Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Authors note: Alright it's finally up and I'm happy to say it's longer than the last few. Even greater news is we have title nominations!! Here are some of my favorites, `Until Death Do Us Part', `The Gift of Living', `I'll Never Leave', and lastly `If You Leave'. Now if anyone still wants to submit another nomination feel free. Let me know which ones you all like best. Now it's been brought to my attention that I had written, `They weren't okay, but Harry was okay, she was okay, they would be okay.' I don't even know why I wrote that to tell you the truth. Sorry!
Chapter 4
… He could never leave her.
Harry turned and faced her. She had her knees to her chest and her hands covering her face. Harry could hear her muffled sobs from across the room. He crossed the room in three, quick, determined steps to her spot against the wall. "No." That's all he said. That's all he needed to say, it seems. As she stood, her eyes glaring bombs at him, daggers were an understatement.
"Harry go away!" Hermione was getting quite frustrated with his stubbornness. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Then stop telling me to leave. I need you Hermione. I need to be here for you, to protect you. I cannot lose you. Please don't make me leave. It'll kill me Mione." She suddenly slapped him hard across the face.
"Don't you dare. Get out! Get out! GET OUT!!" With every word she slapped and punched him on every part of his body she could reach.
"Hermione stop." He deflected a lot of her hits but she managed to get a bunch in his gut and his chest. She had stopped speaking coherently by this point. She was just screaming and hitting in blind anger. Harry growled in the back of his throat and grabbed her wrists. He pushed and pinned her against the wall. She tried to release her hands from his hold but he was stronger and held her firm against the wall. She knew she had gone too far, she knew he was furious with her and he had good reason too. He was glaring at her the worst he ever had. He was pinning her to the wall with plenty of force. He was yelling at her even. But none of that would've made her stop. Instead it was the fact that in Harry's rage, and he was enraged, he was still gentle with her. He held her firmly yes, but not in a painful manor. He yelled yes, but he chose his words carefully. Even his glare had a softness to it. It was his tenderness that silenced her.
"Just stop! Stop hitting me! Stop yelling at me and stop being a hypocrite! It's okay for you to protect me, to take care of me, to give me shite about blaming myself all the time, but it's not okay if I do the same for you?! Is that it?! I love you Hermione! Don't you get that?! I can't leave you, even if I wanted to! You're everything to me! You're all I have left!! I need you just as much as you need me! If not more! Stop pushing me away! JUST STOP!"
"But that's different Harry! It wasn't your fault for any of them it was Voldemort's! It was my fault for Ron!" Her tears were streaming down her face full-force again. Harry loosened his hold on her wrists, let her rip them free. He let her hit his chest. She wasn't trying to hurt him anymore; she just wanted to get out. "That curse was meant for me! I was supposed to die not him! Not Ron!!" He put his arms around her and held her tight. Hermione kept hitting him, only half-heartedly now.
"Hermione it's not your fault, it's Voldemort's. It's okay Mione. My Mione, it's okay." He whispered comforting words in her ear as she clutched him closer to her. It was her turn to cry, and Harry's turn to take care of her.
Some time later, they had both calmed down enough to return to the hospital wing and check on the rest of their friends. As they walked into the wing, hand in hand, all eyes watched them. Some full of tears, others of worry and sorrow.
Harry walked to a devastated Mrs. Weasley. He nodded his head to her in a formal greeting. "I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you can forgive me one day." She nodded her head grimly but said nothing more on the subject. This surprised everyone but under the circumstances, it was completely understandable. She merely glowered at the floor. Hermione simply gripped Harry's hand and partially hid herself behind him. She wasn't ready for the Weasley's yet. She still felt responsible and unworthy to even be in the same country as them, let alone the same room. Everyone remained silent, afraid of another outburst or saying something inappropriate.
"Was anyone else hurt?" Harry asked gently. Across the room Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat, happy to have something to do.
"A few cuts and bruises nothing too bad. I'm afraid Mr.Weasley wasn't as lucky. It seems Fenrir got him a couple times in the face. Nothing to fear though, he shouldn't change but he will have a strong appetite for raw meat. Ms.Delacour is applying the salve so he should heal up in no time. I'm sorry to saw the scars won't go away though." Sure enough he saw Fleur beside a bloodied up Bill.
Ginny was standing in the corner of the room watching everything with a keen eye. She didn't fail to notice Harry and Hermione's hands, or the face that they seemed to move around each other. They didn't even seem consciously aware they were doing it. Every movement was like a pre-planned dance routine for them. If Harry shuffled his feet in anxiety, Hermione would rest her other hand on his shoulder. If Hermione shivered, he'd unconsciously step closer to her for heat and support. Even from her hiding place it seemed they were breathing at the same intervals. She'd known Harry wasn't hers, he could never be hers. He was Hermione's. Even if they hadn't noticed yet, Ginny did and there was nothing she could do to change it. She loved Harry, she did, but no one could love him more than Hermione. She was the only one who could calm him down or make him listen to reason. She was the only one who could get him out of Sirius's room last year. She was his and Harry was hers. Ginny knew he had panicked when Hermione was hit last year, Harry never panics. She saw just moments ago how powerful their bond was. She could never change that, she didn't want to change that. They needed each other and as much as she wanted Harry to be hers she knew he never could be. Ginny spoke up from her hiding place.
"How about you Hermione? You alright?" Hermione looked up and saw genuine concern in Ginny's eyes as well as defeat.
"I'm fine, thank you and yourself?"
"A bit tired actually. Harry? You okay?" He gave her a smile of appreciation; he knew she was trying to lighten up the room a bit.
"As good as I can be. Thank you." She smiled back at him as Remus stood up and spoke.
"As much as I wish I didn't have to bring this up, we still need to know. Hermione? What happened to Ron?" Dead silence. Everyone stopped moving, blinking even breathing. Harry took a step protectively in front of Hermione, as she stepped closer into his shadow. "Hermione I'm sorry but you're the only one who saw what happened."
"It's alright Professor. Uhm... well everyone w-was fighting all around, and I was fight- … I was fighting a death eater. Uh... so R-Ron... he just pushed me and I fell out of the way b-but Ron was hit. And he j-just fell. So I stunned the death eater and br-brought Ron h-here. I'm s-so sorry. It's all my f-fault. I-I wasn't good enough and he - he just saved me. I'm so sorry." She was gasping now as sob after sob racked her body. Ginny walked slowly up to Hermione and hugged her hard.
"It's not your fault Hermione. He was only protecting you. Any of us would've done the same. Shh. It's okay." Hermione clutched Ginny closer to her as Harry watched with tears streaming from his own eyes. He was grateful to Ginny and her words. One by one everyone came up and joined in the hug. Fred and George came first, then Luna and Neville. Fleur and Bill just smiled at her and nodded. Arthur hugged his wife closer to him, a hug she didn't return. "Mum? You okay?" Everybody turned to Molly, to see her glaring hatefully at Hermione.
"Get out."
"What?" Harry almost yelled at her.
"I said for Hermione to get out. She's the reason my son is dead. She has no right to be here."
"Molly! You know as well as I that-"
"Arthur be quiet. Hermione I will not ask you again. Get out!" She yelled shrilly. No one moved, they all just gasped in shock and disbelief at Molly Weasley. Harry took a menacing step forward as Ginny helped Hermione stay standing.
"Harry no. She's right I don't deserve to be here."
"Stay wear you are Hermione. You have as much right as anyone else. Now Molly, I'm going to ask you nicely to apologize. If not then I will use force. You know it isn't Hermione's fault. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. I understand you're upset and grieving but that gives you no right to treat her this way. In case you haven't noticed we lost our best friend today! You're not the only one with a loss today. I will not stand for this behavior even if you are a second mother to us both. If she leaves, then I leave." Mrs.Weasley stared at her 7th son with pride and fear in her eyes. She took a few soothing breaths.
"Oh dears, I'm sorry. I'm just … My Ron. My little Ronniekins is gone. I-I just can't believe it. I'm sorry Hermione darling, I just- after all the times you two have saved my family I should've known you wouldn't do this purposely. It's just easier to blame someone right in front of you. I'm so sorry. Forgive me please?" Two sets of tear stained eyes met as Hermione looked up at Molly.
"There's nothing to forgive Mrs.Weasley. You are right it is my fault. If I had been just a bit better, or faster, he wouldn't have had to intervene. I'm sorry. I can't- I have to go." Hermione roughly pushed Ginny away and ran through the doors. She didn't know where she was going; she just needed to get out of there. All of them forgiving her, hugging her, smiling at her even though she took Ron from them. She killed him and she couldn't stand to be in that room with them all. She needed to get out and so she ran. She ran fast and long till she couldn't run anymore. She found her self at their tree. The one they would always sit under and `do their homework'. Where they would laugh, and joke and just be themselves. Today, this tree was her haven and her prison. She had run from six Weasley's to be trapped by one she would never see again. If she had had any more energy, she would have run away again. She didn't; so instead she fell to the ground. Sob after sob racking her body as all the memories, ones too painful and some of regret surrounded her; filled her. And so she cried again and again under their tree by the lake.
Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you guy agree with what I've done. There were a lot of great ideas and I loved them all, some only wanted her to be angry to keep the story just about H/Hr. I tried to do a bit of both though to keep you all happy. But instead of the Weasley's keeping them away, I have Hermione staying away. I liked it better that way. Anyway semester two starts tomorrow so I think chapter 5 will be up by Thursday? I promise it'll be Saturday at the latest. Anyway I got to go! Review and let me know what you all thought. Love ya! - Gilksey
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