All I Wanted Was You
Chapter 5
He felt dead.
He felt dead.
Hermione would never believe he was dead. Never. She grasped Harry in her arms, holding his upper body against her chest. His head lulled to the side, his eyes closed, mouth slightly open. Hermione cradled him, supporting him as she sat in the darkness of the Astronomy tower. The air was filled with dusty wood shavings from the supports Asethrent had knocked down.
It was silent. Hermione could only hear herself breathing. Only herself. Nothing was positive. Nothing.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. They rolled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin onto Harry's face. She saw his glasses, lying feet away, broken and cracked. Hermione pushed her head down and nuzzled Harry, her grasp on him tighter than any bear hug.
She refused to believe he felt cold. She needed to know blood still flowed in his veins. "Harry, I beg of you," Hermione's voice was hardly even a whisper. She kissed his cheek, tasting salt and Harry. "I love you?"
Hermione didn't want to let him go. What could she do? Bring him back? There were no spells. She doubted even Madame Pomfrey could bring back someone from the clutches of death. Hermione let Harry down, ever so slightly. He seemed to fall to the ground gracefully, lying there like a resting angel.
The teenage girl crawled over to Harry's glasses, picking them up carefully. They lay in her heads, glass protruding sharply. Hermione brought out her wand. "Oculus Reparo." There was a golden hum, and the glasses repaired themselves. Hermione put them down where she had found them, turning away. Hermione felt another onslaught of tears, and she collapsed next to Harry, grasping at his body.
"Harry! Harry...please," Hermione begged. She brought out her wand again. "Fix him!" she commanded it. The wooden wand sat blankly in her hand. "Please?" she whispered, quietly at first. "Please fix him?"
Just then, Harry's wand fell from under his tee. Hermione reached for it, holding the powerful stick in her hand. It vibrated. Hermione nearly dropped it as the edges of the wand began to glow bright green. Hermione's wand started to hum, too, turning blood red. Both wands levitated off Hermione's hand, holding themselves in the air.
Hermione watched, begging and intrigued.
Harry's wand fell. It hit the ground with a normal clatter, and soon Hermione's had joined his.
"No," Hermione breathed. Why hadn't they done anything? Hermione grabbed her own wand and flung it across the room. It hit the opposing wall with a clack, then rolled on the ground. Hermione gathered Harry's wand, her mind going into a state of shock. She dragged herself over to Harry, ready to lay his wand in his hands and across his chest, as an honourable end.
Hermione picked up Harry's hand. It felt remotely warm, but Hermione knew he had died only minutes before. As she curled his fingers around the wand and laid it across his chest, something caught her eye. Harry's lightning bolt scar was glowing a mixture of blood red and bright green.
The girl reached out to touch it, her fingers wet from wiping her tears. Droplets of her salty tears fell from her fingers, onto his scar. Hermione's hand went farther, and she touched his scar. The lights erupted around Hermione's fingers, lighting up the tower. For a moment, Hermione could have sworn she saw Asethrent waiting in the red darkness.
The reddish light consumed the tower for only mere moments, and then faded. Hermione closed her eyes as something surged through her. She swayed in her seat, mind soaring. And then, with a snip of green light, it was over. Hermione opened her eyes and pulled her hand away from Harry's scar. She looked at her palm, and noticed a heart shaped scar at the base of her thumb. She hadn't had that before.
"Now I have to remember loving him forever?" Hermione asked blankly, almost a harshness in her voice. She knew she would never get over Harry...never. But how could she live her life knowing her love for him was embedded on her hand? Hermione swallowed and looked at Harry. He lay so silently...so calmly.
"I've got so much for you, Harry...so much," Hermione said. She didn't feel weird talking to someone who didn't exist anymore...it felt very fluent.
"And I for you," a voice murmured. Hermione's heart leapt like a rocket into her throat. Her eyes shot to Harry's mouth. She reached out and touched his lips. They were warm and moist.
Hermione breathed in and held it.
"I don't know why I'm back, Hermione," it was Harry. His eyes opened, shining even brighter than they usually did. He looked horribly weak, his skin was pale and his eyes almost dull with brightness. Harry couldn't pull himself up, yet, but he felt alive.
Hermione shut her eyes and opened them. He was lying there, talking to her. He wasn't dead. The wands...or someone...something had brought him back. Hermione lunged forward, tears spilling from her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around Harry, practically lying across his chest. Harry breathed in, and smelled Hermione's sweet shampoo. He smelled her. He smelled. It was enough just to do that. Harry weakly lifted his arms and put them around Hermione's back, tightening his grasp and actually had the strength to smile.
Hermione pressed her cheek against his, then drew back and kissed him. She felt him kiss back, and even though she was crying, it wasn't sad.
"How?" she asked softly when they parted. Hermione pulled Harry up, into her lap. His head lay against her shoulder, his strength slowly coming back. Harry knew something had happened to his scar.
Hermione felt along his back. She met the torn cloth from Asethrent's bite. Hermione felt his skin, felt the puncture marks, felt the dried blood. "You've still been bitten. What if it's only slowed the spread of the poison? What if -"
"Hermione, no. I don't feel it. Not like I first did." Harry told her quietly. "I think you saved me."
He felt dead.
He felt dead.
Hermione would never believe he was dead. Never. She grasped Harry in her arms, holding his upper body against her chest. His head lulled to the side, his eyes closed, mouth slightly open. Hermione cradled him, supporting him as she sat in the darkness of the Astronomy tower. The air was filled with dusty wood shavings from the supports Asethrent had knocked down.
It was silent. Hermione could only hear herself breathing. Only herself. Nothing was positive. Nothing.
"Harry?" Hermione whispered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. They rolled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin onto Harry's face. She saw his glasses, lying feet away, broken and cracked. Hermione pushed her head down and nuzzled Harry, her grasp on him tighter than any bear hug.
She refused to believe he felt cold. She needed to know blood still flowed in his veins. "Harry, I beg of you," Hermione's voice was hardly even a whisper. She kissed his cheek, tasting salt and Harry. "I love you?"
Hermione didn't want to let him go. What could she do? Bring him back? There were no spells. She doubted even Madame Pomfrey could bring back someone from the clutches of death. Hermione let Harry down, ever so slightly. He seemed to fall to the ground gracefully, lying there like a resting angel.
The teenage girl crawled over to Harry's glasses, picking them up carefully. They lay in her heads, glass protruding sharply. Hermione brought out her wand. "Oculus Reparo." There was a golden hum, and the glasses repaired themselves. Hermione put them down where she had found them, turning away. Hermione felt another onslaught of tears, and she collapsed next to Harry, grasping at his body.
"Harry! Harry...please," Hermione begged. She brought out her wand again. "Fix him!" she commanded it. The wooden wand sat blankly in her hand. "Please?" she whispered, quietly at first. "Please fix him?"
Just then, Harry's wand fell from under his tee. Hermione reached for it, holding the powerful stick in her hand. It vibrated. Hermione nearly dropped it as the edges of the wand began to glow bright green. Hermione's wand started to hum, too, turning blood red. Both wands levitated off Hermione's hand, holding themselves in the air.
Hermione watched, begging and intrigued.
Harry's wand fell. It hit the ground with a normal clatter, and soon Hermione's had joined his.
"No," Hermione breathed. Why hadn't they done anything? Hermione grabbed her own wand and flung it across the room. It hit the opposing wall with a clack, then rolled on the ground. Hermione gathered Harry's wand, her mind going into a state of shock. She dragged herself over to Harry, ready to lay his wand in his hands and across his chest, as an honourable end.
Hermione picked up Harry's hand. It felt remotely warm, but Hermione knew he had died only minutes before. As she curled his fingers around the wand and laid it across his chest, something caught her eye. Harry's lightning bolt scar was glowing a mixture of blood red and bright green.
The girl reached out to touch it, her fingers wet from wiping her tears. Droplets of her salty tears fell from her fingers, onto his scar. Hermione's hand went farther, and she touched his scar. The lights erupted around Hermione's fingers, lighting up the tower. For a moment, Hermione could have sworn she saw Asethrent waiting in the red darkness.
The reddish light consumed the tower for only mere moments, and then faded. Hermione closed her eyes as something surged through her. She swayed in her seat, mind soaring. And then, with a snip of green light, it was over. Hermione opened her eyes and pulled her hand away from Harry's scar. She looked at her palm, and noticed a heart shaped scar at the base of her thumb. She hadn't had that before.
"Now I have to remember loving him forever?" Hermione asked blankly, almost a harshness in her voice. She knew she would never get over Harry...never. But how could she live her life knowing her love for him was embedded on her hand? Hermione swallowed and looked at Harry. He lay so silently...so calmly.
"I've got so much for you, Harry...so much," Hermione said. She didn't feel weird talking to someone who didn't exist anymore...it felt very fluent.
"And I for you," a voice murmured. Hermione's heart leapt like a rocket into her throat. Her eyes shot to Harry's mouth. She reached out and touched his lips. They were warm and moist.
Hermione breathed in and held it.
"I don't know why I'm back, Hermione," it was Harry. His eyes opened, shining even brighter than they usually did. He looked horribly weak, his skin was pale and his eyes almost dull with brightness. Harry couldn't pull himself up, yet, but he felt alive.
Hermione shut her eyes and opened them. He was lying there, talking to her. He wasn't dead. The wands...or someone...something had brought him back. Hermione lunged forward, tears spilling from her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around Harry, practically lying across his chest. Harry breathed in, and smelled Hermione's sweet shampoo. He smelled her. He smelled. It was enough just to do that. Harry weakly lifted his arms and put them around Hermione's back, tightening his grasp and actually had the strength to smile.
Hermione pressed her cheek against his, then drew back and kissed him. She felt him kiss back, and even though she was crying, it wasn't sad.
"How?" she asked softly when they parted. Hermione pulled Harry up, into her lap. His head lay against her shoulder, his strength slowly coming back. Harry knew something had happened to his scar.
Hermione felt along his back. She met the torn cloth from Asethrent's bite. Hermione felt his skin, felt the puncture marks, felt the dried blood. "You've still been bitten. What if it's only slowed the spread of the poison? What if -"
"Hermione, no. I don't feel it. Not like I first did." Harry told her quietly. "I think you saved me."