[Fic: Hermione/Barty Crouch Jnr] The Bells Tolls for Thee
Title: The Bell Tolls for Thee
Character(s): Hermione/Barty Crouch Jnr
Prompt: The Ballroom at Midnight
Rating: G
Word Count: 786
Summary: It was kind of a Cinderella deal, she figured. And midnight was only 5 minutes away.
Notes: Sorry for the long absence, it's been a bit of a rough week. This is the third one for the challenge at 7spells now :o)
It had been three years since she had seen him. She had been but a child when he had gone away, and yet still, she loved him. She had no idea how she had ended up here - this was not her time, nor her place. The last thing that she could remember was being on a mission with Harry, working to destroy the final two Horcruxes that Voldemort had left behind. The Final Battle, as she now thought of it, was drawing near. It was close to Christmas - she and the boys would be returning to the Burrow soon, lest they wish to incur the wrath of Molly Weasley.
She remembered this room. All was as it was those three years ago, when she had been a student here, and had first fallen in love with him. She glanced at the walls, at the tables. It was all the same. The same people, the same decorations, the same dress robes. And yet, she could tell that all was different. For one thing, it was as if time had stopped. She could hear the music, could see the clock tower out the window, could feel the cool breeze as it danced across her alabastor skin... and yet no-one else moved. They were all seated at their tables, not eating, not talking, not even blinking. There was no-one on the dance floor.
No-one except him.
He looked different, too. Younger. He was not the embittered man that she had known, disguised as one who was even more embittered than himself, but actually who she felt he was meant to be. And approximately her age, too. She walked towards him, one slow step at a time, feeling her dress robes swirl about her hips, a pale pink this time, instead of the periwinkle that she had loved so dearly.
He watched her quizzically as she approached him. She could tell that although she seemed familiar to him, he could not place her. He looked confused as he held his hand out to her, ever the gentleman. She could tell that there were a million questions that he wanted to ask her, but she pressed a finger against his lips as she pressed her body against his. Whatever magic had brought them here, she knew that it wouldn't last forever. She was starting to figure out everything that was happening - she had been trying to remove a Horcrux from a muggle book that Voldemort had kept as a trophy from one of his childhood victims. Cinderella.
She thought that maybe this might be the same deal. After all, she was at the grandest ball she had ever seen. She was wearing beautiful robes. She had been brought here by magic. Most importantly though, her Prince was here.
Midnight was in less that five minutes.
They waltzed across the dance floor, his hand holding her waist firmly, her head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Nothing else mattered, at that point in time. It didn't matter that she was Hermione Jane Granger, champion of Muggleborns, best friend of Harry Potter, and Gryffindor Princess. It didn't matter that he was Bartemius Crouch Junior, future Death Eater, most loyal servant of Lord Voldemort, and in reality a good twenty years older than herself. Right now, they were just two people. A witch and a wizard. Where they were meant to be, with whom they were meant to be with. The way life should have been.
She knew that this was the way it should have been. Despite all that he had done, she had seen his heart. Had seen that despite his general dislike of Muggleborns, that he respected, cared for her even. She realised that he had treated her the way he had when they were together in her fourth year because of this night. This ten minutes had decided both of their futures.
Startled, she pulled her head up suddenly as she heard the clock bells start to ring the hour. Midnight. She felt herself start to fade away, being pulled back by whatever force had brought her here in the first place. He held her hand, his voice breathless as he spoke.
"I feel like you're everything that I've been looking for my entire life." The clock called out the sixth stroke as she grasped his hand.
"I am."
"But I've never seen you before. I don't even know your name." Ten, as she smiled, a trifle sadly, and let go of his hand.
"You will."
She held out her hand, watching as the scene before her slowly faded into black with the final stroke of midnight.
Character(s): Hermione/Barty Crouch Jnr
Prompt: The Ballroom at Midnight
Rating: G
Word Count: 786
Summary: It was kind of a Cinderella deal, she figured. And midnight was only 5 minutes away.
Notes: Sorry for the long absence, it's been a bit of a rough week. This is the third one for the challenge at 7spells now :o)
It had been three years since she had seen him. She had been but a child when he had gone away, and yet still, she loved him. She had no idea how she had ended up here - this was not her time, nor her place. The last thing that she could remember was being on a mission with Harry, working to destroy the final two Horcruxes that Voldemort had left behind. The Final Battle, as she now thought of it, was drawing near. It was close to Christmas - she and the boys would be returning to the Burrow soon, lest they wish to incur the wrath of Molly Weasley.
She remembered this room. All was as it was those three years ago, when she had been a student here, and had first fallen in love with him. She glanced at the walls, at the tables. It was all the same. The same people, the same decorations, the same dress robes. And yet, she could tell that all was different. For one thing, it was as if time had stopped. She could hear the music, could see the clock tower out the window, could feel the cool breeze as it danced across her alabastor skin... and yet no-one else moved. They were all seated at their tables, not eating, not talking, not even blinking. There was no-one on the dance floor.
No-one except him.
He looked different, too. Younger. He was not the embittered man that she had known, disguised as one who was even more embittered than himself, but actually who she felt he was meant to be. And approximately her age, too. She walked towards him, one slow step at a time, feeling her dress robes swirl about her hips, a pale pink this time, instead of the periwinkle that she had loved so dearly.
He watched her quizzically as she approached him. She could tell that although she seemed familiar to him, he could not place her. He looked confused as he held his hand out to her, ever the gentleman. She could tell that there were a million questions that he wanted to ask her, but she pressed a finger against his lips as she pressed her body against his. Whatever magic had brought them here, she knew that it wouldn't last forever. She was starting to figure out everything that was happening - she had been trying to remove a Horcrux from a muggle book that Voldemort had kept as a trophy from one of his childhood victims. Cinderella.
She thought that maybe this might be the same deal. After all, she was at the grandest ball she had ever seen. She was wearing beautiful robes. She had been brought here by magic. Most importantly though, her Prince was here.
Midnight was in less that five minutes.
They waltzed across the dance floor, his hand holding her waist firmly, her head resting against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Nothing else mattered, at that point in time. It didn't matter that she was Hermione Jane Granger, champion of Muggleborns, best friend of Harry Potter, and Gryffindor Princess. It didn't matter that he was Bartemius Crouch Junior, future Death Eater, most loyal servant of Lord Voldemort, and in reality a good twenty years older than herself. Right now, they were just two people. A witch and a wizard. Where they were meant to be, with whom they were meant to be with. The way life should have been.
She knew that this was the way it should have been. Despite all that he had done, she had seen his heart. Had seen that despite his general dislike of Muggleborns, that he respected, cared for her even. She realised that he had treated her the way he had when they were together in her fourth year because of this night. This ten minutes had decided both of their futures.
Startled, she pulled her head up suddenly as she heard the clock bells start to ring the hour. Midnight. She felt herself start to fade away, being pulled back by whatever force had brought her here in the first place. He held her hand, his voice breathless as he spoke.
"I feel like you're everything that I've been looking for my entire life." The clock called out the sixth stroke as she grasped his hand.
"I am."
"But I've never seen you before. I don't even know your name." Ten, as she smiled, a trifle sadly, and let go of his hand.
"You will."
She held out her hand, watching as the scene before her slowly faded into black with the final stroke of midnight.