Harry must Die

Chapter 5!!!

"How can it be gone?" Alan croaked.

"I have no idea, all I know is it's not there." James looked up, his face almost looked green.

"Are you sure you got the right armour."

James nodded his head slowly, "I wish I hadn't."

"Where could it be?" Robin muttered.

"Snape must have found it," Georgina squeaked, the very thought of it scared her to death.

"Why would he move it then? He'd just make sure Dumbledore found it tonight." Alan scratched his head.

"We have to go." Robin gathered her books into her arms.

"We have to find it!" James looked at his sister with a greenish tinge to his cheeks.

"No, if we don't turn up then we'll look guilty."

"We are guilty," he snapped.

"Listen, she's right." Alan moved towards the porthole, "We don't know where it is, so we might as well be innocent!" He winked.

"You are over fifteen minutes late."

The rest of the class turned their heads as the four of them walked in silently.

"Sorry," they muttered in unison.

"This is the second time you are late and I don't think you can get lost twice on the way to my class so..." He looked down at them sternly, "If any of you are late again then I'm afraid I will have to take points from Gryffindor, please don't let it come to that."

They sat down on the front bench and tried to look innocent as they opened their textbooks.

"Right, well as I was saying..." he strode back to the front of the class where a big cage was sat on the desk, "You will be split into pairs for this lesson..."

Georgina caught Robin's eye and James immediately nodded at Alan.

The professor smiled to himself as he watched the class exchanging 'secret' glances. It reminded of him when he was in first year, scared of being left out and having to work with the teacher.

"Before you all decide on your partners I must tell you that you will have to be with someone of the opposite sex, don't ask me why. You will soon find out."

The class mumbled a little but settled down again when Professor Fentstone raised an eyebrow. He seemed to have the knack of keeping their attention and had obviously settled into his job.

The class split into twos and moved to the front of the class around the empty cage on the desk.

"Now would one of you like to tell me what it's called?" He smiled mischievously at his confused group who were now staring hard into the cage.

"Robin? Would you like to have a guess?"

"Erm..." She looked around the room exchanging confused looks with the group, "I can't see anything, sir."

"Of course you can't, that's because you don't know what it is!"

"But?"

"Now, do not be deceived by appearances." He winked. "Seems pretty harmless now but when you are alone in the woods with it, you might think differently."

"There's nothing there!" Alan laughed, "You're mental!"

"Alan!" Robin stood on his foot to shut him up, glowing a healthy pink as she looked back up at him.

"We call it an Ignotus bear. Ignotus is latin for unknown so some people prefer just to call it the unknown bear, even though it is plainly not a bear I have no idea why they decided to name it after one! It is a relative of the goblin, after all."

The class stared up at Professor Fentstone clearly wondering whether he had any sanity.

"Where is it?" Isobel said whilst stepping forwards, peering into the cage.

"All will be revealed!"

She raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Ok, that's enough chit-chat. I think it's about time we did a bit of defence against the dark arts!" He smiled, obviously excited.

"He's mad!" Alan hissed to Georgina who was still staring into the cage hoping she'd somehow see it.

"Ok, everyone take a few steps back and, erm..." He scanned the crowd of confused faces in front of him, "Alan and... who's your partner?"

"Georgina." He winked at her, smiling.

"Great, Georgina and Alan come here please."

Alan jogged to the front excitedly and Georgina followed uncertainly with her wand gripped in her fist.

"You'll need your wand Alan." The professor smiled as James passed it to him.

"Ok, probably the most important thing to remember when dealing with an ignotus bear is to be with someone of the opposite sex or it will be able to detect you much sooner than you would like. This is because ignotus bears are neither male nor female and reproduce asexually, like plants. You never find two ignotus bears within the same mile. They are definitely not social creatures, in fact if you put two near each other they would most definitely kill each other."

Georgina fumbled with her robes nervously.

"Ok, the spell to make it visible to the human eye is illustrare erubescere and what is does is emits an extremely bright red light lighting up approximately four meters ahead of you. Ok, ready to give it a try? Don't look so worried, Georgina, it's a very simple and easy to use spell!"

She smiled, still gripping her wand.

"So it's Ill-ust-rare erub-es-care, and point you wands directly at the cage. Ok after three, one... two... three."

"Illustrare erubescere!" Alan shouted loudly and Georgina squeaked.

Alan's wand shot out a beam of red light while Georgina's fizzled out a few dull sparks.

"A little more confidence needed I think!" He smiled. "You need two wands for it to become visible unless you are further advanced. Now lets try again and try to speak more clearly Georgina."

She nodded determinedly and bit her lip, staring at the tip of her wand.

"Don't look at your wands, focus on the cage so the light will be directed more accurately."

She jerked her head up and stared into the cage.

"Ok, after three, one... two... three..."

A bright red light burst out of their wands and lit up the cage revealing a small hunched backed creature sat in the cage snarling with its eyes squinting up at the wands pointing at it.

"Good good!" He beamed, "Ok keep your wands on it."

They nodded in unison.

"The reason why this is creature is so dangerous is simply because you cannot see it, when you can see it, it is practically harmless because we have the advantage. It is confused by the red light and is disorientated so it would normally run away. Obviously as it is caged this is impossible for it to do!"

"Why is it dangerous?" Milly Banks, a small auburn haired Hufflepuff girl asked, "I mean, what can it do?"

"Well, it couldn't kill you..." He smiled wickedly, "but it could put you in a ten year coma. One touch from this guy and you're snookered!"

He stared around the tense classroom. He knew he was laying on the work a bit thick for a first real lesson but he promised himself when he got the job that he would not be one of those professors who just dictated from a textbook all year. He wanted to make sure his pupils remembered each lesson, even if that meant scaring them to death.

Milly looked up at the professor again and shook her long shiny hair behind her shoulders, "Isn't it dangerous bringing that thing in school?" She pouted her lips. "If I got hurt then you would be in big trouble with my Father! He can sue you know!"

Professor Fentstone smiled kindly down at the small chubby girl. "No it is not dangerous Miss Banks because it is under a powerful spell called the, 'exarmare' spell. It's kind of like the disarming spell for witches and wizards except it disarms magical creatures from their powers for a period of time. The length of time depends on how good the spell is. The one I have used will last exactly twenty four hours so I'll let him back loose tonight into the forbidden forest. We didn't know they existed until about four years ago. People were found in comas for unknown reasons for hundreds of years and now we know why, it is simple to revive them!"

"How?" Isobel asked

"That, Miss Allia, is part of tonights homework." His eyes twinkled. "Now I want you all to go back to your places, Georgina and Alan, you can lower your wands now and say, 'finite incantate' to stop the spell"

They both muttered the spell and the red light started fading until it could no longer be seen

"Good, five points awarded each for your house."

They walked back to their rows grinning at each other.

"Ok, from now until the bell you can get started on your homework which is to..." He stopped mid sentence as the door banged open, Professor Snape stepped inside with his usual bitter face. The class turned around in their seats.

"Yes?" Professor Fentstone stared at Snape, the twinkle in his eyes gone.

He smirked, "I need to see the Potters, Weasley and Hawkson."

"Is it really necessary to take them from my class?" The two professors exchanged a look of obvious mutual hate.

"I'm afraid it is urgent," he turned to James Potter with a cold glint in his eyes.

"Well, if you'd wait outside. They will be with you when I've finished my sentence."

Professor Snape continued his glare at James a little longer, then marched back out.

"Right well, as I was saying," his voice was a little more snappy than usual, "I want you to be starting an essay on the ignotus bear and it has to include all the points we've been through this lesson. I also want you to find out how you would revive a person in a coma caused by the bear and at least two extra details about it which you can find in your text books." He turned to the twins, Alan and Georgina, "You four can go."

They nodded and got up slowly in silence. James led the way.

"Aaah, I wondered when you'd decide to show up." Professor Snape stared at them as they filed out of the classroom. He smirked when he noticed they were all scared stiff and watched them avoiding eye contact when possible.

"What is it?" Alan forced himself to look up at the hideous sight of Snape's bitter face.

"Don't be acting all innocent, you don't fool me and you should all know very well that tonight will be your last night in Gryfindor tower because when Dumbledore finds out you have been stealing you will all be expelled."

Robin gulped loudly.

"Yes, Robin, that's right. I'm afraid you'll have to be telling your famous Daddy that there's no chance of becoming head-girl, or you Quidditch captain," he added to James.

"We already know you think all that, you've just told us all this in your office so if you don't mind, you're wasting our time." Alan turned to walk back into the classroom but Snape grabbed his arm turning him back round.

"Don't act all cocky with me, fool!" he growled. "You're turning out just like your damned father and uncle. Better watch out."

"I think you and I have a different opinion on what my father's like!" he snapped.

"Damn right we do! You'll always see him as the happy little joker whilst the rest of us see him for what you all are! Cocky little red-heads who have to go round making jokes to make up for their lack of brains!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Alan's face prickled red, his fists clenched.

"Alan!" Robin and James hissed. Georgina glared up at Professor Snape.

The door behind them opened and Professor Fentstone stuck his head out, "Everything alright out here? Hope you're not threatening first years Snape?"

"Everything's splendid, now if you don't mind?" He ground his teeth.

Professor Fentstone looked at his four pupils glaring up at Professor Snape.

"I expect them back in my class in no less than two minutes, make it quick. I'm not happy about them missing part of my lesson."

"Oh, no need to worry," Snape smirked, "anything the Potters miss, I'm sure their clever Dad will be able to fill them in on. After all, he did have quite a lot of experience with the dark arts." Robin flinched when he mentioned Harry. Georgina gave her concerned look knowing how much Robin hated people mentioning him. She still didn't know why.

Professor Fentstone glared at him, "I'll have them back in my class in one minute." He left, slamming the door behind him. The four children looked at the door longing to follow.

James was the first to turn back to Snape.

"So?" He swallowed nervously, "what do you want?"

Snape smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"Yes..." He waited until the other three had turned around, "I'd better get to the point or Professor Fentstone will throw another one of his tantrums."

They looked up at him coldly. "I'm sure one of you can guess!"

"Oh just shut up and tell us..." Robin muttered quietly to herself, then looked up, startled that she'd actually said it out loud.

His mouth twisted into a smirk, "Very well... Mr Potter will be coming into school tomorrow morning to see you."

"What has this got to do with my Dad? You don't even know it's us yet!" James cried out in a panic.

"Yet?" He smiled.

"Well... I didn't mean yet, I meant... it's not us..."

"Of course not!" he mused sarcastically. "Your beloved father knows nothing of this foul business. He's coming to take over Professor Ferrol's job."

"What's wrong with Ferrol?" James's asked, "and this can't be all you need to tell us!"

"Oh, I don't need to tell you anything... I want to!"

They dreaded what was coming next, for Snape to want to tell them something out of his own will, surely couldn't be good.

"That peanblighter you stole was used to make a lot of things. One of those things was to keep a certain Quidditch teacher well enough to teach. Without it, I can't make the potion to keep him healthy. Professor Ferrol has had to go back home due to illness." He smiled evilly down at them.

They stood in silence, none of them knowing what to do or say.

The door behind them swung back open.

"I'm taking them back now whether you're finished or not. It's been well over a minute."

"Oh, I think I've said all that needs to be said." Severus walked back down the corridor.

"I cannot believe you've gotten us into this mess."

Robin and James were sat in the common room in a corner. It was relatively empty as most people were having lunch in the great hall, including Alan and Georgina. James sighed heavily in his armchair next to the chessboard. None of them were playing but it was the only place they could talk where no one could hear them.

"We're only in our second week and we've managed to send a professor home sick, steal from Snape's office, blackmail him..." She looked up at her brother angrily. "What else have you got up your sleeve? Why don't you and Alan set the school on fire? That might be fun!"

"You were in the office with us, don't put the blame all on me," he muttered.

"Like I had a choice!" She leapt out of her chair, "DON'T TELL ME I HAD A CHOICE!!!"

The common room went silent and heads turned to Robin, eyebrows raised.

"Sorry..." She said moodily. She sat back down facing James.

"Calm down, Rob," James murmured. He sighed and rested his head in his hands, hiding his face.

She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "I just cannot believe what's happened. After waiting to come here for my whole life, it's over in the first week. I... I... can't believe it."

He lifted up his head, "I know, but we're not expelled yet..."

"Yet!!! That's what I'm worried about!"

"I know, I know! I'm just as worried as you, you know."

A tear leaked out of her eye. She wiped it away hastily.

"Robin," he got out of his chair and knelt next to her, "it'll all work out, things like this always do..."

"You can't guarantee that and anyway it's more complicated than that." She sniffled, "I just feel so guilty about Professor Ferrol and I'm so scared about what mum'll say..."

Tears fell down onto her grey skirt leaving small dark patches. James leant nearer to her and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Let's just see what happens tonight."

The porthole opened, Georgina walked in behind Alan and they made their way towards the twins.

Robin jerked her head off her brother's shoulder and wiped her eyes when she heard them. James sat back in his chair.

"Guess who we've just seen?" Alan jumped onto the floor in between the twins. Georgina sat cross-legged next to him.

"I give up..." Robin muttered moodily. Georgina tried to catch her eye to smile at her but Robin avoided her. She looked back to Alan.

"Malfoy, in the great hall."

"So what? She's always in the great hall at lunch..." James looked down at his red head, confused.

"No, the other Malfoy, Invidia's Dad."

"Draco?" The twins said in unison. Robin suddenly looked interested.

"What's he doing here? Please to God tell me he's not a new Professor." Her eyes were still shiny and she looked down at biting her lip.

"You Ok?"

"Yes I'm fine, I just don't want this day to get worse so don't tell me he's here for any length of time. I can't even cope with one Malfoy in this school."

"I don't know why he's here. We just saw him entering the hall as we were leaving."

"Great!" she said sarcastically.

"I take it he's not nice then!" Georgina smiled slightly.

"Not nice is an understatement!" James snapped.

"He didn't look very friendly," she murmured more to herself than anyone else.

"He's not!" Alan murmured back.

"Hey, you reckon he's got anything to do with that stuff going missing?"

"How would he know about it?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"No wait, she's got a point." Robin sat up, "knowing the Malfoys, Invidia would probably have known what the peanblighter was when Alan found it in the lesson. So if she had anyway of knowing you stole it, then maybe that's why Draco's here, to get it from her. Dad's always going on about how the Malfoys have illegal stuff. Maybe they need the peanblighter for something too."

The other three suddenly looked excited.

"What? So your saying Invidia could have somehow found out about us stealing it, and found the hiding place, stole it back from us and is giving it to her Dad to get it out of school?" Alan said eagerly.

"It's a possibility..."

"Bit far fetched though, how could she have found out anyway? We didn't tell anyone..." James settled back into his chair.

"I know what you two are like. You're not exactly discreet are you, and face it, Invidia is very clever whether you like it or not. I reckon she could pull it off." Robin let down her hair from her pony-tail allowing it to flop down by her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it quickly making the light bounce off her dark brown locks in different places.

"She's not that clever..." Alan muttered.

"Did you notice Invidia acting at all strangely around you? Did you discuss anything near her? Was there any chance of her overhearing you?" Robin leant forwards looking at James and Alan almost shouting the questions out. Her hair fell over her eyes and she pushed it back impatiently.

"I don't think so..."

"Come to think of it..." Georgina was sat behind Alan now and they had almost forgotten she was there. She noticed how they all flinched when she spoke, as though she was an intruder. They turned around to face her.

"What?" Robin bit her lip looking highly guilty when she realised Georgina had been slightly excluded.

"Probably not important..." She twisted a blonde lock of hair around her finger, "but I did notice her watching you when you were with the note, you know, before the lesson Robin passed out?"

"Got knocked out you mean?!" James spat fiercely.

Robin scowled at him.

"She seemed a little interested in the parchment you were holding. I remember thinking we ought to be more careful."

"Why didn't you tell us at the time?" Alan didn't mean to sound angry but it kind of came out that way.

"I did! You told me girls worry too much, remember!" Georgina snapped looking a little hurt.

The twins exchanged nervous glances; the last thing they wanted was a catfight.

"Oh yeah," Alan muttered, embarrassed.

"What's this all about?" Jennifer Clemens asked Isobel. "What do you think they're looking for?"

The Gryfindors were all waiting outside the fat lady gossiping curiously about why the teachers were in their common room. The twins, Alan and Georgina were sat quietly in the corner listening to all the obscure guesses about what was missing.

"I dunno. It's strange isn't it?" Isobel and Jenny turned to the four, "what do you think's happening?"

They all looked up slowly at Isobel's questioning expression. Robin shrugged her shoulders.

"Marcus thinks the ignotus bear's escaped in our room but I think that's a bit far fetched," Isobel chattered on ignoring the fact that none of the four were listening.

"Yeah but anything could happen in this school. That'd explain why their not telling us what's missing, and why we're out here, so we can't get hurt and panicked." Jenny sat down next to Robin. "What do you think, Rob?"

"What?"

"What do you think's happened?"

"I don't know do I? Why's everyone asking me?" She got up off the floor. "I don't know anything more than you do!" She stormed off to the other side of the corridor.

"What did I say?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Nothing..." James got up to go over to Robin, "anyway, it was under a twenty four hour spell, so it's not dangerous."

"Yeah, but it will be after the twenty four hours so they would need to find it quickly..."

"Trust me, it's not the ignotus bear!" James walked over to his sister and sat next to here.

"What's wrong with those two?"

Georgina and Alan shrugged their shoulders.

"And you two!" Isobel sat down.

Georgina looked around, watching everyone chattering excitedly. Phoebe Linkit (the head girl) was gossiping with a few of her seventh year friends while brushing her hair in the far corner near Robin and James. The twins were sat in a tense silence just staring at the fat lady, waiting for it to open.

"What you thinking about?" Alan said quietly to Georgina.

"About what'll happen if I'm expelled," she answered bluntly.

"So?"

"So what?" She looked at him.

"What do you think'll happen?"

"Well, Mum'll be relieved, Dad might care a little bit but generally thinks what Mum tells him to think! My brother probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone. At least I'd get to see my guinea pig!" She smiled slightly at the thought.

"Well, I'd be killed the moment I stepped through the door so..."

"Yeah but at least you wouldn't be cut off from this world altogether." She sighed.

"I'm really sorry," he muttered.

"Why?"

"It was all my idea..."

"Listen it was all of our faults." She smiled. "Don't blame yourself. That'll make me feel guilty for making you feel guilty for..." She paused and stared at the floor in concentration, "I have no idea how I'm going to finish this sentence!"

He laughed slightly but groaned when he saw his brother Simon, Lorenze and his friend Matthew Sirn walking towards them. "I'm really not in the mood for more wild guesses and accusations." He whispered to Georgina grumpily. She smiled sympathetically.

"Hey, Al! What's up with you, I thought you'd be glad to have a little excitement in this place."

Georgina rolled her eyes.

"I like the kind of excitement where we get to stay in our dorms," Alan replied moodily.

Simon raised his eyebrows to Lorenze who sat down next to Alan cross legged.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, sorry, just tired." He knew they wouldn't believe him but wasn't in the mood to be making up wild stories.

"I take it you've had a fall out, that's not like you two," Simon said when he noticed the twins sitting in the other end of the corridor.

"No..." Alan started.

"Yep, that's what I keep telling him!" Georgina said smiling at Alan.

"If you don't mind Si, we were having a private conversation..." he snapped.

"Ok..." Simon smiled and turned to Lorenze and Matthew, "we'd better go while we still have all our limbs intact."

Lorenze's nose wrinkled slightly as she laughed and she followed the two boys away from Georgina and Alan.

Georgina looked at Alan frowning, "That's not like you."

He sighed.

The chattering of the Gryfindors stopped abruptly as the entrance to the common room slammed open and Professor Snape marched out down the corridor and out of sight. Professor Dumbledore hopped out, the twinkle still in his eyes.

"You may return to your common room and I apologise for any inconvenience. Unfortunately we have been unable to find what we were looking for and we will be searing the other common rooms." He strode down the corridor following professor Snape. Phoebe Linkit trotted next to him, obviously a bit put out that he hadn't confided in her.

The twins walked over to Alan and Georgina slowly.

"Think we've got away with it." Alan smiled to himself.

"Seems that way, but I don't know..." Robin still looked anxious.

"If we're in trouble, Snape wouldn't have looked so angry."

James nodded excitedly. Georgina grinned behind a wave of fuzzy blond hair. She pushed it behind her ear.

"Speech!!" Ron shouted across the table.

"Yeah, come on Harry!" Hermione grinned at him after being elbowed by Ron who was sitting next to her.

Harry was going to travel to Hogwarts the following morning and he had invited all his close friends over the night before for a good-bye meal.

"You know how bad I am at speeches..." He smiled at his friends warmly.

Ginny got up from the table, "If you'll excuse me, guys, I'm desperate for the loo and I think I've heard a few too many of your bad speeches!" She looked down at her husband smiling. Harry returned the smile reluctantly noticing how the smile did not quite reach her eyes. Instead they glistened distantly down into his. He couldn't remember the last time they had shared a proper smile without feeling it was an act or forced. He sighed to himself as she walked up the stairs.

"Come on, Harry... Let's hear one of your abysmal speeches then!"

He paused, still staring at the staircase, then turned around abruptly when he felt his friends' eyes staring into his back.

"Ok, but don't say you weren't warned." He adjusted his glasses and stood up.

He looked down at all his friends. Ron was laughing at one of his own jokes as Eleanor chuckled by his side squeezing his hand playfully. Hermione, on Ron's other side, was staring up at Harry looking concerned, as usual. Oliver put his arm around her but she made no response as her full attention was on Harry. Oliver put his hand through his light brown hair and Harry watched his eyes gazing at Hermione intensely. He returned Hermione's look with a smile and he cleared his throat.

"I can't believe that you guys are going to make me make a fool of myself on such a nice night!"

"We're your friends. How can you possibly make a fool of yourself?" Hermione said softly.

"Yeah, it's not as if this would be the first time you've made a fool of yourself. You do that everyday!" Ron laughed again as Eleanor hit him playfully.

"Let 'arry get on wiv it!" She grinned showing her set of pearly white teeth.

"Ok, better get this over and done with," he adjusted his glasses. "First of all, thanks for coming cause it really has made tonight great before I set off back to school tomorrow. I want you all to keep in contact while I'm over there cause I'm gonna need a change in company once in a while to keep my sanity when dealing with Snape, again! I can't believe I'm going back and I really want you all to visit. Keep Halloween free for my big match against Cornwall Crystals, I really want you to see us beat them, erm... can't think of much else to say... erm, already said how great it is seeing you all... We really need to do this more often... erm..."

"You haven't said how fabulously brilliant you think we all are!" Ron grinned, standing up. Eleanor pulled him back down and he sat on her knee.

"Right, I think that's my cue to stop talking!" Harry sat back down as Ron was pushed back onto his own chair and Eleanor jumped on his knee laughing. He watched them enviously. It seemed like ages since Ginny had voluntarily done that.

They all moved into the living room as the night progressed and were merrily chatting about lost memories. Harry excused himself to go to the toilet when he found Ginny's forced shrill laughter getting a bit too much for him and found himself wandering outside and sitting on a bench he'd made himself by his Quidditch shed underneath the stars. He had no idea what was going on with Ginny. She had been becoming more and more distant with him ever since her run in with Draco at Diagon Alley, which seemed like years ago to Harry. He sat back, letting his head rest against the shed.

"Want some company?"

He jerked his head up to look at Hermione standing about a meter away. Her hair was down in soft brown waves below her shoulders and she was wearing her usual red evening dress that she wore to most friendly gatherings.

He nodded his head and she sat down next to him.

"Sure this is safe?"

"Safe?" Harry looked at her quizzically.

"The bench," she smiled. "You made it didn't you?"

"Shut up," he smiled back at her.

"You and Ginny Ok?" She moved closer to him.

"Why wouldn't we be?" he replied bluntly.

"Oh come off it, Harry. You may think you fool us but you don't. What's happened?"

"Nothing."

"Harry?" She stared up at him and took his hand from his lap, interlocking her fingers with his, "Why can't you tell me?"

He looked down at their hands, then back up to her eyes that were boring into his searching for an answer.

"You two haven't been right for ages and I want to know why."

"I don't know..." he muttered to himself.

"Harry, you can tell me..."

"I don't know." He took his hand away from hers in a swift movement.

She moved back a little, "Oh..."

"I don't know what's wrong cause nothing has gone wrong," he turned away from her and his head ached with what he was about to say. "She just doesn't love me anymore..." He looked down at his feet and his shoulders began to shake. Breathless sobs escaped from him.

Hermione grasped him with open arms and he fell into her warmth. "Don't be stupid, Harry, of course she does, you're just going through a rough patch." She ran her hands up and down his back, squeezing him into her tightly as his sobs grew further and further apart.

Finally he moved back out of her arms but let her take hold of his hand again.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, Harry, I'm glad you're actually talking to me." She put her hair behind her ears, biting her lip with concern.

"You're probably right," he muttered, embarrassed and trying to pull himself together, "I just wish I knew what the rough patch was about. I don't know what's happened but she just doesn't look at me anymore... and when we do talk, it always ends on an argument. It seems like she doesn't want to be with me anymore and how can she love me if everything she does is forced?"

"How can she not love you?" she whispered, barely audible.

"What?" Harry looked up at her.

"It can't have all been an act. You've been married for more than ten years, she does love you." He sensed a note of sadness in her voice but shrugged it off as concern.

"It's ever since Diagon Alley, but I should be the one that's distant, not her!" He raised his voice slightly, "She was the one who betrayed me, so why all of a sudden does she hate me?"

"Maybe she thinks you don't trust her after you finding out..."

"No, it's not that..." He looked at her with a strange menace in his eyes that Hermione didn't like. "It's ever since we saw Draco. He did something to her..."

"Don't be stupid, Harry... It'll work itself out, whatever it is and ... and..."

"What?"

She looked into his sparkling green eyes. "Nothing."

They sat in silence for a minute while Hermione stared up into the moon and Harry just sat watching her until he broke the silence, "You're a great friend, Herm."

She turned to look at him but jerked away as a tear ran down her cheek.

He cupped her chin with his hand and turned her head back up to look at him, "What's wrong?"

He stared into her big chocolate brown eyes, blurred with tears.

She shook her head slightly and bit her lip. She looked up at him starring back and moved her head closer to his so he could feel her breath on his face. They stared into each other's eyes and their lips brushed together lightly until she jerked away holding her head in her hands.

Harry stared at the floor, his heart pounding.

"Hermione, you out here?" Oliver came outside.

She leapt up from the bench and Harry watched her run over to her husband, stumbling a little on the way.

Oliver kissed her quickly on her forehead, "You don't look so well..."

"Too much to drink," she muttered.

"Thought you were at the toilet." He stroked her arm affectionately.

"I needed some air, was just talking to Harry." She looked back at Harry guiltily.

Oliver looked over at Harry and waved casually.

Harry returned the wave reluctantly.

"Nice out here, isn't it?" Oliver smiled down at Hermione, then without any warning, pulled her towards him and clasped his mouth over hers, kissing her passionately. She felt her body go stiff as his strong arms gripped around her waist, holding her tightly.

"What's wrong?" He loosened his grip on her enabling her to move away from his chest leaving a small gap between them.

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him.

"You don't seem yourself..."

"You just took me by surprise that's all." Hermione glanced back at Harry then lifted her arms up around his neck and let him lower his head to hers.