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Chapter Four
Seeing Emerald
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His emerald eyes caught hers and she lost herself in the two pools of endless green. The snow drifted down from the heavens, each snowflake identical yet different. The cold wrapped itself around her body, twisting and chilling into her bones. They both stood still, not allowing any movement or shift in eye contact. She could hear her heart beating frantically in her chest, the only sign that what she was seeing was real and not a desperate fantasy.
The wind caught his dark hair, blowing it up away from his face. Her eyes moved to his forehead, where a faint scar sat in the form of a lightning bolt. He self consciously raised a hand and pushed his fringe back down, his emerald eyes glittering.
"Hermione," he said softly, his voice soft yet strong, catching on the wind, sounding like the most beautiful thing to her pounding ears. She didn't want to believe it, lest it wasn't true. There was no reason that he would be here now after three longs years away. Her limbs were frozen in place. Her breath was white in the freezing air, with snow flakes clinging to her loose locks. She moved her mouth to speak, but no words came out. So many different emotions were coursing through her body and it became overwhelming. The place behind her eyes began to sting and silent tears spilled down her cheeks. A lump had risen in her throat and it felt as though a fire was lit in her stomach.
"Hermione," he said again, causing a sob to be released from her dry throat. A hand was clamped to her mouth, shaking uncontrollably. His eyes were shining, from either tears or the whipping winds; she didn't know. He still stood there, paying no heed to the falling snow or the ginger cat rubbing against his legs. His eyes were locked on hers, the stare so intense she felt her knees weaken beneath it.
The face that had haunted her dreams for so many nights and had been the inspiration for her novel was right in front of her own eyes, real as the cloudy sky above them. Oh, his beautiful face; stunning and terrifying at the same time. It scared her to see it again, but also caused so much happiness and joy to erupt inside her. His eyes were gazing into her own; every shade of green available. Just looking in them made her feel lost in the thickest rainforest or immersed in the deepest ocean, emerald waves lapping at her heels.
The distant cry of her cat brought her attention back to the stormy sky and the snow covered man before her. His eyes were flickering with some unknown emotion, his lips struggling to keep a smile, his hands fiddling with something to keep from shaking. She tore her gaze away from his eyes, and spotted a copy of her own book clamped in his gloved hands. Her brow furrowed and she suddenly became aware of the tears trickling down her neck.
"H-Harry?" she finally stammered, her voice cracking. A true smile tugged at his lips and his eyes flashed with joy.
"Hello," he said as if he had talked to her the day before; not three years ago. She let sucked in a breath and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them and spotted Harry still standing there, she let it out slowly. He smiled uncertainly at her and adjusted the wooly hat on his head.
"What are - why?" she stammered, watching Crookshanks weave between his feet from the corner of her eye. Harry looked down also and a grin appeared across his face. Bending, he picked up the purring feline and rested it in his arms.
"Crookshanks, my old friend," he murmured, looking back up at Hermione. She could now move and she took a shaky step backward.
"What are you doing here?" she said in no more than a whisper. A shadow passed over his eyes before his characteristic sparkle lit back up.
"To see you," he answered softly. And with those words, Hermione knew he was telling the truth. Besides, who else would he know in Redriver? But before she could speak again, he had placed Crookshanks back on the ground and had begun to round up her groceries, stuffing them in her discarded bag.
"Maybe we should get out of the cold, I don't want you getting sick," he said with a smile while she shook her head sadly. He had been gone for three years and he was already worrying about her like he used to.
"Ok," she said vacantly, still not believing that Harry was here, with her. Letting a frown make its way across her forehead, she allowed him to go before her through the gate, wanting to keep both eyes on him incase he decided to disappear again. As he walked a few steps in front, she stared intensely at the back of his head, wondering what he was doing back. He glanced back at her as he stepped onto the first stair, a puzzled look on his face. Crookshanks brought up the rear, his padded feet squelching on the icy path.
At the top, Harry moved to the side, to let her unlock the front door. Hermione glanced at him nervously before pulling out a chain and sliding a key into the lock. She paused briefly as she turned the doorknob, glancing sideways to Harry and down at the cat weaving between her feet. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
A wave of warmth billowed from the inside as the two of them quickly stepped inside, Harry a bit cautiously, his eyes scanning the room with a curious gaze. Snow was blown in from the outside and Hermione quickly shut the door, standing with her hand on the wooden frame for a few minutes. There was a nervous silence as she slowly turned, to stare at Harry Potter. Her friend.
She once more got lost in his familiar emerald eyes, and her breath caught in her throat as many memories surfaced to her mind. No more tears were running down her cheeks and her first joy at seeing him was replaced by confusion.
"What are you doing here?" she said plainly even though it pained her to say it as she removed her coat and shoes. She could not forgive him easily for abandoning her for three years, without so much as an owl. A brief flicker of sorrow flashed through his eyes before he hid it by looking to the floor.
"I - wanted to see you," he said in a hurt voice as he shuffled his feet nervously. Hermione refrained from jumping forwards and wrapping him in a hug, instead she pursed her lips, masking her own pain.
"You've already said that. But why now? Why after three years without even sending me a letter to tell me you were ok!" Hermione cried, her voice breaking slightly. Another lump had risen in her throat, and she was fighting the tears that threatened to fall. He looked up at her and she felt her heart miss a beat. There was so much remorse and pain in his gaze than she had ever seen before. If it hadn't been for her annoyance at him, she would've tackled him to the ground.
"I needed time to think." He said.
"Yeah, three years of it!" Hermione snapped. She hadn't meant to sound so savage, and she immediately wished to take it back from the look on his face.
"M-maybe I shouldn't have come back..." he said softly, turning and placing a hand on the door handle.
"Wait!" Hermione said, mentally berating herself when he looked at her with those hauntingly beautiful eyes. She looked out of the window beside the doorway to see a white wall of snow falling from the sky. "You won't be able to go out know. Not in this weather anyway." He nodded and shifted his feet nervously, looking to her eyes then to the floor. Crookshanks paced the space between them, meowing first at Hermione than to Harry. They both looked at him simultaneously.
"I guess he's hungry," Hermione said, chuckling falsely. Harry smiled uncertainly as she let her fake smile drop. "Come wait in the lounge room while I fix him his meal." She started to walk from the hall, hearing him shuffling along behind her. She left him standing in the middle of the lounge room, the fire crackling merrily as if nothing was wrong.
Once in the kitchen, Hermione grabbed the bench to stop from collapsing to the ground. The tears she had struggled to keep hold of fell down her cheeks, stinging her skin from too much time in the cold air. Cold prickles were racing along her flesh, causing the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck to lift. Waves of different emotions were crashing down upon her, causing her chest to constrict painfully.
Old memories and flashes of the past built up in her mind, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She remembered the times when they had been together, smiling, laughing in the ancient halls of Hogwarts. They had thought they would never be apart. Her, Harry and Ron, the Famous Gryffindor Trio, a friendship meant to last forever. They thought Voldemort was the one trying to tear them apart. Little did they know that Voldemort was the one keeping them together.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, her neck, mingling with the melting snowflakes. Her loose hair stuck to her wet cheeks and she felt her knees give out beneath her. She suddenly found herself in a pile on her kitchen tiles, her hands clinging uselessly to her damp pants.
"Hermione?" his voice brought another round of painful sobs to erupt in her throat and she felt a slight pressure on her back. She looked blearily up to see a pair of concerned green eyes staring down at her. Her body began to shake uncontrollably until she found herself wrapped in the comforting arms of Harry.
She remembered feeling this way. Safe, as if nothing would ever harm her. He used to hug her at school, when she awoke from a bad dream or when something upset her. He used to whisper words into her ears; that everything would be fine and nothing would hurt her while he was there. His strong arms encircled her frail body and she wept loudly into his chest, her hands hitting him endlessly. He didn't budge; he just pulled her closer, his mouth coming to a rest by her ear.
"I am so sorry, Mione. But I'm here now. I won't leave you again. I promise." His words echoed into her mind, mixing with her already jumbled thoughts. She stopped beating him and dropped into his lap, tears causing a damp patch on his dark sweater. She sobbed loudly, crying painfully into her friends shoulder. After a time, she calmed down, though her tears still fell. They stayed in silence. Harry held her. There were no words needed.
Soon, Hermione found herself listening to the steady beat of her own heart, thumping in rhythm with his. Her eyelids grew heavy, the many sleepless nights finally catching up with her exhausted body. She felt warm in Harry's embrace; warm, comfortable and at home. Finally, her eyelids closed and her thoughts turned to the man whose arms she rested. He was back. Her hero was home.
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The faint sunlight streaming through the partly lit curtains woke her. Blinking her eyes from the sudden light, she wondered why she was lying in her bed, the covers up over her chest. It was quite relaxing, lying in the warmth, her mind at rest in the early morning. But as she thought of the previous night, and remembered the man out in the snow, the bed became immediately uncomfortable.
Sitting up quickly, she experienced a head spin. She clutched it in agony, sitting for a moment until it cleared. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, searching the room for signs of other life. Seeing nothing of difference, she climbed from the bed, noticing that she was still wearing the clothes from the previous day. Thinking of the night before, she immediately felt her face flush.
She couldn't believe she had reacted so badly, collapsing in the kitchen with Harry awkwardly comforting her. It had been the most happy and painful night she could ever remember in her three years away from Hogwarts. Harry was back after being missing for so long.
Creeping from her room, she jumped at every shadow her form cast. Her socked feet padded silently across the carpet in the hall; the air cold and biting at her exposed skin. Rubbing her arms quickly in an attempt to warm them up, she walked into the kitchen. Everything was as it should be. The sink and benches were clean, just as she liked them. But one thing made her realize that there was another presence in the house. An empty glass sat on the table in the joining Dining Room. It was such a simple thing, but she now knew that the day before hadn't been a dream. She would never have left a glass on the table, that meant that Harry was still there.
Breathing unsteadily, she slowly walked across the tiled floor, stepping onto the soft carpet of the Dining Room. She stared at the glass as if it would give her answers, before glancing in the direction of the Lounge Room, where a strange noise could be heard. Flexing her fingers at her sides and taking a shaky breath, she started an anxious walk towards the other end of the house.
It took her a minute to get there and when she did, she froze in place. The odd sound turned out to be Crookshanks. The ginger feline was curled up on the couch, upon the chest of a black haired man. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she watched him sleep and she found herself involuntarily moving closer.
He looked so happy and peaceful when he slept. His face was smooth and free of lines, with his mouth slightly open, one hand at the back of his head and the other hanging to the floor. His eyelids flickered once and his brow furrowed, before smoothing again. As she watched him, his lips came together to a smile and he shifted his shoulders slightly. Crookshanks looked up at her with his golden gaze and he purred a little louder.
Harry was so tall that his legs overlapped the over end of the couch by a good two - foot, and he looked mightily uncomfortable. Hermione noticed that he was shaking, so she pulled a blanket from the cupboard in the hall and placed it gently over his sleeping form. Crookshanks climbed angrily out from beneath it but settled down soon on top.
Just as Hermione was about to lave the room, a slight glitter of something caught her eyes. She moved a little closer to Harry and placed a hand quickly to her mouth to stifle the sob rising. On his hand, shining in the faint morning light upon his finger was a ring. But not just any ring. The ring she had gotten him in their seventh year.
Hermione fled from the room, her heart beating frantically in her chest. As she entered the kitchen, tears falling from her eyes, she spotted another thing signaling another person in the house. An empty tin of cat food was sitting in the sink.
At least he had the decency to feed Crookshanks she thought as a small smile graced her lips. As she placed the can in the bin, she thought back to the ring. She couldn't believe he still had it, little lone wore it. It brought happiness to her heart knowing he still cared enough about her to wear the ring, a symbol of their endless friendship. She turned back around, thinking of going back into the Lounge Room to watch him sleep, when a figure in the doorway caused her heart to flutter, out of both shock and joy.
"Morning, Hermione." Harry said.
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Disclaimer -
I do not own Harry Potter and never will.
G'day my fellow readers!
Yes, I know it's been a while since the last update, but I'm juggling four stories here. Work with me here! This chapter is a little less dramatic than everyone hoped, but everything should be explained in the next chapter. You'll find out where Harry has been the last three years and what he has been doing.
Also, my Hermione's been awfully emotional, hasn't she? I didn't mean to make her all teary, but that's how she wanted to come out. You can't blame her really. She lost her only love when Hogwarts finished when he left her alone to journey somewhere. She has been isolated from her friends for years, with only her thoughts for company and memories to fuel her want for Harry and Ron. Her dreams have made her tired and drove her to her limit both emotionally and physically, hence her collapse and breakdown.
I'm not sure when we will see Ron, probably not for a few chapters. But I have a surprise for you all when he comes, and it's going to be good! I was going to have it happen to Hermione and Harry, and I was like, `No, I'll leave it and give it to Ron.' You'll see soon. LOL.
I haven't got really anything planned for this story, so if anyone wants to give me any ideas for something to write about, be most welcome to in a review! Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far, they are so encouraging!
Bye until next time!
DW
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