The Eternal Wizard
Chapter 12
A Broken Soul
"I love you Harry and I can't bear to see you like this." Hermione whispered as she shifted slightly.
She folded her legs underneath her even as she continued to hold him.
"Hermione...I...I...I can't..." Harry whispered weakly.
His protest was feeble at best.
"Harry, don't think just feel." Hermione said as she pulled him closer to her.
She spoke again.
"I will never let you go." She promised.
With that something within Harry snapped and for the first time since the beginning of eternity itself a tear slid down Harry's cheek. A second later Harry was sobbing brokenly as Hermione cradled him.
Eternity's heart had at long last begun to beat.
But, it was a shattered heart. A heart that was burdened with the deepest sorrows. His heart was throbbing with the emotions that were welling within him. It was Eternity's heart, a heart never used before.
Hermione held him as he sobbed in her arms. Harry clung desperately to her as he wept. Never before had he needed anyone. Never before did he need contact. Never before had he wanted anyone. Never before he had wanted contact. Now, it was necessary. Now he clung to her, terrified of losing her. Terrified of her letting him go. He needed her above any other. Eternity was breaking. It had been in the making since the very beginning. His failures now towered over him. His emptiness now mocked him. His bland existence taunted him. At long last Eternity wept.
Eternity was crying. The universe stood still as it watched the impossible happen. Eternity was weeping. The stars stilled their paths as they were stunned into a state of a frozen second. Eternity was sobbing. While he was breaking the existence of all watched silently. Eternity had shattered and tears flowed down his face.
Thousands of miles away Eternity's nemesis flinched as he sensed Eternity's awakening. From above the Creator smiled and spoke.
"Well done Hermione. Finally Eternity is beginning to live at long last."
Slowly Eternity's wracking sobs quieted to silent tears. When he had begun to get himself under control Hermione spoke.
"Harry, please don't turn away from your heart ever again." Hermione pleaded.
Harry smiled slightly before he spoke.
"You'd just make me return my heart to me anyways." Harry responded.
Hermione nodded her head in agreement.
"I would." She smiled at him.
She spoke again.
"Harry, I love you too much to just let you exist and be nothing more." Hermione said.
"I don't understand, why, why are you so determined to help me?" Harry pleaded with her.
Hermione smiled.
"I love you." Hermione replied simply.
Harry's eyes which had felt dry began to burn slightly once again.
"Harry, I won't let you fall to the darkness." She promised.
They became silent for a long while before Harry spoke.
"Hermione, thank you. I...I...I needed that." Harry admitted.
"I'll always be here for you Harry." She reaffirmed her commitment.
Hermione stayed beside Harry throughout the night. She stayed with him even after he had fallen asleep.
"Harry, I'll never let you go." Hermione vowed as she sat next to his sleeping form.
He was finally healing. The healing would take a long time but it would be worth it.
When Harry awoke he missed her presence immediately.
"What's happening to me?" Harry asked in confusion as he slowly stood.
He was...lonely. He missed her.
Harry started to shake off the emotion when he remembered something that Hermione had said.
"Don't think, just feel." She had commanded.
He felt his heart fill with emotion and Eternity didn't oppose it. He knew that Hermione was going to hound him until he accepted the emotions that were now flowing through him. No longer could he resist the immense pull from the emotional matrix. He lost the war against the heart and he hated himself for it. He began to feel emotions that he didn't understand. He didn't understand what was happening to him. The emotions and the complicated beating of his own heart were confusing him far too much.
Perhaps, it was time to find out his own soul. A soul that still fought the emotions that he was slowly accepting. The division within himself was less but still existed.
A dimensional jump later and Harry entered the throne room of the Creator himself.
The throne room had always emitted a sense of power, and sacredness. The Holiness of the Creator had always made Eternity flinch and so he would avoid the Creator as much as he could.
Needless to say the servants within the throne room were beyond shocked to see Eternity there. They were even more shocked to see him approach the throne and kneel in front of it.
"Eternity, please rise my son." The Creator said warmly.
This also shocked the vassals and Eternity as well. The Creator had been kind but had always treated Eternity as an extension of his will before.
Eternity stood slowly.
"I need to speak to Eternity alone." The Creator said.
The Vassals filed out of the Throne room.
"Eternity, you are probably wondering why I called you son." The Creator said as he approached him.
Eternity nodded slightly.
"Yes my king." Eternity agreed.
The Creator placed a hand on his shoulder and Eternity felt the warmth flow from the Creator.
"I knew that you wouldn't respond well to kindness in your emotionless state. I knew that it would take something more than just that to awaken your heart. It would take Hermione. As this was the case I decided that the only thing I should do is allow you to continue your path until you met her. Remember when you were told that you had to insert the key into the lock first? The lock was too empty though. There wasn't any way for the key to work. Even a perfect key can't unlock a broken lock. My son, your heart, while broken is alive at long last. To become whole it will take time, and it will take effort but you will find that it's worth it." The Creator told Eternity.
"Life is a struggle." Eternity replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"Indeed that it is. Hermione unlocked your heart, she is the one to help you gain control over those emotions. However, you don't know what emotion is. I shall help you understand an emotion that you come across. Be it anger, joy, sorrow, hope, or any other. The first step to harness your heart is to understand your heart. Right now you lack an even rudimentary knowledge of the heart Eternity. Humans, naturally understand emotions, only if they are hurt and crush their hearts like you did do they lack the ability to understand emotions once they regain the ability to feel." The Creator added.
"Thank you." Harry said.
Over what would have been years on earth if time moved Eternity and the Creator spoke. When they were done speaking Eternity returned to earth.
"I feel weak still, but for the first time in my existence I feel...Hope for the future." Harry did something he had never truly done before and smiled.
It was a gentle smile, but it was a smile filled with hope. It spoke a promise of a better future. A world of true hope. A world where man would no longer turn upon himself in hatred.
"Soon, this battle between the darkness and the light shall end. I know not whether or not who shall triumph but, I feel something that tells me that the light shall burn away the darkness." Harry whispered.
Saturday
8:00 A.M.
Granger Residence
Kitchen
"Hermione, why are you so tired today?" Mrs. Granger asked worriedly.
"I couldn't sleep." Hermione replied simply and honestly.
All too true, while Harry's soul was troubled I was too. I love him too much to let him destroy himself.
"This is about Harry Potter again isn't it?" Mr. Granger asked.
"Dad!" Hermione protested.
"Look, I'm worried about you associating yourself with him. I hate to say it since I know you think the world of him but, he's far too...empty." Her father replied.
"He's hurting and I can't let him drown in sorrow. He has no one."
"He has his parents." Mrs. Granger replied.
"No, he doesn't. He doesn't know them, he doesn't trust them either. He hasn't ever had anyone he could trust...Except me." Hermione finished quietly.
"Hermione..." Her father started.
"You don't understand. I want, I have to be there for him. I'm the only person he trusts." Hermione told them.
She emphasized the word 'have'.
"Hermione, we don't want to see you torn down by him."
Hermione smiled at them.
"I won't be, I talked to him last night and a healing process began."
"What do you mean?"
"I won't talk about it unless he wants me to. But, for now let's just say that he's different."
Her parents shook their heads; clearly not believing what their daughter had just told them.
"Well, we need to get going." Her mother finally said.
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.
"We need to get some groceries and pick up some clothes. Do you want to come with us?" Her father asked.
Hermione shook her head.
"No, I think I'll stay here and then after a while head over to the office and look over a case." Hermione replied.
Her father shook his head and laughed lightly.
"I'll never get used to the fact that my daughter became a lawyer before other girls leave primary school." Her father said.
What can you do?" Her mother asked.
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe be proud of her?" Her father said as if deep in thought.
Hermione blushed lightly.
"Mum! Dad!" She scolded lightly.
Her parents laughed before kissing her cheeks.
A while after they had left Hermione walked over to Harry's house and knocked on the door. Instantly it opened and Harry pulled her into a hug.
Harry knew that she was surprised. He had never initiated a hug. But, now it felt right. It was something that he needed and wanted to do. He buried his head into her hair and sighed in contentment.
This is what it is to feel huh? She's Amazing...
Hermione quickly relaxed in his embrace and hugged him back.
I feel as if....I belong here...I have something to fight for...Huh? Where did that come from? Strange, but true...I can fight for something other than my obsession of Voldemort....
Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. Suddenly Harry had an idea and lifting her up bridal style he entered his home. She laughed as he carried her in. In response Harry smiled at her roguishly.
She merely laid her head against his chest as a response.
I still have a nasty case of writer's block for LOH. However, I've posted a Poll,(Accesible from my profile) and there's a forum for all of you to discuss LOH and the Eternal Wizard more in depth, with each other and myself. The Poll on the profile is simple: how should Umbridge be punished? I'm having trouble deciding how to punish her... Too many wonderful punishments exist... Please vote and please do so quickly.
Back to the Eternal Wizard though, originally I had an extra scene in this chapter but, I lost it and I got demoralized from that and so It's slowed me down...A lot.
This chapter was 2,036 words in length.
(This did not count the authors note)