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.
She drew in a shaky breath, relief washing over her as she realized the spell had worked. Her curiosity had saved her, for without that spell, she wouldn't know what to do.
"Hello?" Ember called out, her voice filled with desperation.
A voice responded, a voice she hadn't heard in too long. "Why, Em? How do I look?"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked back a sob, her voice barely audible, "So it's you then? I thought... Nevermind what I thought... You look like Harry. The raven-colored-haired-dude?"
Harry's voice held a hint of humor, a fleeting moment of familiarity in the midst of the darkness. "Splendid," he replied.
But beneath that fleeting humor, Hermione felt the crushing weight of the situation. She was trapped in a dangerous game of deception, her heart aching for her friend, and the path ahead seemed even darker and more treacherous than before.
"What exactly are you planning to do?" Ember's voice trembled with worry as she stared at Hermione, her cousin, her dear friend.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, her eyes clouded with uncertainty. "I...... Um... I think... I am gonna go to where they want Harry to be, and they'll think I am Harry since I look like him, obviously. I'll send Nora-"
Ember's incredulous interruption cut her off, "Are you nuts? Like what the hell happened to your brain? Do you even know what it is? Or wait, maybe the ring hovering over your head moments before sucked it all out? You - you plan on going? ALONE? I am coming."
"No, Ember! It's dangerous," Hermione protested.
"I am a karate teacher. I can whoop their asses," Ember declared defiantly.
Hermione shook her head, her voice softening, "Karate is going to do nothing. You're never gonna stand a chance. With a flick of a wand, you'll be dead meat."
Ember's frustration bubbled to the surface as she retorted, "What are you gonna do then, threaten them with a piece of wood?"
Hermione corrected her, her voice firm, "A wand, Ember. Don't forget that it has magical properties. And, I showed you, I am good at fighting, I survived a war, remember?"
"But it's dangerous!" Ember exclaimed, her eyes pleading.
"I am not denying it," Hermione replied with a heavy sigh.
Ember relented, "Then don't go alone. I do want Nora, but I don't want to lose either of you."
Hermione's resolve remained unshaken, "I have no choice, Ember. My priority now is Nora. I am not a kid anymore; I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me, and most importantly, not a word, not a word about what you saw to anyone else, not even Andre. Alright?"
Ember reluctantly agreed, "Ok, but-"
"What time is it now?" Hermione asked, her sense of urgency growing.
"Five minutes to three?"
Hermione nodded. "Alright, it's getting late. I gotta get going."
"'Mione? You won't be like this all the time now, right?" Ember asked, gesturing to Hermione's new form.
"No, it disappears after two hours, and it's an ancient spell, so almost everyone nowadays doesn't know about it. We have a potion to change appearance called PolyJuice Potion, but it takes ages to brew one-"
"So it's like a part of your life to change appearances?"
"No, we do only under specific circumstances. I have to get going, Em. You can bombard me with questions after I bring Nora back."
"I don't want you to go," Ember pleaded, her eyes filled with worry and sorrow.
Hermione tried to comfort her as well as herself, saying, "Let's face it. We both want her back. And the only possible way is this. We don't have a choice. And I'll be alright, like perfectly alright. You're just worrying about nothing."
But deep down, Hermione knew the peril she faced. She couldn't afford to let Ember see her fear. She had a mission, and her niece mattered the most now.
"I better get going, Ember, only five minutes left," Hermione said, turning around and trying to hide her fear.
"Hermione, no, they can hurt you," Ember protested, tears glistening in her eyes.
Hermione's voice carried a determined edge, "What happens to me isn't the problem."
With those words, she apparated away, leaving Ember behind, her heart heavy with the knowledge that Hermione was walking into a dangerous unknown to save her niece. Hermione had always been a force of nature, and when she was determined, everyone knew she was a hurricane.
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"That's what we heard before Nora went missing!" Andre's panicked shout echoed through the air as he sprinted toward his house at lightning speed, with Mikey close behind him. His heart pounded with dread, fearing the worst as he pounded on his front door, desperate to get inside, praying that nothing terrible awaited him.
With a resounding thud, the door swung open, revealing his wife. Relief washed over him as he rushed to her side, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"You okay, honey? What happened?" Andre's voice trembled with worry. "I heard that sound, and I was terrified that something bad might happen to you. Are you alright?"
Ember's eyes glistened with tears as she tried to compose herself. Her voice quivered as she replied, "Someone else is not." She buried her face in his shoulder, her sobs escaping uncontrollably, their world unraveling with each passing moment.
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