Disclaimer: Credit goes to JK Rowling...(and a few other companies, people, etc. who probably own a little bit of The Boy Who Lived...)
A/N: This was my first fanfic EVER. I wrote this about two years ago, WAAAAY before OOTP, so there are a lot of things that won't fit in with canon. My writing was horrible, and I switched back and forth between plot lines...but I still think this is a pretty darn good story. However, it is the only thing I have EVER completed in all the fanfics I've ever tried to write...so I thought I'd just post it online...It is a love triangle sort of thing...Hermione likes Harry, Ron, and there's some Draco in there too...so if you don't like this...then don't read it... Well, enjoy my REALLY old fanfic...
Chapter Fifteen - The Truth
Just minutes before...Ron was walking back up to the Common Room from a walk when he found the Portrait Hole wide open. He ran inside but saw that it was deserted and quite peaceful actually. Then he saw Harry laying unconscious on the floor in front of the couch.
Since Ron and Harry had fought the night before and earlier that morning, Ron decided not to do anything about it; Harry wasn't his problem anymore. But after a while, Ron started to think about it, and it was starting to bother him that Harry was still unconscious. Did he faint? Was he attacked? The thoughts ran through Ron's mind and he began to get worried. Everyone had been acting very oddly today...
"Harry? Harry! Wake up!" Ron shouted as he ran over towards Harry and shook him to wake him up. "Harry...what happened? Harry!"
Harry groaned and rolled over, clutching his scar which still prickled with pain after the Cruciatus Curse had been performed on him only moments before. Ron shook Harry harder.
"Harry, what happened to you? Why are you holding your scar? What happened?!"
"Ron...it was...him..." Harry muttered, barely moving his lips.
"Who's him?" Ron asked impatiently.
"Malfoy." Harry said simply.
"Malfoy?!" Ron responded. "That git..." he mumbled under his breath. Ron thought Harry was talking about Draco, not Lucius. The thought never entered Ron's mind that it could be Lucius.
Ron helped Harry stand up. "Here, I've got some restorative draft in my trunk upstairs...I'll go get it for you." Ron said and ran off up the dormitory steps. When Ron stepped inside, he strolled over to his trunk and opened it up. While he was rummaging through his things, he couldn't help but notice the Marauder's Map was still laying on Harry's bed. Ron walked over to Harry's bed and picked up the tattered, old, blank parchment. He took out his wand and pointed it at the concealed map.
"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good!" Ron said roughly and the map began redrawing the lines that made the outline of Hogwarts. Ron scanned the map to see where Draco was, wondering where he could have run off to after he attacked Harry. He looked down at the bottom of the map where the grounds near the Forbidden Forest were and what Ron saw made his jaw drop.
"Oh dear..." He thought aloud. He dropped the map out of shock, and completely forgetting about the restorative draft, Ron ran out of the room and skipped every other step down the stairs and back into the Common Room.
Harry was now sitting on the couch, with his hands over his face, his elbows resting on his knees.
"Harry! I think I've just understood something! Come with me!" Ron bellowed, and grabbed Harry's arm to help him up and make him follow him.
Ron practically dragged Harry down to the grounds outside and over to the Whomping Willow. Ron prodded the knot at the bottom of the trunk with a stick and helped Harry down into the long, narrow tunnel.
They began running as fast as their feet would allow. Harry kept asking over and over what they were doing but all Ron could say was, "Hermione's in trouble!" After a while, Harry grew tired and had to stop for a break. Ron impatiently stopped with him but after a few minutes, Ron grew anxious and decided to leave Harry behind.
Ron began to get a cramp in his side but he just ran on, knowing that his best friend, and the one he loved was in trouble. He could hear faint voices coming from the Shack ahead, until finally, he burst into the room. And seeing the sight that was before him, only one thing came to mind: stop him from killing Hermione.
"MALFOY, STOP!" he bellowed. "MALFOY, NO!" but he was too late. Hermione was stabbed, and Ron ran over to her and held her in his arms.
Ron silently sobbed while he was trying to stop her bleeding. He knew it wouldn't work, and that it was inevitable that she would now die, but he couldn't give up on her...he couldn't give up on true love.
Harry stood over Hermione's dead body, still holding the blood- stained dagger, laughing manically.
Ron was still holding Hermione in his arms and looked up at Harry with intense hatred. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale from shock.
"I'm going to tear you..." Ron said through gritted teeth, "limb from limb..." he breathed in sharply and looked down at Hermione's body as if looking for support; then he looked back up at Harry again, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Ron yelled. Harry, however, just laughed crazily.
Ron awkwardly laid Hermione's body down onto the floor and stood up in front of Harry. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He shouted.
Harry still laughed hysterically.
Draco was now fully awake in his chair across the room and was surveying the sight before him with great big eyes. The full effect of what had just happened was sinking in for him. He saw Hermione's body and began crying. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Then, after a moment of silence broken only by the soft laughter from Harry, and the wheezing sobs coming from both Draco and Ron; Harry (the one in the tunnel) came tiptoeing into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he looked up and saw Draco and Ron crying, Hermione dead on the floor, and...his own self staring back at him, laughing maniacally.
"Wha...what's going on here?" Harry stuttered, not taking his eyes off of the other Harry.
"It's...it's...M-M-Malfoy." Ron responded, trying to suppress a fresh wave of tears.
"Malfoy?" Harry queried, and pointed a finger at Draco.
"No...him." Ron answered.
There was a silence and Harry woked out what Ron meant.
"You don't mean..." Harry said, his eyes widening with shock.
"Y-y-yes..." Ron moaned piteously.
"Lucius?" Harry asked, looking over at the other Harry who was still holding the dagger.
The other Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. His hair was slowly turning to silvery blonde and was growing longer by the second. He was also growing taller and his shoulders broadened as he slowly transformed back into his normal self.
"That's right." Lucius croaked after returning to normal.
Harry checked his watch; it had been exactly an hour ago that Lucius attacked him in the Common Room. Harry reached up and flattened his hair against his head and felt a little spot where a bit of hair was missing from his scalp. Harry suddenly realized what was going on.
"Polyjuice Potion?" Harry questioned, his eyes as big as golf balls. He obviously still couldn't believe what was going on.
"Very good, Potter." Lucius smiled weakly.
Harry felt the anger well up inside of him. He slowly reached inside his robes and grasped his wand. He whipped it out real fast and pointed it at Lucius.
"STUPEFY!" Harry yelled. A jet of red light flew out of Harry's wand and hit Lucius square in the chest. Lucius fell to the ground with a slight thud. Harry was not the only one to attack Lucius; both Ron and Draco had their wands out still pointing at Lucius.
Harry slowly lowered his wand and looked down at Hermione's dead body. He shed a single tear knowing that Hermione had certainly thought he had been the one to attack her before she died. Sure Harry was angry at Hermione and had fought with her the night before. But he didn't mean what he had said.
........
"I'll get you some other time, Hermione. Then and only then will you get what you deserve."
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Harry remembered his words to Hermione and felt extremely remorseful. It was all his fault that Hermione was dead.
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A/N: Please Review!