Trust

Harry entered the smaller one of the rooms and plopped down on the bed. It felt so soft and comfortable. The walls, the ceiling, and floor were made of wood, there was a little bookshelf at the far corner of the room, there was a night stand beside the bed, there was a cabinet was situated near the door, and there was a mirror on the wall beside the door.

Harry sat up and began thinking about what to do about the Horcrux they had when he sat up with a jolt, suddenly remembering about the Horcrux.

"Hermione?" he called.

The said brunette entered his room.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Where's the locket? Have you been wearing it for two days?"

"Oh, I didn't, I assure you. I placed it in the very bottom of my bottomless bag with a Notice-Me-Not charm so as not to be tempted."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why do you ask?" she said.

"I was just worried you'd bear the burden of wearing that wretched Horcrux for two straight days."

She sat down beside him and took his hand in hers in reassurance.

"Have you no faith in me?" she said in mock hurt, "Merlin knows I wouldn't wear it for two straight days because I'd have to have a sound mind and body to be able take care of you. How do you think I managed?"

He smiled and she smiled back.

"Thanks for taking care of me, Hermione. You didn't have to, you know?" he asked.

"Are you serious? You're my best friend, Harry. Of course I'd take care of you. You need to win the war and I'll help you through it all."

He sighed and pulled away his hand from hers to rub his forehead.

"Yeah, I need to," he said, bitterly.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I feel like everyone is depending on me, I mean, everyone does, right? They expect me to be the on to defeat Vo- I mean, You-Know-Who. I hate it when they want me to be the one to lead them to victory. I hate it when a huge responsibility is placed on my shoulders without anyone to care about how I'll feel about it. I hate it when people think a 17 year old boy is ready to be a savior of humanity. They all expect me to save them all.

"It's because of this stupid responsibility that my parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore died. I'm the reason why they died. I'm not a hero, Hermione. No one asked me that. No one wanted to know that I never wanted to be a hero.

"I'm just a boy who loves to play Quidditch and just wanted to live a life with his friends where no one tries to kill him every year. I'm just a boy who wanted a complete family and who wanted to love without being afraid to do so and be loved back," he finished with tears streaming down his face.

To say Hermione was shocked is an understatement. Harry never cried. He was always the strong one. He never talked about how he felt and who always tried to take the blame all by himself. She felt a strong urge to go kill the people who caused pain to her best friend.

But for now, she had to be there for him. Harry was always there for her. He cared for her deeply and she saw that through his eyes. He was always the one to save her, to protect her, to comfort her, to help her fight through all her problems in life. He was her anchor, the one who kept her sane.

She made a new resolve. From now on, she will be the one to help Harry through his problems. She will be his crying shoulder, his rock to keep him steady, his anchor. She will be the one to shade him from the imperfections of the world.

She had never known how much he needed her and she felt guilty. He needed her and she wasn't there. This time will be different. He needs her now more than ever and she will not disappoint him, not now, not ever.

As he continued crying, she pulled him to her and gave him a bone crushing hug. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her and buried his face on the crook of her neck, sobbing uncontrollably. His body shook as he let go of the bottled up misery he's kept hidden from everyone for years.

He should be ashamed, right? He's there, crying on his best friend's shoulder, showing his weakness. But it felt so good to let go of his pent up emotions. It felt so good to be in her arms. He felt safe. He felt at home. He felt loved.

Hermione held him for Merlin knows how long until his body calmed down from all the spasms. He felt his breath getting even. She knew he had fallen asleep. Slowly, as if she were carrying a newborn baby, she laid him down on the bed and took off his glasses, putting them on the night stand.

She climbed in the bed beside him, her arms still wrapped around him. He was facing her, his eyes puffy, his nose red. His face was sweaty, his hair sticking on the skin of his forehead. She tucked away that strand of hair on his ear.

She stayed there and watched him sleep. She should leave now that he was asleep but she couldn't as he needed her. Watching him sleep peacefully also brought peace to her mind. She smiled at that thought. She kissed his cheek softly and watched as a small but contented smile appeared on his face. She chuckled softly at that.

She watched him sleep until her eyes drooped tiredly. The last thing she thought of was how it felt so good to be right there with him, beside him. And for the first time since they left the Burrow, she slept soundly, forgetting about the world and its problems, even for just a little while. And it was all because of Harry.