The Aftermath 2:
What He Said
By S. Christian
Whoa. I started writing The Aftermath not knowing I would finish it to be a story composed of almost 20,000 words in 11 chapters. And my reviewers. More reviewers than I ever thought I'd have. Anyone who enjoyed my first fic has to know this: You have made this possible. Without your encouragement, I may not have continued this far. So to all my readers and reviewers, this is for you. Now to get things kicked off. Hermione Granger had recieved an anyonomous letter saying only two words. But those two words may have been the signature of the man she loves. Months later and she still has no Harry, but hope. Please R&R, because I know you want me to be inspired as much as I want me to be inspired. With that in mind, read on in prosperity.
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She tried to read her book. She tried not to fidget. She tried not to jump to conclusions about who was behind the door everytime she heard a knock. What were the chances he was still alive after five months?
Hermione Granger threw down the book she had been reading. She hadn't been able to read a book in those five long months that Harry Potter had been missing. Five months. Legally, he was dead. But she had hope.
I PROMISED. She reread the letter. He did promise. Promise he would come back. But he wasn't there. At least not yet.
She sighed. Looking back at their times together, she never thought this would ever happen. At this point, she was the only one that really had hope he would come back. Even Ron thought he was dead.
Her head darted up as there was a knock on the door. She could've hit herself. She was being too hopeful again. It was probably just Ginny.
She answered the door to find that she was right.
"Hello, Ginny," she said, pulling on one of her smiles. "You're early."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not like I could be late."
"Too true."
They often got together just to hang out. Today, Ron and his new wife, Lavender, were coming over for supper. Ron was becoming quite fond of his wheelchair. He made sure to move around as much as possible.
"What are we making for supper?" Ginny asked.
"Making?" Hermione laughed. "I can't cook. Either you're cooking and I'm helping, or it's take-out. You know you're prat of a brother couldn't care less."
Ginny thought about it. "Fine. But if we're not cooking, then it's pizza."
"Whatever you say." Hermione wasn't in much of a mood for decisions about food. She wasn't usually.
"I figure Ron should be here soon, so I'll go ahead and order the pizza," Ginny said.
Hermione watched her walk over to the phone (Hermione didn't give up on some Muggle items, especially the phone). As Ginny started to dial, Hermione noticed the ring. Draco had given it to her. He was dead. She was as good as a widow.
She sighed again. Too much had changed for the worst. Too much
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"Ok, I don't care what you say, there is no way the Cannons are losing to the Wasps again this year. The National Cup will be ours."
Ron always came with a heated Quidditch conversation. He may have lost the ability to use his legs, but not the spirit he had always had. He was still Ron.
The pizza was already gone with the exception of a few slices. They all continued to talk about everything. Everything except for Harry. Noone blamed each other. It wouldn't feel right talking about him. It didn't feel right that he was gone.
Harry. He would have liked to be there. Maybe that's why they heard that faint knock on the door.
Hermione got up to answer the door. The figure at the door was someone she didn't recognize at first. Long black hair draped over his face. A long cloak. The person looked up.
The green eyes burned a hole in Hermione.
"Harry?" she said quietly in disbelief.
He tried to smile. It was weak. Everything about him seemed week. He was dirty, rugged, and not very coordinated. But he tried to smile.
"I... I promised, didn't I?"
He fell over, obviously unconscious.
Ron wheeled out of the kitchen. "Hermione, is everything o... k?"
He stopped. Hermione was leaning over Harry, trying to get him up. "Ron. Ron, it's Harry. He came back."
Ron was stunned. "Should I floo St. Mungos?"
Hermione tried to nod. "That would be a good idea."
Harry faintly opened his eyes. "I'm here. I'm here. Everything is... ok. I'm here."
She hugged him. "I know you're here. I am too. Everything is ok."
She kissed him softly.
Shortly, Medical Wizards were at the door. Hermione never left Harry's side.
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She had grown pretty used to seeing Harry in a hospital bed. Yet this time, she was more worried than ever. He didn't look good. He had cuts and bruises everywhere. Most of the injuries he should've died from. But he didn't. He was there in front of her. Alive.
Hermione was relieved as he opened his eyes. He looked over and smiled. The famous Harry Potter smile.
"Last time I saw you here, it was the other way around. Glad to see you're ok."
Hermione smiled as a tear came down her face. "You're glad? You were practically dead coming in here. What the hell happened to you, anyway?"
Harry grinned. "What's it look like happened? I went to hell and back."
They heard a growl.
Harry laughed. "I'm so fucking hungry."
"When's the last time you ate?" Hermione asked.
He thought. "A week ago. I found a rat, killed it, ate it."
"A rat?" Hermione said, almost frowning.
Harry smirked. "Can't get too picky when you're trying to get home and not get killed."
"I guess so."
A nurse came in. "Well, Mr. Potter. You've recovered quickly. I think we can let you go in a matter of hours. How do you feel?"
"A little sore here and there," Harry responded.
"That's normal. You should still be able to leave. In the mean time, would you like something to eat?"
Harry's face showed obvious relief. "Oh hell yes."
As the nurse left, Hermione's brow furrowed. "Wait. You said you were trying not to get killed. What does that mean? Aren't the Death Eaters in America?"
Harry's face grew darkly serious. "They are coming back. America was a trap. I had to flee back, but they were all over the place. I had no good wand, so I couldn't apparate. Any other way, it was a checkmate."
"They're coming back?" she said, almost in a whisper.
Harry nodded. "As we speak, they know where I am. No one is safe. Lucius is power hungry. He'll do anything to kill me, even if that means killing any other random person." He forced a smile. "It used to be that in times like these, I'd make sure I was away from everyone else so they wouldn't get hurt."
A confused Hermione said, "So?"
He continued to eerily smile. "I know now that it wouldn't matter. Lucius will kill who he wants when he want, whether they're my friend or not." His smile left and he grabbed Hermione's hand. He was all of the sudden frightened in a way. "Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me!" His breathing increased as he started to fall onto the bed with a cold sweat streaming down his face.
Hermione, alarmed, turned to the hallway. "Somebody help!"
Harry's eyes were wide as medical wizards streamed into the room. They rushed him to an ER room. As he went out the door, Hermione heard him say, "They're coming for me."
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Eesh. What the hell just happened? You'll just have to read next chapter to find out. I have nothing more to say, so just review and I'll be happy. Until we meet again, I must say adios.
What He Said
By S. Christian
Whoa. I started writing The Aftermath not knowing I would finish it to be a story composed of almost 20,000 words in 11 chapters. And my reviewers. More reviewers than I ever thought I'd have. Anyone who enjoyed my first fic has to know this: You have made this possible. Without your encouragement, I may not have continued this far. So to all my readers and reviewers, this is for you. Now to get things kicked off. Hermione Granger had recieved an anyonomous letter saying only two words. But those two words may have been the signature of the man she loves. Months later and she still has no Harry, but hope. Please R&R, because I know you want me to be inspired as much as I want me to be inspired. With that in mind, read on in prosperity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She tried to read her book. She tried not to fidget. She tried not to jump to conclusions about who was behind the door everytime she heard a knock. What were the chances he was still alive after five months?
Hermione Granger threw down the book she had been reading. She hadn't been able to read a book in those five long months that Harry Potter had been missing. Five months. Legally, he was dead. But she had hope.
I PROMISED. She reread the letter. He did promise. Promise he would come back. But he wasn't there. At least not yet.
She sighed. Looking back at their times together, she never thought this would ever happen. At this point, she was the only one that really had hope he would come back. Even Ron thought he was dead.
Her head darted up as there was a knock on the door. She could've hit herself. She was being too hopeful again. It was probably just Ginny.
She answered the door to find that she was right.
"Hello, Ginny," she said, pulling on one of her smiles. "You're early."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not like I could be late."
"Too true."
They often got together just to hang out. Today, Ron and his new wife, Lavender, were coming over for supper. Ron was becoming quite fond of his wheelchair. He made sure to move around as much as possible.
"What are we making for supper?" Ginny asked.
"Making?" Hermione laughed. "I can't cook. Either you're cooking and I'm helping, or it's take-out. You know you're prat of a brother couldn't care less."
Ginny thought about it. "Fine. But if we're not cooking, then it's pizza."
"Whatever you say." Hermione wasn't in much of a mood for decisions about food. She wasn't usually.
"I figure Ron should be here soon, so I'll go ahead and order the pizza," Ginny said.
Hermione watched her walk over to the phone (Hermione didn't give up on some Muggle items, especially the phone). As Ginny started to dial, Hermione noticed the ring. Draco had given it to her. He was dead. She was as good as a widow.
She sighed again. Too much had changed for the worst. Too much
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ok, I don't care what you say, there is no way the Cannons are losing to the Wasps again this year. The National Cup will be ours."
Ron always came with a heated Quidditch conversation. He may have lost the ability to use his legs, but not the spirit he had always had. He was still Ron.
The pizza was already gone with the exception of a few slices. They all continued to talk about everything. Everything except for Harry. Noone blamed each other. It wouldn't feel right talking about him. It didn't feel right that he was gone.
Harry. He would have liked to be there. Maybe that's why they heard that faint knock on the door.
Hermione got up to answer the door. The figure at the door was someone she didn't recognize at first. Long black hair draped over his face. A long cloak. The person looked up.
The green eyes burned a hole in Hermione.
"Harry?" she said quietly in disbelief.
He tried to smile. It was weak. Everything about him seemed week. He was dirty, rugged, and not very coordinated. But he tried to smile.
"I... I promised, didn't I?"
He fell over, obviously unconscious.
Ron wheeled out of the kitchen. "Hermione, is everything o... k?"
He stopped. Hermione was leaning over Harry, trying to get him up. "Ron. Ron, it's Harry. He came back."
Ron was stunned. "Should I floo St. Mungos?"
Hermione tried to nod. "That would be a good idea."
Harry faintly opened his eyes. "I'm here. I'm here. Everything is... ok. I'm here."
She hugged him. "I know you're here. I am too. Everything is ok."
She kissed him softly.
Shortly, Medical Wizards were at the door. Hermione never left Harry's side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She had grown pretty used to seeing Harry in a hospital bed. Yet this time, she was more worried than ever. He didn't look good. He had cuts and bruises everywhere. Most of the injuries he should've died from. But he didn't. He was there in front of her. Alive.
Hermione was relieved as he opened his eyes. He looked over and smiled. The famous Harry Potter smile.
"Last time I saw you here, it was the other way around. Glad to see you're ok."
Hermione smiled as a tear came down her face. "You're glad? You were practically dead coming in here. What the hell happened to you, anyway?"
Harry grinned. "What's it look like happened? I went to hell and back."
They heard a growl.
Harry laughed. "I'm so fucking hungry."
"When's the last time you ate?" Hermione asked.
He thought. "A week ago. I found a rat, killed it, ate it."
"A rat?" Hermione said, almost frowning.
Harry smirked. "Can't get too picky when you're trying to get home and not get killed."
"I guess so."
A nurse came in. "Well, Mr. Potter. You've recovered quickly. I think we can let you go in a matter of hours. How do you feel?"
"A little sore here and there," Harry responded.
"That's normal. You should still be able to leave. In the mean time, would you like something to eat?"
Harry's face showed obvious relief. "Oh hell yes."
As the nurse left, Hermione's brow furrowed. "Wait. You said you were trying not to get killed. What does that mean? Aren't the Death Eaters in America?"
Harry's face grew darkly serious. "They are coming back. America was a trap. I had to flee back, but they were all over the place. I had no good wand, so I couldn't apparate. Any other way, it was a checkmate."
"They're coming back?" she said, almost in a whisper.
Harry nodded. "As we speak, they know where I am. No one is safe. Lucius is power hungry. He'll do anything to kill me, even if that means killing any other random person." He forced a smile. "It used to be that in times like these, I'd make sure I was away from everyone else so they wouldn't get hurt."
A confused Hermione said, "So?"
He continued to eerily smile. "I know now that it wouldn't matter. Lucius will kill who he wants when he want, whether they're my friend or not." His smile left and he grabbed Hermione's hand. He was all of the sudden frightened in a way. "Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me!" His breathing increased as he started to fall onto the bed with a cold sweat streaming down his face.
Hermione, alarmed, turned to the hallway. "Somebody help!"
Harry's eyes were wide as medical wizards streamed into the room. They rushed him to an ER room. As he went out the door, Hermione heard him say, "They're coming for me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eesh. What the hell just happened? You'll just have to read next chapter to find out. I have nothing more to say, so just review and I'll be happy. Until we meet again, I must say adios.