Chapter 20

A Union Ends...

Two weeks later...


***

Harry Potter had no idea what was going on.

Except for one thing.

Hermione was in love with someone else.

Harry looked at his wife who was seated across from his bed in the hospital room, watching him with tired brown eyes. She had loyaly stayed by his side during his entire time in the hospital. Hermione promised they could discuss their problems when he was better.

But Harry knew that he was never going to get better. The muggles in the London Hospital told him that he had a cancer of the lungs. It had spread far too long and he was lucky if he had weeks left to spend with Hermione.

Last night the place had gotten to Harry, and he had begged Hermione to try and contact Ron and Cho Weasley. They had both been his best friends in their last few years at Hogwarts and Harry had missed them horribly.

It had been his own selfish feeings that had drove those friendships apart. What was worst he forced those feelings upon Hermione. She had lost Ron as a friend as well. She could have been best friends with Cho too.

Harry could only hope that they would come before time stopped.

"Mione?"

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading and smiled brightly. "Hey, Harry. You're awake again. Feeling any better? If you do maybe I can talk them into letting me take you home. Wouldn't it be nice to live in our own house again? Then we can plan for the baby." She replied excitedly.

"Mione, what are you doing?"

"What?"

"I know that you miss him." Harry said softly. "I remember what you said to him before he drove Voldermort away from my body. I know you love him. I heard you say that you love him."

"I've always loved him, Harry." Hermione replied, with bright tears in her eyes. "I think you've always known that too."

"Then why did you agree to marry me then?" Harry asked in wonder.

"Because Harry, at the time I thought that you were the only man in my life that loved me too." Hermione said, almost regretfully. "I know that I was wrong in pursuing you when I loved someone else. I used you to hurt him as much as I was hurting at his rejection of his feelings for me. I never consider your feelings in this. Not even once! I never believed that you were actually in love with me, Harry. I believed that having your love was impossible. I thought you only married me to hurt Cho for marrying Ron instead of you."

Harry started laughing out loud. "You're totally insane, you know that? Mione, I've loved you since I first saw you. I never told you anything before because I thought you were in love with Ron when we were in School. When I discovered you were snogging Professor Snape on the Slytherin Tower I was shocked"

"Harry, I should hit you right now!" Hermione sneered. "We were like that at all. We were in love with eachother."

"And you still are." Harry agreed, making his wife smile.

"I can't just leave you, Harry." Hermione protested, half not believeing what was coming out of her mouth. But dispite all the coldness and distance in their marriage over the years, Severus had known the truth. She could have loved Harry as much as he did love her. Knowing that felt like a betrayl of the childhood friend she had married without any regrets five years before. It was difficult to know that she could marry without loving her husband but she did. "I want to help you with this. Together we can plan for so much more." Hermione said, gentally touching her stomach area.

"But you don't love me, Hermione." Harry told her. "You can still be my friend and not be married to me you know. I'm going to end the marriage in the morning. The ministrey owns me afew favors."

Hermione felt the tears flowing down her face. She then quickly fell into the arms of Harry with a huge smile to her face.

"Thank you, Harry." Hermione grinned happily. "You truly are the best friend any one could hope for."

She kissed his cheek and they held eachother like that for the longest time before anyone let go again.

***

Eight months later...

It had been nearly a year since Hermione Potter had graced Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her presence. After the final battle between Harry and Snape, Hermione had left Hogwarts with Harry for a Muggle Hospital in London that specialized in Cancer treatments. Hermione had stayed at the House which Harry had gotten for her as a fifth wedding aniversary present, and got a Muggle Doctor to oversee the rest of her pregnancy, much to the dislike of every single Professor at Hogwarts. Especially Dubledore, who feared that if the child would inheirit Harry's abilities that Voldermort had passed to him, that the child could be a grave danger to any average muggle.

But Hermione had refused the offer to stay on at the School while she wasn't teaching there. Plus her parents had longed to be apart of the pregnancy, so Hermione decided to stay in the Muggle world until the child was born at least. Severus had greatly supported her choices but she could tell he feared it would mean the end of their budding relationship for good.

Through letters Hermione had stayed in touch with Severus. He was finally in her spot as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. After longing for the job for over twenty years, it was finally his own.

That had stopped her from asking him to join her in the Muggle world. He had desired the job of DADA job for much too long to give it up now. It would have been too unfair to ask that of him, even though she suspected he would give it up in a minute to be with her.

Her son, Alexander James Potter, named after both hers and Harry's father's, was born shortly after Harry had fallen to the depths of the illness, and died. Hermione was pleased that Harry and Ron had forgiven eachother before his death, and had been great friends again before he finally had died. Ron and Cho even named their new child, a little boy, Harry Ronald Weasley, in honor of him and Ron.

Hermione wondered if Alex and Harry would be friends when the day came for them to attend Hogwarts together. She could only hope so.