Chapter 44: Deserve!

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"I yield! I yield!" 

I gasp out when the furious red light dissipates. Harry looks murderous. "Damn it Hermione, you were supposed to remind me never to get in a fight with him!" I try to chuckle while panting, and it comes out as wheezing.

"What are you playing at?" Harry demands.

"Harry, that wasn't the Killing Curse," Hermione says softly.

"What?" He spins around and shouts at Hermione, but then his look softens when he realizes what he's done. "What?" he asks more calmly.

"Just light...tried to make it...same color," I managed to explain between pants.

"That was not a good way to make your point, William," Hermione scolds.

"Which is?" Harry asks, anger finally beginning to fade.

"Harry, you...you jumped in front of me, when you thought he was going to..." Is there a little blush there?

"Hermione, I couldn't just let him...let you..." There's definitely a blush on Harry.

"Exactly, Harry, exactly!" I say, finally catching my breath. I force myself to my feet, leaning on the nearest bookshelf for support. "Now, what makes you think we're not ready to do the same for you?"

"But that—that can't be—that doesn't make sense!"

"Of course it does, Harry!" Hermione says hotly.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense," I say in agreement. I feel a grin spread its way across my face. "You love each other, after all."

"What?" Their eyes pop out of their heads, and I can't help but laugh.

"Platonic love for now, I'm sure," I say, waving their concerns away. "Hermione has already realized that, even if she never put a word to it before." My smile fades when my eyes turn to Harry. 

"But you, Harry, you wouldn't recognize it. Tell me, would it embarrass you to speak truthfully about how much she means to you?"

The amount of redness in the room is staggering.

"You don't have to say it, you've shown it just minutes ago. You didn't have to get in front of her to fire that Stunner, did you? I know you would have retaliated in some way no matter who I was aiming for, but how many people would you have protected with your own body first? How many people would you have fired off that overpowered Stunner for? I'm thinking two, at the most. Maybe even just one at the moment."

I let that stew for a bit as I make my way back over to the sitting area, where I flop heavily onto the chair that Harry had vacated. He now sits in much the same position on the couch next to Hermione.

"At least, I hope that was overpowered," I say chuckling. "Otherwise I'm going to be utterly useless fighting alongside you."

"Why?" a whisper I barely hear says.

"What?"

"Why would you fight alongside me? Alongside us?" Harry asks. "You seem to know what we're up against here, so why would you do it? Hermione and I might...er...have some connection, but what about you?"

That's a good question. Why am I doing this? Why did I deliberately insert myself into the most dangerous position I possibly could have, short of entering my name in the Goblet itself? 

I could be just kicking back and enjoying the wizarding world, hitting on girls and generally just slacking off. I guess my arrival just happened so fast that I didn't stop and think about my options, and once I had decided I've just been running with it. 

It hardly even occurred to me that I had a choice.

But now, there it is. Why haven't I tried harder to return to my reality? What do I get out of changing things for them? Will it even work?

What if I die?

"Other people have reason to want to stop Voldemort, you know," I say in a flat voice after probably half a minute. It's a weak argument, I know, and Hermione will probably call me on it before long.

Since classes were going to start up again the next day I didn't even make it to bed before she does call me on it. She corners me just before the staircase to the boys dormitory.

"That didn't make sense, you know," she says, crossing her arms at me.

"You'll have to be more specific than that," I lie.

She moves closer to avoid being overheard. "If you had your own reasons, then why were you so insistent on being 'on our side,' whatever that means? Why would you imply that you'd go so far to protect m—us?"

"I would try." At least, I'm pretty sure I would, if I don't freeze up in fear first. 

I don't have too many life or death situations under my belt. But I know how these things usually work: when you're sucked into an alternate dimension, just die and you get sent back. 

Heh, maybe if I keep telling myself that I won't be so afraid to do it. Of course it's the dying part that's easier said than done.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"I know."

"You are without a doubt the most maddening boy I've ever met!" She's whispering furiously now.

I chuckle and fold my arms. "That's high praise, considering your usual company."

She glares at me. "Prat!"

I stop chuckling and look at her seriously. "Who's to say I don't love—Harry, too? I mean he is a bit of a hunk."

Her expression is priceless.

"Hey come on, you know I have a thing for brunettes. Oh, you didn't? Well, that plus those bright green eyes...ow! Do you have to hit the same spot every time?"

She pokes the same spot again. "You deserve it!"

"That's true, but I can't help it. The way your eyes darken and your lips purse and twist to one—" Oops, did I just say that out loud? Her gobsmacked expression tells me I did. "Uh...I mean...what were we talking about again?"

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