The Guardian 2

~A/N> Hello again! I'm back with the sequel to The Guardian, and I want to say a big thank you to those of you who expressed your views on the story (without yelling or swearing at me). I am grateful that most of you understood why I ended it the way that I did, and I hope that this story was worth your patience. Sorcha is back to torture Hermione once again, and in this story I've introduced another original character that I just love. I hope you love him, too. Thanks to Lisa for her support and encouragement, and to all of you, happy reading! :)

Hermione couldn't remember ever feeling quite so numb before.

Whether it was from the emotional stress of the past days, or the rhythmic rumbling of the train in which she rode that caused that feeling, she really couldn't say. All she knew for sure was that she was emotionally and physically tired, and just wanted to rest for a bit. Sliding over on the seat while quickly looking around the compartment she shared with Sorcha, Hermione moved so that she was now sitting up against the window, slightly decreasing the sway of her body as it moved in time with the huge locomotive.

Looking out at the rapidly darkening sky, an unwanted picture of how Harry had looked before she had left Hogwarts came to mind and she sighed. She had wanted so badly to run to him, to ask him to come with her, but she knew deep down that it was not allowed. This was special training for her, and her alone. Guests would not be welcome.

'Gods, what have I done?' she asked herself silently, and when the reply came she closed her eyes at the physical pain that it caused. 'I could have possibly just lost the only person left in the world that cares about me.'

Keeping her eyes closed, praying that it kept the tears that were now burning her eyes at bay, she tried to not dwell on that terrible thought and after a bit of time the swaying and rumble of the train lulled her into a light, fitful sleep.

---

The itsy-bitsy Guardian
went down to hell one day.
Out popped the Shadock and
scared the Guardian away.

You will not escape me
I'll hunt you down one day.
And the itsy-bitsy Guardian
will die and finally pay.

(sung to the tune of itsy-bitsy spider)

---

"No!" Hermione yelled, snapping out of sleep quickly while sitting straight up in her seat, banging her head against the window in the process.

As she rubbed the sore spot on her head and tried to get the image of Damien singing that damn, taunting song in her nightmare as Harry's lifeless body lay at his feet staring unseeingly at her. Sorcha cast her a worried look and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hermione answered testily. Taking a deep, calming breath she repeated, "I'm just fine."

"If you say so," Sorcha replied shortly. "We're going to be arriving soon, so you'd best stay awake from here on out."

Nodding her understanding, Hermione sat back on the hard train seat and prayed that she would be able to find some kind of peace at the new training location. It had been so long since she'd had the chance to just have some time by herself, and she longed to take a long, hot bath and then collapse into a big, comfortable bed where she could actually sleep an entire night through without awaking to the horrendous nightmares she'd been having. Realizing that Sorcha was none-too-nicely trying to tell her that they had arrived and to get her arse off the train, Hermione gathered up her meager belongings and disembarked the train. The moment she stepped onto the platform she was blasted with a gust of freezing cold wind that took her breath, and decided it would be best not to catch a cold. Buttoning up her jacket, she didn't realize that Sorcha was standing next to her, or that a very tall, dark haired man was now approaching them.

"Sorcha?" the man asked, his voice a quiet baritone that was almost soothing to the ears.

Turning around quickly, Sorcha's gaze fell upon the man and she quietly asked, "Jakob?"

"Who else would come out in below freezing weather to pick you up?" he asked, smiling at them both, but Hermione noticed that his gaze had lingered on Sorcha.

Sorcha was quickly back to her normal form as she said, "Right then. Let's just get out of this Godforsaken cold, shall we?"

There was a sudden rush of hurt that overpowered Hermione, and she sucked in a deep breath, immediately regretting it. Coughing as the cold air burned her lungs, she wiped at her watery eyes and gladly followed the other two adults, noticing that they kept stealing subtle glances at the other. Wondering what that was all about, she was relieved when she realized they had come upon the car they would be riding in. Gratefully getting into the back seat, she hunkered down into her insufficient clothes, trying to warm herself up a bit.

As they slowly made their way to their destination, Jakob and Sorcha commented about mundane things, but she could feel that they had feelings for one another. When she tried to probe just a bit deeper, she found that she was unable to as fatigue suddenly washed over her. Telling herself she'd find more out about them later, Hermione sighed tiredly and tilted her head back so that it was resting on the top of the seat. Closing her eyes, she fought to stay awake for the remainder of the ride, afraid of the night terrors that awaited her in her sleep.

When she opened her eyes some time later, she noticed that they were approaching a huge black iron gate that opened as they drove up to it. Going down a long, winding driveway, Hermione gasped as Jakob stopped the car in front of a huge manse. In the looming darkness, she couldn't see all of the house but was staring at the part she could see. Getting out of the car, the three of them walked up a short walkway and then approached two staircases located to the left and right of them. As Jakob chose the right set of stairs, she and Sorcha followed closely behind, the darkness around them seeming a bit daunting.

As they walked through the front door, Hermione gasped. The entry hall was bigger than the bedroom she grew up sleeping in, and above them hung a gorgious crystal chandelier that seemed to sparkle as it eminated just enough light to let them see every detail around them. Walking along the hardwood floors, Jakob and Sorcha made their way into the drawing room, which made the entry hall look like a bum's shack compared to it. With three white leather couches arranged comfortably around the huge fireplace, a piano in one corner and another spectacular chandelier above them, Hermione carefully made her way around the priceless vases that sat atop various tables here and there. Sinking down comfortably into one of the sofas closest to the fireplace, she sighed as she seemed to sink into the cushy soft leather and felt herself relax for possibly the first time that day.

"Welcome to Empyrean," Jakob said, sitting down next to her.

"Empyrean?" she asked.

"It's my family home," Sorcha replied, sitting in the sofa opposite to them. "I grew up here, and when my father passed away three years ago, it was left to me. Jakob was gracious enough to live here and take care of it for me while I went about my...business."

Surprised by Sorcha's admission, Hermione looked at her and said, "You have a beautiful home."

"It's okay," Sorcha replied quietly. "And it's well protected by old Guardian magic and traditional magical wards, so we should be safe here while we train."

Trying not to dwell on the hint of doubt she heard in her trainer's voice, Hermione asked to be shown to her room, feeling suddenly exhausted. As she followed Sorcha up three long flights of stairs, Hermione was glad when she stopped in front of a closed door and stated, "This will be your room for the duration of our stay."

"Thank you," she replied, opening the door. As she was given some privacy for the first time that day, Hermione explored the room that would be her home for an unspecified amount of time. Thinking that she could have been staying in much worse conditions, she took two steps inside and closed the door silently behind her. Taking in her surroundings, she realized that this was not just a simple bedroom, but a suite. The bed had a very high headboard and thick mattress, covered in what looked to be a down filled comforter. There were two very large windows in the room, each with a window seat, overlooking the grounds. Her favorite part of the entire room though had to be the crackling fireplace that had a sofa placed in front of it. Already imagining cold nights sitting on the sofa, reading while warmed by a roaring fire, she smiled to herself and made her way toward the bed, intent on getting a good nights sleep.

~*~

Three months later...

Empyrean had not turned out to be the relaxing refuge she thought it would be.

Starting the day after they had arrived, Sorcha woke her every morning at seven sharp. She had just enough time to shower, dress, and go down to the kitchen for breakfast, which Jakob prepared for them. Then at eight, her training regimen started. Two hours of strength training with light weights, two hours of magical tutelage, three hours of Guardian training, one hour of rest and then dinner, book instruction by Jakob on the history of magic, book instruction by Sorcha on Guardian magic, and finally three more hours of training. Usually the last training session of the day was used to go over everything she'd learned throughout the day, but sometimes Sorcha threw a surprise her way and she was challenged with yet another new magical or Guardian spell she was expected to master.

Hermione was exhausted, and missed Harry dearly. She wrote when she could, but considering that her training was seven days a week, every week, she was only able to send four letters in three months. She just hoped that when they were able to see each other again in person and she explained, he would understand why.

"Happy Birthday," Jakob said, walking into her room after knocking, balancing a tray laden with food.

Sitting up in her bed, Hermione propped the pillows behind her back and smiled affectionately at him. In the time she'd been here with Sorcha she'd come to respect him for his kindness, caring, and unwavering support. At times, when Sorcha was pushing her almost over the edge of sanity, Jakob seemed to almost sense that she could take no more and would rescue her. It usually infuriated Sorcha, but Hermione thanked him profusely.

As he set the tray across her lap, he sat carefully next to her on the edge of the bed and said, "I told Sorcha in no uncertain terms were you to train today. Birthdays are special and should always be celebrated."

She graced him with a huge smile and said, "I appreciate that. I haven't had a day off in three months and I feel as if I might go mad."

"Well, no madness today. Only fun."

When her stomach suddenly growled, interrupting them, she laughed and grabbed a piece of toast off of the tray. "Care to join me?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Jakob replied. "I don't think it would be wise to be anywhere near Sorcha right now."

Laughing along with him, Hermione felt her spirits soar for the first time in a long while and she found herself actually looking forward to the day.

~*~

After sharing breakfast with Jakob, Hermione treated herself to a long, hot bath, her body finally relaxing as the aches in her muscles faded away. Sighing contentedly as she sunk just a little deeper into the water, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the fact that her mind wasn't racing with facts and spells. She was able to think about everything that had been happening, and then Harry came to mind.

"Gods, I miss you," she mumbled to herself as her chest tightened. Thinking that the only present she wanted that day was to see Harry, she swiped at the lone tear that slipped down her cheek, swearing to herself that one way or another she would enjoy her day.

After soaking for almost an hour, she grudgingly left her bath and wrapped herself in the fluffiest towel she could find. Humming to herself as she crossed from her bathroom into her bedroom, she went to the closet to pick her outfit for the day. Before she could dress a knock sounded on her door, and making sure the towel was tight around her she went to see who it was, afraid that she would be confronted by Sorcha. But when she opened the door she gasped as she saw who it was on the other side.

"Harry?"

~A/N> Thank you so much for the fantastic reviews on chapter 1! :) I'm so glad you liked it. So, as a treat, I decided to post chapter 2 today. Just a warning, this one's a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions, so please fasten your safety belt and prepare for a wild ride! :D Oh, and just as I said at the end of the first Guardian story, this one will have more romance. It may come every other chapter, but it'll be in there. Many HUGS to Lisa for her encouragement and support, you're the best!

Harry stood on the other side of the door, simply staring back at her silently. As she marvelled at his being there in person, he walked into her room, past her, and quietly shut the door behind him. Turning to face her once again, he looked at her with an unfamiliar look upon his face and said, "Happy Birthday, Hermione."

"Um, thanks," she muttered lamely. She had to supress the urge to run at him and fling her arms around his neck. She wanted nothing more at that moment but to be held securely in his embrace, knowing that he still loved her. The silent Harry before her was someone she'd not confronted before, and she really didn't know how to act.

They stood staring at each other for a while, neither really knowing what to say. For the first time she could ever remember, she actually felt uncomfortable in his presence, and it was disconcerting.

The pull to her was unbelievably strong, making him wish that he could simply walk up to her and draw her to him. Berating himself for his weakness, knowing he could not forgive her so easily for what she had done, he concentrated on the more negative feelings he was experiencing and asked, "Why did you leave me?"

'Oh Gods', she thought, as tears automatically filled her eyes. Swallowing the knot she could feel rising in her throat, determined not to cry anymore, she took a deep breath and opened herself up to him.

She could feel the emotional turmoil that was writhing inside of him, and she hated that she was the cause of it. Closing her eyes against the strong waves of feelings, she bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry about the way I left you, Harry. It wasn't right...I know that now. I should have had the courage to tell you that I had to leave, and the reason why. Instead, I took the coward's way out and hurt you."

"Damn right you did," he replied, anger lacing every word. "After everything we had been through, you just decide to sneak off and leave me like that? And then, this entire time you've been gone, I get four shitty owls from you, full of lame ass dribble that really means nothing to me!" Closing his eyes while trying to calm himself down, Harry's shoulders sagged as he said, "Look, Ron, Luna, Remus, and Tonks are all downstairs, waiting to celebrate your birthday with you. You should get dressed and go down to see them."

"But what about us?"

"What about us?" he asked, his green eyes boring into hers suddenly.

She could see the anger and hurt in them and she couldn't remember ever hating herself before this moment. "Never mind," she said. "I'll get dressed and um...go see them."

With a quick nod of his head, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hermione feeling lonely and disappointed in herself. Sighing heavily, she dressed, did her hair and made her way downstairs to see her friends, wishing the elation she felt earlier that morning would somehow come back to replace the feeling of dread that overwhelmed her now.

~*~

She knew Harry was angry at her, but by the end of the day she was almost ready to throttle him.

While they had all sat around catching up in the drawing room, he had sat quietly next to Luna on the sofa opposite hers, never once looking at her or saying a word. During dinner, as the others tried to include him in their conversation, his answers were blunt, his voice quiet. When they had gathered together to have the special cake Jakob had made for her, he hung back from everyone, content to just watch the happenings. Everyone had brought her a present, well, everyone except him, that is. She opened them and tried hard to show her gratitude for their thoughtfulness, but inside she tried to control the frustration that had surfaced and was growing.

Now as everyone said their goodbyes, they all turned to look at Harry who stood sullenly among them, his hands shoved deep into his jean's pockets. Not meeting Remus's questioning gaze he said, "I'm going to stay a bit longer. I'll get Sorcha to bring me back in a while."

Remus turned to look at Sorcha, curious about her reaction. She simply looked from Harry to Hermione and said, "Sure Potter, I can do that...this one time only."

Hermione barely noticed the proud smile that Jakob was giving Sorcha as her attention was quickly drawn back to Harry, who now stood alone next to her. "Why don't we go somewhere...else?" she asked, chancing a glance at Jakob and Sorcha. Jakob simply nodded his assent and she walked past Harry up the staircase, not really knowing where she was going. When she suddenly felt a hand on her back, she turned to see Harry right next to her now, seeming to guide her. As they climbed more stairs, she realized that he was steering her back to her bedroom.

Walking into her room, she made her way to one of the window seats and unseeingly stared out at the dark night, the snow barely visible as the moon hid behind the clouds. 'Lucky moon,' she thought, wishing that she could hide too.

He stood silent for a while, and she could feel him staring at her. After their talk earlier that day, she was in no rush to hear what other hurtful things he had to say. She knew deep down that she deserved it, but it was her birthday. 'The first birthday without my parents,' she thought sadly, clutching a pillow to her chest protectively.

"I uh-didn't want to give you your present in front of the others," Harry mumbled suddenly, breaking the silence. As he walked up to where she sat, he held out his hand, in which sat a small dark blue box with a silver ribbon tied around it. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," she said quietly, taking it from him. Opening it slowly, a small smile graced her lips as she saw what was inside. It was a silver necklace from which a silver pendant hung. The pendant was simply a crescent moon that had a lightening bolt intersecting through it, but to Hermione it meant everything. Holding the necklace in her hand, she stood up and closed the distance between them, hugging him tightly. When he stood completely still for a moment, she feared that he would not hug her back, but finally he wrapped his arms around her as well and held her.

Staying that way for a little while, she relished the feel of being held by him again. It had only been three months, but to her it felt so much longer. Slow to end the hug, she pulled back from him just enough so that she could stay in his embrace and on an insane whim she pressed her lips to his. When he pulled away from her the pain of his rejection rushed over her and before she could think about it any more she tried once more. He started to respond to her kiss this time, but then he seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled away once again. "Hermione...." he said, looking warily at her.

"No!" she yelled, stepping back from him, his rejection stinging her pride more than she cared to admit. "I said I was sorry, Harry. I explained to you that I realized what I did was not right. What more do you want from me?!"

She stared at him, and as her gaze was locked on his she felt it as she saw it mirrored in his eyes. She had hurt him emotionally, shattered some of the trust she had earned from him, but underneath it all he still loved and wanted her.

That was all the encouragement she needed. Wrapping her arms around his neck so quickly he didn't have time to react, she once more kissed him and this time, with his steeled resolve slipping quickly away, he responded fully. She had chipped away at the protective wall he had erected and he was finally letting her in. She just hoped it wasn't temporary.

Drowning in the intensity of their kiss, the barrage of thoughts in her head stopped and she was lost to him. She barely noticed that they were moving, that he was backing her up, and as her bed hit the back of her knees she fell backwards. Harry followed and continued the kiss, his hands moving over her body, igniting little fires within her here and there. Breaking the kiss, his lips whispered across her jaw, kissed their way down her neck to her chest and she tilted her head back, swept up in waves of desire.

He lifted her shirt up and she followed his silent command. Sitting up a little, she raised her arms over her head as he removed it completely and then wrapped her arms around him again while he worked to remove her bra. Now only half dressed, he gently pushed her back down and bent, taking one of her nipples into his mouth as his hand lavished attention on the other. As the knot of tension within her tightened she moaned, relishing in the way he made her feel so wanton and out of control.

Needing to touch him, she slipped her hands under the sweater he wore and lightly grazed her fingernails down his chest, loving the moan she elicited from him. Wanting more, she grabbed the hem and pulled up, causing him to stop what he had been doing to take it off. Getting up, she moved so that she was kneeling in front of him on the bed while he stood on the floor in front of her, and reaching out she unbuttoned his jeans. The whisper of the zipper the only sound to be heard, she pushed them down and let him take them completely off.

As he was now only clad in just his boxers she could see the effect she had on him, and feeling brave she placed her hand upon the telltale bulge, emboldened when he suddenly sucked in a breath. Slowly, she hooked her fingers in the band and divested him of the only piece of clothing that stood between them. Once again feeling the courage her desire instilled in her, she reached out and gently wrapped her hand around his erection, experimentally moving up and down along the shaft. Taking his moans as a sign that she was doing it right, she continued on, every once in a while letting her thumb brush over the tip of him. When he reached down and stilled her hand, she looked up and was lost when she met his hooded gaze. He reached down to unbutton her jeans and taking his cue, she took them off while he turned to cast locking and silencing spells.

Laying on her pillow, she watched as he lay down next to her and reaching out, slowly removed the panties she wore. Completely exposed to him now, heart, soul, and body, she reached out and pulled him to her, their lips meeting in a searing kiss. Moving so that he was on and above her, he continued to kiss her as he slid his knee up to part her legs. As she willingly complied, he positioned himself and entered her quickly, burying himself deep within her. She broke the kiss as her body instinctively arched up against him, trying to push him even deeper into her, and she shivered as he emitted what sounded like a half-moan, half-growl.

After that, it all became a blur. Harry pulled out and pushed into her at a fast pace, his rhythm quickening as he pushed into her as far as he could while she rose to meet his every thrust. She could feel the knot of tension in her belly tightening more and more, and when she opened her eyes to see him staring down at her as he moved within her, the tension broke to give way to a wave of feeling that made her skin tingle and her nerves sing.

Still enjoying her post-coital high, she felt Harry thrust into her a few more times and then groan while he came inside her. Breathing heavily, he collapsed onto her, being sure not to put all his weight upon her. As they lay there, coming down from their euphoric high, Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated. Tapping into her empathic ability, she could feel Harry's regret and confusion and she ended the connection immediately. Taking deep breaths to stay the tears that threatened, she felt his weight lifted off of her and she opened her eyes to see where he had gone.

He had moved to the other side of the bed and was up, gathering his clothes from where they had tossed them. Pulling on his boxers, he turned his back to her as he put on his jeans and said, "We shouldn't have done that."

His words struck like a physical blow, and the tears she had successfully stopped now flowed freely down her cheeks. Bowing her head, her hair formed a curtain to obscure her face and her tears, and she stayed silent. Even if she had known what to say at that moment, she didn't think she'd be able to voice it.

"I have to go," he said from beside her, standing stiffly. She didn't say anything in return, and he bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. Seeing her tears, the remorse he had been feeling disappeared and he sat down next to her. Cupping her cheek, he used his thumb to wipe the tears away and quietly said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I-I didn't think before I said that before. I didn't mean to hurt you like this."

She sniffled and raised her eyes to meet his, warmth spreading throughout her chest as she saw the concerned look he wore. When he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him tightly, she relaxed into his embrace and hugged him back. When he pulled away she reluctantly let go and watched as he stood up again. When he started walking toward the door, she got up and quickly redressed. Following him to the door, she heard the lock disengage as Harry cancelled the spell and wished that he would stay with her just a while more. They had so much to talk about, things to work out, but she didn't want to push him and make things worse.

"I don't think it would be wise to stay any longer than I already have," he said, with his back still to her.

Surprised, she grabbed onto his shoulder and spun him so that he was now looking at her. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"I don't know," he replied solemnly. "I've been...that is, there've been a few things that've happened that I can't explain. But that's nothing new for me so I've just gone along with them."

She couldn't believe how easily he brushed off this new revelation and said, "Harry, you need to tell Remus, or Sorcha, or even Jakob. He could help you."

"Jakob?" he scoffed. "That's okay, I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, thanks."

"But-"

"I'll hopefully see you soon, Hermione," he said, interrupting her. He leaned down and kissed her softly, a whisper of a kiss really, and turning, made his way out of her room. She watched as he made his way to the stairs, wanting so badly to call out to him or find some other way to make him come back. But she knew, feeling what he felt after they had made love, that he wouldn't come back. He needed more time, and she just hoped that whenever Sorcha let her go back to Grimmauld Place with him would be long enough.

~A/N2> I hope you liked it. Had some smut, but I really wanted to show how hurt Harry was without making him a wimp about it. The next chapter will be posted on Saturday :)

~A/N> I know that I said that I would update on Saturday, but I've decided to post this chapter today and then chapter 4 will be posted Saturday instead. In this chapter, Sorcha is simply...well, Sorcha. I will be writing about her life in this story, and more about her will be learnt (like why she's the way she is) starting in chapter 5. There's no Harry in this chapter (just mention of him), but there will be more H/Hr fluff in the next chapter. The heavy angst is over for now, and won't be back for quite a while. Big hugs to Lisa for always being there for me when I need her, and to all of you that have been reading and reviewing. The response has been fantastic :)

Two months later...

"C'mon Granger, move it! Let's go!" Sorcha ordered as Hermione ran from one side of the enormous ballroom to the other. She was tired, she was angry, and she had a stitch in her side that hurt like hell.

"I need to stop," she panted, coming to a halt next to her trainer.

"Like hell you do," Sorcha retorted, glaring at her. "Look at you. You're out of breath, and you've been training for five months. You should be in excellent shape by now."

"I am in shape," Hermione replied, her anger rising. "I'm just not feeling well today, that's all."

"D'you think that Damien will be easy on you the next time he attacks if he sees you're sick?" the woman replied. "Now keep running."

Cursing the evil Guardian trainer under her breath, Hermione resumed her running as ordered.

As Sorcha stood watching her, Jakob walked up behind her and said, "I told you that you shouldn't have trained outside last week. You've gotten her sick."

"She'll live," Sorcha replied. "It'll toughen her up some, maybe."

"Being tough isn't something one should strive to achieve," Jakob stated. "Toughness comes from the trials we have to face in life, it isn't forced upon us."

"You always were too philosophical for me," Sorcha said, smiling at him.

"As I recall, you didn't always find it annoying."

His comment garnered the reaction he was looking for, and he smiled back at her as her cheeks turned a bright pink. "I'm going to go start dinner."

Just as she was about to make a smart remark, Sorcha turned quickly as she heard Hermione retching. Closing her eyes in disgust as the girl got sick, she looked back to Jakob and said, "This is your department, not mine. Help her clean herself up and then send her to bed, would you?"

"Always the concerned one, aren't you?" he asked, but this time there was no amusement in his voice, just a hint of frustration.

Trying not to show how much his remark stung, Sorcha continued walking out of the room, not once looking back.

Sighing loudly, Jakob walked over to where Hermione stood bent over and with a wave of his hand the mess on the floor vanished. Reaching out, he lightly placed his hand upon her back and asked, "Are you okay?" When she looked up at him he could see the sheen of sweat upon her face, her very pale face, and the dark circles under her eyes concerned him. "Haven't you been sleeping?"

"No," she replied softly. Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath while standing upright and said, "I've been having nightmares and I haven't heard from Harry since my birthday. I just can't seem to turn my thoughts off once I lay down at night."

"Well, let's get you up to bed, and I'll get a sleeping drought for you," he said, rubbing his hand up and down her back soothingly.

"Thank you for taking care of me," she said quietly. "You're the only one that seems to give any thought to my well being anymore."

"Now I know that's not true," Jakob said, trying not to show that he felt a bit sorry for her. "I saw the way Harry acted when he was here, and it's obvious he cares for you."

"Then why hasn't he written?" she asked, her voice wavering.

When he saw the tears shining in her eyes he moved his hand up to her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're sick, and you need some rest. Let's get you upstairs so that you can get comfortable and enjoy the rest of the day by yourself."

"By myself," she repeated, hating how lonely it made her feel all of a sudden.

~*~

After sleeping the rest of the afternoon and night, Hermione woke the next morning feeling better than she had in a long time. Stretching lazily, she got up and dressed for the day. Heading downstairs, she walked into the kitchen to see Jakob at the stove, cooking their breakfast.

"Good morning," he said, smiling at her as she sat at the kitchen table.

"Morning," she replied, returning his smile.

"So are you feeling better today?" he asked, his attention on the food sizzling in the pan.

"I feel better than I have in a long time," she replied. "I actually feel like I want to train today, instead of forcing myself to do it."

"Sorry to disappoint you kiddo, but you and I are going into town today."

"We are?" she asked, surprised. "I haven't left this house in five months, why do I get to leave now?"

"Because I told Sorcha that you needed a break," he answered, turning and placing food on the plate in front of her. As she dug into it hungrily, he sat across from her and said, "She and I had a long talk about you last night, and I told her in no uncertain terms that you were going to take the next two days off. You shouldn't be training on weekends anyway. You need some time to relax, do things that you want to do."

"Let me guess, she argued that the fate of the world was my responsibility?"

"Using almost those exact words."

Sighing, she finished eating and stood up. "Well, if I get to leave this house today, I'm going to go fix my hair and maybe make myself look presentable."

"You look fine as you are right now," he stated, smiling as she blushed. "But I know that girls like to feel pretty, so if that's what you want, go ahead. We'll leave in one hour."

Smiling back at him, she said, "Okay," and left the room, feeling her spirits finally lift a bit at the possibility of some retail therapy. Her mum had always said it was the best way to destress.

One hour later, she came downstairs and met Jakob in the entry hall. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"All set," she replied happily. The cabin fever she had been feeling had become almost suffocating, and she could not wait to leave.

As they sat in the car, Jakob manuevering the snow covered street with expert ease, Hermione's mind wandered once again to Harry. Wondering what he was doing, she was surprised when Jakob announced they had arrived. She had thought the drive would be longer.

As they both got out and walked up to the store in whose lot they had just parked, he turned to her and said, "I need to go in here and stock up on groceries. I'll tell you what, if you promise not to tell Sorcha, you can 'sneak' away from me over to the bookstore that's two doors down."

The thought of immersing herself within numerous tomes of unimaginable knowledge brought the light back to her eyes, and Jakob smiled as he noticed. "How do you know my love of books?"

"Sorcha told me," he replied. "Which is a hobby that she can not seem to grasp, by the way. She said that she sometimes thinks it would just be best to make you read books to learn everything to do with Guardian history."

"That would actually be preferable," she said happily. "But since I know it'll never happen, I'll just 'sneak' off now."

"Here, let me give you some money..."

"I'm good," she interrupted. "My parents left me more than enough money to tide me over for years to come." Lowering her voice she added, "As long as they take muggle money I'll be fine. I have a few galleons on me, but that's about it."

"A few shopkeepers are like us, but most are muggles," he confirmed.

"Then I'm all set."

"Meet me back here in one hour, okay?"

"Okay."

Watching him walk into the store, Hermione's smile widened as she started to walk down the sidewalk to the shop he had indicated. Going inside, she breathed in deep and realized just how much she had missed the musty, bookish smell she always associated to libraries and bookshops.

"Can I help you?"

Turning her gaze to the older woman that stood behind the counter, she couldn't help but notice the strange clothes she wore, all but announcing to Hermione that she was most likely a witch as well. Smiling, she replied, "No, thank you. I'm just here to browse."

As the woman smiled back at her, Hermione started as she suddenly noticed that a shadow seemed to pass over the woman's face. Looking at the window behind her, she noted that there was no sun in the sky, only clouds heavy with more snow, so what had caused the shadow?

Berating herself for trying to find trouble where there was none, she turned and walked deep into the labrynth of bookcases arranged throughout the store. Starting in non-fiction, she perused the many titles and authors and eventually found herself in the fiction section. Reading over so many familiar author names, she stopped as one caught her eye- Mary Madeline Duvall.

Gasping as she recognized her far distant relative's name, she snatched the book from its' resting place and quickly thumbed through it, disbelieving what she was reading. It was a story about The Guardians, powerfully magical Guides that were assigned to humans that needed their protection from the evil Shadow Demons. Knowing that she had to have it, she walked up to where the woman still stood behind the register and placed the book down in front of her.

"Oh, what a fantastic choice," she replied after reading the title. As she punched in the price of the book, and without looking directly at Hermione, the old crone whispered, "They know you're here."

Alarmed, Hermione's gaze darted to her wrinkled, pale face and asked, "What?!"

"They smell your fear."

Becoming frightened by the hag's rantings, she quickly dropped the money onto the counter and picked up the book, dashing out of the book shop as quickly as she could. Once outside, she immediately turned to go back to the store that Jakob had entered, but before she could get there she saw movement out of the corner of her right eye. Gripping the book in her left hand tightly, she withdrew her wand and turned, her movement fluid and sure, and her eyes widened as she saw a Shadock moving down the sidewalk across the street from her. Like fog rolling off of the ocean, the demon seemed to move in much the same fashion, and obviously hadn't noticed her presence yet as it continued on it's way.

Lowering her wand for fear that someone might notice, she kept it tightly gripped in her hand at her side. Trying not to draw the Shadock's attention her way, she continued toward the grocery store in which Jakob shopped, praying that she'd make it without seeing anything else.

"You will not escape me."

Turning frantically to her right, Hermione's eyes darted here and there, trying to find the source of the voice that seemed to be whispering in her ear.

"I'll hunt you down one day."

Now she turned to her left, jumping as she was confronted by her own reflection, mirrored in the shops window behind her. Turning in a full circle, she could see no more signs of Shadocks or even a glimpse of Damien himself, and exhaling a shaky breath she turned and ran the rest of the way to the grocery. She had to warn Jakob.

Just as she got to the door of the grocery, Jakob came out at a dead run. As Hermione stopped as quickly as she could so as not to run straight into him, she opened her mouth to tell him about the Shadocks but he cut her off and said, "We have to go... now."

"But..."

"Hermione, they're here for you," he said, not letting her finish.

"You can see them?"

"Now's not the time for fucking questions!" he yelled, grabbing her arm so tightly that it hurt. But before they could go anywhere three Shadocks appeared and suddenly encircled them.

Before she could think about what she was doing, she shielded Jakob, and concentrating on the palm of her hand she conjured up a glowing white ball of magical energy. Throwing it in the direction of the Shadock closest to her, she quickly fired off two more and then removed the shield from Jakob. Grabbing his hand, she said, "I'll bring you back later to get the car," and apparated them out of there.

~*~

Apparating to the gates of Empyrean, Hermione let go of Jakob and looked around them slowly, praying that there wouldn't be any evil entities waiting to attack them there, too. Finding that they were safe, for the moment, she started to run up the long driveway as fast as she could, Jakob right behind her. The snow had started to fall while they had still been in town, and now it was sleet driven by strong winds, and it stung as it hit her face.

Reaching the front door, Hermione quickly took off her jacket and trainers, making her way quickly over to one of the fireplaces in the sitting room. As the heat replaced the cold that seemed to settle into her bones, she noticed that Jakob had made his way into the study where Sorcha liked to spend her time. When the two of them came out, the looks of seriousness on their faces made her suddenly feel more uneasy than she had already been feeling. When neither of them said anything right away she waited patiently, wondering what exactly was going on. Finally, she remembered what had happened in town, looked at Jakob and asked, "You saw the Shadocks, didn't you?"

Sorcha opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything Jakob replied, "Yes, I did."

"But, how?" she asked.

"Unbeknownst to Damien, I am the only living male Soul Guardian."

Hermione was shocked. "I knew you had abilities, but I never knew..."

"You weren't supposed to know," Sorcha cut in. "The more people that know, the more risk of Jakob being found out by Damien, putting him in more danger."

"So all the other times that you've gone into town, did you see the Shadocks around?"

"No, today was the first time I've seen them. What about you? Where did you see them first?"

"In the book shop," she replied, realizing her mistake too late.

"You let her go to the book shop?" Sorcha asked, her voice rising in anger as she glared at Jakob.

"Yes, I did," he answered calmly. "Hermione can take care of herself. She certainly proved that today."

"How?"

"When we were surrounded she shielded me and then took care of three of them on her own."

The older pair looked to her then and she said, "I just acted on instinct, the way you've both been teaching me to."

"It's about time your lessons paid off," Sorcha quipped. "And what exactly happened in the book shop?"

She met Sorcha's gaze and replied, "There was an old lady at the register when I walked in, and she seemed harmless enough. But when I went to check out..."

When she stayed quiet, Jakob walked over to the sofa she was sitting on and sat next to her. "What happened, Hermione?"

"She said...well, she said, 'They know your here' and 'They smell your fear'. "And there was something else," Hermione said quietly. When she was met with silence she continued, "When I was making my way back to the grocery store, I heard voices."

"Voices?" Sorcha asked, a tinge of worry to her words.

"It was like a whisper in my ear. It said, 'You will not escape me,' and 'I will hunt you down one day'. I didn't recognize the voice, but it was the exact same words that I heard during a nightmare I had on the train ride here five months ago."

"You don't think it could be Damien, do you?" Jakob asked, looking from Hermione to Sorcha.

"I have no idea," Sorcha answered. "But it doesn't bode well for us."

~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.

~A/N> Thank you so much for the reviews, and the feedback. The response has been fantastic :) Big thanks to Lisa, as usual, for being the unstoppable force that keeps encouraging me to write. hugs

Three weeks later...

---

I'm going to find you,
I'll make you pay.
He won't live long
with you out of the way.

Your life means nothing
his love is not true.
The darkness is coming
and I will kill you.

---

Hermione sat up quickly in her bed, covered in sweat as she recovered from the nightmare. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, steadying her nerves a bit.

'I'm so tired of the damn riddles,' she thought, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Standing up, she made her way into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Going back to her room, she went to the wardrobe and chose another nightgown. After changing, she didn't feel like going back to bed, even though her clock read 2:30 in the morning. Deciding to go downstairs for a little while, she pulled on her dressing gown and made her way down the stairs, surprised when she saw light coming from the drawing room.

Walking into the room, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but when she passed by the sofa closest to her she was surprised to see Sorcha sitting slumped down on it. Taking note of a glass full of amber liquid clutched in her trainer's hand, she sat in the sofa opposite her and asked quietly, "Sorcha, are you okay?"

She didn't move for a moment, and Hermione thought maybe she was sleeping. But then her eyes opened, red rimmed and bloodshot, and looked in Hermione's direction. "Wut'choo want?" she asked, her words slightly slurred.

"You're drunk."

"Not drunk," Sorcha replied, pushing herself up into more of a sitting position. "Just trying to forget the past."

"But why would you do that?"

"Because it hurts so damn much."

Hermione stared at her for a few moments, noting how much older Sorcha looked when her face was bathed by the flames from the fireplace. Quietly, hoping not to stir her anger, she said, "That's no reason to forget."

"How would you know?"

"What?"

"How would you know?" Sorcha repeated, focusing in on Hermione, looking suddenly sober. "You've lost your parents, and I know how much that can hurt, but what else have you lost?" When she didn't answer, Sorcha answered for her. "Nothing. You've not suffered the devastating loss of watching the man you love die because of your mistakes. You haven't had to bury him, wanting only to mourn him while everyone else is blaming you for his death. You haven't lost your unborn baby because, after being unable to protect its' father, you couldn't protect him or her either."

Hermione stared sadly at Sorcha as she broke down in tears, and wanted so badly to comfort her. Moving over to sit next to her, Hermione gently lay a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"No, you didn't," Sorcha replied, but made no move to push Hermione away. "No one does. Steven died seven years ago tonight. I lost the baby a week later, but nobody knew."

They sat silently for a while after that. Hermione moved her arm so that it was around Sorcha's shoulder, and to her surprise Sorcha leaned toward her to rest her head on Hermione's shoulder. They stayed that way for some time, until Sorcha was the one to break the silence. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For treating you so horribly. I was a bloody bitch to you, and you stood up to me and took it. You're a better Guardian than I ever was."

"The way that you train me...was that how you were trained?"

"Don't I wish," Sorcha replied. "My trainer was a Guardian that had switched sides without anyone knowing. Damien had gotten to her, and the things she did to me in our training sessions...let's just say I was lucky to survive."

"Who..."

"I think that's enough for tonight," Jakob interrupted, while walking up to them.

"Oh, Jake. What am I going to do?"

Sorcha collapsed into tears once again, this time sobbing uncontrollably as Hermione tried to comfort her while looking worriedly at Jakob. Meeting her confused stare he said, "Why don't you go back upstairs and try to get some sleep? I'll take care of her now."

Nodding mutely, she watched as Jakob sat next to Sorcha, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder as she turned to him, burying her face in his chest. Wondering what exactly was going on with Sorcha, Hermione went back upstairs to her room, pretty sure she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night.

~*~

"I'm coming for you, Harry."

"No," Harry said, unknowingly tossing from side to side in his bed.

"I'm going to kill her, and then I'll kill you."

"No! Stay away!"

"The itsy-bitsy Guardian went down to hell one day..."

Sitting up suddenly in his bed, Harry flung the covers off of himself and ran to the loo, quickly emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. Walking up to the sink, he looked into the mirror and saw his face reflected, dark circles standing out underneath his eyes. Sighing tiredly, he splashed cold water onto his face and rinsed out his mouth. Shuffling back to his room, he changed out of his sweat soaked pajamas and knowing he'd sleep no more that night, sat down at his desk to write to Hermione.

~*~

The next morning, Hermione woke up to the sound of tapping on her bedroom window. Getting up slowly and shuffling over to open it, she was pleasantly surprised as Harry's owl, Hedwig, flew in and perched on the edge of the bed.

Harry had started writing the day after he had experienced the nightmare in which she had died, and they had been writing back and forth ever since. He would write of his training and experiences with Ron and Luna while she would tell him of all the training she was going through. She had even written about her and Jakob's run in with the Shadocks when they had been in town. Harry had expressed his concern, and she had told him that as far as she knew they were not planning on going back.

Now, this morning, she gently removed the note from the owl's leg and fed her a few treats in thanks. Unrolling the parchment, she read through everything Harry had written, and unsettled by what she read, grabbed her dressing gown. Clutching the letter in her hand, she rushed downstairs to the kitchen where she knew she would find Jakob. Greeted by the smell of eggs, sausage, and various other breakfast foods she walked over to where he stood in front of the stove cooking and held the roll of parchment out to him. "What's this?" he asked, taking it from her.

Reading it over, his expression changed from relaxed to one of concern and when he finished he looked at her and remarked, "This isn't good."

Pushing away the sudden pang of fear that she felt, she said, "I had another dream last night too, about Damien. He was singing another one of those damn riddle songs."

"What were the words this time?"

Reciting it word for word, she stopped and asked, "What does this mean?"

"It means that Damien is trying to get to you whatever way he can, even if it means using Harry to do it. I just don't understand how the two of them could be connected at all."

"I think I do," she replied. "When Harry was held prisoner down in that dungeon on New Year's day, both Voldemort and Damien were there. When Voldemort fired the killing curse at Harry, Damien entered Harry's body. He took it over so that he could direct the curse out of his body, basically killing Harry and Voldemort at the same time."

"That could definitely do it," Jakob agreed, turning back to the food. Making up two plates for them, they sat at the table so they could eat and continue the conversation. "Anytime an entity enters into a body, it leaves its' mark on the person's soul. If that person survives the experience, then they walk around with a part of that entity inside of them for the rest of their life."

"So a part of Damien...attached itself to Harry's soul?"

"I believe so," Jakob answered. "That would establish an automatic connection to Harry, and give Damien access into his subconscious mind."

"And what about Soul restoration spells?" she asked.

"Well, there's no bodily possession involved, but it works much in the same way."

"Oh."

When she suddenly got quiet, he looked at her pointedly and asked, "Why? Have you performed a Soul restoration spell on someone?"

Unable to meet his penatrating gaze, she replied, "Two someones, actually."

"Hermione!"

"I didn't know!" she replied fervently. "The first one was out of sheer panic, and the second one was supposed to be more of a...sacrifice."

He just stared intently at her for a while, his silence making her uneasy. Finally, he quietly asked, "You performed a Soul restoration spell on Harry in that dungeon, didn't you?"

She hadn't told anyone about performing that spell on Harry, and sighing she admitted, "Yes, I did. I was prepared to give up my life so that he could live. And I died as well."

When she didn't explain further he asked, "How is it you're still alive then?"

"Do you know of Elysian?" she asked.

"My mother used to tell me stories about it, but I didn't think it was a real place."

"It's real, I've been there a few times now, and one of those times was when I died. To make a really long story short, I was given another chance at life...they granted me resurrection."

"That's unheard of."

"I gathered as much by how my mother and Lily Potter, Harry's mother, reacted while I was there. Micah, my Guardian Angel, was there when I arrived. He explained that the Seraphs believed that for future events to unfold, I had to return to Earth. And here I am."

After digesting everything she had said, he asked, "Did Sorcha know all of this?"

"Most of it," she admitted slowly.

"Back to Harry for a moment," he said, switching gears. "So as of right now, he's walking around with not only a piece of Damien inside of him, but a piece of you as well?"

"And a small bit of Voldemort, too."

"Oh, of course, how could I forget him?" Jakob asked, sarcasm lacing every word. "What a mess, Hermione. I don't know how Harry's stayed sane for all this time, having had two evil spirits and one spirit of light leave a mark on his soul."

"So what do we do now?" she asked, concerned for Harry's safety more than ever. "Do we fill Sorcha in on everything."

"Sorcha's not here," he replied, not looking at her as he got up and cleared the table of their dishes. "She left early this morning, and I don't know when she'll be back."

"But my training..."

"Will be done by just me from now on."

"Oh, okay," she said, shocked that Sorcha had just left like that.

As she turned to leave the kitchen, Jakob said, "Hey, Hermione, who was the second person you performed that spell on?"

"Luna Lovegood," she replied, wondering if she should warn both Harry and Luna about the mess she'd made by saving their lives.

~*~

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve, Hermione lay tossing and turning in her bed while she slept, her mind assaulted with images of her parents being killed, Harry falling dead in the dungeon, and many other people dying that she had never seen before. "No..." she mumbled, still deep in sleep. "No more..."

Just as an image of her childhood home burning filled her subconscious, the form of Lily Potter appeared, and with a wave of her hand the images were gone. "You have to wake up, Hermione. You have to get up and warn Jakob...Damien knows where you are. He's coming for you both."

Waking instantly, Hermione sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, only to stop cold. There, seeming to float in front of her, was Lily. "I just dreamt of you..."

"It wasn't a dream," an intangible Lily stated. "It was a warning, you have to leave right now."

Standing up, Hermione moved to go to her wardrobe so that she could get clothes to change into and swayed unsteadily on her feet. Her stomach churning and her head pounding, she stumbled the rest of the way and quickly changed into jeans, jumper, and her trainers. As she dressed, she realized her whole body ached, and she cursed her immune system as she realized she probably had the flu. With Lily still urging her to move quickly, she swore to herself as she pushed her sick and traitorous body out of the room and down the hallway to Jakob's room. Pounding loudly on the door she called, "Jakob, we have to go. Damien knows we're here and he's coming for us." Continuing to pound, a small amount of relief joined the fear she was feeling when she heard him call out that he was coming, audibly stumbling around just before he finally opened the door.

"How do you know that Damien's coming?" he asked, immediately wide awake when he saw how scared she looked, and how pale she was.

"Lily Potter told me," she replied, her impatience growing. "She appeared to me, to give me the warning. We need to go right now!"

Noting the fear in her eyes and waver of her voice, he said, "I'll go get dressed and be right out." He closed the door and quickly started to gather his clothes, his heart beating hard in his chest as he thought of the evil that was coming for them.

While she waited, she stood leaning against the wall opposite his door, praying that he would hurry. When he rushed out of his room, he looked at her appearance more closely and asked, "Are you alright? You don't look well."

"I think I've got the flu, at a really inopportune time," she answered, grabbing his arm to pull him impatiently down the hallway. "But I can't dwell on that now, we have to get out of here."

As they made their way to the staircase, intent on getting downstairs so that they could emergency floo out of there, Damien appeared behind them and said, "Not leaving on my account, I hope?"

Panic washed over her as she turned and came face-to-face with Damien, realizing he was just mere steps away. "Run!" Jakob shouted, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her down the stairs behind him. She wanted to scream for him to stop, that there was no way to out-run the Shadock, but when her gaze traveled back to where he had been, he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" she asked, trying to pull her hand out of Jakob's iron grasp. Just as the question left her lips, Damien appeared on the step ahead of them, and Jakob stopped suddenly. Before either of them could react, a jet black curse hit Jakob in the chest, knocking him backwards so that he hit six steps up from where he had stood. Unable to gain his footing, he tumbled down two or three more stairs, coming to a stop on the step just behind Hermione.

"You can't escape me," Damien taunted, his laughter seeming to echo off of the walls around them.

Knowing that they had to get out of that house, Hermione conjured a white orb in her hand just as she had done months ago in town, and poured forth all of her magical energy while doing so. Drained from the exertion, she threw the blinding white sphere toward Damien, and when it hit him square in the chest his shout of anger was enough to shake the house on it's foundation.

Consumed by her pure magic, Damien disappeared in a blinding white flash of light. Panting hard after expending so much of her magic, Hermione turned to where Jakob still lay and said, "We have to go, right now. Can you walk?"

"I think so," he replied, standing up slowly.

Taking his hand, she tried to ignore her aching muscles and joints as she led him downstairs, her head spinning the entire way. Grabbing some floo powder, she threw it in hurriedly and without a second thought pulled Jakob in with her, knowing that neither of them could risk being in that house for another moment.

~A/N> Sorry this is a couple days late. I live in Southern California where all the fires were, and it got close enough that my family and I almost had to evacuate. Needless to say, things have been really stressful lately. Just to let you all know, this is the last pre-written chapter of The Guardian 2, so I don't know when I'll be posting the next chapter. I'm going to try to have it done by the weekend, but I'm not promising anything. Big thanks to everyone that has read/reviewed so far, and HUGS to Lisa for being a fantastic friend and inspiration. I am so lucky to have readers and friends like you :) I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The floo ride did nothing but make Hermione's body hurt more, and her stomach turn uneasily. Holding onto Jakob for dear life, she prayed that they would get to Grimmauld Place soon. Her lightheadedness was worsening as well, making her fight to stay conscious as they slowed, nearing their destination.

Unceremoniously tumbling out of the fireplace, they landed in a heap on the floor. Opening her eyes, her stomach lurched while the room spun above her, and giving into the darkness pressing down upon her, she fainted.

"What the hell was that noise?" someone shouted from upstairs as Jakob carefully stood up, taking in his surroundings.

"We made it," he said, looking down to where Hermione still lay on the floor. Seeing that her eyes were closed, Jakob bent down and shook her slightly, trying to rouse her. Starting to panic, he checked her for any injuries she could've sustained without him knowing, and found none. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he said, "Hermione? C'mon, wake up for me kiddo."

Harry, followed by everyone else that was in the house, hurriedly made his way to the top of the stairs. Looking down upon the scene below, he could only see two figures near the floor and he drew his wand, holding his hand up to stop everyone else from coming any closer. Descending the steps slowly, making no noise whatsoever, he made his way toward the fireplace where the strange figures remained.

As he got closer he caught a snippet of something one of them was saying, and hearing Hermione's name mentioned he immediately cast a spell to light all the candles in the room. Able to see everything clearly now, his eyes fell upon Hermione's prone form on the floor with Jakob kneeling next to her. Seeing Jakob touching her face made Harry feel something he hadn't felt for a very long time, and loathe to put a name to it, he pushed the feeling away and approached them.

"You need to wake up, Hermione," Jakob was saying, and anything Harry had been feeling before instantly vanished when he realized that she wasn't moving.

Kneeling down next to her, opposite Jakob, Harry looked from her pale face to Jakob's worried one and asked, "What happened?"

Moving so that he was no longer touching her, Jakob replied, "Damien found us."

The concern he was feeling was now joined by fear. "Was she hit by a curse?"

"I don't think so," Jakob replied, looking up to meet Harry's eyes. "She was conscious when she got me into the floo. She saved me tonight."

Harry could hear the pride in Jakob's voice as he said it, and all the jealousy and insecurities he had felt during their separation resurfaced, unbidden, warring with the fear and concern. Looking back down to Hermione, he noticed that her eyelids were fluttering. Hoping that it meant she was waking up, he placed his hand gently on her forehead and whispered, "Hermione?"

"Jakob?" she mumbled, and Harry closed his eyes as that one word caused his chest to tighten. Fighting back his hurt pride, cursing himself for being a jealous prat at an inappropriate time, he said, "No, it's Harry."

She opened her eyes then, and seeing Harry next to her she said, "I'm so glad you're okay." Trying to sit up, she was glad when Harry and Jakob put their hands on her back to help her because she had no strength left at all. Missing the look of contempt that Harry darted Jakob's way, she drew in a deep breath and releasing it slowly she said, "If your mother hadn't warned me that Damien was coming, Jakob and I would probably be dead."

"My mum warned you?" Harry asked, surprised.

"If she hadn't, we would have never known Damien was there," Jakob added. "I don't know how he got past all the wards and Guardian protections, or why the trespasser wards didn't alert us..."

Looking around quickly, Harry asked, "Where's Sorcha?"

"She left," Hermione answered.

"She had to go away for a while," Jakob replied, shooting an annoyed look Hermione's way. "She has a few things she needs to work through before she can concentrate on training Hermione."

"Then what's Hermione supposed to do for her training now?" Harry asked, annoyed. "You two keep Hermione sequestered in that huge house all alone with the pretense that she has top secret, all-important training to go through, and then Sorcha just leaves?"

"It doesn't concern you, Harry," Jakob said, authority ringing in his voice.

"Like hell it doesn't," Harry countered, "She's my Guardian, she's...more than that..."

"Well, I've taken over as her trainer now, so you won't have to worry that your Guardian can't keep you safe."

While Harry and Jakob angrily stared at each other in a battle of male pride, Hermione sighed and tried to stand up. Moving faster than her body liked, she gasped as a wave of pain washed over her, her muscles burning with the slight exertion. Grateful when Harry quickly stood and wrapped an arm around her waist, she leaned against him and said, "I'm really tired, and I just want to go lay down now."

"I'll help you up to your room," Harry offered, before Jakob could get a word in edgewise. As he started to walk upstairs with her, his arm still wrapped protectively around her, Harry turned back to Jakob and said, "Feel free to stay in any of the rooms on the third floor. Everyone else sleeps in one of the rooms on the second floor."

Turning his full attention back to Hermione, Harry walked with her the rest of the way up the stairs, glad that she was back with him but still concerned about her. Her steps were awkward, and it seemed as if she didn't have the strength to even hold her head up. At the top of the stairs waited Luna, Ron, Remus, and Tonks, their attention riveted to Hermione as she stumbled on the last step.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Luna asked, looking over her worriedly for any signs of spellfire.

"I'll be fine," Hermione said, tiredness lacing each word. "I think I just have the flu, and with everything that happened tonight, I'm exhausted. I just want to sleep."

As they walked toward her room again after greeting everyone else, Luna leaned in close to Harry and whispered, "Why don't you stay with her, and I'll sleep in your room with Ron?"

"Thanks, Luna," Harry replied gratefully. When she just smiled at him in return, he helped Hermione the short distance to her room and opened the door for her. Letting her walk in by herself, Harry followed closely behind her, noting how she shuffled her feet across the floor. When she sank down onto the side of the bed, barely keeping herself sitting upright, she mumbled, "I forgot, I didn't bring anything with me except my wand. I don't have anything to sleep in except the clothes I have on."

Making his way across the room, Harry went into the wardrobe and rummaged through the clothes. Finding pajamas that belonged to Luna, he held them out to her and asked, "Will these do?"

"Thanks," she replied, accepting them gratefully. When she started to remove her top, Harry felt inclined to turn around so that she could change without him staring at her. Unable to completely resist, he peeked over his shoulder quickly, but had enough time to glimpse her bare chest and stomach. Thinking himself a pervert for wanting her when she was obviously sick and exhausted, he cursed himself and his overactive libido.

Amused by his actions, Hermione pulled the shirt over her head and said, "You can turn around now, Mr. Manners."

Glad to hear a hint of amusement amongst the tiredness in her voice, he turned to smile at her and said, "It's only polite not to stare."

"And it's polite to peek?"

His cheeks reddening at being caught, he walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. When she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around her and said, "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back, I only wish it was under different circumstances."

Glancing at the watch he always wore, Harry saw that it was almost four in the morning and remarked, "It's going to be Christmas Day in less than twenty hours."

"At least I'll be with you," Hermione said, yawning loudly afterwards.

"Under the blankets with you," Harry ordered. "We don't want you sick for Christmas."

Just then, a knock sounded and without waiting for a response, Jakob opened the door. Spotting them sitting on the bed together, Jakob eyed them suspiciously as he asked, "Shouldn't you be returning to your room now, Harry?"

Harry, getting annoyed at the way Jakob kept prying, said, "You know, we are both of age. And it's not as if we haven't..."

"I want him to stay," Hermione interrupted, wondering at Harry's sudden possessiveness while praying that he wouldn't finish his sentence.

"You're his Guardian, you're not supposed to..."

"I want him to stay."

"She wants me to stay," Harry repeated, a smug look on his face.

His eyes narrowing, Jakob stared at Harry for a moment before turning to look at Hermione. Seeing how tired she looked, and the way her eyes seemed to plead with him to just let it go, he sighed in defeat and said, "I'll see you in the morning, Hermione."

Without another word, Jakob made his way into the hallway and allowing himself to think on Harry's behavior, he smiled, convinced more than ever that Harry loved Hermione. Even though Harry liked to push his patience, Jakob knew that he would do anything for Hermione, and right now that was just what she needed. The holidays were meant to be spent with the ones you loved, and with a tired sigh he thought about Sorcha and how much he missed her. Shaking his head to clear the thought of her away, he slowly ascended the stairs to the third floor to find somewhere to sleep, praying that the rest of the night would remain peaceful.

~*~

After falling asleep wrapped in Harry's arms, Hermione woke up three hours later feeling sick. Trying not to wake him in her haste to get to the bathroom, she slid out of his hold and ran from the room, into the loo across the hallway. Making it just in time, she threw up over and over again. Feeling the muscles in her stomach start to cramp, she moaned as her entire body hurt.

She didn't know how long she'd been in there, but after another horrible bought of sickness she jumped when she felt a hand on her back.

"Shhh, it's just me," Harry said quietly, rubbing her back lightly. "Are you okay? I was worried when I woke up and you were gone, and then I heard you in here getting sick."

"It's this damn flu," she said, her voice hoarse. She was exhausted, she hurt all over, and she felt like crying just because she felt so bad. Feeling her stomach turn again, she quickly positioned herself over the toilet and hated that Harry was there to see her this way.

Finally feeling like she could return to bed, she stood up and made her way to the sink, brushing her teeth. After splashing cold water on her face, she turned to grab a towel and stopped as she felt Harry gently drying her face for her. When he finished, she looked at him and whispered, "Thank you," smiling lovingly at him.

"Let's get you back to bed," he replied, taking her hand in his. Letting him lead the way, she followed him back into the bedroom and lay down with him again. As they both lay with their backs to the wall, Harry wrapped his arm around her and held her until she drifted off to sleep once more. Trying not to let his concern for her overwhelm him, he found sleep to be fleeting in the wake of his worry and he sighed, unconsciously tightening his hold on her. After an hour of staring at the back of her head, he finally felt his eyelids become heavy, and he drifted off to sleep as well.

Four hours later he awoke, so warm that he had broken out into a sweat. With his arms still around Hermione, his chest pressed against her back, Harry realized that it was Hermione that was burning up. Sitting up, he moved one of his hands up to her forehead and knew instantly that she was feverish. Trying to rouse her from sleep, he couldn't get her to wake and he immediately panicked. Getting out of bed quickly, he dashed from the room and went downstairs, into the kitchen. Seeing Remus and Tonks sitting at the table he said, "Hermione's really sick. She needs help."

As flashes of worry crossed their features, Remus and Tonks got up and quickly followed Harry back to the bedroom. Tonks went to the bedside and waving her wand over Hermione's body she looked back to Remus and said, "We need Madame Pomfrey, now."

With a nod of his head, Remus silently left the room and went back downstairs to floo the nurse at Hogwarts. Harry, coming up to stand next to Tonks asked, "She's going to be okay, isn't she? She said she just had the flu..."

"Madame Pomfrey will be able to tell us more," Tonks replied, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

Waiting for Remus to return was enough to drive Harry mad. He seemed to take forever, and with each passing minute his worry for Hermione's health grew. She was so pale, the circles under her eyes so dark, and sweat beaded upon her forehead due to the fever.

"Everyone out please so that I can examine Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey ordered, pulling Harry from his thoughts. As Remus and Tonks walked out Harry stood where he was and the nurse affixed him with a stern look as she added, "That means you as well, Mister Potter."

"But..."

"Out, now," she ordered.

Mumbling incoherently under his breath, Harry turned and stalked out of the room, cursing the nurse to hell and back for her stubborness. As the door shut behind him, Harry joined Remus in the hallway, while Tonks made her way back to the kitchen to clean up. As the two of them shared small talk, trying to pass the time, Jakob came down from the third floor. Spotting them instantly he looked at the closed door of Hermione's room and turned his questioning gaze to Remus. "What's going on?"

"Hermione's sick," Harry replied, his temper flaring even more. When Jakob turned to look at him, he said, "She's been up and down all night, and when I woke up this morning she was burning up with a fever."

"I believe I asked Remus," Jakob stated, arching an eyebrow at Harry, stoking his ire even more.

"And I believe I answered your question, seeing as I've been the one with her all night long, caring for her," Harry countered belligerently.

"I need to check on her," Jakob said, moving toward the closed door.

"Madame Pomfrey is in with her right now, examining her," Remus stated. "She asked us to wait out here."

"That's you two," Jakob replied. "I'm her trainer, her health and safety are my responsibility now." And with that he opened the door and walked in.

When the door closed behind Jakob, Harry waited to hear the nurse's stern lecture about privacy, but there was only silence. His patience wore thin thanks to the night's events and lack of sleep, Harry turned angrily to Remus and asked, "Why the hell does he get to be in there when I don't?"

Sighing tiredly, Remus replied, "More than likely for the reasons he gave us, Harry. Just try to be patient, I'm sure it won't take much longer."

Frustrated with the less-than-satisfactory answer, Harry couldn't stay still any longer and he started to pace up and down the corridor. Wishing that Madame Pomfrey would hurry things along a bit faster, he stopped dead in his tracks as the bedroom door opened. When he saw that the nurse's stern expression had been replaced by one of worry, he swallowed nervously and raked a hand through his already unruly hair.

Looking from Remus to Harry, Madame Pomfrey stated, "I've given Miss Granger a potion that will make her feel better soon. It will make her sleep most of the day so that her body will have time to heal. But, there was also something else that I found that troubled me."

When she stayed quiet, Harry asked, "What? What else is wrong with her?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," she replied with an air of authority about her. "Being a nurse, I am forbidden to share any patient's information with anyone but the patient. It is up to her to decide if she will tell you or not."

With his jaw clenched tight and his frustration through the roof, Harry swore under his breath as she turned and walked back into Hermione's room. Looking to Remus he said, "I'm going down to the kitchen to get something to drink, and hopefully calm down."

As he stalked by Remus, the old werewolf watched his rigid, retreating form and couldn't help but smile slightly at how much Harry reminded him of James at that moment.

~A/N> I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long. My only excuse really is life, and my horrendously defective back. I have degenerative disk disease, and sitting for long periods of time is something I can't do very often anymore. I am finally back on track with this story though, so hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, and I just want to say now that even though Harry's behavior may seem a bit...off, there is a reason for it. Which you will find out in later chapters. Thanks as always to poppywillow who always supports my writing and helps me out, even when she's sick. Get better soon hun :)

When Madame Pomfrey had started examining her, Hermione had still been deep asleep, her body ravaged by the fever. When the nurse had practically forced the potion into her, she stirred and opened her heavy-lidded eyes. She tried to move her arms and legs, but they felt as if they weighed a ton.

While awake, the nurse had spoken to her, informing her of her illness, and telling her that the potion would probably make her sleep for the rest of the day. And then she had filled her in on the rest. Right after, Jakob had walked in and Madame Pomfrey had said nothing else about it. Instead, she had gone out into the hallway to update Remus and Harry.Hermione was gobsmacked, unable to fully accept what she had been told, and wondered how in hell she would get by. Closing her eyes tiredly as the potion started to take effect, she barely registered that Madame Pomfrey had come back in before succumbing to the beckoning call of peaceful sleep.

When she woke sometime later, she opened her eyes to see that the room was dark, except for a light that seemed to be coming from behind her. Turning slightly, she saw that Harry was sitting up in bed next to her, using his wand as a light while he read. When he saw her move, he looked up from the book and smiled at her. "About time you woke up, sleepy head."

"What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"It's about ten o'clock at night," he replied after consulting his watch. "You've been asleep for almost twelve hours now."

"Twelve hours?"

"Madame Pomfrey said that you would probably sleep until tomorrow, so I wasn't expecting you to be awake this soon."

Moving slowly, Hermione realized that her body didn't hurt that much anymore, but a dull soreness had settled into her muscles. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she leaned back against the headboard of the bed, mirroring the way Harry was sitting.

When she had settled herself and pulled the covers over her legs, Harry asked, "Are you feeling better?"

The concern that she could see etched into his face, along with the worry she picked up in his voice brought tears to her eyes. Cursing herself for being so teary, she smiled at him wanly and replied, "As well as can be expected, I guess."

Her answer only served to worry him more, and marking his place in the book he held, he put it aside. Extinguishing the light from his wand, he used it to light all the candles in the room, causing it to be cast in what would be considered a romantic glow in any other situation. Reaching up slowly, he cradled her cheek in his hand and asked, "Are you referring to whatever other illness you have?"

Her surprise registered on her face, and she whispered, "Did Madame Pomfrey tell you?"

Confused by her reaction he replied, "She only told us about giving you the potion, and how long you'd be asleep. She only remarked that she had found something else wrong that worried her."

"Something else...wrong..."

"Hermione, what's going on?" he asked, using his hand on her cheek to gently turn her face toward him.

"I-it's just that...well, see I..."

Her voice trailed off, and her sudden inability to finish a sentence really concerned Harry. When she stayed silent, he turned so that he sat facing her and brought his other hand up to cradle her other cheek, brushing his thumbs across the soft skin. Looking directly into her beautiful brown eyes, he said quietly, "Hermione, I love you. You can tell me anything, and I'll stand by you. I hope you know that."

She stared into his solemn green eyes, his words touching her heart and the tears she staved off before now returned. With her teardrops gently slipping from her eyes, down her cheeks to pool around Harry's hands, she replied, "I love you, too. It's just that, I'm afraid that if I say it out loud it'll become all too real. That, if I tell you, you're going to leave even if you say you won't, and I'll have to get through it alone."

The fear in her eyes would have normally caused him to be upset, because that meant that she didn't trust him. That fear, to her, was very real, and he'd been in so many perilous situations where he'd experienced that kind of fear himself. Trying to think of a way to reassure her, he leaned in and kissed her softly, the taste of her salty tears mingling with the sweetness of her lips. Grudgingly pulling away from her, he met her tearful eyes once more and said, "I will do anything to prove to you that I won't leave, just tell me what it is you want me to do."

Her heart melted at the sincerety of his words, and she replied, "You don't have to do anything, Harry. I'm sorry if I came across as doubting you. I'm just afraid, you're all I have left, and I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"You will never lose me," Harry reaffirmed, smiling while his love for her shone in his eyes.

She knew he meant the words, but the smile she gave him didn't reach her eyes and his smile faltered a bit when he noticed. Wrapping his arms around her, hoping to reassure her, he held her tightly. She returned his hug half-heartedly and lay her head on his shoulder, wishing things were different. Wishing she knew what his reaction was going to be after she told him. Pulling away from him just a little bit, she took a deep, calming breath and looked into his eyes. Quietly she said, "I'm pregnant."

He heard the words, he knew what they meant, but for the life of him it didn't register right away. What she said echoed inside his head, and with a look of shock and surprise on his face he repeated, "Y-You're pregnant?"

"That's what Madame Pomfrey said," she confirmed, watching his reaction closely. There was a bit of the expected shock, but he also had a look on his face that she'd never seen before, part awe and part euphoria, and her heart fell as she realized he might be happy about it.

"You're going to have a baby?" he asked, his eyes traveling down to her still-flat stomach.

"We're going to have a baby," she replied quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"We're going to be parents."

"Yes, we are," she replied, a small part of her wishing she could be as excited and happy about it as he seemed to be.

"I'm going to be a dad." The thought seemed to derail whatever thoughts he had been having, and reaching out, he gently placed his hand over her stomach and said, "I don't know how to be somebody's father."

Covering his hand with hers, she finally met his eyes and said, "You're going to be a great father."

They stayed like that, neither of them saying anything, until Harry broke the silence. "So then on your birthday...?"

"On my birthday," she confirmed. "Unexpected birthday present."

A bark of laughter escaped him, and just as quickly he became serious as he said, "You've just given me the best Christmas present ever, and it's not even officially Christmas yet."

"Happy early Christmas," she replied softly.

When the two of them remained quiet, his hand still covering her stomach protectively, he looked into her eyes and asked, "So then why don't you seem happy or excited about it?"

A knot formed in her throat as she noticed the dulled light in his eyes, and swallowing the sob that threatened to escape her she replied, "I want to be excited about it, to be happy, but...Damien..."

The tears escaped her then, the thought of the threat looming over her and their unborn child becoming a very real living nightmare. She couldn't get the coversation she had with Sorcha out of her mind, the way her trainer had lost not only the man she loved, but their unborn baby as well, and if Damien found out that she and Harry were to be parents...

"Hey," Harry said quietly, breaking into her frantic thoughts. "Nothing's going to happen to you, me, or the baby." Even as he was saying it, years of growing up without his parents flashed through his mind, each memory causing an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. When Hermione had first told him, all his thoughts had been of happiness and excitement; now, his thoughts turned to danger, death, and the scary fact that there was a possibility their child could grow up as he had...an orphan.

"You can't say that for certain," she whispered, swiping angrily at the tears that fell from her eyes. "Until I can defeat Damien for good, none of us are guaranteed to be safe. Even an innocent child."

At a loss as to what he should say next, Harry simply drew her to him once again, hoping not only to comfort her, but himself as well.

~*~

As everyone sat around the kitchen table, enjoying a home cooked Christmas meal by Molly Weasley, Jakob kept his eyes glued to Hermione and Harry. Ever since they had come downstairs earlier in the day, Harry had stuck by Hermione's side, never letting her more than five steps away from him, and this new closeness had him nervous. He just wished he could figure out exactly why.

Once dinner was over, they all made their way into the sitting room where a modest Christmas tree had been erected. They proceeded to open the presents, with the exception of Hermione's and Jakob's since they had been left back at Empyrean the night before when they had made their hasty escape. As everyone said their thanks and hugs were given and received, Ginny got up from where she had been sitting on the floor amongst her brothers to make her way to where Harry sat with Hermione on the sofa. Not caring that she seemed to be interrupting a private conversation between them, Ginny smiled at Harry and then turned her gaze to Hermione. "Glad to see you're okay, Hermione," she said sweetly.

"Thanks," Hermione replied, a bit confused at the redhead's sudden niceness.

"I imagine it wasn't too hard being away from Harry though, what with spending all your time with Jakob."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, his obvious jealousy causing Ginny's smile to widen.

"Nothing, really," she replied. "I just know that training wouldn't be half as hard having a trainer as good looking as Jakob." Seeing that she had gotten the reaction from Harry that she wanted, Ginny stood up and said, "I promised mum I'd help her clean up, so I'll talk to the two of you later."

Hermione watched her walk away, a strange feeling that something wasn't right with the youngest Weasley overcoming her. When she moved her gaze from Ginny to Harry she had to stop herself from sighing at the outright look of jealousy he wore as he stared back at her. "What?"

"What do you mean, 'What?'?" he asked. "Do you think Jakob is a good-looking bloke as well?"

"He's my trainer, Harry," she replied, exhasperated. When he just sat quietly staring back at her, she sighed loudly, leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "He's nothing compared to you. It's you I love, you silly man. Don't let Ginny Weasley get into your head like that, it's obvious she was just playing with you."

"I love you, too," he said quietly, silently cursing himself for letting Ginny get to him like this. "I just...I don't know why the hell I'm so jealous of Jakob. The two of you just seem so close sometimes, and I let it get to me. I'm sorry."

"There is no reason to be jealous," she reaffirmed. Dropping her voice to barely a whisper she added, "You're the one I want to be with," before pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

As he wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss, they seperated quickly when someone loudly cleared their throat directly behind them.

"I need to speak to the both of you in the Library," Jakob ordered. "Now."

As the two young adults watched him walk away, Harry turned back to her and asked, "What do you think that's all about, then?"

"I have no idea," she replied, knowing just by Jakob's body language that something had upset him. "But I'm sure we'll know soon enough."

As they stood up to follow Jakob to the Library, Harry took her hand in his and asked, "You don't think he knows about...?", gesturing toward her stomach.

With her hand coming up unconsciously to cover the spot where their child grew inside of her, she answered, "But how would he know? Unless Madame Pomfrey told him?"

"He was in the room with you when she was examining you," Harry said, the anger of not being with her then coming back to him as he remembered. "She might have muttered something to give it away."

"I don't think she'd do that, Harry. She takes her work very seriously."

"I know she does," he said. "But she also knows that Jakob is your trainer now, and he's expected to watch over you."

Walking the rest of the way to the Library in contemplative silence, they walked in to find Jakob pacing back and forth in front of one of the two sofas situated by the fireplace. When he saw them come in he pointed to one of the sofas and said, "Sit."

Hermione's eyes narrowed angrily at him, his tone of voice and orders starting to grate her already raw nerves. Sitting, she asked, "Really, Jakob, what's this temper tantrum all about?"

Turning to pierce her with angry, ice blue eyes, he simply waved his hand towards the door and it slammed shut with a resounding 'bang'. Looking from Hermione to Harry, he asked, "What's going on with the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, as Harry's grip on her hand tightened almost painfully. She knew he was trying to control his temper, she just hoped he wouldn't explode. Having both Jakob and Harry angry would not turn out any other way but bad.

"I mean," he replied, drawing a deep breath, "this closeness between you. I knew you were close before, but I can tell something's changed, and I want to know what it is."

"What business is it of yours what's between Hermione and I?" Harry asked, unable to sit any longer. Standing up, his blazing green eyes met Jakob's blue one's and held. "You show a lot of interest in Hermione for just being her trainer."

Almost snarling now, Jakob took a step closer to the young man and asked, "What are you insinuating, Potter?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Harry replied cooly, his hands fisting at his sides.

When the two of them moved to close the distance between them, Hermione quickly stood up and put a hand on each of their chests, pushing them gently away from each other. Looking from Jakob's angry face to Harry's, she said calmly, "I think that Jakob deserves the truth, Harry. He'll have to know anyway to be able to continue training me."

"What truth?" Jakob asked.

"Continue training?" Harry asked at the same time, his eyes meeting hers. "You don't seriously mean that?"

"I most certainly do," she replied, staring into Harry's troubled eyes. "Now, could we please sit down and discuss this as if we're all adults here?"

"But..."

"Harry, please?"

Receiving two glares for her comment, she sat wearily as the two most important men in her life finally sat as well. Taking a deep breath, she fought down the bubble of fear that seemed to form in the pit of her stomach and said, "Something is different, Jakob, and it could possibly change all of our lives forever."

~A/N2> I apologize to those of you who were hoping Hermione wasn't 'in a family way', and I hope you'll still stick with this story. It is an essential part of the plot for the development of this story.

~A/N> I'm working hard on this story while the inspiration's still there, so here's the next chapter. This one end's with a bit of a cliffy, but I will post the next chapter as soon as it's finished. Thanks for reviewing, and thanks to poppywillow for all her help :)

"You're what?"

Hermione had known that Jakob wouldn't take the news well, but the way he angrily shot off of the sofa once more and started pacing surprised her. She had always known him to be kind and patient. This new angry, impatient man before her was a perfect stranger.

"What the hell were you two thinking?"

As Jakob angrily looked back and forth between them, Harry quirked an eyebrow and replied, "I reckon you know what we were thinking, Jakob. I'm sure you've been there before, and thinking really has no part in it."

"Always the smart ass," Jakob fired back, glaring angrily at Harry now. "I can't believe the two of you, seemingly bright magical teens, didn't use protection!"

"We did," Hermione replied quietly, "Usually. We sort of got caught up in things the last time and forgot."

"Well, it only takes once now, doesn't it?"

Jakob stayed quiet for a bit after that but continued to pace in front of them. Dizzy from watching his back and forth movements, Hermione looked at Harry to find him looking back at her. The small quirk of his lips had her confused, his behavior seeming a bit out of character for him.

As she continued to watch Harry, she startled when Jakob yelled, "Damn it! You two have no idea what you've done!"

Without thinking, her hand shot out to take his and she asked, "Jakob, will you please sit down so we can discuss this calmly?"

Looking down at their joined hands, he took a deep breath and sat heavily back down. Feeling her squeeze his hand gently, he looked up and met her dark, understanding eyes. Feeling a sudden calm come over him, he said quietly, "I'm sorry, Hermione. This can't be easy on you either."

Harry sat next to Hermione, simply watching their interaction with his mouth open and eyes ablaze with jealousy. "Either? What the hell do you mean? This has nothing to do with you, Jakob. This has to do with Hermione and I, and our child."

Never taking his eyes off of Hermione's, Jakob replied, "This is something we're going to have to talk over with the Higher Beings."

When Hermione nodded her head in understanding, Harry was completely lost as he asked, "What the bloody hell is the Higher Beings? Would you please stop excluding me and tell me what the hell you're talking about?"

Finally releasing Hermione's hand, Jakob turned to look at Harry as he replied, "You may be the father of this unborn child, Harry, but his or her importance to all things is bigger than the three of us. Since Hermione is fated to defeat Damien, we have to know how to go about her training so that no harm comes to the child."

Before Harry could react Hermione asked, "So what do we do next?"

"I'll have to contact someone, and we'll go from there."

Harry stared at them for a few silent moments, and when realization struck him, it hit hard. "You're going to shut me out of everything, aren't you? Being the father doesn't mean shit."

"What?" Hermione asked, surprised by his question. When she saw the raw hurt and pain reflected in his eyes she took both of his hands in hers and said, "Of course not, Harry. You're part of this as well, just not the part that deals with the Guardian side of things."

For some reason, he couldn't meet her eyes, and a knot of fear was starting to form in the pit of his stomach. Feeling the anger within him starting to rise again, he quickly stood up and said, "I'll leave you two to talk, I have something to do."

She watched him walk out of the room, and the sight of his retreating back brought tears to her eyes. Looking back to Jakob she said, "There's something going on in this house. Earlier Ginny was acting strange, and then you and Harry are practically trading punches over nonsense."

"There's nothing strange going on," Jakob replied. "I was simply reacting to the way Harry's been acting. Ever since I stepped foot into this house, he's challenged me and my role in your life. I don't appreciate it."

"Still..." Hermione said, watching him closely. Turning to look at the door through which Harry had just left, she said, "I need to find out if something's going on, Jakob, before some unforeseen event happens in this house."

"You'll just have to add it to your list of things to worry about." Standing up, he looked down at her and said, "I need to try to go back to Empyrian and see if I can retrieve our things." When she went to object he interrupted by saying, "I have to go back to make the necessary contact as well."

With worry spreading through her, she gave him a weak smile and said, "Please be careful, okay?"

"I'm always careful," he replied, and turning to leave he added, "I'll let you know the moment I'm back."

Saying goodbye, Hermione watched him leave as well, and wishing that the uneasiness she felt would go away, decided to try to find Harry.

~*~

She found him rather quickly. Finding his room empty, she continued down the hallway, checking each room. Coming to the stairs, she heard a noise in the room to her left and cracked the door open a bit. Peeking inside, she saw Harry standing in front of the window, his fists resting on either side of the frame.

"Harry?" she called quietly, unsure of his mood.

When he turned toward her, she frowned at the expression he wore. Hurt and anger warred with sadness, and it ended up making him look simply miserable. "What d'you want?"

Walking slowly into the room and closing the door behind her, she turned to him and replied, "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Like you care?" Seeing the stung expression on her face, he ran his hand angrily through his already disheveled hair and mumbled, "Ah hell, Hermione, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"I think maybe you did."

His eyes locked onto hers, and the intensity of his stare caused a slight shudder to pass through her. When he started to walk toward her, she found that she was rooted to the spot, entranced by his piercing green eyes. When he stood directly in front of her, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. Bending down, his lips caressed gently over hers, and she was lost. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she returned his kiss, causing him to moan.

Feeling her pressed against the length of his body was heaven, and for the first time in weeks, maybe months, his head felt clear and he felt light. The anger and jealousy that seemed to torment him lately vanished, and in it's place was a light-headedness. When that turned into a sudden headache, he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead on hers.

When she saw him close his eyes tightly while a pained expression crossed his face, she asked, "Harry, are you okay?"

"I just have a headache all of a sudden," he replied quietly. When the pain slipped away and a feeling of calm came over him, he opened his eyes to see Hermione deep in concentration. She had placed her hands on either side of his head, and used her healing ability to make him feel better.

When she opened her eyes again, Harry was staring down at her once more, but now there was no evidence of pain. When he smiled at her, she smiled back and asked, "Now, where were we?"

"Right about here, I believe," he replied, bending down to capture her lips once again.

~*~

One week later, on New Year's Eve night, the only one's occupying Grimmauld Place were Harry, Hermione, and Jakob. Tonks and Remus had left to spend the evening with her mother while Ron and Luna had returned to the Burrow to be with the Weasleys.

Jakob had returned from Empyrean four days before, stating that he had sent a message along to the Higher Beings and now they just had to await an answer. Since then, he'd spent most of his time in his room, but what he was doing no one knew.

Now, taking advantage of the almost empty house, Harry and Hermione sat in front of the fire in the Library. Enjoying the rare moment of relaxation, Hermione sat next to Harry on the sofa, her head resting on his shoulder. As they both watched the flames dance in the fireplace, Hermione sighed and asked, "Do you remember last year at this time?"

He was quiet for a moment, and replied, "Every second of it."

Nothing was said for a while as they sat in contemplative silence, and then Hermione said, "I can't believe it's been a year already."

Harry started absently running his hand over her hair, memories of that night coming to the forefront of his mind. "You had left me, Luna woke up, you came back, Damien attacked you in St. Mungo's, and we made love for the first time."

Sitting up so that she could look at him, she said, "I think back to that night sometimes, and I wonder what would have happened if I had been able to stand up to Damien..."

"Hermione..."

"I know," she said. "Why think on it when I can't change what happened, right? It just comes back to me at times, and I wonder if the events of the next day would've stayed the same...if we would have still died that day..."

Suddenly, from down the hallway they heard Jakob exclaim, "What the hell...?"

Getting up quickly and making their way to the door, they saw Jakob coming toward them with a brown, feathery ball of nerves struggling in his grip. "Who's owl is this?" he asked, holding his hand out so that Harry could get a better look.

"That's Pig, Ron's owl," Harry replied, taking him from Jakob. Gently holding him, he turned to Hermione and asked, "Can you remove the note attached to his leg?"

Struggling to keep the twitchy owl's leg still long enough to remove it, she finally got it off. Unrolling it, she read what the note said while Harry instructed Pig to go to Hedwig's cage to rest up. Turning to Hermione, he immediately saw how pale she'd gotten and asked, "Hermione, what is it? What's the note say?"

Looking up at him, her eyes wide and filled with fear, she replied, "The Burrow's been attacked."

"What?!" both Jakob and Harry asked at the same time.

"The note's from Luna," she answered. "It's vague, but basically she says that they're being attacked by something that no one can see but her."

"Shadocks," Jakob muttered, his eyes locking on Hermione's. "We have to get over there."

As he went to leave the room and Hermione moved to follow him, Harry reached out and took hold of her arm, stopping her. "You're just going to run out of here and go to the Burrow to save the Weasley's?"

"Yes, Harry, I am. I'm a Guardian, they're being attacked by Shadocks, it's my responsibility."

"And what about your responsibility to protect our baby?" he asked.

She stood rooted to the spot, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized she hadn't even given one thought to the baby. "I-I hadn't thought about that," she admitted quietly, staring down at the floor. As shame washed over her she admitted, "I completely forgot..."

Before Harry could comment, Jakob walked up to him and said, "Look, Harry, I know how concerned you are for Hermione and the baby, but I can't do this alone. I need Hermione's help." When he noticed the stubborn set of Harry's jaw he added, "She'll be fine, Harry. You and I will be there to protect her. It's not like pregnant women didn't fight in the war, your mum still fought while she carried you."

At the mention of Lily, Harry's eyes met Jakob's and he could see the worry he felt mirrored in their blue depths. He knew, even if it caused a bit of jealousy in him, that Jakob would do everything in his power to protect Hermione. Trying to push aside the uneasy feeling he had about going, he gave one curt nod of his head and said, "Alright, let's go then. But if anything happens to Hermione, I will hurt you."

As Harry and Hermione walked out of the room, Jakob watched as Hermione reached out to take Harry's hand in hers. As they made their way down the hallway, Jakob mumbled, "I don't doubt that for a second, Potter."

~*~

They made sure to apparate to a place that was just down the road from the Burrow so as not to appear right in the middle of the attack. Quietly making their way toward the Weasley home, the three of them stopped as the tall, leaning house came into view.

"Oh, hell," Jakob muttered.

"We have to go help them," Hermione replied, her voice filled with worry.

Before him, Harry saw only the Burrow as it had looked every other time he had been there. Looking from Jakob to Hermione he asked, "Help them with what? Everything looks fine."

Hermione watched as no less than fifty Shadocks swarmed around the house and replied, "Trust me, Harry. Everything is not fine. There are Shadocks everywhere."

"How many?" he asked, looking around to see if he could glimpse one of the shadowy figures.

"A lot of them," Jakob replied, wondering if he and Hermione would be able to handle it on their own. Before he could say anything else, Hermione was walking ahead of them. She knew what being around these things was like, and she couldn't imagine how she would feel being attacked by something she couldn't see.

As the first Shadock came into her path, she formed an orb of her Guardian magic in her hand and tossed it toward the unsuspecting shadow. When her magic took out not only that Shadock, but two more that were surrounding it, she stopped short. Shaking off her surprise, she continued to cut a path through the swarm to the front door, and pulling out her wand she concentrated on shielding the house. As the golden glow of her magic surrounded the Burrow, she noticed the blue shield that joined it and turning her head slightly, she could see Harry five steps away from her casting his shield on the house as well. Praying that would be enough to keep the remaining Shadocks out of the Weasley abode, she walked up the steps to the front door, uncertain of what she would see on the other side of it.

Walking into the sitting room, Hermione immediately heard noises coming from upstairs, but when she started toward the staircase she suddenly heard a noise in the kitchen as well. As Harry and Jakob joined her in the house, she looked to Jakob and said, "Why don't you check upstairs, and Harry and I will take the kitchen?"

"Right," Jakob agreed, hastily making his way up the rickety staircase.

Taking Harry's hand in hers, her grip tight, she held her wand out in front of her as Harry did the same. Slowly making their way around the slight corner that led into the kitchen, they took two steps into the usually homey-feeling room and stopped. There, magically bound to two chairs, were Ron and Luna. When Luna spotted Hermione, she shook her head vehemently and fought against the invisible restraints that held her.

Before Hermione could react, Luna's body started to contort as her eyes rolled up into her head. When a muffled scream fought it's way through whatever spell had kept her silent, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and made a run for her friend. Just as she was two steps away, Damien appeared directly in front of her, blocking her from helping Luna at all while she continued to suffer.

"Why hello, Guardian. So nice to see you again..."

First off, I want to say how sorry I am for disappearing from the HHR fandom, and abandoning this story. I tried writing it on and off for the past two years now, but I never seemed to get inspired enough to finish it. I know it's not up to my usual standards, and it's not beta'd, but I hope you enjoy it just the same. I do plan to finish this story, but The Light Within will be taken down today. I no longer plan to write that story at all. Thanks to all the readers who reviewed and asked/begged me to keep writing this story. You gave me the inspiration I needed. :)

It had been a trap. They had been set up by Damien...

Hermione felt the air leave her lungs, and had to struggle to draw another breath. How could she have been so stupid, thinking that an attack by Shadocks wouldn't be led by their evil leader? She had gotten careless, stupid, and did not think things through before heading into this battle to save her friends. She had not only put Harry in mortal danger, but herself and Jakob as well. And the baby...

Trying not to think on it, she drew her wand and pointed it directly at Damien. Straining to hide her fear and to keep her voice level she demanded, "Let my friends go. It's me you want, not them."

"Of course I want you, but why just play with one when four's more fun?"

She could see the predatory gleam in his eyes, and when his stare shifted to Harry she felt cold fear trickle down her spine. Moving to stand in front of Harry, thinking only of protecting him, Damien laughed menacingly and said, "Tut, tut, no heroics here, now." And with a simple wave of his hand, she went flying across the kitchen, her right shoulder slamming painfully into the wall. Crumbling to the floor, her breath coming faster, she watched with dread as Damien once again trained all of his attention onto Harry. "Now, for you, my little puppet..."

But Harry wasn't paying any attention to Damien. He had watched her sail across the room, and afraid for her and the baby, had let his focus slip. Her eyes grew wide as she watched a pure black ball of energy sail from Damien's hand straight toward Harry, and she breathlessly yelled, "Harry, watch out!"

Turning back quickly to face Damien once more, he saw the ball of evil magical energy coming straight for him, but before he could put up his shield to protect himself, the orb hit him directly on the chest. With fear clutching her heart, she watched Harry sail through the air backwards, slamming the back of his head into the wall directly behind him.

Standing quickly, her body protesting greatly at the swift movement, she screamed, "Harry!" When he just lay there, looking much like a ragdoll against the wall, her fear, anger, and hatred for Damien welled up deep within her magical core. Letting her feelings grow, she could feel the golden shield of light growing around her, her skin tingling from the amount of magic she was expending. Turning her glare onto her hated foe, she released the energy around her, sending it straight at him.

Damien never knew what hit him. The golden light surrounded him, the pure white magic of it burning the mortal skin he was wearing completely off of his body, leaving him only in his spectral form. With a great cry of rage and defeat, he flew up to the ceiling, disappearing once again into the night.

Breathing heavily from the exertion the spell had taken to perform, Hermione dropped onto her knees tiredly, trying to catch her breath. When she looked up again, she saw that Jakob was there now, checking on Harry as Mrs. Weasley took care of untying Ron and Luna from the chairs they were tied to. Looking once more to Jakob she asked, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly, feeling only a very faint pulse and getting no reaction from Harry whatsoever. "What happened to him?"

"He-" she started to reply, when suddenly she was racked with a great wave of pain through her abdomen. Clutching at her stomach, she cried out in pain and looked at Jakob with naked fear in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, rushing over to kneel on the floor by her side.

"The baby," she whispered, fearing that Mrs. Weasley might hear, as another wave of pain rolled through her.

"We've got to get you to a healer," Jakob said, very gently picking her up off of the floor. Looking to where Mrs. Weasley was now kneeling next to Harry, he asked, "Mrs. Weasley, are you able to take charge of everyone else that's here? I'm afraid I need to get immediate medical attention for Hermione."

"Of course, yes," Mrs. Weasley answered immediately. "Take her straightaway to Grimmauld Place. I'll floo Madame Pomfrey and have her meet you there immediately."

"Thank you," he said, grateful for the Weasley matriarch's ability to think during utter chaos.

Seeming to read the look on his face she stated, "I've birthed and raised seven children. I'm sure I can take care of these three."

Nodding in thanks and appreciation at her once more, he carried Hermione directly to the floo, threw in the powder and stated, "Grimmauld Place."

~*~

"What in the world has happened to her?"

Hearing the familiar voice of Madame Pomfrey from the door directly behind him, he turned and repeated everything that Hermione had told him once he'd gotten her to Grimmauld Place and lain her in her bed as gently as possible. When he mentioned the baby, the nurses eyes grew wide and she asked, "Does anyone else know?"

"Just Harry and I," he replied, thinking of the other injured teen. "Which reminds me, he'll be here shortly and is in great need of your medical tending as well."

"These poor children," she tutted, moving swiftly over to Hermoine's side. Casting the usual diagnostic spells, she quickly looked over her shoulder at Jakob and said, "I suggest you get things ready for Mr. Potter's arrival as well."

"Actually, there may be more injured than just the two," he replied, cringing at the look of malice the nurse turned on him.

"And just how many injured are we speaking of?" she asked, seeming to fight to keep her usual calm demeanor.

"The entire Weasley family, well not Mrs. Weasley, but the rest of the family. Oh, and Luna too," he added, not meeting her hard glare.

"Then you'd best get busy," she stated, turning back to Hermione. "This house is going to get very full, very fast, and I am going to need all the help I can get. I suggest you floo Headmisstress McGonagall and ask that she come to help as well."

"Alright," he acknowledged, running out of the room and down the stairs to where the floo was located. But before he could throw in the floo powder, green flames erupted and someone Jakob had never seen before appeared, carrying Harry as he arrived.

"Where should I put him?" the man asked, looking to Harry worriedly.

"Up the stairs, second door on the right," Jakob replied. As the man started walking away, he asked, "I don't think I caught your name?"

"I'm Fred Weasley," he replied quickly, and then ascended the stairs two at a time up to the room where Hermione lie as well.

"Glad to see another Weasley that's not hurt," Jakob muttered, and then went about summoning the Headmistress of Hogwarts.

~*~

She could no longer feel her body, or all of the aches and pains that had been caused by Damien's attack.

Afraid to move, thinking that any shift may bring that pain back, Hermoine lay perfectly still and opened up her mind. Taking in the noises around her, she could hear the faint murmurs of people talking, and turning her attentions inward, she could hear the very faint, but fast, heartbeat of the baby. 'The baby,' she thought, fighting the urge to move her hand over her abdomen to where she knew it grew, not yet used to the idea that she was to be a mom. If she survived to term, that was.

Suddenly remembering exactly how she came to be injured as a crystal clear picture of Harry suddenly materialized in her mind's eye, she slowly opened her eyes to see exactly who it was that had been so deep in discussion while she'd been so engulfed within herself.

In between her bed and another that was straight across from her, Jakob, Madame Pomfrey, and Headmistress McGonagall were all talking in low voices, each of them throwing uneasy glances at the other bed. Turning her head slowly still, she looked at the occupant of the other bed that they seemed so worried about and felt her heart nearly stop.

"Harry?!" she said, her voice barely a rasp. The three adults, upon hearing her, immediately rushed to her side.

Madame Pomfrey was of course the first to talk. "Try not to exert yourself anymore, dear, you need to rest so that you can heal properly."

"But Harry..."

Here, Jakob came to sit beside her carefully on her bed, and looked at her. She could see the sadness he was trying to hide in his eyes, and she could empathically feel his worry and fear. She just wasn't sure who those feelings were for, her or Harry.

"Hermione," Jakob said, breaking into her inner thoughts, "You're going to be okay, as in, completely okay. You just used more magic than your body was used to, and Madame Pomfrey says if you rest, you'll be perfectly fine." The look he gave her now conveyed that he meant that not just her body, but her and Harry's baby would be fine as well, which she had already known. Still looking at her with his intense blue eyes, he added, "Unfortunately, right this moment, we don't know if Harry is going to heal or not. The dark magic that Damien hit him with was very powerful black magic, and after the history Harry's had with Voldemort invading his mind, well, we don't know if he'll wake or not. And if he does wake...we don't know if he'll be himself, or..."

"Or what?!" she cried out, her lungs protesting at the amount of air she'd used. When Jakob didn't immediately answer, she caught his eyes with hers and asked again, "Or what, Jakob?"

"He might not be himself, ever again, Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey answered instead, so that Jakob didn't have to voice the horrid news. "All we can do now is wait for him to wake, and hope for the best."

A/N- Hi all. I would apologize yet again for so long between updates, but I've been working on my book and it's really doing great. I'm working on The Guardian 2 whenever I mentally block on my original story. So, here's the new chapter, and please remember while reading it that everyone at some time in this story has been OC and there's a reason to my madness. And there's a bit of a cliffy at the end, but again there's a good reason for it. Thanks for reading in advance, and if you have the time please leave a review. I love hearing from my readers, and miss my fellow HHR shippers so much. Happy reading! :)

~*~

Harry Potter woke up in hell.

At least that's what he thought at first. Thinking he was conscious, Harry tried to think back over what had happened to him lately and shivered as a wave of pure cold hit him. Looking around his surroundings more closely, he took in the darkness that enveloped him, the freezing cold waves of air that hit him regularly, and the sunless sky above him. Pulling at his shirt, trying to keep out the cold, Harry called out, "Hullo? Anyone here? Hermione?"

An evil laugh rent the air that chilled Harry's bone to the marrow. "Hermione? You're actually calling for that mudblood to help you?"

The voice was one that Harry knew well, one that froze the Soul and caused his knees to go weak. Swallowing audibly, he called out tentitively, "Tom Riddle? Is that you? I thought Damien killed you."

"That Soul-sucking leech?! Never!" Voldemort repied, laughing maniacally. "You of all people should know that I'm not that easy to get rid of."

"Oh, I know," Harry replied, closing his eyes. Trying to think through a raging headache, he took some deep breaths and asked, "So where are we, Tom? What is this place, some sort of Limbo between life and death?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Voldemort answered. "Or maybe you're just trapped inside yourself, unable to get out. Maybe your mudblood won't be able to save you this time."

Seeing the evil grin spread across Voldemorts' face sent another cold chill through Harry's body, and he turned away from his life-long nemesis. A picture of Hermione flashed through his head, and he tried to supress it. When it came again, only this time Hermione was lying dead on the ground, her eyes wide and unseeing, Harry turned angrily and yelled, "Get the hell out of my head!"

Voldemort just laughed, and turning his back once again Harry yelled, "Hermione!"

~*~

She woke up with Harry's voice resonating through her mind, thinking that she would wake up to find him standing over her, completely fine. When she opened her eyes and saw only Jakob sitting next to her, she sighed, disappointment etched into every crevice on her face. "You can't be that sorry to see me, can you?"

"I'm sorry Jakob, I just thought that I'd wake up and find Harry awake and okay."

"That's why I'm here," he replied, smiling. "You fell asleep in the library, and I found you with a book opened, covering your face. Harry just woke up, and of course he's asking for you."

With joy erupting in her heart, she ran across the hall to Harry's room, excitement coursing through her. When she opened the door and turned toward the bed, she stopped cold.

"Oh, hello Hermione," Ginny said, a small smirk on her face. "Sorry, but when I heard that Harry was awake, I couldn't stop myself from coming to see for myself."

Seeing the evil, gloating look on the other girls face made Hermiones' blood go from pumping wildly with excitement to running ice cold. Feeling the sting of tears in her eyes, she swore not to let Ginny see how much she had been hurt, and turned right around, running from the room. Hearing Harry call out to her, she let the tears fall as she ran up to the third story to find Jakob once again, hoping he'd help her understand what the hell had just happened. Breathing hard, she knocked on Jakob's door and walked in when he yelled for her to enter.

He sat on the bed in the middle of the depressing room, but a smile lit up his handsome features. When he turned his eyes from her to the wall directly behind the door, Hermione gasped and whispered, "Sorcha! You're back?"

"For now I am," Sorcha answered, walking up to her. Suprising her even more, the older woman wrapped her arms around Hermione and gave her a hug, holding her tightly.

Hugging her back as confusion ran rampant through her mind, Sorcha let go and took a small step away from her former student. "I heard that there have been some major events that happened since I've been gone. Care to share?"

Hermione's eyes cut from Sorcha to Jakob, her expression an open question asking if he'd told her everything . He just smiled and said, "I've just told Sorcha about the attack on the Weasley household, and all the Shaddocks we saw there. She's concerned that Damien's power may be growing."

"Growing? But how?" Hermione asked, as fear skittered up her spine.

Just then, Harry walked up behind Hermione and put his hand on her back, making her jump. Turning, she tried to smile at him, failing miserably, as she said, "Harry! You're up! Does Madame Pomfrey know you're out of bed?"

"She's not my Mum, Hermione," Harry replied testily. "And why did you run out of my room like that?"

Empathically picking up on the anger Harry was trying not to show, she looked him in the eyes, imploring him to understand, as she asked, "Can we talk about that later, Harry? We were just about to discuss the things that have been happening lately."

"Sure, why not? It's not like you haven't always put your Guardian duties before me in the past, so why change things now?"

The hurt and anger that raged through her body was unexpected, and it found it's true mark. Hermione's heart constricted as she saw the raw hurt in Harry's expression. Reaching out, she tried to snag Harry's hand to stop him from leaving, when Jakob quietly said, "Let him go, Hermione."

Watching him walk down the hallway, his head down and shoulders slumped, Hermione turned angrily back to Jakob and asked, "Why? Why shouldn't I go after him?"

"Because he's the reason Damien attacked the Weasleys," Sorcha answered before Jakob could. "Hermione, Damien's been entering Harry's mind and extracting information. I don't know how, or why, but Harry is a risk to all of us right now." Putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder in a rare show of concern, Sorcha cut her eyes' to Hermiones' stomach and added, "And I do mean all of us."

She had to take a minute to take it all in, the hurt, the anger, the despair that she felt coming from the entire house. Blocking out all feelings but her own, Hermione sighed and moved into the room, choosing to sit next to Jakob on the bed. Behind her, Sorcha closed the door and moved to sit in an old chair across from them. "He wouldn't do it on purpose," she stated, looking first at Jakob and then Sorcha. "The Weasley's helped him all his years at Hogwarts. They're his second family, and he would never, never do anything to hurt any of them."

"We know that, Hermione," Jakob replied, putting a hand on the small of her back. "But he's been unconscious for a week now, so who knows what Damien's dug out of his head. What if he knows about the baby?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered, her eyes filling with tears. She was confused, she was bone-tired, and she wanted it all to be over with.

"I know," Sorcha said, breaking into her thoughts. "He'll kill the both of you first, and then kill Harry just for the hell of it. You need to stop thinking like a girlfriend first, and concentrate on keeping yourself safe."

She couldn't sit any longer, her nerves were making it hard to sit still, so she got up and paced the length of the small room. With her thoughts all over the place, she could hear Sorcha and Jakob talking behind her, but couldn't make herself listen. Why was it always like this? Why couldn't they just have a normal life, without two evil Earth-walking devils chasing after them all the time?

"Did you hear me, Hermione?"

Turning at the angry tone in Sorcha's voice, Hermione turned quickly and came face-to-face with her former trainer. "Where's your head right now, Granger?"

"Down the stairs, with Harry in his room," Hermione replied. "He's hurt, and he's angry with me, and I don't understand it."

"I don't really care," Sorcha said. "Have a seat, we need to discuss this."

"Discuss what?"

As Hermione sat once again next to Jakob, who put his arm gently around her, he looked at her with sadness in his blue eyes. "Discuss why we need to take away Harry's memory of the baby."

A/N- Sorry this chapter took so long. I do have half of the next chapter written already, and plan to keep on it until it's finished. I should be posting the next chapter on Friday. Thanks for all the great reviews on the other chapters. It helps a lot, knowing that I still have readers out there that read and enjoy this story. A big thank you to Poppywillow for still proofreading my chapters. You're the best!

~*~

Hermione couldn't believe what she'd just heard.

"Make Harry forget that I'm carrying his baby? Just how am I supposed to do that?"

"Still throwing tantrums, I see," Sorcha said curtly, an edge of anger tingeing her voice. "And here I thought you might have grown up just an eensy bit since I'd left." Ignoring the death glare that Hermione was giving her, Sorcha sat down next to Jakob on the bed and sighed tiredly. It was then that Hermione noticed the very dark circles under her eyes, the tired slump of her trainers shoulders, and a wave of pity washed over her for the spitfire that Sorcha had been when she'd first come to train Hermione. Lost in thought, Hermione didn't see the way Sorchas back stiffened suddenly right before she stood up, her anger almost palpable in the small room they were in.

"Don't you DARE feel sorry for me!"

Hermione felt shocked for a moment, and then anger quickly took the forefront of her emotions. "I can feel however I damn well want to feel," she yelled back, now toe-to-toe with her ex-trainer. "You're sitting here trying to tell me what I have to do, to save my baby from its father, when anyone can see by the look on your face that you already think we're beat. That Harry and our baby will suffer the same fate as your family did." Breathing heavily now from the emotions she was experiencing, she backed away from Sorcha and whispered, "I would gladly die to save Harry and this baby. So to hell with Damien!" She turned and almost ran from the room, slamming the door so hard that the mirror in Jakobs room shattered into tiny shards.

Jakob knew that Sorcha had already given up, and that Hermione was much stronger than either of them had given her credit for. Sorcha turned her face away from him quickly, thinking that she was hiding the tears he'd already seen in her eyes. When he started to reach out to take her hand, she moved further away from him so he couldn't reach her any longer. In a voice barely above a whisper she said, "I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed early tonight."

And with those words she rushed out into the hallway, missing the hurt and anguished look that passed over Jakobs face. He had thought he was breaking through the thick wall surrounding her heart, but her behavior had shown him that she was still the same self-absorbed woman she'd always been. He knew she was hurting, still grieving for the husband and baby she had lost all those years ago, but he'd always been there for her. Maybe that was his problem, he always acted so damn caring and worried around her, and maybe if he acted as cold as she always did, he would get through to her faster. And it could possibly trigger Hermione's latent Guardian powers, making her strong enough to save them all from a life of Hell at Damiens hands.

Deciding to go that route, be the uncaring Jakob for once, he walked out of the room and made his way to where he knew Hermione had gone. He had an idea as to how to keep the baby safe until Damien was finally defeated, but he also knew that Hermione, Harry, and especially Sorcha would not like what he was planning. He no longer cared what everyone thought of his ideas, this was something he was going to do with or without their permission.

And if he lost his Guardian powers because of it...so be it. It would be worth leading a human life until he finally died, he just prayed that neither Hermione nor Sorcha hated him for the rest of that life.

~*~

Hermione had rushed into the library, slamming the doors behind her and locking them with a simple wave of her hand. She walked toward her favorite sofa, the one directly in front of the roaring fireplace, and stopped cold. Sitting there in her favorite spot were Harry and Ginny, their heads close together as they spoke softly to one another, Ginnys hand gently rubbing up and down Harry arm in a very loving gesture. Unable to take the sight in front of her, Hermione closed her eyes and wished that Ginny would just disappear from their lives forever, no longer causing stress between her and Harry. When she opened her eyes again it was to find a very irate Harry glaring at her.

"What did you just do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hermione, I saw the way you were glowing just a second ago, and then suddenly Ginny just disappeared into thin air. Did you cast a wandless spell?"

"N-no," Hermione replied, feeling suddenly very shaky and scared. Had she been the cause of Ginnys' sudden disappearance? If so, what had she done to the meddlesome redhead?

"Hermione!" Harry yelled, pulling from her thoughts. "I asked you a question. What did you do to Ginny?"

"More worried about her than you are about me?" Hermione asked in return, matching Harry's anger word for word. "And did you ever think that maybe Ginny apparated out of the room because she knew she had caused the strife between us that she's been striving for?"

"If anyone caused a rift between us, Hermione, it was you."

His anger slammed into her painfully and she sucked in a shocked breath. When she exhaled, her feelings seemed to increase tenfold and the house started to shake under her feet. As the shaking became more violent, they both could hear the old house groaning in protest. Unable to stand steadily, she sat in the chair closest to her and tried to calm down. If she was causing this it was due to her heightened emotions. She needed to reign in her power, take control of the situation, but no matter what she did the shaking didn't stop.

The doors to the library burst open and a panicked looking Jakob ran up to her. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her and asked, "Hermione, what have you done?"

"I-I don't know."

"She used her magic to get rid of Ginny!"

"What do you mean?" Jakob asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"I wished she would disappear, and it seems my magic might have fulfilled that wish and sent her somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know!"

Tears were streaming down her face now as the shaking increased, and Jakob looked over to where Harry sat, glaring at Hermione. His anger was palpable, something Jakob felt he could just reach out into the air around him and grab hold of. Centering himself, he waved his hand in the air, and he could feel the magical outburst leave his body. Breathing heavily due to the large amount of Guardian magic he had used, he knew the unspoken spell had worked since the house had stopped shaking. Looking at the two teens in the room, he saw that they were frozen in place, Harry wearing his mask of anger while the tears on Hermione's cheeks no longer fell. Sighing loudly, Jakob sat down heavily on the floor next to Hermione's chair, closing his eyes tiredly. It had been a long time since he'd used the darker of the Guardian spells, and he had forgotten how much they wiped out his surplus of physical energy.

Knowing what he had to do next, he sent up a prayer for forgiveness before waving his hand toward the library doors. When Sorcha's body floated into the room, her feet barely brushing over the carpet, Jakobs heart constricted at the surprised look that was on her face. Of course she would have felt the darkness behind his magic, and he knew that she would probably never trust him again. Trying not to dwell on the hurt that thought caused, he moved Sorcha to the unoccupied sofa in the room and placed her body so that she was lying on the thick cushions. With her in place, he moved so that he was kneeling in front of Hermione and placed his hand flat on her belly where he knew her baby grew.

Saying the words to another dark spell, he could feel warmth spreading through that hand and quickly placed his other hand on Sorchas stomach. Finishing the spell, with both of his hands now suffused with an uncomfortable heat, he watched as Hermione's stomach glowed first gold, her body trying to stave off the intrusion his spell caused, then the glow turned to a bright bluish-white color that dimmed, then disappeared. While he watched, that glow hovered in the air above Hermione's now empty stomach and floated along his arms until it was hovering above Sorcha's abdomen. As his words hung in the air, he watched as Harry and Hermione's baby burrowed into Sorcha's stomach, settling in to its new home.

With the baby safely moved, the warmth in Jakobs hand disappeared and his arms dropped down into his lap. It hurt to breathe, to move just a little bit, and his head pounded in time with his beating heart. Praying that he had done the right thing, Jakob got up and walked slowly out into the hall. Once there, with another slight, painful movement of his hand, he took care of any evidence of the spells, cast a very strong memory erasing spell over everyone in the house now and that came in anytime later, and then he woke Sorcha, Harry and Hermione. Before the three of them could get up and spot him in the hallway he did the only thing he knew to do. He ran up the stairs, past his room on the third floor and made his way to the door in the ceiling that led to the attic in Grimmauld Place. He had known there was a way up to the roof and he thanked his curiosity for making him tour the entire house, looking for any unprotected spaces that Damien could use to get in and attack Hermione. Seeing the door in the ceiling, he reached out and took hold of the cord, pulling hard. When the door opened and the ladder slid down to grant him access, he climbed up, pulling the ladder up with him. Closing the door and casting locking spells on it, he rushed through the disorderly room and made his way to the window.

Going out the window, standing on the edge of the roof, Jakob swallowed the panic that threatened to engulf him and summoned up his courage. Feeling calmer suddenly, he thanked the Gods for listening and prayed that Harry, Hermione, and Sorcha could figure things out from here without him. He didn't think he could ever look any of them in the eye again, and right at this moment, he had a meddling redheaded teenager to find. Casting a locator spell, he honed in on Ginny's signature and apparated away. If he ever found her, he would more than likely have to keep her with him to keep his secrets. Since she hadn't been in Grimmauld Place when he cast the switching spell and strong memory-erasing spell, she would still remember that Harry and Hermione weren't getting along. And that's the last thing he, or the world in general, needed right now with an evil madman hell-bent on destroying their world.

Seeing the end of the locator spell, Jakob grabbed onto Ginny's magical signature and landed in the shoddy warehouse. Knowing that he'd never have a home again, he bound Ginny magically and cast a silencing spell on her, preparing to take her to Empyrean where they could both safely hide out for as long as needed.

~A/N2>Love me? Hate me? Like this new chapter? Please let me know! :)