“It’ll be fine. I will go in and get us a table, no worries.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and turned towards the café. As she stomped across the cobblestones, the street lamps began to dim. Surveying her surroundings quickly, Hermione picked up her step.
Just as she was reaching the handle to the door of the café, a tall man, standing inside, moved to hold it open for her. Looking up to give thanks to the stranger, she stared into the grey eyes of a man that she all knew too well.
Malfoy raised his hand, lightly tracing his cold fingers against her jaw bone. Keeping her gaze, he slowly lowered his head.
“You. It is you that I have been dreaming about, looking for.” He whispered in her ear.
Hermione felt chills run down her spine. Her heart started pounding and her face flushed. She pulled back from Malfoy, once again catching his eyes.
“Draco?” She heard herself murmur.
Malfoy winked and then closed his eyes.
Hermione watched in horror as his skin began to melt, bubbling and popping as it slid off his bones. With Malfoy’s skin gone, his eyes shown again and his jaw opened to speak, yet the voice leaving his mouth was no longer his.
“Black, white, red. Love and hate are tricky things, so try not to end up dead. Thrice the gentlemen you will know, one will expire by your blow. As long as the…”
Hermione heard a person begin to scream. The skeleton began to fade in front of her, yet the screaming became louder and louder. For some reason she couldn’t make the piercing noise stop. She couldn’t make herself stop screaming.
***
“Hermione, wake up… HERMIONE! WAKE UP!”
Hermione felt someone sitting on the bed next to her, with their hands gripping her shoulders.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Blurry at first, Hermione made out a familiar figure with tousled brown hair, his face only a foot from her own.
“HARRY!!” She threw herself forward, miscalculating the distance. She nearly knocked him over. Encasing him in a tight hug, Hermione began to sob.
“I am so glad you are here, Harry. I am so glad you came back.”
Carefully pulling her off of him, Harry moved Hermione’s hair out of her face and wiped the tears off her cheek with his thumb.
Hermione smiled at her gracious friend and took his hands in hers. Looking around the small room, she noticed a window smeared with rain behind her bed. A wooden chair was sitting only a few feet to the right of her bed with a matching coffee table. To her left, a picture hung on the wall, displaying a prairie scene on a bright summer day. Other than those items, the room was empty.
She sat staring at the picture, noticing in the distance two young children with red hair laughing and playing in the field. Her smile fell as she was flooded with memories.
“Harry?” Hermione asked worriedly.
Her friend, who had been rubbing her hands, looked back up at her. His tired face, lightly peeling, had an old bruise overlapping his lightning shaped scar.
All she could get out was one word, “Ron.”
Through his glasses, Harry’s green eyes studied her for a moment.
“He is here at St. Mungos. Two rooms down from yours, actually. Got pretty banged up from the explosion ‘Mione. Took a hard hit to the head I think. Since he was at the scene for awhile, he was taken to a muggle hospital first. His mum, with the help of the ministry, got him transferred here though, after a day.” Harry gave a gloomy smile.
Hermione had been told of the explosion from the healer, yet it still felt like an odd concept since she had no memory of it. No memory, but I have the battle wounds to prove it, she thought to herself. Her mind began to race again and she felt dizzy. Lying back down in her bed, she rubbed her face.
“Harry, how did I get here?”
“You don’t remember?”
She looked up at Harry who had removed his glasses and was running his hand through his hair.
“No. The last thing I remember is walking towards the café, and then ending up here, not being able to open my eyes. I had heard someone here when I woke up, but they left. The healer told me I was brought here by side – by – side apparition? Don’t think Ron ever mastered that one.” Hermione chuckled at the memory of Ron learning how to apparate at Hogwarts.
“So, why did you leave me?”
Harry’s eyes popped up, catching hers. Putting his glasses back on his face he took a deep breath.
“Hermione, I would never leave you. I haven’t left you since I got here.”
Hermione watched as Harry’s face fell into a pained expression. With all of his losses during his life, she immediately felt bad for asking him this. Just when they thought they could live in peace after their time at Hogwarts, bad luck has seemed to once again find the golden trio.
“I am sorry Harry. Thank you for saving my life.”
Hermione’s eyes began to tear up again. What would she do if she ever lost Harry? From that bloody prophecy to this horrible explosion, she was glad to have her best mate by her side.
Wiping her tears from her face, she noticed that Harry was still intently watching her. Looking as if he was about to say something, Hermione sat up and leaned forward to place a kiss on his cheek. Before reaching her destination, however, she felt lips crashing into hers.
Hermione hesitated for a moment. Did she like Harry as more than a friend? Would this complicate things? As the kiss began to seem more urgent, her mind went from panic to passion. Without thinking further, Hermione returned Harry’s kiss. Feeling him push her back in the bed, Hermione slipped her arms around his strong shoulders while threading her fingers through his hair. At this point, all lucid thought went out the window, but she didn’t care. Hermione closed her eyes and felt Harry’s kisses move from her mouth to her neck and she gasped with pleasure.
“Harry … POTTER!!! First Malfoy... then you?? YOU!! THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO MESS WITH RONALD WEASLEY!! OUT HERE NOW IF YOU ARE MAN ENOUGH!!”
Hermione’s eyes flew open at the sound of Ron’s screeching. She watched Harry retract quickly and turn towards his accuser.
“Now mate, calm down. This is not what you think. Maybe you need to sit down?” Harry gestured shakily to the chair next to the bed. That was the last thing Hermione wanted; currently she wished she could become invisible.
“TO HELL I WILL CALM DOWN!” Ron roared, while steadying himself on the door frame. Hermione noticed that Ron was heavily bandaged with multiple fading scars that were catching the fluorescent light from overhead.
“Ron, please.” Her voice came out against her will in a hoarse whisper.
Ron’s glare immediately softened as his gaze drifted from Harry to the brown haired girl covered up to her chin in the sheets.
Still flushed, his voice came out quieter, yet very choppy. “He. You’re fine. Didn’t hurt you? Thank god.”
“What?? Who? Harry?” Hermione was very confused. “No, my face was hurt when I hit the ground from the explosion... I think... but Harry saved me” her voice trailed to Harry who was now standing to the left of the bed, facing Ron.
Ron’s face paled. “Is that what he told you? Harry told you???” Backing up from the door way, Ron appeared confused as he turned to watch Harry. “But she was with Malfoy, Harry. I saw it. I told you. You didn’t know where she had gone”
There was stillness in the room as everyone waited for Harry to speak.
Ron thinks Malfoy had been there? Something was nagging at Hermione’s thoughts. My dream! Of course! Malfoy had been at the café with me … acting more than cordial… then he spoke the riddle and turned into a corpse. Can’t exactly plug that into the conversation. Hermione frowned, wishing that she could remember Harry saving her from the explosion.
The sound of Harry’s voice broke Hermione from her internal conversation. Still turned away from her, Harry began to speak.
“Ron. I had been following you after you turned from me. I saw behind you, through the window… the gas stove exploded. Hermione was closer to the building then you. I summoned Hermione with the “Accio” spell, and apparated as soon as she got to me.”
“You can “call” someone with the “Accio” spell??” Hermione furrowed her brows. She never remembered reading that one could do to that to another person.
“Hermione, I will stop by later.” Harry turned and gave her a small smile, a combination of misery and worry filled his green eyes.
She watched as Harry fled the room to join Ron in the hall. Hermione sat alone in the room, staring at the door.
“What is happening to my life?” Hermione said out loud. Hoping that she had dreamt this entire encounter, she rolled to her side and pulled the sheets over her head – wishing that sleep would find her again. “Anything is better than this.” Remembering her dream, however, she added “maybe not.”
***
Ron heard Hermione’s door shut and footsteps close in behind him. The hall was empty, and all the doors were shut down the hall.
“I don’t even think I know you anymore, Potter.” Ron grumbled as he leaned his shoulder against the door to push it open.
Harry grabbed the handle and pulled against Ron’s weight, successfully opening the door and shoved Ron inside.
“Oww!! Still healing here!” Ron yelped as he stumbled to his bed.
Harry drug the chair from the corner of the room to the bed.
“Just wait until Ginny hears about this.” Ron spat as he propped up the pillows on the bed. “She’s always wondered about you and Hermione. Frankly, so did I. Well – until you put your intentions on show for everyone to see. I thought you were my best mate!!”
He looked at Harry, who was now sitting in the chair, his head bent over in his hands.
“You are not perfect, Ron. Shagging Lavender?” Harry paused to recollect his thoughts. “I will tell Ginny. It is something that I must do. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I am truly sorry.” Harry said sadly.
“Tell her and have all the fun doing it? I think not!” Ron said crossly. “You have changed. I have seen it and I am surprised Hermione hasn’t. There is something going on with you. I know Malfoy was there, I saw it with my own eyes.”
Harry shook his head and sat up dejectedly. “No Ron, you hit your head pretty hard. Everything happened exactly like I said.”
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY ARE YOU LYING TO ME HARRY?” Ron yelled throwing his covers off of his bed.
“It has to be this way Ron. I can’t tell you why. I am sorry.”
“It has to be this way Ron. I can’t tell you why.” Ron mimicked in a high pitch voice. “Is this some auror bull? Is it? Did you tell Hermione that I am not a real auror, that I wasn’t good enough? Is that why she is so hesitant to touch me, to kiss me?” Ron’s voice began to creep louder again.
“Auror liaison ... the title someone gets when they get cut from the training but are too popular to let the wizarding world know? Send them to Azkaban and have them be a glorified guard?? I was part of the golden trio Harry! Have you forgotten?? It is hell in Azkaban. People go crazy. Your bloody god father told you so when he spent over ten years there.”
“Or” Ron’s voice fell to a whisper “or maybe you have truly gone to the dark side? Is that your secret Harry? Is it?”
Ron felt a sharp pain rip through his face. Harry had punched him square in the nose.
“You are bloody lucky that they took my wand away when I got checked in here.” Ron said as he pulled his hands away from his nose covered in blood.
Harry glared at Ron for a moment, not saying a word. His hands were balled up into fists and his breathing had picked up. Slowly relaxing his right hand, Harry pulled his wand from under his pant leg and with a flick of his wrist, Ron’s nose clicked into place.
“Don’t you dare think that this fixes things Potter. Just wait till Ginny finds out about your escapades. Our friendship is officially over. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. People will know.”
Harry rose cautiously and turned to the door. “People will know you hit your head Ron – and if you want to go further, they might just have to know how you failed at being an auror too.” Harry made his way out the door and closed it lightly.
Ron didn’t see the tears in Harry’s eyes as he dragged himself out of the hospital into the pouring rain.
***
It was dark outside when the young man awoke to a tapping on his window. Sitting up, confused at first, he unlocked the pane and ushered the bird in. Landing on the bed, the man slowly took the letter from the owl. Upon receiving the parchment, the bird took flight and immediately disappeared.
The young man cautiously opened the letter and scanned it quickly.
My Dear Raven,
I apologize for your recent maladies, I did not intend for them to happen as you surely can understand. I am overjoyed that you have graciously accepted my offer, my son, yet slightly disappointed that it took you this much time. You will receive more communications shortly. This message will destroy itself in one minute.
Yours Truly,
L.M.
Reading it one more time, he balled up the parchment and threw it against the wall.
With a resounding “crack,” shreds of paper flew up like confetti and dissolved in the air.
The young man felt sick to his stomach. He could see no way around it now, everything was already in place.
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