I Will Remember You

Revelations

"The truth, Hermione, is that I don't know where to start," whispered Harry.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" she asked softly, standing up from the bed and sitting down on a chair in front of Harry.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, looking his hands. "Well, Hermione you have to know that in these last five years, Voldemort had become the most powerful wizard in Britain, or better in the world. He had many and many followers everywhere, even where you wouldn't ever have expected them. In the Ministry of Magic, for example, or at Hogwarts.

"He used to kill all the people that stood between him and the power. Their age, gender or social position didn't matter; he just destroyed all the obstacles that he found in his path. In the last years, he had power over almost everyone. In the Wizarding world there was only chaos and fear.

"But luckily, there were some people that stood there against him. I was one of them, but you were one too. We were Aurors. Ron, Ginny, Tonks, and lots of other brave people were trying to defeat Voldemort in every way imaginable.

"But there was always something that we seemed to miss. Voldemort was always a step in front of us. The only thing we succeeded in was the destruction of the Horcruxes. A year ago, we destroyed the last one.

"The only thing to do then was to kill Voldemort. But we didn't find the right opportunity since last April." He paused for a second, searching for the right words in his head.

"It's hard to believe, but it was Malfoy who allowed us to find Voldemort. He didn't do it on purpose - well, he did, but anyway, his deed led up to all the happened next.

"Once, he spoke too much, and we too had some spies in Voldemort's gang of followers, the Death Eaters. We acquired the knowledge of a meeting, a secret meeting. We didn't know why, or what it was for, but we knew that a huge amount of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself would be here in this place.

"That was our chance, far away from everybody and everything. We could use all the spells that we knew, even the most destructive ones, because there was nobody we cared for here.

"The nearest village is miles far away from here. No Muggles and no wizards or witches. Just us and the Death Eaters. Nobody except ourselves would have paid the consequences.

"Well, we made a mistake," said Harry bitterly.

Outside, the rain started to fall softly. Their shadows were trembling under the light of the enchanted candles.

"Everybody got here by himself, or herself. We didn't want an entirely wizard community moving all in the same way; Voldemort would have noticed; so we used Portkeys, some of us Apparated, some of the others used Floo Powder to get to the nearest fireplaces here, and so on.

"Everybody thought that I should be the leader in the operation. I would have been very happy to leave that 'honour' to someone else, but nobody accepted that. The lives of hundreds of people were in my hands.

"Yeah, hundreds. The rumour that there was an anti-Voldemort operation spread quickly between wizards and witches all over Great Britain and many people joined us in the Battle.

"Unfortunately, our surprise attack was spoiled. But we didn't know that. I brought all those people to the place of their death. You can't even imagine what I would give, Hermione, for not being the one that guided all those people to their grave," he said bleakly to her.

Hermione brought her hands to her mouth. "Oh, Harry why didn't you tell them?"

"I did tell them, but, as I've already said, nobody accepted my dismissal. I was there, and one false step and all those people would have died.

"We had done lots of tours of reconnaissance, and we knew the place quite well. We had planned everything.

"The night before that terrible day we, Ron, you and I, were all sitting together in Ron's room at the Burrow. We would have Apparated the next day half a mile far from here, and then we would have walked to this place. All the other Weasleys were already there.

"I can remember our last night together so clearly. Ron and I were talking about Quidditch, and you were saying you couldn't believe that in a moment like that, all we were able to think about was a stupid game. We ended up talking about our years at Hogwarts and all the things that we'd passed together. None of us wanted to go to bed, too afraid of waking up the next morning. But finally, each of us headed to his own room - no wait. I headed for my room; I can remember that you left Ron's bedroom after me. I don't know why, I just remember that he held you back before you went out.

"Anyway, next morning we Apparated there and walked to the field. We surrounded the Death Eaters. They were so many, that for a moment, I thought that it was all a mistake. But everybody was ready, and just waiting for my signal to attack.

"The signal was green sparks from my wand. I would have preferred to be somewhere else, any place would have been perfect, but not that place. You had to elbow me twice to make me send up the signal.

"And after that I sent it, I lost track of everybody," said Harry, his voice almost a whisper. He was trying to fight back the tears, but it became more difficult with every word he said.

Hermione was looking at him horrified, and sometimes she let out small shrieks or brought her hands to her mouth.

"I heard spells fly here and there, and some Unforgivable Curses missed me by inches. I saw lots of brave people falling under the Death Eaters' curses, but luckily some of Voldemort's followers lay motionless on the ground as well.

"I saw Fleur fight against Lucius Malfoy, but I didn't stop to help her, I had to find Voldemort." Harry's words were coming faster, and the look on his face was agitated and upset.

"I found him, he was looking at the carnage and he was enjoying it. When he became aware of my presence, he smirked evilly.

"He told me that he was waiting for me. He told me that it was a trap, he told me that he fooled me. Malfoy knew perfectly well what he was doing, when he'd said those things. I'd led all those people into a fatal trap.

"I was out of my mind with rage, and without even thinking about what I was doing, I attacked him."

Harry looked at Hermione; he was shaking slightly and tears were pouring down his cheeks.

"I didn't know what to do, Hermione." Now he was crying loudly. "I didn't know. I attacked him because I was blinded by my anger. If I hadn't done that maybe all these people," he pointed at the parchment with the list of names on it, "would still be alive.

"But all I wanted to do was kill him, and make him feel all the pain that he'd inflicted on other people. I used an Unforgivable curse on him. I used the Avada Kedavra against him.

"But he used it against me exactly two seconds after I shouted 'Avada Kedavra'. But our wands were 'brothers' and they connected like they had already done, but this time, something terrible happened.

"The Avada Kedavra spell spread his power all around us, and the entire Magical community of Great Britain and Ireland had been swept from the Earth. Only the people that were in some kind of protected shelter survived, like Fudge in the Ministry of Magic.

"But everybody else had been wiped away, destroyed, killed," cried Harry. He was gesticulating nervously, and wore an upset expression.

Harry raised his tee-shirt quickly. "Look at this scar," he said, pointing at the bolt-shape near his heart. "That's all he left on me, just like the first time." Pulling down the tee-shirt, he indicated his forehead.

Hermione didn't know what to do or say. She was the one who had begged him to tell what had happened, and now she felt like it was her fault that Harry was so hurt.

"Hermione, it was all my fault," said Harry, unexpectedly taking his head between his hands. "All my fault. I killed off all those people. I killed all the people that I loved, all the people that meant something to me."

He looked at her with his eyes full of tears. "I killed all my friends."

"Harry, no, you didn't-"

"Oh yes, Hermione, I killed them," said Harry, cutting her off. "I did it. And you know what I have been dreaming about every night since that very moment? Do you know?" he said, standing up, seizing her shoulders and shaking her furiously.

Hermione shook her head, afraid. Harry let her go when he saw that he was scaring her.

"No, of course you don't," he said bitterly, sitting again on the bed. "I've dreamed of all my friends asking me not to kill them. Every single night, they beg me for their lives and I stand there without being able to do anything."

"Harry-"

"I killed them, Hermione," shouted Harry again, crying and shaking furiously. "I killed them all, I killed them. It was all my-"

But he didn't finish the sentence.

Hermione threw herself towards him, she had put her arms around his neck, and now she kissed him.

Harry, taken aback by Hermione's reaction, took a little to realise what was happening. His body slowly stopped to shake. His tears stopped falling down his cheeks. His heart started to beat furiously in his chest.

He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. Slowly, he placed his hands on her back and hugged her to him.

After what seemed ages to Harry, Hermione slowly moved away from him. Her face was torn between fear and pleasure.

"Harry, I-I'm s-sorr-"

Harry put a finger on her lips. "Shhh," he whispered.

He got up from the bed and hugged her tightly. Hermione hugged him back. He buried his face in her neck, under her hair. Then, slowly, he started to kiss her neck. Hermione moaned softly. He moved away her shirt and her bra strap and kissed her shoulder. She was soft and warm, and her skin was white and flawless.

Hermione's heart beat faster. Harry's lips on her naked skin were such a great sensation.

While Harry was kissing her shoulder, she felt his fingers fidgeting around her shirt's buttons. He slipped them slowly out of their holes, and when he reached the last one, he raised his head and looked at Hermione.

Maybe it was the candlelight, but she looked beautiful.

He grazed Hermione's naked stomach with the tops of his fingers, then he slowly went up to her bra and reached the shoulders. He opened his hands on them and slid them down her back, causing the shirt to slip down from her shoulders and fall to the floor.

Hermione shivered with pleasure.

Then she put her hands on Harry's stomach, under his tee-shirt and deliberately slid her hands up his chest as slowly as she could. Harry raised his arms above his head and Hermione slipped his tee-shirt off, and it fell on the floor near her shirt.

They looked at each other, both breathless.

Then Harry recovered and kneeled in front of Hermione. He kissed her belly while he was opening the fastener of her jeans. Hermione hold her breath.

Harry put his hands on her waist and pulled down her jeans, leaving her in bra and knickers in front of him. Hermione moved away the jeans with her foot and the pair of trainers that she had the shrewdness to take off.

Harry looked at every inch of her body. There were still some wounds, reminder of that merchant, but to Harry she was perfect.

Harry stood up and took off his trainers. Hermione got closer to him and opened his zipper as well. She lingered a bit on his lower belly, and finally she made his jeans fall to the floor.

Hermione looked at him. He stood in front of her wearing only a pair of boxers.

Then he came nearer to Hermione and hugged her to him. Hermione placed her arms around his neck. Slowly she felt his arms raising her from the floor. Seconds later, she was lying on her back on the bed. Harry was at her side.

Harry freed her from her bra and made it fall near their other clothes. He looked at her for a very long moment, then he bent down over her breasts and kissed them softly.

Hermione's breath sped up, while Harry's hand caressed her stomach delicately. When he reached her knickers' band he played with them for a while before slipping them off of her.

Hermione moaned as she felt her knickers reaching her feet and falling on the floor. Then she stretched her hand, making her way towards Harry's boxers and eased them down on Harry's legs.

Harry climbed over her naked body and penetrated her gently. He went up and down on her body. Their breaths became deeper and faster. Their faces coloured. Their hearts started to beat in time.

Hermione felt the stars of the sky shining inside of her. Harry's movements faded away and his breath came slowly to normality as he reached the climax too.

He leaned down next to her and embraced her naked body with his arms. She closed her eyes and listened to her heart; she had butterflies in her stomach and thought that she had never been happier.

She was wrong. Because when Harry leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I love you," she felt that she could have walked on air.

And then.

Suddenly.

The pain began.