WARNING: Character death
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Hermione's surroundings quickly changed from the dark rooms in the Malfoy Manor to the silent Hogwarts halls.
She gave a groan of frustration, letting her head fall back on the wall behind her. The books, parchment and quills, once in her bag were scattered, stretching out in a messy circle around her. She sunk to the ground pressing her palms into her eyes wishing they'd stop fooling her.
After a few minutes of calming down, she retraced her steps trying to find everything and stuff it into her bag. Her patrols were continuing to get progressively more triggering. Just being in a space where she experienced an episode could start another one.
Finally, she finished her rounds and made her way towards her quarters. The private quarters given due to her being Head Girl were a nice asset. It meant no one else was disturbed by her nightmares.
Eventually, she got to the familiar portrait and was about to say her password when she shrieked. A figure was slumped back against the wall, right in front of the entrance to her room.
Startled they woke up, instantly alert and wand out pointed at her. However, Hermione was equally as fast and cast a wandless expelliarmus. Though, he must have used a non-verbal counterspell as the wand stayed in his grasp.
"I apologize Granger that was completely unprovoked…."
She stared at Malfoy for a moment.
"Don't apologize, the war has affected everyone, it's not an uncommon reaction these days. However, I do believe you should explain why you are here at my quarter's past curfew."
"I waited with the intentions of… never mind I'm sorry to bother you." He said quietly before rushing away. Hermione hesitated before deciding not to report him.
The next day she kept an eye out for Malfoy and started noticing him everywhere. He was in all her classes always at the back corner of the room, never making a sound almost like he was intent on melting into the wall. No one ever acknowledged him, not even the professors.
From then on she couldn't help but look out for him as her days went on. Sometimes she'd see him reading in the library reading all types of books on the ground, at the tables, and in various other awkward places. At the great hall during meal times he was always sitting there staring at his food and not communicating with any of his fellow Slytherins, every now and again glancing up at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Then, when's she's doing her patrols, there's always a flash of him just rounding the corner, although she never managed to catch him.
Finally, after the 4th day, she started trying to avoid him and see what happens. Although, her efforts proved futile when she saw him just as often as before.
One particularly bad day she realized she was hyperventilating in her potions class and quickly excused herself before running to the bathrooms. She didn't even hear a person slip out the door along with her a follow.
She almost made it. Her safe place was practically 5 steps away but it was 5 steps too far and Hermione was transported before she could get to it.
The lighting was dark, as Hermione lay there exhausted, tears slipping out from the previous curios. Bellatrix smiled gleefully before turning and grabbing her cursed knife. The Gryffindor didn't have the energy to do anything but close her eyes in anticipation.
That's when the spells rang out. There was shouting, fighting, screams, and she was in the middle of all of it. Suddenly she felt someone grab, before realising it was Malfoy. Struggling to get out of his grasp she kicked him in the shins and grabbed his wand from his hands.
"Stop! Granger, wait, I'm on your side! You idiot, give me the wand!"
"You think I'm daft? Absolutely not!"
"Listen to me, how do you think you got rescued?! Think rationally! I don't exactly want to have to scream this loud enough for the Dark Lord to hear!"
Just then there was a creak from the chandelier and Malfoy had just enough time to push her out of the way before it crushed him.
Hermione was apparated away before it even landed.
She gasped remembering where she was in Hogwarts. A little creak behind her was enough for her to startle and have her wand millimetres from the person's face.
He had his hands out in surrender, looking straight at the tip of the wand.
"You know, I feel like we've been here before. Please don't ruin my nose this time."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"I can't…. I can't hurt you. You know fully well I can't hurt you! Why are you here? Why do you bother me and no one else! You're dead, aren't you?! So why not go haunt someone you know! Why me!?"
He was about to answer before suddenly she changed her mind.
"Actually, I don't want to know, I just want you to leave me alone." She whispered glaring at him. And with that, she walked away leaving him standing there.
The next day she didn't see him. Then the next, and after the 3rd day, she finally started to look. After her classes, she started searching the castle to no avail. By the end of the day, she was defeated and just wanted to get her patrols over with. Finally, she finished walking back to her quarters. She paused by the door staring at the figure sitting back against the wall. He sat there staring at her.
"You owe me an explanation." she hissed biting back the emotions she'd suppressed along with the memory. The guilt, the trauma, the shock, the grief.
"...I couldn't move on. I tried so hard but I just couldn't. Something was holding me back… Look, Granger, it isn't because we're special to each other or some magical connection, it's because it happened so fast. We may not have liked each other, but knowing each other is enough to make it hurt. We never had any closure."
She blinked looking at the ground before replying.
"It was war. No one got any closure. Anyways what have you been doing all this time?! Why do you follow me even though you're already trapped in the world?"
"Just because my soul can't move on doesn't mean my mind can't. I needed to say goodbye in some way, for myself. But I've been stalling. I tried looking normal to you, maybe build a positive relationship before sharing but it proved…difficult. I can't eat, I can't read anything unless it's been left behind by someone else, I can't do anything! And then you suddenly remembered and made things so impossibly harder!"
"Granger please look at me?"
She continued to look down.
"Okay, so what now? Have you gotten you're closure? Because I can tell you I have not. I let you die!
"It wasn't you're fault."
"Don't lie to me! I didn't even see the moment you died but instead saw the look in your eye's right before it happened! I feel hurt by you for being here but not, scared of Bellatrix because even dead she still haunts me, but most of all hatred for myself for killing you! Because that's what I did. I. Let. You. Die!"
Finally, she looked up. He stool there still.
"Granger... I didn't-It's not your fault. It just happened. That's war. People die."
A few tears of frustration fell down her cheek.
"You think I don't know that? I don't want to die I just wish that I didn't have to live without them. It's not fair and I feel like a brat to say to but I don't care anymore! It's not fair that you left me, that they left me! Here... alone."
She hugged herself as her tears continued to grow.
"So, so alone. I know I told you to leave but it hurt. It hurt that another person was gone"
She saw him come down to her level and hug her. Even though he couldn't physically touch it was the touch to her heart that mattered.
"Granger I won't leave you. You know I literally can't because of the spirit world and things you probably know more about than me."
When she woke up the next morning, she'd realised she'd fallen asleep and quickly turned to her side. Apparently, ghosts can fall asleep because he was there snoozing right beside her. She stared at him a little shocked. For the first time in a while, someone had stayed with her instead of leaving. The small spark of hope warmed her. Despite being a ghost, maybe he wasn't quite so gone as she'd thought.
A/N: Ha, okay so I've tried fixing this. Yeah, actually I did leave out some stuff that makes this actually make sense, but then when I put it in I realised I wanted to change it a little because while it explained some things it still didn't make a lot of sense unless you infer a ton. So now you have this trash and uh yeah. Ok bye! Hope you're well! Sorry for any still standing mistakes!
