Harry Potter and the Desideratum Crusade [Harmione]

26. The Destruction of One

Harry squeezed Hermione's hands. "Let me help you," he said gently.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled. "Would you? There's just so much to do..." she trailed off as she reached over and began to pick up books.

Harry followed her actions and stood up to put the books on the shelf. He sighed in relief as he worked, he could save her, and he knew he could, as long as he could get all of these books back in place...

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Ron was standing on the edge of panic, and he didn't like it. It was past the stage of getting reinforcements, and the very thought that Harry might fail entered his mind more than once.

'I could die here...' he thought for one shaky minute.

"So tell me...Ron is it? Ron Weasley?"

"How did you—" Ron asked surprised.

Tom shrugged noncommittally. "Memories. I must admit that this sacrifice was an excellent choice. A wealth of knowledge."

"SHE IS NOT A SACRIFICE!" Ron shouted.

Tom gave a knowing smile. "Tell me, Ron, why is she so protective of this fellow...Harry is it? Boyfriend? Lover?"

"None of your business," Ron muttered.

"Well now I am intrigued," Tom said. "I must dig deeper."

Ron really didn't like the sound of that at all.

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Harry was getting tired. How long had he been doing this for anyway? He looked over at Hermione stacking books haphazardly on the shelf and frowned.

'That's not like her...'

He sighed as he heard another pile of books crash to the ground. He was getting frustrated and felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. It was almost like someone didn't want them to finish...

Harry's eyes went wide in sudden realization.

'I'm wasting my time here...'

He glanced over to where Hermione was putting the books on the shelf and noticed that they were all in disarray.

'That's not the Hermione I know...' he thought.

"Hermione? I'm just going to start the pile around the corner here," he said.

"Okay, Harry," she said and gave him a small smile. "I knew that no one but you could help me."

"Uh...sure," he hadn't heard that from Hermione before. "I'll...I'll call you if I need you."

Harry slipped around the corner, and for a few seconds stacked books on the shelf. Once he felt that it was safe, he quietly crept down the aisle towards the ballroom he had been in earlier. As he got closer, he could hear voices.

"Who is he?" A voice hissed.

"No one, just a friend from school," a sobbing voice replied.

"I will find out eventually, you do realize that."

"No..." the voice sobbed again. "I won't let you."

That was the Hermione Harry knew, a fighter. He stuck his head around the corner in time to see Voldemort backhand Hermione across the face.

Harry felt himself flare in rage as he moved into view. Voldemort looked up from where he was standing over a beaten and tattered Hermione. She looked up as she heard Harry approaching, the fear suddenly evident in her eyes.