Go away from my window
Leave at your own chosen speed
I'm not the one you want babe
I'm not the one you need
You say you're lookin' for someone
who's never weak but always strong
to protect you and defend you
whether you are right or wrong
Someone to open each and every door
"We can't keep doing this!" she whispers to me through clenched teeth, looking quickly around the deserted hidden alcove. "We're going to get caught. One of us is going to slip up!"
"Hermione," I attempt to reason with her but she cuts me off by beginning to pace in front of me. "I don't understand what's so wrong."
"What's wrong?" she asks me rhetorically. "What's wrong? We can't keep this up! This summer shouldn't have happened. Once Harry came to Grimmauld Place we should have stopped whatever we were doing. He nearly caught us!"
"I don't see what's so wrong about what we're doing," I reply with a sigh, leaning against the wall and sliding down into a sitting position, my arms crossed over my knees.
"This can't work," she says, looking down at me with pursed lips. "I have O.W.L.s this year and I can't deal with this."
"Her-"
"No," she says, shaking her head quickly. "I just-…no."
She rushes out past the tapestry leaving me to sit in silence. Bloody females.
But it ain't me, babe
no, no, no it ain't me, babe
it ain't me you're lookin' for, babe
"Hogsmeade next weekend," I say with a smile, once the last Gryffindor besides the two of us has left the common room to go to bed. It's past two in the morning and she's still up doing homework. How incredibly typical.
"What's your point?" she asks me, not looking up from her book; a quill perched in between her lips. Her eyes cutely squinted in concentration.
"My point is," I say slowly, standing from where I had been pretending to read in a chair by the fire to make my way towards her, "I seem to have found myself dateless."
"And?"
"I was wondering if you would go with me."
She finally looks up at me when I take the seat across from her. "I told you already that we can't continue this façade of a relationship. I don't know how we ended up kissing, and why on earth we continued it, but you know as much as I do that it can't work."
I can't help but roll my eyes at her. "You've said that to me before but you have yet to give me a good reason."
Her frown is her only response for a while. Taking advantage of her silence, I lean across the table and tilt her chin up with my hand before placing a soft kiss on her lips.
Her eyes are closed when I pull away and I allow a slight smile to my lips as I watch her take a deep breath. "Even if I wanted to, I can't."
"Why's that?" I ask her with a smirk when she finally looks back at me.
"That's when I've scheduled a meeting for Harry to teach defense lessons. You know this already."
"Are you saying that if you didn't already have plans that you would go with me?" I respond, still smiling at her as her expression quickly turns back to annoyance.
"No."
Go lightly from the ledge, babe
Go lightly on the ground
I'm not the one you want, babe
I'll only let you down
You say you're lookin' for someone
who'll promise never to part
someone to close his eyes for you
someone to close his heart
Someone who will die for you and more
"How are you feeling?"
I didn't think that anyone had followed me out of the parlor. Figures that she would. "Bloody wonderful," I reply sarcastically, throwing myself down at the kitchen table.
Hermione sighs before walking over to me and taking the seat beside me at the bench, grasping my hand in hers.
"He'll be alright."
I don't reply, not entirely sure that she's right. Fist time in a billion if not. However, I do appreciate her comfort. I should be back in the parlor with my family, but I just can't.
"I shouldn't have yelled at Sirius," I finally say, pulling my hand away from her to run it through my hair.
She has a smile on her face when I look back at her. I look at her in confusion as she brushes a strand of my hair out of my face. "I'm sure he understands," she says softly. "You were upset and had ever right to be."
"Forever a voice of reason," I reply with a slight laugh.
But it ain't me, babe
no, no, no it ain't me, babe
it ain't me you're lookin' for, babe
"Miss me?"
I can't contain my laugh as she jumps from the daydream display and turns to glare at me. Her expression quickly changes though and her eyes light up.
I look around and noticing that the others are all busy browsing, I take her hand and lead her to the back storage room; closing the door behind us.
"How have you been?" I ask her, resisting the urge to pull her into my arms and not let go.
She shrugs at me and looks down at her feet. She can put a brave face on for only so long and I close the gap between us to hold her tightly, loving the feeling of her body close against mine. "What's wrong?" I ask into her neck, running my fingers through her hair.
I can feel her sigh against me. "Harry," she says quietly. "I don't know how to help him. He's afraid of losing people like he lost Sirius. Nothing I say seems to make him feel any better."
I bend my head down to kiss her softly on the forehead. "Just be there for him as much as you can," I reply, not sure what she can really do to help. "He may not want to admit it, but he needs you. We all need you."
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. "It's hard."
"I know," I say softly. "But Harry's going to need all the help he can get when he kicks You-Know-Who's ass. You're not alone, don't forget that."
When she nods, I can't help but smile, leaning down to place yet another kiss on her forehead.
I pull away from her slowly as my mother's voice resonates through the shop. Quickly, Hermione stands on her tip-toes and kisses me gently.
Before I can get a word in she places her finger over my lips, silencing me. "Thank you."
She's through the door before I can make an attempt to stop her.
Go melt back in the night
Everything inside is made of stone
there's nothing in here moving
And anyway, I'm not alone
you say you're lookin' for someone
who'll pick you up each time you fall
to gather flowers constantly
and to come each time you call
a lover for your life and nothing more
"I'm scared."
"Me too," I reply as I hold her closely against me. "Terrified." I can feel her shaking in my arms, her breaths short and quick. I'm at a loss as to how to comfort her; feeling exactly the same way.
"Hermione?"
"Mmm?"
I pull away from her and hold her hands in mine, looking deeply into her now questioning and confused face. "I really like you."
She continues to only stare at me, making this much more difficult than I had originally planned it.
"This will all be over soon," I continue, suddenly losing my nerve and looking down at our clasped hands, desperate to avoid her eyes. "And I was wondering if you would consider being in a relationship with me."
"I-"
"Shh," I say, looking back up at her. "Not now," I mutter with a shake of my head. "Not here. When this all is done."
She bites her bottom lip and slowly nods at me.
but it ain't me babe
"This is it," I mutter, chancing a look around the hall where several terrified faces meet my own. "No turning back."
I grasp my wand tightly and make a determined nod at George before the door is blown open, spells ricocheting off the marble floor instantly.
no, no no it ain't me babe
Searching through the smoke, I find Hermione slowly pulling herself up off the ground, having dodged the curse aimed at her.
She turns towards me and meets my smile with one of her own before her eyes widen in panic.
"Fred!"
I'm met with only green light when I turn my head. Everything disappearing from view around me, replaced by complete darkness.
Complete and utter darkness.
it ain't me you're lookin' for babe.