Not Yet (A Hermione Granger fanfic)

Chapter 25

A/N: I wrote this chapter and it ended up being three times as long as the previous ones. But there was a clear dividing place, so I separated it into two. Tomorrow's chapter is going to be extra long, I think. ;)

******Chapter TWENTY-FIVE******

They Disapparate back to the Burrow together. Hermione could have managed it on her own, of course, but Severus insists on seeing her to the garden gate. Lights are still on in the house. Music leaks outside into the garden.

"What are you going to do with him?" Hermione asks, nodding to the madman at their feet. "Tonight's hardly the time to reveal him to the Weasleys and Harry."

"Reveal who to Harry?" Harry stands from where he's been sitting inside the gate.

Hermione jumps. "Harry! What are you doing there?"

"Who's this?" Harry asks, looking at Orev, then at the man at their feet. "What's going on?"

"Harry, I can explain everything," Hermione says in a rush. "Please don't jump to any conclusions."

"Who says I'm jumping to conclusions?" He eyes Orev with a look of distrust. "You're awfully silent."

Orev sneers. "And you—"

"Harry," Hermione says loudly, cutting off whatever horrible thing he is about to say to Harry, "I'd like you to meet Orev. Orev, Harry Potter."

Harry looks bewildered. "This is Orev? What's he doing here?"

"Harry Potter," Orev says with his usual smirk. "Your manners and reputation precede you."

"How do you mean?"

"Harry," says Hermione. "Orev has brought you something—all of us—a sort of present for the family."

Orev chokes, his smirk sliding off his face as he glares at Hermione.

"Okay," she amends, "he brought it for me, but the rest of you will be just as . . . thrilled. But tonight is not the right time . . ."

Harry opens the gate and walks through, inspecting the man on the ground. "Is it your custom, Orev, to leave a man to freeze to death while you make introductions?"

"I do when that man is a murderer."

Harry jerks his attention to Orev, then back to Hermione. She nods and whispers, "Yes."

The moment when Harry makes the connection between the man at their feet and the presence of Orev is visible on Harry's face. He recoils away from the madman as if he's been stung. Hermione goes to him, grabbing his hand. "Orev found him. He was hiding in Romania, just as I thought."

But Harry is pulling out his wand, his eyes flashing.

"Harry—NO!" Hermione grabs Harry's wand arm, trying to hold him back from doing whatever he is about to do. She and Harry grapple for a moment. Orev jumps in to pry Hermione away from Harry, whose face is twisted in pain and anger.

"Don't do it, Harry!" Hermione says.

Because she can see that Harry is going to kill Ron's murderer. She grips his arm as tightly as she can, throwing all her body weight against him.

But Harry is much stronger than Hermione. He shoves her backward. "Let me do it, Hermione!"

Hermione flies back into Orev's chest; anger is rippling off of Orev in waves, and he raises his own wand faster than Hermione can blink. She cringes as Harry stands over the madman, his wand pointed at his chest. The man laughs and laughs.