Prologue
She was absolutely fed up of it all. The screaming protests, the increasing number of insults and the accusations that Kingsley Shacklebolt faced. It almost seemed that he was itching to perform a mass Calming Charm on the civilians.
Hermione stood up, her jaw set with the determination that the rest of the wizarding world had sadly lacked. She faced the roaring crowd as she stood on the stage the Order members had announced the current events to the public - all of whom had hopelessness etched on their face. It was to be expected. It was obvious the loss of that carefully planned battle would have destroyed their faith. It was the death of Ron Weasley, though; that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
After all, if Ron Weasley, one of the youngest Aurors that ever existed died - there was no security for the others whose greatest defense consisted of a shield charm while the opposing side could just Avada Kedavra anyone who crossed their path barely without a second thought.
She was sure that her expression had mirrored those in the crowd. Ron Weasley had been her friend, the one she loved. The trio's pillar of support, displaying cheerfulness even when things seemed it's darkest. He was the only one people Hermione knew was equally brave and stupid enough to joke about death on his dying breath. He was the one who had sacrificed himself for her life.
Not Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived, but Hermione Granger, the-girl-who-lived-in-expense-of-her-boyfriend.
Hermione knew that Ron would never want them to loose all hope so easily. Harry had had sunk into depression due to his best friend's death. She was the only one that could convince the rest that there was still hope that Light would vanquish the Dark- as corny as it sounded. As soon as she got on her feet, the crowd went silent, obviously expecting a speech of reassurance.
"Voldemort-" (many of them grimaced at the name) "may have won this battle." she said firmly, as in willing the crowd to trust in her, believe in what she believed in. "But as long as Harry Potter is alive, Voldemort has not won this war.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley was my best friend. In fact, he was the first friend I ever had; apart from Harry. Our friendship was rather unusual as it began with an invasion to Hogwarts by a Mountain Troll. (There were a few hesitant chuckles) We went through many years of difficulties, facing Voldemort (more winces) and his band of loyal Death Eaters. I could never sum who Ron Weasley is in just a single speech. In fact, nobody probably could.
"He was the most impossible person I have ever met. And I love him. Because of that, I will not allow his death be of vain. (Her voice grew stronger) I will not let the deaths of the other people who were sacrificed be of vain. The Dark might occasionally triumph but there will always be Light to challenge it. Even if we loose this battle, there will still be others, rebellions that will finally bring the Dark to its knees.
"And that is why I ask all of you not to loose hope. Not now, not when things seem to take the turn for the worse, not ever."
She stepped back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
There was a heavy silence, as if the throng of people expected her to say something else. All of a sudden, someone began to clap. A few of the crowd cheered, the rest slowly followed. The roar that they made was almost deafening. Nonetheless, there would always be people who were sneering at her, making snide comments about her parentage.
But she wouldn't care, a smile creeping over her features. It was not only a speech for the people; it was to reassure her – to remind her everything she was fighting for. She sat down in relief, barely feeling the grateful pats on her back.
Hope was back.
That had been a year ago.