A Blitheful Spirit
Summary: It was like every other day, except there was something missing. She could feel it the moment she woke up.
For the 'I Ship it' Competition and New Years Millionaire Fanfiction Resolutions & Goals Competition! And inspired heavily from Christina Aguilera's Hurt.
Warnings for untamed fluff.
The moment she opened her eyes she felt wrong somehow. Not physically that is. She felt... well, she wasn't entirely sure. At least when she checked there was nothing wrong with her. She still had that bruise on her elbow after colliding with a student the other night after the final task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
Still, the feeling didn't go away.
She kept pondering it as she got dressed, noticing all the empty beds around her. Had she slept in? Or was everyone up early to wish the other schools a safe journey home? Oh well, so she would be late it seemed. There were no classes today so she shouldn't worry about it. Rather what was wrong with her.
If it wasn't physical is had to be mental right? That had to be it, but she almost felt like a blade had driven into her chest during the night. That it had sunk deep after being dipped in some poison she couldn't fathom as it had been withdrawn, taking something with it and leaving this feeling in it's place.
Like a piece of her was missing.
After another physical check and assuring herself that nothing was wrong Hermione opened the door to the dorm she shared and descended the stairs.
It was nothing she kept telling herself.
Nothing, nothing.
Each time she repeated the word that knife nicked at her skin, almost teasing her. Nothing. It cut around the wound it had made previously, tempting her to crane her head back and look at the gaping hole it had left there.
She sighed in relief when it went away as she caught sight of her friends on the couch. The only other two people in the room. Everyone else must have headed down already. They must have waited for her. "Sorry-"
As she drew closer she could hear Ron hissing something to Harry, voice lower than usual and practically trembling. In fact, his whole body seemed to be shaking but from the color on his face it was in anger, not fear. "What was the Minister thinking? Letting that creep go like that without a trial. He should have been punished for everything he did here, not basically murdered. That's a mercy for someone like him. Torture, staying in Azkaban again would have been a much better punishment. If I could just wrap my hands around his scrawny little neck-"
"There's nothing to be done about it now. The Minister won't even acknowledge Voldemort and he killed the one person that would convince everyone he was back considering how he was so open about it. McGonagall said she didn't get a chance to stop him from killing Barty..."
Barty?
He was laughing softly into her ear as she squirmed on the railing, fingers trailing down her arm to rest ontop of her hand. "If you keep moving like that you'll fall, you know."
She frowned at him. Yes, she knew that. There were on the bloody astronomy tower though, how could he expect her to keep still with him pressed against her side like that? Never-mind how far up they were, it was a long fall it she happened to slip from her spot. Why he had suggested they get up on the railing was beyond her, more so how he had convinced her to do such a thing. "It's safer if we get behind the railing like any sane person would," she snapped, trying her best to glare at him. It was always difficult when he had that grin on his face. "We can see the stars just fine from inside the astronomy tower you know. There's even a telescope just over there." She jerked her head in the direction, stopping only moments after to stare at him. "What's so funny?"
He cracked a smile at her. "I didn't bring us here to look at the stars, Hermione. I came here to look at you."
He pulled back from her and she practically sighed in relief. Him being so close had made her nervous and she was already nervous about being up so high. She didn't even like flying for crying out loud! She had told him so on numerous occasions so how he thought this was a good idea in the first place was beyond her.
Then she felt a finger on her cheek, skimming up and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I only ever go where you go because you're there. How could you forget that? Or are you just trying to get me in the shadows where no one can see us snogging? My sweet daring cub."
She could have sworn even the tips of her ears went red. "Stop joking around."
"Mmm," he licked his lips in such a way it was almost lewd, looking at her as if he had found the tastiest treat in the shop. "You're adorable when you're embarrassed. It's really a shame that the lighting inside doesn't do it justice at night."
Hermione couldn't help herself, she had to ask no matter what his answer might be. How it would effect her. "Is that why you brought me out here tonight? Better lighting? That's not the most romantic thing to say to a girl you know," the words just slipped from her mouth. She never could seem to stop and think around him. Her thoughts, everything just flowed like water on it's predestined path.
From the curve of his lips she must have said something to amuse him. "Perhaps not, but the moonlight makes you positively luminous. You should see yourself, really. You look like a goddess, Hermione. Ethereal, like a dream about to fade away. All I want is for it to last forever. I wonder if you'll ever forgive me? For being such a sinner."
He was closer now and she felt her breath coming fast as he leaned forward even further. His eyes closed just before his nose touched hers, nuzzling softly against her own. For a moment she couldn't say anything, trying to comprehend just what he was doing.
Her lips parted a second later, "You're worse than a pet, Barty." And his laughter surrounded her, cocooning her in it's warmth, filling her as she nuzzled him back, a smile on her lips.
Her hand that had been reaching out to tap one of them on the shoulder was suddenly limp at her side. Legs trembling from the effort of keeping her body up and she felt herself stepping back away from the two of them.
This was a dream - no, a nightmare. It had to be. They had arrested Barty the other night, she knew that, but they had never spoken about killing him.
Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came forth. That knife, they had taken Barty from her. Her throat seemed to close up on her as she tried to get some sound out but kept failing. She couldn't stay here, she knew that much. Not like this. If they turned around they would know.
Hermione turned on her heel and ran quickly from the room, shoving the portrait open in her haste, ignoring the Fat Lady's angry shout at being treated like a common door. She raced down the steps as her mind spun. He was gone. Gone.
She was as silent as the statues around them. What did he just? How could he? She could feel his eyes on her, unmoving. He wasn't taking back those words though. The ones she was so sure had just floated through her mind a moment ago. She never would have dreamed of this. Did he realize just how insane it sounded? What he was asking of her?
"Hermione, please. Say something."
He sounded like a wounded animal and it hurt her to hear his voice crack like that. But what was she suppose to say? What should she say? "I-" She couldn't get past the single word.
"Just think about it. You and me, we can go away from all of this." There it was again.
"Come away with me."
"I promise everything will be fine. Voldemort won't find us, no one will. We won't have to hide our relationship out there, we can be out in the open without anyone judging either of us. Don't you want that?"
"Yes." She would love that, really. To not worry what her friends would say about him. Not worry about what anyone would say. That him being sighted from any of them would send the aurors running.
"I have everything prepared. Just say the word." She knew his unspoken world already. Please.
It made it even harder for her to get her mouth to work. "I can't. My friends, my family. They'll worry and-"
"We can come back when Voldemort is gone. Once I've made arrangements with the Ministry so they won't send aurors. I can make it all go away. Hermione... please, I don't have much time left. Let me do this for us."
That was a week ago. Just a week since the last time she had seen him and she had never given her answer. Just walked from the room.
She was trembling as she sunk down to the earth, fingers digging into the sand that turned dark with each tear that fell from her burning cheeks. A sob crawled up from her throat, spilling forth into the air.
She couldn't stop those sounds from coming up that had refused before. Not anymore. Her whole face felt hot and she couldn't stop the onslaught of tears. She shouldn't have had to think about it so much. She should have just come right out and say it. I'll go. Then he wouldn't be dead. Then-
"Yes, yes. Good day to you."
"Goodbye, Minister." McGonagall's voice, terse as usual, so near. The Minister...
Somehow she forced the sob down as she pushed against the earth beneath her. What came out of her mouth next was more of a soft unspoken promise, "Barty."
Oh, look at that. We reached the ending. I suppose I should have said from the beginning that it was open ended *smirks* ...don't kill me.