Christmas Day, 1998

Hogwarts, Gryffindor Common Room

Hermione Granger Commits Suicide On Astronomy Tower To Protest Marriage Law!

Shacklebolt and 1,000 Ministry Officials Arrested For Treason!

"Hermione Granger Act" Outlaws Elf Slavery!

Special Elections To Be Held In February!

Ministry Offers Marriage Law Victims Reparations!

Pre-Marraige Law DePopulation "Statistics" Confirmed To Have Been False!

This grim Daily Prophet headlines were the story that would shock the wizarding world for eons to come. But Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were not reading these headlines, instead reading the individual goodbyes that Hermione had written them both.

"I can't believe she gone," Ron was trying hard not to break down. The woman that he had loved was now dead, all because of a Ministry conspiracy that his own worthless father had played a part in.

"I can't either," Harry responded grimly, who lacked the energy to get out of bed. Silence then fell once again on the room.

"Do you think she did the right thing?" Ron asked quietly. His heart told him no, but his brain knew it was probably a yes.

This was a difficult question. "I can't see any other way this would have been stopped," Harry admitted, "but there might have an alternative."

Ginny raced into their dorm. She seemed reluctant to speak, but forced her message out. "Ron, I'm so sorry, I told him that there was no chance in hell we would see him, but -" Ginny gave a sigh of despair, "McGonagall gave him permission to enter Gryffindor Tower."

"Who?" Ron asked, though he was certain he already knew.

"Him. Our loving 'father' Arthur," Ginny practically spat the name, "is in the common room to beg for our forgiveness."

Ron's face darkened. "Tell him to sod off forever."

"I did that forty times already! He wants to hear it from you."

"Fine, let's go talk to our father."

"Ron," Harry begged wearily, "don't -"

"Trust me, Harry, I'll regret nothing."

Harry did not make any further effort to stop Ron and Ginny from heading toward the common room. In truth, he thought Arthur deserved it, but he felt that his mother, Lupin and Dumbledore would have thought otherwise, thus his minimal protest.

"Hello, Ron, Ginny," Arthur said, "how are you?"

"Oh, just great," Ginny snarled, "I got back from hiring an attorney for an annulment. The annulment won't be granted until tomorrow, so please feel free to call me 'Ginny Goyle' for the next twenty-four hours."

"Ginny, I can't begin to say how sorry I am -" Arthur began.

"Oh, but there's more," Ginny interrupted, "the office was busy with annulment requests. But I bumped into a middle-aged red-haired woman who is filing for a divorce; her name is Molly Weasley."

Arthur went pale. "Mollywobbles? No, it can't be -"

"Oh, it is," Ginny boasted, "Mum wants to divorce your sorry arse. Can't say I blame her, you make Goyle seem ideal."

Arthur licked his lips. "Ron, I know I've made mistakes, but -"

"You killed Hermione," Ron snarled, "I hope you get Azkaban. You probably will."

"All right, Weasley," a Auror called, "your five minutes are up. The court found you guilty, so it's off to Azkaban."

"No!" Arthur screamed as he was dragged away, "Please! No!"

"Good riddance," Ginny said viciously. Her tone then softened. "Ron, I'm so sorry about Hermione."

"Thanks Ginny," Ron said quietly.

"I can't believe it. She was so brave, and all because of our father..."

Ron decided the subject needed to turn away from their father. "Do you need help with your annulment?"

Ginny gave her brother a grateful look. "Thank you, but there isn't anything to do. Percy told me the decision to grant it had already happened, I just need to wait for the papers so I can sign them, and then it'll be over. But, I left the bastard a little surprise for when I'm gone."

"What did you do?" Ron asked eagerly, feeling happier than he had in months.

"My husband isn't exactly a genius," Ginny observed, "he spent the night of our wedding with Pansy Parkinson locked in his Slytherin dorm. Malfoy was so enraged he told me where Goyle's Gringotts key is. As his wife, I was able to transfer all but a few Knuts of his money to another account."

"Who's?" Ron asked.

Ginny smirked. "Our's. The great Goyle fortune is now the Weasley's. He won't know until our marriage is finally annulled."

Headmaster Minerva McGonagall walked through the Hogwarts library, reflecting on her awful week. Hermione had practically grown up here. It seemed so strange that Hermione no longer existed. Hermione would never again check out a five volume of Advanced Dark Arts for light reading, would never seek the best spells to train a cat, would never research anything. Minerva felt so cold simply being here.

Weasley had crawled back to seek his children's forgiveness. Minerva only granted him access because she knew they would coldly reject him. She hoped the man would get the Kiss-she had never hoped that before. It took a few minutes to register that she was not alone in the library, and she realized in panic that a woman was about to drink out of a vial Minerva recognized as one of Slughorn's poisonous potions.

"MRS. GRANGER!" McGonagall roared. McGonagall smacked the vial out of the woman's hands, and it smashed into pieces and spilled on a floor. For a minute, Minerva thought the depressed mother was about to drink off the floor.

"Mrs. Granger, I refuse to let you take the cowards route."

Mrs. Granger's eyes darkened. "That's what you think my daughter's actions was? Cowardice?"

"Hardly," McGonagall responded, "Hermione Granger did a very brave and effective thing. But you intend to follow her out of pain, whereas she fought for a cause. We both know you daughter would have wanted you to live. And what would your husband say if you followed her to grave?"

Mrs. Granger was about to respond, but instead broke out sobbing. Minerva had long been uncomfortable with tears, but as long as the woman wasn't trying to kill herself, she welcomed it. Thinking it was a decent gesture, Minerva put her hand on Mrs. Granger's shoulder.

"I thought she would be safe in this world," Mrs. Granger whispered, "but wizards are far worse than us so-called 'Muggles'"

Minerva agreed, wizards were indeed a backwards race that had little moral strength and didn't deserve their power. How could she think otherwise after what the last forty-eight hours told her? Muggles had a long history of resisting oppression. Wizards merely recycled it without question, and the few who did wound up dead-Hermione the most recent.

"You need rest," Minerva announced, "I will take you to the hospital wing."

Mrs. Granger was to distraught to protest as she was taken out of the library by the disillusioned Headmistress.