When she woke Hermione found herself in the hospital wing. She couldn't bring herself to care as the reason why returned to her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried. The war was over. She'd lost her parents to a bloody stupid drunk driver. She wasn't supposed to lose anyone else. Death should have been done taking the people she'd loved, at least for a century or more. Hermione felt Harry take her hand as she sobbed herself back into oblivion.

Days passed and Hermione returned to the Burrow but all she did was crawl into her bed and stay there.

It was a week before Hermione got out of bed, ten days from the day her future had been shattered. She showered off the grime of the last week with the help of Ginny and Daphne and then dressed in a black dress that fell to her knees. Ginny wrapped her in a warm cloak and the girls helped her downstairs.

She was numb as they brought her downstairs to Harry and Ron who were bringing her to Bulgaria for the funeral.

They supported her on either side through the floo, though it was a very tight squeeze. The numbness stayed until they reached the cliffs and saw the pyre. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks again.

Keo held the scarred and weak Iliyra against his chest as she sobbed.

Hermione didn't hear a word that was spoken but let out a shriek of pain as the fire was lit. Harry and Ron, supporting her on either side kept her from dropping to the ground as the flames licked up the structure filling the air with the smell of burning wood and herbs.

The witches, wizards, veela, elves and various others who'd come wandered off once the flames had enveloped the pyre. His family and Hermione, still held by Harry and Ron, stayed on watching as his body burned. When the fire began to get smaller Keo walked Iliyra over to them.

Her face was scarred from her right temple to her left shoulder and her once warm bright hazel eyes were dull as though a film coated them. Iliyra pulled Hermione into a hug and the two witches stood hugging each other as silent tears began to fall again.

After a while Keo gently pulled Iliyra back into his arms and Hermione was enveloped in a hug from Kiril's mother and father before being handed back to Harry and Ron.

Hermione's eyes returned to the burnt earth as the final flames began to flicker out.

"You are our daughter now." His father whispered his eyes on the burnt earth as he addressed Hermione, "If there is anything we can do. If ever you need anything."

"Kiril." His name was a painful whispered sob. She needed Kiril.

"He's with us always." Iliyra whispered in a broken voice.

Hermione closed her eyes, seeing his smile behind her lids as tears continued to burn her eyes and run down her cheeks. It was hard just to breathe.