A/N: Well, even without ten reviews last time, I'm doing this out of pure love for my first little fic, here… Lynzi was right in saying that the last part wasn't action. I needed to add that part for future parts… Yes, Morgaine, I know Ron (poor guy) was a little TOO nice in the last part, but he's like that for a reason… Okay, I'll stop babbling. Oh, we're in the past for the rest of this story, but the future stuff is going to be a sequel, if you guys don't end up hating me when I'm done with this!
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The First Goodbye: Part Four
By Heather Michelle
Where was she? She had no idea… Swirling blackness surrounded her. No more or less than the nothing that was there. "Hello?" her words echoed through the darkness. She wasn't scared or frightened in the least. She had come accustomed to her own voids and solitude, even though friends and her boyfriend Ron surrounded her with what she considered love. But she was somehow wary of what was going on. A voice called from the space:
Be last for best, and forget to rest. I am here to tell you the fate of soon your love's most final date. Beware of these words and do take heed, for you will be the first to bleed. Fighting the past will make sure you lose and surrender your heart to the one you choose. The future holds a darkness like this, sealed with one first, but fatal, kiss. Be sure you know which way to go, then say goodbye to the one you know. Before his soul begins to die, let him keep your first goodbye.
"Wait!" Hermione cried, "What do you mean? Why is Ron in trouble? Please come back!" She awoke with a start, discovering that it was just a dream.
No, dreams aren't something that made you shake and want to cry at 3:00 in the morning. She got out of bed and crept by Lavender's snoring form to get to the bathroom. Splashing water on her face she again tried to understand the cryptic message that her dreams kept telling her.
Her love? What did Ron have to do with any of this? Maybe it was because he was Harry's closest friend, or maybe he would do something rash and save them all from impending doom. But Harry always won against Voldemort, didn't he? We don't have anything to worry about, she thought. Not wanting to go back to sleep, she started to walk back downstairs after hearing the sound of Harry's boots clomping into the common room after training. She stopped, however, against the stairway that led to the girl's dormitories when she heard voices in the common room.
"…her back, are you?" Hermione knew Ron's voice from miles away, and it was obvious that he was talking to Harry.
"You know I am, Ron… She's a wonderful person and sister to you, but I didn't want to hurt her, so I broke up with Ginny. I know you're mad at me, but what if something happens to me?"
"Well shouldn't that be more of a reason to stay with the ones you love in a time of crisis…. Truth… Hermione isn't…" Ron whispered to Harry as she strained to hear what Ron had said. It was if he had known that someone would be eavesdropping.
"Ron, I don't want to make Ginny believe something that isn't true. We've grown so close that it's almost like we're brother and sister. We don't do much anymore. I just don't want anyone to be too incredibly attached to me if I happen to fight Voldemort and loose. Not even you or Hermione. But I do think that you should tell her, Ron."
"You've got enough secrets yourself, Harry. I don't need to tell Hermione everything." Ron stated rather cryptically. "But the world isn't going to end. You're going to win. You always do."
Silence took over the common room as Harry shifted to some extent uncomfortably in his chair. Hermione smoothed her hair and stepped down the staircase. "Tell me what, exactly, Ron? You're not usually one to keep secrets."
"Her… Hermione… What are you doing up?" Ron stuttered, his ears turning the bright crimson, Ron's best characteristics of nervousness.
"I had another bad dream. It always says the same thing… And I don't know what relevance it has to me or to either of you, if anything. I haven't told Dumbledore yet, and I don't believe all of this nonsense, though… Divination and Trelawney are both complete rubbish. Anyway, he also muttered some weird word to you, Harry….. Jesaliva or something, and I got worr-"
"Grensalmia, Hermione." Harry interjected. "And does a weird voice speak to you in your dreams? About the future and stuff?"
"Yeah, but how'd you…." She questioned, puzzled. No one had ever understood what went on inside her dreams, not even Hermione herself. "I even tried looking up things in the library, but…"
Harry quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her, albeit struggling, through the portrait hole, leaving a shocked Ron standing in the common room.
About halfway across the school, Hemione asked, "Where are we going, Harry?"
"Dumbledore's." he replied quickly.
"Are you crazy? It's 3:30 in the morning! And it's freezing out here… Couldn't you have waited for me to at least put my robes on?" She exclaimed, wrenching her hand away from him, then immediately felt bad that she had, because her body instantly froze due to the lack of warmth surrounding her.
"It's important… The sooner we talk to Dumbledore, the better. He'll understand why I'm so worried. I'm sorry you're cold, but it would take way too long to go back. Now will you please come with me?"
Instead of answering, Hermione took Harry's outstretched hand and they continued to walk until they reached the outside of Dumbledore's office and said the password.
"Harry, why would Dumbledore be in his office at 3-" Hermione started, but stopped after seeing that Dumbledore was seated in his office, as if expecting them, although Hermione dismissed that thought extremely quickly- no one could EXPECT them to show up at 3 am, right?
"Ah, Harry. And why have your brought Hermione over to me at this time of morning?" Dumbledore questioned, although the glint in his eye showed that the question wasn't necessary.
"The Grensalmia is visiting Hermione, too. Why is it doing this to Hermione? It doesn't make any sense." Harry was obviously fretting over the fact that the girl that had appeared in his "Grensalmia dreams" was having nightmares about the very same thing.
Hermione stood in the center of Dumbledore's office, stupidly confused, and listening to Fawkes' snoring. "What is so important about these dreams? Why do you value them so much? It was just a black place that spoke words to me. I'll admit that it was creepy, but I don't…"
"Hermione, I have them too, and, so far, everything that the Grensalmia said my dream has come true, and-"
"So what did yours say, Harry? The *message* in my dream was really cryptic… How'd you figure your dream out?" Hermione questioned, extremely curious as to what Harry really had to say about the dreams… His delay in answer and glance at Dumbledore didn't help Hermione figure anything out.
"It was a joint project, Hermione." Dumbledore stated, "The staff and I combined our abilities to figure his out. But if you are having the same types of dreams, then we need to understand yours, too. It is very imperative that you tell us everything about the dream, for your own future safety, not to mention other's."
Harry left, feeling intrusive, and Hermione recited the entire dream's contents to a serious Dumbledore. When Hermione inquired into Harry's dream and how it related to hers, Dumbledore just shook his head and said, "Only he can tell you, and in this case, it's all up to him. We'll try and reason these out, but yours is much more complicated. The purpose of the Grensalmia's mysteriousness is partly because others aren't supposed to understand the future. Those who are enlightened to their own future carry that burden until the events foretold happen. Don't worry, yet, Hermione. Harry will be fine, I assure you."
"Do you think we should tell Ron?" Hermione didn't want him left out completely, especially about things that involved their future.
"Don't tell him quite yet. He will adjust to whatever we find. Now go and get some sleep, Hermione." Dumbledore bid her goodbye and she left his office.
Feeling eyes on her, she hurried down the steps that led to the headmaster's office until what felt like a liquid came over her and a hand covered her mouth. Her heart beat twenty times as fast as it normally did as she felt herself being pressed against the cold stone of the building she had just come from.
"Shh…" a quiet voice said to her gently, and she knew the voice from anywhere. "Harry, what-"she tried speak, but he put a finger to her lips and covered her in his invisibility cloak, pressing them both against the building, which, to Hermione, didn't feel so frigid anymore. He then pointed at Snape, who was talking to a figure clad completely in black.
"Tomorrow, Snape. I mean it. No delays." it whispered.
"I won't fail you." Snape said and bowed. The individual was gone as soon as he did.
Harry and Hermione finally exhaled after Snape was out of sight. Strangely enough, neither of them moved from their position pressed up against the wall, and Hermione's heartbeat hadn't stopped its rapid pace from earlier. Turning pink, Harry reluctantly moved off of her and they walked in silence all the way back to the common room where they found Ron, asleep in the large chair where they had left him.
Harry and Hermione were both too tired to talk to each other about what they had seen, or tell Dumbledore. Snape was the good side, and at great personal risk, too. He wouldn't dare betray both sides, would he?
Hermione covered Ron in a blanket and kissed his forehead before heading upstairs, leaving Harry to watch. He suddenly felt guilty about things that hadn't even happened yet. But the Grensalmia had told him that this would happen, and it did. She was just so wonderful, smart, talented and altogether magical. She could make heads spin, make rooms light up and most of all, she could make Harry's heart twist into strange configurations with just one look. The fact that she would stay committed to Ron was admirable enough, in and of itself.
Harry already had to worry about saving the world, but falling for your best friend isn't easy either, especially when she's in love with someone else.
Hermione herself didn't know what to think about either of them. She loved Ron, right? But she feared the reason that she had to repeat it over and over was because she didn't believe it. And Harry would look at her with those green eyes and… But you love Ron! her mind screamed at her. She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. Half of her didn't want to sleep for fear of dreaming things that she couldn't control. One of those things was the way she felt.
A/N: Ah! I'm turning this into a sappy romance novel. Okay, the next part is super action-packed compared to this one. There's only probably 3 parts left in this story until the sequel (if I end this one right), so more is on the way.
To my reviewers:
Lynzi- Thank you sooooo immensely much for your detailed review, it was GREATLY appreciated, this part's a bit more action-like, no?
Heather-Bether: Thanks for reviewing all of the parts! I'm really glad someone likes the story and/or my writing…
Good Story! (Though I'm somewhat convinced it isn't your name): Here's the next part!
Phyllida: The next part has arrived, a new one coming up next week!
Groovy Chick: Thanks for putting me on your AA! I hope you liked this part too!
Morgaine: Poor little Ron keeps getting left out. It's okay, though…. Wait and see. More of everything on the way!
UNTIL NEXT WEEK, TOODLES!
-Heather Michelle