With All My Strength

          First of all, I would like to say that I am really absolutely truly sorry for the hold up on these chapters! I really had to much to do, so much to worry about, and I just finished my very first fanfic, so that I would have more time to work on and finish this one, considering I have two new stories I wanna write (one about the adorable Fred and George Weasley and another about Hermione and Ron- If everything goes according to plan) and as well, after I finished that story I went on a camping trip where my parents got extremely annoyed with me as I talked about Harry Potter to Taka (my friend who went) whenever I talked, read Harry Potter whenever I read (which was extremely often and I loved reading chapters aloud to Taka –she gasps, laughs and screams at all the right parts- and made up a numerous supply of inside jokes. While on that camping trip, I noticed my urge to write and I NEEDED to write fanfiction. Not only do I have more to add to those two progressing stories of mine I haven't yet put up, but now Taka and I have had many dreams and thoughts of future one-shots, so keep posted! Anyways, that's enough about me, I'd like to get on with the story, but there is one more thing I want to ask:

HPFanatic04, when you have put up your stories, tell me in a review please, I want to read them so badly and be there like you are for me! And to all you reviewers out there, thanks for all your support!

Disclaimer- Even though I do own that extremely long and possibly boring authors note -that most of you probably skipped- at the starting of this chapter, I would like to tell you that I don't own Harry Potter. Thanks, now let me move on…

………………………

Part 5

          No matter how crammed and hot and scared I felt at this moment, I couldn't deny that the feeling of waking up with a sleeping Ron laying with his arms, lazily over me, was the greatest feeling I had ever come to know. Besides a rock that crammed into my lower back, and the sweat that I felt in the hollow, cramped area, which began to make me feel a tad closterphobic, I was quite comfortable.

          Ron groaned and I felt him move against me, his hand running up and down the side of my shoulder, his thumb creating movements of tiny circles that massaged my arm.

          "Ron…" I moaned from utter exhaustion. "Ron, wake up."

          His eyes blinked open and he stared up at me. "'Mione?" He muttered. "Oh…"

          I smiled slightly. "We have to keep going."

          "We almost out?" He asked, crawling off me.

          "Yah. I can feel it." I said, staring into his eyes. "Almost there."

          He smiled and I began to work at the wall again. I kept telling myself, almost there Hermione, I can feel it… You can do it, just keep going girl… going to save lives, you are.

          A large cracking noise and a humungous crack in the wall made me suddenly aware of the freight of a cave-in. I waited soundlessly, Ron just as quiet, as the ceiling seemed to crumble slightly, cramming us in lower to the ground. I pushed a rock at the crack and a bit of sunlight peered in at me. We were almost there…

          "Hermione," Ron began with a shaky voice. "What happens when that man comes in to question us again, and we aren't there?"

          I gulped. "We're going to get out in less than five minutes. Just hold out, Ron…"

          I couldn't see Ron's head from behind me, but I had a feeling he was nodding.

          I gave a giant heave at the wall, pushing the remainder of the stones that blocked us from the outdoors away. I fell into a heap on the ground, trembling, but free. … That is, until I realised what I had done.

          Ron crawled out after me, a bit more graceful and less of a smashing entrance that I had made, but clumsy all the same. He let out yell and then jumped to his weary, shaking, feet.

          I looked up.

          I quickly looked back down.

          I looked up again – this had to be a dream.

          Nope. Not a dream.

          I looked back down again, and then closed one eye and peered up, wincing slightly at the mere thought of what I was seeing.

          Voldemort.

          He laughed as I got to my feet. Strung on the walls were four familiar bodies. On the far left, a boy with bright green eyes which were slightly open as if it was strained, black hair that twisted and turned and curled. Beside him, to the right, was a redhead like Ron. In-fact, she was Ron's sister. Ginny.

          I gasped. No mistaking this woman who hung there, very much alive and fuming with anger. Professor McGonagol. She seemed to have been caught off guard, because she had the bags under her eyes like she had awakened from a stunning spell and she had no signs of marks to indicate struggle. Next to her, was a limp body that showed no life at all. If it weren't for a sudden twitch that he gave, I would have thought he was dead. Colin Creevey.

          Voldemort put on a huge twisted smile, that didn't suit his crooked scabbed face.

          "Finally, all of Harry Potter's friends are here to witness his fall. His death!" He sneered with relish.

          "NO!" I yelled. "NO. I have come to fight you."

          Ron looked over at me and attempted to pull me back by my waist, but I flung out my wand, indicating that I wanted to do this, and stepped forward.

          "Oh? A little girl? I have no time for little girls." Voldemort raved.

          "You know what, people who talk too much never do get the task done, do they? Stall for time, that's all it is." I said quickly. There was no time to think, now that fresh waves of adrenaline pumped through my body. "Little, this!" I screamed.

          I lurched forward and transfigured the nearest object –which was a chair- and turned it into an armoured plate.

          "Accio, Armour!" I yelled. It flew to me and I hastily put it over my head and down onto my chest and then I screamed, "Wusterium Collosum!"

          A jet of white light came out from my wand and hit Voldemort, who seemed to have a shocked expression on his face. He merely grunted as it hit him, and his mouth curved back into a smile.

          I thought about Harry. The only way we had a chance was with Harry.

          "Accio Firebolt! Accio Harry's Wand!" I said quietly.

          "You silly girl, you don't know what your doing anymore, do you?" He smirked.

          "I do." I said sternly.

          "Humph." He huffed. "Sure you do. If you're going to be like that the whole time, I should just get rid of you…" He muttered, pulling out his wand. "Avada K-"

          "NO!" Harry yelled, trying to get out from the chains. "No, you're business is with me, is it not?"

          "I don't care, Potter. I'll kill you slowly. You just wait." Voldemort hissed.

          I could feel the door open from behind me with a sudden rush, Harry's wand and Firebolt springing into my hands.

          "What the-" Voldemort began again.

          "Talk is small." I hissed at him.

          Then I threw Harry's wand into his outstretched hand, as his green eyes seemed to find their hope once again. Doing a complex incantation, he got out of his bindings and hopped atop his Firebolt, throwing himself up into the air and rushing back down straight at Voldemort.

          "YOU! GIRL!" Voldemort hissed at me. "YOU DID THIS!" He screamed. "Crucio…"

          I couldn't hear the rest of his curse however; I was now doubled over, screaming in an immense pain that seared through my every cell… my every being. It was short however, for McGonagol had seemed to get out from her bindings, and was now muttering a counter curse, Ron rushing to my side.

          I tried to stand but found my legs didn't want to move. Ron put an arms around me and rocked me back in forth, whispering into my ear.

          "Shh… don't move. It's going to be okay. Harry got out McGonagol's wand from the bottom of her robes, he's armed her and now he's fighting Voldemort outside." He whispered like he was filling me in.

          "What are you talking about, I was barley on the ground for a minute!" I said, starting to struggle away from him.

          "You blacked out, 'Mione. From the pain." He said gently.

          I stared at him. "Harry!" I gasped suddenly, and leapt from the ground.

          Ron and I went outside in a hurry, the wind becoming evidently colder as it smashed against my face. I watched a battered Harry; struggle to stay up into standing position, and a laughing Voldemort, who also looked worse-for-wear, but having the upper hand none-the-less.

          "HARRY!" I yelled suddenly, "USE WHAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU!"

          Ron stared over at me. "What do you mean?" He asked.

          I looked over into his eyes. "I don't know… I just said it without thinking. I didn't even mean it…"

          He silenced me with a quick kiss and then looked up to Harry again with a jolt of fear in his eyes.

          "GO HARRY! YOU CAN DO IT!" Ron yelled.

          Harry seemed to glow in a radiant red at that moment. A hat fell from the sky, falling atop his head and not fully over it because his ears stopped it. A familiar looking bird had dropped the familiar black hat. Fawkes, and the Sorting Hat.

          "Dumbledore is here, Voldemort. He has sent me what I need to complete my task of killing you!" Harry said triumphantly.

          "Oh! He has sent an ugly bird and a ratty hat then, has he? Like last time, in the Chamber of Secrets…" Voldemort began.

          "You forget one thing, Voldemort." Harry yelled.

          "And what is that, then?"

          "I beat you then, like I will now."

          Harry took off the tattered hat and held it there for a moment, clasping a hand to his forehead as though his scar burned. It probably was burning. He then threw a hand into the hat, searching deeply and then pulling out what seemed to be a tiny bottle, with a message inside. Harry paused, reading the message through the glass on the bottle, and then nodded. He lifted his eyes to Voldemort smiled.

          "Hermione! MOVE NOW!" Harry yelled to me, and he motioned towards Voldemort instead of away.

          In an instant, I knew what to do: Hold him down.

          What seemed like an impossible thing to even think about was now my task. A large task that I had no choice but to continue with. I made a lunge at Voldemort, and hit him, making him and I fall over, his disgusting skin brushing against mine as he struggled to stand with my hands pushing him down.

          He reached for his wand, but I kicked it away with my foot and I heard Harry yell instructions to Ron, telling him to go and retrieve Ginny and Colin. I stared into Voldemorts eyes with complete and utter disgust.

          His eyes… I can't explain them. How can you explain the worst feeling one could ever feel? The worst picture one could ever see? The worst scream one could ever hear? And how could you count all of that up, into one emotion, which surged through your gut and body. You couldn't imagine it.

          But then, you could see the fear in his eyes, flashing. No one more deserving for fear, I thought. His eyes flickering from me, to his wand. His hands rustling, reaching, lifting, falling hard upon the back of my head…

……………….

          I knew I had been knocked out this time. I awoke to the most terrible scream I could have ever heard: A shrill voice that boxed inside my head and bounced about the walls in my mind.

          I opened my eyes to see Harry, getting up from the ground and a crumpled body of Voldemort that was turning to mist before my eyes, as Harry turned and smiled at me. He gave me a flash of a weak smile and fell forward onto his knees, his eyelids drooping, and he dropped onto the ground in front of me.

          I smiled too. And then, without warning, I collapsed as well, right beside my best friend.

…………………

          It was a weird feeling, waking up in a soft bed inside the Hogwarts castle. Dumbledore was at the foot of Harry's bed, talking to him calmly.

          "Dumbledore?" I said aloud.

          He turned to me and smiled. "Miss Granger, how nice to see you awake at last."

          I jumped up quite suddenly, and almost toppled over on unsteady legs. "How DARE you leave us!" I said shrilly, sounding a lot like Miss Weasley.

          "Oh no, Miss Granger. I did not leave you at all. Please, sit and we can talk about this. Lie back in bed, and I can tell you what has happened." He said with the same calm air as always.

          I obeyed what he said, only because I thought if I hadn't, my legs would have collapsed under my weight.

          Dumbledore now took a place at the foot of my bed and smiled down at me.

          "Miss Granger, you were highly brave back there. I was there all along, you just couldn't see me." He explained. "If Voldemort knew I was there, he would have killed all of your fellow students. They are all fine, if you were wondering, although extremely hungry. The only student we have lost was Neville…" He broke off shaking his head warily.

          I bit my lip. "What about-"

          "Ron had just finished being healed about a week ago. Harry is almost ready to be let out, along with you when you feel ready." He said, answering all my questions. "Please rest Miss Granger."

          Without another word, Dumbledore stood up and walked out of the room, giving Harry a wink as he passed by.

I lay back in my bed staring up at the ceiling for a good hour, thinking. Harry got up and sat beside me on the edge of my bed.

          "You okay?" He asked.

          I nodded.

          He kissed my forehead and hugged me.

          "You're a great friend, Hermione." He whispered and he stood up. "Rest up a bit, you look a tad pale. I'm going to dinner."

          I nodded and watched him leave, and no sooner had I hear the door slam, I was asleep.

…………………

          I felt his body, warm against mine. His chest overtop of mine, rubbing in soft motions as he crawled in on top of me. I opened my eyes to see startling calm eyes. Ron.

          "I missed you…" I whispered.

          "Oh god," Ron began, "I was worried Hermione."

          I smiled and felt my face flush. He smiled back and started to kiss my lips softly and quickly. Another second later, we were deep in a passionate kiss. I closed my eyes tightly and brought him closer to my body.

          He rolled off to the side of me, just holding me close. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my lips once more.

          "I love you." He whispered.

          "I love you, Ron Weasley." I said in return.

          We both fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms. We were safe at last, and so was everyone else. We were alone together, and in love forever and always. My biggest worry, was that we wouldn't be receiving homework because of the event… and I didn't even care much about that at this time. We were asleep and lost in dreams of one another, and a bond that even an incredibly rough time, couldn't break. It had only made us stronger.

………..

………….

…………….

………….

……….

          Hello, I guess that this chapter was a bit fast paced, but that's it! This was the end of the story and I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and reviewing and stay posted for my next stories. You guys are great!

-Kit