CHAPTER Eight –

Harry had been in a right snit all through the holidays as Hermione and what happened stayed on his mind. Daphne and Fleur worked wonders to distract him but any time he spent alone his anger grew.

By the first day of term his mood was more foul than even when he took care of Lord Malfoy and Draco. He came into the dinner feast and jumped on to the Ravenclaw table "Hermione Granger I want to talk to you, stand up."

The whole room was quiet as Harry looked down the table and could not find her. He then looked at the head table "Where is she?"

Albus stood up "She is not here."

Harry stomped down the table "Tell me or I will find her myself. I have had enough!"

Minerva stood up "Mister Potter, Hermione Granger resigned from Hogwarts."

At this Harry's anger grew exponentially until he suddenly flashed away.

Filius grinned "Oh, that girl is in so much trouble." He said to the table at large.

Harry landed in a muggle neighborhood in front of a house that he had never seen before. He felt the draw from his transport here pull him towards this house. Harry knew he had to calm down before he went in because his emotions would make his magic wonky and he didn't want to hurt anyone in this home…in Hermione's home.

He took many deep breaths and was getting himself under control when a tall man stepped beside him and asked in a quiet voice. "Young man I start to worry when someone appears close to my porch and just stands there, without knocking."

Harry looked over at him and saw a tall man about six foot two with brown hair with slightly graying temples. He also noticed that the man looked very fit and in shape for someone in their late thirties or early forties. "I am sorry sir. I have been worried about someone for the last few weeks and I cannot get anybody to tell me what is going on. I am trying to get myself, my emotions under control before I talk to her. I am very frustrated right now."

The man smiled "You wouldn't be Harry Potter would you?"

Harry frowned "Yes sir." Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes "Something terrible has happened to my best friend and I want to know what."

A woman stepped out on the porch and looked at her husband and then at Harry. "Minerva said you would be by, warned us really. When Hermione heard she demanded we leave the country. She said if you found out you would end up in Azkabahn so she had to leave to protect you."

The man frowned "but we refused to leave and she has worked herself into an emotional mess. Minerva said you two need to work this out."

Harry frowned "I don't know what to work out until I know what is going on. May I go and see her?"

The man raised his hand and nodded to go in the house. As he passed Hermione's mom she stopped him with her hand on his arm "Harry everything she has done from the time she was aware of what was done to her is because she loves you."

Harry looked at her "We were just friends."

Emma Granger looked at him like he was the stupidest man on the earth and asked him "Really Harry? Think about how emotional this has made you and why you are so angry. Why when she took Ron's side did it hurt you so bad? Did Ron's betrayal hurt like Hermione's did?"

Harry rubbed his neck and then looked down "No, Hermione's bothered me the most. It…I never understood it. She has always been there…it shattered me really."

Emma then smiled "Because maybe you care about each other more than just friends. She didn't betray you willingly Harry, she would never ever do that."

Harry stepped forward and looked very confused "Is there ever a time when women can just tell us what the hell is going on, you know like normal people do?"

Emma grinned and then chuckled "Nope, it's what makes us women."

Harry just snorted "Bloody hell! …makes a man want to become a monk."

Dan Granger then laughed before speaking "Harry she is set on this course of action and you are going to have to shake her tree."

Harry mumbled "Bloody Dragons seem tamer." Dan and Emma just smile at each other as he walked through the door.

Harry walked up the steps and then saw only one door closed in the hall he was about to knock but his anger welled within him and he vanished the door. He looked over and saw Hermione sitting on the floor with a book in her hands. He took a deep breath and began "Hermione I am bloody tired of chasing you and waiting for you or someone to tell me what is going on."

Hermione jumped up as if she had been electrocuted "Harry….What…Get out!"

Harry looked at her with very determined eyes and crossed his arms "Not until you tell me what happened?"

Hermione looked at him and then suddenly the tears started falling like waterfalls and she turned away "Harry I can't. I can't. I know you feel like I am betraying you again but I really can't. Go away and leave me alone. Go back to Hogwarts."

Harry stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders which caused Hermione to break down even more. "Please Harry don't I don't deserve you I let you down I know I did. Don't make me tell you. Just please go and forget about all of it. It is better for everyone."

Harry sighed "Hermione I can't, you know that about me. I can't do it. If my friends need me I will go through hell for them. It is my people saving thing. Just tell me what I need to know."

Hermione broke down even more "Harry I can't you will kill him."

Harry took a big guess "You mean that I will kill that Prat Ron because he gave you a love potion to keep you away from me."

Hermione turned around in a flash and said with shock and anger "Bloody hell who told you?

Harry's eyes glowed in anger "What else Hermione what else did he do to you?"

Hermione looked scared now but quit crying "Harry please don't do anything stupid. That is what I feared the most I don't want you to go to prison over that loser."

Harry's cold voice came across "Hermione what else did he do or I promise I will beat the shit out of him until he tells me."

Hermione drew closer to grab him and held him here "Harry, promise me."

Harry stopped her "Tell me."

Hermione eyes teared up "He raped me multiple times and used me like a slave."

Harry looked at her and then finally her looks over that time began to make sense and then his sense of guilt rose to the surface. "Oh bloody hell that is what those looks meant. I am the stupidest git in the world. Here I was acting like a prat and you were suffering under my very nose."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief "What Harry no! This was not your fault. You had no way of knowing. You felt betrayed, hurt and you reacted. I don't blame you for this. It was my fault for trusting him.

Harry wiped his face "Hermione I saw your looks you were trying to fight it. If I had only paid more attention and been a better friend. I could have helped you and stopped it."

Hermione suddenly became angry "Harry James Potter this was not your fault in any way shape or form. You stop this right now. You don't need this shite right now because you have a dangerous tournament to finish."

Harry stood up and raised his voice "Yes it is Hermione, I didn't help you when you needed me most. I was too busy paying attention to my own needs instead of being there for you!"

Hermione raised her voice "It is not your fault Harry! Now quit taking the blame for it."

Harry yelled back "It isn't your fault for betraying me if you were under a potion."

Hermione's eyes watered "Yes, it is I should have recognized the symptoms and then I wouldn't have hurt you."

Harry then threw her for a loop "If it is neither of our faults then why are you running away?"

Hermione didn't think before speaking "Because I know you would try to kill him and I don't want to see you go to prison. You Prat!"

Harry stood and smirked and continued this enraged conversation "Because you love me?"

Hermione answered before thinking "Yes, I love you, you..." Hermione clamped her hands over her mouth and turned away in embarrassment."

Harry sat back down "Hermione… I didn't understand it either but I am pretty sure that I love you, of course with my background I am not sure what love is really."

Downstairs Dan and Emma listened with great interest and when Harry got Hermione to tell him she loved him Emma smiled "He is really good. I think he knows our daughter very well."

Dan then smiled back "I think he will be the one. What do you think?"

Emma snorted "They are practically married already."

Hermione spun around and looked at him then sighed "You are such a prat some times. That was not fair what you did to me."

Harry smirked at her "But it was effective and now that the truth is out there we can get to the heart of things and figure out our legal revenge on one Ron Weasley."

Hermione sat down beside him and smiled "Am I forgiven for betraying you?"

Harry grabbed her hand "Well see this is where I have a problem because you were under a potion and not yourself were you, so it is really not your fault."

Hermione rolled her eyes "Harry that is not how this works. You forgive me I feel better and then we can make up as friends."

Harry smiled "You forgot already. I don't do normal so the Potter way is to lay the blame where it rightly belongs, at Ron 's feet, and I don't forgive you but I do this." Harry then sat her on his lap and proceeded to kiss her.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and then opened her eyes to look into his. Hermione smiled "I have to say this plan of yours has some merit at the least I feel much better."

Harry sighed "Hermione I am very disappointed in you. If there is one thing I know you know about me is that I hate not being told things for my own good. How could you of all people do that to me?"

Hermione frowned heavily and then stood up "Harry, I was so afraid when you found out that you would lash out without thinking. What you did to Draco is all I could think about."

Hermione sat beside him "I was also dealing with being violated in the worst way from someone I thought I could trust. My emotions were all over the place."

Harry leaned forward and looked at her "What broke you out of the potion?"

Hermione chuckled "You." She said softly. Then Hermione smirked as she smacked his head "How could you let that Dragon almost kill you?" Harry frowned then smiled at her.

Hermione continued "Everything broke when I saw the dragon spike enter your body, I thought I had lost you and I became angry and then I stunned Ronald Bilious Weasley before finding Minerva." Hermione then pulled her hair away from her eyes "I have loved you since first year, since you saved me from that troll and that is what broke the potion."

Harry rubbed his fingers over his shirt "See I am that good, even from a distance I save damsels in distress."

Hermione then looked at him in shock "I did not hear Harry Potter just say that."

Hermione placed her hands on her hips "How could you take a tender moment I was having and make it about you?"

Harry felt bad at first and then looked at the glint in Hermione's eye and realized she was toying with him. "Just like a woman to do something despicable to the guy and then make him feel guilty."

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock and then she smirked "Not working, huh?"

Harry crossed his arms across his chest "Nope, it might have worked on me last year but not now." Harry stepped closer to her "Today you shall have to make amends for your transgression. You must give me your oath…that you will never, ever withhold important facts about anything…ever."

Hermione stood back and placed her hands on her hips "I will not!"

Harry placed his hands on her shoulder's and trapped her against the wall "Yes, Hermione you will because if you ever do this to me again I will have nothing further to do with you. We lost time together because I didn't know what happened to you and you were going to leave me behind. You will do it or else."

Hermione looked at him "But Harry a magical oath is very serious."

Harry arched his eye "Oh, so you intend to lie to me in the future?"

Hermione back pedaled "No, I would never…"

Harry gave her a look "Then make me a promise." Harry then raised his hand with his pinky extended and looked at her with a mischievous grin.

Hermione then started to laugh before she latched on with her pinky "I promise to never withhold information from the biggest prat I have ever known, Harry Potter."

Harry leaned down and kissed her softly and deeply. They separated a few minutes later. Hermione looked up and smirked "You didn't have to stop doing that you know."

Harry smiled "I want to show you something and if you want you may join me in my bed tonight… if you play your cards right, you might just get lucky."

Hermione mouth fell open in shock "Harry, I have never heard you say or act like you have tonight. What changed, I mean what happened to make you this way?"

Harry turned away from her "They entered me in a tournament I didn't want to be in and I have decided I have had enough. I want to live for me and what I want and I won't be their poster child any longer."

Hermione hugged him from behind "Then can I help you?"

Harry turned quickly and smiled "Yes, of course I am in need of your Ginormous brain power to survive this bloody tournament."

Hermione frowned "Ginormous Harry? That is not a word."

Harry looked shocked "Says who?"

Hermione smiled "Says Webster dictionary."

Harry grinned "I think you should check again I did have a talk with the editor."