Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hi everyone. Here is the next chapter-I hope you all enjoy. It's a little shorter than the last few, but action packed so that should balance out. Don't forget to review-beginning to think four people read this story, haha. Anyway…

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

CHAPTER SIX: A Marked Man and an Oath Taken

I'm at war with the world and they
Try to pull me into the dark
I struggle to find my faith
As I'm slippin' from your arms

It's getting harder to stay awake
And my strength is fading fast
You breathe into me at last

I'm awake I'm alive
Now I know what I believe inside
Now it's my time
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life
here (right here), right now (right now)
I'll stand my ground and never back down
I know what I believe inside
I'm awake and I'm alive

I'm at war with the world cause I
Ain't never gonna sell my soul
I've already made up my mind
No matter what I can't be bought or sold

"Awake and Alive" SKILLET

Hermione watched as Harry jumped carelessly from their safe haven in the tree, and landed with a thud. "Don't move, any of you. I'll be right back." He called up to them in a hushed tone, and Hermione's first instinct was to follow. However, the sound of his footsteps grew silent before she could even register what happened.

Once her mind caught up with the situation, she knew at once that she had go get down and go with him. It didn't matter that she had no idea where he went, or what direction he had gone. All she knew was that she was supposed to be with him. She needed to be out there to protect him the best she could. She made a move to blindly follow, but felt two sets of strong arms pull her back.

"No, Hermione. You're staying." Draco whispered authoritatively.

"Don't be thick!" Ron exclaimed at the same time.

Hermione turned to look at the two boys she had momentarily forgotten were sharing the hiding spot with her. "What? You're just going to let him go out there-alone!?" She asked in disbelief.

Both Ron and Draco had uneasy looks on their faces. Hermione immediately understood it wasn't any easier for them to stay behind than it was for her.

"I'll go after him, you stay here with Draco. Having you out there is only going to make him worry even more, and he needs to stay focused." Ron decided.

"Don't be a prat. You don't know where he went. Let's just…just wait. We're right over the `battle field' if you will, so if anything happens, we'll know. We shouldn't split up. Harry said he'll be right back." Draco said, craning his neck to see the Death Eaters below them. "And when he gets back, we'll all take turns killing him for leaving."

Hermione moved to jump down again, but Ron grabbed her by her shirt and pinned her against the trunk of the tree. "I'm serious, Granger. You aren't going anywhere. None of us are-for the moment, anyway." He declared solemnly, looking thoroughly pissed with the turn of events.

Hermione glared at the fire reflecting in his blue eyes from below where chaos was abundant, feeling turmoil slowly clamp around her heart.

Hermione tried to pull away from his grip, but he did not release her. Defeated, Hermione slumped back against the tree. "He has ten minutes, and if he's not back by then, I'm going down there." Hermione promised vehemently, glaring at the pair of them, who remained silent.

***

Harry had no idea what in the hell he was doing. Crouched and running along the hedges, he listened intently to the situation just on the other side of his shield. He couldn't make out much in the darkness, and the sounds from the Death Eaters were growing faint as he continued in the opposite direction from the fight.

A groan caused him to stop in his tracks. Scanning the darkness before him, he could just make out a lumpy shape a few feet ahead. It looked like a person. He slunk forward gradually, wand out and ready to attack at any second.

As Harry advanced, he noticed the person on the ground was injured. He recognized him as a reserve player for the Wasps, and he was clutching his leg in pain. Sensing no danger, Harry hurried forward and dropped to his knees next to the Quidditch player.

"My leg." He gasped through gritted teeth. "I was on my broom, trying to get out of here, and…" He winced in pain, "And it got shot down. I think it's broken."

"Stay still." Harry warned. It was a bloody mess, with his leg dangling at an odd angle. "This is going to hurt." Harry maneuvered his leg to straighten out before aiming his wand at the broken appendage. He used a simply healing spell that should at least ease some of the pain and let the bone begin to mend-though he doubted he had set the bone right in the first place. It was the best he could do, however, in the pressing time.

The area was deserted for the most part, and Harry felt the man was in very little danger. He couldn't bring him along, that was for sure. He had to move, and get to the Death Eaters. If he knew his friends, he knew he didn't have much time before they came after him. He was half-surprised he had managed it this far. Harry had faith in Ron and Draco to keep Hermione safe as their primary concern. The last thing he wanted was Hermione to be in danger.

The Wasp player looked better than before Harry had found him. "I'm going to go now. Someone will find you. Just…don't move. That's a pretty basic healing spell-you are barely on the mend. It should help with the pain, however. And…I'm going to borrow this, by the way." Harry said as he got an idea when his eyes caught sight of the player's broomstick, slightly battered but still in usable condition.

"What? You can't just take my broom!" He objected, but Harry had already pried it from the man's grasp and was walking away.

He threw his leg over the broom and kicked off the ground. If he hadn't been in the dangerous situation he was in, he knew he would have been able to relish the fact that he was riding a Firebolt Ultimate. He would have been able to enjoy the amazing speed and the familiar feeling of the wind whipping through his hair. He would have been impressed with how brilliant the handling and maneuverability was on this newest broomstick model.

However, it wasn't a time to play. Instead, he flew around in a large U-shape and shot back towards the Death Eaters. He used the trees to conceal his presence as he circled the camp ground. Wand at the ready, he sent a well-aimed Stunning spell at one of the men in the masks and watched him crumple to the ground. He fired a second spell and was able to take down one more before someone had noticed.

"Someone is out there!" A man shouted, wildly spinning around.

Harry aimed another curse, but missed. He shot forward several feet as to not give away his position. If he kept moving-especially at this speed-they wouldn't be able to catch him. However, it was also increasingly difficult to Stun anyone when he had to move so fast, and now that their awareness was piqued.

"You! Find the sniper!" The ring leader of the group said, grabbing a random man by the front of his robes and pushing him away from the group. "You!" he said, pointing to another Death Eater, "Help him!"

Crouched behind a tree, Harry trained his wand on the leader. He fired a curse, but narrowly missed the man's head. Instead of Stunning him, it only riled him up even more. "HARRY POTTER!" The man roared, spinning around to look at all of his surroundings. "Get out here before the Muggles have to suffer even more!" He yelled. "I have a message for you that I must deliver. No one has to get hurt-except this bleeding sniper!" He bellowed, his eyes searching madly for the source of their phantom attacker.

Harry ignored his words, and instead trained his eyes on the Muggles. They seemed to be at the edge of everyone's mind, at this point. Torturing them had grown tiring compared to the phantom sniper. He wondered if he were stealthy and quick enough, would he be able to rush by and grab them, one at a time, and bring them to safety? He doubted it. There was no way he could rescue them on the broom.

In his pondering, Harry had slowed in the air, and someone must have seen him from the light of the fire. He felt the heat of a curse fly only inches from his left ear. "There! On a broomstick!"

`Fuck!' Harry thought, and shot forward recklessly in panic. Several curses flew in his direction, and one hit the tail of his broomstick and caused him to spiral out of control. He barely registered that he was quickly losing height as the ground came rushing up to meet him.

He landed in a mess of tree roots and shrubs. He heard the horrible crunch of his bone snapping and felt an almost blinding pain shoot up his right arm. He cursed loudly and held his arm in a tight grip, but it did nothing to ebb the immense throbbing.

"Ah, we have our sniper. And look who it is…Harry Potter, himself. Our guest of honor has finally joined us." A voice drawled behind his mask as the tall figure advanced on Harry slowly.

Harry suddenly felt foolish sitting in a mangled shrub with his wand nowhere in sight, gripping his broken arm. He was completely defenseless against the many armed Death Eaters surrounding him.

The leader was now standing before him, and he unmasked himself. Lucius Malfoy. Sleek, long blonde hair and a haughty expression, Harry immediately recognized Draco's father.

"An impressive fight, Mr. Potter, for such an amateur." He said lazily.

Before Harry could respond, however, his body was engulfed in the most horrifying pain imaginable. A scream ripped from his throat as his eyes screwed tightly shut. White hot knives were stabbing his body everywhere, twisting painfully, surely ripping his skin and innards. His muscles were on fire. He was on fire-blinded by the agony as his eyes rolled back into his head.

Then, just as suddenly as the attack came, it stopped. The only evidence from the torture was the ache of his muscles from them seizing so sharply. He felt his head loll to one side, and saw just how bloody he had become. Had they really set him on fire? His clothes were torn and battered, but not scorched.

He registered that they were laughing at him. Just as he realized this, however, he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse for a second time, and he only just heard the high-pitched "Crucio!" before he was on fire again.

Then again, it was gone. "Aw, does the wittle baby not like that?" A voice taunted, and Harry looked up to see a witch he recognized from the Wanted posters and Daily Prophet as Bellatrix Lestrange staring at him with an evil smirk on her face. Her wand was pointing at him still. "Let's see if we can try again, shall we? Maybe you'll grow to like-" Her voice was cut off as Harry watch in absolute horror: Hermione dropped from the tree she had been hiding in straight onto Bellatrix's shoulders, forcing her to crumble to the ground.

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he tried to scramble forward but was met with a curse from Lucius that caused him to fly backwards. Bellatrix had gained enough of her bearings to stand, her hand fisted in Hermione's hair and her wand at her throat. "This must be the lovely Hermione." She huffed, giving a hard yank on Hermione's hair that caused Hermione's head to snap back painfully. She shoved Hermione towards the ground. "I'm taking this as you volunteering to take the pain for him." She sneered, aiming her wand at Hermione now. "Crucio!"

"NO!" Harry shouted, his eyes meeting Hermione's for a split second before she was hit with the spell. She looked terrified. She twitched on the ground, her screams filling his ears for only seconds before out of nowhere, Ron and Draco dropped from the tree as well, landing ungracefully on the ground. In the midst of the confusion, Sirius rushed forward, roaring mightily with his wand aimed at Bellatrix.

Harry's eyes widened as the scene before him transformed immediately. Order members were rushing forward, but not nearly enough of them. Sirius and Bellatrix were caught up in a fierce duel. Lucius was surprised by the sudden appearance of his only son, standing between his target and himself more than by the feeble attack from the members of the Order. Ron had picked up Hermione and was carrying her over to where Harry was, out of the way of the dueling. Harry gripped her hand, though his eyes never left Lucius's scowl.

Gaining his composure, he said indifferently, "Step aside, Draco."

Draco refused to budge, and deliberately drew out his wand with a trembling hand.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone. It would be wise for you to move." Lucius repeated, but again Draco didn't move.

Out of nowhere, Lucius's hand drew back and he backhanded his son across the face with enough force to make Draco lose his balance and fall to the ground, perhaps more out of surprise than anything else.

Lucius loomed over them, with Ron and Draco the only ones that had their wands in hand. "I am not here to kill you, or capture you, Potter. I am simply relaying a message." He glanced back at the mess behind him, spells shooting in all directions. "This is your fault. Had you just come clean to begin with, no one would have had to have gotten hurt." His eyes wandered over to Hermione, who was dirty and bleeding from her bottom lips, as well as a large gash on her cheek.

Harry shifted his body in front of Hermione protectively, while Ron and Draco also maneuvered themselves between Lucius and Hermione. Lucius stared at Draco for a moment as if to fully take in the profound meaning of this subtle movement: Betrayal to his family, and loyalty to his friends.

"What is it you have to say, then?" Harry asked boldly, trying to appear braver than he felt.

Lucius smirked. "A simple salutation from the Dark Lord, Potter, and a reminder that he has not forgotten about you. You haven't suffered enough yet for you to have his permission to die. He sends his regards in hoping that you are in good form…for now." Lucius spoke softly, and Harry had to listen hard to catch the words falling from his lips with the explosions just a few feet away.

"I don' t believe I need anyone's permission for anything." Harry responded icily, glaring at the man in front of him.

Lucius smirked in response before quickly turning on his heel and emitting a loud noise from his wand. The Death Eaters had the upper hand in the fight, with their numbers greater than the few members that could have been summoned so quickly. They immediately all turned and in a blur they ran for the Apparation point with only a few wounded enough to be forced to stay behind, captured. With one last shout and explosion from the tip of someone's wand that caused a green light to flare up towards the sky, they were gone.

Harry's eyes followed the green light until it exploded in the sky and formed a green skull with a snake slithering from its mouth as a tongue. The Dark Mark moved as if in a slight wind against the inky black sky. A new addition to the already terrifying symbol blazed beneath the skull, a name clearly legible for everyone to see: HARRY POTTER.

Harry stared up at the promise glaring down at him, with its several implications forming in the back of his mind: they could have easily killed him tonight; Voldemort will kill him in the future; he had to wait for Voldemort's permission to die; and right now, he was a marked man.

He tore his eyes away from the image in the sky to look at Hermione, who was white as a ghost. Harry cleared his throat. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, raising his hand to lightly touch her cheek. She flinched as his thumb gently brushed her wound. Instead of replying, Hermione's face turned downward, avoiding his gaze.

"What were you thinking!?" A voice asked suddenly, causing Harry to jump and look towards the source of the outburst. Sirius and his father were both rushing forward, looking concerned and rightly pissed off at the same time. "I told you to say where you were, Harry! I said to stay out of sight!" Harry had never seen his Godfather so angry.

James dropped to his knees in front of his son. "Oh, Merlin, look at your arm." His father tried to take Harry's arm in his hand gingerly, but Harry gasped in pain as the anguish came back full force now that there was nothing to distract him.

"Don't!" He panted as his arm seared with pain. He looked up to see Hermione staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face. Harry realized she had dropped his hand from hers at some point, and had moved back a little, as if she was frightened of him.

"We have to move you. Can you stand?" Sirius asked, his anger vanishing as he took in Harry's state. "I'm no good at Healing spells. Where's Lily?"

James shook his head. "She was sent over to the pitch with Arthur and Molly to make sure the Death Eaters didn't go after the spectators. Here, let's just…" His father attempted to set his arm and used a basic Healing charm, the very one Harry had used on the man he found with a broken leg.

Harry felt the pain in his arm recede to a dull, but still a very painful throb. Sirius and James helped him to his feet while Hermione, Ron, and Draco gave them a wide berth.

"Let's get them all out of here. I'm going to take them home. Can you help get this mess squared around?" James asked, looking back at the small campground where a few Death Eaters had been rounded up and Ministry wizards were putting out the fires. "They've all gone-Shacklebolt chased them but they disappeared once they reached the Apparation point." Harry noticed his father seemed to be making a great effort in refusing to look up at the Dark Mark that tried to seal his son's fate. "I want them out of here before everyone from the pitch gets released."

Sirius drew his wand and muttered something under his breath, and Harry watched as giant dog Patronus erupted from the tip of his wand and bounded forward in the direction of the pitch.

"You lot-come with me. I'm taking you home, and Lily will get you all sorted out." James said, beckoning the four teenagers forward.

"Wait-my wand. I've dropped t." Harry said, looking around frantically.

"Mine too." Hermione added quietly.

"Accio Harry's wand. Accio Hermione's wand." Sirius summoned, and both wands came whizzing to his outstretched hand, Harry's from the shrubs and Hermione's from the direction where she tackled Bellatrix.

Silently, they made the short walk to the Apparation point. "Where are we going?" Ron asked once they made it past the barrier.

"Godric's Hollow. Harry, I'll side-long you-you're in no condition to Apparate." James said, grasping Harry's good arm firmly. "One of you side-long Hermione, just to make sure she gets to the right spot." He added, looking back at Ron and Draco.

Ron reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand securely in his own, looking down at her. With a loud pop, they all Disapparated.

Inside, Harry was sitting on the couch, nursing his mending arm. Hermione sat beside him, still with a distant expression on her face. Ron sat at her feet, despite the plenty of extra space on the couch and chair while Draco sat on the armrest beside Harry like a watchful knight. It was as if the group was not ready to fan out just yet and needed the close-knit security of one another.

No one spoke as they waited in silence. It wasn't long before the door burst open and Lily rushed into the room. She was met with four teenagers looking worse for wear: Harry was bloodied and bruised with battered clothing, a swollen and bruised arm, blood smeared across the side of his head along with dirt, and finally various scratches on his face and arms; Hermione's hair was a tangled mess and blood was caked on her face and arms, and she had a black eyes as well as her lip was swollen and busted open while a deep gash was on her cheek; Draco and Ron were both sporting several cuts and dirt on their faces and arms, but overall looked relatively unscathed in comparison to Harry and Hermione.

"Oh, goodness-look at you! What happened, James? I got Sirius's Patronus telling me to come here, everyone was okay, but this lot needed patched up immediately." She said, gesturing to all of them. James began relaying the encounter to his wife, starting with the little response from the Order they had gotten on such short notice as she dropped to her knees in front of her son.

"We got such a little response that we were trying to hold off-going in there was suicide. Sirius and I were marking a parameter with Moody and a few others watching the Death Eaters."

Using her wand, she cut the fabric of Harry's new shirt-which was already ripped up-so his whole upper body was exposed to her eyes. Her fingers gently traced the scrapes, gashes, and bruises he had gotten in the short period of time. "Accio, medical kit." She summoned her kit, and began to pull out various bottles of healing salves and such.

"Do Hermione first." Harry requested softly, clenching his teeth in pain. Hermione moved to object, but Harry cut her off. "Just fucking do it, Hermione. Please just listen to me for once?" Harry muttered almost rudely, causing Hermione to pause in her objection, and her expression changed to one of complete disbelief. It would have been equally as surprising had Harry slapped her in her face.

"Harry! That is not a way to talk to a girl." James chastised, a clear warning in his voice as he interrupted telling his wife about how Harry had been sniping the Death Eaters via commandeered broomstick, something he and Sirius had found out after the Death Eaters had escaped.

Harry said nothing and continued to stare straight ahead as his mother moved over to Hermione, silent. Hermione let the woman work her over, applying a brown liquid to her wounds speedily, and the effect was immediate. Hermione felt as if someone had literally just beaten the shit out of her. The woman muttered a few Healing spells under her breath, and Hermione felt her pain evaporate, along with her facial wounds.

She moved swiftly and wordlessly on to Harry's broken arm. Harry's groans of pain did not slow her movements, and she softly muttered, "I know, I know it hurts baby. I'm almost done."

Her work stopped, however, upon hearing James's next words. "We heard the screaming and tried to come as fast as we could. Moody…was watching-he should had intervened. He let…he sacrificed for more time…Harry was on the ground with them, and the Cruciatus Curse…"

Lily let out a quiet sob and her hand flew up to her mouth as she listened.

Harry tried to ignore the obvious pain in his father's voice as he spoke of hearing Harry being tortured by Lucius and Bellatrix. "Mum, I'm alright. It's fine. I'm fine." Harry whispered consolingly. His mother was able to gain some composure and within minutes with trembling hands, she had his arm good as new. Harry flexed his arm back and forth experimentally. She then applied the Essence of Dittany to his cuts as well, careful not to miss a single one. She dropped a kiss to his bare shoulder before moving on to Draco and Ron.

Once all four were taken care of, Lily turned her attention to James. He had a few cuts, but nothing unmanageable. Harry took in his parents' appearance for the first time, and felt relief: his mother looked completely unscathed while his father's clothes seemed to have taken most of the beating, and not his actual body. Now that they were all healed, and Lily was up to speed with the events that had occurred, she slowly put her medical supplies away and finally addressed the four of them for the first time since she walked in. Her demeanor betrayed her shaking from hearing what her son had gone through, but her tone still came out harsh, "Would you please like to inform me why you thought you could just go rushing into this fight after Sirius gave you clear instruction to stay where you were!?" Lily asked, glaring at her son.

"What was I supposed to do, just sit there and let them torture-maybe even kill-those poor Muggles?! They wanted me, and they weren't going to leave until they got what they wanted." Harry replied in his defense.

Lily's expression hardened, and Harry could tell she was holding back her words, perhaps because his friends were there and she did not want to go completely Lily-Potter-Mental in front of them all. "You think you are an adult, Harry, but you aren't. Your decisions keep proving that over and over. Do you realized what could have happened? You could have been seriously hurt-you could have been killed! You could have gotten Ron or Draco or Hermione killed. Or Sirius or your father-because they had to rush in and save you." She responded, her voice and temper rising.

Harry stood up so that he was towering over his mother intimidating.

"Sit back down, Harry James!" She commanded angrily, and Harry immediately dropped back down to the couch, almost cowering. "You do not get a say in this-any of you. I don't want any explanations because there is not a good enough excuse for any of it. Harry-rushing off alone with Death Eaters around and trying to take them on single-handedly. Grown wizards who are far more talented than you. You've been training for a month and a half, and suddenly you think you know what's best!? You think you know how to protect yourself? You don't know a damn thing, Harry." She said severely, pointing an accusing finger at her son.

"And you, Hermione-you aren't my child, but right now you are in my house, and you will listen to what I have to say. Jumping out of a tree, onto the back of Bellatrix Lestrange-do you know what she does? Do you know how many people she's killed and tortured? What were you thinking!? You knew Order members were there, and they would have taken care of it. Yes, Harry was in a bad situation," a look of terror washed over her features at thinking of his situation before continuing, "And I can appreciate you trying to help him, but you have to look at the big picture. Putting yourself in danger will not help matters."

Her eyes roamed over to Ron and Draco. "You all have to look at the big picture. If you want to be included in this fight, you have to obey orders. Sirius tells you to stay back, you stay back. Abandoning reason for recklessness…this is a war. That is how you get yourself or others killed. What if something would have happened to someone who had to rush in and save all your asses because you couldn't have just listened?" She asked, looking at each and every one of them.

"These are dangerous times. These are dangerous situations. Order members were standing by still because there were not enough to take on such a large group. Sometimes, you have to wait." She lectured, glaring at her son. She looked at Ron and Draco, "Ron, I know your mother is not very happy with you at the moment. Just jumping from a tree…and Draco…" Her voice suddenly softened as she looked at him and he stared back with no emotion. "We are care about you, we care about you all. Sticking together is what is going to get us through this, and we can't have a group of teenagers just going off on their own because they think they know what they are doing. These people we are up against have more experience than the lot of you combined, and they won't think twice about killing you. Don't sit here and ask to be treated like adults, when you still act like children." She spoke, a note of finality in her voice. "Ron, I have instructions from your mother to send you home. The rest of you-get cleaned up, brush your teeth, and go to bed." She demanded before turning around to face her husband and she followed him into the kitchen.

"Putting the fear of Lily in the minds of four teenagers. I think you have them scared out of their wits, dear." James said, pulling his wife into a consoling hug.

"They need a healthy dose of reality." Lily said crossly, letting him plant a kiss on her lips. "What they did to Harry…" Tears stung her eyes, and James just pulled her in tighter.

"I know. I wish I would have been there-I would have stopped it immediately. It would never have gotten that far. But you know Moody-individuals mean nothing to him. I'm going to have a word with him, however." James said, his voice hard. "However…at the same time, I'm glad I didn't have to see it. To even imagine that seen…seeing Hermione was rough enough. Sirius rushed in, me behind him." James spoke quietly, remembering the anguish on the young girl's face.

Lily listened to his words silently, nodding in understanding. She attempted to push the horror from her mind. "I've got to go though-still lots of people need plenty of patching up at St. Mungos. I told them I would be there as soon as I was done at home. Don't let them leave tonight." She said, looking back towards the living room.

"I think you've scared them into sitting on the couch and rotting for the rest of their lives." James smiled weakly.

***

Harry led Hermione up to the bathroom upstairs. From his bedroom, he grabbed her some fresh clothes, as well as some for Draco and himself. "Towels. Body wash. Shampoo. The works. Toothbrush is on the sink if you want to use it. Just come back downstairs when you're done." He said, noting Hermione's icy demeanor that matched his own.

Hermione stood there and waited for him to leave, and after a few seconds of silence, he did.

Draco was eating something in the kitchen with his father, so Harry went ahead and got in the other shower downstairs. He stared at himself in the mirror, covered in blood and dirt. Events from the night kept flashing through his head, but he tried clear his mind. In the shower, he scrubbed his body raw to match his anger.

He was livid with Hermione. How could she put herself in danger like that after he specifically asked her to stay where she was? Watching her drop from that tree had been one of the scariest moments of his life. Seeing her join the fight…it was terrifying. Then once she had been hit with the Cruciatus Curse-even for those brief few seconds-there were no words. He knew even a nano-second of that torture felt like forever. Harry's elbow hit the shower wall in a short burst of anger at the memory. He had thought he had wanted to hurt Avery…that was nothing compared to Bellatrix. He felt as if he could kill her with his bare hands at the moment. On the campground, he had been incapacitated and couldn't have done anything to her then. His arm had been broken in two places. He had Hermione to look out for, as well as see what he had to do to get the Death Eaters out of there and negotiate with Lucius. All he had to do was listen to his stupid threat.

Just like all Hermione had to do was listen. How could she take matters into her own hands, tackle that vile woman, and take the pain that was aimed at him? Why did she have to care about him so much to put her own life on the line like that? He had no doubt that had they been in reverse situations, that he would have done the exact same thing the second Lucius had done the curse the first time, but that was different. That put him in danger. That saved her from pain. He would handle it for her-not the other way around. Hermione taking pain for him…that was unacceptable.

Mulling over his anger, Harry tried not to see the parallel between Hermione's actions for him, and his actions with Sirius. Sirius told him to stay put. He told Hermione to stay put. He ignored Sirius. Hermione ignored him. He had gotten hurt by going against Sirius's wishes. Hermione had gotten hurt by going against his.

He exited the shower only feeling worse-guilt had been added to his anger. Guilt towards Sirius, guilt towards his mother…her lecture made him feel about two inches tall. He was trying to be an adult. He was trying to rise to the occasion-rise above this stupid prophecy. It was his fate, and his fate alone, despite how much he did not want the burden. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt if it could be avoided. He thought he was doing the right thing.

His mother's speech made him wonder if he was. He had put others at risk by being stupid and reckless. If he wanted to be part of the Order, if he wanted to become an Auror, he realized he had a lot to learn still. Patience and strategy sometimes outweighed instincts and bravery.

And sometimes, people had to suffer for the greater good. Just like Moody had watched him be tortured by Lucius and Bellatrix. He hadn't raised alarm in order to prevent Sirius and his father from acting rash at the sight of Harry screaming in anguish. He sacrificed Harry going through pain for a few more minutes of waiting for more Order members to arrive to better their chances. The plan may have worked had the sight not been too much for Hermione to watch. Had his screams not been too loud for her ears.

Suffering for the greater good. Voldemort promised suffering. What was Harry willing to sacrifice? He wouldn't have been able to stand by and watch someone be tormented so-he knew that. Moody was a stronger man than he-or perhaps colder, harsher. Hardened by war.

Harry tried to clear his head while he dressed quickly and left the bathroom. Hermione was nowhere in sight-probably still upstairs in his shower. Draco was sitting at the dining room table, alone now.

"Hey." Harry greeted, taking a seat across from him.

"Hey. Your dad will be back later-went to check in at headquarters." Draco replied, his voice barely audible. He was wearing the same expression he had worn for most of the evening-blank, emotionless, troubled.

Harry knew what was bothering him. After their talk in Sirius's kitchen a few weeks before, it was almost too easy to guess. Harry added more guilt to his growing list-he should have expected as much. He should have already checked on Draco before now after what happened. "Stop thinking about it." He said forcefully.

Draco gave a cold scoff. "I'll just do that."

Harry sighed. "I know it's not easy but…Draco, they made their choice. They have to live with that. You have to live with that…even though…even though I'm sure it's difficult-harder than I can imagine, I'm sure." Harry admitted quietly.

Draco was barely holding it together, Harry could tell. His friend suddenly stood up, and Harry quickly followed suit. "I have to get out of here. I just need…I don't know. I can't handle this right now." The blonde said, trying to shove past Harry to the door.

"No! You aren't going anywhere, mate. You belong here, with us. I'm your best friend, remember? I'm not going to let you go out and do anything stupid." Harry said, block his route and keeping Draco at bay.

"I don't care, Harry. Don't you get it? I turned my wand on my own father tonight, Harry-my own fucking father. And...and I had to watch him torture my best fucking friend. Do you know how you looked, screaming like that? You have no idea how hard it was to just watch-I was fucking frozen, Harry. I didn't stop him. Even when we got on the ground with you and I was there between him and you lot…Harry…I…I don't think I…I couldn't have done anything." He confessed, tears in his eyes. "I don't think I could have stopped him from killing any of you-I know how terrible he is, but I couldn't…why wouldn't I have stopped him, Harry? Why would I have failed you guys? For what? My fa-fa…my son of a bitch father, Voldemort's lackey?" Draco was almost screaming by now, pushing forcefully into Harry-not to move him out of the way, but just out of anger at his father.

Harry took it without batting an eye. His mate's emotional state-to see him lose such control was rare and unsightly. Harry grabbed his friend pulled into a tight hug, trying to calm his wild movements. Draco broke down and cried into Harry's shoulder, and Harry didn't let go. This was his best friend. He loved this bloke like a brother. Pushing all of his own problems to the side, he just stood there and consoled his best friend, absorbing every sob that wracked through his body. Quickly, Draco's sobs stopped and he tried to pull away, slightly embarrassed, but Harry's grip only tightened.

"I would never ask you to do that, Draco. No one is expecting you to hurt your family-I would never put you in that position. It's fucking difficult, I know. But you're on our side, and they aren't. You need to accept this." Harry told him earnestly before allowing him to pull away slightly, but still keeping him at arm's length with his hands gripping Draco's shoulder for a few beats as he stared intently into his gray eyes. After a couple seconds of passing understanding, Harry released him.

Draco dropped back into his seat. "And what if something happens-what if they get to me? What if…what if I become like them?" He asked, looking shamefaced.

Harry shook his head. "We are only going to have this conversation one more time, Draco. I'm not doing my job as your best mate if there is any doubt in your mind where you stand with me. Good, bad. Evil, not evil. What you are, who you don't want to become. This is the last conversation. I'm going to convince you that you are right where you belong. And we're not getting up from this fucking table until you know with confidence that you are the person I know you are and that you are going to fight for what is right-right at my side." Harry plopped down in his seat and stared hard at his best mate, who looked both stunned but somewhat calmer.

***

Father of mine
Tell me where did you go
You had the world inside your hand
But you did not seem to know
Father of mine
Tell me what do you see
When you look back at your wasted life and you don't see me
I was ten years old
Doing all that I could
It wasn't easy for me to be a scared white boy in a black neighborhood
Sometimes you would send me a birthday card
With a five dollar bill
I never understood you then and I guess I never will

"Father of Mine" EVERCLEAR

***

Hermione toweled her hair in the mirror while staring at her reflection. All traces of the night's events were gone from her face and body-lip, cheek, and eye healed good as new. Mrs. Potter had done a fantastic job in healing Hermione. After a few more minutes of isolation, Hermione moseyed out of the bathroom and into Harry's bedroom. It looked much like his room at Sirius's, just with a lot more things. Hermione considered lying down for a minute, but instead pushed herself back downstairs. She followed the voices and found Harry and Draco sitting at the dining room table, chatting.

Hermione stood at the end of the table silently in pajama bottoms and a hoodie. Draco stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going to go get in the shower now. I'll catch up with you guys later." Draco walked out of the room, squeezing Hermione's arm on his way out encouragingly.

Harry and Hermione stood there awkwardly for a few beats, tension hanging heavy in the air.

"Where are your parents?" Hermione asked uncomfortably.

"Mum went to St. Mungos to help. Dad will be back soon-went to check on things at headquarters." Harry replied, getting to his feet. "Um…shall we go outside?" He asked, gesturing towards the backyard.

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever."

Hermione followed Harry outside wordlessly, halfway across the yard until they reached a small basketball court. "A game of OWL?" Harry suggested, his voice quiet as he summoned his basketball.

Hermione didn't respond and just stood there motionlessly.

"Look, I know we need to talk-about tonight and I know we both probably have issues with each other, but first…just let me…" Trailing off, Harry dropped the ball and strode forward to engulf her into a tight hug, thankful to have her safe and pain-free in his arms.

Hermione hugged him back, needing this reassurance just as much as he did. For several minutes, the just stood there on the court under a small light pole, embracing.

He tried to focus on individual little things, like the smell of his shampoo in her hair and his body wash scent on her skin to keep his anger at bay. He had talked to Draco a little about how upset he was with her, but it hadn't made him feel any better. Finally, he pulled away slowly, but kept her in his arms. He looked down at her, her big brown eyes staring up at him with that same unreadable expression she had been wearing for a better part of the night. He sighed. "I can't believe you jumped out of that tree, Hermione. What in the hell were you thinking?" He asked, his irritation seeping into his tone.

Hermione's eyes flashed at his words as her annoyance flared. She immediately drew away from his grasp. "Are you kidding me, Potter?! Just where do you find the nerve, getting off on attacking me?" Hermione couldn't believe him.

"Attacking you? What about you attacking fucking Bellatrix Lestrange? You could have gotten yourself killed! Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you? Why couldn't you have just stayed in the fucking tree like you were supposed to!?" He asked, his voice rising.

Hermione would not be intimidated by her boyfriend. She stretched up to her full height and glared at him straight in his green eyes. "What did you think you were doing, jumping out of the tree in the first place? You weren't supposed to go after them-and if you are, you aren't supposed to go alone, without me! We are a team, Potter. A team!" Her voice rose with each word.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You can't throw that in my face, Hermione. We're a team, but it is my job to protect you-if I tell you to stay in the damn tree and wait, then you need to stay in the damn tree and wait for fuck's sake!" He growled.

His words only caused her anger to blaze even more. "Oh, since when did you become my boss?" Just who in the hell did he think he was? "I don't have to answer to you, so don't expect me to."

"I'm not asking you to answer to me, I'm asking you to listen for once. Putting yourself in danger like that…what were you thinking!? You compromised the entire situation." He said, rambling at this point because his argument was falling apart. Standing here before her, he felt his anger get the better of him and found words hard to find.

"I compromised the situation?! You want to talk all high and mighty on your self-righteous pedestal-Sirius told you to stay put, and you didn't. You can take your hypocritical argument and shove it straight up your ass, Potter." She half-bellowed, stomping her foot in her frustration.

Harry had no retort because she was right. Taking a new tactic, he replied, "You have no idea what it was like…watching you. I thought they were going to kill you, don't you get that? They tortured you right there in front of me!"

Hermione scoffed. "Oh, and it was easy for me to watch the same thing happen to you?! Seeing you in pain like that," Tears stung in Hermione's eyes as her words tumbled from her mouth, "I…it was horrible! Watching…that was impossible to see, Harry, and I can't unsee it. The image is fucking burned into my mind, Harry, and…and…" She broke down as her sobs became so violent that her words became unintelligible and she fell into him.

Harry caught her easily and he pulled her flushed against him, very much like Draco earlier except this hurt him so much more to see her like this. She continued to shake in his arms.

Hermione felt Harry's strong arms holding her up. She had lost it. The events at the Quidditch game had been the completely terrifying. The terror. The waiting. She, Ron, and Draco had known it had been Harry on the broomstick immediately. Seeing him get shot down, then tortured by Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange…it had been the worst thing she had ever seen. Then the Dark Mark…As for Harry trying to protect her by keeping her away from the fight…that was something she would not stand for.

Once she gained her composure, Hermione drew away from him. "We're a team, Harry. I won't stand for being left behind. I've told you before, I'm no damsel that can't hold her own. You having no trust in my skills is insulting."

"Are you honestly bothered because you think I'm insulting you?! It's not that I don't have faith in you, Hermione. I know you can handle your own-that doesn't mean I'm going to stop protecting you. That doesn't mean I'm not going to absorb every ounce of pain I can if it spares you because I love you, and I refuse to let you put yourself in that position again. Promise me-give me your word, Hermione-that you will never do that again." Harry demanded, grabbing her by her shoulders earnestly.

Hermione's mouth fell open. "What are you asking, exactly? I can't promise something like that, and I don't even know what you want me to promise."

"You need to promise me that you won't put yourself in danger like that to spare me pain, or…or anything. Swear that you will not willingly put your life out on the line like that because if something happened to you…if anything were to happen…Hermione promise me." His grip on her tightened to the point of pain, and Hermione forced him to let go of her.

She couldn't believe what he was asking of her. How could she make such a promise? How could she swear to go against every protective instinct she had for him? The kind of instinct that forced her to drop on Death Eaters from a tree recklessly. She shook her head. "I can't-and won't promise anything of the sort." She spoke, her voice quiet and her expression hard.

"Goddammit, Hermione. Can't you see what you're doing to me? Even thinking about you in danger, or getting hurt…and with Voldemort's threat, and how I haven't suffered enough…and they know, I'm sure they know, Hermione, that the best way to get to me is you. It's you, so I need you to promise me that you will do whatever you can to stay out of the danger-I'm not letting you be my sacrifice, Hermione. I won't allow it." He said passionately, his emerald eyes boring intensely into hers.

Hermione didn't know what to say. She couldn't give him what he wanted, and that killed her because she felt the same way about him. She would take his pain and make it her own without a second thought. However, with him looking at her like that, with that borderline manic expression, she couldn't refuse him. "I…I promise, Harry." She whispered, feeling a sob somewhere in the back of her throat as tears slowly slid down her cheeks. "I promise, I…I won't, I promise." She repeated, and let Harry wrap his arms securely around her body, pulling her as close as possible. It killed Hermione to see him this desperate, just like it killed her to make a promise she knew she would not only have a difficult time keeping, but had no intentions to in the first place.

At that moment, however, Hermione had no idea just how soon she would be forsaking her oath, nor the very outrageous magnitude of her betrayal.

***

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine, and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow, I'll say it again and again
I love you more

And I want you to know
That I'm not letting go
Even when you come undone

"More" MATTHEW WEST

And the plot thickens!

A/N: Just want to touch base again on what this story is. It is not meant to be packed with lots of drama and action-it is pretty much a small interlude between PVRG and the next story called ?????, so if you aren't liking the "fluff" and them getting to…er…know each other a little more and start REALLY caring and loving each other and want more action, well it's on its way. But like I said, this story is just a short little intermission for Harry and Hermione to show just how quickly and hard they have fallen for each other because that is what is going to be counted on in the next story. This one is wrapping up, my guess is three or four more chapters. And obvious the action will be picking up at the end of this one, and that's already starting so…yay! Almost done!

Well, thanks for reading-please please please please review. I honestly look forward to them. I check my phone several times a day, every day between my posts to check for them…so be nice and give me one. Four reviews last chapter…while they were great, it was a bit of a bummer.

I'll see you all next weekend. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

*~Archie~*

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