Semper Fidelis

Chapter 11.2

Harry woke up that morning very much aware of the date. If he was to be honest with himself, he really didn't need any waking up since he barely slept a wink last night. It was a Saturday. It was the 19th of September. It was her birthday.

He was tossing and turning the whole night with his head filled with thoughts of Hermione Granger. This always happened around her birthday. For the rest of the year he tried hard to not think about her but he allowed himself this one day to lose himself in memories.

He remembered when they first met on the train. She had always been so smart and he was so thankful (and, truthfully, a little scared) when she whipped out her wand to fix his broken glasses. He had been in awe of her since then but he kept a distance since it was obvious Ron and her didn't get along. That all changed when they saved her from the troll, of course, and he was so grateful that he'd earned a new friend. She proved to be much more than a friend and soon Harry was proud to say that he had two best friends. How lucky was he? They were the Golden Trio that day forward and Harry felt like he truly belonged.

Even though Ron and him had their ups and downs (and Harry learned not to begrudge him for that, they were just teenagers after all), Hermione remained steadfast. She never once turned her back on him. When everyone else, even Ron, doubted him and questioned him, she remained loyal. He wouldn't have survived the Triwizard Tournament without her in fourth year, of that he was certain. He wouldn't have patched things up with Ron without her either. And he definitely would not have made it through the Forest of Dean if not for her.

The Forest of Dean. That was something Harry tried so hard to forget but failed. It was the most distraught, then confused, and finally happiest Harry had ever been and he didn't know how to handle it. When he and Hermione made love that night, it was as if all the wrongs in the world had suddenly been made right. He felt stronger, self-assured, and more hopeful than he had ever been. When he was with her that night, he truly felt like he could win against Voldemort. Because how could he not, with this beautiful and smart witch by his side?

He saw Hermione in a new light that night and he had regretted it ever since that they never got to talk about it afterwards. The realities of their world came rushing back and the conversation about the night kept getting pushed back. Ron rejoined their team. They destroyed the remaining Horcruxes. The Battle of Hogwarts. The Defeat. The feast after The Defeat. And then... she was just gone.

It still hurt Harry to this day when he remembered finding her empty bedroom. She had left the feast early the night before citing a stomach ache and when Harry offered to take her back to her bedroom she had refused. She gave him and Ron kisses on the cheek, waved at their friends, and bid them all good night before exiting the Great Hall. He made a mental note to bring her some pepper-up potion the following morning before turning his attention back to the celebration.

The morning of May 10th 1998, Harry knocked on Hermione's door with the potion in hand. There was no reply so he waited patiently outside for a few ticks before knocking again. Still, there was no reply. Harry decided that he would just leave the potion next to Hermione's bed so that she can take it when she woke up. He gently twisted the door handle and entered the room to find her bed made and empty. Realizing that she probably had woken up already (for she's an early riser, that Hermione), Harry made his way to the Great Hall expecting to see her having breakfast. She also wasn't there. Next he made his way to the Library, then to the Hospital Wing, the Owlery, Hagrid's Hut, the Lake, and everywhere else she could possibly be while asking everyone he came across if they had seen her. The panic and the dread had spread over his entire system when it was lunchtime and still he didn't catch a glimpse of his best friend. By now, all of the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, the professors, and his friends have been alerted to look out for the brown eyed witch. Maybe she had hurt herself somewhere in the grounds and was unconscious. Or maybe someone had taken her. For the whole day everyone looked for Hermione Granger with Harry Potter commanding the operation around the castle.