Into the Dark

Chapter IV: Must Be Something in the Water

--

A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.
-Edward de Bono

“Blast through the bloody door for all I care, this is ridiculous!” Harry grunted as Ron turned over any pots near the townhouse, searching for a key after having wrestled with the door knob for a pathetic fifteen minutes.

“You know she'd kill you if she came home to find that,” Ron chastised, moving to a flower pot and carefully digging through it.

“Do you think I even care anymore? I can't believe she could just move out like that, without even a damn trace or anything. Since when does Hermione Granger, of all people, run away form her problems like this?! It's pathetic,” Harry spat, kicking the door gruffly before stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning against the door with a scowl.

“Hah, found it!” Ron exclaimed jovially.

Harry turned to look at him, his scowl dropping for a second to be replaced with a look almost semblant to hope… before he quickly picked it back up again. “Where was it?”

Ron reddened, quite unattractively at that. “On top of the door sill,” he muttered embarrassedly as he stabbed the lock with the key.

Harry rolled his eyes at the response, but immediately pushed Ron out of the way as soon as the door was unlocked and hightailed through the door and through the greeting area, exploring the house intrusively and unabashedly. “What the hell?”

He looked at the room in absolute perplexity, befuddlement practically radiating off of him as he stormed through the house, taking ever detail in, his confusion only growing as time passed. Ron followed him, holding back the desire to scratch his head as he cocked it to the side. Instead, he opted for trying to maintain Harry's pace, quite a feat as Harry whizzed from room to room.

Suddenly, however, he stopped, and in the middle of Hermione's new bedroom/

Ron ran right into Harry's back, almost toppling over, but Harry caught him just in the nick of time. Ron straightened himself, huffing as he turned to his friend. “What is it, Harry?”

--

“Girls never really liked me. I think that with my insecurities I always came across as extremely stuck up—as if I was the one that didn't find them worthy off my attention when really it was the other way around, I didn't think they'd be interested in me... that they'd find me dull. I loved the boys though, thy just accepted me as one of their own… some would call it a curse to be one of the boys, so to speak, but I relished that sense of acceptance. It was what I had always wanted.”

“We had a rocky start, one that I think will always be marred by my own insecurities, but, ultimately, they were always there when I needed them. The relationship was as reciprocal as our personalities would allow it to be. I mean, boys will be boys, so Harry was always a tad closer to Ron. And Ron, well he has that whole cliché red-head temper that, at times, got in the way of our friendship. Still, though, they were the best friends that they could be, I'll admit that.”

“…It's odd, resenting and loving a person a person simultaneously… but, nevertheless, it's still very possible, isn't it?”

--

“I…I…” Harry's mouth moved, but nothing came out as he looked at the room. Suddenly, he began shaking his head, eyes wide and scared. “What the fuck?!” he finally managed to exclaim.

“Harry, what's going on?” Ron asked, feeling very out of the loop.

Harry raked two hands through his hair. “I know these rooms…”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have to promise to believe me right now, regardless of how crazy or stupid it may sound,” Harry ordered, not even looking at Ron, but at the room before him.

“Um… okay?”

“Hermione and I went shopping a month ago at Ikea… mate, I saw these exact rooms there.”

“What?” Ron asked, absolutely baffled. “How is that possible?—This isn't Ikea, mate…”

“No, but this is an exact replica of their display rooms…”

Ron's jaw went slack as he let himself fall onto the nearest chair. “What's going on, Harry? What did she get herself into?”

“I… I don't know, but I'm scared,” Harry admitted, still staring at the room, wide eyed.

--

“With time, though, I fell for him.'

“Who?”

“Harry,” she breathed out his name, almost longingly. “It hit me totally off guard, one second he was just the attractive best friend, and then… all of a sudden, out of nowhere really, I was falling harder than I knew I was capable of.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “He made me feel safe and dangerous all at once, it was amazing. With him, I could take risks that I would never even normally consider, but still feel as if I was doing the most natural thing in the world, as if there wasn't even any risk to what I was doing. It was amazing… empowering… innate.” She smiled at the though, licking her lips before continuing. “I didn't have to always follow the rules, I could break out of my shell and be that person that I wanted to be, but was afraid of at times… it was just amazing,” she breathed out wistfully.

“Take me back,” the disconnected, distorted voice suddenly ordered her.

“To when?”

“When you first realized you were in love with this Harry.”

She nodded, swallowing the large lump in her throat. “Okay… well, it was sixth year and Harry decided that I had gone on avoiding brooms for far too long.”

“Ah, Harry, no don't, please!” I begged, smiling despite my fear.

“I don't know if I can do that, Hermione… it's just not right, is all. I mean not knowing how to fly is just wrong, love!”

“Oh come on, please!” I cried as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, making his way over to the quidditch pitch with a broom in his opposite hand.

“Please!” I begged again, but the request came upon deaf ears as he just merrily continued upon his way, a wide grain spread across his face, too.

He finally set me down when in then middle of the pitch, grabbing his broom and forcing me to seat myself on it as he took on right behind me.

“I'm scared, Harry,” I timidly admitted, wincing at the way that my voice broke as I made the admission.

He smiled, kissing my cheek before whispering in my ear: “I'll be right here the entire time, no need to fret, I would never let anything happen to you.”

“Okay,” I nodded with a blush as he kicked off the ground and slowly headed upwards.

“Don't squeeze those eyes shut, Hermione, you're ruining the entire point of all this.”

I sighed, silently cursing him for forcing me to do this. Finally, though, I slightly opened my left eye, grimacing as I noted how high up we were. I squeaked in fear when I fully opened both. “Oh my God!” I gasped.

The bastard only laughed though, squeezing my waist lightly. “It's okay, I'm here.”

I smiled, leaning back into his chest, letting myself trust him and forget my fears. He made me feel so… illogically safe in even the worst of cases.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” he whispered into my ear as we hovered above the school.

“Yeah,” I breathed in agreement, surprising myself with how I wasn't scared, regardless of the fact that we'd achieved unnatural heights.

He grinned, moving my face to look at his. “I promised I wouldn't let you fall and I kept my word, didn't I?”

And at that moment I realized that no, he hadn't… it just wasn't the literal sort of falling, which really only made it all the trickier.

But in response I only whispered a weak “yeah”, moving my eyes from him to the sight before us, trying to ignore the rather daunting epiphany that had hit me.

It was official, I was screwed.

--

I think there's something in the water
Or then again
It could be something in the air
But there's none to be found
In the dirt on the ground
And the choices I've made are ad hoc anyway

-The Jealous Girlfriends, "Something in the Water"

--

author's note: I've actually had this for ages so I have no idea how I just forgot to post it, I am so sorry for the wait though. Life has been rather hectic as off late with me juggling between a dual major, training, and… well the fun parts of the student life style. I will try, however, to post a new chapter asap, as well as do so with all of my other pieces.

Please review!

-->