Written Dec. 3, 2015

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

Warnings: Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death, may have some light slash.

The cliche "Harry-turns-Dark-and-Dumbles-is-not-as-good-as-he'd-like-others-to-think" story. Heavily inspired by Volbeat's song Heaven Nor Hell. I'm not going to go over everything in the books, just the relevant stuff.

I'm sure that the characters are going to be at least a little bit OoC, and that the reactions are probably unrealistic. The point is this is fanfiction, and I had fun writing it. I decided to post it so you could read it, in the hopes that someone would find it as interesting a story as I did.

I'm going to be going to at least the end of the 6th book. Maybe a bit farther. There are currently 4 chapters, with another two planned. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please feel free to share. I may be able to incorporate the ideas.

For more information on this fic, please see my profile on FFN.

The Angel

Heaven don't fall on earth
What you behold is no longer a word
No longer a word

1994, beginning of 4th year

Hermione Granger knew something was happening during the summers. Well… not for her, and not in the wizarding world. No, something was happening to her best friend (her first friend, one of her only friends), Harry Potter. She knew something was wrong. The issue was getting the stubborn lion to talk.

The Gryffindor bookworm had a bit of evidence; she was rather observant, after all. And it didn't take long for the evidence to pile up and point in a rather worrying direction.

It was more like a bunch of little things. Harry would pick at his plate more than he would actually eat anything, and would often wait until everyone else had started eating before he would get any food. He would jump when he heard a loud noise, like a slamming door, or someone dropping a book, and he would flinch if someone started shouting or someone moved too fast around him. He would actively avoid touch and tense up if someone initiated touch. On top of all of that, he was too small. Honestly, Harry could be mistaken for a first or second year, instead of the fourth year he was.

Hermione had concluded sometime in the last few years that Harry's home life wasn't good. She wanted to talk to him about it, but trying to figure out how to do that without scaring him off was proving rather difficult. It wasn't like she was a mind healer or a muggle psychiatrist. She didn't have the training or experience to deal with anything like what she had a feeling Harry was experiencing. Books could only help so much, and there was very little in Hogwarts' library about this.

The bushy-haired teen finally pulled up some courage ("You're a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake, Hermione! You can do this!" she had scolded herself) and pulled Harry to a secluded corner of the common room while Ron was playing a Wizards Chess tournament with their housemates. After putting up some silencing and secrecy wards so no one else could hear the two, the girl carefully worded her observations before she asked if Harry's family treated him alright. As she spoke, Hermione noticed Harry tensing as if ready to bolt. When she finally asked him, he stared at her, green eyes wide and almost…frightened.

"Please, Harry. You're one of the only friends I've ever had. I just want to know you're safe," she pleaded, holding his hands tightly in her own.

He told her he wasn't supposed to talk about it, but she swore she would only tell someone if his life was in danger because of his situation. It still took a bit of convincing the raven-haired boy, but eventually he began talking. His voice was slow and unsure, quiet. Listening to him, the Raven in Lion's skin felt her heart break. She was so used to Harry being confident and strong, and here he was, timid as a dormouse.

He had pulled his hands from hers as he began speaking, holding them together tightly in his lap. He spoke of living in a boot closet under the stairs, of endless chores and constant bullying. She heard how he thought his name was Freak until he was in primary school, and how his aunt and uncle refused to spend any more money on him than was necessary (which was why Harry wore his cousin's old clothes) and how he didn't get food if he did magic—though he didn't know what it was at the time.

Hermione knew Harry wasn't telling her everything—she could remember seeing bruises on his wrists and once on his shoulder when the collar of his shirt had slipped when on the train to Hogwarts—but she didn't press him about it. She didn't want to lose her friend because she pried too far into his home life. No, she just pulled him into a gentle, but tight hug. He let her, and they just sat there for a long time.

"You should tell one of the professors, Harry. They could do something to get you out of there," she said finally, voice soft. He shook his head, pulling out of Hermione's arms.

"I tried telling Dumbledore. I tried to get him to let me go somewhere else for the summer after First Year, but he told me the Dursley's was the safest place for me, and that I shouldn't tell stories about my family." He shrugged a bit, and Hermione felt her heart break a little more. "At least this summer was better. I told them Sirius was my godfather, but not that he was innocent. They left me alone for the most part."

"Do you want me to see if I can get my parents to stay with us next summer?" she offered. She desperately wanted to do something to help him, even if it was just making sure he could stay away from them for a little bit longer.

Despite that, Harry declined and after a few more attempts at getting him to agree, Hermione dropped it. They realized just how long the two had been talking when one of their housemates told them it was time for dinner (after Hermione took down the wards).

After that, the muggleborn didn't bring up that subject again, aside from getting her friend to eat more during meals. Silently, she made a vow to never turn Harry away. The Boy-Who-Lived hadn't gotten the love every child needed and deserved, and she felt he needed to know someone was going to be by his side, no matter what.

She kept that silent promise, even after the entire school (including Ron) turned their collective back on Harry for getting into the Tournament. Hermione stayed firmly next to the raven-haired Gryffindor, studying with him, partnering with him in classes, and just being a true friend.

Harry tried to get her to spend time with Ron so she wouldn't foul up her friendship with the youngest male Weasley. She just smiled and said, "I'm not going to leave you alone. Who knows how much trouble you could get into!" and returned to studying.

She helped him practice spells for the task, despite not knowing what the task was. When Harry found out, via Hagrid, the task involved dragons, Hermione went to the library and looked for any books that might have something to use against the giant lizards. Harry told her he had a plan, but she insisted he know how to cast some of the spells, in case his first plan didn't work.

When it came time for the task, Hermione found herself nearly sick with worry. Harry's dragon ended up breaking free and chasing after the Gryffindor as he flew around. She didn't calm down until she saw him, unburnt and whole, on the ground with the golden egg.

When Ron asked for Harry's forgiveness, the raven-haired teen was quick to give it. Hermione didn't forgive quite as easily, and decided to keep an eye on Ron. Just in case.

I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. Next one should be up...soon..ish. Please leave your thoughts through either a review or a PM.

Risika Kiisu