Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter, and I never will.
A/N- This is my version of the end of the series. Hermione and Ron never kissed and Fred is still alive (Percy died instead of him). REVIEW!
Hermione gasped in pain as her shoulder was slashed open by Bellatrix's unrelenting storm of curses. With Harry dead there was no hope left within Hermione that she would walk away from this battle, and she no longer cared. Her best friend was dead, her other best friend no longer had feelings for her and bodies of people that she cared about were piling up around her.
Bellatrix sent another Sectumsempra spell at Hermione, in hopes of finishing her off while she lay wounded and gasping for breath. Hermione closed her eyes and waited for death to take her away from a world where she was hated because of her muggle heritage.
I'm coming Harry, she thought calmly. Wait for me.
"Hermione! Protego!"
Hermione opened her eyes and felt tears of joy spring to her eyes when she saw who her savior was. "Harry!" she cried happily, wincing at the pain in her shoulder.
There he was, standing in front of her. His robes were torn, his hair messier than usual and he had a few cuts and bruises lining his face, but he had never looked better. He held Malfoy's wand out in front of him and launched a number of spells. Things were soon getting too blurry for Hermione to follow as her shoulder continued to bleed freely. Harry turned around and gasped at the condition his friend was in.
"Oh, 'Mione," he whispered. He turned around and saw Mrs. Weasley dueling Bellatrix, giving him time to help his ailing friend. "You just need to hang in there," he said fiercely while he tore apart his robe and pressed it into her shoulder. "It's almost over," he promised.
"You're alive," Hermione mumbled sleepily as her eyelids began to close. "I was so scared that you were going to leave us…leave me."
Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. "I'm right here and I won't leave you again, but you have to do the same for me. " Harry heard a scream and turned just in time to see Bellatrix fall and Voldemort scream in rage. "I need to finish this," he told Hermione quickly. "You need to be here when I get back."
"Hurry back," Hermione pleaded softly.
Hermione forced herself to stay awake and was dimly aware of Ginny and Luna rushing to her side to apply pressure to her shoulder.
"Don't do this Hermione," Ginny sniffed. "It's almost over."
"What's happening?"
Ginny turned over and reported everything that was going on between Harry and Voldemort. "Harry is telling You-know-who about how his wand won't work for him because of Malfoy, I don't really understand. You-know-who has sent a killing curse at Harry and Harry has sent a disarming spell. Why would Harry try to disarm him now? There's no way that Expelliarmus is strong enough."
"Did it work?" Hermione asked while her eyes started to flutter shut again.
"I'm not sure," Ginny admitted. "Their wands are connected and something's happening. Voldemort's curse has been repelled! I don't believe it! Harry has Voldemort's wand and Voldemort isn't getting back up!"
Hermione opened her eyes and tried to focus. "Voldemort is dead?" she asked, almost in disbelief. "Is Harry okay?"
"He's fine," Ginny assured her. "He's coming over, I'll leave you two alone and I'll go get Madam Pomfrey with Luna."
"Thanks," Hermione slurred. Her entire body was beginning to go numb and she couldn't even feel it when Harry took Ginny's place and applied pressure to her terrible shoulder wound. "You won," she mused. "It's hard to believe that it's over."
"It's not over yet. We need to get you taken care of first," Harry told her. "I don't understand why you had to face off against Bellatrix after what she did to you at Malfoy Manor. You knew what she was capable of and yet you went right back to her."
"You did the same every time with Voldemort," Hermione retaliated softly. "Is Ron okay? How many people did we lose?"
Harry grasped Hermione's hand with one of his own while keeping pressure on her shoulder. "I don't know where Ron is, but I have to believe that he's fine and so do you. He'll come find us and the two of you will finally be able to get together."
Hermione's eyes shot open and filled up with tears at Harry's words. "Ron and I decided to remain friends. Things would get too crazy for me, so I told him that I didn't know if we were compatible and he agreed."
"I'm sorry," Harry said. "When did this happen?"
"When we were in the Chamber of Secrets. I'm sad now, but I really do think that it's for the best."
Harry didn't get the chance to respond when Ginny came at a sprint with Madam Pomfrey at her heels. Only when Ginny pulled him away did Harry let go of Hermione's hand. Madam Pomfrey made quick work to stop the bleeding and cleaned the wound with a flick of her wand.
"I want her taken to the hospital wing," she told Harry and Ginny. "Be careful with her shoulder, I don't want her losing any more blood."
"She'll be okay won't she?" Harry asked worriedly. He looked down and saw that Hermione was barely conscious and her face was almost as white as a ghost.
"She'll be fine if she doesn't lose any more blood. You just need to get her settled and I'll come by shortly."
Before Harry could ask any more questions Madam Pomfrey was rushing off to anybody she could find. Harry grunted in frustration before he carefully picked up Hermione bridal style. Hermione moaned softly in pain and opened her eyes.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, but Ginny and I are taking you to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can treat you better," Harry told her.
"Then stop clutching my shoulder so hard," she complained. "Madam Pomfrey didn't heal me completely and I don't want to pass out."
"You must be feeling better if you're criticizing him on how he carries you," Ginny teased her.
"I'm dizzy and my shoulder is killing me," Hermione admitted. "But it's already feeling a little better."
Harry loosened his death grip on her shoulder and moved his hand to her waist causing Hermione to blush. "Is that better, Hermione?" he asked softly.
"Much," she muttered. Turning to Ginny she asked, "Have you seen Ron?"
Ginny shook her head anxiously. "No, but I'll go look for him now. I'll meet you guys at the hospital wing."
"Thanks Gin," Harry breathed.
Carrying Hermione up to the hospital wing without disturbing her injury proved to be a rather difficult task. Every step that he took caused Hermione to drop a little further in his arms, and every time that this happened she would gasp in pain.
"Harry, are you bouncing me on purpose?" Hermione teased after the tenth time Harry almost dropped her.
"Hey give me a break," he joked weakly. "I'm exhausted. I fought in a large battle, died and defeated the most powerful dark wizard all in one night."
Hermione opened her glassy eyes and gave Harry a thin smile. "You'll need a bed in the hospital wing just to sleep. Are we almost there?"
"Almost," he promised her. "You really scared me back there. I almost didn't make it in time to protect you. I'm sorry," he added sheepishly.
"You saved me, that's all that matters," she yawned. "Madam Pomfrey will heal me, and once we find Ron the three of us will be able to help everyone else."
Harry didn't respond. The thought of all the casualties from the war made his stomach drop. Neither him nor Hermione spoke until they reached the hospital wing. The hospital wing was crowded and it took Harry a while to find an empty bed to set his wounded friend in. Harry took a quick look at her shoulder and was relieved to find that it hadn't opened during their trek to the hospital wing.
"Who else is here?" Hermione asked Harry timidly.
"I saw Fred sitting with Charlie when we came in. Charlie looks a little banged up, but I didn't notice anything that serious. There are a few of the Order here and I can see Lavender from here getting her leg looked at."
Hermione sank down into her pillows and sighed. "Fred must feel terrible about Percy. That killing curse was aimed at him, but he moved and it hit Percy instead."
"That feeling will never leave him," Harry agreed.
Madam Pomfrey arrived at the hospital wing about ten minutes later with a levitating Kingsley right in front of her. Hermione tried to sit up to get a better look at her friend, but Harry pressed down firmly on her uninjured shoulder.
"Is he okay?" Hermione asked.
"There's not a lot blood," Harry observed. "I can't really tell from here, but I'm sure that he's fine."
Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply Ron and Ginny burst into the hospital wing, panting. Harry noticed them as well and stood up to wave them over.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Ron panted when he reached her.
"Been better," she sighed. "Bellatrix slashed my shoulder open pretty bad, and I'm feeling pretty tired."
Ron took a seat on Hermione's other side and grasped her hand. "Has Madam Pomfrey seen you yet? You're really pale."
Hermione shook her head slowly and sighed. "She helped me earlier, but there are others who need her help more than me."
They waited for another fifteen minutes before Madam Pomfrey came to check up on Hermione. She forced Hermione to drink a couple of potions; one to help restore blood faster and one to help her sleep.
"You should take it," Harry urged Hermione when she voiced her desire to stay awake.
"I need to know who's alive," she pleaded. "Just a little while longer."
"No," Harry and Ron said firmly. "We'll give you a full report when you wake up," Harry promised.
Finally accepting defeat, Hermione drank the potion and felt her last thread of consciousness fade, and her last thoughts hanging in her mind were; the battle with Voldemort may be over, but the war was far from done.
A/N- I know that I rushed the final battle a lot, but this is just the prologue. Next chapter- the costs of the final battle with Voldemort. Who lived and who died. REVIEW!!!