Quick note: I have uploaded both chapters 3 & 4 at the same time, so please make sure you've read 3 before you continue. Thanks and hope you enjoy!
The living area was empty when they emerged through the front door of the hut. They noticed Ron asleep on the sofa. Hermione was surprised that they didn't hear him first. She giggled at her own thought.
"What's so funny?" Harry said as he swung her around gently and caught her arms.
"I'm just glad we've all still got each other." She smiled. "You and Ron mean the world to me. I don't know how I could possibly cope without you." She looked into Harry's eyes. There was a hint of the old Harry again; his eyes glowed like they hadn't for a long time now. Hermione compared them to grass on a summer's day when they lit up like this.
"I couldn't cope without you, Hermione." His eyes turned sad and hurt.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
With that he moved closer to Hermione and closed the gap between them. He was now just inches away from her lips, and then pulled away, as if he had seen something horrible on her face. His eyes were gloomy again, the life that was in them only moments ago had vanished.
"I'm sorry Hermione. I'm just so glad to have friends like you and Ron... and Ginny" He sighed. "I'm lucky to have a girl as great as her." He looked at Hermione and smiled. "It's been a really long day for all of us. Maybe we should both get some rest?" He gave Hermione a nudge in the direction of the stairs.
"Good night, Harry." She said so softly his heart almost broke.
She made her way up the stairs and saw the dim candlelight from her room. She knew Ginny and Luna were still awake. Why wouldn't they be? They were probably worried. Especially Ginny, having had her boyfriend and her best friend disappear on her at the same time. She thought back to her encounter with Harry. It had been different than before, after he had held her on the cold wet floor of the forest to comfort her. He was her friend right? That's what friends did. She thought as she slowed before entering the room. Had he tried to kiss her just now? She dismissed the thought, because even if he had, they were both exhausted mentally and physically. Neither of them knew what they were doing. And with that she pushed it from her thoughts and entered the room.
Ginny and Luna were indeed awake, looking at the photos on Hermione's windowsill. "You look so happy here, Hermione!" Luna said cheerfully, her face grew serious when she turned to face Hermione. "My word, you look dreadful."
"Well isn't that just how it is? One minute your happy and nothing can go wrong in your life, then the next your life has fallen apart, you've forgotten what happiness is and then you don't even know who you are." Hermione was clearly lost in thought as she emotionlessly spoke the words.
"I'm sorry about making you read the letter, Hermione." Luna said, her tone was serious but her face was as lost and dreamy as ever.
"No, I'm glad I know. I'm hurt but to know the truth is always better."
"So, Hermione." Said Ginny leaning over the bed next to the window. "I hear we're cousins." Ginny could see the pain in Hermione's eyes but couldn't contain her excitement as she giggled.
That was the one thing that Hermione was grateful for, having Ginny her best friend now an official member of her family. Well it was more like Hermione was an official member of Ginny's family.
"Mum is going to be thrilled!" Ginny said in her excited tone but her face suddenly dropped into a blank stare, she'd obviously remembered something and was now deep in thought.
Yes, Molly was now Hermione's aunt and at this moment she couldn't be happier. Molly was the kindest woman she had ever met in her entire life. Then Ron slipped into her mind. 'Ron is my cousin.' She inwardly gagged at the thought of them kissing and touching each other when they had been together. She thanked Merlin that they had never been intimate.
"What else do you know about him, Gin? Hermione said as she sat down on what she assumed was now Ginny's bed.
"He was a Gryffindor!" She said happily. "I heard he was very brave."
Hermione smiled. She had hoped to hear good things.
"He was killed by death eaters during the first war." Ginny said quietly.
Hermione's smile dropped from her face.
"Voldemort put a bounty on his head. He had apparently disgraced pure-bloods because he had asked a muggle to be his wife." Ginny looked sad as she spoke. "He was captured in the end, with his bother Gideon. They were killed by about five death eaters, including Antonin Dolohov."
Hermione felt an ache of pain in her chest that she didn't recognise.
"They died fighting though. They were members of the original Order you know?" Her happy tone had now returned. "I'm proud to be his niece." She said with a smile.
Hermione was proud to be his daughter, although the pain she felt wouldn't allow her to acknowledge the feeling.
"Thank you, Ginny." Hermione forced a smile. "I really need to get to bed. Good night both."
Hermione didn't sleep that night. She had thought about everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours, the discovery about her family, her new found blood status, and Harry. She desperately wanted to just switch off and let sleep wash away all of her thoughts like a calm ocean. It never came.
She slid up in her bed. She thought it might be around 5.30am. She slid her legs out of her cold sheets, picked up a few of her things and exited for the bathroom. She took off her cold clothes and stepped into an even colder shower. How she wished for warmth again, she always felt cold and her body ached. She didn't stay in there for long and quickly stepped out and wrapped herself in a rough towel. Trying to stop her teeth from chattering she quickly dried herself and slipped on the clothes she had grabbed from her room. She wore a pair of light blue jeans, a grey tank top and a black hoodie. She pulled her cold damp hair into a lazy bun, a few wet curls escaped here and there.
She picked up the necklace she had found the day before and put it around her neck. It was a beautiful piece of jewellery and it hung perfectly just below her collarbones. The red stone in the pendant seemed to be alive, like a naked flame. She admired it for a few moments before she left the bathroom and went downstairs.
She noticed Harry slumped on the sofa. He looked as tired as she felt. "Morning" he managed to say as he hoisted himself upright. He looked truly exhausted.
"Morning, Harry." She said as she grabbed her boots and sat on the bottom of the stairs to put them on.
"Listen, Hermione, last night.."
She cut him off before he could finish. "Thank you for all you did. You're a very, very good friend. We don't need to speak of it again." She felt awkward in this situation and she didn't know why. Then suddenly bangs and sparks of light from outside then took their attention away from the awkwardness.
"Harry, what is that?" She said very quietly as the bangs got louder and the sparks grew brighter.
"We're under attack Hermione." He said it so quietly she could barely hear him. Then he shouted. "We're under attack!" as he leaped into action, waking Ron from his sleep. "We're under attack everyone get up and take your positions!" He screamed, his eyes frantically searching the room. "Hermione, where's the portkey?" The panic was clear in his voice.
Hermione's mind clouded over. Maybe it was due to exhaustion, maybe it was the shock. People had now begun to rush around her, casting protective spells on the doors and windows. She didn't want to believe what was happening.
"Hermione!" Harry grabbed her by the shoulders. "The portkey, we need to find it now!"
Hermione had cast disapparition charms for miles around what had become their home. They had a portkey so they could escape if they needed to but it was nowhere to be seen. Hermione pulled out her wand and ran up the stairs. "Accio portkey" She said expecting the portkey to fly out of hiding. Nothing happened. She frantically searched through the two small rooms on the upper level but couldn't find it. It was a golden Lion head and wasn't easily concealed. Where could it be? "Accio portkey" she whispered in one last desperate attempt. It was gone, she knew it.
She ran back down the stairs to find that Harry had come to the same conclusion. They glanced at each other for a moment and shared a concerned look.
"We can't just stay in here and wait to be murdered!" Ginny said desperately.
"We have no idea how many of them are out there." Neville said impatiently.
"They're going to kill us either way Neville!" Ginny spoke like she was talking to a small child.
"Stop! This isn't helping anyone." Harry said. He looked as though he was desperately trying to gather his thoughts, to figure out a plan.
Why did they never have a plan? Hermione thought.
Ginny turned to her. "Do you want to die a sitting duck, Hermione? Or do you want to go down with a fight? Like your father did. He fought with honour!"
Everyone in the room apart from Luna, and Harry looked at them in complete confusion. Hermione blinked back the tears biting the backs of her eyes and then turned to look at Harry. "I want to fight."
Harry observed her for a moment. He didn't want any of them to die. He sighed. "Okay, I will meet you half way. We make a break for it. We are not ready to fight the death eaters, not yet." His eyes were worried but his voice was confident. "We all run for it, and as soon as we have passed the borders of the charms and wards we disapparate to Shell Cottage. Is that clear?" He looked around at the faces of his friends. They all seemed contempt with the idea.
Harry continued as they rallied around the door, ready to run. "No one stops under any circumstances. That's an order." He said very sternly eyeballing his group. "One person making it out of this situation alive is better than none. On the count of three.. one.. two.. three, go, go, go!"