Redemption II

Chapter 67

Hermione found herself in the middle of a dirt road. The waxing moon overhead washing everything in a soft silver glow. Not that she could see much of it at present. Her eyes had shut tight in a desperate attempt to keep herself from losing control.

Her body let out a deep soul rending shudder, no longer able to contain the pain inside. Her legs failed her first, sending her down onto the dirt beneath. Deep sobs, that nearly shook her heart out of her chest, wracked her frame as she let out what could no longer be contained. She braced herself against the travel-worn stones as her cries threatened the very life inside her.

Had she really seen what she knew she saw? There was no way to deny it. No way to twist it into something less painful. It was all her fault. She'd let her fear hide her feelings, force her into trying to do something she could never have done. Lost memories aside, there was enough of her left to know, that it was wrong. He had made his choice, but she—had given him hope.

Her body continued its way down unable to bring in enough air to sustain the cries that would have torn even the strongest warrior asunder. It was the call of a soul-shattering. The weight of emotions that held no name. The sound of a world that would never look bright again.

Where could she possibly go? What could she possibly do? She had nothing, she had no one to call her own. She couldn't run to Harry and tell him, the was shame too great. It had never been a bother before, she was sure, so why did it hurt so much now? Who was she? Easily replaced by another, there was nothing that this world needed from her. She merely a survivor. One of many. She was broken. Her brilliance, gone. Her mind uselessly fluttering in and out of the spaces of memories too disorganized to make any sense.

She didn't know how long she cried, only that she couldn't stop. It was as painful as it was cleansing. All this time forcing herself to try and feel something that wasn't there. Trying to pretend that her life was something that it wasn't. All of it falling away. She lifted her head with all the strength she had left, looking out to where she had gone. She hadn't known what had happened only that the orb on her chest had taken her somewhere.

Some part of her had hoped that it would have been the answer to all her questions but that part of her heart wasn't available. The unknown was slowly taking over and she knew she had to get up. The stone on her chest was casting a soft red glow against the darkness and she believed that it would take her where she needed to be. With tears and sobs still shaking her frame, she found the last of her resolve.

A borrowed strength taken from someplace else brought her slowly back to her feet. She didn't recognize where she had gone. Only that it felt farther away than she had ever been. The wind was cool against her skin and the air, what she could take in of it, felt clean. The fear of the unknown was bringing a numbing feeling to everything she had just let go and she found herself moving forward without a compass.

oOo

Severus lowered himself down silently onto the balcony. The night and his disillusionment charm keeping him completely obscured. He could feel the turmoil in the air but he couldn't feel her. He had been sure he'd seen her come into the building. She wasn't hard to miss in the dress she had been wearing. Even in the dark, she had shone more beautifully than the North Star. Not that he would have admitted that to himself.

His eyes turned to the boy who sat on his bed with his head in his hands. He could feel many things even through the barrier that held them apart and knew instantly that he had done something. Something irrecoverable. His eyes narrowed and he raised his wand.