Plan B
Harry had never felt this guilty in his entire life. He knew that Ron wasn't the one to blame for his outburst, but he refused to accept it out of his irrational anger and practically forced him to leave. At this point, the locket really wasn't the cause of it all, it was him. Devastated, he looked over at his drenched best friend. Surprisingly enough, Hermione had decided to stay by his side when Ron had asked her to come along as he was about to walk out of Harry's friendship. She begged him not to make her choose between him and what they had been fighting for, but it only angered him more. Regardless of the rain outside of the tent, Hermione chased after him, but it was to no avail. Ron disapparated before she even had the chance to reason with him. She remained outside as the skies continued to pour down on her until Harry walked out and took her back inside.
"Mione," said Harry as he cautiously walked over to her. She was still wrapped up in the blanket he had placed around her shoulders and had been sitting in the exact same spot that he led her to for nearly two hours. Slowly, he joined the girl who was sobbing uncontrollably at the end of her cot.
"Hermione, I'm really, really sorry," he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, mentally praying that she wasn't upset with him. Moments later, she looked up into Harry's emerald green eyes that showed nothing more than sincere sympathy.
"There's nothing to apologize for," she choked out in a hoarse voice, "It wasn't your fault." The puffy eyed girl with tangled hair pulled her knees up closely as she wrapped her arms around them and looked down at the small stereo as sorrowful music flooded out of it.
Harry felt an extreme pang of guilt in his chest. He truly did not deserve her forgiveness. Heck, he felt like he didn't even deserve her presence anymore. She was all too nice and caring for her own good. It only made him wonder how Hermione could've possibly chosen to remain here instead of taking the path of the one she loved…or at least the one whom she had always seemed to provide most of her affection for.
He carefully placed a hand upon her wet cheek and slowly turned her face towards his. "Mione, you know it is," he said truthfully. "If I hadn't had let my anger get to the better of me Ron would still be here. I should've realized how the locket had more effect on him than us and made sure he had taken it off in time."
Hermione used her sleeve to wipe the tears away, "Harry, neither of us knew that at the time. The words he said were harsh and entirely out of line. Yes, it may not have been entirely his fault, but the locket cannot force all of those words out of a person's mouth without them haven't a little bit of truth behind it."
It was now Harry's turn to look away from his best friend. If one took the time to think out the entire situation, what she said could have been looked at as the truth. However, his guilt refused to let him believe it.
Apparently, she had known what he was thinking. Hermione expected nothing less than for him to feel unworthy. It was simply in Harry's nature to place the entire weight of the world upon his shoulders and take all of the blame for any of the things gone wrong. Ever since he had learned of Voldemort and the reasons as to why he was still wreaking havoc on the wizarding world, he blamed himself for everything. Even when the things that had occurred were not even remotely his fault, he always showed the signs of shame.
"Harry, please put this in the past for now," she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "There's too much on your plate as it is and we both need to concentrate on the things that really matter." Hermione rested her head on his chest, "You're not in this alone," she whispered.
Harry sighed and put his arms around her shoulders, returning the hug and placing his head softly on top of hers. Inwardly, he had always cared for her a great deal, but outwardly, he never showed the entirety of his true feelings. Ron was his best mate and he knew about all of his feelings towards the beautiful Gryffindor. He would've been the biggest git of his house to step in the middle of that. Besides, Harry had a feeling she would never feel the same way toward him…especially not now. So, as he sat there with Hermione, he made a mental promise to never betray her trust in such a way.
The next morning, Harry found Hermione sitting by a tree outside of the tent reading 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'. A book Dumbledore had passed down to her in his will. He walked over and sat down beside her, taking the book from her hands and setting it on the other side of him.
"Harry, do you mind? It's vital that I-" Harry cut her off. "Hermione, there's something I need to tell you," he looked directly into her eyes. "What is it?" she asked curiously. "You remember telling me about the diluminator and how you believed there was more to it than simply turning out the lights?" She nodded her head, "Of course. Personally, I think that it also illuminates the truth between what you feel is right and wrong. I had talked with Dumbledore once before in our sixth year. See, I entered his office with the intentions of asking him about your progress with the horcruxes when I saw it lying on his desk. He didn't go into detail, but I do recall him saying that it can lead you back to where you left the light. At first, I couldn't decipher what he meant, but then I figured it must mean that it'll take you back to where you feel you need to be."
Harry looked at her, with somewhat disbelief. It was incredible that she could take the smallest bit of information and transform it into a long, detailed description of what she really felt was the truth.
"So what is it you wanted to tell me?" Hermione asked. He was then snapped out of his train of thought and looked back at her, sadly. She frowned seeing the expression on his face and it only made her even more curious and confused.
"Look, I know that you had hoped the diluminator would lead Ron back to us in time, but," Harry slowly pulled a small, silver item out of his pocket, "he left this under the pillow of his bed." He then placed the diluminator inside of her shaking hands.
Hermione frantically shook her head not wanting to believe the words he had said. Tears began streaming down her face as her swelling eyes threatened more would follow. Not knowing what to do, Harry grasped onto his best friend and pulled her into a tight embrace. Within seconds, Hermione had buried her head into the crook of his neck and released all of her sorrow and frustration. He held onto her, not caring that his thin sweater was becoming wet in the freezing weather that surrounded them. It wasn't until she pulled away that he let go.
"You know what?" she said more as a statement than a question. "I've had it," she spat as she stood up and brushed a few flakes of freshly fallen snow from her coat.
Harry's heart sank. He expected her to walk out on him at some point, but he still had the false hope that she wouldn't. He looked down from where he remained sitting, "I understand," he said almost inaudibly.
"Good," she said placing her hands on her hips, "Because I've had it with him."
'What in the bloody heck is she talking about'? Harry thought. "What do you mean him? I thought you were talking about me," he questioned as he finally stood up.
Hermione looked back at him, wide eyed. "Why on earth would I be talking about you, Harry?" He took several steps closer to her, "Because you stayed here with me after I-" she cut him off, realizing where this was going. "Not everything is about you Mr. Potter," she said sarcastically and began laughing.
Shocked, he looked back at the girl who had gone from crying, to anger, to hysterical laughing. For a second, he thought Hermione had seriously gone mad.
"What's so funny?" he asked amusedly. She caught her breath before responding, "I've had it with Ron, Harry, not you." He looked at her curiously as she smiled. "Don't you see? Over the years Ron has done nothing, but screw with my head. One minute we would get along smashingly and the next he would be driving me crazy. I love him, I really do, but it's just time for me to get off of this silly roller coaster ride. Too much time has passed with the opportunities I've given him and now it's time for me to grow up…move on." Hermione looked at him with honest eyes, but Harry knew it couldn't be that easy. He practically knew better than anyone that it was nearly impossible to let go of your feelings for someone with a drop of a hat. He tried to do it with Cho and it ended up taking him the rest of his fifth year to get over her. With Hermione…well, he was still working on that.
"Hermione, you know it's not that simple," he said following her into the tent. She pulled out a bag of trail mix and turned around to face him. "Of course it is. He was just my friend. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll miss him a great deal, but it's not the end of the world." She merely rolled her eyes as she popped one of the pieces of pretzel into her mouth.
"You're in denial, 'Mione," he said sitting on her cot. "Pushing away your true feelings isn't that easy and you know it." He patted down on the bed, gesturing for her to come and sit next to him. A little reluctantly, Hermione followed.
She shook her head and placed the small bag of trail mix to the side. "It's easier with me than you think," she almost whispered. Harry placed a comforting hand on her arm, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Hermione took a deep breath and turned to face her best friend, "Normally, Harry, I would definitely agree with you. It's true, putting your feelings aside from someone takes a great deal of time, but-" her throat closed up and she couldn't find the courage to choke out what she had planned to tell him. She shook her head in disappointment and looked down, shuffling her feet nervously.
Worried, Harry lifted her chin, "You know you can tell me anything, 'Mione," he said softly. He saw the hope gleaming in her eyes so gently ran his fingers through her hair, reassuring her that it was true.
Shakily, Hermione took the hand that he still had under her chin and grasped onto it. She looked at his scar. This small mark on his forehead made her fall deeper into these strong feelings every time she saw it. The lightning bolt was a constant reminder of the tremendous things he had done to protect the ones he cared for. He had so much courage built up inside of him. She had never met anyone more caring, brave, and true in her entire life.
"You okay?" Harry asked as she stared off into space. She quickly snapped out of it and looked back down into his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine…"
"Come out with it," he said, and squeezed her hand back as she held onto it tightly. Hermione nodded her head and decided that he had the right to know. "The reason I'm suddenly able to feel alright with the previous events that have occurred is because…well, I've always had sort of a plan B, you could say…" Harry tilted his head, "What do you mean?" She sighed and looked down again, "My feelings towards Ron were not false, I promise you. However, he was never the only one on my mind." Harry felt confused more than ever. "So what you're saying is you like someone else as well?" he said as his heart sank a little. He could manage with Hermione being in love with Ron, but to know it was actually two people other than him made him feel awful inside.
"Basically, yes," she looked back into his emerald green eyes. He gazed back into her beautiful milky brown ones, so full of mystery and determination. "I've been contemplating two different people ever since fourth year. Do you remember when Ron became angry with you for being selected into the Triwizard Tournament?" Harry nodded his head, still trying to put the pieces together. "Well, that was when I really got to know him a bit better. You see, he practically made me hang around with him just to get back at you. It was immature, really, but I allowed it because of my feelings for him. I regret that, of course because you're my best friend…and now that Ron gave up on fighting against Voldemort, I realized that he-" Hermione was suddenly cut off by a huge bang outside of the tent. At first, the two thought it could've been thunder from the storm brewing outside, but all too soon they each knew what that sound truly was. Two seconds later they heard the familiar voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.
They looked at each other and began to panic. "Stay inside," Harry ordered. "Let me deal with them, just try to figure out a way to for us to get out of here." She was about to protest, but he had ran out of the tent before she had the chance. Thinking quickly, Hermione decided to gather all of their belongings and placed them inside of her never ending purse. Within seconds, she had everything set to go and shrunk the tent, finishing it off. After doing so, she noticed that they were surrounded by Bellatrix, Lucius, Fenrir Greyback, and three other deatheaters that she didn't recognize.
Curses and spells were thrown back and forth before Harry finally had the brief chance to grab Hermione's hand and disapparate. Grateful and breathing heavily, she looked around to see where he had taken her.
She let go of his hand as soon as she realized exactly where they were, "The Burrow? Why on earth would you bring us here, Harry?" He just shook his head, "I don't know, I guess it was just the first safe place I could think of at the time." Hermione looked at him as if he had lost his head. "I didn't exactly have much time to think, you know," he said defensively. She sighed, "I know, I know. I'm happy you were able to get us out of there, but can we leave now? We need to get back on track." Harry smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, besides, it's not like I'm exactly welcome here anymore." He went to take her hand, but before he reached it, Ron began running towards the two of them.
The two looked at each other with a hint of fear in their eyes. Not even a minute later, the red-head had caught up to them. "So," he breathed out, still trying to gather himself from the running, "Finally decided to come back with me?" he asked Hermione. She looked at him, surprised that he was still sticking to his plan of letting go of Harry's friendship even though he was no longer wearing the locket. All Harry was thinking about was that Hermione was right after all. There really was truth behind the things Ron had told him.
"Ronald, what has gotten into you? How could you possibly walk away from your best friend? How could you walk away from everything we've been fighting for?" she snapped.
"What do you mean?" he replied, beginning to raise his voice. "I never asked for any of this nonsense. He's not my mate anymore, either. The git made it perfectly clear that he never needed me in the first place."
"What are you going on about?" Harry intervened. Ron walked closer to him, meeting face to face. "Don't think that I didn't see the two of you during your little chats," he spat. "The way you guys were planning and figuring everything out while I just sat aside most of the time to keep watch couldn't have made it more obvious that I wasn't needed."
"You know that's not true!" Hermione yelled, grabbing Ron's arm and pulling him away from Harry. "We all did our fair share of looking out and we all discussed and voiced our own opinions," she was trying reason through her frustration.
"Yeah," he scoffed. "You just never valued anything I had to say." She looked at him with anger and disbelief shown on her face, "When are you ever going to grow up?" Ron merely rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this. Are you coming or not?" Hermione took several steps back, not a tear in her eye, "Never." That was the last word she spoke to him before grabbing Harry's hand and disapperating into the forest of Dean.
Upon arriving, Harry set up the tent while Hermione cast the ward enchantments around them. Minutes later, they were inside sitting quietly beside one another.
"Want to talk about it?" asked Harry breaking the silence. She looked up at him, giving a weak smile, "There's nothing to talk about. What's done is done. I meant every word I said. He just simply proved to be the ignorant prude I always suspected he was." Harry nodded his head and patted her back, knowing it was true. He still felt bad on the inside, though. He never wanted or expected things to go this way.
"So what was it you were going to tell me," he said, suddenly remembering their previous conversation. Hermione blushed and looked away. She was really hoping he wouldn't bring that up again. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied. Harry stood up and walked to the other side of where she was looking. She looked at him as he sat down. Harry poked at her several times, trying to break the tension. Hermione knew he was playing around with her to get her to spill the truth.
She smiled back at him and finally decided to come out with it, figuring whatever happens would be because it was meant to do so. "When I realized how Ron truly was back in fourth year, my attention slowly began to focus on somebody else. I tried my hardest not to pay much mind to it because it seemed so unlikely that anything would evolve from it. Oddly enough, as the years went by, the probability seemed to grow stronger in my mind…and now…" she looked away.
"And now…what, 'Mione?" he asked as he cupped her cheek and turned her head to face him. His heart was hoping the other person was him, but his gut was telling him otherwise.
The feeling of his gentle hand upon her cheek caused her heart to race. She took a deep breath. It was not in her nature to be such a nervous wreck. "Now I think I may actually have a shot with this person," she stated. Harry went to release his hand from her cheek, "And who is that person?" he asked as his hopes continued to fall.
Hermione grabbed his hand before he pulled it completely away from her face, "You," she whispered. He then looked up, completely overwhelmed. "You mean it?" She giggled at the excited look on his face. She hadn't expected this reaction…not that she was opposed to it or anything. "Of course I do," she smiled.
Harry stood up, bringing her along with him. He picked her up and twirled her around in his arms and the two ended up laughing the night away.
To their pleasure, their relationship remained strong all the way to the very end. Voldemort was defeated, Snape was learned to actually be a hero, and all of the Hogwarts students went their separate ways in search for careers. Harry and Hermione, however, did not have to diverge from one another's path. They each decided to continue on with the ride of working together to defeat the dark side and became aurors.
It was the day Harry and Hermione were about to begin their new lives together when a proposal was made. Without a doubt in her mind, Hermione sealed the deal with a long and passionate kiss. In the end, Plan B turned out to be the best decision of her life.