A/N: Nother chapter! Be sure to read the bottom!
Disclaimer: Don't own it, Never did own it, Never will Own it.
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The day was appropriately dark and dreary, rain pouring down all around them as they stood at the graveyard around the freshly dug grave of Ronald Weasley. None of the rain was actually touching them for Dumbledore had taken the liberty of casting a dome of protection against the weather. It didnt block out sounds, and as thunder cracked overhead, Harry wished that rain could touch them. Beat at their skin, weigh them down. Wash away the sins that were piled so heavily upon his shoulders. Mask the tears that he knew he should be crying, but hadn't actually let out yet.
His wish was never granted, so Harry kept his head down, eyes fixed upon the coffin that would soon be lowered into the ground. Images of the fight in which Ron had lost his life kept going through his mind. Expecially the part where he'd put Draco Malfoy under the cruciatus. Part of him was bothered by the fact that he'd managed to hold it on him so long, and not mind it. It was almost as if he reveled in it. But it never made him truly happy. He got satisfaction from seeing Malfoy writhing in pain in revenge for all the taunts and curses that had been flung at eachother when they were younger, but most expecially for the pain he'd put Ginny through when it was announced that they were going to marry.
At least Draco would never bother him again. He hadnt' really registered what had happened till after they got Ron to the Burrow, but looking back at the time that had passed in a blur after hearing Malfoy incant the killing curse....Harry realised that Draco had never gotten up after he'd thrown the last panicked stunner at him. In his minds eyes he could see Malfoy fly through the air, his head striking the shelf that was mounted on the wall behind him. Draco crumbling to the ground, blood dripping from his nose, eyes wide and vacant. A vaguely shocked expression on his face from the force of the spell or the fact that he'd lost. Harry would never know which one in particular it was. Nor did he care. At the moment the only thing he could really care about was the fact that yet again he'd lost someone he cared about.
Now all he had was Hermione.
/I wonder what they would think if they knew the truth, if they knew that--even as i mourn-- i am responsible for the deaths of two of the people who meant the most in the world to me... I wonder what the Weasleys would say...what they would do? And my parents,, Merlin, my parents; I don't even want to think about them. Remain emotionless, Hermione, emotion is what got you caught in the first place... But it's MY FAULT!!!! It's all my fault!! Oh, Merlin, Ron... I'm so very, very sorry./ With those thoughts cascading through her tired and stressed brain, Hermione fell to her knees. Those watching thought they knew why her legs were failing to support her, as she fell down beside the grave of her husband, lying beside the grave of his sister, her best friend. They had no idea. None of them did. She was not a death eater. She was a death maker. /DeathEater-DeathMaker-DeathBaker./..The words jingled inside her head childishly and against her will a half giggle - half sob burst through the thin veneer she was maintaining and she never even noticed the people slowly start to trickle away, until only one remained, his hand on her shoulder where it had been the entire time.
Harry had glanced up when the Weasleys would have comforted Hermione when it was near she was so close to cracking, but one look at his face and they knew that it was not the time, that Harry would take care of her; they could grieve together later, when Hermione was not so fragile, so delicate. They didn't want to lose her, too. And so the Weasleys walked away, leading the Grangers, who understood what was going on, but didn't understand the magical ramifications. Mrs. Weasley explained in hushed and worried tones how close Hermione's magic was coming to breaking her, and so the two dentists let themseles be led away... leaving only two beside the long row of newly-turned earth, headed by a marble stone.
His hand on her shoulder, Harry remembered another time, not so very long ago, when the positions had been reversed, when it had been Hermione who stood over him, as he fell beside the grave now to his side, as his brain tried to absorb the loss of Ginny. After an eternity--or maybe just a few minutes, it mattered little--Harry knew that the only thing left to do was to go. So he gently bent down, and even more gently picked Hermione up in his arms. He put her head on his shoulder, never letting himself lose contact; he knew that she needed a physical touch, not just a presence, right now. Silently, he Apparated them both back to Hermione and Ron's house--now simply Hermione's.
At the top of the stairs, he paused almost imperceptibly, and then headed down the hall to Hermione's room. He doubted it would be a very wise idea to put Hermione in Ron's bed, even now.
A simple spell got Hermione out of her funeral attire and into her night clothes. He never broke contact with the grieving girl as he pulled down the comforter, placed her in her bed, and tucked her in. It was only as he kissed her on the forehead and turned to go that she uttered her first syllable since Ron's funeral began.
He turned back immediately to face her, his brow knit in consternation. When she saw the question, the hesitation, the uncertainty in his eyes, she repeated herself. "Stay. Stay with me. Please. He's taken everyone else. Don't leave me."
Harry didn't have to ask who "he" was.
He couldn't resist her. That she'd came out of her shell to ask that of him showed just how important it was to her. So he gave a crooked sad smile, and slipped off the solemn black wizarding robes and shoes to get in beside her, leaning up against the headboard. Instinctively one of his hands found their way to her hair, and he began to slowly run his fingers through the somewhat frizzy utterly thick mass. "Rest." He said softly, removing his glasses and laying them on the bedside table before rubbing his gritty eyes.
By the time he looked back down at his sole remaining best friend, she was already fast asleep.
The sight of her long lashes making soft shadows against her cheeks, amplifying the shadows that stress had left there recently triggered off a memory. It was one he made no move to stop.
Tonight was a night to Remember.
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/FB/ "Tuck me in?" Hermione asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes outrageously. Harry chuckled.
"I wish I had a camera, you're going to want to hurt yourself in the morning. Acting like a girl" He teased, and she rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, Harry, I am a girl! How else am I s'posed to act?" He shook his head and pulled the covers up around her chin, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.
"No, you're a pissed HeadGirl, is what you are."
"I am NOT!" She retorted indignately. "You have to be thoroughly drunk to be "pissed" as you put it, and I -sir- am NOT drunk!." She giggled after the pronouncement and then slapped a hand to her mouth. "I didn't just giggle did I? I don't giggle. Giggling is gir-" At the look on his face she stopped abruptly and blushed.
"Someone needs to make up their mind about something." Harry teased, and grinned before getting up and walking out of the room to go to his own bed. It was definitely nice with them both being Heads. No stupid girls dorm protection spells to contend with./end FB/
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"Can you believe tha'? Shtill writing to bloody VICKY! Af'r all thish time!" The red-head murmured as he flopped down on his dormitory bed and flung out an arm. "She'sa traitor!" He declared dramatically, and Harry couldn't help but snort."A traitor because she's writing to Vicktor Krum?"
"Yeah! There's only room in thish trio for two--er-three people, and HE'S NOT ONE OF THEM!" Harry instantly caught on to what Ron had almost said, and a smirk took his lips.
"You've got it bad, mate." He said in mock sympathy. Ron growled at him, his eyes bloodshot and the area under them baggy, it was a fair imitation of his Animagus form- a basset hound.
"Would you shtop bloody insi...insinc...insinct- would you jusht shut up about Me and Mione?!"
"Well..I mean..if your sure..." Harry knew then exactly what to say, and had to fight back a grin. "Its kinda good to know since I was considering asking her out."
"WHAT?!" Came a yell as soon as Ron comprehended what he'd said.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Harry smirked and reach up to touch his eye in remembrance of the shiner he'd had to go around with until lunch the next day when Hermione took pity on him and dragged him to the hospital wing to get a bruise-relief potion. It wasn't too long after that that Ron had asked Hermione out. It was, however, a good bit longer before Ron would talk to him.
Harry wouldn't have had it any other way though. After all, the batch of chocolate frogs he'd won for being the one that finally got them together quite made up for any lack of man-to-man talk for the next week.
Soon other memories started dredging to the surface, going through his mind in rapid fire procession.
Flashes of the three of them taking out Bellatrix Black on Halloween of his sixth year...
Hermione crying over Ron as he lay in a coma for the next two weeks...
Ginny smacking sense into him when he'd shown that he was buried in self-blame and pity.
Ginny kissing him immediately afterwards.
Lupin walking in on the two of them half-undressed while they were at Grimmauld Place that next summer.
The birds and the bees talk he'd had to listen to afterwards...
Approaching Arthur to request his daughters hand in marriage.
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"Mr. Weasley?" Harry said from the doorway, swallowing hard, his hands in his pockets. "Can I uhm...talk to you?""Of course, my boy!" Arthur, the tall red-headed head of the Weasley clan agreed with a smile, ushering Harry into the room and slapping up a silence spell so they wouldn't be disturbed. "Now, whats bothering you?" He leaned forward, eyes wide, hoping it had to do with either muggles or Ginny. From what Molly had told him, he was definitely hoping it had something to do with Ginny. Otherwise they were going to have to have a little talk with the boy-who-lived.
"Its about ....uhm..." Again Harry swallowed hard. /I can face Voldemort with no fear, but I can't hardly do this...You're a gryffindor, Harry...not a Slytherin...the sorting hat wanted to put me in slytherin...JUST DO IT!/ "Er...Iwannamarryyourdaughter!" He squeaked out in surprise.
Arthur blinked, and held back a grin. "Say that again, Harry? I didn't quite catch it." His eyes sparkled.
Harry groaned. "I er...love Ginny and uhm...well, I want to marry her. I just..I was going to ask her first, but then Remus told me it would be better to come to you firs...and I'm rambling." He ducked his head and blushed furiously.
Now outright smiling, Arthur shook his head in amusement and called Harry's name. When the boy-who-lived-to-become-a-man looked up, Arthur chuckled. "Its about time. If we'd not heard word that you were serious about Ginny soon, there was going to be a talking to, young man." Then he couldn't help but wink. "From Molly mainly."
Harry's eyes grew wide. The idea of having another "Talk" was embarrassing as it was. The idea of MOLLY Weasley giving it to him... "Bury me now..." He mumbled, his blush growing in intensity.
Arthur broke into a fit of laughter, and it was a good two minutes before he calmed and wiped his eyes before continuing. "Do you have a ring picked out?"
He nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a white gold engagement ring that was engraved with vines and leaves with a diamond bud that was enchanted to slowly bloom into a full-fledged rose over and over again. He held it out towards his girlfriends father, anxiously hoping it would meet his approval.
Mr. Weasley nodded his head and said solemnly. "Welcome to the family, officially."
Harry had to put his head between his knees to keep from fainting in relief.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graduation day for the three of them
Ron and Hermione getting married.
Him teasing Hermione with possible names for any children they might have.
Ginny telling him she was pregnant.
Holding her hand at St. Mungos after she'd fell and miscarried.
Tears came to his eyes as he remembered how broken up she had been. He'd not handled that too well himself. /At least now Ginny will be with the baby.../ He thought to himself, and a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed hard but it wouldn't go down, and just kept fighting to the surface.
A sob broke free and almost instantly Hermione moaned softly beside him and opened her eyes. "Harry?"
He blushed, and quickly swiped at the tears that were trickling down his cheeks. "Shh, 'Mione..rest."
She stared at him in concern and then held out her arms. "Come here..." She said softly, wanting nothing more than to comfort and be comforted by her best friend. He paused for a second, not really sure it was proper, but then threw the thought aside. They'd both lost someone they loved. They were best friends. Who the hell cared how they acted.
Harry went into her arms quietly, his body wracked as he tried to hold back tears. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly. It pained her more to see him in such obvious pain than it did losing Ron, she realised with a jolt. Not really realising what she was doing, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. The sigh that escaped his lips at this action prompted her to kiss him again, this time softly on the lips.
His emerald green eyes were wide as he jerked back and stared at her for a moment.
She swallowed hard, but held his gaze.
After a few seconds had passed he made a noise in his throat and kissed her back, tears tracking down his skin. "I miss her..." He whispered brokenly. Guilt filled her, and the only thought she had then was /Let me make it up to him. Merlin, let me make him better./ Her hands came around to his chest, and she unbuttoned the first button of the black shirt he wore, her eyes on his the whole time.
"I need you tonight, Harry. We need eachother." He was absolutely still for a minute, but then he brought one hand to her face, and gave a sad smile.
He took the comfort she offered.
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A/N: I know its been a while since I've written, and I'm sorry. I kinda lost interest for a while.
Thanks to OMAGIC for being the one to get me re-interested in writing on this story.
The ending of this chapter wasn't planned, but it just seemed to happen. I'd like everyones opinion on it.