Title: What It Meant
Pairings: Percy/Hermione
Summary: Glory meant nothing but the deepest pain imaginable.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I can only dream it's mine but we all know it belongs to JK Rowling.
Warning: Character deaths and probably doesn't make sense...I think.
What does glory matter? What joys can it possibly bring? Nothing but pain and loss that was cut deep into her heart... into her mind. Too many damn people were cheering too loudly. Why can't they leave her alone? Why can't she be as happy as them? It's too much to bear and hurts too much to think. Sometimes she just wished that she was a muggle, with a normal life and a normal dream. Glory meant nothing but the deepest pain imaginable.
It broke him every time he saw, to see her lay there in that empty room. She was on a downward spiral that no one could understand but him. They think that she will pull through, that she's too strong to be weak. How many times has he thought that in the past years? How many times had he cried in the past alone without the love and warmth of his family? The years of self-isolation, not willing to believe his own parents had taught him the cruelness of the world. Even now, he could never get his family back. All but his mother had turned away, left him in the dark. Oh they appreciated that he had inside information on the Ministry but it wasn't enough. What did glory mean if you were alone?
Curled up in her parents' room, she wanted so badly to go home but where was home? Her mother and father weren't waiting for their little girl anymore. Ron and Harry wasn't standing beside her, teasing her like only friends could. They were gone. All gone. Her best friends, her parents, Ginny, Bill, Mr. Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Lavender, Dean... countless others had lost their lives to bring down a madman. Nobody's home for her anymore. There is no home. Glory meant that nobody was home as she broke down and cried her loneliness.
Watching her cry, Percy felt a sharp twinge in his chest, making him feel her pain. How many nights had he woken up to hear his own mother cry for his father? Nothing was the same anymore. The Burrow was bleak with a forced happiness. Charlie, George, Fred, and Percy had all put on a happy face knowing that it would make their mother happy to find such hope. She was as lost as they were. Where would they go now? Will they move on? Will they be happy? Too many problems plagued his mind as he closed the gap. The closer he got, the more this answer became the key.
They were still there and Hermione knew that but it's not her place to stay. Mrs. Weasley's offer was like a blessing and a curse. She could move in but it's not the same. They didn't know her as well as Ginny and Ron had. How could she think of possibly accepting when she could see their underlying motives? Motives that the Weasleys didn't know they had? She would just be Ginny's replacement. Ron's substitute. Crying harder than before, she was oblivious to the person drawing tentatively closer until she felt arms encasing her body.
He did nothing as Hermione just cried harder, close to hysteria. She reminded him of his mother. Strong on the outside but slowly dying inside. Crying only when they deemed it safe, away from prying eyes. Percy didn't even notice that he himself was crying until he felt them trailing down his gaunt cheeks. Glory meant nothing except loss and tears.
They held each other crying their loneliness, fears, pain, and for their loved ones into the dark night, never once questioning the other as they felt the aftermath of war. It wasn't long until the early dawn clouds broke apart to reveal strands of light. Waking up, Percy let go of Hermione to let her stretch out. Neither one said a word as they watched the sun come out to welcome a new day. Wordlessly and with hope, Percy held out his hand to Hermione. She looked at him warily before tentatively clasping it. Drawing close to him, she let Percy Apparate them to the Burrow.
It seems that glory meant hope and a better future.