CHAPTER 10: VICTORY AND DEATH
Something was wrong, she could feel it in her guts.
Hermione was currently standing with the Weasleys around the body of Percy. With them were Remus and Tonks, who were trying to comfort the red-haired family. They were in the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was currently filled with corpses of the dead while families and friends mourned them. Even then, not everyone knew if their friends and family had all survived. Every few minutes, two or three wizards would enter the Great Hall carrying someone's dead body. The worse was whenever one of the dead was a student under seventeen. Hermione almost cried when she had first laid eyes on Colin Creevey's body. He shouldn't have been there, yet he had stayed to defend the castle — and had died doing so.
The only reasons the defenders were able to bring the bodies of their fallen inside was because Voldemort had ordered a cease-fire forty-five minutes before. The Death Eaters had retreated back toward the Forbidden Forest. Excluding the cries of mourning heard across the Great Hall and the whispers of others, everything was eerily quiet. A far cry from the constant sounds of spellfire, explosions and pained cries heard only an hour ago.
Hermione looked at her side. Ron was there, barely able to look at the body of his dead brother. Yet, someone was missing. Her husband, Harry Potter. She had last seen him thirty minutes ago when he had gone up to the Headmaster's Office to use Dumbledore's old pensieve to watch the memories Severus Snape had given him. This was the reason why she felt something was wrong.
She knew the memories weren't that long simply because of the length of the silver filaments. Harry should have joined them about ten minutes ago — yet, he hadn't.
Hermione was fearing Harry was going to sacrifice himself. Voldemort had given an ultimatum before his followers retreated. If Harry surrendered himself, the Death Eaters would leave Hogwarts and allow the defenders to keep it. Hermione wasn't blind. She knew Voldemort would strike back no matter what. Unfortunately, her husband and his heroics tendencies might just grasp on the ultimatum and accept it if it gave a chance to the defenders — including her.
Not capable of waiting any further, she said to Ron "I'm going outside, I need some fresh air." and, not listening for an answer, she walked away.
When Hermione entered the Entrance Hall, she immediately went for her pouch. Inside was the Marauder's Map. Harry had given it to her before she and Ron had gone down the Chamber of Secrets so that they could find him after. In the heat of the battle, she had forgotten to hand it over. She was now very glad she hadn't.
Hermione opened the map and gave the password. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The Marauder's Map activated, revealing the layout of the castle. It didn't take her a lot of time to find Harry as nearly everyone was in the Great Hall but, when she did, she felt her heard drop.
A dot named 'Harry Potter' was moving toward the Forbidden Forest! Harry was going to sacrifice himself! Immediately, she ran, passing by Ginny and a young first-year girl who were entering the castle. Ginny tried to tell her something but she ran past her, not listening.
Harry was going to sacrifice himself. She couldn't let him do it!
Hermione crossed the courtyard outside of the Entrance Hall at record speeds and ran down the path toward Hagrid's hut. As she approached the edge of the forest, she felt something on her right side, almost like a breeze, which was strange since there was no wind that night. She immediately discarded it. Finding Harry was more important.
Hermione stopped at the border of the forest. She could not see Harry anywhere. She let out a sob. "HARRY!" she pleaded painfully, hoping that he would hear her. "HARRY! COME BACK!"
Hermione looked back at the Marauder's Map to try to find Harry again. She almost gasped when she did.
A dot named 'Harry Potter' was located a few inches away from the dot named 'Hermione Potter', in the opposite direction of the forest. It meant that Harry was standing a few feet away, behind her. She turned around.
She could not see anything behind her. Nobody was in front of her. Yet, the Map insisted Harry was there. It meant only one thing. He was under his Invisibility Cloak.
"Harry?" she whispered. Looking down at the grass, she noticed a place where the grass was flat. Like someone was standing on it. Hermione took a few slow steps toward it. When she ended up standing just beside it, she brought her hands forward.
She felt the cloak. Under it, she could feel someone. Slowly, she brought her hands up toward the head and grabbed the edges of it. She gently pulled it down. The cloak fell on the ground.
Harry's face appeared, followed by his bloodied and dirty body. His green eyes, which were usually so beautiful to look at, where blood-shot. Drops of blood were slowly trickling down his lower lip. His face was shaking, trying very hard not to cry.
"Why?" she pleaded quietly. She did not need to go into details.
"I'm a Horcrux, Hermione." came Harry's voice as a whisper.
Hermione felt her entire world come crashing down around her. It was as if someone had pulled the rug from under her feet. Her knees went weak at the sheer revelation. "What?" she stuttered.
"There's a reason why I can speak parseltongue, Hermione. I'm one of Voldemort's Horcruxes... I need to die." And, with that, he fell into her arms and burst out crying.
"No...!" said Hermione with denial. She refused to accept that her husband, the person she loved the most, had to die for Voldemort's defeat. "Y-You can't... p-please, Harry! D-don't leave me!" she pleaded.
"I-I d-don't want to, Hermione!" he sobbed. "B-But, we n-need to defeat Voldemort."
"W-why don't we move a-away?" cried Hermione. "Go to Australia with m-mum and dad?"
"We c-can't." said Harry simply. And Hermione knew he was right. Neither of them would be able to live with themselves if they ran away and let Voldemort cause chaos in the magical world, not if they could do something about it.
"W-why?" she asked. "Why d-does it a-always have t-to be you!?" Then, just like her husband, she dissolved into sobs and started crying.
Harry and Hermione Potter held themselves as the other cried. Both knew that it might be the last time they were together and neither wanted to stop.
Harry was the first one to pull away. "I-I need to go, Hermione." he said with determination. "The cease-fire will cease soon."
"I'm coming with you!" she said.
"Hermione — I can't ask you that!"
"You aren't asking, and I'm not offering. It's an order." she said. Her eyes became humid.
Despite the situation, Harry let out a chuckle. "I'm going to miss you." he said.
"You're not going anywhere without me, Harry." she said. Harry's eyes widened in realization.
"You would let yourself be killed? Even if you could go on and live?" he said with shock.
Hermione nodded. "I once knew a life where you and I were separated from each other. At the time, we had only been friends for a year yet, this separation resulted in a very lonely and boring childhood. Now, we're adults and married. I love you with all of my heart, Harry. Being separated from you know would kill me. I can't live without you, Harry.
"Do you remember what I told you in the Hospital Wing after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries?" she asked "I said 'I love you, Harry. I'll always be with you, to the end.' I'm coming with you, no matter what."
Her husband looked like he was about to cry again. "I love you, Hermione." he said, taking her in his arms again. "Never doubt that."
Harry's eyes set themselves on the forest behind her. He looked determined. "There is no reason to wait." he said. Hermione nodded. Together, and holding hands, the married couple set off for the last walk of their lives.
After grabbing and stowing the Invisibility Cloak, they entered the forest. Harry suddenly let out a gasp of realization. "Harry?" asked Hermione as her husband fumbled in his pockets. Eventually, he pulled something out of one. The golden snitch he had received from Dumbledore. That snitch had been a mystery for them. The only thing it had done was to reveal a few, short engraved words. 'I open at the close.'
It clicked.
Hermione let out a gasp in understanding. Her husband brought the snitch to his mouth and gave it a kiss before he murmured "I'm about to die." Hermione felt a stab in her heart at Harry's simple but true statement. They were going to die. Their lives would end in a few minutes. All of their dreams — shattered. There would be no happy ending for them. Hermione wanted to cry again.
As she thought about her latest revelations, she missed the snitch's opening. She did notice when Harry dropped it on the ground. Turning to look at him, she noticed a small, black stone floating in front of him. Harry looked at it with reverence. She wanted to ask what it was but she abstained herself.
Harry grabbed the floating stone with his right hand and closed his eyes. Hermione saw it made a gesture with the hand holding the stone, as if he was rolling it in his palm. Suddenly, something appeared in front of them.
It was three individuals. All three beings looked like ghosts, but they weren't silver. They had colour.
On their left stood a tall young man with black hair on his head that was spouting in every direction. The man had hazel eyes which were covered by clubmaster glasses. To their right was a man slightly smaller with long, curly dark hair and grey eyes. The man had facial hair and a moustache. In front of them was young woman, only a few years older than Hermione, who had long red-hair, a kind face and bright green eyes. All three were looking at them with pride and sadness.
In front of them were James and Lily Potter and Sirius Black. She let out a gasp.
She felt Harry go weak in his knees and had to help him remain standing. He was squeezing her hand so hard that it was almost painful. "Mum?" he said to the woman. She nodded. She had tears in her eyes. Harry then looked at the men. "Dad? Sirius?" Both nodded, smiling.
Harry let out a wet laugh of disbelief. "Mum, Dad, I would like you to meet my wife, Hermione." he said. All three ghosts looked at her. Hermione felt herself flush at the attention.
"We already know her, Harry." smiled James.
"And we don't think there is anyone better than her to spend your whole life with." said Lily.
Hermione felt hot tears leak out of her eyes. She was happy that she had the approval of Harry's parents, but Lily's comment had torn her heart. They didn't know they were walking to their death. They didn't have a whole life to spend. James, Lily and Sirius looked so proud and happy to see them. They didn't appear to know the truth. Hermione didn't have the heart to tell them.
"Thank you." whispered Harry. Hermione nodded at them.
"We love you, Harry." said Sirius.
"You and Hermione will live a happy life." said James.
"Even in the darkest hours, there will always be something that will light your paths. Never forget that." said Lily. And, with that, they dissolved into mist and disappeared.
Hermione felt Harry drop to his knees. Hermione followed him and took him in her arms. He sobbed in her shoulder. Hermione rubbed his back and whispered comforting words. She wished she could give Harry as much time he needed to recompose himself but there wasn't any left. "We have to go, Harry." she whispered. She felt him nod in her shoulder. She helped him stand and, together, they walked deeper in the forest.
Harry and Hermione held each other's hand tightly as they crossed the forest. They did not talk. They didn't need to. There wasn't a lot of time left for them. They didn't know what would await them after their deaths. Hermione, who would usually have debated multiple theories on the matter, didn't really think about it. What was the point?
It took quite some time before they noticed any movement in the forest. It was two Death Eaters. Harry and Hermione were spotted almost immediately. The Death Eaters raised their wands toward them.
"There is Potter!" shouted one of the Death Eaters happily. "The Dark Lord is waiting for you. Your mudblood can go back."
"I'm staying with him." said Hermione, not having the strength to be angry at the slur.
"Fine, have at it." said the second Death Eater. The first Death Eater gave a nod in one direction before walking behind them, his wand pointed at their backs. Harry and Hermione walked toward where the Death Eater had nodded, figuring it was where Voldemort was hidden. After a few more minutes of walking, they entered a clearing.
On the other side of the clearing stood Voldemort. Around him were his Inner Circle — which included Bellatrix Lestrange and an unhappy-looking Lucius Malfoy. "My Lord!" said one of the Death Eaters behind them. "We have Potter and his mudblood bitch!"
At once, the heads of Voldemort and his Death Eaters turned to stare at Harry and Hermione. To their right — Harry and Hermione's left — was Hagrid, in chains. He was guarded by two Death Eaters. The sight sickened Hermione.
Some of them looked shocked at seeing him, including Hagrid, who burst. "Harry! Hermione! What are you doing here!?"
"Shut up!" yelled a Death Eater, slapping him on the face.
Voldemort looked at the Potters — or, rather, Harry — and smiled. "Harry and Hermione Potter." he said. Harry and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, do not think I do not know. Lord Voldemort always knows." he said with a dark chuckle. "It will be a delight to kill another Potter couple! Fleamont and Euphemia — Charlus and Dorea — James and Lily — Harry and Hermione. It is almost... poetic."
"Just make it painless, please." said Harry. "If not for me, at least for Hermione."
Voldemort considered it. "You have been a torn in my side for far too long, Harry Potter. But — you have been a worthy opponent. Not even the old fool Dumbledore managed to be as much of a pain as you and your wife have been. It is an accomplishment — really. For this, I shall grant you your last wish. A painless death. Lord Voldemort is — after all — merciful."
Hermione wanted to snort. Voldemort was far from merciful. Unfortunately, she knew that if she said what she was truly thinking, Voldemort was most likely going to torture them before killing them, and Hermione did not want this.
"Now, Harry and Hermione Potter — the Boy-Who-Lived and his wife — prepare to die." He pointed his wand at Harry first. "Avada Kedavra!"
Many things happened in very quick succession. As Voldemort's wand lit up green, Hermione remembered the sacrifice Harry had received from his mother, which had allowed him to survive in 1981. This sacrifice pushed her to jump in front of the killing curse. If there was a single chance Harry could survive the killing curse a second time and go on living, she would take it.
Unfortunately for her, Harry seemed to have guessed exactly what she had in mind and also jumped forward, this time to stop her from taking the curse. Because of that, the young married couple became a tangle of limbs that both ended up in the trajectory of the killing curse. The bright green curse flew toward them and hit both Harry's left arm and Hermione's stomach.
The Potters fell on the ground, unmoving and lifeless. The couple died holding hands.
Harry opened his eyes and was met with a blinding white expanse. He was slightly confused, not knowing where he was. The last thing he remembered was Voldemort killing him. Was this the after-life, then?
A groan snapped him from his thoughts. It came from his left and had sounded suspiciously like Hermione. Turning his head, he spotted his completely naked wife laying on the ground, rubbing her eyes.
"Hermione?" he asked. As if electrocuted, Hermione shot up before she looked at Harry.
"Harry!" she cried before she jumped on him. Harry grabbed her by the waist just in time before she began kissing him. Now, even after everything that happened in his life, Harry was still only seventeen and holding his naked wife while she was snogging him was very exciting indeed. However, he knew they couldn't just make love right then and there. They didn't even know where they were. So, reluctantly, Harry pulled away.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked.
Hermione shrugged. "The after-life, I suppose? Honestly, I don't really care. I'm just happy I'm still with you." she said before she began kissing him again.
Harry pulled away with a chuckle. "We should probably attempt to figure it out before we get carried away." he said. Hermione pouted.
"That would probably be a good thing to do." said a new, third voice. Hermione immediately shrieked and covered her breasts. They turned around to see who had spoken and found a tall hooded figure wearing black robes. Harry could not see the face behind the hood but, if his suspicions were correct, he wouldn't want to either. At this moment, Harry wished for nothing more than clothes to cover both Hermione and himself.
Two set of clothes appeared on the ground beside them. The figure turned around and looked away to give them some privacy. Harry and Hermione immediately put the clothes on. The outfits were rather simple. A set of underwear, a pair of trousers and a shirt. All of the clothes were light-grey.
Once they were done, Harry asked "Are you Death?"
The figure turned around once again and nodded. "I am."
The voice did not sound human nor bestial — yet did not sound robotic. The voice was neither cold nor warm. It didn't sound horrible but it wasn't pleasant to the ear either. Harry wouldn't be able to tell if it was a male or female voice. It was the blandest yet most powerful voice he had heard in his life — or existence.
"We are dead, then?" stated Hermione more as a fact than question.
Death kept silent for nearly a minute. Harry and Hermione looked at each other with confusion. They started fidgeting. Finally, it spoke. "Perhaps." it said.
"Perhaps? What does it mean?" asked Harry.
"Neither of you were supposed to die tonight." said Death.
"But...! The Horcrux!" stuttered Harry.
"Hermione Jean Potter wasn't supposed to come in the forest tonight." said Death. "Harry James Potter should have come alone. As Tom Marvolo Riddle used Harry James Potter's blood during his resurrection ritual, it would have served as a one-time anchor for Harry James Potter to come back to life, leaving the Horcrux behind. That anchor is still active and will still work."
The realization hit them hard. Hermione had died for nothing. Harry would have survived and both would have been able to live their lives. But Hermione had taken a killing curse and, unlike Harry, she didn't have anything to anchor her to the living world.
"Does that mean only Hermione is dead?" said Harry, aghast. "Because if she is, then I'm not going back! I'm staying with her!"
"Harry..." she said quietly, grabbing his attention. Her cheeks were wet. She was crying. "You have a chance to live, to be happy..."
Harry interrupted her. "No, Hermione. I wouldn't be happy without you. I wouldn't be able to live without you! It's the same reasons why you followed me in the forest instead of staying behind. You said it yourself, Hermione. 'I'll be with you, until the end'."
"I love you, Harry." she said. Harry took her in his arms.
"I love you too, Hermione." he said. Then, he turned to Death. "Hermione and I won't stay apart from each other. If she can't come back, then I'm following her to the after-life." he said firmly.
Death stared at them — or rather, Harry assumed it did. He couldn't see a face behind the hood. It spoke again. "I never said Hermione Jean Potter was dead."
Harry and Hermione blinked. "What?" they said. "How?"
"Remember..." it said. "Your memories will give you the answer."
Harry closed his eyes and thought back to his last moments on Earth. He remembered when he had seen Hermione move to take the killing curse meant for him. He had immediately jumped forward to stop her. He had attempted to take the killing curse for her.
"He took the killing curse for me." gasped Hermione in his arms, remembering the same thing.
"Yes — and no." it said. "It hit you both, but Harry James Potter was hit first, which activated the protection just in time."
"So, we can both go back?" asked Harry, hope rising in his chest.
"Yes." said Death. Harry and Hermione felt elated. They wanted to laugh, laugh and cry in relief. "However," it spoke again, killing their joy. "Be aware that one does not get hit by the killing curse and live through a hundred years of life. Your life expectancy will be shorter."
And, on that warning from Death, everything went black. Just before Harry and Hermione lost consciousness, they heard a last message.
"Do not speak of me to any soul — Harry James Potter, Hermione Jean Potter — or you shall be struck down early."
Harry came back to consciousness in the forest. He didn't move nor open his eyes. Voldemort needed to believe them dead.
Harry's left arm felt like someone had hit him with a hammer. It hurt very much. He also realized with a start that Hermione was still holding his left hand so, he gave a squeeze. Hermione squeezed right back. It relieved Harry. Both were back.
"Mr Lord?" came Lucius Malfoy's voice from the other end of the clearing. Harry didn't dare open his eyes.
"Don't touch me!" said Voldemort, almost sounding like a petulant child. "Bellatrix! See if they are dead!" he ordered.
Crap.
Harry heard quick footsteps walk in their direction. He went as still as he could, daring himself not to breathe. He released his grip on Hermione's hand but did not move it away, simply keeping it limp. He felt Hermione do the same.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and rolled him on his back. Then, two fingers opened one of his eyes, revealing to him the horrible-looking Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry focused all of his willpower on keeping his eyes straight and unmoving. He could not move them, or Bellatrix would realize they were alive. After an impossibly long time — but what was probably only a few short seconds — Bellatrix released his eye, allowing him to close it again. Then, she moved on to Hermione. Harry could not see what was going on, but since the crazy witch wasn't saying anything, he figured Hermione was able to fool her as well.
Then, Bellatrix spoke. "They are dead, My Lord!" she said jubilantly. The Death Eaters gave cheers of celebration. Even Voldemort laughed.
"HARRY AND HERMIONE POTTER ARE DEAD!" shouted the Dark Lord. The Death Eaters cheered. Under the cheering, Harry could hear Hagrid's faint sobbing. It made him feel horrible, but he couldn't do anything about it. He needed Voldemort to believe him dead.
"Crucio!" suddenly shouted the Dark Lord. Harry felt the spell hit him and his body raised in the air. He was surprised that, even though the Cruciatus was clearly affecting him, Harry didn't feel any pain. He was thankful. Voldemort dropped him back on the ground with a laugh.
"You, Rubeus! Take the Potters!" he ordered. "We're going back to the castle!"
"You monster!" yelled Hagrid. "You promised you would leave Hogwarts! Harry and Hermione gave their lives for them!"
"They shouldn't have believed me." laughed Voldemort alongside his servants.
"You've always been a piece of shit, Riddle!" yelled Hagrid. Harry was shocked. He had never heard Hagrid swear or insult anyone, yet he had just done both. As shocked as he was, it didn't shock him as much as what came next.
"Crucio!" shouted Voldemort again. Hagrid's painful cries filled the air. Harry wanted to cry. Hagrid, the gentle and likeable half-giant who was friendly with everyone was being tortured! Thankfully, Voldemort did not hold it for long.
"Now, Rubeus, be kind and go grab the Potters. We're visiting the in-laws tonight!" said Voldemort mockingly. The Death Eaters laughed once again.
Slow, heavy footsteps approached them. Harry felt himself be grabbed gently by Hagrid. He rolled into his arms just as their half-giant friend grabbed Hermione. Their bodies were squeezed in his hold but Harry didn't mind. He felt better feeling Hermione with him once again.
Slowly, the procession walked toward Hogwarts Castle, following the path Harry and Hermione had taken in reverse. About half-way through, Harry felt Hagrid stop just in time to hear Voldemort use a Sonorus charm.
"The Potters are dead! They were killed as they tried to flee Hogwarts, trying to save themselves while you lay down your lives for them! We bring you their bodies as proof that your hero and his wife are gone!
"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. You are outnumbered. Surrender and there will be no war. Anyone who resist — be it man, woman or child — will be slaughtered, as will every member of their families. If you come out of the castle and kneel before me, you will be spared. Your parents, children, brothers and sisters will be forgiven and allowed to live, and you will join me in the new world we shall build — together!"
Silence answered Voldemort's statement. "Come." he said and the group began walking again. As Voldemort and his servants made their way toward the castle, Hagrid began crying over his and Hermione's bodies. He was muttering their names. "Harry... Hermione..." Harry felt very bad as he knew he couldn't do anything yet.
That made him realize something. What where they going to do? Had he been alone, he would simply had put his Invisibility Cloak once attention was away from him but — well — it wasn't exactly an option anymore. He had to take Hermione into consideration. He wasn't sure they would be able to go under the Cloak together quickly enough not to be noticed. They would be even slower walking away and might not be able to dodge curses or people in time.
Harry opened his eyes — barely enough to see where they were — and immediately closed them again. Voldemort was just about to enter the courtyard. This was bad. He began doing some very quick thinking.
Harry was squeezed between Hermione and Hagrid. It meant that he wouldn't simply be allowed to jump down the half-giant's arms. For a moment, Harry entertained the idea of telling Hagrid that they were alive but he doubted Hagrid would be able to keep it discreet. His second option was to tell Hermione to jump down but, what then?
Hagrid stopped. Harry heard the doors of the castle open. Familiar voices began crying his and Hermione's names in shock and horror. Voldemort let out a laugh. "SILENCE!" he yelled. "It's over! Set them down, Rubeus — at my feet, where they belong!"
Hagrid gently posed them on the ground, side by side. Before raising again, he put Harry's left hand in his wife's.
"You see? Harry and Hermione Potter are dead!" yelled the Dark Lord. As he began doing a speech, Harry took a risk and whispered to Hermione.
"Hermione?" he tried, moving his lips as little as possible. "Squeeze my hand if you hear me." Hermione squeezed it. He let out a breath of relief. "When I say go, I want you to raise on your feet. Because of our position, we might not be able to escape to our allies without engaging combat, so we will use the element of surprise instead. I want you to start casting the moment you raise on your feet, be it at the Death Eaters or Voldemort. I'm taking the bastard that killed my parents. Squeeze if you understood."
Hermione squeezed his hand. "I love you, Harry." she whispered.
"And I love you, Hermione." said Harry before he began listening to Voldemort again.
"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me!" Suddenly, many things happened at the same time. Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Neville cut Nagini in two. The last Horcrux was down. He also heard the cry of Hagrid's giant half-brother Grawp. Then he heard war cries coming from the forest, followed by the sounds of hooves and twangs of bows. The Death Eaters yelled in shock as the defenders of Hogwarts began casting at them.
"NOW!" shouted Harry, jumping on his feet. Hermione followed suit. From the defenders, he heard cries of rejoice as they began yelling 'POTTER!' as a war cry. Harry was amused at the sheer look of horror on Voldemort's face.
Hermione began casting the moment she raised on her feet. Her spells joined those of the defenders as they pelted the Death Eaters with them. On the other side, the Centaurs and Grawp were wreaking havoc. On each side, Death Eaters fell to curses or arrows. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were in a bottleneck between the enemy. They couldn't retreat. They had been flanked.
The Death Eaters were being blasted.
Harry — who was taking his opportunity as Voldemort was still in shock — immediately began casting at the Dark Lord. He didn't hold back. He used even the most destructive spells he knew. He wasn't fighting to disable. He was fighting to kill.
Voldemort snapped out of his shock and dodged Harry's spells. Harry could tell Voldemort wanted to start casting back but Harry had such a high rate of fire that Voldemort could only cast a non-defensive spell every few seconds. Harry wasn't concerned that he would tire out. He felt like he could cast spells for an entire day before he would be exhausted.
Because of Harry's assault, Voldemort was forced to back away from Harry and into the Death Eater crowd. Harry pressed his advantage and took a few steps forward, continuing to cast. Then, he pointed his wand at the Dark Lord's feet.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
The ground blew up, sending Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters flying. As they came crashing down, Harry noticed that Voldemort's wand had flown out of his opponent's arm. Worse — his legs were broken and bleeding heavily. Now, Harry just had to end it.
"Reducto!" he yelled, his wand toward Voldemort's head. To his surprise, before his spell could reach the Dark Lord, Bellatrix Lestrange jumped in front of it, killing her. Her blood sprayed all over the Death Eaters nearby.
Harry shrugged. At least Bellatrix was out. He sent another Reductor Curse. The curse hit Voldemort's forehead. To his surprise and horror, the curse rebounded straight toward him! He felt like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. It was rather ironic — he thought — that he would die because of a sacrificial love protection. That it had happened because Bellatrix Lestrange had taken a curse for Voldemort was rather disturbing.
Suddenly, Harry felt like someone had just grabbed him by the waist and pulled back. He fell on the ground and his rebounded spell flew only inches away from his face. Looking back, he saw that Hermione — who was surrounded by the defenders of Hogwarts — had her wand pointed at him. She had used magic to pull him back. She had saved him. He gave her a nod.
Harry raised back on his feet and sent a third and final Reductor Curse toward Voldemort. He knew there would be no rebounding curse this time.
"Reducto!" he yelled. The curse flew toward Voldemort and crashed on his head. The head blew up in pieces.
And, just like that, Tom Marvolo Riddle was no more.
The Hogwarts Defenders cheered as the Death Eaters began surrendering in masses. Hermione ran toward him and jumped in his arms, snogging him senseless. He didn't care if it was happening in front of everyone. He had just defeated Voldemort.
And now, he and Hermione were free to live their lives as a happy married couple.
"Daddy?" asked Rose. Harry snapped out of his memories.
"Huh?" he said eloquently. Rose giggled.
"You were dreaming, Daddy!"
"Oh — right. Sorry, I was thinking about the battle." said Harry, shaking his head.
"So, what did you and Mum do after the big battle?"
Harry smiled. "Well, Hermione and I got to live our lives. After the Battle of Hogwarts, the new Ministry of Magic — under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebolt — began rounding up the Death Eaters. Many reforms were put in place and all the bad men and women were sent to prison. As for your mother and I...
"Hermione and I didn't really do anything concrete that summer." said Harry with a chuckle. "We mostly spent time together — went on dates — things like that. We did visit the Weasleys often and helped them in their grieving. We also helped your grandparents move back to Crawley. Since this house was now empty, Hermione and I moved in and made ourselves a beautiful home."
"Did you go back to Hogwarts?" asked Rose. "You said many times that Mum loved school."
"We thought about it. We weren't sure what decision to take. We could have gone back to Hogwarts but, after everything we had gone through, it just didn't feel right to simply become students again. We were too independent and we still held fresh memories of the battle. Kingsley had also asked me to become an Auror, which had been an ambition of mine since I was fourteen. In the end, we decided that we would study home at our own pace.
"Hermione — unsurprisingly — managed to go through the seventh-year curriculum very fast and passed her N.E. during the winter. It took me longer to achieve the same because, at the same time, I was in the Auror Academy. I wouldn't pass my own N.E. until the following summer — about the same time as when I graduated from the Academy. I was hired almost immediately to become an Auror and I was paired with your godmother Tonks, who became my mentor.
"As for Hermione, she didn't really know what to do. She was hesitating between two career paths: healing or teaching. She gravitated toward healing for a time but, eventually, she chose to go into teaching."
"What did she want to teach?" asked Rose.
"I have no doubts your mum would have been happy to teach any classes at Hogwarts but, what interested her the most was either transfiguration or charms. Since Professor McGonagall was now the Headmistress of Hogwarts, she needed a replacement for the transfiguration classes. When your mother came to her to share her decision, Minerva decided to take her under her wing and train her to become a Transfiguration Mistress.
"So, while I was finishing my year at the Academy, your mother was training under Minerva to become the next transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. As I said earlier, I graduated a year after the Battle of Hogwarts and then became an Auror. Hermione's Mastery took longer and it wasn't until the summer of 2000 that she passed her exams. She — being Hermione — graduated with honours, of course." said Harry with a smile. "It was during her Mastery that Hermione came up with the idea of founding a new school for young children — which eventually became Hermione Potter's Academy of Magic, the school you attend.
"Now that she was a Transfiguration Mistress, Hermione was all set to begin teaching. For the school year of 2000-2001, Hermione became the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. We had finally settled in our lives. I was an Auror, she was a teacher. We were happy. Because of our jobs, Hermione and I would alternate between living in the castle and living here, in our home. Then, our lives completely changed on Halloween 2000."
"What happened?" asked Rose.
Harry gave a beaming smile. "That's when Hermione learned she was pregnant with you." he said. "I remember that day. We were supposed to be at Hogwarts. I had just finished my shift and was preparing to floo to the castle when I received a letter from your mother. She asked me to come here, to Shipton's Lynn. I was understandably intrigued so — instead of flooing to the castle — I came here.
"When I saw your mother, she was crying. I immediately began to panic. Scenarios were forming in my mind. What had happened? Was she injured? Did someone we know die? Had she somehow got fired? It was only after I'd put myself in a frenzy that I realized she was grinning. Her tears were tears of joys. It both baffled and amused me. So, I asked her what it was all about. 'Harry — I'm pregnant!' she told me."
Harry raised on his feet. His eyes were moist. He was chuckling. "We were so happy. I felt like all of our dreams had come true! She was pregnant with a child — you! I would be a father, father to Hermione's child!"
Harry then turned quiet. He looked out of one of the windows in the room. "I never imagined what would happen eight months later..." he muttered.
Rose stared at her father. She only knew vaguely what had happened the day she was born — and that was mostly what her grandparents had told her. Her father Harry had never approached the subject before. Even when she was younger, she had known not to talk about what had happened to her mother if she didn't want to see him become very sad. She had once asked her grandmother why her father never talked about it. Her grandmother told her that it was 'traumatic' for him. She didn't really know what it meant, but she understood the general idea behind it.
It didn't mean that she didn't want to know. Her grandparents only knew small bits of what had happened. She hadn't wanted to ask her father before, but she felt that now was the best moment to do so. He was already telling their story, all that was left was the end.
"Daddy? How did Mummy die?"
Her father froze. Everything went quiet. He wasn't moving anymore — still as a statue. His eyes were expressionless. It was as if he was looking at something very far away. It was so quiet that Rose could hear her own breathing. It made her feel uncomfortable. She waited for her father to talk, to say something — anything.
For a few minutes, Harry didn't move, and Rose waited. Then, it came. It was a whisper but Rose could hear every word he spoke.
"It began the previous evening." he said. "Hermione and I had just gone to bed. We were here, in Shipton's Lynn. Hermione had been in maternity leave for a month by that point — and I had taken vacation days the previous week. We both knew that your arrival would be eminent. We had everything ready." Then, he let out a small chuckle. "Your mother kept complaining that you were taking your time. In her words — she felt like a whale. It always made me laugh when she was saying that, and I would always earn a glare in return. Your mother had always been beautiful, even when she was nine months pregnant, and I made sure she knew.
"That evening, she — like usual — complained that you were taking your time to get out of her. Then, it happened. Shortly after we fell asleep, her water broke..."
Harry was sleeping peacefully. In his arms was his nine-months pregnant wife Hermione. She, just like Harry, had been sleeping. Her eyes opened. For a brief moment, they showed confusion, until it turned into panic then, happiness.
Hermione grabbed the bed cover and pulled it away from the bed, uncovering both her and her sleeping husband. She immediately noticed that everything under her legs was wet and humid. Her water had broken. Her daughter was coming!
She shook her husband awake. "Was goin' on?" he mumbled.
"Harry!" she said happily. "My water just broke!"
Harry jerked awake. "Your water — you're giving birth?" Hermione nodded. "WINKY!" yelled Harry as he jumped out of the bed.
Winky popped in the room. "What can I do for — Oh! Mistress is giving birth!"
"Yes, Winky! Bring the pregnancy bag, then go tell Dan, Emma and the others the good news! Hermione and I are going to St-Mungo!" he said, grinning. Winky popped away.
Hermione let out a painful moan, holding her belly. "Are you alright?" asked Harry almost immediately, concerned.
"I'm fine." gasped Hermione. "Just a contraction."
Winky popped back in the room and gave a dark purple beaded handbag. It was the one with the extension charms that Hermione had used during the Horcrux hunt. Now, it had all the emergency supplies and other necessities in case they had to stay in St-Mungo for multiple days — which included a portkey to the hospital. Flooing there was too dangerous for someone giving birth and Harry did not trust himself to apparate both of them intact. The portkey — which was a rather long rope — had been prepared a month ago for this precise situation.
Taking his wand from the bedside table, Harry conjured a wheelchair and helped Hermione sit in it. Then, he gave her the bag and one end of the rope. "Ready?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Harry activated the portkey.
The young couple landed in the reception aera of St-Mungo. The room was rather empty, with only two other individuals present: The Welcoming Witch and a young, male healer in pale green robes. Both had been talking together but Harry and Hermione's arrival grabbed their attention. The Healer did not need to hear Harry say "I need help! My wife is giving birth!" for him to move into action.
The Healer ran toward the Potters and said "I'm Healer Selvik."
"Harry and Hermione Potter." said Harry. The Welcoming Witch's eyes snapped toward them. Thankfully, the Healer didn't seem fazed.
"We're going to the maternity ward which is further down this floor." said Healer Selvik. Harry gave and nod and followed the Healer as he guided them toward the ward. "Barbara!" said Healer Selvik to the Medi-Witch. "Send for Medi-Witch Law and Medi-Wizard Grant. I'll need their help."
"Yes, Adam." answered 'Barbara'.
"Now, follow me." said the Healer to the Potters.
As they exited the reception, Hermione let out another painful groan. "I didn't think it would hurt that much." she whispered.
"Giving birth is very painful, Mrs. Potter." said Healer Selvik as the small group entered a corridor. "Fortunately, we should be able to give you a few potions to reduce the pain."
"Thank Merlin." said Hermione. Healer Selvik stopped in the middle of the corridor before turning and entering a large room. He let the door wide open to let Harry and Hermione enter. It was a waiting room. There were multiple chairs. Around the large room were multiple other doors, all of them leading to hospital rooms. "We're going into room one." the Healer said.
Healer Selvik led Harry and Hermione toward one of the rooms. Once inside, he asked to Hermione "Are you able to stand and sit down on the bed by your own?"
"I-I think so." said Hermione rather weakly. Harry sent a concerned look toward the Healer. He had expected the birth to be painful for Hermione — sure — but he hadn't expected her to be weaker because of it. Unfortunately, the Healer missed the look he was sent and instead lend an arm to Hermione. Following his lead, Harry immediately did the same. Hermione grabbed each of their arms and raised from the wheelchair. She let out a painful cry.
"Are you alright, Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Pain." she simply answered.
"Help me lead her to the bed." said Healer Selvik to Harry. Harry nodded and, together, they helped Hermione sit down on the bed. At the same moment, two Medi-Wixen entered the room. Together with Healer Selvik, they helped Hermione lay in the proper position to give birth before giving her a few potions. Harry grabbed a chair and sat down at her bedside. He took her hand.
"Our daughter is coming, Hermione." he said with a grin. His eyes were moist.
Hermione gave a week smile. "I can't wait to meet her."
"She's going to be beautiful and very smart, just like her mother." said Harry.
"She's probably going to inherit your recklessness as well." she chuckled.
"I hope not." said Harry. "She's going to give us heart attacks if she does."
Harry stayed at his wife's bedside for the next two hours as she slowly gave birth to their daughter. A few minutes after they had entered the room, a Medi-Witch told them at Hermione's parents had arrived. Thirty minutes later, Ron and his girlfriend Susan joined them. Ten minutes after, Remus and Tonks came in. All of their friends stayed in the waiting room, so Harry did not get to meet them. He made it clear that he would stay at Hermione's side while she gave birth.
Unfortunately, during those two hours, Harry couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. He couldn't tell what it was but, he was worried. Hermione seemed to suffer more and more pain with every contraction — even more than what seemed the normal — and her face was becoming paler and paler. Harry tried to make sure to be here to support Hermione, to be with her. He wished he could do more but, as the father, he was pretty useless until his child was born.
Two hours after they arrived in St-Mungo, Harry looked at his wife's face and, suddenly, alarms screamed in his head. Hermione was very pale and sweaty. Her grip on his hand seemed to become less and less, as if it was slowly becoming limp. "What is going on!?" he said with a panicked voice, attracting the attention of everyone else. "Hermione look like she's about to faint at any moment!"
Healer Selvik cast a few charms at Hermione. He paled at the results. "Grant!" he yelled to a Medi-Wizard. "Go call for help! Mr. Potter, out of the room!"
"What!?" protested Harry. "What is going on!?"
"The situation is critical and you're only going to be in the way — so out!" he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. Harry wanted to protest again but a voice in his mind stopped him. It wasn't good at all. It wasn't reassuring that the Healer had called for help. Describing the situation as 'critical' just seemed to be the nail in the coffin.
So, without much more protest, a shocked Harry was led out of the room by a Medi-Witch. In the welcoming room, Harry spotted his group of friends in a corner close to their hospital room. Hermione's mother Emma was the first one to notice him. She raised from her chair, beaming.
"Harry!" she said happily. One by one, all of his friends turned to look at him.
"Did Hermione give birth already?" asked Dan, beaming.
"It is a boy or a girl?" asked Tonks.
"What name did you chose for your child? You never told us that!" said Ron.
As his friends all asked questions happily, Harry stayed frozen. They were expecting him to announce the birth of his daughter. He didn't know how to tell them the news.
"Harry?" asked Emma gently, snapping him back into reality. "Are you alright?"
"I-I don't know." said Harry. "I don't know what's going on. They kicked me out of the room." Emma's face paled, realizing where he was going with this.
"Why would they do that!?" protested Ron.
"I don't know. Hermione didn't look good. Her face was pale and she was sweating. It looked like she had a fever and was about to faint. They said —" He was interrupted when a group of Healers in green robes entered the room and all but ran toward the room where Hermione was. Harry stared at them, gulping. "They said her situation was critical.".
Everyone was quiet. "No..." whispered Emma, her face horrified.
"I don't know what to do." muttered Harry.
"There's nothing you can do, Harry." said Dan emotionally. "All we can do is wait."
And they waited. Harry sat down on a chair near Dan and Emma. He was terrified. He had never been that afraid before, not even before the First Task or when he realized he had to let himself be killed by Voldemort. As he waited, he felt as if body was slowly turning into lead. He began fidgeting. It didn't help that no-one around him looked calm. Emma was shaking in the arms of her husband. Their small family were all very worried for both Hermione and the unborn Rose.
The minutes ticked away at snail's pace. From time to time, someone would enter or exit the hospital room. Each minute felt like an hour for Harry. Nobody spoke. All were worried. Harry didn't even attempt to start a conversation. He felt like he would throw-up if he did.
After thirty long minutes, the door of the room opened again. It was Healer Selvik and his face was grave. Harry's heart felt. He knew he was going to be told bad news. He just hoped it wouldn't be a worst-case scenario.
"Mr. Potter?" he asked. "Can you come with me?"
Harry gave a low nod and raised on his feet. His vision was blurry. He could feel his heart pounding furiously in his chest. Slowly, he walked toward the Healer. Healer Selvik led him in the room.
The first thing Harry noticed was that Hermione's bed was surrounded by curtains. At the other end of the room were a few Healers and Medi-Wixen. Healer Selvik began to speak. "I'm going to start with the good news first. Mrs. Potter gave birth to a daughter. She's breathing and gave her first cry. We cast diagnostic charms to be sure we didn't miss anything and we can say with certitude that your daughter is completely healthy."
Harry let out a breath of relief. "That's great." said Harry quietly. "What about Hermione?"
Healer Selvik winced. "Mrs. Potter had... complications during the delivery. From what we discovered; an unknown dark spell hit her stomach about three years ago. The spell seemed to have injured her uterus and it went unnoticed. At the time, Mrs. Potter's magic was able to heal herself without problems but not completely. The remaining traces of the curse went undetected. While it wasn't enough to cause problems during the pregnancy, it made the delivery very painful and taxing on Mrs. Potter. It also caused many other problems."
"W-What are you trying to say?"
Healer Selvik let out a defeated sigh. His next words came to hit Harry as hard as a sledgehammer. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but Mrs. Potter won't make it."
Harry's vision turned blurry. His head was spinning. His legs gave in and he fell on his knees. Hot tears poured out of his eyes. Hermione wouldn't make it alive? "Is... Is she..."
"She's still alive, but only just." said the Healer softly. "I brought you here so that you could be with her for her final moments — to say goodbye."
Harry pushed himself back on his feet. "I need to speak to her." he said. The Healer nodded and indicated the curtains with a hand.
Feeling like his feet were filled with lead, Harry walked toward the bed. Gently, he pulled the curtains and went inside. What he saw nearly took his breath away.
Hermione was laying in the bed. She looked very weak. Her skin was nearly bone-white. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were blood-shot. Yet, she was smiling, smiling to the bundle she was holding. In her arms was a small baby girl with a small tuff of brown hair on her head. Her eyes were closed, sleeping.
"Hermione?" said Harry, sitting back down on the chair he had abandoned half an hour ago.
Hermione slowly turned her head to look at him. Her brown eyes lacked some of its beautiful colour. "Harry..." she whispered weakly.
"I'm here, Hermione." said Harry, putting a hand on her arm.
"Did... did they tell you?" she asked. Harry nodded, trying very hard not to burst out crying. "I think Voldemort's killing curse did more damage that we believed." she said with a dark chuckle before she turned back toward Rose. "I've only just met her yet... I love her more than anything."
"She's our daughter. She's going to be the best of us." whispered Harry.
"I hope so." she said before looking at her husband once again. Her eyes weren't focused, as if she wasn't completely seeing him. "Harry?" she asked.
"I'm here." he repeated.
"I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, Hermione." he said. His face was crunched and red. His cheeks were wet with hot tears. The only reason he hadn't become an incoherent mess yet was because he wanted to hear everything Hermione had to say to him.
"Kiss me." she asked. Harry did not hesitate and kissed her. The kiss he gave her was soft, yet charged with all the love he felt for her. When he pulled back, he heard Hermione let out a small, satisfied sigh. She then looked at Rose. "I love you, Rosie. Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you. I'll always be in your heart." She turned back to Harry. "Take care of Rose, will you?" she asked. Her arms were moving. She was trying to give Rose to Harry but was struggling to do so.
"Of course." said Harry, coming to her help. Gently, Harry took Rose from Hermione's arms. He looked down at her with awe. Their daughter was beautiful. Even thought it was very hard to tell at that age, Harry could already say that Rose would look a lot like her mother growing-up. She was the result of his and Hermione's love for each other. Harry could feel love fill his heart — love for his daughter. It was only now that he understood exactly what his own parents had been thinking the night they sacrificed themselves for him. Harry knew he would do the same a thousand times simply to protect Rose.
As he admired his daughter, Rose seemed to wake up. She jiggled in his arms before her eyes opened up. Harry let out a small gasp. His baby daughter stared back at him with bright green eyes. His eyes.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he said, looking at Rose.
But no reply came. Harry looked back at his wife. Her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face. "Hermione?" whispered Harry. She didn't move.
Her last wish had been granted. She had seen her beloved husband hold their daughter. She had seen the look of awe and love he gave Rose. Hermione Potter had passed away peacefully, looking at the two persons she loved more than anything.
Not capable of containing himself any longer, Harry wept.
The two Potters held each other as they mourned Hermione. Rose was in Harry's arms. While Harry was trying to stay composed for his daughter's sake, Rose had no such reservations and cried heavily in his chest. "M-Mummy d-died b-because of m-me?" she sobbed.
"No, Rose. It is not your fault. It's Voldemort's fault." said Harry. Realizing that Rose might just start feeling guilt for something out of her control — like her own dear father — Harry decided to kill that notion before it had taken roots. "Hermione — she loved you, Rosie. She would have done anything for you, including die if it allowed you to live. I know it's hard to understand at your age — I didn't even understand properly until I first laid my eyes on you — but when you're a parent, your child become more important than your own life.
"Hermione knew that. I know she never regretted having you, even if the delivery led to her death. Even when she knew she only had minutes to live, you were the most important person in her life — even more important than me! So, Rose Hermione Potter, don't even think for a single moment that Hermione died because of you — or that she might regret giving birth to you. The last words she said for you were 'I love you, Rosie. Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you. I'll always be in your heart.' And she was right. Hermione is with us, in both our hearts." he finished.
"I love you, Mummy." said Rose in his chest.
"I love you, Hermione." muttered Harry, holding onto the daughter they loved and hoping the love of his life was able to hear them.