Author's Note: The second I put Deathly Hallows down after reading the entire book, I immediately wondered what happened in those nineteen years that J.K. Rowling had skipped. So, I grabbed a pencil and paper and unleashed my thoughts. There will be more chapters, and I hope to cover the entire nineteen years if I could. There is no definate "shipping" in this, but I like Harry and Hermione together, so that's why the two characters are Harry and Hermione. I'm not saying that they will end up together, though. This is my first story, but please treat it as any other story if you decide to review it. Don't say that you like it just because this is my first. I would love to hear suggestions!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. (insert funny joke about how stupid people must be to not know that J.K. Rowling is the author of Harry Potter) --- Haha! I'm a funny person, aren't I?
Warning: Deathly Hallows spoilers. I know that you love Harry Potter so much that you would hate to see spoilers in here, yet you didn't read the book already.
Nineteen Years - Chapter One
That feeling? It's guilt, anger, and grief mixed in together. It's unusual to most people, but normal to the Boy-Who-Lived.
"And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits, thinking now only of the four-poster bed lying waiting for him in Gryffindor Tower, and wondering whether Kreacher might bring him a sandwich there, "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."
Harry turned his head towards his friends to see Hermione trying not to laugh, but Ron was looking around at the walls of the corridor. "I agree with you, Harry," Hermione finally said with a weak smile, and Ron nodded his head. Harry didn't expect his best friend to say anything; after all, he lost Fred. The entire Weasley family lost Fred, and Harry felt guilt running through every one of his veins. He thought back to that dreadful moment when Fred was looking up, but not blinking. His face had a faint smile, but he wasn't laughing. His mouth was slightly open, but he wasn't breathing.
"I…I think I should head back, Harry," Ron said. "My mum…my family needs…you know…" his voice trailed off and he was on the verge of tears. Quickly, Hermione put her arm around his shoulders, her other arm gently touching his cheek. "I'll be right there, okay?" she said to the young man that she loved. She kissed him softly and he made his way to the Great Hall, looking only at his feet.
"I feel so guilty about all of this," Harry finally confessed. If he had just given himself to Voldemort in the first place, than Fred, Tonks, Lupin, and so many other innocent people would have been alive. Hermione looked down, and seemed to be thinking about what Harry had said. She was always the one to comfort Harry, while Ron would let out a rage of jealousy.
Harry remembered all their hard times extremely well, while their good times would have to strain to reach the front of his mind. "Hermione…" Harry said.
"Yes, Harry?"
"Do you blame me for all of this? Is it really my fault?" Harry said.
"Well, those are two totally different questions," Hermione answered. Harry looked confused. "I don't blame you for all of this, really, I don't. Although if one were to look into it, it was in a way…"
"My fault," Harry finished.
"Harry, this was totally out of your control! You have to understand that!" Hermione exclaimed, knowing what was coming next.
Harry stood up and scratched his black, messy hair. "I don't know what to understand, Hermione. If I had just given myself up in the first place –"
"Harry, you did give up, though! You were willing to give up your life for the rest of us," she said. Harry looked over at Hermione, who was already in tears. He didn't know whether to comfort her or agree with her.
"Hermione, I –"
"Shut up!" she said as she wrapped her arms around her friends. Harry smiled a bit and saw a red headed figure in the corridor approaching them. Hermione saw the figure as well and quickly released herself from their hug.
"Hey guys! You comin' or what?" Ron said, but he wasn't smiling. "Sorry to ruin your little cuddly moment."
Hermione opened her mouth in protest but Harry grabbed her arm quickly, warning her not to even bother. They followed Ron to the Great Hall, where they heard wails and screams from Mrs. Weasley already. Harry felt even guiltier for his actions. He might as well have murdered everyone that had died. His eyes met Mrs. Weasley's, but for the first time she didn't run up to him with a welcoming hug. She didn't even smile. Her eyes were tired, red and puffy as she continued to stare into Harry's emerald eyes. Mr. Weasley was next to her, and he looked over at Harry as well. Eventually, the entire Weasley family was staring into Harry's eyes.
He looked over at all the other families who were crying over people's dead bodies, casting glances at Harry occasionally. They didn't care about the fact that Voldemort had been taken down. They cared about loosing their family and friends. The only people who would understand how happy of a moment this was were Ron and Hermione...and Dumbledore, had he been there. They stuck with Harry throughout their seven years of Hogwarts, through thick and thin, and they had been dying for this moment to come almost as much as Harry anticipated for it.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to say sorry at that moment, because then they would turn their backs on him, literally. And he wasn't ready for that to happen just yet. If he was going to say sorry, he was going to say it in front of everyone to get it over and done with.
Without even thinking, Harry got up on one of the tables. "Harry, no!" Hermione screamed in protest, but she saw the confidence glowing inside Harry and quickly stopped herself.
"Listen, everyone!" Harry's voice was ringing throughout the entire Great Hall. Everyone looked over at him standing on the table and stopped what they were doing to pay attention to him. Harry suddenly got nervous and didn't know exactly what to say to everyone. Now what?
"I know that I am at fault for all this. Don't protest, please," Harry began as he looked at some people raising their hands to disagree. "If I had just given myself up to Voldemort, than most of the lives lost wouldn't have been lost at all." He heard a few sobs, but continued. "I'm sorry. More than you will ever know. I'm sorry that I didn't give up sooner. I'm sorry that I had to stay at Hogwarts and let myself be convinced that everyone would fight with me. You don't have to start throwing punches at me, or casting hexes at me. Everyone's mourning faces kill me more than the damage of ten killing curses at once. The deaths I must live with, the weight I must carry, is worse than you will ever know. The only reason I'm not beating myself up already is because the fight is over," Harry paused to say the words he had been waiting to say for so long. "Voldemort is dead."
Everyone seemed to be glowing at the truth. "Voldemort is dead!" Harry heard two voices scream. He looked over at the source of the voices, and Hermione and Ron were cheering. Eventually, everybody in the Great Hall regained the happiness that they had had when they saw Voldemort's corpse on the floor. Harry jumped down to join his friends as the cheering wizards and witches, instead of going to Harry, were dancing and cheering with others around them.
"May I have this dance?" Ron asked Hermione is a polite tone. Hermione giggled and joined him. Harry looked over at his best friends in love. He felt something in his heart as he looked at Hermione dancing with Ron. Something that he had felt when Hermione kissed his best friend. He shook it off and turned around only to find Ginny smiling up at him. "Let's dance," she said as she pulled Harry into the center of the Great Hall, not giving him the chance to protest.
After several hours of dancing and cheering, Ginny looked at her watch and threw her hands over her mouth. "I…I have to go! I'm sorry, Harry! Don't worry about me!" she rushed off without anything else. Harry looked at her in confusion. He heard Ron laugh from behind him.
"Ginny will do that to people. Don't feel upset, mate," Ron said.
Hermione walked up slowly, trying to figure out herself what had happened. "This isn't Cinderella, Ron."
Ron looked confused, since he hadn't heard of muggle fairytales.
"Cinderella is a muggle story, Ron. You wouldn't get it," Harry said quickly, smiling at Hermione.
"Well, maybe you should go check for a glass slipper, Harry," Hermione said as she gestured her head towards the doors of the Great Hall.
Knowing what she meant, Harry rushed off, leaving Hermione to explain Cinderella to Ron. His lips formed a smile as he imagined Ron beginning to yell at Hermione for coming up with such a 'stupid' similarity.
"Ginny? Ginny? Where are you?" Harry called for Ginny. He rushed down damaged corridors, looking at angry people in portraits, shouting at him about their frame being ruined. He ignored them and continued to search. Finally, he found her, but quickly regretted it. Ginny was kissing a blonde haired boy in the corner of a hallway. Harry's heart was ready to burst with the speed it was beating. His muscles tensed, his green eyes narrowed, and his head was raging with anger.
"No…" Harry said silently, but not silent enough. Ginny jumped up and moved out of the way quickly, revealing Draco Malfoy. Harry gasped, but Draco smirked.
"Harry, I can explain!" Ginny screamed.
"How could you?!?! And with him?! That's low, Ginny!" Harry screamed at Ginny. Tears were forming in her eyes, and for once, Harry didn't care.
"Ooh, I took your little girlfriend, Potter. Just comforting her is all. I can't blame her. You couldn't even confide in her with your little horcrux hunt. Had to end the relationship, didn't you?"
Harry quickly took out his wand and aimed it at Malfoy's neck. "Harry, no!" Ginny exclaimed, but Harry shot her a death glare and she stopped.
"You better keep your mouth shut, Malfoy. Go, take her," Harry said.
Then he turned his attention towards Ginny. "I bet your mummy will be proud of you for marrying a Death Eater. Oh, and especially your dad. Working at the ministry and all, he'll totally understand," Harry said.
"Harry! Wait!" Ginny tried to calm Harry down, but it wouldn't work.
Harry walked away slowly, heartbroken and angry. Ginny continued to scream Harry's name, but he chose to ignore her. Turning around a corner, he saw the understanding face of Hermione waiting for him.
"Hermione, I didn't realize you were –" he began.
"It's okay, Harry. I heard everything," Hermione said in the most comforting tone Harry had ever heard. Next to her was a red haired young man that Harry didn't even realize was there until he looked to Hermione's left.
"I'm sorry, mate. I'll kill my sister for you," Ron said, playfully punching Harry in the arm. Harry couldn't help but smile a bit and punched him back.
"That's alright, Ron. She just loves Malfoy, I suppose. I'll have to live with that," Harry said truthfully. His heart couldn't take it though. He cared about Ginny too much. He could feel a tear on his cheek and quickly wiped it away before his friends could notice.
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione squealed, throwing her arms over Harry's neck. Apparently, she noticed. "You just can't get the easy way out, can you?" They laughed. Even Ron laughed with them, although his face looked a bit sour every time Hermione would touch Harry.
"No, I can't, Hermione. At least Voldemort's dead – it may not have been easy," Harry began, and already Ron and Hermione were laughing. "It was almost worth it." Harry emphasized the almost.
Were the deaths of Fred, Tonks, Lupin, and so many others worth killing Voldemort? Was the mourning worth the joy of it being over? Was the fighting worth both sides loosing important people?
"Almost," Harry said again, knowing that Ron and Hermione understood. They linked arms like they used to do in their younger years, and instead of going to the Great Hall, they walked around Hogwarts for the last time as a student. So many memories had been founded here, and it was nearly impossible to think that it was over. They passed trophies, one of them read "James Potter" and Harry forced a weak smile. In his first year, seeing that trophy was such a wonderful and happy moment for him. Now, the seventeen year old boy almost cried. He remembered when he and Hermione had been at his parent's graves. How they were now dust was an unbearable thought.
Never would he come off the train at King's Cross and say "Mum! Dad!" seeing his parents rushing to hug their son. Never would he get to see the real resemblance between him and his mother's eyes. Sure, he saw her in pictures, but never actually got to see her stunning, emerald eyes that he inherited. Never would he hear his father's stories of when the Mauderers were best friends coming from his father. Never would he hear them say "I love you".
But he could not say that they would never care, because they did. They were in the ground, dead, because of their sacrifice to save him. Because of them, he was alive and with his two best friends, and he had just killed the man who murdered his parents. Tears began to form in Harry's eyes. Immediately, he wiped them so his friends wouldn't see. He looked over at them, and they were looking at James Potter's trophy with no sadness showing on their faces at all, and although Hermione was facing the trophy, her mind seemed concentrated on something else. Luckily, they didn't see Harry almost cry. Rest in peace, mum and dad. Rest in peace, he thought.
Hermione started crying, and Harry let go, leaving room for Ron to run up to her. He felt that same feeling again as Ron held onto Hermione. Harry didn't know why she was crying so much, when nobody said anything. Hermione displayed her wand to him, which had been pointing at Harry. 'Mind reading charm' she mouthed. Harry was taken aback that she would actually decide to look into what he was thinking, or even that she could slip into his mind undetectable.
Harry looked down, realizing that all the saddened thoughts of his parents' deaths had been heard by Hermione. He shifted uncomfortably, wishing that she hadn't done that. He hated when she would feel sorry for him, and he wasn't sure why. It might've been that whenever Hermione tried to hug or comfort Harry, or even when they shared emotions with each other, Ron got in the way; he would always scream at them in jealousy. Well, I'm sorry that you had really nothing for Hermione to comfort you with…I really should've asked Voldemort to go after you instead. He could have killed your parents, and you would end up living in a cupboard under the stairs at a distant relative's house, trying to kill Voldemort and going through some heck of a life, Harry thought. He wanted to say this to Ron for a while, but never did in case of their friendship being in jeopardy. Suddenly, Harry felt someone's gaze. He looked over at Hermione.
"You can stop now, Hermione!" Harry screamed at her for continuing to read his mind.
"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Ron screamed back in defense.
"It's nothing, Ron. Honest!" Hermione said as she put her wand back in her dirty robes, looking down.
"I'm not going to have Harry just scream at you like that out of nowhere! What's going on?!" Ron demanded.
"You wouldn't understand, Ron," Hermione tried to calm him down, but it wouldn't work.
"Why'd you scream at Hermione like that, Harry?" Ron asked again.
"Hermione obviously doesn't seem bothered, so why make a fight out of it?" Harry said, surprisingly calm.
"Just because she isn't bothered doesn't make an excuse, Harry!" Ron screamed. Harry ignored him and continued walking. "Where are you going?"
"What's it to you? I can go where ever I want now without having to worry about Death Eater's attacking me," Harry answered.
"Congratulations, Harry! And in the bloody process, Fred died!" Ron screamed. Harry felt a burning sensation building up inside him.
"I understand that, Ron."
"No you don't!"
"Oh really? Like I don't understand loosing people I love?!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry, don't!" Hermione beckoned him.
"I lost my parents when I was a baby, Ron! I'm ashamed to call my aunt, uncle, and cousin family! With them stuffing me in a cupboard under a staircase and all, I didn't grow close to them. Sirius was my only "family" that cared for me. He was killed, though ; murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange. I didn't have anyone. And it only gets better. Cedric died in our fourth year, and I felt that it was my fault – even though Voldemort was the one that killed him. May I remind you that Snape was the one behind my parent's killing? It didn't help that I hated him already. Oh, and loosing Mad Eye. That was upsetting for all of us, but it just added to the death toll of people close to me. Hedwig died in our escape from the Death Eaters. Hagrid almost died God knows how many times, and let's not forget Dobby's funeral. He died from doing what was right. Do you know how close I was to Dumbledore? His death really put a damper on my mood, and my entire look on life, as a matter of fact. Fred, Tonks, and Lupin, were important to me as well. And guess what? Voldemort was involved in all these people's deaths…every single one of them," Harry finished, tears now slowly dancing down his cheeks. He didn't bother to wipe them.
Ron didn't know what to say in response. He couldn't say that Voldemort wasn't involved those eleven deaths. He also couldn't say that Harry didn't understand, or that Harry had the best life growing up to this point.
"S-Sorry, mate. I-I shouldn't have g-gone all raging at y-you…" Ron choked up an apology.
Harry looked right into Ron's eyes and checked to see if his friend was truly sorry.
"It's alright, Ron. I shouldn't have given you that huge story of my life…" Harry's voice trailed off as he realized that it was the story of his life. Death surrounded him, yet it was a shock just to see him standing there, trying to be so strong.
Hermione seemed to be crying even more, and Harry knew that she didn't even have to use the mind reading charm to know what he was thinking.
"Harry! Oh, we're sorry! We should've thought more into it…I know how much those people meant to you!" Hermione ran up to her friend and jumped towards him. Prepared, Harry caught her in his arms and she hugged him tightly. Harry glanced over at Ron, who nodded his head as if saying "Your friend can hug you. I won't get jealous."
Finally, Harry broke the hug and saw his wet shoulder in which Hermione had been crying on. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized, and used a charm to dry his shoulder off.
The trio, although not really a "friend" trio (Harry looked at Ron and Hermione with a pang of what seemed like disappointment or jealousy) continued on to walk around their damaged school. They would stop a few times in classrooms and discuss memories they had shared in it. "Potions class. Wonderful memories here," Ron said silently. Harry and Hermione laughed. They slowly walked in and by instinct, they almost ended up sitting in their designated seats.
"I really don't want to stay here, if you guys don't mind," Harry said in a near whisper. His two friends nodded as they walked out together. Harry didn't have any fond memories that he could think of in that room. Not only that, but Snape was dead, and Harry didn't know how to take it. Quietly, they ended up on the Quidditch field. Harry smiled at the hoops, still intact, and the grass that was still green. He closed his eyes and started moving around as if he were on a broom. There was so much to this field that he loved.
"Harry!" Hermione said.
"What?"
Hermione gestured towards a broom left on the ground. Harry smiled, knowing what she meant, and placed himself on the broom. Harry kicked himself off the ground and felt the wonderful feeling that he had whenever he was on a broom. Slowly, he raised his hands over his head and screamed in joy. For about thirty minutes, Harry was just flying around the field with so much happiness that he felt that he was going to burst. Finally, he landed with a huge smile on his face. Hermione hugged him for a reason he didn't know, but he hugged her back softly.
"How was it?" Ron asked.
Harry thought for a moment. It wasn't good. It wasn't great. It wasn't phenomenal, fantastic, or awesome. "It was indescribable."
Hermione smiled, her eyes sparkling at Harry. Ron ignored this with his famous eye roll, and placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders. Harry looked away, feeling uncomfortable. He silently wished that Ginny was there, so he wouldn't have to feel so left out. No, he heard a voice inside him protest. She cheated on you…with Malfoy!
Harry turned on his heels and walked away, leaving Ron and Hermione to have some time to their selves.
"Harry!" he heard Hermione and Ron scream after him. He could hear their running footsteps behind him.
"What?" he turned around to face his friends.
"Where were you going?"
"I figured that you guys needed some…er…time alone…" Harry choked. "I get it. It'll take a while to get used to this, but I'll just…I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Harry stopped her. "It's alright. You two enjoy yourselves." He forced a smile and walked away. He walked into the Gryffindor Quidditch team locker rooms. He opened his locker and found a picture of him, Hermione, and Ron. They were smiling up at Harry, having a good time as friends…just friends. Behind them, he saw Hogwarts. It wasn't in ruins like it was now, but it was a beautiful school. He remembered when this was taken – right before the tournament in their fourth year.
"Smile, Harry!" Hermione said.
"Yeah, Harry! Lighten up for once!" Ron said in agreement.
"Fine!" Harry laughed.
They all looked up at the camera and smiled. Hermione tripped over Ron in laughter, and fell into Harry's arms. They gazed into each other's eyes, but Harry didn't think much of it. Hermione, on the other hand, was blushing. "Sorry," she finally said.
"No problem, Hermione," Harry answered, not even looking at her. In the corner of his eye, he saw her looking a little upset.
Harry thought about his actions then. He felt different about Hermione now in a way that he couldn't exactly explain. Maybe now he would blush along with her, and would cherish the moment when they gazed into each other's eyes. Maybe now he would have fallen in love with her before Ron did. The thought sent shivers up Harry's spine. He thought of how it was too late to confess to Hermione that maybe he might've had feelings for her now. Quickly, Harry looked at his watch. It had been twenty minutes, so he went back to the field. He made sure that his footsteps were quiet, and he didn't make a sound. Harry approached the Quidditch field and a gasp escaped from his mouth. Instead of seeing them kissing or laughing or something else that most couples did, he found them arguing.
"I'm only trying to comfort you, Ronald!" Hermione screamed at Ron, whose back was to Harry.
"Saying that people go through mourning all the time doesn't really lift my spirits, Hermione! 'Oh, people die all the time, Ron! I just wanted to share that depressing fact with you'!"
"I beg your pardon?! I did not say that! I said that you shouldn't say that you're the only person who ever lost a family member!"
"Oh, like you lost a brother!" Ron rolled his eyes in frustration.
"No, I didn't, Ron! But I know people that have lost a lot more than a brother!" Hermione snapped.
"Yeah, I know about Harry's little sad story. He told me…us…about it in the corridor. He's over that, Hermione," Ron said. Harry opened his mouth, about to say something, but didn't want to blow his cover just yet.
"How DARE you?!" Hermione screamed, causing both Ron and Harry to jump back. She looked angrier than the two boys combined, which was angrier than they had ever seen her. Ron stepped a few inches back in terror.
"Do you think that Harry is perfectly fine that his parents are dead? Do you think that he's okay with the fact that Dobby, Dumbledore, Sirius, and plenty more people that he cared about will never speak to him again? Do you think that he never shed a tear and just got 'over it'? You should've seen the poor boy at Godric's Hollow! He was crying over his parent's graves. Yes, Harry has emotions, Ron. You're just not there to see them; you're too busy getting mad at a loyal friend for stupid reasons!" Hermione defended Harry. Everyone fell silent as Harry decided to make his appearance.
"H-Hey guys," he said. Hermione looked over at Harry, and he realized that she was in tears. "Hermione, I've seen you cry enough today, really." Her lips formed a weak smile that seemed to dominate her tears.
"Hey, mate," Harry said calmly, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Hey…" Ron's voice trailed off as he looked at Harry in a saddened type of way. Ron's mouth was trembling, taking in what Hermione had just told him. "Y-You overheard it, d-didn't you?" Ron asked.
"Overheard what?" Harry asked, trying not to sound too obvious.
"The argument," Ron said blankly.
Harry turned to Hermione, who seemed to wipe up her tears by now, and nodded. "Yes, I heard it. Well, the part where you didn't take a liking to Hermione's idea of comfort to when I walked in."
Ron nodded back and looked down. Hermione folded her arms across her chest, not knowing what to say. They all stood in silence for a few moments.
"Can everyone stop feeling sorry for me now? We all get the point that my parents, along with many others that were close to me, are dead. You guys really don't have to force the memories into me," Harry finally spoke up. "We killed Voldemort. Although we lost some lives…" he glanced at Ron and continued, "We should feel relief, not tension. Happiness, not grief." He paused and looked at Hermione. "Love, not hate." He thought that she would look up at Ron and smile, but instead, she looked at Harry – right into his emerald eyes. His heart seemed like it was melting as she softly blushed. No, she's going out with Ron, she's your friend! He heard a voice in his head scream at him.
Ron coughed, and Hermione and Harry snapped their heads to face him. "Sorry. Keep looking into each other's eyes with that dreamy look on your faces. Who am I to bother you?"
Harry felt like punching his friend in the nose, while Hermione looked uncomfortable and vulnerable. Ron always ruined the moment. Always. "I know, you are you to bother us?" Hermione snapped, and Harry looked at her in shock. "I can look at my friend, Ronald. I can look at him all I want, for your information. It seems like you have to interrupt whenever I touch Harry, or even look at him. Do you have a problem with me being friends with him?" Hermione took a step back to be right beside Harry. "I know what you're going to say, Ron. 'Go off with Harry, your little boyfriend! I'm fine, you obviously like him more!' What if I did that to you? I wouldn't have to heart to, but I'm sure that you wouldn't take it too well, would you? So when you storm off like you did on the horcrux hunt, just take this into consideration: I won't always be there with a forgiving personality when you come crawling back to me, expecting me to be mad for a few weeks and then just kiss and make up."
For what seemed like the millionth time, they all fell silent. Ron started walking away, and Harry had to grab Hermione's arm before she could shout I-told-you-so's and "Fine!".
"I'm going to mourn with my family…where I should've been this whole time," Ron said over his shoulder. "Don't bother following me. I'm fine."
Hermione was running after him, but Harry stayed where he was and laid down on the grass.
"Ron!" she called after him.
"Go by Harry. I need to be with my family. Especially my mum, I can almost hear her crying from here," Ron said.
Harry was staring at the sky that had turned pitch black from when the battle had ended. The full moon was directly above him, and he thought of Lupin at the sight.
"Beautiful night for such a time of mourning and cheering," Hermione pointed out as she laid down next to Harry.
"It made me think of Lupin. You know, the full moon and all," Harry said. He saw Hermione nod from the corner of his eye.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking about right now?"
"Well…I'm thinking about when you kissed Ron. I realized that we would never be the same trio that we were before. Please, don't say you're sorry. I can't stop you from being in love with him, and I don't have a problem with it, honest," Harry answered without hesitation.
"Harry, I'm really happy that you understand. I don't know what I would do if you didn't," she laughed.
"What would make you think that I wouldn't understand? I know what it's like to be in love."
They both fell silent as Harry remembered when he found Ginny and Malfoy kissing in the corner of the corridor. He had actually felt something for her, and it was taken away. A lot of things were taken away from him. He looked at Hermione after that last sentence and saw her wand pointing at him. A tear was rolling down her cheek.
"Put it away, please," Harry said, knowing that she had slipped into his mind again. How did she do it so easily?
"Harry, I'm sorry –"
"I'm not mad. Just put it your wand down. I don't want you reading my mind with that charm. It really bugs me."
"Why does it bug you so much? I'm just curious to see what you're thinking…"
"Because every time you read my mind, you end up crying. My thoughts and memories are too depressing, Hermione. I don't want to see you like this," Harry said honestly. He was right. What went on in his mind was too depressing for Hermione to handle.
"I-I'm sorry, Harry. So s-sorry. I just w-want to find a way to c-comfort y-you," Hermione was now crying uncontrollably. Harry hated to see her like this. He hated how he made her cry.
"Hermione…shh…it's alright. I'm okay, we're all okay," Harry said. Hermione threw her arms around his neck, and he wasted no time to hesitate. He gently rubbed his friend's back trying to console her. Almost by instinct, Harry looked around to see if Ron was there, ready to yell at him for hugging Hermione. A smile spread across Harry's face as he saw that nobody else was there, so he pulled Hermione into his arms even tighter.
Author's Notes: So, did you like it? Did you hate it? I really want to know. Please try to review -- it won't kill you, I promise. You can say whatever about this, from "good" to "it sucked". Either way, I'm still continuing with this. It should be up shortly!