A Time For Everything

A Time For Everything

The early morning silence of the library was broken by the sound of a chair softly being pulled out and the gentle thump of books being put down. Soft grey light filtered through a nearby window as a young lady sat in a chair. For a moment, she was still, not quite sure what she was doing. Then she stood and began to peruse the shelves around and behind her.

Hermione loved the quiet of the library in the early mornings. There were no other students to distract her with their rustling parchments or their hushed whispers. No, it was just her, alone with her thoughts and the old dusty books. Today, she was looking for something particular. One of her best friends was going through something very difficult and she felt a need to be there for him, more than she had ever been. Needless to say, Hermione always stood beside Harry, looking out for him at all times... but this time felt different. This time felt more urgent, more pressing. This time he had watched as he'd lost someone who had been important to him. Sirius' death had hit Harry extremely hard, for Harry believed it was his fault that his godfather had died. The whole battle in the Department of Mysteries weighed on him heavily; the fact that his friends had been there and had been hurt was always at the front of his mind. Last night, Hermione had sat next to him out by the lake and listened as he poured all of his frustration and hurt out... all of his self-blame and his uncertainties.

"Hermione, why did you follow me into the Ministry of Magic? Why didn't you listen and just stay?"

Harry had glanced at her briefly before casting his green eyes down again. He'd told her that one of his biggest fears had come true and another one had almost followed suit. She had assumed that he meant facing Voldemort, but when she asked, his answer shocked her and chilled her.

"Mione," said Harry, his voice soft, almost nothing. "I thought you had died... that it was my fault that you died. I saw that purple flame hit you and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I've always been afraid that either you or Ron will die because of me. And that night... that night, I felt like my entire world stopped."

Harry swiped angrily at his right cheek. Hermione leaned over and removed his glasses, folding them and placing them gently on the grass beside her. She knelt in front of him and cupped his face between her hands, her thumbs softly brushing away the tears that fell from his eyes. Harry looked up at her, the misery in his eyes hitting her with the force of a thunderstorm.

"If I had died, it would have been my fault and mine alone. I followed you to the Ministry because I wanted to, Harry, because you needed me and that's what friends do when they are needed..."

As she browsed the shelves, Hermione sighed sadly. He had pulled away from her and sat there in silence. The next thing out of his mouth was about Sirius.

"You can't tell me that it's not my fault that Sirius is dead. If I had stopped to talk to someone about what that wretched elf had said, perhaps I would not have gone tearing into the Department of Mysteries so easily. If I had practiced everything Snape had been trying to teach me, perhaps I would have been able to block Voldemort from my mind."

She just sat there, her anger mounting. Suddenly she stood up, anger flashing across her face.

"Harry Potter, you listen to me. Sirius would have your hide if he ever heard you talking like this... you did what you thought was right, what you thought you needed to do to help your godfather. Never mind what that horrible Kreacher said or what your scar felt like... you did what you knew in your heart to be right. And the fact that Sirius came for you shows that he did the same thing. Yes, it was careless, but when someone you love is in danger, care and caution is thrown to the wind," Her voice softened. " Harry, it is doing you no good to reflect on the past. It's done. It's over. You need to focus on the future." She sat down next to him again and took his hand. "And whatever you face in the future, I'm beside you."

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She stopped and tilted her head to the side. She had been through the library many times before, but she had never noticed this. There on the shelf in front of her was a Bible. She remembered her parents reading to her a passage about time, and how everything had a time. She took the book from the shelf and walked back to her seat. The sun was now rising higher in the sky outside and the castle began to awaken. Sitting down, she opened the Bible to the back and began checking for passages about time. For a long while, she flipped to find various scriptures about time. Just as she found it, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to find Harry standing over her, looking sad. She smiled at him and patted the seat next to her. Harry sat in it without a word and leaned towards her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Hi."

Hermione laid her cheek on the top of his head.

"Hi yourself."

Harry lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry about last night."

She smiled and placed her hand on his. "Don't worry about it, Harry. We all need to vent. But I think I found something to help you a little."

Hermione turned her eyes to the book in front of her and began to read.

~"There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."~

Hermione turned to face him after she finished reading. Harry stared at the table, his head bowed. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, she saw something fall to the table. Another followed and she realized that Harry was crying.

"Harry?" she said softly. He looked up and she saw him, as he really was, a scared young man of only sixteen, wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve the blows life had delivered to him. Here was a boy that tried so hard to shoulder the responsibilities of the world, a world that truly didn't understand him, but one that forced him to grow up sooner than he should have. She felt guilty for accusing him of having a thing for saving people. If Harry didn't do it, no one would. Hermione leaned over and gathered Harry into her arms, letting him cry. Long after his tears had ceased and her back had seized up from the strange position, they remained that way. Finally, Harry pulled back and looked down. He started to apologize, but Hermione stopped him with a finger on his lips.

"Don't apologize for doing what you needed to do, Harry. You should know by now that I'm here, no matter what."

She removed her hand and went to stand up. Harry grabbed her hand and, in a move that shocked her and thrilled her, he pulled her close and kissed her. It was a simple kiss, pure and chaste, sweet and innocent. When she pulled away, she saw a smile -- a real smile -- gracing his lips. She smiled back and walked away with the Bible clutched in her hand. As she reshelved it, she knew that he would be all right. No matter what the storm, no matter what the test, she knew that as long as she stood beside him, Harry would bounce back.