One Enchanting Night
By HazelMist
Summary: The seventh year starts off horribly as Ron Weasley is taken captive by the Dark Lord. Now his two friends must struggle with new feelings for each other, team up with a seer, and fight the race against time to rescue him.
Chapter 1: Bad Beginnings
It was pouring. The rain came down in great sheets beating upon the window. It was dark and dreary outside and the colorless sky just added to the depressing mood. It wasn't much better inside though. The light flickered as if it were about to go out and the wind howled and moaned slipping beneath the doorways and cracks in the walls.
A girl of about 17 sat inside of the compartment alone. She pulled her cloak around her and attempted to keep the chill and drafty air from her already cold bones. She was freezing. She had just barely made the train and as a result she had gotten soaked. She had used a drying spell but she was still cold and her thick brown hair was still damp.
Hermione Granger sighed. Running a hand through her wet hair she didn't dare glance at her reflection in the window. She was a mess and she knew it. But it wasn't just her appearance that was messy.
Ron her long time boyfriend had dumped her. Hermione had seen the end to their relationship coming. There was nothing but fights and the kisses and make ups that she had always looked forward to became rare. There was nothing left. She had done nothing to stop the downfall of their relationship and now she was here, alone.
She had loved him with all her heart at one point. She had told him those three words that took months to work up the courage to say. But something had happened just when she thought they would last forever. Their relationship reached the peak. And then it just cascaded down from there. Hermione had watched it happen and suddenly it was over. Just like that it was over.
Hermione glanced around the empty compartment. More then anything she wished for company. Ron wasn't on speaking terms with her and she felt very uncomfortable around him since it had only been two weeks since he had left her. Harry on the other hand, her eyes lit up at the thought of finally being able to see her best friend. All summer she had spent time with Ron. It had never occurred to her that perhaps she was neglecting Harry.
But Harry had a girlfriend at the end of their sixth year. That's probably where he was now, with his girlfriend. Hermione frowned and leaned back in her seat. She had been looking forward to seeing him. He was too busy for her it seemed.
Suddenly the compartment door opened. Hermione looked up hopefully. The very last person she wanted to see walked in. Hermione stood up quickly knocking a book over in the process. Folding her arms across her chest she glared at Ron wondering why he was there.
"Hi." He said quietly. His hands were shoved in his pocket and his head was bent. She could see that he was just as uncomfortable as she was.
Hermione knew that this was not a good time to start a fight but a rush of anger rose in her throat and she didn't think before she spoke.
"What do you want?" She asked simply.
"I just came here to get something, that's mine." Ron said slowly.
Hermione looked at him and her eyes widened slightly. Her hand went to her throat where the familiar golden chain was. Her necklace, the one he had given her two years ago when they first called themselves an item. She hadn't even thought of giving it back to him. She had grown very fond of the necklace and she didn't want to give it up even though he had given it to her. She had paid for half of it anyway. But she would never admit it.
Hermione fingered the delicate necklace twisting it in her hands. He was waiting for her to give it to him. He now put out his hand. Hermione just stared at him turning the necklace over and over in her hand.
"It's mine." She whispered hardly believing her own words.
"I bought it." He said.
"But it was for me." She whispered. The heat was rising in both of their faces. Their tempers were about to explode, having reached their maximum. Another famous fight was about to begin.
"Hi."
Neither of them heard or saw the messy black haired seventeen year old boy that had just arrived. He walked into the compartment and placed down his trunk. Then he stood up and looked around grinning not realizing the danger of the situation.
"I haven't seen you guys all summer. How have you-" He stopped mid sentence and took a step back. He glanced from face to face and their interlocking gaze. It dawned on him.
"I bought it." Ron said coldly.
"You bought it for me. So it's mine." Hermione said dangerously quiet.
"Guys?" Harry attempted to break between the two but was having very little success.
"It's mine." Ron said, narrowing his eyes.
"No." Hermione said firmly.
Harry stared at Hermione watching her. It was not unusual for Ron and Hermione to get into a fight. It was an every day thing actually but nothing ever happened like this. The way Hermione was staring coldly at Ron and the way Ron was staring back with narrowed eyes, Harry could tell this was no ordinary fight. Something was very wrong, something was missing.
"What did you just say?" Ron asked startled.
"No. You heard me loud and clear. Now get the hell out of here." Hermione was burning with anger.
"Get out!" Hermione shouted. She stepped toward him but he was already out the door throwing up his hands and shaking his head angrily with clenched teeth. She slammed the door after him watching as the glass shattered narrowly missing her.
There was silence. Hermione exhaled finding the silence soothing.
"Ouch." Harry said.
Hermione turned around in time to see Harry hit the floor.
"Harry!" She screamed.
Hermione rushed across the floor tripping and stumbling over pieces of glass in the process. It didn't occur to her that she should get rid of the glass and fix the compartment door first. When she reached him she fell to her knees beside him.
"Harry!" She yelled loudly. He was lying on the ground with a bloody leg. It was bleeding freely thanks to her. A pang of guilt and panic washed over her.
"Oh god this is all my fault. I'm so sorry Harry I didn't mean -" She cut her rambling off when she noticed that he wasn't conscious.
"Harry!" She waved hand in front of his face and yelled his name loudly in his ear. There was no response. She reached out and took his hand in hers for comfort and to check the pulse. The moment her hand touched his Hermione heard voices.
"What are we going to do?" Said a feminine voice.
"Get out as fast as possible." Said a masculine voice. "The doors are locked. The windows are locked. There's no way we can escape." She yelled in her panic. "Calm down. There is a way. But-" He said soothing her. "No I won't do it." She cut him off. "It's the only way and that way there-" "I won't leave you." She said loudly. "You have too." He said to her. "No!" She said determined. "We're running out of time." He said. "I'm not leaving you." She whispered. Suddenly there was a scream and the sound of shattering glass. The sound of the glass and the scream mixed together forming a piercing noise.
Hermione let go and stumbled back. The piercing noise remained, ringing in her ears. She clamped her hands to her ears trying to shut out the horrible sound
It took a minute before Hermione could take her hands away from her ears. The sound had finally stopped and now she could think properly. What was that, she wondered. The voices, the scream, the shattering glass, and Harry, Harry!
She leaned over. He was still unconscious. She grabbed him by the shoulders and began shaking him gently. When he didn't open his eyes she panicked and began shaking him frantically and yelling his name.
"Harry Wake up!"
Why wasn't he waking up!
"Harry! Harry!"
"Hermione -"
"Harry wake up!" Tears began to roll down her cheeks. It was all her fault, all her fault.
"Hermione relax!" A gentle hand touched her shoulder.
"I'm okay." He whispered sitting up slowly and keeping a grip upon her shoulder. Hermione looked at him shocked. He was alright. Relief washed over her and guilt as she realized how close he had come to dying. Her emotions bubbled over and she began to cry again.
Hermione threw her arms around his neck. Harry was slightly uncomfortable with this but he held her in his arms allowing her to cry on his shoulder.
"Oh Harry, I'm sorry." She said in between muffled tears.
"Shhhh everything's alright Hermione." Harry said quietly.
Hermione reluctantly let go, drawing back. A pinkish tinge surfaced in her cheeks as she hastily wiped away her tears thinking about how silly she was acting.
"Sorry it's just, you wouldn't wake up." She said softly.
"I'm here now." Harry said smiling slightly.
She smiled back and then suddenly realized that his leg was still bleeding and that there was glass all over the floor. She hastily took out her wand.
"I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to make the door break and injure your leg." She waved her wand once and mended it. Harry looked at her and then at his leg, he didn't know that secretly she had been studying the power of healing.
With another wave of her wand and a muttered spell the glass rose from the floor and returned to the door shifting back into place. The compartment door was just as it had been before. Hermione put her wand back into her pocket. Harry stood up and offered Hermione a hand. She took and with his help got to her feet. Hermione sat back down at the window and Harry sat down across from her.
Hermione looked at him. He was the same Harry that she had left last summer. With his messy black hair falling into his eyes and his emerald green eyes that made the girls swoon half hidden behind glasses he was Harry Potter the boy who lived and Harry Potter, her best friend who was always there for her. He had an unknown habit of always stepping in at the moment she needed him most.
Like first year when he had saved her from the troll with Ron's help, but it was Harry who had suggested to go find her and Ron who had made her cry in the first place. In second year it was Harry who had dug the piece of paper from her fist and Harry who had saved them all in the end. In the third year it was Harry who had gotten rid of the Dementors saving them both. Harry had waited for Victor to arrive in the fourth year when she had been trapped underwater in the second task. He hadn't left until he knew her and the others were safe. And now here he was, right on schedule, when she needed a friend and couldn't turn to Ron.
"Hi." She said. She was unable to find the right words. There was so much to say she hadn't seen him all summer. But no words came. Her mind was blank.
"Hi." He said. He laughed and she laughed too after a moment.
It was stupid and silly. Here they were the best of friends and having just gone through some unexplainable event they were attempting to pretend everything was perfectly normal. Just like her relationship with Ron. A wave of sadness passed over her once more. She decided to cut right to the point.
"Harry what were those voices I heard?" She asked looking into his emerald green eyes. He couldn't avoid the question. Though he fidgeted and his eyes darted restlessly Hermione was not stupid. He knew exactly what she was talking about and it had happened before most likely by the way he was acting.
"What voices?" He asked her.
Hermione was not fooled.
"Harry you know exactly what I'm talking about." She said calmly.
"Hermione I don't know -"
"Harry don't lie." She said firmly. She looked him straight in the eye. Her brown eyes staring directly into his green eyes.
"I heard them too." She said softly.
Harry sighed shaking his head in disbelief. Hermione watched as he slowly sat back breaking his gaze briefly to stare out the window at the stormy weather and blur of passing grey. He obviously hadn't been planning on telling Hermione or Ron about this. But it was unavoidable now, she already knew.
"I can't explain it. I don't even know what they mean." He admitted guiltily.
"I just don't understand it. The last time I heard voices was in the third year when ever a Dementor passed by. I relived the moments before my parent's death. But there's no Dementors. I just, I don't know." Harry looked back at Hermione who was now thinking this over carefully. Harry smiled inwardly recognizing the familiar thinking pose she so often took. She had her chin resting in her hand and was staring at him as if he were some kind of puzzle she was trying to solve.
"Harry how many times did this happen? When did it start happening?" She asked choosing her words carefully.
Harry shrugged. He didn't want to talk about it.
"Hermione, can we talk about this some other time?" He asked her.
"Sure." Hermione said.
"Well then I wanted to talk to you about something." Hermione glanced up. For some reason his words made her heart catch strangely in her throat. For a moment she was short of breath. His eyes interlocked with hers and for one sweet second everything seemed so, Hermione couldn't describe it. But a moment later Harry hastily looked away.
"Hermione - I - uh." He seemed to hesitate. Hermione stared at him her heart pounding in her chest.
"Hermione, why are you and Ron fighting?" Harry asked her.
Hermione's heart dropped to the ground. The old feeling of depression and sadness washed over her as she remembered all the misery she was going through. Ron was gone. For a few moments with Harry she had forgotten about everything. But now he had to go and bring it up again. He brought back her pain.
"Ron and I are finished." She said firmly.
"Oh you broke up."
"Yeah." Hermione said softly. She leaned back in her seat and stared out the window.
"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes." A voice announced.
Harry and Hermione sat in silence for the remainder of the ride listening to the patter of the rain upon the window. It was not until the doors opened and the students began flooding toward the platform that they realized they had arrived at Hogwarts. Getting up they followed the others and stepped off the train.
Hermione turned and glanced back as she stepped into the chilly air. She felt lighter then before. It seemed as if she had left her problems back in the compartment on the train. And perhaps she had. Only time would tell.