prologue

Hermione couldn't believe she was thumbing furiously through Secrets of the Dark Arts whilst Ron was nearly risking his life in retrieving a Basilisk's fang from within the chamber. Harry's words were still ringing within her mind. I'm going into the forest...Be sure to destroy all the horcruxes....I'm relying on you...

So Harry was planning to be martyr and die, huh? Well, she'd show him. Harry was going to get through this even if she had to drag him, kicking and screaming through the forests herself.

Glenda Rowenall.....Admitted to St Mungo's on August 13th 1942, due to being placed under the cruciatus curse and being driven to the brink of insanity. Notes: Was a fifth year Gryffindor at time of admittance. Parents gave permission for her to die peacefully a year later.

Hermione all but growled at the uselessness of the information. There had to be something within this book beneficial to their fight against Lord Voldemort.

"I've got it!" Ron emerged triumphant, through the crevice in the rock barrier blocking the tunnel, holding a sac high above his head. Hermione slammed the book close, and tucked it under her elbow. Her frowning face morphing into a smile when her beloved best friend scrambled to join her.

"Oh Ron, I love you!" She cried, tip-toeing up to plant a kiss on his reddening cheek. Instead of scrubbing it raw with his sleeve, Ron looked rather flattered to the verge of embarassed. But it didn't stop him from leaning down and planting a desperate hot kiss against her mouth.

"Love you too, 'Mione" he whispered, holding her waist loosely in his hands. Ron would've continued gazing at her; if Hermione hadn't broke free and tugged at his hand.

"Ron, we have to go get Harry," she urged, leading him towards the two broomsticks they had discarded by the tunnel leading to the girls' bathroom earlier.

Ron could do nothing more than nod.

By the time Hermione and Ron had rushed to the front entrance hall and beyond; Hagrid had already begun his trek with Harry prone in his arms.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes--surely--no! Harry couldn't be dead! Not her best friend of seven years...But the sombre faces of the people who had not fallen before the Deatheaters, and the gleeful smirks upon the deatheaters themselves was enough to confirm her suspicion.

"HARRY! NO!" She burst through the thicket, people automatically stepping aside as she rushed to the front of the defeated crowd, watching as Harry's body, dwarfed by Hagrid's own, bobbed up and down as if it had no mind of it's own. She could already hear the first sounds of weeping sweep the crowd behind her and Hermione herself had to bite back her tears.

Ron, as if sensing the deterioating state of Hermione's mind, reached out to grab her as she made a move to charge the Victory Party. He could sense the agony within, and wouldn't have minded sending a few well-aimed hexes himself, but knew if Hermione ran out from the crowd, then she was running to death itself.

"No Hermione!" He hissed, restraining her back with firm hands. " He'll kill you! Remember Harry's words! If we destroy all the horcruxes and then kill You-Know-who, Harry's death won't be in vain! No- Listen to me!"

Hermione was beyond listening as she bucked furiously against her restrainer. All that was coherent in her frothing mind was revenge. Even if it resulted in her death or not.

"Let me go!" she howled, brown hair whipping against her face as she whiplashed her head into Ron's nose. That was all it took. Ron abruptly let her go, to clutch at his bloodied nose and grimace in pain. When Hermione immediately didn't try to make a run for it, he breathed a sigh of relief. Instead the queaziness returned as he doubled over and his stomach revolted against him.

"Hermione.." he gasped.

Hermione was already reaching for the vial strapped to her waist that had been ominously hanging there for the past few months. Confused, Ron watched as Hermione swirled the murky grey contents before uncorking the vial with a pop.

"Hermione, what are you doing?!"

She didn't answer, instead bringing the vial to her nose and sniffing the contents with a determined expression. Ron's alarm began to multiply as Hermione brought the vial abruptly to her lips and swallowed the entire contents in one mouthful.

For a second, nothing hapenned and Hermione began to look angry, the desperate hope that had flickered in her eyes extinguishing rapidly.

But then there was a bang- and the love of his life, the most exasperating girl he had ever met, disappeared before his very eyes into nothingness.

A/N : Pls RnR