tainted transparency || a harry potter story

Chapter Thirty-Four- None But Him

"Neville?! Hey!" I ran across the courtyard once Draco and I'd landed at Hogwarts. I saw Neville looking panicked and rushed to help him. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Oh, Hazel!" Neville aggressively yanked me into his arms and tightly embraced me. "I was so worried about you! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?! I asked around and everyone had no idea where you'd gone!"

"Aww," I frowned a little. "I'm okay, Nev. I'm right here. I'm safe and so are Harry and Remus."

"Lucky, that," He scoffed and pulled back. "I don't know what I would have done if you'd been taken from me."

"We don't even have to worry about it. But what we do have to worry about is that we still don't know where Harry and Remus had zipped off to."

"Hazel! Hey!" Nymphadora came running towards me. "They have Remus and Harry! At the safe house!"

Without question, Draco, Neville, and I all followed her to Grimmauld Place. The second I walked in I heard many yelling voices and Arthur Weasley trying to shush those same yelling voices.

"Hey!!" Nymphadora yelled to silence them, then opened the door into the living space.

Then there he was. Sitting on the couch looking completely and utterly broken. My boy. My broken boy.

"Harry," I whimpered, sobbed, and ran into his arms when he stood up. "Oh my god..."

"Shh," He whispered with a light sniffle. I felt his hand rub my back. "We're okay. You're alright."

Harry and I sat on the couch together and just held each other closely. Remus and Nymphadora sat on the couch across the small room from us. Draco stood by the door as Arthur entered the room.

"What did he do to you?" I whispered to Harry while tracing my finger along the new and deep scars he'd developed on his face and neck. "What happened?"

I noticed a purposeful scar right along the artery in his neck.

"Later," He swallowed hard and shook his head, but placed a kiss on my head to reassure me. "I'm alright. But that's a story for another time."

"There's a war coming," Remus said. "A real war. On the site of Hogwarts."

"We snuck into the Manor," Harry followed Remus' topic. "Overheard their battle plans. The brief ones."

"Extendable ear," A voice chirped from the hallway. The twins emerged through the door and each gave Harry and I a surprised yet content look.

"Handy," Remus nodded towards them, then turned back to the rest of us. "But there's a war coming. We all need to go prepare that school."

"It's really happening?" Neville asked quietly. "The war really is coming?"

"I'm afraid so, darling," Nymphadora rubbed Neville's arm. "We all best be ready for it."

"There's preparations going on at the school now. I'll go and help," Draco said, looked around a bit, then apparated into thin air and was gone in a second.

"I'll go as well. We all should. Hazel," Remus pointed at me. "Stay. You need rest. I can see it in your face. Harry stay with her."

"Didn't plan on leaving."

Within a matter of minutes everyone had left the large building. It was silent, empty, and calm. Harry and I graduated from the couch in the living room to one of the bedrooms on the second floor.

"I missed you," I took Harry's face into my hands and kissed him deeply. "I love you so much. You scared me."

"Mmm," He softly groaned and tightly gripped my hips. "I'm alright love. It's you that scared me. You... you left me."

"I didn't... plan on it," I leaned back on his lap. "But I heard that you'd left after hearing I'd passed. I'm here though. I'm here now."

"I know," He pulled me back down on top of him and deeply kissed me. "Can we just... be. Please. I just need you."

"Mkay," I laid across his chest and listened to his heartbeat. The faded scent of wood and earthy tones in his clothes.

The moment was peaceful and the house around us was quiet.

"Hazel, can I ask something?"

"Of course, love," I whispered in response, feeling suddenly drowsy.

"Are we faking it?"

"Faking what?"

"Us," He softly sighed. "Faking us. You and me. Is it fake because we don't want to let each other down."

"Harry, where is this coming from?" I asked him worriedly. "Of course I'm not faking it. You're my everything."

"I don't know... I just... there are so many other options for you and you picked me. You still pick me," Harry scoffed. "Don't know why, that's all."

"You know why?" I sat up again. "Because you know me inside and out. You and I connect deeper than I could ever connect with anyone else. I need you, Harry."

"I need you too," He softly muttered but his eyes were trained on my lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Harry," I bit my lip and leaned in to kiss him again. As my lips danced with his, I began unbuttoning my shirt.

Harry's hands found my own and he forced his lips to leave mine for a mere few seconds.

"What are we doing?" He asked breathlessly.

"I'm showing you how much I love and appreciate you," I whispered back, then began trailing my lips down his neck.

He sharply sucked in a breath and angled his head to the side. "Hazel..."

"Shhh," I whispered again. "I love you. Let me prove it. Just lay back and relax. I'll do all the work. It's just you and me, Harry."

"I l-love you too," He stuttered nervously.

"I'll go slow," I met his eyes and stroked his cheek gently. "We don't have to go all the way either. Just, let me work, okay?"

He nodded and huffed out a hot breath and pulled me back in for a slow, heated kiss. His red cheeks radiated heat but I was soon able to remove his shirt and course my hands up and down his bare torso.

"I want to," His voice whispered against my lips. "All the way."

"Yeah?" I bit my lip. "Okay. You tell me if you want any of this to stop at any time."

"Mkay," He kissed me again. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Harry."