Disclaimer: In the first chapter
Authors Note: I want to say thanks to jacy, whose helping me posting this fic here and for
beta-read my story. Thank you.
Important Note: A special thanks to PhoenixFirebolt, who told me about the mistake on the dates, craved in the grave-stones and the mistake on the flashback. Thank you. And, of course, thanks to everyone that review.
And I want to apologie to take so long to post this chapter, sorry for the long delay.
Chapter 2: When Memories Leave Their Time
Hermione was exhausted. The operation had been much longer then she was hoping and she wanted to return home, take a
good bath, read and sleep. She closes her eyes and lets herself fall in one of the many chairs which were in the
hospital hall beside the surgery- room. It was strange how destiny could be ironic. She had left her office with a
madman saying he knew her and that he was Harry Potter. When she entered the surgery-room, she met a young man twenty
years old who, with three other friends, had gotten into a car accident. A doe had appeared in the middle of the road
some distance away from the area where Harry and the others had their deadly accident. However, destiny was better this
time. All the victims were out of danger, though they would have their wounds for the rest of their lives - like she
had. Hermione shakes her head. The wounds they had were totally different from hers and she was the one who would help
them beat the band. Hermione leans her head against the white wall, behind her. Who would have thought that Hermione
Elizabeth Granger would end up being a doctor, psychologist and surgeon? Lavender, Ginny and the guys, when they found
out what she was doing, thought she was crazy and that she wouldn't bear the pressure, but she proved they were
wrong. Now, she could help others when she couldn't help her friends.
She opens her eyes and looks around. «There's no point of staying here thinking about the past.», thinks Hermione,
«The best I can do is return home, take a good bath and rest.». And with that, Hermione stands up and prepares to
return home after a long, strange and tiring day of work.
~**~
Ginny is arriving home with Draco Malfoy, when the sound of a car makes both of them to turn around.
"It's Lavender!" she exclaims, seeing Lavender's metallic and sportive BMW "And it seems that she's with..."
"Weasley," states Draco, seeing Ginny's face full of happiness.
When Lavender parks the car in the garage, Ginny runs to it and hugs her brother, who was getting out of the car.
She was so happy to feel her brother so close to her. She had missed his sense of protection, the chess games and even
the discussions that both of them had. Lavender also hugs Draco; for her, it was impossible for the two boys, and
Harry, to be alive, and in front of her. It seemed a dream and she knew that, if it was, she didn't want to wake up
ever again. The four friends exchange briefs words before entering the house, hoping Harry would appear with Hermione
so it could be possible to all be together again.
~**~
That was the thing she most liked to do; that was the thing which made her think about other things: riding her motorcycle. Hermione was riding a Yamaha pretty quickly, black and blue. Riding the bike, Hermione felt like she was a bird. The fresh sea breeze made her long brown hair fall into her face and made it look gold, due to the sunset. The melody from the waves already filled up the air and enchanted her ears.
Finally, she stops in front of the house were she lived with Lavender and Ginny; she couldn't explain it, but whenever she saw the beautiful pastel country-house with the sea's melody, she felt relaxed and calm. She knew they couldn't find a better place to live. She wouldn't have chosen any other place. Hermione parks her motorcycle between Lavender's BMW and Ginny's sportive dark red Pegaut: «It seems they're home. », thinks Hermione, while she dismounts her motorcycle, moves away from the garage before closing it and approaching the back-garden of the house. Hermione turns around the corner and smiles when a small sea breeze caresses her hair and she looks at the pure sea waves, heading against the white and soft beach sand. It was there she liked to go after a tiring day at work, and she knew that no one could break her bond with the sea.
However, when she's about to sit on the net, tied to two strong palm-trees, a window opens and Ginny appears.
"I knew I had heard you!" she exclaims, looking at her friend. "Come inside."
Hermione rolls her eyes and starts walking towards the door, when the door opens and Ginny appears with a huge smile
and grabs her hand.
"What is it, Ginny?"
"C'mon!" answers the girl pushing her friend by the hand. Ginny looked like an eleven year old girl, and
not a twenty-four year old one "You're going to freak."
"Ginny, can't wait? I had a long day and I just want..." Hermione stops when she enters in the living
room and looks at two different men - one with red hair and other with blonde. Both get up, but Hermione steps
backwards.
"Hermione?" asks Ginny, feeling her friend's hand turning cold.
Hermione closes her eyes. What the hell was happening? Was she going insane? How could they be there, in front of her,
when they were dead? What was happening? Without waiting to find an answer to all those questions, Hermione releases
Ginny's hand and runs away from the house. She needed to get away from there, get away from that nightmare, get out
of those memories. When Ginny tries to go after
her friend, Draco grabs her arm.
"Let her go." he says
"Don't you understand?" asks Ginny, releasing herself from Draco's grip
"She feels guilty for what had happened to you; she still thinks that it's all her fault you died."
Lavender gets up from the chair and sits beside Ginny.
"She's right. Despite all the pain and the years that have past, she still blames herself for what happened.
She still says she could have stopped you, that night."
Draco and Ron share a look, before focusing their attention in the two girls.
"She needs to know the truth," starts Ron, "We need your help."
Ginny sits, followed by Draco:
"I guess we have to give her, more time," he murmurs.
Meanwhile, Hermione had decided to go to a farm that was a short distance from her house. She enters by the
front-gates, says a quick "hello" to the owner, a good friend of hers, Lavender and Ginny, and runs to a
stable. She whistles loudly and looks around. "Thalassa!" she yells.
In the middle of the dark, a beautiful white mare appears, with white manes, even though it had some grey locks, and
dark brown eyes. The mare comes closer to Hermione, who pets her before putting on the saddle and the reins and jumping
to the horseback. When she sits, Hermione grabs the reins and gives a signal with it; at the same time she touches the
mare with her heels.
After a few minutes, salty drops sprinkle Hermione and refresh Thalassa while she rides between the sea waves. The
night was full of stars and, due to the beautiful and shiny Full Moon, the tide was full but calm. When a small wave
hits Thalassa's hooves, Hermione pulls the reins and the beautiful mare stops immediately. Hermione looks at the
sky at the same time that a strong sea breeze appears and makes her hair curl with a mysterious shine. It's then
that the sound of hooves makes her lower her head and turn around. In the middle of the moonlight, a brown dark horse
with black manes appears, with a man on its back. Hermione stares at the man's eyes and, despite the darkness,
Hermione can see that they are bright green. She realizes that it is the same man that had appeared in her office:
«What does he want now? Honestly. ». She prepares herself to tell Thalassa to start walking, but the man's voice
makes her stop.
"Are you going to run again?" She feels herself trembling listening to that voice, but she breathes deeply
and looks at him.
"What do you want?" she asks, really annoyed. "Wasn't it enough to come to my office and drive me
mad? Are you trying the same thing now?"
"Relax!" exclaims the man raising his hands, but making a signal with his heels for his horse walk.
"Don't you dare move another step!" exclaims Hermione. "I don't know what you're trying to
do, and I don't know where you see the fun in this, but I don't!" The man looks at her, but makes the same
signal to his horse. "I said," continues Hermione, "to not come any closer!"
"Hermione, I know that five years is a long time, and that this seems to be impossible but I swear to you that
what's in front of you, isn't a ghost. It's me."
"Harry James Potter died five years ago," answers Hermione. "He died in a car accident that I could have
detained. Do you understand now why I don't see the fun in all this? Because I know they're dead! I saw their
bodies!"
"Hermione, I swear to you that it's me and that I'm here, that this isn't a joke. Just like it was Ron
and Draco you saw at your house."
"Liar!" yells Hermione, "I saw them dead and I learned to live with the guilt!"
"Hermione, if you let me explain, I promise I'll take away all your doubts but, please, give me a
chance!" implores the man. "Don't you even think that now that I found you, I'm going to let you go
and disappear for another five years."
"I didn't disappear for five years!" answers Hermione. "And how do I know you're not someone who
studied my past, and now wants to have some fun with me and my friends?" She was feeling herself get out of
control, and she knew that wasn't something good.
"Hermione, you have every right to doubt me," answers the man, "But let me talk to you and I'll
explain everything that happened."
"You're dead!" she exclaims, at last. She didn't care about how insane that sounded, but the truth
was that the only thing she knew - it was impossible for Harry Potter to be in front of her:
"If I was dead, would I be here, talking to you?"
"Please," starts Hermione, as tears appear in her eyes, "go away."
"Hermione, I can't do that." he says, approaching a little closer.
Hermione closes her eyes and turns her head towards the sea. She knew it didn't matter how many times she asked him
to leave - he would keep trying to talk to her, "Not now, that I found you again."
Hermione breathes deeply and looks at the man again and it's then she notices how close both animals are.
"Continue." she whispers, even though she just wants to get away from there and from that man forever.
"I know I've been 'dead' since five years ago." Hermione lowers her head. She was sick of having
to deal with the feeling of guilt, and the man seems to notice that. "Hermione, don't be afraid...it's
really me. I came back so we could talk face-to-face, and I promise that I'm going to explain everything." His
voice was the same as Hermione remembered - the many times at Hogwarts when Harry and Ron had something important to
tell her and they needed her help, they would make their voices sound as desperate as they could until she agreed to
help them.
"Prove to me that you're the real Harry Potter," she says suddenly.
She needs proof that he really was Harry James Potter. The man leads his hand towards his head, but stops.
"I know that my scar isn't going to prove anything to you, so," he looks into Hermione's eyes,
"I have a better example." Hermione bites her lip waiting for him to continue. The man pauses without taking
his eyes of Hermione's, until he proceeds. "In our Seventh Year before Ron, Draco and I went after the Death
Eaters that attacked Hogwarts on Christmas night, I went to the Hospital Wing, where you, Lavender and Ginny were
recovering from the attack. Out of all of us, you were the one who had been hurt the worst and I remember sitting down
beside your bed, and look at you sleeping peacefully. I remember how in that moment, I thought that it was all my
fault, and that if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be on that bed. That if I wasn't so selfish neither you,
nor the others, would be in such conditions. I remember perfectly the feeling of guilt I felt that night for putting
all of you in that position, you especially." He paused quickly. "It was then that my feelings spoke up and I
kissed you, on the lips. You told me you had been asleep when I asked if you remembered anything about that night. But
I know you were awake that night, Hermione Elizabeth Granger because, when I kissed you, you kissed me back."
Hermione doesn't know what to say after the man had finished. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. No one
knew what happened that night, not even Ron, Ginny or Lavender. Hermione had kept that secret deep inside her heart;
she had never discussed it with anyone, and had never told Harry that she had heard him talking that night.
She swallows hard, despite not liking the way everything was happening; everything was looking impossible but, at the
same time...
"Ok." she starts, after a long silence, "Speak."
The man nods his head and gets off of the horse, followed by Hermione. Both of them sit on the sand with a certain
distance between them and he starts:
"Like I said, I haven't been dead all these years and..."
"And can I ask how that is possible?" interrupts Hermione.
"Simple," answers the man, "neither Ron, Draco nor I died in that accident."
"But they found your bodies, Harry!" She opens her mouth - she had just called him Harry. «It was all that I
needed. » thinks Hermione, getting angry with herself «Now he'll believe he's succeeding in confusing me and he
really must be enjoying my pain». "The night of the accident, they found your body and the others, in the middle
of the ruins and, according to the doctors, you were already dead when they put you on the ambulance." She was
trying to sound as cold as possible, but she felt like she would start crying any moment for being forced to remember
everything one more time. The man nods and
turns his attention to the sea.
"There's just one way of putting this in words: that was a trap...ambush, if you want this in other
terms."
Hermione raises her eyebrow.
"Pardon?" She asks, confused. «An ambush? What has he been thinking?»
"It was an ambush." he repeats. "It was the Ministry's idea of killing me, Ron and Draco in the
Muggle world. The Ministry helped us try to make everything perfect so it could seem like a real and deadly accident,
but everything was being done with magical protection. I swear I tried to warn you before we got away from home, but
they didn't let me. The men from the Ministry wanted everything to seem real and that's why that neither you,
Ginny nor Lavender had been warned. Before I left home I tried to call you, but we needed to be quick so nothing could
go wrong. We all knew that you would see the accident on the news, before we could say anything to you. Then you all
disappeared from the wizard world, and no one was able to find you since then."
He had sadness in his beautiful emerald green eyes, but that doesn't make it impossible for Hermione to feel
angry:
"And you want to know why, Harry?" she asks, sarcastically. «Good one, keep calling him Harry, he must be at
the point of laughing at your face. » He looks at her.
"As matter of fact, I do." he answers.
"So you want me to tell you?" asks Hermione, without caring that she was now completely mad. "It's
simple, really. My best friends just died in a terrible car accident, just like another close friend of mine, for the
simple reason that they wanted to spend the day with me, Harry, with me!" she points at
herself. "Can you imagine the pain and guilt that has been inside of me since then? No, of course not! You were
too busy celebrating your great success while I was dying inside because I was a totally idiot, just like my best
friends were entering in a cliff of grief without bottom!" She breathes deeply and closes her eyes. It's then
that she feels something touching her arm. She stops the tears from falling and looks at the eyes in front of her. They
were so real...The same since as the last time she had seen them...
"Hermione, I'm sorry. If I had known that you would end up feeling like this, I would never have done what I
did. I know it was very selfish of me to make you go through something like that, just like Lav and Gin.... I would
have made it another time, other way..."
"Now it's too late," she interrupts in a whisper.
"Hermione, I'm sorry." he murmurs, giving her a hug and the girl starts crying on his arms. «No! »,
exclaims Hermione in her mind, «He's comforting you in the same way, just like he used to do five years ago, but
that doesn't mean anything...it doesn't prove anything.» She can feel his hands on her back, comforting her in
the same way he had five years ago and she couldn't deny that it really seemed to be the same Harry who was there,
hugging her. 'He already gave so many proofs. Why don't you believe him?' When the tears stop falling,
Hermione steps away from the man and looks into his eyes.
"I just have one more question," she murmurs.
"Yes?" he asks in a soft and relaxing voice.
"Why, on my birthday?"
The man shakes his head.
"Like I said, the Ministry wanted to make everything real and, your birthday seemed to made sense. I really
don't know how to explain; maybe they used your birthday as an excuse for not having time any
other day."
Hermione raises her eyebrow.
"No time for the famous Harry Potter?"
Harry shrugs.
"I couldn't change the day if I wanted their help. But I swear I would have changed the day if I knew what was
going to happen."
He seemed sincere and Hermione sees the sincerity in his eyes. For her, they had always been like mirrors or crystals.
They had always showed her everything he was thinking or feeling and that was what made it difficult for him to lie.
And those eyes were his eyes.
Hermione can't believe she was looking at Harry again, despite everything that happened. She focuses and notices
that she can see what's going on in his mind. She could see he was really sorry for what he had done, not just to
her but to everyone that he knew he had hurt. She could also see that he was telling the truth when he talked about the
guilt he felt, and Hermione couldn't help but think that it was right for him to suffer a little. «What are you
thinking, Hermione Granger? He already suffered enough, how can you ask for him to suffer more? » There was something
more that made her look at his eyes with more attention. She could see something different in his eyes, something she
had never seen before. Biting her lip, she moves her face more towards his. This was crazy and she knew it. «What the
hell are you doing, Hermione Elizabeth Granger? Are you going to kiss him? A man that has been dead for five years? No,
that's not right!».
She could felt his warm breath on her cheeks. It's then that she understands that, deep inside her soul, she did
want to kiss him, however.
"Beautiful mare you got there!" exclaims Harry, turning his attention to both horses in front of them.
Hermione lowers her head. She was crazy, there wasn't another explanation. How could she want to kiss her best
friend - her best friend, who had been dead for five years?
"I think the same." she answers, looking at her mare. "Thalassa."
Harry raises his eyebrow.
"Thalassa?!" he repeats.
Hermione blushes.
"I know it sounds stupid, but I like the name."
Harry gives her a small smile.
"It's different."
"What about yours?" asks Hermione.
"Pilgrim."
"Pilgrim?!" asks Hermione, without knowing if she should laugh or think he was playing with her.
"Don't you like it?"
Hermione rolls her eyes.
"Maybe." she answers, and then she gets up. She looks at Harry and extends her hand. "Lets go, the
others must be really worried." Harry nods and, with Hermione's help, he gets up and both of them prepare
themselves to go back home.