"Harry, do you ever wonder what would happen to people if Voldemort won?" Ron whispered. I could hear the hesitation in his voice and knew it must have been a hard question for him to ask his best friend. Harry didn't answer right away. I almost opened my eyes, but I waited. I heard something move to my left and guessed that Harry was sitting up. He and Ron had been lying on the floor, watching the fire dancing in the hearth. We were at the Leaky Cauldron. The three of us had been in this sitting area all night, talking about anything and I had fallen asleep on the couch. I woke up when Ron asked his question.

Finally Harry said something. "Yes Ron, I wonder about that everyday. I've never found an answer to it though; that's why I can't stop looking for the horcruxes. I have no way of knowing that people would survive. Why do you ask, Ron?"

Ron sat up as well. "I suppose I asked because I've been wondering the same thing. Only thing is, I found an answer." He paused, as if to make sure no one was around besides the three of them, and then continued so quietly that I had to lean forward a little to hear him. "If Voldemort won, everyone would forget how to be cheerful. It would be like a thousand dementors came and took away everyone's hope. People would give up and no one would keep fighting. Harry, you were right when you said we can't stop looking for the horcruxes. We are the ones leading this war. Everyone is assuming that it ends when you kill Voldemort but it doesn't. After that, at least some of the Death Eaters will continue fighting. But you have to know that you don't have to fight them on your own. After Voldemort is gone, people will help win the battle. They just need you to get them through the first victory." I was stunned into staying silent. I had never heard Ron say something like that. But I knew that Harry needed to hear it. What I hadn't known until though, was that I needed to hear it too.

"How do you know that? How do you know that people will help this war more, once Voldemort is out of the picture?" Harry said.

"In case you hadn't noticed, the Ministry has no problem fighting Death Eaters. Same thing for the Order. They can help, and other people will too. You just have to trust me on this one."

I opened my eyes and saw that Harry was pale. He was staring at Ron, looking to him as a source of reassurance. I also turned slightly and watched Ron. He looked confident in everything he was saying, and I gained confidence as well because I knew he was right. "Believe what he's saying Harry. We are all here to help you. Everyone in the wizarding world will make sure this battle is one." I said this quietly but they both jumped and turned to look at me. I sat up on the couch. "All you have to do is defeat Voldemort."

"You make that sound so easy, Hermione," Harry said after a moment. I grinned at him. We dropped the conversation and moved on to a lighter topic.

"Well," I said, while grabbing my wand. "Since we're all up, do either of you want some hot chocolate?" They both sat up a little straighter. I conjured three steaming mugs and slid down on the floor between them.

Harry raised his cup and made a toast. "To the wizarding world, who is going to help in the defeat of Voldemort."

Ron and I lifted our cups to his and, in unison, said, "To the wizarding world." As porcelain connected nothing was heard but the small 'clink' of our mugs. We sat silently, all of us thinking the same thing. We have to find and destroy the horcruxes. We have to kill Voldemort. We have to count on the wizarding world to help end this battle. We have to survive, for each others' sakes. It slowly became a chant in my head. Find and destroy; kill Voldemort; end this battle; survive. Find and destroy….

Ron, Harry, and I all came to a silent understanding; we had to complete all these tasks, no matter how hard and terrible things got, no matter how long it took.

But for tonight all we had to do was keep each other company until we finished our hot chocolate. And that was simple enough.