A shadow of the past.
'We'll be friends forever'.
This phrase rolled in her mind over and over again... a dreadful sensation cursing her soul each minute of her mulling thoughts. Reality struck her square in her heart the day after. Now she was seated on the grass, looking out the peasantry in front of her.
Hermione passed slumped against a tree the last ten hours doing nothing but stare at the precious view that the nature showed her. She saw the dawn two hours ago and remained silent for a while.
She didn't know what to do anymore... what to think... she felt lost.
Once the sun was over her, she began to talk to herself. She never did that... until now. Her demons were hunting her, but at least she felt a bit in peace since she arrived on in that lonely place: Wendover woods, where Hermione camped when she was eight with her schoolmates, more than twelve years ago. The only thing she had was her wand, twirling it idly in her right hand.
"Now, what?" whispered into the air. "¿What am I supposed to do?... if only Mum and Dad were here... it's unbearable to be this way... I mean, I always was alone, friendless... but my parents were with me, and now..."
The ache in her heart was painful... the air in her lungs was difficult to contain as tears streamed down her face.
She tried unsuccesfully to not cry, but it was harder than she thought it would. No matter how brave she seemed to be, it was just unacceptable to not feel.
Ten days ago, the last battle ended and Harry had defeated Voldemort by sending the last piece of his soul to hell. Fortunately, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna survived, as well as Hermione, but this did not help to feel dearly the loss of her parents weeks before the events. Half of the Order were murdered as well as few classmates that fought bravely.
The thing was that, even when she was happy that the light side won, her life was torn apart by the feelings she secrecy had for her green-eyed best friend. She was relieved when Harry survived and won, it was like the weight of Atlas was lifted from her shoulders. Hermione and the survivors were trasladed to St. Mungo's and, when the healers released her, she went to visit Harry's room. Since the door was slightly open, Hermione peered inside only to see Harry seated on the bed and Ginny leaning her face to his. Hermione winced at this and retreated from the door. She was aware of the situation. Harry and Ginny were a couple even before they left in search of Voldemort's horcrux. She knew better than stand between them. Now that Ron couldn't get his way with her, he found comfort in Luna's antics.
Hermione realised her jumble of feelings long time ago... but by the time she figured that what she felt for Harry was more than friendship, his and Ginny's relationship changed. Her heart constricted every time they were together. Hermione assumed that, as soon as the battle was over, they would return to where they were. Inthe corner, selfish corner of her heart, she hoped that they would never come back... that hope was blown away as soon she saw them. After that moment, she masked her pain the better she could but kep more to herself than ever living at the Burrow. She noticed that Ron tried to talk to her once, but she refused saying she had a headache, when, in reality, the pain was in her heart. Ron left it like that. Harry too, tried the same, talk to her more than twice but she dismissed him by saying that she was preparing hersefl to finish school and quickly submerged in her life-time companions: her books.
It was the only thing that gave her comfort... until one night, while walking back to Ginny's room, she heard giggles... and Harry's chuckles. To Hermione, was like the walls tumbling down on her. Sparing her time from seeing something that surely would sour her already damaged heart, Hermione walked back into the living room for the remain of the night faking that she fell asleep on the couch, her book atop her chest.
The next afternoon, when everyone was in Diagon Alley, inside twin's joke shop, Hermione was at the edge of Harry's bed in Ron's room, looking his belongings, sniffed his pillow and t-shirts, and giving a last glance to each room of the house, she whispered a quiet 'farewell' and apparated away.
For hours, she walked through the woods until she let herself slup against the tree where she was now, letting her tears being held by flashbacks of her life. She was alone from the beginning, but now she really wnated to be alone, with no one to bother or intruding in her thoughts other than the wind or the noises from the quirrels running everywhere. The longing and sadness in her eyes were watching the branches being moved by the wind, or the surface of the lake in front of her reflecting the sun above and hearing the silence of the quietness coming from her surroundings... nature's sounds. That was what she wanted.
Hermione let herself being drowned by the pain, letting her soul being healed by concealed thoughts. Even when no one heard her, she talked, trying to reinforce her ultimate action.
"... now, I have nothing to live for. I want to be happy, for once. I know I never was special. On the contrary, I was always pissing Harry and Ron... they'll be fine without me... the purpose of my life is done... what I have now is my wish of being happy... where else would I be?... only with my parents. They loved me... they still do, no matter where. I can go now. Harry'll be fine. Ginny is with him now, making him happy. He deserves a happy life, enjoying his girlfriend. They'll get married and will have their family... Ron too... the puzzle is complete now, the only spare piece it's me. But not anymore..." Hermione nodded to herself, reasuring to her heart and soul that everything would be ok. "I didn't leave anything unfinished. I'm contented to know that the rest are living in peace... as I will, where my parents are right now. In the place where I'm leaving for doesn't have pain, nor lonliness... there's no coldness or starvation. That place has to be a joyous one. I don't know if it's heaven... and if it is, I wish I deserve to go there, to join my Mum and Dad, to be loved for someone that think I'm worth of. Harry and Ron never appreciated me, amybe because I never worht it. I was only the friend who helped them with their essays... that helped them with their tasks... but nothing else. Somewhere in my heart, I knew that, sooner or later, they would take their own way, far from me... but it's ok" she wipped her tears away with the back of her hand "it would be selfish to cry for attention. Thanks God I left without a letter... I don't want their pity, running behind to stop me from doing what I'm going to do... what will be my last performance. They'll forget me, if not already are doing it. The pain I feel right now will be vanished."
To her, the only query left was ¿When should it be?
Hermione Granger's common sense failed horrible. At this point in her life, the only thing she demanded was her own hapiness... dead or alive, it didn't matter, she wanted it. Hermione never liked dramatics, it just wasn't part of her. She never acted girlish because she thought she had enough brain to be a normal girl and not giggle stupidly like her roommates, or smile like she was brain-damaged. No... but deep inside she had it in her, she was a girl after all, but always supressed it to not look like a fool. And that's what she thought too much about. That maybe it was what she needed, act like a spolied girl, being seductive or a delicate china doll... the thing is, when she cried, she always did it at night on her bed in Hogwarts. Once she closed the curtains, placed a silencing charm and cried and yell until sleep claimed her senses.
Now she was doing it but silently, because Hermione didn't need it anymore. She let her tears fell more like an act of humility to life than nothing else.
She was devasted. Espectations weren't enough for her. Not for being a bookworm meant she should be perfect. Nothing is perfect. She knew it... but wanted it.
¿Was she ever pretty? ¿Was she ever gorgeous? ¿Or maybe attractive? Many times she thought on paid Viktor a visit, but she found out that he got over her and was married... Hermione sighed and pondered in the last questions once again... and over and over again... until a lonely tear escaped from her eyes.
"No... I never was. Mum and Dad said that, to them I will always be beautiful. But ¿What kind of parents don't think of their kids that way?" Hermione smiled sadly, "I never trusted magic to change my appearence, it just wouldn't be me. I wanted to be unique. I think I always was, in my own way, pretty enough. I mean, Ron always cared about looks... to him I was just a crush. The proof is that he's now with Luna, and I really am happy that he's happy. We never would have worked as a couple. Always fighting and disscusing between us." She snarled as another tear escaped, "As for Harry, well... I'm happy for him too. It's all I can say. I should never fell for him, though... ¿Am I not enough? That has to be. Anyway... ¿What if I keep going? ¿What if I decide no to use my wnad and go on with my life? ¿How would it be?"
She pictured herself in her mind's eye, with Ministry robes at a desk in a cubicle, following a boring routine, going back to a flat, alone in a room, getting older with Crookshanks at her side for the rest of her life. Old age would come, seated in a recliner looking out the window, years passing... but always alone.
"It doesn't seem like a prominent future... a future I don't want. ¿What Harry would think if he just find out that I'm about to kill my self? He would say 'don't do it, you're not alone, WE are with you. Just think about what kind of brilliant future you'll have'. Yeah... they're selfish enough to want me there when they need me, even if I'm torn up and never take notice. Well, doesn't matter anymore. All I want is leave from here. I always fought to keep up, to not let myself down and cheering Harry's braveness for him to go on. I never helped him in exchange for something and my only reward, in the end, was his welfare... that was my only purpose for years... now I can go... to never comeback. My task is complete."
Again in silence, Hermione remained against the tree, feeling the wind in her pale face. She was just seated and thinking, smiling back to the setting sun. The sky behind her was darkening but she was smiling contented, like when you eat enough to take a nap, contented with the world. At last, she was healing.
When night fell over her, she was still awake. Hermione wanted to see the next sunset and let her pain go away with her wand's help. The only thing that was crossing her mind was that she would be able to be with her parents aagin and then everything, yes eeverything, would be perfect, to her anyway. No sorrows, no pain, no nightmares, no cold... no more lonliness.
"Yes" Hermione sighed "everything will be fine." She stretched her arms up in the air and laid her body over the green-grass. She refused to sleep. She wanted to see the first beams of sunlight.
Might as she tried to get rid of it, the pain was there. The pain to have made a decision. The decision of stop to breath. Breath was painful.
As the hours passed, morosely thought about Harry again. She just couldn't help it. She loved him... she still loves him. She wanted to feel the pain to get rid of it before putting the tip of her wand on her temple. ¿what was she now? Nothing but a mere memory of what she really was, a shadow of the past.
"¿How badly this affected me? I'm at a point of no return... I won't be loved by Harry... my body wants him... I'll die virgin. ¿How is to be loved? ¿How is to make love to your soulmate? ¿How it feels? I won't find out." She sighed, her breath itching with the sentiment of her monologue. "Sometimes I felt his indirect rejection, even when I never showed him my real affection. Sometimes I wondered if he really noticed me at all. Always dismissing me like any other of his classmates, but never paid me attention like the girl I was. But, then again, I was never a girl to him, or delicate, or a china doll... I was myself and never worked. Well, if no one loves me the way I am, then I'll die this way and I won't regret it. I don't feel ashamed of the way I am, even if this is the way I'm ending my life. I'm not taking away nothing from no one."
When Hermione noticed that dawn was getting close, she seated again. She was tired and wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but she thought that might as well spare of it because she would sleep forever. Hermione watched inawe the sky enlightening and purifying her soul. Smiled contentedly the step ahead. This would be her second and last dawn there, alone and in a forest surrounded by trees, and flowers and mountains, gifts to her eyes.
"I think it's time" she said to herself, breathing the morning air, "I'm happy. I'll be happy for the rest of eternity... and I couldn't ask for anything else." Hermione let her eyes wnader everywhere one last time and sighing again, clutched her wand in her right hand pointing at her temple, feeling vehemently more than ever that her decision was the right one. "It's my right... I won it rightfully... my right to die..."
Hermione closed her eyes. Her mouth opened slowly to spell the curse to cut off her life... but the wand flew off her hand itself. She blinked her eyes in wonder. With a sudden fear, looked around her for the source of her missing chance... only to see Harry not so far from her, panting and pointing his wand at her.
She gasped. Her fear made her heart beat quicken with the force of a storm. 'Busted'. Recovering of the terrorifying impression of being busted, Hermione stood up from the ground and looked around for her wand. An instant later she saw it and ran for it. Harry yelled at her but she never stopped and he ran behind her.
When Harry catched her, was a few meters away of the place where her wand was laying lifless. His hands gripped her arms almost painful and Hermione yelped. He swirled her until they where face to face. Before she could question him anything, Harry scolded her staring into her eyes.
"¿How? ¿How dare you to run away? ¿How dare you try to kill yourself? ¿Are you mental?"
"Leave me alone" Hermione ordered trying to get free from his grip but failing "It doesn't concerns you."
Harry was irritated to say the least. His eyes were looking at her incredously. He had being searching out for her since he and the rest came back to the Burrow and found nothing but the pets.
"¿How could you say that? ¡Of course it concerns me! ¡Gods, Hermione! ¡You were going to leave me!"
"¿Leave you? ¡Please, Harry! ¡You're full of yourself!" she snarled, indignation writed all over her face "For once, would you leave yourself behind?"
"¿What? ¿What happened to you? You're not yourself... the Hermione I know would never-"
"The Hermione you knew left long ago" she interrupted abruptly. If she ever had a twinkle in her eyes, now was gone. Instead, Harry found that brown eyes dulled and sad, as though her soul was just tipped off "The Hermione right in front of you wants to leave. Now, get over yourself and leave me alone." Again she tried to pried her arms off his hands but Harry gripped them tighter.
"I'm not letting you go, did you hear me?"
"¿Why?"
"Hermione, you're important to me. I lost a lot of people, I'm not going to loose you too."
"¡Ja! That's rich" said Hermione sardonically "You lost a lot of people... honestly, Harry, it's only because you... ¡Everything is about you! ¿What about me? ¿Had you ever stopped to think about me?"
"¡Of course! I-"
"¡Don't!" she yelled to make him hear her "Don't tell lies. Don't tell me you lost people. I'm not going to hear it. Don't tell me how I dare to try and kill myself. If I do it or not it's non of your bussines. Stop being a prat, get over yourself, go back to the Burrow where you have people who loves you and leave-me-alone." Hermione ordered. Her last sentence spilled it carefully to make herself underrstood, venom in each of her words.
Harry was taken aback by her reaction. He never saw her in such a mood. Of course she always was a bossy girl, and had her display od the bookworm back in school, but what Harry had now was a poisoned Hermione, broken and depressed by her own loss. For her part, it was better to act thid way to mask her real turmoil of emotions. ¿How he found her? She didn't know, but right now the only thing she really wanted was being far, far from him, from his touoch, from his warmth... from his presence.
That. His presence. To Hermione was devasting because the more she had him close to her, the more it pained her. Before, she thought she couldn't live without him... now she knew she couldn't live with him. Not near nor far. The only way to stop the pain that right now was overwhelming, was cut him off harshly to make him go willingly. She thought that maybe if she was rude enough, he'd leave her.
"¿Why do you want to die?"
"I already told you it's non of-"
"¡It's my bussiness, Hermione!" yelled Harry at her and Hermione winced at his sudden desperation "¡It is! ¡Whether you like it or not! ¡I don't care if you get mad or not! ¡I don't care if you yell or scream to leave you alone! ¡I'm not going to do it just because you demand it!... I'm not going to loose you." At this point, Harry barely could breath. The air in his lungs was yelled with such conviction that his heart pounded against his chest painfully hard. Hermione was panting, supressing with all her might her tears and sobs. After a minute, they regained their breath, and Hermione diverted her eyes, speaking quietly.
"¿Why do you care anyway? It's not like I'm that important" she sighed "I want to be alone. You can go back peaceful to the Burrow, where Ginny is. I don't need your pity." Hermione lifted her eyes to see his and smiled at him reasuringly "I'll be ok. Everything is ok now."
"I don't feel pity. ¿Where did you get I feel pity for you?... and yes, you're important, you don't know how much."
"You mean I was. After all I helped you with your grades. But I'm not necessary anymore. Now, be a good boy and go back."
"¡Don't treat me like a boy! ¡I'm not!"
"Then, start to behave like a man and do as I said. It's the right thing to do."
"Don't change the subject. You had been doing it for a while now. But you know better than try to fool me. You may are stubborn, but I'm just as insistent."
Hermione growled angry. This was just getting to nowhere. She lowered her face thinking in a way to escape.
Tenderly, Harry tool her chin to make her see him. He looked down at her with all the emotions that was invading him, hurting him since she left.
"¿Why do you want to die?"
In that instant, his other hand lessened the grip on her arm and, taking him distracted, she pushed him off and ran away to take her wand. Harry recovered quickly and catched her before she could reach it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and both their feet entangled. Tripping, they fell on the grass, Hermione trying to shrugged him off but he held her with his weight on her.
"¡Get off me!" Hermione yelled, but Harry's response was rolled her to have her face to face. She tried to slap him but his seeker instincts were faster and took hold of both her wrists while she struggled to get free. "¡Get off me! ¡Leave me alone!"
"¡No! ¡I won't!"
"¡For Merlin sakes, Harry! ¡Let me go!"
"¡I won't!"
"Don't do it harder than already is" Hermione now was crying. Her tears fell free when all her will of fight off the man over her left her "I want to go... to be happy. I'm not asking for much."
"¿What about me?" Harry whispered, his heart constricting, touched by the sadness in her voice.
"You're happy now. And I want it too... I want to be happy and feel loved by my parents."
"¿Aren't we enough for you?"
"No."
"¿How can I change your mind?"
"There's nothing you can do. I made up my mind. I'll go true to my word."
"Well, I won't let you." His eyes glazed and only a lone tear fell. Harry blinked them back, but couldn't contained it any longer.
Hermione saw him and her heart brooke completely. She couldn't suspect that her departure would be so touched.
Harry didn't know what else to do. He just felt that he was dying inside helplessly. Lost for words to change her mind, he did the only he could come up with. Harry leaned on her and captured her lips with his, kissing her tenderly. Hermione felt like she had been strucked by an errant spell. She didn't move. Her eyes were wide open with surprise, seeing Harry over her, his eyes closed but still crying and kissing her with all the sentiment he held since long. After a moment, when she couldn't resist it any longer, Hermione kissed him back. When Harry felt her lips moving in rythm with his, he released her wrists and his hands held her face and the kiss deepened. Hermione submitted at this. Her mind stopped and let her sensations of his kiss melt her.
Harry broke it and stared at her eyes, puzzled by her easy acceptance of the kiss. Both were breathing erratically and their minds spinning wildly.
"¿Why did you let me kiss you?". Hermione, for all response, took his face with both hands and lifted her head to kiss him again. She thought that he would draw back, but when his face closed the gap between them and joined her lips, shse felt her heart beating rapidly at the idea of not being rejected by Harry.
This kiss was more desperated, but not less important. They were pouring their hearts out in the act, trying to give voice at hte feelings with the motions of their lips. Harry tensily grazed her lips with his tongue and Hermione opened her mouth to him, letting her own tongue dancing with his in a level they hadn't experienced with anyone else. With a peak, Hermione broke the kiss and stared in Harry's eyes with full conviction.
"Because I love you." She answered whispering.
Horror struck him. Harry's eyes opened so wide that looked like they would pop out of their sockets. Abruptly, Harry took her waist and he stood up, taking her with him. Hermione screeched when he did that. She didn't know the full extent of his force until then.
Once they were on their feet, Harry wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her like his life depend on it, panting by the impact of her confession.
"¡Gods, Hermione! ¿Why did you never tell me?" whispered Harry furiously against her hair. Hermione wrapped her arms around him equally tight. He drew back his head to see her face dampened with tears. With one hand wipped off her tears locking their eyes. His touch was tender and delicate. "¿Why?"
She lowered her gaze, unable to contain his, but Harry took her chin and obligued her too look at him. It was then when she saw his eyes brightening in a way she never noticed.
"You... you were... you are with Ginny."
"¿What? ¡Merlin, no! ¿What gave you that idea?"
"You both were laughing in her room... a few nights ago. She was with you when I went to visit you in your room while in St. Mungo's... and I just... it was..."
Harry cut her off by kissing her whole face furiously. She was trembling, and Harry felt it so he embraced her body. With one hand, he pulled her hair behind her ear and Harry whispered sweetly to her.
"I love you, Hermione... you don't know how much. And just having you in my arms is like being on top of the world" Harry lessened his embrace and drew back a bit to see her face in the exact moment that her eyelids closed in an odd way. Hermione tried to blink back the blackness that were threaten her to collapse "Hermione?... 'Mione, ¿Are you...?"
Harry couldn't finish because the girl didn't resist. Hermione fainted right in his arms.
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
"She'll be ok. She's just weak. I'll be back in an hour, Mr. Potter. If you need anything else, please, call the nurse."
"I will, thank you." Replied Harry.
Tiredly, Harry seated in a chair next to Hermione's bed.
Right after she fainted, Harry apparated them both in St. Mungo's. A minute later, Hermione was traslated into a private room where a healer checked her condition and told Harry that she was only weak, apparently because she hadn't eat. Apart from that, she was fine.
Harry felt relief wash over him. Since the Weasleys and him went back to the Burrow and found that Hermione wasn't there, he immediatly freaked out. That was just two days ago. Two days in whicn Harry's heart was in his throat. It was last night, when Harry rumaged in her trunk, that he found muggle photos of her and thought it would be a good idea to look into the places she was where the pictures were taken. Harry saw the moment Hermione rised her wand and pointed at her temple. With a non-verbal 'expelliarmus', dissarmed her...
Harry only knew how close she was to make a bad decision... to take the wrong path... he felt like his blood froze. If he hadn't acted quickly, it would have been late. Harry thamked the heavens for guide him in the right direction to her.
His thoughts were interrupted when Hermione stirred and Harry blinked back the tears. He took one of her hands in his to make his presence detected, and instinctively, she squeezed it a bit, opening her eyes slowly.
"¿How do you feel?" asked Harry quietly.
"¿Where am I?"
"St. Mungo's. You fainted and I brought you here. A healer said that you're weak... you hadn't ate anything."
Hermione didn't reply. She just turned her face in shame. Harry took her face with his hands and made her see him directly on the face. In his eyes, she could detect different emotions shinning: sadness, worries, trepidation, askance, a tinge of what seemed to be angry, but the most prominent, and if it wasn't because Harry had already said it, was love. All the emotions that mirrored hers.
"I'm sorry." Whispered Hermione, her voice cracking. Harry breathed deeply and without a word kissed her lightly on the lips.
"¿Why, Hermione?" asked Harry when he broke the kiss "¿Why were you going to...?" he couldn't bring himself to say 'kill yourself'.
"Because..." Hermione sighed slowly, looking directly into his gorgeous green eyes "I thought I had nothing to live for. Because I thought my work had been done... and you were ok, well... that you didn't need me anymore. I just was your sidekick... and the only thing I fought for was to help you be happy. I felt so alone... that night I heard you and Ginny in her room. I just thought that I didn't belong..."
"¿How can you say that?" asked Harry sternely at such thoughts crossing her mind "You would have left me... I would have to kill myself to follow you..." he made a pause to contain his growing anger "I tried to talk with you, but you kept me out of your hair... I started to think that you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me. That night, you heard Ginny and me laughing, but never heard then, Ron laughing too." Hermione opened wide her eyes "I wasn't alone with her, you know? The three of us were plotting a joke and were just waiting for you to help us. When you didn't come back, around midnight, we found you deeply asleep on the couch in the living room... you looked so beautiful. I didn¿t dare to wake you up, we left you there. Well, I let the others believed that... I came back with you and stared at you a great deal of the night just before dawn" Harry's eyes were full of tenderness and dreamness while he talked and Hermione's ones glazed with renewed tears "When youn left, I was mad... mad at you for leaving me behind... mad at not knowing where you were... mad because I thought I would never be able to tell you how much I loved you... and still do."
"¿How did you find me?" sobbed Hermione.
"I was so desperated... I went to Ginny's room and looked out something in your trunk to help me find you... I found pictures in there, and went for you in different places, and then, I saw you there, just before that lake... it reminds me of Hogwarts, without the castle though. My heart almost stopped when I saw you pointing with your wand at your own head... I couldn't believe it... I still can't... you're not alone, 'Mione. You have me. And if I made you feel like I didn't love you, please... forgive me. It's all my fault and-"
Hermione cut his rambling by kissing him with all the love she felt for him. Harry kissed her back equally, in a desperated kiss, trying to make her feel that what she once thought it would be a dream, was real. But their lungs were claiming for air and reluctantly broke it off, panting at the intensity of their emotions.
"I-I wanted... to confess you... that I loved you but... I was going to do it ina different circumstances." Panted Harry.
"I'm sorry, Harry. Forgive me."
"You don't need to. It's me who should ask for forgiveness... if I hadn't found you in time... I-I don't know what would be of me. I love you, Hermione. I love you."
"You know? At first I thought you were saying it because you felt responsible of my decision, and you were just trying to change my mind, not because you loved me, but rather out of pitiness and-"
"¡Never!" he exclaimed, escandalized by such conclusion "¡¿How could you think that?!"
"Shhh" Hermione silenced him placing a finger on his lips "It's not your fault. But you know that my mind wander too much... and I just thought that leaving for good was my best chance to be happy. I was just waiting for you to go on with Ginny. That was the only thing I wanted... your happiness."
"You're my happiness."
"¿What about Ginny?" asked Hermione. They locked their gazes and she could see that no doubt clouded his eyes when he spoke.
"Ginny and I are just friends. She loves me more like a brother than anything else, and I feel the same for her. I didn't know what love was... until she talked to me and made me see what I really was looking for and we knew it wasn't her. You know? You were wrong after all."
"¿What do you mean?"
"Ron hasn't feels like a tea spoon." Harry smiled a bit "You would be surprised if you hear him talk."
"¿Ron?"
"Yep. Ron." Harry nodded "It seems that he was the first to percieve your feelings. He told me you wasn't ok. He tried to talk with you, to try to sort things out. He loves you, but never in the way he thought it was love for a soulmate. Although, trying to make you see what you felt for me, or so he said. Anyway, all of that doesn't matter anymore. I found you and you're ok, and..."
"and I love you, Harry." Hermione's voice, Harry detected, had full conviction. He leaned his forehead over hers breathing in her scent.
"¿Is that true?"
"Yep." Smiled Hermione brightly.
"Glad to hear it, because now I can ask you something."
"Name it."
"¿Are you going to say yes?"
"Well, if you ask me to conquer the world instead of Voldemort, then I'll say no."
Harry laughed, infecting Hermione insuch a joyous laughter, both bodies more closer than ever. When it subsided, Harry mustered all his Gryffindor courage and, looking directly into her eyes, smiled.
"¿Would you be my girlfriend?" Harry saw when her eyes widened in surprise, and the shinning in them centuplicated.
"¡Oh, God!" whispered Hermione furiously by the happiness at a boiling point. "¡Yes! ¡Yes!" her rambling was stopped by the rain of kisses Harry gave her, while her tears flowed uncontrolably.
What changes a heart when it's damage lead you to think that only death can erase it's pain? Hermione thought about this over and over throughtout the following years, looking back a bit with a sense of remorse... Sadly that she had tried to comitt suicide tio be noticed, she and Harry had long talks about it, trying to heal her heart and soul, both working to go on, but not alone... not anymore.
THE END.
