Chapter Three:

A Balcony Scene in the Rain

Her heart rose, she had just seen the most beautiful thing in her life. It was a hundred times more beautiful then the house. The beautiful ocean was reflecting the colors in the orange and pink sunset. The reflection was all she needed to see before realizing life wasn't all that bad.

Dolphins were jumping up out of the water and back in, making the surface splash all around. The water seemed to move calmly, she smiled brightly. She kept her eyes on the water, the beautiful water that didn't seem to be so real. It was as if it was a painting, and not the real thing, but it was the real thing.

"What do you think about this?" Harry whispered into her ear. She didn't take more then a second to answer.

"It's... gorgeous." She said breathlessly, her heart sailed in a different direction.

"Like you." Harry said, unblushingly, and still whispering in her ear. Her heart jumped again.

"You don't mean that." She said quickly, but this is exactly what she had been waiting for him to say. She wanted him to love her, she loved him.

"Yes I do." He said sweetly, she turned her head as their eyes met.

Her golden eyes pressed into his green ones. His eyes were the color of the crystal clear water, prefect. She felt like she would melt. Her heart was now in her throat and the butterflies in her stomach were eagerly trying to be released. She smiled and she felt his arms reach around her curved waist.

"Really?" she asked, biting her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. She was nervous, she had never been in a relationship at all, but she wanted to love Harry so badly. She felt like she needed him.

"Of course..." He smiled, taking a slow step towards her. Hermione had tilted her head back, laying her head on his shoulder. "I really mean it Hermione." He smiled, setting his chin gently on her head.

"I love you." She said silently. Harry's heart jumped, so sudden she had said it. He was expecting it, but something about this moment made it awkward. He waited a while before this happened, he just smiled.

"What?" he asked, he had heard her but he was in shock.

"I love you." She smiled innocently. Harry only smiled widely and then spoke.

"But... I thought you didn't like me like that anymore." He teased as she smiled and felt her self being pulled closer to him. She could feel his body against her back. His hands were on her waist still, but his hands were spread across her thigh.

"I lied." She smiled; Harry looked into her eyes that were shining from the light. Her golden hair was blowing in the breeze. Harry didn't flinch at all, he knew what she wanted.

Hermione smiled gently, still melting into Harry's emerald eyes, she turned to face him. She turned, Harry's hands hitting her rear slightly as she pushed herself into him. They were gently pushed together. Hermione smiled nervously as Harry's head bent down slowly. She knew what was coming.

His cheek brushed against hers lightly. His arms were around her back now and his hands were lying gently upon her waist again. Hermione could feel the hot breath on her neck. She wanted to stay like this forever. Something happened though, something so sudden that she soon lost this feeling as he whispered:

"I love you too, Ginny." He smiled innocently. He was centimeters from a lip lock with her.

"What?" Hermione pulled away.

"I mean Hermione." He answered quickly. "I'm sorry it was a mistake." He said innocently.

"You... You... You called me." Hermione stuttered angrily. She was ready to punch him hard. She wouldn't have made such a scene if she hadn't hated Ginny so much.

"I know, it was an accident, I'm sorry." He pleaded. "I just got confused!" He protested.

"So you love Ginny then?" Hermione asked, ignoring his comment. "Do you?" She demanded that he answer.

"I don't know..." Harry said loudly. Hermione gasped. "No... I don't love Ginny." He said relaxed.

"You do." She said sharply. She knew it, she could see it. She had dreamed for this moment and it had gone down the drain. Her heart was pounding fiercely with anger and disappointment. She wanted to slap him so badly, how dare he confused her with that pathetic Weasley girl?

"No I don't!" Harry protested again. "Look Hermione, it was a reasonable mistake. Can we just forget about it? I swear it meant nothing!" Harry pleaded again.

"FORGET ABOUT IT, YOU JUST MISTAKED ME FOR GINNY!" She snipped loudly, casting her hands up but Harry stopped her. He was too confused to do anything.

"It was an accident, I didn't mean it. I swear Hermione. I don't want you to be mad. I swear it was a mistake and that's it." Harry pleaded and Hermione walked away from him.

"I think you did. I'm sorry, but if you don't know who I am then, then... THEN GOOD BYE, HARRY!" She said coldly and in an instant she was gone.

"Hermione I'm sorry!" Harry pleaded for the millionth time, but she was gone.

Harry fell to his knees, feeling horrible. He didn't know what he meant, he didn't love Ginny anymore. It was a mistake, he didn't blame her for being mad, it was a pretty cold insult, but it was an accident. How could he be so stupid? Ginny had just been with him so long, the name stuck in the back of his head.

His eyes started to fill with water, he couldn't stop it. He loved Hermione, he always had, she was the most beautiful creature on the planet, and he just let her walk away. He had the best night ever, but ended with a row with Hermione. He knew for sure she'd never talk to him now.

The names swarm in his head, he laid face down on his balcony. He wanted to jump off of it, but stayed calm. He was so confused, he knew it was an insult, but why did she care that much. He had re-met her in a day and fallen in love with her, how could love go so wrong?

He thought love was supposed to be happy, but found it to be a recipe for disaster and destruction. This would scar him for life, the day he made the worst mistake of his life and not even notice what had happened. He gained so much, and lost it all with one word... "Ginny."

In the morning he got out of bed, drowsy as ever, and took as shower. When he was ready, he changed into a pair of ordinary blue jeans and a black tee shirt that showed his muscular form well.

He was too tired to walk, he had gotten about an hours worth of sleep, so he apperated to the phone booth that leads into the Ministry of Magic. He was half asleep before he did his usual dialing of the numbers and took his badge, lazily throwing it in his pocket.

When he was inside the Auror's Office, he apperated again, he sat at his desk. He was too tired to do anything but Hermione was all that was on his mind. He began to see a vision in his mind.

"I love you" He said hugging Hermione closely to him.

"I love you too." She smiled as she kissed him passionately and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You need to wake up Harry." She started turning into a fearsome demon. "WAKE!" She hugged him tighter, he could barely breathe.

"What?" He asked scared. "Let go of me!" He said, gasping for breath between each word.

"When was the muggle war of 1812 Harry?" she asked, her face full demon now and her hair turned into a long curtain of fire..

"Harry!" someone shouted and Harry stirred awake. Harry quickly sat up.

"1965!" He shouted loudly.

"Harry, calm down mate." Ron said lightly, patting him on the back.

"Sorry Ron." Harry panted. "That was weird." He panted again, looking at his watch. "Oh my, I'm late."

"Late? For what are you late for?" Ron asked looking at his watch too. He set it up to his ear to make sure it was working alright.

"Nothing, I'm already at work." Harry panted more, Ron shook his head.

"You're a mess Harry, a mess." Ron sighed sitting at his desk and sighing more. Ron was shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm guessing 'Mione got to you." Ron said as he scribbled onto a piece of parchment.

"Ron, I think I just made the worst mistake in my entire life." Harry said, slamming his clipboard onto the desk. It sounded as if it split in two.

"What happened?" Ron asked, astonished. Harry had only said he did the worst mistake when he accidentally put someone's life in danger. He couldn't have put Hermione in danger, no way could he have.

"I er – accidentally have called Hermione, Ginny." He said in a low sigh. Ron sat up straight.

"Harry you prat! How could you do that?" Ron asked rather surprised. "She must really hate you now. That is that worst thing you could say to her. You know how much she hated Ginny! You could have-"

"Thanks Ron, but I figured that out on my own." Harry said coldly as he cut him off.

"Sorry..." Ron said regretfully. "What if..." He started but then stopped.

"What?" Harry asked, looking up to him.

"Well, what if you wrote to her... and apologized." Ron said fast and Harry grinned. He thought for a moment and smiled even wider.

"That's a great idea." Harry said brightly. "Thanks Ron." He smiled, quickly pulling open his desk, and grabbed a fresh new slice of parchment.

"No problem." Ron said silently with a sigh.

Harry dipped his quill into his ink, his head was pumping with ideas to write, and began to scribble. His letter was over two feet worth of parchment when he was done. He quickly folded it into quarters and then eights and the sixteenths. He grabbed a rubber band from his top drawer and whistled.

"Hey Hedwig." Harry greeted as a snowy white owl fluttered onto his shoulder. Her long wings were pure white and perfectly cleaned. Harry knew she must have just given herself a bath.

Her amber eyes stared at him with affection. She clicked her beak against his ear and he laughed, it tickled. He smiled gently and stroked her feathers lightly with his smile still on his face. She let out a light "hoo" and waited.

"Take this to Hermione." He smiled, taking the rubber band and attaching the note to her foot. "Please?" He asked and she clicked her beak again. "Thanks Hedwig, you're a lifesaver." He smiled. He gave her a slight kiss on the head.

After one last "hoo" she was off and taking flight into the sky. Harry watched her disappear into the bright blue sky. He sighed, tired still, but he continued to work. He began scribbling on his clipboard again. Ron was wondering so badly what he was writing, but resisted the urge to ask.

"You really should get a new owl Harry, Hedwig is pretty old." Ron said, while he still wrote onto a slice of parchment.

"Ron, I can't get rid of Hedwig!" Harry said surprised he even said that. "She is the most dependable owl I have ever seen, I will not get rid of her." He said stubbornly.

"Alright Harry, whatever you say." Ron rolled his eyes.

It was over a half an hour before they talked again. Harry was defensively putting his arm around his clipboard so no one could see. Ron was eagerly tempted to ask him, but tried to hold back. Soon his curiosity had gotten the better of him, Ron asked.

"Harry what are you up to?" Ron asked eagerly. "You are always scribbling on that damn clipboard. What are you doing?" He asked, trying to look over to it, but Harry's arm was wrapped around it so he couldn't see.

"Things." Was all Harry said, and that was all. Harry didn't even look at him, his paper was now covered in fully black ink.

"Come on Harry. The word 'things' isn't exactly a big help." Ron practically begged for him to tell. Harry let out a sigh.

"Er – fine." Harry said dropping his clipboard. "But listen well!" He warned. Ron dropped everything he held to show his complete attention.

"Alright." Ron said, pushing a book off his desk so it didn't distract him.

"Alright." Harry took a deep breath and began to speak. "My story is that Voldemort's back. People have been disappearing from all over like Muggles, Wizards, and Witches. In the wizarding world, pure bloods and muggleborns are all disappearing. Do you notice anything odd about that statement?" Harry asked, it took Ron a minute until he spoke.

"I noticed that he's back." Ron said dumbly and Harry slapped him playfully on the arm.

"Ron, think." Harry said warningly and Ron sighed.

"He is saving the half bloods." Ron noticed and Harry nodded.

"Yes, but the only half bloods I know of are Dumbledore, Crouch, and I that are trying to tail him." He paused. "Those are all the people that he associated with and are after him. Why would he capture and kill everyone but the people that were trying to capture him?" Harry asked.

(Note: I don't think Crouch is really a half – blood, but he is in my story. Lol.)

"Please get to the point Harry." Ron said impatiently.

"Ron, think for once!" Harry growled. "Voldemort is onto me already, and he can't beat Dumbledore. So who does that leave?" Harry asked, both of Ron's eyebrows rose.

"Crouch." Ron said quickly, and scared.

"Exactly, Crouch hired me as an Auror and Crouch is the Ministry of Magic. If Voldemort get a hold of him, then Voldemort will be stronger again the ever. If Voldemort captures Crouch then the others stand no chance." Harry pointed out and Ron cursed under his breath.

"I'm going to die." Ron hiccupped and Harry sighed.

"Not if I can help it." Harry said and started scribbling on his clipboard again. Ron smiled weakly and began on his new story about how Azkaban should change. It took Ron a few minutes or so before he asked.

"Wait, what did that story have to do with scribbling on your clipboard day in and day out?" Ron asked, Harry looked up to him, Harry was laughing.

"Well, I write down my thoughts of where he'd strike next. I am currently tailing him in France, that's where he was last seen." Harry said.

"Why are you laughing?" Ron asked after he had just noticed.

"You asked it so late that it was awkward." Harry pointed out and they both laughed.

It was dark before Hedwig had returned. It was starting to rain. Harry heard the slight pattern of the sound the rain drops made when they hit the windows. Harry stroked her sweetly and grabbed the piece of parchment.

Dear Harry,

I'm sorry but I can't believe you. I thought you had changed, but you are still the fifteen snot nosed boy you used to be. If you want me to forgive you, then find me. I thought I loved you but now I'm not so sure. I am inches away from hating you right now. If you cared you'd find me, you'd kill yourself and then I'll believe you. I waited for you for eight years and you hadn't even recognized me. Maybe you should take lessons from Molly... she at least has a heart. Didn't you ever notice anything? Before your accident I looked like I do now. You didn't even recognize me then, and I told you who I was. How dare you not remember your friends? I wrote to you almost every day for three years, and I never received one back. Harry Potter has forgotten everything and blocked it all out. Nothing that you do will change this, die for all I care. I don't care if I'm harsh right now, you don't deserve to love anyone, especially if you can't tell the difference.

Hermione

P.S. Find me if you must, but I will not even speak to you. I'm going away, far away where no one knows where I am! Take this letter seriously, I doubt you will, but go away and never return Potter! I am making my life better then before, by shutting you out permanently.

Harry read through this letter several times before he was on the edge of crying his eyes out. She wanted him dead? No, he could believe it, she had to believe him. He loved her, he would prove it if it was the last thing he ever did.

Why was she so harsh though? It was a little mistake, and she must have hated Ginny so much that she would do that. Something told him that this wasn't Hermione. The Hermione he remembered would never say something like that... this was terribly, terribly wrong.

He looked around, and found that no one was there except him. He signed out quickly and walked outside in the pouring rain. He had to find Hermione. He held up his hands and with a slight 'pop' he was gone and showed up on Molly's doorstep.

He hoped she hadn't moved yet, he needed to talk to her. If only he could reach her. He was soaked with rain water when he knocked fiercely on Molly's door. She did answer, but Harry's shirt and pants stuck like glue to his body because he was so wet.

"Harry dear, what are you doing here so late?" Molly asked, her hair was in curlers and she was covered in a bath robe.

"Sorry Molly," Harry said, not even caring about what she looked like. "I need to find Hermione." He said.

"Sorry dear, she has moved up town. She lives in the apartment house across from St. Mungo's." Molly informed him.

"Thanks Molly." Harry said quickly and turned.

"Dear, you're going to get sick!" Molly warned him. He shouted back:

"I don't care!" he paused "I need to find Hermione! I'd rather die of sickness then loose her again! I'm sorry Molly but this might be the last farewell to you from me, Love makes us do crazy things."

"NO!" Molly said as she watched him disapperate. She was about to cry. "I need to tell Hermione, if he's about to do what I think he is." She quickly shut her door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The rain was coming down harder and harder. Harry had appeared outside the hospital where Molly had said and looked across the street. It was hard to see through all the rain but he fairly made it out. When the traffic cleared, he ran across.

He was running up and down the apartments, peering into each window. He saw nothing. Every window was blocked with blinds. He tried looking through the doors that led onto the balconies, but there was nothing.

"HERMIONE!" He yelled through the pouring rain. He was drenched. His clothes were sticking tightly to him, as if he was wrapped in plastic. "I'M SORRY!" he pleaded. A bunch of lights started turning on, but he didn't care. He just kept screaming. "YOU WANTED ME DEAD, SO I'D GLADLY GIVE MY LIFE! I'D GIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU HERMIONE... AND I WILL NOW!" He cried.

He fell to his knees into a puddle of mud and rain. He was too weak to get up. He pulled his wand from his pocket and started chanting a spell. He started but was stopped quickly, he looked up. He tried again.

"I love you Hermione." He said quietly and began to yell again "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The last thing he saw was a glimpse of a shadowed figured upon one of the balconies. A bright gold light burst from that balcony and covered the parking lot of the apartment houses. A burst of green light sprouted from his wand and mixed into the gold.

The lights spread through Harry like a gust of wind. His scar pierced with pain. It felt like knifes being stabbed into his forehead. He thought he had most definitely took his own life. He saw a bright, eye aching light. It was white, but it was different.

It turned black and he felt his body hit the ground. He spit up blood a little before he fell completely over. He was laid spread eagled on the ground. The rain hit him hardly, as if it were hail. He lost everything, it was black.

Nothing was there, nothing was near. He was alone. His head was pounding more with pain. His scar was now outlined with a bright blue line. He felt a set of hands grab him, his clothes heavy, and felt him self being tugged. He was gone, he lost all consciousness after, and nothing was there. It was all gone, it was never returning. He had most likely died, on that rainy day in November, calling for a woman he loved. He died on that rainy scene of the balcony, a balcony scene in the rain.

Author's Note:

Sorry everyone, I had a good idea but now that I wrote it, I don't really like it much. But I want to know what you think! Please Review and thank you to those who read this!

Airalynn

P.S. I probably won't be updating in a while, it depends on how I feel.

UPDATED: (SATURDAY) APRIL 16, 2005