Unofficial Portkey Archive

Darkness. That was all he saw. Complete, utter darkness. And then pain. A pain that started as a dull ache and then grew to a sharp, burning sensation. He wanted to scream, to cry out for help. The pain was unbearable.

Then the darkness cleared and gray filtered into his vision. A cloudy sky was above with only a few stars visible. They twinkled their silver light at him, as if taunting him. The pain was even worse, now that he was conscious. When had he ever become unconscious? The metallic taste of blood was in his mouth and as he tried to sit up, a wave of more pain coursed through his veins.

He blinked rapidly. Where was he? What was going on? Gritting his teeth against the pain, he managed to roll his body over, realizing his wand was clutched tightly in his hand still. He felt grass brush against his bruised cheek and he closed his eyes to let the dizziness recede.

Once he reopened his eyes, he squinted ahead, trying to see through his fuzzy vision. His glasses lay next to him, one of the lenses shattered. Willing himself to move his aching body, he pushed himself up and grabbed the glasses, placing them on his nose. His head swam from lost of blood and a throbbing headache. He tried desperately to see through the one lens. Where was he?

His questions was answered as he noticed he was lying by a gravestone. A graveyard! he thought, shaking. But where?

His gaze shifted away from the cold marble and when he saw the scene before him, his heart stopped and he gasped for breath, trying not to be sick.

Bodies littered the ground around him and blood was splattered all over the green grass. The smell of death reached his nose and he gagged. Clutching his wand even tighter, he tried to push himself up more, forcing himself to not collapse. What had happened here?

Then the moon shifted from behind a cloud and its silver light descended upon a person lying beside him. Red hair stuck up oddly and was matted with blood. Blue eyes were opened wide with horror. Ron.

"No," he whispered frantically. "No, he's not dead."

But he knew as soon as the sentence left his lips it was a lie. All around him lay the bodies of his fallen comrades, all those who had come to fight by his side. And all had failed. No, he had failed, failed to protect them.

Where was Ginny and Draco? Where was Hermione? What about the Prophecy of Merlin? Weren't they suppose to defeat Voldemort? Why had they failed?

Salty tears slipped down his face and mingled with the blood. It wasn't suppose to be like this. Voldemort was not suppose to win. So many had counted on the Heirs. Now, so many of them would die because of their failure.

No, my failure, he thought desperately, I'm the leader!

The harsh, cold laugh of his enemy resounded toward him and he spun around as fast as his aching body would let him. He knew now why he was in so much pain. The Cruciatus Curse burned throughout his veins. But numbness took over as he saw the red eyes of Voldemort staring into him, the vile creature bent over something at his feet. His breath caught in his throat when he saw brown curly hair glinting in the moonlight.

"Well, Potter," Voldemort cackled, "it seems you failed all those you loved. Your beloved lies here at my feet, her blood spilt because of you. And all of them....." His white, spidery hand swept over the graveyard, ".....are dead because of you. You shall never be able to live with yourself."

Voldemort smiled evilly. "But that is no matter, for I shall kill you myself and end all your misery. Oh how I have looked forward to this day, when I brought down the great Harry Potter."

Voldemort pulled his wand out, red eyes gleaming, and he stalked forward. Harry struggled but then wondered, what was worth living for? Everyone he cared about was dead. Even......Hermione. Another tear fell and splashed on the ground.

Voldemort was now in front of him. "Good-bye, Potter."

And then the green light was rushing toward him, blinding him. He tried to scream but it surrounded him. Voldemort was laughing. It was over.

Harry sat up with a start in his bed, breathing rapidly and covered in sweat. The covers of his bed were practically kicked off and his sheets were tangled around his body. Faint light was filtering through the open shades of his window and an owl hooted in the distance.

Harry quickly fumbled around for his glasses, still breathing hard and shaking. He finally fixed them on his nose and his room came into focus. A sigh of relief left his lips when he saw the familiar red and gold of his room. He was still at Illustris, not......that other place, wherever that was.

Running a hand through his unruly black hair, Harry disentangled himself from his sheets and darted to the window, throwing it open and letting cool, December air into the stuffy room. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves while trying to remember every detail of his awful dream.

It had been so vivid, so real. Seeing Ron, dead beside him. Hermione covered in blood. Blood all around him. And.....Voldemort, alive and laughing, red eyes filled with glee as he killed Harry.

Harry shuddered and shut his eyes. "It was just a dream," he muttered, "just a dream."

But Harry knew better. He knew what the nightmares he had meant. They were more then just dreams, they were foresights, and most likely the events he had witnessed would take place. Though after Sirius had died because of his belief in a fake vision, Harry had begun to doubt the reliability of his nightmares. He didn't want a repeat of last year, especially if it meant putting Hermione in danger once more.

Harry sighed again, thinking about Hermione. She was everything he had hoped for but he still had that nagging feeling that she was in grave danger for being more in his life than just a friend. He wanted to protect Hermione but he knew she needed to be independent and make her own decisions and pushing her away would make things worse. Harry loved her too deeply to do that any ways but the sound of Voldemort's laughter when they kissed was ingrained in his mind.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Harry turned away from the window and began to get dressed for his lessons that day. His Healing lesson took place today and he had forty-five minutes until he had to see Madame Pomfrey. His skills were rapidly increasing and improving and he found himself looking forward to his lessons. Harry was now able to perform simple healings without a wand and he only needed to rest for a few minutes to bring back his strength.

As he finished tying his shoes, the dream still on his mind, a knock sounded at his door. Harry smiled, knowing who would be on the other side.

Sure enough, Hermione grinned at him as he opened the door, giving him a big hug and a kiss.

"Ready for another lesson?" she asked brightly.

Harry sighed and then nodded. "Yeah, they're getting better now."

He pulled away from her and started to throw a few books in his bag. Noticing his distraction, Hermione came up behind him and gently touched his shoulder.

"Harry," she said softly, "what's wrong? Something's bothering you. Did you.....did you have another.....nightmare?"

Harry stiffened and didn't look Hermione in the eyes as he turned around. His gaze remained fixed on a point on the wall above her head.

"Yes," he replied dully. "But it doesn't matter, it was stupid."

"No," Hermione said firmly, "I know you're lying. I can see it in your eyes. What was your dream? Don't try pushing me away and don't think it isn't real. Just because one was wrong doesn't mean they all are."

She paused and put her hand to his cheek, finally drawing his eyes to her. "Please tell me, Harry," she whispered.

Harry's resolve crumbled and he walked over to the window once more before finally speaking in a low voice. "I dreamed of the finally battle. Everyone was dead, including.......you." He choked on the word but managed to continue. "It was in a graveyard, like the one from fourth year, bodies and blood everywhere. And then Voldemort was there, laughing and saying I killed everyone, which I had. Then.......he killed me."

A tear trickled down Harry's face as he felt Hermione's arms wrap around him from behind, comforting him.

"He took everything from me," Harry whispered, "and he won. It was so real."

"It wasn't real, Harry," Hermione's muffled voice told him. "You're alive and safe along with everyone else. We won't let that happen. We're strong, we'll defeat him. The prophecies will come true, never, ever doubt that."

Harry slumped forward and sighed. "I know, I know. This is just so difficult though, its hard not to doubt. Everything happens to me. I know I should feel grateful to be chosen as an Heir but its like a curse, one more thing for me to worry about. I'm sick of it."

Hermione quickly turned him around to face her, determination set on her face. "Look at me, Harry," she commanded softly.

Harry tilted his green eyes to meet her brown ones, surprised by the look in them.

"You're not alone," she started, "You never were and never will be alone. Everyone is beside you, willing to help you, and fight with you. What did I tell you that night on the Astronomy Tower? All of that still applies. None of us are leaving you so you don't have to carry this burden by yourself. Me, you, Ginny, and Draco are the Heirs for a reason. Soon, everyone will see how strong we are and the bond we possess. Just have faith."

Harry started at her words. "Faith," he repeated. "I'll always have faith in you."

Hermione blushed slightly and then gave him a cheeky grin. "Are you sweet talking me, Potter?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Maybe," he answered slyly.

"Good, cause I like it," Hermione replied before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

It soon turned into a full out snog, both of them pouring their latest emotions into their kiss. Harry lightly tugged on one of Hermione's brown curls and she repeatedly ran her fingers through his messy hair. They broke apart, breathing hard and both flushed. Harry rested his forehead against Hermione's and grinned.

"I could get used to that."

Hermione laughed lightly and gave him a quick punch on the arm. "Shut it, you."

Harry then glanced at the clock and saw that they needed to head to class. Grabbing Hermione's hand, he pulled her to the door and lifted his bag off the floor.

"Come on, we have to get to class. I'll walk you there."

Hermione quickly got her bag from her room and her and Harry started to leave the Common Room, hands intertwined. Draco suddenly came stumbling out of his room, looking exhausted and very pale. He glanced over at the two before mumbling, "Well, if it isn't my two favorite lovebirds."

"Malfoy," Harry replied coldly.

Draco ignored him and knocked on Ginny's door. "Hey, Red, get up, time for class."

Ginny appeared at her doorway, looking like she had already been up for a few hours, and surprised everyone by giving Draco a quick kiss on the cheek. As she passed Harry and Hermione she gave them both a look that said "I'll tell you guys later" and swept from the room. Draco followed after her, raising a challenging eyebrow at the two as he passed.

"What was that all about?" Hermione questioned Harry as they left the West End Tower.

Harry shrugged. "No idea, maybe Malfoy's changing like you said he would."

Hermione could only hope that was true and they continued down the hall in silence. When they reached the stone steps that led down to the dungeons, Harry stopped and kissed Hermione on her temple.

"Good luck with Snape, the greasy git. Don't let him bring you down, you're doing great in your lessons."

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said, hugging him. "I'll see you in an hour. Love you."

"Love you too," Harry responded as she disappeared.

Not wanting to be late, Harry ran to Madame Pomfrey's office and skidded to a halt before her door, panting. It was exactly eight o'clock, right on time. His hand grasped the doorknob and turned it, opening the door, and then he stepped into the brightly lit room.

Madame Pomfrey's office was located right next to the Hospital Wing. It was fairly small, with a desk, a couple of chairs, and papers scattered everywhere. A small window was allowing light to enter the room and illuminate several different objects. Moving pictures of the nurse's friends and family adorned the walls and shelves were piled high with various potion bottles and other medical supplies.

Madame Pomfrey was at her desk, reading over a paper behind her glasses. She looked up as Harry entered and smiled.

"Ah, good morning, Harry, ready to do some more work today?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Madame Pomfrey."

"Good, good," she replied, standing up. "Leave your books and your wand here. I'm going to see if you can get through a whole lesson without your wand. Come on, over to the Hospital Wing, we only have an hour."

She quickly ushered him out of the room and to the next door. They entered the stark white Hospital Wing that was two times larger that Hogwarts' and stocked with every type of medication imaginable. Bright golden sunlight was streaming through the large windows and gleamed off of the polished white walls. Beds were lined neatly along each wall, the sheets pulled back and the pillows fluffed.

Madame Pomfrey led Harry over to the nearest bed and told him to sit. She then pulled a chair up and settled herself in it. Harry knew what was coming next. The only way he could work on his skills and Healing abilities was to actually heal a real injury. The first lesson he had had with Madame Pomfrey had given him quite a scare, when she had pulled her wand out and made a small gash appear on her hand. Since then, everything had been fairly minor and all had been healed, but Harry still hated having her inflict injury on herself just so he could learn. There was really no other way though.

"I know that look," Madame Pomfrey broke through his thoughts, "but this must be done. You know I won't do anything life-threatening. As Professor Dumbledore said, you must learn and this is the only way. So, today I will see if you can re-grow bones."

Harry's eyes widened. "But...that takes a long time. It took an entire night for me to re-grow the ones in my arm back. How am I to do it so quickly?"

"You have the gift of a natural Healer, Harry. You will be able to do it," she assured him.

Harry nodded again, still not liking the situation. Madame Pomfrey gave him a small smile and then lifted her wand, performing a quick spell. The bones in her left arm vanished and Harry visibly gulped.

"Ah, no pain at all. Now, you know what to do, Harry, so....." she trailed off.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down. He tried to push every thought out of his mind, much like he did in Occlumency lessons, because he needed total concentration to Heal. A brief mental picture of his nightmare came to him and he frantically shoved it away, not wanting to deal with that horrific memory right now. Finally, when his thoughts were as clear as they could get, Harry stretched his hand forward and laid it on Madame Pomfrey's limp, boneless arm.

For a couple seconds, nothing happened and Harry wondered if he could really do it. But he squashed the feeling down and forced his concentration even harder. A sudden jolt went through his body and Madame Pomfrey let out a large gasp as a red glow surrounded her arm. Within seconds, she felt her bones re-grow with no pain accompanying it. Harry's hand shot back and his eyes flashed open, staring at Madame Pomfrey's fixed arm in wonder.

"What just happened?" he said in confusion.

Madame Pomfrey smiled proudly at him. "You just successfully Healed my arm in a matter of seconds and you didn't pass out. Congratulations, Harry, you're a true Healer now."

"But….I hardly did anything. I just…." he trailed off.

"Concentrated? Harry, what have I said before? You are a true Healer, you don't need a wand to perform this magic. Though rare, all true Healers can Heal this fast. Concentration and the want to Heal the person are the only keys. You have both, thus, you are able to Heal properly. Its taken a couple months but you finally did it. Granted, I cannot teach you how to Heal very difficult and serious injuries but both me and Professor Dumbledore have no doubts in your abilities. You will be a vital asset to the Light Side in the Final Battle, not that you weren't already. Do not doubt yourself, Harry. Just believe and trust in yourself and your friends, and everything else will fall into place."

Harry stared at Madame Pomfrey, thrown off by her sudden show of wisdom. She had never said that much to him before and it was usually chastising. He felt very grateful now for her words and he couldn't help but smile at the nurse.

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey, I think that was something else I needed to hear."

"You are very welcome, Harry. Now, I think that is enough for today, the hour is almost up any ways. Continue your reading and practice whenever you can. I'll see you again on Thursday."

She stood up and quickly shooed him out of the Hospital Wing, saying she needed to get back to her work. Harry grabbed his bag and started heading to his Occlumency lesson with Snape.

Harry smiled, the nightmare from earlier completely gone from his mind, finally feeling he was proving himself as an Heir. Knowing he was seeing Hermione again just made that smile grow even wider and he quickened his steps to reach the dungeons on time.

……………………………

Hermione, meanwhile, ground her teeth in frustrations and pushed a stray curl off of her forehead. She snatched her wand up off the floor and glared steely eyes at Professor Snape, who merely sneered.

"Shall we try this again, Miss Granger?" he spat with a hint of glee in his tone.

Hermione forced away some unpleasant words she wanted to say and said through clenched teeth, "Yes, Professor."

Snape raised an eyebrow in mild amusement and said, "Do not take that tone with me, Miss Granger. It is not my fault that you can not successfully perform Occlumency as of yet. You are not practicing hard enough, spending too much time with your precious boyfriend." He said the word with disgust and Hermione cringed. "How do you expect to fight properly on the battlefield if every thought of each person there is filling your head? You need this. I am not having much more fun than you but, as this is Dumbledore's orders, we need to keep at it. Now, again! And this time, please do concentrate."

Snape raised his wand and Hermione reluctantly lifted hers as well, knowing she was in for another beating of unpleasant memories from her past. The past hour had been absolute hell for the young witch and she had never before been so grateful to see the clock hands slowly inching toward the time when this lesson ended. Each time Snape shouted "Legilimens!" at her, she found herself unable to fight the spell off, instead allowing the hook-nosed Professor into every part of her mind. After several agonizing minutes, she was able to throw out a random spell and shut him out but she always ended up on the ground afterwards, her wand thrown towards the wall. And now she was completely frustrated.

Snape seemed to be quite enjoying himself watching her fail. Hermione Granger failing at anything with magic was almost unheard of and the Potions Professor got great delight out of taunting one of his least favorite students. Deep down, he knew that she could do it but was just distracted. He truly wanted her to succeed, it was so important that she did, but he would never admit to that.

So Snape raised his eyes to Hermione's once more, part of him wanting her to fail and part of him wanting her to succeed, and yelled the spell at her.

"Legilimens!"

For the first time that day though, Hermione was ready. She saw the look Snape gave her as he sent the spell flying toward her and she wanted nothing more than to prove that look wrong. She forced herself to concentrate just as the spell hit her and a mental block was thrown up, shielding her memories. The force of it caused the spell to bounce backward and Snape was knocked off of his feet, his wand flying.

Hermione gasped in shock as a door was opened to her and memories of another person flooded her brain.

A young boy with dark hair was cowering on the floor as an older man beat a helpless, crying woman……The boy was older now and Sirius Black and James Potter stood before him, taunting him………He was sitting in his room, crying over a picture of his mother…..Lily Evans was walking across the grounds of Hogwarts, holding James Potter's hand and jealousy was flashing in the boy's eyes…….

Hermione was suddenly cut off from the memories and she snapped back to reality with a shock. Her eyes found Professor Snape, who was glaring at her hatefully from his place on the floor, his greasy hair disheveled and his robes rumpled.

Curiosity taking over, Hermione opened up her mind and tried to sense his feelings. She felt the urge to know his exact thoughts of her at the moment.

A wave of disgust swept over her and she struggled to remain standing. A slight feeling of hate was mingled in with it but it was barely detectable. A voice filled Hermione's head as Snape's thoughts poured into her.

"I don't believe it, she actually succeeded and managed to throw me to the floor. She was finally able to perform Occlumency properly. Who would have thought……I can't believe she saw my memories, those horrible memories that I'm so ashamed of…."

The feeling of hatred then dissolved into shame when he said the words and Hermione felt herself pitying her Professor. She had never thought Professor Snape to be one who felt ashamed of things long passed. But then again, there were many things she didn't know about him. This fact was proven even more when she felt a sudden wave of pride that made her feel strangely comforted. Hermione closed her eyes briefly, reveling in it, happy that someone was finally appreciating this new aspect of who she was.

Her eyes shot open and she stared at Snape. "Pride, Professor?" she questioned softly.

Snape raised himself off of the floor and dusted his robes off. He gazed unblinkingly at Hermione for a second and then sneered at her.

"I ask you to kindly not read my feelings, Miss Granger. It is really quite rude."

Hermione blushed crimson and looked at the floor, wishing even more that the hour would end and the other three Heirs would arrive. She wanted this torturous lesson to end and to stop having Snape glare at her like that. She saw him grab his wand off of the floor from the corner of her eye and then he turned his back on her, staring absentmindedly at his desk.

"But yes, Miss Granger," he said quietly, "I did feel pride. You have finally understood Occlumency."

Hermione's jaw fell open at his words and she couldn't help but stare. Snape made no other comment and the moment was broken by Draco sauntering into the room, twirling his wand in his hand.

"That look is quite unbecoming on you, Granger," he smirked.

Hermione snapped her jaw shut and just glared at Draco.

"Shut up, Malfoy," she hissed.

"Tisk tisk," Malfoy taunted, waving his finger, "a bit touchy, aren't we?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort when Snape spun around, giving them an icy glare.

"Shut up, both of you. I will not tolerate this childish behavior. Take your seats and prepare for your lesson. Clear your mind, if you can, Mister Malfoy."

Draco flushed and muttered under his breath as he slouched into his seat. Hermione threw a triumphant smirk in his direction and took her own seat. She shot a quick smile at Snape but he merely raised an eyebrow and turned his back on her once more.

Hermione sighed, knowing that the moment of connection between the two was gone. As Harry rushed into the classroom and grinned at her, she smiled back, happy to see him, but also happy that she had known for a short while, the thoughts and feelings of her Professor. Maybe her lesson for that morning wasn't so bad after all.

.................

Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so so sorry about how long I took to update this story again. Life is getting soo hectic now! I just moved into my dorm at MSU last week and I've been so busy figuring things out, meeting people, and just adjusting to college life in general. I start classes on monday so the updates are going to come even less frequently. I am so sorry for that but my schooling comes first. I will update whenever possible, since I love it so much. Just be patient for each chapter and I hope all of you continue to follow this story! :)

I'm not sure if I really like this chapter. It took me forever to really get it right. The only part that really came to me was the dream in the beginning. After that, I'm not sure if it is very good and I consider this a short of "filler" chapter. There is important stuff in here but its more showing the improvement of Harry and Hermione is there classes. I also showed a soft-side to Snape cause, I believe that he has one deep down. I put in a fluff H/Hr scene, like many of you want. A lot of people seem to think I am making this more D/G than H/Hr. This IS an H/Hr fic, please don't be fooled, because there love is the strongest out of all of the couples and will ultimately save everyone. I want to focus on all the people though, since so much is going on in this fic. Please don't critisize me for putting in chapters exclusively about other characters, everything is important to the story.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review and I will try and get the next chapter up whenever possible. Thank you again for all the support! Love you guys!

Much Love,
PhoenixFirebolt