Chapter 15

Out on the lake

All I have to say is that I think this is the best chapter I've written so far.

Hermione was still groggy when she woke up. It took her a few seconds to realize that someone else was around her. Someone was there, holding her hand. She didn't bother opening her eyes, she could feel the light pressing upon them and still had a slight headache.

"Morning Harry" she sighed, stroking his hand.

She heard him clear his throat a few times. Maybe he wasn't feeling well. "Um Hermione…" It wasn't Harry's voice. She popped her eyes open. Sitting on a chair silently watching her, holding her hand, was Ron.

She pulled her hand back. He seemed hesitant to let it go. "What are you doing?" she squealed. She stared him down, waiting for a response.

He stood up, nervously shoving his hands into his pockets. "I was just um" he looked down at his shoes.

"What're you all doing?" came a voice behind them. Harry had awakened. "Can you quit yelling?"

"Sorry" said Hermione. She walked over and climbed into Harry's bed.

"I'm just going um…down to breakfast…" said Ron as he hurriedly walked from the room.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Harry as he slid an arm around Hermione.

"I don't know. Maybe he's still shaken up. I know I am…" said Hermione.

"It'll be ok. It's all over now." Harry leaned down and kissed her. She robotically kissed him back, other things on her mind.

"It's all over now" the words ran through her head, uneasily. Somehow she felt that that was not entirely true.

And like most other times, she was right. A small knock sounded on their door. "Harry? Hermione" is was Professor Lupin's voice.

"Yeah, come on in" said Harry. Hermione pressed her hands to her temples. "Sorry" said Harry, running a hand through her hair.

R.J. Lupin stepped through the threshold uneasily. He had large bags under his eyes, and his hair lay on his head in an uncombed, unruly manner. He was still wearing the cloths he had worn the previous night. "We've recovered incredible news!" there was thrill, yet worry in his voice.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Hermione.

" We've discovered where you-know-who is hiding" Lupin was a bit calmer now.

"That's great!" said Harry "so, what….you're just going to go in there and…get him?"

"Not exactly…We know where he is, but we don't know how to get there. We cant locate it on a map. We're thinking he must be using a code name." said Lupin.

"Wait, you heard him speak?" asked Harry.

"Yes, we used a form of magic where we can create an image of him and see where he is at the time, and hear him as well. Apparently he's got some new followers. He was with people we didn't recognize."

"So, if you can use this magic to see where he is, how come you haven't used it until now?" asked Hermione.

"It's not that simple. We need a connection. A magical connection. We've always known he was in some way connected to you, Harry. But until now we didn't know why. Last night while you were sleeping, we entered your mind and tried to find it."

"What!" asked Harry.

"We had to Harry. We needed your mind at your must vulnerable. The good thing is, we found the connection."

"What was it?" asked Hermione, nervously.

"It was Harry's connection…to you."

All was silent for a while. Harry held Hermione's gaze for a while, both of them silently thinking the same thing.

"So does that mean…does that mean I really don't love her?" Asked Harry after a choked moment.

Lupin became solemn "I think, it's a great possibility."

Hermione looked from Harry to Lupin "I don't understand"

Harry stared at the floor, angst seething from every pore. "Voldemort made a magic connection to me, and magically he made me love you. He lives off my happiness, because he controls it. He picked love because it's one of the strongest emotions" he looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "I don't really love you, it's all just his terrible way of growing stronger." the tears flowed freely now.

"That's how he's been gaining his health back so fast. He's been feeding off Harry's emotions." said Lupin.

"So…you don't love me?" asked Hermione.

Harry shook his head, burying his eyes in his hands.

"But…" she began to sob. "But I love you!"

Lupin stood up " He's still in control, for now. We're working on severing the magical connection, but it's very resilient. You've shared it for almost 5 months."

"I don't understand…I really loved her. I loved everything about her! I don't understand how one person can do that!" he continued sobbing.

"Harry, even very weak, he's still got great power, and the intelligence to follow." Lupin strode towards the door. "I really don't have much time, I just wanted to alert you. I'm sorry I can't be here to answer your questions." he rushed through the door without so much as a goodbye.

For a while, they both sat there, silently sobbing, not daring to look at each other. Finally, it was Harry who broke the silence.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do…you're so much of my life…without you…" he continued sobbing. Hermione had never seen his sob before, and it frightened her. He had always been so strong. She moved over to him, and grabbed his hand. "We've just got to wait" she silently cried alongside him.

"My life has been so great with you in it…but when they sever the connection…and I don't love you anymore…how am I supposed to function?" he looked her straight in the eyes.

"It won't be that bad, I mean, the love isn't real. Once your not connected anymore, it won't bother you." said Hermione quietly.

"But what about you? You really loved me." he inquired.

She sniffed silently and laid her head on his shoulder "Still do."

"I just need to block him from my mind…" said Harry. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. For a moment all was silent, then he let out a choked cry. "I can feel it" said Harry, his voice quavering "I can feel the connection"

Hermione burst into tears and ran from the room. Harry jumped up and chased after her.

"Harry just leave me alone, I need time to think!" she sobbed and ran. Harry slowed down and stopped. There was no use in upsetting her more, and he was still fatigued from the other night, so he slowed down and walk back to the hospital wing.

Hermione continued running until she reached the bottom floor. She burst through the door to the grounds. She knew that there were only 2 things she could do at the point: cry, or run. She spotted the large tree by the lake where she and Harry had shared their first kiss. She ran to it, and dropping down next to is, buried her head into her knees and sobbed, uncontrollably.

"Hermione?" she heard a voice extremely close. She peeked around the other side of the tree, and saw Ron sitting there, staring back at her. "What's the matter?"

"Everything" sobbed Hermione. Ron reached up and put his arms around her, awkwardly, as Hermione told her story.

"So…are you broken up then?" asked Ron, when she had finished.

"I guess so…" she sniffed.

"Do you want to go out on the lake?" asked Ron suddenly.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"Well…it's just really nice out there, and well it always makes me feel better. I just can't stand to see you like the Hermione!" said Ron. "Shall I get Harry?"

"No!" responded Hermione. "I mean…I just need some time to think, that's all"

"That's good" said Ron. With a flick of his wand he summoned a canoe from the other side of the lake. "Because I found that this lake is very good for thinking. I just got back off this thing like 15 minuets ago"

The canoe silently pulled up next to shore in the water. Ron got in first and then held his hand out to help Hermione in. "Watch your step" he said quietly. With another flick of his wand, the small boat slowly began to glide forward in the water. For a while they sat in silence. Hermione stared out into the water, a glazed look in her eyes.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to do this " she said, without shirting her gaze.

"Do what?" asked Ron.

"I really loved him. It wasn't just an illusion. I felt it, right here" she turned to stare at him and placed a hand over her chest.

Ron pulled her close to him. "You've still got me, and Harry's still going to be your best friend. It'll all work."

She laid her head on his chest, listening to the hypnotic beat of his heart. "You promise?" she whispered.

He bent down and placed his lips almost to her ear. "I do" he breathed.

Hermione slowly stood up and walked to the front of the canoe, standing in the very front. " I feel so betrayed…like he cheated on me or something. The past 4 months have been nothing but a lie. How and I supposed to recover from this? Do you know what a broken heart feels like?" she walked over to him and pulled him up. She grabbed his hand and pulled it over her chest, so he could feel her heartbeat. "It really hearts. There's real, physical pain."

She turned back around and wrapped her arms around herself. Ron came up behind her. He stood silent, waiting for her to speak first.

Instead she bent down and ran her fingers through the water. But, in doing so, the boat began to shake. Hermione lost her balance and tilted uncomfortably towards the edge of the boat. Ron reached out and grabbed her, eventually wrapping his arms around her waist. Instead of keeping her in the boat however, she pulled him down into the water with her.

"It is so cold in here!" shrieked Hermione. Ron pulled the boat back over and awkwardly climbed in. Hermione came after him, as he grabbed her hand and helped her up. She haphazardly fell into the boat, landing on top of him, both of them dripping wet.

They locked eyes for a moment. Movement seemed to stop. Time stood still. Ron reached up, moving a piece of Hermione hair from her face. He leaned up to her slowly. She leaned down.

In a small canoe on the middle of a lake on Hogwarts ground, Hermione kissed Ron as her boyfriend paced the floor of the hospital wing, trying to find any way not to lose her, unaware that he already had.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT ANYMORE DO YOU? Review me please! Reviews are the food that writers thrive on! Glad I finally got this one done, I've been planning it but it had to be perfect…or at least as close as can be. It's an important one. But I did it and u read it and now you're going to comment it because you love me and my story!