Note: lol. I hear you, Harry and Cho is a big NO. Don't worry about it.
I love and appreciate all of you that like this story so much. You're awesome. And be sure that if I'm still writing, it is for you.
And what can I say? A moment I think most of you have been waiting for is getting closer and closer…
(The world is on fire - Gus Black)
April 29th, 2006
The Night Club
She considered not coming.
But then she thought about Cho Chang being all over Harry and-
Hermione sighs, taking a sip on her drink.
Right now she's sitting alone in their booth - she loves that it's located on a higher platform where she can see the whole club from an advantage point, not to mention that they can also change it magically to accommodate as many people as they want.
And she surely can see Draco and Ginny dancing with the Auror from France - Fleur Delacour - and the one from Germany - Elias Muller. Asmodeus is surprisingly talking with the Aurors from Spain and Portugal - Rafael Garcia and Martim Pereira. Ron and Luna - who's very much pregnant and with a new glow to herself - are at a corner, sipping on their drinks and chatting with Chiara. Hermione opens a tiny smile. She can't deny that she enjoys Chiara's acid humor a lot - she almost laughed herself when Chang interrupted her to demand a word from 'Head D'Angelo'.
Hermione makes a face at the thought. And she finally allows herself to look back at them: of course Harry is talking with Chang while both lean with their sides on the bar counter. He has a permanent charming smile on his face and Hermione takes a sip each time Chang touches him.
So, she's moderately drunk.
And the aching jealousy is killing her.
She shakes her head. She'd almost forgotten the sensation after a whole month of not actually seeing Harry having this kind of interaction with another woman.
But now.
Oh, it surely burns inside her.
It's raw. And uncontrollable. Keeping her distance is the best she can do to hide it, so, that's why she's alone now.
Hermione doesn't feel like dancing or talking, her mind is still trying to process this crazy day.
To imagine that earlier she was in Greece just sunbathing without a care in the world and now she's at a club having to endure Harry flirting with another Auror as if-
As if I'm not even here.
And of course he doesn't care about her. What did she expect?
"Hey!"
She frowns. Is someone calling her? Hermione looks around, searching for-
"Down here." A muffled voice calls and she turns on the booth to look down behind her.
Chiara is there.
Hermione smiles. "Hey, bitch." She says fondly.
Chiara laughs. "We need to talk." And she motions to the curtain at the end of the dance floor - the same place Hermione took Harry on his first night here.
She nods to Chiara, understanding. And without another word the other woman walks away. Hermione sees her heading back to the conversation she was having with Ron and Luna.
Hermione sighs and stands up, downing the rest of her drink and making a face. She wished it could burn more than the jealousy screaming inside her. Unfortunately, it doesn't.
Doing her best to avoid looking at the specific point where Harry is leaning to Chang to say something in her ear, she goes to Asmodeus. He opens a smile to her and Hermione embraces his middle, sharing a kiss with him - it's easier while mildly drunk. She stays there a bit, listening to the Aurors' stories, but losing interest fast enough when she realizes they're complaining about the many liberties house elves are taking nowadays. Ah, so that's why Asmo is talking with them. They're surely Purebloods with the same superiority complex.
After sharing one more kiss with Asmo, she heads to the restroom. Her eye catching Chiara moving on the dance floor, going to the curtain discreetly.
Hermione enters the restroom and waits just a bit for the perfect moment to apparate.
And in a blink she's in front of Chiara.
They smile and share a tight hug.
"I'm envying your tan." Chiara says before they separate and Hermione chuckles, raising a silencing bubble around them and casting a type of repelling charm at the curtain, stopping others from coming while they're there.
"I kind of missed you." Hermione says and Chiara laughs openly.
"I knew you would love me eventually." She winks. "I missed you too. I mean, you clearly left your coin here and that pissed me off, but you have nowhere to run now. How are you?"
Hermione exhales heavily. "I'm… fine." Chiara tilts her head. "Let's say I've regrouped. I feel ready for another round of insane choices." They chuckle. "But, yeah…" She presses her lips together, "with Harry back, I don't know. It feels like too much."
"I can imagine." Chiara sighs. "Were you really with Pettigrew for the whole month?"
"No. He found me today and told me about everything that was happening. I had no idea."
"Crazy, right? If it was up to me I wouldn't be here, but Matteo forced me. I think he wants me to keep Harry away from you."
Hermione raises an eyebrow. "Is that necessary? I think he wants to stay away from me."
"Oh, please!" Chiara exclaims. "In what world do you live? Harry's been conditioning himself for a month to hate you and I would bet he loves you even more now." She snorts and Hermione widens her eyes, her heart beating a little faster at the mere thought of him still loving her.
"I… aren't you two together?"
Chiara rolls her eyes. "If we were I think I would have already smacked Chang's face. And Harry's, for so openly flirting with her. No. We've moved on, Hermione. But I'm taking care of him. It's been… hard."
"And… how is he?" Hermione asks, wanting to know and dreading the answer.
"He's… fine." Chiara gives her a pointed look. "He says he wants his revenge now and I don't blame him for it." Hermione nods. "But… he never mentions you. He does his best to ignore your existence and believe me, I've tried to put some sense into him-"
"Don't." Hermione cuts her. "Don't try. Let him hate me." She bites her lower lip. "It'll be easier if he does. Even if the binding obedience is over, I still need to find the samples and I don't wanna risk the way I've regained Asmo's trust by getting… too close to Harry."
Chiara purses her lips, making a face. "Okay. I will try not to interfere. But I want you to know that I think you two are just two stubborn asses."
"I'm aware." Hermione smiles. "How was… the full moon?" She gulps. She thought a lot about this, wondering if he was okay, if he had transformed or-
"Incredibly smooth." Chiara shrugs. "He took a strong potion and slept the whole night. Not even one symptom or trace of werewolf Harry."
Hermione breathes relieved. "I'm glad." She smiles to Chiara. "And how are you? You look good."
"Don't I always?" They laugh. "I'm great, to be honest. I just wished I were in Rome, fuck, I can't sleep well in strange places and it pisses me off." She shakes her head and narrows her eyes. Hermione frowns, waiting. "And… I might be in love."
She opens her mouth, surprised. "Are you serious?" Chiara nods. "Is that a good or bad thing?" She asks, not completely sure…
"Good! It's amazing, actually." And Chiara opens the biggest smile. Hermione feels happy for her friend and gives her another hug.
"Who is he?"
"I… want to keep it a secret for now, is that okay with you?"
"Of course! I'm happy for you."
And she truly is. Even if deep down she resents the fact that only her happiness seems unreachable.
"Thanks." Chiara smiles shyly. "We should go back to the others or they'll notice we're gone." Hermione agrees. "And you make sure you get your coin back."
"I will. You don't need to cry about it."
Chiara pouts, mocking her. "We still need to talk about your plans on finding these samples and all this stuff around Moritz."
"Indeed. Do you want to go with me to search the samples?"
Chiara seems surprised. "Fuck, yes. Of course. If I get the chance of kicking Pettigrew in the balls it's even better."
Hermione laughs sincerely. "I really missed you." She says honestly and Chiara hugs her again. A bear hug. Just like her Patronus.
"It'll be fine. Trust me."
Hermione presses her lips to hold back a few tears. She doesn't want to give in and ask, but-
"Chiara, I-" She gulps. "Harry said he…" It's hard merely saying it, "Did he screw around much this last month?" She feels ridiculous for asking.
"What?" Chiara makes a face. And then she laughs. "Oh, Harry." She shakes her head. "Hermione," She takes Hermione's hands in hers. "I was with him practically the whole time and I swear to you… the many women who approached him were dismissed very fast."
Hermione blinks. "Then, why-"
"He wants to make you jealous."
She lets out some air through her mouth, a bit relieved and… carelessly hopeful.
"He's all over Chang." She spits the words, showing some of her jealousy.
"Make him pay for it, then."
They share a look and without needing to voice it, Hermione apparates back to the restroom.
Harry can hear the words coming out of Cho's mouth, but he's not really listening. In reality he's keeping track of Hermione's movements. She's coming out of the restroom, and he tries not looking directly in her direction.
Just before, he barely restrained himself from breaking the glass in his hand when he saw her kissing Pettigrew.
And he's not even sure why he's so shaken by it. She said she loves Pettigrew. Said she was going to marry him. She took a month from work to travel with the jerk on an anticipated honeymoon- He has no idea why seeing them sharing kisses makes him wanna destroy this entire club since it's something couples do…
He sighs, a bit fed up with Cho. Maybe he should talk with the others, roam around a bit-
He widens his eyes.
Hermione is dancing.
Alone.
And she changed her clothes. She's wearing the same black dress she wore on that night she spent with him in Rome. The same one she threw at him when she stripped down inside his room. Harry gulps. Not minding if he's being a little rude to Cho, he turns around to fully observe. There are many others on the dance floor and she's relatively far from him, but he can see her clearly. And Harry is not the only man watching her.
Pressing his lips together, he tries not reacting. But it's impossible.
She's moving sensually, her eyes closed. The music playing is very fitting and she moves accordingly. Harry is sure she must be a little drunk. He inhales sharply when she opens her eyes and her gaze meets his dead on. Immediately he's bewitched, his heart beating faster, the blood pumping in his veins.
He holds her gaze.
And she opens that devious smile.
Fuck.
He instantly remembers their most intimate moments. The way she would moan, sometimes loudly, others very softly, breathy, endearingly. Her lips on his skin. Her tongue caressing him everywhere. The smoothness of her skin against his, moving, rubbing, grazing. He sets his jaw. The feel of being inside her. One with her. He sips on his drink, trying to forget about this-
Hermione moves one of her hands over her breasts, going down. Then up. Teasing. Smiling provocatively. Still looking at him.
Harry's breathing very hard now. She's playing the game with him. And he has to admit that… she's winning. The bulge in his pants tells him so. He downs the rest of his drink and involuntarily takes a step to her. Then another.
She widens her eyes a bit, watching him. He chews the insides of his cheeks. He wants so badly to go to her.
Go. Just go to her. And he takes another step.
But a hand on his arm stops him. "Good idea! Let's dance!" It's Cho. And he briefly breaks eye contact with Hermione to look at the woman by his side - which is a mistake.
Because when he looks back at Hermione, Pettigrew is dancing with her. He's holding her from behind, one of his arms around her middle, their hips moving together, his lips on her neck. Her eyes are closed again, and it seems like she's enjoying-
Harry sees red.
And all the lights inside the place go out, the music stopping.
It takes people a few seconds to start complaining and Harry blinks a few times. Did I just…?
He's not sure if his utter anger and jealousy were responsible for his magic spiraling and turning off all the lights and music-
Fast enough it goes back on and he searches for Hermione. She's back at the booth, sipping on her drink, her legs crossed.
She's looking at him.
And Harry knows what she's thinking. 2x1.
He presses his lips together. If she thinks he's just accepting this provocation…
Harry takes Chang's hand, leading her to the dance floor. He positions himself in a place where he knows Hermione can see, and, taking a deep breath, he smiles to Chang, pulling her closer to him by the waist, moving with her sensually.
And Cho wastes no time. She roams her hands all over his torso, her mouth on his neck, their bodies touching. He tries not cringing. Hermione was the last woman he kissed. That day, inside his cell. And he cherishes the memory in a way-
Forget her.
So, he moves his head, his lips searching Cho's.
It's… a strange kiss. Wrong.
He pulls back, kinda of avoiding her, who's seeking his lips again. He regrets this. Immediately. He didn't want to kiss Chang. He just wanted to provoke Hermione and-
The atmosphere inside the club changes and the music stops. Harry raises his head, looking over his shoulder. "Did you feel this?" He asks Cho.
But when he turns back to look at her, she's frozen in place.
In fact, everyone is.
Narrowing his eyes and already knowing what happened, he searches for her.
Hermione is leaning at the counter, fetching a drink for herself, the barwiz frozen in time with his wand moving in the air while he was preparing a glass.
He snorts, crossing his arms, wondering for how long she can hold this spell and keep time frozen.
"Was that necessary?" He asks, taking a step in her direction.
Hermione turns to him, a glass of Firewhiskey in her hand. "Tell me, D'Angelo." Her voice is strange. "Is she a good kisser?" She raises one eyebrow.
Hermione is furious. And he can't help opening a smirk. It hurts, doesn't it? It's exactly how he feels each time she kisses Pettigrew.
"Well," He shrugs. "I've had better kisses." He says, taking another step to her while she takes one to him. "Had fun dancing?" He sets his jaw.
She downs the rest of the Firewhiskey and levitates the glass back to the counter. "Not that much." She answers, moving to him, stopping an inch away, their chests almost touching.
Hermione snaps her fingers and some music takes over the place. It's a slow beat, sensual. Harry's breathing hard now, his eyes locked on hers. He can see the desire there, the same need that he's sure is swimming in his own eyes.
And he puts one hand on her waist, bringing her closer, their noses touching. They don't say a word. But they move in rhythm. At a point her hand finds his chest and he moves his head slightly to rub his cheek on hers. Hermione exhales heavily, her hips meeting his. He squeezes her waist, his lips touching her jaw.
They keep swaying in silence, feeling the other. It's hard to think this close to her. And she smells so good- Her hand moves to his neck and their eyes meet.
He takes a deep breath, cupping her face.
Harry wants to kiss her. But-
She sees the hesitation in him and takes a step away.
In a blink things go back to normal. The music, the people. And when he looks for her, she's back at the booth, her eyes down.
He wants to go to her-
A strong explosion sounds at the entrance and Harry turns sharply, looking at the place, there's only a lot of visible smoke. All the others are alarmed, and Hermione comes down from the booth, magically changing her clothes again, putting on her uniform now.
There's something obviously wrong and he moves fast, to Hermione's side.
She stops near Chiara, Ron and Luna, Draco and Ginny come to them with the other Aurors. Pettigrew is coming from the restroom.
"What the fuck was that?" Harry asks Hermione.
"I'm not sure." She says, not looking at him, her eyes on the entrance where-
Another explosion sounds and Harry instinctively puts one arm in front of Hermione, trying to shield her from any harm. She looks into his eyes. It's obvious that she was not expecting this from him. He doesn't care, though.
Another explosion sounds at the back and he fully shields Hermione now, wary.
"Aurors! Stay!" Hermione yells. "Everyone else, apparate away! Right now! We're under attack!"
Her voice is firm and loud. And this time, differently from what happened at the Fair, people listen. In a matter of minutes the club is empty except for them, the Aurors. The music is gone and all the lights are on.
It's kinda of strange seeing the place without the flair of a night club.
"Do you think-" He begins to ask Hermione, but another explosion sounds off at a side corner.
He sets his jaw and takes another step closer to her, all his mind and heart in sync on this: He wants to protect her.
Hermione doesn't shove him away and he's glad, in fact, she takes one step in front of him, also protecting his side in a way. He blinks. They're very close.
"What should we do?" Ginny asks.
"Ron." Hermione says. "You go to be with Luna, right now."
"I'm not leaving you-"
"Right now!" Hermione snaps.
And they stare at each other for a tense moment. Ron finally nods and in a blink he's gone.
"Stay alert." Harry says to the others. "I think these explosions are just a distraction."
He thinks so because in reality the explosions did little damage and he can't quite understand their purpose.
"Agreed." Hermione says, raising her wand. "Maybe we-"
But she doesn't finish.
A spell hits her hard and she flies to the opposite wall, hitting it with force.
Harry's heart skips a beat.
In a second he apparates to her side.
And then, hell breaks loose inside the club.
The others form a circle in the middle, dueling with invisible wizards or witches while some kind of fog takes over the place. There's no one else inside but spells are being casted from every corner.
However, he doesn't really care at the moment. He raises a powerful shield around him and Hermione, kneeling on the floor and seizing her in his arms, insanely worried.
"Hermione." He says, his voice strained. Spells start to hit his shield. He holds it up. "Hermione." She doesn't open her eyes and he searches for a pulse, touching her neck. It's very faint. But there.
Harry chews the insides of his cheeks. This is- he can't bear the sight of her like this.
"Come back." He whispers.
And his hand cups her cheek. The other one - the left one - seeks hers involuntarily. And when he squeezes it, she opens her eyes in one go, panting.
Harry can feel the tingle, the exhilaration, the bliss.
"Harry." She looks at him, squeezing his hand back and gulping.
"I'm here." He says, bringing her closer to his body. She shuts her eyes. "Is it hurting? Where?"
"Everywhere. I think I broke a rib." She says through gritted teeth.
The spells are hitting the shield harder now.
"Don't move." He says. "Let me heal you."
And not even thinking about it, he just wishes his magic to do it, using the connection they share. And it's so good. He looks into her eyes, trying to find an emotion that he recognizes… but she averts hers pretty fast. He frowns.
Harry keeps healing her, feeling that she has way more than just a broken rib. It must be hurting like hell. But she's not expressing it. At all. It's kinda of impressive how well she hides what she feels…
"Hermione." He says again and she looks up at him. Maybe he should ask her what happened, ask again if she never loved him-
But before he can say a thing, the shield crumbles down and Hermione widens her eyes.
She acts so fast he only understands what happened after a few seconds.
A killing curse was going to hit him, dead on. But Hermione raised her right hand and casted another shield, stopping it. And he felt it through their jointed hands. Her magic, his magic.
They're both breathing hard now, the connection between them very strong. And just like when they performed a spell together to mend the statue, Harry's incredibly horny. And he sees the same in her eyes. She wants him.
And to his surprise, it's Hermione who moves a bit forward, to him. The shield she casted with their jointed magic is easily deflecting all the spells. And he knows nothing might stop this.
They're about to kiss.
Hermione closes her eyes, her nose bumping into his-
He releases her hand and moves away.
Hermione opens her eyes, exhaling. Harry feels hollow without the contact of their hands.
"I think I've healed everything." He says in a low voice, hoarse, the horniness still there, but going away slowly.
She blinks. "Thank you." It's almost a whisper.
Hermione moves, standing up, and Harry does the same.
Spells are still flying all over the place and the fog makes it harder to see. And he can't help thinking how absorbed with each other they can get. Because the situation clearly isn't the proper one for them to be almost kissing.
He takes the first step forward, going to the others. Hermione follows. The shield around them very firm - it honestly awes him a bit. How powerful can we be together? He can't help wondering.
When they reach the others, Harry stops by Chang's side, deflecting many spells. Hermione walks away, positioning herself between Pettigrew and Ginny.
"What the fuck is happening?" Draco asks, yelling.
"I have no idea!" Hermione answers.
"We should retreat!" Harry says.
"No!" Hermione refuses. "We need to stay and see what the hell is this."
He rolls his eyes. "We're only putting ourselves in danger-"
"Head Riddle is right!" Chiara says. Harry widens his eyes. This is not… What the fuck? She's agreeing with Hermione? Why? "I don't think it was a coincidence this happening tonight with all of us inside!"
"Exactly!" Hermione yells back, all of them still deflecting the spells coming from invisible casters.
Harry purses his lips. He agrees with them in a way, but he's… nervous. He doesn't like the situation. It doesn't look like the spells are going to stop any time soon and he's not sure they can fight against this madness for a long time. They'll tire eventually and then what? Not to mention that the few offensive spells they're throwing are hitting just thin air.
They're fighting ghosts.
He grunts, moving to Hermione. He stops behind her. "Head Riddle, we need to retreat."
She turns and looks at him. "No. We're going to find out what the hell is going on here."
"I don't think it's the wisest thing to do. Look around! We're fighting by ourselves. Where are the other wizards?" He motions to the empty club, talking about their supposed enemies. "I feel like this is just to tire us! Think, Riddle."
She blinks. "You're right." He nods to her. "STOP!" She yells.
"What?" Pettigrew asks her. "Why?"
They all raise another shield around them. Taking a moment to think this through.
"Now what, Hermione?" Pettigrew asks.
"I'm not sure… Head D'Angelo?" She asks him.
"Maybe we should head back to the Ministry. What do you think, Chi?"
Chiara shakes her head, the spells are still coming. "It's not wise staying, but I don't think leaving is the best decision."
"What do you suggest?" Hermione asks Chiara. Harry frowns.
"Maybe we should try moving inside, reaching the points from where the spells are coming, really check it out to be sure of what we're leaving behind."
Hermione nods. "Perfect. Let's do that and if we don't find anything, we leave."
Harry's mind is having a hard time with this interaction. Himself once thought that Hermione and Chiara could be great friends and get along well, but that was before Hermione betrayed him. So, he can't quite understand the way Chiara is treating her now.
But he agrees with the plan, saying, "Let's separate."
They all nod. Draco and Ginny start moving along with Elias. Rafael and Martim go together, and Chiara walks away with Fleur by her side.
Harry looks at Hermione. He wants to go with her. And she's looking at him, plainly wanting the same thing. But Pettigrew takes her hand and Cho touches Harry's arm at the same time.
Biting her lower lip, Hermione moves away with Pettigrew and Harry chews the inside of his cheek, going with Cho.
An anxiousness takes over him while he goes. He can't see where Hermione is anymore and it makes him restless. It's a dangerous situation and he fears something happening to her, he fears he might not be close enough to protect or heal her…
He wonders if she feels the same.
Focusing on what he's doing now, he throws and deflect spells, him and Chang moving to a point where Harry is sure concentrates most of the spells on this side of the club.
The closer they get to the point, the harder it is to see a thing. But Harry keeps going even if the spells are getting more dangerous. Gritting his teeth he deflects three successive Cruciatus and hopes that Cho is handling well the situation. He can't protect both of them.
He wants to apparate. But it's too risky. The moment he appears at the other location he might get immediately hit by a spell.
"I think we're almost there!" He yells to Cho.
He can't hear the others and he peeks over his shoulder briefly, trying in vain to see Hermione. It surprises him that the club is completely taken by a thick white smoke. He blinks many times, coughing.
"Cho?" He calls to her, his hand moving in the air, seeking her.
But he finds nothing.
Cazzo.
He wants to step back and search for the others. He needs to see if Hermione is fine-
Harry gulps, deflecting another spell.
He can't go back now.
He grunts, annoyed, and walks faster, mustering the magic to hold the shield firmly.
And-
Harry steps out of the smoke. He opens his mouth, startled. Now it's all clear and he can see a moving wand working on its own, throwing spell after spell. He crosses his arms. He never encountered something like this, not even when dealing with the Mafias.
It works like an automatic wand.
"What the fuck." He whispers and steps closer to the wand, blinking.
He's not sure if he should touch it or-
There's a writing on it.
Harry gulps, stepping closer, squinting to read:
Greetings from Moritz
He curses under his breath. This investigation is going to be way harder than he imagined at first. He never considered Moritz himself this kind of threat, but now he's sure the man will fight back their efforts in putting him away. And they've started this whole thing the wrong way. The IWO and the many articles on the Prophet. Moritz knows what they're doing and he's ready for it.
The automatic wand is proof and Harry needs to collect it in one piece, so, he conjures up a fortified case and utters a spell capable of containing the wand inside.
Levitating the case closer to it, he tries stopping the spells.
The wand goes berserk.
Harry ducks to avoid a spell and hears an explosion behind him. Shit. He tries raising another shield and succeeds, still levitating the case closer to the wand. Again, it's impossible to hold it inside.
He stops a second to think. The wand is enchanted to avoid being taken like this- But what if? He takes a deep breath and trusting that his shield will hold on, he walks to the wand.
In an incredibly swift motion Harry closes his fingers around it, not minding the consequences since this might be the only way.
And when he takes the wand, it all stops.
The spells and the smoke start to vanish. He releases a deep breath, putting the wand inside the case as fast as possible and sealing it shut.
He scans the club, and uses a spell to extinguish the smoke once and for all.
Harry's heart stops at the scene revealed in front of him.
All his fellow Aurors are on the floor, unconscious. His heart quickens. And his first impulse is to go to Hermione, but Cho is very close and he crouches to check her pulse. She's alive.
In fact, they all seem to be sleeping. There is no sign of the other automatic wands.
He strides to the opposite side of the dance floor where Hermione is lying with her eyes closed. Gulping and trying his best to maintain certain calmness, he leans to her, touching her face gently.
"Hey, wake up." He says.
"Wake up, Hermione."
She can feel a soft touch on her cheek and this voice-
Hermione opens her eyes. "Harry." She says hoarsely.
And she's so relieved to see him that- She moves, sitting and gulping, both her arms going around his neck, bringing him to her, hugging him.
Yeah, she acted on an impulse, but-
He's hugging her back, squeezing her in his arms, sighing.
And still holding her, he helps her up. Hermione presses her lips together when she takes a step back to look at him.
"Are you hurt?" He asks, his eyes roaming over her face. And she can't help feeling good, in love.
"No. I'm fine. Are you?"
He takes another step back, putting some distance between them and she blinks a few times. Harry is looking at her with a strange face.
"I'm fine. What happened?"
She looks around. All the others are sleeping and the spells completely stopped. Harry is holding a wand case.
"I have no idea. We were getting closer to the source, but then I-" She shakes her head. "I remember feeling drugged and a blank. What's that?" She points to the case.
"I got one wand." He states raising it to their eye level. Harry uses a spell to reveal the inside of the case and says, "Read it."
Greetings from Moritz
She groans, angry. "Fuck. This complicates things a bit."
"Indeed."
The others begin to stir on the floor and Hermione turns to help Asmodeus up, taking his hand.
"Ma che cazzo!" Chiara yells from the other side and Hermione holds back a laugh, still helping Asmo to stand.
She dares looking at Harry. His eyes are drilling holes in her very soul. He's trying to understand her mixed signals and Hermione is not sure he'll be able to do it, mostly because herself is not sure of what she's doing. For fuck's sake, we almost kissed twice.
Her feelings are all over the place. But what is she supposed to do? In one minute he was kissing Chang and on the other they were dancing like that and- he healed her. He looked at her as if she was the most important thing in the world… like he used to do.
It's hard knowing how to act. What to expect.
She's not sure.
And maybe he feels the same.
It's possible that they're both confused. Being close makes it harder for Harry to hate her, Hermione can tell. It's written all over his face how much he worries about her.
And their bond.
She looks down, trying to hide the obvious from him. Trying to hide how much she loves him. Because even if he shows some indications of not wanting to murder her… it doesn't necessarily mean that he trusts her or wants to be with her. This is just wishful thinking.
Fast enough they're all gathered in the middle of the dance floor and Harry raises the case, ready to explain what happened, but he's interrupted by an apparition.
Hermione turns to look at Ron.
He's whiter than usual and she immediately knows that something is wrong. Hermione walks to him.
"What is it?" She asks, holding his arm.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." She feels her heart beating faster.
"Why?"
"I-" She sees some tears falling down his cheeks. "I just got word that Riddle Manor was attacked. Your mother was committed to St. Mungo's. It's bad."
She feels the floor disappearing underneath her. And she holds on to Ron to stay on her feet. He holds her and she can tell that Harry is coming to also give her some support, but Asmo gets to her faster, his arm around her waist.
"I'll go with you." Asmo says and she only nods.
Gulping, she looks at the others.
"Head D'Angelo," She says with a shaky voice. Harry is listening, looking at her with pain in his eyes, suffering with her. "Can you handle all of this by yourself?"
He nods. "Of course." He presses his lips together. Everything Hermione wanted was to have Harry there with her.
"Gin, Draco," She turns to them, both also with pained expressions, listening. "Please, go to the Manor to understand what happened and how." They nod and she looks at Ron. "Are all the counselors aware?"
"Yes. Sirius and Narcissa are there at the Hospital, your father also."
Hermione numbly nods. "Let's go."
He watches her disappear with Pettigrew and Ron, his heart squeezing inside his chest. One word from her and he would leave everything behind to just… be there. From the few interactions he watched between Hermione and her mother, and from the fond way Hermione always talked about her, about the way Bellatrix practically gave her a normal childhood and love- He gulps.
Harry has a faint idea of how much Hermione must be suffering right now and if there's one thing he wished he could do is… take her pain away.
He shakes his head and turns to the others, Ginny and Draco already apparated to the Manor. The rest is waiting for instructions.
Chiara has a strange expression on her face. She looks at him and points to the case, bringing him back to the moment.
Harry clears his throat. "I was able to take one wand." He shows the others and Chiara makes another face, rolling her eyes when she reads the inscription.
"Criminals annoy me." She states and he nods, agreeing.
"I'll take this back to the Ministry." He says. "Chiara, come with me. The rest of you, I want a thorough inspection inside this club. Get in touch with the owner and put together a list of everyone who were inside tonight." He points to the entrance. "I know they register every face when we walk through the door. Any questions?"
"Harry," Chang says, coming closer to him, "I think I should go with you-"
"Auror Chang," He cuts her, impatient, "Like your fellow Aurors, you'll stay and do your job. If you have any doubts you can ask me, otherwise, I'm not here to take your suggestions."
She narrows her eyes and Harry turns to Chiara, who's smiling sarcastically.
Without waiting another minute, they apparate to an alley close to the Ministry.
Harry leans on the brick wall, closing his eyes, breathing for a moment.
After a while, Chiara says, "Tough night, huh?"
He looks at her. "Why are you treating Hermione so nicely?"
She opens her mouth, squinting. "Am I? Hadn't noticed." She shrugs. "Do you want me to punch her or something? I could go to the Hospital right now and call her names while her mother is dying-"
"Stop." He says in a low voice. "We don't know if she's dying."
"Maybe she is. I mean, the way Ron was acting I don't think it was a simple cut or something." Harry presses his lips together. "But I don't get you, Harry. You're here demanding from me that I treat Hermione poorly while I can see the pain on your face because of this. Wasn't this what you wanted? Isn't this part of your revenge? To kill the Riddles? Well, someone might have done it for you." Her words are heavy and her tone annoyingly provocative.
He chews the insides of his cheeks.
"She's very close to her mother." He whispers, hurt. He knows that if Bellatrix dies… this will ruin Hermione completely.
Chiara sighs. "You should go to St. Mungo's." She says firmly. "I can handle things here, I can take care of the wand and write the official report on what happened tonight."
He desperately wants to. But he shakes his head. "No. I'm Head, I need to do this, I don't want to give the Minister motives to fire me again."
"I don't think he has the power to do that this time, Harry."
"Doesn't matter." He gulps.
"Go to her." Chiara says, her eyebrows raised in defiance.
"I can't." He sighs heavily. "I- fuck!" He yells, annoyed. "Why can't I hate her?" He asks sincerely. "After what she did, I just-"
Chiara puts one hand on the side of his neck, forcing him to look into her eyes. "You love her, Harry." He bites his lower lip, wanting to reject the words. "And even if she stabbed you in the back… you're here, out of prison, working as Head Auror and without one criminal record. Have you thought about this? Considered it? Truly? Maybe it's time for you to stop being so stubborn and take your head out of your ass."
He makes a face, stopping for a second, surprised by her words. "I- Since the first day back at the Villa, nonnino was very clear about not letting me come back if I didn't hate her and- I did my best, Chi. I never tried looking for another explanation than her being a bitch-"
"You should, then." Chiara says, wetting her lips and widening her eyes.
His heart beats faster. Harry raises one eyebrow, his whole face contorting into a question. "What are you talking about?" He asks in a low voice, his stomach hurting, churning. "Do you know something? Chi. What do you know?"
She presses her lips together tightly. "Nothing." She says but widens her eyes again, raising both hands in front of her, one taking the other and shaking, slowly. "I know nothing, Harry. But maybe you should think about this. I mean, why not? You're clearly struggling with your feelings."
His eyes are set on her hands. He blinks. A Vow. He inhales sharply, taking one step away from the brick wall. Whatever Chiara might know, she can't tell him. But he just can't understand how in the world Chiara would make a Vow with Hermione. Fuck, how?
He nods to her, showing that he understood what she means. She nods back at him, exhaling heavily.
"I… I can't go there. She's with her fiance." He says, watching every reaction on Chiara's face.
She just makes a face of disgust. "Indeed. But we know he's a jerk, so, maybe he won't stay with her for the whole night…" She hints.
Harry runs a hand through his hair, thinking. He feels completely torn.
On one side he wants to make his grandfather proud. He wants to show him that he can go through with this, that he's strong enough, but on the other side…
On the other side there's Hermione.
Like always.
And after a whole month feeling hollow inside, he finally felt whole again today when he saw her. When he talked with her. When they touched and he felt that exhilaration from their tingle.
Chiara's words are true. He avoided thinking about what happened, but he can't do that anymore.
"I- I'll fulfill my obligations, then I'll think about going to the Hospital." He states and Chiara opens a smile.
"Perfect. I'll help you."
She can't hear a thing around her. Hermione can only focus on her mother lying on the bed in front of her.
They're magically helping Bellatrix breathe. And she has bruises and scars all over her body.
Hermione is in shock. She knows because she hasn't shed one tear since she arrived and heard from Sirius what probably happened.
Bellatrix was alone inside the Manor. And many triggers around the wards were activated at once. Explosions. They believe they were caused by Moritz's powders. And her mother was right there, at the backyard, next to a 'bomb'.
The healer said she's alive by miracle. And they brought up the possibility that Bellatrix casted a shield around herself at the last minute. If it weren't for that she would be dead now.
And they kept talking, but Hermione distanced herself, wanting to be with her mother. She didn't even look at her father when she arrived. On his part he didn't try talking to her either. And she's fine. In fact, she's glad he didn't. He never truly loved Bellatrix. He only used her.
Hermione notices she's shaking when someone offers her a glass of water and her hand is barely able of holding it. Ron's standing there by her side.
She shares a look with him.
"She'll survive this, Hermione." He says.
Hermione nods, numb. Her mother has to survive this. There's no other alternative.
"She's in a coma." She says the words out loud, hating them.
Ron says nothing, he only squeezes her shoulder.
She wants Harry. She never needed him more than now.
"Where's Asmo?" She asks, swallowing hard.
"He… left." Ron says with a strange tone. Disapproving.
Hermione nods. She knew he would. Asmo doesn't give a fuck about her mother or her.
"What time is it?" She asks, in a daze, her eyes still on her mother, the movement of her chest going up and down hypnotizing Hermione.
"3am."
Hermione blinks. She's been sitting here for hours but it merely seemed like minutes. She lowers her head, holding it with both hands, exhaling. Still, no tears.
"I need some fresh air." She whispers. "And you should go home, Ron." She looks up at him.
He makes a face. "I don't wanna leave you."
Her heart squeezes inside her chest and she stands up, hugging him. "I can handle it." She says.
Ron shakes his head, a few tears rolling down his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder how you manage to be this strong, Hermione."
She wonders that herself. But Hermione only opens a tight smile. "I have no other choice."
He inhales deeply, something swimming in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay? It's no problem at all." She shakes her head, refusing vehemently. "Fine." He kisses her cheek. "Call me if you need me, okay?"
"Okay. I'll head outside a bit. I need to clear my head."
He finally nods and they walk out from the private room together.
Ron apparates away and Hermione keeps going. She's taking steps automatically and when she realizes, she's already out of the Hospital. The night is also silent. Dark and sad. Like her.
She braces herself, walking aimlessly, circling the place with heavy steps. She wanted to clear her mind but there aren't thoughts going through it. It's a blank and a sensation of powerlessness that suffocates her.
A hand stops her from taking another step and Hermione blinks, frowning.
When she looks up and to the side, she sees Harry.
She inhales deeply, her heart swelling inside her chest. He looks serious, but… he's there. She presses her lips together and notices that her chin is trembling. She shakes her head to him, the tears starting to fall.
Harry takes her hand in his and guides her to a corner, hiding away from prying eyes.
Then, he settles himself against the wall and brings her to his arms, squeezing her, breathing her in. Hermione clings to him, crying without restraints, wailing.
They don't say a word.
But he soothes her and brushes her tears away. And she lets him.
Harry holds her.
He holds her for hours.