One Tin Soldier
Chapter Seven: Water and the Ward
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
~~~~~
The ground was very wet and very cold. There was the sound of running water nearby. He didn't remember much after dipping under the surface for the last time and slamming into a fallen tree, but Harry was convinced he was dead. A red log floated bye...
~Wait, red logs don't have the word 'firebolt' written across the side.~
~Red logs?~
Harry reached instinctively for it and pulled his somehow intact broom onto the sticky shore. He stood up, shaking a bit from side to side, wandering between the thorny underbrush into the nearby woods. Somehow, despite everything, Harry still held to the vestiges of warmth. He had to remember to thank whoever gave him his slicker.
Only one name stuck out in his mind when he first stumbled through the brush. He was looking for her without question, knowing somehow where to turn, only able to see by fortune. He had no idea where his glasses had gone, but since the storm had passed it really did not matter.
He almost ran into her at first, through the blurred lines thinking she was some sort of broken tree. When she saw him, he heard her sobs, a hand holding out something bumped into him moments later.
He put on his glasses, newly repaired by the girl before him, and looked into her running eyes beneath the dripping water of the forest. She seemed to sob without tears, or at least Harry couldn't distinguish between them and the rain. Her soaked hair was slicked across her cheeks and forehead.
She was trembling terribly, obviously past tolerance of the cold. He reached out, but she slapped his hand away.
"D-d..don't touch me..."
He looked at her, silent and shocked. He made a grab for her, and she tried to pull away again, but he forced the slicker around her shoulders as her struggles became weak quickly. She still tried to pull away from him, the dry sobs shaking her.
He let her go, and she turned to him, tearful eyes full of wrathful pride. She still stood, even though she should have fallen before this.
"h..How could you? We've tried... s..s... so hard..... and you st..still push us away..."
He looked at her, dumbed by her words. He reached for her again, although he did not know why. This time she pulled away, forcing back her shivering.
"No, I am Harry Potter, the poor boy who lived, who lost! I am the only one who has suffered, the only one who has felt pain!"
"hermione.." Harry spoke in a whisper.
"Are you so arrogant to think you are the only one who has lost?"
"Her-"
"No Harry, No! 'Pity me, I am so bloody alone, so bloody empty, so bloody entitled to my misery, even though everyone I know would die for me!'"
Anger rose inside of him suddenly. "That is why I'm alone, Hermione, I don't want that! I don't want to kill all of you!"
"WAKE UP!" Hermione screamed. It echoed through the woods, vibrating off of the damp bark.
Harry stared dumbly.
"You aren't so bloody entitled. We love you for a reason, and we always have for a reason, not because you are the boy who lived, or because you have a ruddy scar on your damned forehead, because you are beautiful..." She sobbed weakly, only once. Harry opened his mouth, but she went on.
"And nothing, Harry, not death, not curses, not Voldemort himself will make any of that different... We love you so much it hurts, so much it makes our hearts bleed...."
He stared. She looked at him with wide eyes in the quiet fall of dripping water.
"Don't turn that against us, Harry... Don't act like you don't have someone, because you do...."
She moved closer unconsciously, his eyes boring into her.
"Don't turn it against us by throwing your life away..."
He was close enough to see the tears slipping from her brown eyes, fear and courage blended in the depths of her mind. He knew at that moment why she had run.
"don't take it away from people who lost... don't steal the least thing we love... that we have left to love..."
The tears continued to slip down her face.
"That I have left to... love..."
Harry sucked in the air a bit. She leaned forward, trembling lips brushing within inches, within centimeters of his. Her eyes looked up into his, eyes which had seen pain, which had lost, and which loved insurmountably. The vision of her father's death played again and again in his mind as each tear slipped down her cheeks.
Her eyes looked up into his, her shivering lower lip brushing his, and quietly her head bent forward and she sobbed into his chest, sinking slowly to the ground.
Harry was afraid to touch her. He simply slipped to the forest floor with her, looking down at the top of her head. His heart hammered in his chest, her hand pressed over it, the most absurd sensation coming over him where she touched him.
As he knelt above her on her knees, he placed a hand on her shoulders. She sat back after a minuet, her unfolded hands curling into fists, punching him feebly in the chest as she shivered once more. She closed her eyes, hitting him tearfully.
"Harry, you are the most insufferably arrogant boy I have ever known..."
The rain dripped down over their heads. She opened her eyes, strings of midnight hair hanging down.
He slipped his fingers into the hair behind her neck and smiled down at her suddenly. She looked up at him, shocked.
"Hermione, you are the maddest girl I have ever known."
She sniffled.
"Don't be silly, Harry,"she murmured tiredly.
He raised an eyebrow, cocking his head.
"I'm the only girl you've ever known!"
He looked offended, but smiled, standing up and slipping out the Firebolt. He flipped his leg over it, beckoning her to sit behind him. "What about Cho?"
"Oh, she doesn't count."
"How so?"
"She got a sex change and moved to Saskatchewan."
Harry nearly slipped off of the broom as he bucked into the air, but Hermione only giggled reassuringly and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm kidding Harry. You would have read it in Luna's column if it were true."
Harry shook his head, deciding by the quiet snoring behind him that her would ask about the column and just how Hermione had become so chummy with Luna Lovegood in the morning.
~~~~~
A/N: Hey everyone, three in one day!
Chapter Seven: Water and the Ward
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
~~~~~
The ground was very wet and very cold. There was the sound of running water nearby. He didn't remember much after dipping under the surface for the last time and slamming into a fallen tree, but Harry was convinced he was dead. A red log floated bye...
~Wait, red logs don't have the word 'firebolt' written across the side.~
~Red logs?~
Harry reached instinctively for it and pulled his somehow intact broom onto the sticky shore. He stood up, shaking a bit from side to side, wandering between the thorny underbrush into the nearby woods. Somehow, despite everything, Harry still held to the vestiges of warmth. He had to remember to thank whoever gave him his slicker.
Only one name stuck out in his mind when he first stumbled through the brush. He was looking for her without question, knowing somehow where to turn, only able to see by fortune. He had no idea where his glasses had gone, but since the storm had passed it really did not matter.
He almost ran into her at first, through the blurred lines thinking she was some sort of broken tree. When she saw him, he heard her sobs, a hand holding out something bumped into him moments later.
He put on his glasses, newly repaired by the girl before him, and looked into her running eyes beneath the dripping water of the forest. She seemed to sob without tears, or at least Harry couldn't distinguish between them and the rain. Her soaked hair was slicked across her cheeks and forehead.
She was trembling terribly, obviously past tolerance of the cold. He reached out, but she slapped his hand away.
"D-d..don't touch me..."
He looked at her, silent and shocked. He made a grab for her, and she tried to pull away again, but he forced the slicker around her shoulders as her struggles became weak quickly. She still tried to pull away from him, the dry sobs shaking her.
He let her go, and she turned to him, tearful eyes full of wrathful pride. She still stood, even though she should have fallen before this.
"h..How could you? We've tried... s..s... so hard..... and you st..still push us away..."
He looked at her, dumbed by her words. He reached for her again, although he did not know why. This time she pulled away, forcing back her shivering.
"No, I am Harry Potter, the poor boy who lived, who lost! I am the only one who has suffered, the only one who has felt pain!"
"hermione.." Harry spoke in a whisper.
"Are you so arrogant to think you are the only one who has lost?"
"Her-"
"No Harry, No! 'Pity me, I am so bloody alone, so bloody empty, so bloody entitled to my misery, even though everyone I know would die for me!'"
Anger rose inside of him suddenly. "That is why I'm alone, Hermione, I don't want that! I don't want to kill all of you!"
"WAKE UP!" Hermione screamed. It echoed through the woods, vibrating off of the damp bark.
Harry stared dumbly.
"You aren't so bloody entitled. We love you for a reason, and we always have for a reason, not because you are the boy who lived, or because you have a ruddy scar on your damned forehead, because you are beautiful..." She sobbed weakly, only once. Harry opened his mouth, but she went on.
"And nothing, Harry, not death, not curses, not Voldemort himself will make any of that different... We love you so much it hurts, so much it makes our hearts bleed...."
He stared. She looked at him with wide eyes in the quiet fall of dripping water.
"Don't turn that against us, Harry... Don't act like you don't have someone, because you do...."
She moved closer unconsciously, his eyes boring into her.
"Don't turn it against us by throwing your life away..."
He was close enough to see the tears slipping from her brown eyes, fear and courage blended in the depths of her mind. He knew at that moment why she had run.
"don't take it away from people who lost... don't steal the least thing we love... that we have left to love..."
The tears continued to slip down her face.
"That I have left to... love..."
Harry sucked in the air a bit. She leaned forward, trembling lips brushing within inches, within centimeters of his. Her eyes looked up into his, eyes which had seen pain, which had lost, and which loved insurmountably. The vision of her father's death played again and again in his mind as each tear slipped down her cheeks.
Her eyes looked up into his, her shivering lower lip brushing his, and quietly her head bent forward and she sobbed into his chest, sinking slowly to the ground.
Harry was afraid to touch her. He simply slipped to the forest floor with her, looking down at the top of her head. His heart hammered in his chest, her hand pressed over it, the most absurd sensation coming over him where she touched him.
As he knelt above her on her knees, he placed a hand on her shoulders. She sat back after a minuet, her unfolded hands curling into fists, punching him feebly in the chest as she shivered once more. She closed her eyes, hitting him tearfully.
"Harry, you are the most insufferably arrogant boy I have ever known..."
The rain dripped down over their heads. She opened her eyes, strings of midnight hair hanging down.
He slipped his fingers into the hair behind her neck and smiled down at her suddenly. She looked up at him, shocked.
"Hermione, you are the maddest girl I have ever known."
She sniffled.
"Don't be silly, Harry,"she murmured tiredly.
He raised an eyebrow, cocking his head.
"I'm the only girl you've ever known!"
He looked offended, but smiled, standing up and slipping out the Firebolt. He flipped his leg over it, beckoning her to sit behind him. "What about Cho?"
"Oh, she doesn't count."
"How so?"
"She got a sex change and moved to Saskatchewan."
Harry nearly slipped off of the broom as he bucked into the air, but Hermione only giggled reassuringly and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm kidding Harry. You would have read it in Luna's column if it were true."
Harry shook his head, deciding by the quiet snoring behind him that her would ask about the column and just how Hermione had become so chummy with Luna Lovegood in the morning.
~~~~~
A/N: Hey everyone, three in one day!