She sat on the old, wooden chair, staring into the fire. The bright orange glow filled the dark room with faint flashes of light as the flames danced and crackled. It was too late to change what she had done; too late to go back. She closed her eyes for a minute, hoping she would open them and find that it was all a dream. But as she did, all she saw was the common room that she had been sitting in, all alone, for hours. She knew that it would have to be done, she just didn't know she would have to be the one to do it. Harry and Ron were asleep. She heard a loud snore from their bedroom. A gentle smile swept her face; almost a laugh. But her mind was quickly turned back. She knew it was for their own good. But now she had no home to go to.
She began to hear footsteps. Someone was coming down. Before she could sneak away, she saw Harry there. Standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What is it?" he asked.
"What's what?"
"What are you doing down here Hermione?"
"I, uh, I couldn't sleep." she said anxiously.
"Well, how long have you been down here all alone?"
"Just a few minutes. I'm just going back now. Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's alright. Hermione, you need to get some sleep. We told Professor McGonagall that we would help rebuild the walls before we go home, remember? We both have a long day tomorrow"
They both returned to their bedrooms. Hermione just lay there; staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts were circling her mind. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get it out of her head.
The next morning was damp and cold. She hadn't slept at all. But she didn't have time to be tired. They all went out to help. The Battle of Hogwarts destroyed many classrooms, many walls, and many students. They walked past Professor Sprout. Her wand was out, repairing brick after brick again and again. "So we're doing the Transfiguration Classroom, right Hermione?" asked Ron. "Hermione?"
"Oh, right, yeah."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah fine. What makes you think that-"
"Good morning," said McGonagall suddenly as she walked past them.
"Hello Professor." they all said at the same time.
"You should be making a start in the classroom. You have the holidays to look forward too."
"We were just going Professor. And honestly, I'm really going to miss Hogwarts," said Ron. Professor McGonagall smiled at them. "I hope you three have a very productive day. Unfortunately, I can't stay and talk."
She walked away towards the Great Hall.
Hermione was gazing at the destruction. All the rubble was scattered everywhere. Students, teachers, everyone was affected. She was worried; Hogwarts was her only home and there wasn't much left of it. Where would she go? Only two days until the end of her time at school. "Hermione! Come on!" shouted Ron. She turned around. They were already far ahead of her. She quickly scrambled after them and made her way to the classroom.
She knew that she had a long day ahead of her. She spent hours on the job. Accompanied by Harry and Ron. Eventually, the bright colours of the sunset filled the sky above Hogwarts. They meandered back to their common room. Luckily, it had not been severely damaged. Whatever had happened was repaired in a short time. "Goodnight," she said quietly as she walked to her bed. Harry said the same back to her.
Hermione fell backwards onto her bed. It made a gentle creaking sound as she landed onto it. She closed her eyes and pictured a perfect world; a world where she wasn't forced to make the most difficult choices. A world where the sky was blue and not grey, a world where she still had a family. The hours passed and she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep yet. She waited and waited. It seemed like every second was a minute, and every minute was an hour.
The glow of the morning came slowly. She sat up and turned on her lamp. She yawned quietly and looked at her watch. 5:43. She rested her head on her pillow once again. Knowing there was no use in trying to sleep. She got up and filled her bag for tomorrow. She had to go back home. But where was home? She wasn't quite sure anymore.
That day passed the same way the last one did. She was surely glad to help. She was filled with a small sensation as she assisted the school. Her school. Her wand was out for the entire morning. She moved onto the Great Hall by the time the afternoon had come. They were making progress, and she was proud. Although she was happy to help. She dreaded the next day. Where would she go? She could return their memories, but not if they weren't even there.
She hoped that they had not gone. What would happen to her if they had? What if they had gone far away? They would be lost forever. Hermione hated the thought, but it was a possibility...