Title: Ruins at Dusk
Author: hiphopmarmalade
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG (K+)
Character: Hermione Granger
Summary: Hermione surveys the aftermath of the final battle.
Warnings: Character Deaths
Word Count: 1,018
Notes: Prompt was "ruins at dusk." This was written for LJ community 2x5obsessions. I don't own Harry Potter. More talented people than I do.

It was over. Harry had finally defeated Voldemort. As the sun started to set over the ruins of what was once Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hermione Granger walked around the battlefield. In the murky twilight she saw the ruins of people's lives.

George Weasley was crying over the body of his twin brother Fred. He looked upset and broken. It seemed like the only thing he realized at the time was the death. He didn't see a few feet away that Gabrielle Delacour was crying over the bodies of Fleur and Bill, who were together in an embrace. He didn't see Charlie and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looking at the body of the Percy, the black sheep of the family, as Charlie explained for what must have been the millionth time that Percy took the killing curse for him. Hermione remembered that moment clearly.

Walking away from most of the Weasley clan Hermione saw a sight that chilled her. Draco and Lucius Malfoy were both on the ground dead feet facing each other. Professor Snape was looking at the scene mumbling "He killed his son and he killed his father. . ." over and over again. Draco had joined the Order after his sixth year. Lucius must have been less than pleased.

Hermione headed back to where she had last seen Harry and Voldemort on the way she saw many people she knew helping the recovery effort. The Creevy brothers, Oliver Wood and Roger Davies were among the people bringing injured people to the designated apparition point for St. Mungos. Kingsley Shacklebolt and some other Aurors were either recovering the bodies of Death Eaters or arresting the injured and trapped ones. Hermione told Shacklebolt where he could find Lucius and kept walking. Cho Chang and the Patil twins were healing people with minor injuries. Seamus Finnegan. Dean Thomas and Michael Corner were among people recovering the dead. Lavender Brown, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones were walking around comforting people who had lost someone. Luna Lovegood was wandering around in a daze.

Hermione saw Grawp looking at the remains of Hagrid's house. Hagrid was trying to tell his half brother that he was fine, he would find a new home, and everything would be fine. Hermione chuckled to herself in the face of all of the sadness and destruction around her. It was a moment that told her despite whatever she had found once she found once she found where Harry, Ron, and Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom had run to destroy Voldemort once and for all that no matter what some things never changed. Hagrid was always going to care for dangerous creatures more than his wellbeing.

Hermione had become separated from the others when Harry had asked her to stay behind with Remus and Tonks get revenge on Peter Pettigrew, who had betrayed Harry's parents. When Hermione looked in Harry's eyes to protest she realized that he needed this done and that she was one of the few she trusted to get the job done. Neville, however, told her not to go after the person who hurt his parents. He'd rather Bellatrix Lestrange got the Dementor's Kiss.

Thinking of the fight with Peter a chill went up her spine. He started off with hand to hand combat with Remus. Peter's silver hand, a present from Voldemort, was Remus' end. Tonks was hit moments after by a stray killing curse while she was clutching on to Remus sobbing. Their bodies still lay like that. Hermione ended up using some nasty, but not illegal, curses eventually causing Peter to bleed to death. Once that was over a flash of white and green light had appeared near the Green Houses. Moments after the Death Eaters stopped fighting. Hermione knew from all of her research that Voldemort was dead.

The recovery efforts were started and Hermione headed towards the source of the light to congratulate everyone and find out what happened. Rounding the corner she saw Neville comforting a distraught Ginny and three bodies on the ground. Behind the two of them was Voldemort but Hermione choked back a sob as she realized that the two bodies on either side of them were Ron and Harry. She knew better to ask what happened; she knew she would be the first person to know once both of them were ready. Hermione crossed over to them and joined the sobbing putting her arms around them both.

A few days after the battle once all of their minor injuries had healed Neville had them over to his country house to talk about what happened. After dinner they sat on the porch and they had told Hermione about how Ron jumped in front of a killing curse that was aimed at Harry causing his death. Ginny cried some more as she recounted how Harry had told her he had figured out that he was a Horocrux before the battle and that he loved her no matter what. Harry had asked Neville to kill Voldemort once he was dead, but he neglected to tell Ron (and herself for that matter), so unaware of Harry's need to die he did the noble thing and tried to let the Chosen One do the killing. After that Ginny said she stopped care about the fight and just started to mourn her older brother and boyfriend.

Neville talked about how as Ginny clutched on to their bodies and sob a white light came out of her and hit Voldemort. As this happened Voldemort dissolved in green light till there was nothing but a shell of Tom Riddle. Shortly after that Hermione had found them.

Hermione looked out at the setting sun over Neville's backyard. She looked at the two people next to her. They had all become more than close through this ordeal Harry, Ron and all who perished in the battle were not ruined. They just were starting a new chapter in their lives. The people living had to do the same. Hermione shared that thought and saw Ginny smile for the first time since the battle.