When Hermione Fights

A Night with Harry

Chapter beta: Dani

Chapter translator: Aivy

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Harry led me purposefully to the Room of Requirement. Surprisingly, when he opened the door, it revealed only a large bed inside, but Harry stepped inside with determination and downright tore his clothes off. A small door opened to the right of him which led to a tiled bathroom. He disappeared into it, not having said a word yet. I shrugged and did the same, wishing for a bath and going inside.

Under the rushing, soothing shower, I could do nothing against the tremors that invaded my body and sank to the floor, exhausted, embracing my knees with my arms and pressing my face against them. The water constantly dripped down on me and warmed me as I was so unimaginably cold, inside and out. So much had happened - almost too much in the short length of time - that I could hardly believe it. All these impressions and this mass of disturbing information made me shiver as I sat there in the shower like a lost little child with the water drumming down on me... On the other hand, how was Harry doing?

Groaning, I closed my tired, burning eyes and immediately remembered Umbridge's eyes, the eyes of Jugson, the eyes of Bole, and also the wide, disbelieving eyes of Sirius that I had been able to see so well despite the distance between us. That was what you never forgot, the eyes and the look in them. It was the final, incredulous wonderment of what they experienced when they died; the realisation, the disbelief, the alarm, the fear, and the resignation as well, and finally the acceptance of the inevitable end.

I felt no sorrow, except for Sirius. I didn't feel sorry for the others, they all deserved it. Furthermore, you saw how effective Stunning Spells had been against the Death Eaters. Their comrades-in-arms had simply revived them. Those that I had eliminated had been out of the fight for good, so it was no-one's fault but their own...

Our friends, too, had performed well considering that we had faced grown-up, determined men. Although I still doubted that they hadn't held back!

These were idle thoughts though as nobody would answer them for me.

The way it looked, Snape had actually understood Harry's hint, informed the Order, and then had come to check on us. Thinking about the way he had kept me from the fight in the Death Chamber put a confused smile on my face. In such a situation, he had seemed to have forgotten our dispute. I'd have to tell Draco; normally Snape wasn't quite so touchingly concerned.

And then Lucius! I couldn't believe it and was still a bit astonished about myself. I had stunned Remus in cold blood to save Lucius. What was wrong with me?

That was the question here. Just for the stupid face he'd made when he had realised I'd saved him, it had been worth it. He would have food for thought for a while. Although, I was sure I had distinguished that he had been waiting for the right time to spring into action and might have meant even more casualties!

What would he think had prompted me, the Mudblood, to rescue him? Him, who was hunting me - and openly confessed it to my friends, too - to spare him Azkaban and even attack Remus? Well, my dear Lucius, I am curious to see your face when you eventually get the answer!

And those abstruse thoughts cheered me up despite the deaths I had witnessed. Thus, I found the strength to go on. I loosened my cramped arms and stretched them, then pulled myself up and got back to my feet with new courage. The game continues, so get a move on, Harry is waiting, I reminded myself.

We survived and there was still a lot to do. We had a war to win!

My self-pity had no business here. I should rather be glad to have come out of the battle relatively unhurt. Also, I could be very proud of my achievements in the fight.