DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! DISCLAIMER!
"Harry whats going on?" Ron said trying desperately to keep up with his irate best friend. Harry was just stomping his way through the campsite, through what looked like a city of tents that stretched in every direction.
"Just leave it Ron" Harry repeated his previous statements to Hermione. Speaking about it would make it real, if it was real then there was no escaping it and she would never be safe.
Ron ran ahead slightly, stopped in front of Harry and blocked his path. "Harry, tell me" his tone was so steady, so different to his usual teasing attitude. This was a side of Ron that Harry had rarely seen, the only other time was when his little sister, Ginny, had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets in second year.
"Ron, I can't"
"You can't what Harry? I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything. It's to do with Hermione isn't it! There's been something off between you two since the end of third year."
"Lower you voice Ron" Harry said, shoving the bucket into Ron's gut in order to push him out of the way.
"Blimey! Does the Golden Boy not want a scene!"
"Drop it Ron!" Harry said sternly eying the witches and wizards bustling about their tents. It was only just dawning on Harry how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; and he couldn't trust any of them with his secret.
Ron stomped over to Harry who had wandered forward a little "Just tell me". Harry grabbed onto Ron's jumper and dragged him away from the audience they had started to attract. He lead them around the back of a few tents, where only a little boy was playing outside, poking at a slug, with what was probably his parents wand.
"Ron, its complicated. No one can know"
"Including you best mate? I'm not stupid Harry"
"Me and Hermione"-Harry looked around hesitantly, almost like trying to clutch at an idea that hadn't truly formed-"Me and Hermione...we...the forest"
"What happened in the forest Harry?" Ron replied exasperatedly, feeling as if they had been running around this subject for months without even knowing.
"We kissed" Harry hissed under his breath, eying the little boy ten feet away as if he were a death eater in disguise.
"And?" Ron hedged, his eyes popping at the news. Not expecting that revelation. But it wasn't a lot, it wasn't enough to cause this rift they had in the group.
"Wormtail" Harry's fists clenched into tight balls, his entire body hardened into a rigid form of hatred.
Suddenly a tired looking woman came hurrying out of the tent next to the small boy. Harry's hatred slipping at the return to normalcy. "How many times, Kevin? You don't - touch - Daddy's - wand - yeuch!" She had trodden on the slug, which subsequently burst under her heavy foot. Harry tugged on Ron's jumper again and moved them on.
A short way further on Harry halted. Ron hadn't spoken a word since Harry had uttered that traitors name. He was waiting, allowing his friend time to get things straight.
"Ron, you need to understand. You remember I told you how Hermione had a time turner? How we went back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak?"Harry's green eyes glazed over, his gaze fixated on the horizon. His mind somewhere far off in the distance.
"When Lupin transformed next to the Womping Willow, it was Hermione who cried out like a werewolf. She saved everyone. But then...then he was after us and we just ran into the forest."-His voice carried a haunted edge to it, and Ron was silent, too entranced to interrupt-"It was terrifying. He was so close to us Ron, we could have died. Hermione was running ahead of me when the werewolf crashed into my back. She then saved me, again...
Suddenly the knife like claws ripped from his back, the weight gone. He tried to push himself up, but lacked the will power to push through the agony. "Harry come on!" Hermione was by his side. She was alright, a wave of relief flooding his body as he saw the tears freely streaking down her cheeks. "Get up Harry, Lupin won't be down for long!"
Harry flung his gaze over his shoulder and saw Professor Lupin, the werewolf, crumpled against the base of a sturdy looking old oak tree. His muzzle frothed and sharp yellow teeth dug into the ground, they were overgrown and could barely fit into the mouth.
"Move Harry!" startled, he jumped up, grabbed Hermione's elbow and hauled them both off deeper into the forest. The werewolf was already beginning to stir, the blood staining his claws intoxicating the air around him. His blood red eyes filled with the need for flesh.
Panting breaths mingled in with the sounds around them. They couldn't stop running. It was the only escape. Every shadow somehow felt to Harry like an intruder poised to kill. He couldn't let that happen. He pulled Hermione over tree roots and through small gaps in the tree's. But it wasn't enough. Harry frantically looked around searching anywhere for them to hide, anywhere they could escape a terrifying creature of a curse.
"Harry in there!" apparently on the same wave length as harry, she pointed to the narrow opening of a hollow tree. The pair made a bee line to it and with a lot of shoving and pushing they both clambered inside.
A shrill howl tore into the night, it seemed to shake the very core of the forest. It was coming for them.
"Harry" Hermione's voice shook, she was visibly shivering with fear. "Harry" she repeated, even her breath began to shake. "Harry I'm scared"
They stood so closely pressed together, he could feel her terror radiating into him. A sense of strength powered through him. He weaved his arms around her body, pulling her closer and started to shuffle them so his back leant against the narrow opening of the tree hollow. Hermione dug her face into his chest, clinging onto his body like a life raft.
The pair waited there, for what seemed like hours. Harry had hidden his face amongst Hermione's bushy brown hair, Hermione had begun to dig her nails so hard into Harry's sides that it was sure to draw blood and together neither of them had made a sound.
The padding of heavy paws froze the two instantly. Harry's eyes went wide and then shut so tight he could see stars. The creature was close. It was so close Harry could almost smell its musky stench. Growls leapt up suddenly just before the werewolf pounded itself into the side of the tree; the pair were hiding in.
Hermione whimpered, shards of bark started to scatter on their clothes and in their hair. The tree began to shake and shudder with every earth shattering pound into the tree. It was like a morbid countdown, eventually the werewolf would make enough damage...and reach them.
"AHHHHHH!" Harry contorted into the tree, pushing Hermione painfully against the wall of the trunk. Long knife like claws were ripping down his back, trying to get a hold on him. To pull him outside.
"Harry!" Hermione screeched. She couldn't do anything, her wand was in her pocket and her hands were trapped against Harry's sides. "Harry!" she screeched again.
"AHHHHHH!" A fresh rip tore down his spine. Hermione struggled desperately to reach her wand, but it was impossible. Harry was almost slumped against her, his mind fogged by pure agony.
She made one last frantic attempt to reach her wand and her hand grazed against the one in Harry's back pocket. She sidled her hand closer as Harry screamed agonizingly in her ear.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Hermione bellowed, the opening to the hollow shattered around them and Harry slumped to the floor. Not missing a beat Hermione raised Harry's wand and yelled again "EXPELLIARMUS!" It hit the werewolf square in the face and flung it backwards. Its long gangly arms flailing out. The werewolf hit the hard cold forest floor at a run and retreated into the dark depths of the forest; howling as it went.
"Harry!" Hermione knelt down next to his collapsed form. He half lay inside the hollow and outside. The weaker parts of the trunk had been blown away by Hermione's spell, leaving a lot more room then there had been before.
Harry's clothes were shredded along his back. He was moaning in pain and clutching at clumps of earth with his fists. "Hermione?" He moaned and attempted to lift himself; in search of her.
"I'm here, Harry I'm here" she soothed, gently placing a hand on his face. She was crying now, great heart breaking sobs. But Harry needed her, Harry needed her to be strong. Hermione sucked in a deep breathy sob, clutched Harry's wand tighter and pointed it at the rags covering his mauled back "Reparo" she muttered and the material started to sew itself together, returning to its previous shape; although still drenched in blood.
"Come on Harry, we need to get out of the forest"
"I can't"
"You have to" she hooked her hand under his shoulder and wrenched him up, the pain was indescribable. He shrieked and hissed, anger fueling his adrenaline. Harry attempted to steady himself on her shoulders, half his weight burdening her down.
He looked straight into her eyes. They glistened from freshly shed tears, her lip quivered and dirt smeared her cheeks. "Hermione" he heard himself half mutter-half sigh. The pain still at the forefront of his mind, muddying every sense. He bent his head down to rest it on Hermione's forehead, his eyes closed and panting from the exertion of standing. He lowered his face further until their noses slotted in next to each other, Hermione's face turned upwards to meet his. Body heat burned like fire, tingling Harry's skin wherever it met Hermione's.
"Harry" she said in a high breathy voice. Not a question, she just needed to say his name. Their lips slowly descended upon each others and touched ever so lightly. Hermione's lips where so smooth, so gentle and so unafraid. Harry could feel her brave spirit radiating through that kiss. That life changing touch. He pressed his lips closer, yearning for more.
Harry clutched her face desperately in his hands, caressing his thumbs against her cheek. He pulled back slightly, releasing her lips. She was so beautiful, the darkness highlighting every curve of her face and casting her deep brown eyes in a shadowy, silver glow. For a moment the world was silent, for a moment all that mattered was her body pressed against his. For a moment everything was perfect.
And then that moment ended.
A miniscule shadow ran quickly from tree to tree in Harry's peripheral vision. As it ran through a break of light in the tree canopy, the rat was exposed. Pettegrew. What could they do? What could he do? There was no way of capturing the coward, not in his condition. What about Hermione? How long had the little fiend been watching them. Had he seen? Had he been watching only moments earlier? Harry needed to protect her. She had done so much for him. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to her; not because of him.
The pain in his back flared up ten fold as he used his last remaining amount of strength to push her away. Hermione stumbled back, tripping over debris and roots. She flung an accusing stare at Harry and was about to open her mouth to speak when he interrupted her.
"Eugh"-he spat on the ground...
"I did it to protect her, at the time I didn't know if she had seen Pettegrew too. He never came out of the shadows never changed back to human. Too much of a coward to try anything without someone to protect him. I needed to make it convincing, she needed to believe I rejected her. If she believed, then so would Pettegrew and then she'd be safe" Harry finished he explanation with a gulp, swallowing his emotions.
Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing "Blimey Harry, why didn't you tell me?" he said, slightly hurt at his best friends distance.
Harry shrugged continued walking at their slow pace "If only I knew, the safer she'd be". The length of Harry's explanation had taken less the ten minutes and by then they had walked at least half way to the water tap, on the other side of the field. They had started walking again after continually being interrupted by wizards and witches hurrying about getting ready for the match.
"I understand why you did it mate, but your an idiot" Ron slapped Harry hard on the back of the head, as if trying to knock some sense into him. "You honestly think she'd be safer, any of us would be safer, if you left us? Harry if it wasn't for you my sister would be dead, the basilisk might have killed Hermione and he-who-must-not-be-named might have gotten the philosophers stone in our first year"
"I had help-
-If you like it or not we need you Harry, and you need us" Ron finished with finality in his tone.