The Last Year

Saving Hermione

Harry stood before Hermione, the storm outside still raging. You could hear a pin drop in the Library as Hermione sat in silence, shocked to see Harry, unsure of what to say to him. However, instead of saying anything he simply sat down in the chair across from her. They sat in silence for a moment, Harry unsure of how to explain, Hermione suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

"You are so beautiful."

"Harry, we've talked about this."

"And yet, that doesn't change the fact that you are the most beautiful person I've ever known."

At this, Hermione couldn't resist a small smile and the blush that crept up her cheeks.

Now, Harry sat forward, his voice becoming urgent, his eyes staring at her intensely, "I know Hermione. I know about all of it, the secret meetings with James, how he has been threatening you, threatening to hurt me, using the Imperius Curse on you."

Hermione was all at once horrified and relieved, "How?"

"I may or may not have followed you to the library last night and spied on you. I know, I know it was wrong, but something just seemed off about you. I'm sorry I breached your privacy, but I'm glad I did."

Hermione sat in silence, she wanted to be enraged by this admission, but she couldn't. He just cared for her, perhaps his methods weren't the most ethical, but they might just save her.

"But I need you to listen to me. You don't realize it, but we are inside your head right now. He has you under the Imperius Curse again, he has since last night. That's why you've been reading this book for so long, it's your mind's way of keeping you hidden while he controls you. Notice the storm raging outside the windows? That's your body trying to fight his influence. I need you to wake up before he realizes that I know. I need you to fight back Hermione."

Time stopped, and Harry froze in front of her mid-sentence. The rain stopped beating against the windows, and even the fire froze. It seemed as if reality was crashing down on Hermione. Could this be true? What was he saying? That none of this was real? She remembered coming to this library and sitting down with the book. Or did she? Suddenly she couldn't seem to remember entering this room or sitting down. In fact, she couldn't remember the title of the book she was reading. She looked down to find a blank page. She turned the page, but the next page was blank. And so was the next. She closed the book and there was no title. What had she been reading?

Hermione stood up and looked around. Across the room there was a door, she needed to get out, and now. She strode across the library, and the library itself seemed to stretch, growing longer and longer. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the door. It was locked. She pulled on the door as hard as she could, pushed, and banged, screaming for help but it would not budge. Her heart began to beat faster, her breath coming and going quickly as she felt the world begin to spin, everything crashing around her in her anxiety. She ran to the windows, banging her fists against the glass until her hands were bleeding. The rain began to pour again, bashing against the window with the force of a typhoon. The lightning struck every second, the thunder getting louder and louder by the second, making an explosion seem quiet.

Despite the weather, time still seemed frozen around her. She ran back towards the fire, Harry still stuck mid-sentence. She looked at him, before falling in front of him. She hugged her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer. It was still getting louder, the room getting warmer every second, sweat running down her face, neck, and arms. She was sweating so hard that it was as if she was out in the rain.

Harry was right, but she wasn't sure how to fight. Hermione began to fear that she was trapped. How could she beat a dark curse that had held her trapped for a whole day? She missed Harry, she just wanted to hold him and have him hold her back.

She began to notice a high pitch sound around her. It grew louder and louder until she was holding her head in her hands, trying to block it out. Someone was screaming so loud the world around her shattered.

Hermione finally realized that it was her screaming. But she was no longer in the library. She was in Harry's arms, in what looked like a locker room. Ginny was in the corner watching, white as a sheet, clearly terrified by whatever she had just witnessed. Hermione began to sob into Harry's strong arms, shaking. He held her close, brushing her hair out of her face, and rocking her back and forth as Hermione became unglued, letting months of fear, anger, and anxiety out through her tears.

After several moments, Hermione began to calm down. The tears slowed, the sobs that had wracked her body slowly subsided and she was able to take a couple of breaths. Once she had calmed down enough, she was able to look into his eyes. She saw fear, but more than that she saw grief and love. He looked at her like no one ever had. No one had loved her as he had. She stared into his eyes for an eternity. Then she leaned forward, her lips meeting his, and kissed him for another eternity, praying for just a few moments of peace.