Disclaimer: characters and whatnot are so not mine....after alot of alcohol I managed to come to terms with it. They're J.K. Rowling's. Which is okay, I suppose, cause she's much more talented than I am.

This is a little bit of stuff I threw together when I wasn't able to sleep...Yea, insomnia!

So, here you go....you'll enjoy it if you know what's good for you!...hee hee...joking

He had given one speech such as this three years ago. The black drapes had hung from the ceiling then, as they did now. The hall was again unusually, and disconcertingly quiet, filled with the solemn faces of hundreds of students looking to him for guidance and comfort. It had, Dumbledore thought guiltily, been almost easier the last time, when it had been Cedric Diggory they were mourning. He had become too attached to the boy over the years. He grew too concerned for his welfare, knowing the boy's fate as he did, as he always had.

He stood, walking to the little podium he had stood at, at the beginning of the year all those months ago, when he was still filled with a sense of anxiety for the coming year, but hope also, knowing there was still a chance that Harry could win. Harry could defeat Voldemort, fulfill his destiny and finally, after years of pain and loneliness and fear, lead a normal life. A happy life.

"We join together during this painful time," Dumbledore heard himself saying, "to remember Harry Potter..." Dumbledore's voice drifted at the last word, remembering Harry's last moment. He had been there, unable to interfere with destiny; prevented from saving him. "Harry gave his life that we may live, in freedom, in a world without fear. That our future may be bright and full of promise, even if his is not." A soft sob was heard from the Gryffindor table. He watched as Hermione Granger stood quietly and walked towards the exit. He saw Ron Weasley follow her shortly after.

It was too much, Hermione thought. Tears were pouring down her face, as they had rather regularly since she had heard the news two days ago. She wasn't with him when it happened, and that thought haunted her. She might have been able to stop it if she had been there. She at least could have been with him when he died. Given him comfort. Although, Dumbledore had said it had been quick. He hadn't felt any pain, he told her, the curse had acted quickly. He had fought bravely, and triumphed, but was ultimately a martyr for the cause.

Harry had long ago come to terms with his fate. He had accepted the prophecy, and was determined to face his future head on. He had confided this in his two best friends the summer before their last year, seemingly knowing the dangers he would face in the coming year. He had lost too many to Voldemort already, too many people had died at the hands of the crazed murderer, and he was determined to protect those he loved. Voldemort's long reign of terror was going to end, he told them, and they were going to dance on his grave.

Hermione burst into a new set of tears as she walked outside the main doors, angrily wiping them away on her sleeve, desperate for the fresh air and open spaces. She felt confined, like she couldn't breathe. Harry was never going to see the grounds of Hogwarts again. Never walk the paths with her and Ron, or study under the tree by the lake they had discovered during their first year. He wasn't going to be at the graduation ceremony the next day, nor go on to Auror training like he had planned. He wouldn't be there to step into the real world with them, or watch and celebrate with Ron and Hermione as they each grew successful.

He...wouldn't be there for Ginny, she thought with a pang in her chest. Ginny was taking the news horribly, but was hiding it well. She preferred to suffer alone, not wanting to be a bother to Ron or Hermione, knowing they were suffering just as much. Hermione knew Ginny didn't want the attention, and felt her brother and his friend were more deserving...she had only started going out with Harry that year, after all, but Hermione knew the truth. She loved him, as he did her, which had grown fairly apparent over the course of the year. Harry had even told Ron in confidence, risking hexes by the overprotective brother, that he had fallen in love with Ginny, and that a future with her was giving him hope and courage to face the trials he knew were coming. Hermione felt herself grin at this, and made a mental note to talk to Ginny later.

Hermione looked up and discovered that she had walked herself down to the lake. Looking out over the dark waters she found herself thinking back to the tournament that had happened during their fourth year, and the second task. Harry had stayed down under the lake ensuring everyone was safe. He was terrified someone would be hurt, and ever the hero, interfered to make sure everyone made it to the surface to his own detriment. Hermione smiled, but again, felt new tracks of salt water making their way down her face.

"Hermione?"

She turned to find Ron standing there, his hands in his pockets, looking at her.

She could only muster a sniffle in response.

So, that's it...It's obviously not done....hopefully there is more coming... Thanks for stopping by!