Hermione was trying to remember where she was. She could remember huge crowds, much like being at a football game. There was shouting... running... she was getting something important... someone had attacked her! Her heart jumped, the small adrenaline rush bringing her to full alertness. Lifting her head, she noticed she had been hovering just over Harry's face. The position was very familiar. Using her wand to light up the room, she confirmed it- they were back in the Chamber of Secrets. Why are we back here? I never got a chance to activate the cluster, thought Hermione. She looked back at Harry. Unless he came back for me... Hermione realized that this must have been what happened. He must have risked his live to save hers. I owe my life to him, she thought, gently caressing his face. He looks so peaceful sleeping like this. I could watch him for hours.
She suddenly realized that she never had the chance to watch him sleep in her lap before. Why did I wake up first this time? she wondered. Oh well, at least I'm not waking up with a bloody lip. In fact... maybe I can wake him up with a kiss... She giggled at her thoughts of a reversed fairy-tale ending. Leaning closer to him, she was debating with herself. Should I? Shouldn't I? He just saved my life and I want to kiss him for it, but he's asleep! That's like stealing! She continued to agonize over Harry's lips when he suddenly jerked awake, smacking straight into Hermione as usual.
Damn you, Fates! Do we have to do this every time? thought Hermione grudgingly. She didn't let it distract her, though, as she rushed over to Harry and immediately hugged him. "Harry!" she cried. "You saved me, didn't you?"
Harry, ever the modest one, didn't quite know how to answer such a blunt question. "I... er... I guess I did. But you saved me just as much, getting those Return Clusters out..."
"Don't say that! It's my fault you had to come after me in the first place... you had to fight off the man who attacked me!" Hermione sobbed into Harry's shoulder. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been."
"Oh, him? I disarmed and stunned him before he saw me. He... uh... wasn't the problem."
"What? Why did you have to send both of us back in time, then? Couldn't you have caught up with everyone again?"
Oh, bollocks. Why did I have to say that? Now I'm just going to get her more upset. Maybe I should just... no, I can't lie to Hermione. Heck, even if I tried she'd see right through me, thought Harry. "Well, it was actually the second guy who came in..."
Harry began to explain everything that happened during the night of the World Cup. She hugged him tighter and tighter until he got to the part where he was knocked back and broke a few ribs, and she instinctively let go. They both laughed when they realized that he couldn't possibly have transferred his injuries from the future, so Hermione embraced him once again. She began crying outright when he told her that he used up most of his strength sending her back first, and barely had any left for himself.
"Don't do that again, Harry! How could you? You might not have made it back! You would have forgotten... everything... we did together." Hermione thought of all the letters they exchanged, the week at the Weasleys, and especially the evenings.
"But... you would have lost this summer, Hermione. You seemed so happy... I didn't want you to lose that joy you had this summer. If I had to do it again, I'd do the same thing. You're everything to me..." Harry said solemnly, but Hermione tackled him. Harry, taken completely by surprise, fell on his back without resistance. Hermione straddled him with an angry, but affectionate look on her face.
She began to hit him on his chest with every word she spoke. "Don't... you... ever... think... like... that... again!" She fell down on top of him. "You're everything to me, too," she whispered into his ear. They lay there in the Chamber of Secrets holding each other, silently enjoying each other's presence, because they both knew how close they had come to losing it.
Harry eventually commented, "I'm glad you brought the clusters with you to the game, Hermione. We might have never made it without them."
Hermione, still laying on top of Harry, whispered, "Yes, that was what I thought of first when you mentioned Cedric, and you thought he was going to get hurt because of one of the futures you experienced. I remembered they could be used as a means of escape. What happened with Cedric, anyways?"
"Nothing. He left before the attacks started. I guess it wasn't the World Cup where he gets hurt. I do know it had something to do with the cup... or a cup... and a portkey." Harry took a deep breath, and stroked Hermione's hair. "You know, I'm glad you thought of that, because I never would have come up with it myself. I only did it because I noticed you had brought them out of your trunk when I ran over to you. I'm just glad I charged them up in time."
Hermione sat up quickly, her eyes wide. "Oh... that's why I sent it... I had no idea it would happen so quickly, though..." she mumbled.
"Sent what?" asked Harry.
"I... um... I wanted to save it for after the summer when we got back to Hogwarts, and I wasn't sure if I should have gone through with it, but now..."
"Hermione, slow down. What did you send? What are you talking about?"
Hermione took a deep breath to calm down. "Along with the plans for the improved beacon, there was also a design for a... different... Return Cluster."
"Really, Hermione? Is it a better design? Why didn't you mention it before?" Harry was surprised that Hermione wouldn't think of using such knowledge to her advantage right away.
"Well, there's three reasons," she began. "First, I had left myself a message saying the design was untested, so I didn't use it. Secondly, I wanted to finish the new beacon as fast as possible, and the two of us only managed to complete it right before school ended. And the last..." she hesitated.
"What is it? It can't be that bad, can it?" asked Harry.
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