Gems In The Eyes Of The World
Disclaimer: I own nothing, even after a whole month and a bit. I know, it is just a little bit . . . cheap? Of me to still own nothing after all this time, but then again, if I said that I owned something, I suspect I will get sued. So, basically, the plot is mine, (I hope) and apart from the minor character here and there, I don't seem to have created anyone important, so I guess I don't own any characters that you see here!
Chapter Fourteen
(Spoilers in the chapter)
I want to thank the following people for being nice enough to review :-) :
- Milocachica - Yes, yes, at least it's something! Hey, I like the way you think! Lol, this chapter is longer, if that's good news, and hopefully, it won't have any mistakes in it either (let's have our fingers crossed). Oh and I do babble, I'm positive I do . . . you have absolutely no idea how many people have told me that I do, and I whole-heartedly agree with them!
- Crystalized Snow - Cliffies are good! Very, very, very good! Heh, okay, you'll see what happens to Draco . . . well, you'll see when I get to it! Just carry on reading, and you're bound to find out! (Gives Crystalized Snow a huge grin and a thumbs up, before realising that everything looks rather cheesy . . .)
- Stellafiore - Aw, thanks! Well, here's the update, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, and review it afterwards if you have the time!
- Monikka DaLuver - Okay, okay, I won't ask you again what ending you want, sigh. Lol, I actually have everything planned now . . . well, mostly everything . . . I'll get to the part where I get stuck, and then I'll . . . struggle. Heh . . .
- LythTaeraneth - Ah yes, I talked to you about that Remus, Voldemort, thing, so yes, I understand now (or at least, I think I do). I hope this chapter is okay to you . . . oh and congratulations on that new bookbag of yours!
- Some12 - Lol, don't you worry, you'll find out the answer eventually. I haven't quite decided on an ending yet, but yeah, most questions will be answered anyway! I'll keep in mind never to go to South Dakato . . . you know, I don't even know where that is (I blame my geography teacher), I also don't have a clue what Spam is . . . heh . . . I feel clueless . . .
- Saxistwriterchick - Yes, okay, I'm writing as we speak! Just writing my thanks, that's all . . . anywho, I hope this chapter will be okay! I tried . . . thanks for reviewing by the way!
- Sunflower18 - Okay, here's the update! I hope you enjoy the chapter and remember to review afterwards as well! Thank you so much for the last review!
- Spaced Out Space Cadet - Nah, I know it was a long wait - sorry! I just couldn't force myself to write, and it just got me super annoyed, so I decided to leave it. Anywho, at least this chapter is here now, right? Oh and Hermione has all the stones. I said before that there were five stones in total (NOT including the gemstone of elements!) Thanks for reviewing!
- ShortStuff10 - Yay! I already read the new chapter, but you have to promise that you'll be updating soon again! Anyway, thank you for reviewing, and, well, you'll just have to wait (like everyone else) to see what happened to Draco!
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As Hermione entered the familiar building that was 12 Grimmauld Place, she could still see that it was the same as it had always been. The dirty walls had not changed, and neither had the awful rotting smell that Hermione could still remember. As well as that, the hall was pitch black, just like how it had been the last time she had been there.
"Hermione, you remember when you and Ginny shared a room on the first floor here?" Lupin whispered. Hermione nodded, hoping that Lupin could see well in the dark. She automatically assumed that the portrait of Sirius' mother was still in the building, if Lupin was still whispering and the hall was still so dark.
"Harry's in that room with Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Ron. The healers at St. Mungos heard about how Voldemort has taken over Hogwarts. They were scared that he might target St. Mungos next, so they moved their patients to a safer location and asked us to take Harry, seeing as if he stayed with the rest of the patients, it might endanger them and they can't exactly help him any more than they already have."
Hermione nodded once again as Lupin continued to speak, "He hasn't regained consciousness yet, so you better get to him quickly - he hasn't got much time left. I need to take Buckbeak back to his room, and it's right at the top of the building, so I might take a while."
Even in the darkness, Hermione could see that Lupin was smiling weakly at her. She decided that they had already wasted enough time, talking in the hall; she should get to Harry as soon as she could.
Running up the steps as quietly but as quickly as possible, she soon reached the door to the bedroom that her and Ginny had once shared. She pushed it open slowly to find that the only source of light in the room were a few candles, floating in the air. On a bed positioned in the middle of the room, was, of course, Harry.
He looked pale, rather too pale. His eyes were closed and his lips were icy blue. One of his arms hung limply off the side of his bed. She could see that a golden plate was already by the side of him, waiting for five precious gemstones to be placed upon it.
"Hermione!" Ron said, beaming at her as she made her way towards the golden plate. She smiled back at Ron. He was obviously more than happy to see her again.
"Miss Granger, if you could just place those gemstones in a circle on the plate with the gemstone of elements in the middle," Dumbledore said, smiling warmly at her as she did what he had asked. She found that the little star-shaped stones could be easily taken off from the gemstones of elements. It was like a magnetic force kept them where they were.
"What shall I do now, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"I suggest you go downstairs and eat something, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. Hermione hesitated. She didn't want to be alone. She knew that when she was alone, her mind would drift, and soon enough, her thoughts would revolve around one person, and one person only – Draco.
Dumbledore could see the worry in Hermione's eyes, "Mr Weasley, you can accompany Miss Granger. Mr Potter will be better very soon. Do not worry."
Ron nodded and stood. The two former Gryffindors exited the room and began to make their way slowly down the steps and onto the landing, before making their way down yet more steps into a cellar – where the kitchen was. As they entered the kitchen, Hermione noticed that it was rather tidy, compared to the rest of the house. Mrs Weasley must have come and cleaned things up a bit.
"Here, have some of this," Ron said, handing Hermione a slice of bread, "I'm sorry, but we haven't got much else but bread. Everyone's been so worried about you, Harry, everything, that we haven't had the time to go out and buy some proper food yet. Even my mum's been too flustered to buy anything."
Hermione nodded, smiling, before happily taking a bite from her piece of bread. It wasn't much, but it wasn't until now that she realised she hadn't eaten anything for a while. There had simply been too many things happening for her to notice her hunger.
"Hey Ron," Hermione said once she had swallowed her mouthful, "What ever happened to Kreacher?"
"Oh, you mean that nutter of a house elf?"
Hermione tried her best not to glare as Ron grinned goofily at her. She had soon given up on S.P.E.W, as the only people who took her serious were Neville. Harry often said that he took her seriously, but, like Ron, she knew he didn't really see the point of S.P.E.W.
"Yes, I mean the house elf."
"He asked Dumbledore to behead him after Sirius died. He said he was getting old, something like that. Dumbledore didn't want to do it, but if we didn't then he would probably go to someone like Bellatrix Black. His head is up there with his ancestors now."
Hermione nodded, taking another bite. Bellatrix - the one who had 'killed' Sirius in the first place.
"I wonder who this place will go to, seeing as Sirius died," Hermione sighed. Saying his name in a house that he had once been living in, seemed strange.
"It's going to Harry I think. He had a will, and he left everything to Harry, his money, his house, Buckbeak, everything. The ministry didn't have his will, I mean, he's an escaped prisoner, so they wouldn't have kept his will anyway. Dumbledore has it. If Sirius didn't have a will, I think this place would have gone to the Malfoy's, most probably."
Hermione nodded. The Malfoy's - she had seen Lucius in the forbidden forest, and he hadn't seemed to age much. Draco, well, Draco had changed, not in appearance, but in personality.
"Speaking of Malfoy, how's Draco? Where is he anyway? . . . I would have thought he'd come with you." Ron said quietly. He knew that the questions he had asked might upset Hermione, but it had to be said sometime, and it was better sooner than later.
"He . . . is still back at Hogwarts. He gave me the gems and told me to run while he tried to hold back the deatheaters."
Hermione tried not to let her emotions get the better of her. She had to keep telling herself that Draco was safe, that Voldemort had not killed him, that maybe, he had gotten away, just like her. If he had gotten away, someone from the Order must have heard about where he was. Maybe, someone in the Order had rescued him, like how Lupin had rescued her . . .
As the tears slowly came to her eyes, she felt Ron's arms around her as he pulled her into a friendly and comforting hug.
"Don't worry about it, Hermione. He'll be okay, now let's get back to Harry and see if that legend works or not."
Hermione nodded and smiled gratefully up at Ron. Together, they walked up the steps towards the room where the two Professors, and Harry were.
Pushing the door open and entering as quietly as they could, Hermione and Ron stared at the golden plate, containing the six gemstones (including the gemstone of elements). The stones had begun to glow different colours, making Harry glow as well.
Ron sat on a stool by Harry's bed as Hermione stood and hovered above him. The shining gemstones slowly began to change colour. The beautiful colours that had once been in them seemed to fade as the gems slowly turned to rock. Hermione hoped that that was what was supposed to happen, and that the gems weren't turning into rock because the legend had failed. If that was so, no miracle in the world could help them.
As the last gemstone turned to rock, Hermione could sense that everyone in the room – even Snape – was holding their breath. Ever so slowly, Harry's eyes began to open, until he was squinting up at Hermione. His pale lips curved into a small smile.
"It's nice to see you again," Harry whispered. Hermione smiled, as she felt a mixture of emotions. She felt happy, so happy that words could not describe the soaring feeling she had, now that Harry was awake. But on the other hand, she still felt anxious and upset, wondering what had happened to Draco, or what might happen to him very soon.
"Drink this, Potter," Snape lifted Harry's head and began to pour a scarlet potion down his throat, "It'll give you a boost of energy and you'll be walking in no time."
Harry nodded slightly and let out a yawn. Hermione could see that Ron was trying his hardest not to cry with happiness.
"Miss Granger," Dumbledore said quietly, "Why don't you go and relax for a while? There's a room on the floor above us, two doors from the stairs, and it is decent. Mr Weasley, Professor Snape and I will keep an eye on Mr Potter, if you rest for a while, we'll call you if anything happens, don't worry."
Hermione nodded and made her way towards the door. She didn't think that she could get any sleep, with Draco on her mind, but it was worth a try.
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"Hermione, wake up, it's time for dinner."
Hermione slowly opened her eyes to see two redheads peering at her. She had only just fallen asleep, and now it was time to get up again. It had taken all the energy she had to stop herself from thinking too much.
"How's Harry?" Hermione asked as she got up and stretched. Ginny and Ron were smiling as though everything couldn't be better.
"Oh, he's okay now," Ginny said, "He tried to walk, but he can't feel his legs yet so he has to use one of those muggle wheelchairs. Dumbledore doesn't want any of us to use spells on him yet, just in case our spells interfere with his healing or something."
Hermione nodded as the three began to make their way downstairs. They did not speak to each other, as they entered the kitchen. Ron and Ginny seemed to be giving each other awkward glances. It was obvious that they wanted to ask her something, but just couldn't spit it out. She had wondered why the two of them had come, together, to get her.
She sat down on one of the chairs and saw a group of people opposite her, crowding around a wheelchair. Tonks, Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody and Mundungus were among the crowd.
"Okay now, everyone, leave Harry alone for a while and sit down to eat!" Mrs Weasley shouted. Over the years, she had not changed much, in appearance or in personality. The only difference seemed to be the few grey hairs that were beginning to appear.
"Oh, it's lovely to see you and Harry again, Hermione," Mrs Weasley smiled, as Mr Weasley nodded in agreement behind her, "Come now, eat up! You seem to have gotten thinner since the last time I saw you."
Hermione nodded and began to eat, as did the people surrounding her. Ron and Ginny still had not asked her what they wanted to, as they were still exchanging awkward glances. She looked around the table and saw most of the Weasley family – except Percy, and Charlie. Fred and George were secretly putting some sort of powder into Mundungus' food, while Bill and Fleur (Bill's most recent girlfriend) were seated further down the table, by Dumbledore.
After she had finished her plateful of potatoes, peas and chicken, she waited patiently for everyone else to finish their food.
"Hey, Hermione . . . there's something me, and Ron, have been meaning to ask you . . ." Ginny began, as Ron nodded beside her, "But you have to promise us that you won't get upset, okay?"
Hermione nodded as Ginny took a deep breath. "We just want to know what exactly you think about . . . Draco Malfoy."
The chatter that had surrounded the table, suddenly died. It was as if everyone had been wondering the same thing, and up until now, they had not wanted to make her upset by asking.
"Let's try and put it this way," Fred said, as Mundungus began to turn green.
"You don't hate him anymore, right?" George said, as Mundungus ran out of the kitchen as quickly as he could, "Oh and if you're wondering what we did to Dung, just look at our new product! Muggle comic book heroes can become reality with these! We were just trying to see if Dung could become 'The Hulk'."
Mrs Weasley glared at George, before turning to Hermione. "Don't worry Hermione, just ignore the questions, I understand they're a little . . . personal, and these things shouldn't be discussed at the dinner table. Why don't you take Harry and go up to bed? You both look exhausted."
Hermione nodded and smiled, making a note to herself to thank Mrs Weasley later. She took Harry's wheelchair and waited until Mrs Weasley had uttered a charm to turn the stairs into a slope, before wheeling Harry up. By the time she got to the room Harry would be sleeping in, she was breathless.
"Sorry, Hermione, I might be a bit heavy," Harry smiled as she helped him get into bed, "I have some sort of feeling back in my legs now, but they still feel kind of numb."
Hermione grinned, "Don't worry Harry, you've done a lot for me over the years, the least I can do is help wheel you up to your room."
"You've helped me enough, Hermione! You saved my life for one thing." Harry grinned gratefully at her, "I can't thank you enough."
"No need to thank me! The important thing is that you're okay now."
"I'm okay FOR now."
Hermione frowned, what did he mean by that? Harry's smile had faded, only to be replaced by a serious and blank look.
"As soon as I can walk again, the Order is setting off to Hogwart's to fight against the deatheaters. Ron said that Charlie and a group of wizards from Romania are floo-ing in tomorrow to prepare for the war," Harry said, sighing, "Hermione, I don't want you to come with us. I want you to stay here and wait for us to come back."
Hermione stared at Harry, shocked and speechless. He didn't want her to fight with him. He didn't want her to help him.
"I know you don't want to fight anymore, Hermione. Everytime I watch you look at another person that's hurt because of the war, I can see the pain in your eyes. That day you visited me at the hospital, I didn't want you to look at me because when you did, the pain in your eyes just made me feel even more pain. So, basically, what I'm saying is, you don't have to fight anymore. You can stay here and wait for everyone to come back. You can stop fighting."
Hermione smiled slightly. Harry was thinking of her, of what she wanted, and yes, of course she wanted to stop fighting, to stop the war without violence, without more death and destruction, but that wasn't how life went. She knew that to live, she couldn't be a coward and shrink in a corner as the people around her tried their best to protect her. No, she wasn't a child anymore, and she wasn't going to take the coward's way out.
"Harry . . . thanks for the offer, but there's no way I'm letting everyone fight without me. I don't want to fight, but I know I have to."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm positive."
Harry smiled and nodded. If Hermione had taken his offer and not fought with the Order, then she wouldn't be the Hermione that he had known and grown to love like a sister. No matter what happened, everyone would fight alongside each other – together.
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Okay, this chapter was longer, and was definitely much easier to write than the last! (i.e. less forced) I hope it was okay . . . and although this chapter was easier to write than the last, the plot is not getting easier to write, because basically, I can go two ways with this fic . . . I'm not going to ask you guys which way to go, because that would only ruin the fic!
PLEASE REVIEW!
- MissyKitKat
PS. Guess what? I named my computer! It is now called: YUKI!
PPS. . . . Damn it, I forgot what I was going to add, ah well, I'll try and remember to tell everyone next time (if I can . . .)