Harry Potter and the Second Chance - Chapter 45 - I'm Just Harry (Patreon)

Harry found himself standing in the main entryway of the castle surrounded by what seemed to be every student from every year, all crammed into the space.

“Well, are you going to ask her or not?” A princess from one of the portraits beside him asked.

Harry nodded absentmindedly as he searched for Hermione. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he felt an almost overwhelming urgency to find her. As he walked further into the room, weaving through the crowd, he noticed that the student’s faces all seemed to blur and their conversations got muffled as he scanned around for Hermione. In fact, everything seemed to fade into the background as he focused on his task.

And then he saw her.

She was standing all alone on the landing above all of them, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the morning sunlight coming in from one of the windows behind her. She looked beautiful, her bushy hair tamed and swept up, with a couple strands framing her face. Her eyes stared out into the crowd as if looking for something and for a second, as he stared at herm he froze and forgot to breathe.

But before he could recover, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye separate themselves from the crowd and approach her.

Krum began to climb the stairs, seemingly taller and more confident than he had ever looked while not on a broom, wearing the same smile that Harry had seen on his face while flying.

Harry felt a cold dread wash over him as he watched Krum reach out to Hermione. He could see a momentary flicker of tension in her shoulders, and a brief look of uncertainty in her eyes as they scanned the crowd again, as if searching for him.

Seeing the look in her eyes, he knew he had to speak up, to tell her how he felt, to ask her to the ball.

But his feet wouldn’t move. He was frozen in place as if an unseen spell was holding him back. He tried to shout, to call her name, but not sound came out. All he could do was watch helplessly as Krum leaned in and began whispering something in her ear.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she finally made eye contact with Harry across the hall, and then, slowly, she smiled. A shy uncertain smile, but a smile, nonetheless. She nodded in response to Krum’s question causing his grin to widen.

“No …” Harry whispered, his voice finally breaking free.

--- HP --- HP --- HP --- HP --- HP ---

Harry jolted awake, his heart pounding in his chest. Looking around he saw he was in his bed in the Gryffindor Tower, the actual early morning light filtering through the curtains. As he shook his head and forced himself to take a couple deep breaths, the dream lingered in his mind, the emotions still raw and vivid.

Releasing a heavy breath, he sat up, running a hand through his perma-messy hair. It had just been a dream, bordering on nightmare, but it had felt so real. As he sat there the thought on missing out on at least having the chance to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball weighed on him heavier than he thought it would.

Swinging his legs out of the bed, Harry stared out the window and finally smiled, deciding he wouldn’t let the dream become a reality. He would find Hermione today and ask her to the ball. He had to.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, he got up and stared out the window for several minutes. Just as he was preparing to stand up and start getting ready, something caught his eye – a small, light colored shape flitting through the pale light and coming around one of the towers towards him. He squinted, and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the familiar silhouette.

It was Hedwig.

Harry’s smile widened.

Purposefully he crossed the dormitory, careful not to wake Ron or the others and reached the large window just as Hedwig reached the tower.

He opened the window, bracing slightly against the cool morning air thar rushed in, making the curtains flutter. Hedwig swooped inside gracefully, landing on the windowsill beside his bed with a soft hoot.

“Good morning, girl,” Harry said softly, reaching out to stroke her feathers, after he closed the window and made his way over to her. Hedwig ruffled her feathers slightly as he stroked her, her amber eyes staring at him. After several seconds of attention, she extended her leg, revealing the small note tied there.

Harry chuckled softly as he reached into his nightstand, pulling out a few owl treats. He had learned long ago that keeping some nearby was the best way to ensure that Hedwig didn’t wake up the entire room with her hooting. “Here you go,” he said, offering her the treats. She took them eagerly, nibbling at them as he carefully untied the note from her leg.

As he unfolded the small piece of parchment, his breath caught when he recognized the neat, looping handwriting of Professor Dumbledore.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Thank you for the most gracious gift. I shall refrain from asking how you managed to obtain the item in question. And while I suppose that congratulations are in order, I must caution you to be more careful about the risks you take. That being said, well done – I imagine your father would be proud of you. I will reach out once I have examined my gift in detail and have information to provide.

Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore

P.S. – I appreciated the warning you had provided, but while I do indeed feel … something when looking and holding the item in question, I was worried that it would have been more severe based on your warning. I wonder if the difference between our experience is due to the presence of … your condition.

P.P.S – Auror Tonks will be meeting with young Miss Weasley today as a favor to myself and bringing her to visit Andromeda Tonks as previously discussed.

The morning light grew stronger as Harry stood and returned to the window, looking over the grounds of Hogwarts with a smile on his face.

As he folded the letter carefully, he felt Hedwig, who had finished her treats hop onto his arm and give him a gentle nip on the finger, as if to say goodbye for now. As he opened the window, he smiled at her, feeling a surge of affection. “Thanks again, girl,” he murmured, stroking her feathers once more before letting her spread her wings and take flight once more, this time heading towards the owlery.

Harry watched her go, the letter still clutched in his hand. Knowing that there was nothing more he could do until Dumbledore reached out, both regarding the book and Ginny, his mind wandered back to his dream and a plan started to form.

With quiet determination, Harry dressed quickly and making sure not to wake Ron, who was still snoring softly, left the dormitory after throwing on clothes. As he made his way down the stairs, he briefly smiled at the sight of the empty common room, grateful that Hermione was not yet there as he wanted everything to be prepared before approaching her.

Making his way down the corridors of Hogwarts, his mind was racing. Turning a corner near the staircase that led to the Great Hall, Harry almost collided with Victor Krum and Padma Patil, who were deep in conversation.

“Hey,” Harry said, a bit surprised to see them together.

Krum nodded; his expression neutral but polite. “Hello Harry.”

Padma cheeks colored slightly as she offered a small smile. “Good morning, Harry. We just finished breakfast and were heading to the library.”

There was a slight pause, and Harry seemed to sense that while the greetings had been friendly enough it felt as if he was more of a third wheel, and they seemed to want to be left alone.

Shaking his head, he tried to stifle a smile. “Oh, right,” Harry said, nodding. “That sounds like fun. Well, have a good time in the library.”

Krum and Padma both nodded in return before walking past him and allowing him to continue on his way, his thoughts momentarily distracted, turning over that unexpected encounter. As he continued walking down the corridor, his mind started to piece together facts, causing him to smile.

In his original fourth year, Hermione had spent a lot of time in the library as she always had, and it was there that she had caught Krum’s attention. From there they had eventually developed a rapport which had led to Krum asking her to be his date to the Yule Ball. But this time, things had been different. And whether it was her spending more time in the Room of Requirements or just spending more time with him, she had been spending less time in the library, which he realized would have given her less time to run into Krum.

He realized that this meant that Padma, who was known for being in the library almost as much as Hermione, and shared a similar view when it came to the importance of studying, might have been in the library when Krum had been in there looking for information that might help him decipher the egg or just hiding from fans. Similar to Hermione, and unlike many of the other students, Padma probably held little interest in Krum’s fame which may have drawn Krum towards her, the same way it had started the previous friendship with Hermione.

The thought was both a relief and a concern for him. On one hand, Harry felt better knowing that Krum’s attention might be focused elsewhere and had likely not asked Hermione to the Yule Ball yet, but on the other hand, he wondered if it meant that Hermione might have missed out on what had ended up becoming a friendship that she had valued. Deciding he could always introduce Krum to Hermione at a later point, especially due to his new friendship with the Bulgarian Seeker, he forced himself to stop thinking on negatives.

As he reached the Great Hall, the smell of breakfast greeted him, but as he entered, he very quickly realized his nerves made his appetite almost completely non-existent. He sat down at the Gryffindor table and grabbed a few slices of toast and some breakfast sausages. The hall was mostly empty but slowly filling up, but he barely notices, his mind too focused on the upcoming day.

As he forced himself to eat, his eyes occasionally darted to the entrance, half-expecting to see Hermione walk in.

Harry took a bite of the toast, chewing slowly, but his nerves didn’t let him finish it. The sausages on his plate remained untouched as he toyed with them.

Deciding he had finished his minimal breakfast, Harry stood up and pushed his plate aside and headed to the exit, barely aware of the general buzz of students as he headed down the aisle.

Just as he was about to reach the doorway, the doors to the Great Hall swung open in front of him, and Hermione walked in, a confused look on her face. Harry almost collided with her, stopping just in time to avoid an awkward bump.

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed, her voice tinged with surprise and a little bit of suspicion. “You’re up early. I didn’t expect you to be up this early. When I came down from my dorm, Katie mentioned that she saw you leaving the common room when she had exited her dorm this morning.”

Harry smiled, feeling his heart speed up slightly at the sight of her. Shaking his head he shrugged. “Yeah, I … ummm … wanted to get an early start on the day.”

“Do you want to join me for breakfast?” She asked, her eyes searching his face, there was a hopeful note to her voice that tugged at Harry’s heartstrings.

For a moment, Harry hesitated, wanting nothing more than to say yes, but deep down he wanted to get to work.

“I’d love to, and I really mean that, but …” Harry began, before pausing as he chose his words carefully. “I’m working on something. But I promise I’ll find you after breakfast, though. That’s a promise.”

Hermione’s expression flickered, and Harry caught a brief glimpse of sadness in her eyes before she managed to quickly mask it. She nodded, her smile a little forced. “Oh … okay. I’ll see you later then.”

Harry felt a pang of guilt at the thought of disappointing her but hoped it would be worth it in the end. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said softly.

Before he could second guess himself or Hermione could turn around, he reached out and gently squeezed her hand. The touch was brief but enough to surprise Hermione, her eyes widening in shock.

“See you later, Hermione,” Harry said, his voice filled with warmth.

Without waiting for her response, he walked past her and left the hall, feeling her gaze on him the entire time, as she slowly raised her hand and gently massaged the spot he had held.

Harry made his way though the winding corridors of Hogwarts, happy he didn’t run into anyone else. As he neared the location of the Room of Requirement, he glanced around to make sure the hallway was completely empty. Satisfied no one was around, he began pacing back and forth, concentrating on the room he needed.

I need a cozy room, with a large ornate mirror in the center. I need a cozy room, with a large ornate mirror in the center. I need a cozy room, with a large ornate mirror in the center.

As he completed his third pass, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Walking forward he reached out and pushed the door open, smiling as he stepped into the room seeing that it was indeed everything he had hoped it would be.

The space was warm and inviting, with soft lighting from lanterns that gave it an almost magical glow. A large, ornate mirror dominated the center of the room, its gold frame intricately carved with swirling patterns. The mirror’s surface was smooth and reflective, but he knew it would soon serve a very different purpose.

Drawing his wand as he walked up to the mirror, he began a complex enchantment that he had actually learned with Hermione while hunting Horcruxes. He wanted the mirror to hold memories, similar to the way the Pensive did. Although instead of allowing someone to fall into them and experience the memory firsthand, it would display them like a movie, letting the viewer or viewers watch them from the outside.

The first attempt didn’t go as planned. The mirror shimmered, but the reflection was blurry, distorted, and completely unrecognizable. Harry furrowed his brow, ended the enchantment, and tried again. The second attempt was better, but still not perfect – this time the reflections was clear but flickered intermittently, as if the mirror was having trouble containing the spell and Harry doubted the memories would fare any better.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Harry focused all his energy and concentration on the final attempt. He muttered the incantation with precision, his wand tracing the delicate pattern in the air as he infused the mirror with magic. As he completed the spell, the mirror’s surface rippled like water, then stilled, reflecting the room perfectly once more.

Harry smiled, satisfied.

He approached the mirror and began the delicate process of withdrawing memories. He began by carefully selecting moments from their first three years at Hogwarts before finally including memories from their current year. He hoped those memories, especially the more current ones, would convey what he was worried he’d struggle being able to put into words.

It took nearly an hour to transfer all the memories into the mirror, each one causing the surface to ripple slightly before settling into place. When he was finally done, Harry took a step back, and smiled as he admired his work. The mirror seemed to hum with energy.

Harry nodded to himself, confident that everything was ready, before he moved to a small table nearby, withdrawing a small piece of parchment from his bag and beginning to write a note for Hermione, asking for her to join him in the Room of Requirements. With a quick flick of his wand, he charmed the parchment to fold itself into an intricate origami bird, its wings fluttering as it came to life.

“Find Hermione Granger,” he whispered to the origami art. The parchment creation seemed to understand as it fluttered its paper wings before taking off through a small hole that appeared in the wall.

Unsure if leaving the room would affect the stability of the enchantment on the mirror or the memories themselves, Harry forced himself to sit on the plush could and take several deep breathes to calm himself. After several seconds of that, in an attempt to distract himself, he pulled out the Marauder’s Map and, after solemnly swearing that he was up to no good, began searching the map for Hermione’s name.

It only took him a couple seconds before he found her name in the hallway approaching the Gryffindor common room, surprisingly walking with Lavendar and Parvati, although the three of them had gotten closer as Ron had been seeing Lavendar. He watched as the three of them continued towards the common room, walking at a consistent pace, then suddenly thy stopped right in the middle of the hallway.

Harry smiled, imaging that the origami bird note had just reached Hemione. He could picture Lavendar and Parvati trying to peel at the note, their curiosity piqued. Then to his excitement, Hermione took off in the opposite direction of the common room, moving noticeably quicker than before.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as she was heading towards the Room of Requirement.

Finally, Hermione’s name reached the designated hallway, before pausing in front of a wall that Harry was positive contained a mirror. Harry nodded to the map and after whispering the closing phrase, he folded the map and tucked it back into his bag. He stood up, taking a steadying breath, and turned to face the door just as it creaked open.

“Hello, Harry …” Hermione’s voice was soft but warm. She stepped into the room, her eyes widening as she took in the cozy space and the mirror. “Oh … this is different.”

Smiling, Harry walked towards her. “Yeah, I’ve been working on something for you.”

Hermione’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she ducked her head shyly. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m not worth all the …”

His smile softened and he shook his head. “Of course you are, Hermione. You’re worth the effort and so much more.”

Hermione’s eyes met his, as a smile broke out on her face. Harry reached out and gently took her hand and led her towards the large mirror in the center of the room. The mirror’s surface seemed to ripple again as they approached, as if sensing their presence.

“I want you to place your hand on the frame,” Harry instructed, his voice steady. “Then. Have a seat on the couch.”

Hermione looked at him curiously before nodding. She reached out and touched the frame, her fingers brushing against the metal. “It’s … warm … pleasantly so,” she said, her tone surprised.

Harry nodded, guiding her to the couch. “I enchanted it. Just sit down and you’ll see what I did.”

Hermione, after looking at him surprised at his reveal, did as he asked, sitting on the plush couch, her gaze fixed on the mirror.

Harry sat beside her, close enough to feel the warmth of her presence but not close enough as to make her uncomfortable.

They both watched as the mirror’s surface rippled a few more times before everything settled and the lights in the room dimmed slightly. Then, slowly, his memories began to play across the reflective surface.

The first memory was of their meeting on the Hogwarts’s Express and after redirecting her surprised attention back to the mirror, Harry watched through the eyes of his younger self as he looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway of the train compartment, her face full of determination as she introduced herself. The memory shifted to their official moment of becoming friends, the moment he and Ron had fought the troll to save her and then she in turn had lied for them.

The memories played out one after the other. There were the times he had visited Hermione in the Hospital Wing, after being petrified by the Basilisk, memories of the night they saved Sirius together, the chaos at the Quidditch World Cup, and countless other memories in between.

But it wasn’t just the big moments. The mirror also displayed the smaller, more personal memories – the times Harry watched Hermione bite her lips in concentration as she wrote an essay, or when she’d get lost in a book, completely unaware of the world around her. There were memories of laughter, tears, determination, and kindness.

Harry stole a glance at Hermione, who was completely absorbed in the memories. Her eyes were wide, and lips were slightly parted in awe. As the memories continued, he could see the emotions flickering across her face – surprise, nostalgia, happiness, and something he couldn’t identify, something he hadn’t seen before. Finally, the memories came to a gentle stop. The last image lingering on the mirror’s surface – a memory of the two of them standing together, smiling and holding hands.

The mirror’s surface rippled once more before becoming still, reflecting their current selves. Harry turned to Hermione, who was still staring at the mirror, her hand gently resting on her chest as if to steady herself.

“Hermione,” Harry said softly, breaking the silence.

She blinked, turning to him with tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

“Harry … this … this is …” Hermione struggled to find her words, her voice thick with emotion.

“I wanted to show you,” Harry said, his voice low and earnest. “How much you mean to me, how much you’ve always meant to me.”

Hermione’s breath hitched, and she reached out talking Harry’s hand in hers. “I … I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything about this, certainly not right now,” he said softly, squeezing her hand gently. “I just wanted to show you how important you have been in my life. However, I do have a question for you.”

Hermione’s brow furrowed slightly, curiosity clear in her eyes as she stared at him. Harry hesitated for a moment, then reached behind him, his fingers twitching slightly as he performed a wandless, nonverbal spell. A bouquet of delicate snowdrops appeared in his hand, which he then pulled out from behind his back, revealing them to Hermione with a smile on his face.

Her eyes widened in surprise, her breath catching in her throat as she took the beautiful flowers with her free hand.

Before she could say anything, Harry spoke again, his voice steady despite the fluttering in his chest. “Hermione … would you go with me to the Yule Ball? But not as friends … as something more, as an actual date.”

Hermione’s mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes widening even further. For a moment, she was silent … the entire room was silent. Then slowly, she began to shake her head, her expression conflicted, “I’m … I’m sorry … I can’t …” she mumbled; her voice barely audible.

Harry felt his heart began to sink but he didn’t let go of her hand. He merely forced himself to wait as he looked at her.

“I mean,” she continued, her voice trembling, “you could go with anyone, Harry. You’re … you’re the Boy-Who-Lived, the twice hero of Hogwarts, star Gryffindor Seeker, Triwizard Participant, and I’m just … I’m just Hermione.”

He quickly shook his head, his grip on her hand tightening. “Well, that’s perfect then,” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “Because I’m just Harry. And as for going with anyone else. I don’t care. I only want to go with you, Hermione.”

He watched as she froze staring at him. After several seconds tears began to well up in her eyes again, and before she could stop herself, they spilled over, sliding down her cheeks.

Without warning she leaned forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I’d love that, Harry. I’d love to go with you,” she whispered into his ear, her voice thick with emotion.

Harry felt a rush of relief and joy as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other’s embrace.

Finally, Hermione pulled back slightly, her tear-streaked face breaking into a smile. “I can’t believe you did all this,” she said, motioning to the room and the mirror.

Harry smiled back at her, “It took me a while to realize what I wanted but once I knew, I wanted to do something special for you.”

Her smiled widened, her eyes shining with happiness before she leaned again, resting her head on Harry’s shoulder as they sat together for a little while before she finally spoke again.

“Can we watch it again,” she asked, her voice filled with quiet excitement.

Harry chuckled as he nodded.” As many times as you want, Hermione. As many times as you want.”

Kind Regards,

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Story Note 1 – Well, there it is … Harry finally asked her to the Ball and luckily for him it appears he wasn’t too late. I really hope you liked this chapter, however one way or the other do not hesitate to reach out and let me know what you thought of it. I really want to know what you all thought of it. In all honestly, I had this chapter done a while ago but had a couple different versions of Harry asking and even Hermione saying no. But I think this was the version that I ended up liking the most. Looking forward to hearing back.

Story Note 2 – Sorry for the misleading dream at the start but thought it would be a neat addition, but don’t worry even without the dream, Harry would have gotten around to asking.

Thanks to those of you out to those of you who enjoy my stories, I promise to keep updating the stories as long as you enjoy them, and a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave feedback or reach out to me directly.

Disclaimer – It has come to my attention recently that I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter. Who knew.