This songfic was written for Miss Caroline Potter's Pairing Songfic Competition. I liked the way it turned out, and I hope you do too. Please take the time and review :D I would really appreciate it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song "The Gift of a Friend" by Demi Lovato.
Sometimes you think you'll be fine by yourself
Cause a dream is a wish that you make all aloneIt's easy to feel like you don't need helpBut it's harder to walk on your own
Hermione watched from a distance as Harry stood by the edge of the great lake, staring into its dark and murky depths. The sky was dark, and the clouds were covering the multitude of stars that were usually visible from Hogwarts' grounds. The bushy haired girl wished the clouds would leave, but she knew they wouldn't. The words uttered by a friendly half-giant over a year ago echoed in her mind as she glanced up at the black sky.
"There's a storm coming. And we best be ready when she does."
There was no denying it now. The storm was upon them. The time of waiting and preparing and guessing was over. It was time to act.
Harry had been very reserved since Dumbledore's death – they all had. He didn't eat, didn't sleep, and often withdrew from the rest of the students so he could spend time alone. That particular night, Hermione had followed her friend out to the lake. She didn't want him to be alone anymore. It wasn't healthy for him. And quite frankly, Hermione thought the boy's notion that he had to go after the horcruxs by himself was utterly ridiculous.
You'll change inside
When you realize
The world comes to life
And everything's bright
Harry smiled in spite of himself. Everyone at the Burrow was up and already setting things up for the wedding that afternoon, and the sun had barely risen yet. Mrs. Weasley had woken them all up, fed them a hearty breakfast, and now he, along with Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Remus, and Ron were attempting to secure the large tent where the reception would be held.
Fred and George were trying to levitate their side in one direction while their father was yelling at them to move in the other. But the tent was so long, that they were having trouble hearing him, causing a lot of confusion and frustration between the family members, but laughs amongst those on the sidelines.
Being here in what had, over the years, become his home was a relief for Harry. For once he could stop worrying about the future and his role in the current war and just enjoy himself. Glancing over at where the girls were peeling the vegetables, Harry caught Hermione's eye and smiled. She grinned back and gave him a wave. Without thinking, the Chosen One waved back, causing his corner of the levitating tent to wobble. He caught it just in time and laughed alongside Fred and George at his clumsiness. He really needed to pay attention before he messed things up for everyone.
From beginning to end
When you have a friend
By your side
That helps you to find
The beauty you are
When you open your heart
And believe in
The gift of a friend
The gift of a friend
Ever since that fateful day in the girls' lavatory, Harry Ron and Hermione had been best of friends. And as the years went on and they faced more and more challenges side by side, their friendship had only grown stronger. Hermione couldn't imagine her life without those two boys – but for two very different reasons. Ron was…well, he was Ron. Hermione cared about him a great deal, but at the present moment, he and the emotions that came along with him confused the brilliant girl, so she avoided thinking about them.
But Harry, Harry was different. Where Ron was her Ron, Harry was her very best friend. She could talk to him about anything, lean on him when she was sad or scared. Harry was the brother she never had. They looked out for each other and stood by each other's side, no matter what the circumstances.
When Harry had been chosen for the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione had remained his friend when Ron had initially blamed the boy. When things on the road had gotten hard, Hermione had stayed with Harry, and Ron had left. She knew, no matter what her feelings for Ron were, she could never leave Harry out here alone. He didn't have anyone else. And this was not a task he could do alone.
Someone who knows when you're lost and you're scared
There through the highs and the lows
Someone to count on, someone who cares
Beside you wherever you go
Harry awoke to the muffled sound of crying. He lay motionless in his sleeping bag, staring up at the tent's ceiling for a moment, wondering if he was hearing things. When the sound didn't stop, he slowly sat up and looked over at the lamp that illuminated the small space. Hermione was sitting in a corner, a book splayed out on her lap, her cheeks stained with tears.
The boy sighed and quietly moved over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and stroked her back as she cried. He was still surprised and secretly glad she had remained by his side. That night, he was so sure she would leave with Ron. But she hadn't. It had torn her in two, but Hermione had stayed. And Harry would forever be thankful.
It was the least he could do to comfort her when she was feeling so lost. They were in this together now. And maybe, someday, Ron would return and they would be whole again.
You'll change inside
When you realize
The world comes to life
And everything's bright
From beginning to end
When you have a friend
By your side
That helps you to find
The beauty you are
When you open your heart
And believe in
The gift of a friend
Before Hogwarts, the only people who had believed in her were her parents. And sometimes Hermione felt that was only because, as her parents, they were obligated to. She didn't have that many friends as a child. Most of the muggle children she knew, quite like two young boys she knew, thought she was bossy and annoying. And those characteristics tend to make you not very popular with people.
She had matured a lot over the years, and while she was still a know-it-all, she had learned to control herself much more. She offered up information when her friends needed it (which, quite frankly, was more than they should) and tried her very hardest to master many different spells. Not so she could show off, but so she could protect the ones she loved.
But after she met Harry and Ron, there were two more people that believed in her – that depended on her, even. She had saved their lives countless times, down under the trapdoor, in the forbidden forest, in the Department of Mysteries. And there had been countless times when they had saved hers.
When Ron and Lavender had gotten together, Hermione, for the first time, had lost her self-confidence. She felt like a failure. She didn't know what to do, and she didn't understand her feelings. But Harry had been there for her. She had cried to him and yelled at him, and he took it all, and was still there to offer her a hug at the end of the day. She couldn't have asked for a better friend.
And when your hope crashes down
Shattering to the ground
You, you feel all alone
When you don't know which way to go
And there's no signs leading you home
You're not alone
Fred. Remus and Tonks. Collin Creevey. Mad-Eye. Sirius. Dobby. His parents. So many lives lost. And for what? Because some man decided that it was their time to go.
Twelve hours of fighting. Countless people dead. But Voldemort was gone. The war had finally been won.
And Harry had never felt so lost.
Where were they supposed to go from here? Hogwarts, the indestructible fortress, was in ruins. Families had been torn apart and would probably never be fully whole again. Hundreds of Death Eaters had fled and were still out there somewhere. Hearts were broken, lives were shattered. And everyone looked to him for some course of direction. Him, a seventeen-year-old kid.
A soft set of footsteps sounded behind him, and Harry turned around. He half expected it to be Luna coming to share some tidbit of strange wisdom with him. She was quite light on her feet. The boy was surprised to find Hermione behind him instead.
"We did it," she breathed.
Harry only nodded absently. "Yeah. Then why do I feel so cold?"
Hermione approached him and wrapped her arms around him, comforting him. "War is never a pretty thing. People die, and those left behind are all that remains to pick up the pieces. Somehow they find the strength to keep going and to rebuild the lives they lost in the process. Because, that's all they really can do." The seventeen-year-old girl looked around her at the various groups of friends chatting and laughing together, trying to fight off the sadness in their hearts.
"They're reminded what they fought for in the first place."
Harry looked over at the brilliant girl beside him, and a tiny smile made its way onto his dirt-smudged face.
He was so thankful to have a friend like her.
The world comes to life
And everything's bright
From beginning to end
When you have a friend
By your side
That helps you to find
The beauty you are
When you open your heart
And believe in
When you believe in
When you believe in
The gift of a friend
Fin.