Location: The Infirmary Wing, Hogwarts, A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Date: Christmas Eve, 2000

It was the night before Christmas but there would be no happy and joyous Yuletide celebrations this year for the Potters and for family and friends close to the Potters. This would be a sad and miserable Christmas thanks to certain revelations and a life-threatening event that nearly cost the life of someone many people loved and adored.

With shoulders heavy with sorrow and guilt; 'The Boy Who Lived' who grew to be 'The Man Who Faced and Triumphed Over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', - to become the most famous of all Wizards of the Age, - Harry Potter, slowly made his way down the long sterile hospital corridor to room seven.

With built up anticipation Harry slowly pushed open the door to find the petite shape of his best friend and wife resting peacefully in the narrow single bed. Wordlessly, he made his careful approach to her side and released a long breath he wasn't aware of holding when he took in the sight of bruises and cuts marring her beautiful face, there were bandages on her hands and arms. One bandage particularly was secured around her neck where the blade and deeply sliced itself into.

Falling gradually to his knees Harry reached out to gently take her hand, hesitating at first to touch her in case he would cause her more pain. Merlin knew he had already hurt her more than enough these past few months and Merlin knew also how very sorry he was for his actions. If only he had access to a time-turner would he have gone back and fixed all this.

But he would make it all up to her and more. He will make her see that he loved her, always had even though for a time he had been blind, a blinded fool he had been.

-- Flashback to the Previous Night --

In one of the high towers of Hogwarts, A School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, three people were in a battle, one kept fighting for her freedom, one was doing everything in his power to keep his love alive and the other was struggling to keep hold of her fantasy.

"LET HER GO!" Harry shouted. "I'M WARNING YOU NATALIE! LET HER GO!"

"NO! Not until this KNOW-IT-ALL gets it through her thick skull that YOU DON'T LOVE HER!" Holding the blade to her capture's neck the blonde spat out scathingly. "HE NEVER LOVED YOU! Where did you honestly believe YOUR HUSBAND WAS those nights he never came home to you? AND to THINK THAT YOU! YOU were the top student in OUR year!"

"Natalie! NO!" Harry screamed as he saw his wife wince as Natalie pushed the blade into her throat, piercing the skin with a small cut. "This has NOTHING to do with HER! Just let her go, PLEASE!"

"My sweet soft hearted Harry. This has EVERYTHING to do with HER! She WON'T let you GO! I know exactly the type of WITCH SHE IS HARRY! Needy! Manipulative! CRUEL! Don't you see? She'll never let you be with me. But don't worry my love, it all ends here – TONIGHT! ... SHIT!" Natalie momentarily lost footing from the shock of something striking hard into the side of her face and nose. That something, being the elbow of Harry's wife. "God DAMN it! You STUPID cow!" Natalie brought her hand gingerly to her face to find it half covered in blood. "You'll pay for that you BITCH!"

Natalie ran and tackled the recently free woman to the ground; the knife Natalie had held fell free from her grasp but was only inches away from the wrestling pair. "HARRY LOVES ME!" The crazed blonde repeatedly screamed. "ME! ME! ME! HARRY LOVES ME!"

"GET OFF HER!" As much as he tried, the powerful wizard quickly discovered that not even he could overcome the strong binding spell that his psychotic lover had thrown at him. His wand had long ago been lost.

"What was that sweetheart?" Natalie chuckled insanely. "I'm a little busy at the moment. You're wife is proving to be a real pain in the arse. Ooof!" Natalie's head snapped back by another powerful blow to the head. "Why won't you die?"

"When I break FREE NATALIE you'll WISH we NEVER MET!" Merlin knew he never spoke truer words. For in that moment he regretted it with a heavy heart for tangling himself in an illicit affair that would undoubtedly cost him his whole world.

"AHH!" Natalie was none too gently shoved away. The smaller woman Natalie had lost her hold on did a back handspring to right her foothold and ran to reclaim her lost wand. "Who knew the bookworm had fighting skills?" Natalie sneered.

"Yeah, well this bookworm has a lot of skills." Aiming her wand. "Want a demonstration?"

Even though her voice was scratchy because of the bruising hold Natalie had had on her throat; to hear fighting words come from his wife's mouth gave Harry a tremendous wave of relief and a huge amount of pride.

"And yet, as skilled as you claim to be as a witch, we both know you aren't skilled at being a woman, especially where it counts, say, in the bedroom." If looks could kill the blonde would be dead by now by both the wife and husband. "After all, your husband did go elsewhere to find the right woman who could cater to his every need, and sweetie, he has one Hell of an insatiable appetite. Isn't that right Harry luv?" Natalie said silkily.

"SHUT UP!" Harry roared.

"The things we did to each other. The countless of places we'd go to fuck each other's brains out. Once, we even did it in your marriage bed. Do you know the position he took me while we were in your bed?"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Harry looked desperately at his wife who had suddenly grown stony and pale.

"Is that true Harry? In our very own bed?" The bravado of fighting for her life had vanished after hearing those vindictive words.

"NO! NEVER!" He shook his head adamantly. "I wouldn't do that to you. She's lying. BELIEVE ME!"

"Believe you?" She whispered, amazed. Forgetting the perilous situation she was in she rounded angrily on her husband, aiming her wand at him. "HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY ASK ME TO DO THAT HARRY?"

"I...I...."

"FOR MONTHS YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME! WILLINGLY BETRAYING OUR WEDDING VOWS WE EACH WROTE ESPECIALLY FOR EACH OTHER! AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK ME TO BELIEVE YOU?"

"I...I...."

"I don't understand Harry. WHY?"

"I...I...LOOK OUT! NO!!!" Harry watched helplessly as his wife, who had been caught off guard, fell limply to the ground clutching at her neck as blood spurted out. "GOD! NO!!!"

"YES! We did it love!" Natalie threw her blood-covered instrument to the gritty floor of the tower. The blonde began crowing gloriously like a peacock. "We won! We're free!"

Abruptly, Harry began breathing in short gasps. It was as though he was having an asthmatic attack. However, something fierce was building up inside him. Something that had lain dormant since his days of warring with Voldemort had ended. It was ... desire ... desire, to cause unending carnage.

Harry quickly broke free from Natalie's binding spell as though it had been rubber bands holding him back. He stalked like a lion hunting his prey; his eyes shone a deep green in the moonlit tower as he watched the dancing blonde.

"Are you not proud of me luv?" Natalie smiled sweetly, slowly circling her hips in time to a soundless tune. Few moments later Natalie frowned in honest confusion, why wasn't he praising her or falling at her feet? "I hope I didn't wound your male ego Harry. But I did it for us. Are you mad at me for the spell I did and getting rid of your wand? I know it wasn't nice of me but I just didn't want you end up hurting yourself." She shrugged. "Besides it was fun." Natalie, not realising the danger she was in threw herself into her lover's body. "Why won't you say something?" When he didn't bring his arms around her she stepped back. "Harry what's wrong? Why won't you hold me?"

"Fun?" He whispered edgily. "You call this fun?"

"Well, not really, not when you compare it with what I have in mind for us later," she winked. "I know you love to see me in that leather catsuit so I thoug-TPH!" Natalie was cut off from Harry's strong grip on her windpipe.

"FUN?! YOU INSANE BITCH! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE! BUT YOU COULDN'T DO THAT! I MAY HAVE FUCKED YOU SILLY THESE LAST FEW MONTHS BUT WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO THINK THAT I'D EVER LEAVE MY WIFE? MY BEST FRIEND FOR TRASH SUCH AS YOU?!" He had her off the ground, her feet kicking madly as he crushed her windpipe, he could smell and see the fear and he revelled in it. "NOW! THIS is what I consider FUN Natalie. Watching your eyes bulge out from the lack of oxygen. I bet you're now wishing you never screwed the famous Harry Potter."

"STOP THIS MADNESS AT ONCE MR POTTER!"

Harry cast a glance to his left to see Professor Snape had entered the tower. "Leave Snape." He warned.

"I will do no such thing. Release Miss Cross Mr Potter."

"Or what Snape? You think you're capable to stop me from killing her?" He stared dangerously at Natalie to see hope reflecting in her eyes of being saved. "You really think he can stop me from killing you, that he has that power?"

Harry smiled cruelly when Natalie's hope faded. She was going to die.

"As often as you think of me being stupid Potter," Snape remarked dryly. "I am not. My magic would be useless against you so I'd rather save my energy. But I will ask you this Potter, what is more important here? Expending your energy towards killing the woman who has caused much pain tonight, but only because you couldn't keep 'it' in your pants, or using your energy and power to save the life of the woman who has owned your heart since you were a teenage boy?"

Natalie gave a small cry at being unceremoniously discarded. Badly shaken and roughed up, the tall leggy blonde dragged as much air as she possibly could through her pert mouth. Apprehensively, she watched her fantasy fade out of existence. Ice cold realisation hits her. She had been nothing but a roll in the hay to the great Harry Potter.

Several emotions swam behind her blue eyes: love, jealousy, regret and fear. But one stood out clear as crystal - hate. She watched as he went to his wife; all traces of the crazed out-for-her-blood Harry becoming extinct as he neared his dying wife.

Gently, protectively and tenderly he gathers her in his arms; a brilliant green mist embraces the two and quick as a flash they were both gone; but faintly the words Harry vocalised to his wife could be heard. "Don't you dare die on me Hermione."

-- End of Flashback --

"I don't know what I would have done if I lost you Hermione." Tears were now running free as he bowed his head, gently bringing her hand, that was being held between his two larger ones, to his lips, caressing it with small soft kisses. "I [kiss] love [kiss] you [kiss] so [kiss] much [kiss] Hermione [kiss] Jane [kiss] Potter [kiss]. And I promise you that from this day onward I will make sure you know it." Quietly, Christmas bells could be heard ringing. "Happy Christmas my love."

-- To be continued --