Title: Life Goes On
Rating: K
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Ron/Hermione, Sirius
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Summary: What if Harry Potter had died in the graveyard at the end of GoF?
Notes: For the Quidditch Fanfiction Competition, Round 9. Pride of Portree. This round was aptly nicknamed the Butterfly Effect round. Optional prompts: Blankets / Birthday / Uncovered.
Feedback: Yes, please
The world looks bleak. Hermione rests her head on a soft pillow, pulling the blankets that had pooled around her ankle up, covering herself tightly in a cocoon. She stares at the peeling paint on the wall.
Harry's birthday is coming up. Unlike last year it will be passed quietly, with no fanfare whatsoever. There's nothing to celebrate any longer. Harry is dead. He won't know the difference if his birthday is forgotten. Hermione knows the Weasleys feel the same way. They don't want to think about how Harry should be turning 15, not buried at Godric's Hollow next to his parents.
Sirius is a shadow of his former self. He moves listlessly around 12 Grimmauld Place, as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. He has taken to drinking a lot of bourbon, a lot more than is healthy. Hermione isn't even sure how he got American whiskey. It had to be imported, which means expensive.
Remus is not any better. Mr. Weasley had quietly explained it was because the wolf in Remus saw Harry as his cub, and now his cub, the youngest member of his pack, is dead.
Hermione understands. She remembered reading all about what family means to werewolves during their third year. Not to say everyone else's lost isn't great, but losing family is worse for a werewolf, due to the way a werewolf feels and connects to people.
When Harry and Cedric's bodies had both shown up, neither moving, Hermione just knew it. They both were dead. There was no mistaking their still movements as sleep when neither of their chests moved. Hermione had wanted to say last rites, for both of them, but never got the chance.
She and Ron had both screamed that it wasn't the tournament that killed Harry. It was Voldemort. Fudge is truly a bumbling idiot, though, and made them out to be attention-seeking liars.
Hermione had always thought about Harry as a prospective romantic match. He was sweet, and kind, and always there for her. He was loyal to a fault to the people who earned it. He had a rigid sense of right and wrong. But her interest was no longer valid; it had flown the coop.
Hermione knows it sounds selfish, but she always thought she'd end up with Harry. He was far more mature than Ron, but maybe Ron will now realize he needs to grow up.
Hermione and Ron quietly discuss Voldemort that summer. With Harry's death, Hermione developed an iron will to defeat Voldemort, no matter the cost to herself. He will not get away with murdering her best friend, not at all.
Hermione feels as if she and Ron have every right to know what's going on with the war effort. After all, they're in it just as much as the adults, but they're still looked at as simply kids who don't know any better. She is furious when she's forced out of the room by the Order of the Phoenix. "Against my will! Can you believe it?" she asks Ron, totally aghast.
Ron is just as angry, but all he says is "It's Dumbledore."
She crosses her arms. At one time that would have been enough for her. No authority figure was ever wrong to her. But that time has long passed. She won't rest until Voldemort is officially gone, and that means she needs to know what the Order is doing to stop him.
They will find another way, though.
As Hermione thought might happen, Ron did seem to mature. Having his best friend die at such a young age made him see that the time for childish games is gone. He realizes he needs to learn to protect himself and his family.
He no longer rises to the bait of Draco Malfoy. He no longer focuses all of his time on Quidditch or chess. He studies and works hard in his classes, even History of Magic and Potions. Professor Snape no longer has a list of reasons to yell at Ron, so he chooses to ignore him. Ron seems to be just fine with that. He no longer gets angry at the fact he doesn't earn the same house points that the Slytherins earn for doing the same thing. He just focuses on what needs to be done.
Hermione feels her heart flutter as Ron becomes a man before her eyes. At one time, she would have been too scared to come forth with her feelings. She would have been too afraid of rejection. She knows how short life can be, though. She thought about what Harry would say if he was here. "Follow your heart." She can hear his voice clearly in her head, and she knows what she must do.
When they kiss for the first time, it's nice and sweet, and everything a first kiss should be. They decided to be quiet about their relationship. They're already fending off enemies, from both within the school and out of the school. Their enemies don't need any more ammunition to use against them.
They work together along with the Order. Voldemort's biggest mistake is he's overconfident, cocky. With Harry out of the way, he thinks no one can stop him. He thinks a mudblood and blood traitor don't stand a chance. In some ways Voldemort is right. If it was just Hermione and Ron, they probably wouldn't stand a chance, but they're not alone. They have all of the Order of Phoenix backing them up. There's Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Severus, and many other very powerful witches and wizards.
Voldemort doesn't stand a chance in the end. Hermione had used her precious research skills and found a very obscure spell. It doesn't kill him unfortunately, but binds him to another plane for eternity.
It's a very difficult spell because it takes 3 wizards or witches of a certain amount of power to be able to pull it off. In the end, it comes down to Dumbledore, Severus, and oddly enough, Hermione.
She never considered herself magically powerful, but she must be, because the spell goes off without a hitch.
Voldemort is gone, erased from the world, or at least from their plane. Wherever Voldemort is bound to, hopefully there are no people there.
As everyone celebrates at Hogwarts, especially Sirius, as he is now free, Ron gets down on one knee and proposes to Hermione. She speechless, and only manages a nod before leaping into his arms.
They plan to have a wizarding ceremony, but also a muggle ceremony. Hermione doesn't want to forget where she comes from. They are her cultural values, and she wants to make sure any children they have understands the muggle world as well.
An hour before her wedding, she is in a frenzy. She is looking for her 'something borrowed' when there is a knock on the door. Her mother goes and answers it. Hermione looks up when she hears Sirius's warm chuckle.
Hermione smiles, glad he's here. She only wishes Harry could be here, too.
"I have something for you. It's something I think Harry would want you to wear today." He uncovers a box, and upon opening it, Hermione sees it's a ring. Not just any ring, though. It's the Potter Family ring. "I received it after my name was cleared. I'll need it back of course, but you can wear it today."
Hermione feels as if she's going to cry. "I needed a 'something borrowed.'"
"Well, here you go." Sirius takes the ring out and with gentle fingers, places it onto Hermione's finger. "Ron better be good to you, if he knows what's good for him."
Hermione smiles. "I'm sure Ron will treat me the way I deserve. Thank you, not only for the ring, but for coming today. It means a lot to me."
They share a warm hug. "I hope you get everything you deserve."
Hermione squeezes Sirius tighter, grateful that he stayed a part of her life, even after Harry's death and the clearing of his name.
Marriage life isn't easy. That's the first thing Hermione can think to say when asked about it, but she's happy. Despite their problems, Ron and Hermione have a very good marriage. They talk out their differences instead of just screaming about them. Hermione knows she can be herself with Ron. They know everything about each other, from their secret dreams to their worst fears.
When Hermione finds herself pregnant, she's ecstatic. She secretly hopes for a boy. Although they never discussed it, she knows their first boy will be named Harry.
At her five month mark, she finds out the baby is a girl. Although she is mildly disappointed, she knows Ron and she will have another child, and hopefully that child will be a boy. They discuss names and figure out another way to honor Harry.
During child labor, she's heavily medicated, deciding to experience it the muggle way, so her parents can be there When her firstborn, her baby girl comes into the world, Hermione feels nothing but love and happiness. She looks around their family. All of the Weasleys and their families are there. Hermione's parents are there, too, as well as Sirius, Remus, and Tonks.
Hermione beams. "Say hello to Rose Weasley. We named her after Lily Potter, in honor of Harry, since we didn't get a boy the first time out.
"Harry would be honored," Sirius says gruffly.
Hermione and Ron share a look before looking down at their bundle of joy. They still miss Harry. They'll always miss Harry, but they have so much to live for now.
Note: I now have an AO3 account and all of my stories, including my unpublished original stuff, is posted. You can find the link on my profile page.