A one-shot request for harryandmeforever
To anyone who requested oneshots: I'm working on them whenever I get the chance. I'm sorry its taking so long BUT THEY WILL GET DONE EVENUTALLY!
"Anika,dear," Mrs. Weasley began as I finished setting the table. "Could you fetch Ron, Hermione, and Harry for me? I don't know where they ran off to, but we need their help preparing for the wedding."
"Sure, Mrs. Weasley." I replied as I stopped folding the laundry
I checked outside and downstairs before I went up the stairs. They weren't in Bill's room, or Fred and George's or Percy's old room. They weren't in the room I shared with Ginny and Hermione. With only one option left I walked up the creaking stairs until I hit the topmost landing. I heard their voices in Ron's room.
As I reached to open the door, I stopped to listen for a moment as Hermione spoke.
"I'm not sure which of these to pack. Do you think we'll need 'A Hogwarts A History?'"
"Why are you doing that now?" Ron asked.
"Ron, we need to be prepared to leave at anytime." Hermione replied.
"Where are you guys going?" I asked curiously.
My three best friends stared at me in surprise.
Hermione turned to glare at Harry, "You didn't tell her?" She hissed.
"Guys, what's going on?" I asked them.
No one said anything.
"Hello?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at their shifting glances between one and another.
"Hermione?" I asked.
"Anika…" Hermione began. "We…" But for once, Hermione didn't have an answer.
"Ron?"
The boy flushed red and looked away from me.
"Harry?" I asked with pleading eyes. Surely, he would tell me. Harry was my best friend, my most trusted confidant. He wouldn't keep something important from me.
But he said nothing.
"Fine." I asked, now quite miffed. "Mrs. Weasley wants you guys to come downstairs to help prepare for the wedding." I said emotionlessly.
Quietly, Hermione and Ron left—more like bolted—the room. I started to follow them but stopped at the door. "Harry, aren't you coming?" I asked when I saw that he hadn't moved.
"I was going to tell you." He said. "I swear."
"Okay." I said. "Well?"
"We're going to hunt for the Horcruxes." He said quickly. "I was going to tell you."
"Dears?" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs.
"Coming!" I replied and practically ran away from Harry.
"Whose this?" My little sister asked as she held up a picture of Harry and I.
"That's Harry." I said with a smile on my face.
"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked, studying the picture.
"No." I replied, laughing at the thought.
"I think he's your boyfriend."
"He's not."
"Well then he should be—"
"Sis—"
"If he's not your boyfriend, why are you blushing?"
For all of the days leading up to the wedding, I never said anything about their leaving.
I endured in silence, attempting to be as happy and hyper as I usually was.
But I couldn't take it.
"Harry, I need to talk to you." The boy paled but followed me up to the room I shared with Hermione and Ginny.
"Look," I began as we sat down across from one another. "I just want to know why you didn't tell me."
"Ani, I knew you'd want to come—"
"I do. I mean, what else do you expect me to do? Wait around for you three to come back? I should just sit on my arse and waste all of my time wondering if you three are even still alive?"
"No, you shouldn't worry—"
"You have to let me come."
"No!"
"Why?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"You're letting Hermione and Ron go!"
"Hermione is the best witch in our year! And Ron is—"
"Your sidekick! And what about Ginny? What's her great contribution, aside from her being there to snog you—"
"Hey!" He snapped. "Ginny isn't coming."
"Of course not, she's your girlfriend. She'll be in danger since you love her. That makes sense, but I don't see why I can't go! I'm just your best friend, like Ron and Hermione."
"No…not like Ron and Hermione. I…I feel like I have to…protect you, Ani—"
"So I'm an obligation. I'm a burden and that's why I can't go?"
"No! No! Anika, I care about you and I…feel like…if you come with us and— and if you get hurt, I'd never forgive myself."
"What about Ron and Hermione? What if they get hurt?"
"Then I'll feel guilty! But it's different with you." He whispered.
"Why?" My heart was thumping wildly. He was going to say it. He was going to tell me everything I'd ever wanted to hear from him.
"I love you" My heart swelled, "like a sister." My heart was pierced with a burning arrow that suddenly seemed fixed inside my chest.
"I don't care." I spat out. "This…this isn't fair Harry. You can't just leave me here."
"It's for your own good."
"I don't care!" I yelled, stomping my foot like a child as my voice trembled dangerously. "I don't care what you see me as. You know I could help."
"Don't do this Ani. Don't try to guilt me into letting you come."
"I'm guilt-ing you? I'm telling you the truth. I'm sorry if the fact that I'm crying over this makes you feel guilty but I guess I can't be like Ginny and not shed a tear over the fact that someone I care about is leaving."
"Don't bring her into this!"
"Why? You told her before you told me. She knew you were going. But I got the lovely pleasure of being blindsided by all of this."
"She got blindsided too. We broke up because it's not fair to her. I want her to be able to find someone else, if that's what she wants. She'll be in less danger if we're not together, just like you'll be in less danger if you don't come with us.
"I'll be in danger if I go or if I stay. So isn't it better that we all stay together then be separated during a war? I'll going crazy wondering if you're all right. Don't you think you'd worry too?"
"I don't think I'd think much about you."
"Yeah," I nodded as my face flushed with embarrassment. Desperately wiping the tears from my eyes, I muttered, "I'd imagine you wouldn't."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to hide how painfully my heart was aching. "You're right. I shouldn't go. I could have more fun at Hogwarts anyway."
"Ani, don't do anything rash at Hogwarts." He warned, taking a step toward me.
"What does it matter Harry? Whatever I do I'll still be less danger as long as I'm far far away from you."
"Anika—"
"I understand now Harry. You have your missions and I have mine. We'd just get in each other's ways. When are you leaving? You never did give me a specific time."
"After the wedding."
"Then we might as well get our goodbyes over with now," I said coldly, "Wouldn't want to delay your departure. You go first."
"Don't be like this, Ani." He mumbled.
"That was a very poor goodbye, Harry. I understand your choice Harry. It's rational, very brotherly. Perfect for your intention. I just hope you know what'll happen if you don't come back. I hope you know what'll happen if I'm not actually as safe as you seem to think I'll be. This is war Harry. There will be causalities. I just don't think you realize how possible it'll for one of us to be one of those causalities. And if one of us is a casualties, this is how things will be left."
"I don't want to leave things like—"
"I do." I interrupted him. "If we both survive, we'll fix whatever there is to fix. But for now, I'm too mad to even look at you Harry and I don't want to say something I'll regret later. Its better to just leave things like this."
They didn't get to wait until after the reception to leave. The Death Eaters attacked. People were running and screaming. And in the chaos, I saw them. Hermione, Ron, and Harry holding onto each other as Hermione began to disapparate. I caught Harry's eyes and in that moment, time froze all around me.
The Death Eaters didn't matter; the swirling madness didn't matter as I stared into his eyes. This was it. He was leaving. I couldn't believe it. I didn't understand. All that mattered was that he was leaving, he was leaving me behind. And I was furious.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I broke the gaze, and wiped tears from my eyes. I couldn't watch him disappear. I think he knew in that moment. I think he finally understood after all these years that I was so in love with him. Maybe he felt that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that tells you everything is wrong. Maybe he knew it was too late to matter.
I looked back a second later. They were gone. He was gone. And I couldn't believe it. But I could feel it. My heart was crumbling into pieces. Because he had left to be the hero and I didn't know if he would come back.
A year came and went. Barely anything was heard from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They weren't dead because Voldemort would be broadcasting that news everywhere if that happened.
I had had a busy year. The new regime at Hogwarts was definitely something to be fought against. Ginny and I resurrected the DA. We fought against Snape and the Carrows which always resulted in severe punishment for all of us but it didn't matter. We were doing something. We were fighting in our own way.
Such a busy year spent worrying about him. Such a year spent caring about him. Such a year spent being so absolutely furious with him.
And then the moment came. They returned. And then Harry left to sacrifice himself. And he did the job thoroughly as I couldn't get the image of his corpse lying on the ground out of my mind.
Harry was dead and I felt like I'd never be whole again. Unrequited love had snatched my heart and made it his. I never actually expected him to not come back to me. I thought he'd return.
The only thing I had left to do was duel with everything I had. Harry was gone but we'd have to carry on, regardless of how much it hurt.
The number of Death Eaters was dwindling but our friends, our families were falling too.
Suddenly, in the middle of the battle, Voldemort let fly a curse that through us all back.
Slamming into the wall hard, I was disoriented but I could hear the shouts and cheers.
"It's Harry!"
Standing on the Astronomy Tower, I wanted nothing more than to sleep for days and days. I felt exhausted but was too energized to sleep.
Harry returned.
Harry died.
Harry returned.
Harry killed Voldemort.
A May breeze blew around me, calming my hassled thoughts.
"Anika." Closing my eyes, I said nothing, only breathed.
Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on mine. "I think we have some things to fix." He began. "And something else to start."
With a smile growing my face, I pulled my hand out of his and brought it up to cup his face. With a still persistent smile, I leaned in to kiss him.