Summer Love
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to me. The rest belongs to the ingenious Ms. Rowling.
Hermione stood in front of his door, not daring to touch it, letting terror have full reign for just a minute. Hand shaking like a leaf, she reached out and grasped the doorknob, but did not open it. She couldn't go in there. What if Voldemort was there? What if he killed her? What if? What if? What if?
Once again she scolded herself, although this time it was in her mind, not trusting herself to speak. 'Come on, Hermione,' she thought and even her thoughts were quiet. 'Voldemort, if that's who's in there, has entered your home uninvited (obviously) and you're gonna just stand here while he kills Harry? What has come over you? You're gonna stand tall and fight him!'
Finally getting some handle over her fear, she slowly began to turn the doorknob when she heard Harry again.
"Not her!" he shouted. "Not her! Oh God, not her," he cried. "Isn't it enough that you killed my parents and Sirius? She's all I've got left. Please, anything! I'll do anything!" he sobbed. "Might as well kill me then because I can't live without her. I won't!"
Hermione gasped and relinquished her grip on the doorknob. Who was Voldemort going to kill? Hermione fell to the side of the door, swaying precariously. Was he going to kill her, Hermione? She leaned against the comfortingly sturdy wall behind her, heart racing. As she heard Harry scream again some instinct overcame her and strength flooded into her body. Expecting the worst, to see Voldemort standing over Harry torturing him, she flung open the door with little regard for herself, for her life. The room was pitch-black. She couldn't see a thing. Her hand scrabbled frantically along the wall for the light switch. After what seemed like eons, but must have been only agonizing seconds, she found the switch and flipped on the light.
Alas, she was too late. Harry, her Harry, was gone where she could not follow. He lay upon the floor, his emerald eyes, the eyes that never failed to send shockwaves through her body, stared back unseeing. Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, was dead. She had expected anything, anything but this. She ran to his body, pressing her fingers to his wrist in hopes of a pulse, however small. It was to no avail. He was gone. Hermione flung herself onto his dead body, sobbing and clutching at his cold, cold hands, the hands that had always protected her. She had failed so horribly to save him just once, all because of her fear. He would never know that she loved him, held him dearer than anything in this world. He had gone beyond the veil, never to return.
Teehee… Just kidding. I'm not that evil! Or am I…? lol…
After what seemed like eons, but must have been only agonizing seconds, she found the switch and flipped on the light. She was quite surprised at what she saw, which was not what she had feared or even expected. Not even close. No cloaked figure standing menacingly above Harry, no wand fixed on Harry's heart, no glittering scarlet eyes. Just Harry, thrashing about on his bed, tangled in a mass of sheets.
From Hermione's mouth issued a sigh of immense relief mixed with something like disappointment. She had steeled herself for a terrible, fearsome battle for her life and the life of her beloved, but to see his sleeping face, so sweet even though it bore a deep frown, was enough. He was alive. It was more than enough, she should have been down on her knees thanking the Lord above. She hurried to his side, pressing a soothingly cool hand to his sweaty forehead and murmuring to him, "It's all right, Harry, it was just a dream. Just a dream." It was as much to reassure him as to reassure herself. For a minute there, just before she caught sight of him on the bed, she had been sure he was dead and it had scared her so, so much. What would she do without him? "Just a dream," she stated quietly, almost wonderingly.
It was to Hermione's melodious voice that Harry awoke. Her refreshingly cool hand on his forehead felt so nice. So nice that for a minute he almost calmed down, but, remembering the dream, glanced about nervously, afraid it might have been real. It had seemed real, so lifelike in quality, that he marveled at the fact that it hadn't actually happened, that Hermione was still there beside him like she had always been and like he hoped she always would be.
"Just a dream," Hermione soothed one last time as Harry opened his eyes.
His hands trailed their way up her back and tangled in her soft curls as though he was making sure she were really there and that she wasn't just an illusion or a hallucination. "You're real," he marveled, confirming it to himself. "Oh, Hermione, you're real!"
"Yes, I was quite aware of that, but thanks for reminding me," she smiled, concern strong in her heart. What had happened in that dream of his?
As though reading her mind, Harry began to tell of the dream. "I had the most terrible nightmare. Voldemort was threatening me, telling me to give up the fight, that he would win anyway in the end," he sighed and hesitated before going on. "He threatened to kill you, Hermione. He threatened to kill you and I couldn't bear that. If I saw you hurt because of me I could never live with myself. Perhaps giving up would be the right thing to do," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes wearily, as though to rid him of the fleeting memories of his nighttime visitor. "Yes, I suppose I should surrender. Better that than see you injured or killed because of my stupidity. Why, oh why, did I not learn Occlumency?" he lamented. "Now there's nothing else to it. I must face him in our final fight, though I know I must die. The price I pay for my idiocy and stubbornness."
"Harry, no! You mustn't! You aren't ready! Please," she exclaimed, alarmed at his attitude.
"Why not? No one would care. There is no one left who would care if I died! It would save you. I don't care anymore. He's killed my parents and he's killed Sirius. He'll continue to kill everyone I love until he kills me. Why not just let him?" asked Harry in an exhausted manner. "I'm tired of running from him. I've been doing it for sixteen years and I'm done."
"No one would care? No one would care!" Hermione squawked, her voice rising by the word. "Who am I, then? I mean I know I'm no Cho Chang, but at least I care, Harry. If you go I'm coming with you. I've stood by you all this time and I'm not going to leave when the going gets tough. You could at least take me into consideration!"
"Hermione, please. You should save yourself at least. You are the most decent person I've ever met and I don't want you to come with me or I fear there will be no one pleasant and devoted left. I daresay you'll live well enough without me. You and Ron," he whispered.
"Harry! How can you be so utterly blind? Don't you see that you make my world go round? Can't you see it? Can't you?" she yelled, tears spilling over for what seemed to be the umpteenth time in the past couple of days. What about him made her like this? Why couldn't she get control over her wild emotions?
"I don't understand, Hermione. I'm not smart like you and, unfortunately, whatever you're trying to get across, you're going to have to spell it out," he uttered almost angrily. She had never yelled at him like this. Why'd she have to choose now when he was at his worst?
"Harry, I love you. Are you senseless? I love you," she confided in a hoarse voice, her head down. "I thought it rather obvious."
"You—you do?" he questioned uncertainly, pushing her chin up so that her eyes would meet his.
"Yes, Harry, I do!" she laughed, her secret revealed at last. "I love you! I love you! I love you!" she shouted happily, throwing her arms around his neck.
Slowly, tentatively, he captured her lips in his, savoring their sweet fullness (AN: I cannot believe I'm writing this. I mean, I like writing this sort of stuff, it's just when other people are going to read it it becomes so weird.). His heart skipped a beat as he watched Hermione, her eyes closed, her face angelic. At that moment he felt complete as he had never felt before in his life and it scared him just a little. He circled his arms around Hermione's slender waist, pulling her closer, and she smiled through the kiss.
As he leaned in, Hermione suddenly knew what was coming. His lips brushed hers and she sunk into him. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. Her eyes closed, she felt him put his arms around her, pull her closer. For once her mind was silent, all the wandering thoughts that usually clouded her brain were shut out. Her heart surged with more love than she could ever have imagined one person having for another.
When she and Harry broke apart from that simple, but passion-filled kiss, Hermione remembered what her mother had said before she departed and suddenly understood. 'She knew this would happen,' thought Hermione, beaming with utmost joy. Hermione got up and whispered, "Good night, love. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early.
He laughed. "Sweet dreams, dearest. And if you really love me, you'll let me sleep." He added flirtatiously, his eyes fluttering shut.
Hermione positively floated out of the room and into her bed. She had gone into his room expecting to duel with Voldemort for her life and Harry's. It had only been a dream, though, and she left with a kiss. Now she could only hope she wasn't dreaming. Of course, she couldn't have been asleep. The night had been even more perfect than anything her imagination could conjure up.
AN: This was a very long chapter. Sorry I didn't update in a better amount of time because the cliffhanger in the last chapter definitely deserved Cliffhanger of the Year award (but you don't have to take my word for it because I'm biased. It's my story after all.). Please review. Comments? Suggestions? Constructive Criticism? Please review with any of that stuff. Go on, now, review!
