The Guardian 2 by MisCard

Rating: NC17
Genres: Angst, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 06/10/2007
Last Updated: 21/11/2011
Status: In Progress

Sequel to The Guardian- AU -Picking up where the first story left off, Hermione fights to become
strong amidst obstacles and her relationship with Harry, all the while being pursued by Damien.
Harry fights to overcome the hurt she's caused so that they can be together, but it's
anything but easy. They must come together for what will be the biggest fight of their lives to
protect those that they love, but can good win out over the ultimate evil?




1. Heaven and Hell
------------------


~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?"



2. Repentance
-------------


~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 :)



3. Shadocks and Jakob's Secret
------------------------------


~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."



4. Nightmares and Dreamscapes
-----------------------------


~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.



5. Absolution
-------------


~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.



6. Sanctuary
------------


~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.



7. A Shift In The Balance of Life
---------------------------------


~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.



8. Revelations
--------------


~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..."



9. The First Blow
-----------------

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."



10. Forgive and Forget
----------------------

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."
[Report this story to the admins]
 


11. The First Sin
-----------------

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! :)