Rain

By forbiddenlight

Disclaimer: For the last time, I own absolutely nothing!

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed. Wow, you guys are awesome! All these reviews… It makes me wonder when I should end this story! This chapter is more somber… Enjoy…

lilpuppy3: You betcha.

blondestbrunette: Interesting penname… I like it! Is this soon enough, by the way?

FlairVerona: Always remember… Things happen for a reason.

Steelo: Thanks. But do you really think I'd tell you? )

CareBearErin: I bet you ten bucks you will enjoy this chapter.

Athena: How else do you think I'm going to get my readers to come back? ). I feel your pain, though.

amrawo: Thanks. I really loved that chapter too. It was one of my favorites.

CAUTION: Proceed with caution. This chapter and the rest of the story will contain HBP spoilers. You have been warned and I will not feel bad if you are mad that this story is containing spoilers.

I'm not going to bother to tell you about the names in bold.

Ship: Blaise/Hermione

Genre: Drama/Romance

Chapter Nineteen: Recalling & Hope

Hermione

Her eyes landed on his crumpled form. "No!" she cried, running forward and throwing her arms around him. "No, Blaise! You can't be dead! No, you can't!"

A large tear rolled down her cheek. Harry and Ron stood there, motionless, until Harry ran over to Ginny and McGonagall.

"Ennervate! Ginny, oh, Ginny!" she heard him say.

"Harry, McGonagall!"

"Oh, yes. Ennervate… Ennervate!" he yelled. "Ginny, she's not waking up!"

Hermione heard a thud and a moment of silence. "There's no pulse," Ginny's voice said a moment later. "McGonagall is dead."

Hermione just cried even harder. "NO! No…"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of white dart up the stairs. But Hermione paid no attention. She gripped Blaise even harder around the side, wishing it wasn't true…

In her mind's eye, she saw their first kiss… When he told her everything, about all his thoughts and feelings. She remembered their first date… When he gave her that scarf…

"Oh, here, Hermione, I, er, got you something," Blaise told her, blushing, and handed her a white box. Hermione smiled. The box was narrow and rectangular, and was tied with a gold thread. Hermione untied the ribbon and took off the cover. She gasped when she saw the inside.

It was a chocolate rose… How romantic she found herself thinking. But wrapped around the rose…

"Oh, Blaise, you didn't! You got me the scarf!" Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss, their noses rubbing together. When they broke apart they just sat there in each other's arms, silent.


"Hermione, I- I, well, I love you," Blaise told her, his arms wrapped around her. Hermione's eyes were tearing up. She was wrapped in his embrace- wrapped in his love.

"I love you too," she answered him, kissing him softly. It was amazing. For the first time in her life, Hermione Jane Granger felt complete.

Their coffee arrived but they only drank a few sips.

Hermione rocked back in forth, eyes drowning in tears, mouth gasping for air.

"Oh, Blaise! I loved you! Don't die! Don't be dead! Please…" Hermione whispered through her moans… "Please…"

Voldemort

He glared at the scrubby, mouse-like man that was kneeling before him, kissing his cloak. Voldemort had never liked this feeling. Why did Pettigrew feel it was necessary to kiss him like that? It was disgusting.

"Get off me, you maggot infested fool!" Voldemort ordered him. Pettigrew leaped back. "Now tell me your message. And make it fast. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

Pettigrew shrank back and hesitated. Voldemort sighed.

"TELL ME THE MESSAGE!" he shouted.

Pettigrew nodded. "Today, sir, Jorge and Blaise Zabini were killed on Hogwarts Premises."

"WHAT!" Voldemort yelled, standing up. "What the hell are you saying!"

Pettigrew took a deep breath. "Apparently, Jorge arrived at Hogwarts this afternoon. He ran into Minerva McGonagall, the assistant Head, and stunned her, which, in the end, resulted in her death. He ran into his son, er, well, his son ran into him, more-like. They argued. Blaise Zabini refused, again, to be a Death Eater. They were joined by Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ginevra Weasley, and Ron Weasley. The Weasley girl ran over to McGonagall, and Jorge Zabini stunned her, too. Potter ran forward, but Jorge threatened him. Jorge used Crucio against his son. Potter used a curse that I've never heard of before… The incantation was Sectumsempra."

"Ah," Voldemort smiled. "Look's like the Boy-Who-Lived has been learning the Dark Arts…"

"Jorge was dying from loss of blood, but before he died, he used Avada Kedavra against Blaise, who died."

"This is an outrage! Hermione Granger is still alive!" Voldemort groaned. Things were not working out the way he wished… Still, though, he had another question. "Where did you get all this information?"

"Draco, Master," Pettigrew informed him. "Draco Malfoy."

"Interesting. He is Lucius's son, now, isn't he?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Good. I will see him and his father tonight."

Ginny

McGonagall was dead… Blaise was dead… Some Death Eater named Jorge was dead…

His body was twisted, and blood still seeped from the cuts in his chest and face. He lay in a puddle of red… It was the eeriest and most horrific thing Ginny had ever seen…

But McGonagall… When would Dumbledore come? Who was to say that Jorge Zabini would be the last Death Eater to enter Hogwarts?

Harry

His breathing was shallow, and his hands were clean, but all Harry Potter saw was red. Red everywhere. He was a killer. He had killed someone.

He stood up and stepped backwards, tripping over an upturned trunk. He scrambled up onto his feet, breathing even harder… He was a murderer. So what if Jorge Zabini was a Death Eater? So what if he was here to kill his best friend her boyfriend, his only son? Jorge had been human, and Harry had ended his life…

He had to get out of here.

He turned around and ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, not even acknowledging the fact that he had twisted his ankle badly when he had tripped. He ran to the first place that flew into his mind, the Hospital Wing.

"Madame Promfrey! Madame Promfrey! Three people are dead! Madame!" he yelled into her office. He ran into the wing and opened the door to her office and found her, slumped over her desk, stunned.

"What? Who, how… Oh, whatever! Ennervate!" Madame Promfrey opened her eyes.

"W-what happened?" she asked dizzily.

"Not now!" Harry yelled, grabbing her hand and standing her up. "Three are dead! Three!"

Madame Promfrey's eyes lit up and she immediately went into action. "Where are they, Potter?"

"Follow me," and Harry led her downstairs to the entryway. Ron was standing in the corner, unsure of himself, his face white. Ginny was soothing Hermione, but Hermione didn't even notice; she was holding Blaise Zabini in her arms, rocking back and forth, crying…

"Oh, dear," Madame Promfrey said as her eyes landed on McGonagall. "Send an owl to Dumbledore at once! Tell him he needs to return to Hogwarts immediately!"

"No need for that, Poppy." said a voice. Harry looked up and there, standing in the doorway, was Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh, Albus," Madame Promfrey said regrettably, but Dumbledore's eyes had already landed on the three bodies. Madame Promfrey was tending to McGonagall first.

Dumbledore's voice shook as he gave his directions. "Mr. Weasley, find Professor Snape, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and Angelina Johnson, the Head Girl. Tell them that I said to keep their students inside the houses until further notice. The House Elves will bring up their meals." Ron nodded and ran off. Harry watched reluctantly. "Ms. Weasley, send an owl to your mother. Tell her that she and the rest need to get here immediately." Ginny nodded, and ran off in the direction of the owlery. "And Ms. Granger, send an owl to Rufus Scrimgeour. Tell him that he needs to come here immediately and nothing else." Still sobbing, Hermione got up from where she had been crouching, being careful to not let Blaise hit the floor. She walked after Ginny, still crying.

Suddenly Madame Promfrey gave out a scream. "Albus!" she cried. "Blaise Zabini is alive."

"What?" Harry asked, running over.

"Apparently, the Avada Kedavra his father had used wasn't as powerful as he had mustered… He hasn't been trained to use an Unforgivable this way. Blaise isn't conscious, but I believe he will get better if we dispatch him to St. Mungo's immediately."

Dumbledore smiled weakly. "And Minerva?" he asked hopefully.

Madame Promfrey's face shadowed as her eyes landed on the body next to her. "No luck," she whispered. "She simply couldn't handle a stunner at her age."

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Well," he said finally. "I will have Hagrid escort Blaise to St. Mungo's. Poppy, you know what needs to be done."

The nurse nodded solemnly. "I am sorry, Albus… For the death of your wife…"

forbiddenlight