CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Saying Goodbye

It was well after curfew when the trio arrived at the Room of Requirement. It wasn't to avoid detection, since Ron and Hermione could easily say they were out on Prefect patrol, and Harry could hide himself without difficulty with his invisibility cloak. It had just taken that long for the common room to clear out. Lavender and Parvarti had insisted on throwing Hermione a good-bye party, ignoring Ron's grumblings that it wasn't anything to celebrate.

Upon returning from dinner, they had found the common room decorated in a red and gold banner that read Good-bye Hermione, each of the letters twinkling at random intervals. Hermione had looked so deeply touched, that it had taken every ounce of Ron's strength not to spend the party moping about. Hermione kept sending him these looks and he knew despite his best efforts it was rather obvious he did not want to be there. How could he? She was leaving tomorrow and he had no idea when he would see her again. They had been so busy the last few days preparing everything they would need for the sacrificial spell, they had rarely had time for anything else. He had always thought it was a crazy idea, and he hated it even more now because it had taken away from what little time they had left. He didn't care much at the moment that it could save their lives one day. It had to work first, and he had a feeling they were in way over their heads. The fact that they could be expelled if anyone found out what they were doing, was way at the bottom of Ron's list of concerns. Where Hermione had scolded him on his recklessness many times over the years, he knew what they were about to do was a million times more dangerous than anything they had done in the past.

When Hermione turned the brass handle to the Room of Requirement and the three of them walked in, the room's appearance was completely different from any of the previous times they had used it. It was completely bare save for one table up against the back wall with three small glass beakers sitting on top.

As Harry was uncovering himself from his invisibility cloak, Hermione walked over to the table and placed a silver canister on it that she had been keeping hidden beneath her robes.

She unscrewed the cap and began pouring equal amounts into all three-glass beakers, saying, "there's still one final ingredient we have to add."

Harry frowned at this. "Hermione, blood is generally reserved for potions that are unstable to begin with – "

"Harry, we've been over this," she said with a hint of irritation. "Without our blood it won't work. Your mother had to have her blood spilled to protect you, and we have to do the same. Blood is life and that's why it's the most essential part of this spell. It's what will bind our life forces together." When she finished distributing the potion, she looked at the both of them and said, "if either one of you is having second thoughts we shouldn't do this. Remember, the intent has to be pure. You have to be willing to give up a part of yourself, a completely selfless act in order to save another's life. It's not something you can fake either. If the intent is not true the spell won't work."

Harry and Ron gave each other a quick glance before turning their attention back to Hermione. The look they shared conveyed everything that needed to be said without words. Though they both were well aware of all the potential consequences, they were just as equally aware of what Hermione had been telling them since the beginning. This could very well save one or all of their lives one day.

They walked over to the table and Hermione handed them each a beaker filled with the opaque coloured liquid. Harry went first. He pulled out a small pocket knife and made a small cut on the palm of his hand. Grimacing slightly, he squeezed his hand into a fist and held it over each beaker. After several droplets of blood fell in to each one, he removed his hand. Ron and Hermione then did exactly as he had just done.

Wordlessly, each one of them picked up a beaker and brought it to their lips.

The second the substance came into contact with his tongue, Ron's gag reflexes kicked in and he almost spit it back out. It was ten times more disgusting than the Polyjuice potion. He gulped it down in a hurry before setting down the empty beaker back on the table, knowing he would be brushing his teeth for a week and still not be able to get rid of that putrid aftertaste. He looked over at Harry, who had finished his as well and was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked as disgusted as Ron felt. Hermione wasn't fairing much better.

She wrinkled her nose. "Well, that was a lot worse then I was expecting."

Harry and Ron looked at her in alarm. "It's not supposed to taste like that?" Harry asked before Ron could.

"Well… I don't exactly know what it's supposed to taste like," she told them. "But I had assumed that a potion that was supposed to link a person's life force to another would be a bit more pleasant."

"I don't feel any different," Ron said to them.

"You shouldn't," said Hermione. "It needs time to work into your body and even after that you shouldn't feel anything unless you need to use it. We're only joined together if we have to actually heal someone."

After that comment, Harry and Ron joined her in packing everything up in silence, not one of them knowing what to say after what they had just done.

They headed back to Gryffindor Tower shortly after. If they waited any longer it would begin to look suspicious if someone caught Ron and Hermione doing their rounds through the school this late at night. But given that Hermione was leaving Hogwarts tomorrow, maybe no one would care that they were out this late. They had been careful though, and since they had made sure everyone had gone up to bed before they had left, the common room was empty when they walked in.

"I think I'm going to head up to bed," Harry said to them both. He figured with this being Hermione's last night they would want some time alone, but he didn't actually want to have to come out and say that.

Hermione seemed to appreciate what he was doing because she flashed him a quick smile and gave him a hug. She didn't say anything as she let go. He said a quick good night to Ron before retreating up the stairs.

Hermione turned back to Ron who was standing there with his arms folded across his chest. He was giving her a look that she had come to know all too well during their fourth year. "Don't tell me you're jealous I gave my other best friend a hug?"

"Should I be?" He said, barely resisting the urge to snap back. He didn't want to fight with her about Harry or anything else for that matter. "Not like it matters," he muttered as an afterthought.

"What doesn't matter?" She said to him. "Ron?" She prodded when he remained silent.

He blew out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He hadn't planned on saying anything because he didn't want to sound like a selfish prat, but now that she knew there was something bothering him, she wasn't likely to stop pestering him until he gave her an answer. "None of this matters because tomorrow you'll be gone and I'll be stuck here. I know that's a really selfish thing to say because of everything you're having to give up, but that's how I feel." He couldn't even look at her at that point. He had always had a knack for being an insensitive git around her, but this really took the cake. So he wouldn't have to avoid looking at her, he moved around so he was sitting on the couch facing the fire. After a few moments Hermione came around to sit beside him. After several failed attempts to get him to look at her, she cupped his cheek with her hand to get him to turn his head.

"I'm not mad because you feel that way," she said in a convincing tone.

"Well you should," he said more harshly then he would have liked. "I should be supportive and comforting you, but all I can think about is myself – as usual. God, I must be the world's most terrible boyfriend," he said ashamed.

"You can't really believe that," she said instantly. "I never would have made it through what happened with my parents – with my mum, if it hadn't been for you. You are the last person who should be calling himself selfish." She let her forehead come to a rest against his. "It's going to be all right."

"I'm supposed to say that," he said, a hint of humour creeping into his voice. He moved so she could sit leaned up against him. He wrapped his arms around her saying, "you know I'm going to fall behind in all my schoolwork without you here nagging me to do it."

"You must be feeling better because you're teasing me again," she said, though there was no reprimand in her voice. She gave him a playful elbow in the ribs and he laughed lightly.

They were soon talking about everything and nothing at all, watching the remaining embers in the fire disappear. The fact that morning would come all too soon weighing heavily on both their minds.

Morning did indeed come too soon. The sun was already starting to rise when it had felt like it had only just set a few hours earlier. While Hermione had been packing up the last of her things, Lavender and Parvati had dropped in to say good bye and to give her an un-edited copy of their Gryffin Life documentary. They even managed to get Harry on it to say a few things. Hermione, who had never really been close with either one of them, suddenly wished she hadn't been so quick to peg them as the social sisters, and had gotten to know them a bit better.

Despite her loud protests, the house elves had carried her things out to the waiting carriage for her. Professor Lupin was going to accompany her back to the train station. He was going to catch the train back with her and once she was safe with her father, would apparate back to Hogsmeade.

She kept glancing up the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory even few seconds, even when she knew it was a hopeless attempt and it was better this way.

"I'm sure he's coming," Harry said softly from where he stood beside her. "I can go see what's keeping him."

"No, that's all right," she told him. "We said our goodbyes earlier. We both thought it would be easier that way." As she said the words she was hoping Ron had changed his mind and would want to see her one last time, but it didn't look that way. She really wanted to be mad at him for it but couldn't. This was hard on him too, and that's why they had decided it would be easier on the both of them to say their good byes before then.

Resisting the temptation to look upstairs one last time, she turned and made for the portrait hole, Harry following closely behind her.

The walk down to the main hall had been a silent one. Harry had wracked his brain for something to say, but came up empty every time. He was just starting to get used to the idea of Sirius not being around anymore, and now he was losing one of his best friends as well.

Lupin was waiting by the carriage drawn by the skeletal winged creatures that were no longer invisible to Hermione. Their former professor didn't come over right away, giving them a moment alone.

She turned so she was facing Harry. He was giving her a brave smile and that was when the first of her tears started to fall. Reality was finally coming into effect for Hermione. She was leaving the only life she knew and all the people she cared about.

"Be careful," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"I thought I was supposed to say that to you," she said, looking up and giving her a small smile.

He broke the embrace first. He didn't know what to say to tell her how much their six years of friendship meant to him. He had never been good with sharing his feelings.

She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, Harry."

"You'll be back," he told her with confidence. In his mind there was no way one of the brightest witches in Hogwarts history could be kept away from there forever.

She took one last look at the castle, the landscape, Hagrid's hut, even the Forbidden Forest – all the things she had come to know and love before walking towards the waiting carriage.

She reached Lupin and was just going to get inside when she heard someone frantically shouting her name. Ron was running across the grounds at full speed. When he reached her he was completely out of breath.

"Don't be mad," he panted. "I know we said good bye last night, but I just, well – " he looked over at Lupin and thought the hell with it, before bringing his lips down to meet hers for one final kiss.

When they broke apart, he thumbed away her tears saying, "we'll figure this out."

She nodded. "I love you," she breathed when she finally pulled away from him.

"I love you too," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

Hermione forced her body to turn and walk in the carriage and not look back at him.

Lupin climbed inside and moments later the carriage started moving, while Harry and Ron stood there watching it ride away.