A/N Thanks to everyone who posted a review, its nice to know people are still reading Harry/Hermione fan fiction. Thanks also to my beta-reader. *hug*
Harry made his way slowly though the snow, back to the tent. Hermione was cradled in his arms still unconscious. It worried Harry; he hadn't been able to bring her around yet. Gryffindor's sword was in a make-shift scabbard in the form of his belt across his back and to add to things, it had started to snow quite heavily. Pulling Hermione closer to him to keep her dry and warm; Harry made his way thought the forest back to the tent.
Finally, he arrived at the tent, ducking inside, he walked over to the closest bed and lay Hermione down on it and pulled the covers around her. She looked so pale. Reaching out, Harry tucked a strand of damp hair behind Hermione's ear and traced her cheek, feeling how cold she was. He wrapped another blanket around her and then moved to the front of the tent to stand watch, but every now and then he looked over his shoulder to check on Hermione.
Hermione could hear someone moving about the tent loudly and the noise was making her pounding headache even worse. She forced open her eyes, but closed them again against the bright sunlight that filtered thought the open flap of the tent. Hermione groaned and pressed a hand against her closed eyes.
"Hermione." She heard Harry's voice say, laced with concern. She felt the bed dip under his weight, and it all came flooding back to her. The locket, Riddle versions of Harry and Ginny and the worse of it, the real Harry had seen it all. Hermione knew Harry would have questions about what had happened, and she didn't want to answer them.
"Hermione?" Harry called again, and she finally opened her eyes. Harry was sitting on the end of the bed.
"How you feeling?" he asked.
"My head hurts what happened? How did I get back to the tent?" she asked, Harry's face fell.
"You don't remember?" he questioned. She shook her head; she though it would be for the best if she just pretended not to remember.
"I remember following the Doe to where you were, pulling you out of the pond. You were telling me that I had to destroy the Locket, you opening it...and then nothing." She looked down at the bedcovers not able to look Harry in the eyes.
"Are you sure you don't remember anything after that?" he asked. She shook her head again.
"I'm sorry, Harry." she said, still not looking up. She heard Harry get up from the end of the bed and then felt his touch on her shoulder.
"It doesn't matter; you're safe that's all that matters." But by the tone of Harry's voice Hermione could tell that he was upset. Finally, she looked up.
"What did happen?" she asked. Harry stopped walking and turned back to her.
"You fought the locket and won."
"Is that all?" she questioned.
"Yes." Came the answer, it seemed that Harry didn't what to reveal what had come out of the locket.
"Okay..." Hermione said softly, (and) she looked down at the bedcovers again. She hated lying to Harry, but it was for his own good really. How would she ever explain to him what she had seen in the locket? Why it was him telling her that he didn't need her and he never would? Hermione shook her head, she couldn't, wouldn't think about that right now. Pulling back the covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to get up.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, moving towards her.
"Getting up, I can't stay in bed all day."
"Are you sure you feeling alright?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed softly.
"Look, I only took on the locket, not Voldemort himself. I'm fine." However, Harry shook his head.
"Even taking on a little bit of Voldemort's soul can be draining.," Harry said, putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I know Ginny said she felt exhausted after the diary." Hermione scowled at Harry, pushing his hand off her shoulder, she stood up.
"Well, thankfully I'm not Ginny," she snapped at him and then stalked across the tent to the bathroom.
She let the door close behind her, leaned against it, and breathed deeply. Harry mentioning Ginny made all her fears ten times worse. She knew that she could never tell Harry, not with the war and mainly because of his feelings for Ginny, and to top it all off there was the problem with Ron. Sighing, Hermione moved away from the door and splashed some cold water on her face. She was just drying her face when there was a knock on the bathroom door. She sighed.
"I'm fine, Harry; I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Hermione, you need to take a look at something." By the tone of Harry's voice, Hermione knew that it was something serious. She opened the door to find Harry standing, holding the Marauders map in his hands, and he looked deathly pale.
"Before you take a look at the map, don't hold it against him." Hermione knew who `Him' was. Frowning she snatched the map out of Harry's hand. She scanned the map and then saw it. In the Gryffindor common room was a small label marked. `RONALD WEASLEY'.
"So he's gone back." Hermione simply said, but the map in her hands was shaking. Harry nodded.
"I think I knew deep down that he would return to Hogwarts," he said taking the map from Hermione's hands. She didn't say anything, and Harry let the map fall to the ground and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"We'll be fine, just us, Ron only wants to protect Ginny, which I'm glad of." He felt Hermione stiffen in his arms and she pulled away from her. She glared at him.
"Why don't you just say what we both know Harry. Ron is just too scared to face…"
"To face Voldemort, you mean," Harry said Voldemort's name just before he remembered that it was a taboo. Hermione looked at him as a loud crack sounded outside the tent and with a stricken thought; Harry suddenly remembered that there was no protection around the tent. He had forgotten them in his haste to get Hermione back to the tent. It was too late now.
"Come out of there with your hands up," came a rasping voice. "We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointed at you, and we don't care who is cursed."
Harry's grip on Hermione tightened as he looked around for an escape route. Lifting her wand, he sent a spell to the other side of the tent; a large hole appeared in the fabric. Grasping Hermione's hand, he rushed towards the new opening, only to see a Death Eater creeping though it. They pointed their wand in his and Hermione's direction. Harry turned on the spot, trying to guard Hermione, just as the front of the tent was blasted open and more Death Eaters poured as did Fenir Greyback. Harry's stomach turned over as Fenir grinned at him.
"We've caught him. We've caught Harry Potter; the Dark Lord will be pleased."
End Chapter two.
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