Author's Note: Hi. Please don't kill me that this is late, or that it's short, or that it's crappy. I only have an excuse for the reason it's late: I'm back in high school, which means I'm extremely busy. The other two things, about this being short and crappy, I don't really have valid excuses for. I guess I just suck at this. The updates may not be as frequent (if they were ever frequent in the first place…), but please do not think that I'm suddenly giving up on you guys. Plus, at the same time I'm working on new stories that will be out…eventually. Check my blog (link in my profile page) for details. Alright, shameless plug time is over. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter. This story is purely for the entertainment of myself and readers and I'm not getting paid for this. I think that pretty much covers it.

How to Love

Chapter Fourteen: Expecto Patronum

Harry was pretty sure that Hermione was almost back to normal when she said, "You and your excuses need to get out of my way," to an apologizing Cedric Diggory.

"But really, I'm sorry, there should be a rematch, I should've noticed what was going on before I caught the Snitch –"

"Oh, life isn't fair, now move!" Hermione yelled, shoving him aside rather than using magic.

Harry sent a sympathetic look to Cedric as Hermione dragged him away, but Cedric wasn't even looking at him.

"Hermione, he was just apologizing," Harry told her quietly.

"I understand a quick apology, but it got annoying by the fifth time he said he was sorry," she said. "Cedric Diggory's stupidly charming smile will not work on me."

Harry muffled a laugh as they walked through a few corridors on their way back to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione had just gotten him out of the hospital wing, even though Madam Pomfrey insisted he "absolutely needed rest". Hermione cared about his health, of course, but even she had limits after a few hours of him being perfectly fine.

"The pain's gone and the concussion's passed. You're fine, I promise. Trust me," Hermione had said to him as she led him out of the hospital wing. It was the first time she'd ever said "trust me" with meaning behind it. And for some reason, he found himself nodding and following her.

"Oh, great," she said now as they turned around a corner.

Ron and Ginny were walking briskly towards them, in the direction of the hospital wing behind Harry and Hermione.

"Harry!" Ginny squealed.

She ran over to him and threw her arms around him, as though he'd just been saved from a burning building. Harry saw Hermione glare darkly at Ginny through the corner of his eye.

"We were worried, so we came back to get you," she continued. Ginny turned and saw Hermione as she pulled away from him and added, "She didn't leave after us?"

"Special permission to stay, I suppose" Hermione told her coldly.

Ginny said something, but it was muffled by Ron walking over and patting Harry on the back.

"Alright, then?" Ron asked, gritting his teeth and glancing at Hermione every few seconds.

"Fine," Harry answered shortly.

There was a tension in the air that Harry was sure nobody liked. He didn't like Hermione against Ron and Ginny and vice versa, and he didn't want to choose sides, either, so he just kept walking and they followed. Well, most of them did. Hermione caught up with him and didn't let herself fall even a half a step behind him.

"So, we're heading back to the common room?" Ginny asked from behind him.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I wanna let the team know I haven't died or anything."

He could've sworn he heard Hermione let out something like a laugh. The four of them walked, once in a while making conversation, but for the most part, they were silent. Only the sound of their footsteps let Harry know that Ron and Ginny were still behind him.

"What the hell?" Hermione said, and that was probably the phrase that was going through all of their heads when they approaching the door to the Gryffindor Tower.

There was a crowd of Gryffindors waiting outside of the portrait, but all of them stood where they were, moving their heads over others to get a better glimpse of the portrait. The Fat Lady had never been particularly interesting, so Harry wondered why nobody was going into the common room.

Ron and Ginny remained where they were, but Hermione immediately walked into the crowd, expertly sliding her way through. Harry followed her just out of curiosity, and they got up to the front of everyone.

"Well, that's why we can't get in," Hermione said casually, as though it was just a minor problem, like a locked door.

She seemed to be the only person who could find their voice. Everyone else just stared from her and to the portrait. It was empty. The Fat Lady was nowhere to be seen. There were slashes across the canvas and small pieces of it were falling to the ground. The sight made Harry's stomach drop.

"Someone needs to get Dumbledore," Harry said, being the second person in the group to speak. He turned around expectantly, and a few people parted from the crowd, obeying him.

Hermione walked closer to the portrait and actually touched the canvas that was left there. Harry made his way towards her in order to stop her, because seeing her next to the ripped portrait made him nervous.

"Hermione, back up –"

"Whoever – or whatever – did this isn't coming back through the door or something," she said, tearing her eyes from the portrait and back to him for a moment. "He, or she, or it obviously didn't make it into the tower. They were just angry because the Fat Lady wouldn't let them in. That's why they attacked her. They wanted to get into the Gryffindor Tower."

A few students shuddered. One of them gasped.

"How do you know this?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. He was surprised she'd get all of this just from the slices made in the canvas.

"Well, nobody attacked her because they didn't like her singing voice," Hermione told him in a near whisper so only he and the few students behind him could hear. "Harry, whoever wanted to get in here was after someone."

Just then, the crowd parted automatically and Professor Dumbledore emerged from the sea of students. "Harry, Hermione, please step back," he told them, and they obeyed and rejoined the crowd.

Professors Lupin and McGonagall walked up behind them, staring at the canvas in horror. Dumbledore looked around at nearby portraits and asked, "Has anyone seen her? The Fat Lady?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

"Get Mr. Filch to look, and let the other houses know what's happened. I want everyone to stay in the Great Hall tonight," Dumbledore told McGonagall, who nodded and walked off, turning her head back over her shoulder for a few last glimpses before disappearing down a staircase.

"I think I know who it was," Hermione said in the same near whisper.

Dumbledore turned to face her with raised eyebrows. "Go on."

"Sir, I –" she stuttered, looking from Harry to the portrait and then back to Dumbledore. "I think it was Sirius Black."

Something got caught in Harry's throat as Dumbledore looked grimly at Professor Lupin, who looked just as grim. He could hear the whispers of the students behind him, who heard Hermione and were now in the process of letting everyone else know what she had said. The murmurs of the name "Sirius Black" clutched Harry's racing heart and made his stomach drop even further.

"Prefects, please send everyone to the Great Hall," Dumbledore said after clearing his throat. There was a shuffle within the crowd and everyone turned their backs to walk to the Great Hall.

Percy Weasley's voice was loud as he shouted at people, "Head Boy here! Follow me!"

"Remus, Harry, and Hermione, please follow me," the headmaster said just before Harry and Hermione turned with the crowd of students.

Harry wasn't sure where they were going, but wherever it was, he hoped they weren't in trouble for being too close to the portrait. He couldn't imagine why that would be a punishable offense, but his heart still raced as they made their way past confused students from other houses who were being hastily ushered into the Great Hall.

Again, Hermione was sure to not be a step behind Harry. Her face was impressively calm, as though they were simply taking a small walk through the school and not being lured to possible punishment. Harry tried to mimic her expression but failed; every time he saw Dumbledore whisper to Lupin, his stomach twisted and his face surely looked panicked.

"Where do you think we're going?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Professor Lupin's office," she replied immediately.

"But how can you be so sure?" was what Harry was about to say when they turned the corner and approached Lupin's office. So, instead, he said, "Oh."

After following the headmaster and professor into the office – filled with things that were nearly as interesting as the objects in Dumbledore's office – Harry was almost certain that they were in trouble.

"Professor, we –" he began, but Dumbledore raised one finger to silence him.

"Hermione, you believe Sirius Black was trying to get into the castle, yes?"

Hermione nodded, the calm expression still upon her face. "Sir, I can't imagine who else would try to get into the Gryffindor common room. The only thing that threw me off a bit was that the marks look almost animalistic. And, sir, I think…I think that Sirius was trying to go after Harry."

Harry had heard what she'd said about how Sirius Black was after Harry, but for the second time that day, he felt something get caught in his throat. He didn't say a word – he couldn't even if he wanted to – when Dumbledore inclined his head gravely.

"I believe you," he told her.

Hermione nodded, not smiling at the recognition that she was believed; it wasn't the greatest thing to be correct on.

"I will be notifying the rest of the teachers about this," Dumbledore continued, lifting his head to look at her without the twinkle in his eye. "I ask that you do not tell your other friends about this until a search has begun. There's enough panic as it is. The castle will be undergoing a search –"

"Friends," Hermione said with a soft, hollow laugh so quietly that Dumbledore and Professor Lupin could not hear her.

Harry looked down at his knees, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

"—and the Dementors will be more eager than ever now that we feel Sirius Black is making more extreme attempts to enter Hogwarts. Remus and I –" he gestured towards Lupin, whose gaze was on Harry, "—have decided that both of you should learn how to defend yourselves against the Dementors. It's for the best."

Both Harry and Hermione looked up at Dumbledore with incredulous expressions playing across their features.

"Really?" Harry asked hopefully.

He was going to finally learn how to defend himself against the Dementors…he wouldn't have to worry about being attacked during another Quidditch game…. He looked over to Hermione, whose incredulous expression had turned to a quizzical one. She didn't seem as thrilled as he was.

"Wouldn't that be magic too advanced for us? Or me, at least?" Hermione asked with a fleeting glance towards Harry that he didn't understand.

"With some practice, I – well, we – think it's possible," Lupin said, finally speaking aloud to them.

"Professor Lupin will be teaching you," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly and nodding towards Lupin. "You will be using his office, since there's been a boggart lurking in one of the wardrobes."

"A boggart?" Harry asked, partially for his sake, and partially for Hermione's. He didn't need to look at her to know her reaction to this.

"I've been told that your boggart turns into a Dementor," Dumbledore elaborated. "As long as you stay closest to the wardrobe where the boggart is hiding, then I'm sure it will not turn into anything else."

- - -

Hermione was staring at the wardrobe blankly, making sure that she was at least a foot behind Harry.

"Expecto patronum?" she asked for confirmation, although Harry had heard her mutter it under her breath as practice for the past two minutes.

"Yes," Lupin said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And remember to think about the happiest memory you have."

Hermione looked at the ground thoughtfully and Lupin asked, "Have you got a memory?"

"Kind of," she said, nodding and facing towards the wardrobe with a now blazing, determined look.

"Are you ready, too, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said half-heartedly. "Yeah, I'm ready."

A huge part of him regretted saying this, because when the wardrobe was opened and the Dementor glided out of it, the whole world froze to absolute zero. It was too cold…

For a few seconds, Harry heard nothing and thought that he could clear his head for a moment to shout the incantation, but then he heard the screams that he'd been haunted with from the first day he encountered the Dementor on the Hogwarts Express…

"Not Harry! No…please…."

The temperature got even colder as Harry realized who was screaming…the pleads chilled his bones and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight…

"E-Expecto patronum!" he shouted, wanting the screams to leave, "Expecto patronum!"

Think of something happy, he thought to himself, fighting through the screams. He imagined when he rode a broomstick for the first time…it was a hopeful light that burst through the chilling misery he'd been plunged into, but as he screamed the incantation, only a small wisp escaped from the tip of his wand. It was too cold….

"Well, you did better than I thought you would," Lupin's voice said, although Harry hadn't opened his eyes to clearly see him. "Here, have some chocolate."

Harry was forced to open his eyes this time, and when he did, there was a bar of chocolate right in front of him. He hadn't realized how shaky his hands were until he tried to get a firm grip on the bar. He took a small bite and a wonderful, welcoming warmth spread through him.

"Thanks," he said in a voice that was just as shaky as his hands. "T-That silver wisp of smoke…is that supposed to h-happen?"

"Somewhat," Lupin told him with a small smile. "A corporeal Patronus –"

"A what?" he asked, taking another bite of the chocolate.

"Fully-formed Patronus. They're the strongest form. A small wisp might hold off a Dementor for a few seconds."

Harry's heart sank. Lupin seemed to notice this, because he said, "At least you managed to do something. Hermione did too, didn't you, Hermione?"

Harry turned so quickly that he nearly dropped the bar of chocolate in his hand. For a moment, he'd forgotten Hermione was there. His jaw was fighting to drop to the floor at the sight of her. She was staring at nothing in particular with a blank look on her face. Her bottom lip was trembling and she nodded hesitantly, though not looking at either of them.

He wondered why she was having this reaction now, but didn't have the same reaction on the Hogwarts Express…had she recovered quickly then? Maybe, Harry thought, the fact that she was dreading the Dementor added to the effect it had on her….

"Here – more chocolate," Lupin said earnestly, carefully walking over to her and handing her more than half of the chocolate that he had in his hands. "Eat up."

Hermione nodded again, looking more distant than ever as she took small bites from the bar of chocolate but otherwise taking no note of anything around her.

"She'll be alright," the Professor said when he saw the look on Harry's face. "Just a little shaken up. The chocolate will help."

"A little shaken up?" Harry asked, hesitantly moving his gaze to Lupin. "Professor, maybe she should go to the hospital wing –"

"I'm fine," a rough voice said; it took a moment to register that it was Hermione's. It was the first time she'd spoken since the encounter with the boggart. She still wasn't looking at them, but Harry thought that her capability of speech was certainly something of an improvement. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"I know you are," Lupin said softly. "Eat some more chocolate and you'll be even better. I think that's enough for one day, we can try some other time."

Harry would have protested, saying that he'd have another go, that maybe the silver wisp would be stronger the second time, but for Hermione's sake, he did not argue with Professor Lupin.

Just then, the door to the office slammed open. To add to the dread surrounding the room, Snape walked in. "The Headmaster would like all of the teachers to search the castle. You're not an exception, you know." Then with a glare at Lupin and Harry, Snape turned and stormed out of the office, his black robes swiftly behind him.

Lupin stood up and shifted his gaze from Hermione to Harry. "Do you think you'll be okay with her? I could help but – er –"

"Yeah, it's fine," Harry said, moving over towards Hermione so that he was sitting right next to her, to her left.

"Make sure she eats all of that," the Professor said, pointing to the rest of the chocolate before he sent him a reassuring smile and headed out of the office.

"Hermione?" Harry asked warily.

"I told you, I'm fine," she replied in a shaky voice.

Finally, Hermione broke her gaze from whatever she'd been staring at blankly and turned to face him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She tucked a few pieces of stray hand behind her left ear. "Yeah, I'm fine."

There were a few minutes of silence where Hermione ate the rest of the chocolate – Harry didn't realize she could eat that quickly – and Harry stared at the ground. When she was down to the last small bar of chocolate, she asked the question he somehow knew she was going to bring up: "What did you relive?"

Shrugging, as though it wasn't a big deal, Harry said, "My parents' deaths…especially my mum's…her screaming…." He'd never told anyone this, not even Ron.

Hermione nodded, although a frown was added to her expression.

"What did you relive?" Harry asked tentatively. Maybe it would help her, he tried to convince himself, if she talked about it.

She shook her head.

"I told you mine," he told her.

Sighing, Hermione looked down at her feet. "I h-heard my own mum dying, just like how I heard her on the Express…only I didn't know it was her then, but it had to have been…on the E-Express, Professor Lupin showed up and scared off the Dementors before I could hear more, but this time…this time I heard Anthony…and other things," she said shakily. Then Hermione looked over at him and put her head on his shoulder. Not knowing exactly why, Harry put his arm around her. It was the only thing that he thought of to comfort her.

She added, in the softest voice he'd ever heard from her, "Harry, I don't like Dementors."

Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter sucks. Except for the ending, of course...I mean, she put her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. You guys love that stuff.