Betrayal

Harry stared at the retreating back of the elderly wizard in utter disbelief as Dumbledore walked out the infirmary while sealing the door behind him. Harry's whole world had just come crashing down around him as the man he trusted above all others had unbelievably let him down in the worst way possible. The headmaster's final words still reverberated around in his mind. "I believe you Harry, but there's nothing I can do. The minister is going to have Sirius kissed tonight."

One minute Harry had a family, a godfather who wanted Harry to live with him, then all that was going to be taken away. All this because a small-minded man wanted to look big in the press, regardless of the truth. The Minister wanted his headline, and an innocent man was going to have his soul sucked from his body to give him it. Meanwhile Albus Bloody Dumbledore, Head of the Wizengamot no less, claimed his hands were tied.

He felt a gentle hand on his arm and turned to look into the brown eyes of his best friend. Harry then did something he'd never done before, he threw his arms around Hermione and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her bushy hair.

Hermione was shocked that her best friend had initiated a hug. Harry was normally very uncomfortable with any form of contact, yet here he was clinging to her as if his life depended on it. She had her arms wrapped round Harry when he whispered her name. She started to pull back but he held her even tighter.

"No, please stay like this. If I looked into your eyes I would lose the last piece of courage I have, and there's something I really need to tell you. Before I passed out I saw who cast the Patronus that saved us, it was me!"

Hermione just held him as something told her there was more to come.

"I wasn't alone though, Buckbeak was there in the background too. I think the reason I was able to cast a corporal Patronus was that I had a whole new definition of a happy memory, I was kissing my best friend."

Hermione's mind was in turmoil, she actually felt sick. No wonder I couldn't get him interested in me if he was kissing Ron Weasley. Now there was an image she didn't need in her head. Hermione felt Harry pull back a short distance to gaze into her face, searching for a response. He still held her in his arms as he looked deep into her eyes and asked a question that rocked her world. "Do you think I'm crazy? Em… Do you even think of me like that?"

Realisation rushed through the young witch with the speed of an explosion. How could she, Hermione Jane Granger, be so stupid? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone screaming inside the castle. There was no time to answer Harry now, they needed to act at once. "Harry, do you trust me?"

"More than anyone in the world" That trust Harry claimed to have was suddenly being tested, he looked on with jangling nerves as Hermione started to loosen buttons on her top.

Harry's fantasies were soon halted though when Hermione quickly withdrew a long golden chain that had a weird kind of egg timer charm on it. Looping the chain over Harry's head too, Hermione whispered in his ear. "Hold on tight."

She turned the charm three times backward. Hermione knew it wasn't strictly necessary for Harry to hold on tight but she wasn't going to tell him that, it felt too good.

Harry watched his surroundings blur as everything went out of focus, everything except the beautiful witch currently wrapped in his arms. Ever since Harry had seen the vision of them kissing it just felt so right that he could probably cast a patronus with just the thought of kissing Hermione.

As everything came back into focus, Hermione removed the chain from around his neck and tucked it back inside her top. She gave him the 'you need to listen to me' look before starting to speak.

"Harry I've been using a time turner to go back in time so I could take all my classes. I've just sent us back three hours and, with a bit of luck, we could still save Sirius and Buckbeak. Oh, and in answer to your question, I most certainly do think of you like that."

Harry, whose arms were still around Hermione, lifted her feet of the ground and spun the giggling girl round twice while repeatedly chanting, 'yes!'

"Hermione, you are the best and never let anyone tell you different."

"Harry, we need to be quiet, we can't be seen or heard." Taking him by the hand she led him through the school heading toward Hagrid's hut.

It wasn't until Harry saw the three of them heading out of school that the inherant danger of their situation began to sink in.