it was myth and nothing more. But someone opened it. Students were attacked. One was even murdered in the end! Those in power did all they could to cover it up and have it omitted from the annals of history. "
Harry was in shock and paused before writing again. Was this a good idea? Was this too convenient? Something that seemed to have all of the answers suddenly appearing in the Myrtle's Bathroom? At a time like this?
Harry looked to Hermione. She squeezed his shoulder tighter and nodded to him. It seemed she felt the need for answers was greater than worries of caution. He gulped and continued writing.
"It's happening again! Those in charge are more concerned with controlling information than doing anything about it." Harry wrote quickly.
The script reappeared and seemed to be in a bit of a rush.
"That's exactly what happened while I was there in my fifth year! It was the reason why I chose to throw their warnings out the window and solve the problem myself. I found out who did it. I turned them in even. Killing a student was too much to be left ignored. They still hushed me up. Gave me an award and everything. I was worried if I stepped out of line something would happen. The cover up went to the highest levels! "
Harry blinked in thought to that. He didn't doubt it, but this seemed a bit fishy. It was like the diary knew exactly what to say and how to say it to him personally. He would keep this in mind has he continued.
"Who was it?! What was the beast?! How did you solve it all?!" Harry wrote in eager script.
"I can show you. That way you don't have to just take my word for it, " the ink replied.
If Harry didn't know any better, the writing almost felt smug now. The tone seemed different from the hurried scrawl earlier. It seemed measured and calm rather than desperate, if that made any sense.
Harry looked to Hermione. "Need to be careful," he said to her. Hermione blinked a couple of times and slowly nodded in agreement.
"I'm ready. I feel that same call to action you did." He wrote.
The pages of the diary started to flip quickly. The book seemed to float up in the air. Hermione grabbed on tighter and moved in as close as she could. She wasn't going to let Harry face this alone.
Suddenly, everything went white.
Harry felt as if he was sucked into the book with Hermione right behind him. Harry wanted to yell, but Hermione's scream of worry beat him to it.
Just as suddenly, the two found themselves in the corner of an office. Everything looked greyscale as well. Proof this was a memory of the past, even if it was a bit dramatic in Harry's mind.
[-] [-] [-]
"Where are we?" Hermione asked after regaining her balance.
"The headmaster's office, I think." Harry said as he looked around the room.
The two looked towards the desk in the center of the room. There was a boy, probably Tom, who looked to be in his fifth year. He was from Slytherin judging by his uniform's colors. He also had a Prefects' badge. On the other side of the desk, there was an aged wizard sitting in a high back chair. He was not Dumbledore though. They waited while Hermione held Harry's hand.
"Again. I am sorry, Tom. We cannot let you stay for the summer, like we have previously," the aged wizard said.
"It's the attacks isn't it, Headmaster Dippet?" Tom asked. The man nodded his head. "Has there been any progress?" Tom asked carefully.
"The truth is… We have not made any progress on solving the mystery. Only theories at the moment," the headmaster said with a frown.
He stood up and looked out his widow as he sadly said, "I fear we will have no choice but to close Hogwarts and hand over the matter to the DMLE. Who knows how long it will take them to find answers. This may very well be the last school year of Hogwarts."
Harry saw the disappointment and anger in Tom's face at hearing those words. Harry could completely agree with the emotions Tom was experiencing. He would feel the same way hearing such news.
"What if... What if the attacks stopped?" Tom asked.
Headmaster Dippet turned around quickly and looked to Tom with curious eyes. "It would take more than just that. A student's death is a very serious matter. We would need the culprit and maybe the beast as well," he said.
"But… If you had all of that… Would you be able to keep the school open?" Tom asked as he looked forward seriously.
"Yes. We would. Do you know something, Tom?" Dippet asked.
"I'm just wondering…" Tom said. It was clear to Harry, and maybe even Headmaster Dippet, Tom knew something and he wasn't sharing. Probably so it wouldn't just be covered up, if the earlier conversation was to be believed.
Headmaster Dippet looked to Tom as if trying to read him. "If there isn't anything else… You should probably head back to your dorm. I've kept you more than long enough," the headmaster said.
Tom stood up and bowed before leaving.
Harry should have expected it, but he was still surprised when both he and Hermione seemed to be dragged along behind Tom. Hermione gasped in surprise herself. They didn't even have to walk.
Tom was walking through the castle's halls and Harry felt it was odd it seemed they hadn't changed much since the memory. Maybe it wasn't so odd given Hogwarts was not just a castle, but a magic castle. It was still strange some of the more decorative cobwebs were almost exactly the same.
"Where are you going, Mr. Riddle?" a voice both Harry and Hermione recognized asked. It didn't matter that it seemed younger. Dumbledore's tone was still distinctive. His appearance was startling though.
Dumbledore was dressed far more professionally and his beard more less unkempt. He looked a good bit younger as well. His gaze however still had the same quality it did in the present. It was filled with wisdom, though in this case it seemed to be wisdom beyond his years, instead of matching his advanced age.
"I just came from Headmaster Dippet's office, Professor Dumbledore," Tom replied.
"What was it he wished to speak with you about?" Dumbledore asked. He seemed to regard Tom Riddle with some level of suspicion.
"He was informing me I would not be able to stay for the summer, as I have in the past," Tom replied with a carefully neutral gaze. It seemed Tom had his own suspicions regarding the Professor and future headmaster. Something else that seemed too inline with Harry's own thoughts on Dumbledore.
Dumbledore's gaze eased up and filled with a certain level of sadness. "The attacks have been weighing heavily on us all. I suppose you more so than others in that regard," he said.
"Indeed. Hogwarts is my home, professor. I only wish to do what I can for it," Tom said.
"I've held you up long enough, Mr. Riddle. Do be careful as you return to your dorm. The halls are not safe, even for exceptional Prefects such as yourself," Dumbledore said as he started walking off.
"I appreciate your concern, Professor Dumbledore," Tom said as he too started to move.
As soon as Dumbledore was well out of sight, Tom took a much different route than would lead to Slytherin. The boy then slipped into an old passageway. On the other side of it, Tom entered an unused classroom. He then waited.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry and Hermione were wondering why he was waiting in this particular spot. They might have spoken to each other, but felt they should keep conversation to a minimum. It was like they not only felt, but experienced, Tom's own anxiousness at what he was about to do.
The two looked to each other in surprise once they heard another voice they recognized, even if it was much younger. "Come on now. Keep calm. I won't let anything hurt ya," a much younger Hagrid said.
The giant of a man was instead a giant of a boy. He looked to be in his third year. He was wearing Gryffindor colors on his robes and crouching over something hidden in a box. "Keep calm. Don't ya worry none," Hagrid soothed to whatever was in the box.
The box was rather sizable, but seemed small next to Hagrid. He was still rather large even though he was barely a teen.
The box shook!
Tom seemed to steel himself as he came out of his hiding place. He carefully made his way to Hagrid. He even positioned himself in a manner that cut off escape for the large boy.
Tom brought out his wand.
Harry heard Hermione gasp as she seemed to put pieces together as well. There was only one reason Hagrid would be featured in this memory. Harry didn't like it. Hagrid never mentioned why he was expelled from Hogwarts in his third year. Harry hated how they would soon find out what happened.
"Hagrid. It's over. I have to turn you in," Tom said calmly as he held his wand ready.
"Tom? What are ya talking about?" Hagrid asked as he tried to hide the box. It was shaking even more than earlier.
"I don't think you did it on purpose. I'm pretty sure you were only being kind to it. But a girl is dead, Hagrid. They'll close Hogwarts at this rate," Tom said.
"What?! You can't mean…" Hagrid said in shock. "He'd never!" Hagrid almost shouted.
"You may see it as a friend. But it is still a beast. A beast that is very dangerous," Tom said. His wand seemed to be lighting up. He hadn't even said an incantation.
"Ya've Got it all wrong! He's been terrified of whatever it is! It ain't him! He'd never hurt no body," Hagrid said in defense of what he was hiding.
Just then the box finally tipped over.
Hermione screamed as something large and hairy with a black body and too many legs shot out the box and charged for them. Harry could only stare as it ran forward. He knew it was just a memory, but whatever this thing was... It was terrifying.
Tom quickly shot a spell towards it!
The beast gave a cry and jumped forward with all of its eight legs spread out.
Tom barely dodged out of the way.
The giant monster continued to run as fast as possible to escape.
"Hurry! Yer still a baby. Be careful! Save yerself!" Hagrid cried at the monstrous thing as he tackled Tom. Hagrid was trying to keep the prefect from attacking the thing. Tom may have been the more experienced wizard, but Hagrid was too large for him to counter quickly enough and do something about the escaping monster.
The scene started to fade…
[-] [-] [-]
Suddenly, Harry and Hermione were in their room again and could see in color.
They looked to each other. Both of them weren't sure what to think. They really didn't want to think Hagrid was the heir. At the same time, that monster he was keeping did seem to be very dangerous, even more so if it really was just a baby as Hagrid said.
It was very much within Hagrid's character to find something so terrible and dangerous and see it as cute and innocent. He would protect something he saw as a pet with all he could. They remembered how difficult it was for Hagrid to part with the dragon last year. Would he go so far as to put a creature's safety above a student's? Even after it murdered someone?
Still…
"Hagrid did it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask confusion and worry. Harry looked to her just as confused and worried.