I Will Remember You

Revenge

Harry's hand shot towards her wrist and blocked her arm before the blade could enter her stomach, right under her breasts. The dagger fell to the floor with a 'clung'.

"I thought you were aiming for me," he said, still holding onto her wrist. Hermione fell to her knees. He was just acting, he wasn't sleeping. She burst into tears of joy. She had fought the voice. She was free.

Harry knelt next to her and looked into her eyes, brown and filled with tears and warmth. The only thing that Harry could think looking into those eyes was that this was the Hermione he remembered. And that the merchant was going to pay for all the things he'd done to her.

"I fought it," said Hermione, smiling and crying at the same time. She threw her arms around Harry's neck and dampened his shirt with her tears.

Harry caressed her hair gently. "Yes," he whispered in her ear. "You fought it. You were very strong, exactly like the Hermione I used to know."

"I envy you," she said, wiping away the tears.

"Why?" asked Harry, a bit surprised.

"Because you know me better than I do. You remember our past. And you remember all the people that you loved."

Harry's expression darkened. He got up and walked to the window. "And I envy you, because you cannot remember the last minutes of all your friends' lives," he said bitterly.

"Don't say that," she said forcefully, getting to her feet. "I would give my life for a glimpse of my past. Living without your memory is like living with no identity."

Harry turned towards her. "Maybe you're right," he said thoughtfully. "You always have been smarter than me." Hermione smiled, which seemed to bring him back to reality. "What were you trying to do?" he asked Hermione seriously.

Hermione shivered. "I was ordered to kill you and steal anything worth taking. I did it often." She added quickly, "But I didn't want to, he forced me." Her voice shook.

"Don't worry, I know it's not your fault. He probably had you under the Imperius Curse," Harry said.

"The Imperius Curse?"

"It's a powerful curse used to control people. It's highly illegal. That coward used you for his crimes. Well, he won't do that anymore," he said resolutely.

"What are you going to do?" asked Hermione, scanning his face for clues.

"I have a plan, but I need your help," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes again.

"I'll do whatever I can to make him pay," said Hermione angrily.

Harry smiled. "Good, because you play a big part in the plan. Listen," he continued, sitting down on his bed. Hermione copied him. "You've got to go back to his room and act like you succeeded. Like you've just killed me. Hmm, you'll need to bring him some valuables, to prove you did it. I've still got some Galleons," he said as he got up and moved towards the wardrobe, "and you'll have to act like you're still under the Imperius Curse."

Hermione nodded to show she understood.

"Then, we'll have to wait till he falls asleep. I'll come in and we shouldn't have any trouble getting his wand and Stupefying him. We'll tie him up and send him by Floo to the Ministry of Magic." Harry spotted a quizzical look on Hermione's face.

"Do you understand everything?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "Everything but the last three words."

"Floo and Ministry of Magic?"

Hermione nodded again.

Harry smiled. "The Floo Network is a way to travel. All you need is some Floo Powder and a fireplace that's connected to the Network. You throw the powder into the fireplace, say the name of the place you want to go and step in. The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British Wizarding World. We used to work there. Lately they've lost a lot of their power, but they'll help us. They will send him to Azkaban - um, Azkaban is a prison."

Hermione was nodding again in understanding.

Harry sighed. "Okay, are you ready? He'll probably get suspicious if you don't turn up soon."

"Yes, he surely will. I'm ready," she answered, standing up.

"Okay, then. Take these," he said, dropping all of his remaining money into her hands. "And remember to act exactly as if you were still under the curse."

She nodded once again and started for the door.

"Hermione," Harry called after her. She turned to face him. "I won't let anything bad happen to you." He thought for a moment, then added, "Again."

"I know," she answered, and smiled before she walked out the door. When the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall. She knew that something bad was coming, whatever Harry said. She hadn't told him that her master usually wanted to have some 'fun' with her when she came back from her murders. She didn't want to ruin Harry's plan. She was ready to bear it one more time to thank Harry for everything he'd done for her. She looked up and saw that she'd arrived at room five without noticing the hallway in between. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

When she entered the room, the merchant was filling his trunks with all the knick-knacks that had been scattered around the chamber before. He looked up at her. "Did you do it?" She nodded coolly. "Why the hell did it take you so long? What went wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered, coming nearer to the bed.

The merchant glared at her for a moment, but then he smiled. "Very well," he said. "Let me see the loot." Hermione gave him the Galleons. "Oh, now, that boy was rich. Unfortunately he was also stupid," he said, laughing.

Hermione didn't move. "Well? Have you lose your tongue?" he asked her roughly.

"No," Hermione answered in an impudent tone.

He stood up quickly and slapped her, hard. She fell backwards, landing on the bed. Her dress rode up above her knees and when she moved to try to protect herself from another blow, it rode up even further. Now her green knickers were peeking out below the hem. One of the straps of the dress fell down to her arm, exposing part of one breast. She glared at him. Her left cheek was pink from the slap, but both were red with anger, and her chest was heaving.

The merchant stared at her. 'She is so beautiful,' he thought. He had had her when she was dirty and only a tenth as pretty. Looking at her now, clean, dressed well, and glowing with anger, he felt his desire rise up suddenly. He wanted to possess her. He moved to the foot of the bed and threw himself upon her. When she tried to move away, he pinned her hips with his legs and her hands with his, smiling evilly.

"Let me go," Hermione demanded, glaring at him and trying to kick.

The merchant tutted. "Do you really think that I will? You are in my power. Keep your mouth shut unless I tell you otherwise, do you understand?"

Hermione nodded, trying to hold back her tears.

"Very good, and now-" he said, capturing both her hands in one of his so that he could use the other to fondle her breasts.

Hermione shivered. It was horrible. The other times she hadn't had a choice, but now she did and she still had to endure it. Harry had said to wait until he was sleeping, but he would have what we wanted before he fell asleep.

Suddenly she thought that Harry might see what was happening somehow. How else would he know when the merchant was sleeping? Surely he wouldn't allow the merchant to go through with it. But maybe he meant for Hermione to inform him. She tried to make herself believe that Harry would come.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the merchant's filthy hand trailed slowly up her leg and brushed her knickers. She felt a warm tear run down her cheek. She closed her eyes, unable to face him while he humiliated her.

Then she heard a 'pop'. Suddenly someone grabbed the merchant by his robes and hurled him to the floor. Hermione stared at her rescuer. Harry was pointing his wand at the merchant, who lay on the floor.

Harry looked back at her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Hermione nodded and smiled. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to wait until he was asleep?"

"I'm saving you. I was getting bored with waiting, so I decided to come join the party. Plus I realized that I wouldn't have known when he would have been sleeping," said Harry, blinking.

The merchant swore several times and then gave Harry an evil look. "You should be dead," he said, glaring at Harry and then Hermione.

"You should be dead," Harry replied harshly. "Rape, Unforgivable Curses, slavery. You will rot in Azkaban."

The merchant gritted his teeth. "Tell me why you are still alive."

"Hermione broke the Imperius Curse. She is a powerful witch."

The merchant glared at Hermione again, and she smiled back fiercely. "But I filled your whisky with a sleeping potion. You should be sleeping right now," he said with a grimace.

"I'm not a fool," said Harry matter-of-factly. "You were too busy giving Hermione mental orders to notice that I didn't drink anything. I don't like whisky, and I doubt the plant downstairs liked it either," said Harry.

"Very clever, boy. You should be an Auror," the merchant said snidely.

"I am an Auror." The merchant seemed impressed. " Hermione's one, as well. You're going to the Ministry of Magic now, and you'll finish your days in Azkaban." Harry muttered a couple of spells, making cords appear out of nowhere, wrapping around the merchant like snakes. He levitated him over to the fireplace and turned towards Hermione. "Wait here. I'll be back in an hour, max."

Hermione nodded.

"The Ministry of Magic," said Harry, holding onto the merchant. To Hermione's great surprise, in a second they had vanished into green flames.