As wild cheering began and shouted plans for celebration filled the air, Hermione took one last look between Ginny and Harry before slipping away. She made it out of the Great Hall unnoticed, grateful for the silence that surrounded her the moment the doors closed.
Hermione allowed her feet to lead her out of the castle and into the courtyard. She sat against a boulder away from the entrance, staring up at the stars and letting the cool night air wash over her. Being alone didn't have the effect Hermione had hoped for, though. Instead of being able to forget what she'd just seen and relax, Hermione's imagination was running wild.
Images of a celebratory kiss between Harry and Ginny flooded her mind, and her eyes burned with tears. Despite not wanting to imagine anything else, the brunette's mind filled with everything from confessions of love between Harry and Ginny to proposals and weddings.
Once her tears had started, they wouldn't stop. Hermione sat there for what felt like hours, crying so hard her chest ached. Every time she'd start to catch her breath and calm down, her insecurities and doubts reformed in her mind and sent her back into tears.
Deep inside, Hermione knew she was exhausted and that she wouldn't be nearly so emotional if she was rested, but she was too out of sorts to get up and find somewhere to sleep.
Just when she was finally getting calmed down, footsteps came up behind her.
"There you are. I wondered where you'd got off to." Harry hesitated, realizing his friend was upset. "Can I, uh, sit, or would you rather be alone?"
Hermione gave him a little shrug, wiping her eyes on her sleeves.
Harry hesitated, then sat beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, giving her a gentle hug. "Hard to believe it's over, isn't it?"
Hermione nodded. "Congratulations," she sniffled, drawing a shaky breath.
Harry shrugged a little. "I couldn't have done it without you and Ron." He released a satisfied sigh and studied the stars with Hermione for a while. "You're my best friends. And Hermione? If you, erm, want to talk about what's bothering you, I'm here."
Hermione glanced at her best friend, wondering what she was feeling about him. First and foremost, she was overjoyed that he'd survived the battle; he deserved a calm, happy life now. The thought caused her to feel so guilty that she felt like she was suffocating. He and Ginny could be happy together; who was she to get in the way of that? A little voice inside reminded her that Ginny had a say, too, and Hermione let out a sigh of her own. She almost felt obligated to tell him something, but wasn't sure what.
"Harry, I..."
He looked over at her expectantly, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Hermione had no idea what to say. There was any number of things that she could tell him, ranging from her preference for women to being head over heels in love with Ginny. Despite wanting to tell him something, words kept dying in her throat.
The door opened and closed again, casting a brief ray of light over the courtyard. Footsteps came toward the duo, and Ginny appeared before them a few moments later.
The redhead seemed surprised to see Harry and Hermione together, her eyebrows raising as she came to a stop. "Oh."
"Hullo, Gin," Harry said warmly. "We thought we'd get away from the crowd for a bit. It's nice out, isn't it?"
"Lovely," Ginny responded distractedly, looking down at Hermione with concern written all over her face.
Hermione turned away, knowing Ginny had seen evidence of her tears and feeling rather ashamed.
"Everything all right?" Ginny asked after a moment's hesitation, the question obviously aimed at Hermione.
The brunette bit her lip, uneasy being there with the couple. She loved them both and wished them no pain, but she also desperately wished for her own shot at happiness with the redhead, even if it would hurt them.
Harry sensed his friend's discomfort and started to come up with a cover answer for her. "It's the stress from the battle. It's been getting to everyone, Gin."
Ginny frowned disbelievingly, her gaze stuck on the brunette. "Hermione," she called softly, waiting for the brunette to look at her.
Hermione tried her best to resist, but gave in after a few moments. She couldn't refuse Ginny. She'd fetch the moon if the redhead asked her to. She'd even make promises she knew she probably couldn't keep; wasn't that what had gotten her into this whole mess?
She gave Ginny a pleading look, silently begging not to be questioned further.
Ginny glanced at Harry, realization flashing in her eyes. A pained, sorrowful expression appeared on her face and she opened her mouth to say something, but no words came.
Harry looked between the girls, a bemused expression on his face. "Why do I get the feeling there's something going on that I don't know about?"
"Sorry. I'll just... you two..." Hermione got to her feet and brushed herself off hastily, turning to leave. She couldn't be around them any longer, especially not with that expression on Ginny's face. "Sorry," she mumbled again, starting to hurry away.
"Hermione Jean Granger." Ginny's tone was both stern and pleading. "Don't you dare walk away."
Hermione froze in place. She hesitated, debating whether or not to run away, instead turning and watching as the redhead directed her attention to Harry.
"Harry, I'm so sorry. This is probably one of the worst times to tell you this, but I just... I have to." Ginny was speaking quickly, her voice shaky and emotional. "I-you're a wonderful man, Harry. It's just that..." She looked up at Hermione, biting her lip.
Harry's brow furrowed and he stiffened, seeming to sense where the conversation was going.
"Before you three left last summer, after you told me whatever we had was over for my safety, Hermione came to talk to me. She told me she was afraid of dying and not telling me that-"
"Ginny," Hermione pleaded weakly, knowing that they were seconds away from ruining everything.
Ginny shook her head at the brunette and clenched her hands into fists. "Harry, you're very important to me. You've always been a good friend and someone I could trust with my life. But I've been in love with Hermione for years. And that day, she told me that she was in love with me, too."
Harry's eyes snapped over to Hermione, flashing with disbelief.
Hermione tried to say something, but failed. She wished for a moment that she could sink into the ground and disappear, but Ginny continued speaking and her voice snapped the older girl back to reality.
"I'm sorry, Harry. We owe you our lives, but we've just gone and ruined yours, haven't we?"
Harry looked numb. He stared at his hands for a few moments, seeming too shocked to absorb anything that had just been said. Finally he looked up and sighed, closing his eyes before speaking. "I guess there was just too much going right in one night, wasn't there?"
"Harry, I..." Words died in Hermione's throat. She swallowed past them, avoiding Ginny's gaze as she forced herself to continue. "If all this with Voldemort had never happened, I would never have said anything. I would rather you both be happy than worry about what I want, honestly! I just... I thought I was, we were, going to die. I had to tell her. Please try to understand?" She was aware that she was crying again, hating the pain that was written across her best friend's face.
"Funny, I thought I was going to die, too," he muttered, getting to his feet. "Look where that got me." He held up a hand before either of the girls could respond. "Look, I... I'm not sure what to think right now. It's been a long night. Let's just, well... I'm going to bed. We can talk about this again in the morning." He glanced between them, sighing again. Harry looked like he wanted to say more, but he just walked off into the castle.
The silence in the courtyard was suffocating. Hermione still couldn't look at Ginny, and was still entertaining the idea of escaping.
"Hermione?" Ginny's voice was quiet and careful.
"Why?" Hermione asked weakly. "You two could have been happy together." She finally looked over at the younger girl, raising her empty hands. "He could give you everything. I just... I can't."
A little smile started at the corners of Ginny's mouth. "Maybe I don't want 'everything.'" She walked over and grasped Hermione's hand in her own. "What if I just want you?"
Hermione shot the redhead a doubting, despairing glance. "Why would you want that? I'm no hero, Ginny. I'm just... I'm only me. How can that possibly compare?"
Ginny shook her head. "You worry too much. Believe me, I've thought about this a lot, 'Mione. But you know what? Every time I thought about it, I always chose you. No matter what Harry has to offer, no matter how easy it would be, I'd rather be with you." Her eyes softened and she gave the brunette's hand a squeeze. "I promise."
Hermione wasn't sure that she completely understood Ginny's choice, but she was overwhelmed with gratitude and other emotions she couldn't identify. She pulled the redhead into a tight hug, clinging to her and trying to believe what she'd just heard was real. Ginny's promise cemented everything in her mind, the words fittingly reminiscent of the conversation they'd had months ago.
Ginny pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead, rocking the brunette gently. "I love you, 'Mione," she murmured gently.
Hermione didn't trust her voice, so she answered by sweeping Ginny into a deep kiss.
They lingered together for a few moments after they broke apart, both dazed and breathless.
"And you wondered why I chose you," Ginny teased, pulling Hermione into a hug.
Hermione smiled, burying her face in the crook of Ginny's neck. She realized she was crying again, pulling away and wiping her eyes embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep crying," she mumbled.
"It's nearly morning; we've all been up for nearly an entire day," Ginny observed, nodding toward the lightening sky in the east. "Besides," she added, returning her gaze to the brunette and studying her fondly, "we've all been through more in the past few hours than we have in our entire lives. Seeing things no one should see, fighting for our lives, and losing people we love." A flash of pain and misery appeared on the redhead's face, but it was suppressed a moment later, stored away for her to deal with some other time.
Hermione only nodded, her exhaustion seeming to multiply since that she'd been reminded of it. She was just about to suggest they head to Gryffindor tower for some sleep when Ginny spoke up again.
"Do you think Harry'll be okay?"
The brunette thought for a moment, then shrugged wearily. "I presume so. He's got a knack for surviving, so I'm sure he'll get past it. I think we'll have to wait and see." She hoped her words would prove true, and stifled a yawn a moment later.
Ginny looked thoughtful, then nodded. She glanced between Hermione and the castle, grabbing the older girl's hand. "You look knackered. C'mon, love, let's get some rest."
"Stay with me tonight?" Hermione asked meekly, suddenly afraid of waking up and realizing that all this was a very strange dream. Another part of her simply wanted to keep Ginny around and never let her go, but she opted not to admit that.
Ginny smiled, nodding and giving her a peck on the cheek. "Of course."
They walked back to the castle together, ready to go to sleep and wake to the dawn of a new day.