Sorry I haven't updated in such a LONG time. I really have no idea what will happen next, so I wait for it to come to me. Anyway, I hope you like this! THANK YOU to the wonderful people who reviewed! Roses and chocolates to all of you!
Disclaimer: I don't own this and all that blah.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around to see a pretty girl sit beside him. She held his hands in hers; her warm hands that brought him comfort. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, for no particular reason, just that seeing her smile made him want to do the same. She had beautiful flowing red hair.
"Ginny, I hope it's all right with Cho staying here." Said Harry softly. He had been sitting here for quite some time now, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. It seemed that thinking was the only solace he had right now. He had a world to save, a death to avenge, a love to choose. The weight of the world was upon a sixteen-year old boy's shoulders.
"Oh, of course." She answered half-heartedly. She really didn't know why Harry liked her, when he had been in love with Cho for ages. She still had some doubts; she knew that she was the best friend's little sister, and the girl who was always there. What if Harry liked her because of their relationship making sense? But then, she realized, it was not worth thinking about right now. They were over.
"It's just that when I lost my parents, I didn't have anyone." He said sadly. "I don't want that to happen to her. No matter what happened with us, she still is a friend. I want our love to compensate for her emptiness." He looked at her, and saw that she was looking down. He raised her face up, and held it longingly. It was then that he knew he needed to be sure.
"You made me feel better." He said, holding her tight but making sure that he wasn't too intimate. "You always do." He whispered.
"That's what friends do, right?" She replied, holding back a sob. "Be there for each other."
He saw that she was crying and wiped the tears away with his hand. "Everything's going to be okay." He reassured, giving her a small smile. He felt that he knew why she was crying. "I promise you."
She couldn't say anything, she just laughed. And Harry laughed with her.
"We have heard about Draco Malfoy's escape." Alastor Moody said gravely, his voice resonating in the small kitchen. It was the monthly meeting of the Order, and the first one since Albus Dumbledore's death. Among the order of business was electing a new Secret-Keeper. Wizards and witches sat beside each other at the wooden table, faces covered with worry and fear. Noticeable were the new people recruited. New, but some of the most prominent wizards and witches that are on the side of the light.
"My zorses say zat he is hiding here." A deep voice said, youth evident. He was Viktor Krum.
Whispers filled the room, people questioning and exclaiming. "Enough!" Said the new headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall. Her face was now streaked with more lines, perhaps from the stress and the weight of the previous events. "Where, exactly? Here in London?" She asked.
"In London." Krum replied.
"This is more serious than I thought." She said, sitting down. "We need to elect a new secret-keeper at once."
"But who?" A wizard asked, with a bushy face.
"Alastor! You will be the secret keeper!" A young witch said, standing up. The others immediately voiced out their own opinions, shouting names of higher Order members, one even nominating Harry Potter. Remus Lupin stood up quietly, and went out of the room, unnoticed by the other members. It was then that he whispered.
"Fawkes."
Suddenly a blaze of light illuminated the room, and a magnificent bird perched on one of the broken wooden beams. Lupin smiled, and the phoenix replied with an affectionate whoop. He reentered the room, and the people inside suddenly grew quiet at the sight before them.
"Fawkes will decide who the next secret-keeper will be, since he knew the previous secret-keeper the most." Lupin said in a soft yet stern voice, and everyone sat down and remained silent. "If you please," He whispered to the phoenix, and immediately it circled around the room three times, leaving trails of fire in the air. It finally landed beside someone.
"Congratulations Minerva, you are now secret-keeper for the Order." Lupin said, and everyone broke into applause. McGonagall blushed slightly, and cleared her throat to speak.
"Molly, the parchment?" Lupin asked, and she immediately took out a queer looking box from out of nowhere. It was gold lined with rubies, which might have made it very heavy, but ironically it was light as a feather. She whispered something and the box opened by itself. She took out a small piece of parchment and handed it to Lupin. He cast a spell on it and the words on paper suddenly became smoke like letters, which floated in midair for everyone to see.
"Arbum est gloriat," Lupin said, and soon the others followed. "Demonstradum urget majoram aut." The letters circled itself around McGonagall and disappeared. The room was once again filled with whispers.
"Now to business." Lupin said, as he closed the door and sat in his usual place. Fawkes stayed in a corner, listening quietly. "Draco Malfoy, according to Harry's account, did lead the death eaters inside Hogwarts."
"Send him to Azkaban!" Another wizard said, but McGonagall quickly intervened.
"The boy is innocent." She said, standing up. "We all know that it was Severus Snape who killed Albus. Draco wouldn't have done anything if The Dark Lord didn't threaten to kill his mother."
"The young Death Eater has a heart, eh?" Said another.
"He was my student." Professor Sprout said, standing up. "An excellent one at that. I think you will testify to that, Minerva? He's as good as Ms. Granger."
"Is this true?" Molly Weasley asked.
"It is. He wouldn't be prefect unless it was true." McGonagall answered, sighing. "But the boy's academic performance is besides the point. What we know is that his loyalty to Him is wavering." The Order members started murmuring among themselves. It was unlikely for this boy to not be loyal to Voldemort, when generations of his family have.
"He has valuable information, which we can tap if we get him." Tonks continued. "It will help us greatly."
"How will we find him?" Asked another wizard.
"We will send out spies around London," McGonagall replied. "Find his mother."
Murmurings once again filled the room. Lupin and McGonagall smiled at each other with a tired look, which prompted for her to end the meeting. "This meeting is adjourned, for now. We will resume tomorrow." She stood up from her chair, gave Lupin, Moody and Tonks a courteous nod, and went out of the room via floo powder. The others stood up and followed.
Minerva McGonagall stepped out of a grand fireplace and sat down on an available chair. With a flick of the wand the fireplace was lit, revealing an exquisite room, filled with books and antiques and moving portraits. One moving portrait, however, was noticeable.
"I trust it went well, Minerva?" The portrait asked, his blue eyes twinkling. The headmistress sighed.
"Alright, I suppose." She answered, walking towards the life size picture. The man fixed his crooked hat and smiled.
It was Albus Dumbledore.
He opened his eyes; it was darkness. He could feel the coldness of the marble seeping through his skin. He got up with difficulty, pain shooting from his leg, and tried to reach for his wand. He blinked, trying to regain composure. Suddenly the past few hours returned to him. Snape. Apollo. Greyback. The Avada. Then the girl.
"Granger?" He called out weakly. He attempted to stand up, feeling wooden splinters in his hand. He called her once again. "Granger?"
What if she was the one who had died? He suddenly panicked, walking faster to circle the area. It was unbelievable that the ministry wasn't here. Then again, the wealthy patrons of Knotsville pay galleons for their security. He took caution with every step, thinking that his wand may be on the floor. "Granger?"
He heard sobbing. He rushed to where the sound came from, and that was where he found her. She was sitting down, clutching her wand tightly. She held on to her knees as if they were the only things that mattered, and her eyes were focused on what the moonlight was radiating upon. A dead body. He stood beside her, and then sat down. He found himself unable to do or say anything.
"I," She started, her voice delicate and afraid. "I," She said again, unable to admit what she had done. It was then that she felt a pair of strong arms rest upon her back. She rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered. "I killed him, Malfoy." He could feel hot tears through his shoulder, and he could hear crying once again.
"Would you rather have us dead than him?" He asked, trying to sound comforting. He didn't know what he was doing comforting her, but then he couldn't stop.
"Apollo, that's his name, right? He just stood there, looking at me. Then I, I did it." She said, still crying uncontrollably.
"Apollo was one of the Dark Lord's most trusted men. He has killed far greater numbers. He deserved his death." Draco replied vengefully.
"Who is to judge whether we deserve to live or die?" She said. She was weak, miserable, and lying in her enemy's arms. Summoning up courage, she broke away from him and got up. Casting a few spells, she managed to make the body disappear, the door repair itself, and lights fill the house. She wiped some blood from her face. She summoned Draco's wand from the corner and handed it to him.
"I have to go to Ginny's. Stay here, and I won't be long." She wiped the traces of tears from her face. "If anyone, and I mean anyone comes here, hide yourself. Or else we will be the ones dead. Got it?"
"Got it." Draco answered. Hermione walked towards the fireplace, and grabbed some floo powder from the pouch nearby. "And Granger?"
"Malfoy?" She asked.
"Watch yourself." He replied.
"Okay." She said, turning pink for some reason. She stepped into the enormous stone fireplace and disappeared.
The kitchen was busy; Mrs. Weasley was trying to cook dinner. Cho and Ron were helping out, chopping carrot sticks. Unexpectedly, a flash of green light in the fireplace revealed a bloodied and bruised Hermione Granger. Mrs. Weasley dropped her spoon, Cho gave a little scream, and Ron cut himself in the finger. Then all of them ran to her to check if she was all right.
"Goodness! What happened to you?" Inquired Mrs. Weasley.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Asked Ron while sucking on his finger.
"Do you want me to call St. Mungo's?" Asked Cho.
"I'm quite fine." She replied. "I need to talk to Lupin." She sat down one of the available wooden chairs, the three people surrounding her never leaving her side. "Can you come get him, Ron?"
"Uh, sure." He replied. "But are you well, Mione?" He asked again.
"Yes, Ronald. Please get Lupin." She reiterated, and Ron ran out of the room. They could hear his feet up the rickety steps as he ran. A few moments later, Lupin, followed by Harry and Ginny went in the small kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was tending to Hermione's wounds and Cho was sitting right beside her. Harry ran to her immediately and engulfed her in a long embrace.
"I'm taking you out right now." He said, still holding her. "This is over for you."
"Not yet, Harry." She said, pushing him away. "Professor Lupin?" She said, standing up.
"In the hall, Hermione." Lupin replied, opening the door for her. They both stepped out of the room.
"What in Merlin's name happened to you?" He asked.
"I was asleep. I heard noises outside, so I went down to check. Greyback—"
"Fenrir Greyback?" Lupin asked.
"—Yes, him. He must have sensed me inside, because Snape suddenly destroyed the front door. They went inside, along with another Death Eater named Apollo. I tried to ward them off, and I—" She said, stopping. She still couldn't admit to herself that she had performed the Avada.
"You killed someone, didn't you?" Lupin said, continuing for her. She bowed her head in reply, allowing a few tears to escape from her eyes. Lupin gave her a pat on the back. "This is a war, Hermione. No place for remorse. Especially for someone of their kind. Who did you—"
"Apollo." She answered, looking up and wiping a few tears.
"I understand. Do you want to pull out?" He offered. She thought of Draco.
"No. But I promise the next time they come, I'll call you." She said. "I apologize for blowing my cover."
"No, you didn't do anything. The only thing you did was show bravery in times of casualty. Professor Dumbledore would've been proud of his finest student." He said, comforting her. She smiled. Lupin gave her a last pat on the back and went into the kitchen again.
She sighed. She didn't exactly lie to him. That was what happened. She just left out the parts with Draco in them. Just as she was about to follow him, the door swung open.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked, concerned. He slowly caressed the side of Hermione's arm.
"Yes, but I have to be getting back." She replied, wanting to escape. Ron was touching her arm. What was happening?
"Listen, I have something important to say." He replied, his face drawing nearer to hers.
"Um, yes?" She answered, uncomfortable. She knew she wanted what was happening. But then why was she hesitating? "Ron—"
She was stopped when he suddenly kissed her. She panicked, and pushed him away. "What are you doing?" She asked, hysterical.
"I thought this is what you wanted." He said, his face in a deep crimson.
"I thought so too. But that was before…" She said, unable to finish her sentence. But she knew exactly how the sentence would end.
And I bet you probably know too. Hmm? Please Review!