~ Home for the Summer
A/N: Just a warning, that really has no reason. This chapter will contain the word ' @$$'
Chapter Eighteen- Someone Believe Me
The night Ron had planned to invite Olivia to the faculty table in order to monitor her behavior, she was not in the hall. Adrianna wasn't either, neither turned up for dinner. On such a random night.
" We'll just try again tomorrow night" Ron told Harry while the students and other staff members filed out after dinner.
Hermione looked at them, " try what?".
" That Daniels girl has the hots for Harry and it's making him paranoid". Harry nudged his arm.
She giggled, " Harry, she's eleven, it's an innocent crush, like the one Ron use to have on Lavender".
" Say what?" Ron's voice cracked at a very high pitch that echoed off the walls.
Harry ignored the comment, " It's not a crush, and it's certainly not innocent, it's something else".
" An obsession?" Hermione suggested.
" No!" or maybe. He felt alone, his best friend and fiancé didn't believe his suspicion. The only thing remotely close was a hat.
" Where are you going?" Ron asked after Henry jumped over the table and started down the empty aisles between the hall tables.
" To find Olivia".
Ron, Hermione, and Ella watched him leave the hall without another word, and very determined.
" Want to go watch him get his ass kicked by a kid?" Ron casually asked.
Hermione lifted Ella into her arms, " no need to make it worse by watching".
A storm threatening night made visibility in the corridor more difficult than most nights. Lanterns flickered the dim light. Harry was still quiet a ways from the Gryffindor common room, when, there was a scraping sound behind him. He stopped, turning his neck on an angel. There it was again, louder this time.
" Hermione?". It sounded like footsteps.
He moved backwards where he already came. " Ron?".
Still no answer.
Hermione sat on the cushion by the windowsill, her daughter in her lap. A children's book of Witchcraft fairytales open in front of them.
She heard a moan, a painful moan, just outside the door.
Hermione shifted Ella off, leaving her with the book. She stood close to the door, her hand on the knob. Another moan, like someone was suffering. Hermione flung the door open in one swift move, wand in hand.
The only person there, was Harry, lying in the doorway.
" Hi Sweetie" he grumbled, in obvious pain, and a little dazed.
" Harry! Oh my god!" she nearly screamed.
Dragging him inside, slamming the door behind them, she gently sat him down in the light, able to see his injuries. His shirt was torn from the sleeve and down, a trail of blood following on the skin. The bruises on the knuckles of his hands matched the deep blue coloring on his jaw line. There was a deep cut under his left eye, yet, he didn't notice.
" It doesn't hurt" he commented.
" What the hell happened to you?" Hermione helped him to sit, thinking maybe he really did get his ass kicked.
Harry removed his glasses which had a cracked lens, " I don't know, I couldn't see who it was, I just kept getting thrown against the wall. Like some kind of force".
She disappeared into the bathroom. Ella, who had been watching since her mother dragged her father inside, took the long jump from the sill to the floor, walking over to Harry. Wrapping her little hands around his arm.
" You have boo boo's?".
Hermione came back with a damp washcloth and a brown bottle of iodine. " Just a few" he answered.
" Do you have an idea, who did this? Certainly it couldn't have been Olivia".
Ella sat herself on his leg. " I sure hope so. I saw some what of a figure, it was not a litter girl".
Hermione turned the open bottle over the cloth. " Watch Ella, it doesn't hurt". She placed it against the wound under his eye.
It stung, and Harry winced sharply, but saw those emerald eyes watching him. She had scraped her knees every other day, and had been terrified of the iodine.
Hermione took one of Ella's hands from Harry's arm to the washcloth, " hold that for me sweetie".
Harry watched her stand and head for the door, though did not say anything. As her hand reached for the doorknob, he snatched the want she had dropped earlier. With one word, it was no longer possible for her to open the door.
" Why did you do that?" she objected, " we have to tell Ron about this".
" If absolutely necessary, I can tell him tomorrow".
Hermione tried to door again, " what about the students? I'm in charge of the Gryffindors, I have to make sure they're alright".
Harry stood, bringing Ella with him, " no one gets past the Fat Lady, you know that" with the exception of Sirius Black a few years ago, but it was different circumstances.
She gave up, went back towards them, " someone dangerous is in the school".
" And going out there alone at night is not going to help" he said, " I'll go put her to bed" Harry patted Ella's back.
But as soon as he said that, Ella screamed, throwing her clutch around Harry's neck, " no! I don't want you to get hurt".
Hermione watched his stunned reaction. " It's okay, no one's going to get hurt" he softly told her.
" Yes they are" Ella cried, burying her face in Harry's shoulder, " they're going to hurt you daddy!".
Knowing it was not her usual attempt to get out of bedtime, Hermione stood next to him in less that three steps. " Who are you talking about, honey?".
" The bad guy is gone, he won't hurt anyone" Harry said, though not knowing that his attacker could have possibly been female.
" No he's not" Ella replied through her tears.
She remained crying for several minutes until crying herself to sleep. Still with a strong hold, Harry laid down on the bed with her on top of him.
" What do you think she meant?" Harry whispered, Ella still asleep on his chest.
Hermione was laying next to them, " I think she was scared because you were hurt, and she's afraid it may happen again".
But Harry couldn't ignore how confident his daughter sounded that night.
Hermione was not to next to him when Harry awoke in the morning, but he knew she always left earlier on Wednesdays. He talked with Ella about the event the night before, she seemed to be calm about it. Maybe it was a cover-up he couldn't see through.
At least that morning, Harry had a decent amount of time to get to his first class after leaving Ella with Hagrid, they were thrilled to see each other, and he was relieved that when she was acting more like herself.
" Feeling better?" Ron joined him from the lawn as Harry made his way back into the school.
" Hermione told you" he guessed.
Ron nodded, " I can't believe something like that happened, I hate to ask, but any ideas on what to do?".
Harry shrugged, " ignore it?".
" That is a resolution I would turn to, but not when my best friend gets hurt, that's when it gets personal. Well, semi-personal, I guess you're involved too".
" Thank you Ron".
" Well, if something happens to you, I don't know what I'd do. I would have to start thinking for myself" Ron claimed.
Harry laughed, " you'd have Hermione".
Ron shrugged, " anyways, I have top security in every hallway. Trolls, paintings, even Sir Cadagean".
Harry shuttered, " are you sure that's a good idea?".
Ron glared at him, " it was either him, or Demontors, I trust there is no more to be said".
Harry nodded. There was no possibility of him agreeing more, that's for sure.
There were no students in the classroom when Harry arrived, there was still another seven-and-a-half minutes until class began (he was very precise when it came to that). But the room was no empty. Hermione was there, her back facing him.
" Isn't this enough surprise" he smiled.
She turned around, now facing him. Her bloodshot eyes blended with her tear stained cheeks and extreme expression of anger and hate. He was stunned by the sight.
" What's wrong?" he dared to ask.
Hermione's lip was trembling, she couldn't find the words to express her thoughts. " Is this your idea of a joke?" her voice crackled by the emotions.
Harry didn't understand, " what idea?".
Swiftly, she walked away from his desk, closer to him. " Look, I didn't want to get pregnant when I was fifteen, but it happened".
Blast from the past. " I know that, we went through this four- years-ago".
" So this engagement is nothing more than a fraud to you?".
" What? Of course not, I would never do that to you!".
She couldn't bare looking at him, " I had really great news for you, and I was on my way here to tell you" tears dwelled in her eyes, Harry watched her very closely, " and instead I find this".
Throwing a crumbled piece of parchment that had been enclosed in her hand, Hermione brushed past him, out of the classroom. Harry wanted to go after her, but knew how Hermione was when she was mad. If he was going to talk with her, he would have to know what had her like this in the first place.
Harry straightened the paper, smoothing out some of the wrinkles. He didn't recognize the handwriting, he didn't recognize the words. Yes this note, was addressed to him.
Harry,
This relationship would continue better if you just told Hermione the truth. We wouldn't have to keep anything a secret, and we wouldn't have to hide our true feelings. Maybe you don't have to tell her, she doesn't have to know. She doesn't deserve to know. All that matters, is that you're only mine, and she can live in her own little fantasy world for all we care.
Love,
Abigail
He couldn't believe the words in front of his eyes, in which he had never seen before. It was fake, the entire note was unreal. But he was the only one who really knew that. As for Hermione, she thought the love of her life was having an affair with Abigail Roslyn, the Charms professor.
~ This doesn't have too much to do with the plot, but it's going to help. Let me know what you think, and beware, for later chapters.~