~A/N> Happy Birthday to me! Here's a present for you! :) I hope you enjoy it, and special thanks again to
Lisa who's always a fantastic help.
Harry had gotten up every hour throughout the night, making sure that Hermione drank at least half a cup of water. Each
time, once he was finished, he climbed behind her again and wrapped his arm around her, cherishing how it felt to have
her so close. Things had been so strained between them the past few weeks, and he'd never admit it to anyone but
himself, but he missed her. His Hermione, the one he had fallen in love with. He had loved spending
time with her, whether it was training or just sitting quietly in the library together. And the times that they fought
and it led to snogging...he really missed those times. When he held her in his arms he felt...complete...normal. He
wanted her back badly, and he hoped that after whatever affliction she had at the moment passed, she would be his
Hermione again.
After three days of Hermione going in and out of consciousness, her fever getting higher and then breaking, only to spike again, she finally woke. The room was filled with the light of dusk, she had no idea where she was, and it was definitely a shock to realize that someone was holding onto her. Still in a state of disorientation, she turned so that she could look behind her, and she saw Harry's face. "Harry?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.
He stirred just a little, and then fell back into his peaceful sleep. His grip on her waist tightened and it was as if his arm had been squeezing her heart instead. She felt choked up, and as her mind cleared a bit, regret creeped over her at how she'd been treating him. She didn't forget that he was being a right git himself, but she found that she really didn't care. Who knew how much time they had left together with the danger that seemed to be coming ever closer?
"Harry," she whispered again, this time her voice was louder, and she started coughing because of it. Her coughing finally roused him from his slumber.
"Mmm...'Mione?" he mumbled.
"Yeah," she replied, once she found the glass of water on the nightstand next to the bed and her fit of coughing was under control.
"You're awake?" he asked, sounding barely coherent.
Clearing her throat noisily she answered, "I am, but I don't think that you are."
"Right," he said, proceeding to snuggle against her back. After a few moments his eyes popped open and he stated, "You're awake."
"I am," she answered. Turning so that she could be face-to-face with him, she reached her hand up to cradle his cheek. "Have you been here the whole time?"
"All three days, yeah," he replied, seeing the surprise register on her face. "You had me...us...worried."
"Three days? What in the world was wrong with me?"
"I don't know, and no one's really volunteering their opinion on what they think it might've been," he stated, feeling like her palm on his face was burning his skin. "Speaking of the others, I promised them all that I'd get them if you were to wake."
"Right," she replied, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Hearing the note of displeasure in her voice he turned back to face her and said, "Once you're completely well and out of bed, maybe you and I could...talk, about everything that's been happening lately."
Staring at him silently for a moment, she sighed and replied quietly, "Sure, a talk would be nice."
Not really picking up on the defeated tone in her voice this time, he turned and made his way out of her room to fetch the others, completely missing the look of dissapointment that crossed her face.
~*~
"You're not going to tell me why I was practically unconscious for three days?" Hermione asked a few minutes later, looking furiously from Sorcha to Remus to Firenze, each adult proceeding to look back at her with a calm facade.
"No, I'm afraid we're not," Remus replied in his calm tone of voice, which increased her frustration. "Mainly because we're not exactly sure what it was that made you sick."
"That's just terrific," Harry chimed in, worried that she could get sick again easily.
Sorcha, who'd been standing by quietly suddenly said, "Come with me."
"What?"
"You heard me Guardian, come with me."
"Don't you think it would be best to wait until tomorrow?" Harry asked, defiantly looking at Sorcha.
"I do not," sher replied. "Miss Granger's sickness was not a normal malady...it was a metamorphosis of sorts." Turning her gaze to Hermione she stated, "Now, as I said before, come with me."
Hermione followed her out of the room with Harry and the others close behind as they made their way down the stairs and into their training room. Handing her wand to her, Sorcha walked away, putting some distance between them. Assuming a defensive stance she said, "Now, try to disarm me."
"Are you mad?" Harry asked, looking incredulously at Sorcha, Hermione's facial features mirroring his. "She just woke from practically being unconscious for three days, and you want her to perform magic?"
"Stay out of this Potter," Sorcha replied. "Now, Miss Granger, try to disarm me."
Hermione stared at her in disbelief, and then realizing that she was perfectly serious, she unsteadily raised her wand. Aiming at Sorcha, she uttered, "Expelliarmus!"
The power of her spell practically lifted Hermione off of her feet, throwing her against the wall behind her while Sorcha was thrown backwards and hit the opposite wall with a nasty sounding 'thud'. As Remus hurriedly went to check on Sorcha, Firenze and Harry made their way to where Hermione was leaning up against the wall, a bit dazed. "Are you okay, Miss Granger?" Firenze asked as Harry knelt down next to her, looking very concerned.
"I think so," she replied, her voice trembling. "What happened?"
"What I thought would happen," Sorcha replied, limping up to her with Remus's help. "Your fever was due to an increase in your magical power. I don't know if it was your inherent Guardian powers that increased, your inborn magical abilities, or both. Just because you can cast a simple disarming spell proves nothing."
"I think that we should wait until tomorrow to test Miss Granger again. I believe she needs time to recover from her recent ordeal," Firenze stated, his voice holding no possiblitly for objection. But Sorcha dared to object.
"I think she needs to go to Hogwarts...tonight," she stated, looking at Firenze. "This training room is inadequate for what she needs to learn. I believe that if you and I take her to Hogwarts, we can train her to use her abilities properly. She needs tutelage now, before her powers grow so much that she can no longer control them anymore. "
"Hogwarts," Hermione repeated, still a bit dazed and confused at how fast everything was happening. "But..."
"There are no 'but's, Miss Granger. Now go pack enough clothes for a week and come back in here once you've finished."
Harry cut in at this and asked, "Why are we going to be gone a week?"
"You're not," Sorcha replied. "It will only be Miss Granger, Firenze and I that go. You will be staying here to train with Remus and Tonks."
"What?"
Harry looked incredulously from Sorcha to Hermione and was surprised to see Hermione walking from the room. Jogging to catch up to her, he grabbed her arm to stop her progress and asked, "You're not seriously going with them to Hogwarts, are you?"
"Yes," she replied quietly, not quite meeting his gaze. "I don't know what it is but...I just feel like this is something that I have to do."
"But what about us?" he asked, and then realized how pathetic he sounded. "I mean...we're supposed to train together, as a team."
"This has to do with my magic, Harry, not yours," she replied, wincing at the hurt look that crossed his features. Hoping to reassure him she added, "It'll only be for a little while. Hopefully I can convince them to let me come back for New Year's Eve, and we can ring in the new year together. Maybe even have that talk that you mentioned?"
"Talk...right..." Harry replied, feeling more angry and upset than he cared to admit. She was so quick to leave, and he was want to let her out of his sight.
"I have to go pack," she stated softly, slipping her arm from his grasp.
Harry stood rooted to the spot, watching her walk away, unable to think of anything else to say to her that might change her mind.
~*~
As Hermione was packing someone knocked quietly on her door and she called, "Come in."
She turned as her door opened to see Sorcha in her doorway. "We need to leave in twenty minutes. Headmistress McGonagall will open the floo at the school for us then, so we have to be on time."
"I'll be ready," Hermione replied wearily, feeling very nervous and unsure of training away from Harry. In a way she was already missing him, which was foolish because he was still there with her. Placing the final piece of clothing into her trunk, she shrunk it and placed it into her jean's pocket. Putting her wand in her back pocket, she turned and stopped suddenly as she realized that Sorcha had left, and in her place was Harry, leaning against the door frame watching her.
"H-Hi," she stumbled, the sight of him causing her heart to constrict.. A very small part of her was still aggravated with the way he'd been acting lately toward her, but the rest of her missed how he used to touch her subtley any chance he got, and his kisses...that was something she missed as well. She cared deeply for him, and he was the only person she trusted anymore. But the way he looked at that moment...she just wanted to run up to him and fling her arms around him, reassuring him that she wouldn't be gone long. He looked forlorn, almost lost, and it hurt to think that she was the cause of it.
"Hey," he mumbled back, staring at her intently. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, all packed," she replied. "I was just going down to meet up with Sorcha and Firenze so we could leave."
Harry stood there, seemingly content with staring at her quietly, and she had no idea what to say or do next. Thankfully, he made the decision for her. In three quick strides, Harry had walked up to her and taken her in his arms, his lips crashing down upon hers in a fiery kiss...a kiss full of longing, feeling, and fear. She responded greedily, missing the way his lips had felt on hers all the other times they had snogged like this, and her response caused him to moan and deepen the kiss. Moving his hands from where they rested on her waist, he brought them up and buried them in her hair, relishing how silky the tresses felt between his fingers. Loving the feel of his hands in her hair, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him closer, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
As the kiss continued, Hermione felt the tension between them melt, and she relaxed into his embrace. His kiss had turned lazy and gentle, as if this was his way of saying goodbye and apologizing for his part in the rift that had come between them, When Sorcha called up the stairs that it was time to go they grudgingly seperated, neither wanting the kiss to end. Breathless, Harry leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "I guess this is goodbye."
There was a hint of...something in his voice that she couldn't place, but she could also feel his loneliness. "I won't be gone long," she replied softly.
"I know, it's just..." She could tell he was trying to think of the right thing to say, but it seemed he couldn't quite find the words he wanted. "I know you'll be back soon, but...oh, bollocks! I'm terrible at this!"
Touched that he was trying so hard, she kissed him once more and said, "I'm going to miss you."
Looking relieved that she wasn't going to press him to finish what he was trying to say, he replied, "I'm going to miss you, too."
Pulling away from him reluctantly, she walked out of the room and made her way downstairs, knowing that he was following closely behind. She made her way to where Sorcha and Firenze waited by the Floo and said, "I'm all set."
Firenze held the pot of floo powder out so that she could grab some and said, "You will accompany Sorcha to Hogwarts. I will be using a Portkey and will meet you there shortly." Nodding her understanding, she threw the floo powder into the fireplace and before stepping into the green flames she looked back to where Harry stood with Remus, watching. Giving him a small smile, he smiled in return and mouthed, "Bye."
"Bye," she mouthed back silently. Stepping into the flames, she closed her eyes to prepare for her floo travel and then stated, "Hogwarts, Headmisstresses office," and disappeared.
Standing next to Remus, Harry sighed as she left, already feeling a small ache in his chest from her absence. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked to Remus who looked down at him with a sympathetic smile and said, "She'll be back soon Harry. No worries."
Not knowing how to respond, Harry just nodded his head slightly, the idea of the coming week without Hermione weighing heavily on him as he turned and made his way up the stairs to his room. Right now, he just wanted to be alone.
~*~
Hermione was in hell. That was the only explanation for the pain she felt deep in every muscle and the exhaustion that threatened to overcome her. Firenze just stood by and watched as Sorcha was barking even more orders at her and firing off spells in her direction, causing her to dive out of the way so as not to be hit by them, her body screaming in protest at the quick movements. "Let's go, Granger! Move! Move! Move!"
"Bloody slavedriver," Hermione muttered under her breath, glaring in Sorcha's direction. She'd been away from Harry now for three days, today being New Year's Eve, and to her it felt more like three weeks. She had no idea what was happening, but it was as if a hole had formed in her chest and the more time she spent away from him, the bigger it got. She felt emotionally bereft at times, and she didn't know if she was somehow picking up feelings that Harry was experiencing or if it was her own feelings. She had told him she'd try to be back today so that they could see the new year in together, but she didn't foresee that happening and felt her stomach knot with disappointment.
"Am I boring you? Because you should be defending your arse off right now, not standing there daydreaming about Merlin knows what!"
Sorcha's words sliced through her like a knife cutting butter, and she felt something snap deep within. "I wasn't daydreaming!" she shot back, her anger doubling.
"Then fight back," Sorcha challenged, firing another spell at her. She was starting to get very tired of the way Hermione was moping around like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, even if she was young to have so much responsibility put on her. When the teen easily deflected the spell with a simple shield, Sorcha stopped suddenly. Walking toward Hermione she yelled, "Keep being lackadaisical about learning and you'll be the reason Potter gets killed!"
"How dare you!" Hermione shouted, and before either knew what had happened, a wave of magical energy left her body, slamming into Sorcha and tossing her halfway across the room. Hermione looked to where Sorcha lay unmoving on the floor and her eyes grew wide. "Did I do that?" she whispered.
"Yes you did, because you let your anger get the better of you again," Firenze replied, walking up behind her. "Your emotions have to be controlled, or you won't be any good to anyone, especially Mister Potter."
Feeling her eyes burn as they filled with unshed tears, she lowered her head and said, "I can't do this. I'm just a teenager, not some magical prodigy. I'm only going to make things worse for Harry...I'm going to get him killed."
"You know that is not true," Firenze admonished. "You just need to stop letting Sorcha get to you. You have to block out all outside distractions and focus within yourself, on your magic. Use your feelings for Mister Potter to help you focus."
"I don't..."
"If you are going to deny that you have feelings for Mister Potter, you are wasting your time," came Sorcha's voice from behind them. "Not to mention insulting our intelligence. Everyone in the house can see that there is something between you, and that you've both been fighting it for your own reasons. Not that I'm saying I approve, but others around you seem to think you'd be better off not fighting it any longer."
Glad that she hadn't seriously hurt Sorcha, Hermione's cheeks burned as she wished she could run and hide so as to get away from this point of conversation. Without saying another word, she quickly made her way out of the Room of Requirement and up to her dorm in Gryffindor Tower. Laying face-down on her bed, she tried not to think about how much she missed Harry. It would just make the day feel longer than it already was.
She drifted off to sleep, the physical exercise taxing her body strength, and suddenly she was dreaming of Harry. She could see him laying on his bed in his room at Grimmauld, staring up at the grungy ceiling. Ron suddenly burst into the room and she could see him talking excitedly, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Someone was shaking her, but she didn't want to wake up. She wanted to see what had Ron so jumpy, and she wanted to watch Harry some more. Unfortunately, whoever was shaking her became more persistant and the dream faded from her mind. Opening her eyes, she felt anger overcome her as she saw Sorcha standing next to her bed. "What is it?!" she asked, annoyance clear in her voice.
"It's your friend Luna," Sorcha replied, ignoring her temper tantrum. "It seems that she's finally awake...and asking for you."