Chapter 26
A.N Hi Guy's sorry for the DELAY! Real life has been overtaking my fictional life at the minute, I've been writing one of the most evil essays in the world! But I'm back now and we are only a couple of chapters away from the end...enjoy. Read and Review as always. Mwah! x
The beam of light that radiated from the sun bounced from the reflective surface on Harry Potter's circular spectacles, blinding his momentarily. He raised a small hand to shade from the mid summer sun, although it could do nothing for the sticky heat that amalgamated his shirt to his torso, and his trousers to his slowly developing skinny legs. All around Harry little children were emitting squeals of delight as they were treated to ice cream by coddling parents, and were being taken on the Ferris wheel by their older brothers and sisters. Harry cast his shaded face around the scene he was suddenly a part of, a part of a normal day out. The carnival had come to Little Whinging, and finding so reason for leaving the eight year old Harry behind, the Dursley's had begrudgingly taken Harry, to the many complaints of Dudley, along for the day. Uncle Vernon had once again pulled Harry aside to give the young boy his cryptic warning surrounding Harry's behaviour.
"Any oddness, any at all, If I see you speaking to any funny looking people I will take the vent off that cupboard boy and replace it with a prison slot." Harry was in no doubt that his Uncle was completely serious as just yesterday he had taken away Harry's tennis ball for 'bouncing to an unrealistic height', Uncle Vernon had not seem to have taken into consideration this was a brand new tennis ball, when he had confiscated it, yet Harry had yielded and gone back to sitting under Dudley's Garden Adventure Playground and plaited daisies instead. But luckily today he had been forcibly thrown into the back of the Dursley's White Fiat Uno and the family and harry had bounced down to the carnival.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had given Dudley twenty five pounds to spend at his leisure, whilst Harry had received only three, still it was enough to get Harry an ice cream, a go on a couple of carnival rides and a souvenir from the trip. Therefore, whilst Dudley had carted his over large, even at age eight, carcass off to the first coconut shy with a gun he could find, Harry had treated himself to a hotdog with sauce and a small chocolate ice cream, and had sat contentedly to watch the rides around him twirl and dance to the plinky music emitting from the carnival band. This is where he was now when the sun had suddenly blinded him, he endeavoured to scout about, always on the lookout for abuse from Dudley, however the porky little boy was nowhere in sight. Harry relaxed back against the bench and began once again to people watch, a fussy little girl was begging her parents to let her ride the Ferris wheel alone, as Harry noticed the fear in their faces; her parents were not prepared to do with her. Harry watched as with reluctance the bushy haired little girl's father handed over the fifty pence coin to the Carny, who then helped the little girl onto the Ferris wheel.
"Single Ride, Single Ride, Roll up, Roll up, fill this seat ladies and gentlemen and watch the Ferris wheel turn, How about you sir?"
"Me?" the person who was now passing the Ferris wheel stopped with surprise and a slight look of revulsion on his face.
"Yes, you are perfect for a lonely ride; keep this little girl company will you? Her parents are too scared," the Carny sneered at the girl's parents. Seeing no way out of this predicament, Harry watched the dark haired man thrust a coin at the Carny and step aboard the Ferris Wheel with a reluctance that would rival Uncle Vernon. Harry expected the buck toothed little girl to be horrified by the man who was now shuffling as far away from her as he could on the Wheel's seat. Instead she looked at the man and gave him a toothy grin.
"Don't worry mister man I will look after you," Hermione Granger placed a tiny hand in Severus Snape's fully grown one as the Ferris wheel swung into action, and Harry Potter witnessed the whole thing unknowingly seeing the meeting of his best friend and his potions master for the first time.
Harry Potter now a adult wizard gazed upon the sight of this very carnival in the dim of the darkness, the place, even at night, had not lost its charm for him. Since he had revisited the memory of the trio many times in the Pensieve he had taken from Dumbledore's office, the reminiscence of what he had witnessed had haunted his dreams until it made perfect sense in his cranium...Hermione and Snape were...destined...and that broke him down wholly. If Harry couldn't have her, then that greasy git most definitely couldn't have her!
Hermione Granger the adult attempted to sit up before she could crawl to Severus, her head throbbed where she had banged it on the concrete, upon landing after Harry's very sloppy apparition. She wouldn't have expected his magic to even be as on the mark as it was but; the potion he was under the influence of was half made, potentially very potent and had made her best friend a very dangerous man. Not in the sense of the Dark Lord, but more in the sense of a man under the ruse of desperate desire for the potion maker who made him this way. Hermione could sense the absence of her wand even without reaching into her trousers to look for it, it felt to Hermione that someone had stolen a limb, and if her wand was no longer with her, then Severus's would also be amiss. Where was Harry? Hermione squinted in the darkness endeavouring to spy her friend then, her eyes once again landed on Snape.
"Severus," she wheezed as she pulled her aching bones up from the ground and began to crawl towards the motionless potions master.
"Hermione, stop, just stop," Harry's voice prevented Hermione from crawling to Severus, she was almost a foot away, not daring to move any further, as she was acutely aware of the wand pointed assuredly at her back. Hermione began to rotate very slowly on the spot to face the boy who lived.
"Harry, please, Can I have my wand back? Why do you want it?" she begged.
"I'm not going to hurt you Hermione please, I just want you to stay still while I think things through," Hermione sunk to the ground, hoping she could inch towards Severus slowly, except... Harry's eyes were firmly trained upon her body.
"Harry, this is all my fault you know... all of this," Hermione cast her hand slowly around the rusting carnival ground, she blinked back a rain drop that had sploshed onto her face. The carnival around them had massively fallen into disrepair, rust and mould from years of neglect had begun to overtake the vibrant colours that once adorned the fairground rides. Hermione's gazed moved from Harry and landed suddenly on the Ferris Wheel and narrowed.
"Look familiar Hermione?" Harry asked with a twisted sort of smile.
"Why do I know this place?" Hermione's fear had suddenly been replaced by her thirst for knowledge, she was striving to place the familiarity of this fairground, and she knew she had been here before...the Ferris Wheel? Her eyes widened in recognition. She turned to look at her motionless lover, then back at her just as motionless friend.
"How do you know about this Harry?... It was Severus wasn't it? That day on the Ferris wheel when I...we...were eight years old?"
"I was here too Hermione," Harry said with a shrug, "One of the best days of my miserable eight years this was, closely followed by the day I got my Hogwarts letter, I watched you beg to go on the wheel, and then Snape being forced to take the empty seat.
"I don't remember seeing you Harry?"
"Why would you Hermione? Who would remember the skinny, unkempt looking kid with a chocolate ice cream, perching on a bench, just living the life he really deserved...instead of the life he had with the Dursleys." Harry's tone was bitter with contempt, it was a side of Harry Hermione had never witnessed before, and hoped to never witness again...if under the influence Harry let her live through this ordeal.
"I've not thought about that day until now Harry...Merlin I held Severus's hand," Hermione wanted to laugh, despite having a wand trained on her. It was like recalling a memory with a companion and wanting to giggle about the details. Hermione couldn't believe her gall at being such a cheeky child, towards a man she had never met before, it was something that had definitely disappeared as she had grown older.
Harry didn't laugh, in fact his face grew shadowy and his expression changed to a look of revulsion as he glanced at the still motionless Severus. "Had you from day one didn't he Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head and tried to get up, but Harry was too swift for her. His years of being stealthy and skinny had given him the advantage, and he slid over to Hermione and restrained her hands and legs in a Body Bind with a flick of his wand. Hermione struggled and moaned aloud as she fell to the ground.
"I know you're going to fight this Hermione, you've been fighting with me for so long. So I need you to be still and quiet whilst I get rid of old Snape here," Harry gave his wand another flourish. Performing Wingardium Leviosa, Hermione was lifted from the floor and thrown against the Ferris Wheel of their childhood. Harry cast a charm and ropes appeared strapping Hermione tightly to the metal work, old patches of rust dug into her wrists and back.
Hermione emitted a shriek in resistance as Harry tightened the bonds and began to advance upon her.
Severus felt his body jolt as the cry ripped through his consciousness "Hermione," he tried to mutter, yet nothing came out. He could hear the screaming yet, there was nowhere the noise could have come from? He attempted to move his arms and legs with no avail. Severus dragged his eyes open to find himself in an empty room strapped to a bed, where was he? Again the blood curdling yell reverberated through the walls. Severus pulled at his restraints, he could hear Hermione but couldn't see her, he was in a sort of ...limbo.
Hermione felt her tear ducts gathering muster as she struggled against Harry's restraints, even wand less magic couldn't help her now, she was exhausted and couldn't summon the strength to perform a charm...especially on Harry Potter. Hermione looked despairingly over towards Severus and felt a small sense of relief as she noticed his hands were twitching slightly at his side, he couldn't wake up from his unconscious state that much she could tell. She would need to stall for time.
"Harry," she said with all of the strength she could gather "What about Ginny? I thought you loved Ginny?" The shadow of Harry stopped moving for a moment and turned to look at Hermione, his eyes glassing over as he considered the words.
"Ginny? I remember Ginny, I hurt Ginny? She came down the stairs and I tripped her with a tripping jinx and I..."
"Stole her memory?...the one of me and Severus?" Hermione finished for him. "You saw her go up to the tower, didn't you Harry? And you knew she had some idea about us, she'd been suspicious for months and any information that I hadn't shared with you...you knew you could get from Ginny."
Harry nodded, and the glassed look disappeared, once again to be replaced by the darkness of the potion that controlled him.
"I saw in the red head's memory... You and him coming back together, him touching and kissing you. It made me crazy and then you started disappearing and I knew it had to be to his rooms." Harry jabbed his wand at Severus as he spoke.
"I blamed Ron," Hermione lamented, "I blamed Ron for the attacks in my room...it was you wasn't it Harry?"
"Actually it was both of us, except he got a bit keen didn't he? at the Valentines ball? I waited, kept my distance. Our friend Ronald may be strategic but he really is as dumb as a gatepost sometimes." Harry's tone was so matter of fact he could have just been discussing the weather with the man on the street. Hermione tried to wriggle from her restraints and then gave up, she knew she was to blame for all of this, she had brewed the potion, she hadn't told anyone about it, it was her fault her best friend had her strapped to a Ferris Wheel, and was about to kill the man she loved. All because Hermione had once again had to prove herself, to be the know it all...she had killed them all she felt certain.
"Harry, I'm sorry I did this to you," she sighed and let her head hang. "You were the epitome of kindness and friendship towards me and now I've poisoned you and killed Severus." Looking up she gazed into the green eyes of her best friend. "Tell Severus I'm sorry Harry...Tell him I'm sorry for all of this...before ...you know." Hermione began to cry silently, the rain around them blasted down ever faster soaking her skin through her sodden clothes. The outfit she was wearing was dragging her weight down heavily against the bonds on her wrists and ankles.
"It's ok Hermione," the glassy look of the real Harry had returned and he began to advance towards her, "I will look after you, we don't need him," Harry gestured to the twitching Severus. "We can be together, I mean we can still be friends with Ron and Ginny...we will invite them to our wedding don't you see." Harry was beginning to ramble like a man possessed and Hermione could see she was rapidly running out of time, she gave a quick glance towards Severus who had managed to move his leg ever so slightly so only Hermione could make it out.
"OK Harry, we can do that...we can bring anyone you like, what about Mr and Mrs Weasley and Professor Dumbledore...if you like?" Harry nodded eagerly. "Let me down Harry please, it really hurts me being up here...please," Harry thought for a moment before he acquiesced and released the bonds, Hermione fell to the floor with a crash cracking her knees on the grass, she moaned in anguish and rolled over.
"Get up Hermione," Harry grabbed her by the jacket and pulled her to her feet, Hermione saw her chance. Upon her feet becoming steady on the ground she ripped away from Harry and kicked his shin. Harry recoiled in surprise and backed up clutching his leg, Hermione's wand slipped from his grasp and she fumbled on the floor and reached for it.
"I don't think so," Harry growled and Accio'd the wand towards him, Hermione gaped in despair as she saw her escape plan disappear into thin air.
"Get on the ground," Harry choked as he pointed the wand back towards Hermione, she now was facing Severus, Harry still had his back to the potion's master.
"I love you Hermione, and I think we need a fresh start...get rid of him from your thoughts I think." Hermione felt sick as Harry raised his wand, she knew was coming and she knew it was non reversible.
"OBLIVI," Harry got no further as Severus tackled him to the floor with all the brute strength his years of being a Death Eater had allowed him. Harry fell forward with a gasp; the wind was knocked from his stomach as he fell to the floor. Hermione's wand once again flew from his hands.
"HERMIONE...GET YOUR." Severus yelled at her, but Hermione had already made the decision that she was getting herself and her lover out of this alive.
"Imperio," she cast on Harry, he carried on writhing under Severus's strong arms.
"You have to mean it...Hermione!" Severus shouted as Hermione shook the wand and tried again to no avail. "Hermione... please!" Severus begged as Harry began to get the upper hand, his youth working in his favour.
"IMPERIO!" Hermione screeched and shut her eyes as she felt the rigid shock of the dark magic pelt through her body and out of the tip of her wand...all became silent. Opening her eyes she spotted Severus breathing heavily on the floor about a foot away from Harry. Harry meanwhile was sitting crossed leg and as a placid as a child...eating his ice cream...on a hot summer's day.