expecting to see Ginny.
It was Harry.
She stared at him, really seeing him, she thought, for the first time that day. When she had first seen him, she had been too overwhelmed by the shock of seeing him again to really take in anything about him, and in Charlie's tent she had been concentrating too hard on not looking at Draco. But Draco wasn't here now; no one was here now, and for the first time in three weeks, she was alone with Harry.
She should have been pleased, she thought. But instead she was -
terrified. He walked across the room to her and leaned on the back of her chair, looking over her shoulder at their reflections in the mirror. She could see his face reflected, and thought he even looked a little older. Less like himself, and more like a photograph of himself — or a photograph of James.
He saw her looking at him in the mirror and smiled. 'What?'
'You're taller,' she said, without thinking. 'How could you have gotten taller in only two weeks?'
'Concentrated effort.'
'And you're so brown,' she said. 'And you have freckles on your nose.'
'I know,' he said, looking downcast. 'Are they horrible?'
'No. I like them. But you look so tired.'
'Three days of gut-wrenching misery and turmoil will do that,' he said, frowned and squinted upward. 'I think I got a white hair, actually. I was going to name it after you.'
'Oh, very funny,' said Hermione. She swiveled around in the chair and looked up at him. 'I'm sorry you were worried,' she said, more seriously. 'I've spent the past six years worrying over you, so I know what it feels like.'
Harry didn't look as if he had heard her. 'I got away from Charlie for a few minutes because I wanted to tell you something,' he said.
'Actually, I wanted to show you something.'
She smiled at him. She hoped it didn't look like a nervous smile.
'And I bet you say that to all the girls.'
Harry didn't smile. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to be teased.
He had the expression he always got when he was trying to work up the nerve to say something serious. No, she prayed. Not now. Not anything serious. Not now.
He reached a hand into his jacket pocket and drew out a folded piece of paper, which he handed to her. It was creased and shiny from being read and re-read. Hermione took it curiously, unfolded it, and blinked.
It was the letter that she had written while under the Imperius Curse, telling Harry that she was leaving him for Viktor. She had no memory of writing the words, and saw her own shaky handwriting with wonder: I saw Viktor this afternoon, and realized that I have really loved him all these years… you will always be a dear friend of mine…. Please don't try to contact me.
'Harry!' she exclaimed, looking up at him in horror. 'You can't tell me that you believed one word of this for even one minute!'
'Well, that's just it,' said Harry. 'I did.'
Hermione was dismayed. 'You did?'
'At first I was just shocked. I didn't want to believe it, but every time I told myself it was impossible I started to worry that I was rationalizing. Being arrogant. Making assumptions about you, like I used to…assuming that you felt a certain way about me, when really- '
'But the Mirror, Harry-'
'Yes, but we weren't speaking then, were we?' he said simply. 'And I thought, maybe you seeing me in the Mirror just meant you wanted out friendship back the way it was, and not…anything else.'
'And then what?' said Hermione, exasperated. 'I was just too embarrassed to correct your mistaken impression that I loved you, so I went along with it?'
'Well,' said Harry, looking as if he felt rather small, 'Yes.'
'Harry, if you thought that, you're a complete dunce,' said Hermione, firmly. 'Let me guess. Ron convinced you that you were being an idiot.'
'Actually, it was Malfoy.'
'Draco?' said Hermione faintly. Oh, why did Harry have to bring him up? Of all the things she didn't want to talk about.
'Yes. He was…for some reason…utterly positive you weren't acting of your own free will. He called me a lot of names…kicked me around a bit…well, you know how he is. But I think it was just what I needed. I was…'
'Being utterly ridiculous?' said Hermione, with a wan smile.
'Afraid,' said Harry. He took a deep breath, and said hastily, 'I've learned enough about myself, Hermione, to know what really scares me. And that's just one thing. The idea of losing my family — again.
And that's Ron, and Sirius…and you. You're my family, Hermione.
You're everything to me.'
Hermione burst into tears.
Harry looked utterly appalled. 'Hermione — '
Hermione shook her head violently. She was temporarily incapable of speech, which on reflection was probably not a bad thing.
Awkwardly, Harry reached out and stroked her hair and the side of her face, and she fleetingly wondered
