Disclaimer: We are the Harry Potter fic called "Not Myself". Resistance as you know it is over. We will add your reviews and flames to the bucket in the corner. You will be sucked in. Resistance is futile.

Disclaimer for Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Nor the Borg. Other people own them.

Not Myself by Saerry Snape

Chapter 155 – An End of an Era

"Well," said Ginny with a sigh, "there goes another year."

"Mmm," mumbled Mika sleepily as he leaned his head against hers.

Ron frowned at them then sighed and asked, "So…summer plans? We can all get together at the Burrow and…"

"Sorry, Ron," interrupted Hermione. "My parents and I are going to America for the summer."

"So are my aunt and me," voiced Niamh from where she sprawled at Harry's feet. She then sighed and closed her eyes, rolling over onto her side so she could see Harry's face.

The dark-haired teen was lying limply against a raised root of the oak they all sat under. Two large raised roots created a little circle about them, blocking them from complete view if they laid down flat. Harry leaned against the largest raised root, his head tilted back and one foot thrown up onto the root he leaned against further down its length.

Niamh poked his other leg, which was nearest her, and asked, "What are your summer plans, Harry?"

The dark head tilted to the side and one green eye opened a slit.

"Visiting a cousin," came the slightly mumbled reply. "Sorry, Ron."

"S'alright," sighed Ron. "Gin'll be home, right?"

Ginny flushed and didn't look at her brother.

"Uh…"

Ron groaned as she said, "I'm spending the summer with Mika."

"Great," grumbled Ron. "Just great."

"We'll owl you," said Hermione reassuringly. "Every chance we get."

Niamh, Mika, and Ginny nodded in agreement – but Harry stared glumly ahead into the blue sky. The dark-haired girl at his feet prodded him again.

"Harry?"

"I can't promise anything," came the reply in a voice that was suddenly weary. Niamh blinked and sat up abruptly. Those words… They seemed like…

They seemed like they were more for her than Ron.

As though he was saying that he couldn't promise anything to her.

"Harry," she breathed, sitting up.

The green eyes opened wide and stared deep into hers. Abruptly Niamh felt her mental walls threatened…and that threat had the presence of Harry. He was shoving at her with all his will, trying to tell her something he couldn't say aloud even to her.

He didn't have the powers that she did but his will was strong and if he kept battering at her walls like he was, they would break.

Niamh released them with a thought and gasped at what flowed into her mind. Pure sorrow and grief wrenched at her heart and soul, nearly threatening to tear her apart in their potency. Love came after that, love so strong that it set her heart to beating wildly against her ribs. Then there was a single thought that caused her wildly beating heart to plummet to her feet.

I can't love you, said Harry's voice in her head. I can't and it hurts – but if Voldemort knew…if he knew… I would die if you were killed by him. And I would kill every soul that had a part in your death.

Niamh felt tears on her cheeks and heard the worried voices of her friends dimly in her ears. But she pushed their voices away and clung to the heart-broken voice that was Harry's.

I can't love you, repeated Harry. If I do, he'll use you against me. I know it. I'm so sorry, Ni. Forgive me. Please, please, please forgive me. I…I…

The voice trailed away and Niamh blinked eyes that had lost sight of the world around her. She saw Hermione's worried face out of the corner of her eye then she turned and looked at Harry. His face was inches from hers and his eyes…

"Windows to the soul," whispered Niamh, staring into those pools of emerald green. She saw – and felt – the pain his own words were causing him. He loved her more than anything – perhaps more than she deserved.

And he was afraid for her. Because his presence anyway near her put her in danger. It already had put her in danger.

But he wouldn't allow it to do so again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, gripping her hands tightly with his own. Niamh clung to those hands, feeling the scars that were on them and the thin bones underneath. She saw tears on his face through her own and shock went through her.

It was the first time she'd seen tears on his face.

Sorrow and pain had always been travelers upon those lean lines but tears? Not even when Cedric had died had there been tears. Nor Tyls.

At least there had been none in her presence.

It showed that her friend, her dearest friend that she loved so much, was not as strong as he seemed. He had ways past his defenses that struck at his very heart.

"Forgive me," whispered Harry, leaning closer. He pressed a feverish kiss on her lips then pulled away from her – forced himself away from her.

Niamh watched with dull eyes and a numb heart as he turned and ran towards the castle.

"Niamh?" said Ginny softly, touching her arm.

Niamh turned and saw worried brown eyes before she choked and threw herself upon the younger girl, sobbing fit to break her heart. Ginny clutched her close and cast a confused look at those around her. Ron stared back dumbly while Hermione gently patted the distraught girl's back.

Mika stared off in the direction where Harry had gone, the scarlet Elven eye staring blankly. But his real eye was narrowed and fierce.

He intended to have a talk with the other Slytherin.

"What the hell was that scene this morning about?"

"I don't want to talk about it," mumbled Harry rolling onto his side and burying his face in his pillow.

Mika snarled – a low, vicious sound that came from the wolf and not the human – and lunged forward. He jerked the pillow away and shoved the dark-haired boy off the other side of the bed.

"You will talk about it, damnit!" he shouted angrily.

Harry fell with a startled yelp then shot back up, anger flashing in his eyes. Mika saw a swirling of black in them but he ignored it as his temper was raised and with that temper, the wolf reared its own head. His eyes burned and he knew somehow that his real eye was now a dark, burnished amber.

They glared at each other for a long time over the bed, muscles taut as wires and ready to fight. Draco, who watched from the doorway, felt as though he was watching a battle between two matched opponents. For anyone else to have stared Mika down, he'd have said the newly made werewolf would have won. But against Harry? Against that impassioned green stare and the body made hard by years on the streets (not to mention the power over fire) he doubted even the wolfen Mika could win.

Especially since there was a sense of something dark and violent within the teenager who had long ago earned the name Lord Hex. Draco did not want to be around when someone triggered that dark force and it revealed itself in a burst of violent glory.

Just when he thought they would launch themselves at each other, the anger in the gemstone eyes vanished and Harry sank bonelessly onto his bed.

"What do you want to know?" he asked wearily.

Mika scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I want to know what you said to Niamh. AND CLOSE THAT DOOR, MALFOY!"

Draco jumped and stared like a deer caught by a pack of wolves. That was what he felt like when that dark amber eye and its scarlet twin turned to glower at him. Like a deer frozen in the path of a wolf…

Stepping forward, he closed the door behind him and fidgeted nervously. To be locked in a room with these two when they seemed so on edge was not his idea of a good day. Especially since he was only a wizard and they…they had always seemed to be so much more.

"Thank you," growled Mika. "Now, tell me, Harry."

The dark head turned away and Harry mumbled, "I can't love her, Mik."

Mika's expression turned dark with rage while Draco took a nervous step back. Potter and O'Feir? He thought in blatant shock.

"And why not? Its no different than me and Gin. The Ministry'll likely get its knickers in a twist about us."

"It is different!" shouted Harry, looking up with an abruptly open gaze. "Voldemort makes it different!"

"Hell to Voldemort!"

"He nearly killed her. Because of me!" Harry choked and sank his head into his hands, gasping, "She nearly died because of me."

"And I became a werewolf because of you," snarled Mika. "Cedric died because of you. Tyls died because of you and came back because of you. Your father was injured because of you…"

Draco stilled at the last one.

"Holy hell," he gasped. "You…Harry…Snape?"

Mika turned towards him with a wolfish snarl and spat, "One word to your father, Malfoy, and I will rip you apart. Understand?"

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me, Harry?"

"I couldn't trust you then," came the sullen reply. "Not when you first asked. I can now. Mik, I…"

"Don't."

Harry paled then ducked his head, nodding slightly.

"I know I hurt Niamh," he whispered. "But I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. But…her being near me…she'll get hurt. Again. I don't want that to happen. I won't let that happen. I – I love her too much."

Draco flushed slightly, embarrassed by being present to this sullen confession.

Mika scowled at his friend, the dark amber still in his eye.

"But you did hurt her. I may not love her like I do Gin but I do love her. And I'll never forgive you for hurting her."

"Neither will I," choked Harry. "Neither will I…"

Mika and Draco stood silently as Harry's shoulders shook slightly. And the blonde Slytherin knew at once that the boy who had beaten him up then befriended him was not as impenetrable as he perceived.

"See you next year!"

"I'll miss you!"

"Bye! Goodbye!"

"Where is he?" demanded Ginny, glaring about the train platform. Mika stood behind her and Mischa was beside the redhead. Ginny had an arm about the younger girl who still had her left arm in a sling.

"He might not come," said Mika softly.

"After what you did to him?" growled Draco, glaring at the werewolf. "I seriously doubt it, Davids."

"How dare you…"

"No!" snapped Draco. "How dare you? You stripped all of his defenses away and left him bare as a bone. Did you really expect him to show his face after that?"

"You don't understand anything, Malfoy."

"Don't I? I was there, wasn't I? I think I understand plenty. You're a bastard for that, Davids. And although I don't count you for a friend, Harry is my friend. Do that to him again and I swear that you'll regret it."

"Stop it, both of you," hissed Ginny. "Mika…Malfoy…Draco! Fighting with each other won't help anything!"

Mika scowled and Draco sneered at him. But he turned towards Ginny and bowed his sleek blonde head.

"I apologize," he said softly. He was more at ease talking with her than he was with Mika. Even though their families had a feud between them, there had never been bloodshed between them.

Between the Malfoy's and the Moody's there had been plenty of blood shed.

Mika glared at him as Draco bowed again to Ginny before he turned and walked off down the platform towards the scarlet train. Mischa stared after him, her eyes filled with adoration. Her older brother saw it and pounced.

"Don't even, Cha," he growled.

"Why not?" whined the eleven-year-old. "He's right! You shouldn't hurt Harry!"

The silver-haired girl wrenched herself away from Ginny and ran after the blonde, causing Mika to blurt out a number of curses that would have gotten him two weeks of detention from McGonagall had she heard. Ginny frowned at him and said blandly, "She had a point."

"Not you too!"

"Niamh told me what he said," growled the redhead. "And this is between them, Mik. Stay out of it. Or I'll put a snake in your bed."

She spun away from him, long red hair swinging behind her, and strode off. Leaving the white-haired werewolf to stand alone on the platform.

"Hell!" he snapped before starting after her.

In the trees around the platform, Harry sat numbly on the back of the Darcorn. A knapsack was strapped tightly to his back and two more hung from a sling that had been fashioned over the dark unicorns hindquarters.

The Darcorn shifted, tossing its dark head and turned to look at him with one luminous eye. Harry patted the dark neck and said, "I only want to see them off. Then we can go."

With a snort of consent, the Darcorn lowers its head and nibbled at the grass beneath its plate-sized hooves. Harry leaned back to keep his balance on the broad back, his sharp eyes scouring the platform below him. He saw the argument between Mika and Draco and knew that it was about the earlier argument in Arx Serpens.

Then he spotted Hermione and Ron walking together with Neville and Amanda trailing along behind them. And further behind them was a down-trodden looking Niamh walking with Thomas.

Harry felt a surge of anger as he saw the other boy's arm thrown across her shoulders then shook himself. He had no right to think like that. He'd given up that right when he'd told he couldn't love her.

Pain welled in his chest and he felt his eyes prickle with tears. Gently nudging the Darcorn with his knees, he whispered, "Let's go."

The dark unicorn nickered and turned, trotting off into the forest. Harry never saw Niamh lift her head and look towards the spot where he had been gazing down at her the moment before.

"Something wrong?" asked Thomas as the girl stopped.

"No," replied Niamh softly, knowing that Harry had been watching her. "Nothing's wrong, Tom. I'm just so tired…"

"I know," said Thomas, having heard all about what had happened from Amanda, who had heard it from Ginny.

Niamh looked at him and smiled gently.

"You're a good friend, Tom."

"I try."

"Thank you."

Thomas smiled and Niamh started to walk again, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the spot where Harry had watched her.

I'm not giving up, she swore then and there. Your mine, Harry, and I won't give you up that easily. Voldemort or no Voldemort.

Then she stepped onto the train and left Hogwarts – and Harry – behind for another year.

End Part 6