Sand
and Water
By Whimsical Child
As she
walked down the less than crowded streets, the sound of the crunching leaves
reached her ears. The wind and air was crisp so she pulled her cloak tighter around
her neck. Strands of hair wisped across her face as she stopped at a crossroad.
She closed her eyes and thought back.
"Harry, Ron
and I have talked this over…and…" She couldn't continue. Ron did.
"We both
agreed that it would be against our better judgment to let you go to Albania."
Hermione continued.
"Let another Auror go, Harry.
Voldemort's has always been after you…not the others. Let them go risk their
lives. Right now, yours is too important!" Harry interrupted.
"Ron,
Hermione, I have to go. I have to go because he IS looking for me. If other
Aurors go, they'll die for sure. How does that get us in any way closer to our
goal? It doesn't. It just means that more lives are lost."
"But-you're
Harry Potter-" Hermione interjected.
"And that is
why I must go. He or I will either die…I have to do this. It's why I was born.
He still may be weak enough that I can fully restrain him and get him to
Azkaban!" Ron spoke.
"Harry, you
can't do this alone." Hermione gave a half-glance to Ron, whose eyes confirmed
it. "We're coming."
"No. You are
not risking your lives for him. What if I come back and you don't? You two got
me through life without my parents…I can't let you walk into his trap. No." He
seemed to have put his foot firmly down.
"We risked
our lives a ton of times in school-" Ron said.
"But school
was different! We had Dumbledore! Back then, we didn't know the consequences
our actions would have on our lives! You can't do anything to stop me. I'm
sorry…but I'm going." His tone of voice made it final. "I'll come back. I
promise." Ron and Hermione looked somberly into each other's eyes.
*********
Hermione looked into the sky, which was absent of any
clouds. She closed her eyes again to suppress her tears. Another memory
surfaced.
--knock at the door-- She walked to the door and opened it. Ron's face greeted her, although
it wasn't with his usual warm eyes.
"Ron…What is
it?"
"Harry-Harry
died-a few days ago. Voldemort killed him. Harry's dead." Hermione shook her
head in disbelief. Even she and Ron both knew that this would probably happen,
in the back of her mind, she hadn't accepted it. She could no longer feel her
legs and she felt like she was falling. The words echoed in her head. "Harry's
dead….Harry's dead….Harry's dead…."
"N-no! He-he
promised us that he'd come back!"
*********
She looked down each street, painted in golden-brown
leaves. She crossed the street and her hair wisped past her eyes. She looked
all around her. In a distance, she saw the outline of a tall young man also
dressed in a black cloak. He turned and walked towards her. Hermione quickly
wiped the silent tears from her face. The man took one of her hands and kissed
it. He pulled from his cloak pocket, a single red rose. His eyes were as red as
Hermione's as he looked into her eyes and handed her the rose. A gust of wind
blew his red hair slightly into his face. Hermione took the rose from Ron's
hand and replaced her hand in his own. They proceeded down the street as their
feet crunched the leaves below them. Finally, they reached an iron fence. Ron
opened it for Hermione, and they both slipped through. They walked down the
path towards a tall tree, which leaves were a combined color of reds, golds,
oranges, and yellows. Under the tree, there stood a solemn black coffin. Ron
and Hermione strayed off the path and walked slowly to the tree. The funeral
had already happened and they had wanted to stay away from the hundreds of
people that were expected to attend. They approached the coffin, both with silent
tears running down their pale cheeks. Hermione tightened her grip on Ron's hand
and then let go. She walked closer to the coffin and brought the rose to her
lips. She kissed it. Hermione blinked the tears out of her chestnut eyes.
Slowly, she laid the rose down upon the coffin. She pressed her hand to it, and
let a tear slide down her cheek and onto the coffin's smooth surface. She
turned, and found Ron with his eyes blurred with tears. Hermione walked to him
and they embraced. They didn't break apart for a long time.
All
alone I came into this world
All alone
I will someday die
Solid
stone is just sand and water, baby.
Sand and
water, and a million years gone by.
Disclaimer: All I own is the idea. The song is Sand and
Water by Beth Nielson Chapman.