Chapter 1 – Bittersweet Hello; Hermione and Fred
"Fred!" She yelled loudly, hoping through all of the noise that he would hear her voice over all the screams that were going on around them.
"Hermione!" He smiled at her, turning back to the action as he finished off the death eater that was trying to kill him.
He turned back to her, a smile on his face as he was waiting for her to come to him, and she watched as he was laughing at something someone had said to him; that was when the jet of green light hit him in the back…
His eyes became empty, and he looked at her before he started to fall. "No!" Her voice sounded like that of a wounded animal, horrible, awful and ready to kill.
The death eater who had killed Fred was laughing as he was joking with his friends. How dare he? Hermione knew what she had to do. Her wand whipped out, and she began firing every curse that could hurt someone into the depths of their very soul at them. She hit them so hard that some of them didn't even know what had happened, only that they were no longer able to do any pain to any of the people. They couldn't comprehend that she was doing this, and soon the band that had killed, no, murdered her Fred were dead lying on the floor, their crimson blood in pools around their bodies. She stared at them, her eyes full of hate as she turned back to the battle.
When the fighting was done, and everyone was watching Harry and Voldemort she walked to his body. She sat down on the rubble, her eyes clouding over as her strangled sobs broke out. She sank down, her hands clutching his shirt, clinging to him as if that would make him come back to her. They were going to be forever, and now they weren't.
She sat there for as long as she dared, her fingers stroking his hair on his warm forehead. "Please come back to me Fred?" She let the words come out, a whisper lost in the yells from outside. "I can't do it without you. You know that. It took so long for us to find each other, how are we supposed to be together now?" She lay down, her head on his chest as she tried to find the warmth that he always had. He still smelled like gunpowder and cinnamon, and soon his shirt was wet with her tears. She knew she needed to move, so she stood.
Hermione stood there, alone in the hall deserted by everyone she had ever known and loved. She could go stand by Mrs. Weasley and her family though, but she didn't want to see the tears that were falling down their faces, her own would start again and she had just stopped crying. She could still hear the anguished sobs of George as he stood over Fred's still body. That was enough; it was her fault, all her fault.
Her Fred, yes he was hers, he was gone and he wouldn't be coming back this time. He had left before, but only the school, then she had left on her wild adventures with Harry and Ron, and Fred waited for her. The life they wanted together wouldn't happen. He wouldn't call her his sweet anymore, he wouldn't be there waiting to kiss her when she saw him, he wouldn't be able to tell her how much he loved her anymore, he wouldn't be there telling jokes about how they met, he wouldn't be there giving her knowing glances across the table at the Burrow, he was gone. She didn't know why he was gone, she just knew that he was – and she couldn't handle that.
It was her fault…wasn't it? She had gone, she had helped destroy Voldemort, she had helped get rid of the stone that could have brought him back…if only she could find it. He was only here because he was fighting so that they could be free and happy. She should have come to his side when she knew he was in trouble, he didn't even see the blast that killed him, but she had and that was the worst part of it. Seeing the one you love dying in front of your eyes, not having the chance to tell him all the things that you should have a long time ago.
"Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley called to her through the sobs, she knew something. Mrs. Weasley was holding a little box in her hands. Hermione instantly knew, she knew why Fred told her to come find him after the battle.
Her legs felt leaden as she turned towards Mrs. Wealsey, the woman who could hold the fate of her own life her hands. She took the velvet box, and sitting in it was a small ring, it shone brighter than ever and the inside had their words in it "To the Stars and back". She felt heavy sobs escape her as she took the ring out. She didn't know how to handle it all.
"Hermione!" Harry ran up to her, his eyes heavy with the sadness that he seemed to have always.
"He…I couldn't…I tried." She choked, and he reached an arm out to her. She stared for a moment, he didn't understand. He couldn't understand.
She held the box to her heart and ran, faster than her legs normally could have carried her. She ran, past everyone, till she reached the bridge. It was now destroyed, and she stared into the depths of the bottom that she wondered where it stopped. She took the ring out of the box again; it glinted and gleamed with all the promises of a life together. It mocked her, it mocked the thought that the war would end and she could be happy.
She slipped it on, not caring that he wasn't physically by her anymore. She knew that he would always be in her heart, her mind. But that wasn't enough for her this time. She had lived without him the whole time she was with Harry and Ron. That wasn't living life. That was hell to her, not being able to smell him, to hold him. She paced the small walk, she knew that they would all be looking for her, but that didn't matter to her right now. She looked to the end of the bridge, she couldn't see the bottom of the ravine, and that was when it hit her.
Life without Fred was like the bridge, it was broken and crumbled and you could fix it, but it wouldn't be the same. The ravine was what life could be like, she could have everything, it would be never ending, and so she smiled. "I love you Fred." She whispered the words, and turn back towards the castle.
Neville waved to her, he was standing there, his arm around Luna and Luna had an odd look on her face. Hermione waved to them, backing her feet up ever so carefully. She could hear the pebbles falling down. Neville was looking at her, and he raised his hand to stop her from moving, but Hermione smiled, blowing them both a kiss before falling backwards.
She felt weightless as she fell, and she was rushing through the air, ready to be done with this life. She could find her Fred, she could find everyone she loved, she would find them once again, but now she was free. Her tears wouldn't happen anymore, she was doing this for her. She closed her eyes and let herself fall, knowing that the pain would be brief. She clenched her fists together, the ring sparkling around her finger.
"Hermione?" Fred was there, his arms straight to his sides, his hair looking ever so red in the setting sun.
"Hi Fred." She held her hand out, showing him the ring that was on her finger; he smiled as he moved closer to you.
"You shouldn't have done that." He spoke quietly and she could hear the pain and the love in his voice.
"No life without you is worth living." She wrapped her arms around his strong body, feeling the muscles in his chest, smelling the familiar scent, feeling safer than she ever had before. "I love you." She kissed him, feeling the passion of her heart in the kiss.
"I know." He kissed her back, and the setting sun stayed in the sky as they walked along a beach, and she knew that eternity with him was better than a glimpse of life without him. They didn't speak of the war, or the past, only the future they knew they were going to have together, and that was alright because life goes on; in her case it would be forever.