Chapter 13

"My Angel"

Paul POV

Paul never left Hermione's side. He's afraid that if he leaves her even just for a second, she will suddenly vanish and this time it might be forever. He loves her…He loves her so much. He didn't know what he was thinking when he almost gave her up. God! how can he give up someone that became his reason in living.

She looks so beautiful while peacefully sleeping and Paul can't stop himself from caressing her face gently. God, he will do everything for this woman…everything, all he need is another chance to be with her and this time he promises that he will never ever hurt her again in any way. Just one chance and this time, it is a promise that he is willing to keep until the day he dies.

He might not know what's happening but he is certain that she is in pain, a lot of pain that made her suffer so much. He is a shifter and all along he thought he is strong enough to defeat anyone but what happened back there..God! For the first time he felt so weak, while watching his imprint fought alone. He felt so useless, because all he can do is watch her suffering without doing anything...

He never felt so much fear while seeing Hermione bleeding, he was so afraid that if he could not reach her he might lose her, and if that happened he knew, he would follow her without a second thought.

"I love you so much Hermione and I hope you will give me a second chance to be with you. This time I promise to ensure your happiness, I will do anything for you."

Hermione POV

Hermione's mind was still blurry when she woke up in her own room, but after a few moments she finally remembered what happened. She sighed loudly while starting to dress herself. She felt less pain coming from her wounds, Neville really became a good healer, but sadly not all wounds can be heal by any doctor nor any healer.

Then she heard a loud scream that she recognized as Luna's. She grabs her wand tightly and run to where the voice is coming from. Worst things are playing on her mind while running because it seems that fate really loves testing her.

Her ears led her to one room at the end of the hallway, the door is opened and she can clearly see the vampires and wolves arguing, but what attracted her attention is Seth who is crying and doing everything he can to free himself from Sam and Paul's grasp. If the charm in the house will not prohibit him from phasing he might already burst into his large wolf.

"Hermione!" Neville said loudly gaining the attention of others.

"What's happening here?" Hermione didn't wait for Neville's answer she runs again but this time towards the bathroom of Luna's room where she can hear Luna's continues screaming.

"That guy tried to approach Luna when she woke up then the next thing she went nuts and locked herself in the bathroom. I tried to open it, but Luna has my wand."

Hermione didn't need to ask who the guy is that Neville is referring to; it was pretty obvious that Seth is the main reason of this havoc.

She knocks on the door but she only received another scream and when she called Luna she received the same response. Hermione looks at the door intently afraid at what she might see inside.

"Hermione?"

She looks at Rosalie who is looking at her worriedly, she tried to smile at her but even found it hard to give her a fake one.

When she raised her wand and pointed it at the door she only noticed then that she is shaking. "Alohamora." And just like that, they all hear the door unlock.

She reached for the doorknob and opened the door only to see Luna in a way that she might never forget.

Luna is drenching herself while still screaming loudly and hysterically as if someone is attacking her. Her face held so much terror as if she is seeing something terrible and Hermione doesn't need to read her mind to know what is going through her head.

"L-Luna?" when she received another painful scream from her, she ran towards her

and hugged her not caring about the coldness of the water the shower is giving her.

Luna violently move to free herself from her hug while screaming loudly and Hermione's ears started to complain but she never let her go, Luna needs her right now and she will never let go. "Luna it's okay, i-it's okay."

Luna's struggling decreases little by little and her screaming stops but Hermione can still hear her whimpering and she swears that if those death eaters were still alive she might hunt them and kill them again and this time much more brutal and painful. No one deserves the things that Luna experienced!

When Luna stopped fighting her, the only thing that Hermione can hear is her soft sobs but she felt much more terrible.

This is Luna...the weird Ravenclaw, but a friend that knows how to lighten their mood; Hermione still blamed herself of what happened to her once bubbly friend.

"I-I'm sorry Luna…I'm sorry." Together with the cold water coming from the shower, Hermione can feel her own tears falling from her eyes. It is all her fault that her friend is like this! If only she arrived much sooner then maybe she could have still saved her! she might be able to save her from this terrible faith.

It was very painful seeing Luna lose her fire and be like this, a miserable woman who carries the nightmare of her terrible past. What is more painful to know is she can only watch Luna.

After ensuring that Luna is resting peacefully Hermione leave her room. The others already left after she got Luna out of the shower, but not before Seth tried again to touch Luna only to stop by Luna's whimper.

"Hermione?"

Hermione looks at Neville who is looking at her questioningly but with so much determination.

"Not now Neville, I'm tired." She might be glad that Neville is here, but she is not yet ready to tell him what she told to Kingsley. She doesn't know what to say to him…This is Neville and it feels much harder to tell him everything because he is her friend.

She originally want to go towards her room, but Neville blocked her way, it appears that Neville will not take no for an answer, so she changed her tracks and started to walk downstairs, but she can still hear her friend following her and for the first time in her life she hates Neville's boldness.

The wolves and vampires immediately stop arguing about whatever it is when they saw her,.

"It was those 13 death eaters that did this to Luna, right."

She heard a loud growl and when she looks up she saw Seth with a very angry expression while his brothers is restraining him.

Hermione turned to look at his friend with a very cold expression. Right now Neville is not her favorite person, he wanted to do this in front of so many people then she will give him that. "When did you become so nosy, Neville?"

"I need to know, Hermione."

"It's none of your business."

"It is! So stop doing this!"

"Stop what!"

Neville walks towards Hermione until they are only few steps away from each other.

"Stop closing yourself to us, I understand where this is coming from but please Let us help you…Hermione, You're not alone."

Neville's words stirred something deep in her. His words are like a match that ignites the fuel, which is hidden. The bitterness in her heart that she didn't know existed, until now. "What do you want to hear, Neville?"

Neville was taken aback by Hermione's harshness, he never heard her talk this way before. "H-Hermione."

"Fine, Neville !Fine! I killed those 13 monsters, and you know what I enjoyed it!"
When Neville tried to touch her shoulder she shrugged off his effort, she is so tired of everyone confronting her of something that they don't have any knowledge about.

"All of you are always telling me that you understand me! But you know what! You are all wrong!"

"Hermione, Please.." Neville hated seeing the hunted look in Hermione's face. He saw it when her parents died and when Ron died and he never liked it. If telling him everything will only hurt her, then he doesn't want to know anything.

"What! Didn't you say that you wanted the truth!"

"Ms. Granger." This time she heard Madam Pomfrey who arrived from the floo just in time to hear everything.

But just like Neville, she also ignored her. She had enough of all of this! She had enough of people telling her that they understand her but in reality they don't even have the slightest idea of what she is going through. They don't understand at all!

"After the war everyone suffered but you all had someone there for you, the Weasley's, Luna, DA, Order, everyone and even you Neville you still had your grandmother and me… I lost everyone and I have no one."

Hermione knows that she said too much but she is not yet done. "Do you know how my parents died?"b

"Hermione, please enough." now Neville is already on the edge of crying and it seems that everyone that is listening has tears in their eyes. Paul was the worst, who is crying uncontrollably.

"Those bastards…Those b-bastards t-tortured them in front of me! They m-made them beg for their lives! And they did…but not for their lives… N-no…not f-for their lives! But for m-mine!"

When Neville tried to reach her she automatically steps backward which instantly stops him from advancing.

"R-Ron and H-Harry was my anchor, then Ron d-died and H-Harry is missing. All of you w-want to embed in my brain t-that he is d-dead but I will not believe..i will n-never b-believe it because H-Harry promise that he will r-return to me. H-he p-promise and he is the only p-person that always k-kept his p-promise."

Neville and Madam Pomfrey is speechless, they never thought that their discussion affected Hermione so much.

Hermione looks at Neville with tears in her eyes. "I a-am alone Neville and y-you will not understand h-how it f-felt to be alone with so m-many people surrounding y-you. You don't know h-how it feels to w-wake up every day and w-wished that it will be the l-last, just to stop the pain…j-just to stop t-the suffering, j-just to stop e-everything. You will not u-understand it Neville! and no one w-will!"

Hermione didn't wait for his answer she ran as fast as she could away from him, away from this place and away from everything and away from everyone. She continued running even though she is already tired she never stopped. She ran and ran and ran, until suddenly a branch off a tree caught her foot making her fall ** the muddy forest ground.

Slowly Hermione sits and hugs her knees and buries her face between her knees to cry not because of the pain she received during the fall but because of the pain that she had been enduring ever since her life started to become such a mess.

She continued crying loudly not caring if anyone will hear her, she just wants to release her tears that has been long hidden and now wants to makes their presence known.

She doesn't know how long she been crying but the tears just can't stop flowing, then suddenly a pair of warm arms engulf her into a hug.

"Hermione…"

When she heard Paul's familiar voice full of concern it stirred something in her, and now she does not only feel her bitterness towards Neville and the others but also to Paul. She started to feel it again, the rejection when he turned his back on her, but that rejection slowly turned into anger.

Hermione stands up and turned to look at Paul to see him looking at her worriedly but that's not what she is seeing right now because all she can see is the guy that promised her to be by her side no matter what happens and yet he broke that promise, which hurt her immensely.

She pushed Paul away from her but she didn't even move him not an inch away from her, she only manages to remove his arms from her.

"Hermione, p-please…" Paul said weakly unable to contain his own tears, seeing Hermione this broken hurts him so much.

"What Paul!" Hermione wiped her tears harshly. "Are you also here to tell me that you understand me?"

"Hermione calm down, maybe we should go back. Neville didn't mean it."

Hermione can feel her anger increase. "You're taking their side!"

"H-Hermione. I want to help you but I don't know how so please let's go back."
Hermione is literally shaking and Paul is afraid that she might be suffering from a panic attack right now.

"Hermione-"

"PAUL!"Hermione said his name loudly and she felt so weak suddenly after it.

Paul stops his attempt to touch Hermione when he saw the hatred in her eyes. He remained immobile not knowing what to do. Then she hit him in his chest, it was a weak hit but he felt it and it hurts him more than the punches he received from those leeches.

"H-how c-could y-you... h-how could y-you..how d-dare y-you" Hermione hit him again while still crying and Paul just let her. "H-how dare you take their side.."

Paul's eyes widen suddenly when he finally understands her, because in Hermione's point of view he betrayed her…again."

"H-How dare-"

Paul hugs Hermione and when she tried to shrug him off; he just hugs her more tightly. "I'm sorry…I 'm sorry Hermione…Please, I'm wrong… please don't cry anymore."

"How dare you.." Hermione continuously said while trying to push him away but Paul didn't move, so she just continued crying, which cut something deeper in Paul's heart.

"I-I am wrong…I a-am w-wrong Hermione..please d-don't cry."

Hermione stopped talking but her crying didn't cease instead her crying just become louder and louder.

""I-I am wrong…I a-am w-wrong Hermione..Please d-don't cry anymore." Paul continuously said hoping that by doing that it will ease her pain even just a little.

And just like that Hermione poured herself into him letting him see a portion of her real side…her weakness.

When Hermione opened her eyes again she is slightly disoriented. She was in an unfamiliar place but when she saw Paul sitting on the bed while leaning on the head board next to where she is laying; she finally remembered what happened. She is still tired and very sleepy and Paul noticed it with her yawn.

"Hermione, Rest again, you are still tired."

Hermione closed her eyes again, determined to follow what Paul said but her mind is restless and she cannot rest well because all she can see is the bad images of bloody people in her mind so she opened her eyes again and looks at Paul who is still looking at her while playing with her hair and Hermione doubts if he is even aware of what he is doing.

"Tell me a story…"

"Story?" The truth is he will do everything for Hermione.

Hermione nodded her head. "When I was young my mom always tells me a story before I fall asleep." She said quietly and almost in a whisper.

Paul was quiet for a while. He remembered Hermione outburst not a moment ago at

her house. Her parents are already dead, and it was not even a normal death. God! If he found out who those bastards are that made her suffer, he will kill them! Hermione deserved a normal life; she doesn't deserve this kind of life that hunts her continuously. She deserves better.

"Paul?"

Paul looks at Hermione again to see her worried expression and only then he noticed his shaking. He took a deep breath to calm himself and after a several breaths he finally calmed down. "What do you want to hear?"

"Anything…I really don't care."

Paul looks at the wall in front of him. He never thought that he will tell this story to

anyone willingly. But this is His Hermione and he will do anything for her without a second thought because she is more than worth it.

"Once there was a boy, he was very lonely because no one loved him… you see his mother died while giving birth to him and his father hates him so much for that, because he blamed him for his mother's death." Paul took a deep breath.

"Every day was hard for him, He has no one to back him up and because of that he is so sad and very lonely he felt so alone and insignificant in this world… but then that sadness turned into anger and bitterness that turned him into bitter and volatile person."

Hermione turned into Paul side to listen to him better but Paul remained looking at the wall, his appearance very calm and not giving any emotions but she knew better. Even without telling her directly she knows very well that he is telling her his life's story and she sat silently listening to him.

"Then his father died but nothing changed for him. He became very angry to everything and everyone. Even when he found many friends he was still sad and angry because the pain from the past already broke him beyond repair."

Hermione held Paul's hand because even though he remained calm she could see his unshed tears; his pain reminded her of her own pain.

"Did he become alright and find his happy ending?" she asked then yawned after, she can feel her eyes slowly dropping out of tiredness, her tiredness slowly catching up on her but she still wanted to listen to him.

Paul looks at their intertwined hands then looks back at Hermione who yawns again with so much love that he felt his heart might burst due to its intensity. God, how he loves this girl."

"W-Well?" Hermione yawned again. "Did he?"

"Did he what?"

"D-Did he find his happy e-ending?"

Paul can't help but smile. "Yes he did…He found his saviour and his reason to live…He found his angel."

"T-that's good."

When Hermione yawns again Paul can't help but chuckle. "Sleep, Hermione." Paul tried to get up to let Hermione rest much peacefully but Hermione just held his hand tightly making him look at her questioningly.

"Hold my hand, please." Hermione said while looking directly at Paul's eyes.

"I'll never let you go." Paul sits comfortably at her side while just looking at her.

Hermione doesn't know it but he will do anything for her, and when he said that he will never let her go he meant more than holding her hand because from this moment as he promised before he will never again turn his back on her nor betray her in any form. He will be entirely hers, and no matter what she decides he will support her without any questions. Because even if she decides to destroy the world he will still be by her side no matter what happens.

Just like what he said to her she is his savior. She saved him and she doesn't know it yet. He wants to be her savior not because she is his imprint but because Hermione is worth saving…she is worth all the happiness in this world. She already suffered enough it's only fair that it is her turn to be happy this time.