Always You

CHAPTER 37

Summer passed quickly. Hermione and I enjoyed time together. She showed me the little town in which she grew up and lived with her parents. It was really quiet, the absolute opposite of New York.

I tried not to think about Draco, and about what happened in the last few months, sometimes I managed to distract myself, but most of the times it was difficult.

Hermione was the best thing ever happened to me. She made me feel at home from the very first seconds I walked in her house, and her parents too.

She knew I needed some distractions and she was able to organize something different every day to keep us busy.

The next day we would have gone to Ron's house and Harry would have joined us. Or at least this was what her parents knew.

We would have left that very day, Hermione decided to protect her parents even though she didn't want to. Muggles were being killed all over the summer and she was worried that the same could have happened to her parents. Especially her parents, since the death eaters knew who she was to Harry and the fact that she was a muggle born didn't help.

We were in her room, packing the last things.

"Hermione, Hannah, tea is ready!" I looked at Hermione, tears were starting to get out from her eyes.

"Coming mom" her voice was broken

I remained silent, and I followed her down the stairs

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked whispering

"it's the only thing I can do to protect them" she said, nodding to be sure to do it

She pointed her wand to her parents, who were serving the tea.

I took her left hand in mine: she wasn't alone in that. She had me

"Obliviate"

We both looked around, and everything connected with Hermione disappeared.

"Everything is going to be fine, Mione, trust me" she nodded crying silently.

I squeezed her hand and we walked out the room. We went upstairs, and after we took everything from her room, we disapparated.

After a loud noise, we were in front of Ron's house.

We waited few minutes before entering the house, she needed to take a deep breath and calm down. When she was ready, she took my hand and we walked to the house. Before we could knock, Ginny exited the door and ran to hug us, Harry and Ron followed her.

"I miss you so much guys" I said hugging all three of them.

We also greeted Mrs. Weasley, who was very happy to see the two of us.

we stayed all together until the night of Bill and Fleur's wedding, which was helpful for distract all of us from everything that was happening.

The next morning Harry, Ron and Hermione were packing the last things, and then they would have left, leaving Ginny and I.

"please be safe, and don't do anything stupid" I said looking at them

"we will, we promise" Ron answered looking at me. I hugged them as long as possible, I didn't want them to leave.

When Harry and I hugged, a tear ran down my cheek.

I watched them leaving, they disapparated, and all I could feel was loneliness. I knew I had Ginny by my side, but I wanted them too with me during our last year at Hogwarts.

I was still outside alone, when I heard someone calling me

"Hannah, can we talk for a minute?" I turned around seeing professor Lupin

"Uhm, yeah sure" I nodded

"I know that you would have preferred to go with them Hannah, but it's better if you go to Hogwarts. You and Ginny will have a very important role. You are now part of the order. And this means that you are the most trusted people we will have there."

I looked down at my feet. I knew it was for the better, but I couldn't stand to know that my best friends were who knows where, probably in danger.

I sighed "I know that, and I want to be as helpful as I can be. But I don't want them to be in danger"

"They will be Hannah, you know that, but they aren't stupid, they know what they are doing."

"I know"

"There is something else. When you will reach Hogwarts, you will find out that Snape is the new headmaster, as we imagined. But this is not the worst part. Defence against the dark arts teachers will be the Carrows, renowned death eaters. You, Ginny and Neville absolutely must not attract attention, is that clear?"

"Why?"

"because they are following all of us, and they certainly know that the three of you are part of the order. Don't do anything stupid"

"sure, no problem" he nodded, and he started to walk inside Ron's house

"Professor Lupin, can I ask you something?" he turned around

"Hannah, he is not coming back this year, you know that, right?" we both know who we were talking about.

I sighed and nodded, knowing I was going to pass a year without the ones I loved the most.

I had never met Lupin until that summer, except for that night at the department of mysteries, he helped all of us making plans for the next year, but I had never talked about Draco with him; probably someone told him about us.

The last week of summer I stayed with Ginny, but we didn't talk so much, I was worried for Hermione, Ron and Harry all the time, and her too.

Ginny, Neville, Dean and I were sitting in a compartment on the train and none of us was talking. I was looking outside.

I had decided I would have tried to enjoy their company and tried not to think about all the problems.

"So, Lupin said we must not attract attention with the Carrows. Do you think they will be so evil?" I asked

"Well, they are death eaters" Ginny answered

"She's got a point" Neville answered, I chuckled

"You're right. But we'll be fine, right?"

"I hope so" they answered

During the feast I could feel the atmosphere was completely different than the past years.

Snape hadn't talked to the students. Hogwarts seemed different, or maybe it was changed for real.

I didn't talk too much that night. Ginny and I went straight to bed.

The next day professor McGonagall gave us our school schedule and I noticed my first hour was defence against the dark arts.

I sighed, I really hoped it was going to be just fine, at least I had Neville and Dean with me.