Unofficial Portkey Archive

By: FayeValentine00

Chapter 2

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Sometime that night Harry must have dozed back to sleep because when he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see that the sun was just beginning to rise. To his surprise, he realized that Hermione was no longer curled to his side but he saw her the moment that he rolled over

She sat on the edge of his bed with her back to him. Harry could see that her breath was uneven and every few breaths, he hear her sniff lightly. Harry sat up slowly and turned so he would be facing her. Although Harry was sure she knew he was watching her, she didn't make any move to speak or turn around. She simply sat there.

"Hermione?"

He waited a moment for a responce but after nearly a minute, Harry realize that it wouldn't come. He reached his arm out slowly, afraid what would happen if he touched her. His worse fear was that Hermione would reject him and he knew that he wouldn't be able to take it. She was the only thing he had left right now. If she turned him away it might as well have been him that was killed at the hands of the Death Eaters.

Finally Harry summonded up all the courage that he could find and touched her arm so gently that, at first, he was not even sure that she'd felt it. After what seemed like an eternity, she turned to face him but Harry was shocked. He barely recognized the red and swollen face that he saw.

"Hermione... p-please don't cry."

"H-H-Harry... I-I-I'm so s-sorry." She spoke slowly between sobs but when Harry tried to tell her that she didn't have to go on she waved him off. It was obviously very important to her that she said whatever was weighing so heavily on her mind. "I c-could've k-k-killed you. ... I couldn't ... I couldn't st-."

Once again Hermione broke into sobs and Harry couldn't imagine the guilt that she was feeling. He did the only thing that he could think of to do. He reached out and pulled her into him. He pushed the puffy hair out of her face so she could breath properly and just hugged her while she cried her heart out onto his sleeve.

"It's okay." He spoke to her quietly, trying to blink back his own tears that had already begun to fall steadily down his cheeks. "They forced you. D-don't apologize. It's not your fault."

They stayed like that for a long time, crying and holding each other. In fact, it wasn't until they heard someone clear their throat beside the bed that they finally looked up and saw Madam Pomfrey looking at them with a mixture of concern and empathy.

"I'm sorry but there is someone here who wants to see you. I told them no of course but they are quite adamant about seeing you."

Hermione's grip around Harrys torso tightened and she looked up at Harry with eyes that immediately told him that she wasn't ready to see anyone yet something told him that he should at least find out who it was that wanted to see them so badly.

Harry pulled himself up a bit straighter and dragging Hermione with him, He settled up against the pillows of the bed. "Who is it?"

"Ummm..." Madam Pomfrey looked as though she wished she could run away. She was obviously very worried about her patients and their reactons to the guest. "I-It is Mr. Weasley, my dears."

Harry looked down at Hermione and when she nodded her consent to him, he told Madam Pomfrey to send him in.

"What am I going to say, Harry! What if he blames us."

"Don't worry. I'm sure it will be okay." But even as the words came out, he wasn't confident.

The moment before Mr. Weasley appeared, Harry wondered if Hermione should release the tight hug around his middle but one look at the obvious fear in her eyes and he knew it was better if he held her in place.

Mr. Weasley rounded the curtains to the bed and looked down at the two with empty, bloodshot eyes. He looked flushed and it was obvious that he hadn't slept at all the night before. He sat at the foot of the bed and looked at each of them as though he didn't know whether or not he'd be permited to touch them but finally he took a deep and leaned forward pulling both Harry and Hermione into a tight embrace.

Hermione had once again begun to cry and Harry too could feel tears running down his cheeks. This was just too much to be real. When they finally broke apart a few minutes later, all three where wiping their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley. We couldn't-" Harry was cut off when Mr. Weasley raised his hand to stop him but he himself didn't begin to talk for another minute or so.

"I know. ... I know. I'm sorry we weren't there. The people standing guard were all stunned simultaniously. We had no warning. ... No warning at all."

"How can this be happening? This is not the way it was supposed to be!" Hermione finally seemed to control her tears and looked at them a little clearer.

"Molly keeps saying the same thing. We wanted to make sure that you aren't blaming yourselves. There was nothing you could have done to stop this from happening. ... Do you understand?"

Neither Harry nor Hermione responded for a long while but finally, after a pleading expression from Mr. Weasley, they both nodded half-heartedly.

"Okay. We wanted to take Ginny home but she says she won't leave so I beg you two to look after her. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir." Harry nodded.

"Please call us if you need anything. We will be in touch soon."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." Hermione tried to offer a smile but it didn't work at all.

Nevertheless, after a final goodbye, Mr. Weasley left and Harry and Hermione were once again alone.

"What are we going to do, Harry?"

"We - We have to go on. It is what Ron would want most of all, right?"

Hermione nodded reluctantly. "I'm scared. I feel so stupid all of a sudden. Just yesturday I was worrying in the back of my mind about N.E.W.T.S. It just feels like ... it feels like everything is for nothing."

"It doesn't have to be." They looked at each other seriously before Harry continued. "This can't be the end, Hermione. We can't stop now or else Voldemort will have won. We have to get better and work harder for Rons sake, right?" His voice cracked slightly at the mention of Rons name but Hermione nodded anyway with a sudden expression of conviction on her face.

"Okay Harry."

"Okay."

The two remained together in the hospital wing for a week, barely leaving each others side with the exception of showers and bathroom runs but even as they walked out the door and towards the Griffindor common room it was strange to think that they were heading back into school with one of their own missing.

People glanced at them as they walked down the halls in slience but no one dared say a word. Obviously Dumbledore had asked the school not to bring up the subject around them.

They told the fat lady in the picture their password and entered the common room slowly. For a brief moment Harry thought Hermione might spin around and make a run for it but she didn't. The room was full and all eyes were on them but no one said a word. For the first time in the history of the common room, you could have heard a pin drop.

The two sat own on the couch near the fire and waited until everyone had returned to their previous tasks before speaking.

"Maybe we should study. We must have loads to catch up on by now."

Harry couldn't help but feel a bit of a smile tug at his lips. It was the first time since the incident that Hermione had even mentioned homework and he hoped that it was a sign that she was improving.

"Alright. We just need to find out what we missed." Harry agreed so quickly that Hermione looked surprised.

It was then that the two saw Neville sitting on a chair at the other end of the common room looking their way with obvious concern.

"Neville." Hermione called and waved their fellow 7th year over. He seemed a bit reluctant but finally made his way over and forced a smile to them.

"Hello." He sat down across from them and seemed confused.

"Hermione and I figure we should catch up on our homework. Do you happen to know what we missed."

"Oh ... Ummmm..." He looked a bit confused at first but finally answered. "Nothing."

"What?" Hermiones mouth dropped and she looked at him in shock.

"Nothing. We didn't have any homework. The teachers said that we should all take some time to relax. They said we had enough to deal with."

"Even Snape?" Harry gave Neville an expression that was nearly identical to Hermiones.

Neville nodded. "Even Snape. It's strange really. He's seemed different this week somehow."

"Oh, well, Okay. Thank you then Neville." Hermione smiled as best she could before looking around the room and looking depressed when she didn't see what she was looking for.

Harry met Hermiones eyes and gave her a look of sympathy knowing far too well that the person they'd both spent time looking for in the common room would never again pass through those doors.

Neville sat with them a bit longer and then headed down to the great hall for lunch that would be starting shortly. After him, the common room began to empty and as it did, a red haired girl walked up to them slowly. She seemed afraid to say anything yet knew she had too.

"Ginny." Hermione looked up at her and then leapt from her chair and threw her arms around the younger girl who'd become like a sister to her.

Harry walked over to the girls and tried not to show outwardly how much it hurt to know that they had watched as her brother was murdered. He didn't know what to say but it turned out that he didn't have to. When he got close enough, Ginny pulled him into the hug as well and they all stood in the middle of the common room trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Harry, you look pale. You should eat something." Ginny looked up at him in concern.

Hermione looked up too and nodded her head in agreement. "I guess we'll have to go back there someday, right?"

"I guess."

As the three made their was down the stairs Harry realized that someday soon, every step they took to make their lifes sane again would pay off the moment that Voldemort paid for taking away one of the greatest people that Harry'd even known.

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