Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

Coping with the Pain

Hermione watched in horror as Harry Potter staggered through the portrait hole to the Gryffindor common room. He had a wild-eyed look to him that told her immediately that the 'remedial potions' session with Professor Snape had gone poorly.

She quickly went to him, reaching out to steady him, as he looked like he was likely to fall down at any moment. As she did so, he instinctively flinched away from her touch until he took note of who it was. Even after he relaxed slightly he was stiff and rather unresponsive while hanging on her arm.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked, concerned for him.

"I don't want to talk about it Hermione," he snapped at her. He seemed to regret saying it, but didn't take it back.

"Let's get you up to bed then," she replied in a hurt tone. She steered him towards the tower stairs. He relented and allowed her to lead him. With a little effort she got him up the stairs to his dorm room.

When they entered the room Ron looked up from his own task of getting ready for bed. "You alright Harry?" he asked.

At the sound of his voice a change came over Harry. He let out a terrified shriek and wrenched his arm away from Hermione. He fell to the floor and scrabbled backwards on his bum until he backed into the wall between his four-poster and his night stand. He sat there with a look of abject terror in his eyes.

"What just happened?" asked Ron. As he said it Harry tried to literally crawl backwards up the wall in an attempt to get away from his friend's voice.

Hermione clutched her fingers in her mouth for a moment, her own fear of the situation freezing her for a few seconds. Then, her own courage and caring for her friend overcame her fear of the unknown and she ran to Harry. While she cradled him in her arms she told Ron in no uncertain terms to go and get Professor McGonagall, and only her, as Harry was seeming to have an adverse reaction to men. Ron left the room at top speed.

Hermione looked around, seeing the other occupants of the room starting to stir. Not wanting to lose what little control she had of the situation she drew her wand and snapped off three quick stunning spells at her friends. The dropped like rocks back onto their beds. They may have headaches when they awoke, but she doubted that they would even realize what had happened.

Harry, in the meantime, was clutching onto her like she was the only thing in the world that could save him. It both scared her and thrilled her at the same time. It felt good to be needed like that, but the fact that he was in such a state made her stomach quake with fear for him.

It was in this state that Professor McGonagall found the two of them. Ron, blessedly, had been good enough to stay out of the dorm while the Professor went in to see what was going on.

What she saw scared her as she hadn't been scared before. There in front of her, huddled on the floor next to his bed was Harry Potter, clutching to his best friend Hermione as if his life depended on it. That he was in a right state didn't even begin to describe it. Hermione was trying desperately to calm him; running her hands through his hair and whispering to him in a valiant effort to reach her friend.

McGonagall knelt down in front of them. "Miss Granger," she whispered. Hermione looked up, relief in her eyes. "What has happened?"

"I don't know Professor. Harry came back from his session with Professor Snape in this state. When Ron tried to talk to him he kind of went all spare. He tried everything he could to get away from him. It really scared us." She looked like she wanted to cry.

"We should get him to Madam Pomfrey," Professor McGonagall said. As she did so, she quickly realized that it was the wrong thing to say, as Harry immediately tried to bolt away, though he was held firmly in place by Hermione. He struggled for a moment before collapsing in her arms. She grunted as his full weight fell on her.

"Miss Granger, I am going to tell you to do something that I normally would not advise. As your head of house I of course cannot officially condone this course of action, but in this instance…"

"I understand Professor," Hermione answered.

"I am going to levitate the two of you into Mr. Potter's bed, as he seems to only be responding to you. He has obviously been through some traumatizing event, and he needs your support. Do not make me regret my decision, Miss Granger." She pulled her wand and with a swish and flick the two of them were deposited in Harry's four-poster bed.

She looked at the other Gryffindors in their beds. Glancing back to the wand in Hermione's hand understanding seemed to dawn in her face. With quick flicks of her wand the others were floating along behind her. "I shall see to it that you are not disturbed until breakfast time. Rest assured that I shall be talking to Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore. I expect to see Mr. Potter in the Medical ward in the morning.

To say that Hermione was shocked was somewhat of an understatement. If someone had told her that her rather stuffy head of house was going to place her in bed with Harry Potter and take everyone else out of the room, she would have accused that person of being under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. Yet, here she was, holding her best friend while covered up by his blankets in an abandoned dorm room. Not that Harry was particularly capable of anything at the moment, but still! What was McGonagall thinking?

Harry, in the meantime had yet to let go of the death-grip that he had her in. He was clutching to her like he expected her to disappear at any moment. As best as she could she, she shifted position so that her mouth was next to his ear. "Harry," she whispered. "I have to use my wand for a moment." With a couple of flicks of her wand and a murmured spell she transfigured their robes into night clothes for them. It certainly felt better, as she was getting a little warm in full robes with the beddings on.

That task done, she settled down to the chore of getting her best friend to relax. Whispering continuously to him that she wasn't going to leave him and that he was safe now, she started to run her fingers through his hair. She didn't really know what she was doing, but she remembered her mother doing something similar to her when a storm would start a panic attack in her.

Being the daughter of two members of the health care profession, Hermione knew the signs of trauma induced panic. Something drastic had been done to Harry to induce such a state. He was one of the strongest individuals that she knew. To see him in such a broken state she was sure that whatever it was could be traced back to a rather vile potions professor.

"Hermione?" came a harsh whisper, breaking Hermione out of her pondering.

"I'm here Harry," she replied, and then pressed a soft kiss on his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I thought…" he let out a long shudder. "I thought…" he struggled to find the words. Before he could continue Harry Potter did something that chilled her to the bone. He let out a strangled cry of pure anguish, and then broke, sobbing into her shoulder. She let him cry as long as he wanted to.

"Lost you…" came his voice after a few minutes. He pulled back from her shoulder to look at her face. "You're really here?" he asked. He took her face in his hands and ran his fingers over her features, as if not really believing the evidence of his eyes. The he ran his fingers through her hair, his fingernails scraping along her scalp. Little frissons of sensation shot down her spine, causing tingles all over her. A little gasp escaped her lips despite her best effort.

He looked into her eyes, searching for something, his own eyes wild and barely focused. Finally, he seemed to be satisfied that she was real, because he gave a great sigh, and then relaxed slightly, closing his eyes for a moment.

Hermione was puzzled by what had just happened. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand, brushing his lips with her thumb. "Harry, what happened?"

His eyes opened and there was an intensity and passion in them that startled her. "You're really here?" he repeated. "Then they didn't… you didn't… oh thank Merlin…" he breathed.

She looked at his eyes again, and the intensity shifted slightly. He was steeling himself for something, she knew. She had read his face so many times before, how could she not know. Even knowing that she had no idea what he was going to do next.

He snaked a hand behind her head and gently grabbed her neck. His eyes never left hers as he quickly ducked his head in and his lips met hers. It wasn't particularly a soft kiss. It was needier than she expected, and the passion was such that it sort of swept her up in it. His other hand had come up and tangled itself back up in her hair, and his mouth was busy against hers, conveying all kinds of messages to her through her lips.

It was a raw, needy, passionate kiss filled with such pure desire and emotion that it literally blew all conscious thought from her mind. All she could do was accept the emotional flood that came at her in a rush. Her best friend was kissing her with this passion and desire, and it was like nothing she had ever experienced before.

Finally the need for oxygen overcame Harry's need to kiss her and he broke the kiss. Hermione was feeling a little light headed, but also so very giddy and amazed that she was at a complete loss for words.

Harry looked at her, wonderingly, and then let out a long shudder. At this he seemed to break down completely and with a gasp and a sob he buried his head in her hair. Great wracking sobs escaped from him now and Hermione could do nothing else but hold him while he cried.

For what seemed an eternity nothing changed as the he clutched at her and shook. Every time it looked like he would calm down a panic seemed to take him and the sobs came back stronger than ever. Even having recognized the symptoms, Hermione had never seen a reaction this strong before. Something absolutely horrific must have happened to him, and she vowed immediately to not rest until she found out just what it was.

Eventually though, the human mind and body can only release just so much emotion before the reach a point of exhausted collapse. After better than an hour Harry let out one last shuddering gasp and went limp. His sweat soaked form was so much dead weight on Hermione, but seeing how he was breathing easily and seemed to now be in a deep slumber, she contented herself that he would be okay as he was.

A quick scourgify spell took care of the sweat and the slight odor that was forming, and with a quick kiss on the forehead, Hermione settled down to rest until Harry awoke and needed her help once again. That he would was not in doubt. If he was that disturbed before, a slight respite would not end all his issues. She would simply be there for him when he needed her help again.

*0*0*

Harry slept for about four hours before he started to stir. Hermione, who was in a light slumber woke immediately. He was thrashing about, obviously in some sort of distress.

He was calling her name over and over, his voice becoming more and more plaintive as time went on. Finally it was as if something inside of him broke. He stopped calling her name and let out an anguished cry as his eyes flew open and his arms stretched out in front of him, as if he was reaching for something or someone that he couldn't get to.

She twisted around and took him into her arms, holding the back of his head and his shoulders as he sobbed into the hair covering her neck. Great wracking sobs escaped from him as he started to calm slightly, his panic and fear residing and giving way to a mournful sadness.

She pulled his head back so she could look at his face, and the expression there was one of ultimate loss, coupled with confusion. As her own face came into focus for him his eyes lit up with joy and he pawed at her cheeks and hair as if he couldn't believe that she was there.

"Harry, what happened? What did you see?" she questioned softly.

He opened his mouth to reply. "I… Hermione?" He looked at her again, the questions plain in his eyes. "How?"

"Harry, you have to tell me what is going on. I can't help you unless you tell me." She looked into his eyes, trying to convey all the feelings she had for him into that look. She saw the rawness and hurt in her eyes reflected back in his.

"I… I… I don't… aaaaaahhhhh!" he wailed as another wave of whatever it was that was affecting him struck. She held him fast until he collapsed from the sheer stress of it all.

She grabbed her wand from the nightstand where she had set it and sighed. She really hoped that she could do this correctly. She understood the theory, but she had never had a chance to practice. Looking into his eyes, which were starting to roll back into his head she pointed her wand at him and whispered "Legillimens."

She stood still while she looked around. They were in Snape's dungeon. Harry was there as well, but he was tied up and had obviously been beaten, and probably had a lot more done to him by the looks of him. His face was swollen and his clothes were in tatters as he sat there, slumped in his seat.

She watched in horror as Snape's fireplace roared to life and Voldemort stepped through. He looked from Snape to Harry and smiled. "You have done very well Severus, very well indeed." He flicked his wand at Harry and her best friend's mouth opened in a silent scream as he writhed in pain. His back arched in anguish as Voldemort held his wand on Harry for a while longer. Then with a casual flick the torture stopped.

"Master, she approaches," Snape whispered. Voldemort stepped back into the shadows as Hermione watched herself enter into the dungeon.

"You wanted to see me Professor?" she asked. With a screech she was flung back into the dungeon wall. She slid down it leaving a smear of red along her path from where her head had impacted.

Hermione watched in horror as the other "her" was then systematically tortured, raped, tortured some more, and then as Harry silently screamed her throat was slit in front of him. As she watched her own life's blood drain from her and the light go out of her eyes, Harry was having a fit. He was struggling at his bonds as fiercely as she had ever seen, but when the other her finally 'died,' he wilted. The struggle left him and he sat, unable to will himself to do anything else.

She realized at that moment that she was witnessing Harry's greatest fear. Even worse to him than the death of his Godfather would be, this was the one thing that could defeat him. His unbreakable will was gone, defeated by her death. She watched as he sobbed silently in his chair. In shock and horror she stood mute witness as Professor Snape freed Harry only to throw him down and banish the clothes from him.

As she stood by Snape moved in to sodomize his victim. Finally she could stand no more and she acted. Before Snape could start his evil task she lashed out with her mind. This was a memory, one implanted by Snape, and probably Voldemort after Snape had weakened Harry's defenses to the point that he couldn't stop Voldemort from getting in through his link in Harry's scar.

She lashed out and Snape was blown to pieces. With a flick of her wrist the part of the memory that was Voldemort was destroyed as well. She stood there over memory Harry and conjured a blanket to settle around him. Another flick and the silencing spell on Harry was broken. He hadn't even realized that anything had happened. She stroked his hair, but he flinched away from it.

"It's okay, Harry," she whispered to him. "This didn't really happen. It was all implanted to torture you. I'm okay, and I'm waiting for you to come out of your mind and back to me, Harry. I need you to wake up. Please Harry!" She pleaded with him.

A moment later they were back in the bed, and Harry was opening his eyes to look at her in wonder once again. "Hermione?" he rasped.

"Yes Harry, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You've had a bad time, and I'm here to take care of you. It's alright Harry, there's no-one else here. McGonagall has taken everyone else away so you could have some privacy." She smiled at him.

"Why'd she let you stay?" he asked, bewildered.

"I rather like to think that she saw something that she trusted. She knows how I feel about you Harry, and she knew that she would never get me away from you tonight. I couldn't let you suffer any more." She turned away from him for a moment. The tears were starting to well up in her eyes, and she needed to be strong for him right now.

"Hermione, I, well I don't really know what to say…" he started.

"It's alright Harry, you don't have to say anything," she said, cutting him off.

"No, Hermione, actually I do. You see, it's been a rather rough time, but I think I understand something now."

"What's that, Harry?"

"When I was seeing everything happening to you, over and over, and I couldn't get it out of my head; well it forced me to understand something."

"Go on then," she whispered, looking softly at him.

"You are what I need to win," he said softly.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Hermione, it's obvious that he's never going to stop coming after me. I'm going to have to finish what my parents started. I'm going to have to kill him, or he'll kill me. That's why I've been putting up with Snape mauling me into such a state. I have to be able to resist him, and since Dumbledore won't teach me, well then I have to learn somewhere.

"So I've been going to Snape. But tonight I learned that what I need isn't anything from Snape. I don't need anything from Dumbledore either, really. All I need is you."

"How do you figure that?" she asked.

He reached up and stroked her cheek. She let out a soft sigh and let her face sink into his palm. He continued to run his thumb across her cheek.

"Don't you see, Hermione? With you I can do anything. I can accomplish anything. You bring out the very best in me. You inspire me to be the best that I can be. You make me want to succeed, and nothing has ever done that before."

"I make you want to succeed?"

"Hermione, Ron's my best mate, and I love his family. I love Sirius, at least I think this is love that I feel for all of them. Don't really know much about love though, do I?" He snorted at that thought. "My point is this. What I feel for them, can't even compare to what I feel for you."

"Harry, what do you mean?"

"Hermione, when I look at you I don't see what other's see. I don't see what you see in the mirror. When I look at you I see sunshine and warmth and happiness. When I look at you I sometimes get lost in the vision in front of me. My heart beats faster, and I get funny, jittery feelings in my stomach. It makes me want to reach out and touch you."

"Harry, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If you think I'm saying that I, Harry Potter, am hopelessly, helplessly, and thoroughly in love with you, Hermione Granger, then yes, I guess that I am." He smiled at her, a huge burden lifted from him.

*0*0*

AFter being thoroughly checked out by Madame Pomfrey, Harry spent the next couple of days recuperating, though at no time was he to be found anywhere out of eyeshot of one Hermione Granger. Now that things were out in the open between the two, they had become even more inseparable than ever before. That Professor Dumbledore seemed to treat what the two of them had alleged of Professor Snape had only drawn the two of them closer together as well. It was the two of them against all others.

He was slowly rebuilding the reservoirs of strength that had previously been his hallmark. He was easily the strongest willed individual that Hermione had ever met. He had even once defeated the Dark Lord in a contest of wills, in front of all of Voldemort's inner circle in the cemetery in Little Hangleton. It was only a matter of time before he would be back to normal, Harry had a resiliency that could not be matched.

"Harry, I've been thinking," Hermione said from a her seat next to him on a couch in the common room. It was late at night, and they were the only ones left there. Ron had gone to bed early, it seemed that he was still rather disturbed by what had happened after Harry's last occlumency lesson.

"That's not really anything new, Hermione," Harry replied. "Could you be a little more specific than that?"

"Prat," she said as she smacked him on the shoulder. "I think I might have found a solution for us." She reached up and softly stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. She took a moment to convey her feelings with a look into his eyes.

"Really?" Harry asked. "Enlighten me then, oh brilliant one," he said with a flourish and a slight bow to her.

"I was looking though one of the books that I nicked from the restricted section of the library, and I found a potion that looks fairly easy to brew. The only problems that I see with it are these: first, it's highly illegal, and secondly, it would link us together, mind to mind."

Harry looked at her with a funny expression on his face. "And the problem with that would be?" he asked softly.

"If we spend too much time linked, it becomes permanent," she replied as softly.

"Oh," Harry said. He furrowed his brow in thought. "Even so, would that be so bad?"

Hermione sighed. "Harry, I'm sure that there are plenty of things in that head of yours you don't want me to see. Merlin knows I certainly don't want to see what you fantasize about Cho Chang." She smiled at him to let him know that she wasn't mad at him.

Harry almost choked on the pumpkin juice that he was sipping. "Cho?" he managed to get out. "Hermione, I don't fantasize about Cho…"

"Oh come on, Harry," I've seen the way that you get all tied up in knots when she's around," Hermione said with a hurt expression on her face.

"Hermione, I got trapped into going on one date with Cho Chang, and that was only because I couldn't think of a decent reason not to. If you remember correctly, I ended up breaking that date off early so that I could spend my time with you." He let out a sigh. "The only witch that I have dreams about is you. Can't you accept that you are my world?" He pleaded with her, giving her a puppy-dog look. "Now that we've established your importance in my life, what advantage would this potion give us?"

"Well, I was thinking that you should go back to Professor Snape for another occlumency lesson."

"WHAT?" Harry shouted.

"Harry, calm down," Hermione hissed. "I'll be there with you, backing you. Do you honestly think that Snape could overcome you if you knew what was coming, and I was there in the link to help you?" He grinned at the thought. "Now, here's my plan…"

*0*0*

Harry Potter came to the dungeon door and swallowed audibly. He knocked on the door and entered in, to see his nemesis sitting there with a sneer on his face.

"Potter," the arrogant professor snarled. "What could you possibly want with me?"

"Professor, I've come to continue our occlumency lessons," Harry said softly, hoping that he had put the right amount of submission in his voice.

Snape peered at the boy, wondering if this was on the level. He decided that he didn't really care. He would easily overcome Potter's ridiculously pathetic defenses, and maybe he would be done with the brat once and for all.

"Very well, Potter, sit," he spat out as he motioned to the chair that had become Harry's own personal hell over the last few weeks.

Harry sat down and steeled himself for the inevitable torture session. "Legilimens!" Harry heard the words hissed out, and then there was the horrible pressure in his head that always preceded the torture from Snape.

Strangely though, it wasn't as overpowering as it usually was. Harry found that he had reserves that he never thought possible on this night. He shrugged mentally, as he knew that Hermione was secretly there with him. In his mind he squared his shoulders and got to work, even with her help, this wasn't going to be easy.

*0*0*

Albus Dumbledore woke with a start. Something was terribly wrong in the castle. He concentrated on the wards and realized that it was coming from Severus' dungeon. He hastily threw on a pair of house slippers and dashed down the stairs towards the Potions lab.

He noticed that the shadows were quite pronounced that night, but he had other things on his mind. He had his wand out and was preparing the spell in his mind to release the door so that he could make his grand entrance. Severus would be stuck with yet another life debt, strengthening the hold that the headmaster had on his pet Death Eater.

Because he was in such a hurry, Albus Dumbledore ignored things that he would have normally noticed easily. It wasn't that he intentionally did so, but even though the headmaster was over one hundred and fifty years old, and one of the most powerful wizards the world had ever seen, he was still only human, and that was something that his adversaries tonight were counting on.

He ran down the corridor to the potions lab and turned the corner at a full sprint. He never saw the portable swamp that had been set up in front of the door. He hit it at a dead run and it caught him hard. With a splash he tumbled forward into the murky water. As he hit he lost his grip on his wand and it went flying, along with the glasses off his nose.

He never saw the wand turn in mid flight and land in an outstretched hand. He never saw the vine wood wand with a dragon heart string come down and lightly tap the edge of the swamp. He did, however, feel the thousands of volts of electricity course through his body until the electrical current fried what few synapses were firing in his brain. As that point he quickly lost consciousness.

*0*0*

Severus Snape was in trouble. This was not, it could not be the same boy that had been so weak the other day. He had tried everything that he could think of, but nothing was working this time. His every move had been brutally countered. He found himself backed up against a virtual wall, and Harry Potter was grinning maniacally at him. He threw up the strongest shield he could muster, only to find that said shield was no where near strong enough this time. The mind that had fooled both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord had at last met its match in a fifteen year old boy.

His shield shattered and he crumpled as Harry Potter, bolstered by the intellect and determination of Hermione Granger, bored in for the kill. Harry Potter's super ego was such that he could no longer accept failure, it was inconceivable. He battered down Snape's ego, and then, under the guidance of his best friend, Harry unleashed his id on Severus Snape.

Snape tried to scream, but Harry clamped down on every conscious muscle that the potions professor had. He could do nothing but sit there and endure whatever Harry Potter wanted to do to him, and Harry Potter wanted to do a lot to him.

Thankfully, perhaps, though he didn't think so at the time, it was Hermione Granger that was in control at that moment. She knew exactly what she wanted Harry to accomplish, and she was leading him along neural pathways until they found their goal. That she allowed Harry's id to have some fun along the way was just a little bit of applied justice to her mind.

Harry burned the path through the potion master's mind, his very thought's etching into the very fabric of Snape's brain as they searched for what they needed to find. It was exquisite torture, making even the cruciatus curse feel like a mild tickling by comparison.

Finally, at least as far as Snape was concerned, the torture stopped as Harry and Hermione found their goal. Unfortunately for Snape, the torture wasn't stopped, but merely delayed. For the pair had now reached the spot that they had been searching for, the link between Voldemort and his marked Death Eaters, the heart of the Dark Mark itself.

This time, despite the control that Harry held, the professor did scream, it wrenched through him and his very soul cried out at the anguish that he felt in that moment. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were burrowing through his Dark Mark into the mind of the darkest of the Dark Lords that had ever been seen. And, unfortunately for Snape, who had now become little more than an undead battlefield by this point, Voldemort struck back.

Harry/Hermione was rocked to the very core, for despite their best efforts, Voldemort was truly a powerful presence, especially in the mindscape. He hadn't, however, encountered an extremely angry Harry Potter before. And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal… That portion of the prophecy became very evident that night, as Harry Potter battered the Dark Lord's shields mercilessly. He mounted an offensive that climbed ever higher and higher. Surely this couldn't go on much longer. Voldemort couldn't understand how he had been forced to the point where he couldn't even drop his shields for a moment to retaliate. Were he to do so, he would most assuredly be lost. What he didn't realize was that Harry wasn't alone that night. He had someone with him that boosted him in ways that Voldemort could never comprehend. And, while Harry kept the Dark Lord occupied, Hermione Granger went systematically to work.

For while Voldemort had separated his soul purposely six times, and a seventh time accidentally, even the one hundred twenty eighth bit of his soul that still resided in his body was linked to all the others. Hermione Granger traced those links back to their sources, and as she found each one, she sent a pulse of pure magic along the tethers, destroying the horcruxes at the ends. The toughest of course, was the one inside of Harry himself, and she left this one for last. In the end it only differed in slight ways from the rest, and she simply had to shield Harry while she blasted the tiny bit of Voldemort out of his head.

When she had finished, she quietly informed Harry that it was time. Harry lightened his attack slightly, giving the Dark Lord false hope, for as he did so Voldemort prepared to drop his shields and counter attack, which was just what Harry and Hermione were counting on.

As Voldemort's shield started to drop Hermione went on the attack. She marshaled all the love and concern she had for Harry Potter and narrowed it down into a white hot needle of pure emotion. She thrust this through the gap in the shield that Voldemort had himself created, and as she did so, Harry took all the power that he could muster, all the indefatigable strength of will and love for the woman that had melded willing with him, and got behind her thrust and pushed. He pushed with every last erg of energy he could muster.

Albus Dumbledore had theorized that love was the power that Harry Potter had that the Dark Lord Voldemort could neither understand nor possess, and that it was this force that would become his downfall. In this one thing, Dumbledore had hit the nail directly on the head.

As the needle of pure love struck Voldemort, the Dark Lord had no defense and was wide open to the torrent of energy that literally ripped him apart and obliterated his remaining soul fragment instantly. As the pathetic being that was once known as Tom Riddle came to his horrific end, the corrupted protean charm that was known as the Dark Mark did its last deed. It transferred the immense energy released by the destruction of the homunculus that Voldemort had created from the potion and Harry's blood and the blast from Harry and Hermione into each of his marked slaves. Those slaves had no defense against the onslaught that they each faced, and with no strength to pull from their lord and master, they as individuals died gruesome deaths.

Harry Potter staggered back from the charred remains of what had once been his potions professor. Merlin, but he was tired. He had never been so drained before. Fighting off over a hundred dementors had been easy compared to what he had accomplished this time. He opened the door to the dungeon and was instantly engulfed in the fiercest hug that Hermione Granger had ever given him. He chuckled into her neck as he returned that hug.

"I love you Hermione," he whispered.

"I love you too, Harry," she returned.

*0*0*

Harry Potter stood in the Great Hall and watched anxiously as the music started. He glanced over his left shoulder and looked at Ron Weasley as the redhead laughed softly and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Alright Harry?" Ron whispered to him.

"Alright Ron," Harry replied, and he realized that he really was. He turned back and looked down the aisle that he had walked just a few short hours before as the graduating Head Boy. Now, he was waiting for the Head Girl to come down that aisle, and he found that he couldn't wait to see her.

And then, there she was, dressed in the most beautiful white dress robes that he had ever seen, and being escorted by her father as well. As Wagner's Bridal Chorus started, Harry's heart began to flutter. This was by far the achievement that he was most proud of. Being the Boy-Who-Lived or the Vanquisher-of-the-Dark-Lord had to take back seats, for the Husband of Hermione Potter nee Granger was the title that he would cherish forever. He grinned foolishly at his bride to be, and felt her quiet laughter and devotion in his mind. He sent the same to her, and waited patiently for the love of his life to join him on this, their next great adventure.

Author's Note: this was on my computer, and I had never actually finished it, but I figured tonight that it needed to be done. I hope you like it. It's a stand alone one-shot, and will not be going any farther. Let me know what you think though, as it's back to "Harry Potter and the Shared Destiny" from here.