Harry Potter and The Fight of Logic vs. Love

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The train was pulling into the station. Hermione was trying to think desperately of what she could do to stop Harry from running. She still pretended to be sleeping on his chest, even after he had coughed a few times and made some shuffling underneath her. She returned his shuffling by nestling even tighter into his shoulder. Finally, as she realized she could no longer keep up the charade as even Luna and Neville had started to wake up and would see she was not sleeping, she made up her mind.

She made the most realistic movements that she could muster to make it seem to Harry that she had just woken up. She stretched, and pushed herself off of Harry. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep all the way here. It was just comfortable; I really didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." 'Yes you did. You are a horrible liar. You didn't want him to try and bolt as soon as the train stopped. Now that you are here, you both still have to change into your normal clothes. You are just stalling for time.' That nagging voice was back, as loud as ever. Hermione had to believe the voice though; she was only truly stalling for time. As she looked at Harry, she realized he was giving her a strong stare. It seemed like he was sizing her up, trying to pull a Dumbledore and read her thoughts. She knew what he was thinking, and he in turn knew what she would do. Does he know that I know? She smiled at him and told him that they should probably get out of their robes.

As she slipped her robes off of her normal clothes, she turned away from Harry. She had to do something, something to let him know that he couldn't run from her. Then it came to her, her dream. She had seen Harry on her swing. That was it; she had to get Harry to come with her. Maybe not right away, because she knew that there were things he needed to sort out at his uncle's house. The only way she could do this was to spend time at his place, without giving him the opportunity to stop her.

As they got off the train, Harry and Hermione spotted the Weasleys a short distance away. Not wanting to cause a scene, they tried to side-step around them. Their luck failed as they stepped past a group of parents hugging their children. Mrs Weasley spotted them, and called for them to come over. Harry caught a quick glimpse of Ron giving them a stare down along with Ginny. He didn't do anything to deserve this kind of treatment. Hermione was in the same boat as him, so at least he wasn't alone in his misery.

"Harry, Hermione! How are you doing? Are you feeling alright, I missed you at the wake yesterday? We would have waited, but unfortunately Arthur and I had some issues to take care of. You will be joining us shortly, both of you, for the wedding right? Oh who am I kidding; I know you wouldn't say no to a wizard wedding." Harry tried hard to smile at what she was saying, and was barely able to force one to stay on his face while she turned to him.

"Of course Mrs Weasley. I will be there for sure. Nothing could stop me from coming; I've never seen a wizard wedding before." He almost choked at the look on her face. She smiled even brighter than before, and he felt badly about lying to her face. Hopefully she would understand why he had to do it, and wouldn't hate him in the end. Next to him, he heard a bit of murmuring coming from Hermione. He could only assume that she had agreed to come as well from the look on Molly's face.

"Well then, now quickly to tell you when. Harry, members of the Order will be coming around the 18th of July to pick you up and escort you to the Burrow. The wedding is to take place on the 28th, so that should give you enough time to settle in and relax. Unlike these rascals, you will have nothing to help with to set up for the Wedding. Bill and Fleur will be so grateful to see you." She had a smile on her face, and looked as if she was holding back tears. "And of course they will be picking you up as well Hermione. I am not sure exactly when, but it should be around the same time. You need some time to settle in as well." She looked at the two young adults, realizing how they had matured over the years. She couldn't understand the awkwardness surrounding the situation, and why Ginny and Ron had not walked off the train with the two standing in front of her. She knew there was something up when they wouldn't even look at each other. Before she had a chance to question them, Harry spoke up. If she hadn't suspected something was wrong before he spoke, she did after he finished.

"Well I am sure that the Dursleys are waiting for me, I mean Hermione's parents are probably waiting for her. We should really get going. Sorry Mrs Weasley, but you will have to finish this discussion later" and with another fake smile, Harry rushed off to the muggle portion of the station, followed hastily by Hermione. He didn't dare glance back, but if he had, he would have noticed a calculating look by Mrs Weasley.

As soon as they got onto the muggle platform, Hermione spotted her parents and Harry spotted the Dursleys. Before he could run for it, Hermione grabbed his arm and spun him around. "Well, I guess I will see you later. Maybe I can convince the Order to let you make a temporary stop between the Dursley's and the Burrow and stay with me for a while. What do you think?" she stared at him, waiting to see what his reaction would be. After a pained moment of not looking at her, she finally caught his eyes.

Harry turned and looked into Hermione's eyes, realizing that she was serious. Could he go to her house; of course he couldn't. How could he even think of that? Had he not just vowed to stay away from anyone close to him? He had resigned to the fact he couldn't go with her, now he just had to convince her of the exact opposite. Mustering the most genuine looking smile he could, Harry glared straight into her eyes as if daring her not to believe his next words. "Of course, that would be great Hermione. I would love to spend some time at your place. Just let me know by owl if you get a response from them and when you can possibly get them to move me. Now I better get going. Let me know" he said as he started moving away. Before he got two steps back, she had run up and grabbed him in a furious hug. All he could do was hug her back and he noticed a look pass between her parents. He started to feel kind of awkward. Finally she let him go, and smiled at him. She was holding back tears, he could tell. She waved goodbye as she walked off with her parents.

Hermione had known that he was lying from the moment he started talking. He had a look in his eyes, daring her. She saw the smile on his face, and she had almost believed him. Again, his eyes could not lie to her. She made her mind up on the spot, making sure that she knew she had to find a way to contact the one remaining family member Harry had left, his Aunt. Hopefully she could get through to the woman, and the woman would realize that Harry needed all the help he could get in the coming days. She knew what had to be done, and as Hermione drove off with her parents, she couldn't stop thinking about the raven haired boy who was probably thinking of running at this very moment.



It had been almost 2 weeks since the funeral, and the young man was sitting on his bed, staring at the wall opposite him. He was thinking of how much longer he had to bear this torture. Of the two weeks he had been here, the Dursleys had paid him no attention. The exception was that his Aunt seemed to act strangely towards him after receiving a phone call shortly after they had returned from King's Cross. She seemed to be ignoring him, but she kept an unusually close eye on him. It seemed that he could catch her watching him from the corner of his eye. He noticed her sometimes become hushed while on the phone, though not all the time, when he came into the room. Sometimes she would even stand by the bottom of the stairs when she called for dinner; almost making sure that he was coming down to eat. He couldn't understand why she had so much interest in him now of all times. There was no way she would ever have known of what happened, or what was going to happen. She wouldn't speak to a wizard, much less listen to one; she had proven that.

He sat there, and looked at his calendar. He had marked July the 17th on his calendar. This was the point of no return for Harry, and as the 17th had grown closer, he started to panic. He had worked it out, but he didn't know if he could follow it. He looked to the poster, eyeing the 17th once more, he knew that he needed to be gone by that day. He couldn't turn back now, he had to leave. He would not go to the Burrow, he would go to the only place his heart yearned to see; Godric's Hollow. He had conversed with Hermione every other day or so, but she had not pushed for him to come to stay with her. He wasn't sure if that was because the Order had shot her idea down, or whether she had rethought the idea and didn't want him to come. What did it matter, he wasn't going either way. Why did his thoughts keep coming back to going to Hermione's house? Maybe it was because every time he closed his eyes, the dream with the swing or the two sitting beneath the old tree by the lake kept popping into his head. He mentally attacked himself over and over, each time he had the dream; yet it kept coming the next night. He was thinking about her so often, he could swear he heard her on the phone when his Aunt Petunia became quiet as he walked into the room. He ended up resorting to looking back at the calendar. He saw where the crossed off days stopped at the 12th, and he counted yet again the 5 days he had to go. It was only when he listened carefully that he heard a knock on the front door. He shrugged it off, returning to his thoughts. It was only when he heard whispering that his instincts told him to be on guard. He heard his Aunt Petunia talking in a quiet voice, seemingly to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

"... quiet. He is up in his room. Hopefully he will not hear us, and he won't be prepared to do what he wants to do. If we corner him, I don't think he will be able to get away." Immediately Harry jumped off his bed and made for the spot where he kept his wand. No way would anyone stop him, and this option may have made his decision of running that much easier to handle. Surely the 2 weeks he had spent here was enough to make the protection last for another 20 days. That would be enough time for him. He made for the loose floorboard, and as he opened it realized that his wand was not there. Now it was time for him to start to panic. He wouldn't have enough time to do anything. He would have to bolt out the door, hopefully stunning the people enough to get away. His anxiety increased when he heard the reply to his Aunt's whispers.

"I don't think we should try and corner him. He may overreact and hex both of us without looking before he does. I don't want to scare him, I want to surprise him." Harry's heart sank. He could make out that whisper anywhere. It was the voice of one of his best friends for six years. But how was she here now? Why was Petunia helping her? He was so confused, he had stopped moving. He jumped when he heard steps outside his door, and saw the handle start to turn. His heart was thumping, and he tried to lock the door with wandless magic. He didn't care if he was expelled if he performed magic; he wasn't going back to Hogwarts anyway. Much to his dismay, it wasn't working. Damn, why won't it work? I did it at school alright. Then again I did feel my life was in danger, would that do it? Well my life could be in danger right now if Hermione comes in here. What could be different from the last time? The only thing that I remember is hearing her scream out. But why would that make me able to defend myself? Unless it wasn't meant to defend me, but to defend her? No, there is no way my mind would react that way. But would my heart?

Before he could answer himself, the door started to open. He braced himself for the telling off, but it never came. He saw a blur of brown bushy hair as it grabbed him around his waist while a smiling Aunt stood in the doorway. He was knocked down by the force of the girl hugging him and the pair collapsed backwards onto his bed.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" asked the confused Harry. In the back of his head, a voice spoke up 'To stop you from doing what she knew you were going to. She knows you better than you think.'

Hermione climbed off Harry and smiled at him. "I had to come and see you. I wanted you to know that no matter what, you are never alone. I know that the Order said it wasn't a good idea for you to come to my house, but I really think it needs to be done. I hope you aren't angry at me." She continued to smile at him, but her eyes let in the worry and relief that she felt that he had not run yet show. He sat up, sitting on his bed as Hermione sat on the only chair in his room across from him. He stared at her, before making the connection. He looked from Hermione to Petunia and back again. "You had her spying on me didn't you? You were the reason she was watching me so intently." He turned his gaze to his Aunt. "She was the one you were speaking to on the phone. Those times that you started speaking in hushed whispers when I entered the room? But why?" They both nodded, and Petunia took the first opportunity to speak.

"Well Harry, I was contacted not an hour after we got home from the train station. At first I was sceptical of this girl, thinking that she had known you from another school. She seemed normal, and asked how you were doing. It wasn't until she asked me how you were taking Dumbledore's death that I realized she was one of your kind, one of my sister's kind; a witch. I could tell that there was something between you two. There was that compassionate tone in her voice as she asked about you." At this, Hermione blushed furiously and took an opportunity to look out the window. "Well I couldn't understand why, until a few hours later, that I agreed outright to help that which I tried to deny for the past 16 years. Then, I realized she had that tone of voice, the demeanour that reminded me of Lily. I knew through her tone of voice and the wording she used that she cared. She sounded exactly as Lily had when she spoke of your father. Looking back, it is a horrible few years that I wish to forget; all those years of denying you memories of your parents. I am truly sorry for that now.

"But coming back to the present, this young woman asked me to look out for you. She wasn't sure how you were going to deal with the recent events. I could tell she was genuinely concerned. How could I tell her no? So I agreed to keep a closer eye on you, to watch your emotions, and let her know if anything seemed more out of the ordinary than usual. I'm sorry for keeping this from you Harry, but she specifically made me promise that I would not tell you what I was doing. I hope you can forgive me for everything." Harry stared at her a moment, realizing this was not the wicked step-mother he had seen for the past 16 years. No, she was different. She was her mother's sister, his Aunt finally poking her head from behind the emotional shield. He couldn't help but feel a pang of love towards his Aunt. It wasn't a full forgiveness he felt, but it was a start. Hermione finally looked back at Harry, getting control back over her cheeks.

"I know that was probably the wrong thing to do Harry, but I was worried about you. I couldn't think of anything else I could do without coming here myself." 'And you didn't want him to run away. You didn't trust him to stay, so you kept a spy to tell you if he left.' Now is not the time for me to be arguing with myself. She returned the stare Harry had started giving her. She could see the disappointment in his eyes. She immediately regretted having her parents leave without making sure she was going to stay.

Petunia took the silence as a chance to push the thought that Hermione was having. "I am going to tell Vernon that you will have a guest for a few days Harry. Don't worry; he will come around one way or another." She added at his hasty look.

Had his Aunt just said guest for a few days? He looked back at Hermione who took a great interest in her hands. She took the chance to steal a glance at his face, just to gauge his reaction. He looked like he was in shock, though a small grin had slid across his face. "That is if it is ok with you Harry?" she asked timidly.

He looked back at his Aunt, who was smiling at the two teens. "Like I said Harry, Vernon will get over it. The final decision rests with you. Now, I will be going to finish dinner. You two may eat up here or with the family if you want. I will let you know when it is finished." With that, she turned and strode down the stairs.

Harry continued to stare at the door, even after his Aunt had left. It was only after Hermione had made a move towards the door that he realized she was saying something. "Well maybe this was a bad idea. I just thought you may have wanted some company. I shouldn't have surprised you like that. I am sorry. Maybe I will come back another time." She made to grab the bag that she had dropped by the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to stare into the emerald eyes that she kept seeing in her dreams. At least they have life in them this time she thought to herself. The last few dreams she had of Harry, were more nightmarish than peaceful. She remembered seeing him bleeding, obviously dying, and pleading for Voldemort to spare someone. Then he would look at her and plead even louder not to kill her. Other dreams were along the same lines, that he was dead, or that he was being tortured and again screaming for Voldemort to spare his friend.

Before she knew it, Harry had her in a hug again. He was crying, and she couldn't figure out why. It didn't matter to her so much as to why he was crying. She more concerned herself with the fact that he would allow her to see him in his weakest time. She just hugged him back, not saying a word and taking it as his affirmation that she could stay. She wasn't sure how long she stood there with him, but it felt like it would never end. She knew she would remember this moment for the rest of her life, just as she would the morning she woke up with Harry beneath the tree, and the train ride home. Before they knew it, Petunia had come knocking on the door, and left a tray with dinner on it. They took this as a sign to take a break and calm down.

Harry looked across at Hermione while they ate in silence. He took in her appearance, and realized how comforting it felt to have her in the same room as him. He couldn't help loving the fact that she was there with him, that she would brave his Uncle's house just to make sure he was ok. He felt a great sense of pride in the courage of his best friend, and he knew that she meant it when she said he would never be alone. It made what he needed to do 100 times more difficult.

They finished eating, and his Aunt came into the room once more, with fresh sheets and a portable bed. She changed the sheets on Harry's bed for him, and set up the bed. She also placed his wand on his nightstand, apologizing for taking it. She explained that she didn't want him hexing the two of them when they surprised him. Harry excused himself into the washroom to change into his night clothes. After he finished in the washroom, he walked back into the room, forgetting that Hermione was in there. Luckily she had just been finishing getting dressed, and looked startled at his barging in. "HARRY!" she yelled, and threw a pillow at him. They both laughed.

"I didn't mean to. I'm just so used to being here alone that I don't knock on my own door." She smiled at him, letting him know she wasn't really mad. He picked up the pillow and tossed it back onto the cot. "Well I guess we should probably get to sleep."

"Oh. Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I guess we should talk more tomorrow." Hermione yawned. She made a move towards the cot.

"Where do you think you are going? You sleep in my bed. No ifs, ands, or buts. You are the guest." Harry told her.

"Well at least let me conjure you up something more comfortable." Hermione replied.

"I don't think the ministry would approve, and they may try and arrest me if magic is used here again. Don't worry. It's definitely not the worst I have slept on before." With that he turned to the bed and lied down. She mirrored his moves with the bed.

They turned off the light, and silently stared up at the ceiling. Neither knew that the other was still awake, and neither dared to ask. Soon, Hermione fell into a fitful sleep. The dreams of Harry being attacked again surfaced to the front of everything. She couldn't help but toss and turn, unaware that her friend was becoming worried about her. Soon, it became so bad that Harry got up and moved to the side of her bed. He called out to her in a harsh whisper, "Hermione, Hermione wake up."

In the dream, she heard the voice, but it wasn't the same voice she heard screaming. This was the voice that Harry used today. Rather than calm her down, this caused her to be even more worried and squirm even more. She awoke with a start, and saw her friend hovering over her in the darkness, a look of worry etched on his face. She latched her arms around him, and refused to let go.

Harry looked at the crying form of his friend, latched around his stomach. He felt so worried about her, and he just wanted to see her stop crying. He rubbed her back as he brought her into a tight embrace. She wouldn't let go, and neither would he. He turned to look at her, speaking to her to try and calm her down. "Come on Mione, it's ok. It was just a bad dream. I'm right here, right here with you. I won't leave you." He hated having to lie to her to keep her happy.

"Harry, please, I just want you to hold on to me, to make sure you don't leave me. I don't want you to die." She sobbed into his shoulder. "Please, just lay here with me; let me know it is going to be alright. Let me know that Ron is going to come back and we can all be friends."

Harry dislodged Hermione from his waist, to an increased amount of sobs, only to silence them as he lied down next to her in his bed. She turned over in the cramped space, and he hugged close to her, wrapping her up in his arms. Again, the feeling of perfection washed through Hermione, and she stopped crying immediately. She snuggled closer to him, feeling his stomach on her back. She felt comfortable. Hermione fell asleep moments later. The dream that came was not that of the nightmare, but rather the peaceful dream of sitting on her swing in her backyard in the arms of the boy who held her while she slept. As for Harry, he was dreaming the exact same thing.

A/N Sorry for not updating. Anyway, how was the story?? If u like ma stories and u play Roblox, send me a friend request! My username is picklesandwaffles554. Baaaaiiiiiii!! See u guys next chapter. I will post 3 more chapters today!