Wonder where she goes every day. One nurse said to the other.
Who knows but after everything I hope it s nice. The other replied. She brushed Hermione s hair away as she stared at the ceiling.
It was bright where she was, bright and loud but a nice loud, a loud that just makes you feel comfortable and not alone in any way. It was a wedding of two member of the Order, she didn t remember their names, but she wore a lovely dress and he was not nervous in any way as he waited at the end of the aisle. Hermione wished they could of given these loving couples a proper wedding not one in the middle of nowhere with only soldiers of the light. She wondered as she sat at the back if the bride s parents were there or if her old school friends laughed and gossiped as she got dressed. Possibly not, no one had laughed here for a very long time.
It was an hour later when she was alone that the noise died down and she felt completely alone. Her friends were away again, destroy something or hiding she was not given the details. This was not like back in school when it was just her, Harry Potter and Ron Weasely. When it was them researching in the library, they only spoke about it amongst themselves, sneaking off and breaking the school rules and just scraping through with their lives. That was how they did it but now, now there was a war going on and you can t just have three only just over age wizards and witch fighting together, going in blind, now there was hierarchy and strategies and plans and everyone said that she needed to be hidden as the most wanted muggle-born in all the country she was at threat every day and every week she was moved from safe house to safe house. Harry was on the move daily hiding away from the world until he was strong enough to kill Voldemort, and Ron was with him or at least he was a month or two ago according to a scribbled letter she received. She was only allowed into certain meetings with the order because she was not of rank; she was neither an Auror nor a senior member of the Order Of the phoenix. She was but a girl who read books often, and that did not give her clearance. Though she did provide a lot of the notes for the meetings she was allowed in, which meant she spent a lot of time in the library of the safe house which is where she was now, she was meant to be looking up the similarities between Voldemort s attack of Edinburgh and his attack on Cardiff, seeing if there was anything that they might be able to expect and counter-act. SO far she was more distracted by the swarm of people outside, the wedding had disbanded hours ago so there was no reason for the entire household to be in the garden.
Mrs Weasley was amongst the group, she had arrived a few days prior and had been locked in meeting all night and day, now out in the sun Hermione could see the toll the war had taken on the mother, she had lost weight for starters and her once shining red hair was dull, cut short and looked like it hadn t been brushed in days. She wore odd clothing nothing matched and she looked old older then before like in the last two years she was aged fifty years. Hermione rose from the chair the moment she saw the older woman break down into tears on the front lawn, no matter how bad it was Mrs Weasley stayed strong, her crying was a bad sign. A very bad sign.
Running from the library to the front door took forever, like everything was in slow motion. When she finally got outside, three women were consoling the distraught red head, they were unknown to Hermione, another batch of soldiers brought in to recuperate before going out again. She pushed them aside, they tried to push her back but she ignored them and jumped into her arms of Mrs Weasley who held her tightly, even though she had no idea what was going on Hermione broke down too, her tears soaking the bright green shirt worn by Mrs Weasley, whose own tears did the same to Hermione s silk singlet (she had yet to change from the wedding). They clung together for god knows how long, when they broke apart both were breathing heavily, Mrs Weasley looked dead on her feet and Hermione felt the same. Holding each other up, they clambered into the house, still not saying a word. It wasn t till they both had a cup of tea in front of them that the conversation started.
We got word, Hermione, Mrs Weasley started looking down at the table tracing patterns on the uneven top.
Of what? Is Harry okay? Ron? Hermione blurted it out no letting Mrs Weasley finish her sentence.
I am so sorry my dear, Harry is gone as is my my Ron. She struggled to get the words out, tears falling freely. Hermione froze, no thoughts ran through her head, no breath left her lips, her whole body just stopped. She had no life without Harry and Ron. She had no life before them and she knew she would have no life after them, it was because of them she was fighting, it was because of them she was hiding, it was because of them she knew what family was, what friendship was, what love was. It was because of them she knew how to be her. They were gone.
It couldn t be real, she thought after she unfroze, it couldn t be real.
But Mrs Weasley s face said it all, this was real, they were dead. They had lost.
What do we do now? Harry was going to kill Voldemort, if he is gone who does that? Neville? Neville could kill him I guess but he has no training in fighting, but we could teach him, he was good in the DA but that was primary school stuff, he needs Aurar training, maybe Remus could teach him the wand stuff, I will teach him the book stuff, we could get it done or maybe Remus could kill him, he knows all the magic behind it and the book stuff on the curses and dark magic around him. I could do it, but I would need clearance, you could get me clearance right? Can t you Molly? I will get the clearance I will learn the spells and I will kill him, you can get the clearance right? Hermione spoke a mile a minute, her mind racing, catching up on the moment it froze. She knew she could do it given the chance she could kill Voldemort! SHE WOULD KILL VOLDEMORT!
No! Molly said quietly looking up for the first time.
What? Molly don t you understand I can end this! Hermione stood up quickly, not understanding how Molly could say no.
NO HERMIONE! I will not lose another child! I have lost George, Percy Harry and Ron! Ginny is in hiding and I have no idea where she is, my other kids are off in the middle of a war field! And Miss Hermione Ann Granger I will not lose you as well! You will not do this! Molly was calm while she said this, she sounded like her old self when she was truly mad at the twins for doing something, when anger was not enough to get through to them. It shut Hermione up very quickly.
I have to do something! Hermione exclaimed she sounded and felt defeated,
Right now you should just go to bed and get some rest, tomorrow I think you should could into the meetings, it s time you had a bigger role. Molly ushered her up the stairs, both too exhausted to speak again.
When Hermione lay in bed, curled up tightly she prayed to whatever god she thought was out there that they were safe and happy now.
Hermione! she heard a voice yell in her head, Hermione! !*!*!*!*!*!**!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!**!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!**!*!*!*!*!
Remus shook the frail girls shoulders as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She woke with a start.
Harry! she yelled out then her eyes met Remus . They went from being bright to dull in a second. Her head switched off and turned away.
Remus cupped her face with his hands, Come back to us mione. Please come home. Tears fell as he looked into the dead eyes of Hermione Ann Granger.