Not a Goodbye

Chapter 16

       Life within the Heads Common Room without Hermione was pathetic. Harry had been sleeping on her side of the bed ever since she had left him, and he felt like an utter and complete fool. He tried to give himself hope each day by reading bits and pieces of her favorite books, writing more in his journal, and even dare he say it, spend more time with Theo Nott. When Harry wasn't looking for reasons to hate him, he realized that the Slytherin wasn't as bad as he had always assumed. It had taken him a long time to come to understand that Hermione cherished Theo just as much as she had cherished him, just in two different ways. Both of them, along with Ron, had kept praying that Hermione would still be out there, ready to come home to them. Harry decided that as soon as he got her back home safely, they were running away to get married. He refused to spend any more time away from her. 

     It was a dreary day when Harry dragged himself through his courses, breakfast, lunch and dinner and to his daily meetings with Theo and Ron. On his way through his Heads rounds that night, Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. It had been quite a few months since his war instincts had felt needed, and he hated that he had become so comfortable in his new routine. His life before the war was more than unpleasant, but he still was able to always stay on his toes; ready for any kind of fight. Rounding the corner in between the Great Hall and the library, Harry hid in a corner, wand at the ready. Draco Malfoy rounded the corner not long after him, his eyes glowing the same yellow color he had seen Hermione's once become. "He was just here," growled the Slytherin, his voice three octaves lower than normal. "I must find him."

      Draco disappeared only seconds later, his robes billowing behind him in a way like Professor Snape's used to. Deciding not to dwell too much on the almost interaction until he could speak to Theo again, Harry returned to the Heads Common Room. This time though, the room was not empty like he had left it. There she was. The love of his life, his best friend, the woman he planned to sweep away and marry. "Hermione?" Harry sputtered, walking around the couch cautiously so he could get a good look at her face. "Is - is it really you?"

     The girl walked closer to him, and that was when Harry noticed the chains wrapped subtly around her ankles. It seemed to be holding back her powers. Raising his wand half-heartedly, Harry stood still until his girlfriend was standing right in front of him. "I love you, Hermione. I love you," he continued to recite those three words as Hermione's eyes flickered in and out of her yellow color. 

    "Run," she whispered before she pounced on him. 

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    Theo had waited in the library for an hour before he finally acknowledged the fact that Harry wasn't coming. He had never missed any of their sessions together, and Theo was frustrated because they weren't making any progress in finding Hermione. He knew that him and Hermione had only really known each other for a short period of time, but that didn't change how he felt about her, or how they felt when they were together. He missed his best friend, the girl who he could tell anything and the girl who knew exactly how he was feeling no matter the circumstances. Hermione made him feel more comfortable than anyone in his life had ever done, and he didn't know what he would do without her and her guidance. 

    It was getting dark outside when Theo finally gathered his stuff and began to head back to his dorm. It had been a long time that he had been happy, and even though he tried to contain his sadness while he was with Harry, he didn't know how much longer he would be able to fake it. His best friend was gone, and he didn't even know if she was still alive. Just as he rounded the corner that neared the Slytherin common room, his demon stopped him in his tracks. 'I can hear her,' the beast said to him. Theo furrowed his eye brows, as he questioned the beast what he meant. 'Your friend, her beast. She's around the corner -'