A/N: ::Rushes into room:: YES!! FINALLY! I can post once more!! ::Maniacal laugh:: Well, a lovely two (in reality three) week has passed and it was grand. However, I was dying the entire time to get back to school so I could keep continuing this story. Thank you to Imapunker for the review. And HermioneGirl03-- yo. Now, all I can hope is that I haven't lost anyone from my ten year absence. Ooh—THE 16TH OF JULY!!! I cannot WAIT. My year was made when I heard that news!

Lock and Key

Chapter 16

Harry wished it was a crude nightmare but it was not. Hundreds of dementors were invading the village, and coming down fast.

"Your wand, Hermione, your wand!," he instructed her, "And remember, happy thought! Expe—" A cloaked figure swooped down on them. She yelled out and the dementor quickly snatched Harry, lifting him up. He fought desperately to escape its clutches. The dementor lifted its hood, ready to perform the kiss.

"No!," Hermione cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Her otter flew forth in a dazzling light, crippling the creature. Harry fell to the floor as the dementor fled, hurt.

"Harry!," she said, going to his side. She had pictured his face for her memory, "Are you okay?!"

"I… I'm fine. We have to find the DA—they have to help us ward them off!" he answered, getting up (with her assistance). She nodded, having the urge to cry.

"They're going to take everyone's souls, without a second thought!" Hermione said.

"It's Voldemort, I know it," Harry gravely told her, "Come on!"

They ran to find their fellow members, stopping constantly to help those who couldn't fight the dementors. Hogsmeade was now filled with terrified screams. The students were frenzied and scared out of their minds. Wizards ran into shops, or any open buildings, and locked the doors. It was absolute chaos. They had to be careful to watch out for themselves and others. (Trying to call upon a memory and focus on its strength to produce a patronus in their short amount of time was difficult).

As Harry and Hermione neared the Three Broomsticks, they saw much (if not all) of the DA.

"There!" he unnecessarily shouted. Several patroni were attacking dementors. His heart lifted; they had help.

"Aaah!" Hermione yelled. Harry spun around. A dementor had thrown her against a wall and was reaching for its hood.

"Hermione!," Harry exclaimed. He searched madly for a memory and the recollection of kissing her for the first time settled in, "Expecto patronum!!" The stag raced out and charged the dementor down. He grabbed her hand and they ran for their peers.

"Harry! Hermione!," Ron shouted, as his lion went for a dementor threatening a helpless fourth year, "Thank God! They came out of nowhere!"

"They're on Voldemort's orders!," Harry replied, turning to address them all. Ron blanched, "Listen! We have to fight them until we can get word to Hogwarts!"

"We'll go!" offered Colin, pointing to himself and Ginny. Harry nodded.

"Be careful!" Ron said worriedly as his sister and her boyfriend hurriedly left.

"We should split up in order to cover all of Hogsmeade! There are enough of us! And stay in pairs! It's much safer and it'll be easier to hold them off!," continued Harry. They all consented, looking shaken but determined, "This is what the DA's for. Now go!"

Lavender's heart shielded her and Seamus from a dementor as they took off in one direction, with Dean & Bethany King right behind them. David, Rebecca, Parvati, and Padma went towards the Shrieking Shack with Padma's panther in front, while Neville, Hannah, Ernie, and Justin headed in Zonkos' direction.

"We'll go towards Puddifoot's." Ron reported. Luna nodded.

"All right. Just—" Harry started.

"Stay safe." Hermione pleaded.

"That's the plan." Ron shakily smiled. He and Luna then departed.

"We'll head to Dervish and Banges." Harry told her.

"Yeah," she plainly stated, "Harry there are so many. How will we be able to hold them off?"

"As long as possible. I hope the professors get here soon."

Ginny and Colin raced along the road, gripping hands. They had just assailed two dementors in order to get out of the village. This was surreal. They had to get back to Hogwarts as quickly as they could; they couldn't handle this alone. Ginny felt like dropping to the ground and giving thanks for Harry.

"Gin! Look!" Colin ecstatically exclaimed. About ten feet ahead of them was Albus Dumbledore, seemingly every professor at Hogwarts, and (not known to Colin) the Order of the Phoenix. Ginny let out a sob of joy.

"Ms. Weasley! Mr. Creevey!" cried Minerva McGonagall.

"What is happening?" Dumbledore critically demanded.

"Dementors, everywhere. T-t-they just came." Colin staggered.

"Harry and the rest of the DA are dealing with them, sir," Ginny added, "There are hundreds." Some of the wizards looked confused to the reference of Harry and this 'DA'.

"Dear Merlin," remarked Moody.

"Harry!" Remus Lupin said, white as a sheet. He then Disapparated, along with three others.

"Return to the castle, immediately, for your safety." Dumbledore ordered.

"But—" Ginny started.

"Now Ms. Weasley," The matter was closed, "Minerva, escort them back, please. Melanie, Trevor, accompany her. Stay there and make sure Poppy is ready. The students shall be returning shortly." McGonagall obeyed and dispersed with the children and Professors Sinistra & Melbrooks (Muggle Studies). Dumbledore nodded and the rest of the group Apparated into Hogsmeade.

Harry and Hermione passed the post office again, and once more saw Malfoy and his friends. This time however, Draco Malfoy looked truly afraid, which was a significant change from his usual malice. Hermione saw them scramble inside the building, Goyle being the rear. A dementor then glided swiftly towards the door and grasped Goyle firmly. He screamed as Crabbe slammed the door shut, looking ready to wet himself. Inside, Malfoy was shaking violently and sweating.

"Harry!" Hermione said, stopping him.

"What?" A dementor suddenly drifted their way, arm outstretched for Harry. It separated him from Hermione, causing him to retreat the other way.

"Expecto patronum!" he yelled, thinking of his parents' wedding day. It fled and left a clear view of Hermione. She had just combated a dementor inches away from kissing Gregory Goyle. Harry turned to his right when he heard a cry. Near an abandoned old shop, a dementor had a third year girl in its clutches. He ran towards the scene, pointing his wand.

"Expecto patronum!"

For some reason, his stag didn't come forth. It was only a thick, silver, wisp. Consequently, it got the creature's attention. It let the girl go, who ran off crying, and turned to Harry. He frowned and tried again.

"Expecto patronum!" (Images of the Weasleys). His scar suddenly exploded with pain. He gave a short scream and crumbled to the ground, momentarily blinded. He struggled for air as he felt the dementor slowly approach. Harry gasped and clumsily retrieved his wand. He shook his head vigorously.

"Expecto patronum!"

Please, don't kill Harry! His mother's voice grew louder in his head with each passing second, until it was replaced by something new: Sirius.

"Expecto…" Sirius fell through the veil elegantly, utter surprise drawn on his face.

"Ex…" The thought played over, and over, and over, and over, refusing to stop. Harry was weak and felt water on his face, barely registering it was his tears. The dementor took his wrist and pulled him up. So, he was going to die. Well, all's well that ends well. He deserved to die anyway. He struggled twice before ceasing. Only a few more seconds…. He thought he heard someone screaming, a girl. Nothing was left. Wait… was there? At one point in time there had been. What was it?

A girl screaming—a girl. A pretty girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Only, he thought she was gorgeous. Yes, a girl. The girl. His girl. Hermione.

"Herminy," he mouthed, near the dementor's own mouth. That was it: Hermione. They were friends, had been for a long time, but recently something had happened. She cared about him, in different ways, and he cared about her, a lot. They had kissed more than once, but not enough in his opinion. He loved kissing her, loved looking at her. Hermione. Harry's eyes fully opened. He could smell the putrid breath and gasped. He had about one second. Sticking his wand in the dementor's chest, he pictured Hermione and bellowed:

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Two other voices mingled with his. The dementor all but shrieked as it, essentially, disintegrated. Harry dropped to his knees, the wind gone from him. He had never seen that.

"Harry!" croaked Remus, hurrying over to him. He pulled him into a sloppy hug. Harry should have been surprised to see him but wasn't. The other man whom had spoken the incantation was Dumbledore. He came over and crouched by Harry.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I will be." Harry said. He then saw Hermione and Ron a couple of feet away. He, drained of color, had a hold of her arm and she looked hysterical.

"Harry, get back to the castle, now. Hermione and Ronald will go with you. The road right ahead of us is clear. There were will be many other students returning as well. You've done an outstanding job, once again exhibiting how incredible you really are. We shall take it from here." Dumbledore explained. Harry nodded and was helped up.

"Do not stop for anything." Remus commanded.

"I won't." He squeezed the boy's shoulder before leaving with the headmaster. Hermione and Ron then rushed over. She flew into Harry's arms, sobbing, and he thankfully held onto her. Ron, who was used to Hermione's bear hugs in a time of crisis, put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Blimey mate," he said in a trembled voice, "Had us right scared, you did. Took you long enough to say it." Harry, who was used to Ron's humor in a time of crisis, smiled, still holding Hermione.

"Shut up," he said.

The four Houses were mandated to stay in the Great Hall. They were given enormous amounts of chocolate; enough was there to create a shortage at Honeydukes for a year. Everyone was clearly shaken, but took to talking about and staring at the DA. A few people even had the courage to thank them. Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy was totally silent. A strand of his immaculate hair was loose and he looked completely hostile. In fact, most of the table was quiet. Goyle would throw infrequent glances over to the Gryffindors, namely Hermione. (She was wedged in between Harry and Ron, and looked disturbed).

An hour later Albus Dumbledore arrived with his staff. (Harry sadly noted the Order was gone). He wore a solemn expression and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. He said he was profusely grateful that all students were safe and one could hear the underlying anger in his voice. He was outraged the Dark Lord would dare to attack his students. A Hufflepuff asked why the dementors had showed up and the headmaster answered Voldemort. No one was shocked, only troubled. Harry nodded, remembering what the old wizard had told him in his office. A Ravenclaw then inquired what had become of the dementors. Dumbledore replied that they were destroyed. Talk began.

"All of them?"

"I didn't know you could kill a dementor!" marveled Dean.

"Yeah, it takes way more than just the spell said by one person. And you've got to be really powerful to do it." Ron said.

"It makes sense then, it being Dumbledore and all." Lavender noted. Dumbledore then directed attention towards the DA. They received a standing ovation, in which some of the Slytherins even stood. Dumbledore announced every member was receiving a Special Award for Services to the School, and Ron grinned at Harry. How many did they have now? He had once joked that the title should be changed to Special Award for Saving the School's Arse. After that cutlery appeared. Dumbledore told them to eat and absorb energy; dessert would consist of only chocolate sweets. Feeling slightly better, the students ate and socialized.

Hermione did not consume as much as everyone else (and no one could catch up to Ron), nor did she initiate any conversations. She could only think of that last dementor and Harry. When Ron was speaking vivaciously with Dennis Creevey about the Chudley Cannons, Harry quietly implored if she was all right.

"Fine, Harry," she told him, smiling feebly.

"Lovely first date, wasn't it?" he grinned. Hermione had no idea how to respond to that.

She spent that night in her room, deciding that if she couldn't only be with Harry then she didn't want to be with anyone. (Unfortunately every Gryffindor DA member was in his company, so she couldn't pull him away without raised eyebrows or people wanting to tag along). Hermione sat on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. It was insane how rapidly their day had turned into one of devastation. She could not stop thinking of Harry being held by that dementor, looking dangerously drained and helpless. He had come close to forfeiting his soul, close to being lost forever. It gave her unwelcoming, cold chills. The thought of losing Harry was unbearable and it had almost become a reality. Harry was such a vital part of her life (and always had been) that if he were to ever not… to ever stop…. Hermione buried her face in her arms, sniffing. He couldn't leave her, in any sense, and especially not now. She'd fall to pieces without Harry.

On Sunday there was flimsy sunlight. Plenty of students took to having snow wars out on the grounds. Ginny asked Hermione if she wanted to join them but she declined.

"Not really up to it Ginny." Hermione told her, sitting in a chair in the common room. Seamus, Dean, and Neville ran noisily out of the room as Ginny looked at her.

"It's over, Hermione. We were all scared," she informed, giving her a hug.

"I know."

"Well, just come out if you change your mind."

"I will." The only thing Hermione really wanted was to talk to Harry. He had still yet left to frolic in the snow. Ron came down after his sister had gone.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi." Hermione replied.

"Going out?"

"No."

"Oh." He looked around.

"You all right? After what happened yesterday and all?" pondered Ron.

"For the most part," she sighed.

"Yeah, it wasn't fun. And Harry…." She gazed at him.

"I really wasn't sure there for a moment," he darkly remarked, "Honestly terrified. But, he's a fighter you know? Won't go down without a struggle."

"Yeah." Hermione mumbled, nodding a little.

"Well," Ron exhaled, "When he comes down here, tell him we're already outside. Don't be afraid to join him."

"I'll think about it," she half-smiled.

"Cool."

Hermione walked along the floor, waiting to reach the right door. Harry would be the only one left in his dormitory, which was perfect. The door was ajar so she pushed it open and stepped inside. Harry had a green scarf in one hand and looked up at the sound of someone entering.

"Hermione," he grinned. The dreaded thought came back to her.

"H-hi," she stuttered.

"Did you just want to see me, or—"

"See you… and talk, I guess."

"About?"

"Yesterday." Harry shook his head and walked over to her, letting the scarf flutter to the floor.

"It was horrible, Hermione. I wish it could be taken all back," said Harry.

"Me too. It's just… all of those dementors, thinking someone may be kissed, and then you—" To her horror, Hermione was cut off by hiccups and tears. He consoled her without a second thought.

"It's okay," Harry assured, rubbing her back. He'd come a long way since his days with Cho, "I'm fine. It's in the past now." He kissed her ear. She had no idea she had been his saving grace, and here she was not wanting to say more about the subject in case she alarmed him with just how much he meant to her.

"I… I think I want to get away from Hogwarts, for now. Go home." Hermione admitted, brushing a tear away while still despairingly clinging to his middle. It'd be nice if they could remain this way forever.

"Maybe everybody needs that." Harry mentioned, concealing his face in her hair.

A/N: A few things…. I put patroni b/c I have no idea what the plural for patronus is. Eh. And do patroni have to be animals? I hope not. I also made up a first name for Professor Sinistra and a whole professor entirely (Melbrooks); someone had to teach Muggle Studies. I'm predicting another chapter on Thursday. They finally go home for the holidays, which means I'm halfway done with the story. Ya ya!