Guilt and Innocence
Quickly she closed the door behind her shielding Ron and Chambers inside. She was shaking she could see her hands moving of their own accord. She was nervous and she knew why, she had always wondered why he had killed Neville but had put it down to being a Death Eater.
She knew that part of her had always thought that he couldn't be a Death Eater but her eyes had seen him there and she had convinced herself. She knew the fact that as she hadn't seen him since it was easier to believe but now things were about to change and maybe for the better but more likely for the worst.
She reached the door and the men stood fast for a moment and then one spoke up.
"Miss do ya want us to come in?"
"No thank you, I'll be fine."
Reaching quickly for the doorknob she turned it and walked inside. The first sight for her was the back of him. A small smile played up her face he looked like the man she had known, his hair was longer but just as scruffy as it had always been he did look thin but then he had always worn baggy clothes thanks to the Durselys.
She moved quickly but she hadn't even reached him when his voice spoke up.
"I told you Weasley I won't help you."
"Well why don't you tell me that Harry?"
She saw him spin to look at her and she was surprised at how well he did actually look. He was paler than he had been before but his eyes still shone and the frames around them kept him looking like himself.
Part of her had expected him to look like Sirius had but then again Sirius had been surrounded by Dementors it was a sad fact. But Harry had been lucky really because the Dementors had swapped sides by the time he had been thrown in.
Gently she lowered herself into the other seat across from him and met his gaze. She knew she should be scared but she was determined to treat him like the human he was and to give him respect. She was guessing that Ron had lost his temper and had yelled and given orders she was determined to make him see sense.
"Harry I'm guessing you know why I'm here."
"Why do you call me that?"
"It's your name. I can call you Prisoner X if you like but I thought that we could be adults here and treat each other with respect."
"Respect yeah right Hermione you should try being here for five years and still have respect."
"Well how would you like a way out of here?"
He sat up straighter in his chair now and was looking closely at her.
"You want me to help you, but why should I?"
"Look I know that you hate me and if I was where you are I'd hate me and the entire wizarding world too but you have to help."
"Why?"
"For everyone who died to try and help. Think about it your mother and father died trying to help stop Voldemort and Sirius he died to stop him too, do you really want their deaths to have been for nothing."
"How do you do this?"
"What?"
"Always manage to convince me to help. Every time I wanted to stop you were the one that convinced me to carry on fighting."
"It wasn't me, you just knew that it was right and carried on."
"I shouldn't help you, you destroyed me look at me you put me here, I should let you all die."
"And if you do everyone will forever believe that you were guilty. You still proclaim your innocence well this is your chance to prove it, help us defeat Voldemort and then nobody can say you were on his side."
"Why? So that I can be sent back here once I've saved the world, I don't think so."
"What if I promise you that you'll never have to come back here?"
"You can't promise me that."
"Well no I can't officially. But if you survive you can disappear and we'll never be able to find you especially if you go underground as a muggle."
"You mean run away."
"Well yeah, or you could stay and pled your case and live as a wizard but do you think you could still live in this world."
"Never."
They sat in silence for a while and then he spoke up gently.
"I'll help you, but not because you asked. I've sick of the pain that Voldemort is causing me."
"You mean your scar?"
"That's none of your business."
Hermione nodded and leaned backwards in her chair.
"Why are you being so nice? Weasley just yelled."
"You're still Harry, you were my best friend and you helped me, so I'm just being respectful, it doesn't mean that I trust you, Prisoner X."
He laughed lightly before putting on a serious face.
"He's going to try to kill you, tonight. He's going to frame me for your death. There's a traitor among you and that traitor has a dagger and will try to kill you tonight when you take me back to Hogwarts."
"What you can't know that?"
"I'm still connected to him. I wasn't going to say anything but part of me doesn't want to see you dead."
"Do you know who the traitor is?"
"No, only they tried to convince the Order to leave me here and they said that you had convinced enough to get me out."
Hermione's eyes seemed to widen slightly.
"Which means that the traitor is someone who voted against having you released."
He shrugged at her and closed his eyes.
"I don't want to see Hogwarts and I don't want to see anybody."
"You have to."
"No I don't. I'll fight with you all and defeat that bastard once and for all but I won't see any of you. I can't forgive any of you so keep away once we're out. That's my deal; it's the only way I'll help."
Hermione stuck her hand out to him and reluctantly he took it.
"Deal. I'll go get Weasley so we can start the preparations to move you."
She was out the door and down the hall and within ten minutes the three old friends were stood at the gates of Hogwarts, only this time it was different to how it had been in their teenage years.