The Reluctant Hero
Someone told me love will all save us.
But how can that be, look what love gave us.
A world full of killing, and blood-spilling
That world never came.
And they say that a hero can save us.
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles.
Watch as we all fly away.
(Hero-by Nickelback)
~*~
Hermione threw on a pair of jeans and a cream colored jumper before tying her hair back in a ponytail. She had to work quickly. She opened up her nightstand and pulled out the gift that Draco was on his way to deliver to his mother. She fumbled around the cluttered drawer some more until she found the small tracking device that Harry had given her.
She wasn't completely stupid.
Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater extraordinaire, was on the prowl and very close to finding Narcissa Malfoy. Though why was still a mystery. One she would never find the answer to if she didn't find her and move her quickly. She quickly made her way downstairs, darting past the drawing room and grabbing her coat before she opened the front door.
Harry looked up from the chessboard and looked at Ron. "Did you hear that?" he asked.
Ron looked up at him. "Hear what?"
"HERMIONE!!!!"
Draco's scream startled everyone and Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. "What in the world?" Ron said.
Harry ran into the room where Draco was healing and saw Lupin and Tonks holding Malfoy down while Madame Pomfrey held a vial of potion in her hands.
"Okay, he's back under," she announced and the two of them backed away.
No, I'm not under you stupid idiots. Wake me up! I have to go after her!
"Where's Hermione," Harry asked, seeing that she was not in the room.
"She left a moment ago," Madame Pomfrey answered.
What?! No! Potty, you have to go and find her. Bring her back.
"She left the room?" he asked again and Madame Pomfrey nodded. He looked to Draco's sleeping form. You asshole, what did you tell her to do?
He ran up to her room calling out her name. "Hermione?" Ron came out to meet him.
"Harry, what's going on?" he asked.
Harry turned to his best friend. "Find Hermione." He ran past him and down the steps to the foyer where their coats were all hung up. Hermione's, of course, was missing. Harry cursed under his breath and ran back up the stairs to her room.
The nightstand drawer had been pulled out and rummaged through. His eyes fell on the small grey box he had given her that contained the tracking device. It was empty. He dashed up to his room to retrieve the Locator.
"Harry what is going on?" Lupin demanded, meeting him on the stairs as he headed down.
"Hermione left. I think Draco sent her out to do something for him," he replied.
"Harry, wait," Lupin said but Harry shook his head.
"I have to find her," he said.
Tonks popped up behind Lupin. "Then we'll go with you."
"Me too," Ron stepped forward.
Harry shook his head. "No, I need someone I can trust here to keep an eye on the Ferret." Ron reluctantly nodded his head and Harry continued on his way. "Hey Harry?" he called out.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
Harry turned and walked out of the Grimmauld Place. Luna Lovegood stepped out of the shadows and opened up the door just a sliver, just wide enough to overhear the conversation being held on the front steps as Harry put on his jacket.
"Where do you suppose she went?" Tonks asked.
"We'll start at the alley where Draco was caught. Something tells me she started there as well. She took the tracking device with her so I will be able to locate her." Harry was explaining. There was the sound of apparation, three cracks then silence. She looked up once in the direction of the drawing room, then grabbed her coat and stepped outside.
~*~
"What are you doing here?"
Narcissa stared at Hermione when she opened the door, clearly surprised to see her standing in front of her. She looked down the hall to see if Draco had come with her but Hermione pushed her back into the room.
"We don't have a lot of time," she explained, grabbing a suitcase and throwing things inside. Narcissa stared at her a moment.
"Where's Draco?" she asked softly.
Hermione looked up at her and paused slightly before reaching into her coat for the package he was trying to bring to his mother. Narcissa looked at the package then collapsed into a chair.
"Lucius found him only a few blocks from this hotel," Hermione explained. Narcissa's hand began to tremble violently as she raised it to her forehead. Hermione stuffed the gift back into her jacket pocket. "He's okay. He's safe but he isn't able to come right now."
"What did he do to him? What did he do to my baby?" Narcissa asked in a hissed whisper.
"Mrs. Malfoy-"
"Don't call me that!" she said waspishly to Hermione.
"Narcissa," Hermione said instead, "we need to get going. Lucius is so close to finding you-"
"Make that…found."
Hermione whirled around and Narcissa shot up out of her chair as Lucius and two other Death Eaters walked into the room. Hermione raised her wand but they struck first, the second one disarming her while she blocked the first one's strike. Hermione stepped back as Draco's father stepped forward.
"Hello darling," Lucius said with a sneer. "Did you miss me?" Narcissa backed away from him, terrified and shaking, taking Hermione with her. "Search the room," he ordered.
Hermione watched as the two Death Eaters emptied all of Narcissa's luggage, emptied all the drawers, overturned furniture. Someone had to be hearing all this and soon the muggle hotel staff will come inspecting. Then what? The Death Eater's would take them out without a moment's thought.
"Apparition not working?" Lucius asked and Hermione realized he was talking to Narcissa. "This room has anti-apparition wards on it as well as a silencing charm. Do not worry. No one will find you."
Hermione didn't know why she said it, maybe to give herself some comfort but she couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth. "Harry will," she said defiantly. "Harry will find me."
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Potter?!" he said disbelieving. "Do you honestly believe that bumbling teenager will come and save you?" He laughed and the other Death Eaters joined in. "Dumbledore was an idiot that believed the same thing and look what happened to him. You are all idiots if you believe that that half-blood teenager has the power to defeat the greatest wizard of all." Hermione narrowed her eyes.
"It's not here," one of the Death Eaters said.
Lucius turned to Narcissa. "Where is it?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she replied impatiently.
He slowly walked toward the two of them and to Hermione's surprise, Narcissa took a hold of her wrist and stepped in front of her.
"If it's not in this room," Lucius said slowly, "then maybe it's on one of them." Narcissa backed the two of them up and Hermione hit the fire extinguisher sharply. "We'll search them. I'll take the mudblood, you two can search my wife."
Lucius reached out for the two of them but Narcissa grabbed a glass tumbler from the table next to her and smashed it against the side of her husband's head. He fell to the floor and cried out in pain as the other two Death Eaters came for them. Hermione quickly turned around and grabbed the fire extinguisher, spraying its contents on the two surprised wizards.
Narcissa and Hermione dashed out of the room and sprinted down the hall to the elevator at the end. The fates were good to them. Hermione jabbed the down button and the doors opened immediately.
"NARCISSA!!" Lucius roared as he stumbled out of the room, face bloodied.
Hermione and Narcissa scrambled into the elevator as a spell flew over their heads and hit the wall of the elevator. Narcissa cried out in terror as Hermione hit the "L" button for the lobby then the "Close Doors" button repeatedly as they heard Lucius coming closer. With a frustrated yell the doors closed then there was a thump as Lucius hit them angrily.
"Calling all aurors on call," came a crackly voice from somewhere inside Tonks' robes and she came to a halt as she pulled out her Auror badge. "There is a disturbance at the Four Season's hotel, code 5389, unauthorized use of magic in a muggle place of business."
"That's it!" Harry exclaimed. "That's where Hermione went. I know it."
"It's only down the block and around the corner," Lupin added and the three of them ran.
When they turned the corner, they saw muggle police cars and Shacklebolt disguised as one of the captains.
"What happened?" Tonks asked, immediately approaching him. He looked at them in surprise, especially Harry.
"What are you three doing here?" he asked.
"Hermione," Harry explained. "She's in there. What did she do? She knows better than to cast spells in front of muggles."
"I'm not sure that it is Hermione," Shacklebolt said uneasily. "We have reports of at least three different spells that were cast at the same time in an incident on the thirty-fifth floor. But don't worry, we cast an anti-apparation spell over the entire hotel."
"You did what?" Harry stepped forward. "If Hermione is trying to get away from whoever cast these spells, you've trapped her in this building!"
"Harry, we believe that there may be Death Eater's in there. Now what Hermione is doing in this hotel, I don't know but we have a chance to capture some Death Eaters and that takes priority here," Shacklebolt lectured at Harry's incensed face that became angrier with every word spoken.
"Sir," another auror disguised as a muggle policeman stepped forward, "we are entering the stairs." Without a word to the three of them, Shacklebolt turned and left them.
"Come on," Tonks said quietly as they walked into the hotel unseen by the other aurors.
Harry led them to the elevators where a small crowd stood to use them. It seemed as if no one had any idea what was going on inside this hotel, they just went about as business as usual. Harry assumed that that was the idea. After all, the wizarding world had gone on and thrived right underneath their noses.
"This will take forever," Tonks sighed, staring up at the grid that had the floors lit up with the elevators' progress.
"We can't take the stairs," Lupin said patiently. A muggle woman stared disapprovingly at Tonk's red and green hair, Harry's own wild hair and Lupin's tattered clothes.
Suddenly, there were gasps in the crowd and people crying out, "What happened?" and "Good heavens, are there people inside?"
Harry looked up at the light boards above the elevators, all of them looked normal except for one. While all the others where gradually making their descent, one was falling. Thirty-three, thirty-two, thirty-one, all of those buttons lit rapidly. The air seemed to leave Harry's lungs and he knew, just knew, that Hermione was on that elevator.
The doors to the lift next to the wonky one opened and Harry dashed in with Tonks and Lupin hot on his heels. No one seemed to care, their attentions were horrifiedly fixed on the elevator that was free-falling.
Hermione and Narcissa sighed in relief when the doors closed before Lucius could reach them. Hermione let out a breath she'd been holding and concentrated on the front of the hotel. But she found that she couldn't apparate.
"I can't apparate!" Narcissa said, breathless.
"Neither can I," Hermione replied. "I think they put an anti-apparition ward over the entire hotel."
There was an odd scraping sound heard far over them then a metallic ping. The elevator came to a jarring stop. "What was that?" Narcissa asked in a whisper. Hermione shook her head.
There was another metallic ping and Hermione felt as if her stomach had jumped into her throat as the elevator suddenly moved. With horror, Hermione realized that they were falling. Narcissa screamed. Hermione looked at the elevator panel and saw that none of the buttons were lit up. There was a red plastic sign that read EMERGENCY BRAKE. She ripped open the panel and pushed the bright red button.
There was a spine-irritating sound of metal scraping on metal and the distinct odor of burning oil of some sort as the elevator slowed and came to a stop. For a moment, neither woman moved as if afraid that any slight movement would send the elevator back into a freefall.
"We have to get out of here," Hermione whispered and bravely stepped to the lift's doors. Narcissa followed her and the two women tried to pry open the elevator doors.
"Wait!" Narcissa said, stopping Hermione. "Did you hear that?"
There was a muffled whooshing sound then a loud bang as the carriage shook and Narcissa screamed. "Oh my God, they're attacking us!" Hermione said as she felt the lift fall a little. "He's taking out the brakes!"
"Lift me up!" Harry said as he blasted away the roof panel of the lift. Lupin stepped forward and gave him a leg up.
"Be careful!" Lupin called up to him.
The shaft was poorly lit and he was careful not to touch the cables that were moving feverishly as the ascended in the hotel. He could see sparks above him and the sound of metal scraping as the rogue elevator came to a slow stop.
"Harry!" Tonks called his attention and he reached down and pulled Tonks up then together they both pulled Lupin up.
"She's in there," Harry said, pointing to the smoking lift above them as they approached it.
"How do you know it's Hermione in there?" he asked.
"REDUCTO!!" came a rough male voice above them and Harry saw the spell hit the lift. There was a woman's scream and the lift fell a little. Tonks clutched onto Harry's arm painfully. Harry drew his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" he said and he heard somewhere swear loudly moments before a wand and two more wand blasts from another Reducto hit the carriage.
Hermione screamed as she felt momentarily weightless before the elevator finally gave way and began to fall again. Harry heard her scream as the elevator whooshed past them.
"HARRY!!" Lupin shouted as Harry leapt off his lift and hurtled down after the one Hermione was on.
"Impedimenta!" Harry said, pointing his wand to the lift below him that slowed then stopped. He landed with a thud on top of it and rolled off of the side, catching himself as he dangled in the air with one hand. His wand fell away from him into the dark well below. He got his grip with both hands and pulled himself back up.
He heard wand blasts above him as Lupin and Tonks dueled with the Death Eaters above them. "Heads up, Harry!" Tonks yelled and a moment later a Death Eater fell to his death, landing on the suspended carriage. His momentum from the fall broke the spell Harry had put on it and it began to fall again.
Hermione didn't know much more she could take with the lift falling, stopping, falling, stopping. She and Narcissa fell back to the floor and huddled together.
Harry pushed the dead man off of the lift, flattening himself against the roof and holding on for dear life. "Accio wand!" he said aloud.
Hermione looked up sharply. She thought she heard someone shouting, a familiar voice.
It seemed as if forever until his wand flew into his hand but as soon as his fingers made contact Harry stood and cast the Impedimenta on the lift again, brining it to stop.
Narcissa whimpered and Hermione didn't dare breathe. Both women cried out in fear when the panel above them opened, expecting the Avada Kedavra. But instead they heard…
"Hermione!"
She opened her eyes to see Harry's face looming in the space where the panel was. She got to her feet.
"Harry! Harry get us out of here!"
He reached down and pulled a terrified Narcissa out. Lupin and Tonks must have sent their lift back down because they pulled up next to Harry. He quickly handed Narcissa over to them. He went back and reached for Hermione, pulling her out. She was just about to get on the other elevator when someone screamed out, "Watch out!"
A wand blast came out of nowhere and deflected a final Reducto that was sent their way. Harry yanked Hermione back just in time, causing them both to fall and the carriage to wobble violently and drop two floors before stopping again. Harry knew the Impedimenta wasn't going to hold for very long and he pointed his wand up as rope shot out of it. He wrapped an arm around Hermione just as the lift fell away.
"Narcissa!" Harry heard Lupin yell. "Lower the lift!"
Harry and Hermione dangled in the air, her arms wrapped around his neck while he held on to her waist with his available arm.
"I knew you would come," she whispered to him, her face looking up at his. Harry looked at her, elation and relief in his eyes as he bent his head and kissed her.
Luna took the picture then lowered the camera from her face, her Quick Quotes quill scribbled furiously at her side. She had remained hidden in the shaft, watching the action take place before her as she perched herself precariously on a ledge. She had nearly given herself up when she called out to them and drew her wand to deflect the spell that nearly hit Hermione.
But now as she looked at Harry with an arm around Hermione as they dangled in the air, hope swelled within her. Hope that good truly did triumph over evil. Hope that there really was still good in this world. Hope that the wizarding world did stand a chance against Lord Voldemort. Hope that a hero had been born in Harry Potter.
~*~
Harry waited in the lobby of a different muggle hotel as Hermione checked Narcissa in. Tonks had gone back to her old hotel room in the chaos of everything to steal her bag that had all of her muggle money in it. As soon as she was checked in, they apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed when he saw her. "Oh Hermione, where have you been? Everyone's out looking for you!" He enveloped her in a hug as her other friends joined in.
The euphoria that Hermione was alive faded in Harry and now he was downright pissed.
"Harry, wait!" Hermione called out to him as he walked away. She reached for him and turned him around. He was so angry and she saw that on his face. He didn't trust himself to say something that he couldn't later take back. He yanked his arm from her and walked away.
"Let him go," Lupin said behind her. Hermione turned to see everyone looking at her, demanding an explanation. Her face crumpled into tears and she fled to her room.
Harry burst into the room Draco was staying in, startling the now awake Draco who was stumbling over his words to explain something to Molly.
"Harry!" she said at his appearance. "Maybe you can understand what he's talking about?"
Harry turned to Malfoy who looked back at him. "Potty, I've been trying to explain to this dim-witted woman that she has to let me go. I have to get out of here and…"
"Get out," Harry said in a quiet voice.
"Harry?" Molly asked him.
"Mrs. Weasley, please."
She glanced between the two young men then reluctantly left the room.
"Potter, listen to me you stupid…"
"Shut up," Harry said in a deadly calm voice. Draco stared at him as he slowly approached his bed.
"Potter, I don't have time for this. We have to find Hermione…"
"I said, Shut Up."
"She could be in danger and-"
He didn't have time to finish before Harry reached out with both hands and yanked Malfoy out of the bed, slamming him against the hard wood floor. He winced in pain as he head made contact. He let out a whimper of pain as Harry knelt next to him, shoving his knee into his already tender and healing chest. Harry's wand was at his throat.
"She was in danger, you stupid fuck!" he hissed at the ferret. His eyes were wild with anger and hate. "She and your mother were nearly killed tonight and your father got away."
"What?" Malfoy stammered.
"I want you to stay the fuck away from Hermione," Harry said, pressing his wand against the ferret's throat. "Don't speak to her, don't touch her, don't even look in her direction, do you understand me?"
Malfoy smirked. "That's going to be a little difficult considering she promised to help me."
Harry pressed his knee harder on his chest and Draco cried out. "Then release her from that promise."
"Sorry, can't do that," Draco gasped in pain. Harry stared at him, wishing he could make him suffer, wishing he could force him into it. "Go ahead," Draco teased. "You want into my mind? Go ahead, do it." Harry looked away from him. "Afraid of what you'll find Potty? Or was Dumbledore so incompetent as to not teach you how to do it?"
Harry looked back at him sharply.
He stumbled into his mind and immediately came upon an image of Draco standing in front of Hermione in a hallway at Hogwarts. "How many points get taken away for this?" he asked and he bent over and kissed Hermione.
Harry staggered away from Malfoy who slowly sat up and rubbed his chest. "Oh, she didn't tell you?" he asked Harry with a sneer on his face.
Harry staggered out of the room, the image of Draco and Hermione kissing replayed over and over.
"Hermione? Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Ginny asked from the other side of Hermione's closed bedroom door. Harry hustled up there.
"Is she in there?" he asked opening the door.
Hermione was lying down on her bed crying but sat up immediately when she saw him enter her room. He slammed the door behind him in Ginny's face.
"Harry," Hermione called out to him but he held up a hand. He looked even angrier than she last saw him. He began to pace back and forth in front of her bed, looking at her with hurt and rage on his face. He had never looked at her like that before.
"Harry, please talk to me," she said in a small voice.
"When were you going to tell me?" he finally spat out.
"Harry, I had to get her out of there quickly," she explained.
He swooped down on her and grabbed her shoulders. "I'm not talking about Narcissa!" he yelled at her. "I'm talking about your little make-out session with the Ferret!"
"W-what?" Hermione stammered.
He shoved a finger in her face. "Don't even think about lying to me Hermione. I went into his mind. I saw it, he showed it to me. You two…KISSING…in the halls!" He let go of her and she plopped back onto the bed.
"We weren't kissing!" she shot back, jumping to her feet.
"Don't lie to me, Hermione!"
"He kissed me! I didn't kiss him back! Didn't he show you how I ran away from him?"
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he demanded.
"Because I knew you would react like this Harry. I didn't want you to get into trouble because of what you would do to him."
"Like rip out his throat like I so badly want to right now?" he yelled. "Why are you protecting him?"
"I'm protecting you! I had just got you back Harry. I didn't want something to happen that would take you away from me again." Tears began to fall down her face.
Harry stomped over to her and she cowered away on the bed again. "You are going to show me everything, EVERYTHING!" he shouted into her face. She nodded meekly and fearfully.
His emotions were running high as he stumbled into Hermione's mind. He saw an image of himself rescuing Hermione earlier in the door closest to him. "Harry," he heard her voice, "something's wrong. I don't feel well."
"You're supposed to feel dizzy. Just relax, Hermione," he said with no emotion as he continued on his way, seeing her relaxing with her mother on what he assumed was the deck of the boat he had sent her away on. He saw the image of Draco kissing Hermione and Hermione backing away. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he looked behind him in the darkened corridor he had just walked past. There was nothing there.
Harry wasn't sure how far back he should go, he didn't know exactly when Hermione became bound to Draco. He trotted forward, careful not to pass the door up. Passing images of Hermione and him making love, their first kiss, she and Draco in an elevator. He must be getting closer. There was an image of Ginny receiving the flowers he sent by owl and a pang of guilt went through him.
He suddenly stopped.
In front of him were two closed doors. He stepped in front of one and opened it. It was the same image he had seen in Ron's mind. He couldn't help the small flare of jealousy that coursed through him at seeing his best friend snogging the hell out of his girlfriend. But he had made his peace with it and he stepped out of the room and closed the door. Again, the prickly sensation came over him but there was no one around him. He stepped to the other door and turned the knob.
It didn't budge.
Harry turned the knob and tried to push the door open again, getting the same result. This had to be the door then. He shoved his shoulder against the door over and over again but he didn't get any result.
"Need help?" came a cold voice as Harry tried again. He tried to stop his momentum but the moment his shoulder collided with the door, it gave.
He heard Hermione scream and the room and corridor began to shake violently. Harry looked back to see Voldemort standing in the corridor, clinging to the wall for balance. The expression on his face showed that he was equally stunned and surprised by what was going on around him.
"What the hell are you doing in her mind?" Harry screamed at him, clinging to the doorway.
"I followed you, Harry," Voldemort explained with a sick grin on his face. "Learn to rid yourself of emotions before going into anyone's mind, Harry. You leave other doors open. Prying are we?"
"Get out of here!" Harry shouted, reaching for his wand and finding that he didn't have it with him. Voldemort laughed at him.
"It's just our minds in here, Harry. You want me out, you have to get out as well."
The corridor of Hermione's mind gave another violent tremble and he and Voldemort grasped the wall to stay upright. "HARRY!" Hermione screamed.
Harry looked over at his struggling nemesis then sprinted down the corridor past him. Voldemort reached out and grabbed his ankle, tripping him up.
"Every second you're in her head, you're killing the mudblood for me. Do you think I'm going to let you go that easy?" he said with a maniacal grin. Harry kicked out violently at him. He couldn't be killing Hermione. He just couldn't be.
There was a sound of wood splintering and Harry looked back at the corridor he hadn't explored yet and saw doors flying out of their hinges as a wall of water came rushing down the hall. Voldemort let go of him as Harry's foot made contact with his head. Again, Harry got to his feet and sprinted down the corridor as the wall of water lapped at his heels. He could feel it swell around his ankles, then his calves and he finally looked down.
He screamed when he realized that it was not water that was flooding around him but blood. Hermione's blood. He really was killing her.
"You're not going anywhere!" Voldemort hissed as he grabbed Harry again. He fought him off only to be punched in the face and knocked to the ground. He was drenched in blood and staggered to his feet in horror. Voldemort rammed into him with his shoulder and shoved him against the wall. "You aren't going anywhere until she dies, Potter!"
Harry's fist collided with Voldemort's nose. He howled painfully and backed away. Harry lunged for him, wrapping his hands around his throat and shoving him under the river of blood. "We're getting the fuck out of here!" he screamed. Voldemort's hands flailed wildly, hitting at his hands, face, arms, anything. But Harry didn't waver. He was determined to drown the Dark Lord.
Suddenly, there was a searing pain in his right hand and he cried out. His injured hand let go of Voldemort's neck on reflex and he looked to his right to see Isis hovering next to him, fangs out.
"Isis?" Harry breathed out. How did she get here? Was she really on Voldemort's side all this time?
"HARRY!!!!" Isis hissed angrily. "LET HER GO!!"
Harry looked down and saw that Voldemort was no longer under him, it was Hermione. He was back in her room. Her hands were on his chest, pushing him away, terror in her eyes before they rolled into the back of her head. Her hands fell away from his chest as he let go of her neck.
Her bedroom door burst open and Lupin, Tonks and Ron spilled into the room. There was chaos in the house. He heard Draco screaming from the room below and the sound of footfalls as people scrambled about. The three of them stared at Harry.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!!" Ron screamed as he darted forward and flung Harry off of Hermione with a force he didn't know his friend had.
"I didn't mean it!" Harry wailed. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt her!" he said as Ron pummeled him with his fists. Harry didn't fight back. He didn't want to. He was in shock. Lupin pulled Ron off of him and he heard Ginny scream as she ran into the room. Harry rolled over and looked over at Hermione.
"No!" he gasped. There was blood. Lots of it.
"No!" Tonks moaned as she gently shook her. "Hermione wake up! Wake up!!" Hermione was turning pale. Neville and the twins ran into the room and helped restrain Ron as Lupin went to Hermione's side. He moved his hands over sweater and ripped it with his bare hands, revealing the telltale injuries of the Sectumsempra on her torso.
"Get Madame Pomfrey in here. NOW!"
"Ginny!" Tonks pleaded with her. Ginny stared at Hermione then up at Harry before running out of the room.
"I swear," Harry began to cry. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt her."
Lupin made no motion of acknowledgement to this statement. Harry sat up slowly.
"Harry do not move," Lupin growled at him. "George," he said and George stood in front of Harry, wand drawn.
"Give me your wand, Harry," he said reluctantly. Harry looked up at George in disbelief but gave over his wand anyway. This couldn't be happening. Hermione hadn't moved.
"What happened here?" Madame Pomfrey gasped when she walked into the room.
"I think she's been hit with a Sectumsempra," Lupin said.
"The same as Mr. Malfoy?" she asked. "I just came from his room! He had the same injuries."
"She's not breathing!" Tonks cried out.
The mediwitch bustled to the girl's side and with a wave of her wand, conjured up some device that began to pump air rhythmically into Hermione's mouth.
"Breathe child, breathe."
"This isn't working," Madame Pomfrey said in frustration.
"She's still bleeding," Lupin shouted in a panicked voice.
"Hermione!" Ron wailed.
"Was she strangled?" Madame Pomfrey asked. "Her neck has bruises on it." Lupin and Tonks looked up at Harry who had silent tears falling down his cheeks. "Her trachea could have damage. I have to find another way for her to breathe. Neville," he stood attention at her words. "I used the last of the dittany on Mr. Malfoy's injuries. You must hurry to the Hogwart's greenhouse and get some."
"Take my Firebolt," Harry spoke up. "It's fast. You can use it to fly into Hogwarts when you apparate into Hogsmeade."
"I'll go too, then," Ron said. "I'm a better flyer than you, Neville."
"Just go!" Madame Pomfrey said. "Quickly! We're losing her." The boys scrambled out of the room.
"Miss Weasley, I need hot water, clean towels and my bag," she ordered. Ginny nodded and ran out of the room. Fred followed her to help.
"Take Harry down to his room," Lupin said to George. "Lock him in."
"Come on, Harry," George said as Harry got to his feet. He stared at Hermione. Her face lifeless.
He didn't even remember how he got to his room. He only realized he was standing in his own bathroom, staring at the mirror. He looked down and saw that his hands were covered in Hermione's dried blood, his clothes were soaked in her blood. Blood wetting his black t-shirt and staining his jeans. He scrambled out of the clothes as they left faint traces of the blood on his skin. He turned on the faucet and began to wash her blood off of his hands. He watched as the red streams swirled in the basin before going down the drain as easily as it left her body.
The image of his own hands wrapped around her neck flashed in his mind.
He should've researched this. That's what Hermione would've done. He should've hesitated before opening that door, he should've known that Malfoy had booby-trapped it somehow.
"She's dead," Voldemort whispered in his head. "I felt her life slip away before we left her mind."
"Shut up!" Harry muttered.
"Thank you for taking care of that bothersome little mudblood."
"I'm going to hunt you down. I'll never rest until I find you and kill you with my bare hands! I swear it!" Harry threatened.
"You may have let me in her mind," Voldemort whispered in his head, "but you were the one who opened the door."
Harry cut off their connection and cleared his mind. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror. A swell of emotion overcame him and he punched the mirror, shattering it. He watched as his own blood from his cuts mixed with Hermione's, flowing together briefly before going down the drain together.
An anguished cry ripped from his throat as he sank to the floor. He killed Hermione. He killed her with his bare hands. Had strangled her to death as she lay bleeding underneath him. Tears blinded him and fell down his face.
Forever seemed to pass and he had no more tears left at the moment. A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Isis slithering across the floor.
"Thank you," he said softly, his throat was raw. "If you hadn't bit me…"
"Don't talk to me right now," Isis replied in a tight voice and continued on her way.
~*~
Harry hadn't moved from the bathroom. He drifted in and out of sleep, his dreams fitful and filled with memories of Hermione. The first time he saw her on the train, her terror at seeing the troll, the heartbreak on her face when he sent her back to Hogwarts alone, the way it felt to make love to her for the first time, her cry when he broke through her barrier, the way she chewed at the end of her quill, the way it felt to bury his face in her hair as he snuggled with her in bed.
His scar stung sharply and he sat up with a jolt, his hand rubbing his forehead. "Are you okay, Harry?"
He looked up to see Neville sitting in a chair. The sun was shining into the room and he wondered how long he had been out. The gravity of the situation settled on him and he wished he had never woken up.
"She's okay, Harry," Neville said. "She's alive."
Relief filled Harry and his body began to shake with the sobs of gratefulness. She was alive! She was alive!
"You should get yourself looked at," Neville said, pointing to his bloodied hand.
"I don't want to go downstairs just yet," Harry replied somberly.
"Harry, no one believes that you would willingly do this. They just want to know what happened."
Harry didn't answer him.
"She's resting in her room although I wouldn't go there right now. Ron's in there with her and I don't think he wants to see you at the moment."
"I'm not ready to see her." Harry didn't know what to say to her. Sorry for nearly killing you with my bare hands. No hard feelings.
Neville nodded then stood and left the room. Harry noticed that he didn't lock the door so Harry did it for him with a wave of his hand.
More time passed that Harry drifted in and out of sleep. Was it a dream that Neville had come to visit him?
There was a knock at the door that brought him into focus.
"Harry? It's me, Luna. Can I come in?"
He sighed and unlocked the door. She walked in with a tray of food and a folded newspaper. She set the tray down on the floor next to him and sat down with her legs tucked under her.
"You'll hear about it eventually but I wanted to be the first to tell you," she said nervously. She moved the paper from under her arm and handed it to Harry.
It was the Quibbler, the front page had a large picture of him and Hermione dangling from a rope in the elevator shaft. There was a large headline at the top of the paper, a single word in bold lettering: HERO!!
Harry looked at the byline. "You wrote this?!" he said to her.
"I gave it to my father and he sent everyone scrambling to the presses from the hospital bed. We barely made it. Harry," she leaned forward, "the paper sold out in half an hour and we had to scramble to put out a second batch. That one already sold out and we're still getting calls from our vendors for more."
Harry scanned the article. "How did you…?"
"I followed you," she replied and he looked up sharply at her. "Don't you understand, Harry? I needed to show Voldemort that he didn't destroy me or my father that the Quibbler lives on. The wizarding world needs to know that we can all move on because there truly are brighter days ahead. That there is someone who is willing to stand up to him and that person is you."
"I'm not the only one," he argued. "What about the Order?"
"Dumbledore represented the Order and the hope of goodness in this wizarding world. We all mourned his loss but there is nothing more we can do. We must move on and you have to move into the role that he had you groomed for, the role that was to be yours the day Voldemort killed your parents and failed to kill you. The Order needs a leader, Harry, and the wizarding world needs a hope. It's time for you to answer the call."
Harry put the paper down and moved it away from him. "I'm not a hero, Luna. I don't know what silly delusions are in your head but if you haven't noticed, I nearly murdered my best friend and the girl I care about most in this pathetic world."
"Every hero has his dark past, skeletons that shape his character," Luna said patiently. "Every hero has his weakness, his Achilles' heel. Don't let this be it. You have to move past it because Hermione will not be the last. Voldemort will use this weakness against you, to cripple you. We're your friends, Harry and we'll all put our lives on the line, NOT because of you," she added quickly, "but because we believe that good will triumph in the end and Voldemort will be destroyed."
Harry tapped the headline of the paper. "I don't want this."
"That's why it has to be you," she said as she stood.
Harry watched her leave then threw the newspaper across the room.
~*~
Luna walked into Hermione's room and saw that Ron was resting, asleep with his head on her bed as Hermione lay still, also asleep. He was drooling. She smiled endearingly at him then looked up at the ghostly figure of a young woman with long red hair who was standing over Hermione.
"I told him what you asked me to tell him," Luna said to her. "I don't know if he'll believe me."
The woman smiled at her and brushed Hermione's bangs from her forehead in a loving manner. "He will. In time," she said as she placed a hand on Hermione's cheek in a motherly gesture.
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