Chapter 1: Finally The End

Hermione was breathing intently, trying to piece all this information together, trying to make sense of it all. And then it happened. The two wizards in front of her threw spells at each other, both with an ascertained sense of confidence. Hermione gasped, unsure whether Harry's defense charm can penetrate Voldemort's killing curse.

It felt as though everything was in slow motion. She watched as the two curses met right in the middle, and suddenly, to her great amazement, and her tremendous relief, she saw the green light rebound and Voldemort was thrown back and he lay there, motionless. She couldn't believe it; after all the atrocities he has committed, after everything, he was finally dead. And this time, however surreal it felt, she was sure that it was final. It was finally over.

She couldn't move for a second. And then the truth of it finally hit her. She and Ron ran up to Harry and hugged him with all they had. She felt her heart pour out profusely. And all of it was directed to her two best friends, Harry and Ron. She loved them more than she can ever express. And then, Harry led her and Ron to Dumbledore's office and told them everything; everything that he had heard, everything that had happened since the moment he left them at the Great Hall. She felt a surge of pride for him, for doing what he did, for going to meet his own death, defenseless, because he knew that it had to be done. His courage was always the most remarkable part of him

The three of them walked off to Gryffindor Hall, Harry longing to fall into his four-poster bed. They walked in to feel the familiar warmth permeate their senses. Harry sped up to the stairs giving them one last smile, and then disappeared. Hermione swished her wand and lit the fireplace. The familiarity of the couch flushed her with memories. She noticed Ron looking at her, smiling. She took his hand and pulled him toward the couch with her. They settled into the soft couch and lay watching the fire.

"Finally reached checkmate. I can't believe that Harry just went into the forest, prepared to die, making no effort for defense. I couldn't stand to see him lying there in the grass." The expression of admiration that he had suddenly turned to fear at the mention of Harry's supposed death.

"It was horrible. It really really was. After everything we've been through, I thought we lost him…"

"I just wish that Fred…" Hermione saw him shut his eyes tight and turn towards the ceiling. "Ron, I am so so sorry!" She felt tears fill her own eyes as empathy filled her heart.

She could not digest it. Lupin, Tonks, Fred…

"Lupin and Tonks just had a baby too," Hermione said.

"It was a battle hard won. I am so grateful to have had you with me, Ron. We couldn't have done it without you. You don't know how much you mean to us."

"Hermione, I am so sorry for leaving. I just lost it. That locket made me see things and dream things that were horrid!"

Hermione looked at him as he said that and she saw it, distinctly. She saw how sorry he was, she saw guilt and shame and she knew that he did not mean to do it.

"It…it showed all these…"

He couldn't get it out. But she knew that whatever the locket did to him, it was horrible, she knew and she knew that Ron's heart was always in the right place. Always!

"Ron, it's…it's ok. I know! I know, now" She took his hand and remembered how much they've been through together. He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer.

"It feels good to sit in these chairs, doesn't it. I never thought it possible that we would return here again."

"I can never forget the number of times you asked to copy off my homework here. Honestly, if you just spent a little less time cursing the homework and a little more time actually doing it."

Ron chuckled. "You know, I remember during our first year, the three of us were sitting here and we thought that Snape was going to break in to find the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry actually thought we'd let him go in alone. He would have died at McGonagall's chess set."

Hermione laughed. "You know Ron, Harry isn't the only one who sacrificed his life for others. You did too. Remember the McGonagall's chess set? You let the queen demolish you so we can pass through."

Ron smiled. "I can't imagine life without us: you, me and Harry. We've done so much!"

"Helping Hagrid with Norbert, figuring out what was behind the mystery of the chamber of secrets, detention in the Forbidden Forest, all those quidditch matches, going to the Shrieking Shack through the Whomping Willow…"

Ron stared at the ceiling smiling and continued, "Dumbledore's Army, the summers at the Burrow with you and Harry, watching Malfoy, the bouncing ferret."

They both laughed at the thought, but slowly fell silent. It wasn't the real Moody that turned Malfoy into a ferret, but they still remembered Mad-eye and how he was no longer there, how so many people seemed to have become the victims of one man's cruel quest to absolute power.

Ron drew back his hand and stared at the fire. He seemed to be thinking about Fred again. His eyes spoke of his bereavement.

"Ron, why don't we go down to the Great Hall. So much has been happening that we never really got a chance to…" She didn't know what to say. Words would not come out of her mouth, she could not say it. She could not say that Fred was dead. Because saying it would make it so much more real, much more tangible. Fred…Lupin…Tonks…

Ron suddenly stood up. "Yeah. I think I will go down and…" He gulped and she could not express how sad she felt for him at that moment. She got up and hugged him.

"I'll come join you after a while." Ron looked at her questioningly but he left. She knew that it had to be just him and his family, at least for a while. She knew that if she told him that he would resist. She sat back down on the couch and stretched her legs. She remembered her own family. What were her parents doing now? She must go find them, as soon as she can. She missed them, dearly. She missed their love, their letters, their constant advice for her to stay away from chocolates. She took good time deciding to charm her parents into different people, into people who did not recognize her. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. But she knew it was the right thing to do, she knew it was necessary.

Staring at the fire, she smiled with content. She can finally change her parents back. She will be their daughter again and they will be dentists again. She made a note to spend a whole month home, just with them, maybe even take a vacation. Now that she can disapparate, she can go home whenever she wanted. The thing that made her happiest, though, was the knowledge that it had not all been in vain. Seeing Harry lie dead almost made it seem useless. All of this, the constant escape, breaking into Gringotts, breaking into the Ministry, traveling the forests, finding the Horcruxes, everything almost seemed useless. But it wasn't.

She found herself slipping into a comfortable sleep. The fire made it just warm enough; and the couch was just squishy enough. But she knew that she couldn't. She knew that she had to go down to pay her respects. She had to pay her respects to all those people who lay dead, lifeless, motionless; the people who fought this brave battle to establish a brighter tomorrow. Her stomach seemed to fall three stories as she thought of Tonks. She was always so full of life. She knew just when to listen, just when to entertain; she always knew just what to do at the moment. And then there was Lupin; he was, by far, the best teacher she ever had. She smiled as she remembered that her boggart was McGonagall telling her that she failed everything. They didn't have to… And what about Teddy. She promised herself that no matter what, she would be there for Teddy. The three of them would always be there for him. She wiped a tear off her face as she forced herself to get off the couch to go down. She took a last glance at the staircase leading up to the dorms and made her way out of the portrait hole. As she made her way through the castle, the devastation of the place jumped out at her. She hoped, sincerely hoped that they would be able to fix it. She knew that some forms of magic cause irreparable damage. She tried some spells to fix little things as she went. Most of them seemed to work. She did not think that reading 'Spells of Magical Repair' would help her, but apparently, it did. She was glad to see that most of it can be fixed.

As she approached the Great Hall, she saw Kreacher walking out. "Kreacher," she called out, "Kreacher, how are you? You were very brave in there." Kreacher's face contorted, as though he was trying very hard not to frown. "Kr…Kreacher thanks you…miss." "Listen Kreacher, could you possibly take some food up to the Gryffindor Tower and give it to Harry? I think he would really like some." "Master Harry is hungry! Kreacher will take food immediately. Perhaps Kreacher can find some treacle tart, or pumpkin juice." It seemed as though the elf stopped talking to Hermione and started talking to himself. Hermione left him there hoping that he would hurry. As she entered the Great Hall, she noticed a plethora of emotions. She saw several people huddled with their families or friends, faces etched with sorrow, mourning the loss of the ones they loved. She also saw several people celebrating, trying, in vain, to keep their noise down. She saw people mongering food, satisfying a long-standing hunger not just for food, but also peace. She saw the bodies of the dead, lying next to their families, surrounded with love and pain. She finally spotted the person she was looking for; she caught the bright red of Ron's hair, surrounded by the red of his family. Mrs. Weasley sobbed uncontrollably, gazing at Fred's limp body; Mr.Weasley sat with his hands covering his face, silencing, it seemed, the pain that wanted to cry out. Hermione walked up to Mrs.Weasley first, and hugged her with all the love she could muster, among all the pain. "I am so SO sorry, Mrs.Weasley. I really am." She sobbed as she noticed Fred's body. The laughter, the characteristic laughter that constantly haunted his face was absent. As she pulled herself from the Mrs.Weasley, she caught a glance of George. The devastation on his face was so distinct, to the point that it was unbearable to watch. It was as though he lost a part of himself, a part of his soul, even. She cried more than she ever had that day. It wasn't fair. They've made it this far, ALL the Weasleys, and now, one of their best… She moved over to Ron and hugged him. She could not bear to see his face either. She knew that when it came to his family, he loved them, he really really loved them, unconditionally. That's the thing with Ron- when he really loves someone, he really really loves them. No questions asked. That was the thing she absolutely treasured in him- his love and his loyalty. She pulled away from Ron and walked over to sit beside Ginny. As she did, she noticed the bodies of Remus and Tonks. Her eyes welled with tears as she saw them. She could not bear it, she simply could not…

She sat there with the Weasleys, for a long time, minutes, hours, she couldn't tell; all she knew was that Fred, Remus and Tonks were dead. The war was over, but it was such a heavy loss.

The day seemed to pass, in its own morose, ambivalent way. The loss felt massive, profuse. The sorrow of it all hung in the air, resistant, unwilling to pass, until it was fully acknowledged by everyone there. The oblivion of sleep seemed blissful to Hermione. For a wondrous few hours, she did not have to think, about anything.