Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 5

We're only human, baby

We walk on broken ground.

We lose our way.

We come unwound.

*~*~*~*~*

The first Russian troops crossed the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan at twelve-seventeen General Morning Time.

Immediately, the Afghani and Iraqi forces rallied, but were quickly overwhelmed by the marching brigades of the Federation's crack armed forces. Pressed into a defensive corner, the native forces tried every trick of guerilla warfare in the book, but achieved no victory.

At a bitter meeting at the United Nations Security Council, the United States' Ambassador bitterly denounced the policies of the "unelected, tyrannical, and quite appallingly inhumane Russian Federation".

World war, it seemed, was only mere days, if not less, away.

But a deeper threat laid unnoticed...a threat that would quite soon be made apparent to the world, both Muggle and Wizard.

*~*~*~*~*

"Well then," Harry said, "I suppose I'll just take the bed."

"Excuse me?" Hermione was the picture of indigence, "You said that I was going to have the bed!"

"You said you'd take the floor."

"I did not. As far as I know, we never discussed the sleeping arrangements!"

"Yes, we did."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, we were in the middle of discussing national security when the sleeping arrangements were PASSINGLY referenced!"

"Right and you said you'd take the floor."

"Harry, why are you being such a bas-"

Hermione immediately flung a hand over her mouth, appalled at the words she had just started to speak about the man who was - had - been her best friend.

Harry scoffed a little in disbelief before he fired back, "Why are you acting like you're still my best friend?"

Hermione stammered, "I…um...."

"You left us, Hermione! I haven't seen or heard from you since we left school and now, all of a sudden, you're back expecting me to greet you with open arms? That's not gonna happen, Hermione. I don't even know who you are anymore…how do you expect me to trust you?"

"I...well...I..."

"Don't have anything to say," Harry said as he looked at Hermione with a piercing glare. "Good night, Hermione."

"Harry-"

Harry made his way to the bed and slipped beneath the covers. As Hermione watched, she couldn't help but snigger.

"What is it?"

"Harry, you're still in your clothes."

"What? And I suppose you just happened to bring your pajamas here?"

Hermione gave a small grin and Harry's jaw dropped.

"Harry," she said, as she flashed him a sharp grin, "sometimes it pays to be an over-prepared know-it-all."

"Bugger," Harry replied.

"I'll just change in the bathroom," and she narrowed her eyes at Harry, "I still will get the bed, Mr. Minister."

"Well, I'm not leaving the bed so it's both of us or the floor," Harry replied.

Hermione simply raised her eyebrows and turned to walk to the bathroom.

Harry leaned back his head against the pillow and sighed contentedly, vaguely registering the sound of a door opening a few minutes later. However, he woke up fully when he felt movement on the bed next to him.

"I'm sleeping on the bed Potter, like it or not."

"But-"

"Harry, come on, we're both adults here."

Harry barely managed to squeak out a "So?"

"So, we're perfectly capable of sleeping on the same bed without taking it the wrong way. Plus, this is a King size bed and there's plenty of room for the both of us," Hermione remarked in her usual logical way.

Harry tried his protest, "Hermione, we haven't seen each other in a decade. We're, we're...almost strangers."

Hermione's face remained stoical, but Harry noticed that her eyes revealed a tinge of hurt and regret.

He sighed, "Like it or not, Hermione, it's the truth. You remember what you said to me the last day we saw each other?"

Hermione shifted her gaze to the bed sheet showing her obvious discomfort.

"You said you didn't love me..."

Hermione closed her eyes as she fought back her tears. "I know..."

"As do I...Hermione, you broke my heart that day and then, you just left." Harry looked at Hermione and sighed as he continued, "Which is kind of why I'm a bit uncomfortable sharing a bed with you right now."

"I didn't think I could take seeing you again," Hermione answered. "Harry, have you ever told a lie so big....it changed your whole life?" Hermione looked away. "Never mind, don't answer that. I'll just...sleep on the floor." She pulled herself out of the bed and murmured, "It's obvious that I'm the one who shouldn't even be here anyway."

"Hermione...don't say that." Harry reached out to grab her arm, but she shook him off.

"Make up your mind, Harry. Do you want me here or not?"

"Well, I-" Harry started before he suddenly realized something.

Hermione smiled sadly. "That's what I thought."

"No," Harry answered, "you didn't let me finish. I...still love you, Hermione."

"What?" Hermione asked, confused by this turn of events.

"I still love you. Fact is, I never stopped," Harry answered.

Hermione's eyes opened and her heart began to race as she listened to Harry.

"Hermione...I don't know who you are anymore," he continued, "But if you're still a bushy-haired, buck-toothed, know-it-all, I still love you."

Hermione felt the tears stinging her eyes. "I'm not buck-toothed anymore…"

"And you know what I think?" Harry continued, ignoring her statement. "I think you ran away because you love me too."

"Why are you doing this, Harry?"

Harry moved his face closer to hers, "Because I love you."

Again, Hermione smiled sadly as she pulled away from him. "I think I'll sleep on the floor."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because I don't think you know what you want right now, Harry. You said that you couldn't trust me...so I don't know how you could possibly love me."

Harry didn't answer so Hermione said, "Good night."

Harry got up slowly and made his way to the floor.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, from the other side of the bed, where she was stretched out on the carpet.

"I don't feel like sleeping in the bed anymore."

The next morning…

The unmistakable sound of knuckles rapping on a door caused Harry's eyes to flutter open.

Ugh, what time is it? Harry wondered as he rubbed his eyes. And why in Merlin's name does my back hurt so much??

The knock on the door sounded again, along with the sound of a voice. "Potter! Granger! Are you up yet?"

Granger? Harry's mind reeled for a moment before he remembered yesterday's events.

A feminine voice sounded, "We are now…thanks to you, Malfoy."

More knocking…"Good Merlin! You two didn't spend the entire night at each other's throats did you?"

"Urgh," Hermione said as she stood up to get the door, "no, more like we spent it on the floor."

Outside the door, Ron and Malfoy shared a double take with each other.

Finally, Ron asked, "With each other?"

Harry wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to that, as the cobwebs were still quite controlling his mind at the moment. He never had been an early riser.

Hermione, on the other hand, had some idea as she opened the door quickly to glare at the two men standing there. "Ronald Bilius Weasley! Who do you take me for? Parvati?"

Ron snickered at her comment, "Well, I haven't seen you for a decade...scarlet woman!"

Hermione couldn't help laughing at that.

Malfoy interrupted. "I hate to break up this sweet reunion, but we have a major crisis to deal with, remember?"

At this point, Harry was standing up and running his hand through his hair while trying to wake up. "What's the latest, Malfoy? Has the Ministry been secured yet?" he asked.

"No." Malfoy sighed and ran a hand through his unruly platinum hair, "Harry, they left behind a bunch of time-delay jinxes. The place is a war zone. Tonks wants you to say here while the Aurors clean the place up."

"Time-delay jinxes?" Ron asked.

"The magical equivalent to a time bomb," Hermione supplied, "After a certain period of time, days, seconds, millennia, whatever…the jinx goes off...spraying its magic, nominally Dark all over a small area."

"Oh," Ron deadpanned. "Well, that's really not good, is it?"

"So what am I bloody supposed to do right now?" Harry asked Malfoy, suddenly awake.

"Stay here and we'll connect via secure Floo to the national security council."

Malfoy's eyes searched Hermione for a few seconds, before he spoke again, "They may want to listen to what Granger has."

Harry threw a glance to Hermione before asking, "Are you sure? I mean..."

"Potter, I don't like her any more than you do right now, but she might have something worthwhile to say."

Hermione tried to scowl at Malfoy, but found that it was difficult...she did deserve some - well, all of them, really - of the responses she was receiving from her former mates...and enemies.

"What about the...you know..."

"We'll bring her in after we discuss it."

Harry sighed and looked at the floor for a moment before he looked up and said, "All right."

Malfoy nodded. "Good, I'll have the Floo set up immediately. Potter, come with me, and...Granger...wait here with Weasley."

"Err, Malfoy?" Harry said.

"What?"

"Mind if I take a shower first?"

"You're the Minister of Magic and this is a crisis situation," Draco said, his lips curling downwards in a disapproving gesture.

"And you'll be working by my side all day," Harry answered. "Are you sure you don't want me to?"

"That's a good point," Malfoy answered. "All right...go take a shower, but for the love of Merlin, hurry!"

Harry disappeared into the next room while the three of them remained. Ron was staring at Malfoy, until finally Draco said testily, "What, Weasley?"

"You took a 30-minute shower this morning....I heard it."

"Your point being...?"

Ron raised his eyebrows and glanced at Hermione, but said nothing else.

Malfoy scowled and turned his attention to Hermione, "What happened with Potter last night?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but nothing."

Malfoy shook his head, "Nothing like that, Granger. I meant, did Potter cave in and tell you?" Harry's chief of staff gave a wicked grin. "You don't know how long he's denied himself any other women because of you, how much he talks about you still…it's pathetic."

Hermione seemed shocked - and a bit flattered - to learn of this information, but she managed to compose herself.

Malfoy continued, "He practically worships you, Granger. There's days when he absolutely hates you because of what you did to him...but he's never quite given up on you. And only Merlin knows why."

Hermione's heart was beating a furious pace and her mouth dropped open slightly as she listened to Malfoy explain to her the extent of Harry's feelings for her.

He finished with, "Just don't lead him on, Granger, I may not like Potter all that much, but even I felt pity at what he was like when you left."

With that, the door opened, and Harry walked out of his room, whistling softly under his breath.

"There you are, Potter," Malfoy drawled. "Enjoy your shower?"

"Tremendously, Ferret," Harry replied sarcastically. "Now quit stalling, let's go."

They walked into Malfoy's room, Harry's long strides allowing him to beat Draco to the door.

"Ron," Hermione said softly, wheeling around to face her red-headed best friend, "Is that, is that...true?"

"Yeah..." Ron replied, looking straight at her, "yeah, it is. I hope you're happy now." With that, Ron left for his room, leaving Hermione alone.

Softly, Hermione began to sob as she realized just how much she had hurt her friends by leaving. Her legs slowly slipped beneath her as she collapsed and leaned against the wall while still crying.

*~*~*~*~*

"So the theorems are safe?" Harry's eyes bored into the Flooed image of the boardroom of the National Security Council.

"The actual theorems are, yes," was the answer.

"But our security was breached. How?"

"We believe there was a mole involved."

Harry Potter wasn't much for the use of vulgar language, a trait ingrained to his soul by Hermione Granger, but he used a string of such words when that sentence was uttered.

Finally, he asked, "Do we know who yet?"

"No, sir, we have no idea."

Harry thought for a second, thinking over their conversation when he realized something. "Wait a second, you said that the actual Theorems were intact….what about the-"

"I'm afraid it's missing, sir."

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