He was sitting by the soil, almost lifeless and immobile. She had never seen Harry so vulnerable in her whole life. She walked slowly to him, cautious of her every move. Is he angry, she thought to herself. Is he upset? These questions were strewn widely across her mind, making herself even more nervous as Harry lay inches away from her.
What have I done? She thought to herself.
If he hadn't met her in the first place, he wouldn't be in this mess. She scolded herself inwardly over and over again, out of shame and pity. She felt embarrassed to have ever put him in this complex situation.
"Harry?" she softly said. He was sobbing, with his face cast down on the soil. His whole body racked and shuddered, just as his tears flew quickly onto the floor. She wanted to cry with him.
"Harry, please stop crying." She pleaded. He remained still.
"Harry." She reached out to touch him.
She gasped.
Her hand went through his figure. She stared down at herself, only to find her whole body intact.
"Harry, can you hear me?" Her voice now showed traces of panic, as her mind swam in confusion. Harry remained immobile once again, his sobs non-existent once more.
"Answer me, Harry!" She felt her heart palpitate beneath her chest.
"You murdered me, Hermione." She was left breathless. She gazed down at him, her mouth agape in pure shock and befuddlement.
"Wh-what?"
"You know what you did."
She screamed.
His eyes were pitch black, and his face was pale-almost a shade of light blue. His neck was scarred severely with lacerations, and the flesh around his eyes were a dark shade of crimson. She stumbled backwards in horror.
"Harry-"
"Get away from me, Hermione!"
"I…I can't!" He stood up seething as he approached her, his face glowering down at her. Their faces were inches away, almost touching, and Hermione felt herself hyperventilate.
"Get away, Hermione. I don't need you."
"But I need you!" He gave a laugh of mirth.
"Why?" She yelled it out.
"Because I love you!"
Her eyes shot open.
A fire was blazing in front of her, and the thick smell of incense started to fill her senses. She lay there in silence, her breathing escalating slightly. She went on with the usual saying that Dreams aren't real. Yet, there was something about this dream that shot through her heart. It affected her so much, that merely the thought of it made her stomach clench. She wanted so much to forget about it, but the images remained firm in her head.
Giving up, she leaned up slowly, her head spinning slightly by the sudden change in atmosphere. She moaned slightly, just as her hair fell loose by her shoulders. She slouched lazily on the couch, with her eyes heavy-lidded.
"You're awake." She jumped slightly by the low sound of his voice. She didn't notice his presence moments ago, for he was standing just inches from the fire place with his back turned to her.
"Yes, yes I am." She said groggily, with a hint of amusement in her tone. She heard him chuckle slightly.
"You've been out for quite some time." He mused. She blinked a few times on her seat, her head suddenly feeling light once again.
"I noticed. What time is it?"
"5 am." He said, before turning to look at her. She was suddenly left breathless, almost like in her dream. There was something different, she thought. There was something about him that she considered at that moment to be one of the most attractive things she'd seen. He left her in a state of pure confusion, and she was fully aware on how dazed she looked at that moment.
Maybe it's the fire behind him, she thought.
He looked exhausted, just as she. His hands were in his pockets, and his hair was ruffled and shaggy as it fell just above his shoulders. His collar was standing by the nape of his neck, and his sleeves were folded just by his elbows. His shirt lay untucked above his black pants, and his glasses lay askew by his nose.
She hitched a short breath.
"You look tired." She mumbled. He took in a sigh, his head cast down on the floor.
"Well, that's pretty much normal. My whole life is just tiring." He mused to himself. She tried to say something, but no words came out from her lips. The sheets that once covered her slipped down to her lap, exposing the sheer material of her dress.
"How was your sleep?" he asked.
"It was…disturbing, to say the least." A small smile crept up the corners of her lips as Harry quirked an eyebrow.
"Disturbing? How come?" He walked towards her, but stopped once again just as she started to speak.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just dreamt of a crazy, psychopathic parallel universe where you looked like a deranged zombie." He looked blankly back at her for a second, before breaking out in laughter. She chuckled with him, her chagrin growing within her.
"Well, that's pretty flattering now, is it?"
"Pretty much, yes." She replied.
"Well, don't take this the wrong way. But next time, try to think of something more creative. Honestly, zombies?" She huffed in disbelief, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Oh, honestly. It's not like you can think of something better." Hermione said in rebuttal. Harry snickered.
"Oh, I can."
"Show me." She challenged him with an eyebrow raised. He nodded in acceptance.
"Fine. Let's see…" Harry paced around the room, his shoes tapping against the marble flooring. Hermione looked at him skeptically, inwardly smiling by the sight of him in deep thought.
"Picture yourself amidst hills of pure green grass, and multicolored flowers. You're on the very top, with the sunbeams illuminating yards and yards of mountains covered in grass, which are sparkling in snow. You take in a deep breath, feeling the chill of the fresh air soothe and calm you. You stand there and ponder on how life couldn't be more perfect than it already is."
He smiled slyly, seeing her face soften at his descriptive attempts. With a breath, he continued.
"You're standing there, with your beautiful dress billowing behind you. Your bare feet dig deep into the soil, and you feel it soak them completely. Your face shows deep contentment and happiness ad you stand there, with your hair flowing behind you. You're at complete and utter peace." In that moment, he saw her eyes slowly close. At this, his face became somber. He took that time to ponder on what happened moments ago. He realized on how nervous he got at that point, being in the middle of his own vulnerability. He remembered that at that moment, all he wanted was to save her.
And there she was, unscathed.
And finally at peace.
With another breath, he continued.
"With each breath you release, comes the release of each burden: the burden of life, the burden of society, and the burden of love." At that statement, he saw Hermione's eyebrows frown for a moment. He smiled, drifting closer and closer to her.
"As you stand there, it's silent. And you feel him." He smirked at the sudden shift in her posture.
"You feel him behind you, and you smirk slightly. You're about to face him, but he holds your arm to stop you. His grip was firm, but gentle as he caressed your arm gently. It sent shivers down your spine, and you stopped yourself from swooning into his arms." The latter statement made her grin slightly.
"You feel his head by the nape of your neck, his hot breath against the surface of your skin." He positions himself behind her, before placing himself just inches from her ear. He whispers slightly.
It made her jump.
"You want to face him. You want to look into his eyes and surrender yourself to him. But he doesn't let you. He lets you stand there, still." Hermione stiffened by the feel of the hot air brought about by his whispers. She tried to keep her composure, yet her toes started to feel eager.
"And lastly, he whispers those three words that mortify you to no end."
She held tightly onto the armrest of the couch.
"I'm a werewolf." Her eyes shot open with a mixture of amusement and disappointment. Harry walked briskly in front of her, a goofy grin playing on his lips.Her arms folded by her chest, as her lips formed into a pout.
"Was that your poor attempt at humor, Sir Potter?" She teased him. He gave a bow, with his hands by his bent stomach.
"Well, yes. And it was pretty creative, don't you think?" She laughed.
"Oh, I don't think so." She said in wittiness. Harry looked at her with a teasing look of shock.
"What? Well, I'm scandalized Ms. Granger!" Hermione gave a small laugh in reply.
"You actually think that was decent?"
"Yes." He answered plainly. Hermione gave a teasing scoff.
"Oh, honestly! To me, that was a sexual fantasy." By this statement, Harry folded his arms across his chest.
"Oh, you think so?"
"Now I know what you think about late at night, Sir Potter." Hermione mused, her smile widening as she saw the look of disbelief on Harry's face. She gave a small wink as he pouted, taking a seat beside her on the couch. She scooted farther to her left to give him space as he crossed his legs briskly.
"Well Ms. Granger, how are you so sure that those fantasies stop with I'm a werewolf? Because honestly, I can think of some more scenarios that can leave you speechless." Hermione side-glanced him with another look of skepticism.
"Wow." She said slowly, her lips forming into a perfect 'O'. Harry quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Wow, what?" he asked.
"You're one randy gentleman." She laughed. He looked at her, nonplussed.
"Oh, I can say the same for you." Her eyes widened in amused shock as she spanked him teasingly on the arm.
"Oh, touché Sir Potter. I'll get you next time."
"I'll be looking forward to it." He replied, a smile now present in both their lips. At that moment, the sun had completely shown through the windows, having illuminated half of Harry's face. Hermione saw his eyes twinkle slightly.
"It's probably late. I'll get us some tea. Would you want some?" He suddenly asked, snapping her out of her reverie. She gazed back at him with a lazy smile.
"Yes, thank you."
"Okay, wait here." He said, holding her hand for a split second before standing up and walking briskly towards the kitchen. Upon his exit, she gave a small sigh, feeling her palm tingle slightly where his hand used to be. She bit lightly on her bottom lip, her cheeks reddening greatly as she sat there, motionless.
Somehow, the world didn't seem so cruel at that moment.
---thepianist---
"Hello?"
"Riddle. It's Pettigrew. We have some unfinished business."
Riddle smirked.
---thepianist---
A/N: Oh, loveliness. That small scene with our beloved couple gave me a few squees here and there. Honestly, why didn't JKR just let them end up together? Ughk. Oh well, we can't do anything about it. I'm just glad our fandom remains up and running.
[P.S: I hate Microsoft word. Le Period]
Good day, loves!