Chapter Ten: The Man Who Loves Hermione Granger

Ben could not sleep that night.

It was not bad dreams keeping him up, or even physical discomfort. An hour of Force-meditation washed away any soreness he had from his dueling exercise.

No, if he was honest with himself, Ben knew exactly why he could not sleep. He missed Luna.

Perhaps not Luna as a person, he tried to reason. Rather, he missed her physical presence. He felt cold without her body curled next to him. He missed the weight of her hand on his chest, or the tickle of her lips against his back.

Shavit, he missed her Force presence. After only two weeks, the strange girl's Force signature had become so familiar to him he felt odd, even a little lost, without it.

Dumbledore's new wards worked very well. He did not have any visitors. He knew it was for the best. His Jedi resolve was slowly falling before teenage hormones and genuine desire. Waking up to her next to him was both soothing and exciting. As a Jedi, he knew he should not be having such thoughts, but as a sixteen-year-old boy, the idea of a beautiful young girl who was not only available, but who actively wanted him to take advantage of her, was almost too much to resist.

Every time he shifted in his bed, he caught a whiff of her scent from the pillows where she rested that previous night. They smelled like plums. He never had a fruit quite like the Earth plum. It was faintly tart, yet succulent and sweet, with sugary juices that ran down his chin.

"Oh shavit!" Ben muttered as he sat up in bed. Thinking about plums immediately swung his mind back to Luna and that first, enticing look he had at her back at her house, when he woke up on his backward planet for the first time. She looked so sleepy and innocent in her nudity. She looked so beautiful.

Ben groaned as his eidetic memory betrayed him with every detail of every time he saw her skin. Every flash of her stomach, or her neck or the slender, pale legs that showed whenever she wore those blinding sleeping shirts. The inward curve of her hips. Her perfect breasts. The way her eyes seemed to bore into him whenever she looked at him. It felt sometimes as if she could see the terrible things he had done during his time in the Galactic Alliance Guard, and simply didn't care.

For some reason Ben did not understand, he had tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, though he did not know to whom.

After another icy shower, Ben dressed in trainers and left the castle before the sun even rose. With his lightsaber at his belt, he took his morning run around the lake. The darkness did not hinder him—he reached out with his senses and let the Force both guide and energize him.

It was with the Force that he felt the small group on the other side of the lake. He continued running and as he approached he sensed a vaguely familiar Force presence and an all-too familiar miasma of darkness.

Only as he grew closer did he realize it was Malfoy and several others that he ousted just earlier that very week.

He slipped into the Force, but remembering Moody's lesson also sought refuge among the huge trees that lined the lake. As he approached within earshot, he heard the group speaking loudly. "…take him somehow."

"Because we did so good the first time around," a girl said.

"Enough, Pansy." This was Malfoy. The girl Pansy was the hard-faced prefect. "The Dark Lord has set this task before us. We know what will happen if we fail. We must gather this new tool of Bumbledork's and bring him before our Lord. Or we don't go back at all."

There were ten of them—all the students Ben expelled. They were steeped in darkness, but they were also so young. It never occurred to Ben that he was only sixteen himself, and these students were all either his age or older. He looked at them from the perspective of a former soldier and near Sith apprentice. These were just kids.

They were kids molded into weapons and marked by dark intent.

Ben closed his eyes, summoned the Force, and cast his mind across the lake. He had done this once before, when he summoned Dumbledore to the Slytherin commons room. He found the headmaster's consciousness, awake. The old wizard felt very tired to Ben, and the pain coming from his cursed arm burned like fire even at this early morning.

Ignoring the Headmaster's infirmities, Ben sent his thoughts to him and waited.

Meanwhile, the ten former students continued their plotting.

"I think the best way is to lay a trap," Malfoy said. "We saw him running yesterday. We just need to prep his path."

"Did you see how fast he was running?" another said.

"Shut it, Crabbe," Pansy snarled. "We saw. Doesn't matter. We make the trap large enough to hold him. Wards to trap him and curse him. The Dark Lord won't mind if he's hurt, so long as he is alive to enjoy his interrogation."

"He's been seen with that Granger whore," another girl said.

"She's Black's," Pansy said. "A disgrace to the Ancient and Honorable House of Black. The fact he's sleeping with a mudblood further shows how far his house has fallen. Not to mention she's young enough to be his daughter."

"Isn't your sister's husband fifty eight?" another voice asked.

"He's a pureblood Bulgarian nobleman. It was an honorable and profitable match," Pansy snapped back. "And this isn't about us. It's about…what was that?"

Around the group of kids came popping Crack sounds. In the Force, Ben felt Order of Phoenix members appearing through their odd teleportation magic. Almost immediately he felt a heavy weight on his consciousness.

"Anti-apparition shields!" Malfoy cried. "We've been found out. Run!"

Before they could, half a dozen red spells shot out from the woods. Four of them hit their targets and sent the younger wizards tumbling. However, Malfoy and Pansy both employed the shielding spell Sirius showed Ben the previous day.

Spells started flying wildly between the six remaining Death Eaters and the six Order members in the woods. Ben watched, fascinated. When he first encountered the Death Eaters, he assumed the spells were similar to blaster bolts. After all, he deflected a killing spell. However, with his admittedly small but growing knowledge of magic, he saw a mix of charms, hexes, curses and transfigurations happening at an astonishing pace.

Malfoy may not have been much of a threat in a physical fight, but he fought with aplomb and obvious skill and training. Pansy, the hard-faced girl by his side, fought with equal skill and viciousness in her casting and intent Malfoy seemed to lack.

They moved as they fought, trying to get past whatever wards Dumbledore had cast to keep them from teleporting away.

Still, experience won out over youthful exuberance. One by one, the young Death Eaters fell, until at the end Malfoy and Pansy were the only ones still fighting, back to back.

Suddenly the ground reached up around them and seemed to swallow them both up to their shoulders. The effect of the earth's suction forced both of their wand hands to point up, where a pair of red spells quickly shot the wands away.

Albus Dumbledore stepped from behind a tree, followed by Moody, Flitwick, McGonagall, Hermione Granger, and Sirius Black.

"Very nice bit of transfiguration, Ms. Granger," McGonagall said. "Fifty points to Gryffindor."

Black started chuckling. "Minerva, we just had a standing battle with Death Eaters, and you're awarding points? Why don't you subtract a thousand points from Slytherin for these arses turning into Death Eaters in the first place? That'll cow Voldemort for sure!"

"Enough, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

Black continued wildly as if he didn't hear and McGonagall's face reddened in fury. The man's eyes were wide and blood shot, and his hands shook as he spoke. "I mean, why don't we start deducting points for Voldemort's actions? Slytherin would be in the negative millions by now, don't' you think?"

Hermione touched his arm. "Sirius," she said softly.

Where Dumbledore's words were lost and McGonagall's overt hostility was ignored, the whispering of his name by Hermione brought Black to a dead stop. He looked into her eyes a moment, then around him, and shrugged. "Sorry. Forgot my potions."

Just then Ben stepped into the clearing. Sirius saw him, and as if finding a new bottle of energy, said, "And here's our new savior the Space Wizard. Tell me, Space Wizard, why didn't you just use that light sword of yours and cut all their heads off?"

"Sirius!" Dumbledore roared. "That is enough!"

The professor jumped and blinked. Sirius looked and saw the two disarmed and fully aware Death Eaters staring not at himself or Dumbledore, but at Ben. "Merlin's balls," he muttered.

"You fool!" Moody said. He turned to the two youths, lifted his wand and roared, "Obliviate!"

Pansy cried in pain as the spell hit her square in the face. She sagged against the transfigured ground holding her body up.

"That won't work!" Malfoy said with a suddenly gleeful laugh. "Our Lord can reconstruct even the most obliviated memories. He'll know! He'll know this is the creature the muggles are searching for, and he'll help them. You won't just be facing the most powerful wizard in the world, you'll have to fight off the whole muggle population! So much for your secret weapon!"

"Guess we'll just have to kill you then, won't we, boy?" Moody said.

Malfoy never stopped laughing. "You wouldn't dare! I'm Lucius Malfoy's son!"

Ben closed his eyes against the tension in the clearing. Darth Caedus would have killed all the Death Eaters in an instant. Even a Jedi was not above killing, but only when necessary.

"I'm not willing to let them die for my own protection," Ben said aloud.

"It's not up to you, boy," Moody growled. "It's about all of us now."

"You're not going to execute him," Ben said.

"No, he's not," Sirius said. He took a deep sigh. "I am." He lifted his wand, and as both Hermione and Ben rushed forward, he said, "Avada kedavra! Avada kedavra!"

Just like that two bolts of sickly green light erupted from his wand. Malfoy screamed when the spell struck him. His head whipped about so violently they could hear his neck snap. Pansy, still unconscious from Moody's spell, bounced bonelessly within her bonds. In the Force, their life energy disappeared instantly.

"Oh God, Sirius," Hermione whispered.

Black let his wand drop to the leafy ground, then followed a moment later as he fell to his knees. Ben too knelt down. In the absolute stillness of death, Malfoy did not look like a threat or a Death Eater. He looked like a handsome, seventeen year old boy. Pansy Parkinson did not look like a vicious witch. Her hardened features had softened into those of a beautiful young woman, with dark hair hanging like a curtain over her face.

"Had to be done," Moody said gruffly. "The gloves come off, Albus. If we don't start fighting fire with fire, we'll all go out the same way Scrimgouer did."

"If we fight fire with fire, Alastor," Dumbledore said with such infinite sadness Ben felt his throat clog and his eyes sting, "then it merely increases the odds that we will all get burned."

Sirius bowed his head to the leaves, and Ben could feel his anguish. Hermione, torn by his pain from her own shock, rushed to his side and draped an arm around his back. "Get him back to the castle, Granger," Moody said. "He's of no use to anyone now."

He looked up at Ben. "What about you, boy? You going to start crying?"

"I didn't want them to die," Ben said. He took a deep breath and forced his own mixed feeling at bay. "But I've taken lives before. As you say, this is war. What about the others?"

"Still out, the lot of them," Flitwick said. He had indeed been checking everyone one.

"Alastor, we'll need to turn them into the Ministry."

"The Dark Lord'll have them back out of Azkaban in a split second," McGonagall said.

"Amelia might have something to say about that," Moody muttered. "Least she's trying. Stupid, bloody waste. Using kids to fight a war."

"Kids have always fought wars," Ben said. "The young are the first ones to fight."

"And the firs to die," Moody agreed. He eyed Ben a moment, and then nodded. "All right, I'm going to get Auror back up. Ben, get back to the castle. Albus, you and your professors watch 'em 'till I get back."

Meanwhile, Hermione was almost physically lifting Sirius from the ground with his wand clutched in her hand. Ben stepped forward to assist, and with each of them under an arm, they started toward the castle.

It made for a very long, uncomfortable walk. Rather than go through the main entrance, Hermione led them into a path that took them through a long, winding tunnel directly into the Room of Requirement. The room shifted into a large bedroom, replete with a bed that they dropped the still sobbing Black into.

"I'll be right back," Hermione said. Wooden doors appeared nearby and she stepped through. Five minutes later she returned with several vials. She fed one after the other to Sirius, until the weeping stopped, his dark eyes closed, and he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She remained sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers tracing the line of his mustache. "He spent several years in the wizarding prison at Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. There are creatures there called Dementors that literally suck the happiness from a person. Their kiss can kill at worst, and drive a person insane at best. Sirius was kissed repeatedly there. By the time we realized the real culprit was alive and had him released, he had spent years there. He was broken. I spent all of last summer trying to help him."

Ben looked for a chair, and at just the thought one appeared. He sat down across the bed from Hermione. "Is that when you fell in love with him?"

"It's when he fell in love with me," she said. "For me it was just caring for someone who needed help. A problem to be fixed. That's me, the researcher, the fixer. But as he started coming out of his depression, I realized in some ways he was still a boy. Almost his entire adult life was spent in prison. He was stuck at the same age he was when he was imprisoned. He didn't know how to be an adult. Even so, he was witty and filled with a need to live and be happy. I…it was difficult for me in the magical world at first. My first three years I had few friends. Only my abilities earned me respect. But when I was around him, on good days, he made me want to be happy. I wanted to be happy, Ben. Not smart, not accomplished or respected or even loved. I just wanted to be happy. So, on my seventeenth birthday when I reached my majority, I went to him and let him make me happy."

She took Black's hand in hers. "He still needs me. There are still bad days, though not nearly as many. But there have been wonderful days as well. I do love him. And right now he needs me."

Ben reached across and took her hand. "Then be with him. I'll be all right. We'll meet again tomorrow. Take care of your man for now."

Hermione chuckled. "My man. Who ever thought bushy-haired, buck-toothed Hermione Granger would have a man."

At that moment, she looked absolutely beautiful.

"Whoever would have thought any man would be good enough for beautiful, powerful Hermione Granger?" Ben countered. "I'll see you soon."

Thinking about his need to leave, the door appeared before him and he stepped out into the third floor hallway. The hall was empty as students were already in their morning classes. Ben realized he had missed his breakfast, but dismissed it as unimportant. He had missed meals many times on many missions, one more would not hurt.

With nothing else to do, he went back to his room, gathered his books, and found an empty class to start practicing spells. He visualized the battle he just witnessed, and the faces of those young Death Eaters who put up a fight. He emulated their movements and as many of the spells as he could recognize.

He recreated the entire battle, until the very end, when two seven-teen year old children hung lifeless in the clutches of charmed earth.

He realized he had come to a stop, his wand down, his eyes focused on the floor. With a deep breath, Ben broke the spell and looked around at the mess he'd made. He didn't even realize what he was doing until that moment, when he saw the many shattered tables, chairs and desks.

"It's living with it afterward that's hard," Ben said aloud into the room.

"Whatever are you doing?"

Ben jerked up and saw Luna standing in the doorway of the class. Her eyes were ringed in dark circles and her white-blonde hair hung limp around her face. Her skin was even more pale than normal.

She looked so very beautiful Ben's breath caught in his throat. "Practicing," he said. It seemed a very weak explanation.

"I see," she said. "Well, have fun with that."

She turned to start to leave.

"Luna, wait!"

She paused, her back to him as he bound to his feet and crossed the shattered room. He wanted so very much to reach out to her. To hold her. There was so much death in the air, and despite the shadows that seemed to cling to her Luna was so very much alive.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm sure I am fine, thank you for asking," Luna said absently. She remained with her back to him. He tried to sense her in the Force, but felt nothing. Whether intentionally or not, she was completely masking her Force presence.

Ben stood a moment, studying her profile in silence. Her nose was petite and perfectly straight, ending in a point just above the filtrum of her lip. The air almost seemed to quiver. The young boy in him wanted to tell her how much he missed her; how much he longed for her every night. The Jedi in him said, "I'm sorry this is hurting you."

"Whatever do you mean?" Luna asked. Again, she did not turn around.

Ben noticed there were small scratches on her hands. He sighed. "Look, Dad said he wanted me to start training you on meditation techniques at least. Would you like to start?"

"Perhaps another day," Luna said. "I have several examinations coming up. I must revise. It was a pleasant visit." With that, she turned and walked away.