The Arrival of the Never Forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I making money from this fanfiction. I also do not own My Immortal, a song by Evanescence, on which this fanfic is based.

Author: Her-mee-o-ninny (but you can call me Danni)

A/N: OMG! Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't thank you enough! You guys are awesome! I was a little skeptical of putting the story up at first because it's so different from how I usually write, but apparently you guys liked it, hehe. Song fics seem to be much easier for me because I have at least some story line that I'm following. Wow, I'm really glad I tried this, lol. Anyways, here's part two!

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

Through my sobs, I hear the soft thuds of someone jogging down the hall. I come back to reality, thoughts racing through my mind. I try to stand up, but my body refuses. I try to stifle my sobs as the footsteps grow near, while burying my face in my hands once again. I know they have found me when the steps halt in front of me. Coarse hands once again take my own hands and pull me up. A second time, I stare into the pool of dull emerald. I slowly release myself from his grasp and back away toward the wall. Running away is simply not an option, although it is the only one I wish to choose. I look down at the floor, blinking away my remaining tears.

"Hermione?" Harry says cautiously. "What's wrong? This isn't quite the reunion I had in mind."

I scoffed and spat, "Well, forgive me for disappointing you! I should have just forgotten all of those painful years and welcomed you with open arms! After abandoning everyone who loves you, leaving us to die one by one in your absence, you expect me to greet you with a cheerful smile on my face!" I was so enraged that I began to run, forgetting of Harry's reflexes and strength. He quickly grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back, turning me to face him.

Our proximity is unnerving. I find myself tightly in his arms, pressed against him, gazing into his eyes. Quickly, I struggle from him again and he releases me, but only slightly.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I know what I had done was wrong, but you have no idea what was going on in my mind. I had to get away. I figured that if I were gone long enough, everything would be back to normal when I returned. Obviously I was wrong. I think I realized that after the first year, but I stayed away. I—"

"Harry, just stop!" I interrupted. "At this point I don't care what the hell you were thinking. After all of those years of being by your side, helping you, loving you, you just leave. You have no idea how that made me feel. Everything just seemed to collapse. Through every hard time we faced, I was by your side. I comforted you when you lost control. I encouraged you when you lost hope. Your friendship was the one thing I believed could never be taken, even by Voldemort. In a way, he had taken it. After you defeated him, you abandoned us all, taking our friendship with you. And now you expect everything to fall back into place? Harry, I—"

"I never said I expected everything to fall back into place!" he retorted. "I just thought that our friendship was strong enough to endure all of those years! I know I had made a mistake in leaving, but it was just something I couldn't take back. In my mind, it was too late to return. This year, though, I finally found a reason to come back. I had to come back."

"Well, took you long enough, didn't it." I scoffed, slightly shaking my head. "Harry, you are completely ridiculous. Just stay away from me. I've had enough to deal with. Trying to fix the irreparable is pointless." I struggled from his grasp once again and this time he never fought. I ran down the hallway, out of sight.

I find myself sprawled across my bed, tears staining my pillow. I had run the entire way back, desperately hoping to find solitude. My anger raged through me as I ran. I had thrown open my door and slammed it shut behind me, before collapsing onto my four-poster bed. Why did Harry have to come back? After all of those years, he might as well have been dead. He had been dead to me. It hadn't mattered that he may have been living away from prying eyes for seven years. Our friendship had been shattered, leaving only memories left, as those who had died had left only memories behind, as well. My muffled sobs echo through the room as I cry into my pillow.

I know deep down that I had overreacted, but seeing Harry was like seeing a ghost. He was proof of my once happy life, which had been locked away for so long after years of loss. My anger had not truly been at him, but at myself for throwing away any hope of him coming back. Why was this so complicated? I should be so happy that the empty place in my soul might be able to be filled now that Harry is back. I let out a loud sob, tightly hugging the pillow to myself, as though my life depends on it.

I hear a soft knock at the door. Merlin, I hope it's not Harry. I slowly get up and walk to the door. I pause before opening it, knowing whom I will reveal. I slowly turn the knob and pull the door open halfway before poking my head out. Seeing his face makes my legs collapse from underneath me once again. He quickly moves toward me and picks me up. For what seems like the millionth time that day, I am lost in Harry's troubled eyes.

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
But now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dream
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

I begin to sink to the floor as new sobs reach my throat when Harry says softly, "No, you don't" and picks me up into his arms. He closes the door with his foot and places me in my favorite chair by the fire. He conjures his own with a meaningless flick of his wrist and sits opposite me. I know I'm trapped. Harry's cornered me. I know that I have to face the pain and suffering he has caused me all these years. I also know that I am far from ready.

We simply stare at each other for the longest time. I am able to get a better look at his worn features, which have finally appeared. He, too, have aged far more than twenty-five years in the time that has gone by. Hints of his boyish face are left behind, but only those who knew him well would be able to see it. I had just realized the state of his robes, shabby and worn, reminding me of Lupin's. A tear rolls down my cheek at this memory. What has startled me the most from the very beginning, however, are his eyes. The amazing emerald eyes hidden behind his frames used to be so captivating. One look would give you the courage to stand up to anything. One look could make you melt to the spot, as it had done to me so many times before. Now, the dazzling green seems to have been drained completely. His eyes are dull and gray, with just small hints of green left to remind him of his once happy, though troubled, life. Through the years of him being away, I somehow expected him to lead a new, peaceful life, free from worries. Now, by looking into his eyes, I realize that he has been doing the same as I have all this time. Troubled memories, sadness, grief, hope, seem to be locked away in these eyes. Perhaps I was wrong in my assumptions? Harry has just been as lost as I am. Another tear glided down my cheek.

At this point, Harry started, "Hermione, I am so sorry I've caused you so much pain. You have no idea how scared I was to see you today. I was even more scared by your reaction. I never in my dreams pictured our reunion this way, but I know, in my heart, that it couldn't have been any other way. Too much pain is found in our past that neither of us can just throw away. I'm so sorry for causing you that pain. So many times I had found myself knowing that I was needed, but I could never bring myself to return. After two years of not even an owl from you, or any of my other closest friends, I began to assume that I was forgotten."

"Harry, how could you assume that you were forgotten? You had told everyone in your letters that you didn't want any contact. Do you know how that made us all feel? It was yet another blow to the chest, knowing that you were gone and you never wanted to speak to us. So many of the people you loved practically died from that. They had given up hope, because you had given up hope."

I watched as Harry simply looked down at his lap. When his shoulders rose and fell in a not-so-normal way, I realized he was sobbing. Despite my new anger with him, I find myself getting up and walking over t him, before kneeling in front of his chair. I placed a hand on one of his own, and his takes it, giving it a small squeeze. He slowly looks up, revealing his tear-stained face. His eyes are more painful to look at than ever. Not realizing it, I stand up, pulling him up with me, before embracing him tightly. What am I doing? I was just so angry with him! I have a right to be angry, but now I'm hugging him?! This is all so confusing...

I once again begin to sob, this time into his shoulder. I can't help myself. So many memories continue to unlock in my mind, releasing so much anger, sorrow, grief, happiness that my mind feels like it's drowning in emotion. I feel a coarse hand begin to rub my back as he pulls my body tighter to his. He has stopped sobbing, but I feel his tears fall onto my shoulder as he rests his head against mine.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, we pull away, now looking into each other's tear-filled eyes. I give him a sad smile and he returns it with a small lopsided grin. I laugh softly through my tears at the one thing that still hasn't been affected by the years of pain. Harry stepped forward slightly, still staring into my eyes. He placed his hands around my waist and I look down, confused, but at the same time, comfortable with his proximity.

He starts again, "Hermione, I never got the chance to tell you why I came back."

I shook my head eve so slightly before looking down at the floor. Harry removed a hand from my waist to pull my chin up so I was looking into his eyes again. He kept his hand under my chin, now running his thumb along my cheek. A slight smile appeared on my face and I felt myself blush. What am I doing?! What is Harry doing?! This is completely wrong. What—

I watch as he slowly leans down before touching his lips with mine. We both instinctively close our eyes. His kiss is so small and soft that he practically teases my lips with his own. At first, I begin to pull away, and he slowly releases me, but then, however, I seem to throw everything away. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him again. This time, we both relax into each other, Harry pulling me even closer to him. Our kiss slowly deepens and we find ourselves both lost in pain, hope, desire, and forgiveness. I think I hear the door open, but I can't tell for sure, and at this point, I don't care. The silence of the room that had begun as soon as our kiss had deepened was broke however when a voice came from the doorway.

"Hey, Hermione, you in there? I saw you run out of the Great Hall earlier today. I know I should've come earlier but—"

I suddenly broke the kiss, finally coming to the realization that someone was in the room. I look over to see that Ron had placed an enormous stack of books onto my desk, which he must've been carrying. His face reflects my own, full of shock. His, however, also shows pain, hatred, confusion, and a million other emotions, which are certainly understandable in this situation. Harry finally turns and meets the eyes of Ron. Harry gives a short intake of breath as they stare each other down.
A/N: Mwa haha. Ok, yes, I know that this doesn't exactly follow the real meaning of the song, buuuuut, at this point I don't care! Hehe. Hope you liked it. I know many of you may be a little confused with all of Hermione's emotions, and well, that's understandable, because she's confused, too, hehe. We'll see what happens between the Trio next chapter, which may sadly be the last...not sure at this point. We'll see how it goes. For those of you who have been reading Emerald Eyes, another one of my fanfictions, I am sooooooo sorry I have updated that lately. I have been have major problem with my laptop (where the story is) and plus, I have been have a major writer's block with the story, as well. I seem to be on a roll with this story, so this one is on the top of my list. Once again, I apologize and I willtry to get you the next chapter for both ASAP. Anyways....PLEASE Review! You guys have done an awesome job so far. Without your reviews, I lose my inspiration to continue writing. Soooooo REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! Hehe lataz!!