After a while, we finally pulled back, and she stepped back, looking at me, her eyes shining, crying and laughing at the same time.
"Just to get things straight." She said, as efficient as Hermione of old. "You're saying you love me, right?"
I laughed.
"Yes, Hermione." I agreed.
"Good. At least that's settled. Now lets see if we can find this thing the first year saw. Its probably just Aragog or something."
I followed her, grinning like my face would split, followed her deeper into the forest. She never said a thing, but I could hear her sniff occasionally, and then laugh, just a little giggle, she almost skipped, she was so happy, and I'd done this. I just wanted to pull her back into another kiss, and another, and then talk, and laugh, and then kiss some more, to make up for the past two years, to show her, to show me, how much I truly truly loved her. And I reached out, to grab her arm, to pull her towards me.
And as my fingers brushed her sleeve, I saw something dark and amorphous flit past me, out of the corner of my eye, and my scar seared, burning, so I almost screamed.
"Harry?" Hermione asked. I was bent double with pain, the pain from the scar.
"He's here, oh God, Hermione, he's here, leave." I pleaded, and I could suddenly remember the dream, the green flash, and her body, lying helpless on the ground.
"No, I won't leave." She insisted, and she sent a fireball from her wand up into the sky, where Ron would see it.
"He's here!" I screamed.. "Please Hermione, leave, leave now!"
"No! You can't handle him yourself, not like this!"
I could see him now, flitting round, behind, through the trees, so close, and I tried to reach for my wand, but the pain was too much, I couldn't even hold on to Hermione, I couldn't move.
"You have to go! I dreamed this! I know how it ends!" I cried
"I was there. I know too, and I'm not leaving" she insisted, standing up straight and tall beside me, as I crouched even more and more in pain.
And then time slowed, almost to a stop. I saw him come out of the woods, and he had no wand, but power gathered in his fingers, and Hermione span round to face him, he spoke a word, and her wand flew out of her fingers, and still I could not move, and he cried 'Avada Kedrava' and I summoned the last of my strength and pulled Hermione out of the way of the green blast, and felt it tear into me as I protected her, my love, my life. But then, as I died, I saw him approach her again..and heard the words spoken again..Avada Kedrava...and knew I'd failed..she was going to die..I'd killed her.
"Just to get things straight." She said, as efficient as Hermione of old. "You're saying you love me, right?"
I laughed.
"Yes, Hermione." I agreed.
"Good. At least that's settled. Now lets see if we can find this thing the first year saw. Its probably just Aragog or something."
I followed her, grinning like my face would split, followed her deeper into the forest. She never said a thing, but I could hear her sniff occasionally, and then laugh, just a little giggle, she almost skipped, she was so happy, and I'd done this. I just wanted to pull her back into another kiss, and another, and then talk, and laugh, and then kiss some more, to make up for the past two years, to show her, to show me, how much I truly truly loved her. And I reached out, to grab her arm, to pull her towards me.
And as my fingers brushed her sleeve, I saw something dark and amorphous flit past me, out of the corner of my eye, and my scar seared, burning, so I almost screamed.
"Harry?" Hermione asked. I was bent double with pain, the pain from the scar.
"He's here, oh God, Hermione, he's here, leave." I pleaded, and I could suddenly remember the dream, the green flash, and her body, lying helpless on the ground.
"No, I won't leave." She insisted, and she sent a fireball from her wand up into the sky, where Ron would see it.
"He's here!" I screamed.. "Please Hermione, leave, leave now!"
"No! You can't handle him yourself, not like this!"
I could see him now, flitting round, behind, through the trees, so close, and I tried to reach for my wand, but the pain was too much, I couldn't even hold on to Hermione, I couldn't move.
"You have to go! I dreamed this! I know how it ends!" I cried
"I was there. I know too, and I'm not leaving" she insisted, standing up straight and tall beside me, as I crouched even more and more in pain.
And then time slowed, almost to a stop. I saw him come out of the woods, and he had no wand, but power gathered in his fingers, and Hermione span round to face him, he spoke a word, and her wand flew out of her fingers, and still I could not move, and he cried 'Avada Kedrava' and I summoned the last of my strength and pulled Hermione out of the way of the green blast, and felt it tear into me as I protected her, my love, my life. But then, as I died, I saw him approach her again..and heard the words spoken again..Avada Kedrava...and knew I'd failed..she was going to die..I'd killed her.
