Ministerium Magicae

Hi all. This oneshot is set during 'Order of the Phoenix', in the Ministry of Magic. Told from Hermione's point of view as Voldemort inhabits Harry's body.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

…..

They rushed out, they saw Dumbledore kneeling before Harry, and in one awful, heart-wrenching moment Hermione was sure he was dead. She had never thought that the Headmaster, one of the greatest wizards of the age and, most likely, of all time, could look so broken. And it was the look on Dumbledore's face, and the aged slump of his shoulders, which convinced her that this time, it was really over.

Then Harry twitched – his fingers, rigid, searching for a surface to grasp. They scraped uselessly over the glassy floor, but he didn't seem to notice.

She felt as though she were frozen in place. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. She was aware of Ron standing beside her, Ginny, Luna and Neville behind them, but she could not draw her gaze from the scene before her. Dumbledore shifted slightly, leaning over the body of her friend, and for the first time she could see Harry's face – or what had been his face. His features were twisted in an expression of the most extreme agony, but his eyes were not his own. She drew in a sharp intake of breath as she witnessed Voldemort glaring out from Harry's eyes.

So this was it. This was the end of it all – wasn't it? For Harry was moving now, convulsing in silent spasms of pain. His head smacked against the cold ground, the resounding crack resonating throughout the otherwise silent atrium. His mouth opened and his lips moved, murmuring words she was too far away too hear. She strained her ears, forcing them to travel towards him while her feet remained rooted to the spot.

"…never known love…" he whispered, his voice rasping from a throat as dry as the desert. "I feel sorry…"

Harry was one of the purest, most selfless beings she had ever met. It seemed both ludicrous and oddly in character that he could express pity for the monster that inhabited him, begging for his death.

But if Harry were to breathe his last this day, Hermione swore to herself that she would avenge her friend. Someday, some way or other, the man who called himself Lord Voldemort would lie dead at her feet. Only then could she repay her debt to the kind, loyal boy who had befriended an unhappy, insecure Mudblood know-it-all and saved her life in more ways than one over the years.

An awful hissing noise fractured the air and Voldemort reappeared in the foyer, several feet from where Dumbledore remained kneeling over Harry's unmoving body. He raised his wand, then froze as numerous grates along the marble corridor ignited with emerald green flames and Ministry employees came spilling out.

From across the broad atrium, Hermione heard Fudge's terrified whisper "He's back", as the Dark Lord turned on the spot and disapparated, leaving behind an old man clutching the body of a much younger one.

Hermione's breath hitched, her gaze focussed unwaveringly on her fallen friend.

"Please", she whispered. Please let him wake up. Please don't let him be gone. Please…

Her eyes strained, but she didn't dare blink. She inhaled sharply as Harry's fingers twitched, her pulse thundering throughout her body. She took a step towards him, her face breaking into a relieved smile as his eyes fluttered open and Dumbledore helped him into a sitting position.

Dazzling emerald eyes flickered to her face and she smiled through her tears, only now realising that she had been crying.

….

Thanks for reading! I haven't posted anything for Harry Potter before, so I really hope you liked it! All reviews are greatly appreciated.

Camelotpointe x