A.N: Here's the 3rd part. Not much to say just THANK YOU to all who read and reviewed and please do the same for this chapter!
I'm going to go for a happy memory since I've reduced all of you to tears. : ) the memories don't necessarily fit with the present time but I think they fit in pretty nicely. Any objections just let me know. I am also thinking of putting the memories in order after the fic is done but we'll see.
Forever Angel
Harry had learned early on in age not to take things for granted because with a Dark annoying Wizard on your tail you never knew when your time would be up. Friends became that much more sacred, school became that much more important, and life became that much more precious. So, as he lay there with Hermione's head nestled under his chin and her hair soft on his cheek, he knew with the least bit hesitation that this moment was the right time. Without a doubt in his mind, he knew she was it; she was his one and only.
He chuckled silently as he realized how absurd it might sound for him to be thinking about such a commitment and such a love. Normal seventeen-year-old boys would be 'playing the field' not ready to settle down with one girl. Then again, Harry had never once in his life been normal and he was now grateful for that. He found it funny at how, just a couple of years ago, he had yearned to be normal, to lead a normal life. But now he knew that if he had been born normal he would never have met the beautiful woman curled next to him fast asleep.
Instead of complaining about his destiny involving Voldemort, he counted himself lucky. Yes, he didn't know how much longer he had to live, if he would live to attend his own wedding, or even just graduate, but he knew that with Hermione and Ron and so many others that were loyal to him and Dumbledore that he would get through this one way or another and give Hermione a world safe enough to live in; with or without him.
Harry kissed the top of her curly head and wrapped his arm around her more tightly. If someone had told him, only a year ago, that he would be madly in love (with his best friend, no less) he would have reported them to St. Mungos. But he was madly in love with his best friend and thought the feeling the best in the world.
The reason for his thoughts stirred and he found her warm brown eyes staring up at his own. She smiled a radiating smile. "Good morning, Handsome," she whispered, stifling a yawn.
"Hey, sleepy head," was his reply as she sat up, stretching her arms over her head.
"What time is it?" she asked him, reaching down to give him a kiss before wrinkling her nose. "I must have awful morning breath."
Harry laughed, sitting up himself. "Just a bit," he commented, throwing her a sly look.
Hermione's face pulled on a shocked expression and she threw a pillow at him when he burst into laughter.
"Hermione, I would kiss you even if you had warts lining your lips," he told her, quite serious.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Now you're just lying!" She shook her head and stood up, making her way to the restroom and giving Harry quite a view with the long t-shirt of his she was wearing and only underwear underneath.
"I am not!" he cried indignantly, only half listening to his own words since Hermione's bum still hadn't disappeared from his view.
She reached the door and before shutting it, poked her head out and said, "Stop staring at my butt!" with a silly grin on her face.
Harry laughed but once the door was firmly shut behind her, he sprang up from the bed. Kneeling on the ground to pull his trunk out from under his bed, he pushed it open and pulled out what he was looking for. As the shower was turned on, he grabbed his wand and waved it in the air, the room instantly cleaning itself. The bed was made, their clothes picked up from the ground, and the curtains opened, letting bright sunlight spill into the dormitory and brightening it up.
The shower shut off and Harry hurriedly grabbed a piece of parchment and quill. He wrote:
My Hermione,
Up for a scavenger hunt? If you want to find me you must follow the clues and then answer a question that has been asked since the beginning of time.
First clue: Go to the place where stories are told about the past, future, and even the present. You can escape from the world and venture into another reality. Another clue is waiting for you there.
-- Your Harry
He went to the middle of the room, muttered a sticking charm to hold the letter in the air where she would see it, and grabbing his broom, rushed out of the room.
Since he had placed the other clues last night, he rushed over to the Great Hall to find Ron there, stuffing his face as if there were no tomorrow.
"Hey mate," Ron greeted him as Harry sat down next to him. "What's up?"
"Okay, all the clues are in order and now all that is left is the Quidditch Pitch. Did you do it?" he asked Ron in a rush.
Ron stared blankly at him as he swallowed his food. "Did I do what?"
Harry blanched. "What! Ron! You were supposed to secure the Quidditch Pitch and make sure no one shows up!" He sounded clearly panicked.
Ron's face broke into a grin and he laughed. "I know, Harry. I was just messing with your head. Everything is good to go."
Harry glared at him, wanting to strangle him, but there was no time. The charm would take a while and Hermione was a smart witch, she would figure out each clue in no time. "You are so dead," he said instead.
"Yeah, yeah. Now hurry, you know how much Hermione strives for a challenge. She'll be running in here in no time."
Harry nodded and before sprinting for the door he said, "Remind me to thank you."
Ron just grinned as he watched his best friend run for the heavy oak doors and disappear into the bright sun.
+ + +
Meanwhile, Hermione was peering at herself in the bathroom mirror, ignoring the snide comments the mirror was throwing at her. She pointed her wand to her hair and muttered a drying spell, her hair bouncing into its curls in a matter of seconds.
"Harry, you think we could go to Hogsmead tomorrow? I need to by some new robes ..." The silence on the other side of the door made her stop. "Harry?" she tried again, opening the door and stepping out. She looked around the room to find it empty when she spotted the piece of paper floating in air.
Reading it, she smiled. She hadn't known Harry was planning anything and she really couldn't think of the occasion but she decided to play along anyway. Reading the clue, her smile grew. "The library," she answered out loud with a laugh. "That was an easy one, Harry."
She put her wand in her back pocket and put on some shoes. When her stomach growled she looked at the time, knowing everyone would be in the Great Hall for breakfast. She exited the room and out the common room, the hallway deserted.
Entering the library she met eyes with Madam Pince who motioned her over. Silently, the librarian handed Hermione a piece of paper. "From Mr. Potter," was all she said and went back to the book she had been reading.
Moving away from Madame Pince, she read the next clue.
My Hermione,
That was easy, wasn't it? I knew you would get that one.
Second clue: A place for each person, shifting to accommodate your needs and desires. Used for secret meetings of the brave and sneaky.
Good luck!
-- Your Harry
Hermione lowered her arm and thought. The only place she could think of was the Room of Requirement. She grinned. "Really challenging, Harry," she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. Moving on she exited the library and headed down the hall. When she came to the tapestry of Barnabas the Balmy, she stopped, not having a clue as to why she needed the room, therefore making the door appear. She decided to just think of Harry and she walked past the blank white wall three times, hoping the door would appear. After the third time the door did reveal itself and she sighed in relief.
She stepped inside and gasped. One side of the room held a white bed with a canopy over it and a couch in one corner with a dresser. It was a whole bedroom set ... On the other side was a miniature doll set that included a church and a home.
Looking up she saw hundreds of bubbles floating in the air. Noticing the shapes she laughed. They were shaped in hearts and question marks. As a heart floated right above her head she reached up and poked it with her finger. It popped and tiny confetti sprinkled down on top of her. She laughed, looking around for the next clue. Just then, a particularly big bubble in a question mark shape floated in front of her and popped. Along with the confetti, a piece of paper fell in her hand.
My Hermione,
You are just too smart for this game. I knew you would like the bubbles -- You should have seen Ron. I had to practically drag him out of the room. Well, I won't keep you waiting.
Third Clue: A place of memories and long walks. A place that is serene for studying students, great for wet kisses, and just right for snow ball fights. A friend of ours likes to partake in the fun at times too.
-- Your Harry
Hermione had to read this one a couple of times before she realized he was talking about the lake, the area around it, and their friend was the giant squid. She chuckled, heading out of the room with a last glance and down the hallway. As she reached the Great Hall, she found many of the students still there, either still eating or just relaxing before the Quidditch game that afternoon. She spotted Ron talking animatedly with Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom and stuffing his face with what looked like his fourth plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.
"Hi guys," she greeted them, sitting down for a minute. She grabbed a toast and ate it quickly.
"Hey Hermione. What's up?" Ron asked, stopping his conversation with the guys.
"Do you know anything about this scavenger hunt?" she asked him, though she knew he did because of Harry's last clue.
"The one where Harry hid clues in certain places and you follow them until you reach his destination?" Hermione nodded, hopefully. "Nope, I don't have a clue."
She sighed with frustration. "Yes, you do!" she cried, cringing as Ron stuffed the bacon and pancakes in his mouth all at once.
Ron looked at her and shrugged. "Okay, then I do."
"Ugh! Fine, forget it!" she stood up and began to walk away, mumbling something about Ron being an annoying prat.
Ron grinned after her. "Good luck!" he called with a chuckle, before going back to his breakfast.
Hermione shook her head as she pushed open the doors and stepped outside in sunshine. She lifted her face to let the sun warm her before heading over to the tree they always sit at near the lake. There, the clue was charmed to the tree.
My Hermione,
Took you a few tries for this one, huh? This is the last clue.
Fourth clue: A place I go when I need to get away from the world. Clouds and birds become my company unless I'm playing competitively.
Keep your eyes on the paper as you walk and don't lift them until you are told. Come find me, love.
-- Your Harry
Hermione knew he was at the Quidditch Pitch instantly. She headed in that direction, keeping her eyes lowered. When she reached a certain spot the word "Stop" permeated through her mind and she did just that, her eyes still lowered. "Look up," Harry's voice filled her head and she slowly brought her head up. She gasped as her eyes took in the scene.
In the middle of the pitch, in the sky, were the words, "Will you marry me?" formed with clouds. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked around for Harry, finding him no where in sight.
"Behind you," Harry told her softly.
She turned around to find him standing there looking adorably nervous and confident all at once. He took her hands in his gently, his eyes never leaving hers. He leaned in and kissed her softly before taking a deep breath.
"Everyone believes my destiny is to defeat Voldemort, help the Wizarding World, but my destiny is only with you. I want to wake up every morning to the feel of you in my arms, to your beautiful smile. With you by my side everything seems brighter and easier. Everything seems possible. I have never known someone like you, love. You're so incredibly amazing. You have been with me through the think and thin, the bad and good, the happiness and pain. I have never known such love and the one you give me day in and day out blows me away. You surprise me each and every day and I want to get to know you more and more every day for the rest of our lives.
"Will you take my hand and never let go? Will you marry me, Hermione?" He was down on one knee, the black velvet box held out and open, revealing the ring of her dreams.
Tears were flowing freely down her face as she kneeled down in front of him. "Do you even have to ask?" was her response.
Harry's grin couldn't have been any wider and he slipped the ring easily onto her finger. When he had done that, Hermione threw herself at him, knocking them both over onto the grass, and as they rolled to the side, Hermione found herself on her back with Harry on top of her.
He kissed her long and soft, his heart light and beating with happiness. "I love you so much," she whispered, staring up at him.
Harry pulled a surprised face. "Really? I thought you agreed to marry me because of my money!"
Hermione punched him lightly on his chest but couldn't help but burst into laughter. She was so happy she felt as if she were going to burst. She looked up at Harry as he stared down at her with so much love it left her breathless.
"I love you too, baby," he said softly, coming down for another kiss that was the beginning of many.
+ + +
Hermione was startled awake to a room awash in sunlight. She sat up to the realization that she was crying and that Madame Pomfrey was smoothing down her hair and making soft, cooing noises.
"You had another one, Hermione," she told her, stepping slightly away from the bed to wave her wand along Hermione's body.
"When will he stop trying to get through to me?" she asked, pushing away her sweat matted hair. In a way, she wanted the memories to stop because they were a reminder of what was and what was no more. Of what she had and of what she had lost. But then she didn't want him to stop because for the few moments she was out, she was back into those days where love consumed her in every way. She was back in his arms and his love.
Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "The deceased usually stop when they feel you don't need them any longer."
"That will never happen."
The nurse sighed. "Hermione, you need to move on not just for yourself but for Harry also. Live the life he never had a chance to. Live for him and be happy for him. All he wants is for you to be happy, his contact shows that. He feels he has to save you from yourself and pull you out of hurting yourself. And until you realize that the only way to move is forward, you will be miserable."
"Can I leave?" was all she said, ignoring her pleads.
She stared at the young girl with sadness. With a nod of her head she dismissed Hermione watching her until she disappeared behind the door with a click that resounded throughout the room.
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