My Missing piece (Harmione)

24.

Jᴜsᴛ Lɪᴋᴇ Tʜᴇ Dᴀʏ Tʜᴀᴛ I Mᴇᴛ Yᴏᴜ Tʜᴇ Dᴀʏ I Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Fᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ
Sᴀɪᴅ Tʜᴀᴛ Yᴏᴜ Lᴏᴠᴇ Mᴇ Bᴜᴛ Tʜᴀᴛ'Lʟ Lᴀsᴛ Fᴏʀ Nᴇᴠᴇʀ

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Ember's trembling form crashed into Hermione's, their embrace desperate and heavy with the weight of despair. Hermione, her voice quivering with sorrow, clung to Ember, their tears mingling like a river of anguish.

"You think I ever wished for any of this torment, Ember? I didn't. I never did. I'm still the same Hermione, but I'm drowning in this endless darkness. I'm so, so sorry..."

Hermione's apology hung heavy in the air, her voice barely a whisper. Ember, her own tears staining Hermione's shoulder, whispered back with a trembling voice, "Shhh, it's alright. You don't need to apologize. I was consumed by anger, sadness, brokenness, and misery, but none of that justifies lashing out at you. I should be the one apologizing, not you. And everything you've shown me..."

Desperation filled Hermione's eyes as she interrupted, "You don't think I'm a freak, do you?"

Her gaze locked onto Ember's, but what she saw in Ember's eyes shattered her fragile hope. Ember slowly released her embrace, leaving Hermione to wonder if Ember truly saw her as a lost cause.

As Hermione wiped away her tears, she placed a tender peck on Ember's cheek, her voice quivering but determined. "Don't fret, Ember. You'll find Nora. I'll ensure it, no matter the cost. I promise."

Ember's gaze held a mix of concern and doubt. "Are you going to inform the authorities?"

A melancholic smile touched Hermione's lips as she replied, "We don't have police; we have Aurors. But no, I won't. If I do, they'll harm Nora. I'll never allow that while I still breathe."

Hermione sat in the dimly lit room, her heart heavy with sorrow and despair. Her cousin, Em, had just revealed the grim truth that "they" wanted Harry, her dear friend. The room seemed to close in on her as Em's words hung in the air like a dark cloud.

"They want your friend, that boy," Em whispered, her voice filled with anguish. Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes as she continued, "And I know you enough to know that you'd never do that. What are you gonna do? Can I do anything to help-"

Hermione's face contorted with pain as she interrupted, her voice trembling, "Help? No, no, no. They are monsters. They don't give a damn about other people. I don't want you getting involved in this. All they want is Harry, so let it be."

Em tried to speak again, to offer some glimmer of hope, but Hermione silenced her with a tormented look. Her world had crumbled, and she couldn't bear to see her cousin entangled in the darkness that now consumed her life.

"We have magic, Em," Hermione continued, her voice barely above a whisper. She reached for a nearby pencil and, with a flick of her wand, transformed it into a pair of glasses, just like Harry used to wear. Her hands trembled as she donned them, a painful reminder of the friend she was about to impersonate.

With determination in her eyes, Hermione recalled the spell she had stumbled upon in a dusty old book while searching for a way to rescue George. She had to concentrate on it, for it was her only hope.

"Viccicitudo Professus est," she muttered, her voice trembling with emotion. Her wand swirled above her head, drawing a circle in the air as she repeated the incantation three times. A bright white ring materialized above her, larger than a halo, casting a haunting glow in the room.

Hermione's gaze remained fixed on the radiant ring as it descended, her heart pounding in her chest. She had to visualize Harry's appearance, every detail etched in her memory. The ring moved down, encircling her ankles, and then, as if by magic, it vanished.