Scratches head Well, Alex, that wasn't exactly the end yet. Sorry you think I turned the story "crappy." Hope the next FEW chapters make up for it.

By Your Side II

Bill hadn't listened to Hermione when she begged him to not take his vacation time for this. He insisted on staying with her, and now she was a little glad for that fact. It made her a stronger to know that he cared enough to come with her to Hogwarts. Closing the drawer, she couldn't help but glance at the mirror on the wall. The woman in the glass looked back at her, not the schoolgirl, and the freckled face beside hers was not Ron's. "Feeling nervous?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "I still don't have a clue what I'll say to him."

"It will come to you," he assured her. "You'll think of it when you see him."

"It feels so strange still. You know I always thought it would be the three of us. It's going to be different to be around Harry without Ron."

"If you really want me to go…" Bill began.

"No," Hermione said firmly as she wrapped herself around him. "I want you here."

He chuckled. "Good because I want to be here for you."

A harsh knock at the door interrupted the pair. Hermione opened the door to find Serverus standing there with a weary look on his face. "Are you ready?" he asked irritably.

Hermione nodded and turned to Bill. "Do you want to come?"

"No," he said. "This is your time."

"All ready," she said staring at the floor.

It didn't seem like she breathed at all as she walked a step behind the potions master. By the time she stepped in to the sitting room where Harry and Draco were waiting, her heart was in her throat. For a long time, the friends stared at each other. The last time they had seen each other, they had been children, but time had changed them both. She couldn't believe how thin Harry was, and she could see her own disbelief mirrored in his eyes.

In an instant, they were locking in an embrace. Her tears fell freely onto his shoulder. Part of her was afraid to let go, for fear that he would disappear if she did. "Harry," she sobbed.

He pushed her back for a moment and stared at her. Lifting a hand to her straight hair. "This is a change, Hermione," he said trying to suppress the emotion.

"Prat," she cried, "is that all you can say?"

He laughed. "It's good to see you again, Mione," he told her and kissed her cheek.

She clung to him again. "This feels like a dream. I just can't believe you're alive."

"Believe it," Draco chimed in.

Hermione had actually forgotten that he was there. Letting go of Harry, she hugged Draco. "I'm glad to see you got him back."

"And I don't intend to ever let go," he said sincerely as he looked at the raven haired boy. Hermione could see the love between them.

She settled herself in the chair facing the loveseat. "How are you both feeling?"

Harry shrugged. "Still a little disoriented."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, you should expect that after all or the potions you two have ingested in the past few days."

Harry let out a deep hearty laugh. "I've missed that tone of voice."

Sniffing indignantly, she shook her head. "Some things never change."

"And some things have, no matter what we wanted," Harry added sadly.

As if he knew his lover's mind—which he might, given the bonding potion—Draco stood. "I'm going to go torment Snape for a bit." He kissed Harry on the lips and then placed a brotherly peck on Hermione's cheek. The look in his eyes said "go easy on him."

When Draco was gone, Hermione stared at the floor. "It wasn't you fault, Harry."

"Everyone says that, " he said.

"But you don't believe it," she finished. Hermione moved to the seat beside him, and held his crippled hand in hers. "Why?"

He looked steadily at her. "His friendship with me cost him his life, and Ginny's life. If it wasn't for the fact that Voldemort thought I was with Ginny, they would be alive. I should have known that it was too dangerous to have friends," he spat out. "And you, Hermione….I thought you had died too. I thought that being my friend had killed you."

"Oh, Harry, you are so wrong. Ron…all of the Weasley's would have entered the fight whether you had been his friend or not, and me too. Do you think we all could have sat back and let him do whatever he pleased? Killing whoever?"

"But…"

"No," she interrupted. "Think about it, Harry. You needed us and we needed you. We did it together, and it wouldn't have ended if we hadn't. You were meant to kill him, and we were meant to help you get that far. Don't you see?"

"You don't blame me?"

"Never. Lucius killed my husband, not you."

Harry sighed heavily. "I still don't know if I will ever be able to face any of the Weasley's."

"Stop being such a coward," she snapped. It wasn't until that moment that she was really angry at him. "You owe that to Molly for all of the love she gave you over the years."

Harry looked stunned.

"Besides," she continued, "you're coming to my wedding and they will all be there."

"Wedding?" he asked.

"Bill and I are in love," she explained.

A smile spread across his face. Now, he looked like the boy she remembered. "When?"

"Oh, we haven't actually gotten engaged yet," Hermione admitted. "But he told me that he intends to make me want to marry him."

"Does he know he already did that?"

Hermione giggled. "I think so."

Harry sobered a bit. "Do you think we can really all be happy?"

"I know we can," she answered firmly. "And I'm always right."

dbdbdbdb

That night in bed, Hermione laid awake beside Bill. The afterglow of their love still shown on her face. "I love you," she told him.

He kissed her. "Then my plan is working," he teased.

"It is. I never knew you were a master strategist until now."

Taking her hand, he laughed. "Don't give me too much credit."

"You deserve all the credit in the world. Without you, I would never have been this happy again," she told him. Hermione gathered her courage. "Bill, will you marry me?"

He shot up in bed. "Did you just propose?"

She nodded. "I did."

"This is rather quick….not that I'm against it," he added hastily. "But are you sure?"

"I love you, and I am," she told him.

"I love you, Hermione, and I want to be your husband." He chuckled. "There go my grand proposal plans."

Hermione grinned at him. "You can still keep them. I promise to pretend to be surprised."

"Just don't let my mother get wind of this, or she'd smack me for letting you beat me to it."

She kissed him passionately on the lips, and pulled him between her legs. This man made her as happy as she had ever been. It amazed her that she could be so lucky twice in one lifetime. Her world was now complete again.