FACES
-----
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other place or reference in this. All places, names, etc. are fictional and do not have any relationship to things in real life.
-----
Artesania has told me that the timeframe of this story is confusing. Thank you Arty! Actually, this all happens after Hogwarts . . . Hermione should be in her mid-twenties.
-----
With the release of the Order of the Phoenix, I have been able to add more characters; however, I am not sure if I will do that. Also, this has nothing to do with the Order of the Phoenix and Vengeance is nothing like the Order itself. Also, this was not inspired by the Order of the Phoenix at all, considering that it was created a month beforehand.
~+~
Shinigami walked into the room. Hermione sat, cloak covering her face, waiting. Honir left as Shinigami sat down in front of her.
"Where do you live?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"I was told to take you home."
Hermione glanced at him oddly. She said slowly, "I live off of Tinan Street."
Shinigami stood up. "Then that is where we will go. Come, Ran."
Hermione stood up, shivering. His voice had grown cold, as had the room. Yet she followed him to a black car waiting. Climbing into the passenger seat, she watched as Shinigami pulled out a key and sat down beside her.
He glanced at her. "What are you looking at?"
"You."
-----
Shinigami raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised at her blunt answer. They had a connection, though he did not know why. "You were looking at me?"
"Yes; is that so hard to believe?"
Shinigami remained quiet, simply driving in the now pouring rain. After a time, he said simply, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why were you looking at me?"
Hermione looked down. "You have yet to fight."
-----
Hermione watched as Shinigami entered confusion again. He did not realize how painfully clear it was to her that he had suffered so much torture, and yet his revenge did not cure it. His innermost ache was lucid through his boundaries, his cloak, and his frigid, stony features.
"What happened?"
Shinigami looked up, staring at her, eyes wide. "What do you mean, what happened?"
"You said everyone was betrayed . . . what happened to you?"
Shinigami kept her eyes upon the road. "Only Duat can know that."
"I will tell you what happened to me," Hermione offered.
Shinigami continued focusing on the street in front of them. "I cannot ignore Duat's rules."
Hermione gazed at him for a minute, and then turned away. "Fine."
-----
What did this girl think she was doing, asking him about his betrayal? It was forbidden. Not allowed. Unthinkable.
And who did she think she was, expecting him to pour his heart for her? If there was one thing he learned, he would never, ever trust anyone.
Ever.
But . . . why was he so tempted to trust her?
-----
"It's here."
Hermione pointed at her apartment building. Shinigami silently pulled over and walked her to her door.
Hermione looked at him for a minute; or, rather, looked at the hood of his cloak. "In some cultures, something is supposed to happen here."
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
Hermione glared at him. "No. I suppose not."
"Remember not to tell anybody anything."
"I won't." Hermione cocked her head. "You're freezing, aren't you?"
"What?"
"I said, you're freezing. Aren't you?"
"I suppose."
"Shinigami," Hermione scolded, rolling her eyes. "Come in."
He followed her silently up the stairs into her apartment, only to find a place neat, but with notebooks strewn everywhere. Glancing at the page open in one, he saw a poem she had written.
I can feel the snowflakes on my cheek
Looking around I see them everywhere
A blanket of white in the cold
Harsh
Winter.
Shadows of who I once was
Linger here
Reminding me of the past
I brush away
Every
Day.
The blanket of snow embraces me
Fits around me
Before it takes me
Chokes me
Kills me.
My remnants of the past.
Shinigami looked at the girl, her black robes covering her face. How could one so pure, so . . . happy, even, write something so sad?
A little of me is taken every day
Consumed by trying to take back what I had
But I know it's impossible
But I keep trying
Pointlessly.
I know it's been taken
I know I've been taken
And I know it's never coming back.
Never.
Shinigami stared at her again. She . . . wrote this?
Traitor
I can feel your breath upon my neck
Traitor
I can feel your blood upon my hands
Traitor
I can feel your heartbeat in my head
Traitor
I can feel your movement in my mind
Traitor
I don't know how you face yourself
You
Traitor.
Shinigami gazed at Ran/Hermione. She wrote all of this. He felt all of this. How could she put it so perfectly into words?
"You wrote all of this?"
Ran/Hermione looked at him from under her cloak. "Yes. It's just scribbles that I do in my spare time."
"These are . . . amazing."
"Thanks. I say some of them at poetry readings, trying to make a little extra money. It helps --- some."
"Wow . . ."
Ran/Hermione glanced at him. "What?"
"This is . . ." He looked at the odd gaze she was giving him. "Never mind."
"You can stay here until the rain lets up."
"That will probably be all night."
"I know."
"And we're not allowed to see each other's faces."
"I know."
"Then how ---"
"Just shut up and have some coffee, Shinigami," Ran/Hermione said, smiling, handing him a coffee mug.
Shinigami gazed at her. 'Who was this girl?' he thought. 'She's so strange, so different . . . so much like her. So much like her.'
Ran/Hermione sat down. "So are you ready to talk now?"
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity
-----
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other place or reference in this. All places, names, etc. are fictional and do not have any relationship to things in real life.
-----
Artesania has told me that the timeframe of this story is confusing. Thank you Arty! Actually, this all happens after Hogwarts . . . Hermione should be in her mid-twenties.
-----
With the release of the Order of the Phoenix, I have been able to add more characters; however, I am not sure if I will do that. Also, this has nothing to do with the Order of the Phoenix and Vengeance is nothing like the Order itself. Also, this was not inspired by the Order of the Phoenix at all, considering that it was created a month beforehand.
~+~
Shinigami walked into the room. Hermione sat, cloak covering her face, waiting. Honir left as Shinigami sat down in front of her.
"Where do you live?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"I was told to take you home."
Hermione glanced at him oddly. She said slowly, "I live off of Tinan Street."
Shinigami stood up. "Then that is where we will go. Come, Ran."
Hermione stood up, shivering. His voice had grown cold, as had the room. Yet she followed him to a black car waiting. Climbing into the passenger seat, she watched as Shinigami pulled out a key and sat down beside her.
He glanced at her. "What are you looking at?"
"You."
-----
Shinigami raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised at her blunt answer. They had a connection, though he did not know why. "You were looking at me?"
"Yes; is that so hard to believe?"
Shinigami remained quiet, simply driving in the now pouring rain. After a time, he said simply, "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why were you looking at me?"
Hermione looked down. "You have yet to fight."
-----
Hermione watched as Shinigami entered confusion again. He did not realize how painfully clear it was to her that he had suffered so much torture, and yet his revenge did not cure it. His innermost ache was lucid through his boundaries, his cloak, and his frigid, stony features.
"What happened?"
Shinigami looked up, staring at her, eyes wide. "What do you mean, what happened?"
"You said everyone was betrayed . . . what happened to you?"
Shinigami kept her eyes upon the road. "Only Duat can know that."
"I will tell you what happened to me," Hermione offered.
Shinigami continued focusing on the street in front of them. "I cannot ignore Duat's rules."
Hermione gazed at him for a minute, and then turned away. "Fine."
-----
What did this girl think she was doing, asking him about his betrayal? It was forbidden. Not allowed. Unthinkable.
And who did she think she was, expecting him to pour his heart for her? If there was one thing he learned, he would never, ever trust anyone.
Ever.
But . . . why was he so tempted to trust her?
-----
"It's here."
Hermione pointed at her apartment building. Shinigami silently pulled over and walked her to her door.
Hermione looked at him for a minute; or, rather, looked at the hood of his cloak. "In some cultures, something is supposed to happen here."
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
Hermione glared at him. "No. I suppose not."
"Remember not to tell anybody anything."
"I won't." Hermione cocked her head. "You're freezing, aren't you?"
"What?"
"I said, you're freezing. Aren't you?"
"I suppose."
"Shinigami," Hermione scolded, rolling her eyes. "Come in."
He followed her silently up the stairs into her apartment, only to find a place neat, but with notebooks strewn everywhere. Glancing at the page open in one, he saw a poem she had written.
I can feel the snowflakes on my cheek
Looking around I see them everywhere
A blanket of white in the cold
Harsh
Winter.
Shadows of who I once was
Linger here
Reminding me of the past
I brush away
Every
Day.
The blanket of snow embraces me
Fits around me
Before it takes me
Chokes me
Kills me.
My remnants of the past.
Shinigami looked at the girl, her black robes covering her face. How could one so pure, so . . . happy, even, write something so sad?
A little of me is taken every day
Consumed by trying to take back what I had
But I know it's impossible
But I keep trying
Pointlessly.
I know it's been taken
I know I've been taken
And I know it's never coming back.
Never.
Shinigami stared at her again. She . . . wrote this?
Traitor
I can feel your breath upon my neck
Traitor
I can feel your blood upon my hands
Traitor
I can feel your heartbeat in my head
Traitor
I can feel your movement in my mind
Traitor
I don't know how you face yourself
You
Traitor.
Shinigami gazed at Ran/Hermione. She wrote all of this. He felt all of this. How could she put it so perfectly into words?
"You wrote all of this?"
Ran/Hermione looked at him from under her cloak. "Yes. It's just scribbles that I do in my spare time."
"These are . . . amazing."
"Thanks. I say some of them at poetry readings, trying to make a little extra money. It helps --- some."
"Wow . . ."
Ran/Hermione glanced at him. "What?"
"This is . . ." He looked at the odd gaze she was giving him. "Never mind."
"You can stay here until the rain lets up."
"That will probably be all night."
"I know."
"And we're not allowed to see each other's faces."
"I know."
"Then how ---"
"Just shut up and have some coffee, Shinigami," Ran/Hermione said, smiling, handing him a coffee mug.
Shinigami gazed at her. 'Who was this girl?' he thought. 'She's so strange, so different . . . so much like her. So much like her.'
Ran/Hermione sat down. "So are you ready to talk now?"
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity