Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with her world
Chapter 20: The More You Suffer, the More It Shows You Really Care
A/N: And yay for anyone who noticed similarities between the very first part of the first chapter and the end of last chapter. It is the same moment, so congrats to all those who noticed.
Hermione watched as her love sprinted to go and perform his duty to the Order. She knew that he knew where Harry and the Headmaster were, but time would not hold still long enough for him to tell her.
She slowly walked back to the castle. As she looked up the gigantic building loomed ahead of her. The storm outside was raging, the sky had turned pitch black, and lightening streaked across it lighting up the world for a second then submerging it into darkness once again. But as Hermione looked up at her home, it was a beacon in the dark. Beautiful light shined from its windows and laughter and talking floated on the wind to her ears. She had never seen a more glorious sight then this.
"Everything will be OK. I can feel it everything will be OK." She spoke aloud to herself. Her arms went around herself as she tried to keep warm. But the wind was not cold, she noticed. Arms flew out to the sky as she looked up into the sky. Rain poured on her face, her eyes were closed and her mouth was open tasting purity.
Slowly Hermione began to journey back to her home.
Hermione entered the Infirmary once more, and found Professor McGonagall waiting on her bed.
"So he is gone then?" The older woman asked her eyes filled with a sorrow that wasn't fully understood.
"Yes, he is gone. Gone to help the Wizarding World by risking his life." Hermione sighed loudly and flopped very ungracefully on the bed she had been sleeping on. "Why does he always have to go?" Hermione asked in a child-like voice. She really had no right in asking this since she had never been with him after a meeting, never taken care of him after he had been Crucio-ed so badly he could hardly stand. But she just had too, her heart ached when he wasn't near and she was pouting so much her bottom lip looked like it grew a couple of pounds.
"He must go, deary. His life is consumed by this and it is his way of paying back the debt he made when he joined the Death Eaters in the first place." Minerva sat in the chair next to Hermione still upright and straight as a pole but somewhat more tense and uncomfortable.
Hermione looked up hesitantly. "Do you know why he joined, what made him join?"
"Well, I never really understood it until I saw you two together but my guess would be because of you." Hermione gasped and took great offense to this.
"No, no, you did not understand me. He wanted so desperately to find you, to make sure you were safe, and to show you he was safe that he would have done anything to get you back." Minerva's eyes sagged a bit and her mouth formed into a slight frown.
"But why didn't he just go straight to Dumbledore? Dumbledore could have helped; he could have gotten him back to me." Hermione jumped off the bed and paced around the room.
Minerva glanced at the young woman and laughed as her actions mimicked those of Severus so much that it was like seeing the young man again back in his school days.
"Well, at first he was going to, but a friend decided this was the perfect way to get him to join in on his newly found society."
"That's why he joined…" Hermione whispered as the light dawned on her. "It is all my fault that his life is the way it is, if I had never helped him, he could be so happy right now, married with lots of children and experimenting as he pleases." Hermione babbled to herself and felt tears prickle her eyes.
Minerva heard ever word the girl had said and stood up the stop Hermione's pacing and frantic thoughts. "My dear, I can assure you that if you had never helped him would not even be here right now, he would have been killed. His life is better because of you. Yes, he may have been sucked into a terrible world of the Death Eaters, but when I saw his eyes as he talked to you… I have never seen him so happy."
Tears ran down Hermione's flushed cheeks. After Professor McGongall's speech, Hermione gripped onto her teacher and head of house in a hug. The hug was returned awkwardly and lightly as first, but as Hermione really began to cry the woman grasped onto her trying to comfort her as best she could.
Soon Hermione was reduced to nothing more then a hiccupping, sniffling, body with a red face and eyes. Wiping the back of her hand across her nose, Hermione laughed. "I am sorry for all of that Professor; I guess everything that has happened hit me just then."
Minerva gave her a small pat of the back. "It was no trouble child. I do know what it is like to be in love, and all the trials that go along with it. But may I ask one thing?" Hermione nodded. "Tell me what happened? I need to know, to make sure that this will turn out happy for the both of you."
Severus ran from his love, but did not dare to look back to her. He knew if he looked back he would never run away from her again.
Reaching a safe distance, Severus looked around to make sure that no one was around and donned his Death Eater garbs. Once he was bathed in the black cloth, he slipped on the white mask and did the same for his mind. Slipping on the mind of an evil, mud-blood hating, Death Eater that served a Dark Lord, hell bent on taking over the Wizarding World and making it his own.
He paused and sighed. But the moment was soon gone as his hand pressed against the burning mark and felt his body travel to an unknown place.
He arrived in a flash. He looked around and saw that this was in the same place as last time.
'Dangerous to have the meeting in one place, two times in a row, very dangerous indeed.' He thought. But the thought was wiped from his head as he walked dignified up to were the crowd had gathered.
He reached the outskirts of the crowd and tried to blend in as much as possible. But no, he was not to blend in this time.
"Severus, come up and see the prize I had acquired!" The Dark Lord had felt his servant spy from Hogwarts arrive, lastly. At another time Severus would have been punished but this time the Dark Lord was in too good of a mood to let a trusted Death Eater fall in pain.
He heard his name and cringed. Quickly he pushed lower level minions out of the way, with the kind of distain he would if he were walking through a crowd of first-years, and made his way up to the front.
The heads finally cleared from his view and he saw a most terrible and ghastly sight. Albus Dumbledore was strung in front of them, blood slightly seeping out of many wounds, his hand red with dried blood, and his arms and legs bent in ways they should not be. Next to the bleeding and strung up Albus was the Boy-Who-lived, Harry Potter. The boy had not been touched. Potter had been tied up and let, no blood pouring from any wounds and no broken bones.
Severus cringed and felt fury rise in him. But he bowed and spoke like the loyal Death Eater he was. "You have captured him? My Lord this is most wonderful news. I am just saddened that I could not have done this for you."
"Oh, yes Severus, it is wonderful news. The old fool you have been forced to serve is here bleeding wonderfully but the boy you have hated and cursed since his birth has not been touched. Why you ask has this happened?" His voice soon grew loud as a Senorus charm was placed on his throat. "I am sure that this is question many of you are asking yourselves right now."
The crowd of Death Eaters all bowed in unison. "Yes, yes that is what you are wondering."
Voldemort stepped down from the stage that had been made for him. "Well, why would I waste and ruin such a perfect young boy right here and now. The whole World loves him as a son, why should I torture and kill him in secret. His life is far too precious for just a normal Killing Curse." Voldemort had walked out into the crowds and crackled with malevolent energy as the masses bowed deeper for him. "Oh the world shall see his demise, and see my rise to power. This young boy, who has made me suffer so greatly and made YOU suffer so greatly, will get his just reward."
At this, Voldemort walked elegantly back up to the stage and stood right in front of Harry's face. "You… you filthy combination of a mudblood and a traitor," He spat at Harry. "I think there will be no man, ever made to suffer as I will make you. I will make you wish I had killed you so many years ago. I will make you want to die so badly that you would be screaming for relief from pain and you will be begging for my mercy." Voldemort grimaced and his red eyes glowed brightly. "You…will…beg…plead…and finally bow to me. Betray all that you have known and bow to me."
Voldemort spun on his heels and stepped back from where Harry was being tied up. "Soon, his time will come, and he will fall into line, under me and serve me in creating this world OURS!" He screamed and the black seemed to come alive as masks of white flashed into view and roars bubbled up from underneath them.
"He will bow to me!" Voldemort cast a charm, forcing Harry to prostrate himself to the Dark Lord. This caused all of the Death Eaters to laugh and cheer even louder. But it all stopped as Voldemort held up a hand. "It will all begin on the morrow; everything we have worked for shall be realized. We will WIN!"
Again the cheers, started up. But just one was not cheering. After hearing what was going to happen, Severus went numb and stumbled back a bit, knocking into his celebrating comrades. 'It was all going to happened tomorrow. The end is here and we must prepare.'
"Miss. Granger, please tell me what it is that happened." The Professor was eagerly but gently ushering Hermione to the bed so that she could tell the tale.
Hermione felt herself sit and be pushed down to sit on the bed. Her head flew back to land on the pillow. Her eyes closed and she thrust herself back into that world.
"He showed up at my door one day. He was perfect, no scars, no broken bones. His eyes were bright and deep but still weary. His hair was long and pulled back. He showed up at my door, asking for help. I couldn't believe who it was at first. Next thing I knew he had collapsed, from exhaustion I am guessing. I don't really know how long he had been wondering until he had found me. I pulled him into my house and he spent the night on my couch recovering. When he had awoken the next morning I found that he didn't know how or why he had been sent into the future. The last thing that he remembered was being pushed off a staircase by Lucius Malfoy and landing somewhere in muggle London."
"Ah, yes. I do remember that day very well." Minerva spoke up. "Severus came in bleeding and with a very bad concussion. He had been mumbling terribly about a girl and her father but many of us just said it was because of the concussion." She looked over at Hermione and found her listening intently but with her eyes still closed. "But what we could never explain was that he had a bullet wound that had gone through his abdomen. We almost lost him."
Hermione shuddered a bit at the thought but continued on with the story like nothing had happened. "I had convinced him to stay and he did. Somewhere I fell in love with him, very unusual for a girl like me but I just fell head over heels in love with him and him with me. That month became the happiest of my entire life. We spent all of our time together. Watching TV, eating, reading, we hardly ever left the house. And even in the times that we did, when I had to go and get food, he went with me and we were still together. My neighbors that saw us said that we looked so happy and was wondering who that boy had been. I loved him more then I think I have ever loved anyone. I still love him so much." Hermione sighed and a smile lit up her face that made her look so blissful.
A few moments passed. Minerva saw how absorbed Hermione was in her thoughts but she just had to hear the rest of the story. "Miss. Granger? Will you finish the story?"
Hermione opened her eyes and smiled sheepishly at her Professor. "I am sorry. I merely became caught up in my memories." Hermione cleared her throat and prepared to continue on.
"Our last night together came. It was pleasant enough, but nothing like I had wanted. A fight ensued but we ending making love, professing our hearts to one another. He was my first and I thank the gods everyday for that opportunity. My parents, though, had to make everything so hard. They were supposedly coming home the next day but had wanted to surprise their little baby daughter early."
Minerva gasped in spite of herself. Her thoughts went to all of the horrible conclusions that could have happened. "Dear child, what happened?"
A look of discomfort came to Hermione's face as she told this part of the story. "My father burst into my room, looking to kill whoever was in there with me. Severus tried to reason with him. He tried but he wouldn't listen. That man just would not listen." Tears came to Hermione's eyes and her chest constricted in pain. Her hands began to wring the fabric of her robes. "I don't really know how it happened. The bullet just shot out of the gun he had. Severus fell over onto the floor. His blood spread so quickly on my carpet. He died in my arms. His head was in my lap and his blood was covering me. I went out into my hallway and cried; I could not take seeing his dead body. It was just too painful. My mother, though, who had been there the whole time, chose that moment to open her mouth. She screamed out and I ran into my bedroom. 'He was gone' she had said, 'he just disappeared.' All that was left of my love was blood staining my floor, he was dead and I didn't understand. I cried there, above his pool of blood, for longer then I know."
Minerva saw Hermione cringing and tears roll down her cheeks. Her hands had turned white from clutching her robes. And she saw blood sprinkle down Hermione's bottom lip from biting down on it so hard.
Minerva stood up and put a hand on Hermione's head, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.
The journey back from that meeting was a hard one. He had to run all the way back to where he could apperate back to Hogwarts.
His walk through the Great Hall doors was interrupted by a shockingly disoriented Minerva.
A/N: Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story even after I didn't update for about three weeks. I just had so much going on.
The end of school is close and all of my teachers felt it was the perfect time to pile on homework, projects, and tests. So writing was something I just didn't have time to do. But I did it and I'm so happy.
Also my next chapter will probably not be for a while either because my prom is coming up and I gotta get ready for that.
I want to get this out right now, so I'm not gonna do review answers if you had questions about last chapter or anything else I will email them to you and make sure you know what is going on.
Thanks so much, review and make me lots o'happy! BYE