A/N: A big thanks to The Steppy One for beta-ing this for me it is very much appreciated!
I know i haven't updated Broken Dreams in a while but i am busy with school work and such.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
This is in Ron's Point of View
Better Days
She held on tight to me that day; I could feel her hands gripping my shirt tightly. She was scared and all I could do was hold her. I could feel her tears soaking into me, becoming me. I knew she trusted me, she felt safe in my arms. I promised to protect her from harm, and I intend to keep that promise.
My birthday was approaching and I knew that it was not a time to celebrate when so many lives may be at risk. We were in the middle of a war, a fight that may very well be fatal to us. She asked me what I wanted, several things crossed my mind but I wanted nothing more than my friends and family, her, to survive.
The one thing I want this year, the one wish I want to come true is that the people I care about live through this dark and frightening time. It is a selfish thing to want and to ask but if my wish comes true, I will be happy. Until then, I can barely manage a smile on my face. I know the battle is approaching soon and I can't help but feel that we are not ready; we will never be ready to fight knowing that we may lose those dear to us.
I can't imagine my life without her. I have spent so many years putting off my feelings because I was too scared, scared of the rejection that might have come. I was a fool. I could have spent more time knowing what it felt like to love, and to be loved by someone else. I don't want anything to happen to her, she is my rock, my life, and my heart.
I pulled away from her slowly and looked into her beautiful eyes. The tears were making them sparkle even more. There was something in her eyes that made my heart skip a beat; it was as if she was begging me not to leave her. She was begging me to stay, and that was a promise that I knew I shouldn't make.
"Hermione," I said softly, "Are you ok?"
Her eyes softened at the sound of my voice. I noticed that she was trying to smile, but she couldn't. The pains of the war had already taken its toll on us.
"Ron…" She said quietly, "Just promise me one thing?"
I gulped, dreading what she was about to ask me. "Anything," I whispered through the tears that were now forming in my eyes.
"Promise me that you will stay with me," she said as she embraced me in a desperate attempt to keep me close to her. "Promise you won't leave me"
I choked through my tears, "I promise"
That was one of the hardest things to say, promising I won't leave her. I know at times like that, times when we were in so much danger, promises like that were hard to keep. I know I shouldn't have said it, but she needed to hear it. She needed to hear the confidence in my voice that we would be here after this all ends. I know there are harsh consequences to what I promised her. I know that there is a chance that I could die, and if I do I know that I would have instantly broken the promise I made to her. I told her I wouldn't leave her, but there can be different meanings to that simple promise which makes me glad I made it to her.
When we were searching for the Horcruxes, I noticed that we had hardly argued. Okay, to be fair to the truth we did argue a little, we were under an enormous amount of stress and with the lack of sleep and the amount of concentration we needed, we tended to get a bit annoyed.
We used to snap at each other, give sarcastic remarks or call one another a childish name, and that would be the start of an argument. We didn't do any of that whilst searching for the Horcruxes, or during the final battle. We grew up a lot, and realised that Harry, and the world needed us to get along. There was too much at stake to risk things now.
We had to swallow our pride for the sake of the world, and that came at a price. We could have continued with our petty arguments about things that did not matter at all, but I doubt that it would have helped. At times it was hard, she would say something that I would disagree with, or she did something that would unintentionally aggravate me, I would have to bite my lip and try not to say something that would turn into an argument. I knew she did the same with me.
We all had a heavy weight placed on our shoulders, we had an enormous responsibility and if we failed at what we set out to do then the consequences were best not thought about. We knew that if we died it would be for the greater good.
Finding the Horcruxes was hard on all three of us. Those times were very stressful and tested our friendship. We stuck by each other though, proving that in hard times friendship and love can survive. We all were determined to find and destroy all the remaining Horcruxes in the hope that Voldemort would perish.
"I won't let you down, Hermione." I said as I held her close to me. I closed my eyes and wished for a future, a happy future with Hermione. I wanted to be with her and I intended to keep the promise I made to her.
I imagined a time without war, without the constant fear for your loved ones lives. I imagined that I was with Hermione, in a house and with a family I could call my own. Everyone is there, alive and well, and no one is mourned. I dream of a happier time, a happier world but I know now that that will not come without a price, and that price comes with sacrifice.
We all have to make sacrifices at some point; it's a part of life, after all, we can't be selfish all the time. I am sacrificing my chances of a future with the people I love. Everyone fighting bravely in this war is sacrificing their chance of seeing the better days, but without us these better days wouldn't be possible.
I will be fighting, not only for the world, my family and friends but for Hermione as well. She means the world to me, I want her to live in a world without the fear and death that has surrounded us for years. I want her to be happy without it immediately fading away with yet another reminder that the war is drawing near. Attacks on unsuspecting villages, the murdering of innocent people, some of who were muggles in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hermione came close to a personal attack when her family was in hiding in a village that was targeted by the Death Eaters. When she got the owl informing her that night my heart sank. We had prepared for the worst knowing that unfortunately every war had its casualties, but the relief that suddenly spread across her face told me all I needed to know, her parents were alive.
"T-They're alive…alive," Hermione said shakily through her tears. She wiped them away with the back of her sleeve. "I was so scared…scared that they were killed…"
That night came as an unpleasant reminder that the battle was becoming closer, but it made us even more determined to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. We needed to do this, not only for my family, Hermione's family or even Harry, but for those innocent families that were killed for no reason at all apart from being the people they were. We needed to avenge those who were too weak or scared to defend themselves, the people that were list, young and old, all killed because of one evil man.
When I look back at that moment, I remember the expression on Harry's face; he looked so guilty and defeated. We knew it wasn't his fault, nothing that happened was his fault but he seemed to think it was. He has the habit of blaming himself for everything that goes wrong in our lives. He feels that he alone is responsible and it hurts to watch him go through that. He carries the whole world on his shoulders, refusing to lighten the load with help.
He didn't want us to go with him on the search for the Horcruxes at first, claiming that it would be too dangerous and that he didn't want to be responsible for any more deaths. Hermione and I were persistent though, we did not want him to go alone because if something happened to him then we would be the ones carrying the guilty expression he knows all too well.
That night will remain fresh in my mind forever, the amount of death and despair that I had witnessed was enough to make anyone lose it and just run, but I knew that I couldn't. I had so many people relying on me to help them defeat this evil and bring justice to those who had died as a consequence of one man's cruelty.
I had to use every ounce of energy I had in me to keep myself alive, and even that wasn't enough to help me dodge the numerous hexes, curses and spells that were being fired my way. I flinched at the painful screeches people made as curse after curse hit them. The screams were the same everywhere I went, whether it came from a Death Eater or one of our own. It made me realise that we are all the same and that the Death Eaters were only pawns on a chessboard controlled by him. He was the cause of all this death, of all this pain and he enjoyed it. He likes to watch people suffer.
I knew I had to do something to help defeat him but I knew that Harry was the only one strong enough to do it. Harry Potter, my best friend who has been there for me ever since I started Hogwarts. He has been a long and suffering victim of him and it all ends today.
The cries turned into screams and the screams turned into screeches. Everywhere I looked I could see fallen bodies but I couldn't see the one person that I was looking for, I couldn't see Hermione. I worried, thinking the worse as I saw one Auror fall down dead as a Death Eater stood above him smirking. How can someone smirk after they had just killed? It made me question my previous thought, we aren't the same, and they are different to us.
"Ron look out!"
Someone pushed me to the ground, which snapped me out of my thoughts. I soon realised that it was Hermione. Ignoring the pain in my arm from the impact I sat up but realised that she was just lying there.
"Hermione?" I called out in a shaky voice, hoping, praying that she was able to hear me.
"Ron…" Her hoarse voice replied. She opened her eyes and looked directly in mine. She tried to get up but fell back down into the muddy ground. Mud splattered against her skin but she didn't make an attempt to wipe it away.
"Hermione…are you…are you okay?" I asked trying to sound brave, but I was scared, so scared.
She looked around and attempted once more to get up, "I'm fine"
I looked at her attempt to stand and frowned, "Hermione, you're not fine stop being so stubborn. You need a healer…"
"NO!" Hermione screamed, "No! I don't need a healer! I'm fine! Now help me up!"
I did as she asked; I helped her up. As I was helping her she slid on some mud but with my support she managed to stand. She held on to me still, her hands tightly clutching my robes as if she were holding on for dear life.
"We have to find Harry…" she said with determination through her gasps for breath, "We have to find him and see if he is alright…"
"Hermione please! You need to see a healer!" I pleaded but she wouldn't listen.
She moved away from me, "Forget about the stupid healer for one minute Ron! We need to find Harry! He needs us!"
"What he needs is for us to stay safe, Hermione. You are in pain, I can see it in your eyes. Please!"
She wasn't up for negotiation.
"Harry needs us! He needs our help to defeat Voldemort! He can't do it alone, Ron! He needs our help! I am NOT backing down from this, not today!" Hermione exclaimed through a hoarse voice. The pain she was suffering was clear in her glazed eyes.
I could only sigh in defeat; she wasn't going to give up, I knew that, but I hoped that she would, it was too dangerous and I don't want to lose her.
"Do you remember the promise you made me?"
I turned round to look at her, "Of course I do, I will always be there for you, you don't have to worry; I'm not going anywhere"
"It works both ways you know? I am not leaving you, I can't, not now"
"I know…"
"Come on then, lets find Harry," the wind blew her hair across her face, hiding her glazed eyes.
"Hermione?"
"What is it? Ron?"
"I…I…"
"Ron? Is something the matter? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, it's just I wanted to say…"
"You wanted to say what? What did you want to tell me?"
"I…I…" I was going to tell her but from the corner of my eye I could see a Death Eater chanting a spell aimed for Hermione. I pushed her to the ground just as the curse was about to hit and instead it hit a tree, breaking the bark and sending it flying across the field. I quickly aimed my want at him and disarmed him before turning to Hermione.
"Hermione? Are you ok?" I knelt down beside her to help her up.
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Come on, we have to get moving if we want to find Harry," I said as I looked around for any other Death Eaters. I helped her up and placed her arm around my shoulder for support.
When we saw Harry it seemed like everything stood still. He was facing Voldemort with his wand raised. He looked exhausted but the determination spread across his face told us that he was not going to give up.
All we could do was stand there and watch as Harry struggled. It's not that we didn't want to help or we were too afraid, something was holding us back. I could hear Hermione's breath shaking but I couldn't worry about that now, All my attention was with Harry.
He was struggling, and it pained me to know that I couldn't help him. I knew I couldn't help him; this was something that Harry had to do alone. We supported him through finding and destroying the Horcruxes, through thick and thin and now it was his time. His time to avenge all those deaths that had happened over the years.
I could see Voldemort smirking and it sent cold shivers down my spine. I instinctively pulled Hermione closer to me and held on to her tightly. My concentration was immediately placed on Voldemort and Harry's wands. I could see a green flash flickering from each of their wands, and each time it flickered the light grew stronger and brighter.
I took in a deep breath, realising that I had forgotten to breathe. The air was thick with tension and I hated it. It was a waiting game; I was waiting for something to happen. I could see that Harry was struggling with whatever curse he was planning to use. I glanced nervously towards Voldemort and I could see him struggling in the same way as Harry.
I shook my head as I adjusted to what I thought might happen. They were both planning to use the same curse, using the same amount of energy; and judging by the light coming from both of their wands I knew that it wasn't a good sign. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves. I wanted to help him but I couldn't. I remained powerless with Hermione as I stood there watching my best friend sacrifice himself.
I admired his bravery, he knew what he had to do and I knew that we had no right to stop him. If this was happening a few years ago, I know that I would be out there with him, begging and pleading with him to stop this. Hermione would be desperately trying to find another way to destroy Voldemort without Harry being sacrificed in the process.
"Ron…"
I looked down at Hermione and I could see her staring in bewilderment at what was taking place in front of us.
"Hermione…"
She placed her head on my chest, "Why aren't we doing anything? Why aren't we helping him?"
I put my hand up to stroke her wild bushy hair, "We can't. This is Harry's fight. We can't do anything now; we have done our bit. It's up to Harry now," I said as tears filled my eyes.
"It's just…it's just not fair! Harry doesn't deserve this, he deserves better," Hermione croaked as tears ran down her cheek. "It's not fair…"
Harry was standing a few meters away from us, and we were powerless to help. He was struggling to keep himself standing and all we could do was stand there and watch him. If we tried to help him, no doubt we will be killed.
The lights from their wands were growing stronger as each second passed. The realisation that this was going to be over in a matter of minutes had taken its toll on me. My breathing was unsteady and I was gripping Hermione tightly. Tears were threatening to fall from my eyes and I was shivering.
I looked down to Hermione. She had turned pale and it was clear that she was crying; I could see the tear stains on her cheeks. I knew what she was feeling because I was feeling the same, fear and guilt.
Her eyes bore it all. Her brown eyes shining through the tears. The pain she was feeling was showing in her eyes. She didn't want to take the easy way out; she was determined to stick by her best friend till the end.
The lights from the wands began to get unbearably bright as they expanded. Hermione moved her head closer to my chest and I rested my head against hers to shield our eyes from the light. It was becoming extremely bright now and I knew that whatever was about to happen was going to happen soon.
"No! No! No! Please!" Hermione screamed.
She was begging for this to stop but nothing could be done now. She wanted to help Harry; she wanted desperately for Harry to survive. I wanted Harry to survive and it killed me to think that this may be the end.
"It's not fair! Please! It's not fair!"
I tried soothing Hermione, I tried to calm her down but how could I do that when I was far from calm myself. I was shaking inside, frightened of losing my best mate.
'Please let him be okay, please let him be okay,' I thought to myself, 'I just want him to be okay.'
I could hear Harry and Voldemort shouting, and then another wave of bright light shone. I flinched as the light escaped around Hermione and me. The next thing I heard were two blood-curdling screams, which lasted for what seemed to be minutes.
The force of whatever spell they cast sent Hermione and me flying backwards and landing harshly on the ground. I just lay there on the ground, no longer attached to Hermione.
I opened my eyes and saw Hermione lying a few feet away from me; her eyes were closed.
"Hermione…"
No response, I could feel the panic rising inside of me.
"Hermione!" I crawled over to her and grabbed her hand to feel for a pulse. I breathed a sigh of relief when I could feel the familiar heart beating.
"Hermione! Hermione, please wake up! Come on Hermione!" I begged and pleaded with her to wake up but she wouldn't.
Tears fell from my eyes and slid down my cheek, "Damn it Hermione! Please! Just wake up!"
Hermione's eyes slowly flickered open. I allowed her time for her eyes to adjust to the light before asking her if she was all right.
"I'm…" She said as she tried to get up despite the pain, "I'm fine…"
"Hermione, maybe you should…"
"I said, I'm fine!" She snapped. She looked around frantically, "Where…Where…Where's…Harry?"
I looked behind me and saw what looked to be Harry's body lying several meters from us. I looked back at Hermione and could see the devastation in her eyes.
"No…no…NO! HARRY!"
She got onto her knees and started crawling towards him, ignoring the pain that she was feeling. She was determined to see her friend.
"Harry…" She said in a broken voice, "Oh Harry…"
She slowly turned him around and placed his head on her lap. She started stroking his hair; her tears mixed with his dried blood.
"Harry…" She said through her tears, "Harry, I'm so sorry…"
I looked at the scene with a heavy heart. Tears were freely falling down my face, mourning for my best friend; The Saviour of the World.
I made my way to where Hermione was and knelt beside her. She looked in such a state, her cheek had a gash running down it from the fall we had and her hands were raw and bloody. Her hair was messier than usual and her eyes were red from the tears.
I moved closer to her and pulled her closer to me. She hugged me as she cried and I hugged her as I cried. We comforted each other, we'd both lost a dear friend who meant so much to us, but we had gained a life free from fear.
I noticed Harry's glasses lying a few feet from where his body lay. I reached over to retrieve them and as I did one of the lenses shattered. I brought them into Hermione's view and traced the rim of his glasses with my finger. I will never see him wear these again; I will never see him smile again.
I looked at him and studied his face. That's when I noticed it; his famous lightning bolt scar had disappeared.
"Hermione…Hermione…Look!"
Hermione wiped her eyes and looked to where I was pointing, "His scar, it's gone!"
"What?" Hermione cried as she leaned over to take a look, "Does this mean that…"
"He's gone too Hermione."
"Oh Ron! What are we going to tell the others? How are we going to tell Ginny?"
I pulled Hermione closer, "I don't know…I just don't know."
I sighed and looked at the scene that was now in front of me. Harry lying there, cold and lifeless, whilst a few meters away the Dark Lord, one that everyone feared, lay defeated.
"He did it Ron," Hermione sniffed whilst letting out a shaky breath. "He really did it. He did it for us; he did it so everyone could have a chance at living a happy life, without fear, without the dark clouds that have been looming over us for such a long time. We are free from all of this, all of this pain."
She kissed her two fingers and placed them on his cheek, "Thank you Harry, thank you for being so brave; for saving us. We will never forget you."
"How could we forget you, mate?" I said as a tear ran down my face. "You will never be forgotten. You'll make sure we don't!" I laughed lightly through a sob.
I heard a rumble of thunder in the distance and then it began to rain, lightly at first, but then more downfall came. I looked up, allowing the water to cleanse my face, removing the blood and mud from it. My tears mixed with the raindrops that landed and ran down my face. The feeling as they landed was relaxing and it took me away from the pain of our reality that I desperately wanted to escape.
It shouldn't have ended like this, Harry should be alive, he should be with us celebrating the defeat of Voldemort, but instead we are mourning his death. He deserved to be alive to see the happiness he would have created. He deserved to see the people he loved most living without fear and he deserved to be happy. He deserved to have a happy life after many sorrows; he deserved to be here with us.
He didn't deserve this.
"No!"
Hermione looked up at me, "Ron?"
"NO!"
"Ron?" Hermione sniffed, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"This is what's wrong! This! It shouldn't have been like this! It shouldn't have ended like this! It's wrong! It's not right! It's not fair…"
By this time I was standing. Hermione was looking up at me with sorrow filled eyes.
"I know it's not fair Ron. He should be with us, he deserves to be, but he's …not. We have to accept that, we have to learn to accept what cannot be changed."
"I don't want to accept it! He deserves to be here! He deserves to be celebrating the death of one of the most repulsive, evil creatures that ever walked on this planet! Don't you know how much pain he caused Harry? He deserves to be happy! He deserves to see the happy world he has made!"
"I know…I know the pain that he caused him. Oh Ron, don't you see? Harry fought the best he could, not for him but for everyone. He may have sacrificed himself in the process but the turnout was what he wanted…"
"Oh, so he wanted to die then? He wanted to be killed? He didn't want the happiness he rightfully deserves? He didn't want lead a happy life, get married and have children? He didn't want to grow old? Is that what you mean?"
"NO! And I am shocked that you think that!" Hermione's face had turned red. Her eyes were filled with frustration but the sorrow was still clear. "What I meant was that Voldemort is gone! Harry wanted to defeat him to create a happy life for everyone around him! He died to gain something that he wanted. He wanted us to be happy…" Hermione broke down into tears, she covered her face as she sobbed into her bruised hands.
"Hermione…" I said, feeling guilty for snapping at her. "Hermione, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just I'm angry…" I knelt down beside her and put my arm around her shoulder.
Hermione removed her hands from her face and managed to give me a light smile. "You don't have to say sorry, Ron. Let's not argue. I just want to stay here…"
"Hermione, it's raining! You will catch a cold," I pulled her closer to me and brushed her damp hair behind her ear.
"I don't care. I want to stay here with Harry."
She was so determined to stay with him that I couldn't object. The rain was falling hard, but I couldn't feel it; and I knew Hermione couldn't feel it either. I was just sitting there, looking at him. I will never hear him laugh, speak, or even cry again. I will never be able to see him smile or frown. He was lost, but he will never be lost in our hearts or mind.
The rain continued to pour down. I could feel my clothes sticking to my skin but I didn't care. I was sinking in the mud underneath me due to my weight, but I couldn't care less. My hair was sticking to my face and my clothes were covered in mud. I didn't care about any of that. All I could do was look, look at what was no more.
We were found what seemed to be hours later by a few Aurors, including Remus and Tonks as they were searching the area for any survivors. The rain had cleared but the sky was still as grey as it was, which reflected our moods perfectly.
"Ron," I could hear a familiar voice talking to me, "Ron, can you hear me?"
"No response, how about you?"
"No, I can't seem to get through to them."
Lupin sighed and then looked to where my eyes were focused. It was then when he noticed.
"No! Please say this isn't so! Please!"
He was in a desperate state of panic as he tried to wake up Harry. His eyes were filling with tears as he slowly realised that Harry wasn't with us anymore.
"Remus, we need to help Ron and Hermione. I know it's upsetting and I know it is painful but we need to get them to Saint Mungo's to get them checked over," Tonks sighed. She hated putting the grief of Harry over something else, but right now she needed to concentrate on the living.
He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, "You're right, how long do you think they have been out here like this?"
Tonks looked up to the sky and back down again to face Remus.
"They must have been out here for a while. They must have caught all the rain which means if we don't get them out of here soon they might catch more than a cold."
Remus turned away from Tonks and looked at Harry's body.
"You're right," he sighed.
"Hermione? Hermione, can you hear me?" Tonks placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Hermione, can you hear me?"
"Ron? Ron, can you hear me?" Remus pleaded as he placed his hand on my arm. "Ron, can you hear me?"
I could hear panicked voices but I couldn't get myself to focus. I just sat there, staring at Harry with my mind replaying the moment he died again and again. The screams, the bright light, being flung backwards, and then silence, repaying again and again.
I focused my eyes on the person in front of me. I had to gasp for breath; it was as if I was in a trance; fixated on Harry's body. I looked at Remus and I only had to look into his eyes to tell me that he knew everything. His eyes were glazed with tears, which only confirmed what I already knew.
"Remus…" I said through a hoarse voice, "Is…is that you?"
"Yes Ron, it's me. Listen, we need to get you to Saint Mungo's…"
"No! No! I can't…I can't leave him here!"
I panicked; I didn't know what to do. He said that he needed to take me to Saint Mungo's but I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave him here; I didn't want to leave him here alone.
"Harry will be taken care off as soon as possible Ron. You have nothing to worry about," Remus said kindly. "Now we need to get you to a Healer so you can be checked out."
"I don't need to be checked out, I'm fine," I said trying to convince him, but I was mainly trying to convince myself.
"Ron please, you need to be seen by a Healer. Who knows what spell damage you have. You need to go, even if it is to get out of these damp clothes."
He was pleading with me but I didn't want to listen. I didn't want his advice; I didn't want to be helped.
"I'm fine, I just want to stay here," I replied, there was no tone in my voice.
My eyes were burning from the tears I shed and my head was aching. Why I was refusing help I do not know but I was determined to stay here with Harry even though he wasn't here with me.
Remus sighed and turned to Tonks, "I think he is in shock, any luck with Hermione?"
Tonks shook her head, "No, she won't move. Her eyes are just fixated on Harry…"
Remus sighed and looked at Hermione, "Let me try, you stay with Ron."
Tonks nodded and sat beside Ron. She looked into eyes and saw a lot of guilt hidden behind the grief. She bit her lip nervously; she had seen things like this before in her line of work. Witnesses of murder feeling guilt more than grief when they couldn't stop it from happening, especially friends and family.
Remus concentrated on trying to get Hermione out of the trance she was in. He could see that she was in pain from the expression she showed on her face. Her eyes were filled with so much sorrow and fear that it ached his heart to think that she, along with Ron had witnessed such a cruel and horrifying death.
"Hermione? Hermione, it's me Remus," he said softly. "Can you hear me? Hermione please wake up from this! You need to face this; you need to accept what has happened. Hermione, you need to be seen by a healer." His voice was panicked and showed deep concern for us. He wanted us to see a healer, he wanted us to face up to what had happened but I can't do that yet.
"Tonks…I can't…I can't," I choked desperately.
She rubbed my back soothingly as I cried, finally bringing myself back down again. I didn't want to face up to what had happened, but I had to.
"Hermione…"
I looked over to Hermione and saw that she was in the same trance that I was in. It was destroying her, replaying Harry's death like an old broken record that Harry once referred to once. I couldn't let her go through it, I couldn't let her think that it was her fault, nor could I believe that it was mine.
"Hermione, please stop replaying his death! Wake up from this! Hermione please do it for me!" I had grabbed her arms and looked her in the eyes. They were glazed from the tears and I could see the pain she was feeling.
"Ron…I can't stop playing it in my mind…" She leant into me, and I held her as she sobbed. I could see how worried Remus looked and when Tonks joined him I knew that it was time to stop pretending. I had to stop pretending that this was a dream and that this hasn't happened. I had to learn to face up to this; otherwise I would be just wearing myself into the ground.
"Hermione, we need to see a Healer. We need to be checked out," I said softly. I could see Remus and Tonks give relieved sighs that they had finally got through to me.
"Please, just one more minute," Hermione sniffed, "Please just one more minute."
"Okay," I said as more tears strolled down my face.
Soon the whole Wizarding world heard about the "Heroic death of Harry Potter." Thousands upon thousands paid their respects to him, the Daily Prophet dedicated a whole newspaper to him. Naturally we were asked for interviews on what happened but we declined. We still hadn't recovered fully from the scars that the war had left us, not only physically but mentally as well.
We resided in Saint Mungo's, where we were kept for a few weeks. We were let out for Harry's funeral, which took place two weeks after he died. We didn't make any speeches because it was too painful for us to say goodbye to our friend when we weren't ready. We didn't want to make a formality about saying goodbye to him, making our love and compassion for him pubic. We knew that it was going to be published in the newspapers the next day so we didn't want to take the risk of every wizard knowing how we felt and how much we were missing him. It was our business and we wanted to keep whatever feelings we had for him to ourselves and not share it with others.
Harry had become an iconic figure amongst the Wizarding community and everyone will remember his heroic action, for if it weren't for him the Wizarding community would still be living in dire fear.
Hermione was slowly recovering from the shock of losing Harry, as was I .We hardly spoke about it, as we understood what the other one was feeling. We would sometimes share and recollect our thoughts and feelings about what happened and console each other. It was comforting to have somebody who shared exactly how I felt and went through exactly what I went through, because I wouldn't get people trying to understand, telling me that it would work out in the end.
Ginny took Harry's death as expected. She was distraught and spent most of her time after the news of his death in her room, crying. We respected that, she needed time to face up to and accept that Harry was never coming back.
My family was devastated by it as well. My parents mourned him like they lost a son. My mum tried to stay strong and did what she could to keep the spirits up inside the family. She would constantly be cooking or cleaning, something she did when she was upset. She wanted to stay strong for us, which annoyed me because I wanted her to stop pretending to be strong all the time. She deserved to mourn like the rest of us without worrying about keeping the strength for the family.
Hermione and I comforted each other and within time decided that it was time to move on with our lives and start living the life that Harry had saved for us. We moved into a place of our own and settled in well. We both were training to become Aurors so we can do our bit to thank Harry. He got rid of the greater evil; we just stopped the smaller evils in the world and restored it to what Harry wanted it to be.
It was five years since the war and Harry's death when I decided that it was time to take the relationship I had with Hermione to the next big stage; I asked her to marry me. When she accepted, I was the happiest man in the world, but when it finally came to our wedding day I couldn't help but feel a little regret that Harry was not with us to share the moment with us. I wanted him to be there as my best man, but I knew that somehow he would find a way to reach us at our wedding. He was there in spirit.
I would love to have seen him at our wedding. I could just imagine what he would have said to us, "It's about bloody time!" I always laugh at the thought; it would have been nice to hear him say it.
'I always miss him, but there are times when I feel it more. he was such an important figure in my life that it is hard to completely move on. I am always thinking of him and I am sure Hermione is thinking of him as well.
We will never forget that day, the day that he died. We had to tell ourselves that it was not our fault, and we were not to blame to keep ourselves sane. Harry did what he had to do, and succeeded. He was a hero for everyone.
We had our fame, being the best friend of the saviour doesn't make it easy let you go on without getting noticed. The press used to follow us around, begging us for an interview on our account of the war. We knew we couldn't sell it off to a paper without it being taken out of context, so we decided to write a book.
We wanted to make Harry's legacy known. We didn't want people to know him as just "The Saviour"; we wanted him to be remembered for who he was not what he was.
We had asked our friends and family to help compose it, allowing them to add photos and their memories of him. It wasn't surprising how many people contributed to the book, as Harry was the type of person who was well liked and respected.
When the book was complete, we wanted to give the proceeds to charity. We didn't want to make Harry's death profitable in any circumstance to us; we wouldn't feel right making money off him.
The book wasn't just to tell the public about Harry's life; it was a therapeutic way for us to remember him in the way he should be remembered. By doing this we shared our happy memories of him and by sharing them with the world they got to see Harry for the person he deserved to be seen as. I don't want the history books to just have facts about his heroic actions, I want them to have him; all of him.
I won't forget him or forget what he did for us that day. He gave us a chance to live our lives happily without a dark cloud of fear looming over us. Our clouds were now light and pure; our happiness will shine like Harry wanted it to. He gave his life so we could live ours. He saved the world from fear, death and destruction. He will remain forever in everyone's hearts. He touched so many people with his bravery that if he were alive today, I wouldn't know how much he has influenced me to make the best of life. I appreciate life thanks to him; he made me think long and hard about what was important in life and to put that first above anything. He taught me to be selfless, and when there is a greater good at stake, to do the best I can to make sure that it happens even if there is a sacrifice on my behalf.
Harry will always be with me, no matter what. I know he is always there for me and I know that he is always with me, guiding the way and helping me make the best decisions in life.
Even in death, he is still a best friend.
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