The Final Battle was over. We won. I should be out there celebrating with the others. Laughing, dancing, answering questions about my journey, hanging with friends and family. I should be happy. But I, Hermione Granger, am not happy. How could I possibly be happy when I watched my best friend, Susan Bones, die in the hands of a Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy. How could I be happy after watching him torture her with the Cruciatus Curse several times before he actually killed her? I was too far to save her and by the time I reached her destination she was dead and Lucius was laughing like a hyena over her dead body. He didn't see me, I was right behind him and if looks could kill he would have been dead, twitching on the ground way before I reached him.
All I could do at that moment was stare at the back of his head with nothing but hatred before I took his shoulder, spun him to face me, and punched him hard in the face. He let out a surprised earsplitting scream as he fell to the ground. He looked up at me with the same hatred and went to retrieve his wand that landed above his head. Before he could touch his wand I screamed the killing curse at him. And there he lay, finally dead before my eyes.
I ran to Susan who was to the right. I nelt down and took her lifeless form in my arms slowly rocking back and forth while singing "Songbird", a song my mom would sing to me when I was sad.
"For you, there'll be no more crying
For you, the sun will be shining
And I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right
To you, I'll give the world
To you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right
And the songbirds are singing,
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
And I wish you all the love in the world
But most of all, I wish it from myself
And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before, like never before,
like never before"
As I sang the song I shook uncontrollably and couldn't stop crying. That didn't stop me though. I was determined to finish this song, our song, as my final goodbye. As I finished I gently laid her down. I turned to Lucius and kicked him hard in the ribs and hearing it crack. At that moment I wished he was alive so he could feel the pain but I know that he's somewhere in hell being tortured hopefully.
I heard someone behind me say my name. I knew that voice all too well. I slowly turned around to face my other best friend Hannah Abott. She was staring at the dead body of Susan with tears in her eyes. When I fully turned to her she looked at me, her eyes asking if this were true. I painfully nodded my head and we both broke down. She ran to me and we clung to each other for comfort as if our lives depended on it and it just might.
Who knows how long we stood there, crying to the point where it hurt. We finally drew apart when we heard a painful scream. We looked over in the direction and saw Harry standing over the dead body of Lord Voldemort. It was over. We won.
But no, I was not happy. I was way passed the opposite of happy. While everyone else partied in the Great Hall I sat behind Dumbledore's old chair at the Head table with my knees drew up against my chest, my arms holding them in place, and my head down on top of them, hiding from the party. The music was blasting and I could hear people celebrating behind me. Hannah had disappeared on our way up to the Great Hall, probably to her Hufflepuff dorm that she shared with Susan. When I had entered the Great Hall everyone had cheered. For what? I didn't ask, I just smiled as I passed people and excepted hugs from friends.
When the music started everyone immediately sneaked behind the head table, unseen, and that leads me to where I am now, sulking behind the Headmaster seat, silently crying me eyes out. I had known both Susan and Hannah since the beginning of first year like I had Harry and Ron but I automatically clicked with them while it took me time to get to know Harry and Ron but we turned out to be best friends. I remember the day we became friends like it was yesterday.
I had been walking through the halls after my last class on Friday. As I turned a corner that would lead me to Gryffindor tower I saw Draco Malfoy and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, cornering Susan in the hallway.
"What's wrong little Half-blood?" I heard Malfoy ask. "Are you scared? Going to go running to Abbot? Where is she anyways? Found someone better to hang with?" He asked mockingly. I heard Susan whimper before answering.
"N-no. she w-went to go e-eat lunch. Can you p-please just let me go? I have homework." She begged as they closed in on her
"Now where's the fun in that?" He asked amusingly. "And stop that stuttering! You sound like Professor Quirrel and its bloody annoying." He snapped and she coward away. I was silently getting closer during this conversation and when I was right behind them I went around and stepped between Susan and the three Slytherins.
"Back off Malfoy! She doesn't need any of your rubbish you scrawny little twit. Why don't you take your two trolls and go pick on someone your own size." I said. Draco looked at me stunned for a moment but quickly recovered with a sneer.
"Oh yeah Granger? Like who?" he asked getting right in my face.
"Like me" I said before kicking him in the shins. He let out a yelp before hopping on one foot while holding his other leg with his hand. His two goons stared stupidly at him so I pushed him into them and they all fell to the ground. I turned around and grabbed Susans wrist and said "Run.". we jumped over the three Slytherins groaning on the ground and ran down the hall.
"I'll get you for this you stupid Gryffindor and your little Hufflepuff too!" we heard Malfoy yell from down the hall behind us.
We ran all the way to the first floor and out the entrance doors down to the lake where we stopped and fell against the tree. There was a moment of silence before Susan started laughing from my left. I turned to look at her laughing hysterically and burst out laughing myself. Soon we were rolling on the ground laughing for about five minutes before we got ourselves together.
"Thanks for what you did back there. It was real brave. I'm Susan Bones by the way." She said shyly from beside me.
"Hermione Granger and no problem. I am a Gryffindor after all. I just hate the way those stupid Slytherins act, you know? Thinking they're better than everyone else."