Dark Light

Dark Light

Prologue

He was sitting in the library. The sun streamed through the window and he sighed. He loved the sun shining in the room it leant an ethereal essence to the room, which brought him back to those childhood stories he used to love before he lost his innocence. As the windows were wide open the silver curtains fluttered and shimmered in the summer breeze. He remembered the time when he put them up. She was helping him with his task. He remembered the way she looked against the window. That day happened to be sunny to. The way the sun glinted on her hair made him sigh. He was forty-five years old and she was barely eighteen but that didn’t matter in the Wizarding world.

He couldn’t believe that in a matter of days he had been reduced to fantasizing about someone that would never return his affections. He looked at the page of the book he was trying to read but found that he couldn’t focus easily the words mingled and blurred. He looked up and was thinking that maybe a walk around London would do him good. He was just about to make his way out of the room when the door opened. He watched as his desire walk in the room. Did the girl even realise how beautiful she was?

“Oh, hello Mr Shacklebolt,” she said. Kingsley groaned. He had told her to call him by his first name.

“Hermione,” he said in his deep calming voice. Hermione blushed. She had always loved a deep voice and his was no exception. Definitely not the exception, she thought.

“It’s rather hot, don’t you think?” she asked.

Kingsley nodded. She shrugged her shoulders and walked up to the bookshelf. She decided to make his way over to her.

“What are you after?” he asked.

“Something to do with Horcruxes.”

“No, Hermione, I won’t let you,” he found himself saying gruffly. Hermione turned around on her heel and her eyes widened with shock.

“Someone has to!” she exclaimed. “And as Harry is still moping about Dumbledore half the time and declaring war on Professor Snape the other half and when he does take a break he uses to snuggle up to Ginny. If we leave it up to him nothing useful would get done.”

“What about leaving it up to someone like me?” Kingsley asked. “Hermione,” he sighed taking her hands in his. “Please, you can’t. You smile, you bring light to this place, and I cannot let that be diminished by you searching for dark knowledge.”

He could smell her perfume, he looked down and the sun was shining through her mint green summer dress showing him what he could never hold. He gulped down his urge and reined his self control back in. He began circling his fingers in her palms. She felt shockwaves course through her body at his gentle, soothing touch.

“Don’t stop,” she sighed.

Kingsley tilted his head and looked at her expression. It would be so simple to lean in and kiss those soft, pink, cupid bow lips. He looked up and dropped her hands and let go.

“Please, Hermione, you cannot expose yourself to that sort of knowledge,” he said. He took a step or two back. “I mean it. Read some Jane Austen or Charles Dickens for a change.”

“But I do read those authors,” Hermione answered trying not to giggle.

“It’s not a laughing matter, Hermione, you are too young and too beautiful to engage in such dark study.”

Hermione stopped laughing when she heard Kingsley Shacklebolt call her beautiful. She was interested in this bald man. She loved his voice, she loved his hands, and she even liked his bald head. She either liked a lot of hair or none at all. Her favourite actor as a child was Yul Brynner. He was ultra sexy.

He walked away from her and turned around. Why had he said that to her? Now she’d only laugh in his face! No one had ever fancied him before. Why should it happen now? She nibbled her lower lip and looked down on the floor.

“Do you really think I’m beautiful?” she asked in a small voice.

Kingsley sighed. His shoulders slumped as he answered. “I do, I truly do.”

“No one has called me beautiful,” Hermione said. “Well, apart from Viktor, but I didn’t believe him.”

Hermione looked around the room trying to think of something else to say but he spoke.

“I am sorry,” he groaned. “I should never have said it.”

Hermione walked up to him and laid a hand on his back. She rubbed it and stepped around him so that she could look in his eyes.

“Thank you, Mr Shacklebolt,” she said. She tiptoed up and kissed his cheek causing him to blush. Hermione thought he was cute when he blushed.

“How many times, call me Kingsley.”

Hermione found it strange that an adult was giving her permission to call him by his first name without the respectable prefix of Uncle before it.

“Uncle Kingsley,” she said.

“No, just Kingsley,” he replied.

“Kingsley,” Hermione tested the name on her mouth. He had never heard his name spoken of in such a musical way before. He smiled at her.

“Hermione,” he said. “You know something, our names rhyme.”

“Kind of,” she agreed. “Now,” she sighed squaring her shoulders. “Why do you think I’m beautiful?”

“I shouldn’t,” Kingsley said. “It is wrong for a man of my age to think of a woman of your age in any way.”

“Why?” Hermione said softly. “What do you truly think of me, Kingsley?”

The dark man sighed and looked down on the floor. He couldn’t look in her eyes and tell her what he had to say. He couldn’t look in the eyes of the girl that truly trusted him, as he would break her trust with one single sentence.

“I think that you are a sexy, beautiful, intelligent young woman.”

He looked at her eyes. She was still looking at him; she still had that smile on her face.

“Sexy?” she said lowering her eyelids she looked up at him through her long lashes.

“Yes,” he replied. “Absolutely sexy.”

Hermione giggled. Even Viktor hadn’t called her sexy. She stepped up closer to him and smiled. “You’re attractive too, Kingsley.”

“I am,” he said in utter surprise. Hermione giggled again and ran a finger along his lips. He took her hand away. “No, Hermione, we shouldn’t.”

“We haven’t even started yet,” she said. “Kingsley, you are an extremely handsome, intelligent man. I love your quiet strength, and I feel – well – calm around you.”

Kingsley closed his eyes with sheer relief. He was scared of her rejection of him. She seemed to like him and that was a good start.

“Hermione,” he sighed. “We barely know each other. I cannot make a move or even kiss you. I like you, and I want to but I don’t want to betray your trust.” He stroked aside some hair off her face and smiled at her, his almond shaped eyes sparkled all the warmth of Africa.

“You won’t,” she replied.

She leant forward and cupped one of his cheeks in her hand. She brushed her lips against his and smiled. She pushed his lower lip down with her finger and leaned forward. She placed her top lip in between his parted mouth and he sucked her lip. She tasted so sweet. Her mouth felt so warm. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. His lips pushed against her mouth and his tongue tentatively stroked hers urging her to play with his. He could drown in that mouth of hers. She tasted every bit as sweet as her personality dictated she would.

She leant into his body and he wrapped his arms around her waist bringing her closer within his embrace. Her insides were bubbling and far from calm. She pressed her stomach against his growing erection. She wrapped her hands around his baldhead and moaned in his mouth.

His hands wandered down her sides and circled around her hips. She thrust forward wanting nothing more than for them to be naked. His hands stroked up her back and landed in her hair, his fingers laced themselves in her golden strands. He broke the kiss and they were both panting. He looked into her eyes, they were shining and her face was flushed from the excitement. He dipped his head and placed his lips on her cheek, he kissed along her jaw and down the side of her neck.

“Kingsley,” she sighed.

This only spurned him on. He picked her up and carried her over to a table and laid her flat on her back. She wanted to laugh but felt that might ruin the moment. She held onto him tightly. He was about to start unbuttoning her dress when someone walked into the room. Kingsley immediately jumped off Hermione. Hermione stood up. Her hair was mussed, and her dress was slightly skewed around her body. Molly walked in the Library.

“Hermione,” she said. “Could you be a dear and set the table for lunch.”

Hermione nodded. She turned to Kingsley. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Kingsley nodded.

Damn that woman! She seems to have the awful knack of knowing what men and women are doing.

Hermione followed the Weasley Matriarch out of the room and walked to the dining room to set the table. Once Molly was in the dining room she looked at the door and turned to the young woman.

“I knew what you were doing because of this!” she held out her watch.

It had several names and dials on it. Hermione’s jaw dropped at the machinery and magic that went into this exquisite device. Kingsley and Hermione’s dials had turned purple. They were cooling down to brown now though.

“And so?” she asked Molly.

“Purple is the colour of love in the magical world,” Molly explained. “At least the colour of In The Act of Love, if you know what I mean.”

“So what if we were making love?” Hermione demanded. She placed her hands on her hips. “I was actually enjoying it!”

“But, dear, he’s old enough to be your father!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe how interfering this woman was. She gritted her teeth and stormed towards the dresser to take a tablecloth out of the draw and she spread it on the table. She stormed into the kitchen to get the cutlery.

Molly shook her head. She had to break Harry and Ginny apart the night before. She wished that young people would realise that older people did actually know better because nine times out of ten the older person has been there and because of this they know what happens isn’t always a good thing. It happened with Molly, and she ended up pregnant before she was truly ready to become a mother. Ginny wasn’t talking to her. Molly had thought that Hermione might be slightly more reasonable than her passionate daughter.

Hermione slammed the eating utensils down on the table. Molly walked into the kitchen throwing her hands up in the air. She might as well not bother next time; let them get pregnant then!

^~^~^~^

Kingsley’s lips were still tingling from her kiss, his hands felt as if they had been cleansed. He smiled. He had been kissed, and he was definitely not a virgin but he had never felt as he did now. He walked out of the library. He may be an Auror but he was also a man. She had given him a promise and he was going to make sure she fulfilled it.

He stealthily walked into the dining room where he noticed she was in a bit of a temper. He walked up to her and he heard her muttering:

“Stupid, bloody bitch! Why can’t she mind her own bloody business! Why doesn’t she get some herself instead of ruining everyone else’s chances! Doesn’t she realise how long I wanted him to notice me? When he finally does she waltzes in and asks me to set the bloody table!”

Kingsley was shocked. She was obviously so wrapped up in her anger that she didn’t notice him walking in. He was still as a statue when he heard that she fancied him. He looked at her quivering form, her golden complexion; he noticed that she had a smattering of freckles across her nose. He smiled as he thought of counting them after they make love.

She turned around so her back was turned to him. She continued her muttering:

“Imagine that someone like me being kissed by the sexiest guy on the planet, and not only sexy but an Auror to! I was so happy. I can’t wait to get him naked. He’s so gorgeous,” she glared at the door where she knew Molly was cooking. “Bitch!” she said again.

She turned around and was face to face with Kingsley who was not concealing a smirk.

“I am almost inclined to agree with you, but I cannot call a good woman with the right intentions such a name,” he replied.

“You heard what I said?”

“Hmm,” he replied. He looked around. He was about to walk up to her when Molly bustled in the room. She saw that Kingsley’s hand was changing from brown to blue. She won’t let them do it within her hearing distance.

“Kingsley, be a love and gather everyone around the table,” she said in a tone that would brook no argument. He bowed and left the room. Hermione was chewing the inside of her cheek trying very hard to keep her comments to herself. She might have to speak to Ginny about this. Ginny would help her.

^~^~^~^

“She can’t keep breaking us up, Harry!” Ginny exclaimed.

“I can sort of understand why she does it,” Harry said.

“Well, I wish she’d stop interfering,” Ginny moaned. Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny’s shoulder.

“We’re together aren’t we,” he said nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “That’s enough for the time being.”

“No! It’s not enough, Harry, if you don’t do something drastic then I will!”

She got up causing Harry to fall face flat on the bed and she stormed out of the room. Harry looked at the door and decided to leave her alone to cool down. He knew how bad a Weasley’s temper could get, although he wasn’t sure whether that was more a Prewitt trait. It seemed that Ron and Ginny had more of a temper than the rest of the Weasley’s. He had observed them and they were a lot like their mother. He groaned. He was going to marry a girl that would turn out like her mother!

The door opened and Kingsley walked in the room. “Molly has said that lunch was being served. I have informed Ginny!”

Harry nodded and stood up. He looked up and smiled slightly. “Who have you kissed?” Harry asked, as he noticed a bit of lipstick on Kingsley’s white cravat.

Kingsley looked at where Harry was looking. “Oh, just some girl I met.”

Harry narrowed his eyes and smiled knowingly at the older man. “Yeah, right!”

The two men walked out of the room and made their way back to the dining room where they saw Ginny and Hermione whispering to each other. Harry narrowed his eyes; Kingsley decided not to let his naturally suspicious nature take over, as he had seen these two girls whisper like this before.

Lunch was a very quiet affair. Molly had deliberately placed the girls as far from the men as possible so no hanky panky could occur under the table. Hermione looked at Ginny and nodded.

“Mum, why don’t you put your feet up and Hermione and I will clear up and cook dinner,” Ginny said.

Molly narrowed her eyes but decided to suspend judgment. “I could do with a rest.”

The girls ate the tomato soup and started clearing up the table. They brought Molly a cup of tea and told her to go to the sitting room. When Molly was out of the room Harry turned on them.

“What are you two up to?” he asked.

“Nothing Harry,” Hermione said.

“That’s right,” Ginny replied. “We just want to give mum a rest that’s all.”

Kingsley shook his head trying not to laugh. If women were up to something they’d hardly confess all to the opposite sex.

“Come on, Harry, perhaps you can help me with something.”

Ginny and Hermione watched them walk out of the room. They checked their watches.

“That was so lucky that you had some of that spare,” Ginny sighed.

“Be prepared,” Hermione said. “If I heard it once I heard it a thousand times from my dad.”

“Right she should be off like a light now,” Ginny sighed. “I’ll go and slip it off. I have had training from the twins.”

Hermione nodded. “I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

Ginny came into the room a few moments later and held the watch up. She smiled and giggled.

“She was snoring with her mouth wide open and everything it was so comical.”

Hermione snorted. “You don’t think it weird that I like Kingsley?”

“Hell no!” Ginny exclaimed. “He’s hot isn’t he?”

“Tell me about it,” Hermione sighed. “And when he kissed my mouth I was so charged with emotion I could barely contain it!”

“And then my mother had to go and spoil it, eh?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. She smirked slightly and took the watch in her soapy hands. “If I wasn’t fearing the reprisals and didn’t respect the amount of work it took to make this watch I’d dump it in the water right now.”

“We can’t do that,” Ginny sighed. “Though it is awfully tempting.”

She shrugged her shoulders and placed it in her jeans pocket. “Where are you going to put it, Ginny?”

“The last place where mum will think of finding it,” Ginny said. “And I’m not going to tell you either in case you chicken out and decide to tell her in one of your ‘honest’ moments.”

Hermione scowled. “I don’t get them!”

“Don’t you?” Ginny asked. She picked up a towel and began wiping up. “We’re getting our men tonight whether mother likes it or not.”

“Do your parents still do it?” Hermione asked.

Ginny screwed up her face. “Yuck! Hermione, some of us like to keep our food in our stomachs!”

Hermione laughed. She sighed as she contemplated how she could go about gaining Kingsley’s undivided attention.

A/N - This couple have threatened to rear its ugly head since I found out who was playing him. This is to show that there are other male Phoenix members... I happened to swoon over Kingsley when he first stepped into the pages. I was disappointed he didn't have much to do in HBP other than be the Muggle Prime Minister's secretary... BAD JO!