A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm gonna be nice and post two, since this one is incredibly short, and to make up for the double-cliffie. I originally wanted it all to be one huge chapter, but it didn't quite fit, so I had to split it, and that is where it split best. Sorry about the sudden change in writing style with the last chapter, some of you didn't really like that. I'm just experimenting with different styles at the moment, trying to find what people like the most. I appreciate all the input (and yes, I mean all the input)! Things are gonna start smoothing out now, so I hope you like!
Remember
Harry was aware of a vast space surrounding him, but could not see anything but the pitch dark. Somewhere off in the distance, Harry heard a noise. He turned his head left, then right, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, but all he saw was the uninterrupted darkness. Suddenly, a bright white light shone forth from a short distance in front of him, blinding him. Harry closed his eyes tight, but even then he could still see the glare. As his eyes began to adjust to the sudden bright light, the glare began to diminish as well. Finally, Harry opened his eyes and saw a figure standing before him, who was apparently the source of the bright light. It was neither a man nor a woman; it was simply a body of pure energy with nothing distinct about it. Harry was staring, transfixed, when the mysterious being spoke,
"HARRY POTTER, YOUR POWER GROWS AS YOU NEAR THE END. BUT BEWARE; WITH GREAT POWER COME TEMPTATIONS. REMAIN TRUE TO YOURSELF AND THOSE YOU LOVE, OR ALL WILL BE LOST. REMEMBER THE SACRIFICES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, REMEMBER THE PRICES PAID; REMEMBER WHAT YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR. THE DARKNESS IS GROWING, AND THE LIGHT BEGINS TO FADE. IT HAS BEGUN, THE BEGINNING OF THE END . . . REMEMBER, HARRY POTTER, REMEMBER . . ."
With that, the being faded out of sight, leaving Harry surrounded by darkness again, its mysterious voice echoing softly around him.
******
Harry opened his eyes, and was nearly blinded by the intensity of the light in the room. He quickly shut his eyes, wondering where he was. `My room is never this bright, nor does it have this much room. Oh no! I've overslept! Master will be furious!' With that thought in mind, Harry opened his eyes again, squinting through the bright light, looking for his glasses. With great effort, he raised his head to the right and saw them sitting on an oddly familiar bed stand. When he put them on, the room came into sharp focus. Harry was confused. Everywhere he looked he seemed to see white: endless numbers of white beds, white pillows, white privacy curtains. One thing was for certain; he wasn't at the Dursleys' any more. `I must be in a hospital ward of some sorts.'
Suddenly, it clicked. `Hogwarts' Hospital Wing . . . but how did I end up here?' Harry leaned back against his pillows, trying to recall what had happened. `Everything's fuzzy . . . I remember doing my duties to Master . . . oh no! How long have I been gone? I let myself get behind; so many things undone! Master will be furious!' Shaking himself mentally, away from images of what would await him when he returned home, Harry set back to trying to remember how he had come to be in the Hospital Wing.
`I was working, and someone came. A . . . a girl . . . I think I know her. She seems awfully familiar. She was getting in the way of Master's work, though. Master came home . . . I remember that. He had a guest . . . and then . . .' All of a sudden, it all came pouring back. He remembered everything, from when Malfoy first struck, till he passed out from the intense pain just before Malfoy was going to kill Hermione. `Wait, Hermione!'
A wave of fear paralyzed him. He could barely breath, and all he could picture was a motionless Hermione lying before him. "He-Her-Hermione . . ." he chocked out. He quickly looked left and right at the other beds, only to find them all empty, looking as if no one had ever even touched them. His panic began to rise, his heart was beating faster, and his head was starting to spin. "Hermione? HERMIONE!" Harry shouted out, although it came out hoarse, gruff, and it made his throat hurt.
With a loud BANG the doors the Hospital Wing were thrown open, and what appeared to Harry as a brownish streak was flying towards him. Harry heard someone shout his name. He cringed and flinched, waiting for the blow to land, but was instead surprised (and rather shocked) when instead he felt a pair of arms wrap around him tightly. Somewhere from the region of his chest, through a thick layer of bushy brown hair he heard, "Oh, Harry, you're awake! Thank Merlin, I was so worried! You haven't moved in three days, and I thought you . . . that you might be . . ."
`Bushy brown hair?' Harry pondered, momentarily shaken into a stupor. `Oh! Hermione!' Instantly, his arms went up around her, surrounding her in almost as fierce a hug as she had attacked him with. It couldn't be real . . . she was gone . . . they were all gone . . . everyone gone. "You can't be real. You can't be here." Harry murmured.
"Wh-What?" Hermione had pulled back when she heard this and was looking at Harry incredulously. "What do you mean, `I'm not real'? I'm sitting right here, aren't I?"
"No, no, it can't be real. You're gone. Everyone is gone. No one here but Harry . . . all alone." Harry didn't even seem to realize that she was in front of him; her arms still wrapped partway around him. She looked up into his eyes, and saw that he truly believed what he was saying. It was a look frighteningly similar to the one she saw when she first met him. Looking deeply, she saw his despair, his fear, and his pain. All she could think about was taking it all away and making everything all right for Harry.
"Harry . . ." Hermione said, as she gently placed her right hand on his cheek. He winced at the contact at first. "Harry, I'm not here to hurt you. I won't ever let anyone hurt you again. I promise." As she said this, she looked him straight in the eye, trying to convey to him that what she was saying was true, that she was really there and would protect him.
"But, you can't . . . you can't . . ." Harry's eyes still held their pain and fear.
"Why can't I, Harry? What's to stop me?"
"You can't because you're d-dead. Malfoy killed you. I couldn't stop him, I failed again.
Everyone's gone because I failed . . ." Harry lowered his head, breaking eye contact at last.
Hermione could only stare at Harry, utterly flabbergasted. `He doesn't remember . . . he doesn't know that he
saved me . . .'
"Harry, look at me." When he didn't comply, she put her hand under his chin and gently lifted his head up, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Tell me, do I look real?"
After a slight hesitation, Harry answered, "Y-Yes."
Hermione then grabbed Harry's hand and placed it over her heart. "Can you feel my heartbeat?"
Silence again, before Harry answered, "Yes."
Hermione looked deep into his eyes again, and while the pain and fear were still there, she also saw signs of hope. "It's me, Harry. Hermione. I am alive, Malfoy didn't kill me. I'm here, and you're not alone. I'll make sure that you are never alone. I give you my word."
Slowly, Harry brought his free hand up to Hermione's face, where he hesitated slightly, then traced his finger along her jaw. "Her-Hermione?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry, it's really me."
That was all it took. He now knew she was real; that she was really there, that he wasn't alone anymore. Harry broke down at her answer, throwing his arms around her and burying his head on her shoulder. She could hear his sobs, feel his body quake, and see his shoulders shaking. Immediately, she was holding him close, comforting him and calming him. They remained like this for several minutes, until finally Harry's sobs died down. Noticing that Harry had finally calmed down, Hermione leaned back to look at him. She noticed immediately that he looked exhausted; no, that wasn't quite right, Harry looked beyond exhausted. "Harry, you look tired. Why don't you rest now. I'll leave you to sleep." She stood up to go, but had hardly taken one step when Harry's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"Please, don't go. Don't leave me alone." She turned to look at him, and what she in his face, his eyes, almost broke her heart. He was frightened, absolutely terrified, at the aspect of being left alone. She could feel his hand on her wrist beginning to shake. Immediately, and without second thought, Hermione said, "Never," and crawled into the bed. Harry moved as close as he possibly could, and practically latched himself onto her arm. With her free arm, Hermione gently rubbed Harry's arms and shoulders for a while, until she felt his deep, even breathing. Hermione lay for a while, staring at Harry and thinking about how much had happened, and what else could have happened. `I will stay with him and protect him, no matter what!' Hermione closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, all the while thinking of Harry.
A/N: Okay, there's a bit o' fluff for ya. Give me a couple of secs before I post the next one, and then continue with the recovery!
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