The world of Harry Potter and all characters and recognizable references belongs to JK Rowling. I just like to play there.
~4~
It had been two weeks with no word from her. Harry and Ron had looked everywhere they could think of but found nothing. They'd even gone so far as to report her disappearance to the Ministry. A search had been initiated, after all, she was a War Hero as well as a highly sought commodity. The Ministry had been trying to recruit her since sixth year.
The Auror department had come up with nothing and Harry was getting impatient. He wanted her found. As he sat alone in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea, he considered his options. Ron was useless, something he'd long suspected but recently had confirmed. Whenever Harry felt he was close to something, Ron somehow managed to screw it up, so he knew that if he wanted whatever plan he came up with to work, he'd have to do it alone.
And therein lay his problem. He'd never done it alone. Ever since first year, any trouble he'd come across, Ron and Hermione had been with him. He didn't have a clue how to even begin to find her. After all, if trained Aurors hadn't located her, how could he? Tears trailed down his cheeks as he begged any God listening to keep her safe.
*
She glared at him as a jinx flew just past her ear, her eyes blazing in fury. For two weeks they'd done nothing but duel and verbally eviscerate each other. Her eyes narrowed further even as she attempted to hide the grin seeping through. Fighting with him was the most fun she'd had in ages!
She didn't like him, so hurting him during their duels didn't phase her. He was intelligent enough to catch her subtle insults and witty enough to return them. It had become a game of sorts. She trusted him, sort of. Sure he was a Snake and she despised him on principle, but he wouldn't kill her in her sleep. After all, he'd want the knowledge that it was him to be in the fore front of her mind if he ever killed her.
They'd developed an odd sort of love/hate relationship. Well no, developed was the wrong word, it had been present since the first time they'd met, but it had changed since she'd accidently disapparated onto his beach..
"Granger? Did you fall asleep?" She shook herself from her thoughts and found a sheepish grin creeping across her face. Without warning a ton of water fell on her.
"Oh you son of a ..."
"Now now, my mother is a very nice woman, don't insult her."
"Alright... you piece of pureblood shit."
"Oohh. Very nice Granger, I'm almost insulted." He laughed.
"You think you're funny don't you?"
"Yes, yes I do."
"I hate you."
He laughed again, eyes sparkling in the dawning moonlight. "Oh believe me darling, it's mutual."
She rolled her eyes and turned back towards his house. Instinct had her raising her shield charm just before a jelly legs jinx flew past her. "Coward," she called over her shoulder.
"Duh, Slytherin." She rolled her eyes, smirking as she wondered if his classmates had any idea how low his opinion was of them. Then again, it wasn't just his own housemates, from what she could tell he didn't respect anyone.
*
She sat down at the table, passing a plate towards him as she loaded her own with fresh fruit and cheese. He took his, loading it with meats as well as cheese and fruit. "So," he said and she raised an eyebrow at him. He didn't look up, studying his plate carefully as he asked, "You planning to let Potty and Weasel know your alive?"
Her fork fell to the table, echoing loudly in the silent room. "What?" He hadn't asked what had brought her to his beach, nor had he asked anything about her friends or mentioned his own. It seemed that on his island they were the only ones who existed.
"They've been looking for you. Aurors have been searching for you when they could be hunting down criminals. It's been in the Prophet, I left it out for you. I thought you saw it?" Now he was studying her closely. The air suddenly felt a lot colder as chills erupted over her body. Her eyes were darting anxiously for an escape route. "Hey, calm down. I haven't told anyone you're here and I won't. If you don't want to be found, you won't be."
She nodded jerkily. "Thank you. I... I... I'm not ready." He nodded, dropping it for the moment. But he was curious now and that was a bad thing. She ate quickly and excused herself to the guest room.
She cast her standard locking and silencing charm before falling onto the bed and allowing the tears to fall. It wasn't Harry's fault and he didn't deserve to suffer for Ron, but facing him meant accepting that it had all actually happened. Then came the decisions. Did she keep it from Harry so as not to mess up his friendship with Ron? Could she do that? This was part of why she'd avoided dealing. The other part, well, that was the real kicker.
How do you accept that one of two people you've trusted with your life in every possible manner for all of your informative years had violated you in such a way? It had happened, she knew it had, but she couldn't reconcile the event with the perpetrator and until she could get it straight in her head she couldn't possibly face either of them.
At the same time, she couldn't leave Harry suffering while she tried to heal. She sighed. She stood and made her way to the door, opening it to find him standing there with a quill, ink and parchment, topped with a smug smirk.
"Oh shut it!" She slammed the door in his face, quickly wrote a note to Harry and returned to her door. He stood with an owl on his arm, "I hate you," she said good-naturedly, retrieving the bird and attaching her message. She closed the door for a moment to give the bird her special instructions before letting it go and rejoining him in the Parlor.
