* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART TWO

Last Call for Sin

Chapter 7: If You Can Hold On

A/N: All information about Potterwatch broadcasts came from this page:
wiki/Potterwatch_broadcasts

* ~ A MOUNTAIN IN SCOTLAND ~*

30th October 1997

It felt like Ron had been gone forever, but in reality, it had been two days. Just two long, miserable days.

Harry sighed as he looked over at Hermione. She sat with her legs curled up beneath her, her head resting on her knees. She was staring blankly ahead, lost in thought but so sad-looking. She had bags under her dull eyes. It was like the light had gone out, like when she smiled, it never quite reached her eyes.

He wanted to make it all better. To make her happy again, to erase all the stupid things that Ron had ever done to hurt her. But Harry didn't know how so he just looked at her for a long moment until a song began to play on the radio.

The idea was stupid, and she would probably say no, but he rose to his feet and crossed the tent. When he reached her, she looked up at him silently. Harry held out his hand; Hermione looked at it for a moment then took it.

He pulled her to her feet and looked her in the eye. Confusion flickered there and a slight frown formed on her brow. Harry reached behind her back and unclasped the Horcrux, throwing it with more violence than he needed to onto the bunk bed next to her.

Harry took her hands and gently pulled her into the middle of the tent, where the space was more open. He turned the radio up a little with a flick of his wrist and started to sway in time to the music. He couldn't really call it dancing; Harry was a terrible dancer, after all.

Hermione tried not to smile when she realised what he was doing, but he saw her eyes light up for just a second, and that was enough to make him carry on. He smiled at her, and as the music got more upbeat, she smiled too, her first genuine smile in quite some time.

Harry felt lighter as they danced; he felt happier than he had in months. He spun her around and brought her back to him, and she laughed, a melodic sound that filled the tent for a few glorious seconds.

They both ended up laughing, Hermione at Harry for being ridiculous and not knowing the gender-specific roles of such a dance. Harry at Hermione for having terrible timing. As the song began to slow down, he pulled Hermione closer and held her there, hoping she wouldn't pull away.

He shut his eyes and enjoyed the comfort of a warm body against his own in the bitter winter. Rather than pulling away, Hermione held him just as tightly, her chin resting on his shoulder as they slowly spun around in circles.

When the song came to an end, Hermione pulled back, and Harry looked at her expectantly. He knew she was in love with Ron, and he doubted she felt anything more than friendship for him.

Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and just when Harry expected her to turn away from him, the opposite happened. It took Harry's brain a moment to catch up and process that his best friend was kissing him, but when he did, he returned the kiss eagerly.

It wasn't slow, gentle or sweet. It was passionate, a little too hard and needy, but filled with emotion. Hermione hadn't kissed a boy since Viktor Krum back in her fifth year, and she had no idea that Harry was such an experienced kisser. She gasped softly when Harry gently bit her bottom lip and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Hermione moaned as Harry flicked his tongue over hers, and she felt a knot begin to form in her stomach. Where this had the potential to go was frightening. What this had the potential to do to Ron and Ginny was worse.

Harry broke the kiss and looked at her with such raw emotion in his eyes. She should have stopped it there, she should have put an end to it, but she couldn't. Hermione realised that this was the most vulnerable she had ever seen her best friend. He was asking her without words if she wanted to do this because neither of them was stupid. They were young, they were lonely, and they both knew exactly where this was going to go.

Hermione replied with a slight movement of her head and by leaning in and capturing Harry's lips once more. Silent tears ran down both of their cheeks, and neither of them were quite sure why they were crying. This kiss was just as passionate as the first had been, but this time Harry allowed his hands to roam.

Hermione had thought nothing could feel better than the way Harry kissed her, but then he slipped his hands under her top and over her skin. This made Hermione moan gently into Harry's kiss. Harry groaned at the sweet sound and broke the kiss to pull Hermione's top off. The two friends shared another look, and this time, Harry gave Hermione one last chance to back out, but she didn't; she captured Harry's lips once more and broke the kiss only to pull off the baggy shirt he was wearing.

The morning after was about as awkward as could have been expected. Hermione was upset, and Harry felt guilty. The wind howled outside the tent. They both shivered as they lay in the tiny bottom bunkbed together.

"It's Halloween."

"Is that what last night was about?"

Harry turned his head to look at her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hermione grabbed an oversized jumper that Ron had left behind and pulled it on. Then she got to her feet and looked down at him, "Were you sad? Is that why you danced with me?"

"I danced with you because you were sad," Harry said honestly, "I wanted to make you feel better."

Hermione laughed bitterly, "That's how you make a girl feel better then, is it?"

"Hermione…" Harry said, "I don't…I mean…what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," Hermione muttered as she turned away from him.

But Harry wasn't going to let it slide that quickly, "If you don't want to talk about what happened, then say so. Don't just lie and say it's fine if it's not."

"It is fine," Hermione said unconvincingly, "I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay," Harry said, letting his head drop back onto the pillow with a soft groan.

What had they done? They had crossed a line, arguably one that should never have been crossed, and no matter how hard they tried or how much they wanted to go back, they couldn't.

* ~ HOGWARTS CASTLE ~ *

November 1997

Halloween came and went without anything eventful happening at Hogwarts. The weather got colder; the Slytherins had to set up some warming charms on their chilly bathroom lair. The quiet spell made them all feel wary like something big was coming, but they didn't know what it was yet.

Being stuck in a tiny bathroom together was driving them all a little insane. It was hard to get any space, so they found that they bickered over small things even though they were all friends. They had to take the moments of peace and privacy whenever they could, but even they were getting harder to find.

This was proven early one morning when Theo headed into the boys' section of the bathroom for a shower. There were four cubicles on each side; two with toilets and two with showers. Theo already knew that he would walk in on something because he heard muted moans and groans the moment he stepped over the threshold.

Theo shook his head in amusement and opened the cubicle door. Surely enough, Daphne and Blaise were in the shower together, naked.

"Theo!" Daphne hissed, "Fuck off!"

Theo smirked, "Really, guys? In the shower? In the bathroom that we all have to share. I mean, wow, that's worse than Draco fucking Pansy in the bed underneath mine."

Daphne glared at him, "Great story Theo. Can you fuck off now?"

"Nah, I'm enjoying the show," Theo said, his eyes roaming over Daphne's body.

"Go and perv on someone else," Daphne said bluntly, "Because it doesn't matter how long you stand there for, I am not going to ask you to join in."

"Damn," Theo said in jest.

Blaise rolled his eyes and grabbed his wand from the shelf above the shower, "Fuck off, Theo. Aguamenti."

Theo shrieked like a girl as the cold blast of water sprayed into his face. He spluttered and shook his head, "Rude," he muttered as the cubicle door slammed shut in his face.

Inside the cubicle, Daphne captured Blaise's lips and muttered, "He genuinely wanted to join in."

"It might have been interesting," Blaise murmured, his hands sliding down her wet body so that he could lift her and press her against the wall.

Daphne hummed against his neck and shook her head, "I don't feel like sharing," she teased.

Blaise smirked and kissed her again.

"We need a bigger lair," Theo muttered as he walked out of the shower with a towel around his waist.

Sadie raised an eyebrow at him, "Why?"

"Because I'm getting tired of Draco having sex underneath my bed and Daphne fucking Blaise in the showers," Theo said with a roll of his eyes, "I mean, I'm in withdrawal, Sade. Everyone is having sex, and I've not had any in weeks. I lost track of how much sex I had last year."

"Well, there were at least six girls involved," Sadie said bluntly.

"Yeah?" Theo asked with interest.

"Yes, Theo," Sadie remarked, "Because I remember their names, even if you don't."

"You're a great conscience Sade, I don't know what I'd do without you," Theo said, dropping down onto her bed in just his towel.

Sadie sighed as he lay down next to her, "Don't you?"

"Nah, you're invaluable to me," Theo said with a grin, "Who did I sleep with last year? Because I need a fix, and there's no one in here who I can shag."

Sadie pushed herself to her feet, "Fuck off, Theo."

Theo looked up in alarm.

Sadie turned around and looked at him angrily, "I'm not going to tell you what girls you shagged last year when you forgot their bloody names! I'm not in the mood to tell you who you should shag because you need a quick fix, so just leave me alone!"

Sadie swept out of the sleeping area and tried to slam the curtain behind her. Theo threw his head back against the pillow and groaned irritably.

"Theo!"

Theo ducked his head out, "What?"

"Stop hiding in the girls' bedroom and come help me," Draco called.

Theo got to his feet and transfigured himself into clothes, then he stepped out into the main bathroom, "What's up?"

"I need you to head out tonight," Draco said. He opened the door to the store cupboard, "We're running low on supplies, mate."

"Alright," Theo said simply, "I'll go alone though. It's easier to sneak in and out of the kitchens that way."

Draco nodded, "I'll give you a shout after curfew."

* ~ A HILLSIDE IN WALES… ~*

November 1997

"I'm sorry."

Hermione looked over at him as they sat on watch outside the tent together, "What?"

"I'm sorry for taking advantage of you," Harry said quietly, "You were upset, I shouldn't have…I know you haven't…look…" he sighed, his words all muddled up, "I know that was the first time you…you know? And it shouldn't have been like that."

"Like what? In a dirty tent in the middle of freezing cold winter?" Hermione asked. There was no hint of bitterness in her voice this time, though.

"With someone you don't love," Harry added.

Hermione sighed and took Harry's hand, "I do love you, Harry. Not in the conventional way that you ought to love someone before you sleep with them, but you mean so much to me."

Harry caught her eye, "You mean a lot to me too, Hermione. I don't think I'd be alive without you."

She shook her head, "You would be. You think you need me, but you don't."

"I do," Harry argued, squeezing her hand, "I've always needed you. Sometimes I look back on my life, and I'm seriously impressed that I'm still alive, but I am because of you."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you sure being on the run hasn't driven you mad?"

Harry laughed lightly, "First year, you got us through that potions riddle. If that had been Ron and me, we'd never have worked it out."

"I didn't do anything in second year. That was all you," Hermione said softly.

"No, it wasn't. If I hadn't found that piece of parchment in your hand, I would never have worked out what was in the chamber of secrets," Harry said, "Just like I could never have saved Sirius or Buckbeak without you. I would never have survived the Triwizard Tournament without you."

"It's not all one way, Harry," Hermione said, "None of us would have survived the Ministry without you."

"You nearly didn't," Harry reminded her. Something flashed in his eyes, but it was so brief, she couldn't work out what emotion it was.

Their eyes met, and that spark flickered again. That knotting feeling in Hermione's gut was back, and it was guilt; she was sure of it. Harry had spent the whole of the previous day watching Ginny's dot on the Marauders map, wondering if she would forgive him if they got through this, and Hermione had spent the day wearing Ron's jumper.

There had been a silent agreement that it had to be a one-time thing, that it couldn't happen again. But then they were kissing outside the tent, and Hermione was mumbling, "We can't, Harry, we have to keep guard."

And Harry was replying, his lips against the smooth skin of her neck, "We've been out here for two hours. Nothing is going to happen if we go inside for ten minutes."

And that was it. That was how the self-destructive, 'we shouldn't be doing this, but why the hell is it so addictive then?' relationship began.

* ~ HOGWARTS CASTLE ~ *

November 1997

The radio in the Room of Requirement was finally working. The room fell silent every time they managed to tune into it so that they could listen to Potterwatch. It gave them hope, if nothing else. Hearing familiar voices on the radio made them feel less alone. They often listened to the voices of Lee, Fred and George, but every so often, guests such as Kingsley and Remus dropped in, using code names, of course.

"We apologise for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which is due to several house-calls in our area by those charming "Death Eaters". But now, we're back! So, let's move to news concerning the wizard who is proving just as elusive as Harry Potter. We'd like to refer to him as "Chief Death Eater". And here to give us his views on some of the more insane rumours circulating about him, I'd like to introduce our new correspondent, "Rodent"!

I'm not being Rodent! I told you, I want to be, "Rapier"

Ginny smiled at Fred's voice. Neville knew that it helped her hear his voice on the broadcasts; he imagined that she missed and worried about all of her brothers.

Oh, alright, "Rapier"! Could you tell our listeners the various stories you've heard about the Chief Death Eater?

Yes, I can. As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond, You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice climate of panic! Mind you, if all alleged sightings of him are genuine, there must be nineteen You-Know-Whos running around!

Which suits him, of course; the air of mystery creates more terror than actually showing himself.

Agreed. So people, let's try and calm it down a bit, things are bad enough without inventing stuff! For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill you with a single glance from his eyes. That's a Basilisk, listeners! One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has legs: if it has, it's safe to look. Although, if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do.

Well, thank you for that update, "Rodent"!

"Rapier"!

And don't forget to tune in again listeners, for more stories, tales, updates, and advice. In the meantime-

Stay safe!

And support Harry Potter!"

Ginny reached down and turned the radio off, "Support Harry Potter," she said with a sigh.

"That's what we're doing here," Neville assured her.

"I know it is," Ginny said; she leant back on the sofa and subconsciously shuffled closer to Neville, "But it doesn't make it any easier. I try and get to sleep at night, and I wonder where they are and what they are doing. I know they must be alive because if You-Know-Who kills Harry, we'll know about it, but…"

"But your mind is always on him," Neville finished.

"I don't want it to be," Ginny admitted, "I don't want to be the girl who waited for Harry Potter. I want to be the girl who fought."

"You are," Neville said. He reached down and gripped her hand, "You're so much more than Harry Potter's girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, Gin. You and I, and Luna, we're leading a revolution here. People look up to you, they admire you, and you inspire them. You should be proud of what you started here."

Ginny smiled out at the group of students who had gone back to doing their own thing the moment the radio broadcast came to an end, "I am," she said honestly, "But things are getting harder. We're almost out of food, and I understand why you keep letting more people in Neville, but the room can't take many more people, and it's becoming impossible to steal enough food to keep us all going."

"We're going to explore that caved in tunnel that we found," Neville promised her, "I've had Seamus and a few of the guys clearing it out, bit by bit every day."

"I hope it goes to Hogsmeade," Ginny said; she bit her lip, "Then maybe we can get some of the kids out to safety, or at the very least get some more food in here."

Neville nodded and looked over at the tunnel in question.

"Luna is going to the kitchens tonight," Ginny said, "And I know you don't like us going out alone, but when it comes to the kitchens, it's the safest option."

"I know it is," Neville admitted grudgingly.

"She'll be fine," Ginny said confidently as her eyes met Luna's across the room, "She's got the bravery of a Gryffindor to go with her big Ravenclaw brains."

"She's quite something," Neville agreed as he also shot a smile in Luna's direction.

Theo was expecting another slightly risky trek to the kitchen that evening after curfew. He took the same route that he always used and was about to step out into the corridor opposite the portrait of the fruit bowl when the sound of footsteps stopped him. He peered around the edge of the tapestry and grimaced when he saw that Luna Lovegood had just emerged from the kitchens.

"Rebel!"

"Crucio!"

Theo shut his eyes tightly as the high-pitched scream filled the corridor. Luna convulsed on the ground as Alecto stood over her body and subjected her to a concentrated dose of the cruciatus curse. He wanted to help, but all he had was his wand, and anything he did would alert them to his presence.

"This is good, Alecto," Amycus said eagerly.

Alecto grinned and holstered her wand. She grabbed Luna roughly and hauled her to her feet, "Good? This girl is golden Amycus. She is the key to getting the rebels to turn themselves in."

"We use her as leverage then?" Amycus asked.

"And if the fish don't bite, then we throw her out of the tower and make an example of her," Alecto said with a wicked grin.

Luna whimpered as Alecto began to drag her along the corridor. Between the whimper and the flash of blonde hair, Theo just saw Sadie. He imagined that it was Sadie and that he was Neville. And what would Neville do in his position? Well, he sure as hell wouldn't sit back and let it happen, that was for sure.

"Here goes nothing," Theo muttered as he stepped out of the passageway into the corridor and shouted, "Oi Dickheads! I think you're looking for me."

The Carrows turned around, and their eyes widened. Alecto loosened her grip on Luna, so Theo shouted, "Bombarda!" and he blasted her in the arm.

She cried out in pain, and Theo shouted, "Lovegood, run!"

Luna did, and Theo felt the cruciatus curse hit him before he heard the words. He fell to his knees and was disarmed immediately by Amycus. The way that the man tortured him confirmed his suspicions about his relationship with his twin sister. He had often thought that it was unnatural, and the fact that Amycus tortured him within an inch of his life proved that.

"Stop," Alecto hissed after she had healed herself, "Don't kill him, you idiot! He's a traitor. The Dark Lord will want to dispose of him."

"If the boy's father doesn't get to him first," Amycus said nastily.

Alecto looked down at Theo and shook her head, "You are an idiot, Nott."

"Guilty as charged, Alecto," Theo said, spitting out a mouthful of blood and looking up at her determinedly.

"Let's take him to the tower," Alecto said.

Amycus lifted Theo and threw him over his shoulder roughly, "Gladly."

As the clock ticked on, the group of Slytherins got more and more worried.

"It's been three hours," Blaise said, his eyes flicking over to Draco.

"He isn't coming back," Draco admitted.

"He must have gotten caught," Tracey said quietly.

Sadie let her head drop into her hands, "Oh Merlin, no, do you think he's dead? He can't be dead!"

"Sadie!" Daphne exclaimed. She got to her feet and pulled her friend into a hug, "He's probably in the tower. Calm down."

"I can't," Sadie said tearfully, "Because the last thing that we did was fight! If he dies, the last thing I said to him was that I wanted him to fuck off."

"You can't think like that, Sadie," Tracey said softly, "He might not even have been captured. He might have just been forced to lie low."

"But if he has been captured, they will have killed him!" Sadie said tearfully, "Because he's a rogue Death Eater, he's a traitor."

"That doesn't mean that they are going to kill him," Pansy said. She looked up at Draco for support.

Draco sighed and placed his hand on Sadie's shoulder, "If he is in the tower, I doubt that he's dead because he is a rogue Death Eater, which means that the Dark Lord will…he will want to do it himself."

Sadie sobbed at this.

"Why did you two even fight?" Daphne asked as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Because he was lying on my bed talking about how there was nobody in this room that he could shag, and I was right there, and I thought he knew. After he rescued me from the tower, I thought he knew how I felt," Sadie said through her tears.

"Oh, Sade," Daphne murmured, kissing her friend on top of the head, "If we get him out of there, do me a favour and tell him that you're in love with him."

This came as a shock to only one member of the friend group, "You're in love with him?" Draco asked.

Daphne looked at her ex in surprise, "Do you have eyes? Are you actually blind?"

"No," Draco said with a frown, "I just didn't…realise that."

"Neither did Theo," Sadie cried.

"Look, everyone needs to calm down," Draco said, raising his voice a little, "Until we send a scout out tomorrow, we don't know what has happened to Theo. Let's get the facts straight before we panic. Okay?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, but it was hard to hear it over Sadie's sobs.

Theo's capture shook more than just the Slytherins. When Luna got back, with plenty of food but some horrible injuries to go with it, an almighty fight broke out in the Room of Requirement.

"Why the hell did you send Lovegood?" Ernie shouted, "She's a dreamer! She's the least reliable person to get food."

"She came back with food," Neville said hotly, "So stop questioning it, or you'll not eat, McMillan!"

"Oh, so you're a god now, are you?" Ernie asked hotly, "You decide who lives and dies?"

Neville opened his mouth to argue, but he didn't have a chance.

"So what do we do about Nott then?" Wayne Hopkins asked, "Do we save him?"

"No," Neville replied simply.

"He saved Luna!" Stephen Cornfoot objected.

"She would be dead if not for him, but we're just going to leave him to die?" Lavender asked in disbelief.

"He's not our problem!" Neville snapped, "He's not on our side."

"He is. He saved Luna!"

"Is that what this has become then? Us against them?"

"My brother was in Slytherin!" Mandy Brocklehurst piped up, "So you would have just left him to die too then?"

"ENOUGH!" Neville roared, and the room fell eerily silently, "It's not us against them, but it is about survival. We don't know how many Slytherins are down there in their little hideout, wherever that may be. We don't know where they are, and they don't know where we are! We can't just storm the tower and risk our lives to rescue Nott when we don't even know for sure if he's on our side! They don't help us rescue our people; they leave us to our own devices, so we need to let them do the same."

The students in the room watched him as he spoke.

"If they ask for our help, then, of course, we will help them," Neville said, "But until then, we have to let them live, and they will let us live. This is war, and there are factions in a war. We might be on the same side, but that doesn't mean that we want the same things."

He was breathing heavily by the time he had finished his rant. Neville looked out over the crowd, "We need to stop fighting amongst ourselves, or we are never going to survive. I know you are all hungry and exhausted because I am too, but we need to carry on because if we don't, the Death Eaters, the Carrows, Snape, You-Know-Who, they all win. We can't let them win."

A round of applause broke out, and Neville sighed when he jumped down from the table. He shook his head and calmed down when Ginny placed her hand on his arm, "That was a pretty inspirational speech Mr. 'Not Harry Potter'."

"I try my best," Neville admitted.

"You're not Harry," Ginny promised, her eyes meeting his, "Harry couldn't have done that. Right here, right now, I would have Neville Longbottom over Harry Potter any day."

Neville's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"

Ginny smiled softly, "Really."

Neville regretted his decision before he had made it, but he leant down and captured her lips in a chaste kiss. Ginny had seen it coming because she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and returned the kiss briefly. Then she pulled back and looked up at him.

"Oh Godric," Neville said, his eyes flooding with guilt, "No, I…I'm sorry. I…Harry asked me to look after you. You're dating Harry."

"No," Ginny said firmly, "I'm not. I'm not the girl who waited. I won't be."

"But I made Harry a promise," Neville said, tearing his eyes away from hers.

"Harry made me a promise once," Ginny said, grabbing her wand and turning away from Neville, "People break promises all of the time, Neville."

Before Neville could say anything more, Ginny yelled, "Goldstein, come on. You're on guard duty!"

When Blaise came back with a solemn face the following morning, they knew that it was terrible news.

"He's in the tower," Blaise said the moment the bathroom door shut behind him.

"Is he alive?" Sadie asked; her eyes were red and bloodshot. She had barely slept that night.

Blaise nodded, "I listened to a conversation between the Carrows. They have taken him to the tower and informed the Dark Lord of his capture. Apparently, he is busy overseas at the moment, so they are under orders to hold him in the tower until he returns and…"

"And what?"

"And if he starves before then, so be it," Blaise finished.

Sadie let her head drop into her hands.

"We can get him out before then, though," Tracey said, looking up at Draco, "Right, Draco?"

Draco tapped his fingers against the desk and pushed himself up, "I don't know," he said honestly.

"He's your best friend-"

"I know that, Tracey!" Draco snapped, "And if I thought that we stood a chance, I would storm the tower right now, but I can't risk any of your lives just to save Theo's. If I put any of you on the line for him and you died, Theo would never forgive me."

They were silent because they knew that Draco was right.

The blond man flipped the blackboard and studied the plan of the tower that they had gradually built up, "I just can't see a way of getting him out. They have built up their security so much in the last few weeks…"

"There is always a way," Daphne said in a whisper, "We just need to find it."

"I don't see how we can," Draco said quietly. He caught her eye and said, "I want him out as much as you do, trust me. He's…he means so much to me."

"I know how much he means to you," Daphne admitted, her hand resting on his arm gently, "He is your family."

"You all are," Draco said, his eyes lingering on hers for a moment longer than they should have done.

Pansy eyed them warily from the other side of the bathroom. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but she could tell that the moment was intimate.

"Let me run some scenarios through my head," Draco said. He pulled his arm away from Daphne's and sat down at the desk, "But I can't put any of our people in there until I know we stand a chance of surviving the ordeal. Okay?"

Daphne nodded, "Okay," she said simply. Without another word, she sat back down next to Sadie.

In her place, Pansy walked up behind Draco and placed her hands on his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed back into her touch, "I love you," she murmured against his ear, "And I know that you can get him out."

Draco reached up and grabbed her hand, "Thank you," he said, placing a kiss on her knuckles as he stared down at the plan of the tower.

* ~ THE COTSWOLDS ~*

November 1997

"We need to stop doing this."

Harry's breathing was still shaky as he lay in bed with Hermione, "Why?"

"Because I'm not right for you, Harry," Hermione said, drawing the covers up around herself, "I'm not what you want; I'm just what you need right now."

"No," Harry said, frowning and propping himself up onto his elbow, "No, that's not true."

"It is," Hermione said, her eyes meeting his, "Ginny's your soulmate, not me."

Harry scoffed, "Soulmate? What's a soulmate, exactly?"

Hermione thought about this for a moment, then looked up at the roof of the tent as it blew in the breeze.

"Someone you carry with you forever," Hermione said, "That's what my mum used to say. It's the person who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did, or when no one else would."

Harry thought about that as Hermione paused.

"No matter what happens, you'll always love that person. Nothing can ever change that."

"Ginny didn't accept me or believe in me before anyone else did," Harry said softly, "You did. You believed in me when no one else would. When everyone turned against me…when nobody believed me, Ginny included, in fourth year. You knew I hadn't put my name in the goblet of fire."

Hermione opened her mouth but said nothing.

"You're the one person who has always stayed Hermione," Harry said, rolling onto his stomach so he could look at her properly, "When everyone else left, even Ron, you have always been here. Even when you think I'm wrong, you stay with me, and I…I…"

"Harry, don't," Hermione said quietly.

Harry looked her dead in the eye, "I love you."

"No, you don't," Hermione said in a broken voice.

"I do," Harry argued.

Hermione shut her eyes tightly, "You think you do. There's a difference."

Harry opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but before he could, she got out of the tiny bed and disappeared to the mouth of the tent with the pretence of 'keeping watch'. Harry sighed and looked up at the roof, already missing her warmth and the comforting scent that was just Hermione.

* ~ HOGWARTS CASTLE ~ *

November 1997

As the days turned into weeks, Draco's concern for Theo began to take its toll. He obsessed over maps and blueprints. He paced and muttered to himself at all hours of the night. His usually immaculate robes had gotten tattier. His perfectly ironed shirts became increasingly creased. His hair got longer and stubble formed on his face when he stopped shaving. He looked nothing like the Draco Malfoy that had boarded the train at the start of the year.

He had gone over every scenario in his head a thousand times, and none of them ended well. He had taken to going over the scenarios out loud now, and he sounded insane enough to be carted off to St. Mungos.

"Caterwauling charm covering the whole tower," Draco would mumble as he paced, "Can't disable it. Only Theo could, and we don't have Theo; he's not here. The minute we get in, they are going to know we are there. How are we going to escape them? We can't. I mean, how can we even get in? There is too much security."

Blaise watched his friend with concern as he paced up and down the bathroom.

"Scenario one, we get into the sixth-floor corridor and are faced with at least six Death Eaters. There are four capable duellers amongst us, against six dark wizards. Statistically speaking, two of us die, and one of us is seriously injured."

Blaise glanced over at Daphne. She shared his concern.

"Scenario two, one of those Death Eaters is Greyback. He kills us all, or he turns us into werewolves, then we all end up in the Dark Lords army."

Draco shook his head.

"Scenario three, one of them is my aunt. She kills us all for fun…we can't survive it, and if we can't get in via the sixth floor, then we need to use the roof."

He spun around and looked at the blackboard, "Let's say we survive the security troll. If there were four of us, we could probably take it even though we have run out of Weasley products to distract it with. We open the door to the tower and set off the caterwauling charm. The Death Eaters come up the tower, and we're trapped on a roof. We'll die; we'll fall to our deaths like Dumbledore did. Wouldn't that just be fucking ironic?"

"He's going mad," Daphne whispered, trying to hide the unshed tears that swam in her eyes.

"He needs Theo," Blaise said, pushing himself to his feet and disappearing into the sleeping area of the bathroom.

Theo had been in the tower for two weeks when Blaise decided to take action. He was lying in bed early one morning, and he heard Daphne and Sadie talking in the living area of the bathroom.

"You've got to eat something," Daphne said gently, "You need to sleep. You can't slowly kill yourself with worry or-"

"Guilt?" Sadie snapped, "It is guilt, Daphne!"

"It's not your fault," Daphne assured her, "And Theo loves you. You are one of his best friends. Do you really think he would hold it against you that you fought?"

"I'll always have it on my conscience," Sadie said quietly, "For the rest of my life, it will be there. It will be a stain on my soul if he…if he dies, and the last words I spoke to him were angry ones."

Daphne sighed and pulled her friend into a hug, "If there was any way that I could get him out, I would. I promise you, Sadie, I would."

"I know you would, Daphne."

Blaise lay in bed for hours thinking, and then he decided to act. That night, after curfew, he slipped out of the bathroom and snuck up to the sixth floor. It was swarming with Death Eaters, just like Draco had predicted. Blaise managed to get past them using a disillusionment charm, but the caterwauling charm was almost impossible to disable due to the lairs of encryption on it.

"Reckon we should tell him that we can see through his disillusionment charm?" An amused voice asked.

Blaise froze.

Another Death Eater laughed, "Must think we're stupid."

He stood up slowly and turned around, only to be faced with four Death Eaters who were all pointing their wands at him.

Alecto strutted through them, shoving them all aside. She smirked when she saw Blaise, "Ah, it's the handsome one."

Blaise swallowed and took a step back.

"I know just what to do with you," Alecto chirped, "Imperio!"

Blaise had no experience when it came to resisting the curse, so he was overcome by it very quickly. His eyes became unfocused, and Alecto's grin widened, "Oh, we can have real fun with this boys!"

The Death Eaters flanking her all seemed to admire her.

"What you gonna do, Alecto?"

Alecto cocked her head, "Answer this question truthfully. Who do you love more than anyone else in this world, right now?"

"Daphne Greengrass."

Alecto's eyes shone maliciously, "Daphne Greengrass, hmm? She has a little sister, a little sister who she is very fond of."

One of the Death Eaters laughed, "Oh, that's mean, Alecto."

"But it will start a civil war amongst those who are fighting against us," Alecto smirked, "Why kill them off when I can make them do it to each other?"

"You're smart, Alecto."

"Oh, and don't I know it?" Alecto said. She grinned at Blaise, "Zabini, I want you to find Astoria Greengrass. Do you understand?"

"I will find Astoria Greengrass."

"Yes, you will," Alecto said slowly, "And when you find her, you will kill her. Got it?"

Blaise nodded, "I will kill Astoria Greengrass."

Alecto clapped her hands, "Good boy! On you go then, no time like the present."

Blaise walked away, staring resolutely ahead as his body moved out with his own control.

* ~ TBC ~ *