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More Important Things	By : twitchelittleferret Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Harry/Hermione Views: 15269 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Happy Christmas Harry Potter

I'm
not a perfect person

There're
many things I wish I didn't do

But
I continue learning

I
never meant to do those things to you

And
so I have to say before I go

That
I just want you to know

I've
found a reason for me

To
change who I used to be

A
reason to start over new

and
the reason is you

I'm
sorry that I hurt you

It's
something I must live with everyday

And
all the pain I put you through

I
wish that I could take it all away

And
be the one who catches all your tears

That�s
why I need you to hear

I've
found a reason for me

To
change who I used to be

A
reason to start over new

and
the reason is you

(The
Reason—Hoobastank)

~*~

Her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately grateful for
the dimly lit room she was staying in. Her head hurt badly and when she swallowed her throat felt
raw and tender. Her torso ached as
if she had done way too many sit-ups and was now paying for it. She was aware of someone in the room
with her and was surprised to see him sitting in the chair next to the bed.

�You�re awake,� he said softly. She opened her mouth to say something but he shook his
head. �Don�t say anything until
Madame Pomfrey removes the charm from you. You�re throat is healing.�

She struggled to sit up and he got up from the chair to help
her, placing pillows behind her back.
As he sat down she glared at him, shook her head and looked away.

�I know that I�m sorry is completely inadequate but that�s
really all I can say to you,� he said.
She still didn�t look in his direction but she winced slightly and
touched her head.

�Madame Pomfrey said you could take this for your head,� he
lifted up the vial for her. She
eyed it then eyed him before looking away again.

�I don�t blame you for not taking anything from me. I just wanted to let you know.� He gave a weary sigh. �Hermione,� he began, �when I cast that
spell, I was�a different person then.
I didn�t think too much of you, I disliked you and it didn�t really
matter if I added something extra that would hurt you�and Potty er,
Potter.� She looked up at him and
he shifted uncomfortably.

�I knew that if you would try and tell anyone it would be
him. I knew that if he ever became
suspicious about you, that he would be the one to try and discover what it was
you were up to.� His eyes fell to
her bruised throat. �I never
thought it would go this far. To
be honest, I had forgotten about the Sectumsempra until he broke the vow.� Hermione blinked the tears that were
forming in her eyes away.

�I�m really sorry,� he said, his voice breaking a
little. �If I could take it all
back, I would. Well, most of it
anyway. I would never have put the
Sectumsempra attached to it but I wouldn�t take back the vow itself because
then I wouldn�t have�� he paused a moment then cleared his throat and took her
hand. �You saved my mum. You didn�t have to go back but you
did. Thank you.� She slid her hand out of his and looked
away as a tear slid down her cheek.
He was at a loss of what to do or say. He wasn�t ever in this position before.

�You shouldn�t be in here Malfoy,� came a voice from the
door and the two of them turned to see Ginny and Luna standing there, Luna was
carrying a tray.

�I didn�t realize I was being held prisoner,� he replied
back.

�No, just an unwanted guest,� Ginny replied.

He scoffed and slowly got up from the chair. Hermione watched as he slowly limped
across the room. �Don�t offer me
any help,� he said roughly as he winced in pain.

�We weren�t going to,� Luna replied.

Mrs. Weasley came bustling up the stairs. �There you are!� Hermione heard her say
from outside of the room. �I only
left you for a moment. You are not
to be going freely about this house, young man.�

�You can�t tell me what I can and cannot do. I�m—�

Ginny shut the door to block out the noise as Luna came
forward and set the tray down.
�You�re awake!� she said as she sat on the bed. Ginny came around and sat on the other
side of the bed.

�Sorry about that.
We�re trying to keep the git in his room. He�ll be leaving soon, thankfully.� Hermione shrugged. �Oh! This is for you so you don�t have to speak.� She handed
Hermione a quill and parchment who eagerly took it and began scratching on it.

Harry?

Ginny and Luna exchanged uneasy looks. �He�s in his room,� Luna replied but
Hermione gestured urgently to his name again.

�He�s not coming out of there,� Ginny said softly. Hermione frowned and scribbled some
more.

Need to speak w/him. IMPORTANT!

She looked pleadingly at her friends and ripped that
particular piece of parchment and handed it to them.

�I�ll go,� Luna said.

�I�ll tell Ron you�re awake,� Ginny said but Hermione
reached out for her and pointed to the note. �Okay, first Harry, then Ron.� Hermione nodded.

*

Knock. Knock.
Knock.

No answer.

Knock. Knock. Knock.
�Harry I know you are in there and I know you can hear me,� Luna said
through the door. �Please let me
in. It�s just me.�

Silence.

�It�s about Hermione.
It�s important.�

Click.

Luna opened the door to a room cloaked in darkness. The remains of the food she had left
him over the past few days remained untouched and she nudged the trays out of
the way with her foot. He was
still in the bathroom, sitting propped up against his tub, knees bent with
hands clasped and resting over them.
His wand dangled from one of his hands. He was still wearing the same clothes, his hair was even
more unruly and he was looking a little scruffy in the face. There was a silver cup on the floor in
front of him that he was staring at.

�She asked me to give you this,� she handed him the
parchment that Hermione had written.

Harry looked at it then handed it back to her, his eyes back
on the cup. �I can�t see her,� he
said.

�Harry,� Luna began exasperatedly but Harry cut her off.

�Get out,� he said softly.

�You have to see her—�

�If you don�t mind,� he said impatiently. �I�m a little busy here,� he said,
gesturing to the cup. Luna tutted
disgustingly at him then walked away.

�I�m sorry, Hermione,� Luna said in a quiet voice when she
returned to the room. Hermione
sighed frustratingly and slammed her fists on the bed. He would blame himself for this, she
knew it but she had to tell him it wasn�t his fault. Yes, at first she was shocked and frightened when Harry reached
out and wrapped his hands around her throat but the moment he touched her skin,
she felt it, she knew it wasn�t him.
Those hands were cold and unfeeling and when she felt his cold grip in
her mind and saw Harry�s beautiful green eyes turn red, she knew who had come
through with Harry. She felt the
battle of wills in her mind, could feel Harry being held back from leaving her
mind and taking Voldemort with him.
She tried to fight back, scratching, hitting and thrashing, anything to
break Voldemort�s concentration but then things went black.

The door opened and Ron stepped inside, his eyes lighting up
when he saw Hermione on the bed.
�You�re awake!� he said eagerly.

Hermione gave him a half smile. She saw that he was wearing one of his mother�s knitted
sweaters, burgundy with a yellow R in the middle of his chest.

�Malfoy was in here earlier,� Ginny said and Hermione sighed
impatiently and rolled her eyes.

�He what?� Ron asked and moved to Hermione�s side. �What did that git say to you?� Hermione crossed her arms and looked to
the side.

�She wants to see Harry,� Luna said patiently.

�Huh?
Why?� Hermione huffed and
stared at him. �Hermione, he
nearly strangled you to death!�

Hermione shook her head and scribbled furiously on the
parchment and held it out to Ron.

Voldemort

Ron read it in silence then looked up at her.

~*~

�Voldemort?� Lupin asked, reading the note that Hermione had
written.

�She believes that Voldemort had entered his mind when Harry
was inside hers,� Ron explained.

�What was Harry doing there in the first place?� Lupin
asked.

�Is that possible?� Tonks turned to Aberforth.

The man sighed thoughtfully. �Albus always said that Harry�s connection to Voldemort was
always on. He wanted to teach
Harry how to turn that connection off.
Harry knows how to do that but�if he didn�t before he performed
Legilimency on Miss Granger then, yes, it�s possible.�

�If Vol�You-Know-Who was in Hermione�s mind, does that mean
he had access to her memories and thoughts as well?� Ron asked. Lupin peered at him curiously.

�Naturally, why do you ask?�

Ron shuffled nervously.

�Well, this explains it then,� Tonks said, slapping her
hands on the table. �Harry would
never attack Hermione like that.
He would never attack anyone like that.� Ron snorted.

Don�t discount Malfoy,
he thought to himself.

�That�s not what�s bothering me,� Lupin said thoughtfully. �Harry needs to reign in his emotions,
learn to control them.�

�Albus said that his feelings and emotions were what
separted Harry from Voldemort,� Arthur butt in.

�Yes but Voldemort uses them to manipulate Harry. He played on Harry�s feelings for
Sirius to lure him to the Department of Mysteries,� Lupin said bitterly and
with an edge to his voice. �The
point is, if Harry can�t control himself, he�s opening the door to the
Voldemort step in.�

�It works like a muscle,� Moody spoke up. �It gets easier to break through the
mind the more times you do it.�

�Look,� Lupin place both his hands on the table, �we all
know Harry is no ordinary wizard, he has extraordinary skills. And frankly, having a young and
powerful wizard like him around with Voldemort behind the wheel is a
frightening thought.�

�Where did Ron go?� Tonks spoke up.

Moody frowned, his magical eye peering above him. �He slipped out a moment ago. He�s upstairs with the Longbottom
boy�talking.� He looked down at
them. �Those kids are up to
something. I can tell when others
are hiding something and this is big, Remus.�

*

Ron closed the door behind him and cast a silencing and
imperturbable charm over it.
�We�ve got a problem,� he said to Neville who just sat down. They had only been here for a week and
already so much stuff had happened.

He steeled himself mentally. �Okay,� he sighed.

�Hermione claims that it was You-Know-Who in Harry�s head
when he�attacked her,� Ron explained.

Neville looked at him.
�Ron, we knew that Harry wasn�t capable of doing this in his right mind
and��

Ron shook his head.
�What I�m about to tell you only a handful of people know about. You can�t tell Ginny, Luna�anybody, do
you understand me.�

Ron became a bit imposing but Neville nodded. �I swear I won�t tell anyone.�

�Harry can do Legilimency,� Ron said and Neville gaped at
him. �He was in Hermione�s mind
when You-Know-Who came through.�
Neville gave him a blank look.
�Which means he saw Hermione�s memories and thoughts.�

Neville chewed on this a moment then his eyes grew
wide. �The horcrux!� he whispered
and Ron nodded. �Ron, we have to
tell Harry this.�

�I think Harry has already figured it out.�

�Well, we have to tell him anyway. And that Hermione knew it wasn�t really him.� Ron looked
uneasily at the door. �Ron, it
wasn�t Harry who did that to Hermione.�

Ron looked at Neville.
�Actually Nev, it was Harry that
did it even if it was Voldemort inside his head. I just can�t get the image out of my mind of Harry doing
that to Hermione.�

�He didn�t mean it,� Neville said firmly.

�I know that Neville,� Ron snapped. �He�s my best friend, he�s like a
brother to me. It doesn�t make it
any less painful.�

Knock, knock, knock.

What the fuck did she want now? Harry thought
irritably. �Luna, I told you to
leave me alone! I don�t want to
see her right now!�

�Harry? It�s me
and Nev. We really need to talk to
you,� Ron said.

�I�m really not in the mood to talk,� Harry replied.

�Harry, unlock the door,� Ron persisted.

Harry tutted and unlocked it. The two young men walked into the dark room. Neville eyed the trays of food but Ron
marched purposely forward.

�Seal the room and silence it,� he said to Neville. He eyed Harry. �Going for the scruffy look?� he asked
him.

�I didn�t think my grooming habits were such an urgent
concern,� Harry muttered.

�Or lack thereof,� Ron frowned. �You could�ve at least changed your clothes,� he said,
eyeing the dried blood on his friend�s shirt and jean. Harry had the decency to look a little
ashamed. Neville walked into the
bathroom and shut the door casting another silencing charm.

Harry raised an eyebrow. �What�s going on?�

Ron looked at the horcrux at Harry�s feet then back at
Harry. �Hermione says she felt
You-Know-Who in her mind at the same time you were in there.� Harry turned his head and stared at the
tacky wallpaper.

�Harry, if You-Know-Who was in her mind�he may have seen the
horcrux,� Ron said. Harry picked
up the cup and looked at it.
�Yeah, I�ve thought of that.�

�You need to talk to her,� Neville piped up. �She knows it wasn�t you who attacked
her. She knows it was
You-Know-Who!�

Harry let Neville�s words sink in. He looked up at Ron who was staring intensely at the
wallpaper. �I don�t think
I��

�Oh for Merlin�s sake Harry. Do you honestly think you�ll be alone with her?� Ron
snapped. �You could at least talk
to her, it�s the least you can do since you throttled her.�

�RON!� Neville said harshly.

Harry shot to his feet. �Do you even know what it�s like? Do you even know how it feels to think that one minute
you�re fighting for Hermione�s life against Voldemort to only realize that you
nearly strangled the woman you love to death?�

�No, Harry, I don�t!� Ron shot back. �I only know how it feels to sit back
and feel helpless as the darkest wizard of our time mind-fucks my best friend
into nearly killing my other best friend!�

Harry opened his mouth to say something but Neville stepped
in. �Okay, you know what, we�ll
just wait for you outside Harry,� he said, pushing Ron outside of the
bathroom. He took in his
disheveled appearance. �You, um,
might want to change your clothes though,� he said politely.

~*~

Hermione couldn�t help her reaction when she saw Harry walk
into her room after Ron and Neville.
It was instinctual. A
reaction to seeing someone who had nearly taken your life from you. She didn�t mean it and instantly
regretted the small gasp that left her as she recoiled slightly. Harry, of course, picked up on it
immediately and looked torn between leaving the room again or just sticking it
out. Hermione wanted to tell him
that she didn�t mean it, that it was just�some sort of stupid reaction. But Harry quickly shuffled himself to
the corner of the room farthest from her, cloaked in shadow.

He stared at her.
His eyes drawn to the bruises on her neck. Bruises, that if he wrapped his hand around her throat would
match perfectly to his hand. He
was going to be sick. He felt as
if the walls were closing in around him, he didn�t want to be here, it was too
painful to look at her. But at the
same time, all he wanted to do was hold her, make it real that she was indeed
still alive, that he hadn�t killed.
He wanted her comfort, to tell him that she forgave him, to have her
wrap her arms around him, he wanted to smell her familiar smell that chased
away all the dark shadows and thoughts in his mind.

But he wouldn�t dare approach her. He saw her reaction to him. He didn�t blame her, he might react the same. He felt his heart being squeezed by
just being in the same room as her.

Hermione picked up the parchment and quill. Amortentia?

Ron took the parchment and read it aloud. There was a flicker of recognition in
Harry.

�That love potion we did last year in potions?� Neville
asked and Hermione nodded as she scribbled. The cup.

�You think this will break the horcrux?� Ron asked with an
eyebrow raised.

�Where did you get this idea?� Harry asked in a quiet voice,
stepping from the shadows, a troubled look on his face. Hermione tapped a finger to the side of
her head. Harry looked at
her. �Voldemort is incapable of
love, the very thought of it repulses him.�

Hermione scribbled something down and handed it to Harry but
he didn�t move to take it from her.
Neville stepped forward instead.

�Obsessive love is very different from true love,� he read,
�real love, natural love.�

Harry scratched
the back of his head. �Voldemort�s
mother used�Amortentia to make Tom Riddle, Sr. fall in love with her, marry her
but,� he turned to face her, �I don�t think Voldemort of all people would let a
love potion crack his horcrux.�
Hermione scribbled.

Irony

�I dunno,� Ron spoke up. �It sort of makes sense in a twisted and demented sort of
way. Who would think to use a love
potion for the most hated wizard.�

�If that worked,� Neville said hesitantly, �how do we counter
it?�

�A hate potion,� Harry answered, still quiet. Hermione looked at him proudly. He refused to look at her still. Hermione began to write away again.

It wasn�t you.
I felt HIS hands on me, saw HIS eyes, felt HIM in my mind.

She looked up at Harry, imploringly as she handed him the
parchment but he let it fall to the floor. He turned away from her and walked out of the room. Ron eyes narrowed as they followed him
and he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

�Give him some time, Hermione,� Neville said gently. �He�ll come around.�

~*~

�Now when I remove this charm. I want you to whisper, not to raise your voice for at least
24 hours. You can go ahead and
talk but don�t overdo it, you still need to heal.�

Hermione nodded at Madame Pomfrey�s instructions as the
witch waved her wand over her. A
simple concealment charm was performed at Hermione�s request to cover the
bruises on her neck. She couldn�t
stand to see them, looking in the mirror and she hated how everyone�s eyes
flickered to them. She wondered
how Harry could put up with people staring at his scar.

�How are you feeling dear?� Mrs. Weasley asked.

�I�ve been better,� she replied, her voice hoarse and
scratchy from disuse.

Madame Pomfrey was done examining her torso for the wounds
of the Sectumsempra (she was going to kill Draco for that) and she carefully
sat up, wincing a little from the dull ache. She pulled her shirt over her head, a simple long-sleeved
white T-shirt.

�Everyone is in the drawing room,� Molly smiled at her
before it faltered slightly, �well, almost everyone.� Hermione knew she was talking about Harry. He was still up in his room, although
Ron and Neville said he was brewing the Amortentia and Hate potions.

�Hopefully, he doesn�t get them switched,� Ron had muttered when
he told her.

The two women had left Hermione to her own to get
ready. She pulled on a pair of
jeans, soft leather shoes and pulled her hair away from her face with a
clip. There was only one place she
could think of to go. But when she
opened the door to leave, the entourage leaving Grimmauld Place caught her
attention.

Tonks and Kingsley had Draco between them, they were going
to escort him back to school for the rest of the holidays. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up at
her. Hermione honestly didn�t know
what to say to him. Did she even
need to?

He made a motion as if he were going to say something to her
then at the last minute thought better of it. Her brown eyes met his grey ones before the two Aurors put a
blindfold on him.

Hermione tapped her fingers lightly on the banister for a
moment before turning and heading in the opposite direction. She stood in front of Harry�s door and
knocked on it. She had no answer
so she knocked a little louder.
There was a loud thump heard on the other side, some grumbling then the
door opened to reveal a very disheveled Harry, shirtless, blue jeans and the
faintest trace of stubble on his face.
Hermione suddenly appreciated all the Auror training he had gone
through.

Harry wasn�t expecting Hermione at all to answer and he
grabbed the nearest t-shirt, a white one from yesterday, and pulled it on. �Er, Hermione�,� he stammered, �w-what
are you doing out of bed?�

�I�m feeling much better,� she replied. Harry grimaced slightly at the
coarseness of her beautiful voice.
�How are they coming along?� she asked, crossing the threshold into his
room.

�Hermione, you shouldn�t be in here,� Harry protested,
stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. She made no movement as to having heard him, instead she
went directly to the cauldrons that were simmering on the buffet. She peered into the contents of the
hate potion, the dark liquid rolled and boiled, dark as midnight. She moved to the love potion and the
smell of Harry filled her nostrils, the faint smell of his soap when he had
just taken a shower mixed with his own distinct smell of sweat from when he
made love to her. She closed her
eyes for a moment and let herself get lost in it.

Harry knew. It
was the most difficult potion he had to make. He wasn�t sure he got it right until the smell of Hermione�s
hair from when he snuggled next to her in bed suddenly assaulted him. It filled the room. It tortured him.

�Hermione, you really should go,� Harry said aloud. �You�re alone here and��

Hermione turned slowly to face him. �I want you to know something,� she
said as she slowly walked toward him.
�I know it wasn�t you.�
Harry took a step away from her, his hands balled into fists in his
pocket. �When you�touched me, I
knew it in an instant that it wasn�t you.
It wasn�t your touch. And
when I looked into your eyes,� she persisted and Harry once again stepped away
from her, �they weren�t your eyes, they were his. I could feel him in my mind Harry, along with you, holding
you back from leaving.�

�Hermione—� She cut him off when she stood on tip-toe
to place her lips against his in a kiss.
Harry�s hands dug into his thigh to keep them in place and not let them
do what he really wanted them to do which was wrap his arms around her, feel
her with his hands, reaffirm that she was truly alive and well in front of
him.

Hermione could feel his response, or lack thereof, in the
kiss. He stood still, unmoving and
stoic. She pulled away and looked
up at him, not seeing the happiness and light she used to illicit from
him. She knew what was coming.

�We need to talk.�

There. He said
it. Those four little words that
signaled the end for them.

Hermione shook her head. �No, don�t do this.�

He suddenly seemed to loom over her. �Hermione, in case you didn�t
notice. I nearly strangled you to
death.� He enunciated each word
carefully.

�I did notice,� she
replied in a low and raspy voice.
�I also noticed that it wasn�t you, Harry!�

�I saw how you reacted when I walked into that room,
Hermione,� he shot back and she lowered her head. �It killed me to see you look at me like that. I don�t care if it was just a moment,
it felt like a lifetime. And I�ll
never forget it.�

�I�m sorry!� she replied. �I didn�t mean it.�

Harry sighed and looked away. �Things between us got a little intense and��

Hermione shook her head. �Don�t do this, Harry,� she whispered.

�I think we should just�back off.� Every fiber in his being, every instinct he had was
screaming the opposite but he shoved those feelings down.

Hermione stared at him, her look growing more steely as the
moments passed. �I�m not Ginny,
Harry,� she hissed at him. �I�m
not some girl you can tuck aside to protect and come back to when all of this
craziness is gone. I�m
Hermione! I�m your best friend! I�m in the trenches with you, wading
through all the goodness and the bad.
You can�t brush me aside to protect me!�

�I�m not brushing you aside to protect you!� he defended
himself. �I�m saying we need a
break from this,� he said, taking a hand out of its pocket and gesturing
between the two of them. Oh
please don�t cry, Hermione.
Please, please don�t cry.

�Need a break from�,� her voice trailed off and she could
feel the moistness in her eyes.
�Harry�I love you!�

Fuck.

He stuffed his hands back in the pockets of his jeans and
looked away, hanging his head.
�I�m sorry Hermione,� he whispered softly.

Hermione stared at him, blinking back the tears. She would not cry. She would not cry. �Look at me,� she said in a calm voice
that came from somewhere inside her.
�Look at me, Harry and tell me that you don�t love me.�

Harry steeled himself inside. He was doing this to protect her�from him. He looked directly at her. �I don�t love you.�

It was a lie.

The biggest lie he had ever told and he knew it the moment
it left his lips. He knew that he
truly did love her, that he would always love her, that he would never, ever, in his life love anyone as much as he did her.

Hermione took a deep breath, ignoring the dull ache in her
chest and she wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with her injuries. Did Madame Pomfrey have anything for a
broken heart? She turned and left
the room, closing his door gently behind her. Harry followed her steps, leaning his forehead against the
door, steadily breathing in and out to control the emotions that were fighting
to be released, fighting the urge to open the door and go after Hermione and
tell her that he did love her.

The love potions aroma filled his room, filling his nostrils
with her scent. He was going to
drive himself crazy if he didn�t get rid of it soon. Isis slid over to him and he looked down at her and picked
her up. She curled around his arm
in a comforting gesture.

�Pride isss one of the greatessst sinsss of man,� she
hissed.

~*~

Neville, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood around the cup once
more as Harry carefully ladled the love potion into it. �Are you sure about this Neville?� he
asked and Neville nodded nervously in response. He was sitting very still in his bed, Harry had cast very
strong binding charms on him.

�Once you drink the love potion, you�re not going to want to
drink the hate potion,� Hermione said slowly and clearly.

�Just�force me to drink it or something,� he replied,
nervously. Hermione smiled at him
and sat on the bed next to him, reaching out for his hand and placing her hand
in it.

�You�re very brave,� she said, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Harry brought the cup over to him. The fumes wafted Hermione�s scent under his nose and he
couldn�t help the strong pang of longing that overcame him as he glanced at
her. Thankfully, no one had seen
the look.

He handed the cup to Hermione, both of them taking great
care not to touch one another.
Hermione reached into a small envelope and pulled out a strand of long,
ginger red hair. �It�ll make it go
down easier,� she said with a wink as she dropped it into the potion with a
hiss.

She lifted the cup to Neville�s lips, his lips parting to
let the potion into his mouth and down his throat. When he finished she set the cup aside as everyone waited. Nothing seemed to happen for the
longest time then Neville jerked violently, then jerked again as he cried out
in pain. Ron looked at Harry,
wondering if he made the potion correctly but Harry�s eyes were on Neville as
he slowly drew out his wand. Neville thrashed on the bed, tossing and turning violently
against the binding charms that Harry and Ron had placed on him.

They weren�t going to hold.

The moment Harry knew this he reached out for Hermione and
yanked her away from Neville as his eyes fluttered open. They were the familiar red ones and
Hermione gasped loudly. She was
very acquainted with those eyes now.

Curses flew out of Neville�s mouth in a high-pitched voice
that protested against being restrained.
�Hermione get the other potion ready,� Harry said as he cast a stronger
binding charm on him.

�Get away from me!� Neville shouted, breaking the bind and
sending Ron flying across the room.

�Hermione, hurry!� Harry shouted as he moved around the
bed. Neville regarded him with
narrowed eyes.

�You want to play too?� he asked and Harry could feel the
wave of magic that threatened to send him flying but he was more
determined. He concentrated hard
and pushed the wave back onto Neville.
His eyes widened slightly and Harry stepped forward, forcing Neville
still as Neville eyed Harry�s wand that was pointed in his face.

The cup slipped out of Hermione�s hands and into the wash
basin as she rinsed the cup of the love potion. She was trembling so badly. She took a deep breath to calm and steady herself before she
ladled some of the hate potion into the cup.

Ron staggered to his feet and joined Harry at the same time
as Hermione. Neville looked
between Ron and Hermione before looking at Harry. �How much are you willing to sacrifice?� he asked him in a
cold, high-pitched voice.

�Open his mouth,� Harry instructed to Ron. Neville made a mock-biting gesture as
Ron�s hands neared him and Ron hesitated and looked up at Harry who nodded
encouragingly. Again Ron went for
Neville�s jaws that were shut tightly, fighting to get them open. Hermione stared at Neville�s mouth,
waiting for just the right moment.

�Neville, if you can hear me,� she whispered in his ear,
�open your mouth. Open your mouth,
Neville.�

�Argh!� Neville growled as Ron slowly pried his mouth open.

�Now, Hermione!� Harry shouted and Hermione lifted the cup
to his lips, pouring the potion into his mouth. Neville thrashed and spit it out, spraying the three of
them. Hermione scrambled to the
cauldrons again and ladled some more hate potion into the cup.

Ron slowly pried Neville�s mouth open again and Hermione
once more tipped the cup to his lips, pouring the potion in. This time, Ron slammed Neville�s jaw
shut and held it closed. Hermione
reached over pinched Neville�s nose closed. Neville jerked violently.

�Is he choking?� Ron asked, looking up at Harry.

�Harry!� Hermione persisted, the same question in her
eyes.

�Do not let go of him until I say,� Harry said in a clear
and authoritative voice. Hermione
and Ron looked uneasily at one another.

Suddenly the room seemed to tremble. �Let him go!� Harry said and Ron and
Hermione removed their hands.
Neville took a deep breath, coughing and gasping. �Do it again!� Harry ordered. Ron looked uneasily at Hermione before
once again prying Neville�s jaws open, shutting them when Hermione poured some
more potion into his mouth and held his nose. This time, the room began to shake as a wind that came from
nowhere whipped around them.

�It�s working!� Hermione shouted as she and Ron let go.

�Again!� Harry shouted and the two of them once more poured
the rest of the potion from the cup down his throat.

There was a loud explosion and the three of them were thrown
to the floor, the sound of wind, wood cracking and the cauldron�s breaking
filled their ears.

Then silence.

Hermione cautiously peeked her head up from under her
arms. The cup lay in front of her
tarnished and dull with a crack in it.
Relief filled her insides.
She got to her feet and saw Harry and Ron do the same. Harry looked at her, the question in
his eyes. She smiled and tossed
him the cup. He looked down at it
and sighed with relief.

�WHAT THE HELL?!� Neville got up from the bed. �WHAT WERE YOU GUYS TRYING TO DO TO
ME? KILL ME BY CHOKING ME TO
DEATH!� he shouted.

There were footfalls outside the door and it opened, letting
Ginny, Luna, Lupin, Tonks and Moody into the room.

�What in the world happened in here?� Tonks asked, eyeing
the distruction.

�Neville!� Ginny gasped, looking at her disheveled
boyfriend.

�OH NOW YOU ACT ALL
CONCERNED FOR ME!� he turned on her.
�WHAT�S THE MATTER? POTTER
IN TOO GOOD A SHAPE FOR YOU, ALTHOUGH THAT�S NEVER STOPPED YOU BEFORE!�

�Neville!� Ginny admonished.

�OH DON�T NEVILLE ME, GINNY! DON�T ACT LIKE YOU CARE BECAUSE I KNOW YOU DON�T. I KNOW I�M JUST A REBOUND, SOMETHING
YOU CAME TO WHEN HARRY TOSSED YOU ASIDE TO FUCK YOUR FRIEND!�

�That�s enough!� Hermione stepped in and Neville whirled
around on her.

�DON�T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON YOU, HERMIONE. RON TOLD ME THAT MALFOY WAS AT YOUR
BEDSIDE WHEN YOU WOKE UP, KEEPING A BEDSIDE VIGIL!� Harry looked up at Ron who looked away. �SOMETHING GOING ON THERE THAT YOU�RE
KEEPING FROM HARRY?�

�Stupefy!� Harry said and Neville collapsed to the floor in
welcome silence.

�Someone had better explain all of this to me�NOW,� Lupin
said firmly.

Hermione fiddled with the hem of her shirt. �We were practicing our�potions and
Neville�may have taken a�hate potion.�

�A hate potion?� Lupin asked them. �A hate potion did all this?� he said gesturing to the
destroyed room.

�Well, er�we were practicing potions. One may not have
gone�quite as well as we would�ve hoped,� Ron said nervously. Harry could feel Moody�s magical eye
gaze on him and he did his best to look very sorry.

�Clean this up, the three of you,� Lupin said sternly and
left the room. The others
reluctantly following as Ginny and Luna tutted at the stunned Neville on the
floor.

With a flick of his wand, Ron moved Neville to the bed. �I suppose we should keep him like this
until the potion runs its course,� Hermione said softly.

*

Later that night, Harry walked into Neville�s room to check
in on him and found Hermione sitting by the bed. Her trunk was shrunken and resting by the door.

�Any change?� Harry asked softly.

Hermione turned and looked at him, she already had her
jacket on. �Madame Pomfrey said he
should be okay by the morning.�

�Just in time for Christmas.�

�Yeah,� she softly agreed and got off the chair.

�I see that your trunk�s here,� Harry said, gesturing to it
with a nod of his head.

�Yeah, I�m going back to my parents,� she said. �I think it would be best if I�left.�

Harry looked at her for a long time. �Yeah, I suppose so.�

Hermione nodded and walked over to him, reaching in to her
coat pocket and pulling out a small gift-wrapped package. �Happy Christmas, Harry.�

He felt like a complete ass. In all the chaos of what had happened, he forgot to wrap the
gift that he bought her.

�Open it,� Hermione said and Harry carefully unwrapped the
gift. �I thought you could really
use this gift.�

Underneath the wrapping paper was a small box. Harry lifted the lid to find a pin
inside. He reached inside and took
it out. It was a Head Boy badge
but different from the one Ernie had.

�Lupin told me it was your father�s. I found it at Godric�s Hollow the night
I went after you. I tested it and
it still works at Hogwarts.�

Harry held his father�s badge in his hand and swallowed the
lump in his throat. �Thank you,�
he managed to whisper. �Um, hang
on a moment, I have yours upstairs.�

He left her and jotted back upstairs. He opened the top drawer in his bureau
and rummaged through his clothes until he found the rectangle shaped box. He lifted the lid and examined the
bracelet inside. He had gotten it
in a jewelry shop in Diagon Alley when he was on his way to Auror training one
day. It was silver and chained
with little charms hanging from it.
One of the charms was a miniature Remembrall, not that she ever forgot
anything but, you know, just in case.
Another charm was a miniature Sneak-o-scope, a charm he felt she
definitely needed, especially since she decided to hang around the Ferret
lately. The last charm was a
snitch, to remind her of him. He
was planning on adding more charms as time passed. He took off the price tag and repackaged the bracelet in the
box before he took off downstairs.

Neville�s room was empty. Her trunk, gone.
She had already left.

Harry leaned against the wall and sighed as he slid down it
to sit on the floor, her present still in his hands.
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