章 438: 22
I Love You Exactly How You Are
It had taken Hermione quite a while to get to sleep that night. In all her life, she had never felt so hurt as she had after Harry had left to go fight another battle. She felt really bad for everything she had said to him. She hadn't even thought that she was attempting to change him in any way. She loved him as he was. She had just been selfish. She didn't want him to leave her, which is exactly what had happened in the end.
She knew that he felt a strong sense of duty, and that he felt very strongly about his part in fighting the war. She respected the fact he was a soldier, and that he felt a responsibility to protect the world from evil. She knew he was powerful, and could take care of himself just fine.
Hermione knew that she was the one with the problem.
She had never had a boyfriend before, much less one who was so selfless and heroic, good looking, and kind hearted. Harry was everything a girl could want. On top of that, she was a worrier. She feared that something could go wrong, and Harry could be hurt.
Hermione cursed herself for not being better trained, on top of being so afraid. She knew she wouldn't last five minutes in a real battle with Death Eaters. She was just shy of useless.
So Hermione cried like she had never cried before that night. She refused to talk to Lavender, who was deeply concerned when Hermione had come running into the girl's dormitory and shut the curtains around her bed before warding them to prevent anyone from disturbing her.
All Hermione could think for hours was how horrible she had been, and how she had attempted to make Harry feel guilty for leaving. It hadn't been her intention at all, but she had spent hours replaying it all in her mind and analyzing it over and over and over again. She had been truly horrible, and expected that when Harry returned, he was going to be shot of her altogether at last.
She had finally fallen into a fitful sleep where she was haunted by dreams of Harry rolling his eyes at her as he passed her in the Great Hall, or calling her names, or agreeing with that complete arse Cormac McClaggen about what a bitch she really was.
"Miss Granger."
"Please Harry." Hermione mumbled in her sleep. Harry was laughing at her now, mocking her pain. There were others there as well. Neville was shaking his head as if he couldn't believe he'd been her friend. Lavender was telling anyone who would listen how completely inept she was and how she had to teach Hermione how to please a boy.
"Miss Granger."
"Please stop laughing." Hermione muttered, clutching her pillow tightly, pleading with Dream Harry to stop being so cruel.
"Miss Granger, you need to wake up."
Harry was fading now, laughing as he walked away.
"Harry, come back please." Hermione began to cry.
"Hermione, you need to wake up right now."
Hermione opened her teary eyes and found Professor McGonagall standing over her, looking deeply troubled. It was still very dark and Hermione wasn't sure what time it was, but was certain she hadn't been asleep very long.
She sat up, wiping at her wet eyes as Professor McGonagall took a step back.
"Please get up, Miss Granger and put something on. I need you to come with me right now." The Transfiguration teacher said urgently.
Hermione leapt out of bed. There was only one reason that Professor McGonagall would be here, waking here up in the middle of the night.
"What happened?' She asked, her voice trembling in fear.
"Quickly, Miss Granger." McGonagall urged her favorite pupil quietly, trying to avoid waking the other Gryffindor girls.
Hermione grabbed her dressing gown, and followed the Transfiguration teacher out of the girls dorm, through the empty common room and out of the portrait hole as quickly as she could without running, which she desperately wanted to do.
There was no question in Hermione' mind or heart that whatever had befallen Harry was all her fault. She was wringing her hands as she followed McGonagall down the stairs towards the hospital wing wondering just how serious Harry's injuries were. Was this going to be the last time she ever got to see him?
"I'm afraid I don't know a lot." McGonagall said sensing Hermione's anxiety. "Only that whatever was supposed to happen did not go according to plan. Professor Dumbledore asked me to come fetch you, but I don't know anymore."
"How bad was Harry was hurt?" Hermione said, trying to hold herself in check. It was very difficult as her mind kept conjuring truly horrible images of what may have happened to Harry. She had never considered herself to have that good of an imagination, but at the moment it was working in overdrive and the images it was coming up with were incredibly detailed..
The rest of the journey was relatively silent until they reached the hospital wing. When the doors were opened, Hermione was assaulted by the foul stench of blood and burnt flesh. At least ten beds had curtains around them, and as they passed, Hermione could see they were occupied.
McGonagall led Hermione through the infirmary, past those who had survived the night's battle. Madam Pomfrey was leaning over a man waving her wand trying to stop the spread of whatever curse was blackening his flesh and making it flake of like ashes. Hermione felt her stomach flop, and had to fight back the urge to vomit all over the floor.
She passed a couple of others who were covered, and clearly sleeping, save for a woman who looked at Hermione as she passed. The woman, covered in heavy bandages smiled sadly at Hermione, and the Gryffindor girl swore she saw a tear roll down her cheek. Hermione thought she ought to know this woman, but couldn't place, though her heart shaped face was familiar.
She had no time to consider anymore as she and Professor McGonagall reached the end of the line of beds to one that was curtained off. Two men stood there, while a third sat on a chair, all of them looking morose and anxious. They were whispering amongst each other, but stopped when the tallest, Professor Dumbledore spied her and his deputy headmistress coming nearer.
"Apologies for waking you at this hour Miss Granger, but…" Began Professor Dumbledore, but Hermione quickly cut him off, as she was too upset and anxious to wait for the Headmaster to break the news gently.
"How bad is he?" Hermione asked, fidgeting her hands nervously.
Dumbledore sighed heavily and folded his hands together, peering at her over his half moon spectacles at the young witch.
"Quite serious, I'm afraid." Dumbledore sighed.
"It was a damned trap." Sirius Black said dejectedly. Hermione turned to see that Sirius appeared to be quite beaten up. His left arm was in a sling, and his right eye was swollen shut. He had several cuts on his face, and his lip appeared to have been split open.
"It wasn't your fault Sirius." Remus Lupin said from the chair he was occupying. Remus didn't appear as bad off as Sirius, but he had clearly had had a difficult night. He was not wearing a shirt and his ribs were wrapped in bandages that stank of rotting fruit.
"What happened?" Hermione asked anxiously, looking towards the curtain surrounding the last bed.
"Perhaps it would be best if you went to see Harry first, and then we can talk. But, Miss Granger, I must warn you… his injuries are quite… severe." Dumbledore said as he nodded towards the curtain.
Hermione looked at each of the men and Professor McGonagall before slowly approaching the curtain and slipping behind and looking to the bed where Harry lay.
The first thing that caught her attention was the labored raspy breathing. She took a few steps forward and when she got a good look at Harry, she gasped, and very nearly ran back to her dorm.
Harry lay stiffly upon the starched white sheets that were now stained from what might have been sweat and blood. He had serious angry burns covering his entire left side, and nearly all his hair had been burned off. His left eyelid was missing, and his left eye looked as if it could have been boiled in his skull. His body was covered in a thick paste that smelled quite foul, and the bedside table was laden with potion bottles, including what could only be Skele-Gro.
Hermione also noticed that Harry was occasionally spasming, almost as if he were having small seizures or something.
"Harry?' She managed to choke out as she knelt at his side. He turned his head slowly towards her, and she winced at the sound of cracking skin. She could smell burned flesh, and fought back the urge to throw up everything she had ever eaten in her life.
"Mione…" His voice was raspy, and gravelly. When he took in a breath it rattled in his chest, and it looked as if it hurt him badly. Very slowly he lifted his left hand to her, and she slowly reached out to hold the mangled and melted ruin in her own hand.
"I'm…" He started, his voice ripping her heart to pieces. It sounded as if every single syllable was causing him serious pain in his lungs. "I… want… to… tell… you…"
"No, don't say anymore." Hermione said, tears spilling from her eyes. She didn't even bother wiping them away. "I'm so sorry for everything I said, Harry. I don't want to change you or anything. I love you exactly how you are. I was being selfish, and stupid, and I have no right to tell you what to do or anything."
"I… wanted… to…" Harry wheezed, adamant that he communicate with her. "Tell… you… I… love… you."
Tears were falling from his eyes from the effort of speaking. He began to cough badly. Hermione began to sob now and she pressed his hand to her face as she stared into his good eye.
"I… sorry…" He tried to continue, but Hermione waved him off, urging him not to speak and to rest. Harry gave a slight nod, and returned his head to its original position. She remained next to him, holding his hand, and trying to stop her crying as Harry's breath rattled in his chest.
It was only a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey came round.
"I'm very sorry Miss Granger, but I need you to step outside."
Hermione nodded and got to her feet. She wiped her eyes, and looked to her boyfriend with disquiet.
"Will he be alright?" Hermione asked fretfully.
"He has been grievously injured to be sure, but I believe that I can set him right with time." Madam Pomfrey said confidently, though her eyes didn't reflect her tone. Hermione gave her a grateful nod, and slipped past the curtain once again where she found Remus, Sirius and Dumbledore speaking in quiet tones.
Just as before, Dumbledore silenced them when he noticed her. Hermione suddenly felt as if they were attempting to keep her out of the loop as it were. She looked to each man, as her fear and concern for her boyfriend began to ebb away to be replaced by anger.
"How did this happen?" Hermione demanded, unable to completely stop the tears. "I've seen Harry fight before. No one has been able to lay a wand on him. So what the hell happened?"
"It was a trap." Sirius said grimly realizing what she wanted to know. "They were expecting us."
"What?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "How?"
"We've been trying to find Malfoy Manor for a while. We've been putting tracking spells on known Death Eaters in the hopes they would lead us there. Most of them discovered the spells and cancelled them." Remus began to explain. "When Fenrir Greyback appeared not to have discovered the tracking charm on him, we thought we'd been lucky at last."
"Fenrir Greyback? The werewolf child killer?" Hermione asked her hand going to her mouth is horror.
"His reputation is a bit over inflated." Sirius growled. "He prefers to infect children with Lycanthropy, rather than kill him. He dreams of a world ruled by werewolves. He's the one who infected Remus."
"You're a werewolf?" Hermione asked in surprise, turning to Remus who grimaced as he recoiled
"I do not believe Remus' affliction has anything to do with what happened tonight." Dumbledore pointed out.
"We were set up." Sirius continued. "Moody's tracking spells weren't as discreet as he thought. They wanted us there tonight. Voldemort himself was waiting for us."
"Harry fought Voldemort?" Hermione asked. She didn't notice the small smile of pride Dumbledore aimed at her. There weren't many who could speak the Dark lord's name so easily.
"Yeah." Sirius nodded, turning to look at the curtain behind which Harry lay. "Though I don't know that I would call it a fight really. Voldemort just toyed with Harry. He laughed as he held Harry's head in the fire. Laughed."
Hermione had never seen Sirius looking so devastated.
"I think we could all do with some sleep." Dumbledore said as a way of ending the discussion. "It is very late and you both need to rest so you can heal. We can speak more later. Miss Granger, you may stay here tonight, but you must try and sleep. Agreed?"
Hermione nodded, and went to closest empty bed and lay down. It wasn't until she was settled that Dumbledore made his way out of the infirmary. She wanted to question Sirius and Remus more, but she was pretty well worn out. She couldn't remember ever having cried so much in all her life, and that was saying something, given all she had suffered through. Still, she was certain she'd be unable to sleep at all.
Thankfully, after twenty minutes of tossing and turning and worrying about Harry, she simply passed out from exhaustion.
"Now, I wish to know everything that happened." Dumbledore said as he sat behind his desk the next afternoon. Sirius and Remus were sitting across from the old Headmaster, both looking decidedly better than they had the previous evening, though they both still looked tired.
"There wasn't any sign that we had fallen into a trap." Sirius began. "Moody, Harry and I apparated a few kilometers from Malfoy Manor. Alastor felt it was smart to apparate right on top of the place. We met with the rest of our group and moody informed every one of the plan."
"There was nothing to give us any indication were being set up." Remus picked up the tale here. I was with Bill Weasley. He had found what he thought might be the best place to tear a hole into the wards. He did a scan to make sure of what he was about to take down. I think it was that scanned that warned them, but I can't be sure."
"How long was it from when Bill began his work until you were attacked?" Dumbledore asked.
"An hour." Remus stated.
"An hour?" Dumbledore looked shocked. "Why so long, I wonder?"
"I'm guessing that Peter was there all along in his rat form, just watching us." Sirius suggested. I likely signaled the attack to begin at a prearranged point. We never would have seen him under any of the brush around the house."
"I agree with Sirius." Remus stated. "Nothing happened until Bill managed to get through the wards, and I set the fire. That was when they attacked."
"You did manage to cast the Fiendfyre then?" Dumbledore looked interested. Remus nodded but then looked downtrodden.
"I don't know if it worked though. We had our hands full after that, and I didn't see if the house burned down."
Dumbledore looked disappointed by that news, but turned to Sirius. "What happened then?"
"We were outnumbered at least three to one. Fletcher was killed right away. Hopkins, Simmons and Vance after that." Sirius said as he got up from his seat and went to the fire.
"When did Lord Voldemort arrive?" Dumbledore asked.
"Almost at once." Remus replied. "Though, I think he was just there to inspire, or something. He didn't get involved until he saw Harry take down Rookwood."
"Interesting."
"It was strange." Remus said thoughtfully. "I expected Voldemort to just cut him down and have it done with. But he chose to taunt Harry."
"No." Sirius said from beside the fire. "He was sizing Harry up. Testing him. Trying to see if Harry truly was the child of the prophecy after all."
"How do you mean?" Dumbledore asked. Sirius sighed as he turned to look at the headmaster.
"He fought Harry, but he never used anything to serious. Neither of them did. I thought it was strange that Harry was holding back until I realized what he was doing. What both of them were doing. Voldemort kept talking, but I couldn't hear what he said."
"He hit Harry with the Cruciatus, I saw that." Remus said. "Held it on him for a bit, and then he used a body bind on him. I didn't see any more until Voldemort sent him into the fire."
"I heard him scream. Voldemort, not Harry. He really screamed, like he'd been hurt. I was fighting three of his idiots at the time, so I couldn't see what had happened, but it made them stop and turn. It saved my life. I stunned them all and that's when I saw him levitate Harry and hold his head in the fire." Sirius' voice cracked as he recounted what he had witnessed. "He laughed, Albus. He just… laughed as Harry's face burned."
"Sirius sent a bludgeoning hex at Voldemort." Remus continued. "When he was distracted, I summoned Harry to me, and we apparated here."
They fell silent for a bit, as Dumbledore thought over what they had told him. He turned to Remus after a bit and asked.
"What became of Alastor?" He asked.
"Malfoy and my dear cousin Bellatrix." Sirius said with contempt. "We should have put her down like the animal she has become a long time ago. No one should have to die the way Moody did. They…"
"I see." Dumbledore sighed heavily.
The silence weighed very heavy until Dumbledore asked them to give him their memories of the previous night. Both Sirius and Remus did as asked, and Dumbledore promised to review them later, before suggesting they go look in on Harry, and the others. Remus expressed a desire to check on Tonks as well, which made both Sirius and Albus smirk to each other, despite the graveness of their current situation.
When Hermione awoke, she had to think about why she was in the Hospital wing.
However, when everything came back to her a second later, she leapt out of bed, and went to the curtain surrounding Harry's bed. She looked in to find Harry sleeping. In the light of day, his injuries looked far worse.
He now had bandages on his face, and she could still smell the burn paste. He wasn't suffering spasms anymore, and it sounded as if he was beginning to breathe easier now as Hermione couldn't hear his breath rattling in his chest now.
"Ah, Miss Granger, you're awake." Madam Pomfrey said cheerfully. "Though I think you could do with a bit more rest."
"I'm fine." Hermione assured the matron. "How is Harry?"
Madam Pomfrey's smile melted off her face as she too turned to regard her patient.
"Right now I am most worried about the damage to his lungs. He's breathing easier now, but it was touch and go for a bit. We very nearly lost him twice, but he is a fighter." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "The bones in his leg are almost fully regrown, and the burns will be fully healed in a few days. His eye, most unfortunately will take a few weeks I'm afraid. He should sleep for at least the next day or so. The Headmaster has asked me to allow you to be here as much as you like, but I must ask that you do not jeopardize your own health. You must go eat, and sleep, am I clear?"
"I promise." Hermione smiled gratefully. Madam Pomfrey waved her inside Harry's privacy curtain, and bustled off to tend to her other patients.
She sat down in the chair that had been placed next to Harry's bed. There was already some small improvements, as Hermione could see that his unruly black hair was already beginning to grow again. Though his wounds were all bandaged now, Hermione could still see his injuries in her mind, and she shivered as if the hand of death had just ran up her spine.
She sighed heavily and rubbed her stinging eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Hermione turned to see Sirius Black.
"I thought he was alone, but I'm glad to see he's not." Sirius smiled weakly.
"I could go if you…" Hermione said, beginning to stand up, but Sirius waved her back into her seat.
"No, he'd never forgive me if I ran you off." Sirius said with a small shake of his head. "Actually, I'm happy that you're here. I wanted to talk to you."
"Did I do something wrong?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Quite the opposite actually." Sirius said with a soft smile. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for Harry. For being his friend. For showing him what's he's missed out on until now, and for showing him what it means to truly care for someone."
"I didn't…" She started but Sirius held up his hand.
"Yes you did, even if you didn't realize you did." He said. "Hermione… when we arrived at our destination last night, I could see he was torn. I've known Harry all his life, and I can read him better than he thinks I can. I let Moody get ahead of us so I could talk to him, and he admitted that he felt guilty about leaving you. But he told me that he knew he'd done the right thing."
"I don't understand." Hermione said, looking at Harry's mangled face.
"I didn't either, to be honest, but then he told me that he has a duty to end this war, but not because it was what he was trained for. He said he has a duty to end the war so that he wouldn't have to leave you again. He said he needed to finish this, so he could focus all his energy on you and what was happening between you."
"I nearly got him killed." Hermione whispered guiltily. Sirius shook his head.
"You can't be held responsible for Harry's actions." Sirius said honestly. "But it was Harry who chose to face Voldemort. It was Harry who chose to go last night. A relationship with Harry is not going to be easy so long as there is a war going on. He is always going to feel he has to fight, because that's how we trained him. But he's going to fight because it's right, and he's going to fight to protect those he cares for… namely you."
"He said that he loved me last night." Hermione said as the tears came once again.
"He told me the same.' Sirius smiled.
Silence reigned as Sirius and Hermione both watched the person they both cared so deeply for as he slept. Hermione leaned forward and took his hand in hers. Harry loved her. He'd told her so at last. He'd told his godfather. He wanted to end the war so that he could spend his life with her.
"I need to help him." Hermione said with determination. "I need to train. To learn how to fight, so I can be there with him."
"No." Sirius countered. Hermione looked up with questioning eyes. "Last night, Harry was distracted simply because of what happened between you. If you were out there, fighting with him… It's better if you're far away from any fighting. Give him a reason to fight his hardest, end it, and come back to you. You are his focus now, his reason for fighting. Don't stop training with him, just… stay away from the fighting. Let him do what he feels he needs to so he can do what he wants to do, which is to come back to you."
Hermione felt as if she had just been told she wasn't good enough to fight, but after she thought about it a bit, she realized that wasn't what Sirius had said at all. In fact, what Harry's Godfather had said made a lot of sense. She'd seen Harry fight when he was completely focused. He did end his fights as quickly as possible, and if staying safe meant Harry would not get hurt again, then why shouldn't she heed Sirius' advice.
However, her stubborn side came roaring to life, and kept screaming in her head that she could do it. She could learn to fight, and she could take care of herself. All she needed was practice.
A soft moan of pain broke the silence, and both Hermione and Sirius looked down at Harry, who shifted a bit, though remained asleep. Hermione reached down and took his hand in hers. Sirius just watched them with an approving smile.
"Why did you send him to Hogwarts now? Why couldn't you wait until the war was over?" Hermione asked remembering Harry ask the same question the previous night.
"I honestly don't know." Sirius sighed. "It was Dumbledore's decision really. He said he was worried that because all we had taught Harry was waging war, that when Voldemort was finished, Harry might seek out a new war. Dumbledore then said if he couldn't find one, Harry might start his own. He seem to think that the only way to stop this was to show Harry the other side of life. Making friends and all that. I think Dumbledore was worried that Harry might turn dark, but that would never happen."
"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked.
"Because I believe it. I have faith in him." Sirius smiled proudly at Harry. "And so should you."
"I do." Hermione replied. "I always will."
"Remember that, Hermione." Sirius warned. "There are still dark times ahead."
Hermione simply nodded.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore shut his office door behind him, and locked it. He went to the cabinet behind his desk, and took out the ancient Pensieve that resided inside, and set it upon his desk. He had to wait all day but he was finally going to be able to see what exactly took place at Malfoy Manor last night.
He hoped beyond all hope that despite everything that had gone wrong, that maybe, somehow, those who had risked everything had managed to accomplish what they had set out to do.
Slipping two vials from his pocket, he uncorked the first and poured its contents into the stone pensieve. He tapped the side of the bowl with his wand, and the silvery liquid swirled. Sighing heavily, the old Headmaster pressed his face into the bowl, and was instantly drawn into the memory.
It was dark, save for the bright moon above. Dumbledore could smell the trees, and the earth beneath his feet, and he heard the voices of the Order members gathered. Alastor Moody was already issuing orders, and Dumbledore turned to find Sirius and Harry standing apart from the others.
Dumbledore was surprised to see Harry looking as if he was conflicted. The boy was fidgeting a bit, something Dumbledore had never once seen the boy do.
Curious, Dumbledore stepped closer to observe the young man.
"It isn't too late, Harry." Sirius said to Harry. The boy gave the faintest shake of his head, but Sirius pressed. "You can return to Hogwarts right now. You can stay with Hermione, and fix things."
"Not when I'm needed here." Harry replied
"I already told you that you aren't needed here." Sirius urged. "You can go back to the castle and sit down with Hermione and…"
"No, I can't Sirius." Harry snapped. Sirius recoiled slightly at Harry's outburst.
"I can't… not yet. I have to do this first. I have to end this so I can focus all of my attention on Hermione. Don't you get it? I'm doing this so I can be with her." Harry said with a determination that struck Dumbledore's heart, and he couldn't help but smile sadly at the young man.
"Hey, you two ladies can have a cozy little chat when we're finished here!" Moody barked. "Let's get moving, we got a bit of a hike in front of us."
Dumbledore gave a wave of his wand and the memory sped up and then returned to normal as the Order members were now surrounding a grand house that looked very old, yet surged with power. The Headmaster of Hogwarts saw where Remus Lupin and Bill Weasley were at work on the wards. He turned and found Sirius and Harry crouched low and Sirius gazing worriedly at his godson, who looked as if he was struggling internally.
Dumbledore began to search the surrounding area looking for what might have been the catalyst for the defeat. Were this real, he would have cast detection spells, but as it was Sirius' memory, all he could do was observe.
Dumbledore walked around as much as the memory allowed. After all, his freedom of movement was limited by Sirius' recollection. Dumbledore could only go as far as Sirius could see. It was highly likely that any of Voldemort's followers were beyond that limit, and Dumbledore would be unable to detect them.
After nearly an hour, Dumbledore saw Remus signal that Bill Weasley had broken through the wards at last, and it was also then that Dumbledore saw the first signs of the Death Eaters. It had been exactly as Sirius and Remus had said, Death Eaters, disillusioned had come from the forest to avoid detection.
Dumbledore saw Mundungus Fletcher killed with a powerful severing hex across his torso. He didn't even have a chance to cry out before another hex separated his head from his torso. Hopkins leapt up and shouted a warning that save Nymphadora Tonks' life. The young Auror was able to roll out of the way and avoid a spell that melted the bushes she was hiding in and smelled like sulfur.
Hopkins was stabbed through the back, and Dumbledore winced as the high pitch shrieking cackle of Bellatrix LeStrange echoed through the woods.
It was clear, now that Dumbledore could see it for himself that the Order had been set up. He had felt along with a few others that they had found Malfoy Manor far too easily. Now, here was the proof. However, it was also clear that Voldemort was truly threatened by the Order, as he had sent a sizable force to fight and Dumbledore's people were managing to at least keep the Death Eaters at bay.
At least, at first. Fletcher and Hopkins had been killed quickly, but the Order fought back, and the Death Eaters suffered loss in return. But the tide turned once again as Remus Lupin cast the Fiendfyre spell, and the darkened forest lit up as the spell grew in strength, and Dumbledore saw that Lord Voldemort was there, just as Sirius had claimed. He did not enter the battle, though he looked quite pleased with himself.
Until he spotted Harry fighting four of his followers, and doing quite well. His triumphant smile morphed into a look of disdain as he strode forward.
Dumbledore felt his heart break when he heard Bellatrix LeStrange cry out in glee when she killed Simmons, and shaved a hank of flesh and hair from his head, before Emmeline Vance engaged her. The duel was short lived, thanks to Lucius Malfoy, who was now sporting a silver hand which replaced the one Harry had severed.
Dumbledore fought the urge to warn his old friend, Alastor Moody as Lucius and Bellatrix march on the old Auror. It was useless, he had to remind himself. Moody was already dead.
Dumbledore glanced at the fire. He wondered how strong the wards over Malfoy Manor were, and they seemed to be protecting the combatants from the tendrils of flame that were seeking out fuel to feed it. It was still a ways off from the house itself, and Dumbledore was unsure how much longer the battle would go for, or if Lord Voldemort would stop the blaze before it reached its target.
There were shouts of warning, and Dumbledore hear the first pop of Apparition at the same time Moody's agonized screams overpowered the sounds of fighting. Dumbledore turned, and felt his legs become weak as Bellatrix LeStrange whipped her wand and opened long gashes in Moody's chest as Lucius was manipulating ropes that were pulling Moody's arms and his remaining leg away from his torso in an effort to rip the man apart.
Dumbledore turned away again. He would mourn his friend later, though tears fell from his light blue eyes. He was no stranger to the horrors of war. He'd seen the cruelty of man too many times to count. Yet he wasn't immune to it. He was not heartless. Alastor moody had been a good friend for many, many years, and Dumbledore had felt confident that Alastor would survive this war and die peacefully in his bed many years from now.
Dumbledore had to push all of it out of his mind for now as Harry and Voldemort had met at last. Dumbledore wished that he would be able to hear what Voldemort said to Harry, but as Sirius wasn't close enough during the fight, he wouldn't have heard it, so it would not be in the memory. Perhaps Remus might have heard something. If not, he would retrieve the memory from Harry himself when the boy was feeling better.
For now, the Headmaster could see that Voldemort was speaking to Harry, and throwing the occasional hex at the boy. Harry dodge everything easily, but had yet to retaliate. Dumbledore watched Harry, and knew that the boy was studying his foe, learning his every quirk in order to end the fight for good.
Voldemort must have become impatient, because he began to press the fight, and Harry was now having to shield himself as well as dodging Voldemort's attacks. When he began to retaliate, it startled the Dark Lord, but Voldemort recovered quickly, and for the few minutes, it was an intense exchange of spells. But both Harry and Voldemort were holding back still.
However, as quickly as it began, Voldemort ended it with a quick succession of spells that were meant to confuse Harry, and knock him off balance. The Dark Lord got his wish, and Harry fell to the ground, and before he could get back up, Voldemort used one of his favorite weapons.
Harry's body writhed in insurmountable pain while Voldemort laughed. Harry's back arched almost impossibly and his teeth clenched so tight that Dumbledore was rather surprised to see that he didn't break any.
Voldemort then released the torture curse, and Harry slumped back to the ground, breathing hard. The sounds of battle were falling silent now, but Dumbledore still couldn't hear anything that Voldemort was saying to Harry. The Dark Lord was bending over Harry now and Dumbledore guessed he was likely trying to make Harry afraid. A futile effort as Harry had never really known fear. Or rather had never let it consume him.
The Dark Lord used a body bind curse on the boy, and then bent lower over him, locking his gaze with Harry's. He was using Legillimency. Dumbledore wondered what it was Voldemort was looking for. What secrets did he think Harry had?
And then, quite suddenly, Voldemort flinched, reeled back from his prisoner and clutched his head, screaming like a mad man. He shook off whatever had hurt him, and recoiled back from Harry with his eyes full of hate. He stared at Harry who was still groggy, and then looked at the now raging inferno that was the Fiendfyre which had indeed reached the home of Malfoy.
The Dark Lord smiled malevolently as he swished his wand, and Harry's body levitated. Dumbledore felt the wards being removed, which at least answered one question, and watched as Harry's prone body was sent into the flames. It ended just as he'd been told. Voldemort lost his focus when he was hit in the back of the head, and Harry was summoned to Remus. The memory faded and Dumbledore found himself back in his office with only one question.
What exactly had Voldemort seen in Harry's mind that had caused such a reaction?
Hermione, Lavender and Neville walked together towards the Infirmary to look in on Harry after dinner. It had been three days since Harry had been injured. Hermione had not left his side on that first day, and it was only Madam Pomfrey's reminder of her promise that Hermione finally went to eat.
When she had seen her friends at breakfast that first morning, they had bombarded her with questions as to her whereabouts, and then on Harry's condition upon learning what had befallen him. She kept them up to date on Harry's condition, though there was little change. When she'd arrived at dinner this evening, both Lavender and Neville informed her they would join her when they were finished to help catch her up on homework, and to see their friend.
All the other patients had been released, or moved to St. Mungo's. Harry had been kept at Hogwarts however, for his safety. He was doing loads better now, though his wounds still looked bad. He had woken for short periods of time here and there, but only long enough to drink down a few potions. So it was with great surprise to find him sitting up a bit, and smiling.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted upon seeing him. She practically leapt at him, and hugged him tenderly, unsure of how much pain he was still in.
When she pulled away she found him looking at her rather stupidly. His left eye was still bandaged, and his good eye appeared unfocused. He also looked as if he was having difficulty holding his head up correctly. In fact, if Hermione didn't know better, she would have believed he was falling down drunk.
"Hominniny." He said with a goofy smile.
"Did he suffer some sort of brain curse or something?" Lavender asked worriedly.
"That would be the effects of his pain potions." Madam Pomfrey said, slipping past the teens to set a few things on Harry's bedside table.
"POP-pee." Harry chuckled at the matron, who fought against a smirk. "Pop-peeeeeeee!"
"I had to give him quite a few. He's a bit out of sorts, but at least he isn't feeling any discomfort." The matron said as she stood up. Harry reached out with his good hand and shook Madam Pomfrey's hand, much in the same way a child would his mother's as he smiled up at the matron, causing the woman to smile back, and pat his hand encouragingly.
"Don't let him stay up too long, Miss Granger. He still needs a lot of rest." Madam Pomfrey said as she turned to Hermione.
"I won't." Hermione nodded gratefully before turning back to regard her boyfriend, who had taken her hand now, and was examining it very closely, as if he'd never seen anything so fascinating.
"Everything's whirly." Harry said pointedly to Hermione who smiled back at him. "I don't like the whirly."
"Nobody does, luv." Hermione replied. Harry nodded as if she'd just declared that water was wet or something.
"Pop-pee let me have pumpkin juice." Harry said, as if he were a little kid and had just gotten the greatest gift of his life. "It tasted like pumpkin juice!"
"I think I like him like this.' Neville chuckled. Lavender elbowed him in the ribs, though she was smirking as well. Harry beamed stupidly at them and waved them closer.
"Friends." He sighed and his head lolled back as he let out a long wistful sigh. "My friends. Nettle and Labbyder. Good, good friends."
Hermione just looked at Harry, unsure if she should be laughing. It was really funny to see Harry acting so strangely, almost as if he were drunk, yet she knew it was only because he'd been injured so badly.
"Have you kissed him yet?" Harry asked, his head coming up and his eye opened wide in anticipation as he looked at Lavender, who appeared confused.
"Who?' Lavender asked, looking a bit confused.
"Nettle!" Harry motioned to the other boy with his and Hermione's joined hands. "Have you kissed him yet? You really should! He won't mind at all. He likes kissing."
"Harry…" Hermione said, trying to calm Harry down a bit, and get him away from what could be a very embarrassing conversation. Lavender was blushing a violent shade of red, and Neville became very focused on the far wall.
"I like kissing too.' Harry grinned as he turned to Hermione, his head wobbling a bit. "I like kissing Homininny, and I like it when she…"
"Enough Harry, you really need to rest, ok?" Hermione said quickly as she felt her face becoming as red as Lavender's had just been.
"Uh, I'd kinda like to know what else Harry likes." Lavender chuckled. Hermione shot her a dangerous glare before she turned back to her grinning boyfriend.
"You hurt him." Harry said sleepily. "You hurt him bad. He didn't like what he saw."
"What's he talking about?" Neville asked curiously. "Who'd you hurt?'
"Doldesnort.' Harry replied enthusiastically, his eye shutting as he took in a deep breath. "Hermione hurt him."
Lavender and Neville shared a questioning look, while Hermione looked rather confused.
"What do you mean Harry?" Lavender asked.
"He's confused." Hermione said, trying to explain. "He doesn't know what he's saying."
"You hurt him." Harry repeated. "He looked into my mind. He wanted me to see what he'd done to my parents, but I was thinking about you." Harry stammered drunkenly. "I was thinking about you and he tried to get into my head, and it hurt him. I don't think he liked what he saw in here." He said, tapping his temple.
"What did he see?" Lavender asked, and Harry's smile grew quite large. However, before he could say anything, Hermione bent forward and kissed him tenderly.
"You need to rest, Harry." She whispered to him, and he smiled to her, settling himself into his bed.
"I love you, Homininny." He smiled at her, his good eye already closed. Even though he was high on pain potions, the words still made her heart swell to bursting. She brushed a bit of his hair off his healing forehead and bent to kiss his cheek before sitting back up.
"You are really no fun." Lavender said, coming around to sit in the chair Hermione had spent the last two days occupying. "Aren't you curious exactly what sinful act You-Know-Who saw in Harry's mind that hurt him?"
"Why do you have to be so crude?" Hermione asked, not taking her eyes from Harry's face.
"And You-Know-Who." Lavender reminded with a devious smile.
"Say Voldemort." Neville said. "Don't be afraid of his name."
Both girls turned to regard the once shy boy who shrugged.
"Harry explained it to me. By being afraid of the name, we give him more power over us. He also told me it was a made up name." Neville said firmly.
"How does he know that?" Lavender asked.
"Likely his godfather told him." Hermione replied.
"Well, it's hard not to be afraid of him." Lavender frowned. "How can you look at Harry and not be afraid? We all have seen how good Harry is. How powerful he is. Look at him now, and tell me that you aren't afraid."
"I'm not." Neville said honestly, which made both girls turn and stare at him incredulously.
"You're not?" Lavender asked in disbelief.
"No." Neville said easily. "Not anymore."
"Neville, sweetie, no offense, but…" Lavender began, but Neville shook his head.
"I'm not Harry. I know. Before this year, I could barely cast anything. I couldn't… When it really mattered, I couldn't stop someone I cared for from getting hurt. I was afraid, and it contributed to me not being able to do something. Harry helped be realize that courage isn't the absence of fear, but doing what needs to be done despite of it. So maybe what I should say is that, yes, I'm afraid, but I'm not going to be ruled by my fear."
The two girls looked at each other, clearly impressed.
"He'll be proud of you." Hermione said, indicating a now soundly sleeping Harry.
"I think my parents would be as well." Neville smiled.
"I'm sure they are." Hermione replied. Lavender launched herself out of her seat, and to both Hermione and Neville's great shock, kissed the Gryffindor boy rather soundly.
Hermione tried to stop her laughter, and ended up nearly choking herself just from Neville's expression alone.
When Lavender pulled away, she looked at Neville for a moment before she smiled and said, "I like kissing too."
She then turned to Hermione with a rather bright, winning smile.
"Would you excuse us, there's something I think I need to talk to this boy about."
"I think so as well." Hermione said, wiping tears from her eyes from her coughing fit.
"Let me know how it goes."
"Of course!" Lavender grinned, hooking her arm through Neville's and leading him out of the hospital wing to someplace more secluded. Hermione watched them go with a smile on her face, and a swelling in her chest.
She turned back to look at Harry, her smile becoming tender, as she caressed his healing cheek.
"Who would have thought you would play matchmaker." She giggled softly. Harry's response was the faintest of sighs. Hermione gave his hand a squeeze and hoped that he would recover quickly.
Hermione knew that when he was feeling better, they were going to have to have a serious conversation about their relationship, and she was going to have to beg his forgiveness. Even though Sirius had said that Harry would likely not hold her responsible, she felt guilty for everything.
She had decided that if Harry insisted on fighting this war, she was going to support him however he needed her to. And when it was all over, and Lord Voldemort was in the ground for good, Hermione wanted to be right there at his side. And hopefully… for many years to come.
If he would have her.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット