Laterose: Yay! A new record! Less than an hour of posting and I got a
review! Lol, don't mind me. Just a little hyper. Yes, I had to have Ron in
the room. . .took me a while to figure out why he didn't help, too.
::Smiles:: Thanks for the review!
As: MOOORREEEEE!!!!! You asked, here it is. Enjoy!
_________: Yes, it's kind of an old chapter but I reread it. . .they are sooooo cute together!
Kat: Ah. . .sorry about that. . .I was kinda in a rush get to the next chapter. . .something VERY important happens! Hehehe, you'll see what in a little bit. Thanks for the advice. . .I'll fix it as soon as I hit a writer's block. . .if I hit one that is. I'm on a role at the moment!
Kimmy: Yes, Hermione's mom's death is not only going to be hard on the Grangers but someone else. Can you guess who? I think you can. . .he's gonna really need someone to talk some sense into him. . .before it's too late!
Leaf: First of all, thanks. But, to answer your question, you might want to go back and reread that chapter. Ron was under Harry's invisibility cloak which he found on Harry's bed and took it.
Amora: Yes, yes. Harry's life does seem to be rather complicated, doesn't it? Hmm. . .to help him out or not? Well. . .you saw how I had Ron help out. . .maybe things won't be so bad after all.
Wanted: Love
Ch18: Death's Dilemmas
"Harry, wake up!" Ron shouted, shaking his friend roughly.
He wasn't really sure exactly what had happened there. One minute, Voldemort's voice bounced off the walls, the next things were apparently back to normal, and the next there was a tsunami storming in the room. He remembered fighting against the sting of the wind, trying to find anybody, Harry and Mr. Granger to escape with, Wormtail to be the crap out of. It had been very difficult with only the occasional light of the storm above to allow him a brief glance around the room. He didn't remember much other than that, only the two streaks of lightening that had, seemingly in slow motion, hit Harry and Wormtail. He remembered the cries of agony both had emitted. He remembered the storm suddenly vanishing, and he remembered finally being able to see and rushing to his friend's side only to find him unconscious but alive.
Several hours had passed since Voldemort's attack. He hadn't been able to actually be there, the protection wards on the castle assured that, but Ron was still amazed at the magical power he was able to control from where ever it was he was. He and Mr. Granger had attempted to open the doors but they were still stuck shut. Eventually, after it became apparent that they were stuck and that Harry wasn't about to wake up any time soon, Ron had wandered over to where Wormtail laid, intent on killing him if he was still alive. It was unnecessary, though, for Wormtail was quite dead, indeed.
Mr. Granger hadn't said a word through it all. Though, Ron couldn't really blame. He would probably be the same way if Lavender had been killed before his eyes. So Ron left him alone to mourn the loss of his wife. In his mind he began working a plan of how to tell Hermione. . .should the responsibility be passed to him. But he had come to the decision that no one would ask him to do that. It would most likely either be her father or Dumbledore's job. So he had gone back to attempting to wake up Harry.
Ron sighed angrily and sat down, tossing his wand a few feet away from him. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes, yelling and screaming wasn't going to accomplish anything other than causing him to go hoarse. Obviously Harry knew where he was going and what he was going to face, but he didn't understand why he had chosen to not tell anyone. Ron looked around the room. It was barely distinguishable as the Great Hall anymore. The tables and benches were broken and scattered throughout the room. The floor was charred from the lightening and the hole from Wormtail's first spell suddenly seemed a lot deeper in the daylight. His head was still killing him from where something had bashed into him in the dark and he wouldn't be surprised if he looked half as bad as he felt. Harry started to move a little and Ron quickly hurried back over to him and helped him sit up.
"Bloody hell, Harry, you look awful. You feel okay?" asked Ron.
Harry nodded his head, "It's not that bad."
He looked around for a moment as what happened came back to him, "What're you doing here, Ron?"
"I could ask you the same question. I saw you leaving the tower and followed you. Why didn't you tell anyone about this? You almost died!" exclaimed Ron.
Harry shrugged, "If I did, Wormtail would've killed Hermione's parents."
The two looked over at them. Mr. Granger hadn't seemed to notice that Harry was awake.
"Didn't really seem to work that well, though." Harry said quietly.
Ron looked at his friend, "Come on, Harry. You did the best you could. I'm sure everyone will know that. Besides, at least you saved one of them."
Harry shook his head, "No, you did. If you didn't get my wand back, her dad would've died, too."
"Still, you stalled him long enough. And you had enough guts to go and face him by yourself." said Ron, helping Harry to his feet.
Suddenly, there were voices outside the doors.
"That's odd. Minerva, did you lock the doors?" Dumbledore asked.
Ron shot up, "Stay here, Harry. I'll be right back."
With that he sat Harry down on part of a bench that had escaped unscathed and raced up to the front of the room, "Hey! Professor! Get us out of here!"
"Ron? What're you doing in there?" asked Tali.
"We're stuck! Just get us out!" Ron exclaimed.
"Who's we?" asked McGonagall.
"Me, Harry, and Hermione's dad." answered Ron.
"What is Hermione's father doing here?" asked Remus.
"Don't ask me stupid questions! We've been stuck in here forever! We need to see Madame Pomfrey!" Ron yelled through the door.
"Are you okay!?" the freshened wary voice of Sirius demanded to know.
"It's not that bad, but for god's sake, open the bloody doors!" Ron shouted
Harry hobbled over to where Mr. Granger sat with his wife. He still felt incredibly weak and felt as though fatigue might overtake him at any moment, but refused give in. When he got to the place where he sat, Harry could hear his tears and felt even more horrible.
"Mr. Granger?" Harry asked carefully.
Mr. Granger looked up at him, with his wife's hand in his own, "Oh, hello, Harry."
"I'm really, really sorry. I tried to---" Harry started but Mr. Granger silenced him.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not your fault." he said quietly.
Harry looked down, it was his fault. Both of them knew it. He should have seen the triumphant glint Wormtail had in his eyes as he asked for the counter curse. He should have known that any follower of Voldemort wouldn't so easily abandon him and help the enemy, particularly the Boy-Who-Lived. He should have seen it coming, but he didn't. And it was because of this that Hermione's mother was dead.
"Come on, they're going to bust us out!" said Ron, hurrying up to them.
Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulder and Harry put his around Ron's and they slowly made their way to the front of the room. Mr. Granger picked up his wife tenderly and carried her to the front as well.
"Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three." said Dumbledore as the doors burst open.
A majority of the staff, Remus, Sirius, and a few students were standing on the other side and gasped at what they saw. Some of the teachers ushered the students present away as the others rushed into the room, taking it all in. The charred spots and hole on the floor, Wormtail's body, Mrs. Granger's body, and eventually, the three who had managed to survive the horrific night.
"What. . .happened here?" asked McGonagall in disbelief.
"Harry? Are you okay?" asked Sirius, rushing forward.
"I'm fine." said Harry quietly.
"What about you, Ron?" Sirius asked.
"Not bad." he replied.
"Would either of you mind explaining what happened?" asked McGonagall. But before either could say a thing. . .
"Mum!" came a shriek from the entrance.
Hermione ran forward to her father and mother's lifeless body, "Dad? What. . .what happened to mom? She's going to be okay, isn't she!?"
Harry felt himself sink even lower into his guilt at this and turned his head down as Hermione spilt buckets of tears, he had done this. Dumbledore walked over to Harry and Ron and looked at them.
"Boys, let us go to the hospital wing. We need to get you cleaned up and have a chat." he said softly.
"I see, so Voldemort killed his own minion." said Dumbledore after Harry and Ron finished telling their stories.
"God dammit, Harry! You still should have told us! You could've been killed!" exclaimed Sirius.
Harry didn't say anything, just kept his gaze locked onto the floor as he did when he told his story. Madame Pomfrey had fixed his broken leg and cuts in record time, leaving oodles of time for explanations. If there was anything that Harry was grateful for, it was that Hermione wasn't there to hear it. She had been taken somewhere else where her father could tell her what happened and mourn her loss.
"Sirius, you would have done the same thing. Leave him alone." Tali whispered harshly.
"Still, it was dangerous. Next time just tell somebody, okay, Harry?" asked Sirius. Harry nodded mutely. He doubted there would be a next time, but he didn't say this.
*******************************
Harry sat on the stairs just outside the entrance to the school, watching the sun set. Snow was falling heavily and his robes were quite damp. Ron and Lavender had gone off to the day's classes, leaving Harry to amuse himself. He hadn't seen Hermione since her mother's funeral, three days ago. And even then they hadn't spoken in fact; Harry doubted that she even knew he had been there.
He had finally consented to go, due to his friends' persistent-ness. Hermione, of course, had been in tears all day and nearly became hysterical at the body's viewing. Harry remembered the body perfectly. Mrs. Granger's long brown hair was finally retired from its usual bun style. She had been wearing a red dress and even through the make up it was painfully obvious how pale she was. Throughout it, Ron and Lavender were by the Grangers' side. He, on the other hand, took to the back, trying his hardest to stay out of sight and mind.
When it came time to bury the body, the snow was still falling, heavy as ever. It must have been an odd sight for the Muggles passing by to see. Not only were there dozens of witches and wizards (though very few knew that) all dressed in black robes, but there wasn't any ashes to ashes or dust to dust in the eulogy. Harry couldn't remember exactly what the priest had said, but he was sure that it wasn't like anything he had ever heard on the televisions at the Dursley's.
But out of all the things that Harry couldn't get out of his mind, it was Hermione's face. The complete and utter sense of loss portrayed on it left Harry feeling nothing short of a cold blooded murder. Even if he hadn't actually killed Mrs. Granger, he had killed her by not stopping Wormtail. That feeling had stuck with him throughout the day, even after everyone had left and Harry had apologized to the freshly stirred dirt that covered one of the dark side's latest kills.
Harry was surprised that his presence had been tolerated. Mr. Granger had only tried to console him, deep down, Harry knew he blamed him, he knew he did. He sighed, it had happened once again. He was jinxed. Because of his existence, yet another two people were dead. And while it was true that he could care less about Wormtail, he felt horrible about Hermione's mum.
Harry brought his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. He could see some movement in Forbidden Forest but thought nothing of it, there was always something moving in there. Harry could no longer feel his nose or cheeks. He presumed it was to be expected, though, after sitting out there for so long. He wondered if he should even bother staying there. Perhaps he should just go to Siberia, and live out the last two months of his life in solitude, where he couldn't hurt anyone. Harry had been thinking about this a lot lately, it could only benefit people. The door behind him opened and then closed quietly. Harry didn't bother to see who it was. Hopefully they would just turn around and walk back in, leaving him to his thoughts. No such luck.
"Harry?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry cringed at her voice. He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, particularly her. Not that he didn't still care for her, but for fear that she would actually say what he had been feeling, that it was his fault.
"Harry?" she asked again and put a hand on her shoulder. Reluctantly, Harry looked up at her.
"Can I sit with you?" she asked. Harry brushed some of the snow off the spot next to him. She sat down and they were quiet for a long time.
"I'm sorry." Harry said after a while.
Hermione shook her head with fresh tears springing to her eyes, "No, dad told me what happened. I. . .I wanted to thank you and Ron."
Harry looked at her, "What for?"
"You saved my dad from that man. . .thank you." she said with a small smile.
"But I let your mum die! You shouldn't be thanking me." said Harry.
Hermione nodded, "Yes, but if you didn't go and do what you did my father wouldn't be here, either."
"I still don't deserve any thank you's. I should have died instead. At least I'm ready for it." Harry said solemnly.
Hermione took his hands, "Don't say that, Harry. I don't know what I'd do if you died."
"You'd find someone with loads of money, get married, settle down, and have about a dozen kids." Harry said seriously. It was, after all, only a matter of time until he did die and he had had loads of time lately to think about what would happen.
Hermione's mouth dropped open in indignation and she shoved him, "That's not funny, Harry."
"All I'm saying is not to get too attached to any ideas that might involve me." Harry said before thinking about it.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione, eyes widening.
Harry shook his head furiously, "No, it's not that. I'd never break up with you."
"Then. . .what are you saying?" she asked.
"Forget about it. It's not important." Harry said, resting his chin on his knees again.
Hermione took his hand again, "Harry. . .what is it? Why can't you tell us anything anymore?"
"Okay, look at it this way. You know what happened the other day. I almost died then. Who's to say I won't drop dead in a month or two? Hell, I could die tomorrow. There's no way to know. I just don't want you to be hurt when it happens." Harry said standing up and brushing the snow off his shoulders.
Harry started to walk off. He didn't know where he was going. If he was smart he would have gone in the other direction, inside, but as his luck had it, he didn't have the brains to do such and his pride wouldn't allow him to do turn around and face her either. Hermione quickly chased after him.
She reached out and grabbed his hand, "Harry, don't talk like that! You're only sixteen! You have your whole life ahead of you! And I can't change how I feel. If I love you, then I love you."
Then, before Harry could say another thing she pulled him into a one-sided hug, "And you better get used to it, because it's never going to change."
She kissed the base of his neck and then buried her face in his robes. They stood like that for several minutes, Harry feeling strangely awkward. He couldn't seem to understand how Hermione could act the way she was to him. She shouldn't still love him. He didn't understand.
"I'm sorry about your mum." Harry whispered quietly.
Hermione didn't say anything; instead she started crying again, but didn't move away from him, "I miss her, Harry."
Harry brought his arms up and hesitated only for a moment before holding her with one and gently stroking her head with the other one. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be.
"We should get back to the common room before we get caught after curfew." he said breaking away.
Hermione nodded and wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. Harry looked at her for a moment then headed on his way.
***************************
"You hear that Gryffindor's playing Ravenclaw for the cup?" Ron asked the next day in the common room.
"Yes, the game's set for March sixth. You think you're gonna play, Harry?" asked Lavender.
Harry shrugged, knowing he wouldn't be able to, and didn't look up from the book he was reading, Merlin's book, "Maybe."
Hermione looked up from her homework at him. He had been acting strangely ever since her mother's death, which she guessed might have something to do with it.
"Come on, Harry. Without you we don't stand a chance." said Ron, and if they weren't the only ones in the room, there most likely would have been a loud mummer of agreement.
He shrugged again, "Maybe."
"Harry, are you even listening?" asked Ron a bit annoyed.
"Mm hm." Harry said, not removing his eyes from the book.
"What're you reading?" asked Hermione.
Harry finally looked up from his reading, "Nothing."
"What is it?" asked Ron, intrigued.
"Nothing." Harry repeated, closing the book and sealing it shut.
The three looked at him. However, thankfully, a distraction came their way. Unfortunately, it was a bad one. The black owl that delivered Voldemort's letters soared into the room, dropped a letter in Harry's lap, and then, as always, was chased out by a screeching Hedwig. Harry sighed irritably, stuffed the book in his robe's pocket, picked up the letter, stood up, and started to walk towards the exit.
"Why don't you just open it here, Harry?" asked Lavender.
"Yeah, no one's here except us." said Ron.
"Don't know what's in it." Harry said gruffly, staring daggers into the piece of paper in his hand.
"Just go on. It can't be anything that bad." said Ron.
Harry shook his head and walked back over to the couch and sat down. He pulled out his wand and slid open the letter. He quickly dropped it, however, and took in a sharp breath. A blue, jelly-like substance had seeped out of the letter and onto the space between his thumb and index finger. (AN: Does anyone happen to know what that space is actually called?)
He stood up and shook his hand but it wouldn't as much as budge. Ron, Lavender, and Hermione had stood up also and gathered around him. Hermione held his arm still so they could get a better look at it. It seemed to be sucking something out of his skin, though it was impossible to say what it was exactly.
"What is it?" asked Ron; bring his face at eye level with it.
"Who care? It hurts, get it off!" Harry shouted, trying to get his arm free from Hermione's grasp.
"Hold still, Harry. We can't help you if you're jumping all over the place." said Hermione, tightening her grip slightly.
"Easy for you to say, just hurry up and get it off." said Harry trying to ignore the burning sensation that was increasing with each passing second. Ron poked the blob with his wand and Harry cursed through gritted teeth. The blob had started to sink into his skin.
"Maybe we should go get Madame Pomfrey." suggested Lavender, beginning to get worried.
But before they could even start on their way, the rest of the blob disappeared into his skin. Harry's muscles relaxed as he fell back onto the couch.
"What the hell was that thing?" he asked, rubbing the skin where the blob had been.
Hermione sat next to him, took his hand, and looked it over, "I have no idea. It doesn't look like it left any kind of mark. . .Does it still hurt?"
Harry shook his head as Ron and Lavender sat down as well.
"Damn that bastard to hell. Why the hell can't he leave you alone?" asked Ron.
"Think about who you're talking about for a minute, Ron." said Lavender.
Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Personally, he agreed with Ron. Why couldn't Voldemort leave him alone?
"You okay, Harry?" asked Lavender.
"Yeah. Fine." Harry said shortly.
But all four of them knew what the answer really was. There was no way that the blob would just go into his body and do nothing, especially if Voldemort sent it. It had to do something, most likely something bad, maybe even painful if his first encounter with it had been any hint.
"Come on. Let's go see Madame Pomfrey." said Hermione, standing up and pulling Harry up with her.
Author's Note: Well? Hmm? Whatcha think? I know what you're thinking. What's the blob gonna do? Well. . .you might have an idea by the end of next chapter but it'll be a while before you know for certain! That's right, I'm gonna leave you hanging for a while. So while you're waiting write me a review!
As: MOOORREEEEE!!!!! You asked, here it is. Enjoy!
_________: Yes, it's kind of an old chapter but I reread it. . .they are sooooo cute together!
Kat: Ah. . .sorry about that. . .I was kinda in a rush get to the next chapter. . .something VERY important happens! Hehehe, you'll see what in a little bit. Thanks for the advice. . .I'll fix it as soon as I hit a writer's block. . .if I hit one that is. I'm on a role at the moment!
Kimmy: Yes, Hermione's mom's death is not only going to be hard on the Grangers but someone else. Can you guess who? I think you can. . .he's gonna really need someone to talk some sense into him. . .before it's too late!
Leaf: First of all, thanks. But, to answer your question, you might want to go back and reread that chapter. Ron was under Harry's invisibility cloak which he found on Harry's bed and took it.
Amora: Yes, yes. Harry's life does seem to be rather complicated, doesn't it? Hmm. . .to help him out or not? Well. . .you saw how I had Ron help out. . .maybe things won't be so bad after all.
Wanted: Love
Ch18: Death's Dilemmas
"Harry, wake up!" Ron shouted, shaking his friend roughly.
He wasn't really sure exactly what had happened there. One minute, Voldemort's voice bounced off the walls, the next things were apparently back to normal, and the next there was a tsunami storming in the room. He remembered fighting against the sting of the wind, trying to find anybody, Harry and Mr. Granger to escape with, Wormtail to be the crap out of. It had been very difficult with only the occasional light of the storm above to allow him a brief glance around the room. He didn't remember much other than that, only the two streaks of lightening that had, seemingly in slow motion, hit Harry and Wormtail. He remembered the cries of agony both had emitted. He remembered the storm suddenly vanishing, and he remembered finally being able to see and rushing to his friend's side only to find him unconscious but alive.
Several hours had passed since Voldemort's attack. He hadn't been able to actually be there, the protection wards on the castle assured that, but Ron was still amazed at the magical power he was able to control from where ever it was he was. He and Mr. Granger had attempted to open the doors but they were still stuck shut. Eventually, after it became apparent that they were stuck and that Harry wasn't about to wake up any time soon, Ron had wandered over to where Wormtail laid, intent on killing him if he was still alive. It was unnecessary, though, for Wormtail was quite dead, indeed.
Mr. Granger hadn't said a word through it all. Though, Ron couldn't really blame. He would probably be the same way if Lavender had been killed before his eyes. So Ron left him alone to mourn the loss of his wife. In his mind he began working a plan of how to tell Hermione. . .should the responsibility be passed to him. But he had come to the decision that no one would ask him to do that. It would most likely either be her father or Dumbledore's job. So he had gone back to attempting to wake up Harry.
Ron sighed angrily and sat down, tossing his wand a few feet away from him. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes, yelling and screaming wasn't going to accomplish anything other than causing him to go hoarse. Obviously Harry knew where he was going and what he was going to face, but he didn't understand why he had chosen to not tell anyone. Ron looked around the room. It was barely distinguishable as the Great Hall anymore. The tables and benches were broken and scattered throughout the room. The floor was charred from the lightening and the hole from Wormtail's first spell suddenly seemed a lot deeper in the daylight. His head was still killing him from where something had bashed into him in the dark and he wouldn't be surprised if he looked half as bad as he felt. Harry started to move a little and Ron quickly hurried back over to him and helped him sit up.
"Bloody hell, Harry, you look awful. You feel okay?" asked Ron.
Harry nodded his head, "It's not that bad."
He looked around for a moment as what happened came back to him, "What're you doing here, Ron?"
"I could ask you the same question. I saw you leaving the tower and followed you. Why didn't you tell anyone about this? You almost died!" exclaimed Ron.
Harry shrugged, "If I did, Wormtail would've killed Hermione's parents."
The two looked over at them. Mr. Granger hadn't seemed to notice that Harry was awake.
"Didn't really seem to work that well, though." Harry said quietly.
Ron looked at his friend, "Come on, Harry. You did the best you could. I'm sure everyone will know that. Besides, at least you saved one of them."
Harry shook his head, "No, you did. If you didn't get my wand back, her dad would've died, too."
"Still, you stalled him long enough. And you had enough guts to go and face him by yourself." said Ron, helping Harry to his feet.
Suddenly, there were voices outside the doors.
"That's odd. Minerva, did you lock the doors?" Dumbledore asked.
Ron shot up, "Stay here, Harry. I'll be right back."
With that he sat Harry down on part of a bench that had escaped unscathed and raced up to the front of the room, "Hey! Professor! Get us out of here!"
"Ron? What're you doing in there?" asked Tali.
"We're stuck! Just get us out!" Ron exclaimed.
"Who's we?" asked McGonagall.
"Me, Harry, and Hermione's dad." answered Ron.
"What is Hermione's father doing here?" asked Remus.
"Don't ask me stupid questions! We've been stuck in here forever! We need to see Madame Pomfrey!" Ron yelled through the door.
"Are you okay!?" the freshened wary voice of Sirius demanded to know.
"It's not that bad, but for god's sake, open the bloody doors!" Ron shouted
Harry hobbled over to where Mr. Granger sat with his wife. He still felt incredibly weak and felt as though fatigue might overtake him at any moment, but refused give in. When he got to the place where he sat, Harry could hear his tears and felt even more horrible.
"Mr. Granger?" Harry asked carefully.
Mr. Granger looked up at him, with his wife's hand in his own, "Oh, hello, Harry."
"I'm really, really sorry. I tried to---" Harry started but Mr. Granger silenced him.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not your fault." he said quietly.
Harry looked down, it was his fault. Both of them knew it. He should have seen the triumphant glint Wormtail had in his eyes as he asked for the counter curse. He should have known that any follower of Voldemort wouldn't so easily abandon him and help the enemy, particularly the Boy-Who-Lived. He should have seen it coming, but he didn't. And it was because of this that Hermione's mother was dead.
"Come on, they're going to bust us out!" said Ron, hurrying up to them.
Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulder and Harry put his around Ron's and they slowly made their way to the front of the room. Mr. Granger picked up his wife tenderly and carried her to the front as well.
"Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three." said Dumbledore as the doors burst open.
A majority of the staff, Remus, Sirius, and a few students were standing on the other side and gasped at what they saw. Some of the teachers ushered the students present away as the others rushed into the room, taking it all in. The charred spots and hole on the floor, Wormtail's body, Mrs. Granger's body, and eventually, the three who had managed to survive the horrific night.
"What. . .happened here?" asked McGonagall in disbelief.
"Harry? Are you okay?" asked Sirius, rushing forward.
"I'm fine." said Harry quietly.
"What about you, Ron?" Sirius asked.
"Not bad." he replied.
"Would either of you mind explaining what happened?" asked McGonagall. But before either could say a thing. . .
"Mum!" came a shriek from the entrance.
Hermione ran forward to her father and mother's lifeless body, "Dad? What. . .what happened to mom? She's going to be okay, isn't she!?"
Harry felt himself sink even lower into his guilt at this and turned his head down as Hermione spilt buckets of tears, he had done this. Dumbledore walked over to Harry and Ron and looked at them.
"Boys, let us go to the hospital wing. We need to get you cleaned up and have a chat." he said softly.
"I see, so Voldemort killed his own minion." said Dumbledore after Harry and Ron finished telling their stories.
"God dammit, Harry! You still should have told us! You could've been killed!" exclaimed Sirius.
Harry didn't say anything, just kept his gaze locked onto the floor as he did when he told his story. Madame Pomfrey had fixed his broken leg and cuts in record time, leaving oodles of time for explanations. If there was anything that Harry was grateful for, it was that Hermione wasn't there to hear it. She had been taken somewhere else where her father could tell her what happened and mourn her loss.
"Sirius, you would have done the same thing. Leave him alone." Tali whispered harshly.
"Still, it was dangerous. Next time just tell somebody, okay, Harry?" asked Sirius. Harry nodded mutely. He doubted there would be a next time, but he didn't say this.
*******************************
Harry sat on the stairs just outside the entrance to the school, watching the sun set. Snow was falling heavily and his robes were quite damp. Ron and Lavender had gone off to the day's classes, leaving Harry to amuse himself. He hadn't seen Hermione since her mother's funeral, three days ago. And even then they hadn't spoken in fact; Harry doubted that she even knew he had been there.
He had finally consented to go, due to his friends' persistent-ness. Hermione, of course, had been in tears all day and nearly became hysterical at the body's viewing. Harry remembered the body perfectly. Mrs. Granger's long brown hair was finally retired from its usual bun style. She had been wearing a red dress and even through the make up it was painfully obvious how pale she was. Throughout it, Ron and Lavender were by the Grangers' side. He, on the other hand, took to the back, trying his hardest to stay out of sight and mind.
When it came time to bury the body, the snow was still falling, heavy as ever. It must have been an odd sight for the Muggles passing by to see. Not only were there dozens of witches and wizards (though very few knew that) all dressed in black robes, but there wasn't any ashes to ashes or dust to dust in the eulogy. Harry couldn't remember exactly what the priest had said, but he was sure that it wasn't like anything he had ever heard on the televisions at the Dursley's.
But out of all the things that Harry couldn't get out of his mind, it was Hermione's face. The complete and utter sense of loss portrayed on it left Harry feeling nothing short of a cold blooded murder. Even if he hadn't actually killed Mrs. Granger, he had killed her by not stopping Wormtail. That feeling had stuck with him throughout the day, even after everyone had left and Harry had apologized to the freshly stirred dirt that covered one of the dark side's latest kills.
Harry was surprised that his presence had been tolerated. Mr. Granger had only tried to console him, deep down, Harry knew he blamed him, he knew he did. He sighed, it had happened once again. He was jinxed. Because of his existence, yet another two people were dead. And while it was true that he could care less about Wormtail, he felt horrible about Hermione's mum.
Harry brought his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. He could see some movement in Forbidden Forest but thought nothing of it, there was always something moving in there. Harry could no longer feel his nose or cheeks. He presumed it was to be expected, though, after sitting out there for so long. He wondered if he should even bother staying there. Perhaps he should just go to Siberia, and live out the last two months of his life in solitude, where he couldn't hurt anyone. Harry had been thinking about this a lot lately, it could only benefit people. The door behind him opened and then closed quietly. Harry didn't bother to see who it was. Hopefully they would just turn around and walk back in, leaving him to his thoughts. No such luck.
"Harry?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry cringed at her voice. He didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, particularly her. Not that he didn't still care for her, but for fear that she would actually say what he had been feeling, that it was his fault.
"Harry?" she asked again and put a hand on her shoulder. Reluctantly, Harry looked up at her.
"Can I sit with you?" she asked. Harry brushed some of the snow off the spot next to him. She sat down and they were quiet for a long time.
"I'm sorry." Harry said after a while.
Hermione shook her head with fresh tears springing to her eyes, "No, dad told me what happened. I. . .I wanted to thank you and Ron."
Harry looked at her, "What for?"
"You saved my dad from that man. . .thank you." she said with a small smile.
"But I let your mum die! You shouldn't be thanking me." said Harry.
Hermione nodded, "Yes, but if you didn't go and do what you did my father wouldn't be here, either."
"I still don't deserve any thank you's. I should have died instead. At least I'm ready for it." Harry said solemnly.
Hermione took his hands, "Don't say that, Harry. I don't know what I'd do if you died."
"You'd find someone with loads of money, get married, settle down, and have about a dozen kids." Harry said seriously. It was, after all, only a matter of time until he did die and he had had loads of time lately to think about what would happen.
Hermione's mouth dropped open in indignation and she shoved him, "That's not funny, Harry."
"All I'm saying is not to get too attached to any ideas that might involve me." Harry said before thinking about it.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione, eyes widening.
Harry shook his head furiously, "No, it's not that. I'd never break up with you."
"Then. . .what are you saying?" she asked.
"Forget about it. It's not important." Harry said, resting his chin on his knees again.
Hermione took his hand again, "Harry. . .what is it? Why can't you tell us anything anymore?"
"Okay, look at it this way. You know what happened the other day. I almost died then. Who's to say I won't drop dead in a month or two? Hell, I could die tomorrow. There's no way to know. I just don't want you to be hurt when it happens." Harry said standing up and brushing the snow off his shoulders.
Harry started to walk off. He didn't know where he was going. If he was smart he would have gone in the other direction, inside, but as his luck had it, he didn't have the brains to do such and his pride wouldn't allow him to do turn around and face her either. Hermione quickly chased after him.
She reached out and grabbed his hand, "Harry, don't talk like that! You're only sixteen! You have your whole life ahead of you! And I can't change how I feel. If I love you, then I love you."
Then, before Harry could say another thing she pulled him into a one-sided hug, "And you better get used to it, because it's never going to change."
She kissed the base of his neck and then buried her face in his robes. They stood like that for several minutes, Harry feeling strangely awkward. He couldn't seem to understand how Hermione could act the way she was to him. She shouldn't still love him. He didn't understand.
"I'm sorry about your mum." Harry whispered quietly.
Hermione didn't say anything; instead she started crying again, but didn't move away from him, "I miss her, Harry."
Harry brought his arms up and hesitated only for a moment before holding her with one and gently stroking her head with the other one. This wasn't the way things were supposed to be.
"We should get back to the common room before we get caught after curfew." he said breaking away.
Hermione nodded and wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. Harry looked at her for a moment then headed on his way.
***************************
"You hear that Gryffindor's playing Ravenclaw for the cup?" Ron asked the next day in the common room.
"Yes, the game's set for March sixth. You think you're gonna play, Harry?" asked Lavender.
Harry shrugged, knowing he wouldn't be able to, and didn't look up from the book he was reading, Merlin's book, "Maybe."
Hermione looked up from her homework at him. He had been acting strangely ever since her mother's death, which she guessed might have something to do with it.
"Come on, Harry. Without you we don't stand a chance." said Ron, and if they weren't the only ones in the room, there most likely would have been a loud mummer of agreement.
He shrugged again, "Maybe."
"Harry, are you even listening?" asked Ron a bit annoyed.
"Mm hm." Harry said, not removing his eyes from the book.
"What're you reading?" asked Hermione.
Harry finally looked up from his reading, "Nothing."
"What is it?" asked Ron, intrigued.
"Nothing." Harry repeated, closing the book and sealing it shut.
The three looked at him. However, thankfully, a distraction came their way. Unfortunately, it was a bad one. The black owl that delivered Voldemort's letters soared into the room, dropped a letter in Harry's lap, and then, as always, was chased out by a screeching Hedwig. Harry sighed irritably, stuffed the book in his robe's pocket, picked up the letter, stood up, and started to walk towards the exit.
"Why don't you just open it here, Harry?" asked Lavender.
"Yeah, no one's here except us." said Ron.
"Don't know what's in it." Harry said gruffly, staring daggers into the piece of paper in his hand.
"Just go on. It can't be anything that bad." said Ron.
Harry shook his head and walked back over to the couch and sat down. He pulled out his wand and slid open the letter. He quickly dropped it, however, and took in a sharp breath. A blue, jelly-like substance had seeped out of the letter and onto the space between his thumb and index finger. (AN: Does anyone happen to know what that space is actually called?)
He stood up and shook his hand but it wouldn't as much as budge. Ron, Lavender, and Hermione had stood up also and gathered around him. Hermione held his arm still so they could get a better look at it. It seemed to be sucking something out of his skin, though it was impossible to say what it was exactly.
"What is it?" asked Ron; bring his face at eye level with it.
"Who care? It hurts, get it off!" Harry shouted, trying to get his arm free from Hermione's grasp.
"Hold still, Harry. We can't help you if you're jumping all over the place." said Hermione, tightening her grip slightly.
"Easy for you to say, just hurry up and get it off." said Harry trying to ignore the burning sensation that was increasing with each passing second. Ron poked the blob with his wand and Harry cursed through gritted teeth. The blob had started to sink into his skin.
"Maybe we should go get Madame Pomfrey." suggested Lavender, beginning to get worried.
But before they could even start on their way, the rest of the blob disappeared into his skin. Harry's muscles relaxed as he fell back onto the couch.
"What the hell was that thing?" he asked, rubbing the skin where the blob had been.
Hermione sat next to him, took his hand, and looked it over, "I have no idea. It doesn't look like it left any kind of mark. . .Does it still hurt?"
Harry shook his head as Ron and Lavender sat down as well.
"Damn that bastard to hell. Why the hell can't he leave you alone?" asked Ron.
"Think about who you're talking about for a minute, Ron." said Lavender.
Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Personally, he agreed with Ron. Why couldn't Voldemort leave him alone?
"You okay, Harry?" asked Lavender.
"Yeah. Fine." Harry said shortly.
But all four of them knew what the answer really was. There was no way that the blob would just go into his body and do nothing, especially if Voldemort sent it. It had to do something, most likely something bad, maybe even painful if his first encounter with it had been any hint.
"Come on. Let's go see Madame Pomfrey." said Hermione, standing up and pulling Harry up with her.
Author's Note: Well? Hmm? Whatcha think? I know what you're thinking. What's the blob gonna do? Well. . .you might have an idea by the end of next chapter but it'll be a while before you know for certain! That's right, I'm gonna leave you hanging for a while. So while you're waiting write me a review!