Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. I own no credit for any characters, places, etc. involved, but the story and plot are my own.
Dark smog encircled the torn and battered bodies of defeated wizards, witches, and Death Eaters. There was no moon and the stars were cold and provided little light. Suddenly, a shot of red light broke the silence with an earth shattering crash, followed by a young woman's scream. "HARRY!!!!" Hermione Granger, lying bleeding on the ground, shielded her eyes from the blinding explosion that emitted from both wands. Then, suddenly, there was silence. Once the blazing light had faded, Hermione looked around frantically in the dark where Harry had been standing only moments ago, facing down the Dark Lord Voldemort. Yet there wasn't a trace of either wizard anywhere. Hermione's heart raced as tears began to cascade down her cheeks. She screamed out again, "Harry! Harry, answer me! Harry!!" As panic began to consume her, Hermione forced herself to her feet. Her body ached terribly from being thrown to the ground, and her vision blurred from the massive headache that throbbed within her head. She limped hurriedly back to the place she had last seen Harry at the bottom of the hill. It was deathly silent. Hermione didn't know if there were any Death Eaters left to come kill her, or if Voldemort himself was about to arrive. All she knew was that she didn't care. "HARRY!" she screamed again in hysterical agony, as a haunting feeling crept into her heart and mind. "No, Harry's here," she thought. She shut her eyes tightly and squezed her head tightly with her hands to shut out the terrible thoughts that were creeping into her mind. "He's here somewhere......" "No," she mumbled, "no...nononono....NO!!" she heartbreakingly cried and fell to her knees in vehement sbos. Her head shot up like a cat when she heard a distant voice call,
"Hermione!" But it wasn't Harry who was racing down the hill to her.
"Are you all right?!" Ron Weasley stammered out of breath once he reached her. His face was smoken and ashy. An immense gash curled from the side of his head as blood trickled down his face, and one eye was blackened. He knelt down beside Hermione as she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder,
"He's gone! Oh, Ron, he killed him! Voldemort killed Harry!" All of Ron's body went numb and he found he couldn't breathe. His heart pounded against Hermione's chest, as if it wanted to jump out of Ron's chest. His entire body went numb, and he could barely feel his arms reach around Hermione to embrace her. He literally could not breathe. Tears came flowing down as one sharp breathe came to his lungs and he cried into the night,
"I'LL KILL HIM!! I AM GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!!!" Then the two fell into bitter sobs. Both knew there was no one left for Ron's revenge. Every last Death Eater had been slain. Along with them, were hundreds of others, muggle and magic folk alike.
Looking down at the two heartbroken friends from the top of the grassy knolled hill were those from the Order who still remained: Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Albus Dumbledore. Carnage and loss of life were everywhere, but at that moment, all were mourning the loss of the greatest wizard of them all. Molly and Ginny were cradled in Arthur's arms, sobbing, as silent tears fell down the faces of the wizards among. They simply stared at Ron and Hermione, who continued to cling to one another.
"It's all my fault," Dumbledore muttered, "I wasn't there to stop him."
"You knew of the prophesy, we all were aware of the risks involved. There would have been nothing you could have done. Nor any of us," Luping said flatly. "We all thought for sure that it would work. Wanted to believe it would work." There was a long pause before Arthur said,
"We failed. We failed them both." Dumbledore cast a look to the mourning friends at the bottom of the hill and said reverently,
"It was HE who was the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"Harry James Potter will always be The Boy Who Lived as long as we....his family....remember him...."echoed Dumbledore's words in Hermione's head. The funeral service had been one of massive perportion. Many came to mourn the loss of their loved ones. Among Harry's loss were Fred and George Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, and other members of The Order like Alastor Moody, Minerva McGonagall, Tonks, and so many more. They all had died nobly and honorably in defeating Voldemort and his darkness. Hermione didn't see why it was fair that Voldemort had to have Harry as well.
The crowds had long since dispersed and now Ron and Hermione were sitting on the snow fleeced covered ground in front of Harry's headstone. He had had no viewing, or open casket, as there was no body which had been found. Neither Ron nor Hermione had eaten or slept in three days, but merely spent time in the quiet, holding each other and weeping. The icy, bitter breeze blew against their tear stained cheeks. Hermione emmitted a visible shiver, which caused Ron to wrap his arm around her and snuggle close to help keep her warm. Hermione pulled her scarf up from her jacket to wrap closer around her mouth. Ron's coat crinkly quietly as he rubbed his mitten over Hermione's upper arm. Hermione re-read the headstone for the millionth time: Harry James Potter Hero and Beloved Friend 1990-2007. As Hermione choked out another sob, Ron said quietly,
"Do you remember in fifth year when Harry punched Malfoy across the mouth after that Quidditch match?" Hermione chuckled lightly.
"Malfoy's lip was swollen for weeks," she replied with a smile, "and he spoke with that histarical lisp for days." As Ron cracked a small laugh she added, "And that time you and Harry replaced Percy's hair gel with Salamander Sap?" Ron made an icky face at the memory, but laughed all the same.
"Percy looked like he had a dead farrett on his head, but it was worth all the trouble we went through. He wasn't allowed to go to work until the smell of it went away." Their laughter rose and then slowly died before Hermione said quietly,
"How about the day Sirius's name was cleared."
"Yeah," Ron muttered.
"I had never seen him like that," Hermione continued. "All he went through at that moment, everything....he must have been feeling.....we can't know Ron. He was just so completely...." Unable to hold back another sob fest, Hermione's hands shot up to her face. Ron pulled her into a tight hug. "There was nothing I could do," Hermione moaned, "it just happened too fast."
"No one blames you, Hermione," Ron cooed, stroking her head.
"We were just standing there, then something hit me from behind and we flew.....I could hear him calling my name, but I couldn't move....next thing I knew I had regained myself and I saw...."she broke off as the memory of the blinding red light consumed her mind again. She shot herself up from Ron's chest and shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the memory. Hermione opened her eyes to see Ron staring at her. His blue, bloodshot eyes were looking into her with a a vat of tortuous pain. Ron murmered quietly,
"He was my best friend, Hermione. I'll never get over this." Hermione didn't break their gaze as she repiled,
"I won't be able to either. None of us will." Without knowing why, Ron leaned in for Hermione's lips. Despite a voice in her head telling her to pull away, Hermione did not as they met in a sorrowful kiss.
A/N: Please, this really IS a Harry/Hermione fic....give it time....it's VERY HEARTBREAKING for me to write, but I think it's going to be quite a story. Be patient with it, and keep reading. Thanks!
Dark smog encircled the torn and battered bodies of defeated wizards, witches, and Death Eaters. There was no moon and the stars were cold and provided little light. Suddenly, a shot of red light broke the silence with an earth shattering crash, followed by a young woman's scream. "HARRY!!!!" Hermione Granger, lying bleeding on the ground, shielded her eyes from the blinding explosion that emitted from both wands. Then, suddenly, there was silence. Once the blazing light had faded, Hermione looked around frantically in the dark where Harry had been standing only moments ago, facing down the Dark Lord Voldemort. Yet there wasn't a trace of either wizard anywhere. Hermione's heart raced as tears began to cascade down her cheeks. She screamed out again, "Harry! Harry, answer me! Harry!!" As panic began to consume her, Hermione forced herself to her feet. Her body ached terribly from being thrown to the ground, and her vision blurred from the massive headache that throbbed within her head. She limped hurriedly back to the place she had last seen Harry at the bottom of the hill. It was deathly silent. Hermione didn't know if there were any Death Eaters left to come kill her, or if Voldemort himself was about to arrive. All she knew was that she didn't care. "HARRY!" she screamed again in hysterical agony, as a haunting feeling crept into her heart and mind. "No, Harry's here," she thought. She shut her eyes tightly and squezed her head tightly with her hands to shut out the terrible thoughts that were creeping into her mind. "He's here somewhere......" "No," she mumbled, "no...nononono....NO!!" she heartbreakingly cried and fell to her knees in vehement sbos. Her head shot up like a cat when she heard a distant voice call,
"Hermione!" But it wasn't Harry who was racing down the hill to her.
"Are you all right?!" Ron Weasley stammered out of breath once he reached her. His face was smoken and ashy. An immense gash curled from the side of his head as blood trickled down his face, and one eye was blackened. He knelt down beside Hermione as she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder,
"He's gone! Oh, Ron, he killed him! Voldemort killed Harry!" All of Ron's body went numb and he found he couldn't breathe. His heart pounded against Hermione's chest, as if it wanted to jump out of Ron's chest. His entire body went numb, and he could barely feel his arms reach around Hermione to embrace her. He literally could not breathe. Tears came flowing down as one sharp breathe came to his lungs and he cried into the night,
"I'LL KILL HIM!! I AM GOING TO KILL THEM ALL!!!" Then the two fell into bitter sobs. Both knew there was no one left for Ron's revenge. Every last Death Eater had been slain. Along with them, were hundreds of others, muggle and magic folk alike.
Looking down at the two heartbroken friends from the top of the grassy knolled hill were those from the Order who still remained: Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Albus Dumbledore. Carnage and loss of life were everywhere, but at that moment, all were mourning the loss of the greatest wizard of them all. Molly and Ginny were cradled in Arthur's arms, sobbing, as silent tears fell down the faces of the wizards among. They simply stared at Ron and Hermione, who continued to cling to one another.
"It's all my fault," Dumbledore muttered, "I wasn't there to stop him."
"You knew of the prophesy, we all were aware of the risks involved. There would have been nothing you could have done. Nor any of us," Luping said flatly. "We all thought for sure that it would work. Wanted to believe it would work." There was a long pause before Arthur said,
"We failed. We failed them both." Dumbledore cast a look to the mourning friends at the bottom of the hill and said reverently,
"It was HE who was the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"Harry James Potter will always be The Boy Who Lived as long as we....his family....remember him...."echoed Dumbledore's words in Hermione's head. The funeral service had been one of massive perportion. Many came to mourn the loss of their loved ones. Among Harry's loss were Fred and George Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, and other members of The Order like Alastor Moody, Minerva McGonagall, Tonks, and so many more. They all had died nobly and honorably in defeating Voldemort and his darkness. Hermione didn't see why it was fair that Voldemort had to have Harry as well.
The crowds had long since dispersed and now Ron and Hermione were sitting on the snow fleeced covered ground in front of Harry's headstone. He had had no viewing, or open casket, as there was no body which had been found. Neither Ron nor Hermione had eaten or slept in three days, but merely spent time in the quiet, holding each other and weeping. The icy, bitter breeze blew against their tear stained cheeks. Hermione emmitted a visible shiver, which caused Ron to wrap his arm around her and snuggle close to help keep her warm. Hermione pulled her scarf up from her jacket to wrap closer around her mouth. Ron's coat crinkly quietly as he rubbed his mitten over Hermione's upper arm. Hermione re-read the headstone for the millionth time: Harry James Potter Hero and Beloved Friend 1990-2007. As Hermione choked out another sob, Ron said quietly,
"Do you remember in fifth year when Harry punched Malfoy across the mouth after that Quidditch match?" Hermione chuckled lightly.
"Malfoy's lip was swollen for weeks," she replied with a smile, "and he spoke with that histarical lisp for days." As Ron cracked a small laugh she added, "And that time you and Harry replaced Percy's hair gel with Salamander Sap?" Ron made an icky face at the memory, but laughed all the same.
"Percy looked like he had a dead farrett on his head, but it was worth all the trouble we went through. He wasn't allowed to go to work until the smell of it went away." Their laughter rose and then slowly died before Hermione said quietly,
"How about the day Sirius's name was cleared."
"Yeah," Ron muttered.
"I had never seen him like that," Hermione continued. "All he went through at that moment, everything....he must have been feeling.....we can't know Ron. He was just so completely...." Unable to hold back another sob fest, Hermione's hands shot up to her face. Ron pulled her into a tight hug. "There was nothing I could do," Hermione moaned, "it just happened too fast."
"No one blames you, Hermione," Ron cooed, stroking her head.
"We were just standing there, then something hit me from behind and we flew.....I could hear him calling my name, but I couldn't move....next thing I knew I had regained myself and I saw...."she broke off as the memory of the blinding red light consumed her mind again. She shot herself up from Ron's chest and shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the memory. Hermione opened her eyes to see Ron staring at her. His blue, bloodshot eyes were looking into her with a a vat of tortuous pain. Ron murmered quietly,
"He was my best friend, Hermione. I'll never get over this." Hermione didn't break their gaze as she repiled,
"I won't be able to either. None of us will." Without knowing why, Ron leaned in for Hermione's lips. Despite a voice in her head telling her to pull away, Hermione did not as they met in a sorrowful kiss.
A/N: Please, this really IS a Harry/Hermione fic....give it time....it's VERY HEARTBREAKING for me to write, but I think it's going to be quite a story. Be patient with it, and keep reading. Thanks!