Fallen

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books and Scholastic Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author notes : I made Harry and Hermione promise something to each other in the Chapter Need in Interludes. And in here we’ll get to see how those promises get into play. If you haven’t read Interludes, pity… (shameless advertising coming through). Read it so you would have an idea how Harry and Hermione got together. It’s not a long story, wouldn’t take so much of your time, and leave a review while you’re at it.

For this little installment in the Harry-Hermione tale I am trying to weave, please leave a review.

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Love can’t be learned

Love isn’t alms

Love isn’t need

Love isn’t completion

Love isn’t just a feeling

Love defies reason

Love is beyond human comprehension.

***

In the still darkness of the empty room of the Room of Requirement she stood. Hermione Jane Granger had been visiting this room for the past few days. In the silence she stood and waited, for she knew there was nothing else she could do. She had been counting the hours since she had last seen or heard any news from Harry.

The boy, who had held a special place in her heart from the very first moment they had met, had disappeared. It was not like they were not expecting this to happen. Everyone close to Harry knew this moment would come, even she knew, but didn’t want to face it. Harry and Hermione had been preparing for it and had been dreading it even to this very moment. She had already conditioned herself, but why did her heart feel as if it was going to break?

They had shared a special bond, a bond of promises… to be by each other’s side, to be each other’s hope and strength; a promise of love… to love and be loved in return forever. Then why was she faltering? She wanted to cry, but the tears couldn’t seem to flood her eyes.

“Harry, I’m scared… for you… for us,” she whispered in the chillness of the night.

Someone opened the door and entered. Hermione knew who it was and didn’t bother to turn and look at her guest.

“Hermione, stop doing this to yourself,” Ron said as he approached her. He led her to sit in a lone couch at one corner. “Harry is capable of protecting himself. He always gets out of the bind. Professor Dumbledore is looking for him, and so are the other members of the Order,” Ron tried to comfort her.

“What if this is the time, Ron?” Hermione became unconscious of the tears that fell on her face. “Why does it have to be him? Why does it have to be us?”

Her voice began to rise as so did her anger she hardly knew was beginning to surface. Hermione exploded. “We are nothing but kids! Why did we have to be thrown into the middle of this war?”

Ron bemused at Hermione’s sudden fury, “Hermione, we were born into the wizarding world, and our world is at peril. Don’t you want to defend your right to live?”

“I do, but –” Hermione started but then had a sudden thought. Why should it be me who tells him about the prophesy?

“Why does it have to be Harry who should carry the burden? Ron, there is something Harry and I have been keeping from you.” Ron did not flinch; it was like he has been waiting for this to come. “There was a prophesy made by Professor Trelawney that only Harry could face Voldemort. It’s either he vanquish Voldemort or he would die trying.”

Hermione finally gave in and let her sadness overcome her while she cried on Ron’s shoulders. “I can’t… I can’t bear this anymore, Ron.”

“Stop, Hermione. Don’t go there… The DA… we were left here for a reason. Don’t –” Ron started but then realized he had begun to become choked up with grief. “Your hope is our hope, Hermione. Your faith is our faith. Your courage is our courage. Your strength is our strength.”

He cupped her face to look straight into her watery eyes, “Be strong. Harry needs you now more than ever. We need you. If your faith in Harry falters, where do you think that will lead us to?”

A loud banging of the door pulled them back to face reality. Ginny entered with her hair all wind-swept and catching her breath, “Death Eaters… there are Death Eaters entering the school… Aurors at their heels.” Neville followed inside looking so exhausted for trying to catch up with her. Ron instinctively grabbed his wand and fired instructions.

“Ginny, find all the prefects and tell them to round up the lower years to their common rooms. Then tell them to meet up here.” Ginny rushed out and Ron turned to Hermione, “Find a way to contact members of the DA to get them here, now!”

Neville anxiously waiting for his instructions asked, “What about me?”

Ron closed his eyes to think of a better use for Neville. “Find McGonagall; report what we are up to. Then get back here.” Neville hurried to do his errand, but Ron shouted, as he was about to close the door. “Find Dobby; we need him here, too!”

Ron grabbed Hermione’s arm, “Let’s get out and change this place.”

They walked past the stretch of the blank wall three times concentrating hard on what they needed. They could hear shrieking and sneering in the grounds, loud bangs of ricocheting hexes. And then the polished door appeared again in the wall. “Get inside, quick!”

The expansive room was now illuminated by lots of flaring torches. It resembled the room they have been using since they had started the DA meetings, only to see that there were more books, instruments and maps.

Ron took one of them and spread it out on the large table, “This is a map of Hogwarts, like the Marauder’s map, but bigger… and more detailed.”

Hermione grabbed books after books and laid them all out. “More hexes… we need to learn more hexes.”

Ron shook his head and said, “Hermione! This is no time to study! We have learned all the defensive spells we could ever need. What we need right now is a better way of communication… Can you tweak that little Protean charm you did with the Galleon coins?”

Members of the DA started to trickle in, Colin and Dennis Creevey came first. “Ron, it’s a nightmare out there!” Dennis blurted as he got in.

“The teachers are trying to fend off the Death Eaters so that they can’t get into the house quarters,” Colin added. “Professor Sinistra… I saw her get hurt. Two? Three different hexes I think. She took them at the same time.”

“They are here to wreak havoc. They blasted the Entrance Hall to smithereens,” said Anthony Goldstein slumping on an armchair to compose himself.

“Where’s Ginny?” Hermione asked when most of the DA members were already inside.

“She’s still helping the prefects. They’ll be here soon,” answered Parvati. There was another opening and closing of the door and Neville joined the group with Dobby the house-elf.

Ron motioned for them all to gather around him, “Okay, tell me the picture of what’s going on out there.”

Each and everyone then gave their own report as to what they saw. In the middle of all this, Ginny came in with the few remaining prefects on her tow.

“Has anyone seen Harry in all this commotion?” Hermione interrupted. All eyes were set on her and everyone became silent.

Luna approached Hermione to comfort her, “No we did not. If… if he’s here with the Death Eaters… he would have come to you, wouldn’t he?” Luna sensed that Hermione was about to breakdown, “Hermione, we’ve got to focus right now… at what’s at hand. Harry can take care of himself.”

Ron took charge of everything. “Our main goal right now is to get the lower years out of the harms way,” he said.

“What if we try to take them off the school grounds, to Hogsmeade?” Ernie Macmillan proposed. Terry Boot agreed.

“No, we are all safer here at Hogwarts,” Ron replied. “The students are better protected inside the school than outside and in their homes.” He looked towards Hermione to check if she had gone through with the fake Galleons.

“Hermione, are those ready?” Ron asked.

“Yes,” Luna answered for her and helped Hermione distribute the coins to everyone in the room. They all studied the gold coin, which doesn’t really resemble much of a Galleon except for the size.

“How does this one work?” Colin asked.

“Same as the coins I have given some of you during that Umbridge affair,” Hermione explained. “The only difference is that we don’t have a main coin. If one coin’s contents are changed all the other coins will mimic it.”

“This will be our way of sending information,” Ron said, going around room. “So please try to restrain yourself from using it for other purposes,” he added after seeing a glint in the eye of a Hufflepuff fifth year prefect.

Hermione with Luna’s help taught everyone how to put in information on his or her coin. All through this, Ron spoke with Dobby to ask for the house-elves help, for they are more capable of moving around the castle unnoticed. “Find as many of your kind who would be willing to help,” he told Dobby.

“Yes, sir…” the elf squeaked trembling. “What about Harry Potter, sir… is he alright?”

“Don’t worry about Harry,” Ron replied. “Now go.” With a crack the elf vanished.

Ron supervised everything from picking up of pairings and sending them off to their posts, to giving off little missions. Like playing with his chess pieces, Ron barked directions. When everyone had gone off, the only ones left in the room were Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna and him. “Most of the Death Eaters are in the Great Hall fighting off with the Aurors. We’ll go there to help them. Come on, let’s go!” They rushed down following Ron’s lead. Even though they had managed to take the longest way possible, they also had avoided confrontations.

They found the Great Hall in chaos, tables upturned, chairs shattered, curtains burned and Aurors dueling with Death Eaters. Spells soared over their heads, one nearly hit Luna. Ron shouted, “Stupefy!” to a Death Eater who unluckily crossed their path unawares.

“Expelliarmus!” Neville yelled and the wand of the Death Eater, whom Hermione remembered as Macnair, flew out of his hand.

“Get out of the way!,” Ginny blurted. “Impedimenta!” the young woman surging toward them was knocked backwards off her feet.

Hermione ducked and ran as spells darted pass her; she almost stepped over a body lying on the floor. “Petrificus Totalus!” she yelled, and the Death Eater behind her landed with a crash.

Assaults were everywhere, craters in the Hogwarts walls could be found. Streams of light in different colours were being darted around, wizards and witches were ducking to avoid them, all the while sending out a few spells of their own. With her wand clutched tightly on her hand, Hermione moved around the chaotic surroundings, dodging spells and stunning whoever had gotten in her way, hoping against hope that they are not Aurors.

Ron on the other hand, tried so hard not to lose Hermione from his sight. Ginny was consistently right behind him, followed by Neville, as always.

“Hermione! Duck!” Ron cried, as another spell whizzed passed her from the shrieking Bellatrix Lestrange.

“Tarantallegra!” Neville shouted, pointing towards Bellatrix, just as she yelled “Protego!”

“Trying to make me dance, are you Longbottom?” she drawled. “Let’s finish what we have started… Cru – ”

But this time Neville was faster, “Stupefy!” he cried, and the witch stifled backwards.

“What are you doing here?” asked the witch whom Ron almost ran into in all the commotion. Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror and a member of the Order, was limping on her left leg; she was holding a large gash to keep the blood from flowing.

“Tonks!” exclaimed Ron. “We are here to help. Have you seen Harry?” he asked her.

Tonks looked at Hermione’s forlorn face and said, “No, I’m sorry – but we haven’t heard from Dumbledore for days now.” Her eyes widened and shouted, “Protego! Get out of here, all of you!” Ron and Hermione scurried their way towards what used to be the Entrance Hall. Ron did something to his fake galleon to alert those stationed at the infirmary to help the wounded.

Freed from the Body-Bind spell, the haggard face of Bellatrix blocked their way. “Friends of the baby Potter,” she said insolently. “Trying to escape, my dears?”

“Crucio!” Hermione screamed.

Bellatrix only shrieked with laughter as she was knocked off her feet by Hermione’s curse. “Two years since we first met, and still you haven’t learned how to use an Unforgivable Curse!” she growled as she got back on her feet. “Avada – ”

Ron and Hermione hid behind what used to be a wall of their school’s castle, the jet of green light hit it instead and blows it off. Ron dragged Hermione behind the bushes just as she yelled, “Expelliarmus!” Bellatrix’s wand flew out.

“Petrificus Totalus!” and the scornful witch’s arms and legs snapped together and fell stiff as a board.

“Well done, Neville!” Ginny commented. She murmured a spell and snakelike cords shoot out from the tip of her wand and twisted around the immobilized Bellatrix. “There… to keep you nice and tight,” Ginny beamed.

“Accio wand!” Hermione cried. Bellatrix’s wand flew to her hands and she threw it to Neville. “You do the honours,” she said. Neville did what he wanted to do to avenge his parents; he broke the wand that had destroyed their lives and his.

“Thank you Hermione,” he said. Neville grabbed her bondage ankles and said, “Ron, help me hide her behind the bushes, so that no one can help her out.”

“What happened to your eye?” Ron asked Neville, as he saw Neville’s right eye swollen, which is really turning to purple.

Neville shrugged if off, “It was nothing. Some bloke’s elbow smacked it.”

“Where’s Luna?” Ginny asked fearfully, as they were running on the school grounds.

“Over here!” came a reply. Luna was darting with three Death Eaters on her heels. “Stupefy! Reducto! Expelliarmus!” she casted behind her back not caring if anyone was hit.

One who resembled Goyle stiffened on his tracks. Luna’s hair had been tangled up and she had a gash on her right cheek. One spell almost hit the twisted face of Dolohov but he was quick to move, it shattered a post instead.

Dolohov was about to do a slashing movement with his wand, the same way he hit Hermione with at the Department of Mysteries, when another spell hit him. “Stupefy!” yelled Ron.

That very moment Hermione felt something. She turned her gaze towards the Forbidden Forest and saw a faint flicker of lights. “Harry!” she said faintly. “Ron! Harry is here!” she cried to him.

They all looked around but could not see Harry anywhere. Dueling wizards and witches seem to have left the Great Hall and running towards the school grounds. “Where, Hermione?” Ron yelled back. “How – ”

“I just know – at the Forbidden Forest… Look!” she replied and pointed beyond Hagrid’s hut. “I have to get there.”

“No! You have got to stay here, Hermione!” he exclaimed. “It’s more dangerous for you out there… Harry would want you to stay here,” Ron added.

Tears threatened to flood her eyes, but Hermione stood her ground. “You don’t understand – he needs me. I can’t let him go through this alone… I’ll go there with or without your help,” she said stubbornly.

“Why Hermione?” Ron asked feeling defeated.

“I don’t know why – all I know is that I honestly, bravely and intensely love him… and I can’t bear to just sit here and wait for him,” Hermione answered truthfully.

“Alright… Go… take Neville with you. But wait for my signal,” Ron said. Hermione hugged Ron tightly and whispered her thanks. He turned to Neville, “Don’t let her out of your sight – if anything happens to her you are accountable to me.”

A few minutes later, after some exchange of messages and a few run-ins with Death Eaters, Ron directed Hermione and Neville to sprint towards Hagrid’s hut. They reached the edge of the forest without any hindrances. As they entered the dark forest, Hermione heard cantering and hooves.

“Firenze!” Hermione exclaimed when she saw the familiar white-blond hair and blue eyes of a man joined to the body of a horse.

******

Deep in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest the raven-haired Harry James Potter had been hiding behind a huge tree trunk. His arms and legs were covered with cuts and scratches. Dried blood smeared on his forehead almost hiding his lightning-shaped scar. His scrawny body showed total exhaustion. Nevertheless he still clutched his wand tightly while his senses heightened.

“Hermione,” he uttered under his breath, with his eyes closed for awhile. “You’re so near… but yet so far.”

“Come out Potter!” the high cold voice yelled. “We are not playing hide-and-seek! For a fourteen-year old back at my father’s graveyard, I could understand. However, for a young man who has already come of age, cowering behind trees is not acceptable. Reducto!”

Lord Voldemort blasted a hole to a tree five feet from where Harry was hiding. He pointed at where Harry was and shouted, “Reducto!”

But Harry was gone with a whirling of his cloak and had reappeared on Voldemort’s left. He waved his wand to cast a stunning spell but Voldemort conjured a shield to deflect it. Voldemort, on the other hand, sent a killing curse and missed, hitting another tree. Harry was again gone.

“Oh Merlin I’m tired,” he sighed. “Hermione, please I need you. Give me strength.”

Then he heard her voice in his head promising ‘I’ll be your hope, your strength and will to keep on, Harry’. A surge of hope spread in his heart and he once more felt his energy renewed.

“Dumbledore can’t help you anymore!” Voldemort hollered. “You think he’ll choose you over his beloved Hogwarts? You have aggravated me one too many times, Harry Potter!” Voldemort saw Harry emerged from a huge tree flicking his wand and a great force emanated from it though it was again deflected by Voldemort’s shield. “The old man has taught you well but you still lack experience. Avada Kedavra!”

Harry waved his wand to send a broken tree to take the blast of green light. He turned and was gone. Harry had noticed they were now very near the lair of the monster acromantula, Aragog, whom he first met on his second year.

“You like dark places, don’t you Potter?” Voldemort laughed. “This is where I met you the second time after ten years. You were such a clueless boy back then. I could have killed you that time if that palomino centaur didn’t interfere. Could have shorten your agony, you know that young man, and that prophesy would have been fulfilled!” Then he saw Harry with his back on him. “Prepare for deep pain. Crucio!”

Harry once again felt pain beyond anything. He screamed so loud that it echoed all through out the forest… hot knives penetrating every inch of his flesh. All he can utter was her name “Hermione… Hermione…” Flashes of her invaded his mind and the pain stopped.

Panting, Harry scrambled to his feet. In front of him was a humongous spider clicking its pincers wildly. “Who is it?” the spider asked slowly.

“Harry Potter, a friend of Hagrid,” Harry replied trembling. He saw Voldemort had backed away and pointed his wand towards the gigantic hairy body of Aragog.

“Stupefy!” Voldemort yelled. The spell merely bounced off the spider’s hardened body, just as Harry expected. This provoked Aragog and made him turn his eight milky eyes towards Voldemort. Harry took this window of opportunity to cast another spell.

Harry concentrated and tried to recall the lessons Dumbledore had taught him. He slashed his wand and a streak of purple light hit Voldemort that knocked him off his feet. “Those spells can’t kill me anymore, Potter!” he drawled.

Voldemort threw another jets of green light. Aragog took the blasts and his pincers shattered into hundreds of pieces. There was a disheartening cry of pain that came out from the spider and it scuttled around.

“Did you bring me here for that Harry?” Voldemort asked mocking. “It was a complete waste of time. My patience is running out. Time for you to die, Potter.” Then Lord Voldemort was gone; the forest seemed so quiet; a sudden fear swept through Harry.

Once more, Harry’s scar felt like it is about to burst open. The pain… it was horrible. It was the same as when he was possessed back on his fifth year at the Department of Mysteries, only more hellish. He couldn’t see a thing, except darkness. The harrowing pain, his head throbbing like it’s going to explode.

Let it stop, he thought… death – death is the only way… no, I won’t – I can’t give up… I still need to see Hermione… and keep my promise to her…

“Harry!” he heard her calling him. “Harry!”

Her voice was becoming clearer through all the pounding pain. He tried to pry his eyes open, and then he saw her. Like a blinding light piercing through the darkness that surrounds him she came.

“I’m here Harry,” she said weeping. “Hold on… just hold on… I’m here with you.”

Hermione kissed him and wrap her arms around Harry who was thrashing and fighting the pain. “We can conquer this… we’ll get through this… Harry, hold on to me… please… I love you…”

Harry was suddenly filled with all emotions. All he could think of now was of his love for her… he remembered the day when she told him ‘Harry – you’re a great wizard’… and when she came running toward him screaming ‘You solve it! You solved it!’… How proud she was when he conjured up a Patronus that drove away all the Dementors, ‘That's very, very advanced magic’… when it was only her who believed him that he did not enter the Triwizard tournament…

Another deep surge of pain struck… Harry screamed in agony… tears streaming… Hermione continued whispering, “fight, Harry… fight for your life… fight for us… think of the life ahead of us… think of my unconditional love… I’m still here, Harry…”

Then the pain was ebbing and was gone. His vision was blurred as his glasses were lying on the Forest floor. Hermione’s arms were still locked around him. He got on his feet quickly and grabbed her hand tightly. “Hermione, think of the purest and selfless love there is,” he told her. “Point your wand to where I’m pointing at and never let go of my hand.” Hermione followed suit.

A tremendous energy radiated from Harry’s and Hermione’s wands, it was coloured in gold and the light had been so intense and blinding. The intensity of the spell was so powerful that it felt like there was a small windstorm in their midst. Then suddenly there was a loud blast that sent them flying and knocked them on their feet.

Hermione had come back to her senses immediately and took Harry’s spiritless body in her arms. Harry struggled to open his eyes. “Hermione – ” he said touching her tear stained face. “It’s over…” And Harry closed his eyes to begin his long rest.

“Harry!” Hermione howled, shaking his limp body. “No, no, no… it can’t be… Harry don’t die on me… please.” Panic-stricken she did what any Muggle would normally do; she pumped on his chest and pressed her mouth against his to force air into Harry’s lungs.

Neville squeezed her shoulders, “Hermione,” he said. “Let me.” She released Harry’s body and waited. Neville checked Harry’s pulse and found one. “He’s alive! Harry is okay.”

“He’ll better be,” Firenze piped in. He cantered a few paces and stopped by the heap of black robes. Neville followed on his steps. There they saw beneath the robes, the wasted body of Lord Voldemort. His appalling snakelike face paler that ever before and the slit-pupilled eyes shut.

“The Dark Lord is gone,” Firenze confirmed.

All of a sudden the Forest floor had trembled; centaurs emerged at the clearing surrounding them. “You stay here,” Firenze said firmly to Neville. “I’ll go to the castle and let the others know.” He galloped and shoots out like an arrow out of the forest.

“What has been foretold by the planets is through,” said the chestnut-bodied centaur, whom Hermione remember named as Magorian. “The mysterious thing called love. Who would have thought?” he turned to Ronan, another chestnut-bodied centaur only with red hair and tail.

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