Chapter III:

1 Surprise, Surprise

Ron gasped. "Lockhart? No way! He was our teacher! I always thought he was a little weird, but I never thought he would hurt anyone! Oh, Harmony, no! He didn't hurt you, he didn't! Not like-like that! Oh, hon, we'll find him and punish him! We'll hurt him-"

"Ron, sweetie, we're not going to hurt anybody. I'm okay now, but I can't. Not yet."

"Let's get back, otherwise they'll be starting rumors. I don't want that to happen."

Harmony led the way out of the library and back to Gryffindor Tower, in complete silence. Ron's head was filled with thoughts, swirling around, and she was trying very hard to sort them out, so she could tell him anything he needed to know. She highly doubted that even he could, though, so she finally gave up. Harmony decided instead to think her own thoughts. She found herself wandering back to the days when she thought she was in love with Gilderoy Lockhart. She recalled the night he bent over her while she was lying on the bed, him stripping the clothes off her. She remembered her own bloodcurdling scream as she realized what he was doing. Then it all went black as she fell into the deep realms of sub-consciousness.

* * *

"Harmony, no, what happened, honey? Hang in there! Oh, no, what did I do?" Ron's voice cleared away the black mists inside Harmony's head. It was about an octave higher than usual. She opened her eyes and sat up groggily.

"Ron! Sweetie, what am I doing here? I'm fine, now at least. Did I scare you?"

Ron nodded sullenly.

"You didn't do it. Lockhart did it. His memory…of that night… it was horrible…"

Ron stayed silent, but his thoughts were racing. He was practically crying, asking her if she wanted a cup of tea, wanting to kiss her again, and offering to go find Madam Pomfrey. " A cup of tea would be nice," Harmony said simply. " And maybe a kiss…"

Ron grinned mischievously through the tears that had just sprung up. He bent over to kiss her and as soon as their lips touched, the door burst open. Harry and Hermione rushed in breathlessly. They began to back out when they realized what they had walked in on. Harmony pulled away and smiled at the newcomers. She read each of their thoughts; Hermione was just wishing that someone would kiss her like that, but Harry's thoughts were more serious. It was all he could do to keep from shouting out at Ron,

"How could you hurt her?" so Harmony decided to answer it before he did say it aloud and cause further problems.

"It's okay, Harry. Ron didn't hurt me. It was…someone else." Harmony said directly at Harry. He flushed red and gave Ron a sheepish look. Ron didn't seem too bothered and gave Harry a 'hey, it could happen to anybody so forget it' look.

Hermione had an honestly concerned look. "Who was it?" she asked. "Who hurt you?"

"It was an old hurt rather than a new one. It was… I don't know if I should tell you… it will hurt you even more than it hurt Ron…"

"Ron, you tell us then," Harry urged.

"No, not if Harmony doesn't want me to tell. She'll tell you when she's ready," Ron said rather sternly.

"It's okay. I can tell you now. Hermione, this might come to a surprise to you. Don't blame yourself though. I fell for him too."

"It was Gilderoy Lockhart," Harmony said matter-of-factly as Hermione gasped.

"No, tell me you're kidding! Harmony, nobody could hurt you! Nobody!"

"As I said to Ron, they couldn't unless I let them. I let him. I ignored my telepathic voice. Oh, it was horrible! He told me he loved me and that he would never hurt me! I was so stupid! He was like ten years older than me or something, but I was just a naïve little kid! I listened and almost let him get at me. But at the last minute I realized that he didn't love me and he was just using me. I kicked him and bit him and smacked him and he finally got off. Then I ran all the way home. He's still after me. He found out I was going to Beauxbatons after he regained his memory from that Memory Charm he gave himself three years ago. That's why I had to come here. I'm so sick of running and I'm not going to anymore. I'm staying here and he can't stop me."

"Harmony, how old were you when this happened?" Harry said, alarmed.

"Ten," Harmony replied miserably.

"Harmony! We have to tell Dumbledore! Or McGonagall! They have to know! He could do this to someone else! We have to stop him!" Ron shouted.

"He won't. He's after me and no one else. And he's getting closer."

"Harmony, he could kill you! We have to tell someone! Where is he now?" Hermione sobbed, with tears streaming down her face.

"London," Harmony said dully. " You don't have to tell anyone. He's not going to kill me. Don't worry about me. I have the makings of the best fighter in the world because I know just what my opponent is thinking and can prevent it. Hush, Hermione, crying doesn't help anything. Where are we anyway?"

Ron answered. "Empty classroom. I carried you in here after you fainted."

Harmony looked slightly stunned. "You carried me in here?"

"Yah, why?" Ron replied, seemingly puzzled.

"I'm heavy!" Harmony responded, patting her stomach. "You're a lot stronger than I took you to be, and for my misjudgment I beg your forgiveness," Harmony said to Ron with a look of unlimited love.

Ron shrugged awkwardly in reply. Hermione cleared her throat loudly, and Harry realized she was still crying, gazing hungrily at Ron and Harmony with strong desire that seemed to be a material thing, and not just a feeling. Harry realized with a jolt that this was his own feeling as well. He could hardly stand looking at two people as deeply in love as Ron and Harmony, seeing as he didn't even have a girlfriend of his own to hold and cherish. Harry felt a strange kinship with Hermione that he'd never felt before with anyone.

"Should we be getting back now?" Hermione whispered timidly, her voice cracking.

Harmony pulled away from Ron somewhat reluctantly. "Yes, of course, but answer me one thing; how did you two know that I fainted and where we were?"

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. Harmony and Ron were watching with great curiosity.

"Well…" Hermione began slowly.

"We didn't really ever go away…" Harry continued.

"We followed you…" Hermione said uneasily.

"But we're really sorry and we'll never do it again!" Harry finished, with a voice like that of a small child who had done something wrong, but done it in fun and innocence, been caught, and was now apologizing to his mother.

"It's fine," Ron laughed.

"And, yes, let's get going back," Harmony giggled. She had found Harry's "accent" very amusing and was having trouble standing up.

As the walked down the hallway toward the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron and Harmony hand in hand, Harry had an insane urge to grab Hermione's hand. He refrained, though. After a time, Hermione spoke.

"Harmony, that reminds me. Is Malfoy going to break into the Common Room and dormitories?"

"No," Harmony replied simply.

"Then is Snape?"

"Yes."

Hermione, Harry, and Ron gasped. "When?" Hermione asked anxiously.

Harmony checked her watch, the silver one on her necklace. "Hmmm, about three hours, thirty-three minutes."

Hermione, Harry, and Ron gasped again. "What's he going to do?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"He's after me. He's going to break into our dormitory, Hermione. Lavender and Parvati are going to scream, of course. Hermione, you would be past screaming if I wasn't telling you what is going to happen right now. He'll go straight to my bed and I'll be waiting with my wand. He's looking for something, though, and not trying to kill me. I can't tell you what this thing is because it will put you all in mortal peril. He shall not have it. I'll be in his way to get at it, thus he will throw me out of the way. My wrist will break. I am no stranger to pain, so that won't be a big deal. Snape-"

"Will be thrown out?" Ron said eagerly.

"Nope. He'll resign," Harmony replied matter-of-factly.

"Wow," Harry said in quiet awe. "He must really like you!"

"Unfortunately," Harmony answered with a disgusted look.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione thoroughly rattled, the four friends walked back to the common room.

* * *

It was three hours later and Hermione was far from being asleep. She felt uncomfortable that Harmony had refused the boys' offer to stay in the dormitory with them and was now sleeping peacefully.

Exactly thirty-three minutes later, Hermione heard a noise outside the first year Gryffindor girl's dormitory.

* * *

Harmony hadn't gone to sleep. Looking like she was asleep when she wasn't was a specialty of hers. She lay there, waiting tensely, for three hours. Hermione wasn't asleep. She was peeved at Harmony for refusing the boys offer to stay the night with them. Oh, well. Snape would've been able to bluff his way through that scenario and get them all detention for a month while he did it.

Thirty-three minutes later, Harmony sat up, wand ready, as Snape came through the door to the Gryffindor girl's dormitory.

* * *

"So, Westershire, you knew I was coming," Snape whispered.

"I've known for a long time, Snape," Harmony growled back. Hermione was whimpering in her bed and Lavender and Parvati were just waking up.

"May I ask how you knew?"

"No."

"You know what I want, Westershire." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I do."

"Make it easy on yourself and hand it over now."

"No."

"I can make your life miserable. Give me the necklace."

"I'll never give you the necklace. And you could make me life miserable, but you wouldn't."

Snape didn't know what to say to that. "Give me the necklace," he shot back lamely.

"I'm only a little girl. A big man like you should be able to take it from me! But then, you're not a big man, Slytherin scum," Harmony teased.

Snape leapt onto the bed. Harmony pulled her sleeve back. On her arm was a watch. "Potter, I need backup. You and anyone else you can find get in here! Send Longbottom to get McGonagall," she said into the watch.

Harry's voice came over the watch. "We'll be there in two!"

Snape froze. "What the hell is that and why is Potter's voice on it?"

"I figured that you, of all people, would know what this is, Snape. It's a voice transmission device, from the Ministry. Over this thing, I can contact any Ministry worker I want to, whenever I want to."

"Why the hell does Potter have one, and where did you get one?"

"Irrelevant."

Snape realized all of sudden that that voice transmission device could be the end of him. He lunged at Harmony and grabbed her wrist. It twisted. Harmony squealed and Snape let go immediately, backing against the wall.

"You didn't have to do that. It was too late already. You're finished, Snape. It's all over," Harmony rose from the bed, bloody. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean burst into the dormitory.

"Freeze, Snape. You're not getting away this time," Harry told him in an official-sounding voice. He peered over at Harmony's bed, and the bloody sheets. "Harassment of a juvenile. That'll count against you. Ron, get your girlfriend over to the Hospital Wing. Neville should be getting here with McGonagall soon."

Ron, looking very serious, helped Harmony get down the stairs to the Common Room and out into the corridor.

"Lighten up, Ron. It's no big deal, honey. Really," Harmony said gently.

"Sorry, baby. I just can't bear the thought of Snape putting his hands on you."

It was true, too. Ron was literally in despair over the fact that Snape had broken his girlfriend's wrist.

"Ron, honey, I'm fine. Really." Ron snorted. He didn't reply out loud. They spoke no more until they reached the hospital wing and woke up Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, dear. What happened?" she asked when she saw Harmony's wrist.

"Classified," Ron answered. Harmony could tell that he really wanted to tell the nurse what had happened, to tell her what a bastard Snape is. He refrained, keeping all this inside.

Madam Pomfrey put Harmony in a hospital bed and shooed Ron out. "Don't worry. Your girlfriend will be fine!" she confirmed, leaving Ron speechless.

Harmony read Madam Pomfrey's thoughts. She had seen a wound just like this before. That's odd, she thought. The nurse was thinking, "What's Severus done now?"

Okay, I'll admit. This chapter's five pages shorter than most of the other ones are. I don't care. I've been working on this chapter for ages (writer's block!!!!) and I really wanted to update this story. I HATE THIS STORY!!!!! Okay, I'm gonna go work on the 6th chappie of 'Truth'.