Return to Me
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Harry Potter world. I mean no harm by using the characters in this fanfic.
A/N: Thanks to Portkey that accept me as an author here. Thanks to my beta Nakhash, who has done a really good job in beta read.
Harry&Hermione4ever: Harry does have his kid with him. Izabel: You don't understand why Harry & Cho break up? Nor does Hermione, but she won't find out until nearly the end *evil grin*.
Shawnpickett: You are right. As stubborn as Harry do you think he will give in that easily?
Thanks to all of you who read and review! You just make me want to write more and more!
Chapter 3
As predicted, Hermione could not find rest in her sleep nor even manage to fall asleep at all. After everyone left she went to her room, changed, and now she was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. She tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable spot. Every time she closed her eyes, Ginny's sad face appeared before her and her thoughts drifted to Harry. 'How could he handle such a terrible thing?' Hermione thought bitterly.
The bed felt hard and lumpy despite its thick mattress. Hermione rose and started pacing the room. 'I want to talk to him now. What should I do?' she asked herself. 'You are not going to invade his home at this time of night, are you?' her voice of reason said mockingly. 'No, it's too late for a visit now.' She tried to find a reason to keep her mind from wanting to Apparate straight to Harry's house.
Hermione turned to a small window at the right side of the room. She could see the moon was rising in the middle of the sky and was slowly moving itself to the west, which meant it was already past midnight. Hermione took a long, deep sigh, then she turned swiftly to grab her cloak and Apparated.
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Hermione was standing in front of a house residing near the outskirts of London. The house was medium-sized and old-fashioned with a wonderful garden in the front. It looked just like an eighteenth century Muggle-style house. Hermione had never been there before. When she had left, Harry was staying with Moody, and before that, he stayed at Grimmauld Place. After Sirius died, Grimmauld Place had officially become Harry's, but while he was still at Hogwarts, the Order of the Phoenix had continued to use it as their headquarters until the downfall of the Dark Lord. At that time the Order had released it back to Harry and he had moved in for a while.
The house was dark and quiet. There were wards protecting the house, preventing her from Apparating inside. She draped her cloak around her more tightly as the cold, night wind blew through the silent darkness. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and set to work breaking the wards. They were the same ones she and Harry use to put on her parents' house, doubled on Dumbledore's wards, to prevent Apparation. They were simple yet very effective. She walked along the garden path and opened the front door using "Alohomora" spell. She then found herself in the middle of a room. From the light of the small sconces hanging on the wall, she could see it was the main hall of the house. There were two doors for both sides of the hall and a stone staircase opposite to the main entrance.
Hermione was wondering which way to go when suddenly there was a pop and a little creature with huge, green eyes and a long nose appeared before her. It was wearing an odd sharp hat and fluffy socks, which she recognized as ones of her own handiwork from a long time ago. The creature was a house-elf. Looking closer she realized it was Dobby. No other house-elf would wear clothes. Hermione smiled happily and said, "Hello Dobby."
The elf looked up at Hermione with confusion, then its eyes lit up and it jumped and squeaked excitedly, "Oh Miss Hermione! Dobby is happy to see Miss Hermione!"
"I'm happy too, Dobby." She took a step closer to the elf and asked, "Dobby, where is Harry? I really miss him and want to meet him."
Dobby stopped jumping and looked toward the stairs before meeting Hermione's gaze. He answered hesitantly, "Harry Potter is sleeping now. Can Miss Hermione come back tomorrow?"
Hermione looked closely at the house-elf. She had a feeling that Dobby was sad when talking about Harry. This only made Hermione more worried. She thought for a moment, and then smiled and said reassuringly, "I just want to see him. I won't wake him up, Dobby. Please show me his room."
The house-elf stood still; its enormous eyes looked back to the staircase and then to Hermione's pleading eyes. After a sort pause, it inclined its head and said, "Alright, please Miss follows Dobby."
Hermione smiled and thanked Dobby. She followed him up the stairs and then turned to the right side of the corridor where it led to an oak door with a huge golden doorknob. They stopped in front of the door and Dobby looked up at Hermione. "Harry Potter is in his office, Miss Hermione," said the elf. "Dobby will leave Miss to deal with Harry Potter alone." Dobby turned to leave but then turned back to Hermione and said, "Harry Potter is not well but he will be happy to see Miss."
Hermione smiled faintly as the house-elf vanished. She was feeling a bit nervous but tried to collect herself. She pushed against the door and was surprised to find it was unlocked. She stole a glance around the room before walking fully inside.
The sight of Harry Potter's form lying on the desk greeted her. Even in sleep, his face wore a frown and his eyes were scrunched tightly behind his glasses. Hermione felt tears start to form in her eyes as she looked closely at him. He looked so vulnerable, so young. His black hair, as messy as ever, was a bit longer, sticking up in the front and revealing his scar. Hermione walked up slowly to him. Her hand carefully smoothed his hair and brushed softly along his cheek. Unexpectedly, Harry's hand caught hers; his eyes fluttered open.
They stared at each other for a moment; then Harry loosened his grip on Hermione's wrist. He asked, sounding somewhat dazed, "Are you real?"
Hermione let out a breath that she didn't remember holding. She smiled at Harry and said, "I'm real, Harry, I'm back."
Before she even finished her sentence, Hermione was being crushed in a bone-breaking embrace. She hugged him back with equal fervor. She could not control her tears any longer and she sobbed into his chest, feeling all the loneliness and distress run out of her body.
It felt like an eternity before Harry pulled back. He looked embarrassed and shocked at the same time. He mumbled, "Sorry", and avoided her eyes. Hermione shook her head and brushed the last drops of tears from her eyes.
"Harry, I missed you." His head snapped back and he looked into her eyes. Hermione saw sadness lingering in the emerald depths behind his round spectacles. Her heart ached as she reached out, her hand touching his face lightly. She whispered again, "I missed you." He leaned into her touch and, without knowing how, he was sobbing into her shoulder. Hermione patted his back comfortingly. 'The past five years would have been very tough for him,' thought Hermione.
Harry had cried himself to sleep, his head resting on Hermione's lap. She looked at his face and smiled sadly. He looked so peaceful when sleeping. Hermione vowed to herself that she would do everything possible to give him the happiness he deserved. She kissed him on the forehead and soon she too, drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
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