"Well, I think I have everything I need," I told myself as I checked my inventory. I had loaded it with a bunch of things that could come in handy, from effective potions to some of Neville's failed ones that I would use as weapons. It was quite easy to get them when Slytherin has classes with Gryffindor and Neville fails so easily under Snape's pressure.
I sighed to myself, realizing that the time to conclude this year was approaching. Although it wouldn't be the most dangerous or difficult thing I had done, I focused all my attention on it. Unlike exams, this mattered to me, and I was somewhat nervous. I believed I could do it almost effortlessly, but the doubt that something could go wrong was always present, making me more cautious.
Almost everything was ready; there was some time left for dinner, but I already had the clones I needed prepared and distributed in their positions.
...
Dinner went smoothly, although I noticed the nervousness in the trio of lions, who seemed annoyed to see me so relaxed. I ignored them and continued accompanying the girls with various clones at different tables. I symbolically finished my meal, knowing that later I would satisfy myself with the food I cooked myself to get its effects. Afterward, I stood up and left, waiting...
Time passed faster than expected, and now I was outside Gryffindor's common room. I waited for a while until the portrait of the Fat Lady moved, and I sensed how three beings emerged, probably covered by Harry's fake invisibility cloak. In the Marauders' campaign, I got used to the [Life Sense] sense unconsciously to protect myself from Death Eater attacks, so it was quite easy for me to locate them compared to when I first received this ability.
"Here I am," I whispered near them for recognition.
After making sure we were hidden from the Fat Lady's sight, the trio took off the cloak while I removed my invisibility. Now we were visible, and I could see the nervous expression of the three kids facing the mission.
"Everything okay?" I asked, observing them, although Hermione diverted her eyes to the side to avoid eye contact.
"Yes, just a little problem," Ron replied.
"Did they discover you?" (Red)
"No, well, yes, Neville... but we took care of him. Hermione handled him," Harry explained not very clearly.
"Did you kill him?" I pretended surprise, exciting the kids.
"NO!" Hermione responded, wanting to make it clear that she didn't kill Neville. When she looked into my eyes, she noticed my mocking smile and got angry, realizing I was joking.
The little joke served to calm them a bit and continue our journey. The kids with their cloak, and me with my invisibility. I offered Hermione to stick to me to share my invisibility, but she didn't want to come close and preferred to go under the cloak. If it weren't for it, I would see the blush on her face. It's incredible how close we were, and now that we had made our 'future' relationship clear, something that used to be so common became embarrassing.
Ignoring that, we continued our way to the third floor without many issues thanks to my present abilities. Both Mrs. Norris and Peeves fled terrified, which never ceased to amaze my companions, who at some point envied how easy it was for me to free myself from Filch and the insufferable Peeves.
We reached the third floor, and we saw that the door where Fluffy should be was already slightly open, indicating that someone had already entered.
"Well, there you are, Snape's already got past Fluffy" Harry said with a coolness quietly, knowing they couldn't prevent Snape from arriving first anymore. "We can't avoid Snape; if any of you want to go back, I won't blame you. You can take the cloak; I won't need it."
I was surprised by Harry's attitude in such a situation and the determination he expressed, understanding a bit why he was the hero of this world... until I heard what he said about leaving the cloak. He's an idiot; it's an excellent tool for what he was about to do, and he doesn't even think about using it?! He lost some of the admiration he had earned. It's noticeable why he is Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw or Slytherin; he has the courage but lacks the wit.
"Don't be stupid," Ron replied courageously too. I think getting this far made him bold enough to want to continue, even though 'Snape' would be waiting for them on the other side.
"We're coming with you," Hermione also supported him, showing courage.
"If I want the princess, I'll have to kill the dragon," I responded, casting a few glances at Hermione, which seemed to make her uncomfortable enough to cover her face with her hair. The kids also looked at me with strange expressions regarding my motives for doing this, but fortunately, they didn't say anything about it.
"Let's go, then," said Harry, extending his hand to open the door and pass through.
"Wait," I said, getting everyone's attention.
I turned to Hermione, who seemed startled by my sudden movement due to the tension that had arisen between us. Without giving her time to react, I approached her quickly, my arms surrounded her body, and my face approached hers to start a deep kiss.
Hermione was shocked,but the same moment of distraction she had from my action was enough for my tongue to enter her mouth savagely. The poor girl didn't know how to react to feeling an aggressive tongue profaning the entire inside of her mouth, causing tingling and dizziness. She could barely concentrate on what was happening to her body, but still put up some involuntary resistance.
We continued like this for a few seconds until I felt Hermione would faint from lack of air. When I let her go, she fell sitting on the floor, red, hyperventilating, and with a slight sweat on her forehead. She looked lost ahead until she could focus and look at me with a mix of fear and shame.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" She screamed startled, not caring that we were on a furtive mission, worrying both Harry and Ron.
Hermione felt like her heart would burst out of her chest as she looked at me with almost teary eyes. She still felt my tongue in her mouth, in addition to feeling dizzy. She felt light and heavy at the same time, with a tingling sensation in her brain.
"I wanted to kiss my girlfriend... claim something from the deal," I replied, extending my hand to help her up.
"It was supposed to help us first!" She complained with a certain fury and resentment, feeling that I violated her trust by taking advantage of her. Besides, her mental state hadn't fully recovered, and her breathing was still difficult.
"Hermione... I wanted to kiss you," I said, and she was about to yell at me again, but I extended my hand to indicate she should be quiet. "I wanted to do it now, claim something from the deal in case I couldn't later. You know we could go in there and die... and then I wouldn't get what I wanted," I said, looking her directly in the eyes. "I wanted to kiss you to have no regrets. If we die in there, at least I kissed the prettiest girl of all. It would be unfair if I die and you can't be my girlfriend, so I wanted to make sure I had something to remember."
"... We're not going to...!" Her voice was still strong but more muted; my gaze and tone intimidated her. She was still upset but didn't want to admit I might be right, not wanting to believe we could die, fearing again. My words reminding her of death even made the lions who had emboldened themselves hesitate once more.
"Let's not waste any more time," I said, holding Hermione, even if she didn't want to, and lifting her in one go, then moving forward and not giving them a chance to say anything.
The three kids didn't know what else to do. What had happened had already happened, and now they had to continue despite the fear in their hearts. Hermione was the only one who had the right to complain, but she didn't. She was annoyed but decided to ignore it, thinking that maybe it could be true, and this kiss... her first kiss... would be the last if something happened to us. At least it was with someone she liked a bit, she thought, but quickly dismissed that idea, focusing on the mission.
The four of us entered the room and saw Fluffy dozing with a harp playing itself. The kids deduced the situation, and Harry pulled out a flute to continue playing music while they looked for a way to pass through the trapdoor.
I began to hear Harry's flute, and perhaps due to my [bard's ear], it caused irritation. So, I pulled out what I had prepared for this situation – my guitar, which appeared in my hands. My fingers started playing the strings at the same time I opened my mouth to let out my voice and make use of my abilities that, at one point, caused me trouble, singing melodically.
The kids looked at me in amazement. My artistic abilities were no secret; even Hermione had to attend my dance classes, but now it was much clearer at what level I was. The kids couldn't understand how my voice, usually pleasant, could change so much to sound in perfect harmony with the guitar.
"Red, you're amazing!" said Harry with astonishment, followed by a nod from Ron.
"...hmmm..." Hermione just let out a faint sound, a bit blushy, as the lyrics I was singing were romantic, and the word 'kiss' was repeated several times. In reality, I was improvising, but with my ability, it still sounded good.
Fluffy didn't have the slightest chance of waking up. My ability reached the point of being considered magical. The kids were lost for a moment, but soon they recovered, and Harry was the first to move forward to open the way to the trapdoor, lifting it and seeing a black void underneath.
The kids looked into the void and knew they could only jump to reach the bottom. Harry was going to be the first; he felt responsible for this, so he wouldn't let his friends test the danger first. But when he was about to say something, I interrupted.
"Just jump already; I'm getting tired of singing." My melodic tone continued with the song, but it was somewhat amusing for them because, without realizing it, I had started to move my body to the rhythm of the music, dancing, which almost made them laugh.
Realizing it, I used my foot to push Harry into the pit, then pushed Ron too, who, surprised that I pushed Harry, couldn't defend himself. Then I looked at Hermione, and she got scared, but seeing that I was simply putting my guitar in my inventory and extending my hands to embrace her, she jumped on her own. Seeing her, I just shook my head and jumped, trying not to land on anyone.
"Fortunately, this plant is soft and cushioned our fall." (Ron)
"Yes, although it's a bit cold and damp," Hermione continued commenting.
We ended up on the Devil's Snare, which was quite soft for the fall, but Hermione and the others quickly realized the problem. At first, they thought they fell on a simple plant, but it had started to wrap around their legs like a snake.
"Ah! It's Devil's Snare!" exclaimed Hermione, who was already being held. "It's between my legs!"
"AHH!" Ron also screamed, perhaps in a more feminine tone than Hermione, feeling the snare was already above his waist and still tying him up like Harry.
"NO ONE CAN PUT THEIR VISCOUS TENTACLES BETWEEN HERMIONE'S LEGS EXCEPT ME... OR ON HER WHOLE BODY!" I shouted with genuine anger as I took out a burning torch from my inventory that I had prepared beforehand, scaring the plant and freeing us all. I had prepared many things before coming, something for every situation.
The four of us fell to the ground, free from the plant, some sighing in relief, while Hermione gave me a look that I could understand.
"You're mine, Hermione, and only my tentacles are allowed. Got it?" I said, but she just got angry and hit me, although she still seemed happy to be freed. She had begun to realize the implications of my words and noticed that this was becoming increasingly dangerous, first with the Cerberus and now with this strangling plant. She still felt the pain of her legs being squeezed.