Title: Somebody Out There (2/15)
Author: silverphoenix
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: In the middle of a war, there are going to be casualties. This is inevitable. When two people lose their friends, they come to realise that death is not the end of happiness.
SOMEBODY OUT THERE
Part Two: One By One
Rain fell heavily on the blooming flowers in the courtyard, dripping down to join the puddles that were forming.
A single figure sat on a stone bench, fingers toying gently with the ornate penknife in his hand. He was drenched, wetter than he had ever been, yet he showed no sign of moving. He shook his head, trying to move his long, dark hair from his eyes; the rain had plastered it to his head.
Another person joined him, the rain already having darkened her hair. Strands clung to her pale face, but she did not seem to notice them. She sat beside him, wordlessly reaching up with slim fingers to brush the hair from his face.
"Do you ever think that things are meant to be?" he asked quietly. She did not reply, but instead prised the penknife from his fingers, allowing the blade to fall to the ground with a clatter.
"I know we all have our reasons why. But I…" she trailed off, her voice hoarse. "I don't understand how the power of one human being has gone and changed so many lives." She bit her lip.
As abruptly as the storm had started, the rain stopped, leaving the couple in silence.
"I'm sorry." Knowing exactly how inadequate her apology was, Hermione took his hand in her own smaller one, thumb gently rubbing across his knuckles. He looked at her, blue eyes tinged with curiosity.
"For Millicent," she said softly.
"You weren't the one who killed her."
"I know."
The clouds began to move across the darkened sky, sunlight breaking through and down into the courtyard. Blaise stood ending their connection and shrugging off his wet robes. His thin white shirt was almost transparent from the dampness that had seeped through his robes.
Spreading his arms wide, he turned his face up to the sky, trying to absorb warmth from the sun. Hermione watched silently, wondering what he was thinking. He was shivering, she could see that much, but his face was a picture of calmness, and she wanted him to open his eyes so she could see his blue irises.
When Ron had been killed, he had been there, comforting her, listening to her. Three months had passed since the day, and now Hermione barely recognised herself when she looked in the mirror. How could she still look the same when so much about her had changed?
As she looked at Blaise, she realised that she was watching Blaise leave the life he knew. His best friend, Millicent Bulstrode had been kidnapped during a Hogsmeade visit and killed. He could not be the same after seeing her lifeless body.
He'll be better some day, she told herself. Not now, but some day.
"Hermione?" he asked, as a playful breeze began to press his wet shirt to his body. He was crying, tears blending with the raindrops on his face. "If I start to come undone will you put me back together?"
"Piece by piece," she replied.
