Paradise

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter or the song Paradise. Only the plot is my own.

Author's Note: Thank you again to those reading this. I just want to say THANK YOU for the reviews and words of encouragement. It means a lot! Just to hear that someone was actually excited to see me posting this again after taking it down before brightened my day (you know who you are). Thanks! So here is chapter three. I still hope you enjoy it. Also, to the reviewer who let me know that having so little reviews is possibly a good thing---thank you too. I get what you're saying. Thanks again!

Paradise

Chapter 3

Hermione stared up at the house before her. A house that once brought comfort to her, was now seen, in her eyes, as the house that would take away her time with Harry. `You're getting selfish. You are hardly ever alone with him as it is, so get use to it.' She sighed, `Probably won't be here long anyhow.'

A hand on her shoulder made her jump. Hermione looked up to see Harry smile sheepishly. “Ready?”

“I suppose. Let's go.” Harry's hand dropped back to his side and he quickly took the lead to the back door. It opened loudly before they reached it. Questions being fired at them like gunfire.

“Who are you?”

“What's your favorite jam?”

“How could you possibly know that if we don't know who they are?”

“What do you want?”

“Fred and George! Get in the house.” Molly Weasley stood before them, hands on hips, and a look of welcoming gracing her face. “Harry, Hermione! Come in, come in. You'd think those boys would remember that the wards are set for certain….although, knowing the two of them, they're just looking for a chance to jinx something.”

They were soon ushered into the kitchen. “Move, move, let them inside.” The matriarch of the Weasley family directed the twins out of the way. “Sit down. I'll fix you something to eat. You both look like you haven't eaten in days.” Just as she set about to it, a loud bang shook the house followed by laughter. “Boys! If I've told you once, I've told you a million times!” Soon, Harry and Hermione were once again alone after watching the twins run upstairs with their mother closely following. Life was never dull here.

Hermione quickly looked down at the table she was seated at. Being here made her realize again just what she had done last night. Suddenly it hit her hard like a wave; her parents would be so angry and disappointed in her. She gripped the table in effort to stop the flood of emotion and tears. Harry placed his hand on her left one and gave it a little squeeze. Looking up, she shared a smile.

“I'll be okay,” he mouthed. She knew it couldn't possibly be, but his words were nice.

Her attention was drawn elsewhere when loud voices rang out, “What do you mean Harry's here?” Hermione noticed that as quickly as the words were heard, Harry pulled his hand away.

Ron bounded into the kitchen and stopped abruptly. Hermione couldn't think of anything to say for once. She still felt uncomfortable about the last year, but she was saved from speech as Harry summed up the visit quickly, “It's time.” Hermione knew he was being careful about his words since this family was know for listening in.

Ron's focused gazed shifted from Hermione to Harry. “Are we ready?”

“Does it matter? We have no other choice. It has to be done and since someone thinks I can't do it alone…anyway.” Harry's voice died off.

Ron leaned against the wall. “Still thinking you can go off and save the world alone.”

“Ron, stop. I've already talked to him about it and made him see reason. He knows.” She couldn't stand to have the fighting start between the three them now about who's staying and who's going.

Ron threw himself into a chair across from her. “So how did you manage to escape? I would've thought you'd have hardest time of it.”

Hermione studied the table again.

“Wait a minute. You did tell your parents, right? They let you go after explaining it all with charts and graphs and research.”

“I don't want to talk about it.”

Ron began laughing but then stopped. “You just left? You didn't say anything?”

Hermione watched through her eyelashes as he sat back with a look of disbelief on his face. “They wouldn't let you go?”

Hermione shook her head. “That's why I don't want to talk about it. I've never defied my parents, but they just didn't understand. I had to do this.” She took a deep breath and tried to keep the tears at bay.

Harry kept his focus on the table, carefully etching a line with his nail. Hearing it again just made him feel guiltier. She should be at home, studying. Not getting herself killed over this, over him.

Silence settled over the three. Each lost in their own thoughts. Ron couldn't let it linger any longer or he was likely to go mental. “So tomorrow then?”

Harry shook his head and looked up. “Now.”

Hermione's head shot up in shock. “Now? But we're not ready. We don't know where we're going first.” Her voice was getting higher with each word. “We don't have a plan. We need a plan. I need a plan.”

“Sounds like Harry had a plan…leave.” Ron shrugged. “So we leave. You do know where we're going right? Godric's Hollow?”

“I figure we'll hit Hogwarts first. I need to get into Dumbledore's office. He had to leave some sort of clue of what to do next or possibly wrote something down. Plus the library is there, we'll need to do research.”

Hermione mumbled to herself about adding breaking and entering to the list of rules she had broken since meeting the two of them, but was cut off when Ginny entered the room.

The tension in the room was almost too much. No one spoke and Hermione was positive that no one was breathing. Taking a chance and looking at Harry answered all her questioned. A look of indifference was imprinted across his face and she hoped that those cold eyes never looked at her. She could tell he was trying not to care.

Ginny didn't seem to notice or care who was in room, but she knew better. This had to be a game and she prayed that no one was playing. Hermione watched as she grabbed a box of something and turned to leave the room without giving the three of them a glance. The minute she was out of sight, a breath was let go from all. Hermione almost wanted to laugh.

“So I guess I'll go get some stuff and say my good-byes. Don't know how mum will take this so…okay then.” His voice died off when he realized no one was listening. “I'll be right back.”

Silence once again filled the kitchen.

“Harry, are you…”

“I'm fine. It's done.” She could see the walls going back up around him.

“So, back to Hogwarts. I doubt we'll have any trouble getting there. I'm sure McGonagall is there and will let us see if Dumbledore left you anything.” Hermione focused on the bigger problem at hand. She figured that if she kept her mind on solving where the horcruxes were and then destroying them, she couldn't linger on her feelings.

Harry got up out of his chair. “Where are you going?”

“Out of this house. I need to think.” He let door slam behind him.

`That's the last thing you need Harry Potter.' Hermione thought watching his retreating back. Getting up and going to the window, she debated following him. He was likely to leave while no one was around. `Him and his damn heroics.' Hermione pushed away from the counter and followed him outside.

Hermione was quiet as she came up and stood next to him. `When did he become so much taller than me?' She felt small next to him. Harry wasn't as tall as Ron, but there was something about Harry's presence that made her feel so much smaller than him.

She was startled out of her musings by his voice. “It's cold.”

“Yes.”

“It's July, almost August.” His eyes stared straight ahead but didn't seem to be focused on anything.

“Yes.”

“It's cold.” He repeated as if she was missing his point which she wasn't.

“I could explain why, but it creeps me out.”

“Please don't.” Harry looked down her shivering form. “You need a jumper or a coat. You're freezing.”

He was once again worried about someone else and not himself…typical. “I'm fine.” Hermione rolled her eyes and bounced on her toes a little.

“You're shivering Hermione. You need a coat.”

“Harry, I said I'm fine. Now drop it.” Would he ever realize that she knew how to take care of herself?

Harry sighed and looked at the woods ahead of them. “Why are you out here anyway?”

“I thought you'd leave without me.” She kept her eyes on the trees in the distance and tried not to think about the possibility of him disappearing from her sight.

He sighed again. “I still could.” She did realize he could vanish in a blink of the eye right here and she'd have no clue where to start looking.

“You won't.” Her voice held more confidence than she actually felt. She prayed he didn't see through it. Harry just nodded.

Their silence was broken when Ron came out. “Better leave now before she comes to her senses. Dad isn't here to help.” He stopped next to Hermione and rubbed his hands together. “I'm actually glad the twins are pulling pranks. Takes the focus of me.”

Hermione looked at the boys. “So outside the gates of Hogwarts then, because you know we can't…”

“…apperate inside the grounds of the school.” Harry and Ron finished for her.

Hermione beamed. “You do remember!”

Ron grumbled, “How could we not with you reminding us every five seconds.” Harry let out a soft laugh at that.

Hearing this made Hermione smile. She laced her arms through Harry's and Ron's, “We'll be fine.”

Harry took a deep breath, “See you at the school.” Hermione glanced up at him. “I promise I'll be there.”

Letting each boy go she turned to Ron, “You'll be okay, right?” She could help but worry still. It was ingrained in her.

“Yeah. I've got it down. Go ahead; I'll be right behind you.”

She heard Harry leave behind her and with a small smile at Ron, she turn and disappeared.

******

Once again Hermione herself staring up at a building that such a significant impact on her life. Hogwarts was her home. That's where she met the two most important people in her life. That's where she learned who is really was. That's where she learned all that could possibly save his life.

Looking around she spotted Harry a few feet away glaring at their former school. Hermione noted his clinched fists at his sides, his back straightened, eyes focused, jaw set. He looked so determined. Times like this frightened her. Harry had so much power in him. Add that to the anger stored in him over sixteen years and you've got a ticking time bomb.

`You have no time to be thinking about that.' A pop was heard beside her and Ron appeared.

“Now what?”

“Ron, shhhh!”

“What? Why? We're just standing here.” Ron had his arms thrown out and he was turning around looking at the surrounding area. “No one is here.”

Sometimes he was completely impossibly. “Ron, just give Harry a moment. He's coming back to where it all fell apart just a few weeks ago. Let him get through this. Can't you see this is difficult for him?”

Ron's head dropped and she could hear him scuffing his feet. She hated getting on to him about this but she could tell Harry needed this time to come to terms with all that had occurred this past year. She would do what she could to give that to him. She really had no idea how you got through that, but she would stand by him and try her hardest to be the best friend he needed.

“Right, let's go.” Harry's voice broke through her jumbled thoughts once again. She quickly jogged up to where he was standing and she noticed immediately that he had his wand out. She wanted to believe…to reassure him that they wouldn't need to go inside with wands drawn…that nothing could get them here, but she didn't believe her own words. So how would he? Not after what had happened.

The three of them began the walk to the castle's front entrance. Any second Harry expected Dumbledore to appear and begin telling him that he needed to speak with him, he had news, but no one was coming out of the castle to greet them.

The area was eerily quiet. He had never been around when there was no sound. No birds. No wind. Creepy.

When they entered the building, their footsteps echoed off the halls. Hermione was taken back with how normal everything looked inside. If she closed her eyes, she could almost convince herself that was just another early morning and she one her way to the library before breakfast. But this wasn't just another chance to catch up on school work before meeting Harry and Ron in the Great Hall. They were here for answers.

“I knew to be expecting the three of you soon.”

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