~A/N> Here's the next chapter, as promised. Harry's back, and there's more H/Hr moments that I hope
you enjoy. I'll have another chapter up soon, possibly on Wednesday, so you won't have to wait too long for the
next update. As always, big thanks to Lisa for her support and to everyone that has read/reviewed this story so far
:)
While Jakob, Sorcha, and Hermione discussed the Shadock attack in town...
Harry couldn't ever remember being in such a bad mood for such a long time before. He'd been through many
atrocities in his life, and he'd always gotten through them scarred, but okay. Hermione's departure had stuck
with him the past five months, souring his mood, and after what had happened on her birthday it had been doubly
worse.
Adding onto that, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley were training him harder than ever. Since finding out that Damien was an even bigger threat then Voldemort had ever been, the three had conspired to drive him mad by training him five hours a day, six days a week. He cherished Sundays, his only day off, and he couldn't wait until tomorrow so that he could maybe relax a bit.
Walking into the library in Grimmauld Place, he immediately spotted Ron and Luna cuddled up together on one of the sofas and he felt the knot form in his stomach immediately. He hated the way his two friends had been trying not to be such a couple around him, but he also couldn't stand to see them this close. It made him think of Hermione, and his longing to hold her again made his heart race and his chest tighten. Quickly looking away, he walked to the sofa opposite them and sat, sighing as they quickly parted. "You don't have to do that on account of me, you know."
"We know," Luna replied. "We just don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"I've told you before that I'm fine."
"And I've told you before that you're a terrible liar."
Looking at his blond friend, his green gaze met her blue one and he started to feel a bit uncomfortable with her scrutiny. Ron, picking up on his best mate's discomfort cleared his throat noisily and then asked, "So what are you up to tonight?"
"Just some reading I need to catch up on," he replied tiredly. "It's for the Dark Arts lessons that Remus has been giving me."
"How are Dark Arts lessons going to help you fight Damien?" Luna asked. "From what I've been told, Hermione is the only one that has the power to defeat him, and she's nowhere near ready."
Shifting uncomfortably at the mention of Hermione he replied a little too brisquely, "After five bloody months, she should be ready by now."
"You're still angry at her."
"Damn right I am!" he replied, glaring at Luna. When she just calmly looked back at him he sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Luna. I have no right to yell at you like that."
"No, you don't," Ron stated, looking pointedly at him.
Feeling like shit for upsetting his friends, he stood up to leave and sat down again immediately. There, standing in the doorway, was Ginny. Looking to Ron, he dropped his voice to a faint whisper and asked, "What the hell is your sister doing here?"
"Ginny?" Ron asked, turning to look in the direction Harry was staring. Seeing her there, he said, "Oy, Ginny. What're you doing here?"
"I came to visit," she replied, walking toward them.
"We haven't seen you all summer," Luna said, watching Ginny closely as she sat next to Harry.
"I've been helping mum at home since Ron practically lives here now," Ginny replied. "It must be nice to get out of the house all the time, and out of chores."
"It's very nice," Ron agreed sweetly, causing Ginny's face to redden in anger.
Uncomfortable with how close Ginny was to him, Harry stood up once more and said, "I'm just going to head on up to bed now. Long week and all that..."
"But I came to see you, Harry," Ginny said, pouting as she looked up at him.
"Maybe we can visit some other time," he offered, slowly backing away from her. Looking quickly to Ron and Luna he said, "Goodnight guys. I'll see you in the morning."
Turning his back to them, he quickly closed the distance between him and the door, swearing he could feel Ginny's eyes boring holes into the back of his head. Walking out into the hallway, he made his way upstairs to his room, missing the scathing look that Ginny was giving him.
Ever watchful, Luna had noticed and decided not to say anything...for now.
~*~
While Harry had been reading the Dark Arts text his eyes kept drooping, the words blurring as he read them, and he knew that he needed sleep. Marking his spot, he changed into his pajamas, went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, came back and sleepily crawled under the blankets. Feeling his muscles relax, he drifted off quickly and entered into a dream about Hermione.
She was standing in a place he didn't recognize, wearing a long, gauzy dress that seemed to be moved by a non-existent breeze. Her beautiful hair hung in ringlets around her face and down her back, and he ached to run his fingers through the silky looking strands. When she smiled and held her arms out to him, he tried to walk towards her, yearning to hold her again, but found he couldn't move.
He kept trying to get to her, but found that he seemed to be frozen in place. When the temperature seemed to drop drastically, he looked toward Hermione again and saw that all around them a black mist swirled and moved in an almost serpentine way. Becoming worried, he suddenly tensed when the air become charged with magic and tried desperately to get to her. He knew something bad was coming, and he had to get to her to protect her...
"Always the hero, aren't you?"
Damien had somehow materialized behind Hermione, one hand running over her hair as he looked from her to where Harry stood.
"Get away from her!" Harry yelled, but Damien only laughed.
"No, I don't think I will. It seems to me she rather likes my company."
When Damien moved both of his hands to her shoulders, sliding them down her arms until they rested just above her elbows, Harry felt as if his head might explode from his fury. "You fucking bastard! Leave her alone!"
"Or what? What will you do to me, Harry?"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"You really think so? Because, I don't think you will."
Harry wished, prayed that he could move, just to get the evil bastard away from Hermione. As he stared down the one thing in the world more evil than Voldemort, he cried out as Damien suddenly brought one hand up and with a simple flick of his wrist split her throat open. As she stood staring at him wide-eyed, her mouth moved, silently pleading with him.
Whatever had been holding him let go and he immediately ran to her. Holding her in his arms, her blood ran fast from the wound while she stared into his eyes. "Oh God, Hermione. I'm so sorry. Please...God please don't leave me..."
He could see the light dimming in her beautiful brown eyes, her face paling fast, and he held her tighter. As her legs gave out from underneath her he fell to his knees and gently lay her on the floor.
As tears streamed down his face, he watched as she drew her last breath and he swore that part of him died with her. Realizing that Damien was laughing while watching the scene unfold, he gently took Hermione's hands and placed them onto her stomach, one atop the other. Shaking uncontrollably from grief and anger, he stood and came face-to-face with Damien.
"I'm going to kill you." he repeated, enunciating each word. "You're going to wish I had stayed dead in that dungeon."
Unphased by Harry's threat, Damien stared him down with dead, cold grey eyes and stated, "I'm coming for you, Harry. And for her. And this time, I have more than one puppet to play with."
~*~
"Harry? Harry?! C'mon mate, wake up!"
Gasping as cold water was thrown in his face, Harry quickly sat up in his bed, gasping for air. Covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably, his unfocused gaze moved from Ron to Luna as he said, "She's dead. He's killed her."
"What?" Luna asked worriedly, moving to sit next to him on the bed as she gave him his glasses. "Who's dead?"
"H-Hermione."
Luna looked up worriedly at Ron and said, "Perhaps you should go fetch Remus."
"Right," Ron replied, quickly glancing at Harry once more before making his way from the room.
As Harry sat shivering in his bed, Luna pointed her wand and cast a drying charm, drying the bed and his clothes. As he continued to mumble incoherently, she gently placed her palm against his cheek, and when his eyes met hers again she said, "I'm sure Hermione is okay, Harry. She's safe, with Sorcha and Jakob."
"But I saw him. He killed her right in front of me."
There was such conviction in his words, and she knew he believed thoroughly that Hermione really was dead. Thinking back to when he used to have visions caused by Voldemort, she whispered, "It was only a nightmare, like the one's you used to have."
His eyes focused on hers a little more and for one fleeting moment she thought she had gotten through to him, but then he paled considerably and said, "But those visions from Voldemort, those were real. They really happened!"
Luna cursed herself silently for making things worse, and just then Remus walked into the room, followed closely by Ron. When he looked to Harry and saw the state that he was in, he said, "Thanks for letting me know Ron. You and Luna should go back to bed now, I'll take care of him."
Sighing, Luna slowly stood up and walked to the door, wishing there was a way to help her friend. Before leaving, she turned back and asked, "Will you let us know when he's feeling better?"
"Of course," Remus replied, trying to give her a reassuring smile, but failing quite miserably.
As Ron led her back to her room, Tonks passed them with a quick hello and went into Harry's room as well. Asking Ron to stay with her, she curled up next to him and sighed when he wrapped his arms around her. Laying there wide awake as Ron's snores filled the room, she wondered what exactly it was that Harry had seen to upset him so. Hoping to be able to talk to him soon, she sighed and closed her eyes, wishing that sleep could block out the look of grief and terror she had seen on her friend's face.
~*~
Nothing Remus said, did, or offered to do helped. Harry didn't believe that she was all right.
"I want to see her."
"She's at Empyrean, and she has Jakob and Sorcha there to make sure she's safe."
"I need to talk to her."
Remus stared at him and sighed. They had been debating this for a while now, and Harry was still upset by the nightmare he had experienced. Looking to Tonks for support, she simply shrugged her shoulders and asked, "What would it hurt?"
Not expecting her to side with Harry, he narrowed his eyes at her and said, "Fine. Why don't you go down to the sitting room and see if you can arrange it? Just try to contact Jakob instead of Sorcha. She'd refuse just because it might help Harry."
As Tonks left the room, Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping to comfort and reassure him, but was disappointed when he flinched away. Deciding it would probably be best to leave things for the moment, he sat tiredly on the side of Ron's bed and hoped that Tonks would be able to contact Jakob quickly, for Harry's sake.
Tonks returned not five minutes later, looking pleased with herself. "I contacted Jakob, and he's set everything up, but you need to go right now. Since talking over the floo connection is too risky, you'll have to go there in person to see her."
Ushering Harry quickly out of the room and down the stairs to the sitting room, Remus silently prayed that this would help.
~*~
"Hermione...Hermione, wake up."
"Hmmmm?" she asked sleepily, aggravated at Jakob for interrupting her peaceful sleep.
"It's an emergency, Hermione. You need to come with me, now."
That got her attention, and she was wide awake in an instant, staring into Jakob's blue, troubled eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked, jumping out of bed and pulling her dressing gown on. "Has something happened to Harry? Is it Damien?"
"Just come with me, quickly," he replied urgently, "And be quiet. We mustn't wake Sorcha."
With fear overwhelming her, she followed him out into the hallway and down the stairs, struggling to keep up with his long strides. When they walked into the drawing room she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, and froze.
There, in front of the fireplace and next to an exhausted looking Remus, stood a very pale Harry. Before she could ask any questions, Harry closed the distance between them in four strides and wrapped his arms around her so tightly it was hard to breath. Picking up on his fear, she instantly embraced him and held tight, wondering what had caused him to be this way.
When Harry and Hermione stayed holding each other for a while, Jakob looked from them to Remus and asked, "Why don't we go to the kitchen and give them some privacy?"
Casting him a quick look of gratitude, Hermione tried to pull back from Harry so that she could see his face, but his hold was too strong. "Harry, what happened?" she whispered, using one hand to run through his hair soothingly.
"I thought I had lost you," he whispered in reply, his voice shaky.
"But I'm right here, you haven't lost me at all."
Turning his head, he buried his face into her neck, the scent of her hair acting as a soothing balm on his troubled mind. Rubbing her cheek against his, she held him tightly and murmured words she hoped soothed him. Feeling his hold on her loosen just a little bit, she kissed his cheek and then his lips when he lifted his head to look at her. When he leaned his forehead against hers, she looked into his troubled eyes and asked, "Will you tell me what's upset you so much?"
The adrenaline that had coursed through his body after the nightmare had disappeared when he saw that Hermione was alive and okay, and suddenly he felt extremely tired. Not wanting to let go of her, Harry sidestepped over to the sofa, taking her with him, and the two tumbled onto it awkwardly. Really looking at her for the first time since she'd walked in, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the way she just felt smaller as he held her. His concern for her returning, he softly kissed her lips and drawing courage from her unwavering gaze he said, "Damien is the reason I am so upset." Concern filled her eyes and he continued, "I'm not sure what you would call it, but during my fifth year Voldemort found a way to get into my mind, and he would show me the most horrific things. And other times, it was as if I was seeing through his eyes, and it was horrible. I learned to keep him out, and hadn't experienced anything like it again...until tonight."
With one arm around her shoulders and the other wrapped around her waist so that she was almost sitting in his lap, his hold on her tightened as the events of the nightmare flashed through his mind once more. "I must have fallen asleep quickly, because it seemed like I had just laid down and then the next thing I know, I'm dreaming of you." With heat suffusing his cheeks at his confession, he went on to explain every horrific moment, and when he was done Hermione wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
Fleetingly thinking of how hurt and upset she had been with him for not writing, Hermione knew that now was not the time to hold petty grudges. "I'll always be here for you Harry," she said quietly as she lay her head upon his shoulder. "No matter what."
When she said that, the calm he had been feeling disappeared and he immediately tensed up again. She couldn't promise to always be there, look at everyone that had been taken from him already. Ready to say something to that affect, he realized suddenly that even though he hadn't contacted her at all since they'd been together on her birthday, she had without hesitation taken him into her arms and comforted him. She had let him hold her, reassuring himself that she really was alright, and had listened intently to everything he had to say. He felt like such a bastard.
"I'm sorry," he said, letting go of her. Disgusted with himself at the way he had treated her, he couldn't meet her eyes as he stood up and said, "I should go get Remus. I've kept you up long enough, and we ought to get back home. I woke everyone in Grimmauld place when I yelled out during the nightmare, and I'm sure I've unnecessarily worried them."
"Harry, I'm worried about you," she stated, standing up in front of him. Placing her hands on his chest, she looked him in the eyes and pleaded quietly, "Please don't push me away again."
He closed his eyes and once again thought of what a prat he'd been, trying to keep her at arms length so her abscence didn't hurt him so much. Opening them again, he found himself staring into her bright eyes, shining with unshed tears, and without thinking bent down to claim her lips. Letting all his feelings for her come to the surface, he kissed her passionately, his arms wrapping around her waist to hold her close. She kissed him back fervently, feeling everything that he was feeling at that moment.
When they parted, they were both out of breath, their lips swollen and their faces flushed. As they stared into each other's eyes, Harry smiled ruefully, sighed and said, "I should go, or Remus will be back soon, hinting that we've stayed too long."
Still lightheaded from their kiss, her mind spinning, she simply nodded her understanding without looking at him. When he hooked his finger gently under her chin and turned her head to look at him, she knew she didn't want him to leave. She had missed him so much, and having him here with her just felt so right. As a lone tear slowly made its' way down her cheek, he tenderly brushed it away and said, "Please don't cry."
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"You have nothing to apologize for," he stated. "I should be telling you I'm sorry for not writing you since I was here last."
"It's okay," she replied. "I understand."
"Well, if that's true, maybe you could explain it to me. I have no excuses, other than being angry for stupid reasons."
"We've both done things for stupid reasons," she said, reluctantly stepping back from him.
At a loss as to what to say next, he simply stared at her and wished he didn't have to leave her again. Sighing as she squeezed his hand, he walked past her and just as he was going to walk out of the room she said, "I'll be home soon, Harry."
Realizing that she had just referred to Grimmauld Place as home, he turned and smiled at her. When she smiled back, he turned and continued toward the kitchen, hoping that Remus wouldn't ask a bunch of questions about everything that had happened that night. He had already explained it all to Hermione, and that combined with having to leave her again left him feeling emotionally spent. He just wanted to go back to Grimmauld Place, get on with life, and hoped that time would go by quickly so that Hermione could be home with him once again.
~A/N> I know, they're still not back together for good yet, but they will be soon. I promise.