One Tin Soldier
Chapter Three: Tell Me Morning Glory, What is Real?
Disclaimer: I own the poem... nothing much else. All that, and a bag of chips!
~~~~~
I guess I want to cry
She said as she danced in the autumn bloom,
The Azure sky touching her lips
Tainting them with blue.
And what sort of fool could meet your eye?
Touch the sky,
With a cold and open heart.
So her eyes carried the blue of the autumn sunset,
The last gaze of the dying leaf touching her heart,
Forever naming the wordless fear,
Shadowless, echoless sorrow
Coloring her soul.
In the half-forgotten light of her spirit,
There, beneath the leaves,
Scattered aside, dead brown clothed in red,
Sunset eyes dead,
With a steely gaze only broken by ripples in time.
And she stands aside with laughing, crying eyes,
Forgotten, in wild surmise,
Knowing transparency,
Same as the elusive leaf.
The child of autumn trying to grow near,
To hold on to what has flown.
As the blackbirds fly south,
Crimson lines on crying mouth,
She has forgotten what she remembers,
And in the sunset eyes, lets go.
("Watching" March 2003)
~~~~~
Her hands worked through the folds of Harry's clothing as she cried her heart. He looked at Hermione in silent shock, unable to express through words what he felt. Ron only looked at him, mouth half parted. Harry knew he felt it too, and was sure that the redhead choked as he closed his eyes.
"Hermione... we're here, it's... it's..."
A distant chime interrupted them. Evidently, there was a meal prepared as set on the table. Slowly, Hermione pulled back, face flushed. She stared for a moment at the ground, and all at once, Harry and Ron released her. Gradually, as the chime rang once more, her eyes rose from the floor to meet theirs. She took a deep breath, biting back tears.
"Thanks.." She whispered.
Ron nodded, but Harry immediately spoke, his voice shaking with a sort of alien conviction.
"Hermione, you know you would do the same for either of us. You should know right now that you can come to us for anything, no thanks needed, I mean--"
"Yeah, Herm! We're not going to leave you just because it hurts..."
"--We'd take you in no matter what--"
"Mum wants you to stay with us whenever you need, until you can take care of yourself. You're a Weasley now..."
Harry noticed his cheeks burned slightly as he spoke.
"--and you have always been one of us."
Hermione's mouth stood slightly open as they spoke. Finally, she managed a small smile.
"Harry... Ron... It means allot, all that you guys are doing..."
Her friends only smiled at her. The chime rang a third time, and at once, Molly Weasley walked into the room, looking about. Her eyes lightened when she saw the three children standing together, and quite suddenly the little frown of impatience turned into a mother's smile of relief.
"Aren't any of you hungry? I would think that at your age, going this long without a meal would make you terribly hungry." She waved her hand casually. " But if you aren't, then I am sure I can tell Professor Dumbledore that he will just have to survive with disappointment. Pity, he traveled all of this way to see each of you, too." Molly turned with a sigh.
The three of them were out the door before Mrs. Weasley could reach it. Harry, the slowest of the three in his descent, paused in the stairwell. Hermione waited a few steps below, brown eyes turned to his. It was her turn to be worried.
"Harry?"
Ron leapt hard on the floorboards beneath and Harry listened as the portraits awoke raucously. He suddenly felt rather ill.
He felt a hand on his arm a moment later, and looked down to see Hermione, her face rather near to his. There was the same frustrating, unstoppable scrutiny in her eyes, her lips pursed in a small pout of concentration. All of this was rather clear to him, as she stood on the step beneath him.
"Harry, why don't you want to see Dumbledore?"
He stared at her.
"..S'nothing..."
She looked up at him, more worried than he had seen her in close to a month. Suddenly, a quiet fear appeared him her eyes.
A peculiar thing happened then.
~~Harry pushed her backwards down the long flight, although his hands never touched her. Her eyes widened as he saw her fall backwards, the flicker of betrayal, sorrow, and another, yet intangible emotion somewhere in the background.~~
~~His hand flew forward to reach her, but she wasn't there. She had flown too far into the darkness of the stairwell. As he flew forward to the base, something held him from the hard floor below. At the bottom, in a fountain of blood, Hermione stared up at him with those same blank, brown eyes. His skull creaked in pain, and he went limp.~~
"NO!!"
Hermione caught her footing two stairs below where he had pushed her, and to her surprise, his limp form caught her violently, and the two of them flew backwards as she grappled for any catch.
An arm wrapped itself around her, the other hand grasping the handrail. Gasping for breath, she glanced thankfully at Lupin. In her arms, Harry stirred.
Her strength failed her and she laid him down.
"Professor."
~~~~~
"Can I please eat now?"He muttered irritably.
"In a moment, Harry. Be patient now."
"May we leave tomorrow, Headmaster?" Molly Weasley looked about uncomfortably.
"Of course, Molly, but why?"
"This place has a bad sort of feel about it. It isn't helping the young ones at all..."
Harry sat up, outraged. "What do you mean, 'bad feel'! My Godfather lived here!"
Dumbledore pulled him back into a relaxed position, moving the glowing tip of his wand back and forth before his eyes. Finally, with an unhappy sound, the Headmaster sat back.
"I'm afraid, Harry, that Voldemort has learned how to project himself, at least in the physical sense, through your body. Molly is right, in a way. We cannot have you about if he can hear, see, or sense the location of this place. It is endangering the safety of the Order, and of your friends."
Harry looked nervously at Hermione, who had sat fixedly in the corner since he had awoke, hands folded on her lap. He shook his head.
"You mean to say that he tried to force me to kill Hermione?"
"I am afraid so. So until you master your Occlumency, I must say it would be rather dangerous for your friends to be about you without supervision." He clucked. "I am sorry Harry, this is a terrible thing you must go through. We will not, however, let you suffer alone."
Harry felt a quiet burning in the pit of his stomach. Of course, as if he weren't alone enough already. His hatred for Voldemort was rising to an almost uncontrollable pitch. He felt sick, even as Mrs. Weasley placed a plate on his lap, eyes full of concern. He felt like throwing food in his Headmaster's face.
He began to eat silently.
~~~~~
A/N Thanks to everyone who has read, and apologies to those who tried to review before. I wasn't being a snoot about the anon. reviewers, my preferences were automatically set, and I didn't check them until someone brought it to my attention. Thanks much, Psy-Girl!
Chapter Three: Tell Me Morning Glory, What is Real?
Disclaimer: I own the poem... nothing much else. All that, and a bag of chips!
~~~~~
I guess I want to cry
She said as she danced in the autumn bloom,
The Azure sky touching her lips
Tainting them with blue.
And what sort of fool could meet your eye?
Touch the sky,
With a cold and open heart.
So her eyes carried the blue of the autumn sunset,
The last gaze of the dying leaf touching her heart,
Forever naming the wordless fear,
Shadowless, echoless sorrow
Coloring her soul.
In the half-forgotten light of her spirit,
There, beneath the leaves,
Scattered aside, dead brown clothed in red,
Sunset eyes dead,
With a steely gaze only broken by ripples in time.
And she stands aside with laughing, crying eyes,
Forgotten, in wild surmise,
Knowing transparency,
Same as the elusive leaf.
The child of autumn trying to grow near,
To hold on to what has flown.
As the blackbirds fly south,
Crimson lines on crying mouth,
She has forgotten what she remembers,
And in the sunset eyes, lets go.
("Watching" March 2003)
~~~~~
Her hands worked through the folds of Harry's clothing as she cried her heart. He looked at Hermione in silent shock, unable to express through words what he felt. Ron only looked at him, mouth half parted. Harry knew he felt it too, and was sure that the redhead choked as he closed his eyes.
"Hermione... we're here, it's... it's..."
A distant chime interrupted them. Evidently, there was a meal prepared as set on the table. Slowly, Hermione pulled back, face flushed. She stared for a moment at the ground, and all at once, Harry and Ron released her. Gradually, as the chime rang once more, her eyes rose from the floor to meet theirs. She took a deep breath, biting back tears.
"Thanks.." She whispered.
Ron nodded, but Harry immediately spoke, his voice shaking with a sort of alien conviction.
"Hermione, you know you would do the same for either of us. You should know right now that you can come to us for anything, no thanks needed, I mean--"
"Yeah, Herm! We're not going to leave you just because it hurts..."
"--We'd take you in no matter what--"
"Mum wants you to stay with us whenever you need, until you can take care of yourself. You're a Weasley now..."
Harry noticed his cheeks burned slightly as he spoke.
"--and you have always been one of us."
Hermione's mouth stood slightly open as they spoke. Finally, she managed a small smile.
"Harry... Ron... It means allot, all that you guys are doing..."
Her friends only smiled at her. The chime rang a third time, and at once, Molly Weasley walked into the room, looking about. Her eyes lightened when she saw the three children standing together, and quite suddenly the little frown of impatience turned into a mother's smile of relief.
"Aren't any of you hungry? I would think that at your age, going this long without a meal would make you terribly hungry." She waved her hand casually. " But if you aren't, then I am sure I can tell Professor Dumbledore that he will just have to survive with disappointment. Pity, he traveled all of this way to see each of you, too." Molly turned with a sigh.
The three of them were out the door before Mrs. Weasley could reach it. Harry, the slowest of the three in his descent, paused in the stairwell. Hermione waited a few steps below, brown eyes turned to his. It was her turn to be worried.
"Harry?"
Ron leapt hard on the floorboards beneath and Harry listened as the portraits awoke raucously. He suddenly felt rather ill.
He felt a hand on his arm a moment later, and looked down to see Hermione, her face rather near to his. There was the same frustrating, unstoppable scrutiny in her eyes, her lips pursed in a small pout of concentration. All of this was rather clear to him, as she stood on the step beneath him.
"Harry, why don't you want to see Dumbledore?"
He stared at her.
"..S'nothing..."
She looked up at him, more worried than he had seen her in close to a month. Suddenly, a quiet fear appeared him her eyes.
A peculiar thing happened then.
~~Harry pushed her backwards down the long flight, although his hands never touched her. Her eyes widened as he saw her fall backwards, the flicker of betrayal, sorrow, and another, yet intangible emotion somewhere in the background.~~
~~His hand flew forward to reach her, but she wasn't there. She had flown too far into the darkness of the stairwell. As he flew forward to the base, something held him from the hard floor below. At the bottom, in a fountain of blood, Hermione stared up at him with those same blank, brown eyes. His skull creaked in pain, and he went limp.~~
"NO!!"
Hermione caught her footing two stairs below where he had pushed her, and to her surprise, his limp form caught her violently, and the two of them flew backwards as she grappled for any catch.
An arm wrapped itself around her, the other hand grasping the handrail. Gasping for breath, she glanced thankfully at Lupin. In her arms, Harry stirred.
Her strength failed her and she laid him down.
"Professor."
~~~~~
"Can I please eat now?"He muttered irritably.
"In a moment, Harry. Be patient now."
"May we leave tomorrow, Headmaster?" Molly Weasley looked about uncomfortably.
"Of course, Molly, but why?"
"This place has a bad sort of feel about it. It isn't helping the young ones at all..."
Harry sat up, outraged. "What do you mean, 'bad feel'! My Godfather lived here!"
Dumbledore pulled him back into a relaxed position, moving the glowing tip of his wand back and forth before his eyes. Finally, with an unhappy sound, the Headmaster sat back.
"I'm afraid, Harry, that Voldemort has learned how to project himself, at least in the physical sense, through your body. Molly is right, in a way. We cannot have you about if he can hear, see, or sense the location of this place. It is endangering the safety of the Order, and of your friends."
Harry looked nervously at Hermione, who had sat fixedly in the corner since he had awoke, hands folded on her lap. He shook his head.
"You mean to say that he tried to force me to kill Hermione?"
"I am afraid so. So until you master your Occlumency, I must say it would be rather dangerous for your friends to be about you without supervision." He clucked. "I am sorry Harry, this is a terrible thing you must go through. We will not, however, let you suffer alone."
Harry felt a quiet burning in the pit of his stomach. Of course, as if he weren't alone enough already. His hatred for Voldemort was rising to an almost uncontrollable pitch. He felt sick, even as Mrs. Weasley placed a plate on his lap, eyes full of concern. He felt like throwing food in his Headmaster's face.
He began to eat silently.
~~~~~
A/N Thanks to everyone who has read, and apologies to those who tried to review before. I wasn't being a snoot about the anon. reviewers, my preferences were automatically set, and I didn't check them until someone brought it to my attention. Thanks much, Psy-Girl!