GENESIS:
Trouble Brewing
By: Elmo
•Two•
•Would You Leave Me If I Asked?•
Harry's vision had been bad ever since the summer Hogwarts had closed. He had visited the Dursley's one last time for a weeklong period. He had packed his stuff and said a not-so-heart-felt good-bye before sweeping off on his broom with a good portion of the order at his side.
Days had passed without so much as a clue to where the other Horcruxes were and Harry was beginning to lose faith. He spent a lot of his time in his room looking through memories and papers only to fall asleep with his head to the desk and a half-burned candle beside his messy mop of a head. His appearance became tired and careworn. He developed dark circles under the once hope-filled emerald eyes and his skin hugged tightly to his bones from lack of nutrition. Hermione, who had taken up under the table mediwitching, urged him to eat and even went as far to scold him when he left breakfast without eating at least three pieces of toast and downing a glass of orange juice.
Things were almost peaceful.
Almost.
In a short period of time, Hermione and Ron started at each other's throat. A row ensued. Things grew tense and terse between them…the split up was inevitable. There were no hard feelings. No regrets. Plenty of things left unsaid and bottled up, but they were still friends, and that's all that mattered to Hermione.
Hermione spent many days formulating plans with Harry and searching through texts for strategies. This only proved to cause more complications for Hermione's already ruptured emotions. She found herself looking at Harry like more of a man then a brother or close friend. She paid more attention to the things he did. She became negligent and looked over too many small details. She had let too many things slip through the crack and it was all her fault…
It was her fault they had come.
Hermione's Apartment
Bristol, England
July 31
3:33 AM
Hermione bolted out of bed in an instant when she heard Harry's strangled cry in the middle of the night. She dressed in her pajamas, she raced to the door and threw it open, looking around for the source of the commotion but finding none. She looked toward the couch-turned-bed and saw Harry writhing uncomfortably upon it. His sweat-lined brow was scrunched up in agony, his teeth were clenched, and his back was arched in pain. Hermione moved to his side quickly, took his tense fist in her much smaller hands and rubbed it lightly while trying to cajole him out of his nightmare.
"Harry…Harry…wake up. I'm here…everything will be alright…" she whispered in his ear, her voice as soothing as she could make it. "You're only dreaming…it's only a dream…"
Harry's back relaxed and he fell onto the bed rather reluctantly. His eyes fluttered open and darted across the room, looking for something. The fist that Hermione had been cradling in her palm gripped hers for reassurance and she let one hand caress it gently, while still breathing comfort to him.
"Hermione?" he asked, tuning his cloudy eyes to her face. "It's dark…am I blind?"
"No…" she whispered. "It's still night. Don't worry." Harry relaxed visibly and Hermione smiled slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's the same one…" he replied. "There's nothing else to talk about." Hermione nodded in understanding and then a silence hung between them for a few passing seconds. "Hermione?" Harry ventured, looking into what he could make out of Hermione's face.
"Yes, Harry?" she replied, returning his gaze.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Everything. Without you here, I don't know where I'd be. Probably dead already." Hermione rested a finger to his lips and shook her head.
"Don't talk like that…" she whispered. "It makes me sad and afraid…"
"Hermione…" he breathed, pushing her finger away. "If I do die…"
"No! Stop it!" she cried, clamping her hands over her ears. "Please…I-I don't…I don't want to…" She turned away from him. "Harry…I promised myself when I became a mediwitch that I wouldn't let you or Ron die…when you got sick…I promised myself I would fix you…" She looked over her shoulder. "There won't be an 'if you die' Harry…because, as long as I draw breath, you won't die on me!"
Harry looked astounded for a moment and then smiled warmly before nodding. "Okay, then, 'Mione," he replied, rather scratchily. "Then fix me. I'm in your care."
Hermione smiled and also nodded. "Well, the beginning for your repair begins with you sleeping. Therefore, sleep and I'll start working on you in the morning. Understand?" Harry nodded and saluted playfully before plopping back onto the pillows and closing his eyes. Hermione rolled her eyes and then stood up from the edge of the bed. She turned toward her room but stopped when she felt Harry's rather weak hand grab her wrist. She looked back over to him and smiled when she noticed that he had opened his mouth rather unsurely.
"Don't worry, Harry," she assured and slipped her arms from his grasp. "Everything will be alright." She sat back down on the edge of the bed and started to stroke the stray black hairs from his face. She took a deep breath and began to sing in the softest, most soothing voice she could muster. "You took it back…How could you go and do something like that? My fingernail phase…Worst has got the best of you. I ask you and I know I need to change. Change…You took it back. You ripped my heart out of my…then you put it back. I'm pulling my hair. I let you just a million times; I love you even though it isn't fair…" She paused and looked down to see he was sleeping. She smiled slightly and, gently, got off the bed. She looked back at him once more and then proceeded into her room.
'I love you even though it isn't fair…'
The morning couldn't seem to come fast enough for Hermione, who didn't manage to fall back asleep after Harry had fallen back asleep. She had fallen on top of the messy comforter and stared at the ceiling or out the window for the remained of the night. Occasionally she got up to flip through texts, looking for various treatments she had yet to try on Harry. She had been unsuccessful, closed the books, and returned to staring forlornly out the window.
When the sun crept through the window at the break of dawn, Hermione had pulled on her dressing gown and left her bedroom. Harry was still fast asleep and very peacefully so. She carefully crept across the living room and slipped into the kitchen, making as less sound as she could manage. She put on the kettle and was beginning to gather Harry's morning potions and make something healthful for breakfast when someone began pounding on the front door. Hermione winced and looked at the kitchen clock. It was only 5 o'clock. Who would be there that early?
She pulled out her wand from her dressing gown, held it tightly in her fist, and opened the door. Ron, Luna, and Ginny all fell into her apartment. When they regained themselves, they all began speaking at once in very loud, raucous voices. All seemed distressed.
Hermione quickly cast silencing charms on the walls so that the neighbors wouldn't hear them. Harry, unfortunately, had already. He was sitting up alertly, though looking rather bleary. He seemed to be snatching around on the coffee table for something. The loud voices continued.
"Quiet! Everyone!" Hermione snapped, clamping her hands over her ears. Ron, Ginny, and Luna all silenced, each with their mouths gaping open. Hermione looked them over and turned to Harry. "It's only Ginny, Ron, and Luna…"
Harry's shoulders became lax and he ventured a shaky step off the bed.
"Harry, no," Hermione warned, taking a cautious step toward him. "You aren't well enough. You aren't strong…"
"I have strength enough for this," he told her, holding up a disregarding hand. When he made it to the group, however, he had to grab her shoulder for support. "What's up guys?"
Ginny and Ron looked to one another as if telling Harry exactly what was up was not on the top of their list of smart ideas. Harry looked, rather unseeingly, between the three visitors. His brow furrowed as he took in the still silence.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Er—it's nothing, Harry," stated Ron, clearing his throat and adjusting the collar of his robes. Ginny looked to her feet and Luna took to staring dazedly out the window as she always did when experiencing something awkward.
"You're lying," snapped Harry, and made to take a step toward Ron but tripped over himself and nearly fell to the floor. Hermione caught him by putting her hand on his chest and pushing back into a standing position. "Tell me."
Ron looked from Harry to Hermione. The brunette gave a defeated sigh and motioned them all to the large dining room table. She helped Harry into a seat next to Ginny before taking the empty seat beside him. There was, once again, an awkward silence hanging in the still air.
"Ron," said Hermione, looking stern. "I have yet to give Harry his medicine. We can't just sit here staring at each other as if the other is the missing link. What do you have to say?"
Ron cleared his throat. "They've attack again. This time it was more out in the open. As far as we're concerned, 'Junior' and Snape weren't involved." Hermione's eyes narrowed and Ginny squirmed uncomfortably. "Junior" was how they referred to Draco Malfoy. It all got a little confusing calling Lucius and Draco Malfoy, since you never knew which the topic of the discussion was.
"And," Ron continued, "we've been informed by a rat that they haven't been active with the Death Eaters for several months."
"Hiding, perhaps?" offered Hermione, her brow creased and her amber eyes thoughtful.
"Not likely," replied Ron. "Snape's been a Death Eater before. No way he'd just split when it got hot. I mean, he remained fateful even when he thought Voldemort was dead. And Junior…no way. He's his father's son all right."
"Then, what's the problem?" Hermione asked. "You came bustling in, screaming at the top of your lungs, like the world was cracking in half, just to tell me that we have no idea where Snape and Junior are? I knew that three months ago, Ron."
"That's not all, 'Mione," Ron added, his face become serious. "This attack wasn't random…and it was close. They're getting closer to finding you…but…Hermione…" Ron bowed his head and looked away. Hermione's stomach tightened and she got to her feet, pushing the chair she was sitting in back a few inches.
"Ron…? What is it? What's happened?" Hermione asked in a low, careful voice.
The red-haired man reached into his robes and pulled out a small, silver cross. It was stained in fresh blood and dangling delicately from a chain. Hermione stared at it, her eyes following its softly swinging motion with her brown eyes. She blinked back the tears as she reached out a shaky, pale hand to take the cross in her hand. She shut her eyes and the tears dribbled down her cheeks and onto the floor. She turned and, in a blur of brown hair and silky, lilac-colored pajamas, she stumbled back into her room. She barely made out Harry's deep voice.
"What's going on?"
Hermione slammed her door shut and fell to her knees, hitting the floor harshly. The chain flew from her fingers and slid across the hard wood floors. Hermione made no move to get up. She merely slumped to the floor completely and felt the tears coming fast. They trickled quickly down her cheeks, onto her nightgown, and onto the floors.
The loud crash of something heavy and breakable hitting the floor pulled Hermione from her reverie. Her head bolted up and she crawled to the door as gracefully as one can when they are tangled in their own pajamas. She grabbed the doorknob desperately and turned it with as much strength as she could muster. The door opened and Ginny's strangled "Harry!" reached Hermione's ears. The brunette looked up to find that the table had been upturned and Harry was half-sitting, half-lying on the floor. His hand was bleeding and a broken cup lie close to him on the floor.
"Harry…" he breathed, pushing herself to stand up and stumble over to him.
"Damn…damn it all!" cursed Harry, leaning his back against the overturned table and burying his blurry eyes in his non-injured hand.
"Harry…" cooed Hermione, trying to sound comforting through her sorrowful voice. "Harry, it's alright, really…"
"No, it isn't alright, Hermione!" snapped Harry. "Your parents! Those bastards killed your parents!" Hermione winced with his words. The stung like a dull knife. "Your family…"
"I know, Harry," she whispered. "I know…but I'll get them after you're better."
"No, Hermione, you need to take care of this now! Those arses can't get away with this!" Harry managed, though his throat was becoming scratchy. "You need closure, Hermione…or else it'll hurt forever…"
Hermione tried to force a weak smile as she pulled Harry's okay arm over her shoulder and hoisted him up. She took his bleeding hand as gently as she could and looked it over. There was a piece of sharp glass sticking out of his hand and blood was pouring out onto the floor. She shook her head and pulled him over to the kitchen. She opened the door and charmed a chair to follow her. Once they were inside the kitchen, she transfigured the chair into a cushy armchair and helped Harry to sit in it. She let out a weary sigh and tapped the glass with her wand. It disappeared and she went about dabbing the appropriate ointments here and there before bandaging it up.
"You're so strong…" Harry finally said. "How can you be so strong when you've had a blow so close to home?"
"I learned it from you," Hermione replied. Harry chuckled. "I'm serious. You were always the strong one, remember? Ron was the temperamental one, I was the smart, girly one, and you were the bold, brave, strong one. Me and Ron, or Ginny and Luna…or anyone else, wouldn't be this far if it weren't for you." Harry opened his mouth to disagree. "I disclose that sometime you did have break downs. Small times when you lost your cool or your temper, but…you're only human, Harry. It happens to the best of us."
"Hermione…" ventured Harry, slightly taken aback. "You can't keep it bottled up…it'll kill you. Atop worrying about all the things everybody else. What do you want? What does Hermione Jane Granger want?"
"I've been hearing that a lot lately," Hermione confessed, "but I gave all the 'I wants' to you, Harry, because you need them more than I do."
"Hermione…"
She held up her hand to silence him just as she laid three cup of potion before him. "Nothing more to be said. Drink up and I'll be right back after I clean up a little bit to help you back into the living room."
"Would you leave me if I asked?"