Unofficial Portkey Archive

Author's Note: Ok, so for some reason this part got held back. I had to rewrite around a bit because I wasn't satisfied with it, but Ron's reason for leaving was left untouched because it was planned from the beginning. Apparently, it got a lot of attention, so I tried to leave you without a cliffhanger (but still a bit of something to hold onto) this time around.
This part is a bit depressing, people leaving, people crying, people sneaking behind other people's back. But the next part is a bit more fluffy, and this time, I actually kind of mean it. There will be laughter, that, I promise, and it won't be only in flashbacks.*whispers*hold on to the fluffy stuff cause you'll need it*whispers*. This story *is* designed as drama/romance/adventure (well, the adventure is still ahead, but there will be adventure). The characters and the situation are set now.

A long white sheet wrapped around herself and her hair held on top of her head in a loose bun from which a few strands of unruly bushy hair escaped, Hermione sat at the window in her room. Her legs were brought up against her chest and her forehead rested against the glass as she peered down. She sighed, covering the window with fog as her warm breath came in contact with the cold glass, clouding the scene she was observing for a short moment. Rubbing her hand against the glass, she cleaned it and narrowed her eyes as she looked down at Harry and Ron. The two stood facing each other, but there had been no sign of argument between the two, nor any sign of violence from Ron's part. Shaking her head, she turned from the window and gave her room a circular glance. The clothes she had worn the day before laid on the floor, and she blushed at the thought of how they'd ended there. She had truly been surprised by the turn their relationship had taken, right back when she'd started to feel for him and she never expected this when he had come to her door. He certainly didn't expect it either.

Standing up, she started picking up her clothes and threw them in the basket she kept by her wardrobe, then slipped on a nightgown before laying back down onto her bed. She was unable to stop the flow of tears once they started. She wasn't exactly why she was crying, it was as though everything she had gone through in the last few weeks all came rushing to the surface. As if sleeping with Harry had brought her back to life and now that she was alive again, every emotion she had been feeling since Ginny's death scorched her even more harshly.

Four young wizards trailed down the Hogwarts grounds, the two girls chatting cheerful in the front, discussing their dresses for the upcoming Yule Ball. Neither of them had been invited yet, but there was no worry on either part. All that was on their mind at the moment was the exhilaration of fine dresses and waltz, as if they lived a century before their time. Behind them, the two boys shared jokes as the four of them walked down to the lake, where they regularly went to study. They had come to think of it as their spot, where they could be found pretty much everyday when the weather allowed it. It was beneath a tall tree, with many large rocks where they could all sit. They had yet to receive their first snowfall, but the weather was definitely getting colder and soon, they would have to relinquish their spot for the winter, which was why they took advantage of every occasion they had to visit it.

"I can't believe this is our last year. I feel like I have so much more to learn!" Hermione exclaimed as she dropped her pack and sat down on the nearest rock, Ginny taking a seat in front of her. Harry settled down next to Hermione, untying his tie but keeping his robes on, unlike Ron, who dropped them into a pile on top of his backpack as he sat down next to his sister. Ginny gave Hermione's remark a soft chuckle and shared a knowing glance with her brother. Hermione's quench for knowledge was by time greatly amusing. Harry narrowed his eyes at Ron and turned to Hermione. "I know what you mean"

Hermione sighed and opened the book she had on her lap, quickly finding the page she was at and leaving the others to chat as she resumed her reading. The others had pulled her away from her room, insisting on the fact that this was probably the last day before it got too cold for them to spend time outside, an excuse they had used ever since the beginning of the month. Apparently, every day was probably the last day. Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend and turned her face up, closing her eyes under the caress of the sun as the light washed over her face, which made Harry smile. He'd never seen anyone enjoy life as much as she did. When Ginny finally lowered her head, she had a warm smile on her face. "Beautiful day"

"But while we're on the subject of leaving Hogwarts... Do any of you have any idea of what you'll do next year?" she continued, looking at Harry and her brother. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Hermione throwing a glance over the edge of her book. Ginny knew all about Hermione's plan, graduate school, and probably a high ranked job at the Ministry, but Harry's future was foggier. Everyone knew he was interested into becoming an Auror, but they had also noticed he had not been taking the required classes.

"Dumbledore said…" Harry began hesitantly, causing Hermione to completely lose interest in her book. Harry's future was not a subject that was raised often, mostly because of the menace that constantly rested upon it and any allusion to it was therefore far more interesting than any book Hermione could ever come across. "He mentioned something about working here. As the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Every looked shocked, except Hermione, who gasped and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Oh Harry, this is wonderful!"

Harry welcomed the hug with a noticeable blush, causing a soft giggle from Ginny, while Ron still seemed confused by the revelation. Hermione's enthusiasm was short lived and she pulled back, her nose wrinkled as she looked at him. "But…you're so young Harry, and … the credentials. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

The boy nodded slowly, remaining silent for a moment before allowing himself to speak. "He said I'll have to take a year off before to get myself acquainted with different types of creature and menace, but there's the obvious factor that I've been fighting evil since I was one year old and the DA." At the mention of the defence against the dark arts group he glanced at Hermione, a flicker of reconnaissance in his eyes. She had been the one that had truly pushed him down this path he had been hesitant to follow, and as always, she had proved to be right.

"Well, while the two of you are off to great futures, I'm probably headed for a low rated job at the Ministry where I'll work 72 hours a week and get half the pay you'll get, Mione." Ron interrupted, with a serious expression on his face that caused them all to stare at him, unable to decipher whether he was making a humorous crack or truly mopping about his future. After a while, he rolled his eyes and sat back. "Bloody hell guys, lighten up. I'm headed for Quidditch tryouts or Gringotts, something of the likes."

"Honestly Ron, it's not funny. Your future is nothing to make jokes about." Hermione scolded, setting her book down by her bag, finally giving in. She would have to find some other time to do her reading. The redhead shrugged before poking his sister's side. She squirmed and slapped his hand away with a small nasal sound of annoyance. "What about you Ginny? Any grand plans for your future?"

Ginny seemed thoughtful for a moment, then she smiled. Looking at Hermione, she asked her if she remembered a conversation they'd had a few weeks before, where they had discussed how they pictured themselves, ten years from now. The brunette nodded and Ginny explained for the benefit of the two boys. "I want to go to graduate school and work in the trauma yard at St.Mungo's. I've always been good at medicinal charms and… I want to help people. There's a war coming, and I know that's the only way I can truly make myself useful."

"That's great Ginny!" Ron exclaimed, amazed by his little sister's plans. He couldn't imagine anything better for her. Looking back at his two best friends only elongated the smile that already brightened up his face. They all looked contempt, happy to be here, happy with their plans. And happy with each other. "All these fancy talks about what's ahead… I don't know about you, but I'm in no hurry to leave here. I could stay at Hogwarts for the rest of my life."

"You're leaving? You can't possibly be leaving?!"

Ron nodded slowly, then sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit. Harry blinked a few times, as if this was just a dream and he would eventually wake up. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he had heard wrong, he knew that Ron had truly said he was leaving the school. "Ron, no. You can't."

"I'm sorry Harry. Mum needs me back home, she's not been copping well, and she worries for me, stranded here away from the family. And I need to be away from here right now, need to be away from you and Hermione. It's simply too hard. It's only temporary, I won't be gone for long, a few weeks, but I have no other choice." Ron said, turning away from his friend to face the lake. It was only as he followed his stare that Harry realized it was snowing. The contrast of the white flakes against the dark water was fascinating, and for a moment, they both watched in silence. But while Ron was reflecting on what he was leaving behind, Harry was trying to control his emotions. He felt anger, an anger that was overcome by so much pain that it left him speechless. He felt as though something was crushing his wind pipe and rendering him unable to breathe. No…it was worse than that. Another part of himself had been torn away.

"Are you quite finished?" Hermione whined, throwing an annoyed glance at Ron as he broke down into a new fit of giggles, Ginny and Harry joining in with him. The four of them were sitting at The Leaky Cauldron, drinking butterbeer and waiting for Arthur and Molly to return from some last minute shopping on Diagon Alley before they were to head out to King's Cross. In a few hours, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley would start their final year at Hogwarts. The fourth member of the group, Ginny Weasley, was beginning her sixth year. For the past half an hour, Ron had been detailing the week the Grangers had spent at 12 Grimmauld Place while Harry was still recovering at the hospital. Hermione's muggle parents had been amazed by every small detail, even though it hadn't been their first time in the wizard world. Her mother had been especially ecstatic at the sight of the dishes washing themselves.

"She screamed so loud when she saw the cloth drying the plate that the charm faltered. I don't know how she did it, but she did, and the plate crashed unto the ground, setting off Mrs.Black's portrait. The old hag started on the dirty muggle that was destroying her precious china." Ron continued, despite Hermione's protests. Harry couldn't resist the humour of the situation and he laughed too, enjoying a few carefree moments with his friends after a tough summer. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the three of them successively, then returned to petting the orange cat that had curled onto her lap, a smile crawling onto her face as she came up with the perfect comeback. "And then your father proceeded to question mine about ' electericty' for about two hours. Ah, yes, I remember that day now."

Ron and Ginny stopped laughing and blushed, simultaneously drinking some butterbeer as if to divert attention, causing both Harry and Hermione to laugh, the lather rather pleased with herself. Ron glared at Hermione, then shoved his elbow in Harry's ribs, causing the teenager to suck his breath and wrap his free arm around his midsection with a loud groan.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping to her feet and bending over the table to care for Harry. Ron blushed furiously and set his drink down, turning to his friend and setting one hand on top of his shoulder. They had all been careful around him ever since he'd returned from St.Mungo's, making sure not to put him under any kind of physical stress, but the hit he had given the Harry had been instinctive, and probably the first thing to put real stress over his best friend's body since the fight against Voldemort. Harry had almost died, probably had for a few seconds, and Voldemort was still running.

"I'm sorry Harry, I didn't think. I…"

And then, suddenly, he saw it. The birth of a grin on the corner of Harry's lips, as the two girls still tended to him, making sure he wasn't broken in any way, which of course he wasn't. Chuckling, he pushed Harry over, causing him to burst out laughing once again Ginny and Hermione sighed in annoyance and returned to their seats with a number of eye rolls and pouts, while the two friends laughed until they had cramps, and then laughed some more.

Harry pushed opened the door leading into Hermione's room only to find her sleeping, her face buried in the pillows. Shrugging off his robes, he slowly made his way towards the bed, noticing along the way that she had picked up the discarded clothes that covered the ground when he had first left. It was still dark outside and the moonlight cast a silvery light on her small figure as she lay in bed, causing him to pause as he reached the bed. Everything that had happened the night before was still a bit too much for him to comprehend, and he wasn't sure he actually wanted to analyze and rationalize everything. He had known he was in love with Hermione ever since the eve of the big fight at the end of their sixth year, when she had sit with him throughout the night because he was too nervous to sleep and she didn't want him to be alone. They had talked sitting in the common room by the fire, but they had sat in silence also. She had never tried to force him to talk about his insecurities, even though she knew perfectly well they were the reason he hadn't eaten anything in the previous week. It was the first time that he was going to seek out Voldemort, and he knew this quite possibly could be his last night. Instead, she had simply sat on the opposite sofa, her face turned towards the fire. She held up a calm façade, but he knew the anxiety was killing her also. And as he admired her face in the orange light the flames cast upon it, he had known. He loved her.

He pulled the covers and slid underneath them beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Her response to the new pressure around her midsection was a soft moan before she unconsciously repositioned herself on her side, her back against his chest. He leaned his head in the hollow of her shoulder, trying to forget that up in the Gryffindor tower, Ron was packing up his things, a carriage waiting for him downstairs. He felt as though his world was being shattered in an excruciating piece by piece fashion. His best friend leaving his side, even though their relationship had been the opposite of what it used to be in the previous weeks, was like salt on an open wound. He knew Ron's reasons for leaving were perfectly understandable, yet he couldn't help but resent him for choosing the easy way out. And he also knew his friend deserved the easy way out after fighting by his side for so many years and losing the sister he loved so dearly, but all the knowledge and understanding in the world never eased the pain. Its bite was still as vicious as it always was.

After a moment, it seemed that his presence had pulled Hermione from her deep slumber as she rotated in his arm to face him, her eyes scanning his own in the darkness. "Hey" she whispered, reaching up to lightly brush her fingers against his cheek. He smiled, even though he was fairly certain she couldn't see it in the darkness, because he knew she would feel it, the skin moving under her finger tips. "What did Ron want to talk about?"

He held his breath, unsure what to tell her. He knew that once he would have told her Ron was leaving, this moment of perfect peace they were sharing would be taken away from them. And he needed it to hold just one second more, to take it in and make it his sanctuary. Finally, he spoke, reaching up to cover her palm with his. "He's leaving. For a time."

It took awhile before she offered some sort of reaction to his announcement, and he swallowed nervously, tightening his arm around her waist to bring her closer in preparation for the tears. He had learned in the previous two weeks that all the logic in the world weren't enough even for Hermione. She didn't ask why, nor argue their friend's decision, because being Hermione she knew this was the right decision, the logical choice. But the tears still came, because even though she knew the choice was right, it still hurt.

She wasn't exactly sure why she cried. Only an hour before, she had threatened Ron with bodily harm, and she had wished for him to leave more times than she could count in the past two weeks. But the saying was most definitely true, she decided. Be careful what you wish for. And in Harry's arms, her head buried in his shoulder, she swore herself she would never shed one tear again. She was too tired for it, tired of talking, tired of trying.

Out in the corridor, Draco Malfoy walked out of the shadow that had concealed him from sight. A smirk on his face, he had watched Harry and Ron first walk out of the room, had followed them and listened in, then had tracked Harry back in. As Head boy, he could have pulled points from both of them for being out after curfew, the satisfaction of punishing Gryffindor and pulling ranks on Harry after he had hit him adding up to a considerably satisfactory amount. He still sport the bruise the punch had left on his face, as he suspected he would for a couple of weeks. But he had another plan in mind. One that would solve the case of that Potter brat for good.

Trotting down towards the Owlery, he shoved his hand in his pocket to retrieve a piece of parchment and a quill, formulating the message in his mind. After his father's downfall at the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts, his dislike for Harry Potter had turned into a murderous hatred, and he had taken after his father, becoming a Death Eater even unbeknownst to his mother. He had had his role to play into leaking information that had led Harry to Voldemort, the previous year, just as his Master had commanded, but now, he was to provide him with even more information. This would be the second message he was to send to his Master in the last five hours. One to tell him of the new development in Harry's life and the second would inform him that Ron was leaving Hogwarts, leaving Harry somewhat unprotected. After the first message, he had been instructed by a short reply written in Wormtail's shaky handwriting to keep on following Harry. And he would, as he would keep on obeying orders even though the sheer idea of doing what someone dictated was disgusting to him. He would until Potter died and he could spit on the bastard's body.

Author's Note: I love Fauxcon Draco. He rocks, wears leather trousers and loves Ginny. But this is Canon Draco and I do believe Canon Draco could do something like that, the sneaky snake job, because it doesn't put him in front of any real danger, which always causes him to coward under Snape's robes. Heh, pretend I never said that.
Update should come soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow night. Also? I'm giving a cookie to the first one that finds the pattern in my flasbacks.