Disclaimer: If I had written Harry Potter, then this story would be how everything would have turned out. Unfortunately, I didn't write Harry Potter, so full credit goes to JK Rowling.
Harry Potter lay on his bed in Ronald Weasley's room at the Burrow. He was thinking hard, having just been awoken from a nightmare, about where tonight had gone wrong. Voldemort had found them, and as a result, Mad-Eye Moody was dead.
Harry looked up at the ceiling, without really seeing the cracked, dusty wood. Instead he was replaying the night's events in his mind.
Dudley apologizing as the Dursley's left; taking Hedwig around the now empty rooms of Number 4 Privet Drive, looking for some scraps of at least one happy memory; the blue eye in his two way mirror that looked so much like Professor Dumbledore's; the plan that called for seven Harry Potters; the death of his beloved owl and first friend; and then finally Voldemort's arrival.
It was almost like he was back there now, flying on the motorbike beside Hagrid. He could hear the Deatheaters yelling, and the voices of his friends as they defended themselves. Hermione's scream of terror as they had been attacked even echoed in his ears now.
And then once he and Hagrid had finally returned to the Burrow, he had seen Ginny, still as beautiful as ever, even though her eyes reflected her fear for her family and friends. Her presence brought him back to all of the times that they had spent under the birch trees at Hogwarts last year. How far away those memories seemed now.
Lupin returned with an injured George, and after establishing that he, Harry, was indeed the real Harry Potter, he and Lupin rushed outside, hearing someone's return. It was Kingsley and Hermione, who was fully herself now, and Hermione ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug.
She was trembling from head to foot, her entire body shaking with fear, and Harry wanted nothing more than to comfort his best friend, to praise her for her bravery, but no words were coming to his mind. He had no idea what to say to make her feel safe, so he simply held her close, until Ron returned and she broke free from Harry, and grasped onto their red-headed friend.
Harry watched as she gently removed the circle glasses from Ron's face, smiling up at him affectionately.
It was a sentimental moment between the two of them, one that Harry found himself becoming jealous of. He had known of Hermione and Ron's budding interest in each other for years. He knew that they were bound to get together sometime soon. He just hoped that one day he would find someone to share moments like the one that his best friends just shared with too. Strangely, his mind flashed back to all of the times that Hermione had repaired his own broken glasses. But those thoughts were broken when Bill returned with the news of Mad-Eye's murder.
And that brought Harry to where he was now, lying in bed, thinking of all of the people who had died for him, and how he didn't want that to happen ever again. No one else needed to die for him. He wouldn't stand for it, and he was not going to let that happen again.
So with that, Harry slipped out of bed, changed into a pair of jeans, and walked out of the house with his rucksack slung over his shoulder.
He didn't get far before he heard Ron's voice behind him. "Going somewhere?"
"Nobody else is going to die. Not for me," Harry replied, his voice shaking with each word before he turned around and started walking again, hearing Ron's footsteps behind him.
"For you? You think Mad-Eye died for you? You think George took that curse for you? You may be the Chosen One, mate, but this is a whole lot bigger than that. It's always been bigger than that," Ron said, his words making Harry stop and face him again.
After a moment of silence between the two, Harry said, "Come with me."
"What and leave Hermione? Are you mad? We wouldn't last two days without her!" Ron exclaimed, and Harry did have to agree with him there. He would get nowhere without Hermione. She was always the brains of the operation. What would she think of him if she had seen that he was trying to run away now?
"Besides, you've still got the trace on you, and we've still got the wedding-"
"But I don't care about a wedding, I'm sorry, no matter whose it is. I have to start finding these Horcruxes. They're our only chance to beat him and the longer we stay here the stronger he gets!" Harry cried.
"Tonight's not the night, mate," Ron told him, stepping closer, "You'd only be doing him a favor."
Harry stared at his best mate before sighing in defeat and dropping the rucksack on the ground, turning away from Ron, who bent down and picked up the bag, flinging it over his own shoulder. After a few more moments of silence, the two walked inside with Ron questioning the whereabouts of the Horcruxes.
As he placed the rucksack on the kitchen counter, Ron asked, "Are you coming up, or you gonna stay down here for a bit?"
"Stay," Harry answered shortly, and Ron nodded.
"Alright, night mate," he said before turning around and walking back up to his room.
Harry plopped down at the kitchen counter and rested his head in his hands, rubbing at his eyes. After a while, he got up and grabbed his rucksack, laying it down on the table in front of him and rummaging through one of the front pockets until he found what he was looking for: a sack of letters. They were from some of the most important people in his life offering him words of comfort and encouragement, words that got him through the hard times, and there was one in particular which he was searching for now, and he felt a sense of tremendous relief when he finally did find it.
The parchment was worn out and flimsy, the ink nearly faded away from him opening and closing it, and reading it all the time. He read it so often that he nearly had the words memorized, but he liked to look at the actual letter for a sense of comfort.
It was from Hermione, written during the summer after their second year. In it, she talked of how he had saved her life yet again, and how she felt so protected and safe whenever he was around. She promised him that no matter what happened between them, no matter what the situation was, she would always be there for him, in any way that he needed her.
This thought alone, this promise that she made, always got Harry through anything that was ever thrown at him. She was always with him, standing by his side through whatever problem he was faced with. She was his best friend in every sense of the word, never leaving him alone and sticking by him even when he was wrong.
Ron was right; he'd never make it anywhere without Hermione. If it weren't for her he'd probably be dead by now. She had saved his arse plenty of times, and he knew that he needed her to help him through this Horcrux hunt. Without her, he wouldn't know what to do. Without her, he would get nowhere.
"What are you reading, Harry?" a voice from the dark called out.
"Blimey, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as he nearly fell out of his chair in fright.
Hermione walked out of the darkness and into the light, plopping herself down on the chair next to Harry's. She looked at the letter in his hands with a questioning stare, and he passed the parchment over to her, watching her face as she skimmed through it, recognizing it immediately and allowing a smile to play across her lips.
"You kept this?" she asked, amused.
"Did you mean it?" he questioned, not bothering to answer her question, which he assumed was rhetorical anyway.
Hermione nodded. "Of course. If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't be here now; I would have left ages ago. You saved my life so many times, Harry. I only hope that one day I'll be able to repay the favor," she told him.
"What are you talking about? You've saved my life more times than you know. You're practically my brain, Hermione. I listen to whatever it is that you tell me. I'm really a selfish person, Hermione. I don't want to put you in any more danger, but I need you to come on this Horcrux hunt with me. Because without you… I wouldn't have a clue," he admitted to her, averting his eyes from hers.
"Harry," Hermione sighed, shaking her head, and reaching over the table to cover his hand with hers. "I knew what I signed up for the day that I met you on the train our first year. I've know what this war was coming to for a long time, and there have been plenty of opportunities for me to pack my bags and walk away, but I've chosen where I want to be, and what I want to do. You're my best friend, Harry, and you need me, so I'm coming with you. You've told us millions of times that we should leave, but when have Ron or I ever listened to you about it? We've already decided that we're going with you. We're not backing out. I promise you that we are in this together, and we always will be," she finished, squeezing his hand.
"Where would I be without you?" Harry asked, squeezing her hand back, thinking about how her devotion to him was just absolutely incredible.
"Well, you definitely would not have passed your O.," Hermione said with a laugh while standing up.
Harry followed her lead, chuckling in return. He was always amazed at how Hermione could always bring light to a dark subject, and how she always had the ability to make people laugh.
"Come on, it's time for bed," she told him, holding out her hand for him and leading him upstairs, where they parted ways for the night, each of them feeling lighter, and a bit happier despite everything that was going on around them.
Author's Note: I'm honestly writing like five stories right now. I have SO many ideas for SO many different stories in my head, and they just won't leave me alone. This is one of those ideas. It will be set both in bookverse and movieverse, cause I like both so much. Mostly movieverse though. Anyway, thank you for reading and giving this story a shot. Let me know what you think so far.
Thank youuu for reading :)