She is standing next to Ron, waiting for Harry to win and come back, or die and stay away. The tears pour down her muddy face and her white hand clutches her wand. Ron has tried to hold her hand, but she has pulled it away because she is so frightened. Before she never showed either of her boys how scared she was – but now she is shaking and whimpering and hating the silence.
'Maybe...' Ron begins, his voice husky from shouting.
'No. I won't go anywhere.' Hermione replies defiantly. She is not leaving Harry now. It would go back on the words she has said thousands of times to the boy who is fighting somewhere in the dark.
'Hermione, Harry would want us to be safe-'
'NO!' She turns to her red-headed friend and Ron thinks she looks insane. 'I can't, Ron, don't you see?' She is pleading now, and Ron lets her win this time. Someone rushes out of the dark shapes in front of them, and Ron and Hermione both yell a Stunning spell. The figure freezes and falls to the ground. Hermione lights up the tip of her wand and hurries forward. Ron comes too, and turns the body over with his foot.
It is Avery. Ron mutters the Killing Curse and finishes off the Death Eater. It is not the first time that these eighteen-year-olds have spoken an Unforgivable. Hermione collapses suddenly, sobbing loudly. Ron is down next to her quickly, and puts his arms around her. He knows he needs to be a big brother now. He stays with her till her sobs have quietened and his legs have cramp – then he gets up and looks out into the darkness ahead.
'Please come back, Harry,' he whispers.
Two hours later, dawn breaks and the sun blinds Hermione. Harry has still not come back and she has not slept for thirty-two hours. She is so tired. Ron yawns next to her and she squeezes his shoulder briefly. The two of them have not spoken once since Avery died.
There is nothing to talk about.
She wonders to herself if Harry will ever come back. She mentally slaps herself for being so casual about it. She would be heartbroken if he died – she loves him more than anything in the world. God, she loves him. Her wand's last spell would be one to end her own life. Oh, hi, whoever-has-come-bearing-news, how's Harry doing? He's dead. Oh, OK, Avada Kedavra! Dead. Gone.
She honestly wouldn't care if it killed Ron too.
After another hour, someone with black hair and green eyes stumbles through the forest. Hermione blinks – is she dreaming? But when Harry attempts to yell across to them, she knows he is alive and well. She forces herself up and sprints towards him.
She tries not to knock him over, but that fails. Even though she weighs as much as a pillow of feathers, when she clasps her arms around his middle and puts her weight on him, he keels over and sends them sprawling.
Then he looks at her and she looks at him and they start laughing.
'He's gone!' Harry says. 'He's gone!'
'I knew you could do it!' Hermione rolls off him and lies next to him. Harry sits up, and as tired as he is, he stands and pulls Hermione up too. And then he is clinging to her. He puts his arms around her and will not let go. Absolutely not. Ron has arrived at this point – he attempts to pry them apart to get in with this hug, but Hermione slaps him away.
'Fine,' Ron says. 'Fine. Just leave me out!' Harry gives in. He opens up his arms and lets Ron in too.
Hermione starts to cry. She is still tucked in between Harry and Ron – her face buried in Harry's chest. She starts to shake and sob again and Ron sighs. 'Would you stop crying, woman?'
'Go away, you bastard!' she laughs. 'You know, you can get emotional too!'
Later they Apparate back to the castle. So many people died that no-one cares where anyone sleeps. They go to the boys' dormitories and all three of them lie on one of the four-poster beds and sleep.
Harry dreams about grass and blue skies and sunshine.
Ron dreams about his next meal.
Hermione dreams about hugs, rain, and Harry.
When they wake up, Ron goes to find some food, and Harry and Hermione are left alone. They look at each other for a minute – and then Harry opens up his arms and Hermione crawls into them.
She's missed this. Her face against his chest, his arms wound tightly around her, his nose tickling her neck and inhaling the scent of her hair. She clutches at random bits of his sweaty t-shirt and sighs contentedly.
'I was thinking about you all the time,' Harry mumbles. 'Every time he nearly got me, I pictured your face, 'cos I wanted you to be the last thing I ever think about.'
Hermione whispers something in his ear and Harry smiles.
'I haven't slept for ages,' Hermione continues. 'I was worrying about you. It took so long.'
Harry kisses her forehead. He knows what she means. When Ron comes back they let go of each other, but they both miss the warmth. After indulging on croissants and pumpkin juice, they all go down to see who is up and around.
'I saw Luna on the way up,' Ron says as they pass the Charms corridor. 'Her dad was killed by Avery.' Hermione nods. Ron did Luna a favour.
In the course of the morning, they learn that approximately two hundred on their side were killed. People congratulate Harry, but there is no sense of victory today. Ginny, George, Molly and Bill greet them wearily. They all have very red eyes. Ginny looks at Harry and Hermione's entwined hands and her eyes narrow. Harry glares at her and she looks away.
Eventually things begin to fall back into place. Two weeks later Fleur announces she is pregnant, which brings the first smile to Bill's face in a very long time. He kisses her gently and everyone knows he is happier. Fred and Percy's funerals happen on that same day. The day after that Charlie and Arthur's funerals take place.
Throughout all these ceremonies hands are held, hugs are given, and tears are shed. People start to heal. Harry moves into Grimmauld Place, and with help from the Weasley family, he turns it into a habitable place. Ron and Hermione move in the day it is finished.
Ron can't help but notice that Harry and Hermione have rooms that are close together. This makes him smile, because he's been waiting for this for a long time. When he tells them that he knows, they blush, but smile and both are so grateful that he has accepted their relationship.
A year later Harry proposes. It isn't terrifically romantic; he takes her out of the room one Saturday afternoon and whispers in her ear, but she still cries and nods and kisses him. Then they cling to each other, and Harry has a very stupid grin on his face.
When they do get married, Ron makes a speech.
'A lot has happened since I started at Hogwarts,' he begins. 'There's been a war. There's been this evil bloke who tried to take over the world. But now, that's all changed.
'We used to think about schoolwork, crushes, friends and what we were going to buy on the next Hogsmeade trip. But when I was at school, we were worried about Voldemort attacking too. I was also worried about when my next meal would be.' This gets a laugh.
'But I have to say, I wouldn't have got through anything without the two people who just got married. They've finally got together! They're fairly obvious – I mean, look at them.' Everyone turns to said couple. Hermione cringes into Harry's shoulder, but her new husband smiles.
'I want to say thanks, guys, and good luck for the future.' Everyone claps. Ron goes to give the newlyweds a hug each, and then he disappears. He'll come back – he's just going to propose to Luna first.