A/N: Okay, this is one of the chapters that you all have been waiting for. I know it was a long time coming, but hey, there was a lot of ground to cover to get to this point. Thank-you to all of you that have stuck with me for so long. I know I wanted to do a thorough job of this, and I hope I have done so. We still have some things to cover, so without much further ado, read on!
The characters are not mine. I am just allowing them to say what they really hold dear in their hearts.
Chapter 45
A Promise
When Harry awoke, he wasn't surprised to find the weight of her arm across his chest. He slowly slid his hand up and down her arm, enjoying the feel of the softness of her skin. Hermione lifted her head and looked up into a pair of intense green eyes. Wordlessly she got up and crawled in beside Harry as he moved over to make room. She snuggled under his chin, and he held her tightly as his memories flooded to the surface. He was quiet as he tried to sort through them, surprised that he could remember so much.
"You really worried me," Hermione said after a while. "I should kill you or at least maim you for being so stupid."
Harry sighed. "I know."
"Why on earth would you think that you could do it alone after all we had been through? What happened to `we're in this together'?" she said with a tinge of anger in her voice.
"I'm sorry, I really am. I thought I was strong enough to beat him," Harry said. "I guess I still have a lot to learn."
"Well, here is a lesson for you right now. If you ever do that again, you will wish you were dead, because I will make your life miserable. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes ma'am," Harry said as he hid a smile in her hair.
"Good."
They were quiet for a while, both reveling in the feeling of contentment at being in each other's arms.
"How long was I out?" Harry finally asked.
"Almost a week. Madame Pomfrey said you were fine, you just weren't there," Hermione said.
"I was there, I just…"
"Just what?" Hermione asked.
"I just needed time to think," Harry said.
"So what do you remember?" Hermione asked.
"Bits and pieces," Harry said. "It's like watching a movie in my head, only more disjointed."
Hermione shifted on to her back, and Harry propped himself up on his arm, looking down at her. The look in his eyes, of knowledge so profound, startled her. Hermione blushed, and looked down, suddenly finding her nails to be quite interesting.
"So…do you remember Luna and me being there?"
"Yes."
"And…and do you remember what I said?"
"You mean the part about if I didn't come back, that you'd never speak to me again?"
He knew that's not what she was looking for, but after her admonishment, he was feeling a bit rebellious.
"What? Oh yes, that…that was one thing…" she trailed off as she started to sit up dejectedly.
Harry put his arm across her stomach to stop her, and pulled her back around so she was looking at him.
Hermione looked up into his eyes and saw something that hadn't been there earlier; a sort of maturity and calmness that she hadn't seen before. It made her shiver.
"You know, with all of this battling we've been doing with Voldemort's soul, it's really made me think," Harry said quietly as he trailed a knuckle down her cheek.
"Oh really?" Hermione said, as her heart fluttered.
"When I was…in there…thinking, I was thinking about you." Harry said.
"About me?" Hermione asked.
"The whole thing with you almost dying, and how I felt when I thought I was going to lose you…it made me think about how important you have been in my life. Every time something happens to you, or I think I'm going to lose you, a little piece of me dies. I just feel that we have some sort of special bond, not like the bond of friendship that I have with Ron, it's something more," he said.
"Like a soul mate," Hermione whispered.
Harry looked at her, and nodded hesitantly.
"I had heard of `soul mates' before, but I never knew such a person could exist…until I met you."
"What…what are you trying to say?" Hermione said breathlessly.
"You know, I am so glad you are a part of my life," he said. "No matter how many times I mess up."
Hermione smiled at him, as her heart fluttered madly. Was this it?
"Somehow, with all the crazy things that have happened in our lives, I almost feel like this was meant to be. It's almost like I have waited all my life to find someone who cares about me as much as I care about them."
"Well, you do know that I worry about you more than anyone else," Hermione said, surprised by what he was saying. He had never spoken this way before.
"I know. When I'm with you, I know that I am with someone who makes my life more complete than I ever dreamed it could be."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, and Harry placed a finger against her lips. He wanted to tell her what he was feeling, what he had been thinking about for that time he was `not there', before he lost the courage.
He took a deep breath.
"I have always trusted you more than anyone else I know. I looked to you for inspiration, for answers and encouragement, and not only have you never let me down, you lift my spirits and take the weight off of my shoulders. I honestly believe that you are my soul mate, Hermione, and I love you."
Hermione blinked her eyes and sniffed. "That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me."
"You're more important to me than anything else in my life, and no matter what happens, we'll be in this together forever…if…if that's what you would like," Harry said, as his courage started to falter.
"I think I would," Hermione said before she pulled him down to kiss her. "I love you too," she said before her lips touched his.
Harry returned her kiss, elated that he had finally told her what he had kept buried deep down inside. Dumbledore had been right; he was stronger knowing that the woman he cherished more than anything else in the world loved him back. The feeling was almost overwhelming.
"Ahem!"
They broke apart quickly, and Hermione could see Madame Pomfrey standing at the edge of the curtain, arms folded, and looking annoyed.
"I can see from the looks of things, Mr. Potter, that you are no longer in need of my services. Since I do not tolerate these kinds of shenanigans in my infirmary, Miss Granger, you have thirty seconds to get your trouble-making self off of my ward."
"We're…we're terribly sorry Madame Pomfrey," Hermione stuttered as she sat up.
Harry ducked down behind her to hide his laughter, only to receive an elbow in the ribs. Nobody could ruin the mood he was in right now.
Madame Pomfrey looked sternly at the two embarrassed teenagers trying not to show her fondness for them.
"Thirty seconds, Miss Granger," she said as she turned away.
As soon as she was gone Hermione scrambled off of the bed as Harry shook with laughter.
"It's not funny," she hissed as he reached over to grab his glasses.
"Yes it is," he said. "Shenanigans," he snorted.
"I'm never going to be able to look her in the eye again," Hermione said mortified, hiding her face.
"Oh come on, Hermione, we weren't doing anything that bad," Harry said, sitting up.
"Yes, well, who knows what she thinks of us now," Hermione said as she put her shoes on.
"I'm counting, Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey said.
Harry smirked at the look of horror on her face.
"Go on," he said, trying not to laugh again. "I'll meet you in our common room."
Hermione grabbed her sweater and turned to leave.
"Hey," Harry called quietly.
Hermione turned to see him smiling at her.
"I love you," he said, just because he could.
Hermione smiled and blew him a kiss.
"I know," she said as she turned and left.
As Harry dressed, he thought about the conversation he had earlier. He had accepted that he had to face Voldemort; the difference now was that he planned on surviving. He had something worth living for. His hand brushed the invisipouch as he buckled his belt, and he stopped. He reached in and pulled out the little velvet bag he had put in there all those months ago. He opened it and tipped the bag into his hand, letting the ring fall into his palm. He stared at it for a few minutes before placing it back in the bag. He left the infirmary after giving Madame Pomfrey a jaunty wave, thinking that maybe now the time was right.
Harry was surprised to find Neville sitting with Ron, Luna and Hermione in the common room. He noticed that Neville looked very tired, and his heart lurched as he thought about his friend's loss. As he entered the room, Ron got up and gave him a brotherly hug.
"You've got to stop doing that to me, mate," he said. "It's making me old."
"I'll work on it," Harry grinned.
He went and sat down beside Hermione who linked her hand through his. Neville noticed, but didn't say anything.
"Alright there, Neville?" Harry asked.
"Okay," Neville said. "Thanks for…you know,"
Harry nodded in understanding.
"I was wondering if I could ask a favor," Neville said after a moment.
"Anything you need," Hermione said.
"I have to go to Gringott's next week to hear Gran's will, and I really don't want to go alone," Neville said.
"Harry will go with you, won't you, Harry?" Hermione said.
"*Cough*henpecked*cough*," Ron coughed into his hand, and Hermione glared at him.
"Oh…sure. Of course I'd go with you, Neville," Harry said.
"Thanks," Neville said, clearly relieved.
"Good thing Harry knows where he stands in his relationship," Ron muttered as he leaned over towards Luna.
"Shut it," Harry warned as his best friend smirked at him.
Harry walked Neville to the tunnel between their common room and Gryffindor's main room. Neville stopped as he got to the door.
"I really appreciate what you did, Harry," he said. "You saved my life. I owe you one."
Harry smiled sadly at him. "I wish I could have done more," he said. "I'm sorry about your grandmother."
"I wish I could have done more too," Neville said dejectedly, his shoulders slumped.
They were both quiet for a moment, reliving memories, before Neville stood up straight again, his shoulders squared.
"I meant what I said before. I owe you one. Anything I can do for you, name it. Especially if it involves taking down a few Death Eaters."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said as Neville left.
Harry came back and the four of them exchanged accounts of their experiences with the locket. Harry left out the exchange between himself and Hermione. It was still too new and he selfishly wanted to keep it to himself. The three friends brought Harry up to date on any news they had heard about Voldemort.
"Daddy says the Crumple-Horned Snorkack have gone into hiding," Luna said. "They know something's happening."
Hermione rolled her eyes at the information. "The Ministry has transferred a large herd of Centaurs to the forest here at Hogwarts," she said. "Apparently Bane wasn't too happy about it, according to Hagrid. He was comparing the move to putting all the wild animals on to one reserve. They are not going to put up with this much longer. The Ministry said that they were doing it so they could protect them, but Hagrid thinks they are trying to keep an eye on them. He said that Bane told him that `the actions of an insignificant few are of no interest to them. Their history isn't even in the stars'."
Ron snorted. "My dad has been saying that there are a lot of insignificant people in the Ministry for years."
"Well, at any rate, they certainly are not winning people over to their side," Hermione said.
"Well, there's not much we can do right now, so lets go eat," Ron said standing up.
"Always thinking with your stomach," Hermione said.
"Are you going to deny that you're not hungry?" Ron asked.
"No, but-"
"Good. Let's go," he said, taking Luna's hand and heading for the door.
****** ****** ****** ******
It seemed strange to Harry to be patrolling the halls after everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The mood around the castle was definitely subdued, and even McGonagall seemed more serious than normal, which Harry didn't think possible.
Harry was quiet for most of the rounds, letting Hermione shoo the younger students out of their hiding spots and off to bed. They came across Neville and Lavender in a dark corner, and decided to leave them.
"It's good therapy for him," Harry said with a smile.
"We should head back," Hermione said.
"One more stop," Harry said and took her hand.
He led her though the halls and up to the astronomy tower.
"Is someone in here?" Hermione asked.
Harry didn't answer, but he hoped not. They entered the tower area and looked around.
"You know Harry, it would have been a lot easier if you had brought your map," Hermione said.
"I couldn't," Harry said with a grin. "I lent it to Neville."
Hermione stopped in her tracks and then started to laugh.
"Well, he certainly wasn't paying attention now, was he?"
"That's what happens when you're with a beautiful woman," Harry said. "You sometimes forget where you are."
Hermione turned to look out the window to hide her blush as she remembered their earlier incident. Harry came up behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned back into him and looked out at the stars.
"This is nice," she said after a moment.
"Very," Harry said as he hugged her tightly, feeling a little nervous.
He took a deep breath and stared out at the stars.
"You know that when I said I loved you, I mean it more than when anyone else in the whole wide world says it," Harry said.
Hermione turned in his arms to face him.
"That's so sweet," she whispered.
"You mean everything to me, and you are more important than anything else in my life," Harry whispered.
"You already told me that earlier," Hermione smiled.
"I know, but I want you to understand it," Harry said as he backed away from her.
He reached into his invisipouch and pulled out the little velvet bag. Hermione's eyes went wide. He opened the bag and tipped the ring out on to his hand. He put the bag back and picked up the ring between his fingers. He took hold of her left hand and held the ring out.
"It's beautiful! Where did you get it?" she asked.
"In a little shop in Switzerland. It's a promise ring. I solemnly promise that when this is all over, we will be together," he said as he slowly slipped the ring on her finger.
Hermione held her hand up and examined the etchings on the ring.
"I'm going to hold you to that promise," she said as she pulled Harry down for a kiss.
Harry accepted her kiss, and felt the love that she gave so willingly intertwine with his own. He kissed her back, hungrily, wanting to let her know just how much she meant to him. He teased her lips with his tongue, seeking entry, and when she opened her lips, he swirled his tongue around hers, reveling in the wonder of the softness of her mouth.
Suddenly the two phoenixes on the ring began to glow and two flashes of light flared out: one hitting Harry and the other hitting Hermione. They both gasped as the light hit them and then faded.
"Are you okay?" Harry said.
"I think so," Hermione replied.
"What just happened? Harry asked, looking around.
I think the ring just confirmed your promise," she said as she looked at it again. It looked the same as before, but suddenly she had a great desire to keep it on and never take it off.
"Well, I meant it," Harry said as he took her hand and guided her out of the tower.
They silently made their way down to the Gryffindor tower hand in hand. As they came around the corner, they stopped as they saw a lone figure sneaking back into the main tower.
"Ginny," Harry muttered as he started to go after her.
Hermione stopped him.
"Let it go for tonight," she smiled.
Harry looked down at her in surprise.
"I should give you jewelry more often," he said. "You become a regular law breaker."
"Would you rather have a fight with Ginny, or snuggle on the couch in front of the fire?" she asked.
"I see your point," Harry said as she led him towards their dorm.
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