Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, J.K Rowling does.

Author note: Thank you to SereniteRose for being my first reviewer. Oreo points for you, because I don't like ordinary cookies.

Chapter 3

21 April 2000

18:30

Harry's Pov

Harry knew he was being silly, but he swore that the blasted elevator was going extra slow today just to add to his torment. He was running late again and Hermione was going to kill him. His boss, Boggins had kept him back again, Harry was sure that all the paperwork he made him do wasn't a part of auror training, but he was going to respect his boss and do it no questions asked, but sometimes the man, brilliant as he was, was just plain lazy.

Harry was sure that this must have been the fifth Weasley dinner in a row that he was late for and he wouldn't be surprised if Hermione had gotten impatient and went on without him.

Harry rushed out of the rickety elevator, thinking that he'd probably have to report that, and ran to the floo network in the Ministries atrium. Quickly Harry stepped into the green flames and yelled his address before being engulfed in flames.

When Harry emerged from the fireplace he knew instantly that something was off. Firstly the lights were off, Hermione always left them on because she knew he would first come home to change out of his work robes and then rush off to the Burrow. Quickly Harry dismissed his thoughts, Mrs. Weasley probably asked her to come over earlier and thus it would have been too early to leave the lights on.

Harry rushed to the closet, which he shared with Hermione and undressed into more comfortable clothing. And that's when he noticed what had been unsettling him from the beginning. Where there should have been a wall full of his girlfriend's clothing, was a wall stripped bare. A thousand explanations as to why this was rushed into Harry's thoughts but none of them made sense.

Numbly, while still trying to comprehend what was going on, Harry made his way to the kitchen. There on the kitchen counter, just in front of the fruit bowl, was a number of letters placed neatly on top of the counter.

Harry realised that his answer to the disappearance of Hermione's clothes lay solely in one of those envelopes, but whether he wanted to know why, Harry wasn't too sure. Nimbly Harry picked them all up, on the front of each letter was a name in Hermione's handwriting, there was a letter for Fred and George, Ron, Ginny, Luna and him. Harry picked out his letter from the bunch, after surveying it for a long time Harry opened.

Dear Harry

It pains me to even write this down. I didn't ever want it to end like this, I never wanted it to end at all. Harry you know that I love you with every fibre in my being, I love you more than life itself, but sometimes love can't heal everything and trust me when I say that this was the last thing I ever wanted to do to you. I couldn't keep fooling myself by telling myself that everything was going to be alright, in a way it was getting better but I can't ever truly relax or be at peace in England and so I decided that the only way that I can at least try to heal was to move away from where the heartache centres from and it is heart wrenching to think that you are a part of all that. So I ask you to not look for me, nothing will change my mind. Harry I would like to thank you before I finish off this letter, Harry Potter although you think you are incapable of being loved because of how you were brought up, I have tell you that of all the people in the world, in past, present or future that nobody deserves to be loved whole and fully as you do and I hope you'll find someone who will love you like that and I am sorry that it wasn't me. And thank you for teaching me what love was and how to love Harry because without you I don't think I would have ever known and thank you for loving me unconditionally. You are a wonderful person and I just ask that you take care of yourself and I'll see you again someday but just not anytime soon.

Take care Harry.

Love Hermione.

Later Harry would say he knew the letters contents long before he had read it, knew before he had seen that all her clothes were gone and knew just after stepping out of the fireplace, but all of that wouldn't have prepared him for the feeling that followed after having his worst fear confirmed. The pain that Harry felt after reading that letter could easily be compared to how he felt while he watched Sirius fall through the veil. And just like then, Harry didn't know he would deal with it.

For as long as he could remember Hermione was always there, first as an annoying busy know-it-all, then to his super smart best friend that was always there for him when he needed her and then as his significant other, his confidant and his comfort. Hermione had meant everything to him and he would do anything for her and now she was just gone.

Harry dropped the letter on the counter and walked to the bathroom, switching the lights off as he went. Harry looked like the way he felt, drained, numb and haunted. Was he such a horrible person that he didn't deserve to be loved or was this another of fates cruel jokes because his life seemed so full of them. Harry opened the cabinet and grabbed two vials of potion, one dreamless sleep potion and the other a sleeping draught, he'd be numb as long as he could, if he could help it. Harry was asleep long before his head hit the pillow. The vials lay empty on the bedside cabinet.

23 April 2000

Harry awoke to someone shaking him the next morning. He contemplated feigning sleep so that he'd be left to sleep some more, but the person was persistent. After a few more rough shakes, Harry let out a muffled groan.

"Get up Potter before I douse you with water. "Said the annoying voice, Harry noted that it sounded female.

"Come on mate, you know she means." A male voice this time. Harry sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he noticed that he was still wearing the same clothes from Friday night. Irritated with being awoken from his sleep, Harry grabbed his glasses from the bedside table before turning to face the intruders with his best glare. Harry was met with the faces of two redheads, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley to be more exact. While Ron was smiling sheepishly at him because he knew how much Harry treasured his sleep, Ginny was fixing him with one of her trademark glares.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" demanded Harry. Ginny's eyes just about flashed with rage and Harry swore he saw Ron taking a step back.

"What the hell are we doing?" she began in a quiet but deadly voice. "Firstly, you and Hermione didn't come to dinner on Friday, without any explanation and Mum was really disappointed. Then you don't respond to any form of communication over the whole weekend, and then I had to drag Ron here so that we could check on you two and we find you conked out after drinking two very strong sleeping draughts, so I think the question is what the bloody hell are you doing Harry!" Ginny finished, practically screaming at the end. Harry had visibly flinched at her name, but Ginny didn't seem to notice but Ron had.

"Speaking of Hermione, where is she mate?" asked Ron looking around. Just like that the numbness returned, Harry still failed to see how he didn't feel pain, but considering what he had been through maybe Harry was incapable of feeling pain anymore and the pain was replaced by numbness. Harry slid out of bed and walked past Ginny and Ron without a word and made his way to the kitchen. He heard Ginny's exasperated sigh and the sound of shoes following him.

Harry made his way to the kitchen counter and picked up the letters. He sorted through the pile and found the ones that he was looking for and handed them to their owners. Both redheads looked at him with a quizzical looks before taking the letters and opening them.

The minutes ticked by and with each word they read, Harry could see how their faces fell, he even saw Ginny's eyes glassing over. Ron folded his letter first and Harry vowed that he never wanted to see the look on Ron's face that he had seen in that moment ever again. It was a mixture of torment, hurt, betrayal and sadness.

"It's a load of dung and you both know it too. I know Hermione and if she was putting up an act, I would have seen through it, she was doing just fine!" He yelled angrily.

"Would you stop being hot headed for once in your life, we know that there was another reason, but…how could she?" asked Ginny her voice cracking.

"She's being bloody well unfair, the war affected all of us and you don't see us running away from our problems" muttered Ron darkly.

"Now don't you two start again, people deal with grief differently, obviously she couldn't deal with it and…" Harry's voice cracked, the first evidence of emotion seeping through. "We need each other more than ever now, so just don't fight please." Harry pleaded while blinking back tears.

Ginny quickly wiped away her tears, Harry should remind her that she didn't have to be strong for everyone all the time, but then again someone should probably remind him too. She held out her arms to embrace him and Harry gladly welcomed it.

"C'mere Ronnikens or I'll start crying and then you'll really be uncomfortable." Harry weakly tried to joke. Ron offered him a small smile before joining the hug. The girl he loved might be gone, but life would go on and Harry would be okay.