Hermione and Harry: Riddle in Time (Tomione/Harmione) UNEDITED

Chapter 20

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams.

On Halloween morning, Harry awoke with the rest and went down to breakfast, feeling thoroughly depressed, though doing his best to act normally. It was his parent's death anniversary, which he hopes won't happen and he and Hermione still haven't talked since that day.

He stayed in his bed all day. He only stood up to get ready for the feast. He reached the great hall, alone. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The food was delicious. Harry kept glancing at Hermione when she's not looking.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading.

It had been such a pleasant evening that Harry's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by the fact that Hermione was with Tom, again. On second thought, Harry did feel bad. He couldn't help but to go to the Room of Requirement instead of the Slytherin common room.

On the way, he bumped into Charlie and Daniel, "Hey Harry!" Charlie greeted him.

"Oh! Hey Dan, Charlie!" he tried to smile but he failed.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing." He lied, but the two Gryffindors' knew he was lying.

"Nothing he says." Charlie mocked.

"C'mon Harry! Tell us!" Dan said.

"Maybe next time." He said then he walked out.

He entered the Room of Requirement only to be rooted to the ground. The room was like the Burrow. He looked at every picture frame, he saw the Weasleys, Hermione, Lupin and Tonks, and he saw his life. He looked around only to find more pictures of Hermione. He didn't notice how Ginny was not in any of the pictures, or how Ron and the others are fading away. He only looked at Hermione.

Suddenly, the pictures were gone. The door opened and there was the real Hermione.

"I was looking for you." She said.

Harry looked away.

"Please, Harry. We need to talk. We have a problem. I, I can't remember Ron." She whispered. "Or anyone else, I remember why we are here, what will happen, but I can't remember them." She was now trying not to cry.

Harry tried to picture Ron in his mind, but he couldn't. He tried remembering everyone else, but it's fading in his memory.

"I can't" he said.

They sat in the opposite end of the room. "Why can't we remember them? But we remember everything that will happen but them?" he asked.

"I don't know Harry. I don't know." Hermione was clueless. "Harry, why? Why did you think that that was this mission is about? Why did you suddenly ignore me?" she finally asked the question she was hoping Harry would answer.

"I, I love you, Hermione. That's why." Hermione was stunned. She wasn't expecting that.

"But, but you love Ginny." She whispered.

"I don't know, I can't remember. Did I?" he asked her.

"Harry this is not funny." She still couldn't believe him.

"Because it's not a joke, Hermione. It's the truth."

"Harry!" she snapped.

"I'm not asking you to love me back. I'm telling you this because, I think, Tom might be feeling the same." He walked out on her again. Hermione was left to deal with her thoughts.

Why did her heart suddenly skipped a beat when Harry told her that Tom might be in love with her? Is that what he meant when he said that their mission is to change Tom by giving her? Then she remembered Dumbledore told her about Snape, about how he changed because of Lily. Because he loved her. It all fits. But why, instead of feeling angry for using her, why did she suddenly feel happy?

Oh no! She thought. I can't be falling for him, right?