Short Stories and Oneshots

Hello There - Part 4

She'd seen him routinely the past few months – not every night, but often enough that she was no longer reliant on pepper-up potions and caffeine to last through the day. The horcrux had taken a heavy toll on them all, even when they weren't wearing it.

Today, however, was the first time she'd seen him before full darkness had fallen. She'd been out in the forest, calling Ron's name even though her voice had gone raw, and she knew he was long gone. She wasn't sure when Obi-Wan had arrived, just that at some point his arms had firmly wrapped around her trembling body as she cried for Ron's abandonment, for her parents, for Harry, for the war, and for everything else she'd pent up inside herself until reaching this breaking point.

Her soulmate held her as the dusk descended into twilight and until her tears tapered off before he led the two of them back to her and Harry's tent. Obi-Wan was used to its 'bigger-on-the-indie' layout from his previous visits and easily led her to her cot (luckily she'd renewed the expansion charms on it that morning).

Hermione could hardly see Harry cautiously approach them through her tears, but she was still able to hear what he said, despite his low tone.

"Ron...he and I fought. He left us to go back to his family," Harry muttered haltingly. "Since he's lucky enough to still have one," he added in a mutter.

Hermione felt herself shudder at Harry's unwitting reminder of the fact that she had no immediate biological family left, and it was all her fault –

The crushing weight of her thoughts lessened as her soulmate pressed a gentle kiss to her left temple before the comforting sound of his voice drew the rest of her attention.

"It's alright, Harry. I'll take it from here." She could tell he waited for her friend to leave before guiding her to first sit and then lay down on the cot. He untied her sneakers and pulled them off her feet, setting them down at the foot of the bed and then doing the same with his own boots. He then lay next to her so they both faced each other, just as they had weeks ago when she first appeared in his bed in response to his own stress. They were both silent for several minutes as her sobbing receded and her breathing became more regular. She was glad Obi-Wan refrained from touching her while she calmed; it allowed her to arrange her thoughts and not cave in further under her emotions.

"He's our best friend, Obi," she whispered brokenly once she'd pulled the pieces of herself back together. "It's always been the three of us against the world, but he left."

His piercing blue eyes didn't waver from hers, despite how red and teary they still must've looked. "Not everyone can be as resilient as you are, Mi. You're a warrior – and Harry too." He paused, clearly considering the best way to approach the matter "From the stories you've told me of Ron, he is a tactician but from a close family unit. For some...the bonds of blood pull too strong to ignore."

Hermione sniffled sadly but nodded in understanding. "I erased my parents' memories and sent them out of the country to protect them," she brokenly explained. "They don't know I ever existed."

He reached out slowly and brushed away a tear that had spilled free from her eye. "Jedi younglings are taken from their families at a young age," he said quietly, and she knew he was living a past memory as he spoke. "I have close friends within the Order, but none matter to me nearly as much as my Master does – or you."

The mention of Obi-Wan's master brought a smile to Hermione's face. The man had unexpectedly awoken the two of them in Obi-Wan's bed two weeks prior, and he'd seemed both aggravated, amused, and resigned by the sight of her. He'd nodded at her and told Obi-Wan to dress quickly before leaving his padawan's sleeping quarters. "Qui-Gon...Jinn, yes? What does he think of our bond?"

Obi-Wan let out an amused huff. "He smirked at me and muttered something about 'proof of the Living Force' and 'living in the moment.' He can't wait to properly meet you."

Hermione appreciated the path their conversation had gone, as it gave her a chance to momentarily forget the reality of her situation. "Does walking in on his padawan in bed with their soulmate not count as properly meeting? I think it was a memorable first encounter."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at her smug smirk. "You didn't say a word to each other, so no, it does not."

For the first time that evening, Hermione let out a giggle. "Hopefully for him, we can meet before he walks in on us again."

Obi-Wan's single eyebrow raised in question caused her to laugh even more. "Do you not have the same fears for Harry walking in on us?"

"If I had to deal with him and Ginny snogging in the room I shared with her, he can survive us sleeping in my cot in my secluded side of the tent, thank you very much."

Her soulmate's grin as he took her hand in his made Hermione finally feel at peace enough for her to sleep through the night. "Yes sir," he replied, lifting her hand so he could kiss her knuckles. His words were a reminder that she was a warrior, and he knew she would wake up stronger in the morning.