Hermione hugged her cloak tightly around her as the rain beat down in large drops and strong wind. She made her way up the path to Hogsmeade, fighting against the raucous storm. It had been raining for three days straight but it seemed to her the storm was at its worst now. She caught sight of the Three Broomsticks up ahead, its lights a diminished glow in the pouring rain. As she got closer to the building Hermione could make out two figures embracing, the rain falling around them. She moved forward and stopped as a weight dropped in her stomach. The taller figure was Harry and as Hermione studied more closely the person wrapped tightly in his arms was Ginny Weasley. Hermione stopped abruptly merely feet from the two and stood stone still. Anger flared through her as she watched Harry run his hands up and down Ginny's back in a comforting gesture. He kissed the top of her head and Hermione felt hot tears mix with the cold rain on her face. She turned in a blur and the sudden movement was enough to catch Harry's eye. Hermione set off at a run with Harry splashing after her, both of them stumbling and slipping in the slick puddles impressed on the muddy lane.
"Hermione! HERMIONE! STOP!" Harry called over the roar of the rain. Hermione heard him and slowed to a fast walk but she did not stop completely. Her anger was great but her hurt was beating inside her chest like something caged. She felt her heart breaking and the tears came faster down her slick face. Harry caught up enough to grab her arm and he spun her around with such force that she had to steady herself against him. He held her tightly, preventing her from running away again. Hermione averted her eyes, not wanting to look at the face of the man she loved so much. Harry knew without asking what was wrong, why she had run. He tilted her face to his as to catch her eyes but she stayed determinedly looking away.
"Hermione, it's not what it looked like. I swear. I would never do that to you."
Hermione looked at him then. His eyes were so sincere, so real and the pain in them was almost more than she could stand.
"Then what was it Harry. Why did I find Ginny in your arms when you were meeting me? I've had my doubts Harry, about us, but if you don't want me, then now is the time to say so. Don't string me along. Don't hurt me." Hermione lowered her face once more but not before she saw a tear trickle from Harry's brilliant eye.
"Hermione…I was waiting for you outside the Three Broomsticks where you asked me to be. Ginny came running up from Fred and George's shop crying. I've never seen her cry like that before. I knew something was wrong before she said anything. She just gripped my shirt like it was the only thing she had to hold herself together." He stopped, sobs choking in his throat. He coughed twice and tried to continue, his voice low and soft. "Malfoy attacked Ron. He's at St. Mungo's. They're not sure if he's going to make it."
Hermione stood perfectly still against Harry's firm body. She had heard his words but was refusing to believe them. Ron would be fine. He would be ok. He was a good wizard; he knew how to take care of himself. Surely the healers would know that. Hermione found her voice small and choked.
"What…what did he do to him Harry?"
"He cornered Ron outside the Room of Requirement after everyone had already left to come to Hogsmeade. He…he used the Cruciatus on him. Extensively. If his body survives, his mind may not. Malfoy was vicious, cruel. He was about to use the Avada Kedavra but McGonagall stopped him. She heard Ron screaming from the grounds."
Hermione huddled herself into Harry and he closed her to him tightly, stroking her hair and back much the same as he done for Ginny. Hermione felt the sobs rise up in her chest and before she could stop them they burst from her in an awful chorus of shrieks and ragged breaths. She was vaguely aware that Harry was also crying, sobbing with her. Hermione came to her senses a little and hugged Harry more tightly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm stupid…I shouldn't have…Harry…. I know you…. God, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Shhhh Hermione, shh. Don't talk. It's ok. I know it looked bad, you seeing me holding Ginny that way but she needed the comfort. She needed me right then, as her friend, as her brother's best friend. It's ok."
Hermione looked over Harry's shoulder and saw Ginny walking towards them hugging herself as though if she let go she would fall apart all over the place. Hermione released Harry and moved toward Ginny in a blur of speed. Ginny opened her arms and Hermione embraced her, holding her much the same way Harry had. Ginny sobbed into her shoulder and Hermione stroked her hair gently, willing her to be soothed by comfort and touch.
Underneath the fear and the hurt at the thought of losing her other best friend, Hermione felt rage. It sent heat coursing through her entire body, giving her strength and one clear thought. Revenge. If Ron died, she would kill Malfoy. If Ron lived but his mind was unsalvageable, then she would kill Malfoy. Either way the coined was tossed, Malfoy was as good as dead. The thought that she would actually kill him scared her, but only for a moment. She would do anything for Harry and Ron. Anything, even if that meant she had to kill.
After the final battle she had counted all the Death Eaters she had killed. The number had shocked and scared her at first. Fifteen people dead by her hand was no small thing. It had taken her months to get over the fact that she'd had to kill. But when she had healed, Hermione found that a part of her had hardened and turned cold. For every Death Eater she had killed, each one of them had taken a small piece of her with them. The battle had been over four years ago but sometimes it seemed just yesterday that she was taking a body count.
Hermione had opted for the job as the Head of the Auror Department when Alastor Moody had been killed but she would never admit to herself that she had taken it because it might mean a chance to kill again. Harry and Ron had stayed on at Hogwarts as professors, nice, safe jobs where they were relatively out of danger. But Hermione put herself in harm's way almost daily and she liked it. She loved the thrill of the chase and the accomplishment of catching the bad guys. Despite her best efforts to locate him, Draco Malfoy had eluded her for the better part of the last four years. But now she was sure that she would catch him. And standing in the pouring rain holding a crying Ginny, Hermione knew that once she caught him, she would kill him. And she wouldn't feel the slightest bit of regret.
To Be Continued…
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