Prologue

Now the day has come
We are forsaken
There's no time anymore

['Forsaken', Within Temptation

As the earth around her exploded, Hermione Granger looked desperately around for her husband, Ron Weasley. Ducking a killing curse sent by Antonin Dolohov, she spotted him duelling with Lucius Malfoy. Shooting a stunning spell at Malfoy, she dove behind a tree as a rampaging Hippogriff came her way.

Landing roughly on her side, she let out a gasp of pain and then one of horror when she realised she was lying next to Charlie Weasley's lifeless body.

Before she could take in what she was seeing, however, she heard a growling noise to her right and with mounting horror, looked round to see Fenrir Greyback leering down at her, blood dripping from his mouth.

Backing up as far as she could go, Hermione realised that she was cornered. She couldn't go to her left because the thought of scrambling over Charlie made her feel physically sick and she couldn't go to her right because Greyback was blocking her way.

Making a grab for her wand, which had fallen out of her hand when she'd dived behind the tree, she aimed it at Greyback, but before she could even think of a curse, she felt it fly out of her hand as Greyback's 'Expelliarmus' charm hit her, sending her flying hard into the tree.

As stars started impairing her, Hermione felt a strong rush of air pass her, smashing her back into the tree again.

Thinking Greyback had sent a badly performed killing curse at her, Hermione struggled to clear her head in an effort to defend herself.

When a pair of hands clamped down on her, she screamed, her arms flailing as she tried to fight them off, but the harder she fought, the tighter they held on and as though from a great distance, she heard someone calling her name.

"Hermione, it's ok! It's ok, it's me, it's Ron!"

It was as though someone had switched a light on and suddenly her vision cleared and Ron's dirt covered face came into focus.

"Ron!" she cried, throwing her arms round him, thankful that he was safe.

"Hermione, are you ok?!" asked Ron, terror plain in his eyes as they darted over her face.

"I'm ok. Where's Greyback? He was here, he was going to-"

"He's dead, don't worry."

"He's dead…?" repeated Hermione, looking past Ron for the first time and noticing Greyback's body laying spread-eagled in front of her.

"Who…?" she asked in a whisper.

"I did," replied Ron emotionlessly. "Now, Hermione, listen to me, we've got to-"

"You-you killed him? Ron that's murder! We said no killing-"

"Harry's dead, Hermione."

Something inside her froze.

"What?"

"He's dead Hermione. Voldemort killed him."

Hermione was suddenly hit with a rush of images of Harry's life: The first time she'd ever met him, surrounded by sweets on the Hogwarts Express; working with him through all the barriers to get to the Philosopher's Stone with him; waking up after being petrified and finding out that he'd defeated the Basilisk and saved Ginny; seeing him finally find Sirius, only to watch him suffer the grief of losing him just two years later; witnessing his resilience to find Voldemort and defeat him; experiencing the highs and the lows they all had had in the three years it took them to find and destroy all the Horcruxes; feeling so overjoyed as she watched his hurried wedding to Ginny the night before.

It was like he'd know…

"Ginny, where's Ginny?" she said now, looking desperately at Ron.

"She's dead too. Voldemort killed her and then he killed Harry."

Hermione turned around and threw up onto the grass.

Spitting the bitter taste of sick out of her mouth the best she could, she turned back to Ron, tears pouring down her face.

"But the baby…the baby…"

"It's gone, Hermione, they're all gone."

Hermione covered her face with her hands as the great weight of grief hit her.

Harry and Ginny, their baby, they were gone! Hermione couldn't take in the unfairness of it all. After the war, Harry and Ginny had planned a life together and now it was all over – their dreams had been shattered.

"Hermione," Ron said urgently, as he realised his wife was starting to go into a catatonic state, "Hermione, no, you can't stay her, you have to get up, we've got to move!"

As though to illustrate this point, the tree behind Hermione exploded, showering them both with bits of wood and leaves. Ron was struck with a piece of wood and got knocked backwards

Gasping as all the wind was knocked out of him, he hauled himself onto his front and looked up to see Hermione had been hit with some wood too. Blood was pouring down the side of her face and she was struggling to get back up.

A huge bang sounded behind him and he turned round in time to see a Death Eater go sailing into a row of hedges. Beyond the hedge, Ron saw his father running to free his wife, who had been trapped under the fallen body of Kingsley Shacklebolt. To the right of them was Remus Lupin, who was fighting in werewolf-form as it was the full-moon. And along from him was Harry, stood upright, the Dark Mark floating over him, Ginny lying at his feet.

Trying hard not to be sick, Ron looked back at Hermione, who'd managed to get herself upright again. To his horror, he saw Severus Snape coming up behind her, a length of rope in his hands. Pushing himself to his feet, he raced over to Hermione, who seemed completely oblivious to what was about to happen to her and kicked Snape in the head just as he was about to slip the rope around her neck. He and Snape began wrestling on the ground; Snape got on top of him and began punching him in the face but a moment later Snape flew off him, smacking his head hard on the ground as he landed a few metres away knocking him unconscious. Ron, wiping his bloody nose with the sleeve of his robes, sat up and saw Hermione kicking Snape. Rushing over to her, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away from Snape, whilst she kicked at him to let her go.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" she screamed, turning round and trying to get Ron to let go of her.

Ron set her on the ground and held her arms down.

"Hermione, Hermione! Stop fighting me, I'm not your enemy!"

A sudden shadow cast over them and Ron looked up to see a body just about to land on them. Pushing Hermione out of the way, he rolled to the side and sat up just in time to see the body land with a thud exactly where he and Hermione had been only a second ago.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," sobbed Hermione, dragging herself up off the ground and crawling towards the body. "Oh God, it's Neville, Ron!"

Ron forced himself not to look at the body and instead went to his wife and dragged her away from Neville's lifeless form.

"Hermione, no, don't look at him, Hermione, look at me," he said firmly, forcing her face towards him.

The look of grief, panic and terror on his wife's face sent a huge jolt of shock through him and suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Knowing that this was the hardest thing he was ever going to have to do in his life, he said quietly, "Hermione, listen to me. You have to go. You have to take Ellie and you have to run. If you don't go now, I don't know if you ever will be able to."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"I am not leaving you, Ron!"

"Hermione, you have to!"

"No, I won't-!"

"What about Ellie, Hermione?! Who's going to take care of her if we both die?!"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but suddenly found that she couldn't.'

She hadn't even thought about their 6 month old baby girl since the battle had started, some thirteen hours ago, but now her gorgeous little girl's face floated into Hermione's mind eye and she knew that she had to go.

Ron saw her mind changing as a flood of emotions washed over her face and quickly pulled off one of his shoes; the shoe glowed as he turned it into a portkey.

Speaking in a hurried tone, Ron said, "Ok, this'll take you back to the house. Grab Ellie and apparate to your parents' house. Once you get there, book two one-way tickets to America then snap your wand in half-"

Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Ron cut in.

"If you use magic they'll find you, Hermione."

Hermione knew by 'they' Ron meant Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Tears started sliding down her face as realisation started to sink in.

She might never see Ron again.

"I don't want to leave you, Ron," she sobbed, staring into his eyes whilst at the same time wanting to look away.

Ron pulled her towards him and began kissing her more passionately than he'd ever done in his life.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," he whispered between kisses. "I loved you the first time I saw you, when we were on the Hogwarts Express and you told me I had dirt on my nose…"

Hermione laughed tearily.

"…And I love you even more now and I will always love you, no matter what happens."

"I love you too, Ron Weasley," Hermione whispered back, squeezing his hand hard.

"I'll find you, Hermione. When this thing is over, I'll come for you."

Hermione felt him slip his hand out from under hers and felt him put the trainer there in its place.

"Tell Ellie I love her," he said, his voice cracking as he tried to remain strong.

"I will," said Hermione, her voice cracking too.

"I love you," Ron said one last time.

"Three…two…one…"