Harry Potter and the Year After

Chapter Thirty-five: Occlumency and Legilimency

Chapter 35: Occlumency and Legilimency

An unfamiliar black owl dropped a letter onto Harry's empty plate and soared back through the high open window without stopping.

"Tea?" Hermione asked Harry as he opened and read his letter. Ron was leaning down close to his breakfast, eating quickly as usual.

"Mm. Thanks," Harry said without looking up. Ginny sat next to Harry, one leg tucked under her as she read the Daily Prophet, eating her toast in small bites. Hermione watched Harry as she poured the tea. She thought of those nights with him in the tent after Ron had left. She could no longer recall Ron leaving, but she definitely remembered how kind Harry had been to her after. How he'd wrapped her in a blanket as she sobbed as she was still soaking from the rain.

Could that be what the dream had been about? How he cares for her?

"Woah, careful there," Harry said, flicking his wand before his over-poured tea spilled onto the table.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," Hermione said quietly, setting the teapot down with a dull thud.

"When are you ever not?" Ron said with his mouth full of bacon.

"Oh Hermione had a sex dream this morning," Ginny said off-handedly without looking up from the Daily Prophet.

"Ginny!" Hermione swatted Ginny's hand.

"What?" Ginny shrugged. Hermione glanced to Harry and then to Ron. Ron had stopped eating and Harry was sitting very still. "Oh you three need to relax. I mean... come on...," Ginny said, "It's no big deal."

"I-- er--" Harry said, standing and stepping back over the bench, "I have to get ready to teach--" He glanced toward the huge double doors to the Great Hall.

"Harry, sit down and finish your breakfast," Ginny said, pulling him toward her by his hand. He did as she asked. It was quiet for a few minutes before Ginny broke the silence, "Sorry, I guess I never quite got the dynamic between you three..."

"It's okay," Hermione said at the same time that Harry said, "It's nothing." Ron said nothing but only continued eating, though it was quite obvious that his ears were beet red.

Hermione tried to push the thoughts of her dream away but they kept pushing back. She tried to recite the first page of Hogwarts, a History to herself in her head but the dream popped into her head again like a movie: silk sheets and the look on Harry's face in her mind's eye kept rewinding and replaying itself. What was wrong with her?

After it was quiet for a moment, Harry cleared his throat as though he meant to speak. Hermione looked up, as did Ginny.

"The owl was from Rita Skeeter. She wants to do a follow up on the end of the battle..."

"Oh, do you think you'll do it?" Hermione asked. Ron was listening for his answer, but Ginny seemed to have lost interest and instead was reading again.

"I don't know. I guess so?"

"Is there anything else to say though? It's over, isn't it?" Ron said, taking another bite of his eggs.

"I suppose..." Harry shrugged.

Hermione's mind was wandering which was an unusual feeling for her. Her period was almost a week late and it never had been before. Not since the first time she'd gotten it during second year. Does pregnancy cause sex dreams? She made a mental note to check the library for medical texts.