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Biding My Time: Our Way	By : watchyerback Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 9795 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
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CHAPTER
ELEVEN:

The
second Hermione laid eyes on Harry, she knew that it had really
happened: he had entered her dream and somehow the two of them had
spoken.

She
knew because everything about Harry - from the way he slumped in his
chair to the way he hung his head – spoke of defeat. He
stayed that way, not looking at anyone even when Ron trailed in.

“What’s
going on?” the redhead asked drowsily.

Because
of the hour, all of them were in various kinds of sleepwear.
Ron and Harry wore their usual loose, faded shirts over striped
pajamas. Lupin, Tonks and Hermione had thrown on robes.

“We
have a visitor.” Lupin stepped aside, revealing a large
man who was seated nonchalantly in an armchair.

Ron
started in surprised. “Ma -”

“Professor
Moody!” Hermione interrupted quickly. She couldn’t
believe Ron had almost called Moody “Mad-Eye” to his
face!

Judging
from the battle-scarred Auror’s wry grimace, her save hadn’t
been quick enough. “Plain Moody will do,” he
growled. His revolving magical eye swiveled towards Harry
before settling on them one by one.

“First
things first,” he snapped. “We’ve just
received information that a contingent of Death Eaters, personally
selected by Voldermort, will leave for Ireland tomorrow evening to
retrieve ‘something important’ to the Dark Lord.”

Tonks
frowned. Suddenly the woman with shimmering purple hair was all
Auror business. “Something important? That’s
not much to go on.”

Mad-eye
Moody shrugged. “From what our ... source overheard, it
seems to be an artifact that’s small enough to carry. We
don’t know what it is, but if it’s got Voldemort himself
interested, I say it’s worth finding out.”

Hermione
exchanged glances with Ron. He looked puzzled at first, and
then his eyes widened. A Horcrux! They snapped
their gazes to Harry, but to their frustration he showed no sign that
he’d even heard Moody’s statement.

“You’re
thinking we can beat them to it?” the younger Auror asked
slowly.

The
large man nodded. “We’ve been given a list of the
locations they’ll search. Seems even they haven’t
been told what it is yet. Voldemort’s playing this one
close to his chest.”

Hermione’s
mind was whirling. What to do? For Merlin’s
sake, Harry, look at me! Was Voldemort gathering all the
Horcruxes, or just this one because Ireland was too far away for
comfort?

“As
for that other matter,” Moody continued, his eyes on Harry, “I
have the potion. I came back as soon as I could, but we don’t
know if it’ll do any good.”

As
everyone looked at the Auror in confusion, Lupin explained, “Moody
was in France this morning. There’s an old member of the
Order there, a retired alchemist who specializes in magical plants.
He’s the only one we know of who’s dealt with the
Solvamus before.”

“You
mean you’ve found a cure?” Hermione was nearly
breathless with excitement. First the Horcrux, now this!
If there was a chance ...

“We
don’t know,” the thin man answered. “This
formula hasn’t been made in decades, and even the alchemist, er
-”

“Faveure,”
Moody supplied.

“-
isn’t a hundred percent sure he got it right.” Lupin
glanced at Tonks. “We should contact Madame Pomfrey, find
some way to test -”

“I’ll
take it.”

The
interruption surprised everyone. They turned towards the boy
who’d quietly spoken.

“Harry,
that’s not a good idea,” Lupin protested in a tone that
was the epitome of let’s be reasonable. “Faveure
assisted on exactly one Solvamus case more than forty years
ago. He made some notes but he was only an apprentice then and
it was his master who prepared the potion. What he gave us can
easily do more harm than good.”

“We
know it’s not poisonous,” Moody rumbled helpfully.
“He tested it on some rabbits. Effects weren’t
pleasant, but when I left they were still alive.”

Both
Ron and Hermione looked faintly horrified at that.

Harry’s
head was still bent. Nobody could see his face, but his words
came across clearly. “I don’t care what it does,”
he declared tonelessly. “I don’t want to be this
way anymore.”

Hermione
couldn’t help herself. It was late, and here they were,
faced with one important revelation after another, and the wanker at
the center of this mystery was barely paying attention! “Oh
that’s just brilliant, Harry,” she snapped
sarcastically. “Take it before we know what it does.
I suppose if it fries your brain we can always shop for a new one.”

At
the sound of his name, the boy’s eyes finally rose to meet
hers.

At
the touch of his gaze, Hermione nearly stepped back. She had
always been pretty good at reading Harry, but this once she wished
she couldn’t. The misery in those eyes!

The
thought came again: I did that.

The
dull ache in her chest returned with a vengeance. Only this
time, because she was alert and prepared, Hermione began to recognize
– no, to acknowledge what it was.

Concern.
No, more than that. Pain at Harry’s pain -
something that she’d felt first when she learned about the
cupboard the thin boy with the sad eyes would return to in the
summer.

Even
back then, the injustice of it had rankled her. Nobody
should have to suffer like that! And then, as the years
went by - nobody should have to endure one test after another,
each one worst than the last. It just wasn’t fair!

The
ache in her chest clutched at her again, and finally she knew exactly
what it was. Pain - because I caused Harry
pain. The young witch closed her eyes as the
almost-forgotten emotion swept over her.

Around
them, Lupin, Tonks and even Ron were following her last statement
with their own remonstrations, but Harry wasn’t paying any
attention to them. His eyes were riveted on Hermione, because for a
second after their glances had met, there had been a look on her face
that had been utterly familiar ...

Hermione
searched her feelings carefully. She wasn't imagining this, was
she? Was it really back, her connection with the dark-haired boy?
Yes. Her emotions were finally catching up with what her mind
had already accepted – Voldemort and Snape had effectively
poisoned Harry that night. They had used and twisted the pure
feelings a young boy had harbored for most of his life for their own
ends. As for her, Hermione didn’t kid herself. She was no
more than a pawn in their game, a handy tool in Harry’s
destruction.

It
was as unforgivable as the worst curse. For Harry as well as
for me. But it hadn’t worked because Voldemort and
Snape had miscalculated, had underestimated the depth of their
feelings for one another.

On
the strength of his regard for her, in the end, Harry had been able
to resist something a thousand wizards before him had been unable
to. Not completely, but just enough so that on the strength of
her feelings for him, and because Harry had been able to hold back
enough to make it possible, now, at last, there was a chance that she
could forgive him.

I
can forgive him. How could the Death Eaters understand
that, when she herself was amazed at the possibility? Not
forget – no, not yet or maybe not ever – but we can
move past this. We can go on.

You
haven’t won, Voldemort, Snape, the bloody lot of you! Hermione
exulted. You haven’t destroyed what’s between
Harry and me. I swear you’ll never come between us again!

It
was as if he’d heard her. The young wizard stood up
slowly, ignoring the others still talking around him. He didn’t
attempt to approach her, but something in him leapt as Hermione
looked at him with fire in her eyes.

“Why
does it matter?” Harry challenged her, but his voice was soft,
careful. Give me one good reason. And don’t tell me
it’s for my own good, because I don’t much care what
happens to me anymore.

Because
I care. Don’t you know by now that I won’t let you
hurt yourself? “It matters,” she returned
quietly.

The
instant the words left her mouth, Hermione realized that she’d
made up her mind. Just like that, she knew what she had to do
next.

Harry,
Ron and she were the closest of friends, tried and tested as much by
the darkest wizard who’d ever lived as by their own
idiosyncrasies, their peers, and the pressure of living in a
wizarding world that was descending into war.

They
were a trio.

It
was time to trust in that.

She
didn’t delude herself. It could fail. Last year it
had seemed like the three of them had been drifting apart. But
in the end Hermione believed the ties that bound them would hold.
She believed in her boys, in Harry most of all, because he had never
let her down when it counted.

“Harry,”
she found herself saying, “I wish we could talk like we used to
back in Hogwarts.”

The
others looked at her, puzzled. What did that have to do with
anything? But Harry nodded and for the first time in days there
was something like hope in his face.

She
turned to the boy at her side. “Ron, would you mind
coming with me? I’m sorry, but I’m really tired, I
don’t think there’s much we can contribute tonight,”
she said to everyone else.

“Sure,
Hermione.” With a quick Lumos, Ron pointed his
wand to light their way.

When
they were well away from the others, he asked excitedly, “Do
you really think it’s a Horcrux? What’re we going
to do?”

“I
don't know. Give me a minute to think.” Hermione tried to
keep the nervousness out of her voice. In her heart, she knew
that it was time to tell Ron.

===============

When
they got to her room, Hermione sat down on the edge of her bed as Ron
closed the door behind them. “We have to speak with
Tonks. It sounds like they’re going to leave in the
morning.”

“Should
we tell them about the Horcruxes?” Ron asked, sitting down
beside her.

The
girl shook her head. “We can’t. It’s
Harry’s secret, not ours. Besides, Professor Dumbledore
never told them, and he must’ve had his reasons. Which
means ...”

“Yeah?”

“How
do you feel about visiting Ireland?”

His
mouth dropped open. “Blimey. Are you kidding me?”

“It’s
the only thing I can think of right now,” Hermione confessed.
“Harry aside, we’re the only two people who know about
the Horcruxes, Ron! If this is an article that belonged to the
Hogwarts founders, Tonks and Moody could easily overlook it.
You heard them. They’re thinking in terms of a magical
‘artifact.’ At least you know what we’re looking
for - Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, and something
that belonged to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.”

“That’s
not much to work with. Do you think they’d let me come
with them?” he asked doubtfully, but there was excitement in
his voice too. However much he tried, the redhead was never really
one for research. Running about all over Ireland though, that
had its appeal. Not to mention they had an excellent Quidditch
team ...

Hermione
grinned at him knowingly. A bookworm Ron would never be.
“We’ll have to convince Professor Lupin and Tonks.
Maybe we can talk to them after they’re finished with Harry.”

The
lanky youth sighed at the mention of their friend. “I
guess you’ll stay here then, do more research?”

She
could’ve left it at that. She was really tempted to.
But it wouldn’t be right. “Ron, I need to tell you
something.” She took a deep breath. “Harry
was in my dreams.”

He
misunderstood. “You mean, you dreamt about what he did to
you?”

“No.”
She shook her head. “I dreamed that we were back at
Hogwarts, and that we were talking. Then I realized he was
actually there, that somehow I was really talking to Harry.”

The
boy frowned. “What do you mean ‘really talking’
to him? Did he hurt you?”

“No,
he ... he said that he was free of the Solvamus in my
dreams.”

“And
you believe him?” he asked incredulously. From the
expression on her face, Ron saw that she did. “Bloody
hell.” He ran his hands distractedly through his hair in
a way that was strangely reminiscent of Harry. “First he
can break through Lupin’s binding spells, now he’s in
your head. What’s going on here?”

Suddenly
Hermione was staring at him in stupefaction. “Ron, that's
– that’s brilliant!”

“What?”

“How
could I have missed something so obvious? Professor Lupin and
Tonks must know. I have to ...”

“Hermione,”
Ron said patiently, “you’re talking to yourself.”

“Oh.
Sorry.” But she still looked distracted.

The
boy rolled his eyes. “Just go on with what you were
telling me about Harry before you go off chasing after Lupin and
Tonks.”

Again
Hermione was faced with a choice. Ron would leave for Ireland
tomorrow, and maybe by the time he came back, everything would be
okay and he wouldn’t know any better. Only, if she left
things to lie like that, she would be deceiving him. And if she
betrayed Ron like that, even their friendship wouldn’t survive.

“Will
you promise to listen?”

The
absolutely serious way she asked made Ron nervous. “I’m
not going to like this, am I?”

She
nodded, throat tight.

“Alright.
Go on.”

=================

Fifteen
minutes later, a tired Lupin and Tonks were making their way to their
rooms when a dark figure burst out of Hermione’s room, and
slammed into them, actually knocking Lupin down.

Tonks
had her wand out and pointed before she realized who it was. “Ron,
what in the name of - ?”

The
young wizard, illuminated by the glow of her wand, didn’t even
answer. He stared at them angrily, almost accusingly, from
where he’d also fallen on the hard, cold floor. It was easy to
see that his cheeks were wet. In another second, he had
scrambled to his feet and run away.

Tonks
and Lupin looked at each other. Hermione! Suddenly
wide awake, the couple opened her door.

They
found the young witch on her bed, staring sightlessly at the flaming
logs warming her room.

Tonks
approached carefully. “Hermione, are you alright?”

The
girl didn’t even glance at her. “We ...”
Her voice shook as a single tear made its way down her cheek.
“I told Ron everything, about the risk to Harry’s life
and what ... I might need to do. I just - I couldn’t keep
it from him any longer. He – he deserves that much.”
She brought her hands to her face and sobbed.

This
is going from bad to worse! Lupin didn't know what to do. He was
torn between approaching, and trying to find a nice, quiet way to
back out of the room. Death Eaters and werewolves he could handle.
But crying teenage girls? That was way beyond his field of expertise.
Thank Merlin Tonks was around!

The
young Auror gently laid a sympathetic hand on the girl’s
shoulder. “Is there anything we can do?”

To
their surprise, Hermione actually answered. In tones whispery
and fragile, she said, “You have to take ... Ron with you
tomorrow. If he still wants to go.”

Tonks
and Lupin exchanged startled looks. “But we’re
going to Ireland tomorrow.”

“You'll
need him.” The girl took a steadying breath.
“Before all this happened, Harry ... asked us to help him look
for something. It might be the same thing the Death Eaters are
searching for. It’s hard to explain but ... Ron will know
what it is.” She cast her tear-filled eyes at the Auror.
“Please.”

Moody’s
going to kill me. But Tonks just couldn't bring herself to
refuse. With luck, the boy won’t even want to go.
“Alright,” she agreed reluctantly, “if Ron asks
we’ll take him.” There was a slight emphasis on the
world “ask” that no one missed.

Lupin
didn’t know what possessed him at that point. Hermione
was quieting down, and they could’ve left her then, but instead
he found himself asking, “Is there anything else?”

The
girl looked up at him with a clear hazel gaze.

Oh
dear Merlin, she knows.

“Yes.”
Hermione’s voice was still soft and ragged from crying, but
there was also something underlying it that bordered on angry.
“I think it's high time, Professor, that you told me once and
for all what’s going on. Harry walks in my dreams. How can he
possibly be doing that?”

A/N:
So how'd you like this one? Constructive reviews always
appreciated!

Pkreader:
I'm working on both versions, don't worry. The differences will be
minor at first, but expect them to get bigger as this story branches
off. Thanks for giving this story a chance!

Tabitoo:
Somehow I had the feeling you'd like the idea! =)
Let's just hope I can pull it off.

Inspire,
ccrawley, Oraffe, saphirejade – thanks for reviewing! Hope
you like this chapter, too.
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Biding My Time: Our Way