Curse of the Dark

Harry was sitting in front of the fire the next morning, growling under his breath all the while. He didn't even hear Ron come and sit down next to him.

"Harry? You want to come and eat breakfast?"

"No," said Harry, rather shortly.

"You'll starve. Look, Harry, I know something happened between you and Hermione last night, but I don't know what. She won't tell me and she won't leave her dormitory. I think you two just need to work it out, alright?"

"I can't, Ron."

"Of course you can."

"No, Ron. I'm physically unable to."

"What? Unable to do what? Or do I not want to know?"

"Not like that. And it's all because I'm the bloody Boy-Who-Lived! It always is!" He stood up and began to pace around the room. "I didn't choose to live! I didn't choose to have all this happen! It just did! And I HATE BEING THE BOY-WHO-LIVED!" He turned around angrily and kicked at the nearest chair with all his might.

"Would you rather be the Boy-Who-Died?" asked a soft voice. Hermione was coming down the stairs, tear-stained and absolutely miserable looking. Harry didn't know what to do.

"Hermione?" She took a look at him sitting there, surrounded by all the Gryffindor scarlet and gold and turned back up the stairs. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! Why doesn't anything ever go right for me?"

"At least Hermione's talking to you. From the blush in your cheeks, I'm going to guess that's a good thing," said Ron.

"I'd rather be eating breakfast flanked by both of you, like it always was."

"Well, there's two things you can do. You can storm around here until you die of starvation and have to be spoon-fed by a house-elf or you can go and apologize to Hermione for whatever you did and then we can go down to breakfast together and things can get back to almost as normal as they were before."

"I can't do either, Ron."

"Yes you can, and I choose the latter. Come on." He got up and grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him to the foot of the girl's staircase. "Go talk to her. And I am not letting you leave until you come down together, smiling and happy. I'll be waiting in the Great Hall near breakfast." He turned and left and Harry, not being able to think of a better option, made his way to the top of the tower and a closed door. He didn't bother to knock as no one would be in there except Hermione.

She was lying on her bed and, wonder of wonders, she was reading. She looked up when he walked in and promptly buried her face back in her book. Harry came over and sat down next to her on the foot of her bed.

"Hi, Hermione," he said softly.

"Hullo, Harry," she said even softer.

"I've been thinking about...you know...what happened."

"Me too, Harry, and I decided that it's really okay. I'll just have to keep my feelings to myself."

"But that's not it, Hermione! See...I dunno what happened then but I couldn't move."

"I don't know what happened either, Harry. I guess I just let everything get ahead of our friendship and I can't do that. I'll just have to let it be and you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'll be fine in a bit."

"But, Hermione, that's not it!"

"You said that already, Harry. And it is it. You don't have to pretend to like you don't love me. And I'll pretend that I don't," she gulped heavily, "love you either." Harry ground his teeth in frustration.

"But, Hermione! Listen! I can't say the words. I can't even say that I think you're pretty or kind or sweet or - "

"Harry, how could you?" She jumped up off the bed and stood in front of him. "All I did was kiss you and now you're saying that you don't like me at all! This doesn't have to ruin our friendship if we don't let it! If you want, we can just pretend that nothing ever happened and let it go like that. But I can't lose everything! I can't lose you for good! Do you know how scared I was when you got turned into a werewolf? That was nerve-wracking enough, but to know that I can't ever even talk to you again would be just torture! I couldn't help it! I can't help it. I love you, Harry Potter, but I'm willing to put that on hold if it - oh!" Something was wrong, they could both feel it. It felt like when Harry had first collected the magic as a werewolf. They could both feel power radiating towards him as he collected more and more.

"I didn't know there was anything left to collect," said Harry in wonderment.

"There was! Harry! You're taking back the power you lent to me when you were still a werewolf! I can feel it!"

"But-but I don't want it! Stop! I can't hold any more than what I already have!"

"But you are." Harry slid off of Hermione's bed and crumpled into a heap on the floor as Hermione backed up. She wasn't exactly afraid...but she didn't want to be too close to him. She was right. Suddenly there was an explosion from Harry that sent out a sound wave that made Hermione's ears hurt and her eyes water. It was so loud that Hermione was sure they could hear it quite well at Hogsmeade. The entire castle was rumbling and, for a moment, Hermione thought it might collapse. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped, and Hermione was left pinned to the wall while Harry was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and panting heavily. It was quiet for a moment and then Harry spoke.

"I hate it when that happens," he sighed. Then he jumped up. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," he yelled, shaking his hand. "Hot, hot, hot, hot!" He blew on his hand for a moment and then fell back to the floor, exhausted.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "the curse! I forgot about that! That's why you couldn't move!"

"Curse? What curse? I don't know anything about a curse."

"The curse that Voldemort put on you."

"Curse? What is this curse you speak of?"

"The Curse of the Dark. It's - "

"I've read about that. And it was put on me?! Why? And how come I never knew? Nobody ever tells me anything." Hermione laughed a little.

"Well that explains a lot of things. Unless...do you hate me, Harry?"

"What? No, of course not. I love you too." He clapped his hands over his mouth. "I said it!"

"That would make sense." Harry jumped up with a new found happiness and ran over to Hermione. Grabbing her around the waist, he kissed her deeply on the lips as she wound her fingers up his back and through his hair.

"They're both fine," said Professor Dumbledore, "but I think we might give them another minute or two." He closed the door as softly as he could and turned back around to the teachers gathered outside. "Go on back to breakfast," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "They just need another moment to...cope." The teachers turned back down Gryffindor Tower and left through the Portrait Hole, gossiping with each other.

By the time Harry and Hermione made their way down to the Great Hall, there were only a few teachers left. Most classes except for Defense Against the Dark Arts had been canceled for the next week while Dumbledore tried to sort out everything that was going on. They each grabbed an apple and made their way out to the Hogwarts lawn where most of the students were. They soon found Ron playing Quidditch with his brothers and the rest of the Gryffindor team near the lake. They sat down beneath the game while more and more Gryffindors joined in, including Neville, before someone noticed that they were holding hands. Instantly, the entire game was put on a halt while everyone came down to tease...er...congratulate them.

"My two best friends!" exclaimed Ron. "Dear God! It took you long enough."

"What?!" they both said in unison.

"Well, we all know you two have been in love for forever."

"No, we haven't," said Harry curiously.

"Of course you have been. Everyone knew it except for you two."

"It was sort of obvious," put in Neville.

"The way you two always hung out together," said Seamus.

"The way you two always went for walks together," said Dean.

"The way you work together on all your homework."

"The way you always sat next to each other in class."

"The way you managed to bring each other up in conversation so often."

"The way you - "

"All right we get it," sighed Harry. "You don't need to rub it in. Ron already tells me I'm thick. He doesn't need more reasons to."

"Actually, I rather enjoy it," put in Ron lightly. "As I was enjoying the Quidditch game that you two so rudely interrupted. So I suggest that either Harry either fetches a broom and comes to play as our Seeker or takes Hermione's hand and leave. Hint, hint, subtle message."

"How subtle, Ron," said Hermione reprimanding, though she had a happy sort of glint in her eyes. She took Harry's hand again and gave it a squeeze. "Whatever you want to do, Harry."

"I'm going to stay with Hermione for a while. I might come back later but we have some...stuff...to talk about." They said their good-bye's and kept on with their walk around the lake as the game resumed.

They had been walking for a few minutes in silence when Hermione spoke up. "Harry?" He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "What are going to do? Because I'm really worried about you. And if I know what you're going to do then I can help. I don't want to be one of those weeping girlfriends who waits at home pining. I want to help you. I need to help you. And I want to know what you're going to do." Harry took a deep breath and sighed.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. I've tried not to think about it too much, but I can't do it. It's not some minor event in my life. It just keeps screaming at me in my mind. I don't know what to do yet, though. I'm not sure I want to give anything back to the Phoenix because if Voldemort's going to attack me, I want to be ready, and as strong as I possibly can. But on the other hand, I'm afraid of losing control of all this magic and if I'm just going to get more of it, what am I supposed to do if I do lose control? If I control half the magic in the world, I could easily kill people and I don't want to do that." He looked her in the eyes. "I don't want to kill anyone, Hermione," he whispered again. "It's horrible to see someone die. I don't want to be the cause of it and I don't want to put you in danger either. Not you or Ron or anyone here or the Weasleys or Dumbledore. And as much as I hate the Dursley's, I don't even want to kill them."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I dunno." Harry was suddenly struck by something. "Hey, Hermione? Before...when we were in the Great Hall and you ran to the library...what did you have to find out?"

"Oh, that." She blushed a little. "Sorry I ran out on you, but I had to know."

"Know what?"

"The Dark Creatures." Harry looked quite clueless so she continued. "Werewolves are dark creatures, Harry. Werewolves and vampires and lethifolds and trolls and - well you know. If You-Know-Who - "

"Voldemort."

"Yes, him. If he - "

"No. Say it, Hermione. Say Voldemort." She looked up at him. "Say it, Hermione. None of us will run scared from his mere name. Say Voldemort."

"Voldemort," she whispered,

"Louder."

"Voldemort."

"Louder."

"Voldemort."

"You're a Gryffindor! You're supposed to be brave! Say it louder!"

"Voldemort!"

"Hermione! Louder! VOLDEMORT!"

"VOLDEMORT!" she screamed. Then she shuddered. "You're a bit scary, Harry, and maybe a bit mad."

"I'm not. I'm just not daft enough to be terrified of the name of someone. I've met him and I'm not afraid anymore. And you shouldn't be either."

"I am, Harry. And I can't help that." He made a face. "Well, anyway, as I was saying. You have all this power, right? Which means you'll have to use it, right? And it seems way more than you'd need for just the one person." She gulped suddenly. "Voldemort." She shuddered. "He is the Dark Lord. And he rules over the Dark creatures, right? Snakes and such. So what if it means you have to fight the whole dark side? Not just Voldemort, but his creatures as well? That would explain why you have to have so much power. To fight them all." Harry sat down abruptly.

"All of them?" he asked weakly. "The snakes and the banshees and vampires and," he cringed, "the Cornish pixies?"

"Cornish pixies aren't Dark creatures."

"They seem like it."

"I know. But I can't figure out what you have to do them. I think you might have to kill them."

"I CAN'T KILL THEM!"

"I know, Harry," said Hermione sympathetically, "but that would explain so much. If you were a werewolf then Voldemort could control you and he certainly wouldn't expect you to kill yourself, presuming he already knows about this prophecy or destiny or whatever it is. His whole life has been about gaining power and staying alive and you've exceeded him in one of those fields, but he has reinforcements for it and he's certainly much older than you. Perhaps he's afraid to die and expects the same of you."

"I can't kill them, Hermione," he whispered again. "Lupin and all the others who couldn't help being what they are. I can't kill them for something they can't control. It's just not right. I can't do it."

"So maybe you don't have to kill them."

"Why? And why didn't you tell Dumbledore about this? It's so big...why didn't you say anything before?"

"I couldn't, Harry. What if I was wrong? Or what if he agreed with me. I thought maybe if I didn't say anything then you wouldn't know and it'd be easier on you."

"That's not like you, Hermione. Not at all."

"I know, Harry. But this whole ordeal has changed everything I ever knew about anyone, including myself, and I'm not sure what to think anymore. I just thought...," she trailed off.

"You should have told me, Hermione."

"I'm sorry. I was just so worried about you, Harry. I know this whole thing's been hard on you, but it's been terrible for me too. Not knowing where you were or if you were alive or dead or if you were even human! It's horrible, you know that? Horrible." She gave a great sniff and sat down next to him, a solitary tear going down her cheek.

"Please don't cry, Hermione. I'm sorry, I'm not mad." He put his arms around her and hugged her close. "But don't cry, Hermione. I'm sorry. It's hard for me too and I guess I just snapped, but that's no excuse. But don't cry. Please. Or else I will too." She looked up at him and he looked down at her and then they were both crying and then they were both laughing at the same time, hugging each other close.

"Don't leave, Harry," Hermione said between tears and laughs.

"I won't, Hermione." He hugged her closer.

"I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. And I love you too."

"I know." And they didn't move for a while, snuggled up together under the trees near the lake in the warm, afternoon sun where it seemed nothing could ever harm them again.