Important A/N: I've begun the flashbacks of the Second War. They're the paragraphs in italics. They occur in the middle of the story. It's going to be tough and possibly annoying to read back and forth. Therefore, you don't have to read it until I tell you it's completely done. You can still understand the plot without reading about the Second War. Your reading adventure, your choice.
He could barely see. There were sacreams of terror and pain surrounding them. He kept running. Running to find more. To hunt more down. To kill more. More, more, more. He had to make them all pay. It wasn't fair that they were all alive when Professor Flitwick just died. "One!" he shouted out, his wand stunning another Death Eater. "Two!" he heard Hermione yell, her wand killing it. "Three!" Ron shouted behind him. "Four!" he heard Ginny rasp. He kept running. He didn't need an army. His three best friends were enough. Before leaving the Burrow, they agreed on simple codenames. Every now and then, after seeing friends die, Harry would shout out a countdown to make sure they were still alive. Still by his side. Still worth fighting for. "Dolohov!" Hermione suddenly squealed. Harry turned to her quickly; her arm was extended, her finger shaking and her eyes were filled with obvious fear. Harry turned in the direction of her finger. "Mudblood," Dolohov snarled with an evil smile, his hand shaking his wand in anticipation. Harry was about to bring up his wand when Ginny suddenly jumped in front of him. "Experiamus!" she cried. Dolohov was blown away with a white puff. A loud growl was heard as he got up. "GO!" Ginny cried, her eyes never leaving him. They obeyed. Together, the trio kept running, killing as many Death Eaters as they could. They had to get to the center of the Forbidden Forest. Where Voldemort was. They lost one. Number Four. But they were still three. "Avada Kedavra!" Ron cried at a nearby Death Eater. Harry was behind him and heard the cry. Not Ron's cry. Ginny's. Hermione heard it too. She grabbed Ron's arm and tugged him to look behind them. Dolohov had his wand pointing at Ginny, a yellow glow shining onto her. She was on her knees, her legs clearly broken. She was screaming in pain. Ron shook Hermione's arm off. "GINNY!" he yelled. He ran backwards. The trees moved close together suddenly and closed the path and Ron's only way back. The cries from the battle were muffled. No light came through. They were trapped. "GINNY!" Ron screamed again. Hermione ran towards him and pulled him towards Harry. "Ron, we must go on!" she pleaded. Harry, who had been silent since he had seen Ginny in pain swallowed. "She's right, Ron!" he yelled, "We'll get to her later! Voldemort's so close, Ron!" Ron looked at his two best friends, begging him to leave his sister for dead. But he was a Gryffindor. He shook Hermione's arm off him once again. "Lumos," he said gloomily. He walked past Harry and Hermione in silence. They followed.
~*~
"Harry? Harry," Hermione whispered. She shook his arm and brushed the hair from his face. "Harry," she cooed. Slowly, his eyes opened. He looked at her and squinted. Hermione reached over and got his glasses.
"Thank you," he mumbled as he put them on, his vision clearing. He was in his room, Hermione by his side. He was still disoriented.
"Another dream?" Hermione asked. He nodded, rubbing his neck.
"The Second War?" Hermione asked again.
"The Forest. We lost Ginny," Harry sighed. Hermione got up and walked over to the door.
"It must be all our research on Dolohov," she concluded. Harry sighed again and looked up towards her.
"Yeah, I reckon it-HERMIONE!" Hermione stopped, with her hand on the light switch.
"WHAT?!" she nearly yelled, preparing for the worst. He nearly laughed, got up and walked towards her.
"Um, sorry, I just…I just don't like the light on in this room." He reached over and took her hand in his.
"Oh, I see," she sighed. They stood there for a while, looking at his dark room. "May I ask why?"
"I don't know," he said slowly, "I just don't." He gazed at his room, his and Ginny's, and smiled. "I like it like this." Hermione looked over his room, following his gaze.
"May I…may I see what it looks like with the light on?" she asked. Harry paused and turned his head to hers. "It's just been so long, I'm not usually in this room a lot." He nodded.
"I'll start dinner," he said as he walked out.
"Oh, no, you don't have to lea-" The door closed softly. She sighed as she switched on the light switch. She squinted her eyes and let them adjust to the light. She looked around the room. The bed was in the center of the room, pushed up against a window. Ginny's dresser was on the right, Harry's on the left. Ginny's drawers were half open, some clothes trying to set themselves free. Her mirror was full length and charmed to have her reflection to speak back to her. Harry's mirror was small, not charmed, his dresser half full of clothes. Hermione set her hands on her hips, pouting her lips slightly. It seemed that the room was divided right down the middle. Ginny's right side of the room was much more feminine and was full of color. Her pillow was very big and her covers were heavy. Harry's left side of the room was very plain, with nothing he didn't need. His pillow was small and soft, his covers very light. His side of the room was full of mystery, clearly hiding secrets. Hermione turned off the light and let the darkness envelop the entire room. "What do you know," she muttered as she observed the room. The room had suddenly become Harry's side. The window lit the room and filled it with a very soft glow. Everything seemed to be in black and white, Ginny's colors inexistent. It pained Hermione to admit that the room was much better this way. Much more relaxed and much more…Harry. Although something was missing. She didn't know what. But something was definitely missing. She turned the light on and shut it off quickly. It wasn't the main light that was missing. But something was. She sighed as she left his room and closed the door. She then walked across the hall and went into her room. The room was lit by her reading lamp and was slightly smaller than Harry and Ginny's. Hermione turned the main light on and gasped as she realized perhaps she shouldn't have. The light obviously pointed out the flaws in the room. It seemed as though their room was just like Harry and Ginny's. Hermione side of the room was filled with books and boxes of paperwork. Ron's room was filled with Cannons posters, letters from fans, and much of his Quidditch gear. It all seemed to clash with Hermione's conservative style. She turned off the light and smiled when it blended together with the red glow of her lamp.
"Supper's ready, Hermione!" she heard Harry from the kitchen. She turned and made her way down the stairs, Harry already seated and eating his chicken.
"Looks delicious," she commented as she grabbed a plate and filled it.
"Trying out a new recipe," Harry said as he ate more. Hermione sat down and pulled her hair back before beginning.
"Did you get the floo history on Dolohov?" Harry asked.
"Traced it back until October. There's nothing from there."
"October's pretty far back, Hermione. Anything on his owls?"
"Remains of his fourth, seventh and tenth. Sixth one is in captivity."
"And the rest?"
"I don't know."
"We have evidence of his wand. Unicorn hair and crow feather."
"Negative. Hippogriff hair, Dragon scale, horsetail, nothing matches."
"Any captured Death Eaters?"
"They refuse to say anything."
"Merlin, Hermione, can't you do anything?" Hermione suddenly stopped eating. She glanced up with
dangerous eyes.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said through clenched teeth. Harry suddenly realized what he said as he wiped his
lips with a napkin.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I'm just so frustrated. We've got nothing and I really want to get this guy."
"No one more than me or Ginny, Harry, but you have to learn to trust and believe me when I say I'm trying my hardest, okay?" she had said it in a mother-like tone but Harry didn't mind. He didn't mind the pep talk, either. He was used to Hermione's confidence. It was what he needed when times got tough.
"I trust you," he said, putting down his fork, "And I believe in you. If you can't find info on this guy, no one can." He smiled for reassurance. She smiled back.
"And together, we'll get him." She raised her glass. He clinked it with his own. They drank, never taking their eyes off the other. If she didn't know better, she would have thought they were flirting.
"Enough business," Harry said as he put down his glass, "Let's watch their game after dinner." Hermione agreed and they finished their meal in a comfortable silence.
~*~
"Wood has it covered! He throws it across to O'Brian, who catches it and flies towards Ron Weasley. Oooh, excellent dodge from the younger Weasley there and OUCH, that must have hurt! O'Brian goes down from a bludger and Smith picks up the quaffle for the Cannons! He flies towards the goalpost-OH!-throws the quaffle to Weasley before going down from the other bludger! Those bludgers seem to be causing the players quite a lot of heartbreak this game! Ginny Weasley flies down on a fly path towards Wood! She throws it-look at the spin on that one!-and IN IT GOES! Cannons lead 90-70! Now would be a good time to catch that snitch and win it for the Cannons, Page!"
Harry and Hermione were snuggled up on the couch, cheering as the magical camera zoomed into Ginny's proud face. The camera then shifted to Ron, who was clapping and cheering wildly, his fingers signaling three, and then four. The camera shifted again and Ginny repeated the signal. Harry and Hermione smiled.
"What DOES that signal mean? The two have been doing it ever since they went pro and simply refuse to tell! Well, it better be some sort of good luck charm because O'Brian is rushing towards Weasley at a high speed this time! Nothing's stopping him! Not one! Two! Three chasers! Nor One! Two! Both bludgers! My oh my, the entire Cannons team have literally thrown themselves against O'Brian and he is still coming like a bullet! The quaffle is thrown! Weasley misses by a mile! Cannons continue to lead by 90-80!"
Harry and Hermione groaned simultaneously. Harry glanced at Hermione and chuckled. She laughed.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Harry smiled, "I'm just glad I can watch this with someone as enthusiastic as me."
"As I," Hermione corrected him. Harry laughed and tickled her. Hermione laughed and pushed his fingers away. They turned their faces back to the television screen, their smiles wider than they should have been.
"O'Brian is proving he is the Player of the Year as he sinks yet another on Weasley! This is his sixth of the game and twenty third in the season! The game is tied up 90-90! Page and Stratton still seem to be having some trouble with the snitch."
Suddenly, Harry leaped from the couch.
"THERE!" he yelled, his finger pointing to a spot on the screen. Hermione leapt up as well. "THE SNITCH! I SEE IT! PAGE, IT'S THERE!" Hermione tugged at his arm.
"Harry, dear, they can't hear you," she said, stifling a laugh. Harry lowered his arm and laughed along with her.
"It's just aggravating sometimes," he sighed as he sat down with a smile. Hermione looked at him sadly.
"Do you regret not playing professionally?" she asked. His smile faded somewhat as he turned to her.
"Sometimes," he replied truthfully. Then he took her hand in his. "But I'd much rather fight for justice with my best friend." Hermione smiled. "My best friend, who I trust," Harry said carefully.
"Whom," Hermione corrected him. Harry raised his hands dangerously, ready to tickle her once again. Hermione laughed and turned her gaze back to the screen. Harry did the same.
"Smith passes to Quirke, who passes to Weasley, who passes back to Smith! Oooh, down goes Weasley! Smith throws the quaffle! Easily saved by Wood! He tosses the quaffle to O'Brian! O'Brian speeds down the field and passes to Goldstein before getting knocked down by a bludger! Goldstein throws and SCORES ON WEASLEY! But the more important spot; Page and Stratton are flying towards something at high speed! It doesn't take too long to realize what they're chasing!"
Harry and Hermione were on their feet at this point, the camera finding the perfect angle to see the snitch inches within Page and Stratton's grasps. Both players were elbowing each other viciously.
"Page and Stratton BEATING on another for that snitch! It seems the game has stilled as everything is observing them! OOOH! A hard check into the shoulder and Page goes down! Stratton reaches a little more and…and…he catches the snitch! The game is over!! Puddlemere wins! PUDDLEMERE WINS!! That's the end of that, ladies and gents. After a quick hour and a half, Puddlemere United takes home this one 240-90. What a disappointment for the Cannons who performed extraordinary two nights ago and won the match 240-250. Well, you know what this means, folks. Both teams have one game each and the winner will be decided next Friday, to face the Toyohashi Tengus from Japan!"
Harry shut the television off as Hermione groaned.
"We shouldn't watch," she sighed, "We're bad luck."
"We really are," Harry agreed, "Have we EVER seen them win before?" Hermione shook her head sadly. Harry sighed once more and glanced at their clock.
"It's late," he said. Hermione looked at the clock.
"Yes, it is," she said simply.
"Tomorrow's what, Monday?" Harry asked, yawning. Hermione nodded slowly. "We were supposed to catch Dolohov by tomorrow. We've gotten nowhere." Hermione turned to him; his face was full of disappointment. She moved over to his side of the couch.
"That's not true," she said, "We've gotten all our information. We can start fishing tomorrow, sledding by tomorrow afternoon and bake a cake by Tuesday." She waited for Harry to decipher their code as his face was slowly filled with confidence.
"You're right," he said with a smile, "We can catch him before Puddlemere wins on Friday." Hermione laughed and hit his arm playfully.
"They're going to win!" she said. He laughed and rolled his eyes.
"As long as we don't watch it," he countered. She looked at him mischievously.
"Then I suggest we do something else to celebrate and aim for on Friday. Say...dinner? The one with the stronger heartbeat pays," she said, extending her hand. Harry shook it with a smile.
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to *someone special* out there. I'm just glad I can talk and laugh with someone as enthusiastic about anything as me.