The Chronicles of Camelot: Stormy Waters: A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its respected characters; all copyright goes to the fantasy queen known as JK Rowling: I do own any OC spells explained at the end of the chapter.

Notes: This story is dedicated to all who have stood by me and especially those who, as of late, have made nice comments regarding my now lost stories; I would also like to dedicate this story to MariusDarkwolf for his brilliant story Harry Potter and the Eyes of the Serpent: a recommended read and another answer to the challenge set by Proud Mudblood.

Plot: My answer to Proud Mudblood's Year Two Challenge: Instead of being in the Great Hall, Harry is in the Hospital Wing waiting for Hermione to be awakened from petrification. Because of the relative solitude, Hermione gathers her courage and gives him kiss, and they become a couple.

Normal Speech

'Thought'

{Parseltongue}

'Mind Speech'

Harry/Hermione

Neville/Luna

Chapter 1: The Oncoming Storm

It was official: Harry James Potter had the worst luck in the entire wizarding world: one minute, he was being thanked by his friends and by those who had been petrified; the next, he was blacking out and waking up in the Hospital Wing, with Madam Pomfrey acting one step away from saying something along the lines of, "So, here again are you Potter? Maybe you should move in!"

It surprised Harry that five days had actually passed between he and Ron rescuing Ginny and the current situation, where he was now lying in a hospital bed, Madam Pomfrey performing scans, before allowing him a temporary hiatus in which he would make notes on lessons for Hermione and, when he wasn't doing that, he would be found in one place.

At the bedside of one Hermione Jane Granger, his hand holding her stiff corpse as if trying to fuel magic into the body before him, his mood darkening to a dangerous point whenever he was with her. He didn't actually know when he had figured out his feelings for the brown-haired Muggleborn, but, whenever it was, he was glad for it. Yes, he did love Hermione and, as her closest friend, he wanted to make sure he was here when Professors Sprout and Snape finished the Mandrake Restoration Draught, which would give Harry the chance to tell her himself.

In the meantime, she was someone he could talk to and, after Madam Pomfrey had told him off for sneaking across the ward to see her, the matron had taken pity on him and placed Miss Granger's bed right next to his so that he could talk in complete safety and privacy. Looking to her still-petrified body, Harry heaved a sigh before, reaching across to her, the young wizard wrapped his hand around Hermione's and, with no regrets as to what he was going to say, began to speak.

"Hermione, I know that you always tell me that I'm reckless and that I have no regard for the rules, but, if you could only understand how I felt about you and about the regard for the rules, then you could see the logic in my actions." Heaving a sigh, Harry knew that there would be repercussions, but he was glad that it was Hermione he was speaking to: she would understand him.

"Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't given the life of the pampered prince or the spoilt brat; instead, I was locked in a cupboard from a very young age where my growth and nutrition was greatly shunned by a lack of proper meals or exercise. If I said or did anything that the Dursleys disliked, they would hurt me, or rather, Dudley and Uncle Vernon would hurt me while Aunt Petunia found it all right to wound me by aiming for my heart and the last few good memories I have of my parents. When Hagrid came and told me that I was a wizard, I was ecstatic because I now knew why I was so different from anyone else; I saw a reason to strike back at those who thought themselves in charge and, while I can't really excuse myself for putting my friends in so much danger, there is one event that I cannot regret no matter what I try to do. Meeting a certain brown-haired bookworm on the Hogwarts Express and, not one month later, saving that girl's life."

Checking to see whether he could be seen by the matron, Harry slowly crept out of bed and moved over to Hermione, his body now next to hers as he continued, "I was going to wait until you woke up until I said this, but I feel that, if I tried, then I would be too scared or distracted by Ron and the other Gryffindors. Hermione, I want you to know that the only true regret that I have against my recklessness is putting you in the line of fire: the troll, Fluffy, Hagrid's dragon, the polyjuice potion and now your petrification. Hermione, I know and will understand if you can never forgive me, but I need to say it: I love you; I always have and I always will and, if you come back to me, then I promise you that I will cut down on my reckless behaviour and be the best boyfriend you can ever ask for: just please," he soon found tears in his eyes as he held onto her, "Please Mione; come back to me."

"Potter?"

Looking up, Harry saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the entrance to their private area, a bottle of dark brown liquid in her hand; with hope in his eyes, Harry asked, "Is…is that…?"

"The antidote," Answered Poppy, smiling as she saw the two Gryffindors lying next to one another; a part of her wondering if that poll on who would capture Harry's heart was still available; when she had heard the boy pour his heart out, she had known that the right to wake up the seemingly sleeping Gryffindor girl would be Harry's. "If you perform the swallowing charm on Miss Granger, you can help her take it in: after that, wait a few minutes and…well, do the only thing you can…pray."

"Yes ma'am," Harry replied, taking the bottle from Madam Pomfrey; looking to the seemingly sleeping student, Harry gently poured the antidote into her mouth, using the spell Madam Pomfrey had suggested before he found himself holding onto Hermione, Poppy disappearing to give them some privacy.

Harry held onto Hermione for what seemed like hours, gently soothing himself by allowing his hands to massage her back, his eyes closed as he whispered, "Hermione, I don't know if you heard me, but I need you to listen to me now. I need you and I love you; if you couldn't hear me then I'll say it again; come back to me and you'll see a whole new Harry Potter, but now, just please wake up. I need you Hermione Granger and I…" tears continued to stream down his cheeks as he held onto the Muggleborn, "I love you."

One of Harry's tears fell from his eyes; had anyone taken a closer look at the tear, however, they would have seen a near-miniscule spark of silver in the center of the tear, Harry's arms holding onto Hermione as it splashed onto her cheek, a whole new strength filling the young Potter as he held onto her.

"I love you too."

Harry's eyes snapped open; he had heard it, but a part of him didn't want to believe it; still holding the body of the young Granger, Harry whispered, "Hermione?"

"Yes?" asked a weak, but very much alive voice.

"Y-you do?"

"I do," Hermione replied, pulling back from Harry and looking into his eyes, her own dark brown slowly regaining their lustre as she smiled at him, "And I did hear you: Harry, I promise that, if it's the last thing I do, I will see you freed from those monsters, but for now, will do you me one favour?"

"Anything," Harry replied, smiling at Hermione as he asked, "What is your wish my Hermione?"

"Kiss me," replied the Muggleborn, "As my boyfriend, I believe you have that right."

Harry nodded at her, before he leaned in close and gently placed his lips against hers, his tears still falling and, as he found her responding to his kiss, Harry also found that he didn't want to let go of Hermione.

As their kiss deepened, neither Harry nor Hermione had any idea of the powerful silvery glow that enveloped their bodies; neither were they aware of the magical influence that it was having on their bodies; all around them, there was a sudden ominous rumble of thunder and, as Harry kissed his new girlfriend, he would swear blindly that he heard a sound like the crashing waves as he remained in the arms of his Hermione.

However, while Harry and Hermione weren't aware of the effect of their kiss, there were two particular parties in the world that were…

HPHG

If there was one thing that the goblin nation valued above gold and treasures, it was the effect of a new lord and lady being found, but, when the goblins saw their leader, Ragnok, emerging from his hallowed halls, his eyes wide and filled with a sense of hallowed honour, they knew that this lord and lady would be unlike any other.

"Griphook," barked Ragnok, "Prepare our best treatments and inform me immediately if Sire Potter comes into the bank, do you hear me?"

"Yes my lord," Griphook replied, bowing with homage to his leader: Ragnok was not known for appearing on a random whim and, if Griphook's client, otherwise known as one Heir Harry James Potter, was the name spoken by the goblin leader, then it made it that much more important and that much more insistent to obey him.

"Also," Ragnok commanded, "I want the access for vaults 1366 and 1712 in my office immediately."

There was a collective gasp before Griphook, still falling over the chief's last request, gasped out, "But Lord Ragnok, those vaults can only be approved by…"

"I know," Ragnok agreed, "Just do it; I will contact the Overseers to deal with the permissions."

Griphook would never again disobey a command from Ragnok; nor would he ever again shirk in his duties to Sire Potter; not if those vaults were to be accessed.

HPHG

Firenze and Bane looked to the stars, both centaurs sharing a look before the dark-haired centaur looked to his friend and, with a scoff, asked, "Do you realise what this means?"

"I do," Firenze answered, still looking to the heavens, "They have finally been chosen and now the battle shall begin anew."

"Bane," a deep, rumbling voice called out, "Firenze; are you there?"

Turning to the source of the voice, the two centaurs watched as a pair of cloaked, hooded figures appeared in their midst, both figures looking to the centaurs before one of them spoke, "Well met children of Artemis."

"Well met Lords of Nature," Bane remarked, bowing forwards on his forelegs as he asked, "What happens to the children now?"

"First," the second figure answered, "They must explore their relationship before we are to appear to them: if the Oracle spoke the truth then these two shall unite the forces of nature and form the Balance once again; however, to do that, the unthinkable must happen."

"As the humans would say," Bane commented, "Your brother must be having a field day to learn of this."

"You have no idea," answered the first figure, "I have not seen him so happy in centuries: now remember you two, we chose you as foals and gave you our gifts so you could guide, guard and watch over the younglings; if their destiny is to be met, it must be alone."

"As you wish Storm Lord," Firenze commented, "However, the stars speak of another coming to aid the children; your Champion, Storm Lord, will be assisted by the Death Omen in his battle against the betrayers of destiny."

"And what of mine?" asked the second figure.

"She will be great indeed Ocean Lord," answered Bane, "But in the end, the balance shall be restored by their unity: tell us, when do we send them to you?"

"When one year has passed," answered the one known as Storm Lord, "Until then, you are to let the children have their lives and their love; the old one must not interfere any longer. If that happens, we shall send a scout to aid them and, only if that must be done shall we appear to them ourselves."

"As you wish," Firenze bowed, before he and Bane walked off into the forest, leaving the two figures to watch the silhouette of the school, Storm Lord speaking to his companion.

"We are taking a big risk here brother: putting our faith in mortals," he looked to Ocean Lord as he added, "That has not been done since the days of Emrys."

"I am aware of that brother," answered Ocean Lord, "But these two are different; they have ties to a lineage that is rightfully theirs; your Champion alone has the means to build his strength, but is halted by constant interferences."

"Then," Storm Lord remarked, looking to the school, a pair of electric blue eyes suddenly shining from beneath his hood, "That, brother, is the first thing that needs to change."

HPHG

Harry felt like he was walking on air: he had his friend, his girlfriend back with him and he also had a whole new reason to leave the na?ve, childish, reckless side of him behind. When he had poured out his soul to Hermione, he had half-expected her to turn her back on him and think him a freak, but instead, she had asked him to kiss her and then, when they had parted, it had been like the biggest light switch in the world had been flicked on in Harry's head.

All of a sudden, he felt a new understanding for magic: things he couldn't understand before were almost clear as crystal to him; he could even see that there were those in the world who wanted to be his friend simply because of his station as the Boy-Who-Lived. So far, there had been very few people who would see him as Harry and that, combined with his new attitude, was what now drove him to his destination.

Stopping outside his destination, Harry lifted a hand and knocked on the door, a familiar Scottish voice calling out, "Come in!"

Opening the door, Harry spoke not with the attitude of a bumbling fool, but a proud member of the lion's pride, "I apologise if I disturbed you Professor McGonagall, but I would like to request a change in my electives for next year."

"I see," Minerva replied, watching as Harry closed the door behind him and looked to her, a new sense of duty and pride in every word he spoke and every step he took. "And, if I may be so bold Potter, is it the sudden recovery of young Miss Granger that has brought this on?"

"That is one of the reasons ma'am," Harry answered, his eyes on his Head of House, "The other is because I feel that I should earn my marks, which is why I wish to drop Divination and instead choose to take Advanced Charmcasting as well as Ancient Runes, but keep Care of Magical Creatures."

"Advanced Charms is an interesting choice," Minerva replied, her eyes on her young lion as she asked, "But why would you choose two new electives and keep Care? You know that will cut down your free time and I daresay that Mr Wood will be disappointed if you slack on your Quidditch duties."

"Which is why my next stop is Gryffindor Tower," Harry replied, looking to Minerva as he saw her obviously trying to change his mind. "I am officially leaving the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as, between you and me Professor, every time I have been in a match, I have almost seriously injured myself and, when I should be focusing on my studies, I was instead flying around and being Mr Reckless with the help of the Quidditch team."

"Well," McGonagall gasped, "I never thought I'd hear you say that Potter; however, as your Head of House, all I can do is approve your resignation and hope that you enjoy your new classes: would you also like Miss Granger to take those lessons?"

Harry, as if he had expected this question, removed a parchment from his robe and, handing it to McGonagall, explained, "This is her letter to you; she would have told you personally, but Madam Pomfrey suggested 48 hours recovery and, being my Hermione, she didn't want to leave it too late."

The my Hermione slip had been intentional: seeing her lion looking like someone she had never met before, Minerva could only smile at him as she nodded and replied, "Thank you Potter; I will make the necessary changes and, when you next see Miss Granger, give her my best: she is a lucky girl to have someone like you at her side."

"No Professor," Harry remarked, smiling himself as he inclined his head in a thanks, before turning to leave the office, "I'm the lucky one."

HPHG

Gryffindor Tower was alive and well with the recovery of its House ghost, one of its first-years and its resident bookworm and one half of the pride of Gryffindor.

So, when Harry walked into the tower, his eyes scanning the room like a man on a mission, the first to approach him was Neville, who asked, "Harry, how's Hermione doing?"

"She's doing a lot better Neville," Harry replied, a warm smile on his face as he added, "In fact, now that she has someone to love her for being her, she's like a whole new Hermione."

"Yeah," Neville agreed, before he caught Harry's knowing look, the penny dropping as he asked, "What? You and her?"

"Yep," Harry smiled, "And I don't care what anybody else thinks: I love her and will always stand with her; now, have you seen Oliver anywhere?"

"Quidditch field," Neville replied, before he watched with shock as Harry seemed to stride past him, making his way to the boys' dormitory; once there, Harry recovered all the notes he had taken for Hermione and turned to leave when he found himself stopped by one Ronald Weasley, the youngest male of the red-haired clan looking at him in shock.

"Harry mate," he seemed to laugh as if he had just been told a funny joke. "Neville just said that you and Hermione were…" he gave a hollow laugh before he asked, "That you were…boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yes," Harry replied, before holding up his notes, "And now I'm going to give her these before we make plans for the summer together."

The door to the dorm opened and Harry watched as Neville, Dean and Seamus all walked in, the Irish half-blood congratulating Harry while the dark-skinned lion simply gave Harry a friendly nod of his head, obviously recognising the fact that Harry's love for Hermione was genuine: nobody would be stupid enough to question otherwise, would they?

Obviously, Dean forgot that they shared a dorm with Ronald Weasley, the human incarnation of the term open mouth, insert foot.

As Harry reached the door, Ron scoffed as he whispered, "Good of Harry to take pity on her."

"What?" asked Harry, stopping dead, Dean and Seamus sharing a look as if recognising the signs of an approaching blow-out: in their two years with Harry, they had only seen his reactions a few times, but, as Ron appeared to be a lot denser than he first appeared, he didn't see what they did. As they had discovered, there were two stages to Harry's anger: when he was annoyed with someone, Harry would yell and scream until he eventually knew the limit and went somewhere to cool off: that was like a Force 3 tornado; however, with the second stage, it was a Force 12 earthquake and it all began with Harry standing tense and straight, his hands at his side, his lips pursed and almost bloodless, his eyes screaming murder before, with but one more word, the snake would strike and the lion would rip a whole new world of trouble into its victim.

"Well," Ron laughed, ignoring the warning signs from his fellow Gryffindors, "She's not exactly good-looking is she? More of a practice girlfriend if you…"

His next words were cut off by a move that seemed to come out of nowhere, Harry's fist colliding with the side of Ron's jaw in a motion that was faster than lightning: then the Hurricane, as the other boys described Harry's 2nd stage, struck the boys dormitory. Harry leapt on top of Ron, fists flying and Harry tearing into the Weasley boy as if he cared about nothing more.

Thinking quickly, Neville cast the first spell that came to mind, "Petrificus Totalus!"

The effect was instantaneous: Harry was frozen in place, his arms and legs bound to his side, his body now dropping off Ron's, exposing a clearly bleeding Weasley's face, his jaw slightly distended and his nose looking even more crooked than Dumbledore and Snape combined.

"Harry," Neville remarked, "I'm going to release you, but you can't kill him: he is an idiot, I won't defend him from that, but to strike out like that is just wrong. We think you and Hermione make a good couple and encourage you to spend as much time as you need to together; other than that, there nobody else's opinion that matters."

When Harry's eyes, which were seemingly alive with energy and magic, finally softened, Neville released the young Gryffindor, before handing him the notes he'd dropped and, with no real remorse, then stepped over the groaning Weasley, before he held out his hand, "If this git can't accept you, then allow me to take his place in the Gryffindor Trio: I'll make sure that no-one abuses your Hermione and I'll keep your anger in check."

"Thanks Neville," sighed Harry, gathering up the last of his notes before he shook the boy's hand, "But why?"

"Because," Neville answered, "In our past, there has always been a Potter and a Longbottom working together and I'm not going to betray that brotherhood. Now, why don't you get yourself back to Hermione and we'll take care of the garbage?"

When Harry obliged, he turned on his heel and walked out, his footsteps almost echoing through the hall as he returned to the Hospital Wing, leaving the three remaining Gryffindor boys to look at the damaged heap at their feet. Now they had witnessed it, Dean and Seamus would never insult Hermione, even if Harry wasn't around; they had called him Hurricane Harry at that level, but now, he would have a new title:

The Oncoming Storm!

So there we have it; Chapter 1 of my response to a challenge and an interesting tale: who are Storm and Ocean Lord and what do they want with our young Lord and Lady?

Also, what is the unthinkable that Firenze and Bane know of and what's so important about vaults 1366 and 1712?

Keep Reading to Find Out…

In the next chapter: Ron hasn't learned his lesson, Albus wants a word and Harry wants to run away; meanwhile, there's an escape from Azkaban and Hermione learns of an option for her new boyfriend;

Please Read and Review…