"My Love, you know that your my best friend.
You know that i'd do anything for you
and my love, let nothing come between us,
my love is strong and true.
Am I in heaven here or am i ... at the crossroads I am standing." Hold On by Sarah McLachlan
Chapter 3: Hold on...
"Are you Hermione Granger?" a voice asked the girl on the ground.
"Yes, Yes I am." Hermione answered bringing her head up from her knees. She had been crying since she got the fellytone call. She couldn't believe it, Harry had cared about her all this time. Even though she was dating Draco!
"Come with us please." Another voice commanded.
She got up and followed the men out of the file room and then in the hallway the apparated to MISTA.
"Follow us please." the first voice instructed. Hermione looked up and saw a badge of sorts on his chest it read:Tobias Hades. Agent Hades was a tall man who was well built and seemed to be a bit worried,himself.
She followed them down a long labyrinth of cooridors. Hermione's journalistic nature couldn't get over the fact that this place was so big and yet the building was hid in the middle of Manhattan. She wondered what MBC(magical building codes) they were braking. Then it hit her, "they are above the law."
"Ma'ma, right through this door you should see Agent Weasly." Fich told her.
"Thank you." she was so distracted she really didn't even hear a response.
She went to open the door and it suddenly opened itself.
"Oh, Hermione." Ron said as he rushed to give her a hug.
"Where is he?" Hermione asked
"He's in the Emergency exam room. They aren't sure whats wrong with him. They're trying to stabalize him enough so he can have a room. I know you weren't in Trelawny's room when he had that dream, but that is exactly what it looked like. Only he wasn't screaming, this time he was just lying there, twitching." Ron had never looked so scared.
"Ron, when can I see him?" Hermione asked
"I don't know. The doctor came out right before you came to tell me that they couldn't find anyuthing physically wrong nor could the find that any curses had been performed on him. Of course this is absurd because there has to be a reason, so they are running more tests. The only problem is that he isn't exactly stable yet."
"Stable? Does that mean that something could upset him easily? I mean we haven't exactly talked for a year, and the last time we did, it was arguing because of that kiss."
"Like I told you earlier, he loves you." Ron yet again suggested.
"People say things like that when they think they are dying it doesn't mean that it's true. He doesn't,no, he can't mean it. I slept with Draco and frankly Draco still thinks we are seeing each other. If he slept with Cho I would never forgive him, so how can he forgive me?"
"Herm, when I walked in his office guess what he was doing? Go on, guess." Ron prompted.
"I don't know, what?" Hermione asked, she wanted to believe that Harry had forgiven her and yet her logic told her that there was no way he could. Maybe it meant that she wasn't ready to forgive herself quit yet.
"He was holding a picture of you." Ron said
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Harry felt himself drifting toward something,"but what?" He couldn't feel his feet or arms moving and yet he was walking. Wlaking towards the unknown. Then he recognized the chill of the air around him he was in the shack on the rock that his uncle had taken the family to when, "when what?", his mind nagged.
Suddenly voices around him began to speak...
The first man Harry saw just stared wildly at Harry.
"But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. " I mean they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My-mum and dad weren't famous, were they"
" Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." the first speaker ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" The speaker said finally and then it all faded away...
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"Agent Weasly, Ms. Granger, you may visit him now. He probably won't respond and might be a bit groggy if he wakes up." The doctor said gloomily almost as if there was more.
They walked into the room and Hermione almost lost it. It took all her resolve to keep from shaking Harry awake and demanding he take back the words he said. She was so unsure about how she felt. She knew she cared for Harry, but she wasn't absoulutly sure. Plus she was engaged to Draco. "You know you aren't marring Draco for love. You are in love with Harry." Her mind said to her.
Ron looked at Hermione who was figeting as if she didn't know what to do, so he motioned for her to sit down. Neither of them knew what to do. Ron and Hermione just sat there until Hermione picked up his hand. "It feels so cold." she thought. They must have sat there for a good hour and a half. Hermione was just resting her head on his hand. Ron meanwhile, had been answering tons of owls about Harry's condition, most of them were to his family. Then the peace and silence was broken by the doctor.
"Agent Weasly, would you please join me in the hall, I need to speak with you," the doctor asked with the same look he had earlier.
Hermione sat up and took his hand in hers. She wanted to feel his caress to feel it fluttering across her face. She looked down at him and realized he looked worn, like a piece of clothe put through the laundry to long. She knew that a small part of this was the fact that he had just gotten ill, but she also knew that it was becasue of her. Sleeping he had always looked so peaceful, and yet now he looked like a lost little boy looking for his parents. There was no happines on his face.
"Hermione we need to talk." Ron said, he seemed to have adopted the doctors attitude.
"Alright." Hermione answered knowing that this wouldn't be good. She followed Ron into the hall where they sat on the chairs outside his room.
"The doctor just told me Harry's prognosis, and it doesn't look good." Ron said preparing Hermione for the worst.
"What, what's wrong with Harry, I mean he's in there breathing so he won't die will he?" Hermione asked
"Well no he won't die, at least not today, but the doctor said that there is a 50% chance that Harry will be paralyzed all over, and a 85% chance that he will be paralyzed in one of the areas." Ron said.
"Oh, God." Hermione whispered, she rushed into the room and took his hand again.
"Damn his parents, damn the Dursleys, and Damn Voldemort." she thought to herself. Tears streaming down her face. "Why did it have to be with us, why did we get so mixed up in the troubles of the world? Why couldn't we be two ignorant muggles in love, instead of two wizards?" She asked herself as she rested her head on his hand.
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He could see a figure against the light, "What is it??" He thought.
"Harry." The figure called
"I'm coming." Harry yelled back to the something in the shadows.
"Harry we've been waiting for you." The figure, who was looking more and more like a woman, explained.
As Harry adjusted to the blinding light he realized the woman was his mum.
"Mum, where am I?" he asked
"You have a choice to make Harry." Came the heavenly sound that he wanted to hear all his life.
"What choice?"
"To stay or to go."
"Why would I go? I've waited my life to have a mum." Harry said with unknown certainty
"We both know there is someone down there that can make you far happier then I, besides she needs you." Lily explained
"Who? No one needs me." Harry asked though he knew he was wrong.
"Hermione needs you."
"Herm doesn't need me. She proved that during the past year."
"Harry take a look into the future, I gurantee she needs you."
Harry saw a bubble floating toward him; he peered into it.
What he saw was a bit scary...
He saw a group of people dressed in black surrounding a grave. At frist he thought it was his but then he realized it was Hermiones's.
"It's a shame that she took her life, she was so brilliant." one voice said.
"Yeah I guess she couldn't get over what happened to Harry." the second voice answered back.
"I thought she was happy with Draco." the first said
"That's what we all thought..."
"You see, Harry, she may not admit it but she needs your love." Lily explained
"But what about you?" Harry asked
"I can see you everyday, but she can't if you stay. She won't know if you are happy or if you really loved her." Lily said giving her son a kiss on the forehead.
"Now go home to her, you two have my blessing...................................
Harry could feel something wet and warm on his hand. He opened his eyes; and though the light bothered him he saw Hermione's head resting on his hand, she was crying.
He tried to whisper to her, that everything would be okay, but nothing came out.
He tried to pull his hand out from under her head but all he could do was wiggle his fingers.
Hermione's head shot up as she realized something was going wrong. She relized that he was awake. Her eyes were fixed on Harry's.
what Harry saw in her eyes made him realize he made the right decision. Her eyes which had always reminded him of a river of chocolate, so deep and rich, were filled with hope and joy as well as worry.
"Harry, oh god thank god, your awake." Hermione whispered as she kissed his cheek. Hermione was still holding his hand and wouldn't dare let go.
"Ron wake up." Hermione whispered urgently, not moving her eyes from Harry's. She was so afraid that this would be the last time she would ever see them.
"W-what happened. Is he okay?" Ron asked, while darting up to look at Harry. When he realized Harry was awake all he could do was just smile. Harry was trying to smile but couldn't because of the magi-mask. Magi-mask were put on the victim to prevent, talking and spell casting, as well as aid breathing.
"I'll go get the nurse to take that off of you." Ron walked out of the room.
"Oh Harry, you had us so worried." Hermione whispered to him, fearing that even a loud voice might send him into a relapse.
Harry looked at the nurse who walked in, she was a bit like the old hag that use to sit at the Leaky Couldron. She looked at Harry's charts and then looked toward Harry deciding if it was safe.
"Well I guess I can take this off, but don't preform any magic. It will set off the machines." She warned before waving her wand and suddenly the mask was gone.
"Take it easy, okay?" she said as she left the room.
"I-I'll try not to." Harry whispered back.
Harry felt better with the mask off, and he wanted to comfort Hermione; to tell her everything would be okay. He lifted his arm, which felt like lead, up to her face. He used his thumb to wipe away the tears, silently falling.
He used his hands to force her face towards his and gave her a kiss so lightly, Hermione thought she would die. She pulled up and away out of shame, she knew this was wrong. She looked over to where Ron had been to give him an apologetic stare. She realized that he was gone as Harry pulled her face back down. This time the kiss started lightly and chaste but it gradually turned aggresive and seductive. For a long time they stayed this way. But Hermione's senses started coming back to her, "Harry, I-I can't do this."
"Do what?" Harry asked
"Do this, pretend that everything is okay when infact it isn't."
"It is okay, I love you." Harry confesed
"Harry after what I did to you; how can it be okay?"
"I understand why you kissed Draco, but one thing I learned this past year was that I wouldn't be Harry Potter without you by my side." He said while pushing himself up enough to be sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Harry you don't mean that, you can't mean that, you just can't, you can't. I-I can't love you. I mean -well you , there's no way you could forgive me."
"Let me decide that. You don't know what I know." Harry said forcefully
"I know that you are in no state for me to be here causing trouble. I'll go." Hermione got up and started out the door.
"Herm, don't go. I came back for you." Harry said, as he pushed back the covers.
"Harry, I'm engaged." Hermione turned and walked out the door.
"Herm. wai-"
Hermione turned in time to see Harry in a pile on the floor...
A/N: Don't worry Harry's okay, at least for right now. Thanks to everyone who is reading this story and I hope you enjoy. I am still looking for a beta reader. I have one person in mind, but until then this will have grammer mistakes. Hope you enjoy the next part.