A persistent nudging at her side finally roused Hermione, yawning she stretched and opened her eyes, but instead of the familiar white walls of the Hospital Wing she was in a place only adequately expressed as the Gray Area. She was surrounded by a murky gray cloud that blocked everything else out, however at random times there were images that slightly registered to her mind, but they just continually sped past.
Suddenly one image slowed and came to a stop in front of her and an all too familiar scene played out before her, despite her numerous attempts to forget it, short of oblivating the memory from her mind.
It was a few days into their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and practically to no one's surprise Harry Potter and Hermione Granger had announced that they officially a couple. Throughout the following week it seemed as though many wagers were being settled throughout the students as well as the faculty, oftentimes handing over large amounts of gold to others.
To everyone's surprise even Professor Snape was in on the betting pool however he lost to a smug Professor McGonagall when the time came for the wagers to be paid, everything was going great; Harry and Hermione had a romance and love that many people envied throughout the school, it seemed that both were extremely happy with their current status though there were a couple of overzealous Potter fans chasing Harry around the school.
Flashback memory
But it all changed one bright Saturday morning, the first Hogsmeade visit of the year; Hermione was very busy with an extra credit project to fulfill the requirements in hopes of acquiring an internship with Professor Vector after graduation. So that left Harry to go by himself, though he wouldn't have minded staying with Hermione and spending an enjoyable afternoon in her company, Hermione chased him off saying she didn't want to be distracted by him.
When everyone trickled back from a free day, and headed off to dinner, Hermione joined them before she stopped about two hallways before it at the sight before her eyes, Harry, her boyfriend and best friend of about 6 and a half years, was making out with another girl in the shadows of one of statues. She walked up to them and calmly pulled the two of them apart, before she slapped the girl and Harry and informed him that they had broken up and that she never wanted to see him again and walked away toward the Head Girl dorms to cry her heart out.
However this time the scene didn't follow Hermione but rather focused in on Harry; he grabbed the girl's hand and walked away, past the crowd that had gathered to watch the scene, and now stared at him with accusing eyes, and entered an empty hallway. He mumbled a string of Latin words and the girl disappeared, then he warded the entire hallway with a privacy charm and it then and only then that he allowed himself to cry.
A figure walked toward him, through the privacy charm and knelt beside him and said, "Harry, it was the only way that you can go through this without wavering from your ultimate goal." Harry looked at him, "How is it Professor that if this is the only way to save the world, why do I feel dead on the inside because of what I did to her?" The figure answered, "It's for the greater good, and in order to achieve that you cannot have any distractions or show any weakness to Voldemort or your enemies. Harry stood up, eyes flashing, "I don't care about the greater good Professor, all I care about now is that fact that I have destroyed the one good thing I had going in my life and the fact that I may never get it back, right now you have before you a fighting machine, someone to send out to fight while everyone else gets to hide behind me." Harry gave a grim smile, "Well you got him." He stood up and wiped off his face, dusted off his clothes and waved off the charm. "I'll see you in your office tomorrow morning at 9 sharp, Professor Dumbledore."
Memory ends
The image faded away and left Hermione with an understanding of what happened with Harry and why there was a complete 180 turn in his feelings for her, as she contemplated her thoughts she noted a slight movement out of the corner of her eyes. She whipped around to face whoever or whatever it was, but whatever it was it had disappeared, however there was a package lying on the ground wrapped clumsily with a soft piece of cloth. There was some writing on one side of the package it read:
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm terribly sorry to whoever has received this package, for it means you are deep in the recesses of my mind. The only way out is to be able to figure out what the memories mean to you and to me. I cannot tell you who I am for that is one of the questions you have to figure out by yourself, but I have left someone there to help you out, in only selecting memories from which are known to you and me. Once again I am terribly sorry for having dragged you into this mess; please figure this out quickly for moment by moment I am fading away from reality and toward the next great adventure. Please hurry.
Unwrapping the package, three items fell out a pad, pencil, and a wooden stick; exclaiming with glee Hermione picked up the wooden stick and as always the rush of magic ran through her veins this was her wand. So gathering up the remnants of the package she grabbed the pad and pencil and turned back to the scene that was beginning to play out before her.
Memory begins
In the midst of the drama the students had just seen, three friends went off in search of Harry James Potter, former friend, who had promised to never hurt Hermione. One girl, Ginny Weasley went to Hermione's room to comfort her, one boy, Neville Longbottom went off to recruit search parties to search for Harry, and the last went off to search for retribution himself, Ron Weasley.
Ron looked through all the regular haunts that Harry inhabited when he wanted time alone, but to no avail apparently when he didn't want to be found he wasn't going to, that was his thought until he ran straight into Harry himself.
The two glanced at each other warily, before Ron rushed in a punched Harry in the jaw and then the nose before Harry was able to push him off, Ron stood glaring at him for a moment before yelling, "Potter I told you to take care of her for me and you go and do this to her, you have got some nerve, from now on I never want to speak to you again, and you and I were never and will never be friends."
Throughout it all Harry stood there taking the verbal and physical beating that Ron gave him and then walked away when he finished, though he carelessly said over his shoulder, "What's the matter Ron, I thought you would be happy that we broke up know you can go after her yourself, that's what you always wanted didn't you?" With that being said he turned down the hallway and disappeared. From the back it looked as though Harry really meant it, but one look at the front and the pained expression of his face told the whole story, the fact that Harry hadn't wanted to say it but necessity had made him do it.
Memory ends
Hermione sat on the floor as she contemplated all she had seen and heard; once again a figure darted in at the outer reaches of her eyes, thanking her lucky stars for having a competent Defense teacher this year, she stunned the figure with deadly accuracy from the practiced hand motion that Professor Alexander had taught them. Walking over to the figure she noted that it was a little boy about 7 or 8 years old and wearing slightly worn clothing.
She muttered Enervate and the figure nearly jumped out of his skin, when he saw her staring back at him; he mumbled, "I'm sorry miss, I didn't mean to interrupt you and Mister said that I only had to help you figure things out. But I tripped and fell I didn't mean to interrupt you." Hermione raised a hand to his lips and said, "Shush, it's okay I just want to know who you are and what are you doing here, I'm not going to punish you." The boy nodded and said, "My name is Harry Potter and I am 7 years old, Mister put me here and said that when the time comes I need to do him a favor but before that time he gave me toys to play with, clothes, and other stuff."
Pulling away she looked at the boy and nodded to herself, it made sense in taking the boy she knew 6 years ago and comparing the two. She smiled at Harry and asked, "Well are you going to finish this movie for me?" The boy nodded and quickly ran off to start the next image, and then he ran back with a comfortable chair which he placed in front and then ran off again.
Memory begins
Walking through the hallways of Hogwarts had gotten dangerous for Harry, it seemed as though everyone was against him and oftentimes he would find himself tripped, thrown stuff at, or just beaten up. There were many times in the rest of the day that it happened again and again; when he went to the Hospital Wing he consistently lied to Mdm. Pomphrey, hiding out as much as he could he was somewhat relieved that he would leave and probably never see this place again, he wouldn't have to deal with the hateful looks, the fights, the bruises, and finally he wouldn't have to see Hermione to know how much he had destroyed her.
He thought to himself, it was better that she just forget him now, he could give her nothing of value or even the most basic assurance that he would be there with her to the end. Glancing at her over his Transfiguration book he mentally said, "Forget me and find someone else better who can give you what you deserve." Packing his books he headed to the Tower and placed everything inside and locked it. Changing his clothes he almost looked like a normal teenager, shrugging he threw his cloak around his shoulders and headed down the stairs off to see the Headmaster, surely he wouldn't mind that he came early to go about and do what he needed to do, Harry thought sarcastically.
Memory ends
Everything clicked and all of a sudden she was no longer in the Gray Area but once again in the familiar walls of the Hospital Wing, glancing around she noted that Harry was sprawled on the chair next to bed and at some point he had laid his head on the bed and was unconsciously holding her hand with both their fingers interlocked. Smiling she understood what happened and now to figure what was going on with Harry.
