Chapter 6

A/N: Ah, Please read the author's note at the bottom. Crookshanks :)) geddit? Crook'shanks'? No? Damn…

Disclaimer: As if. Do you really think I wrote such an awsome series like Harry Potter? Psh. Yeah. That'll happen when Voldemort decides that he loves Dumbledore and starts handing out sweets to muggle children and making out with mudbloods. *shudders*

Hermione looked around her. Everything dark, but she could see the stars above her, and trees in front of her. What was she doing in a forest? She recognized the path ahead of her. It was the one she took in first year, but Harry, Neville, Draco, and Hagrid had been with her. She took a shaky breath and stood up, wondering how the hell she got here. Everything was silent, the only thing that was heard was Hermione's shaky breath. She felt her pocket for her wand, but it wasn't there. Hermione's eyes widened. Without her wand, she couldn't defend herself. She stared into the darkness, feeling completely defenseless. Then she thought she heard voices, but they sounded far away.

"Hello?" she said. She mentally face-palmed. Why the hell did she say that? But for some reason, she trusted those voices, they sounded familiar. Then she heard it again.

"We'll be there, Harry,"

"No-"

"You said to us once before, that there was a time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"

Hermione's eyes widened. It can't be.

"We're with you whatever happens…"

She broke into a run, running toward the voices, tears brimming her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. This might be the answer! It has to be! This is the answer to why Harry betrayed us! Hermione ran faster and the voices grew louder. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest and her breathing get heavier. Then the voices grew softer.

No! Wait! She sprinted after the voices, which sounded even farther, as if it was coming out of a broken radio.

No!

She stopped running, panting and crying. She didn't know what to do. Then the voices faded away and everything became silent again.

No… She wiped her tears away from her face and looked around. Everything was dark again, and she was alone once more. Her breath became ragged as she looked around her. Then she fell on her knees, closed her eyes and bowed her head. Where does she go now? She was hopelessly lost. Hermione wasn't going to deny it; she felt a bit scared.

"'Mione…?"

Hermione's head snapped up and a few feet in front of her, stood Harry. His hair, messy as ever, whipping around in the wind, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. He looked weary, he looked tired. He looked… lost…

He stared back at Hermione with saddness in his eyes. Something in his eyes made Hermione feel uneasy. It almost seemed... accusing.

They stared at each other for a while, Hermione's eyes filled with tears, then Harry turned around and walked away.

"Wait! Harry wait!" Harry's figure disappeared into the darkness.

"Wait! Harry, please!" Hermione ran into the darkness, looking for any signs of Harry.

"Harry! Harry, wait!" She said, new tears falling on her cheeks. She doesn't even know why she was crying now. Then she heard him and froze.

"You said you'd be there,"

Hermione stopped and looked around, panting and sweaty, trying to find where the voice came from.

"You said you were always there for me!"

"Harry!" She said, her face damp with tears.

"You said you were with me, no matter what!"

"Harry, please! I'm sorry!" Hermione cried hands in her hair, her eyes shut trying to stop the flow of tears.

"You promised!"

"STOP! PLEASE! STOP!" Hermione sobbed.

"Please… stop…" Hermione covered her face in her hands and cried.

"Harry?" There was no answer. "Harry!"

She looked wildy around her, tears dripping down her front. Then she took in her surroundings. There were two paths ahead of her, both looking identical, but pointing toward two different directions. Hermione stared at the two paths ahead of her. Should she keep going, to find Harry? Or should she go back? Hermione quickly glanced behind her and found that it was blocked by a wall. In fact, she looked like she was in a different place.

She was no longer in the forest. Hermione took in her surroundings. She remembered the place, it was too familiar. She was in the department of mysteries. She looked back ahead of her and found, instead of paths, doors. Just like she remembered them. Hermione took a breath. Her mind was racing, thoughts and ideas buzzed inside her mind, but the one that stood clear was, What the bloody hell do I do now? She thought long and hard, examining the doors that lie ahead of her. One thing was clear. To get out of here, she has to choose her way. She racked her brain to the night she last visited this place. Then something clicked into her brain. I have to ask!

"Which way do I go?"

The door somewhere on the left flung open and she didn't hesitate to go in. For a strange reason, she felt a pull in her gut that told her to keep going that she could not explain. The tunnel was dark, very dark, and she could not see a thing. She kept going down the tunnel until a speck of light shone into the darkness. She hurried after it. She was getting closer and the light was getting bigger. She closed her eyes shut as she barrled into the light.

Nothing happened.

Hermione hesitantly opened her eyes and had to cover her mouth to prevent from screaming. There were hundreds of people staring at her with sad eyes. She knew them instantly, with their dark hair and green eyes in the sea of people.

They were the Potters; gernerations and generations of them. Four people stood in front of Hermione, all looking sad and depressed. James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus. Lily had tears in her eyes and James had an arm around her, sadness and grief filled in his eyes. Then he spoke.

"Please, save him."

Hermione woke up with a start.

Darkness filled the air around the beautiful castle. Screams of pain and terror echoed through the castle walls. This was Hogwarts, the once greatest school of witchcraft and wizardry. Now it is under the rein of the Dark Lord, along with everything else. A cloaked figure of a man was walking down the halls of the great school, stopping at the front doors of the Great Hall. Behind the doors, he could hear the screams of people being tortured, and the cold laugh of a man, clearly amused and happy.

The cloaked man winced and his right hand jumped to his left arm. On his arm, there was a mark which most witches and wizards in the wizarding world feared, and not only does everyone fear the people who bear the mark, but fear the person it symbolized. The man's arm burned, and he knew this was not a good sign. He just came back from a mission, a mission to wipe out the strongest fighters of the light side.

The young man pushed the doors of the Great Hall open and he strode in, completely unfazed by the screams of the frightened people all around him. At the end of the Hall, where the headmaster usually sat, was a terrifying, snake-like man who wore a cruel, twisted, amused smile on his face at the arrival of the hooded man. The snake-like man was who everyone feared, Voldemort.

"Ah, you're late," he sneered. The hooded man lowered himself down to his knees and bowed his head.

"It is done," the cloaked figure said. Voldemort's sick, cruel smile grew larger.

"Good, good, I believe you killed him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Yes," Voldemort laughed. All the Death Eaters surrounding them all looked up curiously and listened to their conversation, even the prisoners look up.

"And the girl?" There was a long stretch of silence where everyone waited for the answer. The man, still kneeling, tensed. Then he looked up into Voldemort's red, impatient, eyes.

"She's escaped again." Everyone waited for Voldemort's reaction and braced themselves for torture, or for Voldemort to torture the man on the floor, who was quite calm. Then Voldemort smiled, which surprised everyone.

"I'm not surprised, she always finds ways to escape," Voldemort said, "but we'll find her soon, excellent work. Why don't you greet our guests here properly?" Voldemort laughed.

All the prisoners were terrified as the man stood. Then he lowered his hood. Everyone gasped in shock and shrieked in terror. There, facing them, stood a man with jet black, messy hair and emerald green eyes. He wore glasses and his face was expressionless, but his eyes showed that he felt tons of pain and suffering and had seen many terrors. He looked so different from before, but there was no mistaking, that this man was Harry Potter.

"YOU!" One of the chained prisoners bellowed. Harry turned to the source of the voice and recognized the person immediately. It was Dean Thomas, covered in blood, bruises, and cuts, but he looked outraged. Harry stared at his old dorm mate in silence until it was cut off by Voldemort's laughter.

"Potter, I feel we must teach Thomas here some manners," he said amusedly. Dean looked terrified, but still determined as Harry nodded slightly and motioned a death eater to bring Dean towards the center of the Hall. Two death eaters grabbed Dean from under his arms and dragged him towards Harry, dropping him by his feet. Dean forced himself to look into Harry's eyes, his dark, miserable green eyes. All was silent. Prisoners watched fearfully and Death Eaters looked towards Harry eagerly, waiting for him to make a move. It was clear that the Death Eaters respected Harry and he was in a high rank. Voldemort growled impatiently.

"Thomas, here, was captured in a raid, along with other Aurors as you were away chasing that Longbottom boy and the Mudblood. He was caught trying to release the prisoners and he's been here ever since." Voldemort sneered. The air around them was tense. Then Dean gathered up all of his courage and spoke to Harry, not bothering to hide the anger evident in his voice.

"How could you?" Dean shouted, "Do you know what's happened to all of us? Did you even think about us at all before you betrayed us? Do you know what Hermione's going through right now? She's depressed, Harry, all because of YOU! Did you even think about her? Do you care about her AT ALL?"

All Harry did was stare in silence as Dean panted heavily on the floor glaring up at him. Voldemort laughed once more.

"How sweet, you still believe that he's still on your side, you still believe that he cares about that mudblood." Voldemort laughed. Dean ignored him and turned to Harry once more.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Voldemort's red eyes flared in anger and fury.

"Enough of this! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Dean watched as the green light speed towards his direction, but he did not move or show any signs of fear, he didn't care. He cast one last sad glance toward Harry before the green light hit him straight in his chest. He fell to the ground, dead. Death Eaters cheered in delight and Voldemort laughed. Prisoners screamed in horror, but Harry didn't hear anything. He stared at the lifeless body, Dean's voice still echoing inside his head.

Do you care about her at all?

You don't A familiar voice inside him said. Harry felt his mind drift, for some reason, he felt reassured by the strong voice. She broke your heart. You don't care anymore.

You do, another small timid voice inside him said. It was different. Harry felt as if he didn't hear this voice in a long time and a part of him felt the need to hear it again. You love her…

Harry mentally slapped himself, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He cursed and mentally kicked himself for letting this get to him. I don't he kept thinking I don't care about her anymore. I don't love her. Not anymore.

A/N: ANOTHER REPOST CHAPTER DOWN! ALMOST THERE! ALMOST DONE WITH REPOSTS! HURRAH! :)) love you all! Thanks for being so patient. :) LUUUVV ALWAYS!

Happy Writing!

xXShipMateSeaweedBrainXx

Reposted 8/2/11