Windswept

The mud seemed never to stop sticking to his shoes. Harry Potter was just walking around the outside of Hogwarts, after a rainy evening during dinner. It had basically been the worst Potions day he had ever experienced, where Neville melted his cauldron over his shoes, and knocked Seamus into the pile of Shrake's Livers. He belonged to shuffling his dirty shoes outside. There was a sound of a slip next to him

Almost on instinct, he whirled around the damp ground.

There was the familiar bushy and brown haired girl, her curly hair swarmed in spots of mud. She was fighting her way through the mud, waving her arms about irritably to remove her foot from the earth.

His lips played into a smile. "Hey, Hermione – want help?"

Hermione looked at him furiously and disheveled. "No. Just fine." She snapped, freeing her leg and trampling over to his side, arms crossed. She kept on walking next to him in silence. It was rather awkward when no one spoke, but more awkward when Hermione spoke out in a squeaky tone.

"I reckon you didn't finish your Potions Essay?" Hermione asked shyly, stepping carefully in front of her trailing footsteps.

Harry gave a small laugh. "No. Anything to keep my mind of Potions."

"Oh. I forgot about that." Hermione said quietly, sort of ashamed of bringing it up.

Harry squinted up to the dreary and gray sky. The clouds were rolling in silently. He looked over to Hermione to see if she was looking at the storm clouds uneasily, just waiting for her to say 'We better get in before it starts raining…', but her hair just clouded around her face and she snapped it back behind her ear and staring downward. She was stepping around unevenly, obviously trying to avoid extremely muddy spots or slippery rocks. Then she would regain putting her arms over her chest and sort of look… emotionless.

"Your hair is really puffing up. Does it swell in the humidity?" Harry asked with a large smile and trying to hide his laugh at her appearance. She shot him a look.

"Not that I know of," She stated. "It really does look rainy. Look at that cloud!" She pointed to an especially black one in awe as the continued strolling up a hill.

"It looks just like a centaur. Look, with the body and all?" Harry said looking upward curiously. His finger followed the outline of the peculiar cloud.

"Hmm. That one next to it looks like your broomstick." Hermione said dreamily, tilting her head toward the sky.

"And the one under that looks like a goblet." Harry pointed out.

"That lopsided one looks like a cotton swab."

Harry looked at her. "Hermione. They all look like cotton swabs, maybe some of them slightly tousled." Hermione gave a laugh-like sort of murmur.

Harry suddenly released they had stopped in their tracks and were both standing rooted under a small tree. Harry maybe also suddenly noticed how close their hands were, and jerked away, continuing walking forward. Hermione joined him, ducking under the thick and heavy branches swooping downward.

"Do you ever wonder if the clouds have a meaning? I mean, like the ones where you can really see pictures in?" Hermione asked in a loud whisper.

"Dunno. During third year I swore I saw a dog, or something in the air during that rainy quidditch match." Hermione shuddered as wind hurtled in. Her hair pushed away from her face, lying neatly on her shoulders afterward.

"Every once in a while during a clear night, I can see a cluster of stars forming something that looks like a deer in the sky." Hermione confessed truthfully and Harry stared at her immediately, curious.

"A deer?"

"Yes. It certainly looks like it. Tonight I should show you. Inside the common room on the small window left of the couch you can see it well."

"Hmm. Funny, that is – how coincidental."

"Of what?"

"That you see a deer in the stars. You know, my dad turned into a stag when he was an animagi."

"Oh right." Hermione whispered softly. If he wasn't so close to her he couldn't have heard her.

There was thunder from the distant, and Hermione twitched closer to him. Harry, trying to comfort her, moved his hand to hers when a cold raindrop landed on it and Harry saw what he was doing.

"Uh-oh. I just felt a raindrop." Harry warned worriedly, eyeing the sky suspiciously.

"I just did, too. Maybe we should get heading back." Hermione quickened her pace as she shoved the branches close to her out of the way and made her way toward the castle.

The rain was coming down every five times per ten seconds. Harry caught up to Hermione; slipping dangerously along the muddy path Hermione had chose to follow.

"Do you think we'll make it in time?" Harry asked loudly, over to sudden thunder.

"Before getting drenched. Possibly. If we run, of course." Harry eyed her inquisitively.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Hermione said impatiently, pulling Harry closer to her. "That if we stick together we won't slip." She entwined her icy cold hand in his, and he almost jumped back in surprise.

In the one-minute they desperately tried to find their way back to Hogwarts the rain was certainly pouring down, blinding their vision and fogging the air in front of them. It was useless. Just like desperate windshield wipers, they couldn't keep up with it. As much as Harry knew, they could be in the Forbidden Forest and not even know it, the rain was too thick to see through. Harry heard Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.

"Harry it is absolutely and completely useless." Hermione spat coldly through gasps of rain. Was it his imagination, or was this some sort of barn ahead? Maybe a garden shed? Either way, it could be shelter, and he pulled Hermione's arm along to it, slamming open the door.

The only sound in the shed was the dripping of water coming off the end of their robes.

"I don't think the storm is going to calm down any time soon…" He turned around hastily to talk to a breathless Hermione. "Oh my god." He blurted out, twirling around.

"What? Harry, what happened?" Hermione asked, her wet feet crunching on the crackling wood.

"Uh – nothing, it is just – that with… that…"

"What?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"Em – with that… shirt, you can see through it…" His voice faded around the end, and Hermione eyes grew wide, drawing her black robes close. Indeed, her white blouse was very matted down and see through.

"Let's get going." Harry suggested, pulling on Hermione's arm.

The wind swept in with the rain, heavier and colder on before. Hermione tugged on Harry's arm.

"Come on, we should move upward."

Hermione seemed to fall backward with every wind blow that swept in.

"COME ON! Could we get a move on, 'Mione?" Harry asked furiously behind his shoulder.

"Shut up, Harry – and my nickname is NOT 'Mione!" Hermione yelled back.

"Fine, Hermione." He emphasized.

"Making fun of my name, Potter?"

"No. Hermione." He said with a small smirk.

"Stop it!"

"Okay. Hermione."

"That's it, Harry, I'll hex you–"

"Oh, really, let me see you." He said, not afraid at all.

"I mean it Harry–"

"I'm shaking, Hermione. Go ahead and hex me."

"I can see your teeth chattering, Harry."

"That's the bloody wind Hermione. The bloody wind that sends you flying backwards thirty bloody feet." Harry yells back irritably.

"Don't push me." Hermione snaps.

"The last thing I want to do." Harry felt a sudden, and small kick on his shoe. This time, he whirled around, fighting the wind, and the heavy rain they sort of had gotten used to.

He had Hermione in his arms – ready to fight? No. No, no, no, no. He knew he wanted to hit her shoulder lightly, or maybe even just gently thawp her around the head, but he had never expected him to kiss her.

It was in the rain.

It was in the wind.

It was by the lake.

It on Hogwarts' probably out-of-bound area.

It was wonderful.