DISCLAIMER: No, i still don't own it (funningly enough).
In the Snow.
Blurb …
"Don't you remember?" "Remember what?" "Exactly a year ago, we were right here, in Godric's Hollow." When Harry runs off, and Hermione knows exactly where to find him. :Oneshot HarryHermione FRIENDship implied RHr HG postDH:
Note: This story is not about the Harry/Hermione relationship. I just want to stress this fact. It is a story about two friends, nothing more.
She knew where to find him. If anyone knew, it'd be her.
It wasn't really Ginny's fault-she hadn't been there at Godric's Hollow last year. She didn't know Harry would react so strongly to the words etched on a frame of his parents that she'd given him for Christmas that year: The last enemy to be destroyed, is death.
Hermione had given Ginny a general overview of the story-Harry didn't like to talk about Godric's Hollow much. But she never knew Ginny would've put so much effort into a present like that.
"I thought … he'd … I …" Ginny tried to explain after Harry bolted through the back door. It was good they'd decided to open their presents in the flat Harry, Ron and Hermione shared, rather than at the Burrow, or they'd have the whole family panicking.
"It's all right, Ginny." Ron said. "You … didn't know …" He glanced up at Hermione, who was already on her feet.
"Don't worry." She told her friend. Ginny looked up at her as Hermione picked up her wand from the coffee table.
"I thought … he'd be pleased …" She murmured, looking ashamed.
"It's ok." Hermione assured her, patting her shoulder. "I'll find him. I know where he's gone."
"You do?" Even Ron looked slightly surprised that Hermione would know where to find Harry, rather than him. "You don't think I …?"
"No-sorry, I … I think he needs me." Hermione said. She gave the brother and sister apologetic looks and said, "I'll be back soon." before Disapparating.
She appeared behind a large church, out of sight of the muggles who were running towards the town square, where joyous carols could be heard. Hermione hurried around to the kissing gate that was the entrance to the Godric's Hollow graveyard.
Walking through the headstones, she spotted Harry's dark hair sitting on front of a marble headstone. Hermione walked slowly, giving him time to know she was there. She wasn't sure if he'd appreciate her coming, but knew that it had to be her-they had come here together. Exactly a year ago.
She stopped a few feet away from him. Harry didn't move, but Hermione could tell he knew she was there. At any rate, her shadow fell over him. After a few moments, she felt it was safe to sit down next to him.
"She didn't know." Hermione said quietly. Harry looked at her for the first time. "Ginny honestly had no idea … she wasn't here, that night. She didn't know what those words would make you remember."
Harry didn't say anything. Hermione guessed he just wanted to be left alone right now. But she couldn't leave. He deserved more than that.
"I know it wasn't her fault." Harry muttered. Hermione was rather shocked to hear his voice sounding so thick, as if he'd been crying. She had seen Harry and Ron cry a fair few times, but it still shocked her to see them so helpless, as vulnerable as any other person, rather than someone who had saved the wizarding world.
"Ginny doesn't know that." Hermione said gently. "She thinks you're mad at her."
Harry turned to look at her again. "She's being stupid if she thinks I'd be mad at her for that-like you said, she didn't know."
Hermione didn't know what to say in answer. So the two of them sat in silence for several moments. Hermione looked at the headstone for the first time since she arrived there, and felt a pang for Harry-he didn't deserve this kind of pain. No one did.
"I just miss them." Harry suddenly said, so quietly, Hermione wasn't quite sure she'd even heard him. He was watching the headstone with a pained look. "Mr and Mrs Weasley are brilliant-they've been great parents for me. But no one can really replace your mum and dad. You should be able to understand that, right?"
She did. "I know-the Weasley's are the best family anyone could ask for. All those summers I spent with them were the best I'd had. But at the end of the day, I had to go back to Australia to get my parents."
Hermione sighed. Sometimes, she wondered if it would've been better just to leave her parents as Monica and Wendell Wilkins. Even though they had come back to England, she still spent much of her time with the Weasley's-she saw Ron practically every day. Every now and then, she wondered if her parents even resented the Weasley's a little, wondering how they could've taken over the roles of mother and father. She voiced this aloud to Harry.
He shook his head. "You were right to go and find them." He said firmly. "Everyone deserves to have their mum and dad. I learnt a long time ago that families shouldn't be separated."
There was silence again as they pondered this.
A breeze was picking up, and Hermione shivered-she hadn't even noticed the cold, even though there was snow all over the ground they were sitting on (at least she had brought her jacket). She turned to face Harry and was startled to see tears running down his face.
"Are you-?"
"I'm fine." Harry wiped under his eyes with his sleeve and turned to smile at her. "Some things deserve to be cried over. Family. Friendship. All that stuff, you know."
Hermione smiled at Harry. She placed an arm around him, and they leaned against each other, submerged in their own thoughts as they sat there in the snow.
"D'you ever wonder what things might've been like if your parents … weren't, you know … killed?" Hermione asked hesitantly after a while.
"Sometimes." Harry said, so Hermione guessed she hadn't said anything tactless. "Sometimes I wonder if a whole bunch of stuff would've happened. I'd still be the chosen one and all that, if Voldemort hadn't have killed them, but would I have met Ron? Would I have saved you from the mountain troll? That part still scares me."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Because if Ron and I hadn't have saved you, you would've died." Harry said simply. Hermione inwardly cringed at the thought. "There would've been a terrible disaster back in first year. Ron would've felt so guilty, knowing it was his words that put you in that position."
"And knowing Ron, he'd blame himself, of course." Hermione continued.
"And Ron and I would've died also." Harry said. Hermione was slightly taken aback and leaned away to stare at him. "The logic puzzle. I would never have figured it out. Either that, or we'd have been throttled to death by devil's snare."
Hermione knew she'd saved her best friends' lives more than once, but never once did she consider what the outcome might've been if she hadn't have. It was obvious, really but she didn't like to think about it.
"It all worked out in the end." Hermione said, finally.
"I guess it did." Harry sighed. "Thanks, by the way." He added. "For coming. I know Ron'd be too chicken, and I knew that if anyone would come, it'd be you. You're the only one brave enough to knock sense into me. Besides Ginny, i suppose."
"Don't you remember?" Hermione asked, wondering if Harry could've forgotten the date they last came here together.
"Remember what?"
Hermione almost laughed. "Exactly a year ago, we were right here, in Godric's Hollow. Though of course it was night time, then."
"It was …" Harry's voice trailed off. "We'd better not make a tradition of this. I promised I'd bring Ginny here some day, and I can't do that if it's a "Harry and Hermione" thing."
Sniggering, Hermione said, "Speaking of Ginny, you'd better get your arse back home and tell her sorry for scarpering." She stood up, stretching her legs and held out a hand to help Harry up off the ground. Harry conjured a wreath of flowers to place on the grave.
"I guess I'd better." He said. Before Hermione could turn, Harry placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you." He said. "I really do appreciate you coming here."
"Not a problem." Hermione said. She guessed a hug was in order to top off the scene, so she placed her arms around him.
Hermione never really much time to just hug someone because she felt like it. As the two friends stood there in the cold, their arms around each other, Hermione figured she should do it more often-it was nice to hug someone for the sake of it.
"Come on." Hermione said after a while. "Ron's probably wondering what's taking me so long."
"Impatient man, that Ron is." Harry agreed.
They Disapparated together, the only traces of themselves left behind being the footprints in the snow.
Fin.
A/N: I know, if you took a glance at this story and saw the author, you'd probably be thinking "What?! Moon wrote HHr?!"
Don't worry. I'd never write HHr (big RHr shipper, that's me). But i have to say that i love their friendship. I have never seen a story that's about Harry and Hermione's friendship, so i decided to write one. I hope you liked.
I was sort of at a loss on what to call it. So i just combed the story for a quote i liked and picked "In the Snow".
Reviews are always appreciated, until next time-
-Moon. : D