Author's Note:AU one-shot about Hermione and Voldemort during the final battle. It alternates POV between the two.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As I struggled against the onslaught of curses and the rough shoves from unknown bodies, my eyes began to dart about what had once been the majestic Great Hall. Now parts of the ceiling had crumbled away and the walls and floors stood in ruins. I was searching for something I knew was there, something I knew was waiting to be found, and yet I could not find it. The seconds dragged like hours to my tired, overly-exhausted mind. My body was ready to fall, but the voice inside of my head kept telling me that I had to keep pushing forward; I had to keep fighting.
-x-
The boy was stronger than I had given him credit for. His will drove him to fight and to keep fighting until the end had come. It was a miscalculation on my part. I had mistaken his determination for foolish stubbornness. Yes, it was quite clear to me now. The boy was very driven, perhaps as much as I. He would have made a great Slytherin indeed. A spark of respect for the boy ignited within me. I respected him, yes, just as I had respected Dumbledore, and yet, they had both stood in the way of my goals. Were it not for that, the old fool would still be alive and the boy and I would not be fighting this final bloody battle in the hallowed halls of our childhood home. Nothing was going to get in my way.
-x-
'Where are they?' I thought as the fighting masses began to slowly thin out around me. Many had fallen, their limp, dead bodies scattered about the grounds and the castle. I didn't bother to look as I stepped over the corpses. It would all be recorded in the end anyways. Sweat dripped from my brow and into my eyes making them sting harshly. I blinked away the tears and pain and continued looking. I had to find them before it ended. I had to look into those eyes, those captivation orbs so full of knowledge and intellect, just one more time. I had to see him just once more. He deserved to know the truth. My hand fluttered to my stomach and I felt sick.
-x-
Her face hovered in my mind, just beyond my reach. I could still catch her scent on the air, a soft mixture of sweet chocolate, lavender and roses. She was the only one that had ever managed to burrow their way beneath the hard outer shell I had created around myself. Not only had she broken through and forced her way into my life and my mind, but she had stayed. With her she had brought back the feeling I had blocked out for so long, blocked out because they had seemed pointless of had simply become too painful to bear. I glance around without knowing what I was doing, searching for her in the crowd. I had to see just one more time. I had to catch her scent and hold on tightly to it. No matter the outcome of this battle, one of us, or perhaps both, would not live to see the sun rise over the lake. She at lease deserved to know the truth.
-x-
A clearing had formed up ahead and inside its boundaries I could see what I had been searching for. I forced my way closer towards the pair, stopping only once I had reached the very edge of the crowd. I looked to Harry. He seemed older, tired and ready to quit, yet he kept on fighting. His bright green eyes were cold and hard with concentration and determination to win, to survive the battle he had never wanted to fight in a war he had never asked to be the major hero of. My eyes moved to what I had been searching for, what I had so desperately needed to find. My eyes caught his and suddenly the tears could not be stopped. My vision blurred and I struggled to stay on my feet. My body had become quite weak in that second and I felt unstable. My heart thrummed in my chest and I fought to find the words I had been longing to tell him for weeks now. So much for Gryffindor courage.
-x-
I watched as she fought with herself, struggling to stay in the battle. Her arm was wrapped around herself, as though it was the only thing holding her together. She looked exhausted and it tugged at something deep within me. Had my self-control been anything less, I would have dropped my wand and ran to her side, but it was not. Mentally, I screamed at her to meet my gaze. I knew I couldn't way the words I felt were so right, but I had hope that she would see them radiated in my eyes, the eyes I knew she loved so dearly. I hoped that she would know what it meant, what I felt. The way she stood triggered something in my mind and it clicked. There was no pain in her eyes, and even after all that she had been through, her skin still held a surreal glow. My eyes caught hers and the unspoken question filled the air between us. She nodded softly with a bittersweet smile and emotions swarmed around me. My head swam and my mind left me.
-x-
I watched him dance away from Harry's spell. Graceful though he was, even his movements seemed clumsy and uncoordinated in the anarchy that surrounded us. He moved closer to me, slowly, and before my mind had acknowledged what was happening, his arm was wound around my waist just below my own. I had become the only thing standing between the two men I cared most about. To those looking on, I'm sure it looked every bit the hostage situation, but for me it was my last chance, my last opportunity to tell him. I swallowed deeply as he pulled me closer, taunting Harry as he pressed his near non-existent lips to my ear.
-x-
"Tell me it's true..." I hissed, my long fingers splayed across her abdomen. She nodded ever so slightly and through some magical bond, I felt the fainted of heart beats beneath my open palm. For the first time in my life, I understood why the old fool had been such the advocate for the emotion that coursed through me, filling my body with a strange new power. My skin grew warm and tight against my bones. For the first time in my life, I felt love. It felt so pure and so true and it filled me with warmth I had never known. "Hermione..."
-x-
His voice, the whispered hiss, filled me with warmth and I felt bathed in light. This was what had saved Harry's life all those years ago. Was it foolish to hope that it would save us as well? Love surged through me and for a moment nothing else existed. The fighting ceased, the noises faded away, and all that was left was peace, love and a timeless tranquility. For one fleeting moment I was suddenly aware of everything I had sacrificed to make it to this moment and I was painfully aware of what I was about to give up to see it through. Another tear leaked past my defenses. "Tom..."
-x-
"I love you..."
-x-
"I love you. I need you now more than ever. I've always needed you and I always will...don't leave me, please..."
-x-
"No worries, pet. I'll never be more than a thought or a dream or a whisper away. I'll be beside you when you think you're alone, and I'll watch over you as you slumber. I'll never leave you, my love, my Hermione. Don't cry for me; don't shed your tears for me. I'm giving the both of you a chance to live, to go on. Consider this my one good deed in life. I doubt it can outweigh all of the horrible things I've done, but it's worth it if it keeps you here, alive and with our child." I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and felt both their hearts beating with mine. It had to be enough. It just had to be.
-x-
I felt the floor beneath me and I saw the flash of green light, but my mind failed to notice anything but the fading touch of his lips on my skin. Darkness threatened the corners of my vision as his body fell beside mine. I turned to look at him, scared of what I may find. He looked oddly at peace, his eyes closed as though he were simply sleeping, not lying cold and unmoving beside me. I reached for his hand, grasping it firmly with my own and with my last ounce of strength, pressed a kiss to his forehead as the darkness took over.
-x-
"Tom...I'm sorry..."I whispered as I felt my life slipping away. I was ready to go, really. I was ready to be with him once again and this time nothing would tear us apart again. I had lived for the both of us, to give our child a chance. As I heard the wails of the newborn, I felt the sadness and the joy intertwine. I knew then that it was time to go.
"Mione..."Harry hovered at the corner of my vision, a bundle wrapped tight in his arms. "It's a boy, Mione."
I took the bundle from him with shaking arms and held it close. Violet eyes looked up at me as my fingers curled in the turf of black curls atop his head. I smiled then, and knew what his name would be. I looked to Harry with Ginny by his side, four months along now with their first. I knew my sweet little boy would be well taken care of and I smile at them sadly. I looked back to the child against my chest, eyes closed as he drifted to sleep. "I'll name him after his father. It only seems fair to continue the line. My little Tom. Tom Marvolo Riddle, Jr. It fits, don't you think?"
I pressed a kiss to his forehead as a voice called to me from some distant place. I knew it was time to let go. My eyes closed as the faces of the two men I had loved, father and son, burned against the backs of my eyelids. I struggled for breath, but I wasn't afraid. I was ready. I felt a hand on my shoulder as my eyes slid closed. I looked back to see him there, smiling at me. The perfect image of what he could have been in life. He still looked youthful, barely a man but for the few streaks of silver hidden in his black curls. His eyes had not changed, and I was glad for that. I took the hand he offered and together, we made our way across the plain towards our final solitude.
Tears fell from two sets of green eyes as Harry took the babe from his mother. A smile danced joyfully on her lips. He knew she had found her happiness, and for that he was glad. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and the couple walked away, the boy tucked against Harry's chest. Harry would do as he had promised. He would care for the child; raise him as he would his own. An owl met them at the top of the stairs, a note attached to its leg. Ginny grabbed it and gave the bird a pat on the head. She turned over the parchment envelope, pulling away the black ribbon and breaking the red wax seal. It was from Hermione, addressed to 'The Potters.' She opened it quickly and read it aloud.
-x-
'Dearest Harry and Ginny,
I'm certain you'll have your hands full soon, but I do appreciate this. He deserves the chance his father never had. He deserves a loving home, with parents that love him and care about him. I know you will both give him this. I thank you deeply for that. Also, I know my time has come. As Tom once told me at the very end, 'Don't cry for me.' I'm happy now, with him in a place where nothing can tear us apart. I want our son to know who his mother and father were. Yes, tell him all of the bad things his father did, but also tell him of all the good and all the great accomplishments he achieved. He did win my heart, after all. I want to thank you both once more.
Lastly, in my trunk you'll find the key to a Gringotts vault. It was Tom's, but when he died, the key was sent to me. Now I'm passing it on to our son. When you think he's ready, give him the key. It's his after all.
With love,
Your Dearest Friend,
Hermione Granger
P.S. Harry, never let him forget that should he ever need us, we're naught but a thought or a dream or a whisper away. We've never really left him and we never really will.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Author's Note: Well, tell me what you think. Kay. I love feedback and I'm desperately craving it.