Author's Note: Hello all! Sorry for the very, very long awaited update but as you all know, life happens. Well now I am off for winter break and I am excited to finally be able to work on ending this story. There will be one more chapter of this left and then the journey will unfortunately all be over. =[

This chapter is inspired by the awesome Kina Grannis' song "In Your Arms". If you haven't seen the video yet, I definitely suggest that you go over to YouTube and check it out. Seriously it is one of the greatest videos I have ever seen. It gives me hope for quality music videos again.

CH. 17-In Your Arms

"How is that even possible?" I asked in shock at just hearing that my ex-boyfriend's father was a serial killer.

"Come now, you are an intelligent girl. Must I explain to you the nature of sexual relations? You see when a man and a woman get together—"

"Please spare me the details, I'm not an idiot. I was merely asking a rhetorical question. I'm in shock is all. Though Cormac's tendencies now make much more sense. The arrogance, the disgusting joy in harming others all comes from his twisted father," I asserted with a shake of my head.

"I told the boy that nothing good comes from women. You, like his mother, are both a pair of teases. They should be used for man's pleasure and procreation, nothing more."

I just silently fumed as I stared at the knife held in his hand. Was there really a point in arguing with a mass murder? "Your son got what he deserved and soon you will be brought to justice as well. It's only a matter of time."

"Silly little girl. After I am done with you, there will be nothing left to identify your body with and then I will finish the business with Mr. Potter that I should have completed years ago. Don't worry, your death will be swift. I will kill you before I chop you into pieces."

"Oh well, how thoughtful of you," I said sarcastically, repulsed at the horrid thoughts going through his brain.

"I am a merciful human being. Now, let's get this over with shall we?" Riddle spoke before moving the knife towards my throat.

Harry's POV

"Shouldn't we tell Harry about this?" Mrs. Granger spoke aloud.

"I don't think that would be the best course of action—"

"Tell me what," I interrupted, walking into the living room to face all of the adults.

Immediately Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Granger's eyes turned in my direction. Ginny, Draco, and Ron had tried their best to take my mind off of the situation by taking me out for a walk. The only reason that I went was because it gave me something else to do besides waiting. Waiting to see if the one person that I loved most in the world was alive or not…

"Harry, how was your walk?" Sirius answered, avoiding the subject.

"About as good as anyone who has their girlfriend's life in the hands of a mass murder. Don't change the subject. If you have news about Hermione, I have the right to know," I replied dispassionately, staring directly at Remus and Tonks.

They all looked at one another for a second before returning to the task at hand. "We were able to track the location of Hermione's mobile. We traced it back to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of London," Tonks said looking at me with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go save her!" I asserted, turning to walk back out the door.

"And that is precisely why we did not want to tell you. You have no sense of concern for your own safety when it comes to helping others," Remus said putting a strong hand on my shoulder to stop me from leaving.

"It's true that you definitely have this 'saving people thing' that Hermione likes to coin so well," Ginny spoke up in agreement.

"So I am a bad person because I want to stop a deranged psychopath from harming my girlfriend?"

"No mate, the exact opposite. What if that's exactly what Riddle is counting on? What if it's a trap?" Ron said looking at me.

"I don't care. I got her into this mess and it is my responsibility to get her out. While we wait here and decide whether or not to take action, its more time that we loose to be able to save her!" I yelled in frustration. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a short time before I blew up again. "Ginny, you are really willing to let your best friend die in there?"

At my words, her face started to turn bright red, reflecting her radiant Weasley hair colour. "How dare you even insinuate something as horrific as that! Of course I don't want that to happen but I am also thinking of what Hermione wants. And I know that she doesn't want to lose you. You've decided to come back in her life what, 3 months ago when it was convenient for you? Where were you when she needed you the most? So don't go playing the martyr now. You know what, I do blame you for any harm that comes to her. If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened," She shouted at me, bawling her fist together before running out the room into the kitchen.

"Gin," Ron said in disbelief, moving to stop his sister before I placed a hand on his shoulder. I gave him a nod before walking off after her.

I entered my kitchen and leaned against the opposite end of the wall. I stared at her for a couple of seconds, feeling like the biggest bloody bastard in the world before I worked up the nerve to speak up again. "I know that I cannot ever make up for the things that I've done. Hermione deserves so much better than me and I will never understand why she gave me the opportunity to become a part of her life again. But I do know that I will never take her for granted again. I am so very thankful that she had such an amazingly protective friend like you throughout these years."

"She has a great heart, that's why she let you back in," Ginny said looking at me from her side of the room.

"That she does. Look, it is my fault that she got into this mess—"

"Harry, you know I didn't really mean that. I was just taking my frustration about the situation out on you," She interrupted apologetically.

"Nevertheless, because of who I am it is. And I am going to get her out this. I have to, but I cannot do this if no one is willing to try with me."

"Of course everyone wants her to come home safely. It's just that we don't want to risk you doing it."

"This is Hermione we are talking about it."

She sighed and nodded affirmatively to me before pulling me back out to join the others.

A little while later—

"Let's go over this one more time," Remus said to me as we stood outside the warehouse building in the cold London night air.

I rolled my eyes before answering him for the third time that night. "Remus, I get it. I won't jeopardize Hermione's life by going in there. I will wait for the police to do their job," I replied monotonously.

"Or risk your own life might I add? Listen, I shouldn't have even brought you here but you are like a nephew to me and I love you. And as your uncle, I am begging you to let us handle the situation. I couldn't bare to lose you the same way I lost your parents. Not to mention the fact that Sirius would probably kill me in my sleep if I let anything happen to you," He said with a shake of his head.

I smiled at him before pulling him in for a quick hug. "Be safe Remus," I whispered into his ear before we pulled apart. He nodded at me before going towards the entrance of the building with the rest of the department.

I settled back into my place against the patrol car turning up the speaker on the police walkie-talkie. Sometimes it paid off being a police detective's nephew.

Remus gave his fellow officers a signal before they quietly entered the building. All I could do was pray that nothing happened to them and that they had reached Hermione in time. I don't know that I could live with the knowledge that she died because of me. I stopped my troubled thoughts as I heard voices come through the device.

"We have you surrounded Riddle. Give us Hermione and come with us quietly and there will be no trouble," Remus announced.

"Oh you mean besides spending the rest of my life detained in one of those dreaded detention prison cells? No thank you," a voice that I remembered to be that of Riddle's returned.

"You are in no position to negotiate with the numerous amounts of crimes that you have committed. Now let her go before we kill you on the spot."

"I would like to see you try. I wonder who is faster? The metropolitan police department or me?" Riddle answered before I heard Hermione shout in pain.

"I am warning you Riddle!" Remus yelled at him.

My heart started to race rapidly as I pictured the scenario in my mind. I didn't know what he was doing to Hermione but I prayed on everything I believed in to stop her pain and bring her back to me safely.

"This is what is going to happen. I will give her to you in exchange for Mr. Potter," Riddle said.

"That is never going to happen," Remus asserted.

"Well then I guess that this knife is going to slice her throat and I am going to have a load of blood on my hands. You have one minute to decide if the girl lives or dies."

"Remus don't let Harry come up here, no matter what," Hermione spoke out softly.

The moment I heard her soft voice, I sprang into action. There was no way I was going to let her die because of me. I threw the walkie-talkie on the ground before racing towards the entrance. The police ran at me to try and stop me but I dodged them and ran into the building. I ran as fast as I could up the three flights of stairs.

Once I finally reached the top of the landing, the police task force grabbed me and detained me from entering the room.

"Harry, don't!" Hermione screamed at me with tears streaming down her face.

"Let go of me!" I shouted at the police holding me. I struggled to kick and knock them off of me as best as I could.

"Dammit Harry!" Remus yelled at me, glancing between where he held his gun at Riddle and where his unit had me now tackled to the ground.

"I knew he wouldn't be able to resist saving someone. Ever the hero, just like James tried to be," Riddle spoke out with a laugh as he pulled Hermione tighter to him.

I gritted my teeth in anger as I watched helplessly as Hermione struggled against the monster. "I am here now, let her go," I said from my position on the floor.

"The offer is only valid if you take her place."

"Don't let him off that floor," Remus ordered his unit.

"Remus, I am not going to let him kill Hermione. Order them off."

"I am not going to risk your life. I just can't Harry."

"Please, it's Hermione. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her."

"And I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to you."

"Don't do it Remus," Hermione whispered frantically. She winced in pain as Riddle nicked her with the edge of the knife.

"Remus," I shouted out desperately meeting his eyes.

He looked at me with tears watering in his eyes, as he tried to maintain composure. I nodded at him to let me do this before he finally relented.

"Let him go," He ordered his unit.

I felt the pressure against my back subside as the men released me from my place on the floor. I rose up quickly and walked swiftly towards Riddle and Hermione.

"Let her go now," I asserted, inches away from him.

Riddle smiled his devilish smile before throwing her forcibly to the ground.

Hermione's POV—

I was shoved to the ground with a thud and I struggled to reign in my pain at the landing. I looked up from my position at the floor as Riddle pulled Harry into his grasp and held the knife under his chin. I sniffled as I looked into those deep green eyes of his. He tried to smile lightly down at me and I couldn't help it as tears started to spill down my face.

"Alright, Harry and I have business to attend to so we need to be going. Really it was a pleasure to see you all again. We must do this again in a couple of years or so," Riddle announced as he started to glance behind him to make his way out the back door.

There was no way I was going to let him take Harry and make him suffer the same fate as his parents. Making my mind up quickly, I looked up at Remus intently from my position on the floor before quickly glancing back at Riddle. He nodded discretely catching my drift.

Mustering all the strength that I could, I kicked Riddle as hard as I could in the shin. The instant pain was enough for him to let his guard down for a split second and Remus took the shot, aiming at his head. I watched as Riddle's lifeless body fell to the floor next to me. As soon as Harry was released, he ran towards me and crushed me into his warm body. I could barely breathe but I tried to hold on just as tight. I never wanted to be without him again. I leaned my head against his shoulders as I felt Harry run his hands down my tangled locks, whispering comforting words to me. As I stared down into the eyes of my once attacker, I never felt more safe in my entire life in Harry's arms.