~A/N> Hello! Sorry, I know I promised this chapter two weeks ago, but then I ended up with the stomach flu the
weekend I had planned to finish it up and I just didn't get it done. Plus, I believe this is the longest chapter of
the entire story. There was a lot to cover, and not everything was answered. What wasn't answered will be in the
sequel, I promise. And no matter what you read, and what you think after you read a certain part, please keep reading!
This story does end H/Hr, but you also need to remember that it's also mostly angst with some romance. The sequel,
I think, will be more steered toward romance. Not sure yet since it's still in development but I hope to start work
on the first chapter soon. Huge thanks to Alphamatrix on Live Journal for the beta, and of course huge
hugs to Lisa for helping me throughout this entire chapter. She helped me make it the best that it
could be. Happy reading!! :)
"That which is done out of love always takes place beyond Good and Evil."
~Friedrich Nietzsche~
At that one barely audible word, both Voldemort and Damien turned around and to Hermione's horror, both looked
directly at her. With one silent spell, Voldemort had rid her of the disillusionment charm and she stood
visible and vulnerable right in front of her two worst enemies. With a simple wave of his hand, Damien had sent her
wand flying across the room where it fell to the floor, disarming her of the one thing she needed to focus her inborn
magical abilities. Starting to panic, she forced herself to take a deep breath, which isn't easy when face to face
with two things that wanted to kill you, and reminded herself that she still had her Guardian magic.
"It was foolish of you to come here, Guardian," Damien said while advancing on her slowly, step by step.
"It was your plan to lure me here, wasn't it?" she asked, glaring at the figure that approached her. When he stood just in front of her she could see that his eyes were grey, and his skin tone was white, matching that of Voldemort.
"I knew I could use your feelings for this boy to get you here," he replied. "That's where humans always fail in the end...they let their emotions lead them to their demise."
Just as Hermione was about to retort, Damien suddenly turned into his black shadow-like form and sank into the floor, causing her fear to double as she frantically looked around to find him. The next thing she knew, she heard Harry cry out weakly and she turned quickly, in time to see Damien's shadow disappearing into his body. "No!"
She ran closer to where Harry was kept prisoner, but Harry's hand shot out as Damien said in his voice, "Don't come any closer, or I'll take his life right now."
"He isss mine!" Voldemort said angrily while advancing on Harry, raising his wand. Pointing it directly at Harry's heart he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
Hermione watched the green jet of light sail toward Harry, and she ran to him, calling his name, but she wasn't fast enough. As the killing curse hit him and disappeared into his chest, she could hear Damien shout in anger and then suddenly the curse exited Harry's body through his scar. It was directed back to Voldemort, and was true to its mark.
To her horror, both Harry and Voldemort's bodies started to fall to the floor, lifeless, and she somehow managed to wrap her arms around Harry, holding him to her. She sat on the floor where she had landed, Harry's head laying in her lap while she gently smoothed away the hair that had fallen onto his face. As she stared down into his lifeless eyes, barely containing her sorrow, Damien's shadow materialized near her once more. Not realizing her enemy was so close, her tears unknowingly fell from her eyes while she continued to stare at him, her mind not willing to believe that she had lost him forever.With her heart beating rapidly in her chest, the sound seemingly pounding through her head, only one thought protruded through the haze of grief she was being enveloped in - I failed him.
Damien watched with glee as Hermione's feelings were mirrored on her face, and kneeling down next to her he leaned down close to her ear and whispered, "You're just like all the others...a failure. And now you're going to lose your life because you are weak."
She couldn't take anymore. All the pain, the loss of her parents and Harry...it had all accumulated inside of her and pushed her over the edge. Turning to face Damien, his eyes widened when he saw that she had a silvery-white glow about her, a glow that seemed to radiate love and was also enveloping Harry as well, and he immediately stepped away from her.
"I'm the weak one?!" she asked, anger and sadness making her voice tremble. "At least I had the courage to face you by myself. You hid behind Voldemort, making sure that he was your evil little puppet, that he would do your bidding. You are not only weak, you are a coward!" As she bit out the last word, her voice full of venom, the silver glow around the two of them intensified, forming a protective shield. "You took my parents from me, you killed numerous innocents, and for what?! To rule the world? Do you actually think that I will let you go on living after you've taken my entire life away from me?!! You need to go back to hell, where you belong, so that you can never cause anyone else the pain you've caused me!" The intensity of her voice grew the more she talked, and suddenly unbidden memories were at the forefront of her mind...
Scooting closer to him on the sofa, she looked him right in the eyes and said, "You've made it through so much already and you've seen horrors that most adults wouldn't have been able to witness with their sanity still intact. You're still here for a reason; you have a destiny to fulfill."
"For all I know dying at the hands of Voldemort is my destiny," he said without thinking, and he could feel her grip on his hands get much tighter as waves of magic started to roll off of her.
She closed her eyes, struggling to keep her magic under control after he had said that infernal name yet again, and the next thing she knew his lips were on hers.
...
"Hermione, we're never safe, no matter where we are. I'm the boy-who-lived, and you're the Guardian assigned to protect me. We're living targets for all the evil that's in this world."
...
With each memory, the shield that surrounded her and Harry strengthened and was now glowing a bright white color with a halo of gold encircling it.. Noticing the dome that now encircled them, Hermione realized what she had to do. Knowing that Damien had to be destroyed, she focused on her memories of Harry and her parents, on all the magic that thrived inside of her. Feeling her body humming as the Guardian and intrinsic magic awoke and coursed through her veins, she once more stared into the grey eyes of Damien and whispered, "Andrelateo Olethros Daimonion Philos...Andrelateo Olethros Daimonion Philos..."
She kept repeating those words over and over again, as more memories came to mind...
Looking at her with a suddenly serious expression on his face he said, "This may not sound manly, but it's kind of nice to know that someone has my back for a change...someone I know I can trust to always be by my side."
Hermione stared at him in shocked silence for a moment, and finally recovering she replied, "I think that's the most manly, intelligent thing I've ever heard."
...
"So I'll see you after the match?" he asked.
"Yes, you will see me after the match," she replied. "Luna has already said that she would sit by me and explain the game to me."
"Good," he said, giving her that smile again. Running his hand over her hair, he planted a small kiss on the tip of her nose and said, "I'll see you later."
She watched him walk away and wished immediately that he was back with her again. Shaking herself a bit, trying to snap out of the haze she was in, she called, "Harry?" He stopped just as he opened the portrait and turned to look at her. Giving him a brief smile that was quickly replaced with a worried frown, she said, "Be careful today, okay? I'm going to do all I can to protect you if anything should happen, but..."
"I trust you," he said, not letting her finish. "I know I'm in good hands."
...
Trying to stop the tears that were flowing freely now, she put all her conviction into the words of the spell to banish Damien, the happiness from the memories causing her heart to break even more as she held tightly to Harry's body. Suddenly the shield around them turned entirely gold, her magic flowing freely from her now, strengthening it. As she chanted one last time, "Andrelateo Olethros Daimonion Philos," the shield around them exploded in a golden shower of shimmering light, and a giant concussion of magical energy rushed forward, engulfing Damien in its light.
Still holding tightly to Harry, Hermione closed her eyes at the brilliant burst of light that filled the room, and the next time she opened them she saw that everything was back to normal, and that the body of a man lay on the floor where Damien had stood just seconds before. Gently laying Harry on the floor, she carefully crawled to where the body lay and gasped as she saw who it was. "Snape?" she whispered, confused and trembling. Backing away quickly, she sat next to where Harry lay, all the while her eyes were riveted to where Snape lay, motionless. Summoning her wand she slowly made her way back to his body and bent down next to him, careful to keep some distance incase he tried to move or attack, and waited to see if he'd move or if she could see him breathing. When he kept still she reached out slowly and placed two shaking fingers to the pulse point on his neck, and felt no beating at all. "He's gone," she whispered to herself, relief flooding through her as she realized Snape's death meant the death of Damien as well.
"But I'm not."
Fear seized her yet again, and turning around quickly, she gasped as she saw a faint haze of what looked to be black smoke hovering above her a few feet away. "You may think you have won, but I will be back, and next time I guarantee that you will not survive." And then, before her wide, unblinking eyes, Damien shimmered out of sight, leaving her feeling afraid to even consider what his warning meant.
Looking from Snape's body to Harry's, she dejectedly walked back to Harry and sat down once more, moving him so that his head lay in her lap again. He looked so pale and felt so cold to the touch, her heart broke even more. Closing her eyes as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over her, she kept seeing Harry being hit with Voldemort's curse, the way he seemed to slowly fall to the ground, and then suddenly a thought came unbidden into her mind, When the moon and lightning appear at the same time, the Earth shall cease to spin and the Heavens will open with Love.
'That's it' she thought, thinking of what her mum had told her what seemed forever ago to her now. Looking down at the crescent moon shape that adorned the skin of her right wrist, she breathed deeply, looked down at Harry's face and whispered, "For you."
She tentatively placed her scar upon his and suddenly a strange sensation overcame her. It seemed as if Harry's scar was suctioning the magic out of her, into his body and she didn't know how to stop it. Getting more worried the longer it went on, she was relieved when a minute later it suddenly stopped. Feeling exhausted, she removed her wrist and noticed that Harry's lightning bolt shaped scar was a very bright red suddenly. Reaching down to trace it lightly with her fingertip she gasped as she realized his skin felt warm to the touch. Laying her palm gently onto his cheek, tears swam into her eyes when she felt the warmth of it on her palm. When he took a deep breath, startling her, she smiled as the tears cascaded down her face. "You're alive."
He opened his eyes, slowly, and then he was staring deeply into her eyes. As she was about to say something else to him she noticed that he seemed to stop breathing again. Feeling suddenly afraid, she looked around her surroundings to see if Damien had come back already to make good on his promise. What she noticed had her confused...a mouse was frozen halfway through jumping over a stone on the floor, Remus and what was left of the Order stood stock-still in the doorway that led to where she and Harry were. While trying to puzzle out what was happening, a blinding white light suddenly filled the room, starting from the roof, and she once again found herself face-to-face with her mother and Lily. "What..."
"We thought it would be better if it were us that came to get you," her mother said, interrupting her as Lily stared down at where Harry lay.
"You saved him," she whispered, as tears formed in her eyes.
"I remembered the prophecy my mum told me during the funeral," Hermione explained, confused by their appearance. "I don't understand...what do you mean you've come to get me?"
Walking up to her, Lily once again gently lay her hand upon her cheek and replied, "You sacrificed yourself for him, Hermione. That's what the prophecy meant, ...the Earth shall cease to spin and the Heavens will open with Love. Your love saved him, the Earth is still, and we're here to take you back with us."
"I-I'm dead?" she asked shakily, closing her eyes in disbelief. "But-but Harry was dead, and he was just alive. How is it that I'm dead?"
"You did what I did, and what Ancelin did...you sacrificed yourself for him because you love him."
Lily's words stunned her. "I-I did?"
"You did, and now he will continue to live his life."
"Without me," Hermione added sadly.
"Oh, honey," her mum said quietly, walking up to her. Wrapping her arms around her daughter, Jane felt tears fill her eyes as she hugged her tightly and continued, "I'm so very sorry. I wasn't allowed to tell you anything else that day, but the prophecy. I wanted to, so badly, but I knew I couldn't. Not if I wanted to be able to keep watch over you, the way that I have, along with Lily."
"I don't want to leave him," Hermione said, openly weeping now. "We've just realized what we had, and he'll be all alone. I-I told him I'd always be right beside him, no matter what happened. And now..."
"Now he'll have Remus to help him through it."
Hermione stared at Lily, and knew that she had probably experienced the exact same thing the night she died...the night she had sacrificed her life so that Harry could live. He was still so young, with so much of life to experience, and she was supposed to be there with him through it all.
Bowing her head as sorrow overwhelmed her, the dam that had been holding her feelings back burst and she openly cried for all that she had lost, her mother holding her the entire time. Reluctantly letting her go, Jane stood back from her and said, "It's time...we have to go now."
Sniffling, while feeling as if her head might explode from staying her tears, Hermione bent down once more to where Harry lay, and gently caressed his cheek. Her love for him overpowered her other senses, and as her tears fell softly upon his face, she bent down and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I love you, please don't forget that," she whispered.
"We need to go," Lily stated softly as she stood again, and taking her hand while Jane took the other, she felt herself moving slowly away from the scene below her, her heart shattering at the love she was leaving behind.
~*~
He had dreamed that he had died, more like a nightmare really. Everything had been dark, and then he'd opened his eyes to see her above him, smiling, and suddenly it was as if time was slowing down around them. He tried to move, but couldn't. He could only stare at Hermione when she stood up, and he could feel his shock at seeing his mum there, along with Jane, talking to her. They were talking, the words sounding muffled to him, and he saw Hermione start to cry. He wanted so badly to hold her, wishing he could get his damn body to move, when his mum looked down at him with such a sad look in her eyes. He felt physical pain from the emotions he could see in her troubled eyes, wishing he could hug her as well, when suddenly her voice sounded in his head, 'She must come with us now. I'm so sorry, Harry.'
'No!' he shouted, though it was only in his mind. 'I need her, I can't lose her. I-I love her.'
'I'm sorry,' Lily's voice repeated, her sadness lacing each word.
Distraught that he knew what was happening but helpless to stop it, his heart constricted as Hermione knelt down beside him and gently caressed his cheek as he felt a strange wetness upon his face. Then she had kissed him, told him she loved him, and stood up away from him again. Saying her name over and over in his head, Harry watched as the trio started to rise up into the air while Hermione's body was falling to the ground as if in slow motion. Finally regaining control over his body again, Harry sat up and moved quickly, his body protesting at what he was making it do. Ignoring the pain, he caught Hermione just before she hit the hard floor, and then looked up to the ceiling where she was with Jane and Lily. He watched sadly as she mouthed, 'I love you' once more, and as he held tight to her rapidly cooling body, Harry let the tears fall freely from his eyes, mixing with her tears, all the while rocking her back and forth. He didn't even realize that Remus was knelt down next to him, shaking him roughly.
"Harry? Harry! Are you okay?" Remus asked, scared by his non-response.
Holding her body against him protectively, he watched her ethereal form disappear from sight completely, his hold on her body unconsciously tightening. "She's gone," Harry whispered sadly. "Oh God, Remus, she's gone. I've lost her forever."
~*~
She was in Elysian once again, and she had never felt fear as she felt at that moment. She was only eighteen, she'd almost defeated Damien, had saved Harry's life... and died . She stood where she had arrived with her mum and Lily, not wanting to move at all, afraid that any movement would make it all too real. She had witnessed the scene of Harry catching her now-deceased body just before traveling to the mystical place, and the look on his face had made her chest hurt. The pain, the confusion, the love...she had felt it all and it made her want to go back to him, to do whatever it took to get back to him again.
"Hello, young one," came a man's gentle voice, and she grudgingly looked up, mildly surprised to see Micah standing before her. Not wanting to respond, she looked down again as he said, "I am so sorry for all that you've experienced today."
Anger, the likes of which she'd never felt before, bubbled up inside of her. Feeling nauseous from the tide of indignation that washed over her, her eyes sought those of her supposed-Guardian Angel and repeated, "You're sorry? You're sorry?! Why didn't you tell me what was going to happen beforehand so that I could prevent all of it?"
Expecting the young woman's fury, Micah just smiled serenely at her and replied, "I was forbidden to tell you, as was Ancelin, Guardian. What happened today had to happen, ensuring that the future will play out as it should."
"Forbidden?" she repeated once again. "What future events would be so important that they cost me my life?"
"But they didn't," he stated, assuredly. "You see, those higher than me, the Seraphs, have granted you resurrection."
"Excuse me?" she whispered, flabbergasted.
As Jane stood behind Micah, her face mirroring that of her gobsmacked daughter, Lily asked, "But-but, how can that be?"
"As I've mentioned," Micah replied evenly, "The Seraphs believe that for future events to unfold, she must go back."
"That has never been done before," Lily stated quietly, looking at Hermione with an expression that was part happiness, part fear.
Confused by Lily's reaction and realizing her mum didn't understand anymore then she did, Hermione asked, "Why me?"
"I cannot tell you why," Micah answered, his gaze fixed upon hers. "Just know that you will have a guide, and I will be keeping watch over you, as I have been."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts', Guardian. You are to go back, you are to continue with your job, you are to follow your guide. That is all that I am allowed to tell you," Micah interrupted. "The rest you must figure out for yourself."
With her anger flaring to life once again, Hermione opened her mouth to tell her supposed Guardian Angel what he could do with his pithy little information, but she realized that he started to speak before she could.
"May the healing power of the Seraphs descend upon you, may it heal your mortal vehicle, and may the Guardian Angels protect you."
As he finished speaking, she felt herself suddenly free-falling and physically unable to scream. She closed her eyes as she plummeted into an eerie black void. Her entire being started to tingle, and not two seconds later, her eyes fluttered open; the eyes of her physical body, that were now staring up into the very shocked emerald orbs of Harry Potter.
~*~
Five months later...
Hermione walked out of Firenze's classroom, feeling worse then she'd felt in a while, which was saying a lot. He had just informed her of what her summer plans were to be, and she was not looking forward to the coming months at all.
"Hey there," said Harry, walking up next to her and putting an arm around her waist. Leaning in to plant a quick kiss on her cheek, Hermione smiled at him feebly and quietly returned his greeting. As he gave her a soul-searching look, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied quickly, hoping not to alert him just yet as to what was going on. "I guess I'm just nervous and excited about it being our last night here at Hogwarts. I feel as if I've just gotten here, and I'm having to leave already."
She felt a quick jolt of relief as she saw his features soften. "I know what you mean, I feel like I'm leaving home today, and never coming back." When she remained quiet after his reply, he leaned toward her and quietly asked, "Nothing's changed for tonight, has it?"
Thinking of the evening Harry had planned for them, a private celebratory dinner that they somehow had survived five months ago and a farewell dinner to their beloved school, she replied, "No, nothing's changed. I'll be there, as promised."
"Fantastic," he said, smiling brightly.
Kissing her squarely on the lips this time, Harry told her he would see her later that night and dashed off in the direction of the Head Boy and Girl quarters. Sighing heavily, her shoulders sagging with what felt to be the weight of the world, tears sprang to her eyes as she realized that their dinner that evening would also be a farewell of another kind. Harry just didn't know it yet, and she hadn't the heart to tell him when she realized just how excited he was.
Making her way to her dormitory, she quickly finished packing what had been left out for her last day of classes. Feeling tired and emotionally spent, she curled up on her bed and somehow managed to fall asleep with the tumult of thoughts that were attacking her sleep deprived mind.
Some time later, she turned and sleepily opening her eyes, wondered how long she had been asleep. When she looked at her watch she sat up quickly as she realized she had only one hour until she was to meet Harry. Dashing to the bathroom, she showered, applied a scant amount of makeup, and fixed her hair. Rushing to get dressed, she hurriedly checked her appearance in the mirror and seeing that she looked fine, quickly made her way out of her room with only five minutes to spare.
Running carefully down the stairs, she darted through the common room with hurried hellos to her friends, and out the portrait. Rushing down the corridor, she made her way to Harry's quarters and stopped briefly to catch her breath before letting the portrait guarding the Head Boy and Girl's quarters announce her arrival. When Harry greeted her, she felt her breath leave her as she took in his appearance. He was wearing grey trousers with a black polo shirt that matched his hair perfectly, making his eyes seem to stand out even more than usual.
Harry stood staring at Hermione as she was taking in his appearance. She had on a fitted, but not too tight midnight blue dress that seemed to make her eyes more radiant than ever, and her hair was a flowing mass of curls down her back. As she walked by him, into his common room, he caught the scent of the perfume she was wearing and couldn't remember ever smelling anything like it. It smelled like a mixture of wildflowers and the way the air smelled after a good rain storm, and he thought it suited her perfectly. Directing her up the stairs to his room, he followed closely behind her and just as she reached out to open his bedroom door, he stayed her hand on the knob with his.
"Close your eyes," he requested quietly, so close behind her that his breath tickled her ear.
Doing as he said, she closed her eyes and couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. She loved his surprises so much. She heard him open the door, and then he was guiding her inside. After closing the door behind them, he walked up behind her again, wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Okay, you can look now."
When she opened her eyes, she gasped. There were dozens of candles floating above them, their flickering light casting a warm glow all around the room. A small table had been set up in the far corner, diagonal to where his bed was, and on it was a vase filled with a dozen daisies of various colors- light blue, dark purple, and pink with white rings of color around the centers, and light purple ones that had sunlight yellow rings instead of the white. She could smell the sweet scent they gave off, and inhaling deeply she whispered, "Oh Harry, it's beautiful."
She turned in his arms so that they were face-to-face, and he bent down just enough so that he could capture her lips with his. When the kiss ended, he leaned his forehead against hers and said, "I love you, Hermione."
"I love you, too," she replied, her eyes growing brighter with unshed tears. She felt so lucky to have his love, but she also felt guilty about what was coming the next day. Deciding to put aside all the bad things that were possibly looming before them, she looked deeply into his eyes and said, "How about we have dessert before dinner?"
Smiling back at her, his eyes shining with love, he simply guided her carefully to his bed as he marveled at what a memorable night it would be for the two of them. A night together that they deserved, and had both paid a high price for.
~*~
The next morning, Hermione woke up with Harry's arms wrapped around her waist while his legs were intertwined with hers. She let herself enjoy the tranquil feeling she felt while cocooned in his embrace, and then she realized that she had to leave soon. Her earlier fears about what was to come came rushing back, as did the sadness at the fact that she had to leave him. Carefully untangling herself, she stood up quietly and looked down at where he lay, tranquil and relaxed while sleeping. Putting her dress on while she was flooded with a turmoil of emotions, she returned to the bed to sit next to him. Shaking him gently she said, "Harry? Harry, get up. I need to go now."
"Hmmm?" he replied sleepily, barely opening his eyes to look at her. " 'Mione? Where you going?"
He looked so adorable laying there with his hair ruffled and even messier than usual, and her heart broke a little. Taking a deep breath she answered, "I need to get all my stuff ready to go, and change my clothes."
"M'kay," he said, his eyes closing again. "I'll catch up with you in the Great Hall for breakfast."
Unable to say anything in reply due to the tears that swam in her eyes and suddenly threatened to fall, Hermione got up quickly and made her way out of his quarters, knowing that it would be the last time she would see him for a very long while.
Yet that long while was much shorter than expected.
She had quickly returned to her dorm room, tossed everything into her trunk, and then shrunk it so it was easier to travel with. Trying to make a quick escape before any of her friends saw her and tried to question her rushed departure, she practically ran out of Gryffindor Tower and down the moving stairs, tears threatening the entire time. Walking through the Entrance Hall to the doors leading outside, she spotted Sorcha leaning up against one of the walls. "Ready to go?" she asked.
Hermione noted that something about her tone of voice was....gentler, and that struck a very unfamiliar chord within her. Nodding silently, she moved to follow her teacher outside when an all too familiar voice called out for her to stop. 'Oh no,' she thought, looking hopefully toward Sorcha, who simply shrugged her shoulders and walked through the doors to where their carriage waited to take them to the station. They would be taking a special trip to a muggle town some distance away, to a house where she would be sequestered for some sort of special training. She had envisioned a house much worse than Grimmauld Place, and it made her blood ice cold.
Without turning around, she damned Sorcha for bailing on her as she could feel him getting closer to her as he ran, sounding a bit out of breath. "Hermione, what's going on?" he asked, and she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. When she didn't turn around to face him right away, he asked, "Would you please turn around and look at me?"
The pleading tone she picked up in his voice ripped at her heart, and she slowly turned to look at him, tears brimming more now in her eyes. When Harry saw those tears he took a step toward her, hand outstretched to grab hers. With a soft sob escaping her, she stepped back, away from him and shook her head. "Harry, I..."
"What the hell is going on?" he asked again, his frustration with her non-responsiveness growing. "Would you please just talk to me?"
"I can't," she replied, her voice trembling now.
"You were just going to leave without telling me? Without saying goodbye? I had to ask Luna if she knew where you were. Luckily she did."
Hermione didn't think it was lucky for her, but she closed her eyes, causing the tears to trickle softly down her cheeks. As everything they'd been through that year rushed back to her, her breath hitched as she said, "I have to leave, Harry. I can't go home with you. I need to go train with Sorcha some more, it's...it's just really important."
He stayed silent for a moment and then whispered, "More important than me? Than us?"
She swallowed the next sob that threatened to escape her, unable to meet his eyes. This was why she had tried to leave before he could find out what was going on. Leaving him like this hurt too much.
Steeling her resolve, Hermione walked up to him and hugged him tightly. When his arms hesitantly wrapped around her, she relished the way she felt so safe in his arms, and tried to file it away so that she could draw on the memory when she needed it most. Pulling away slightly, she kissed him tenderly and then stepped back from him again. Looking desperately into his eyes, she said, "I love you, Harry. Please don't forget that."
He jolted as she repeated the words she had said just before she had died just months before, and a worried look stole over his face. When she saw it, she immediately said, "I won't be in any danger Harry, and neither will you. We'll both be okay, we just won't be together for a while." He stood silently staring at her and she could almost see the exact moment his heart broke just a little bit. "Will you wait for me?" she asked, a little scared by his reaction.
"How can you ask me that?" he asked, angry and hurting now. "Of...of course I'll wait for you. I love you, Hermione. I don't think...I don't think there will ever be anyone else for me."
His words struck true, and she closed her eyes to fight the longing to run to him, to take him into her arms again. She wanted so badly to reassure him that everything would be okay, that she would be back soon. But she didn't know how soon, or if she would even be the same person when she returned.
Realizing that she had taken too long already, she looked apologetically at him and said, "I have to go."
"But..."
"I love you."
She turned and rushed out of the entrance hall, running to the carriage that Sorcha sat in, making sure not to look back. Once in the carriage, she ignored the short remark she received for taking so long, and daring to look toward the doors, she froze. Harry stood on the steps, staring back at her, with an absolutely lost look about him. As the carriage started to slowly move, she kept her eyes on him as he mouthed, "I love you, too."
The more they moved, the more he slipped from sight, and she fought hard to keep her tears at bay. After all that had happened to them, she thought back to Firenze's warning and knew that she was going to soon be in the fight of her life. So she would go to the training, she would work hard to prepare, and she would make sure that Harry's life was never in danger again. She was a Soul Guardian, he was her Charge, and that, above all, had to always come first.
~A/N2> Before you review, please keep in mind that there will be a sequel, so certain things that happened in this chapter had to happen. And if you've ever had to leave someone you've loved before, you know how much it can hurt emotionally. I hope that I have earned my title as Queen of H/Hr AU angst, and please be on the look out for the sequel, The Guardian 2.