A/N: I am so sorry that this is up so late. I have been so busy and have had no motivation. I want to thank everyone for being so patient. Thank you so much to my reviewers who reviewed my last chapter!
LightningBird1314- I hate the mistakes, too! You are so awesome! Thank you!
Pearlstar- Thank you so much! Life is crazy!
Midnite-goddess- Dream sequences are fun! Thank You!
God's li'l weirdo- Thank You a lot! I loved the dream, too!
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Look at moiye, ploise- Thank You! Your story is absolutely great, too!
Daunting Darkness- I hope that this chapter is long enough for you! Thank you so very much!
You all get a great big hug!!!!!!!! I love you all!!!
Disclaimer: Please, let me inherit some of the Harry Potter fortune! J.K. Rowling is an awesome writer and I only wish I owned all of these wonderful characters!
Chapter 2: Missing You
"I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh. But I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry." – unknown
Hermione shook her head as if to rid her mind of the dream that woke her. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Then sighed as she looked around her room. She felt so comfortable, so happy, so...at home. When she was here, she knew what her purpose in life was; she knew who she was. She is Hermione Jane Granger, Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is the molder of minds and perhaps the best witch of her time. She is the one whom young witches and wizards look to for help. It makes her feel so good to know that she is filling the minds of these children with things that they may one day be able to use.
Everyone knew that she would become a teacher one-day. Maybe in Charms or Arithmancy, but not Defense Against The Dark Arts. Hermione, herself, did not ever think that she would be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts. But, when she started to teach the class, she knew it was what she was meant to do. She felt it in her heart and it was like breathing to her. With every breath, with every turn of the page, she knew that this was her calling. Hermione didn't just want to do it; she had to do it... for Harry.
It is because of her best friend that she has this job. Every morning when she wakes up, she thanks Harry. Thanks him for giving her this chance. Not only the chance to teach, but also the chance to live and to help others live. He gave his life to give her and others this chance.
Hermione looked around her room and soaked it all in. She was in her professor's bedroom, where she lived during the school year. She ran her hands over the satin of her deep red sheets and fingered the golden tassels of her deep red and gold down comforter. The gold walls were scattered with shelves filled with books of all kinds and pictures. Lots of pictures. The professor swung her legs over the side of her maple four-post bed and slid her bare feet into the pink fuzzy slippers that slept on the floor (a gift from her best friend Ginny). Pulling on the dark green robe that had been thrown across the cushy red armchair, she walked over to one of those shelves and picked up a picture. A picture that she had stared at many times before. A picture of the greatest person she had ever known.
As she stared into that picture, she remembered how he smiled and the way his hair was always mussed. It would never stay in place, no matter how many charms she put on it. She laughed as she pictured his face when she tried to smooth his hair with her hand. His eyes were all screwed up as he tried to see what her hand was doing on top of her head, his eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what she was doing to his head. She would then admit her defeat and leave his head alone. It was like fighting a mini-war, with all of the struggling and battling. She reached up and smoothed down her chestnut brown hair subconsciously.
She brought her hand down and touched the face in the picture. Hermione traced the outline of his face and then touched his hair once more as if she could fix it somehow. His bright green eyes were staring straight at her, so happy, and so full of life. She remembered when this picture was taken like it was happening at that moment.
It was fall, the year after graduation and they were raking the leaves the muggle way at the Burrow. Hermione and Harry had given Ron and Ginny each a rake and were trying to teach them how to use it. It was very confusing to them; they didn't get the concept.
"What is this thing for?" asked Ron as he scratched his head.
"Ron! We are going to move all of the leaves into a pile with this rake." Hermione told him. "Don't you listen to anything I say?"
"Come on, Ron!" Ginny yelled at him. "This could be fun!" She was eyeing Harry and watching him as he worked with the rake.
"So, this racket is going to pick up all of those leaves by itself?" Ron asked, holding the rake upside down.
"Arrggh! Ron, it is called a rake and you have to use it with your hands to sort of sweep up the leaves, like a broom." Hermione's face was now flushed with irritation, as she had to explain to Ron for the umpteenth time what they were doing. She made the sweeping motion with her rake to demonstrate to Ron what was going on.
"Come on Ron!" Harry called to him. "I can't do this all by myself!"
Ron decided to try this new contraption out and beamed with pride when he figured it out. They all managed to get the leaves into a pile and then Harry decided to jump into the pile.
"Geronimo!!!!!!" He cried as he jumped. He landed right in the middle of the multicolored leaves and disappeared for a second into the huge pile. Hermione quickly got out her muggle camera and snapped a picture as soon as his head popped back up.
"Gotcha Harry!" Hermione laughed as she took the picture. The leaves surrounded him and his cheeks and nose were pink from the chilly air. "I will have to get these developed soon!" That is exactly what she did. The last picture she had taken had turned out to be her favorite and she went out and bought a special frame for it. She had held on to it ever since.
She was holding onto that picture now. Her fingers trembling as she touched his face. She placed it back onto the shelf and looked at it sitting there.
"Oh, Harry. I miss you so much. I need you here with me. You were my wall, my support, the very best friend I could ever have." She whispered this to herself as she stared at that picture. "Why did you have to leave? I would give anything for you to be here." She took a deep breath as another memory came flying back into her vision.
"Harry! Please be careful! You really don't have to do this!" Hermione heard her own voice screaming at the warrior. That was what she had come to know her best friend as-The Warrior. He was so brave and strong. He knew that he needed to do this. He knew that he was the only one that could make this happen and he knew that he was the only one that will be able to defeat the Dark Lord. Tears were streaming down her face as he turned back to face her.
"Hermione, this is what I have to do! Please just go back!" He waved her back as she saw the determination on his face. She watched as his eyes pleaded with her to leave, to go back with Ron and get to a safe place. She looked around as she hesitated going back with her other best friend who was obeying the warrior. Hermione reached her hand up to cover her mouth trying to muffle a sob. The grounds of Hogwarts were lit up with burning anger. The hands of the flames smacking the trees and taking them down. The bodies of her classmates and people she cared deeply about strewn across the cold, hard ground, lifeless. Some had their eyes frozen open in terror. Some were twisted about in a way that was previously unthinkable. The lucky ones were scrambling their way to safety, stopping at a person every now and then to see, hope that they were breathing.
"Harry, I don't want to leave you! I need to help you! You can't do this on your own!" She screamed at him, sobbing in between words. She could barley see through the pools of tears that flooded her eyes. She clenched her fists and hugged herself as she felt Ron grab onto her shoulders and try to pull her away from the scene.
"Come on Hermione. You know that Harry is the only one who can do this. We have done everything we could to help him. He is the one who has to face Voldemort. Not us!" He tried to pull her away but was knocked backwards by a tree limb that fell from above them.
"Ron!" Hermione dropped to the ground with him. Trying to help him up, she heard Harry scream at them both.
"Just go! This is what my purpose is. I want you to have another chance at life. Go Now! I will be back out!" He started to turn toward the forest to go fight the final battle when Hermione screamed his name.
"Harry! Please..." She was standing up now, forcing herself to keep from running after him.
"Hermione...I love you...always!" With that he turned and ran into the forest, clutching his wand, his torn robes billowing after him.
"Come on 'Mione! We have to get out of here. You are going to have to help me walk." Ron reached up for her. She was still watching the forest, hoping that Harry would come back out. When she realized he was truly gone, she bent down to help Ron up. With him leaning into her, they both set out to find safety.
After hours of waiting, Hermione cold not stand it anymore. She stood up and looked around for Ron. She saw him talking to Dumbledore and they both looked extremely worried.
"Can we go now? What do you think Professor?" Hermione pleaded with Dumbledore. She saw the feeling in his eyes. He knew it was time.
"Yes, my wonderful dear. I feel that it is time. It is over. We shall leave this place and see what has become." He took her hand in his and stood up from the broken table he was sitting on in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He looked into her eyes, trying to give her some comfort, but finding it extremely hard to give her what she needed. He nodded at Ron and he took her other arm. Together the three of them left the safety of the castle and set out to find the warrior.
"He is still alive isn't he, Professor? There is no way that Voldemort could have killed him, right? Harry is too strong to let that happen. He would never let that happen." Hermione tried to reassure herself. She couldn't help but think the worst. Professor Dumbledore just squeezed her hand tighter. He couldn't answer her questions because even he didn't know the answer.
They continued to walk in silence. Each of them saying their silent prayers. Hoping that when they found Harry, they would be able to hold onto him. Hoping that their worst fears would not come true. They finally came upon a clearing, which was lit up with the same burning anger she saw earlier. Trees were on the ground, as if they had been knocked down by the angriest wind. The first thing they saw was a black-hooded figure laying face down on the ground by a downed tree. His arm stretched out as if trying to grab the wand that was just out of reach. There was absolute certainty that that was Voldemort and that Voldemort was dead.
With calm faces, they scanned the scene and found what they were looking for. A young boy lays hard on the ground. His robe, torn and tattered spread out beneath him. His arm was stretched out, wand lying in his open hand. His clothing was splattered with blood, his own. A faint light was coming from him, making him look like an angel. Terror filled the faces of the three searchers as they spotted their warrior.
"Noooooo! Harry!" Hermione wailed as she ran over to him. Dumbledore and Ron tried to hold her back, but she broke free of their grasps and ran over to the boy. As soon as she reached him, she dropped to the ground next to him and reached out to touch his face.
"Oh, Harry..." She traced his jaw line with her hand and searched his face for life. Something was missing, she knew it. His scar. His scar was gone. This meant that the Dark Lord was gone also. She touched the spot on his forehead where his famous mark once cursed him. It was starting to sink in. She put her hands on his chest and began to sob.
"Nooo! This isn't real! Harry wake up! You have to wake up! Ron and Dumbledore are here with me and we are waiting for you!" She pounded on his chest, as if she was trying to beat the life into him. "Please, Harry..."
She stopped pounding and lay down next to him. Her head on his chest and she wept. She refused the touch of others and stayed there until someone picked her up and moved her.
Hermione came out of her memory and reached her hand up to her face. She wiped away the tear that fell down her cheek and whispered. "I love you, too, Harry...always."