Beautiful In My Eyes

A/N: hey guys! I’m back with yet another story … I was taking my English Language exam on Wednesday and this idea began to build up so on Saturday morning (today that is) I started typing out the first chapter, and even though I’m not at all impressed with what I wrote, I managed to convince myself that I can’t do a better job so I’m going to upload this just the way it is=p hehehe, no I’m just kidding, but I still don’t think it’s one of my best… buuuuut you’ll be the judge of that and you’ll let me know ofcourse ;) I hope you enjoy it! Oh by the way, it’s not really long but my first chapter never are! They’re just setting the scene so you know what’s going on in the story… Trust me when I say that they will be getting longer =p

A/N2: by the way, it’s not beta-ed and I didn’t even check it through because I’m too tired from studying and all … I caught some grammatical mistakes but if you guys spot more that’s too much then please tell me and I’ll try my best to fix them if the story’s doesn’t make any sense!! Okay, on with the story!!

Summary: well, it’s post-Hogwarts and while Harry is training for Auror, Hermione is studying to become a teacher at Hogwarts (hopefully if she gets in!) they aren’t living together though they are nearby … I’d say they’re around 20-21 years old =p

Disclaimer: *sighs* not mine … never will be … =(

            “Hermione! What are you doing here?” Harry Potter asked Hermione Granger, who he found sitting outside his apartment door. He had just returned from Auror training and was in desperate need of a shower and a soft couch to lie upon, but those things flew out of his mind at the sight of his ‘best friend.’

            She was in a right state, he decided, taking in her fragile image. She was wearing jeans with PUMA trainers and on top a tank top that was under a jacket that held a tore on her right shoulder. Sitting against Harry’s front door, soaked to the bone with her chestnut hair lying flat on her head and her clothes clinging dangerously on her body, Harry decided that he needed a cold shower. However, the sound of her sobbing brought him out of his trail of thought and he immediately came to the conclusion that Hermione wasn’t at all well. ‘Bloody idiot, couldn’t you see that from before?’

            “Hermione… what’s wrong?” he asked instantly, yet regretted it when he realized that it sounded so cliché, “Can you get up? You want me to help you?” ‘Couldn’t you think of anything else?!’ his mind wondered, but this was the best he could think of at this moment in time and he was actually quite proud of it.

            However, Hermione seemed to be glued to the ground with her hands covering eyes yet she wasn’t crying uncontrollably. Only a few sobs came when she seemed to be taking in air. Harry decided to change tactic and sat next to her, carefully putting an arm around her shoulder but was surprised to find that she shuddered under his touch and quickly scooting a few inches away from him.

            “Hermione please talk to me,” he told her, desperation creeping into his voice. This was scaring him and he didn’t like how she was acting. Never before had she shown such behaviour towards him, in fact, she was all for hugs from Harry! She pulled her head up and he was shocked to see the cruelness that could be seen in her eyes. They were so cold and so … lifeless, he concluded, but almost at once she pulled her knees up to her chest and brought her hands around herself, whilst her head hung low, ‘This is really bizarre and I’m going to get to the bottom of this!’ he resolved, and at the same time trying to figure out how he was going to get her to talk to him.

            “’Hermione, it’s me Harry. Your Harry…” he told her plainly, his heart fluttering once he saw that those words created a reaction from Hermione. She turned her head at angle at which Harry could see her face, and was relieved that she there was some kind of emotion written on her face, despite the fact that her body was in a defensive stance, “I’m here Hermione, and you know that you wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t want me to help you … if you didn’t need me to help you. I’m here, and I need to know what’s going on so that I can help you. Please Hermione,” he finished, amazed to see her eyes fill up with tears but none of them actually spill down her face.

            Frustrated with the fact that she wasn’t responding anymore to anything that he did, he got up suddenly, turning himself in such a way that he was standing exactly opposite her with his hands akimbo.

            “Alright, if you’re not going to tell me what’s wrong then I’m just going to force you to! I’m picking you up and taking you inside my apartment so don’t you dare oppose me!” With only a whimper coming from Hermione, he bitterly sighed and just scooped her up as she relaxed against his chest. Maneuvering one hand into his pocket so that he could retrieve his wand, he managed to open his front door and heading straight for his couch, he dropped her onto it very gently.

            Making his way to the kitchen, he absentmindedly ran his hand over his chest where Hermione’s head lay just seconds before, and was surprised to find that it was wet. ‘She was crying.’ The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, making his heart tighten at the thought of her being saddened by something and him not knowing. Looking out through his kitchen window, he vowed to himself to find out what in the world was wrong with Hermione even if she didn’t want to tell him. After all, she had come to him didn’t she? ‘That’s a start,’ he thought, and was taken aback when he saw two cups of tea in his hand, probably two that he made during his thinking session. Shrugging, he returned to the living room to find Hermione staring in space, again with that lifeless expression in her eyes, sending a shiver down Harry’s back. Shaking it off, he strode into the living room and sat down beside her.

            “Here,” he told her gently, handing her the cup of tea and only after a moment’s hesitation did she take it, “Listen Hermione, I know that you don’t want to talk about what happened but you have to trust me when I say that you will feel better after you do. Don’t you remember? This is what you told me time and time again when we were back in Hogwarts but being the git that I was, I didn’t try it then, but I do now and believe me, it works. Please Hermione; I’m begging you… talk to me.”

            Hermione merely looked at him and he wasn’t sure anymore that she actually listening to him. Giving up, he decided that he would allow her to sleep tonight but tomorrow he was going to get some answers. He wasn’t about to let his ‘best friend’ be this way because it hurt him as much as it hurt her. He couldn’t bear to watch her be sad like this, he couldn’t take it when she was in pain. He wanted to help her so much, but how could he when it felt like he was talking to a wall? Sighing, he got up and started walking towards his bedroom when he heard the cup fall to the floor and break into a million pieces. That’s when he heard Hermione mutter something so awful that he didn’t want to believe what he heard, didn’t want to accept what he just heard being whispered into the air.

            “W-w-what?” he finally managed to stammer, “I don’t think I heard you Hermione,” he waited for her to repeat what she had only moments before speak softly. Hermione seemed to be embarrassed of this fact and just curled herself in a ball on the couch, making Harry even more determined to make her say it. With two quick steps he was kneeling in front of her, with his hands on the couch pillow trying hard not to touch her.

            “I’m not trying to make you suffer even more Hermione, but I don’t think that I heard correctly what you said before. Please?” he requested while his emerald green eyes held a transparent sheet of tears in front of them. Even so slowly and gingerly, he took her minute hand in his and tightened his hold so much that it was painful, only none of them seem to acknowledge this fact.

            With a shaking breath, Hermione uttered those words that Harry had heard before only not ready to accept that fact…

            “I was raped…”

A/N: Well I hoped you liked what you read … don’t worry, I won’t get into anything REALL graphic because I don’t like those =p I’ll try to keep this story at a good level and not fall into any clichés hopefully … well, that’s the first chapter of “Beautiful In My Eyes” (wow! That just came out, I didn’t even have a title for it yet!) Hope to hear from you and I hope you stick with me till the end =)