Title: Screaming
Author: MelWil
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They belong to JKR, not myself
Feedback: melina.wilson at gmail dot com
Summary: She finds him on the ground and she just can't stop screaming (Tearstains Universe)
The thought filled Hermione's head, colliding with a million other thoughts and concepts and pictures of things she wanted to forget. Someone must have found Harry at practice. Someone must have grabbed him and told him he was needed in the dungeons. Someone must have led him to her.
. . . she could still hear the screaming . . .
She wondered where Ron was, why he wasn't with Harry, why he wasn't helping her. Why he hadn't joined the race from the Quidditch pitch to the dungeons.
Harry took her away from Snape, led her through the castle to the Gryffindor towar. He led her through the common room, up the stairs to the boys dormitory, led her to Ron.
. . . he was lying, still, dead, on the floor and she could still hear the screaming . . .
Ron was lying on his back in bed, a pillow covering his face. His headaches were getting worse, Hermione remembered, he was missing classes and practices left, right and centre. He refused to go to Madam Pomfrey. "She'll just give me something gross to swallow," he explained, when Hermione bugged him about it. "It's probably just stress."
"Hermione!" Ron sat up as Harry pulled the pillow off him. "Harry! What's wrong? What are you doing?" He turned to look at Harry. "Shouldn't you be out practicing Quidditch?"
"They killed Neville." Harry's lips were drawn thin and his voice was hoarse. He sat on the edge of Ron's bed, waiting until Hermione was sitting down too. "They left his . . . his body in the dungeons."
"In the dungeons?" Ron stared at Harry. "You mean, you-know-who's brought the fight into Hogwarts?"
"Seems so." Harry looked at Neville's bed, the one in the far corner with a funny, little plant sitting on the bedside table. Hermione followed his gaze and took hold of his hand. Ron gripped Harry's lower arm and reached for Hermione's other hand behind Harry's back.
"It's not your fault," Hermione said, louder than she'd intended.
. . . he was lying on the floor and she fell over him and she could hear herself screaming . . .
"I should have been watching." Harry shook his head and played with the hem of his faded t-shirt. "We knew this was coming. We knew they were planning to hit us with something, they were planning to hurt us. I should have been watching."
"You can't watch everyone, Harry." Ron sighed. "What are we going to do now?"
. . . his body was there, still, dead, on the cold hard ground and she just couldn't stop herself from screaming . . .
Fin.