Title: Umbrella
Rating: PG-13. I tried not to be too graphic, but some people may feel a bit uncomfortable.
Summary: 'Now that it's raining more than ever, know that we still have each other. You can stand under my umbrella.' After two deaths that rock their world, Harry and Hermione deal and find that they best way they can deal is to stick together. One shot.
Authors Notes:I seriously love Rhianna. So many of her songs inspire me, and the chorus of 'Umbrella' was just suited to this idea that's been floating around in my head for a while. And for those who have read a lot of my fics, you may have realised I enjoy killing Ron off. I can't help it- I just hate him. I have since I started reading the books. So I kill him as often as I can. For those Ron fans, I'm sorry, but he totally has to die in DH…
Now I have one thing I'd like to say, though it might come off as a bit bitchy, but I don't care. Lately, I've been getting some very rude reviews to several of my fics. I don't mind constructive criticism, IE if you tell me what you think it wrong with it in a nice way, for example 'it was ok- maybe a little less focus on the others and more focus on what happened between H/HR'. I'm a big girl, I can handle it. What I don't like is people who only say 'it's stupid' or something to that effect. If you think it's stupid, tell me why! Give me a chance to better myself. I can't correct what's wrong when all I know is that you think it's stupid. And if 'it's stupid' is all you can think of to say, please don't review. As I said, this may sound bitchy, but I've had enough of lame reviews. I want to know what you really think. I promise I won't get mad.
Now, onto the story!
**
When the sun shines
We'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
That I'll always be your friend
Took an oath im'ma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
The clouds rolled in as the car made it's lonely way up the hill and through the gates, into the cemetery. In the backseat, the boy and the girl sat both staring out the windows, both lost in their own thoughts. The car rolled to a gentle stop and they sat still for a moment.
'We better do it,' he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. She just nodded, and opened her door.
They could see the small group gathered down underneath a large oak tree. Tears were already flowing down her face. He took hold of her hand and they headed forward. The group parted as they reached them and he started crying.
Mrs Weasley was sitting directly opposite him, grief etched across her face. She was beyond tears by that point, and was just simply weak. In between them were two coffins. Harry couldn't hold himself in any longer. He fell onto Hermione's shoulder and let out a howl of agony. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder.
They had only died three days before. The Order of the Phoenix had fed them information about a group of Death Eaters and where they had been camping out. Stupidly, Harry had agreed with Ron's plan to go and raid them, capture them all themselves.
They thought they could handle it.
But the information that they'd been given was wrong. There wasn't just three Death Eaters hiding out in the old house. There was thirteen. And they'd been warned, somehow, of the approaching teenagers. Within minutes, Ginny and Ron had been captured.
Harry and Hermione had escaped, but only barely. They spent an anxious twenty-four hours trying to contact the Order, but by the time they had backup, it was too late. The Death Eaters had left, but not before leaving something behind.
Harry had found them. They were tied to chairs in the middle of the basement. Both their faces had been frozen in a look of complete terror. He had untied them and, using some very obscure almost Dark spells, made their faces look semi-normal.
And then left to tell Mrs Weasley that her two youngest were dead. It was the most painful memory that he knew he would ever have. Mrs Weasley had passed out, at first, but when she came around, all she could do was cry. Mr Weasley reacted no better.
The entire Weasley family had come from all the corners of the world and holed up at the Burrow. Harry, despite having been a surrogate Weasley for the past seven years, had excluded himself from the family grieving. He and Hermione had grieved together, both feeling as if it was their fault,
And now they were here, burying their best friends and lovers. It was just totally unfair.
The minister from the local church was speaking, but Harry didn't hear a word he was saying. He and Hermione were standing stock still, trying to avoid looking at the coffins. He couldn't believe that it was his best friend, Ron, in one of those boxes. He wanted to tear it open and just look at him one more time. He thought bitterly of the times they had spent fighting, and the summers apart, and wished he could get that time back. If he had of known, maybe things would've been different.
And then Ginny… he had spent the last three days wishing he had paid more attention to her back when they first met. He'd had no idea back then that she would become the most important person in his life. And now she was about to be laid to rest, six feet under the cold earth.
The rain started as they began lowering the coffins. Mrs Weasley lost it completely, falling to the ground in front of the graves, shouting words that Harry couldn't hear. He could vaguely make out Remus Lupin helping her up and leading her away.
Fred and George walked up to the graves, both holding teddy bears. Harry could recognise one of them- it was the one that Fred had turned into a Spider on Ron when he was little, thus setting off Ron's terror of Spiders. The other one had to be Ginny's childhood bear, as it was thrown in on top of her coffin.
Harry and Hermione were next. They clutched the others hand as tight as they dared as they looked down the holes. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver chain. Attached to the chain were three small charms- a lightning bolt, a broom and a book. Harry had made it himself, to symbolise their friendship. He had made one for each of them, but had never been able to give Ron's to him.
He threw it in on top of the coffin and then wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and led her away, as she was on the verge of collapsing.
By the time they reached the car that had bought them, they were drenched. The rain was disguising their tears as they turned and looked back over the cemetery. Harry helped her into the car and climbed in after and allowed her to lay across his lap and cry. The driver didn't say anything, just drove very slowly back to the motel they had been staying in.
Hermione climbed straight into bed when they arrived, and didn't say anything when Harry climbed in beside her. They lay in the middle, clutching each other tight, as if they were drowning.
In a way, they kind of were drowning. Neither could think of what to do, now that the other two were gone.
'I miss him so much,' she sobbed, burying her face into her pillow. 'I thought that today would make it easier.'
'It'll get easier, in time,' Harry said. He thought about how he felt when Sirius died, but this was five times worse than that, and he knew it would take five times longer to heal.
'I just… I wonder what… what it felt like… if… if they were in pain.'
The same question had been rolling around in Harry's mind ever since he had walked into that basement. The sight was something that was etched into his mind, and he saw it every time he closed his eyes. He was just glad that he was the only one who had seen it.
'I like to think not,' he said and she cried harder.
The hours wore on and Hermione fell into a restless sleep. Harry lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling and listening to the rain. The room was almost dark when he slid out of the bed carefully and headed over to the desk in the corner and pulled out a sheet of the motels stationary and held the pen, wondering what to write.
'Harry?' Hermione said, almost frantically from the bed, sitting bolt upright.
'I'm over here,' he said and she looked releived.
'I thought you'd left me,' she said, laying back down.
'Not yet,' he said and she sat back up. 'Hermione-'
She started to cry again.
'You can't stay with me,' he said, swallowing to avoid crying himself. 'It's too dangerous. I can't have anything happen to you.'
'Don't do this,' she said, almost angrily. 'Remember what Ron and I said to you? We had our chance to turn back, and we didn't. I'm sticking to that. I'm with you until the end.'
'I don't want the end to be your end,' he said sadly. 'I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. I'm having trouble living with myself now.'
'We owe it to them,' she said strongly. 'We owe it to them to hunt them down and kill them all. Voldemort too.'
Harry got up and headed back over to the bed and sat down.
'I can't let you.'
'You don't get a choice,' she said even more firmly. 'You're not leaving me behind. If I die, well, I just hope I take some of them with me.'
Harry remembered saying those words himself, what seemed like an eternity ago. All he could do was smile at her as he climbed back into bed, and for the first time in three days, he slept.
When he awoke the next morning, the rain was still pouring and Hermione was already up and dressed. He could tell she'd been crying again, but he didn't comment. Instead, he went over to the cupboard and pulled out his bag, and the small pouch that he had hidden in there. He quickly threw some clothes on and then, holding the pouch in his hand, headed over to Hermione.
'Here,' he said, pulling out one of the silver chains and handing it to her. Her eyes shone with tears as she took it in her hand and touched each of the charms. 'So that no matter what, we'll always be together. I…' his voice faltered. 'I gave Ron his yesterday.'
He reached into the pouch and pulled out the final one and slipped it over his head and tucked it under his t-shirt.
They packed themselves up in silence and Harry waited by the door as Hermione made one last check of the room. He pulled both their bags outside and shut the door and, after quickly checking around, conjured up an umbrella.
'I wonder when the rain will clear up,' Hermione said thoughtfully.
'The sun will shine again,' Harry said and she smiled at him, knowing exactly what he meant.
'At least we have an umbrella,' she said. 'And each other.'