Anywhere but in Between
I only own the plot.
Thanks everyone for sticking with me and coming back with me after this LONG hiatus. I am going to do my best to have this wrapped up within the next week or so, seeing as how we will all be VERY BUSY after the 16th, reading HP #6!
So, let's get on with things…
Chapter 20 – Of Things To Come
Living with Ron turned out better than Harry ever could have anticipated. He had his best mate around whenever he wanted him, and he had to admit, Ron had matured greatly since their days as roommates at Hogwarts. There were no longer large messes that would go unheeded for days, things were always in their right order, and, Harry was shocked and pleased to find out, Ron was actually a very good cook.
Not that he was around for many dinners. Ron seemed to try and spend as much time as he could over at Hermione's flat. Harry actually found this to be a positive thing, since Ginny was currently living at the Burrow until she could find suitable, affordable accommodations. Ron tried to ignore the fact that when he left, his baby sister would be coming over, and to his credit, he didn't say anything to Harry about it.
It had been a little over a month since his and Ginny's return, and everyone was gearing up for their first Christmas together in over two years. Mrs. Weasley was almost beside herself, and was planning the largest dinner party that could possibly fit inside their home.
Which is why, on this particularly cold and snow-covered day, Harry found himself wandering around Diagon Alley, hand in hand with Ginny, on the lookout for the list of decorations Mrs. Weasley had owled to them this morning.
"Do you want to get in out of this for a while and get something to drink at The Leaky Cauldron?" he asked, feeling Ginny's small hand tremble slightly in his.
She nodded, the snow falling off the top of her head. They made their way quickly to the establishment, and Harry was pleased to see it hadn't changed much since he'd seen it last.
There were still very odd characters mulling about, wizards and warlocks, some shifty looking travelers, and old, wrinkled hags who were currently discussing the several ways to extract frog livers without actually dissecting the frog.
Ginny steered him toward a semi-private table, and he smiled at her gesture. She knew he was still wary of people coming up to him now that he had moved home. The less conspicuous he was, the more comfortable he felt.
When Tom came by to take their drink orders, his eyes flashed for a second on Harry's face, then away, then back again with disbelief in the gray depths. Harry silently prayed that he wouldn't announce his presence to the whole bar, and his prayer was answered.
Tom simply grinned at him, extending his hand, which Harry shook gladly. "Good to see you back, Harry, we've been wondering where you got off to," Tom said good-naturedly.
"Thanks, Tom," Harry replied, although not willing to get into where he had been, and why. "It's good to see you."
"Ah, pleasure's all mine, lad. Anything the two of you want, it's on the house," Tom said, wiping away an invisible spot on their table.
"No, that's not necessary-" Harry began, but was cut off with a wave of Tom's hand.
"Nonsense, Harry, I do believe it's most necessary, and-" he added, his voice full of authority, "I will not take no for an answer."
Harry shrugged at Ginny, who was trying her best not to smile. "Okay then. We'll start out with some butterbeers and some chips, thanks."
Ginny suppressed a giggle as Tom went into the kitchen to fill their order. "Why do I have the feeling that a ten-course meal is on its way out to us?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "And to think, all we had to do was defeat the Dark Lord himself to get it," he said lightly. Ginny's eyes shone as she let out the giggle she had been holding back.
Since he'd been with Ginny, he'd been able to open up about all of the horrific things from his past, and had even been able to put them into some kind of perspective. He could think about those things without so much pain any longer, and he owed it all to her. Talking about Voldemort, and the destruction he caused, was helping Harry so much more than he'd ever thought it would. Ginny understood, simply because she had lived it, too. Knowing that he wasn't alone in all of it made Harry feel safer than he'd felt since living at Hogwarts.
He watched her silently for a long moment as she took off her cloak, scarf, and mittens. His heart began hammering wildly against his rib cage when her long hair fell across her face and she brushed it aside with an absent gesture. How she didn't realize just how beautiful she was, was beyond him. Every time he looked at her, he could swear that she grew even lovelier.
Ron told him the same about Hermione, then said he figured it was because he was in love with her, and that's what happened when you were in love. The person becomes almost surreal in your eyes, and you can't imagine your life without them in it.
Harry drew in a deep breath, trying to calm his erratic breathing. Was he in love with Ginny?
She twisted back to face him in her seat, and her eyes met his. She smiled when she saw his gaze already on her, and automatically he smiled back. He didn't know what to call what he felt for Ginny, but whatever it was, he was absolutely positive he couldn't live without it.
They chatted quietly as they ate their complimentary food, which kept coming out of the kitchen faster than they could say no to it. Tom wasn't hearing any protests, anyway. Plate after plate of delicious food was set before them until they finally told him they would burst if they ate any more.
Harry was finishing his fourth butterbeer, feeling thoroughly warm inside and out, when the door to The Leaky Cauldron opened and a harsh blast of cold air came whizzing toward them.
Ginny, who was facing the entrance, raised her eyes from her drink to the door, and Harry watched them widen in surprise, then narrow as her face clouded with disdain.
He twisted in his chair. Draco Malfoy was standing in the doorway, shaking the snow off his expensive, dark cloak.
Harry's insides wrenched painfully, and within seconds he was transported back to the fateful night he'd defeated Voldemort but watched Dumbledore die at the hands of Draco's father.
He hadn't been quick enough to save Dumbledore, but the second Voldemort had been blasted into nonexistence, Ginny was released from the curse that was binding her. She had mustered enough strength to cast a binding spell at Lucius Malfoy before he could hex Harry. In more ways than one, Harry owed her his life.
Lucius, however, was not so lucky. The dementors of Azkaban kept him prisoner only long enough to allow the Ministry of Magic to extract the information they needed from him, before delivering their most deadly weapon – the Dementor's Kiss. Lucius Malfoy had been allowed to keep his miserable life, but his soul and his memories were gone forever.
Ginny reached over and grasped Harry's hand, and he turned his attention back to her. "I think we should get out of here," she said levelly, not taking her eyes off Malfoy. He hadn't noticed them yet, but he was approaching a table that would put them in his direct line of sight. "My mum wrote me a little over a year ago, saying that Lucius Malfoy died in his cell in Azkaban."
Harry could see where she was going with this. Malfoy would blame Ginny for his father's death, and if he saw them, he would make a scene in front of all these people. He had to get her out of there without Malfoy seeing them, and get her back to the Burrow where she would be safe.
"Okay, let's go," he said quietly, pushing away from the table and throwing his cloak around him to conceal his appearance from Malfoy's sight. He saw Ginny do the same, and they moved very quickly to the door.
They were about twenty feet down the snow-covered alley when Harry felt a hand clasp his shoulder in a death grip. His whole body tensed, and instinctively, as he turned to face the one person he'd wished he'd never see again in his entire life, he pulled Ginny behind him.
"Potter," Malfoy sneered, his steely-blue eyes burning into his. "I was wondering when our paths would cross, now that you've decided to stop being a coward and return home."
"I would watch who you call coward Malfoy," Ginny said from behind him, her voice as cold as the weather outside. "It's easy to throw names around when you hide behind your father's powerful friends. If there was any real justice, you'd be in Azkaban right now for your role in supporting Voldemort all those years ago."
Malfoy's eyes, if possible, burned with even more hatred as he looked over Harry's shoulder at Ginny. "Don't you speak of my father!" he hissed, causing Harry to step even more fully in front of Ginny. "You're the reason he's dead, and trust me, you will pay for it one day!"
Harry had had enough. He released Ginny's hand and stepped up to Malfoy so they were standing nose to nose. "If you even look at her sideways, you'll wish you were never born," he snarled. "I think it best that you clear off, and forget you even know who we are."
Malfoy didn't budge. His eyes were still trained on Ginny, and his mouth curved into an evil sneer. "So it's you and Potter now, huh? That's tragic, Weasley. I mean, your family is just getting over the loss of that pompous windbag Percy, aren't they? It would absolutely devastate them if something were to happen to their beloved little girl. And we all know what happens to people Potter here cares about, don't we?"
Harry's blood boiled as he reached out his hands and grasped the front of Malfoy's robes, but he had hardly opened his mouth to begin yelling before Ginny had pushed them apart and stood in front of Malfoy just as Harry had done moments ago.
"If you ever speak of anyone in my family again, you won't need Azkaban prison, because I will kill you where you stand," Ginny said so quietly that Harry barely heard her. "As for Harry, he's done losing anyone else. If you hadn't noticed, your kind lost. We've managed to win, despite all of your despicable friends' efforts. Now, why don't you move along and find someone who actually thinks you're worth a damn."
Malfoy's eyes narrowed threateningly, but the ugly smirk was still on his face. "What amuses me most, besides your utter lack of knowledge, is your incredible assurance," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Are you so sure that you've won? Do you really think that Lord Voldemort is completely gone from the minds of those who followed him? It's just as I've always thought, though. Your kind's arrogance and short-sightedness will be your downfall." His lips peeled even further back, deepening his sneer. "If I have anything to say about it, you'll go first."
Harry pulled Ginny aside, and plunged his hand into his robes. His wand was out and fixed on Malfoy's chest before he knew it. "I'm warning you - I have no problem performing a killing curse. I've done it before, and I will gladly do it again."
Malfoy sized him up, gauging the loathing hatred seeping from Harry's eyes. He must have decided that Harry might actually do it despite being on a public street, because he smirked again, straightened his robes, and backed away slowly.
"A pleasure, as always," he said coldly, before whipping his cloak around him and walking in the opposite direction.
Harry's hand was shaking like mad – not from nerves, but from anger. He should have just done it and saved them all the agony of ever having to hear that deplorable voice ever again.
"Come on Harry," said Ginny in a shaky voice from behind him. "We still have to finish up, and it's getting pretty dark out now."
As they walked through the stores collecting the remaining decorations off the list, Malfoy's words repeated through his head, as unwelcome as he himself had been.
We all know what happens to people Potter here cares about, don't we?
It was as if Malfoy knew exactly what to say to damage him the most. He had seen right into his heart and knew the thing he feared above all else. Losing someone else he cared about would probably send him into such darkness that he'd never be able to get himself out.
Especially if it was Ginny.
He watched her as she paid for the fairy lights she'd retrieved from the salesgirl, the lights playing off the bright hues of her beautiful hair. His chest felt as if it were being squeezed in a vice, and he realized, in one blinding moment, that if he lost Ginny, he was as good as dead. There wasn't a country far enough away to which he could run that would ease that kind of pain.
We all know what happens to people Potter here cares about, don't we?
They apparated back to Harry and Ron's flat a little before six o'clock, only to find the place empty. Harry saw a note from Ron lying on the coffee table.
Went to Hermione's for the night. See you tomorrow after work.
Ron
He tossed the note back onto the table and turned to look at Ginny. She was laying the parcels near the door and hanging her cloak up. Malfoy's words repeated over and over in his head, and he sank onto the couch.
"Harry, what is it?" she asked, seeing the expression on his face. Her eyes slid to the note he had dropped and her face went white. "Has something happened?"
He mentally cursed himself. How could he frighten her so soon after she heard Malfoy threaten her and those she loved?
"No, nothing's wrong," he said hurriedly, picking up the note and handing it to her. "Ron's out for the night, nothing more."
"Oh," she said, the color returning to her face as she sank onto the couch beside him. "For a minute there, I thought…" she trailed off, studying him more closely. "You're face, though, what were you thinking about?"
"Nothing," he said, not wanting her to know that what Malfoy had said was eating at him little by little.
He should have known better, though. Ginny was incredibly bright, and knew him well. She frowned at him, turning to face him fully on the couch.
"Okay, I need to know something, and I want you to be honest," she said matter-of-factly, holding him with her even gaze.
"What?" he asked, squirming a bit under the intensity of her eyes.
"Are you planning on ending this," she said, gesturing between the two of them with a hand, "because of what Malfoy said?"
"What?" he asked again, amazed at her ability to get inside his head.
"Harry, bad things don't happen to everyone just because you care about them," she said quietly. "Bad things happen. Period."
"I know," he said shortly, taking his gaze off of hers and staring at a spot somewhere on the floor. "Don't you think I know that?"
She was quiet for a moment, then said, "No, I don't think you do."
She slid closer to him on the couch and put a hand on top of his knee. "Malfoy said those things because he knew it was the easiest way to get to you. And to me. If we let what he said tear us to pieces, we let him win. I, for one, don't want that to be the case."
Harry sighed, as he let his fingers entwine with hers. "Ginny, I can't lose you."
"The only way you'll lose me is if you let me go," she said softly. "Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere."
"He threatened you right to your face, Ginny. He's up to something, and I – "
She cut him off by placing the tips of her fingers against his lips. "Ron told me that Malfoy has been under severe surveillance by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement since the war ended. He can't move without them knowing about it. Besides," she said, turning his face so he was looking at her again, "I haven't been this happy in a very, very long time, and I'm not going to let a ferret like him take that away from me any time soon."
Harry must not have looked convinced, because she smiled at him and brushed the hair off of his forehead. "I waited a long time for you, Harry Potter. You won't get rid of me that easily."
He reached for her free hand. "Promise me you'll tell me if you see him again, or if he tries to talk to you or threatens you –"
"I promise," she cut him off, closing her eyes and letting her forehead rest against his. "As long as you promise you won't end things because you feel that it's what will keep me safe. Loving you is what keeps me safe."
Harry's hand dropped off of hers and he put a little distance between their faces so he could see her eyes. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"What?" he asked, his throat dry and constricted. He saw her eyes open slowly, and the love he saw in the dark depths winded him completely.
"I love you Harry," she said quietly. "So you see, I can't lose you either."
He couldn't breathe. She loved him. Suddenly, Malfoy's words were erased from his memory as hers took up residence repeating themselves over and over in his mind.
His hands came up of their own accord to cradle her face as he looked into her eyes. She stared back at him, trusting him completely with her heart. It was a feeling unlike any Harry had ever known in his entire life.
"You are the most amazing person I've ever known," he said quietly, before lowering his mouth to hers. He realized that she was probably waiting to hear the words in return, but somehow, he couldn't say it. He felt it, but the words wouldn't come. So instead, he tried to show her how he felt.
He felt her smile against his lips, as her hands settled on his waist. They kissed for a while before she pulled away and gestured at the note.
"So Ron's not going to be home tonight, huh?" she asked, a glint sparkling in her eyes.
Harry's blood pounded in his veins at the mischievous look on her face. "Nope. Not going to be home until tomorrow."
"Well," she said, primly, all the while maneuvering so she was straddling his lap, "I can't stay until tomorrow, but I'm sure we can think of something to keep us occupied before I have to head back home tonight."
Harry couldn't think of a witty reply. As their lips met more urgently this time, he focused on how lucky he was to have her in his life, wanting to be with him.
Loving him.
Yet somewhere, deep in his mind, he knew that things weren't going to be as simple as that. Something was coming, and he just had to be ready for it. This time, he had to be ready.
A week before Christmas, Ron started hounding Hermione about his present. He asked her when he thought she wasn't paying attention, trying to surprise her into a response. He'd tried that tactic before, when he was trying to get it out of her who she was going to the Yule Ball with back in their fourth year. It hadn't worked then, and it wasn't going to work now.
"C'mon, Hermione, just a little clue," he persisted, pausing in his pursuit only long enough to trail kisses down her neck. They were spending a lazy Sunday at her flat, although they were due at the Burrow in an hour for a late lunch.
She wriggled in his arms, shaking her head at him and laughing. "No clues!" she demanded, trying to roll away from him on the bed.
"You're not the easiest person to shop for, you know," he said sullenly, his brow wrinkled in thought. "If I knew just a little, it would help me get you something really nice – "
"We agreed, no expensive gifts this year," she reminded him, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "We have so many people to buy for…just get me a nice book or something."
"A book?" he eyed her warily. "Haven't you enough of those already?"
"Hey, you should be happy I'm not scolding you for not knowing me better," she said, donning a mock-serious look. "I mean, you should know what to get the woman you love, am I right?"
"I thought I was all you needed," he said, making his voice go husky for her benefit. She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Come on, admit it. I'm all you want for Christmas."
She giggled even harder at the look on his face, but decided to play along. "Well, if that's all you're giving me, I better take my gift back."
He growled at her, narrowing his eyes playfully. "Tell me what it is," he said, obviously putting out one last ditch effort to crack her.
"Nope," she said gleefully, kissing him on the cheek and sitting up on the bed. "You'll have to wait for Christmas just like everyone else."
Before she could get off the bed, however, his hands snaked around her waist and he pulled her back down to rest halfway on top of him.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"We have to be at your parents' house in an hour," she reasoned, moving her head to give him a quick kiss. She tried to push herself up again, but he held her fast to him.
"Well, then, that gives us a whole hour, doesn't it?" he said, his eyes locked onto hers.
She lowered her head to his, and their lips met in a long, deep kiss. Hermione's head began to spin as it always did when he kissed her, and she felt his arms holding her against his chest as if he would never let go.
She broke away from him and smiled down into his eyes. "I'm still not telling you what I got you."
He swore and let his arms fall to the bed on either side of him. "You're impossible!"
A half-hour later, they were still lying curled up together in bed. Ron was lazily drawing circles on her back, and she was playing with the buttons on his blue shirt.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, suddenly remembering something from their childhood.
"Sure," he said.
"When we were in fifth year, you gave me perfume for Christmas. Why perfume? Every other year you'd given me such practical gifts," she said, remembering all of the candies and books he'd given her previously.
His face took on a faraway look, as if he were bringing himself back to the very moment he made the decision. "I guess it was because I wanted to get you something special that year."
"Why?"
He grimaced, as if afraid to tell her the real reason. "Well, the year before and all, you were so cozy with Krum, and you'd been writing to him all summer…I guess I wanted to get you something that made you realize I knew you were a girl."
Hermione laughed quietly, remembering with vivid clarity their heated words when he'd asked her to go to the dance with either him or Harry.
"That's sweet," she said, cuddling up against his side.
"Can I ask you something now?" he said, turning a bit so he could see her face.
"Of course," she said, pulling back enough so she could see him properly. Whatever he was about to ask sounded serious, judging from the tone of his voice.
"I guess I just wanted to know if you ever found yourself fancying me while we were at school," he said quickly, scrunching up his brow. "I mean, it's obvious I was a completely jealous git when it came to you and Krum, and I wanted to know if you ever had any of those kinds of thoughts about me at all when we were younger."
Hermione thought on that one long and hard. There were so many small moments that she could say; moments that she found herself thinking about Ron as more than a friend, moments she found herself wondering…hoping…
She must have been silent too long, because Ron cleared his throat and his eyes clouded a bit. "No, it's okay. I mean, I didn't think that you fancied me in school, and it doesn't matter now, does it? You love me now, and that's what –"
"Ron, shut up for a minute," Hermione scolded gently, pressing a finger to his lips. "and I'll give you a hundred times I had those thoughts."
The look in his eyes was replaced with one of deep relief. "Really?"
"Really," she said, kissing his jaw quickly. "But the one that I remember most, the one time I thought, "Oh no, I'm falling for my best friend," was when Percy had written that letter to you about hanging around with Harry our fifth year. Remember that?"
At the mention of Percy, Ron's eyes clouded over again briefly, but he nodded and the grief was gone in the next instant. "Yeah, I think that was the angriest I'd ever been with him," he said, his voice sounding small to her ears.
"I know. I watched as you tore up that letter into a thousand pieces, and how happy it made Harry that you weren't going to abandon him." Her voice shook slightly, and she coughed to give herself time to get the emotion out of her voice.
"So you started to fancy me because I didn't take Percy's advice?" he asked in confusion.
"Not quite," she said, resting her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating steadily underneath her palm. "I started fancying you because it finally hit me how loyal you were to the people you cared about. When I understood that, all the times you'd came to my defense started playing out across my mind. I realized that you wouldn't ever let me down because you cared about me too much to ever abandon me, either."
He regarded her silently for a long moment, then a small smile played across his lips. "That was back in fifth year. Why didn't you say anything before then? Look at all the time we spent walking that castle together sixth and seventh year, alone, on prefect duty."
She slowly shook her head at him. "You didn't say anything either, so you're just as much to blame."
"Hey, my excuse was better. I thought you were in love with that great Bulgarian oaf, and how was I to compete?" he reasoned, raising an eyebrow at her.
She smiled down into his eyes, then lowered her head, kissing him deeply for a minute before pulling back. "You never had to compete."
He smiled back at her, and she could see the depth of his love for her in his eyes. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, and really, I'm not going to get mad, but I need to know…" he trailed off, as she positioned herself on her side again, facing him.
"Was Krum your first kiss?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.
"Honest answer?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck slowly.
"Honest answer."
"Yes, he was."
"Oh," he said, and true to his word, he didn't sound mad, or defeated. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes though, as he elaborated. "I just think it would have been cool if we were each other's first kiss."
She pulled him closer to her, and his arms went around her in such a familiar gesture that Hermione's heart constricted almost painfully in her chest.
"Well, we can be each other's last kiss, which is much more important, isn't it?" she asked quietly, searching his face intently. She didn't want to freak him out, or scare him off, but she was more positive about being with him forever than she had ever been about anything in her life. There would be no one else for her. Ever.
His eyes flashed into hers, and he moved so his body was half covering hers, not once breaking his gaze away from hers.
"Absolutely," he whispered, before his lips claimed hers in another searing kiss. Hermione sighed contentedly into his mouth, feeling the warmth of his body against hers, and she knew…she just knew.
They were definitely going to be late for lunch at the Burrow.
So this chapter had a lot of loving going on, but it had to be done, because the next one isn't going to display much of it. Just trying to get my fill of it before that happens. Besides, wouldn't you have done the same thing?
Next chapter, Malfoy sets his plan in motion, whatever it is…