AN: Thank you for the reviews so far and here is the next chapter I'm hoping that you enjoy it! Critiques and reviews very much appreciated! :D
Chapter 2. He Kicked the Dust... Bunny
"You never ever consider how I feel Ronald!" Hermione snapped her book shut and slammed in onto her desk. Ron glowered at her from the bed, and Hermione kept her back to him.
"I just asked if you wanted to come into the bed with me. I thought you had calmed down from yesterday, but apparently I was wrong!" Ron crossed his arms over his chest and Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Well when someone is trying to communicate how they feel and their spouse doesn't give a damn they tend to stay upset for a while!" Hermione's eyes were glistening with unshed tears. She was upset, and knew she had every right to be so. Her mind was racing and all her feelings were taking over. Hermione no longer had control of them anymore, she had snapped, pushed herself to her limits. It was time to let Ron knew how she had been feeling, and get straight to the point, rather than simply being gentle and a pushover.
"I have hated two years of our marriage Ronald."
Her voice faltered, she took a deep breath and steadied herself, and she knew that this needed to be said.
"What did you say?" Ron's voice gave away his shock at Hermione's statement, and she knew full well that he had understood her, but he didn't believe her. This time, she would make it known how she felt.
"I hated the first year of our marriage because I didn't know if you were really in love with me. And I hated this past year, because… because I didn't know if I was still in love with you!"
Hermione's fists were shaking and glistening tears were streaming down her face. Ron stopped what he was doing and sat on the bed. Just then the two of them heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Harry and Ginny were in the door way looking at them.
"What's going on up here?"
Hermione and Ron said nothing as their best friend came into their bedroom. Ginny walked in with him, her disapproving look sinking into Hermione's skin. Harry had two envelopes in his hand, Hermione noticed the tidy scrawl of Luna's on one of them. He roughly handed it to her, and she took it gingerly in her hands. She lifted the seal and read the letter that it contained.
Dear Hermione,
I wanted to apologize for not writing to you as often as I said that I would this summer. I've been busy preparing for an upcoming event of mine. I was wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you come over for the week? I need your advice on a few things around the house and yard. Write me an Owl when you can.
Sincerely,
Luna Lovegood.
Hermione folded the letter and tucked it into her jean pocket. Harry turned to her, and then to Ron.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm done hearing you bicker and disagree on everything, so unless you want to make the rest of us as unhappy as the both of you are, I suggest going to see someone, otherwise this is going to get worse and there will be no one there to help you once you're past the point of no return."
Harry's words were full of concern, but they were filled with venom and truth. Hermione knew that he was right, she was tired of fighting, and she was willing to see someone, anyone if it meant making this horrible feeling inside her heart go away.
"We don't need to see anyone, Hermione and I are perfectly capable of figuring this out for ourselves, and this is just a phase, a rough patch." Ron traced over the flowers on the quilt his mother had made him, and kicked at a dust bunny by the bed post.
"So yelling at one another, almost every night for an entire year is a rough patch? I can't believe your ignorance to the condition of our marriage, if you could even call it that anymore."
"What condition? Everything is fine; it's just… a little rocky is all!"
"Ronald, you're absolutely… ridiculous! I'm leaving; I can't bear this ignorance anymore. I'm going to Luna's tonight. Don't bother sending for me, I'm not coming home for a while."
And with that, Hermione Granger began roughly stuffing clothes inside of a suitcase and walked out of her bedroom, leaving behind a very exasperated Ronald and a deeply concerned Harry and Ginny.
Severus walked along a narrow path, his black suede shoes dispersing the mist away from him. He sighed; Albus was nowhere to be found. He looked at his reflection in the lake, his raven hair still stringy, but no longer greasy, and his dark eyes no longer held dark shadows beneath them. Without these distinguishing features he would be considered handsome, the thought made him sigh and continue to walk along the path. He could see in the distance a bench shrouded in the heavy mist. Slowly he made his way towards it, with his wand at the ready.
There were many beings in this world, many that were once man, but the darkness in their hearts had consumed them. And in time they became Shades, creatures of the Shadow. Had Severus not made peace with himself before he died, he too would be a Shade drifting between the plains of the afterlife. He tucked his wand back into his robes and stared at the lines on his hands. It had been twelve years since he passed away during the war of Hogwarts, twelve years… He missed the familiar walls of his dungeon classroom and his private chambers behind the book shelf, and he missed the intimidated looks he got from those dunderheaded children. Severus allowed himself a small smile and remembered how much he had pretended to hate Potter and his friends, and then as quickly as it came his smile faded. His heart ached as images of Harry filled his mind, pushing his feelings back down into the depths Severus sat up straight and breathed deeply.
He could feel someone coming up behind him, drawing nearer and nearer. Severus stretched and cracked his long slender fingers and swung his legs up onto the bench and waited until a familiar face came into view.
"Hello Albus. How was your adventure?"
Albus Dumbledore smiled widely, and his eyes sparkled. He walked over to the bench where Severus way laying and tapped his suede shoes with his hand.
"Come on now, move over, and let an old wizard sit down too hmm?"
Severus sighed and after a few silent moments he chuckled and moved his legs from the bench and allowed the older wizard to sit with him. Albus folded his hands a top his lap and began to hum a tune. Severus simply sat with him and enjoyed the melody that Albus hummed. Suddenly he stopped and remained there in silence. Moments passed between the two men and neither of them said a word for a long time, until Albus cleared his throat and picked at a thread on the hem of Severus' robes.
"Have you ever wanted to go back and live again?" Albus waited a moment, and Severus did not answer so he pressed on.
"Are you content with where you are Severus?"
Albus' question had caught Severus by surprise. He had never taken the time out of his day to really ask himself if he was content being dead. As the thought crossed his mind, he wondered if anyone ever was content with no longer being alive.
"Albus, what kind of morbid question is that?"
"The morbid kind of course."
Severus placed his face in his hand and sighed, while Albus chuckled softly beside him.
"What makes you so curious about whether I'm content in my afterlife or not? It might be a bit more enjoyable if you weren't here."
Albus laughed yet again and Severus smiled broadly at him.
"Yes I suppose that would make it much more enjoyable... But I ask simply because I was told a long time ago that you weren't supposed to die that day."
Severus looked at Albus out of the corner of his eye.
"Who told you such a thing, Albus?"
Severus was brimming with curiosity though he tried his best to hide it. Albus gave him a small smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
"A few days before I died, I sought some clarity. I wanted to know the fate that was laid ahead for everyone close to me. So I sought after the Centaurs, and they told me everything. They told me of my death, and that it would be you to finish it, and they told me that after the war was over that you were meant to become the most powerful wizard in the world Severus… The one whom after me would wield the Elder Wand and use your power and knowledge to understand the true origins of magic, and that will come later on in your life. However there is an accomplishment that you will complete very soon. A project to be completed with Ms. Granger."
Albus stopped talking and again silence over took the two men. It engulfed them and Severus looked at Albus with disbelief on his face. There could not be a shred of truth in this story.
"What purpose did this prove by telling me all of what you know from the Centaur?"
"I'm not sure. I just thought you should know. By the way, the hem on your robes is coming undone a bit."
And with that Albus stood up from his spot on the bench and began to walk away, Severus now thoroughly annoyed walked after him and only stopped when Albus did.
"Look on the lake Severus. Tell me, do you see anything?"
Severus cast his annoyed look away from his cryptic companion and looked at the Lake, he could see within it something bubbling and emerging. A bright golden light and then as suddenly as it had come it stopped. And there on the surface of the water was a scene of Hermione Granger leaving the Burrow in a hurry with a hastily packed suitcase. She reached the crest of the hill outside in the yard and vanished with a faint pop. Severus with a perplexed look on his face turned to ask Albus a question, but the old man had vanished on him once again and Severus was alone once more.