DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
((The mission is almost here. The upcoming chapters will be rated close to R for violence, this is just a warning.))
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. And today? Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present."
-Babatunde Olatunji
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The days passed quickly, too quickly. The day before the mission had arrived at a bullet fast speed, and despite how hard everyone had tried to cling to the minutes. Training had been hard and brutal, and Hermione had found that Harry was often required to leave for days at a time. She knew he was going to have to go after Voldemort, but she'd always known that day would in the future, and now that day was only 24 hours off.
It was Christmas day, a day of innocence and a day when all students were on vacation. Hermione remembered Christmas' with Harry and Ron at Hogwarts, and those at home with her parents. Usually she awoke with a gleeful start, feeling that anything was possible on Christmas day. Today however, she rolled over reluctantly to find she was sleeping in Harry's arms, and remember that she was sleeping in a Hogwarts dormitory. All of the rooms empty of students were used for lodging the members of the mission, which numbered close to 100.
Harry awoke slowly to find Hermione staring directly into his eyes. A painful twist knotted in his stomach as he thought about losing her, about how life with be if he survived and she did not. He couldn't bear it, for now that he had her, life without was simply unimaginable. He kissed her softly on the lips and she snuggled up closer to him.
"Are you scared Harry?" She asked, her voice muffled against him.
"Yes." He answered simply.
"So am I." She breathed, her voice spilling with emotion and fear.
He held her close, running his fingers down her back in a soft soothing manner. He had never cared so much for anyone in his life, had never known so much love, and he wanted to hide away with her, out of danger, without a care for the rest of the world. He thought back to his school days, back to before he knew he loved her. He was quite sure he'd loved her even then. He'd trusted her with all his life, but she had also cared for her so greatly that he would lay his life down for her. It had been thoughts of her and Ron that allowed him to save himself from dementors in fifth year, and it would be those same thoughts that could save him now.
"Harry do you remember your promise? That you'll try your hardest to survive?"
Harry nodded saying, "It still stands and there isn't a single thing that could stop me from trying to return to you."
Hermione seemed to relax and time lapsed in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All over the castle a sad silence seemed to cover every hallway, every room, every square inch of the grounds. Birds did not sing, owls did not fly about for exercise, and snow began to fall from the gloomy grey skies.
In a tall tower an old man with a long white beard spoke not a word, and thought to himself, "oh what has the world come to?"
In a dungeon room a greasy black haired professor paced about and cursed the wretched world and all it had done to him.
A tall red haired boy pulled a black haired girl close as they waited for his family to come and celebrate Christmas.
In a hallway not far off, a red haired girl was being comforted by a long time boyfriend, who whispered that all would be okay.
Two parents who had lived enough years to see their youngest child near the end of her Hogwarts days embraced, shedding their tears in private so that their 7 children would not have to seem them look weak. The woman cried for the thoughts brought to her by the boggart, that all who she knew and loved would die.
A young Irish man wondered what he would do on this Christmas, a holiday he rarely found occasion to celebrate, but now saw as possibly his last full day on earth. He prepared to pick up the rest of his gang, a group who trusted him and would die for that, those who remained only to be memory charmed into thinking it had all just been a gang fight.
One twin looked at the other and wondered if any magic could separate them from each other and the eternal friendship they had forged.
Throughout the castle such thoughts remained, and they suffered in what were truly the darkest hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a
battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."
-James Baldwin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By noon the Weasley family and all their closest friends including Harry, Hermione, Cho, Dean, Remus, and even Dumbledore, had gathered in the Gryffindor common room to celebrate Christmas, despite the downcast tone. When presents began to be exchanged, the mood lightened considerably. Everyone called Harry his real name openly because it had been determined several days previously that all involved in the mission had a right to know his true identity, which naturally came as quite a shock. Charlie and Bill passed out the presents from under a Christmas tree which had been dragged in by Hagrid on Christmas Eve. Today Christmas was celebrated regardless of religion, in more of a loving way than a religious way.
Presents went round about, Harry and Hermione gave a subscription to Quidditch weekly and a set of Chudley Cannons robes to Ron. George and Fred gave Hermione the picture she'd inquired about on the wall of their house, saying she could have it since she seemed interested and they had no need for it despite its outrageous cost. Ron, Cho, and the rest of the Weasleys gave Harry a black dragon skin trench coat which was designed to repel most spells. It was clearly an expensive jacket and had been found being sold at a strange and remote dragon store by Charlie. They all agreed he most needed it, and the girls secretly agreed he also looked very good in it. Presents continued to go around and nobody noticed when the door opened and Chrome entered the room.
Chrome had a box under one arm and quietly made his way across the room taking in the happy, loving atmosphere of the room. He had never seen a family celebrate Christmas as his mother never bothered and he was never his father's family for that part of he year. He made his way over to Hermione and stopped in front of her.
"Happy Christmas," he said, sounding unsure. She looked up from where she had previously trained her eyes, and gasped when she saw him.
He had a very bad black eye which was cut and bleeding just beneath the bottom part of his eye lid, and his cheek was scraped and bleeding lightly. His injuries had become more and more common as they neared the mission and his work to obtain the right explosives and weaponry had gotten tougher. Hermione knew he had been in some bad situations in the past month and done some very illegal things, but she no longer blamed him as she used to. Instead she quickly healed his injuries and finally responded, "Happy Christmas."
He held the box out before him somewhat awkwardly and she looked up at him with confusion.
"It's for you." He explained.
She took it from him and opened it. Inside was a small revolver with ammunition.
"It's an easy enough gun to fire," Chrome said. "It's mostly a matter of knowing what to do. Its small size should make it pretty easy to wield. It'll shoot up to 50 feet, and holds multiple shots in case you miss. I just thought you might need it. just in case. I know you have magic but you can't use that except to disarm Muggle attackers, and say that doesn't work. Plus, they'll set off a physical attack if you disarm them, and if you can't fight them magically, you had better shoot them the Muggle way as you call it."
Hermione wasn't so sure she had it in her to shoot a gun, but he had a very good point, and was surprised that he'd thought to give it to her.
"I can show you how to use it, or you could learn from James. I mean Harry how to use it. He's trained to shoot a gun, at least that's what he told me."
"He is," Hermione agreed, "but since it's from you maybe you should show me."
Chrome looked pleased by this and set to giving her instructions. When they finished, Hermione told him she'd gotten him a gift as well, and handed him an envelope. She wasn't originally sure weather or not to get him something, and decided he deserved a gift for all the work he'd been going through. Now she was glad she had.
He opened the envelope, and first time since he was six, he got a present that wasn't money from his dad. He took out a gift certificate to a magic tattoo shop in Hogsmede. "Painless and any design imaginable" it read, and was signed:
TO: Raymond Granger FROM: Hermione
He smiled at his real name being written, a name he would only allow family to call him if he had any. Now, after 21 years, he finally did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in
return."
-Moulin Rouge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry and Hermione had agreed to trade presents later that night together, and so it was that after every member of the mission had met for a big Christmas dinner, they found themselves outside starting a fire to keep them warm by the lakeside. It had stopped snowing and the sky was so clear that every star looked a brilliant white. Harry leaned back onto their blanket, and Hermione leaned against him.
Hermione took a small wrapped box out of her pocket and handed it to Harry. He unwrapped it and opened the box to find a pendant necklace of a gold lion. "His eyes glow red when danger's near by." Hermione told him.
"It's perfect." Harry whispered, glad the eyes were not glowing at the moment. "This is exactly the sort of thing I need. You know me too well."
"Everyone knows you always in danger Harry."
"Yes, but not everyone knows I live at Gryffindor Manor, and the lion is my second greatest symbol only next to my lightening bolt scar."
Hermione laughed a bit at this, and pulled herself closer to him for warmth. Feeling this, he wrapped his arms around her until she felt completely warm and secure. Silence came about them again, and Hermione went of into another world of thoughts until she suddenly realized a gold wrapped package was laying in Harry's out stretched hand before her. Slowly she took it from him and unwrapped it, not saying a word. Inside was a gold ring. It had a beautiful emerald stone on it, and it reminded her of his eyes. Around the band was an engraving in Latin. Hermione did not need to ask Harry what it said since she had studied Latin in order to better understand what different spells meant. It read, "De corde totaliter Et ex mente tota, Sum presentialiter."
"With all my heart and all my soul I am with you." She read, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"Now and forever." He whispered, and she hoped the memory would never leave her. She gazed off into the stars and let it burn into her mind, so that she would always be able to recall it.
((REVIEW! Even if you only say one word, I'd just like to know how many people are reading this. I hope you liked this chapter, the next chapter should be pretty long and the mission will start. Also, you'll get to meet Harry's mentor!))
((The mission is almost here. The upcoming chapters will be rated close to R for violence, this is just a warning.))
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. And today? Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present."
-Babatunde Olatunji
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The days passed quickly, too quickly. The day before the mission had arrived at a bullet fast speed, and despite how hard everyone had tried to cling to the minutes. Training had been hard and brutal, and Hermione had found that Harry was often required to leave for days at a time. She knew he was going to have to go after Voldemort, but she'd always known that day would in the future, and now that day was only 24 hours off.
It was Christmas day, a day of innocence and a day when all students were on vacation. Hermione remembered Christmas' with Harry and Ron at Hogwarts, and those at home with her parents. Usually she awoke with a gleeful start, feeling that anything was possible on Christmas day. Today however, she rolled over reluctantly to find she was sleeping in Harry's arms, and remember that she was sleeping in a Hogwarts dormitory. All of the rooms empty of students were used for lodging the members of the mission, which numbered close to 100.
Harry awoke slowly to find Hermione staring directly into his eyes. A painful twist knotted in his stomach as he thought about losing her, about how life with be if he survived and she did not. He couldn't bear it, for now that he had her, life without was simply unimaginable. He kissed her softly on the lips and she snuggled up closer to him.
"Are you scared Harry?" She asked, her voice muffled against him.
"Yes." He answered simply.
"So am I." She breathed, her voice spilling with emotion and fear.
He held her close, running his fingers down her back in a soft soothing manner. He had never cared so much for anyone in his life, had never known so much love, and he wanted to hide away with her, out of danger, without a care for the rest of the world. He thought back to his school days, back to before he knew he loved her. He was quite sure he'd loved her even then. He'd trusted her with all his life, but she had also cared for her so greatly that he would lay his life down for her. It had been thoughts of her and Ron that allowed him to save himself from dementors in fifth year, and it would be those same thoughts that could save him now.
"Harry do you remember your promise? That you'll try your hardest to survive?"
Harry nodded saying, "It still stands and there isn't a single thing that could stop me from trying to return to you."
Hermione seemed to relax and time lapsed in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All over the castle a sad silence seemed to cover every hallway, every room, every square inch of the grounds. Birds did not sing, owls did not fly about for exercise, and snow began to fall from the gloomy grey skies.
In a tall tower an old man with a long white beard spoke not a word, and thought to himself, "oh what has the world come to?"
In a dungeon room a greasy black haired professor paced about and cursed the wretched world and all it had done to him.
A tall red haired boy pulled a black haired girl close as they waited for his family to come and celebrate Christmas.
In a hallway not far off, a red haired girl was being comforted by a long time boyfriend, who whispered that all would be okay.
Two parents who had lived enough years to see their youngest child near the end of her Hogwarts days embraced, shedding their tears in private so that their 7 children would not have to seem them look weak. The woman cried for the thoughts brought to her by the boggart, that all who she knew and loved would die.
A young Irish man wondered what he would do on this Christmas, a holiday he rarely found occasion to celebrate, but now saw as possibly his last full day on earth. He prepared to pick up the rest of his gang, a group who trusted him and would die for that, those who remained only to be memory charmed into thinking it had all just been a gang fight.
One twin looked at the other and wondered if any magic could separate them from each other and the eternal friendship they had forged.
Throughout the castle such thoughts remained, and they suffered in what were truly the darkest hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a
battle, love is a war; love is a growing up."
-James Baldwin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By noon the Weasley family and all their closest friends including Harry, Hermione, Cho, Dean, Remus, and even Dumbledore, had gathered in the Gryffindor common room to celebrate Christmas, despite the downcast tone. When presents began to be exchanged, the mood lightened considerably. Everyone called Harry his real name openly because it had been determined several days previously that all involved in the mission had a right to know his true identity, which naturally came as quite a shock. Charlie and Bill passed out the presents from under a Christmas tree which had been dragged in by Hagrid on Christmas Eve. Today Christmas was celebrated regardless of religion, in more of a loving way than a religious way.
Presents went round about, Harry and Hermione gave a subscription to Quidditch weekly and a set of Chudley Cannons robes to Ron. George and Fred gave Hermione the picture she'd inquired about on the wall of their house, saying she could have it since she seemed interested and they had no need for it despite its outrageous cost. Ron, Cho, and the rest of the Weasleys gave Harry a black dragon skin trench coat which was designed to repel most spells. It was clearly an expensive jacket and had been found being sold at a strange and remote dragon store by Charlie. They all agreed he most needed it, and the girls secretly agreed he also looked very good in it. Presents continued to go around and nobody noticed when the door opened and Chrome entered the room.
Chrome had a box under one arm and quietly made his way across the room taking in the happy, loving atmosphere of the room. He had never seen a family celebrate Christmas as his mother never bothered and he was never his father's family for that part of he year. He made his way over to Hermione and stopped in front of her.
"Happy Christmas," he said, sounding unsure. She looked up from where she had previously trained her eyes, and gasped when she saw him.
He had a very bad black eye which was cut and bleeding just beneath the bottom part of his eye lid, and his cheek was scraped and bleeding lightly. His injuries had become more and more common as they neared the mission and his work to obtain the right explosives and weaponry had gotten tougher. Hermione knew he had been in some bad situations in the past month and done some very illegal things, but she no longer blamed him as she used to. Instead she quickly healed his injuries and finally responded, "Happy Christmas."
He held the box out before him somewhat awkwardly and she looked up at him with confusion.
"It's for you." He explained.
She took it from him and opened it. Inside was a small revolver with ammunition.
"It's an easy enough gun to fire," Chrome said. "It's mostly a matter of knowing what to do. Its small size should make it pretty easy to wield. It'll shoot up to 50 feet, and holds multiple shots in case you miss. I just thought you might need it. just in case. I know you have magic but you can't use that except to disarm Muggle attackers, and say that doesn't work. Plus, they'll set off a physical attack if you disarm them, and if you can't fight them magically, you had better shoot them the Muggle way as you call it."
Hermione wasn't so sure she had it in her to shoot a gun, but he had a very good point, and was surprised that he'd thought to give it to her.
"I can show you how to use it, or you could learn from James. I mean Harry how to use it. He's trained to shoot a gun, at least that's what he told me."
"He is," Hermione agreed, "but since it's from you maybe you should show me."
Chrome looked pleased by this and set to giving her instructions. When they finished, Hermione told him she'd gotten him a gift as well, and handed him an envelope. She wasn't originally sure weather or not to get him something, and decided he deserved a gift for all the work he'd been going through. Now she was glad she had.
He opened the envelope, and first time since he was six, he got a present that wasn't money from his dad. He took out a gift certificate to a magic tattoo shop in Hogsmede. "Painless and any design imaginable" it read, and was signed:
TO: Raymond Granger FROM: Hermione
He smiled at his real name being written, a name he would only allow family to call him if he had any. Now, after 21 years, he finally did.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in
return."
-Moulin Rouge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry and Hermione had agreed to trade presents later that night together, and so it was that after every member of the mission had met for a big Christmas dinner, they found themselves outside starting a fire to keep them warm by the lakeside. It had stopped snowing and the sky was so clear that every star looked a brilliant white. Harry leaned back onto their blanket, and Hermione leaned against him.
Hermione took a small wrapped box out of her pocket and handed it to Harry. He unwrapped it and opened the box to find a pendant necklace of a gold lion. "His eyes glow red when danger's near by." Hermione told him.
"It's perfect." Harry whispered, glad the eyes were not glowing at the moment. "This is exactly the sort of thing I need. You know me too well."
"Everyone knows you always in danger Harry."
"Yes, but not everyone knows I live at Gryffindor Manor, and the lion is my second greatest symbol only next to my lightening bolt scar."
Hermione laughed a bit at this, and pulled herself closer to him for warmth. Feeling this, he wrapped his arms around her until she felt completely warm and secure. Silence came about them again, and Hermione went of into another world of thoughts until she suddenly realized a gold wrapped package was laying in Harry's out stretched hand before her. Slowly she took it from him and unwrapped it, not saying a word. Inside was a gold ring. It had a beautiful emerald stone on it, and it reminded her of his eyes. Around the band was an engraving in Latin. Hermione did not need to ask Harry what it said since she had studied Latin in order to better understand what different spells meant. It read, "De corde totaliter Et ex mente tota, Sum presentialiter."
"With all my heart and all my soul I am with you." She read, a tear trickling down her cheek.
"Now and forever." He whispered, and she hoped the memory would never leave her. She gazed off into the stars and let it burn into her mind, so that she would always be able to recall it.
((REVIEW! Even if you only say one word, I'd just like to know how many people are reading this. I hope you liked this chapter, the next chapter should be pretty long and the mission will start. Also, you'll get to meet Harry's mentor!))