A/N: Again, I am very sorry for the long overdue delay on this story. I know everyone is suffering a bit of a blow from the book and also "the interview", but I hope that everyone knows fanfiction will forever survive as long as authors still believe in our ship. What does it really matter if it happens in canon? I enjoy fanfiction almost more so then the books anyway. I've seen a few authors lost to the emotional heartbreak over the new information, and I hope that this doesn't continue. We have no reason to give up, we believe in Harry and Hermione as a couple for one reason: we interpreted the books in our way, and actually picked out true love…not the "star wars" ending. I just have one question, if J.K. Rowling supposedly left such "anvil hints" for us to find, then why are there so many Harry and Hermione shippers out there? We couldn't have all interpreted it wrong, believing that they stood a valid chance of coming together in canon. And I do believe that I read a few interviews where she said she wouldn't say who Hermione loved because she loved the different views…and yet she was surprised that a lot of people were heartbroken about the path she decided to travel down with book six. Alright, enough of my ranting...I hope you enjoy this part of the story, and next chapter will be the end…how sad….anyway, don't forget to review!
Hermione's All That
True Colors Come Out
Harry's world seemed to stop as he heard Hermione scream his name and fall from the top of the Astronomy Tower.
The air around him seemed to drop below zero, and his breath started to come out in harsh pants. His mind wouldn't work, but he knew he had to do something, and he had to do something quick.
This was Hermione, the love of his life, he couldn't let her die…no, he wouldn't let her die.
Harry swung his leg over the broom, and within a flash, he was gone. He saw Hermione falling along with Ginny. He caught her face, and saw the look over terror upon it. The ground was coming faster then he wanted it to, and he pushed himself to fly harder and faster then he ever had in his life.
As he approached Hermione, he reached out his hand. "Hermione!" Harry shouted. "Grab my hand!" Hermione reached up, but she barely touched his fingertips. He looked up and realized it was now or never, so with all of his might he pushed the broom a little more, just enough to grab Hermione around the waist. As soon as he had a hold of her, he pulled up with all his might. He felt the ground rush by them as he pulled up.
With force of the pull, and the added weight of Hermione, Harry couldn't hold the broom steady and he lost control. They fell to the ground in a heap, rolling to a stop.
Harry turned over, and pain shot up his right arm, grabbing it, he moved slowly so he could sit up. Looking over, he saw Hermione lying beside him, but she wasn't moving.
"Oh God!" Harry thought, as he rushed over to her, oblivious to the pain in his arm.
Kneeling down beside her, he stroked her face. "Hermione!" Harry asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "Hermione, wake up! You have to wake up. Please!" Harry felt the tears welling up in his eyes, and he didn't try to stop them from falling.
He loved Hermione, with every part of his being. He never wanted to be with anyone else. He never actually thought that he was capable of this kind of love, but he felt it for Hermione. She was everything to him, and he wished he never caused her pain, never made her cry, and he vowed to never her hurt again.
Closing his eyes, he kept repeating Hermione's name. He reached out blindly for her hand, and grabbed it, squeezing tightly. Suddenly, he felt the hand squeeze back. Warmth flooded Harry's insides, as he looked up into the beautiful eyes that were staring at him. Hermione smiled and Harry smiled back, before wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. They sat that way for a minute, and then Harry finally released his hold of her.
"So, are you crying for me, or for the fact that you didn't make a perfect landing after that daring move on the broom?" Hermione said, and they both laughed. They laughed at each other, at the situation, and at the fact that they were together, alive, and most importantly: in love.
"Can you move?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Yeah, I think I bruised a rib, but nothing to bad," Hermione answered. Harry helped her up the best he could with his broken arm. They turned around and stopped; before them lay the body of Ginny Weasley.
Her body was bruised, and her legs were in odd angles. Blood oozed out of her head, and Hermione buried hers in Harry's shoulder.
Harry couldn't look away though. He stroked Hermione's hair, trying to comfort her, but he just couldn't look away. He couldn't believe that Ginny, someone he had trusted, treated like a sister, had betrayed him, threatened Hermione, and now lay dead on the Hogwarts grounds. His heart ached a little for her. He pitied her and what she had become. Harry didn't regret not saving her, he would have done everything the same, but he did feel a little guilty. "Damn conscience," Harry thought.
He finally turned his eyes away and led Hermione into the school, making his way toward the hospital wing.
Harry and Hermione each lay on a bed in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had just finished up mending their wounds, and they were resting just a bit.
Hermione stared up at the ceiling. Her mind was troubling her at the moment. She thought about the Yule Ball, about the incident in the Astronomy Tower. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if Harry hadn't come to look for her. She thought about Neville, her one friend at Hogwarts. How could he have done this to her? She never would have thought. She remembered falling, and she pictured her parents, Hogwarts, and Harry. As she fell, it seemed like eternity to her, even though it was only a few seconds before Harry caught her. A few tears leaked out of her eyes as she thought of her own death, about being in the same boat as Ginny. And Ginny, the sight of her made Hermione cringe. She pictured herself there instead of Ginny. That could have been me. She knew that was selfish, but that was what she thought. And she knew she was glad to still be alive. She wanted to live, she had so much she wanted to do, so much she wanted to accomplish, and she didn't want to leave Harry, not yet. They hadn't even had a chance to actually be together, and she wanted that now more then anything else.
Breaking her from her thoughts, Harry called out her name. She turned her head to look over at him, careful not to move too much because there was still pain in her chest, even though Madam Pomfrey had fixed the broken rib.
"Yes?" she asked, softly.
Harry didn't say anything, but sat up in his bed. He got up and came over to her. Hermione sat up and let him sit down. Harry grabbed her hand in his and looked into her eyes.
"About the bet…" Harry started to say, but Hermione interrupted him.
"Harry, not now…," Hermione said.
Harry shook his head. "No, I've been waiting to tell you this for a while now." Harry said to her, and Hermione nodded, letting him know he could continue. "I'm sorry about the bet, and hurting you like I did. I never want to hurt you again. You have shown me so much in the past few months, and you've made me feel better then I have in years. Before you I was a shallow, cocky, arrogant rich kid with no ambitions, and no one to really care about, and now…God Hermione, now I have you and I care about you so much." Harry stopped as his emotions welled up in his throat. Regaining his momentum, he continued. "When I look at you, I never want to see you hurt. Just thinking of you makes me feel, I don't even know, it makes me feel alive inside. I know now that there is such a thing as true love, because I have experienced it, I am experiencing it. I love you so much Hermione and I never want you to think otherwise," Harry finished, and looked down, feeling exposed for what he had just confessed.
"Harry," Hermione said, and he looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling so bright and beautiful, he couldn't help but smile back. "I love you so much, too."
Harry leaned forward, about to kiss Hermione, when the doors to the Hospital Wing were flung open.
"What the hell, Potter!" Draco announced, as he pulled a bound, gagged, and unconscious Neville behind him.
"Draco, I'm sorry, I completely forgot about you," Harry said, as Draco knocked Neville's head into one of the bed posts, and not thinking twice about it. Draco let go of the rope and sat down on the bed in front of Harry and Hermione.
"Yeah, I can see that," Malfoy muttered, a smug look on his face.
"Well, it looks to me like you didn't really need my help with Neville," Harry said, looking over at Neville again. Rage boiled inside of his body, and he had to control himself from going over there and beating Neville to death.
"Don't flatter yourself, Potter. Of course I wouldn't need your help with psycho geek here, but I would have liked some help bringing the ass down here!" Malfoy huffed.
"Why didn't you just levitate him? You are a wizard, you know," Hermione said.
"Har Har," Malfoy muttered, giving Hermione an evil look. Hermione snickered at Malfoy. "Where's old Dumbles? I'm surprised he wasn't here when you first arrived. He seems to know everything that goes on in this place except when it's a time when you actually need him."
"He's out telling the professors about what happened, and keeping everyone inside so they don't go and see Filch taking care of Ginny's body," Harry told him. "He wants a full recount of what happened tonight when he gets back."
"Damn, and I was hoping to get in a least once dance with Jessica tonight," Draco said to himself. Harry and Hermione exchanged knowing looks.
"What happened to you tonight?" Harry asked him. Asking the question both he and Hermione wanted to know ever since he first barged into the Astronomy Tower.
"I was on my way to the ball, when this jackass jumped me from behind. He grabbed my wand before I even had a chance to defend myself," Draco said. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, here are your wands." He handed both of them to Harry, and he gave Hermione hers.
"Thanks," Hermione said, and Harry nodded.
"Anyway, he ties me up and puts me in some small closet. So I asked him why he wanted me of all people, and he told me about the plan to kill both of you. He didn't say much, but when he grabbed a hair from my head, I knew what he was planning to do. I called him a few names, and he kicked me in the side of the head. It bloody hurt too," Draco said, rubbing his fingers over the purple bruise on the side of his forehead. "Finally Filch came and unlocked the door, and I told him what happened. He didn't believe me, said I was playing some stupid practical joke on him! Bloody hell, I only did that once! Well, you know the rest from there. When you took off, I fought with psycho geek some more, and then finally subdued him. I had this night all planned out to, and he had to go and ruin it! Bloody ass!"
"Sorry to say this Draco, but I'm shocked to say the least," Harry admitted.
"I may be a selfish, arrogant, jackass, who tries to steal your women, Potter, but I don't want you dead. You are my friend. And I never really wanted Hermione anyway," Draco said. "No offense," he told Hermione.
"None taken," Hermione replied.
"I was just upset because you always seemed better at everything then me, and the bet was a way to prove you wrong, and when you were actually winning, I couldn't take that kind of defeat again. But, I found someone who is teaching me the way not to be, and helping me be the way I want to be. So, as you can see, I'm beginning to change," Draco said.
Harry couldn't help but laugh at what Draco said. It seemed so out of character for him.
"Don't laugh you stupid ass!" Draco said, and Harry laughed even more.
"I thought you changed. You seem like the same Malfoy to me," Harry said, still laughing. Hermione was chuckling along with him.
"I said I was beginning to change, I'm not fully there yet!" Malfoy admitted, and to Harry's amazement Malfoy even cracked a smile.
"Oh my god, you have changed!" Harry said, a shocked look on his face.
"Just great!" Malfoy said, before putting his hands over his face.
Harry and Hermione turned toward each other and began laughing. "Come here," Harry said, and he grabbed Hermione, kissing her full on the lips.
Malfoy rolled his eyes at the two of them, before getting up to leave. "Tell Dumbles I'll be right back," Malfoy said.
He made his way out, Harry and Hermione watching him. As he was moving by Neville, he heard a snicker. Turning around he shouted, "Shut the hell up!" and he kicked Neville in the head, knocking him unconscious again. "See how you like it!"
"Now that's the Malfoy I remember," Harry said, turning toward Hermione, giving her a smile.
"Harry, do you ever shut up?" Hermione said, before pulling him closer, and locking her lips with his.
Sorry this was a bit shorter then most chapters, but I just felt that if I combined this one and the next chapter, it would have felt too rushed and bunched up together.
Stay tuned for the next and final installment: Good Times
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