Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. I wish I was JKR and the writer of canon Harry Potter, but I am not.
A/N: I felt horrible for taking so long to update last time, that I am going to post this chapter sooner than I initially intended. It's not terribly look, but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless. I hate to be annoying, but please review, even if it's just a sentence or two. Maybe it was because the mix-up with the story being updated last time, but I got fewer reviews than ever on the last chapter. Please let me know what you think! Thanks. 19 days until we find out if H/Hr will happen in Deathly Hollows!!! ;)
Chapter 11 - Not Alone
"Miss Granger! Miss Granger, are you quite with us today or has your mind decided to be elsewhere today?" Professor McGonagall asked impatiently, noticing that one of her best students seem to be paying no attention at all to the lesson.
Hermione, who was completely zoned out at the moment, was staring down vacantly at the empty piece of parchment in front of her. She was typically attentive to a fault in class but. However, at the moment her quill, with which usually was nearly warn out by the end of a class from so much use, was sitting next to her idly on the table. Harry frowned in concern and gently elbowed her to get her attention, as she continued to be unresponsive to Professor McGonagall's scolding. Hermione jumped, almost knocking over the chair she was sitting in and looked up at Professor McGonagall. Her cheeks immediately stained pink, as she was suddenly aware that McGonagall and most of the class were staring at her with interest. She knew she'd get the mickey torn out of her later by some of her classmates. At times annoyed by her perfectionist behavior many of them were finding the events of today's class amusing.
Hermione felt just horrible for not paying attention and even worse for being caught and called out on it. And she knew she would be sorry for the hole in her notes when she went to study, but at the moment her mind was so full of other things that for once she was finding it nearly impossible to focus on academic things. As much, as she hated to admit it, there were things more important that books and learning.
"I'm so sorry Professor. I just am a bit out of it today. I apologize. This won't happen again, I swear," she said quickly, hastily grabbing her quill, her hand now poised over her notes, trying to demonstrate her sincerity. McGonagall walked over, a little closer to where Hermione sat and eyed the young woman questioningly.
"Are you certain that nothing is bothering you Miss Granger. You may go see Madame Pomfrey if you wish," Professor McGonagall said kindly in a softer voice, so that the whole class couldn't overhear their conversation.
"No, no. I am fine, but thank you," Hermione insisted adamantly, carefully avoiding her teacher's eyes. McGonagall looked far from persuaded that was the truth of the matter by walked up to the board to continue her lesson anyway. Hermione began jotting down notes at her usual pace, but Harry noted that she didn't have the same expression that he was accustomed to seeing on her face. Hermione loved to learn and it showed as she listened and took notes during a lecture. Today, however, she looked more like she was letting her pen write words that she wasn't really hearing.
Ron was staring over at Hermione, looking rather puzzled by her behavior. He caught Harry's eyes who looking very concerned also. Harry shrugged back at his friend, wondering himself what was bothering his girlfriend. She'd known about the ex-Death Eater's plot for several days now, but until today, her mood hadn't changed so drastically.
Later in the class they attempted a spell that would change a mouse into a quill, not very useful, but just more practice for bigger transformations. Hermione, mastered things like that before everyone else, but at the moment was struggling. She was attempting the spell, but even Harry could tell that she her wand movement was wrong and she was pronouncing the spell incorrectly. He decided not to correct her as she would have. The last thing she needed was criticism. After watching her struggle a few more moments though, he decided to give her a little help. Reaching over her put his hand over hers and did the correct wrist flip that the spell required. She smiled gratefully and soon managed to turn her mouse into a rather nice looking feather quill.
"Very nice, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said in praise. Hermione beamed.
Class ended and everyone filled out. Most everyone had been able to learn the new spell, except for Neville, who had somehow turned him mouse into an teacup rather than a quill.
Harry gently grabbed onto Hermione's arm once they got out in the hallway, not wanting to let her get away without finding out what was on her mind.
"Harry, what are you doing? We'll be late to out next class if we don't hurry," she protested crossly. Ron had gone on ahead, deciding to let Harry discuss, whatever the problem was alone with his girlfriend.
"Please, just let me know what is going on with you Hermione. You never lose your focus like that in class, Ron would, and I would, but not you. What's bothering you? Is something wrong? Did you find out something more that you're not telling me about?" he inquired, frowning in concern. Hermione looked away, not wanting to look into his beautiful green eyes. Something was bothering her, but she didn't want to share all the details at the moment or she was sure that she would start crying right there in the hallway.
"Harry, I promise we can talk about this later. Just not now," she whispered, uneasily shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she spoke.
"I'll hold you to that you know," Harry informed her, his expression serious. Hermione nodded, and they took off quickly for their next class. Hermione sat down next to Neville, as Harry slide in to the seat next to a curious Ron.
"What's bothering her mate?" Ron whispered anxiously. "Is it you know women problems or something?" Ron's voice grew very quiet as he said the last bit.
Harry flushed beet red, looking incredibly uncomfortable, his eyes widening as though he couldn't believe Ron had just asked something like that.
"Bloody hell, Ron! Please don't ever say anything like that again," Harry protested, still appearing very uneasy.
"Well, what is bothering her then?" Ron pushed. Harry glanced over at Hermione who was pulling out her book for History of Magic.
"I don't know really. She said she'd tell me later," Harry told him quietly, as class had stared. Hermione glared over at the too of them, clearly annoyed with them for talking while Professor Bines was teaching.
"While, let me know," Ron said, risking a few more words, before setting about pretending that he was taking notes. Harry did the same, deciding annoying Hermione wouldn't make it any easier to get any information out of her.
***
Harry didn't see Hermione again until dinner. He noticed as she took a seat across from him that she looked incredibly tired. There were bluish circles forming below her brown eyes which at the moment looked sad and empty.
Harry passed Hermione a roll from the basket, noting her plate was empty, hoping that she'd eat at least a little something. She smiled weakly and put it on her plate, though it remained untouched.
"Hermione, you promised to tell me what was bothering you, and don't say nothing because I am not that stupid," Harry said.
Ron looked up from his, well-stocked and half empty, plate in interest. He looked back at forth from Harry and Hermione as they spoke.
Hermione picked at her roll and then tore it in half.
"Oh, it's nothing to be worried about. I am worrying about N.E.W.T.s of course and obviously about what's going on. And I'm frustrated; I mean really, what are we going to do about all of this? I feel lost as to what to do about all this," she told him, sounding defeated. She glanced over at Ginny who was looked the same as she felt. Ron sister too sat with a plate of food that she wasn't about to eat. Ron frowned sadly as he saw his sad sister.
"Hermione, since when do you give up? You didn't when we were looking to see what Voldemort was up to before he returned, and you didn't when we had to find the Horcruxes and destroy them. You were so brave during that time. You have to be brave again. Don't worry, it is just a matter of time before we think of a plan," Harry said encouragingly, though he knew Hermione's worries were valid.
"Okay, Harry," Hermione whispered, not sounding too convinced. She pushed her plate away after taking a bit of bread and a sip of her pumpkin juice.
"Come on Hermione! We defeat that prat Voldemort. Lucius and his mates should be easier than fooling Crabbe and Goyle into eating a poisoned cupcake," Ron said brightly. Hermione didn't look convinced.
"I'll see you later Harry, Ron, I need to do some research in the library. I am a bit behind on things," she told them, getting up and grabbing her book bag off the bench.
"Fine," Harry said, slightly annoyed that she wasn't telling him the whole story about what was bothering her. Ron reached over and took her leftover roll, munching contentedly. Harry sighed, not feeling hungry himself anymore at the moment.
***
"No!" she screamed as she saw Harry fall after being hit by a spell from the wand of Draco Malfoy, who stood watching with a sick glee as his enemy fell, never to rise again.
"You monster!" she hissed before going over to Harry.
Harry lay motionless on the ground after the green flash of the Avada Kadvra faded away in the moonless night. Hermione screamed, running towards him, though her legs felt suddenly far too heavy, as though there were weights strapped to her ankles.
She knelt on the ground and gently put Harry's head in her lap. His green eyes were open but empty, glazed over in death. She felt numb and empty. Tears spilled freely from her eyes, falling with soft plops to the ground.
"Please, wake up, please wake up!" she pleaded futilely.
Then Malfoy began to approach her.
Hermione awoke at that point the pain of the nightmare waking her. Her sheets were damp with her cold sweat and twisted all around her. Desperately, she pulled herself free from them, as though it would help free her from the horror of her vividly chilling dream. Now she truly understood some of what it must have been like for Harry to have those horrible nightmares he had been plagued by. Since overhearing Malfoy and his friends the other day, her mind had been weaving horrible dreams that seemed all too real. A wave of horror washed over her. What if the dreams meant something? It happened sometimes. It was not completely logically, but it happened. She'd had dreams like this for several nights now and the emotions that they played on had begun to leave an impacted.
She got up and swung her legs over the side of the bed and slid her feet into her slippers to avoid walking barefoot on the cold floor. She had to see Harry, had to prove to herself that he was fine, as foolish as she felt. Quickly she padded down the stairs to common room. Taking a deep breath she began to climb the stairs to the boy's dormitory, thankful that the founder's of the school had decided that girls were the trustworthy ones. Carefully, she pushed open the partially closed door to the room Harry shared with several other boys, including Ron. She hoped with all of her might that neither Ron, nor any of the other boys were awake. Her heart hammered against her chest like a trapped animal in a cage. She put her hand to her chest, as though to muffle the sound which was loud in her ears.
Slowly she made her way over to Harry's bed, trying not to fall over the various items of clothing and other things the boys had left strewn across the floor. She paused for a moment looking around at the five beds in the room. Luckily all the boys appeared to be sleeping soundly. Ron was snoring quite loudly in the bed next to Harry's. The curtains around the Harry's poster bed were only partially closed. From what she could she, he seemed to be asleep like the rest of his dorm mates. She moved closer to his bed, still trying to move quietly. Tenderly, she brushed strands of his dark hair from his eyes as she looked down at his peaceful face. She smiled, never having realized before how long and thick Harry's eyelashes were. Nervously, she shook him slightly to see if he'd wake. She'd woken him from a nightmare once; she was glad that this time that wasn't the case. He gentle shake seemed to be enough, as his eyes flew open, blinking up at her in surprise. His emerald eyes seemed to almost glow in the moonlight that slanted across his face.
"Hermione," Harry breathed. Wordlessly she climbed into bed next to him without invitation, but he didn't say a word in protest. He moved over close to her and she slide into his inviting arms.
"Are you okay?" he whispered into her hair, gently running his fingers through her bushy curls.
"I'm just being silly really, it was only a nightmare. But, I needed to see you. To make sure that you were okay," she replied softly, a sob catching in her throat, a tear slide down her cheek.
"Oh, Hermione," he murmured. He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. Her lips formed a smile beneath his. Hermione sighed contentedly, and rested her head on his shoulder. They lay quietly together, and it didn't take look for her to drift off to sleep in his arms. Harry smiled down at her sleeping face and pulled the curtain around his bed tightly shut around them, soon drifting off to sleep himself, the person he loved most in the world held safely in his arms.
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