No One Else (Sequel to Only You)

The Crazy-Haired Bookworm

this chapter is bad. the next ones are gonna be amazing!!!

i have good news. it's taken me so long to update because I FINISHED THE BOOK !! and now i just have to hit publish hehe but i'm still going to make you wait between each chapter bc i'm evil :)) probably a lot of errors in this chapter but i don't really care bc the next few are going to BLOW YOUR MIND

guys this story is about to take a turn & y'all are going to love it so much ahhhh

Hermione POV

I was scared. I was always trailing behind Ron and Harry timidly, with that worried look that a Death Eater was going to snatch me up and complete Bellatrix's task to slowly and painfully kill me. I constantly froze and turned my head slowly, as if she was standing right behind me with her blade sharpened, prepared to shave me bald, cut my insides out, and throw my remains at Harry. They noticed this, but left me alone knowing that there was nothing they could possibly say that would change the way I felt. Ron said it was just post traumatic stress, and that it would go away, but the feeling of fear was no longer foreign to me the way it used to be, and I've latched onto the fact that I would never stop being scared.

Possibly in the future, when- if, all is well. Oh, what was I saying. At this point, no one was sure if there would even be a future. That was not what we yearned for.

Constant traveling had made me much colder than usual. That was a new quality that Harry noticed before I did. Even several hours after we had all dried from being submerged in the frigid waters of the lake, I couldn't stop shivering. My teeth clattered roughly against each other and my numb toes beat soundly against the ground. I was falling apart, right before my very eyes. I wouldn't usually call myself weak, but I was beginning to think that Harry and Ron were right when they said I was too fragile to accompany them. That was the reason I didn't quit. They were my motivation. I wanted to be with Harry, and I knew that finally, after every thing that we've gone through, I could be.

Ironically, even though it was entirely my decision to come with Harry as he attempts to defeat Voldemort, I felt like a prisoner, chained to Harry's heart. I felt like a first year that looked at him admirably with big eyes and a sincere smile, but it felt somewhat pleasant that he looked at me with the same amount of compassion.

We'd been walking for hours. We couldn't apparate now, it was too dark, and too silent. My feet felt like they were no longer there, but I couldn't look down at them to check. The green trees in the starlight became dizzy. I saw a blur of Ron's red hair, and then I collapsed to the hard snow covered ground.

     "Hermione?" I heard faintly. I saw two shadows tower over me, but my head was hurting too much to make an effort to see who it was.

     "I told you it was a bad idea to bring her, there's no way she can make it the whole trip to Hogwarts! We don't even know where the bloody hell we are!" I heard Ron yell.

     "We will figure it out..." Harry said calmly, and I finally let my eyes droop and fell into a realm of unconsciousness.

***

     "Mione," Harry whispered. I could feel his cool breath fanning my face. I slowly opened my eyes and my lips twitched a smile when I saw him there, holding me tightly, his face only inches from mine, his eyes locked on my features. I used every working nerve in my body to refrain from closing that small space between us and making my body feel whole again. I couldn't, not yet. I needed to be broken for a little bit longer before I could be happy. I looked up to Ron, and a piece of my heart felt more reassured. His face was a bit battered from Malfoy Manor. Even thinking of the place put a series of goosebumps on my arms. I shivered.

     "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm tired." I whispered, my vision extremely blurred and spotty. I noticed Ron's large figure by the entrance to the alleyway. He was watching curiously, his wand armed by his side so that he was physically prepared. I was certain that he would never be emotionally prepared.

"It's not safe here, Harry. You know that. We have to get out of here..." Ron said worriedly. "Hermione, you're already in terrible condition.. she's probably too weak to apparate anyway,"

I looked up to Harry, whose soft eyes were trained firmly on mine. "We will just have to find somewhere to hide for the night."

"Not likely," Ron retorted. "This gate is spell bound,"

I felt terrible. The last thing I wanted to do was slow Harry and Ron down, but here they were, tiptoeing around me and taking life threatening risks just to protect me.

     "Where can we go? There are death eaters everywhere." Harry said. "We can't carry her."

I pulled my hand up and grasped onto Harry's jacket, which was a bit damp from his body. His intoxicating eyes locked onto mine and put me into a spell, an exuberant scent traveling around my body. "Don't make any more sacrifices for me, I mean it."

He scoffed, eyebrows furrowed. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Harry-" I warned.

"Look, you and Ron both were insistent on coming with me, and that means that I have to make sure you stay alive. I would not be able to the live with myself if something happened to you. Hermione, you were already-" Harry furiously whispered.

"Don't say it. Please, I can't hear anyone say it anymore. I know." I frowned. "Don't you think I know?"

"Can you two keep it down? Until we find a better place to hide than out in the open, we are kind of screwed because everyone here wants to kill us." Ron snapped.

There was a siren in the distance. Ron quickly knelt onto the ground and put his head down, while Harry buried his face into my neck as the swarm of Death Eaters passed the alleyway we were in, desperately and frantically looking for the boy laying near me. I could feel his breath sounds against my skin, which sent an undeniable shiver down my neck. I used every functioning organ inside of my body to avoid wrapping my arms around him and reversing time back to sixth year. No, back to fifth year. No, first. I don't care about all of the hardships we've gone through. We've survived, that's the significant part.

The sounds of the siren were suddenly diminished, and Ron slowly began to stand up and breathed out a sigh in exhaustion. I could feel some of the frustration that was radiating off of his body. My body felt weak, but I was tired of being frowned upon as weak. I leant up, feeling sharp pain in my abdomen and hissed, but continued on. I turned my head, and there Harry's green eyes were, eyeing me closely. I distinctively noticed how close Harry's face was to mine, and I could feel myself leaning closer. I couldn't take it anymore. The pit of my stomach was growling. I was hungry for Harry. My nose brushed his, sending a wildfire of sparks throughout my face, but I yearned for more. The second I felt his soft lips brush against mine, a door that we all presumed was locked burst open. Harry immediately bolted out and stood with Ron in front of me, wands out. A small moan escaped my lips, but it was so quiet that only I heard it.

The face of the intruder lurked in the black shadows, but for a moment, the familiar sight of Dumbledore crossed my senses. Squinting with intent, I used the little strength I had to stand up, my knees wobbly at the first impact. I felt Harry's hand briefly skim the small of my back for reassurance, and it was all I needed to feel certain that he was there.

     "In here, Potter." The cold voice whispered sharply. Harry took no hesitation before he entered the dark halls of the small room, but Ron and I exchanged a glare before we reluctantly followed suit. It was reaching a point in time where you must trust the untrustworthy and believe in the unbelievable.