A/N - Sorry for the delay. I've stated the reason at the end of this chapter. I promise you, it's a good one ;)

Chapter 39 - If things were different and Hunger

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"Harry."

Reluctantly, Harry looked up.

"Do you understand what we're telling you?"

Harry kept his expression passive, the surprising feeling of calm enveloping him suddenly. "Yes, I understand. There are people out there who want to kill me. Or at least, get the power of the Elder Wand for themselves."

Kingsley looked back at him with worry for a moment before he nodded his assent. "We need you to be careful. When you leave Grimmauld Place, we need you to take your cloak with you; wherever you might go. And we think that it might be best if you stay hidden for a while; at least until we understand who's looking for you."

Harry's gaze fell on the struggling wizard in the picture, his eyes studying the Dark Mark on his exposed forearm. "But we do know who's after me, don't we?"

Flestern leaned forward. "As far as we're aware, the Death Eaters are no longer an active organisation. The fall of You-Know-Who-"

"Voldemort," Hermione stated curtly, earning a reluctant shiver from the three men around the table. "His name is Voldemort." Then, as if realising what she had said, her glance fell on Harry. "His name was Voldemort." But Harry hardly noticed, his gaze still fixed on the photograph in front of him.

Randy Flestern cleared his throat as his glance reluctantly met his comrades. "Yes, well...As that may be, just as before when he was defeated, there seems to be no one who has taken his place to lead the Death Eaters. But that doesn't mean that they are individually not interested in attaining the power of the Elder Wand for themselves."

Harry could feel the eyes of his best friends resting on him curiously which only served to make his jaw twitch in annoyance. They all looked at him in a way that he really should have gotten used to by now. Their gazes, full of expectation, were waiting for his reaction. But Harry didn't feel like reacting. He didn't feel anything at all. "Got it," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Everyone who knows about the Elder Wand wants it and they are willing to kill me for it."

Kingsley eyed him curiously, as if he wasn't sure if the true meaning of what he was saying had truly sunk in. "What we're saying is-"

"That I'm not safe." His lips quirked humourlessly by their own accord. "I'm never safe."

He suddenly felt a warm hand on his knee, Hermione's fingers squeezing him in comfort. But he didn't feel like he needed that at the moment. He didn't want any of that. He just wanted to be alone and process everything that had been told to him.

"If things were different-"

"But they're not, are they?" Harry said swiftly, interrupting the concerned voice of the current Minister for Magic. "Things are never different." Gently, he placed his own hand over Hermione's, lifting her fingers from the tight grip she had on his knee. "Thank you; for telling me," he said politely, his voice hollow. "I appreciate you coming down here to tell me yourself."

He then pushed his chair back roughly and stood up, not missing the quick look of panic that Hermione and Ron shared. He simply stood there, aware that he should say something to the people around the table; but nothing seemed to come to mind. Without another word, Harry simply turned on his heel and left, heading towards the only place that could be considered his haven from all things that threatened to destroy the peace of mind he had tried so hard to achieve. As he entered his bedroom, the numb feeling he had been experiencing started giving away to a feeling of hunger; for what, he wasn't quite sure. But then, his gaze landed on the Elder Wand, and that hunger he felt in his chest almost purred in agreement. Harry had promised himself that he wouldn't touch the Elder Wand unless he had to. He viewed it as Dumbledore's wand. And yet...

With cautious steps, Harry moved slowly towards the most powerful wand in existence, his hands unsteady as he picked it up. Like before, it didn't feel foreign to him the way he thought it would; which was one of the reasons why he was so reluctant to use it. He knew what Dumbledore went through with the pursuit of ultimate power; wizards better than him had lost themselves to some of the most powerful artefacts in the world. Harry had promised himself that he would never try to possess something that could destroy him. And yet here he stood with the Death Stick in his hand and he felt no more corrupted than before. Dumbledore wielded it without giving into its ultimate power, surely, he could too if he tried.

Pocketing the Elder Wand as well as his own modest Phoenix feather wand, Harry made his way down the stairs, wincing with every creak or groan the old wood made. Once he was safely at the landing, he glanced into the kitchen, noticing the six of them still in deep discussion, each of their expressions grim with worry.

Harry didn't stay to see any more than what he had to. With soft steps, he went towards the main door of Grimmauld Place, opened it and stepped out. Once he closed the door after him, he stepped onto the landing and Apparated away, feeling so much more light-hearted as he did so.

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TBC

A/N - Another reason why I've been so busy is because me and two others have decided to create the 'Harmony Awards', an award community to award those great Harry/Hermione fanfictions and art. Nearly every other ship has one, shouldn't harmony? ;D

We will be posting the list of categories and Round 1 rules in a few days. In the meantime, the link to the community could be found on my FF profile page. We open nominations on Sep. 3rd. So go look for your favourite art and stories that are Harry/Hermione based and come on over and nominate. It is not only for LJ users. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

And spread the word. The more participants, the better the awards :D