BELONG TO NOWHERE
ChapterO9: Boundaries
Half of January had passed
and Harry was still trying to deal with Dean and Hermione's relationship.
Okay, he hadn't actually seen the two of them together- together in a romantic
sense, you know! - But he had caught a resourced smile here, a slight laugh
there...which shouldn't be happening between the two of them! It was his job to
make Hermione smile and laugh like that damnit!
That didn't mean that he
didn't want Hermione to have a relationship. Of course not! She had every right
to be happy, but with Dean? How on Earth could Dean make her
happy? He wasn't so special! Sure, he could draw, but other than that, what
else? He hadn't made the Quidditch team in his First Year (being the youngest
seeker in a century!) He didn't fight a basilisk and live to tell the
tale or encounter Voldemort numerous times and lived to fight him again another
day. Dean didn't...well, he didn't bloody-well save
Hermione back in their First Year like he did. Ron helped, but still. He was
the one that made Ron go! Where was Dean during this time? Probably
screaming like a little girl, and trying to hide the fact that he wet his
pants! Surely Hermione could find someone better than Dean!
After all, because of this
'oh-so-wonderful' Dean, Hermione was distant from them. What sort of
boyfriend made his girlfriend lose contact with her best friends, the
ones that saved her life from the troll?!?! She was so distant...they barely
talked anymore. If he knew that she was happy, he wouldn't mind. Truly, he
wouldn't mind in the least. However, he could see she wasn't happy. Her eyes
had a mix of sadness and...concern.
He had asked her if she was
okay.
"I'm fine,
Harry," she had said.
Harry decided to ask Ginny
if she knew anything. After all, Ginny was Hermione's best female friend!
"Oh, Harry, Hermione
is just, er, afraid," Ginny said with a small smile.
"Afraid? Afraid of what? Did something happen? Please, I need to
know!" he asked in a hurry, his heart beating very fast at just the
thought of Hermione being in danger. Dean didn't have the power to save her,
and it was his job to ensure her safety, not Dean's. Harry forced the
thought of Dean out of his mind so he could concentrate on Hermione's danger.
"Oh,
no! It's nothing
like that. It's something a little more personal. I'm not really
sure, Harry, so I can't tell you anything. You know I hate gossip..."
Harry rolled his eyes but
asked anyway, "It is something about her and Dean ?
I mean, did they break up?" he asked hopefully, trying to keep the giddiness
out of his voice.
"Oh,
no! They are
stronger than ever! The problem is...er...it seems that she is late,"
Ginny ended in an ominous whisper.
"Late? What do you
mean late?" Harry was confused and disappointed that they were 'as
strong as ever.' If they were so bloody strong, then why wasn't she happy?
Ginny looked at him in
disbelief.
"Harry-" Ginny
was about to explain Harry the meaning of "late" when she saw
Hermione and Anthony Goldstein walking towards them. "Oh, I am such a
horrible person!"
"W-What are talking
about, Ginny?"
"I am a horrible
friend! Talking about Hermione!" she cried, trying to get Harry's
undivided attention.
"Oh! No, Ginny you
aren't a horrible friend! You are great! I'm sure Hermione thinks you're the
best," Harry said feeling slightly annoyed at her drama. What the hell
did "late" mean?
"You think so?"
she asked with teary eyes and hugged him. Feeling a little awkward, he patted
her head softly, wishing she would stop.
The hug was interrupted by
a loud 'hem hem'.
"No snogging in the
corridors!" said a smiling Anthony Goldstein. Hermione was silence, while
looking at her feet.
"We aren't-"
Harry started, not wanting anyone to think they were back together again,
especially Hermione, when Ginny cut him off.
"We promise! Now, let's
go, Harry!" And she quickly grabbed Harry's hand and they left.
"Merlin,
Ginny! Why did
you do that? I mean I didn't even get to talk to Hermione-" He wormed his
hand out of hers, unconscientiously wiping his hand on his pants. How dare she
just snatch him away like that? He was trying to talk to his best friend!
"Oh, Harry! You have
so much to learn! She is not prepared to talk to you yet!"
"Huh? But-but...why?" He asked, forgetting his anger.
"Because
of her relationship with Dean, silly! She needs some time...alone."
"If-if you say
so," he said hesitantly, sadness overcoming him.
XXXXX
Hermione didn't know why
seeing Harry and Ginny together hurt so much. Why did her heart beat so fast?
Why was her chest suddenly so heavy?
She wanted to cry and she didn't
even know why.
"Hermione?" she heard Anthony's voice.
"Huh? What did you
say?"
"I asked if you want
me to go to headquarters."
"Oh, no, thanks
Anthony. I think I'll go take a walk around the lake," she replied,
wanting to clear her mind and be alone.
"But it's almost
dark!"
"I know," she
said, fighting the urge of cry.
"If
you say so. See
you then."
"See you,
Anthony."
Anthony Goldstein was about
to leave when he turned around and said with a serious voice, "He isn't
worth it, Hermione."
"I don't understand-"
"I am a
Ravenclaw, you know..." he said, and walked away.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Anthony Goldstein was about
to enter the Head Students dorms when he saw Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived
was alone.
"Hello, Harry."
"Hello, Anthony,"
Harry greeted and continued to walk his way to Gryffindor common room. Luna
wanted to talk to Ginny about something, so, at that moment he was alone. And
he was grateful for that.
Harry was about two meters
away from Anthony when he heard the Head Boy calling his name.
"Harry! I need to talk
to you!"
"Oh, Anthony, don't
get me wrong, but I am really-"
"It's about
Hermione."
That caught Harry's
attention.
"What about her? Is
she alright? Did something happen?" Harry asked.
"Calm down, man! No,
nothing happened. Well, I don't know. You see, I think she's crying..."
"Crying? Why? Where?"
"She mentioned the
lake..." Anthony didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence. Harry
had already taken off.
The Ravenclaw boy smiled to
himself. He had never liked Ginny Weasley.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Almost ten minutes had
passed since Harry began looking for Hermione when he found her sitting on the
grass, her back against a large tree- their tree- her hands on her face, her
shoulders shaking...
The sight of Hermione crying
made Harry wanted to cry himself. He walked towards
her and sat by her side.
"Mione, sweetie, what
happened?" he asked, stroking her soft hair lightly.
"H-Harry? I-It's nothing," she said,
wiping her tears with the back of her hands.
Harry took her hand and
caressed it.
"Hermione, I know
there's something wrong," he said in a very softy voice, his gaze never
letting his eyes leave hers. "I am your best friend. If you aren't happy,
I am not happy either."
She smiled sadly. "I
miss them, Harry."
Harry didn't say anything.
There was nothing to be said. He simply took her in his strong arms and hugged
her. He hugged her with all the love he had. A love he didn't even know he had.
All the love he wanted to give her.
"Thank you,
Harry," she whispered in a trembling voice after he let go of her.
Harry didn't say a word. His
hand began tracing her face, making her close her eyes and shiver.
"Hermione-"he
said, the back of his knuckles grazing lightly over the soft pad of her chin,
his face leaned toward hers...He closed his eyes; he could feel her breath,
their lips barely touching...
"'Arry! 'Ermione!" they heard
Hagrid shouting and quickly retreated from each other.
"What are two doing
here? It's already dark! Go, go to the castle! Dinner is going to be served any
minute!"
Harry and Hermione ran
towards the castle without saying a word.
XXXX
As expected, since the
second 'almost' kiss between Harry and Hermione, the two of them were barely
speaking to each other.
Hermione was feeling a
horrible friend.
"Merlin, "she
thought," he is Ginny's boyfriend! I can't- no, I have to stay away for
him! I think I'm still weak because of my parents' death. He belongs to
Ginny."
Harry on the other hand...
"Are you stupid or
what, Potter?" he had said to himself. "She is with Dean! Dean! You
can't try to kiss Hermione everytime you see her! Now she is afraid! She might
think you are some kind of pervert!"
~*~* ~* ~* ~
January 31
Ministry of Magic
Department of Mysteries,
Room of the veil
A little before
Hermione and Tonks had had
everything in their correct place and were merely waiting for
It hadn't been so easy for
Hermione to be there.
Tonks had told Hermione
to meet her in
Hogsmeade at
The young Head Girl knew
she couldn't ask that of Harry. Sure, he would lend her the cloak but he would
ask what for and argh! So, she came to a plan B: ask Ron to borrow the cloak. Er,
without Harry knowing, of course!
"No
way, Hermione!" Ron said, "I
will not steal Harry's cloak!"
"It's not stealing,
Ron! It's borrowing..."
"So, why don't you
ask him?"
So, now she was there in
the Ministry...without an invisibility
cloak.
It was almost
The two of them were
sitting on the floor. In front of them were the 'ingredients' for the ritual:
the drawing, and a crystal goblet full of a red liquid.
Hermione took a last look
at the book and then placing it on the floor, between Tonks and herself.
"It's
"Go on, I 'm
ready."
First, Hermione took a sip
of the potion and placed the goblet back on the floor. Then, she took a small
knife from her robes, making a cut on her right hand and giving the knife to Tonks,
who did the same. The two women brought their hands to the drawing, letting
their blood drip on it.
"The
power of Blue Phoenix. The power of the phoenixes. The
power of death and life. The birth and rebirth.
I ask for a rebirth. I ask for an innocent man. I ask not in my name,"
Hermione said in a strong voice that Tonks had never heard before. "I,
Hermione Jane Granger, give my friendly blood for Sírius Black, in name of
Harry James Potter."
"I, Nymphadora Black
Tonks, give my family blood for Sírius Black, in the name of Remus John
Lupin."
Suddenly the blue phoenix
that Dean had drawn began to stir, as if it was a magical picture. Hermione and
Tonks looked on in amazement.
"Viverus! Viverus! Viverus!" Hermione
shouted and then, as if by some kind of miracle, well, magic, the phoenix
drawing created life and the blue phoenix left the parchment and began
to fly around Hermione and Tonks' heads.
The blue phoenix was now a real
blue phoenix!
The bird flew a little
around the room and then disappeared behind the veil.
"Wow!" Tonks was
saying when the blue phoenix returned. It came back carrying Sírius Black!
The bird placed the
sleeping Sírius on the floor.
Quickly, Hermione took the
potion and poured it in Sirius' mouth. As the potion began to mix with his blood,
Sírius started to stir.
"W-What? H-Hermione?" he asked huskily,
in utter confusion.
"Oh, yes! Oh, Sírius!
You're back! You're back!" she cried. Eyes full of tears; she threw her
arms around his neck and crushed his fragile body to her chest in earnest. It
had been so long!
Sírius looked at her in confusion and finally asked, "You brought me back? But...how?"
"Oh, it wasn't only
me...Tonks- Tonks?" just then Hermione realized how quiet Tonks had been.
She looked at the young Auror and saw that Tonks had her eyes on the book,
which was in her hands.
"Tonks? Are not going to hug your favorite
cousin?" Sirius teased.
Tonks' head snapped up from
the book, stood, and came towards him. The book fell to the floor. Hermione
picked up the book and began to read the page Tonks had been reading.
"Oh, Sirius!" she
said, hugging him.
Sirius was about to say
something when they heard a loud noise.
Hermione had just fainted.
"Hermione!" they
cried together.
"Tonks, do you know
what's wrong?" Sírius asked, while he tried to wake Hermione.
Without saying a word,
Tonks gave him the book. She showed him a specific page. A page that just a
while ago was blank.
And Sírius read, "... and
the friendly blood will be forever-bonded to the re-birthed one."
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll