I Love Him

Chapter 12

Year 7

1998

//Re-joining, Apologies and Harry's New Wand//

Robyn walked through the forest ignoring the pain from the right leg when weight was placed on it. It had been a few days since she’d left Draco and was completely by herself as she wondered through the forest. She reached up and wiped sweat of her forehead as she continued to walk across the leave strewn floor. Robyn was in no position to fight with an injured leg, slight hypothermia and under fed went that she was too weak to duel with anyone. She glanced at the note book in her hand as she tried to figure out her next move. She couldnt wonder around forever. She needed a plan.

Footsteps reached Robyn’s ears and her head shot up and her hand snapped to her wand, gripping it tightly. Robyn hobbled behind a tree and pressed her back against it and shoved her note book in her bag as she heard the footsteps come to a halt a few meters from where Robyn was hiding. She took a deep breath then spun out from behind the tree and shouted,

“Stupefy!”

“Protago!” A familiar voice retaliated and Robyn looked at the person in shock. Robyn’s mouth was slightly open and her wand arm dropped slightly as the girl stared back in astonishment, “Robyn?”

“Hermione?” The nodded and a breathless smile appeared on Robyn’s face and Hermione ran forward and practically leapt at Robyn wrapping her into an embrace. A small grunt left Robyn at the impact but none the less she wrapped her arms around Hermione tightly. A feeling of relief flooded Robyn as she hugged her friend.

After a few moments, Hermione gripped her friend tightly as they stood and Robyn could feel her friends body shaking slightly. “We thought you were dead.” Hermione muttered quietly and Robyn’s throat tightened as Hermione pulled back and looked at her, “We didn’t know where you were.”

“I know.” Robyn whispered quietly “I’m so sorry.” Hermione shook her head and let out a small sob and hugged Robyn tightly again.

“Hermione!” Robyn looked up at the familiar voice

“Hermione! Where are you?” Hermione pulled away and they turned to see Harry and Ron appear from a clump of tree’s.

“We heard you shout…” Ron trailed off as his eyes locked with Robyn’s. Harry stared in disbelief,

“Robyn.” Harry gasped and then Ron came barrelling down the small slope toward her then yanked her to him and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. Robyn huffed in the contact but hugged back tightly with her face barely over his shoulder. She watched over his shoulder with a slightly frown as Hermione took a large step away from Ron as if she didn’t want to be near him.

“Are you alright?” Ron asked pulling back and Robyn nodded turning her attention to him, “God Robyn, you have me hell when I came back to find that you’d left too.”

“How long have you been back?” She asked,

“I found them a few days ago.” Ron answered her “After I saved your brother from being an idiot.” Robyn tensed slightly and looked over at Harry who was still staring at her in dis-belief. She glanced to where she saw looking then bit his lip and returned his gaze to her, “He told me what happened when I left, Robyn. I’m so sorry. If I had no known I would have brought you with me.” Robyn stared back at Harry as she answered,

“No…I was fine.” Robyn told him finally looking up at Ron who looked at her with a pitiful expression,

“But you were alone.” Ron pointed out but Robyn shook her head,

“No, I wasn’t.” She corrected and Hermione wore a confused expression as she asked,

“Who were you with?”

“Draco.” Robyn answered and their jaws dropped in shock,

“What?” Ron and Hermione said in unison,

“Well…” Robyn trailed off, “Its a long story.”

“What happened to your leg?” Robyn looked up Harry who was still staring at her but expression was no emotion and blank.

“I had a little run in with some Death Eater’s.” Robyn replied and she saw Harry’s eyebrows raise slightly then silence fell over the group. Feeling tense hanging in the air, Hermione coughed and walked over to Robyn,

“Come on.” Hermione said then looked down at her leg “Do you want some help?”

Robyn shook her head, “No, I’m fine” Robyn answered and they began walking toward Harry. As Robyn passed Harry she avoided eye contact with him but could feel his gaze burning into her.

Robyn stared at the pendent of her necklace as she lay in her bed with her leg cleanly wrapped a few hours later. Hermione couldn’t do much but let the wound heal by itself as the spell that caused the burn prevented any potion or spell to heal it. Thus, Robyn was forced to rest and not put any weight on her leg until it healed. The colours of orange and red along with spots of pale blue swirling in the pendent. Her mind wondered to Draco. Did he escape? Does the Dark Lord know that he was with her for over a month?

Robyn was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Harry was coming toward her until he was sitting on the edge of her bed. She closed her hand around the pendent and looked at him with a blank expression and glanced down at the bowl of soup in his hand.

“Hermione thought you might be hungry.” Harry mumbled quietly and she nodded as took the soup from Harry’s outstretched hands. Robyn eat slowly feeing her brother’s eyes on her as she did so. She heard Harry sigh before asking “What happened after you left?” Robyn looked down at the soup and placed it down on her side table then faced Harry.

“Do you really want to know? You didn’t see to care when you sent me away.” Robyn said quietly without any harshness in her tone.

She watched Harry sigh and look down, “Robyn…you have no idea how much I regret it.” Harry told her honestly and Robyn scoffed to herself quietly and looked away,

“I find that hard to believe.” She commented to herself but Harry heard it,

“I’m being serious.” Harry said looking up at her with pleading eyes, “I swear I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He admitted, “I thought you were dead, Robyn.” He said seriously and Robyn frowned slightly and glanced at him,

“You have such little faith in me?” She questioned and Harry sighed and rubbed his head,

“Robyn, you’re my sister I would always worry about you.” He pointed out and Robyn snorted quietly and rolled her eyes,

“Please, you haven’t treated me like your sister since fifth year.” Robyn grumbled and Harry nodded solemnly,

“I know.” He agreed “I also know that there’s nothing I can do that will make up for it. When you left, I couldn’t stop thinking where you were.” Robyn watched him with a blank expression as Harry held her hands “What happened when you left?” Robyn sighed and explained everything from when she met Draco to when she disaperated after being cornered by the Death Eater’s.

Harry listen and flinched when she told him about the encounters with the Death Eaters. Robyn skipped over a few details about what happened during her time with Draco. Once she finished Harry didn’t stay anything and continued to stare at her. She shifted uncomfortable as silence hung over them for a very long moment before Harry finally spoke,

“Robyn…I don’t know what to say.” Robyn watched him carefully as he continued “I wish I could go back and stop myself from sending you away. I was just blinded by anger by the fact that you kissed Ron.”

Robyn’s eyes widened in alarm, “No – Harry, let me explain.” She attempted to say but Harry shook his head,

“Ron explained it to me.” Harry said “Everything. I just…I’m sorry.” Robyn nodded and looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

“Hermione doesn’t hate me, does she?” Robyn asked quietly and Harry’s eyes widened,

“What? Robyn, no!” Harry exclaimed “Why would you even ask that?”

“She likes him, Harry.” Robyn said “He’s like a brother to me anyway.” She saw Harry flinch slightly at her words. A frowned appeared on her face as she watched Harry look down with a grimace

“Yeah, I know.” He muttered bitterly “He’s knows more about you than your own twin brother.” Robyn furrowed her eyebrows,

“It’s not your fault.” Robyn said softly “I understand you’ve been under a lot of stress.”

“Stop it, Robyn.” Harry snapped sharply “Stop making excuses for me that you don’t even believe and aren’t true.” Robyn was slightly startled by his tone but didn’t think much of it, he was angry with himself not at her “I really am sorry. I swear.” Robyn smiled lightly,

“I know.” She said “In a way, I’m glad that you forced me to leave.”

“Are you still with Malfoy?” Harry asked her quietly and Robyn nodded,

“Yes, but can’t you at least call him Draco now?” Robyn asked with a small laugh. Harry scoffed to himself,

“I still don’t like him.” Harry reminded him “I haven’t forgotten the past six years of hate we got from him, Robyn.”

“Three years.” Robyn corrected and Harry furrowed his eyebrows

“What do you mean?” Harry questioned

“Well,” Robyn blushed as she spoke “Draco told me he liked me since third year and he’s been pleasant to me since fourth year.”

“Really?” Harry questioned his eyebrows raising and Robyn nodded in response. Harry smiled slightly then looked at her with an honest expression “I miss you, Robyn.”

“I missed you too”.

“I’ve always liked these flames Hermione makes.” Ron said from beside Robyn as they sat in the tent with Harry on the other side of Robyn and Hermione sitting outside the tent. Robyn glanced at Ron to see him staring outside at the entrance to the tent “How long do you reckon she’ll stay mad at me?”

“Well, just keep talking about that little ball of light touching your heart and she’ll come round.” Harry advised and Robyn looked down at the tiny flame in the glass jaw before them

“It was true. Every word.” Ron told them, “This is gonna sound crazy but I think that’s why Dumbledore left it to me, the Deluminator. I think he knew that somehow I’d need it to find my way back, and she’d lead me. Then again, doesn’t explain how Robyn found her way back.” She shifted uncomfortably as she left Harry’s gaze on her,

“Maybe, Dumbledore didn’t predicted that eventuality.” Harry muttered and Robyn bit her lip.

“Blood hell, I just realized, you need a wand, don’t you, Harry?” Ron said suddenly,

“Yeah” Harry confirmed gloomily,

“I’ve got one here.” Ron said reaching into his back pack and pulling out a short wand “It’s blackthorn. Then inches. Nothing special, but I reckon it’ll do.” He handed it to Harry “Took it off a Snatcher a couple of weeks ago. Don’t tell Hermione this, but they’re a bit dim, Snatchers. This one was definitely part troll, the smell of him.” Robyn smiled at his words and Harry pointed the wand at the small flame

“Engorgio” The flame burst upward in a large wide shot of fire that let out a massive jaw. Robyn flung herself back to avoid being burnt “Reducio!” Harry shouted quickly and the fire returned to a fickle flame.

“What’s going on in there?” They heard Hermione ask.

“Nothing.” Robyn, Harry and Ron covered up quickly just as Hermione entered and said,

“We need to talk.” The other three got to their feet and looked at her,

“Yeah, alright.” Ron agreed and Hermione walked past them and stood on the small steps,

“I want to go see Xenophilius Lovegood.” Hermione told them,

“Sorry?” Harry said quickly,

“See this?” She opened a book with a photocopy of a letter and she pointed to a small sign of a triangle, a circle and a straight line “It’s a letter Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald. Look at the signature. It’s the mark again.” Robyn frowned in confusion and glanced at Ron “It keeps cropping up. In Beedle the Bard, in the graveyard in Godric’s Hollow.”

“It was there too.” Harry said with a lost look on his face

“Where?” Hermione questioned,

“Outside Gregorovitch’s Wand Shop.” Harry answered,

“But, what does it mean?” Robyn questioned,

“Look, neither you or Robyn have any idea where the next Horcrux is, and neither do I, but this, this means something. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah. Hermione’s right.” Ron piped up moving past the twins to stand beside Hermione “We ought to see Lovegood. Let’s vote on it. Those in favour?” he raised his hand and the other three stared at him, Robyn honestly felt like laughing slightly but kept a straight face.