Chapter Ten

Of Course I don't own the HP Series

A/N:

I think I want to forward time a little and have him train the rest of sixth year. There surely will be his POV's as well as Hermione and everybody's.

Hermione stood staring at the spot Harry had just disappeared from, looking lost and broken. She felt herself falling apart from the inside, only it didn't stop on the inside because she soon found herself in Remus arms being escorted to a seat.

She didn't cry as might be expected of her. She would not cry for him as though he were dead. He was just gone and that took her breath away leaving her shaking and very much broken. He was her rock and he was her purpose. He was the one who motivated her to read as much as possible and learn as much as she could to help aid him and protect him. Now he was gone and she felt even more determined than ever to try and help him. She would do everything with vigor and train herself as best she could this way when he returns she would be able to help him face the Dark Lord.

Hermione drew in a deep breath and composed herself, and looked up into the worried faces of Remus and Tonks; she gave the both of them a weak smile.

Relief showed on their faces to see she wasn't too bad in shape as they had thought.

"Where did Harry go Hermione?" Tonks was the first to ask.

"I don't know, he just said he had to go," she said remembering how he had kissed her before guilt and fear took place in his eyes and left.

The nerve of him, to toy with her emotions like that, to kiss so beautifully, and then leave her strung like a tight wire like that to go only Merlin knows where. Hermione, you are not going to think like that. Pull yourself together. She admonished herself.

"What do you mean? He couldn't have just left like that. We have to know where he is for his protection. If Dumbledore were here he would know- ," Tonks was panicking. She had been assigned to protect him by the late Headmaster because of her ability.

"Tonks, you need to pull yourself together. Harry wouldn't just leave without a plan. He probably knows where he's going. I think we she give him a time frame. If he isn't back within a month then we can look for him. Remember he said he needed to figure some things out by himself. Things he can't tell us," that was Remus's thoughtful reply.

Hermione snorted on the inside at the absurdity of his reply. Harry had no real plan. All he wanted was to go some place he could train, somewhere Voldemort would not try to kill anyone talking to him. Harry had no plan. He was following his Destiny and he was going to try and find the Horcruxes. She wouldn't tell Remus that though because he would freak just as his girlfriend was doing.

"I think I want to go home now. I have quite a few things to do," she said looking at the couple.

"Okay, we'll take you-," that was from Remus.

"It's okay, you don't have to I have a ride. Remember my brother? He is still here and I think he's witnessed enough Drama for a lifetime with us Wizards and Witches," she said as she got up to leave.

The said brother was already making his way towards her worry on his face. She smiled at him, though it took a lot on her part.

"Bruce, this is Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, they are like me," she gave the simple explanation as to why she had disappeared as she saw clearly in his eyes he wanted to ask. She gave him a later look.

"Nice to meet you," he said with a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes and outstretched his hand towards Remus first, after shook it he indicated the same courtesy towards Tonks.

"Same here," replied Tonks at the same moment Remus said, "You too mate."

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione asked Bruce. He nodded and led her through the crowd to her car.

Remus and Tonks watched them leave and then followed a few minutes later. If Harry was gone that meant their duties just shifted to the girl he loved. He would want them to protect her seeing as he was a bit indisposed at the moment.

***

Hermione walked out with her cousin though she considered him more of a brother than anyone else. He was one of the closest people to her with the exception of Harry and her parents of course. He knew her very well and she loved him to pieces. He like Harry didn't judge her for her being so smart, he didn't judge that she (as she thought) wasn't the prettiest of the girls out there.

"So Hermione would you like to tell me what happened?" he asked his voice serious dividing his attention between driving and her.

" Um, well as you saw that was Remus and Tonks and they are from the Wizarding world and I thought maybe something was wrong that was why they were there…" she didn't know how to continue so she just trailed off thinking that was a good enough explanation.

Bruce knew her well and he knew she was hiding something but he wasn't sure how to ask her about it. So he decided to take the safest part and deal with the hard path when the time came, "Everything is fine though?"

"Yeah everything is going alright," she answered shortly.

She was making it very hard to proceed with the conversation with her short answers he decided. So he went for the kill. "Who was the guy you ran after?"

She fidgeted in her sit, obviously not really willing to share the guy's identity. He had his suspicions as to who it was but he had to hear it from her.

She cleared her throat and fidgeted with her hair all the while stalling from answering him. He also noticed her face had a tinge of pink to it. She was BLUSHING. Not an easy fit for Hermione.

"We go to school together," she finally answered.

"That's it?" he asked incredulously. She wasn't going to play games with him, he decided. Clearly the guy's identity was to be coaxed out of her.

"Okay, he's a friend from school."

"Hermione, that wasn't Harry Potter, was it?" he asked point blank.

"Yes, that was him," she replied after a moment.

"The why aren't you with him right now? Why aren't you hanging out together? Is it because of me? You know I know London very well, this is my second home, you need to-," she cut him off in a tiny voice he wouldn't have been able to hear if they hadn't been in the confines of a car.

"He left," her voice wavered a second and she turned her head quickly to look out the car's window.

"Excuse me?" he asked not understanding.

"He's gone," her voice was breathless and think with pain and what he suspected to be tears.

"What? Why? How could…I mean- What?" he asked again at a loss.

Hermione sniffled and raised one hand to her face to wipe away the tears she had forbidden to come.

Grateful that they had arrived at the Granger House Bruce got out of the car as fast as he could and went to his sister's side. He opened the door and she got out of the car. H e took her into his arms in a hug.

"Where did he go?" he asked.

"I actually don't know," was Hermione's muffled reply.

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't he tell you?" he asked shock and exasperation in his voice.

"He didn't tell me Bruce, I don't know where he is. How can I look out for him if I don't know where he is?" she asked more to herself than him.

"Honey, it'll be okay. He'll come back," Bruce didn't know that because he didn't know Harry but he just wanted his sister to be better.

"Oh, I know he'll come back. Why couldn't he just ask for my help? I would have done anything for him. I would still do anything for him. Why has he got to be the Chosen One? Why is it his Destiny? Why couldn't it be someone else? Why has he got to be so honorable? Why him?" she asked no one in particular. Her tears were now dry. No more crying. She told herself. She knew the answers to all the questions she had asked. He was chosen because he is brave. It is his destiny due to his Courage. It couldn't be someone else because they would have broken, he was steadfast in what he believed was right and he was the one. He was the light himself. He was the protector of the Wizarding world.

"What do you mean Destiny? Or Chosen One at that?" Bruce asked confused.

"Remember those books about the Wizarding world that Grandma gave us to read? The ones with the Dark Lord and a young boy who saved the world from the Dark One?" Hermione asked him.

"Yeah, the little boy's name was-," he stopped abruptly as the pieces put themselves together in his head. "Holly Cow!!! that was Harry Potter!!! You know Harry Potter?!! He is a celebrity Hermione!!! Your best friend or should I say Boyfriend? is famous," he said excitement ringing in his voice.

"He is not my boyfriend," then as an after thought she added, "He doesn't feel that way about me."

"That's what you keep telling yourself," Bruce said a smile in his voice. He pulled out of their hug and put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her towards the house.

"Yeah, Bruce, he might be famous and all but he's got this whole thing in-front of him that even I don't full understand. Not to mention he's gone," she said bitterness in her voice.

"Hermione, he'll be fine and he'll be back. I'm sure nothing will happen to him," Bruce assured her as they walked through the door.

A/N: Yeah that's what I have. Short but I am kind of rusty… I have Bruce there for Hermione while she is in the Muggle World this way she doesn't have to deal with Harry's leaving by herself, and that's the only reason Bruce knows about the Wizarding world. Thank you so much Gloria for reviewing and for being patient with me as well as all my other readers. I am forever grateful to you. Thank you for your patience and PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW. XOXO ENJOY!!!!