the guardian | h.potter

3.8

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— "I'm sorry, Fin. I'm so sorry. I hadn't meant for the curse to hit you." Those are the words Finley heard from Harry Potter the moment she called out for his name as she woke in the Hospital Wing.

Harry had felt terrible. The one person he didn't want to hurt the most, he ended up almost killing.

He had to get rid of the book.

"Harry..." Finley weakly spoke. Her voice cracked at the lack of water over the past day. It had been 14 hours since Finley was brought into the Hospital Wing.

"I'm here, I'm here, love. I'm so sorry." Harry grasped her hand, resting his forehead on the hands. "Please forgive me. Or, I will never forgive myself." A tear slipped down Harry's cheek.

"Stop being so dramatic, Har. I'm fine. Feel good as new." Finley sat up in the bed to prove her point. The room swayed at the new vision.

"You don't look good as new," Ron comments as he walked in with Hermione and Ginny. Neville trailed shyly behind them.

"Thanks, Ronald. Way to make a girl feel good." Finley winced at the pain in her chest. "Pain pills?" She requested.

Madame Pomfrey gave her some to swallow. She took them gratefully.

"It feels like only a couple days ago since I was here," Ron joked, keeping the mood light.

"Oh, really? I had no idea. Hi, Nev." Finley smiled at the boy, greeting him as he awkwardly stood in the back of the group.

"Hey, Ley (a/n pronunciation of ley=lee). How are you feeling?"

"Good as I can be for being blown up in the chest," Finley sarcastically remarked.

Harry's eyes held guilt.

"So, what are we going to do about the book? Obviously, I'm not going to keep it. So, how do we get rid of it?" Finley's heart swelled at her boyfriend's words. (a/n oh the standards are just so high)

"We do it, today." Ginny stated firmly. Her tone left no room for argument.

"Yes, but how?" Hermione questioned.

"The Room of Requirement. In its original form, there are stacks and stacks of things in there. It's a maze. We put it in there. I'll go hide it." Finley said as she started to gather herself.

"I'll go with you," Harry immediately adds, taking Finley's arm to keep her steady. "I was the one to hurt you with it, therefore I will help you get rid of it."

Finley smiled, nodding.

The two exit the Hospital Wing. Finley wobbles a bit, but not much. Harry still clutched her arm protectively.

"I really am sorry for what I did, Finley. Even if it was meant for Malfoy, it was the wrong thing to do." Harry spoke quietly as the two made their way to the entrance of the Room of Requirement.

"It's okay. No hard feelings about it, love. Just please don't ever do it again. It hurt a lot more than what I wanted to feel on a Saturday morning."

He laughed at her words, shaking his head at her. "I love you," he chuckled. He froze once he realized the words that came out of his mouth. "I mean-"

"What did you just say?" Finley's lips turn up into a cheshire smile.

"It just-" Harry goes to defend his stupid mouth for slipping up and saying those stupid words, embarrassed.

"I love you too, Harry."

He halts in his walk. Turning to her quickly, he stared at her with wide eyes. It wasn't long before he acted out his need and desire. Harry grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. It was short, as Finley had pulled away.

"Not too much, yet. I'm still a bit light-headed." She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, before the two turn as they make it to the solid wall.

Finley closed her eyes, imagining the room she was looking for. When she opened her eyes, the door formed in front of the two. Finley pushed the heavy door open, entering the dark room quietly.

"We need to hide the Half-Blood Prince's book where no one will ever find it, including you." Finley spoke as she strolled deeper into the room.

A rustling sounds from a cabinet. Harry walks up to it, opening the door to reveal a bird flying from it.

"Harry, hand me the book." Finley extended her hand, waiting for him to hand it over. He does so without hesitation. However, he hesitates when he has to let her go.

"You sure you're all right to walk around on your own?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes, Har, I'm fine. Let me go." She eased her grip out of his. He watched her with cautious and steady eyes. "Now, close your eyes."

He didn't listen.

Finley sighed, bringing her fingers up to his face and gently closing his eyes forcibly. "I promise I will be okay. I will meet you in the Common Room, later. Keep your eyes closed until you hear the door close."

Harry kept his face neutral, nodding.

Finley got close to his face, lips brushing against his.

Harry tried to lean forward to steal a kiss from her, but she pulled away quickly. "Tease," he murmured.

She moved to the back side of him, standing on her tiptoes to peck the side of his neck. Right before she walked away to hide the book, she turned and smacked him on the rear-end hard.

Harry gasped, moving to a defensive position– still keeping his eyes closed. "That was my arse!" Harry exclaimed.

Finley did nothing but giggle.

Then, finally, she went to go hide the book of the Half-Blood Prince.

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- J.S.