Rachel A. Prongs: Ah! Watch it! A little harder and you might have made me
forget how this story's gonna end! Lol, j/k. I don't think there will ever
be a way that I'll forget how I'm ending it! And I know what you want.
Tricky little devil, ain't cha? Sorry, I ain't gonna say what's gonna
happen!
Athenakitty: No, of course *I* don't want the Potters to die off, but I didn't do it, Voldie did! And in response to your other question. . .yes, still plenty of surprises left! My mind never sleeps!
Kateydidnt: Nay, I don't think it'd be much fun either. . .rather pain, methinks. . .Yep, stupid Voldie and his stupid spells. . .grr. . .in case you're interested, I made the spell from the words "descend" and "crush". . .fits its purpose quite well, wouldn't you agree?
Danny's Girl: No! Not the evil bunnies! Lol, hey, I promised no longer than a week, and that's what you got! Thanks for reviewing!
Istalksiriusonweekends: I know exactly how you feel, I nearly crying myself when I wrote it. . .poor Harry, he didn't do nothing! And welcome to my mailing list!
Silver Angel: Very exciting! I hate cliffies too. . .so I decided to give you guys a break. No cliff hanger this time! Yay! And welcome to my mailing list!
Lexi-It Changed: Oh, sorry, I knew that. Lakowa's actually a name I made up, it means 'Shadow of Death'. . .pleasant, I know. Yay! I have bodyguards! I'm saved! Lol, you're my hero!
Teazer: Lol, thanks, I think. . .sorry your plan didn't work out too well, but I'm looking forward to your next review!
English Girl: Well, gee, thanks. No, honestly, my head's still aching from the book Rachel A. Prongs hit me with.
Nina: Life, death, is it really that different? . . .wait a minute, don't answer that. Hehehe. . .yeah, um. . .hope you got the e-mail alright. Does this mean you wanna be on my mailing list? If so, just say the word!
Amy: The end? Mayhaps, but one never knows. There's still another four chapters or so, a lot can happen in four chapters. . . False presences, I warned you all in the prophecy, didn't I? Oh well, I love giving you all surprises! Thanks! That was really nice to say about my writing! ::Pouts:: Not again. . .::grabs lid to trash can:: okay, go on, throw your worst. . .I'll make it. . .
LaDee Night: You're going to make me flush. . .yeah, that's right, flush. I just watched Rugrats. . .oh well. . . Have you been to my page yet on this sight? I have a list there of all the multi-chapter stories I'll get around to writing. . .and, in case you're interested, I'm going to be working on the sequel to this next! Finally, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!
HedOwl5: Yay! Voldie's dead! Let's all take off our socks and dance! Lol, sorry, little hyper here. . .Hope your wait was worth it!
The Idiot Who Runs Around: ::Smiles:: Glad you liked the chapter! Hopefully it intrigued you enough to finish the story!
Maggie: WOW. . .you're the 14th reviewer this time 'round. That's the most I've ever gotten in one go. . . Anywho, as to you're review, I'm scared. . .yet somehow I feel special. . .but I just have one little favor to ask. . .DON'T STOP READING THIS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
DISCLAIMER: The song used in this chapter, Tomorrow, isn't mine!!!!!!! It belongs to the talented group A1!
Wanted: Love
Ch32: Footsteps
The rest of the stones seemed to fall a lot quicker after they heard the first major contact with Harry's body. No one in the room would ever be able to forget the disgusting crushing sound they had heard. Everyone stood, silent, as the dust began to settle down. Even Harry's close friends were unable to make any sound.
They all stared disbelievingly at the huge pile of rocks in the center of the room. After several minutes of baited breath and little movement, Sirius stepped forward, and, for the millionth time that day, tried to force himself through the barrier. His intentions were quickly seconded by many others, all trying desperately to break through. No one seemed to be making much progress, though, and eventually all gave up again. Opting instead to mourn loss while standing about, doing nothing. All of a sudden there was a voice of whom everyone had forgotten.
"Where am I?" Hermione asked as she sat up and rubbed her head. They turned to her but said nothing, what could they say?
Hermione noticed their odd behavior and stood up, "Where's Harry? Is he okay?"
Lavender finally burst out into tears, quickly followed by most in the room. Hermione looked quite startled by this and became worried.
"Harry. Where's Harry?" she asked taking a step forward.
Once again no one answered, but this time they didn't need to. The dust had finally settled and the handkerchief Hermione had given Harry that day in the greenhouse slowly floated down and landed silently on the pile of stones in the center of the chamber.
Hermione brought her hands to her mouth as tears filled her eyes, "No, no, it can't be. Harry!"
With that Hermione ran to the pile of the rubble and started as best she could to pull the rocks away and find her boyfriend. Realizing that the invisible wall was gone, everyone, even a few Slytherins, rushed to help her. Hedwig and Fawkes helped as well, lifting impossibly heavy stones away. No one in the room seemed to remember that they had access to magic, and were running their hands bloody. Not that anyone really noticed. All were too concentrated on finding Harry to take it in.
He was in there somewhere, everyone knew it, and everyone was intent on being the one to find him. For several hours only the sound of rocks shifting and moving could be heard. It wasn't until Hedwig's and Fawkes' combined cries were heard that people rushed over to where Harry's crushed and mangled body lay in a puddle of its own blood. In fact, his body was so flattened by the weight of the rocks that it was barely discernable as a human body, though his head had managed to maintain some of its shape.
Dumbledore carried Harry out of the ruins of Salazar Slytherin. The excited chatter that had erupted over his discovery quickly died as people caught sight of what remained of him. Harry was laid out on a magically conjured bed and a circle was formed around him, everyone etching to catch sight of their hero. As soon as they saw him, however, they rushed to avert their eyes.
Hermione, Lavender, and the Weasleys occupied one side of the bed while Sirius, Tali, Remus, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and the other professors stood on the other side and the bottom of the bed. Ron, Hermione, and Lavender were all kneeling at Harry's side, holding his hand, which was only slightly thicker than a piece of paper.
Sirius and Tali held Harry's other hand as Remus brushed the bangs out of his forever shut eyes. Hedwig and Fawkes had their heads resting on Harry's broken body, tears streaming out of their eyes. Both seemed to know it was doing no good, yet neither seemed to want to give up trying.
There was absolutely no sound, other than tears, for an immeasurably long amount of time until Dumbledore spoke, "We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Harry Potter, without whom, many of us would have eventually perished. He has given us the peace and assurance of safety many have only dreamt of up till now. Let us observe a moment of silent prayer to help guide him to the land of eternal peace."
Every head bowed and all lips moved to the words of silent prayer. By the time they had all finished, nearly all of the Slytherins had abandoned the chamber and left back up to the castle. But for those who remained, it was the longest night any ever had and ever would experience.
Most looked to Dumbledore for guidance, some hint of what they should do, but, for once, the wise old wizard didn't seem to have any answers. He looked just as helpless as everyone else, standing at the foot of the bed. It was a bit unnerving to most to see a few tears trickle down his face.
Eventually people began to leave the Chamber. . .and their fallen hero. Those at the bedside, however, showed no sign of moving anytime soon. For several more hours they hardly moved a muscle from their positions. It wasn't the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived had died that got them, but the fact that Harry, their Harry, their friend, was gone and would never return, that was what got them. Occasionally, a strong sense of this would overtake one of them, causing a grimace and a temporary increase in tears.
"It's getting late," Dumbledore said quietly after a while, "We should be getting back up to the castle."
The more collected ones of the remaining group, mostly the professors, nodded their heads in agreement. Dumbledore moved cautiously to pick up the young boy; he had already soiled his robes while bringing Harry out of the rubble, but Sirius stopped him and took his godson up himself.
The group, except for Hermione, followed the two towards the exit. In all honestly, Hermione didn't know what to do. The bed disappeared and she fell to the floor crying, the dirt clinging to Harry's blood which she was covered in. She wanted to move, to get up and mourn with the rest of her friends, but she just couldn't. Her body couldn't seem to remember how to do anything else other than cry, much less walk.
She soon felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up she saw that everyone had returned, and Mrs. Weasley was kneeling in front of her. No words were necessary. At the moment, everyone was in sync with each other's thoughts. Hermione tossed herself in the elder's arms as both sobbed on each other's shoulders.
They started to the exit again, Hermione relying heavily on the support her friends were giving her. She doubted she'd make it more than a couple of steps if she was left to walk on her own. When they reached the exit, however, Sirius suddenly found himself to unable to move forward. His feet were seemingly glued to the floor. Harry's body start emit a pale pink light and before anyone could say anything, a ghostly being, the same color pink as the light surrounding Harry, rose from the lifeless body.
Everyone stood, godsmacked, as it left Harry's body. It floated up a little before lowering itself to the ground. If it was a ghost, no one could tell. It looked sort of similar to a dementor, only less threatening. Nothing could be seen but the misty pink cloak that covered every inch of the being and more. However, there was no doubt that it was an intelligent being as it spoke.
"The Chosen One has yet to complete his duties," it said, indifferent.
"Voldemort's gone! What's left for him to do!?" Tali asked, enraged. Hadn't he been through enough?
"In this world he is. The afterlife is now being plagued by the Dark Lord's forces."
"You got to be kidding me! Leave him alone already!" Ron shouted.
"The Chosen One must fulfill his destiny. Harry has no choice but to go. Worry not; it will be over soon enough. You have the peace your kind has so desired; why are you upset?"
"Screw peace! I'd rather have Harry back! It's not fair!" Hermione cried.
"His purpose is written in the stars. He must abide by it," the being said as it waved its hand over Harry's body.
Sirius yelped out in horrified shock as red and gold sparks of light started to flow from Harry's body to the being's robe-covered hand. With each spark that left his body, it began to become more and more transparent. Despite their attempts to keep the sparks in his body, they couldn't touch them. Flowing right through their hands and bodies, they continued to go straight to being's hand.
After ten frantic minutes, Harry's body had completely disappeared and the being closed its hand into a fist before bowing to the group, "He wishes to tell you not to be sad. He says to enjoy the peace and not to worry, that you will see each other again one day."
Then, the being shot up towards the ceiling leaving a pink streak of light behind it. After a point they could no longer see it and Sirius fell to his knees, "Harry. . ."
*************
"They don't know what they're talking about!" Lavender exclaimed angrily as she threw the Daily Prophet across the table and crossed her arms.
Ron nodded, "They weren't there. Where do they get off telling all these bullshit lies that never happened?"
Hermione picked up the paper and glanced over the headlining story. 'Peace Restored: You-Know-Who and Harry Potter, Dead.' Knowing that she really shouldn't, she skimmed through the article anyway:
After years of tyranny, Lord Voldemort, more commonly known as You-Know- Who, has finally been killed, thanks to the heroics of young Mr. Harry J. Potter, who, unfortunately, was killed in the effort. From our informants, we have learned that Potter foolishly lured the Dark Lord's forces back to Hogwarts after a run in the two had in which Potter rescued his girlfriend, a Miss Hermione A. Granger, as some of you might remember from earlier articles of Rita Skeeter. However, after several hours of determination and talent, Potter managed to send over two hundred Death Eaters to Azkaban prison, kill You- Know-Who's second hand man, Lucius Malfoy, and defeat the Dark Lord himself.
The article went on to give specifics of the battle that, from what Hermione had been told, never happened. She looked up from the article to see Ron and Lavender still griping on about the "clueless bastards" as Ron kept putting it.
"It says they're going to build a statue of Harry in tribute," Hermione said quietly. The two stopped their deriding comments and looked over to her.
"It's a start. Damn Ministry. First they use Harry, and than they try to come off as the good guy by building a statue," Ron said irritably before cracking a small smile, ". . .Can't you just picture the look on Harry's face if he knew there was going to be a statue built of him?"
Lavender gave a short laugh, "Yeah, he'd probably do everything in his power to stop its construction. . . He never did like being famous. Where's it going to be, Hermione?"
Hermione glanced back over the article and smiled a bit, ". . .Godric's Hallow."
"Are you serious?" Ron asked, grabbing the paper, "Damn, they're actually doing something right for once."
Hermione sighed and stood up before making her way out of the Great Hall. She was followed quickly by her two friends, however. She sped up her pace, in hopes of ditching them, at the moment she just wanted to be left alone. They didn't seem to get the hint, though, as they, too, sped up. It wasn't until they reached a secluded hall way that they caught up with her.
Ron grasped her wrist and spun her around, "Where you going, Hermione?"
She turned, not bothering to blink back the tears. Then, without a word, she hugged him around the neck and started sobbing. Ron looked rather uncomfortable as he had never really been good at knowing what to say in that sort of situation, but Lavender put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Hermione. . ."
"No! No, it's not!" she shouted, releasing Ron and wiping angrily at her tears, "Harry's gone, Lavender! He's gone and he's never going to come back!"
Lavender had tears in her eyes as she moved over and embraced her friend. Neither said a thing after that, they just cried on each other shoulders. Ron looked on for a moment before getting a few tears of his own and hugging both of them. If anyone were to have turned into the hallway at that moment, they would have been witness to one of the many break downs Harry's friends suffered through. This time, however, something different was happening. . .
Footsteps were heard approaching the hall, and the group broke away quickly. The wiped their eyes and sniffed, trying to banish all traces that they had been crying. They stood quietly as they waited for the person to make their way through. They waited and waited, but, although true that the footsteps were getting louder, no one was coming.
Somewhat curious, Ron ventured to the end of the hallway, flanked by Hermione and Lavender. Peeking around the corner, no one was in sight, but with their appearance, the footsteps disappeared.
"That was odd," Hermione said, standing up.
Ron stood up also and shook his head, "It was probably just Peeves trying to scare us."
"Hold on a minute. . ." Lavender said, "Is that. . ."
A few feet away was nothing less than the Marauder Map. The trio made their way over too it as Ron took it up in his hands. Obviously someone had turned it on, for the many little dots were moving about the castle.
"This is really weird. . ." Hermione said as the dots labeled 'Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle' were flashing noticeably in the Entrance Hall, "Do you think Fred and George are trying to pull something on us?"
"They better not," Lavender said sternly, "Or I'm going to have to -"
"Calm down, Lavender," Ron said with a hint of amusement, "Besides, that's my job. . . Maybe we should go and see what this is all about."
"It's not like we have anything better to do," Lavender agreed.
**************
"So when's this?" Remus asked with semi-interest.
Dumbledore smiled sadly, "I don't know. The Ministry is still in disarray from Cornelius' death."
Sirius snorted, "I don't know why. It's not like the git did anything anyway."
"Sirius. You really shouldn't talk about the dead like that," Remus said seriously.
"You can't hide the truth, Rem," Tali agreed with her fiancée.
"There you are!" Narcissa exclaimed running up to Dumbledore.
"What are you still doing here, Malfoy?" Sirius scowled.
Narcissa turned to him and sneered, "Was I talking to you, Black?"
"I don't know, were you?" Sirius asked, crossing his arm.
"Come now, Sirius," Dumbledore said with a small smile at his childish behavior, "Narcissa is staying at Hogwarts until the end of the school year."
"Why?" asked Tali.
"You want to go out there into a world of witches and wizards after having it publicly stated that you were married to Voldemort's second hand man?" Narcissa asked as she rolled her eyes.
"Do you really think things will calm down in four months?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Shove it, wolf boy," Narcissa glared.
Sirius started at that, but was held back by Tali and Remus.
"Don't rise to that, Padfoot. I don't care," Remus whispered feverishly in his ear.
Sirius scowled again before settling angrily, "It's your lucky day, Malfoy."
She rolled her eyes, "I'm so sure, Black."
Dumbledore decided to take that to step in, "What can I help you with, Narcissa?"
She looked back to the headmaster as she remembered why she had come in the first place, "It's Draco. He's seemed to have gotten himself into another fix, and as I don't yet have another wand. . ."
"Ah, of course, lead the way, my dear lady," Dumbledore said, bowing ever so slightly at the waist.
**************
"What is that!?" Ron asked in a very amused voice as the trio finally reached the Entrance Hall.
The two girls couldn't contain themselves and burst into giggles. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were dangling helplessly from the replaced chandelier, a good fifty or so feet above the ground. At that wasn't the best of it. All three were dress in bright red and gold sequent dress that extended well below their feet.
Ron broke out into laughter, too, as the three suspended in air scowled at them. It felt good to laugh again after a week of solemn faces and low spirits, though, their cheeks did hurt from going so long without laughing. Within the next few minutes, a few other students and faculty members wandered into Hall. All who did, had to at least crack a smile. It wasn't until a certain group of people arrived that the laughter subdued into contained smiles.
"Oh dear. . ." Dumbledore said quietly as Sirius, Remus, and Tali roared with laughter.
"How on earth did your son get himself stuck up there?" Tali asked, stifling her laughter for a moment.
"Forget that, why is the git where a dress?" Sirius laughed.
"How should I know!?" snapped Narcissa, "Dumbledore, can you get him down?"
Dumbledore nodded and took out his wand, much to the disappointment of most in the hall when something stopped everyone in their tracks. Golden light streamed through the air just above the three Slytherins to form a short, yet very powerful message.
"Death isn't the end. You have peace, enjoy your lives. . .Gryffindors Rule!" Hermione read the message quietly, but it seemed ten times louder in the silence that had settled over the room.
"Harry," Sirius muttered under his breath.
************
Another week had passed since Harry's final message had been displayed for all to read. It hadn't disappeared for another five days, so it wasn't really that surprising when person after person kept visiting the castle to see it with their own eyes, despite the fact that it had been published in the Daily Prophet.
Everyone tried their best to follow Harry's last request, but many found it difficult, especially after Dumbledore told them that Harry's funeral service was to be held over in a week. The ways people used to cope with the situation varied.
Ron, along with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, became obsessed with practice. When they weren't in class, eating, sleeping, or doing homework, they could most certainly be found out on the field, practicing well into the night. Hermione and Lavender threw themselves into their studies, quickly becoming known as the Studious Sisters. Tali spent all her time grading papers and coming up with lesson plans, while Sirius and Remus often could be found in empty classrooms with the Weasley twins, undoubtedly coming up with more pranks for the twins' new store.
They all did their best to keep smiling, though it was painfully obvious that they were all faking it. All their activities were just escapes to get out of remembering. And then, of course, there was the mystery of the footsteps. Nearly everyone in the castle had encountered them at least once, but no one had yet to meet the creature that made them. It had become somewhat of a goal of every last person in the castle to find out their origin. A goal no one took more seriously that a Miss Hermione Granger.
At the moment, she was wandering through the halls, quite alone. She and Lavender had both finished all their homework and all the extra credit the teachers were willing to give out. But while Lavender had opted to go watch the Gryffindor team practice, Hermione chose attempting to solve the footstep dilemma.
In all honesty, she didn't see the point in the Gryffindor team practicing for the rest of the year. It was painfully obvious that they weren't going to win any matches. Not only were all the team members distracted by thoughts of their old seeker, but not a single one made any mention of trying to find a new one. . .not that anyone would have tried out anyway. That spot was, and always would be, Harry Potter's and Harry Potter's alone.
Hermione quickly shook the thought out of her head. She couldn't start on him again. If she did, she would most certainly wind up in tears, something she was trying her best to avoid lately. Somewhere deep down she knew, she knew that Harry was watching all of them from wherever it was that he was. She knew that he would never completely leave them, but, at the same time, it only depressed her more. To know that he was watching her, and yet she couldn't see him in return. . .it ripped at every fiber of her heart.
Sighing, Hermione allowed herself to lean against the wall. She had been walking forever, and her feet were on fire. Slipping off her shoe, she massaged the bottoms of her foot. Suddenly, she straightened up, shoe in hand. She had heard something. Listening carefully for another minute, nothing reached her. Presuming that she must have been hearing things, she rubbed her foot again, but abruptly stopped again. She was certain that she had heard something.
She walked forward a bit awkwardly due to her only having one shoe on. She stopped when she heard it for a third time. Footsteps. She was certain of it. Hermione quickly hurried in the direction she had heard them. Turning a corner, she found herself faced with a rather lengthy staircase. Shaking her head, she sprinted up them, following the sound of the footsteps.
When she reached the top she saw a dimly lit hallway that seemingly had no end. Cautiously, she moved forward, wand out just in case. Her other hand she left to graze across the stone walls in order to help guide her way. The further down the hall she went, the more difficult visibility became, until it got to the point where she leaned fully against the wall in order to keep going.
It could be said that she was. . .surprised to find herself fall through an unexpected opening in the wall. As she hit the ground, Hermione looked up to see a drape hanging a few feet away. Sitting up, she rubbed her side and peered through the crack between the drape and the wall. Apparently, a brightly lit room was on the other side, but what was in it, she knew not.
Taking a deep breath, she stood and pulled the drape aside. A room of red and gold met her. She walked into the room, wide eyed, as she felt the soft carpet beneath her toes. Seeing a comfortable looking couch to her right, she took a seat and finally put her shoe back on, but when she looked up she felt her mouth drop.
A giant picture frame, which she had miraculously overlooked before, was right across from her, and in it was the stilled picture of eleven year olds Harry and Ron sitting in a train listening to Hermione talk. Silently, Hermione stood and walked over to the picture. Once she was standing in front of it, she hesitated for a moment before reaching out and touching it. The effect was instant. Music started out of no where and the picture started moving, replaying a long forgotten memory.
{You used to say, everyday
We will always be this way}
"-I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," Harry said
"Are you really?" said Hermione, "I know all about you of course---"
{Flying angels lifting high
To reach the sun where I belong}
"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.
The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: he took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.
. . . . . . . . .
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was as very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll was one of them.
{Girl you know you are the one
Above the clouds I see you cry}
"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There's been a double attack."
Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered.
Madame Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And the bed next to her was-
"Hermione!" Ron groaned.
Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.
"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them. . ."
She was holding up a small, circular mirror.
Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione.
{You know that when you smile
You stop the rain (stop the rain)
And we will be together
Once again}
"Harry, it's Hermione!" Neville exclaimed, nodding toward the entrance to the Great Hall.
Harry and Ron whipped around and smiled as they saw Hermione who smiled back. They both stood up as Hermione ran to them. She and Harry hugged happily before breaking apart. She and Ron nearly hugged but settled on a handshake.
"Glad you're back," Ron said.
"It's good to be back," Hermione said, looking between the two. "You can't believe you solved it!"
"Yeah, well, we had loads of help from you," Harry said with a smile.
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave
And just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
"Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione-"'
Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her leg up. Then he placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of her. He pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of the collar like reins.
"Ready?" he whispered to Hermione. "You'd better hold on to me-"
He nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.
Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Harry gripped his flanks with his knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Hermione was holding Harry's very tight around the waist; he could hear her muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this - oh, I really don't like this-"
{I've always known
The love you've shown
Means you'll never be alone
There'll be times you wonder why oohh.}
Harry laid down his quill too, having just finished predicting his own death by decapitation.
"What's in the box?" he asked, pointing at it.
"Funny you should ask," Hermione said, with a nasty look at Ron. She look off the lid and showed them the contents. Inside were about fifty badges, all of different colors, but all bearing the same letters: S.P.E.W.
"'Spew'?" said Harry, picking up a badge and looking at it. "What's this about?"
"Not spew," said Hermione impatiently. "It's S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."
. . . . . . . . .
"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.
"We start by recruiting members," said Hermione happily. "I thought two Sickles to join - that buys the bade - and the proceeds can fun our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer Ron - I've got you a collecting tin upstairs - and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting."
There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them, and Harry sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and amusement at the look on Ron's face.
{Seeing you with someone new
Used to make me feel so blue
But now I'm with you
All the time}
His eyes fell instead on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.
It was Hermione. . .
But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair. It was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling - rather nervously, it was true - but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.
{Oooh...'Cause you know that when you smile
You stop the rain
And we will be together once again}
Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the who l Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend.
"It'll die down, though," he told Hermione, "if we just ignore it. . .People got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time-"
"I wand to know how she's listening into private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the grounds!" said Hermione angrily.
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave
And just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, "I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later this summer. Keep in touch, Harry."
"See you, Harry," said Ron, clapping him on the back.
" 'Bye, Harry!" said Hermione, as she did something she had never done before, and she kissed him on the cheek.
{From the moment that I looked into your eyes
All of my life I thought I'd be there}
Hermione was, by far, the worst off of all. She was still kneeling next to his bed, her head resting on Harry's chest, crying softly to herself.
"I'm so sorry." she whispered over and over into his chest, "I'm sorry I didn't figure everything out."
His body was now losing heat and his face was draining of color so the dried blood on his chin stuck out more than then ever but she didn't care. She would never leave his side. They would have to kill her to get her away from him. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him with all the strength she could muster, which wasn't very much. She completely blamed herself for letting Harry die. If she had only used her brain. There were so many signs. How could she have missed them all? She could have and should have figured it out and done something. Hermione squeezed her hands into tight fists, gripping Harry's sweat soaked pajamas. She was about to let out a high-pitched scream of anguish when she noticed something, however faint it was. Was it her imagination or was his heart beating again?
'No! Stop it Hermione! Don't do this to yourself.' she ordered herself.
But at the same time she could help but hope that it was real. Discretely, so as not to alert the others in the room as to what she was doing, she brought her hand up to his neck. There was a pulse! Eyes wide as saucers, she slowly raised herself off Harry's chest.
"Harry?" she whispered almost inaudibly. She felt her hand being gripped gently at first, but then more firmly. Disbelieving her senses, Hermione looked down at her hand. Harry was squeezing it! Hermione let out an excited squeal.
She threw her arms around him and drew him into a fierce hug, "Harry! Oh my god! Don't you ever do that again!"
Everyone in the room was suddenly very aware of everything. At first they stared at Hermione in disbelief. She was probably delirious.
"Hermione. . .Hermione, please, he's dead. Please don't do this." said Ginny softly.
"No! No he's not! He squeezed my hand! He did! He's alive!" shouted Hermione excitedly.
{By your side, I wish I'd took the time to find
The words to say (to say)
You know that when you smile
You stop the rain
And we will be together once again}
"Harry, look at me." said Hermione, cupping his face in her hands and staring deeply into his eyes.
Oh how she loved those eyes. Every time she looked at him they were always the thing that captivated her. She felt as though she could do nothing else but stare into them for the rest of her life and be perfectly content.
"Harry, you've never been alone. Everyone cares for you. Don't you see that?" Hermione asked.
Harry lowered his eyes, "But they shouldn't! It's my fault that Voldemort came back! I'm responsible for everyone who dies!"
With that he removed his head from Hermione's gentle grasp.
"Harry! It's not your fault and you know it! Everyone knows it's not your fault! We love you no matter what, don't you go thinking otherwise!" said Hermione.
"Even you?" asked Harry, barely suppressing more tears.
Hermione blinked, "What? Of course I love you! Sometimes. . .sometimes even more than I should." She finished softly, not believing she had actually said that, so that Harry could barely understand what she had said.
Disbelieving his ears he looked up at her, "What? But what about Krum?"
"We broke up two weeks before school started." said Hermione. There was a moment of silence between the two then before anyone knew what was happening, Hermione had grabbed Harry by the head and pushed her lips against his.
When she pulled away Harry had a look of complete shock on his face. He blinked a couple times but the look didn't go away. Hermione blushed deeply and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" she exclaimed. Harry smiled slightly.
"Hermione." he said as Hermione was still going through her apologies.
Hermione immediately stopped her talking and looked at him nervously. Harry's smile broadened and as he pulled her into him and kissed her. Hermione was shocked at first but then relaxed into it. They sat there, lip locked, for a long moment then broke apart for lack of air. Hermione blushed and looked down.
Harry lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes, "Thanks."
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave}
Hermione was walking up to him with a bright smile on her face. Harry put on a half-hearted smile and put away his wand before it was seen, "Hi, Hermione."
She sat next to him, "What are you doing up here? Everyone's been looking for you."
"Nothing much, just thinking." he said.
"Oh, well you mind if I think with you?" she asked.
"Go ahead." said Harry, shrugging. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"This is fun." Hermione observed, breaking the silence.
"Mm." said Harry.
Hermione looked at him, "What's wrong, Harry?"
Harry shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Hermione wasn't so easily deceived, however.
She turned to him and took his hand, "Harry, don't you think I know better by now? Something's bothering you. Now what is it?"
Harry was quiet for a long time before finally speaking, ". . .Hermione, did you really mean it yesterday?"
"Of course I did! Do you really think I would joke around about something like that?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.
Harry shook his head furiously, "No, just forget about it."
"Come on, let's go. Sirius, Remus, and Professor Dumbledore are looking for you." said Hermione standing up and holding out her hand.
Harry took her hand, "I'm not surprised. I might as well get it over with."
"Get what over?" asked Hermione as they started to walk.
"Nothing." said Harry.
Hermione gave him a smile, "Tell me later than, okay?"
Harry nodded as they reached the Quidditch field. Hermione pulled him to a stop, grabbed the front of his robes and kissed him.
"I do love you, Harry." she said as they broke apart.
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her. All of a sudden, there was a loud cat-calling whistle. The two separated and saw the Weasleys, Lavender, Remus, Sirius, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and Tali standing several feet away. Sirius was the one who had whistled and was being told off by Tali at the moment for "disturbing the peace" as she put it.
Harry smirked at them and drew into Hermione again who laughed and playfully pushed him back, "Not now, Harry."
{Just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
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 yous. 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.
{Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
Harry held her in the crook of his arm as they watched the stars. Suddenly, a shooting star sped across the sky.
"Make a wish," he whispered into her hair.
Hermione closed her eyes for only a moment before opening them with a smile.
"What'd you wish for?"
"I can't tell you. It won't come true."
Harry laughed, "Fine then, keep your secrets. I'll find out eventually."
"You just keep telling yourself that," Hermione said as she turned on her side and nuzzled in closer to him, "I could stay like this forever."
"Is that what you wished for?"
Hermione laughed, "No. . .good guess, though."
Harry turned and kissed the top of her head, "It's what I wished for."
"Really?"
"Mm hm."
A comfortable silence surrounded the two, both just enjoying each other's presence. Eventually Harry spoke again.
"'Mione?" he asked quietly.
"Hm?"
"I lov---"
**************
The last memory was cut off by Dumbledore's booming voice, "Attention! All students are to report directly to the Chamber of the Founders. Stick together and do not meander about. This is it. Voldemort's forces are within sight. Hurry now, and Prefects make sure to cast the spell we talked about over the entrances to your towers. Harry, good luck."
The portrait went blank and the ending music was cut off, but Hermione didn't notice. By now she was shaking in sobs on the ground. The memories were hard enough to live with, but to *see* it again. . .it was too much. She knew that Harry most likely meant well when it did this but. . .she couldn't handle it.
Hermione brought her hand up to her neck and grasped the locket Harry had given her for Christmas firmly in her fist. Her sobs doubled as she thought of the holiday and how sweet he had been about the whole thing. It wasn't every person who could convince Snape to dress as an elf and deliver presents to his most despised students and acquaintances. But Harry had done it.
He had always been able to do anything. He wanted to, that was a quality that had originally attracted her to him in the first place. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and curled herself into a tight ball before crying herself to sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, *that* was a good chapter. . .somehow the song thing didn't work out the way I wanted it to. . . I wanted to show how hard this whole thing is on Hermione. . . Oh well, can't have everything I suppose. . .what do you think? Should I just rewrite the whole stinkin' thing, or, by some miracle, do you like it? Hmm. . . ::grins evilly:: Bet you guys can't wait for the next chapter, can you? I can tell you right now, it's gonna be a doozy!
Athenakitty: No, of course *I* don't want the Potters to die off, but I didn't do it, Voldie did! And in response to your other question. . .yes, still plenty of surprises left! My mind never sleeps!
Kateydidnt: Nay, I don't think it'd be much fun either. . .rather pain, methinks. . .Yep, stupid Voldie and his stupid spells. . .grr. . .in case you're interested, I made the spell from the words "descend" and "crush". . .fits its purpose quite well, wouldn't you agree?
Danny's Girl: No! Not the evil bunnies! Lol, hey, I promised no longer than a week, and that's what you got! Thanks for reviewing!
Istalksiriusonweekends: I know exactly how you feel, I nearly crying myself when I wrote it. . .poor Harry, he didn't do nothing! And welcome to my mailing list!
Silver Angel: Very exciting! I hate cliffies too. . .so I decided to give you guys a break. No cliff hanger this time! Yay! And welcome to my mailing list!
Lexi-It Changed: Oh, sorry, I knew that. Lakowa's actually a name I made up, it means 'Shadow of Death'. . .pleasant, I know. Yay! I have bodyguards! I'm saved! Lol, you're my hero!
Teazer: Lol, thanks, I think. . .sorry your plan didn't work out too well, but I'm looking forward to your next review!
English Girl: Well, gee, thanks. No, honestly, my head's still aching from the book Rachel A. Prongs hit me with.
Nina: Life, death, is it really that different? . . .wait a minute, don't answer that. Hehehe. . .yeah, um. . .hope you got the e-mail alright. Does this mean you wanna be on my mailing list? If so, just say the word!
Amy: The end? Mayhaps, but one never knows. There's still another four chapters or so, a lot can happen in four chapters. . . False presences, I warned you all in the prophecy, didn't I? Oh well, I love giving you all surprises! Thanks! That was really nice to say about my writing! ::Pouts:: Not again. . .::grabs lid to trash can:: okay, go on, throw your worst. . .I'll make it. . .
LaDee Night: You're going to make me flush. . .yeah, that's right, flush. I just watched Rugrats. . .oh well. . . Have you been to my page yet on this sight? I have a list there of all the multi-chapter stories I'll get around to writing. . .and, in case you're interested, I'm going to be working on the sequel to this next! Finally, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!
HedOwl5: Yay! Voldie's dead! Let's all take off our socks and dance! Lol, sorry, little hyper here. . .Hope your wait was worth it!
The Idiot Who Runs Around: ::Smiles:: Glad you liked the chapter! Hopefully it intrigued you enough to finish the story!
Maggie: WOW. . .you're the 14th reviewer this time 'round. That's the most I've ever gotten in one go. . . Anywho, as to you're review, I'm scared. . .yet somehow I feel special. . .but I just have one little favor to ask. . .DON'T STOP READING THIS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
DISCLAIMER: The song used in this chapter, Tomorrow, isn't mine!!!!!!! It belongs to the talented group A1!
Wanted: Love
Ch32: Footsteps
The rest of the stones seemed to fall a lot quicker after they heard the first major contact with Harry's body. No one in the room would ever be able to forget the disgusting crushing sound they had heard. Everyone stood, silent, as the dust began to settle down. Even Harry's close friends were unable to make any sound.
They all stared disbelievingly at the huge pile of rocks in the center of the room. After several minutes of baited breath and little movement, Sirius stepped forward, and, for the millionth time that day, tried to force himself through the barrier. His intentions were quickly seconded by many others, all trying desperately to break through. No one seemed to be making much progress, though, and eventually all gave up again. Opting instead to mourn loss while standing about, doing nothing. All of a sudden there was a voice of whom everyone had forgotten.
"Where am I?" Hermione asked as she sat up and rubbed her head. They turned to her but said nothing, what could they say?
Hermione noticed their odd behavior and stood up, "Where's Harry? Is he okay?"
Lavender finally burst out into tears, quickly followed by most in the room. Hermione looked quite startled by this and became worried.
"Harry. Where's Harry?" she asked taking a step forward.
Once again no one answered, but this time they didn't need to. The dust had finally settled and the handkerchief Hermione had given Harry that day in the greenhouse slowly floated down and landed silently on the pile of stones in the center of the chamber.
Hermione brought her hands to her mouth as tears filled her eyes, "No, no, it can't be. Harry!"
With that Hermione ran to the pile of the rubble and started as best she could to pull the rocks away and find her boyfriend. Realizing that the invisible wall was gone, everyone, even a few Slytherins, rushed to help her. Hedwig and Fawkes helped as well, lifting impossibly heavy stones away. No one in the room seemed to remember that they had access to magic, and were running their hands bloody. Not that anyone really noticed. All were too concentrated on finding Harry to take it in.
He was in there somewhere, everyone knew it, and everyone was intent on being the one to find him. For several hours only the sound of rocks shifting and moving could be heard. It wasn't until Hedwig's and Fawkes' combined cries were heard that people rushed over to where Harry's crushed and mangled body lay in a puddle of its own blood. In fact, his body was so flattened by the weight of the rocks that it was barely discernable as a human body, though his head had managed to maintain some of its shape.
Dumbledore carried Harry out of the ruins of Salazar Slytherin. The excited chatter that had erupted over his discovery quickly died as people caught sight of what remained of him. Harry was laid out on a magically conjured bed and a circle was formed around him, everyone etching to catch sight of their hero. As soon as they saw him, however, they rushed to avert their eyes.
Hermione, Lavender, and the Weasleys occupied one side of the bed while Sirius, Tali, Remus, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and the other professors stood on the other side and the bottom of the bed. Ron, Hermione, and Lavender were all kneeling at Harry's side, holding his hand, which was only slightly thicker than a piece of paper.
Sirius and Tali held Harry's other hand as Remus brushed the bangs out of his forever shut eyes. Hedwig and Fawkes had their heads resting on Harry's broken body, tears streaming out of their eyes. Both seemed to know it was doing no good, yet neither seemed to want to give up trying.
There was absolutely no sound, other than tears, for an immeasurably long amount of time until Dumbledore spoke, "We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Harry Potter, without whom, many of us would have eventually perished. He has given us the peace and assurance of safety many have only dreamt of up till now. Let us observe a moment of silent prayer to help guide him to the land of eternal peace."
Every head bowed and all lips moved to the words of silent prayer. By the time they had all finished, nearly all of the Slytherins had abandoned the chamber and left back up to the castle. But for those who remained, it was the longest night any ever had and ever would experience.
Most looked to Dumbledore for guidance, some hint of what they should do, but, for once, the wise old wizard didn't seem to have any answers. He looked just as helpless as everyone else, standing at the foot of the bed. It was a bit unnerving to most to see a few tears trickle down his face.
Eventually people began to leave the Chamber. . .and their fallen hero. Those at the bedside, however, showed no sign of moving anytime soon. For several more hours they hardly moved a muscle from their positions. It wasn't the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived had died that got them, but the fact that Harry, their Harry, their friend, was gone and would never return, that was what got them. Occasionally, a strong sense of this would overtake one of them, causing a grimace and a temporary increase in tears.
"It's getting late," Dumbledore said quietly after a while, "We should be getting back up to the castle."
The more collected ones of the remaining group, mostly the professors, nodded their heads in agreement. Dumbledore moved cautiously to pick up the young boy; he had already soiled his robes while bringing Harry out of the rubble, but Sirius stopped him and took his godson up himself.
The group, except for Hermione, followed the two towards the exit. In all honestly, Hermione didn't know what to do. The bed disappeared and she fell to the floor crying, the dirt clinging to Harry's blood which she was covered in. She wanted to move, to get up and mourn with the rest of her friends, but she just couldn't. Her body couldn't seem to remember how to do anything else other than cry, much less walk.
She soon felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up she saw that everyone had returned, and Mrs. Weasley was kneeling in front of her. No words were necessary. At the moment, everyone was in sync with each other's thoughts. Hermione tossed herself in the elder's arms as both sobbed on each other's shoulders.
They started to the exit again, Hermione relying heavily on the support her friends were giving her. She doubted she'd make it more than a couple of steps if she was left to walk on her own. When they reached the exit, however, Sirius suddenly found himself to unable to move forward. His feet were seemingly glued to the floor. Harry's body start emit a pale pink light and before anyone could say anything, a ghostly being, the same color pink as the light surrounding Harry, rose from the lifeless body.
Everyone stood, godsmacked, as it left Harry's body. It floated up a little before lowering itself to the ground. If it was a ghost, no one could tell. It looked sort of similar to a dementor, only less threatening. Nothing could be seen but the misty pink cloak that covered every inch of the being and more. However, there was no doubt that it was an intelligent being as it spoke.
"The Chosen One has yet to complete his duties," it said, indifferent.
"Voldemort's gone! What's left for him to do!?" Tali asked, enraged. Hadn't he been through enough?
"In this world he is. The afterlife is now being plagued by the Dark Lord's forces."
"You got to be kidding me! Leave him alone already!" Ron shouted.
"The Chosen One must fulfill his destiny. Harry has no choice but to go. Worry not; it will be over soon enough. You have the peace your kind has so desired; why are you upset?"
"Screw peace! I'd rather have Harry back! It's not fair!" Hermione cried.
"His purpose is written in the stars. He must abide by it," the being said as it waved its hand over Harry's body.
Sirius yelped out in horrified shock as red and gold sparks of light started to flow from Harry's body to the being's robe-covered hand. With each spark that left his body, it began to become more and more transparent. Despite their attempts to keep the sparks in his body, they couldn't touch them. Flowing right through their hands and bodies, they continued to go straight to being's hand.
After ten frantic minutes, Harry's body had completely disappeared and the being closed its hand into a fist before bowing to the group, "He wishes to tell you not to be sad. He says to enjoy the peace and not to worry, that you will see each other again one day."
Then, the being shot up towards the ceiling leaving a pink streak of light behind it. After a point they could no longer see it and Sirius fell to his knees, "Harry. . ."
*************
"They don't know what they're talking about!" Lavender exclaimed angrily as she threw the Daily Prophet across the table and crossed her arms.
Ron nodded, "They weren't there. Where do they get off telling all these bullshit lies that never happened?"
Hermione picked up the paper and glanced over the headlining story. 'Peace Restored: You-Know-Who and Harry Potter, Dead.' Knowing that she really shouldn't, she skimmed through the article anyway:
After years of tyranny, Lord Voldemort, more commonly known as You-Know- Who, has finally been killed, thanks to the heroics of young Mr. Harry J. Potter, who, unfortunately, was killed in the effort. From our informants, we have learned that Potter foolishly lured the Dark Lord's forces back to Hogwarts after a run in the two had in which Potter rescued his girlfriend, a Miss Hermione A. Granger, as some of you might remember from earlier articles of Rita Skeeter. However, after several hours of determination and talent, Potter managed to send over two hundred Death Eaters to Azkaban prison, kill You- Know-Who's second hand man, Lucius Malfoy, and defeat the Dark Lord himself.
The article went on to give specifics of the battle that, from what Hermione had been told, never happened. She looked up from the article to see Ron and Lavender still griping on about the "clueless bastards" as Ron kept putting it.
"It says they're going to build a statue of Harry in tribute," Hermione said quietly. The two stopped their deriding comments and looked over to her.
"It's a start. Damn Ministry. First they use Harry, and than they try to come off as the good guy by building a statue," Ron said irritably before cracking a small smile, ". . .Can't you just picture the look on Harry's face if he knew there was going to be a statue built of him?"
Lavender gave a short laugh, "Yeah, he'd probably do everything in his power to stop its construction. . . He never did like being famous. Where's it going to be, Hermione?"
Hermione glanced back over the article and smiled a bit, ". . .Godric's Hallow."
"Are you serious?" Ron asked, grabbing the paper, "Damn, they're actually doing something right for once."
Hermione sighed and stood up before making her way out of the Great Hall. She was followed quickly by her two friends, however. She sped up her pace, in hopes of ditching them, at the moment she just wanted to be left alone. They didn't seem to get the hint, though, as they, too, sped up. It wasn't until they reached a secluded hall way that they caught up with her.
Ron grasped her wrist and spun her around, "Where you going, Hermione?"
She turned, not bothering to blink back the tears. Then, without a word, she hugged him around the neck and started sobbing. Ron looked rather uncomfortable as he had never really been good at knowing what to say in that sort of situation, but Lavender put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Hermione. . ."
"No! No, it's not!" she shouted, releasing Ron and wiping angrily at her tears, "Harry's gone, Lavender! He's gone and he's never going to come back!"
Lavender had tears in her eyes as she moved over and embraced her friend. Neither said a thing after that, they just cried on each other shoulders. Ron looked on for a moment before getting a few tears of his own and hugging both of them. If anyone were to have turned into the hallway at that moment, they would have been witness to one of the many break downs Harry's friends suffered through. This time, however, something different was happening. . .
Footsteps were heard approaching the hall, and the group broke away quickly. The wiped their eyes and sniffed, trying to banish all traces that they had been crying. They stood quietly as they waited for the person to make their way through. They waited and waited, but, although true that the footsteps were getting louder, no one was coming.
Somewhat curious, Ron ventured to the end of the hallway, flanked by Hermione and Lavender. Peeking around the corner, no one was in sight, but with their appearance, the footsteps disappeared.
"That was odd," Hermione said, standing up.
Ron stood up also and shook his head, "It was probably just Peeves trying to scare us."
"Hold on a minute. . ." Lavender said, "Is that. . ."
A few feet away was nothing less than the Marauder Map. The trio made their way over too it as Ron took it up in his hands. Obviously someone had turned it on, for the many little dots were moving about the castle.
"This is really weird. . ." Hermione said as the dots labeled 'Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle' were flashing noticeably in the Entrance Hall, "Do you think Fred and George are trying to pull something on us?"
"They better not," Lavender said sternly, "Or I'm going to have to -"
"Calm down, Lavender," Ron said with a hint of amusement, "Besides, that's my job. . . Maybe we should go and see what this is all about."
"It's not like we have anything better to do," Lavender agreed.
**************
"So when's this?" Remus asked with semi-interest.
Dumbledore smiled sadly, "I don't know. The Ministry is still in disarray from Cornelius' death."
Sirius snorted, "I don't know why. It's not like the git did anything anyway."
"Sirius. You really shouldn't talk about the dead like that," Remus said seriously.
"You can't hide the truth, Rem," Tali agreed with her fiancée.
"There you are!" Narcissa exclaimed running up to Dumbledore.
"What are you still doing here, Malfoy?" Sirius scowled.
Narcissa turned to him and sneered, "Was I talking to you, Black?"
"I don't know, were you?" Sirius asked, crossing his arm.
"Come now, Sirius," Dumbledore said with a small smile at his childish behavior, "Narcissa is staying at Hogwarts until the end of the school year."
"Why?" asked Tali.
"You want to go out there into a world of witches and wizards after having it publicly stated that you were married to Voldemort's second hand man?" Narcissa asked as she rolled her eyes.
"Do you really think things will calm down in four months?" Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Shove it, wolf boy," Narcissa glared.
Sirius started at that, but was held back by Tali and Remus.
"Don't rise to that, Padfoot. I don't care," Remus whispered feverishly in his ear.
Sirius scowled again before settling angrily, "It's your lucky day, Malfoy."
She rolled her eyes, "I'm so sure, Black."
Dumbledore decided to take that to step in, "What can I help you with, Narcissa?"
She looked back to the headmaster as she remembered why she had come in the first place, "It's Draco. He's seemed to have gotten himself into another fix, and as I don't yet have another wand. . ."
"Ah, of course, lead the way, my dear lady," Dumbledore said, bowing ever so slightly at the waist.
**************
"What is that!?" Ron asked in a very amused voice as the trio finally reached the Entrance Hall.
The two girls couldn't contain themselves and burst into giggles. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were dangling helplessly from the replaced chandelier, a good fifty or so feet above the ground. At that wasn't the best of it. All three were dress in bright red and gold sequent dress that extended well below their feet.
Ron broke out into laughter, too, as the three suspended in air scowled at them. It felt good to laugh again after a week of solemn faces and low spirits, though, their cheeks did hurt from going so long without laughing. Within the next few minutes, a few other students and faculty members wandered into Hall. All who did, had to at least crack a smile. It wasn't until a certain group of people arrived that the laughter subdued into contained smiles.
"Oh dear. . ." Dumbledore said quietly as Sirius, Remus, and Tali roared with laughter.
"How on earth did your son get himself stuck up there?" Tali asked, stifling her laughter for a moment.
"Forget that, why is the git where a dress?" Sirius laughed.
"How should I know!?" snapped Narcissa, "Dumbledore, can you get him down?"
Dumbledore nodded and took out his wand, much to the disappointment of most in the hall when something stopped everyone in their tracks. Golden light streamed through the air just above the three Slytherins to form a short, yet very powerful message.
"Death isn't the end. You have peace, enjoy your lives. . .Gryffindors Rule!" Hermione read the message quietly, but it seemed ten times louder in the silence that had settled over the room.
"Harry," Sirius muttered under his breath.
************
Another week had passed since Harry's final message had been displayed for all to read. It hadn't disappeared for another five days, so it wasn't really that surprising when person after person kept visiting the castle to see it with their own eyes, despite the fact that it had been published in the Daily Prophet.
Everyone tried their best to follow Harry's last request, but many found it difficult, especially after Dumbledore told them that Harry's funeral service was to be held over in a week. The ways people used to cope with the situation varied.
Ron, along with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, became obsessed with practice. When they weren't in class, eating, sleeping, or doing homework, they could most certainly be found out on the field, practicing well into the night. Hermione and Lavender threw themselves into their studies, quickly becoming known as the Studious Sisters. Tali spent all her time grading papers and coming up with lesson plans, while Sirius and Remus often could be found in empty classrooms with the Weasley twins, undoubtedly coming up with more pranks for the twins' new store.
They all did their best to keep smiling, though it was painfully obvious that they were all faking it. All their activities were just escapes to get out of remembering. And then, of course, there was the mystery of the footsteps. Nearly everyone in the castle had encountered them at least once, but no one had yet to meet the creature that made them. It had become somewhat of a goal of every last person in the castle to find out their origin. A goal no one took more seriously that a Miss Hermione Granger.
At the moment, she was wandering through the halls, quite alone. She and Lavender had both finished all their homework and all the extra credit the teachers were willing to give out. But while Lavender had opted to go watch the Gryffindor team practice, Hermione chose attempting to solve the footstep dilemma.
In all honesty, she didn't see the point in the Gryffindor team practicing for the rest of the year. It was painfully obvious that they weren't going to win any matches. Not only were all the team members distracted by thoughts of their old seeker, but not a single one made any mention of trying to find a new one. . .not that anyone would have tried out anyway. That spot was, and always would be, Harry Potter's and Harry Potter's alone.
Hermione quickly shook the thought out of her head. She couldn't start on him again. If she did, she would most certainly wind up in tears, something she was trying her best to avoid lately. Somewhere deep down she knew, she knew that Harry was watching all of them from wherever it was that he was. She knew that he would never completely leave them, but, at the same time, it only depressed her more. To know that he was watching her, and yet she couldn't see him in return. . .it ripped at every fiber of her heart.
Sighing, Hermione allowed herself to lean against the wall. She had been walking forever, and her feet were on fire. Slipping off her shoe, she massaged the bottoms of her foot. Suddenly, she straightened up, shoe in hand. She had heard something. Listening carefully for another minute, nothing reached her. Presuming that she must have been hearing things, she rubbed her foot again, but abruptly stopped again. She was certain that she had heard something.
She walked forward a bit awkwardly due to her only having one shoe on. She stopped when she heard it for a third time. Footsteps. She was certain of it. Hermione quickly hurried in the direction she had heard them. Turning a corner, she found herself faced with a rather lengthy staircase. Shaking her head, she sprinted up them, following the sound of the footsteps.
When she reached the top she saw a dimly lit hallway that seemingly had no end. Cautiously, she moved forward, wand out just in case. Her other hand she left to graze across the stone walls in order to help guide her way. The further down the hall she went, the more difficult visibility became, until it got to the point where she leaned fully against the wall in order to keep going.
It could be said that she was. . .surprised to find herself fall through an unexpected opening in the wall. As she hit the ground, Hermione looked up to see a drape hanging a few feet away. Sitting up, she rubbed her side and peered through the crack between the drape and the wall. Apparently, a brightly lit room was on the other side, but what was in it, she knew not.
Taking a deep breath, she stood and pulled the drape aside. A room of red and gold met her. She walked into the room, wide eyed, as she felt the soft carpet beneath her toes. Seeing a comfortable looking couch to her right, she took a seat and finally put her shoe back on, but when she looked up she felt her mouth drop.
A giant picture frame, which she had miraculously overlooked before, was right across from her, and in it was the stilled picture of eleven year olds Harry and Ron sitting in a train listening to Hermione talk. Silently, Hermione stood and walked over to the picture. Once she was standing in front of it, she hesitated for a moment before reaching out and touching it. The effect was instant. Music started out of no where and the picture started moving, replaying a long forgotten memory.
{You used to say, everyday
We will always be this way}
"-I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," Harry said
"Are you really?" said Hermione, "I know all about you of course---"
{Flying angels lifting high
To reach the sun where I belong}
"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.
The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.
Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: he took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.
. . . . . . . . .
The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was as very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.
But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll was one of them.
{Girl you know you are the one
Above the clouds I see you cry}
"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There's been a double attack."
Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered.
Madame Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And the bed next to her was-
"Hermione!" Ron groaned.
Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.
"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them. . ."
She was holding up a small, circular mirror.
Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione.
{You know that when you smile
You stop the rain (stop the rain)
And we will be together
Once again}
"Harry, it's Hermione!" Neville exclaimed, nodding toward the entrance to the Great Hall.
Harry and Ron whipped around and smiled as they saw Hermione who smiled back. They both stood up as Hermione ran to them. She and Harry hugged happily before breaking apart. She and Ron nearly hugged but settled on a handshake.
"Glad you're back," Ron said.
"It's good to be back," Hermione said, looking between the two. "You can't believe you solved it!"
"Yeah, well, we had loads of help from you," Harry said with a smile.
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave
And just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
"Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it, Hermione-"'
Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her leg up. Then he placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of her. He pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of the collar like reins.
"Ready?" he whispered to Hermione. "You'd better hold on to me-"
He nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.
Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Harry gripped his flanks with his knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Hermione was holding Harry's very tight around the waist; he could hear her muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this - oh, I really don't like this-"
{I've always known
The love you've shown
Means you'll never be alone
There'll be times you wonder why oohh.}
Harry laid down his quill too, having just finished predicting his own death by decapitation.
"What's in the box?" he asked, pointing at it.
"Funny you should ask," Hermione said, with a nasty look at Ron. She look off the lid and showed them the contents. Inside were about fifty badges, all of different colors, but all bearing the same letters: S.P.E.W.
"'Spew'?" said Harry, picking up a badge and looking at it. "What's this about?"
"Not spew," said Hermione impatiently. "It's S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."
. . . . . . . . .
"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked.
"We start by recruiting members," said Hermione happily. "I thought two Sickles to join - that buys the bade - and the proceeds can fun our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer Ron - I've got you a collecting tin upstairs - and Harry, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting."
There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them, and Harry sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and amusement at the look on Ron's face.
{Seeing you with someone new
Used to make me feel so blue
But now I'm with you
All the time}
His eyes fell instead on the girl next to Krum. His jaw dropped.
It was Hermione. . .
But she didn't look like Hermione at all. She had done something with her hair. It was no longer bushy but sleek and shiny, and twisted up into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was wearing robes made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material, and she was holding herself differently, somehow - or maybe it was merely the absence of the twenty or so books she usually had slung over her back. She was also smiling - rather nervously, it was true - but the reduction in the size of her front teeth was more noticeable than ever; Harry couldn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before.
{Oooh...'Cause you know that when you smile
You stop the rain
And we will be together once again}
Hate mail continued to arrive for Hermione over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the who l Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione triangle now. Harry was getting sick of telling people that Hermione wasn't his girlfriend.
"It'll die down, though," he told Hermione, "if we just ignore it. . .People got bored with that stuff she wrote about me last time-"
"I wand to know how she's listening into private conversations when she's supposed to be banned from the grounds!" said Hermione angrily.
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave
And just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
Uncle Vernon was waiting beyond the barrier. Mrs. Weasley was close by him. She hugged Harry very tightly when she saw him and whispered in his ear, "I think Dumbledore will let you come to us later this summer. Keep in touch, Harry."
"See you, Harry," said Ron, clapping him on the back.
" 'Bye, Harry!" said Hermione, as she did something she had never done before, and she kissed him on the cheek.
{From the moment that I looked into your eyes
All of my life I thought I'd be there}
Hermione was, by far, the worst off of all. She was still kneeling next to his bed, her head resting on Harry's chest, crying softly to herself.
"I'm so sorry." she whispered over and over into his chest, "I'm sorry I didn't figure everything out."
His body was now losing heat and his face was draining of color so the dried blood on his chin stuck out more than then ever but she didn't care. She would never leave his side. They would have to kill her to get her away from him. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him with all the strength she could muster, which wasn't very much. She completely blamed herself for letting Harry die. If she had only used her brain. There were so many signs. How could she have missed them all? She could have and should have figured it out and done something. Hermione squeezed her hands into tight fists, gripping Harry's sweat soaked pajamas. She was about to let out a high-pitched scream of anguish when she noticed something, however faint it was. Was it her imagination or was his heart beating again?
'No! Stop it Hermione! Don't do this to yourself.' she ordered herself.
But at the same time she could help but hope that it was real. Discretely, so as not to alert the others in the room as to what she was doing, she brought her hand up to his neck. There was a pulse! Eyes wide as saucers, she slowly raised herself off Harry's chest.
"Harry?" she whispered almost inaudibly. She felt her hand being gripped gently at first, but then more firmly. Disbelieving her senses, Hermione looked down at her hand. Harry was squeezing it! Hermione let out an excited squeal.
She threw her arms around him and drew him into a fierce hug, "Harry! Oh my god! Don't you ever do that again!"
Everyone in the room was suddenly very aware of everything. At first they stared at Hermione in disbelief. She was probably delirious.
"Hermione. . .Hermione, please, he's dead. Please don't do this." said Ginny softly.
"No! No he's not! He squeezed my hand! He did! He's alive!" shouted Hermione excitedly.
{By your side, I wish I'd took the time to find
The words to say (to say)
You know that when you smile
You stop the rain
And we will be together once again}
"Harry, look at me." said Hermione, cupping his face in her hands and staring deeply into his eyes.
Oh how she loved those eyes. Every time she looked at him they were always the thing that captivated her. She felt as though she could do nothing else but stare into them for the rest of her life and be perfectly content.
"Harry, you've never been alone. Everyone cares for you. Don't you see that?" Hermione asked.
Harry lowered his eyes, "But they shouldn't! It's my fault that Voldemort came back! I'm responsible for everyone who dies!"
With that he removed his head from Hermione's gentle grasp.
"Harry! It's not your fault and you know it! Everyone knows it's not your fault! We love you no matter what, don't you go thinking otherwise!" said Hermione.
"Even you?" asked Harry, barely suppressing more tears.
Hermione blinked, "What? Of course I love you! Sometimes. . .sometimes even more than I should." She finished softly, not believing she had actually said that, so that Harry could barely understand what she had said.
Disbelieving his ears he looked up at her, "What? But what about Krum?"
"We broke up two weeks before school started." said Hermione. There was a moment of silence between the two then before anyone knew what was happening, Hermione had grabbed Harry by the head and pushed her lips against his.
When she pulled away Harry had a look of complete shock on his face. He blinked a couple times but the look didn't go away. Hermione blushed deeply and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" she exclaimed. Harry smiled slightly.
"Hermione." he said as Hermione was still going through her apologies.
Hermione immediately stopped her talking and looked at him nervously. Harry's smile broadened and as he pulled her into him and kissed her. Hermione was shocked at first but then relaxed into it. They sat there, lip locked, for a long moment then broke apart for lack of air. Hermione blushed and looked down.
Harry lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes, "Thanks."
{Although I'm gone remember me
Please be strong
I'll never leave}
Hermione was walking up to him with a bright smile on her face. Harry put on a half-hearted smile and put away his wand before it was seen, "Hi, Hermione."
She sat next to him, "What are you doing up here? Everyone's been looking for you."
"Nothing much, just thinking." he said.
"Oh, well you mind if I think with you?" she asked.
"Go ahead." said Harry, shrugging. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"This is fun." Hermione observed, breaking the silence.
"Mm." said Harry.
Hermione looked at him, "What's wrong, Harry?"
Harry shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Hermione wasn't so easily deceived, however.
She turned to him and took his hand, "Harry, don't you think I know better by now? Something's bothering you. Now what is it?"
Harry was quiet for a long time before finally speaking, ". . .Hermione, did you really mean it yesterday?"
"Of course I did! Do you really think I would joke around about something like that?" she asked, sounding a little hurt.
Harry shook his head furiously, "No, just forget about it."
"Come on, let's go. Sirius, Remus, and Professor Dumbledore are looking for you." said Hermione standing up and holding out her hand.
Harry took her hand, "I'm not surprised. I might as well get it over with."
"Get what over?" asked Hermione as they started to walk.
"Nothing." said Harry.
Hermione gave him a smile, "Tell me later than, okay?"
Harry nodded as they reached the Quidditch field. Hermione pulled him to a stop, grabbed the front of his robes and kissed him.
"I do love you, Harry." she said as they broke apart.
Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her before kissing her. All of a sudden, there was a loud cat-calling whistle. The two separated and saw the Weasleys, Lavender, Remus, Sirius, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and Tali standing several feet away. Sirius was the one who had whistled and was being told off by Tali at the moment for "disturbing the peace" as she put it.
Harry smirked at them and drew into Hermione again who laughed and playfully pushed him back, "Not now, Harry."
{Just hold on
To the memories
Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
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 yous. 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.
{Cause while I'm here
All I'm thinking about is
Tomorrow}
Harry held her in the crook of his arm as they watched the stars. Suddenly, a shooting star sped across the sky.
"Make a wish," he whispered into her hair.
Hermione closed her eyes for only a moment before opening them with a smile.
"What'd you wish for?"
"I can't tell you. It won't come true."
Harry laughed, "Fine then, keep your secrets. I'll find out eventually."
"You just keep telling yourself that," Hermione said as she turned on her side and nuzzled in closer to him, "I could stay like this forever."
"Is that what you wished for?"
Hermione laughed, "No. . .good guess, though."
Harry turned and kissed the top of her head, "It's what I wished for."
"Really?"
"Mm hm."
A comfortable silence surrounded the two, both just enjoying each other's presence. Eventually Harry spoke again.
"'Mione?" he asked quietly.
"Hm?"
"I lov---"
**************
The last memory was cut off by Dumbledore's booming voice, "Attention! All students are to report directly to the Chamber of the Founders. Stick together and do not meander about. This is it. Voldemort's forces are within sight. Hurry now, and Prefects make sure to cast the spell we talked about over the entrances to your towers. Harry, good luck."
The portrait went blank and the ending music was cut off, but Hermione didn't notice. By now she was shaking in sobs on the ground. The memories were hard enough to live with, but to *see* it again. . .it was too much. She knew that Harry most likely meant well when it did this but. . .she couldn't handle it.
Hermione brought her hand up to her neck and grasped the locket Harry had given her for Christmas firmly in her fist. Her sobs doubled as she thought of the holiday and how sweet he had been about the whole thing. It wasn't every person who could convince Snape to dress as an elf and deliver presents to his most despised students and acquaintances. But Harry had done it.
He had always been able to do anything. He wanted to, that was a quality that had originally attracted her to him in the first place. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and curled herself into a tight ball before crying herself to sleep.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, *that* was a good chapter. . .somehow the song thing didn't work out the way I wanted it to. . . I wanted to show how hard this whole thing is on Hermione. . . Oh well, can't have everything I suppose. . .what do you think? Should I just rewrite the whole stinkin' thing, or, by some miracle, do you like it? Hmm. . . ::grins evilly:: Bet you guys can't wait for the next chapter, can you? I can tell you right now, it's gonna be a doozy!