Chapter Eleven – "Don't leave me!"

By: HermionePotter

"Ron…please listen to me, it's not what you think!" She pleaded after class. She had managed to get Ron to keep quiet and cool until after class. Now, she was in the Room of Requirements trying to come up with a logical reason why Draco wrote her that note, but she couldn't think of anything, so she decided to tell him the truth.

"Okay, Ron, here's the deal…" Hermione sat down and began explaining the plan.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione finished her story and Ron exploded,

"This has to stop. She can't do this to him. Someone has to talk to him. I'll tell the bloke." Hermione sighed. She had expected a reaction close to this.

"Did you not listen when I told you the plan?" She asked Ron exasperated at him in general.

"How can you even think of going along with Malfoy in a plan? You know he's some sort of back scheme involved." Ron asked incredulously, staring at Hermione like she had two heads.

"You don't have to agree with the plan, Ron, you just have to promise not to tell or even hint to Harry about the note, what Katrina has done, or the plan, okay? Please, Ron, I thought this through long and hard. This is the safest way to do this…" Hermione fidgeted nervously. Ron nodded quickly and left. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know that at some point, I'll need his assistance in this, but he needs time to see why this plan is the best solution first." She thought and exited the Room of Requirements.

Hermione twisted and turned in her bed that night. She sat up so suddenly that she fell out of bed. She was covered from head to toe in sweat, her sheets were wrapped around her like a boa constrictor, and she was shaking violently. She managed to untangle herself from the sheets, even though her hands were shaking so violently. She got up from the floor and ran downstairs as fast as her shaky legs would carry her. She sobbed a violent sob when she saw Harry on the couch in commons room. She fell to her knees sobbing. Harry looked up when he heard her violent, gut wrenched sob.

"Hermione?" He asked rushing over to the shaking and sobbing girl. "What's wrong? 'Mione, what happened?" He asked as he gently pulled the sobbing girl off the floor. She started to collapse under her own height again so Harry picked her up, one arm under her knees and one under neck, and carried her over to the couch, his Potions essay forgotten. She sobbed again. He positioned her so that she was sitting on his lap, wrapped his arms around and hugged her with all he had.

"Oh, Harry!" She cried, her tears drenching the front of his shirt. "It was so HORRIBLE!" Her tears came back with a more violent rage.

"What was horrible, 'Mione?" He asked unconsciously rocking her slightly. Seeing this frightened and scared tore his heart to pieces.

"She's usually so strong!" He thought as he looked down at the girl he was holding.

"My nightmare. He…h-had a a a k-knife, Harry. He m-made me w-w-watch him k-k-kill YOU!"" She shrieked into his chest, still more tears and a new wave starting.

"Who? Hermione. Who made you watch them kill me?" He asked. He wiped his thumb across her right cheek, knocking the tears off her beautiful face.

"Voldemort, Harry. Voldemort made me watch. It was so…there was nothing I could do, Harry, nothing! Oh god…." She sobbed again and buried her face in his chest. She couldn't help, but notice how wonderful and safe it felt in Harry's arms and lap. She always felt on edge with Seamus.

"Hey, hey." Harry said while reaching down and pulling her chin up so that she would look at him. "It was just a dream." He said, absentmindedly tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Wow, she is so beautiful!" He thought.

"I know, Harry but it was so real. I thought I had actually lost you…"

"I am right here, Hermione. I'm not going anywhere. You'll never lose me. You are not that lucky." He declared. The last statement caused her to crack a small smile. She yawned, the fact that it was three o'clock in the morning catching up with her. Harry looked down at her to see that she was already half way asleep. Not having the heart to disturb her when she was so close to sleep, he picked her up and started to carry her up to the girls' dormitory. When he almost reached the girls' staircase she stirred a little.

"Don't Harry. Don't leave me. Not after that dream. Please!" She pleaded opening her eyes to look at him. Making a quick decision Harry carry Hermione up the boys' staircase and into the boys' dormitory. Katrina crept quietly backing into the girls' dormitory as soon as the two cleared her line of sight from her viewpoint.

"I have to do something about her clothes. They are soaked by her sweat and tears." Harry laid Hermione down onto his bed. Thinking quickly, Harry picked up his wand and magically changed Hermione clothes, so that she was no longer wearing her tan nightdress instead she was wearing a pair of his clean boxers and a t-shirt. Luckily for Harry, Hermione was still clinging to consciousness when he did this so that she knew that he hadn't undressed her by hand, in the morning. Harry took off his own t-shirt (and glasses) and climbed into his bed next to her. He pulled the curtains on his bed closed, pulled the covers on his bed up, and held her as close to him as he possibly could (unconsciously, of course).

Seamus laid there and stared at the closed curtains for two hours before falling back asleep.