Chapter Eighteen

Revenge

The room seemed a lot warmer because, frankly, Harry felt nothing but deep embarrassment. How could he have seen though this? He hadn't even noticed that all this was happening but somehow Hermione paid close attention to it. He loved her, but she had rendered him speechless, and he had no idea how to back himself out of this knot. All he could do was beg for forgiveness, but for some reason he felt helpless even to beg.

Hermione just looked at him as his head dropped in regret. She started tearing again and felt a little uneasy the way he was looking down. Why didn't he answer? What was he thinking? She couldn't go on like this forever. She felt dirty with lies as if he was not the person she thought he was. She loved him more than the world itself, but he seemed less interested.

The spark was gone in his kiss, he delayed going to the hospital so he could get revenge on someone, but then again, she was in danger. He might have saved her, but he seemed more interested it the facts of fighting instead of the facts of life. She regretted it madly, but in her head all that went through her mind was: 'he is nothing but a monster.' She sighed, and cupped his face.

"Harry, please, look at me." She asked, but he looked back down. "For heaven's sake, please?" She asked, she pulled his face up, and he stayed there.

"I'm sorry." He said with a sigh of unease in his voice. "I have never felt so embarrassed. I feel like the worst person in the world, because you are my world and I pay less attention to you than work. I should have taken that month off, and I'm sorry. Work is nothing. You are more important to me, and I promise to stop taking the extra hours and to stay home with you and the baby. I realized that the point of working has never been because of the money, but because I wanted to kill Voldemort, and after all these years I've finally done it. Now, though, I no longer have the ambition to work… I'll give Ron the step up, I'm sorry Hermione, but excuse me." He sighed.

With those words said he had dressed and left the room. Hermione felt horrible for what she had said. She got the impression that he cared more about his job than his family, but she was wrong. He only wanted to finish what he started and he has. She felt worse than before. She was never really lied to after all. All that this solved was Harry was dedicated to getting revenge on the one who killed the parents he had never met, and now that it's all over, he's free. They both are free.

She sat up and dressed herself in comfortable clothing and she walked slowly down the hall. She heard music coming from Melody's room, and the door shut, but she hadn't turned on the box and always left the door open. Bit strange it seemed, but she pushed the door open a little and inside she found Harry, in a rocking chair, talking to his sleeping daughter. She smiled.

"I know you are too young to understand, but I feel that I have neglected you, and I don't want to feel that way anymore. Your mum is upset because I haven't exactly been the best father figure, but I will change in time if you're willing to give me a chance. I just hope your mum realizes how much I really do love her." He read the dates on the walls and looked back to the child cradled in his arms. "You two are my everything, and I've screwed everything up. I just didn't want you to grow up like me and I was afraid you would. No one wants the life I have, and I'm lucky to still be alive. I am lucky; I have the most beautiful daughter, the most beautiful wife, the chance of a lifetime job, a wonderful house, and a family… My attitude seems to be the only real issue. I never thought I would ever be loved because anyone who even associated with me was in danger, and your mum took a chance. She wanted to love me, and she ignored the danger. She risked her life for me, so I tried to risk mine for hers and she got mad. Obviously I did something wrong, and I'm trying to figure out exactly what. The risk she took was big, and I…"

"And I'd risk it all again if I had the chance." Hermione said from the door way.

Harry looked up, and Hermione had tears trailing from her cheeks and falling into pools into the sweatshirt she wore. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach, protecting herself, as she felt a bit scared. Her heart pounded and walked towards them. She got about an inch away before she kneeled down beside them, stroking the few hairs on Melody's head. She looked to the floor.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I've really screwed this up." She cried. "It's just, it felt like I did everything, and I was always tired, and I just barely ever saw you." She placed her hands to her face and cried into them.

Harry said nothing, he stood and walked Melody back to her crib, where he laid her down, and re-wound the music box. He sighed, kissing her once on the head, and turning around. He walked over to Hermione, her feeling helpless as ever, and took her hand. She stood with a questioning look on her face. She looked him in the eyes and her face had nothing but pure confusion.

"Harry?" He placed a finger on her lips.

"Don't speak," he whispered "dance with me."

He took her by the waist and she rested her chin on his shoulder. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck as they glided across the floor. She felt light, like she was flying, and when she had gotten tired of watching the walls she looked at his face. He smiled at her with a loving smile. He moved his hand and gently wiped away the tears trailing from her eyes. She lovingly brushed her cheek towards his hand and smiled. After what seemed like an hour, she talked.

"I love you." She said. "And that will never change."

"I love you too, and I hope you believe me this time." He said with a smirk.

She sighed, and tilted her face up, as he placed a kiss on her lips. She had pushed into him as the spark returned to her. She smiled, it was meant to be, it wasn't there because she was worried. She hugged him closer to her and kissed him harder than she had ever attempted to before. They just glided across the floor bonding with each other and admiring their lives, their happiness, and their finally: family.

Harry was the first to break the kisses for a breath, but he could tell Hermione just plainly wanted more. He kissed her quickly once more, and smiled. She smiled in return and they both looked over and admired their daughter. They both had a family, almost like a text-book fairy tale. They were finally going to go on through life living the way they've always wanted to. Harry smiled.

"I'm getting hungry, I'll go down and make us some dinner, and you need to relax my dear." He smiled and kissed her gently. "You've been through a lot."

"I'm really fine." She insisted. "I'll go down stairs with you and relax in the living room. I'm quite hungry as well."

They walked downstairs, talking, and laughing as if they were just two teenagers beginning to date. This was the beginning of their love, because now they have to test it and learn to each love two the same as the first love. It seems easy, but for them it seemed quite difficult. They had to multiply everything they had. It was no longer just them, but a gift sleeping upstairs.

They walked with one another's hand in theirs. Smiles had never left their faces the entire flight down. Hermione's hair annoyed her as a few strands fell out of her ponytail and tickled her face. She kept tucking it behind her ear, but over and over it would fall out. It frustrated her so much that she ducked her head down and re-did her hair. She looked up, and with a gasp she jumped.

Two feet in front of her stood a stout lady with hair of fire. She wore clothes of torn looking robes and the cloth trailed loose strings. Hermione took a breath as the lady wrapped her arms around her neck and patted her shoulder with a slight sense of congratulations. Hermione coughed a little before the woman had let her go.

"Hermione, dear, welcome home!" She said happily and on the verge of tears.

"Uh- Mrs. Weasley, what are you doing here?" She asked, catching her breath once again.

"Call me Molly dear, and I'm here, why, to see you of course, you gave us a right good scare there, I am only making sure you are okay." She said. "How's Melody?" She asked with a smile.

"Okay, and she's okay, she's upstairs sleeping." She smiled. "You're welcome to go up and see her." Hermione offered, but instantly Molly had shook her head.

"No, I don't want to be a bother. I happened to just be worried so I wanted to make sure you two were alright and everything." She said with a smile. "Just a bit of paranoia in me I guess."

"It's okay." Hermione said as she gave her a loving hug in return.

Harry was across the room making dinner while Molly and Hermione talked for the few minutes in the kitchen. He tapped the pan lightly with a spoon, which he was stirring the sauce with, and set it down on the side of the stove. He sat at the counter while he was beginning to slice and chop vegetables. When there was silence between the two, that's when he decided to speak.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner, Molly," Harry offered. "There's plenty."

"Oh," She said with a smile of delight. "I'd love to. I never actually knew you cooked Harry." She mentioned.

"Yeah, I know, Hermione was quite surprised too with the first dish I made her." He laughed.

"Is he any good than Hermione?" She joked.

"One of the best." She answered.

As Harry cut the vegetables, and Hermione and Molly returned to talking, Harry had a thought of regret tugging at his conscience. Ron was still in his mind and everything that had gone wrong between him and Lavender. It all seemed to be his fault. He blamed his-self more than anything, and even though the blame seemed like proof enough, he wondered if the entire thing really was his fault.

He knew that his victory in the last battle was the best thing he could ever do, but even after Voldemort was gone, he still got as much attention as when he was younger. He didn't want it anymore. He wanted to be just like anyone else, perhaps without magic, it didn't matter, as long as there was someone who didn't know his name. There had to be someone out there who didn't.

He had almost lost Hermione twice in two days. Then when they were upstairs the look in her eyes hurt him badly. Was she thinking of leaving him, like Lavender is attempting to do with Ron? He was curious to know what went though her mind because something did not seem right. Something was definitely wrong but he couldn't figure it out. Hermione was up to something, but it had to be over after she apologized… perhaps she felt so bad for Lavender that her being happy made her feel guilty too.

Harry just daydreamed as the carrot sticks were now almost finished being prepared, which afterwards he would then start cutting the rest. He was on his last carrot stick when he stopped cutting half way through the carrot. He dropped the knife and suddenly he was back in the office, the day Ron got fired, and in almost a second he had noticed something that he had neglected to notice before. He was being praised at, he wasn't Head of Auror's for his work… he was Head because he was Harry Potter. How could he have stupidly overlooked it?

Ron's whole life was work and he tried his absolute hardest to work and help his family at the same time. He got not one single day off to help Lavender with Skyler, or the house, or anything. Harry could get a year off if he wished to and be once again welcomed back like it was the day after he left. This didn't make sense at all. How could the Ministry be so judgmental when the most dedicated people are being fired at this very moment? He knew what he had to do and he would do it as soon as he returned. He would try to do it maybe even sooner if possible.

"Damn it…" Harry yelled as he gasped.

"What?" Molly and Hermione said in a worried unison.

Harry had begun chopping again, and without noticing he had continued, catching his finger beneath the stainless steel blade. His finger dripped and the bleeding had not ceased. Hermione had rushed to his side, blood dripping from his fingers and onto his white clothing, and trailing down his hand. He cradled his hand and Hermione had rushed to get him a warm cloth. He wrapped his finger in it, breathing deeply from the shocking pain. Hermione set a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's… it's just a little cut." He lied. Truth was that it was a gash that went from the middle of his finger to the tip. He practically skinned his finger.

"Harry that was bleeding pretty badly for being just a small little cut!" Hermione protested.

"I said I'm fine!" He snapped and Hermione stepped away for a minute.

Did he just yell at her? She was trying to help him and he snapped at her, but she was certain he didn't mean anything by it. It did look like it hurt pretty badly, but the look in his eyes just told her otherwise. Was he angry for helping him? She just handed him a health patch that would help his finger, and sat back down. She hadn't said a word and no one would talk, but Molly began to feel uneasy. Then they heard a cry upstairs and Hermione went to move to go up, but Molly stopped her.

"Dear," she whispered. "You two should have a talk; I'll go check on the baby." She insisted.

Hermione just nodded and watched Molly disappear from behind the wall and unto the staircase. She felt a horrible pain in her stomach, almost like she did before, and she turned to Harry who still kept his finger tightly wrapped in a blood stained cloth. Hermione turned to him with pity and a bit of anger towards him, but the anger didn't show. She stared at him; helpless as she was, she couldn't try to help, but Molly was right… they did need to talk.

"You didn't have to snap at me Harry." She said, walking to the cabinet and taking plates out. "I just wanted to help you, and obviously you couldn't have cared less."

"You don't always have to freak out at the smallest things." He battled back. "I told you I was fine and you still went on your way of flipping out."

"God forbid I care when you hurt yourself!" She said, slamming the plates on the counter. He jumped a bit.

"I'm not a child!" He growled. "I don't need a babysitter, especially when I happen to have my own kid. I can take care of myself. I did it for nearly seven years, and I turned out completely fine."

"You are ranting like a child, and before I came along you were not even close to fine! You couldn't remember anyone, not even me, and I was your best friend through Hogwarts!" She growled, gripping the counter beneath her angry fingers.

"I had an accident Hermione, they happen, and it wasn't my fault. My car was tampered with; you can not blame me for accidents. Also, maybe I didn't remember a lot, but it's not my fault so stop being stupid and stop blaming me for every little thing." He looked away, he couldn't watch her cry.

"That's all I am, isn't it? A stupid little house wife who is only serving the great Harry Potter, I am not going to bow for you. I am not a slave!" She angrily picked up a glass and smashed it in the sink. "I can't take this anymore."

"I can't take your grouchiness anymore. The entire time when you were pregnant all you did was bitch at me, Hermione, and I put up with it. I am not one to be used, Hermione, and I no longer wish to be yelled at by you for the things I do, when frankly I have no idea as to what I even did wrong!" He angrily faced the wall and put his back to her.

She grasped a piece of glass, and as soon as it hit her fingers she started to cry. Real tears of fear ran down her cheeks non-stop. Her head hovered for a minute and her life ran through her. The deadly secrets she kept within wanted to crawl out, but she couldn't let them. She wanted to drive this shard of broken glass quickly into her so she could finally feel his pain. She looked up and before she knew it her knees grew week and she had collapsed onto the glass filled floor. She cried.

"Harry," she said gently. "What is wrong with us?" He shook his head.

"I don't know." He sighed. "I don't mean to fight, dear, but I just feel like you are saying I do everything bad while you do everything perfect and you make me feel that because you are a Healer it means you know everything. You make me feel like what I do is a waste of time and is worthless to you, like you don't even want me to work. I'm confused Hermione, I truly am."

"It's my entire fault." She explained. "I know it is. I knew there would be things that I would have to accept and having a child has just made me so tired. We were so happy before, but now we act like a child is the worst thing." She cried.

"No, it's the greatest gift we could ever be given." He reassured.

"Then why does it tear us apart? We should be happy and jumping around as we wait for her to wake each morning, or admiring her resemblance to either one of us… Harry, I feel like you don't accept her. Don't be mad, but it hurts to know that you say all these things about me and blaming her when you should blame me. I just wish…" Her lips quivered and she stopped for a minute.

Harry stood, feeling guilty for all the pain and suffering they had both gone though, and he had no reason to blame Hermione. This Ron thing had him so confused and mad at himself for wearing the name Harry Potter that it made him sick with anger. He couldn't blame her for everything, he had to face his own battles, but the entire time he had taken it out on her. He knelt down beside her as she pulled her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees. She cried.

"Maybe if I didn't remind you of me you'd still have your old life, without me, and without disaster. I just wish…" She cried harder. "That I never let you get the chance to fall in love with me, because the damage it has done."

"Stop it Hermione." He said gently. "Never say that, never wish that, when I said I'd love you forever, I meant it! It was my choice to fall in love, and it's the best decision I have ever made. I was a wreck when Ginny lived here. I did nothing but try and please her and I was never happy… I found you, and I had never experienced a time that I was so happy that I couldn't even believe it." He said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from the side. "I want you to promise me you will never think this again. I love you."

"I'm sorry," she said as she fell into his arms and he cradled her. "I just wanted so much from you and you wanted so much from me that I felt you married me only to make Ginny mad and get a taste of what could have happened." She said, quite randomly. He looked at her and laughed.

"Is that what this is about?" He asked, amazed. "Hermione, where would you ever get an idea like that?"

"No where… it's unimportant." She claimed, but he knew that this bothered her more than anything.

"Hermione, I would never take back anything. Ginny could burn in hell for all I'd care, because I realized she treated me unfairly. She was the first real relationship I had and then you came, so much sweeter, so much nicer, and I couldn't help but notice that I've missed so much. I thought Ginny was the best and now I realize that she only loved me for money. She wanted to be famous, attempting to rub off me I guess, and she cared not one bit." He laughed, "And if it makes you feel any better, I never slept with her."

"You were dating for almost 5 years, why didn't you?" She asked, wondering even though after she felt that was really a rude question.

"It felt wrong. Every time she kissed me I felt sick, I felt disgusted, until the point where I couldn't take anymore and successfully got her to leave. Her not being here makes me smile, but you in her place makes me love my choices forever. I love you, and I guaranteed that I am telling the truth." He said.

Hermione hugged him close as she wiped the tears from her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't want to leave him, and his embracing protective hug had made her feel secure that what ever problems they were having, they would eventually overcome. She looked up, straight into his eyes and told him the truth: that she loved him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips and sighed in relief. She sighed too, but much less in sound.

"I was afraid for a minute that we would end up like Ron and Lav." Hermione said, fearing the words after she said them and she buried her head into his chest.

"Never, we will be together forever. As long as the sun rises I will love you forever." He said. "I love you."

And just before she responded they heard loud noises coming from upstairs. Hermione and Harry looked at each other, their eyes filled with terror. Both sweated with tears and fear of what happened and what to come and as soon as the noises started both jumped to their feet. Harry took Hermione's hand and held it tight and together they feared for the worse. They looked at each other once more as soon as their feet hit the ground.

"MELODY!"

They responded in unison. Harry seized Hermione's hand and led her up the stairs. They ran through the corridors and entered Melody's room. Everything inside was completely trashed. They entered the room to find the crib broken, the walls torn up, the window smashed in, clothes everywhere, and Melody no where in sight. Hermione gasped and hugged Harry. She fell to the floor in fear and terror. Her daughter… gone. Her child was no longer there.

"Harry," a gasping voice said from the closet.

"Molly," he said, opening and helping her out. "Molly, are you alright? What happened!" He demanded.

"I walked in and she was still sleeping so I decided to walk down the hall to look at the rest of the house. I got interested in the pictures and then I heard something in Melody's room and I ran to her room, but when I got there a strange lady-like figure was hovering over the crib. I ran for her, trying to pry her evil hands off and save the child, but she had put me under the Crucio curse and locked me in the closet. I put up a nasty fight with her for a few minutes, but in the end I lost." She wept. "It's my entire fault."

"No it's not, you tried." Harry said.

Hermione was uncontrollably crying on the floor with heartache. Why would someone do this? Who would want their child? Hermione slammed her fists on the floor begging for her child back, but she wasn't coming back. Not that easy. Harry kneeled beside her, tearing a bit, but trying to hold it in. He needed to be strong for Hermione; he needed to be strong for Molly, and most of all he needed to be strong for Melody. He grabbed Hermione and held her tighter than ever.

Hermione reached up into the crib, trying to pretend that if it were possible she could grasp the blankets, make a wish, and have her child return to her. She pulled the blanket off the bed and cried into it, and Harry look up. There, in blood, was a message stained into the sheets. Hermione stood took one look at it and Harry pulled her head to his chest. He knew what this meant. The word lingered in his head. He couldn't get it out and it would haunt him forever:

'Revenge.'

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I probably won't get many reviews on this chapter because people have grown impatient with me, but I finally was once again in the mood to write and thus I made a chapter. Sorry it's not very good, but I need to finish the story sometime before I die:P

Haha.

To My Reviewers:

Ms. Sakura Moon – Your reviews always make me laugh. I'm sorry that I haven't updated, but you must understand that I don't have the time. Hope you get to read this one, and I'm sorry it's pretty bad. Thank you for your patience, I really appreciate it. Thank you.

Tris Riddle – Umm, thank you.

rockergurl13 – Honestly I thought that with all the twists you'd get bored with the story because nothing even seems to go right. I just want to let people know there are worse things in life than your typical knight in shining armor on a mule instead of a horse… catch my point?

Missxsh0rtie – Yeah it wasn't exactly soon, I hope you forgive me.

That's it, thank you all for being there to read my stories. It means a lot to me!

UPDATED: (WEDNESDAY) JULY 26, 2006

"When a dove associates with a crow: its feathers remain white, but its heart grows black."