enchantement - SOULBOUND I̲̅ || SS/HG ✔️

38. Unravelled intimacy

"You look gorgeous Hermione," exclaimed Ginny looking at her friend as she stepped out of her room, "love the dress, incredibly flamboyant!"

Smiling back at her all the while trying to ignore the incessant flashes from her past, Hermione joined Ginny beside the fireplace. "I don't know why, but I've always been fascinated by flames. The way they dance against each other, waving at the swing of the wind, it's truly hypnotizing."

"Either you've hit your head on the way down or you are trying to avoid the question" snickered her friend, nudging her playfully. "It's inevitable, you don't have a choice but to persuade my brother to accompany you to the party tonight"

Baffled, Hermione gaped – her eyes widened in surprise. "I completely forgot. I will ask Harry, Ron dislikes these kind of parties and you know it." Hearing her male friends coming down the stairs, Hermione winked back at Ginny, "I guess that leaves you to comfort Luna tonight. I'm deeply sorry, I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for you to spend half the night together, eye to eye, and not snog her senseless."

Leaving her annoyingly meddlesome friend alone, Hermione mouthed a 'have fun' and joined Harry down the stairs, "would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight? Luna is feeling sick and McLaren has detention with that nauseating Filtch."

"Alright, I just need to grab my invisibility cloak and we can leave," answered the Chosen One as he climbed over each step rapidly.

Frowning, Hermione's peepers drifted to the red-head standing in front of her, who in response to her inquisitive gaze raised his shoulders. "He said something about that failed Malfoy offspring, but I didn't catch on to the rest, Lavender was quite...distracting."

From snorting to gagging, Hermione's eyes watered at the ridiculous answer he had given her. "You men are all the same. A pair of round boobs is enough to have you swooped out of this world and into the universe of Dumnitude."

In the background, the remaining Gryffindors who didn't proceed to their respective rooms were howling at the know-it-all's humoristic response. Boys were whistling as Lavender reddened, her plump cheeks now giving her an adorable look that made any man enthralled by her cuteness.

Hermione used to despise that singularly-curly-haired Gryffindor, yet as time went on at the war sprang, she had seen the humanity and goofiness ripped out of her heart as she was killed under Greyback's nasty fangs. Ron had been devastated, a ghost wandering around Hogwarts as spells were fired from every corner of the castle, following his friends down to the Shack. Since, Hermione regretted her disdainful attitude towards Lavender and realized, as she stood in the middle of the living room - all eyes on her - that the future was going to change far more than initially planned.

She was torn off her thoughts as a hand came into contact with her shoulder, Harry's green eyes meeting hers.

"Ready?" He asked before turning his head toward his other best friend, whose know resplendent red hair matched his roseate face, "Hermione stroke again I see. Don't worry mate, I didn't mind. It wasn't like your hands were all over her rear end, under her skirt, or anything like that." Wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist, he delicately walked her out, before stopping under the exit door, "actually that's exactly what you did. You have the room to yourself now, you better use it skillfully. I'm quite drained and your unsuccessful muffled moans have not helped reduce the damned dark circles under my eyes."

Leaving the uproar he had caused, Harry kissed Hermione's forehead and directed their step towards the other end of the castle – taking all the time in the world, knowing their presence was more then desired. "I feel bad for Ron," admitted Hermione as she tangled her arm with the Chosen One's, "he's in love, we have to be happy for him."

"Trust me 'Mione I am. Let's just say that one thing is being happy and the other one is being an enraged rabbit at night when everyone is trying to sleep."

An uncomfortable silence introduced itself between the two, followed by laughing. "I can't blame him, I'd kill to have boobs like hers."

Glimpsing at her chest, Harry's eyes studied her meticulously, causing Hermione's hand to protectively place themselves on her breast, "if you keep staring at them this way you'll dig a hole in my dress!"

"All the boys at the party will thank me," cheered Harry, as they crossed a few Hufflepuffs girls who sighed at the sigh of the-one-who-lived, "but more seriously you are gorgeous Hermione, I'm sure professor Snape will never oppose to that."

Freezing in her track, Hermione's jaw clenched. Trying to recollect every single words or movements she had exerted that could have hinted to her secret relationship with her potion master, Hermione saw no flaw. "How do you - "

"- know? Let's just say that I hope you've studied how to use the obliviate spell because I could use it." Noticing her disoriented appearance, Harry rolled his eyes and tugged her down an abandoned hallway. "After you left to see Ms Pomfrey, I decided to go and fetch you. I saw you leave and you seemed panicked. I followed you, and well, let's just say that I'm glad you didn't die with the size he carries around."

Mouth agape, Hermione turned her back to him and leaned her head against the stone wall, ashamed. She knew they had been bewitched, yet didn't know by whom or for what exact purpose. "Why didn't you let yourself be known when you saw me leave the hospital wing?"

"Because I had my doubts Hermione. Knowing that you come from another timeline changed a lot of things, besides Draco told me something must be going on between the two, he said Snape looked like a jealous adolescent when McLaren made his moved on you in the Great hall." He answered, leaning on the wall beside her, "and that day, when you told me everything, the way you said his name was distinctive, more intimate."

"In my timeline he was my husband Harry," she whispered, feeling exhausted by the lies and mystery that circled her. "Let's just talk about it as we reach the party, they are many things I left out that day."

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A/N: New chapter, I hope you've enjoyed it 👌🏽😚

So much is happening in the background that I needed to make a mind map with every little secret and detail in this story. A lot is going on, but rest assured there will be answers 💞📝🔑

Please let me know your thoughts and opinion on this story. As I have not been uploading as regularly as before, I am afraid I lost my writing skill 😞😔🎀

New update tomorrow,

Lot's of love,

XOXO ♥️🌸❤️