Authour's Note: Okay, the fourth part of my rather long story. There IS Harry/Hermione in this part, so quit your whingeing about it!!
Disclaimer: Harry, Hermione, Ron etc are J.K.'s . Felicity & anyone else you don't recognise from the books are mine.They are © & ™ of me. DO NOT copy them,
Into the Light
Chapter Ten.
They ran & ran. Never stopping to look back, or to think about where they were going.
You can run…oh yes, you can run…but you can't run forever! I will catch you, and I will kill you! That's a promise!!
the evil voice ran around in circles inside Hermione's head."Harry…." Hermione puffed.
Harry stopped running & turned to face her. "Do you want to stop?" he asked her, worried. "I.…I… I mean…are you tired?" he fumbled. Good one, Harry he thought to himself. You can win her heart by fumbling out words. Dammit! Just tell her how you feel.
"I….I'd like that." Hermione was touched. He was worried about her. You idiot! she thought angrily to herself. You can't hold this off forever! "Harry?" she asked him after a few moments.
"Yes Hermi?"
"Ummmmmmm…is your arm okay?" she stuttered.
Harry looked at her for a few seconds, before answering her. "I…I…guess."
"Just…be careful with it Harry. That pain-killer charm won't last forever."
Harry smiled at her. "I will. Don't worry." He told her reassuringly. "I'm just going to give this place the once over. Make sure there aren't any little things we don't want to come across around here. If it's okay, I'll also have a look around for a good place to lie down." he said.
Hermione smiled. "Okay."
As Harry turned around to have a look, Hermione was only just restraining the fact that she wanted to go & throw herself on him.Great one, Herm. she thought to herself as Harry looked around. Why can't you just bloody tell him?! Hermione sighed. Because you can't. What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he rejects me. What if… she cut herself off. What if what? What if he rejects me? So what?! What if he does feel the same way & I never know because I'm too afraid to ask? suddenly her thoughts were interrupted.
"Hermione!! Over here!!" Harry yelled. "I've found a dry place where we can lie down."
She sighed again & walked over to where he was standing.
**********
Hermione walked towards Harry. ""Where is it?"
"There's a dry clearing. Nice & flat…"
Hermione walked up beside him & looked around. She was surprised at seeing such a large clearing within the Forbidden Forest.
"Big isn't it?" Harry looked at her & grinned.
Hermione gave a weak smile. "Yeah. Big."
"Have a look around. See if you can find a good place to set up a fire."
Hermione nodded. As if I know where to set up a bloody fire! I'm not a bloody Boy Scout! What the hell do I know about…
"Hermione! I've found a great place for a fire!"
Hermione sighed again & shook her head. "I'll never bloody be able to get my thoughts sorted out while Harry's over there being a bloody Boy Scout." She muttered to herself. She started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked her.
She spun around, nearly falling over in laughter. "Nothing," She said. "Just you."
"Oh?" he asked. "How so?"
Hermione fell into another fit of giggles. "You're just so…so…"
"So what?" he asked her.
Hermione looked up, so she was looking directly at his eyes. "I…I…I don't know. Funny?" She stuttered. Damnit! Why did I have to be looking directly into his eyes?!
"is that a question or a statement?" he asked her. She looked directly at him & smiled. Harry cocked his head to one side, carefully studying Hermione's face. God…she has pretty eyes. No, not pretty…beautiful. Beautiful eyes. A beautiful shade of jade green.
Damnit, why does he have to look at me like that! Actually…he does look kind of cute when he does that. Wait! What the hell am I saying?! Am I saying that I like him or something?! Actually…thinking about it…he is kinda cute when he looks at me like that. Hermione thought to herself.
They both smiled at their thoughts then both looked away, embarrassed.
What the hell am I saying?!
Hermione yelled at herself, angrily. She sighed inwardly. What I feel. I haven't liked Harry since third year for nothing. When we saved Sirius & Buckbeak the hippogriff that time, we became so much closer. I hope he feels the same way… Hermione looked up again to meet Harry's eyes. He looked worried. Really worried."Herm, are you okay? I mean…you know…" he looked at Hermione in a way that made her want to melt.
He must care about you to be so concerned. That look isn't something that you just give a friend.
Hermione thought to herself. "I think I'm okay…" she said. "considering the circumstances."Harry didn't look convinced. Don't be embarrassed you twit! Now you just have to say 'I love you, Hermione.' & you have it over & done with. Why can't you do that? Harry sighed inside himself. Because you're a coward. You're afraid of rejection. he thought, disgusted at himself. "It's just I worry about you, Hermione." He told her, embarrassed. Hermione was about to melt & smiled. Harry gave her a dopey grin & then quickly looked down at his feet, embarrassed.
Hermione smiled at him. "I know you do."
Chapter Eleven.
Night quickly fell, & Hermione & Harry both felt tired, hungry & cold.
"You think we could light a fire?" Hermione asked Harry hoarsely.
Harry looked around. "Probably." He told her. "We'd need to get some fire wood though."
Hermione looked around her. "Where from?"
Harry looked behind him. "Well, remember that little grove we found when were in fourth year?"
"You mean the one we weren't supposed to know about because we shouldn't of been out here at night in the first place?" Hermione asked him, grinning.
Harry burst out laughing. "Yeah, that's the one. It's about a kilometre away from here. Well, I can remember there was a great stock of permanently dry wood 'cause of the overhanging trees & a number of little berry bushes in the middle of it."
"And wasn't there a little fresh water creek running through it as well?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded.
"You can remember the way?" she asked him.
"Yeah." Harry said. "Here," Harry held out his good arm to her..
"Thankyou." She took his hand & he lifted her up off the ground, bring their faces very close. They both turned a very bright shade of red.
"Oops, sorry Herm." Harry laughed nervously.
"Ummmmmmm, that's okay." She replied.
"Uhhhhhh, it's this way."
"What?" Hermione asked, confused. "Oh, right. The grove." Hermione said, remembering what he was talking about.
Harry put his hand on the small of her back & directed her in the direction of the grove.
**********
The kilometre to the grove actually turned out to be three kilometres, & Hermione was exhausted after just half an hour of walking.
Finally, after over an hour of walking, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "I thought you said it was only a kilometre away." Hermione snapped at Harry.
Harry looked at her, & she immediately felt guilty.
"Oh Harry… I'm sorry I snapped at you. You're the one who's injured & all. I'm sorry…"
Harry laughed, cutting her off. "don't worry about it, Herm. It's just…well, we were further to the east than I thought we were." Harry told her, using his wand to make a compass materialise out of thin air.
"So…how long until we get to the grove?" Hermione asked him.
"Hmmmmm." Harry said, looking down at the compass & then at his watch. "About…half an hour? No, sorry, 20 minutes."
"Oh. It's just we've been walking for well over an hour & a half already &, well, I'm really tired &…"
A loud rumbling sound erupted from the sky above them, followed by a light pattering sound.
"Awwww shit!" Hermione yelled, exasperated. "Why the hell does it have to rain when WE are outside & freezing in the Forbidden Forest! Why can't it rain when Voldemort is outside or something!"
It started to come down more heavily & Hermione could feel her waist-length hair & clothes stick to her body. Great. Just GREAT! Hermione thought, aggravated. I'm cold, tired, hungry & at the end of my patience & what happens? IT STARTS TO BLOODY RAIN! MAKING US COLDER & MORE AGGRAVATED!
"I tell you what, Harry. Next time I hear Voldemort is heading our way, I'm getting out of there as soon as I hear of it." Hermione yelled over the thunder in Harry's direction.
"Good idea." Harry commented dryly.
"Jesus! When I find Voldemort, I'm gonna bust his ass! When I find that slimy little…"
A low buzzing came from behind the two teenagers & they both spun around.
"What was that?" Hermione asked.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning cracked directly behind Hermione.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!" Hermione screamed, jumping up into Harry's arms.
Meanwhile 30 centimetres away from Harry's feet, the bolt was quickly singeing the grass & starting a rapidly growing fire.
Seeing this, Hermione squealed again. "Ohhhhh shit!" she screamed. Still in Harry's arms, she yelled "What do we do now?!"
Putting Hermione down gently, he paused for a few moments. "Ahhhhhhhhh, well, what about we RUUUUUN!!!!" he yelled.
Hermione bolted as soon as the word left Harry's lips. Harry ran after her.
"Which direction?" she asked him.
"Left! Left!" He yelled. "Oh my god!" Harry suddenly yelled. "The tree! The tree!"
Harry grabbed onto Hermione's arm & pulled her over in his direction, stopping her from a head on collision with a very large, very heavy oak. But he still couldn't stop her from falling over on top of him.
Suddenly, a horribly disfigured & blood-covered figure burst out from the ground in front of them.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Did you miss me?"
"No…" the two teenagers gasped.
It was Lord Voldemort.
"Voldemort!" Hermione gasped. "But…but how is that possible! That fall you had would have crushed any normal…"
"Yes, but I'm not a normal wizard am I?" Voldemort said in a high-pitched cackle. He pulled his wand out of his sleeve & yelled "Boderfanilis!"
"What the hell does that mean?" Harry asked Hermione in a whisper.
Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know, but it's obviously not something we want to encounter."
Harry hardly had time to let that knowledge sink in when he heard a low, dangerous growl from somewhere behind him.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOGRRRRRRRRRR!"
"Uh-oh."
The creature leapt out of the bushes & headed straight for Hermione…
Author's Note:
Okay, okay. So I've taken a long time with this & it's only two chapters. Anyhow…I had to stop this part here 'cause I think that the next part will PROBABLY need a little bit extra. Anyway…please review & NO FLAMING!!