Eservanix

"Eservanix."

Chapter Ten- Reflections

She had blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were closed. She was dead.

"Nooooo!" I wailed loudly.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, Dean, Claire and Hannah came running over.

"Harry?" Ron asked alarmed.

"Holly's...Holly's dead," I choked out as I cradled her body against me.

"Oh no," Hermione said weakly as she raised a hand to her mouth and began sobbing.

Ron was depressed and he also sobbed quietly.

The others were quiet. I hugged Holly tighter against me, not caring that some of her blood was staining the collar of my uniform and robe.

I buried my face into her hair and sobbed uncontrollably.

Oh this river

Oh this river runs

Can't tear my heart away from you

You are in my soul

Can't tame this love I feel for you

Can't escape what is meant to be

It's endless as the heavens

It's timeless and it's strong

It's faithful as an angel

It's right there or wrong

There's no end to this emotion

It goes on and on

This river runs

This river runs to true

This river runs

This river runs to you

This river's deep as the ocean

Run's on blind emotion

This river runs, oh yeah

You're every beat within my heart

You are in my blood

Nothing could keep me from your arms

Where you are is where I'll always be

As long as there are mountains

And stars still fill the sky

As long as there's forever

I'm right here by your side

There's no end to this emotion

Till the end of time

I couldn't let her go. I cried and cried. I had really loved her. Why was she taken from me? It wasn't fair.

It was a good twenty minutes or so when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I raised my eyes to see Hermione's tear stained face. But there was a strange expression on her face. Disbelief and she was staring to the right of the tree. I followed her gaze, still cradling Holly's lifeless body. There was Holly standing there. She took steps toward us, but her feet made no impression in the grass. She had this gentle glow about her. I looked down at the Holly I was cradling and then back at the one standing in front of me.

"No, Harry. You're not going crazy," Holly said, in a gentle, almost angelic voice, which I've never heard her use before. "I'm here to say good-bye to you."

I gently laid Holly's lifeless body down and stood up to face the Holly standing in front of me.

"Are you...?" Ron asked, meekly.

Holly moved her eyes onto him and nodded, smiling.

Her eyes then moved onto me.

"I had the same vision as the first one with the train crashing. It was just meant to happen, just as the virus. There was nothing any of us could've done to stop it. It wasn't Ron who was supposed to die... it was me who was meant to," Holly said, in her soft angelic voice.

"You were not meant to be killed! None of us were infected!" I said, angrily.

Holly raised her hand.

"The virus had nothing to do with it. This crash was just meant to happen. It was destined to happen," Holly explained.

I didn't want to believe what I was hearing.

"This isn't fair!" I cried angrily.

"I know, but I'll always be here," Holly said, gently placing her hand on my chest, directly above my heart.

Feeling defeated and extreme overwhelming grief, I fell silent.

Holly took my face in her hands and brought her face closer until our lips met. She kissed me. I felt a gentle warmth spreading through me. I kissed her back.

Then, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. I hugged her back. She felt solid.

"I love you," I whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," Holly whispered back.

She pulled back from the embrace and took my chin. I felt the tears swelling in my eyes.

"Bye, Ron, Hermione. Thanks for being my good friends," Holly said, still holding my chin, but moving her eyes onto Ron and Hermione.

Hermione and Ron were busy sobbing. Holly turned her eyes back onto mine before she vanished before my eyes, breaking into tiny white orbs and finally disappearing all together.

I stood and turned to Ron and Hermione. They rushed forward and threw their arms around me hugging me.

HOGWARTS

An owl was sent to school explaining about the crash. We were picked up and taken the rest of the way in the carriages pulled by the Thestrals.

We were sitting at the house table for a solemn meeting. I was just staring at my plate.

At least sixty students were killed in the crash. Twenty from Hufflepuff, eighteen from Ravenclaw, nine from Slytherin and eleven from Gryffindor, including Holly and including each student from year one, to year seven.

Each house was solemn and quiet. It was eerie how quiet the Hall was. It has never been this quiet before. Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"I would like to take the time to express my deepest sorrow and grief. We lost sixty students whom were all good friends of ours. I know this will never leave our memories. It had made a lasting impression on everyone. If there is a need to talk about the accident, I would like each of you to know that we are here to help you get through this difficult time. You can talk to Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Hagrid, any of the teachers or myself," Professor said, gently and quietly.

"What caused the crash?" a girl from Ravenclaw asked meekly.

"We still don't know. The Ministry of Magic is going to investigate it. From the look of the front engine, it looks like it hit something extremely solid," Professor Dumbledore replied.

"But there was nothing in front of it!" a boy from Slytherin cried.

"We don't know, but I promise I will let all of you know when I find out," Professor Dumbledore said, gently and softly. "Let the feast begin."

The food appeared on our plates. We began eating. Besides the tinkling of forks and knives, the Hall was still silent. It was a little strange, considering that 99% of the time, the Hall is filled with talk, laughter and just noisy. I sat, picking at my food. Hermione was eating, but slowly. Ron was eating, but staring at the food before he ate it like it was foreign.

I looked down the table. Ginny was sobbing. Neville put his arms around her and comforted her. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

I glanced at the other tables, looking for Michael Corner. He was no where to be seen.

I had thought he was in Hufflepuff, but I didn't see him at the Slytherin table, Ravenclaw, the Hufflepuff or our table. Something was telling me he didn't make it. Fellow Ravenclaws was comforting Luna.

I nudged Ron and gestured toward Ginny.

"Why's she crying?" Ron asked, worriedly.

"Gee, that's a hard question," Hermione scoffed irritably, rolling her eyes.

Ron shot her a dirty look before getting up and heading over toward Ginny. Hermione got up and sat down next to me.

"How are you holding up, Harry?" she asked, gently and quietly.

"I still can't believe it. Why'd she have to die?" I asked, turning my eyes onto hers.

Her honey brown eyes were filled with tears.

"I don't know. But I do know she loved you very much," Hermione said, kindly and gently.

She leaned against me and pressed her forehead against the side of my head.

I closed my eyes briefly.

I turned my face toward hers. My right cheek pressed against hers as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. She hugged me back tightly. Her chin was resting on my shoulder.

"I loved her, Hermione...more than life," I whispered in Hermione's ear.

HERMIONE

I totally understood how he felt. I loved him the same way, but I didn't want to come in between him and Holly. I didn't want to ruin what he and Holly had. Ron and I have slowly grown apart. We just can't get along. We're just too different. I've always loved Harry. Before we met Holly, I was planning on telling him how I felt. I really cared about Holly though. She was a wonderful person. I didn't want to say anything now, because it would look like I wanted him vulnerable. I felt him press his face into my hair. I felt a tingle running down my spine and a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I released him.

"I know how you feel. Believe me," I said, softly.

He smiled at me through tears that had been streaking down his cheeks.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"You're a good friend," he said, pressing his forehead against mine.

I smiled, forcing it.

"Thanks."

Ron came back looking even more upset and guilty.

"Michael didn't make it. I feel terrible about the way I treated him. Ginny's all upset and depressed. I apologized to her. She accepted it," Ron said, quietly.

"Oh no," I said, quietly and meekly.

"Poor Ginny," Harry replied sadly.

We finished the rest of our meal in complete silence. As we were heading up to the common room, a strange feeling came over me.

I stopped short and grabbed Harry's arm just above the elbow.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Harry demanded.

Ron was watching worriedly also.

"I don't know," I said.

A flash went off before my eyes. I saw the dark figure hovering in front of the engine. Then, the chain reaction of the passenger cars sliding and derailing off the tracks. I saw Holly fly out of the window and hit the tree. The flash vanished.

"Hermione?" Harry prompted.

"My God... I saw what happened... what caused the crash," I said, looking at Harry and Ron with wide eyes.

"Huh? You just had a premonition?" Ron asked, goggling at me.

I nodded.

"What did you see?" Harry asked.

"I saw the crash. I saw the dark figure hovering in front of the engine... the engine hit it and I saw Holly flying out of the window and hitting the tree," I replied.

Harry flinched.

"So it was the dark shape who caused the crash?" Ron asked.

I nodded.

"Well, we've got to tell Dumbledore!" Ron said.

I shook my head.

"It won't do any good, Ron," I said.

"Why not?" Ron demanded.

"Because what caused it is death."

Both Harry and Ron stared at me.

"How do you know?" Harry asked quietly.

"Because that's the only logical explanation. Remember? Each time we saw it a student was killed. That's because it was coming for them as they were infected. They were meant to," I replied.

"But no one on the Hogwarts Express was infected this time!" Ron said.

"It doesn't matter. This crash was just meant to happen. It was written."

"Where?" Ron asked.

I swear, sometimes he is dense.

"You're studying Divination, Ron. Not me. Think," I said, rolling my eyes.

Realization formed on his face.

"Oh."

Harry was the only one who was silent.

We began walking into the Gryffindor common room. It was eerily silent. The fire crackled gently, creating a warm orange glow over the hearth rug in front of it.

Some of the students were just sitting and talking in low whispers.

We found our favorite place in front of the fire in chairs and sat down.

Harry was deep in thought. Ron was also and I found my self thinking deeply also.

I remembered the first year that I attended Hogwarts and met Ron and Harry. How we had to get the Sorcerer's Stone and I how I really had felt toward Harry...

And the second year Harry had fought Tom Riddle (Voldemort) down in the Chamber of Secrets and had to help Ginny as Tom had been controlling Ginny with the diary.

Our third year when we helped Sirius escape with Buckbeak, the Hippogriff.

And our fourth year when Harry was thrown into the Tri-Wizard Tournament by "Mad Eye" Moody, who really turned out to be Barty Crouch Jr. and how Harry had vanished and then reappeared with Cedric's lifeless body.

I remembered the first time Ron, Harry and I entered the compartment with Holly. She had looked up and was beaming at us, but looking at Harry rather shyly.

She was so sweet. I really missed her. I remembered her laugh, which was catching.

I knew Harry missed her more. He really cared about her. So did Ron and I.

I glanced over at Harry.

He seemed to be in a stupor. Ron was off daydreaming as well.

"I'm going to bed," Ron said, quietly.

He got up and walked toward the boy's dorm room before he paused and turned to face us.

"Good-night, Hermione, Harry. Harry, I want you to know that I liked Holly also and I miss her just as much as you do," Ron said, in a shaky voice before he vanished into the boy's dorms.

Harry didn't seem to hear him.

I got up and sat down next to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

"Harry...we do miss Holly. We cared about her a lot also," I said, softly.

"I know," Harry choked out, swallowing a lump.

"She'll always be with us," I said, giving him a hug.

He hugged me back.

"I know that too," he whispered into my ear.

I closed my eyes against the gentle warmth and blackness of his robe. We held each other for a bit.

After a while, we pulled back. His face was inches from mine. I gave him a kiss on the cheek before I stood up and headed toward the girl's dorms.

"Wait...Hermione," Harry called.

I stopped and turned around.

He was standing up.

"Thanks," he said, smiling.

I smiled back.

"You're welcome."

We smiled at each other for a bit longer until I turned and continued up to the dorm.

THE END