Blind Confrontations
Chapter 8: Without Words
The first thing Harry felt was the sun streaming through the window of his room spilling over his bed making him feel warm and comfortable under his blankets, the next thing he felt was a soft gently caress of fingers running along the contours of his face. He took a deep brief and a myriad of scents tickled his nose, hints of vanilla, musty books and ink, slowly a smile spread across his face and he opened his eyes and rolled on his side facing her. Very gently he let his fingers reach out till he came in contact with her arm and allowed them to very slowly trail up towards her shoulder to her throat where he lazily trailed his fingertips to her jaw.
Hermione lay there propped up on her elbow her fingers trailing softly across Harry's face, she smiled he needed to shave to but not to badly and it felt. She watched him as he slept and his face lost all its edges and worry lines and he looked like a regular teenager who didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders. She stiffened when he moved and his eyes opened but didn't stop her caresses, she almost moaned as he slowly started to trace his fingers along his skin leaving a trail of molten fire in their wake. She leaned into his touch and she sighed, this was where she belonged, with Harry, she cared for Ron deeply but Harry was that missing piece of her soul. Very softly she whispered good morning.
Harry smiled in her general direction as he tenderly traced the shape of her face and slowly ran his fingertips down her face letting the image build in his mind, god she was so beautiful. "Hi…"
"Harry, where did you go after the funeral?" Hermione opened her eyes to watch his face her hand trailing from his face to drape gently across his chest. "Everyone was worried about you."
Harry sighed knowing he couldn't tell her the entire truth about what had happened and slid his arm across her waist and tugged her till they lay there fitting perfectly together still in the clothes from they wore from the night before. "I just had to clear my head Mione…In a way Remus's death was my fault…Voldemort killed him to get to me." He sensed her beginning to speak and quickly lay his finger to her lips. "Let me finish."
Hermione frowned at his action but she closed her mouth and waited for him to finish talking.
"Guilt was eating me alive Mione, my parents, Cedric, Sirius and now Remus all killed simply because they had something to do with me or were near me." He let out a heart weary sigh and Hermione felt his pain as slowly the carefree innocent she saw while he slept was slowly buried once more under the guise of the boy who lived. "But as I thought more and more I realised I wasn't to blame, Tom Riddle and his obsession with his own past is to blame and so I decided to come back to here to find you."
Tears trickled down Hermione's at Harry's words and she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body to his and just held him almost revelling in his touch as his hands so nimble and strong when catching a snitch in Quidditch gently stroked her hair.
Neither of them knew how long they lay there holding tightly to each other, both of them finding an anchor to hold them tethered to the ground in this time of pain. But like all moments of peace a rapping on Harry's door broke it.
The door swung open and Professor Mcgonnagal entered the room. "Miss Granger has there been…Mr Potter, Miss Granger, might I ask what exactly is going on here, in fact don't bother explaining, Potter the headmaster would like a word with you, Miss Granger as it seems Harry has returned you should make your way to your classes. Without waiting for a reply from either teen she swept out of the room to wait for them.
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In silence Harry followed Professor Mcgonnagal to the gargoyle statue that stood before the staircase leading to the Headmasters office. "Peppermint Humbugs." Slowly the statue moved out of the way and Professor Mcgonnagal turned to Harry. "Up with you Mr Potter." Harry nodded still remaining silent slowly climbed the moving staircase till he reached the top and walked along the short corridor to Dumbledore's office.
"Come in Harry."
Harry pushed open the door and he stepped inside and almost felt overwhelmed from the feel of the room itself, the room screamed relax and if his senses were not so honed it would probably have worked. Instead his training from Stick fought with the room trying to keep Harry's senses honed for any sign of danger even here in the safest room within Hogwarts. "Please take a seat harry, we have much to discuss."
Harry nodded and he glanced around the room before he slipped into one of the over stuffed armchairs that Dumbledore favoured and he smiled when he felt and saw Fawkes land on his thigh and rub it's golden plumed head against Harry's face. Harry gently stroked the bird to ease its sorrow at not being able to help him when he needed it. "Professor can I ask what this is about?"
"I am afraid that a problem has arisen Harry." Dumbledore watched Harry carefully his fingers steepled beneath his nose. "Yesterday something terrible occurred." He watched Harry flinch and a guilty expression flashed across his face. "No Harry I do not refer to your recent trip to a certain house in Knockturn alley." He smiled as he watched Harry relax then suddenly tense up once more. "Whilst I do not condone your actions I do understand what led you to them, and as this is war between the dark and the light something's are shown in a different light." He sighed and lowered his hands. "No what I refer to was a meeting of the schools board of governors, a meeting I did not know of before it was to late."
Harry frowned still gently stroking the plumage of Fawkes. "Sorry Professor but what does this have to do with me?"
"The meeting was able you Harry, and due to your accident and Voldemort's return whether it was safe for the other students to allow you to remain at Hogwarts. Alas much to my Horror they reached a unanimous decision and have demanded your immediate removal from school, for your own safety as well as everyone else's."
Harry sat there stock still in shock, he was being expelled, when with the return of the Dark Lord and Harry number one of his hit list, they were forcing him to leave his home.
Dumbledore felt his heart break at the stricken expression that grew on the face of the boy he thought of as a grand child. "I'm sorry Harry, I am appealing the choice as we speak, but I feel gold's and threats of retribution has reached the members of the board and for the time being till this is dealt with you must return to the Dursely's."
Harry didn't know what to think. He stood almost mechanically at a lost for words. "D-do I have to give you my wand?" He drew his wand and held it towards Dumbledore and he almost cried in relief when he heard the word no.
"You are not being expelled from Hogwarts Harry, and as you have passed your owls you are trained well enough to use magic once you turn of age. I will not allow this to happen, I will appeal this to the highest levels till you are able to return to your classes and friends."
Harry walked quietly to the door and slowly pulled it open. At Dumbledore's words he shook his head sadly. "Don't bother Professor, I just reached my breaking point with this world." With that said He slipped out of the office leaving Albus looking very tired very old and for the first time in his life feeling defeated.
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It was during lunch when Hermione received the letter from the headmaster telling her to find Harry as quickly as possible. So trying hard not to panic Hermione slipped out of the great hall and ran towards Harry's room and found he was not there. She flipped open his trunk and retrieved the Marauders map and tapped it with her wand. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." Slowly the magical ink spread across the page and soon enough there in the Owlery was a dot marked Harry Potter. Dropping the map into Harry's trunk Hermione Ran from his room to the owlery not caring who she knocked out of the way as she ran.
Finally she arrived and pushed open the door and slipped inside. "Harry?" Silhouetted against the window stood the boy who lived staring out over the grounds.
"Mione…" He didn't turn round, he couldn't turn round and face her.
"Harry what's wrong, Dumbledore told me I had to find you." She walked across the floor and leaned against his back and slipped her arms around his waist. "Harry talk to me."
"They are kicking me out Mione." He leaned back into her embrace savouring what he knew couldn't last. "The school board decided having me here near the other students was to big a risk, so while I'm not being expelled but I am being dismissed."
"No…no you can't leave not now." She tightened her grip around his waist and held onto him for dear life.
"I want you to have Hedwig Hermione, Dumbledore wants me to go back to the Dursely's but I'm not going, I refuse to sit there in a place I am hated and wait to die."
She stood there for once speechless as she held tightly to the man she was so desperately in love with.
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Was the next day at Hogsmeade station, Harry stood with his trunk surrounded by Ron, Dumbledore, Hagrid and Hermione. He shook hands with Dumbledore as he gave Harry assurances his return to Hogwarts would not be far off. He exchanged back slaps with Ron in that awkward that way guys share emotions and he gasped for breath as his oldest friend Hagrid pulled him into a hug. "You take care now ya hear."
Harry smiled up at his friend. "I will Hagrid, when I get settled in I'll let you know ok." Hagrid nodded and hugged Harry again so hard you could almost hear his ribs creak before finally letting him go. Harry turned to Hermione who stood there her arms wrapped around herself and tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I don't want you to go."
Harry sighed. "I don't want to go, but they aren't leaving me any choice Mione, long as Voldemorts out there my life is always going to be like this." He reached out and gently cupped her face in his hands and smiled a sad smile before he leaned in and kisses her softly. His lips lingered against hers for several moments before he pulled back.
"Harry, I-I…." Hermione trailed off as his finger pressed gently to her lips. She stared into his unseeing eyes still a soft colour of jade, a side effect of his accident.
He shook his head as he silenced her. "You don't have to say it Mione, I don't need eyes to see your feelings, and I don't have to hear you say it, because in a thousand different ways you say it without words Mione, and I want you to know…I love you to." Harry gently kissed her brow and stepped back as the Train whistle sounded. Without turning back around he climbed onto the train and shut the cabin door. Slowly the train began to leave the station.
"I love you Harry Potter!"
Finally Harry smiled as he heard her voice as the train pulled away and unnoticed by him tears gently rolled down his cheeks
TBC…
AN: Please don't hurt me I promise there will be a lot more interaction between H/Hr in later chapters, so please no death threats
Yours in pleading mercy:
The Evil known and Kai Lun Mau.