Chapter 2-Love is Stronger than any Wrong Doing

"I'm glad you came," said Lucius in his usual cold voice. "Fell for the trick like I expected."

Tom's eyes slid off of Harry and saw Hermione. His expression changed, fear was visible above all other emotions in his eyes. "No!" cried Tom. "It cannot be, it cannot be her!"

"Cannot be who, you can't possibly be scared of that filthy mudblood?"

"She's no ordinary mudblood, no ordinary witch. She has the power."

"Has the power of what?" asked Lucius impatiently. He was fidgeting around.

"The power. She's a seer, but not even an ordinary seer. She can hear beyond."

"Hear beyond? Whatever, never mind; let's just do what we came here to do. Harry Potter will die tonight, and the old fashion way too, bloodshed." Lucius grinned menacingly at his last remark.

Lucius grabbed his sword that gleamed in the moonlight. Swung and missed. He really wasn't talented when it came to swords. He looked like a fool trying to dance. Not a pretty sight.

"You fool! Now the element of surprise is gone. I thought you said that you could fight!"

"I can, but now it's like I have no control over the sword. It seems to have its, its, its own, mind!"

Tom seemed to know what was going on though. He turned around to look at Hermione who was muttering 'Don't let it hit Harry, don't let it hit Harry, please let Tom die, let him die' under her breath with her eyes closed.

He was frightened, Hermione was controlling the sword but his voice came out evil as ever. "You think that's going to save you beloved boyfriend, well you're in for a surprise." A grin spread over his face and he cackled an evil laugh piercing the silent night air.

Lucius swung again and missed Harry completely, but the blade came around and sliced Tom Riddle's throat. A scream of agony exploded immediately and faded into two words: You fool, but Lucius had already fled. In a second Tom's body went limp.

Ron walked over and peered at Tom, and there he stood, staring and the gruesome sight that lay before him. His eyes were rolled back into his head and a pool of crimson blood was forming around his neck. His head tilted back, splitting his neck open even. A sudden tearing told that his throat had split open, nearly decapitating him. Blood poured out all over, staining his clothes and the ground around. Soaking the dirt with pure blood; seeping down, deep down, making the ground a bloody mess.

Hermione, who had been silent since the blade touched Tom, let out a small, quiet sob. No one heard it though. The sight of Tom Riddle lying on the ground nearly decapitated was too transfixing, making Ron and Harry just stare at him lost in thought.

Tom Riddle was Harry's enemy; he had killed his parents and he deserved to die more than any other person, but for some reason Hermione felt sad, like this shouldn't have happened. She should've been glad that he was dead, the worst and most evil person in the world was dead and Hermione felt bad, sad. Just a second ago, she had wished that he would die and that Harry would live but now it was like she would give anything to get Tom Riddle back to life, no matter how evil he was. She was determined. "Don't leave the body here, save it," said Hermione before she realized what she was doing.

"Why not, we could just let it rot out here, it's good fertilizer you know," said Harry, who besides the fact that he looked like he was going to threw up, looked quite happy. His eyes were twinkling with the joy of not being dead, and having his worst enemy die a painful death.

"Yeah, why would we want to keep him, that's just gross."

"I guess you're right, let's just leave him out here," Hermione forced herself to smile but it didn't come out quite like she had planned. I will come out to get the body, I will even if that's the last thing I do.

Soon they left; leaving the body of Tom Riddle's to rot right where he had been killed by his closest supporter. The way back to the castle was a long, silent walk. No one said anything; everyone seemed to be thinking about something, something personal.

As they reached the Gryffindor Common Room, they said their final good nights and split up.

In the girls' room, Hermione lay in bed staring at the bunk above her wondering when it would be safe to sneak out. If only she had Harry's Invisibility cloak.

When the clock on Hermione's Bedside flashed 2:00 Hermione decided that it was safe. She slowly slipped out of her covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed trying to make as little noise as possible. Everything seemed to creak as she tiptoed across the room to the door. Surprisingly she was able to get out without any of her roommates waking up.

The twisting and turning corridors were no surprise in the daytime, but they seemed completely different at night. More than once had she nearly ran into a wall or fall down the stairs. Once Hermione tried to open a door but her hands were trembling so bad that all she did was create quite a racket.

As Hermione made her way to the Forbidden Forest, another problem formed in her mind. What would she do with the body after she got it? After all, he was surely dead. Hermione kept going though no matter how pointless it seemed.

* * * * *

Harry woke up with a sudden jolt. Something was wrong, he wasn't sure but he had a feeling that it had to do with Hermione. She hadn't said much last night when it happened, sure no one did, but she was also especially pale and he was sure that he had heard Hermione let out a small sob.

Harry slowly crept out of bed and walked to Ron's bedside and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Ron, wake up," said Harry in a whisper only Ron could hear.

Ron stirred slightly and then said, "Harry, what are you doing?" in a groggy sort of voice. He turned around and looked at his clock that now said it was 2:47.

"Something is wrong, I think Hermione's in trouble."

"Hermione's in trouble?" Ron was suddenly fully awake and bolted upright on his bed. He had gone out with Hermione before and he thought that it was meant to be, but then things changed and it just didn't seem so perfect anymore so he dumped her. Now, just because they aren't a couple anymore doesn't mean that he still didn't' have feelings for her anymore.

"Come on, let's go, we can use my invisibility cloak."

* * * * *

Hermione shivered in the cold night breeze trying to hug her school robe as close as possible to keep warm. She kept trudging forward though, determined to get to Tom Riddle's body. She didn't know why though, she just had to; it was like a feeling inside making her go on, a calling. Yes, that was it, a calling.

Finally she got there, to the Forbidden Forest, the exact spot where Tom Riddle had laid dead only hours ago. Hermione covered her eyes, scared of the sight that was yet to come. Slowly she lifted her fingers, daring herself to peek, after all this was why she had snuck out tonight. As she looked she let out a shriek in terror.

* * * * *

Suddenly Ron stopped dead in his tracks, making Harry run into him.

"Harry, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think Hermione's nearby, I heard her, or I think I did."

"The Forbidden Forest," cried Ron and Harry in unison. "Of course, Hermione's too sweet to let a body just rot, no matter how bad it is!"

"Let's go!" But Harry was already on his feet running at top speed, towards the Forbidden Forest where he had stood when Tom Riddle got killed.

Ron caught up easily though. He was much taller than Harry and was easily the tallest boy in 6th year. His legs were much longer, and with each stride you could see him getting closer.

Then they saw her, Hermione covering her mouth to keep from screaming, Trembling with fear. As they got next to her they finally saw why. In place of Tom Riddle's body was a large "X," and the words, "You can not get rid of me that easily," written sloppily in dirt above the blood soaked ground.

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Author's Note-Power of 'Hearing beyond' taken from The Giver.