Harry gazed down lovingly at Hermione's sleeping form, curled into his arm.
His grip on her tightened as he remembered how he had nearly lost her. She
had clung to him in tears, almost hysterical with fear that somehow
Voldemort would return for her and this time she would be unable to resist
him.
The deaths of the innocents preyed on her mind, convincing her that she could have saved them. All would have taken was four little words, she sobbed, her face pressed into his shoulder. Just one sentence, and they would have lived, and Harry would have been rid of her to find another girl who deserved him. He had shaken her roughly, angry that she thought he would be so inconstant, frightened that she felt so unworthy.
A noise from the room beyond reminded him of Sirius' presence, guarding the fragile girl. Harry found it hard to believe that only a few days ago he had graduated from Hogwarts, and now he was protecting quite possibly the most important person in the wizarding world. His Hermione, the daughter of Voldemort, the best mind to graduate from Hogwarts in fifty years. In disgust, he remembered that the last brilliant mind had been Tom Riddle, the ultimate cause of Hermione's grief.
He grazed her lips with his own, feeling her shift beside him. She made a girlish sound in her throat, nestling closer to him. Harry smiled softly. His Hermione need never be afraid again.
*~*~*
Hermione woke with a start, suddenly cold beyond compare. She reached for Harry to find he wasn't there; her hand encountered cold cloth. Forcing herself to calm down, she realised he must have got up to talk to Sirius, or to get a drink. Thus explained, she turned over, a scream rising in her throat.
It never made a sound. Wormtail touched his wand to her lips, whispering a silencing curse, as she backed up on the bed. Hermione leapt from the covers, scrambling for the door, only to be caught up about her waist and sat back on the bed. It was then that she realised her attacker was not alone.
'Good evening, my lady. My son has told me so much about you.'
Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the shadows, a thin smile on his pale face. Hermione wished fervently she could remember where she'd put her wand, knowing that it would be useless without a voice to speak the spells.
'Rat got your tongue?'
He laughed quietly, a rich deep sound at odds with his smarmy voice.
'My Master has asked me to retrieve you from the arms of his enemies, my lady,' he continued, watching her face carefully. 'By any means necessary, he said.'
He glanced meaningfully at the half-open door, through which light spilled from the fire in the adjoining room. Hermione stared at him, too afraid even to move. She could hear Harry's voice, getting closer to the door; could see his shadow as it played in the firelight.
She tried to signal him, discovering to her horror that she had been bound in a charm, leaving her powerless to warn her friend of the danger he was in. She knew for a fact that he would not reach his wand in time, it was on the table beside her.
Malfoy nodded to Wormtail, who slipped behind the door, a cruel grin on his thin face. They waited in silence, as Sirius and Harry approached the door.
They stepped into the room, Harry freezing as he saw Hermione, stiffly upright, her eyes wide with terror. Wormtail dived out from behind the door, tackling Sirius and bearing him to the ground. A rough fight then ensued, Sirius taken completely by surprise.
Harry spun around to help his friend, to see the door slam shut. Turning back, he looked into the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. Malfoy smiled, a cruel smile that told Harry that his time had come. As the wand rose to point at the defenceless boy, he turned to look at Hermione. She was crying, silent tears that spoke volumes to him.
Harry swallowed, gazing into her eyes with adoration.
'I love you, 'Mione.'
He leapt for his wand just as the curse struck home. Harry screamed just once, and fell, lifeless, to the floor. Hermione screamed too, a soundless scream that echoed in her ears. Malfoy turned to her, satisfaction written on his face as he approached the helpless girl.
From the other room, sounds of fighting were diminishing as one or the other gained the upper hand. A body slammed into the wooden door, as a familiar voice called,
'Hermione? Harry? Are you all right?'
Hermione felt despair wash over her as McGonagall approached the door. Malfoy turned to it, waiting for her. In desperation, Hermione threw as much of her body weight as she still had control of onto her side. Her rigid body swayed for a moment, before toppling noisily onto the wooden floor. Malfoy made the mistake of turning to look at her, as McGonagall and Dumbledore burst in, wands at the ready.
The Death-Eater was bound and silenced, as his own charm and curse were removed from Hermione. She stumbled over to Harry's body, ignoring the pain that coursed through her body. Kneeling beside him, her first love, she wept, tears that proclaimed her sorrows to the world.
*~*~*
She sat beside his body, still unable to believe it had happened. A few short hours ago, she had been held in his arms, his smile lighting her day. And now . . . she would never see that smile again. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. The first time she had ever dared to love, and he lay dead before her. They had only had a few months together, and yet she vowed that they were the best of her life.
When she closed her eyes, she could see his nervous face on their first day at Hogwarts, could remember how much she had disliked him, and Ron, for being friends, and not accepting her. She saw again, in her mind's eye, her birthday, how worried he'd been that she might reject him. Then to return to Hogwarts, to refuse to let them give up on her, to hold her in his arms with such love. She replayed every minute of that fateful day when he'd first kissed her. She'd never felt so fulfilled in all her life as when he'd finally let her know how he felt.
Ron had not been allowed to come and comfort her, his own safety having been called into question. He had been hidden by the Aurors, unable even to send a message to his friend. Ginny was also hidden, her mother distraught at the loss of her two youngest children following the death of The Boy Who Lived.
Sorrow filled her heart as she realised that she had loved him, and had never had the chance to tell him. She gave in to the tears, as sobs wracked her body, depriving her of her strength and resolve. She truly had loved and lost.
*~*~*
A roar echoed through the tower, a terrifying mixture of anger and glee. Death-Eaters scurried from his path, as Voldemort walked the halls, reveling in the defeat of his long standing enemy. Harry Potter was dead.
He laughed harshly, stopping abruptly as he remembered the reason for his anger. Hermione was still out of his reach, protected by that old fool Dumbledore and his loyal minions. She had seen Malfoy kill Potter, yet another reason for her to reject her own father and to cast him from her life.
Then a tight smile curved his thin lips. He still had one contact within Dumbledore's inner circle. Perhaps now would be the time for a Potions Master to earn his status as Malfoy's replacement.
The deaths of the innocents preyed on her mind, convincing her that she could have saved them. All would have taken was four little words, she sobbed, her face pressed into his shoulder. Just one sentence, and they would have lived, and Harry would have been rid of her to find another girl who deserved him. He had shaken her roughly, angry that she thought he would be so inconstant, frightened that she felt so unworthy.
A noise from the room beyond reminded him of Sirius' presence, guarding the fragile girl. Harry found it hard to believe that only a few days ago he had graduated from Hogwarts, and now he was protecting quite possibly the most important person in the wizarding world. His Hermione, the daughter of Voldemort, the best mind to graduate from Hogwarts in fifty years. In disgust, he remembered that the last brilliant mind had been Tom Riddle, the ultimate cause of Hermione's grief.
He grazed her lips with his own, feeling her shift beside him. She made a girlish sound in her throat, nestling closer to him. Harry smiled softly. His Hermione need never be afraid again.
*~*~*
Hermione woke with a start, suddenly cold beyond compare. She reached for Harry to find he wasn't there; her hand encountered cold cloth. Forcing herself to calm down, she realised he must have got up to talk to Sirius, or to get a drink. Thus explained, she turned over, a scream rising in her throat.
It never made a sound. Wormtail touched his wand to her lips, whispering a silencing curse, as she backed up on the bed. Hermione leapt from the covers, scrambling for the door, only to be caught up about her waist and sat back on the bed. It was then that she realised her attacker was not alone.
'Good evening, my lady. My son has told me so much about you.'
Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the shadows, a thin smile on his pale face. Hermione wished fervently she could remember where she'd put her wand, knowing that it would be useless without a voice to speak the spells.
'Rat got your tongue?'
He laughed quietly, a rich deep sound at odds with his smarmy voice.
'My Master has asked me to retrieve you from the arms of his enemies, my lady,' he continued, watching her face carefully. 'By any means necessary, he said.'
He glanced meaningfully at the half-open door, through which light spilled from the fire in the adjoining room. Hermione stared at him, too afraid even to move. She could hear Harry's voice, getting closer to the door; could see his shadow as it played in the firelight.
She tried to signal him, discovering to her horror that she had been bound in a charm, leaving her powerless to warn her friend of the danger he was in. She knew for a fact that he would not reach his wand in time, it was on the table beside her.
Malfoy nodded to Wormtail, who slipped behind the door, a cruel grin on his thin face. They waited in silence, as Sirius and Harry approached the door.
They stepped into the room, Harry freezing as he saw Hermione, stiffly upright, her eyes wide with terror. Wormtail dived out from behind the door, tackling Sirius and bearing him to the ground. A rough fight then ensued, Sirius taken completely by surprise.
Harry spun around to help his friend, to see the door slam shut. Turning back, he looked into the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. Malfoy smiled, a cruel smile that told Harry that his time had come. As the wand rose to point at the defenceless boy, he turned to look at Hermione. She was crying, silent tears that spoke volumes to him.
Harry swallowed, gazing into her eyes with adoration.
'I love you, 'Mione.'
He leapt for his wand just as the curse struck home. Harry screamed just once, and fell, lifeless, to the floor. Hermione screamed too, a soundless scream that echoed in her ears. Malfoy turned to her, satisfaction written on his face as he approached the helpless girl.
From the other room, sounds of fighting were diminishing as one or the other gained the upper hand. A body slammed into the wooden door, as a familiar voice called,
'Hermione? Harry? Are you all right?'
Hermione felt despair wash over her as McGonagall approached the door. Malfoy turned to it, waiting for her. In desperation, Hermione threw as much of her body weight as she still had control of onto her side. Her rigid body swayed for a moment, before toppling noisily onto the wooden floor. Malfoy made the mistake of turning to look at her, as McGonagall and Dumbledore burst in, wands at the ready.
The Death-Eater was bound and silenced, as his own charm and curse were removed from Hermione. She stumbled over to Harry's body, ignoring the pain that coursed through her body. Kneeling beside him, her first love, she wept, tears that proclaimed her sorrows to the world.
*~*~*
She sat beside his body, still unable to believe it had happened. A few short hours ago, she had been held in his arms, his smile lighting her day. And now . . . she would never see that smile again. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. The first time she had ever dared to love, and he lay dead before her. They had only had a few months together, and yet she vowed that they were the best of her life.
When she closed her eyes, she could see his nervous face on their first day at Hogwarts, could remember how much she had disliked him, and Ron, for being friends, and not accepting her. She saw again, in her mind's eye, her birthday, how worried he'd been that she might reject him. Then to return to Hogwarts, to refuse to let them give up on her, to hold her in his arms with such love. She replayed every minute of that fateful day when he'd first kissed her. She'd never felt so fulfilled in all her life as when he'd finally let her know how he felt.
Ron had not been allowed to come and comfort her, his own safety having been called into question. He had been hidden by the Aurors, unable even to send a message to his friend. Ginny was also hidden, her mother distraught at the loss of her two youngest children following the death of The Boy Who Lived.
Sorrow filled her heart as she realised that she had loved him, and had never had the chance to tell him. She gave in to the tears, as sobs wracked her body, depriving her of her strength and resolve. She truly had loved and lost.
*~*~*
A roar echoed through the tower, a terrifying mixture of anger and glee. Death-Eaters scurried from his path, as Voldemort walked the halls, reveling in the defeat of his long standing enemy. Harry Potter was dead.
He laughed harshly, stopping abruptly as he remembered the reason for his anger. Hermione was still out of his reach, protected by that old fool Dumbledore and his loyal minions. She had seen Malfoy kill Potter, yet another reason for her to reject her own father and to cast him from her life.
Then a tight smile curved his thin lips. He still had one contact within Dumbledore's inner circle. Perhaps now would be the time for a Potions Master to earn his status as Malfoy's replacement.
