Disclaimer: All HP characters don't belong to me. Some sentences are quoted from "Fred and Edie" by Jill Dawson and the movie "Another Life"

Disclaimer 2: Baby William belongs to me. There's no baby in the real story, only abortion and miscarriage.

Author's Note: I'm starting a forum for my H/Hr fics! Please give me your support, thanks!

To BeaumontRulz, my Beta Reader!

Thank you all for your reviews!

Chapter 16: Goodbye

It was January. Harry and Hermione had just came back from seeing Oliver Wood, their visitor when they heard the guards talking among themselves as they stood at their stations a few cells away.

"What a fool, the Ministry won't give way just like that…"

"A day or two here would do him good, he probably won't provoke the Ministry again…"

"I wonder which poor soul has been arrested again." said Harry dryly.

"Starting a petition for that scandalous couple, no wonder he was arrested…"

Hermione blinked. That sounded familiar…

Harry put his hands on the bars and pushed his face among them, trying to get a clear look at the guards. "Hey guards, who are you guys talking about!" he demanded.

"That young man who visited you two during Christmas." said one of the guards.

"What?" asked Harry in horror.

Hermione gasped and joined Harry at the bars.

"What happened to Neville!" asked Harry.

"Oh, so that's his name, huh? Well, he was arrested." said the guard.

"For what?" asked Hermione.

"Starting a petition for a reprieve for your case. It causes such a commotion out there that the Ministry decided to arrest him for starting the whole thing. But don't worry, he will be out in a day or two."

"That's unfair!" said Harry angrily.

"It's ridiculous!" cried Hermione. "You can't arrest someone who is trying to help us!"

"What's the use of helping you two anyway? You two are going to die soon." said a guard coldly.

Hermione looked pale. "We are?"

The guard nodded. "Seems like the Ministry decided not to grant a reprieve."

"T-they are not?" said Harry slowly. "So we are going to be hanged on the 9th…"

Hermione closed her eyes. All her hopes of being reunited with William had been destroyed. She sank down to the floor weakly, still holding onto the bars and leaned her forehead against them tiredly. Harry sat down beside her.

"We are going to be hanged." said Harry again in disbelief. "And I thought…"

"There's no more hope, Harry." said Hermione, shaking her head. "We are going to die, and we can't see William again."

Her voice trembled as she spoke. Then she buried her face in her hands as she sobbed.

"There's still hope, Hermione. Maybe the Minister will change his mind at the last minute, who knows?" said Harry quickly.

Hermione looked at Harry, and she wondered whether the Minister would change his mind and gave them a reprieve.

Although Neville had been arrested, the petition still went on. People were still signing for it and with the help of Harry and Hermione's friends, the numbers of signatures increased to almost a million. People were still hoping that the Minister would change his mind on the 8th of January, 2005.

At night, Harry and Hermione sat in their cell, looking out at the night sky through the tiny window. Harry had his arms wrapped around Hermione.

"Harry, would you still love me if you are the one who is married and I'm the one who is single?" asked Hermione.

Harry thought for a while. "I will still love you." he whispered. "What about you?"

"Maybe not. But who can go against his or her feelings?" asked Hermione. "I will probably fall in love with you too in the end."

"Are you scared for tomorrow, Hermione?" asked Harry suddenly.

"A little." admitted Hermione.

"They shouldn't hang you, Hermione. You are innocent." said Harry.

"You said that for countless times. And did the Ministry listen? No." said Hermione quietly. "All I can do now is to wait for the Minister to change his mind before tomorrow."

Harry hugged Hermione tighter and kissed her head. "That's the spirit, Hermione. Let's keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow."

9th of January 2005

Harry and Hermione stayed awake throughout the night, with hope in their hearts, hoping that the Minister would change his mind at the last minute. But he didn't. Morning came and the time of their execution approached.

The guards opened their cell and came in. Still on the floor, Harry and Hermione retreated to the corner. Hermione practically tried to make herself invisible in Harry's arms while Harry held her protectively.

"Come on, you two, it's time." said a guard.

"Hang me and leave Hermione alone, she's innocent." said Harry.

"You have been saying that since you got here, aren't you tired of it?" asked another guard.

"No." said Harry.

"Orders are orders, Mister, we have to hang the both of you." said the guard and Hermione could hear a slight sorry note in his voice. "Come on."

The guards came to separate Harry from Hermione.

"Hey, get your hands off me!" said Harry in irritation, still wrapping his arms around Hermione. "I'm not going to be hanged until Hermione is free."

"It's not up to us to decide." said a guard coldly as he tried to yank Harry's arm away from Hermione.

It took three guards to separate Harry from Hermione and Hermione stayed in the corner, wrapping her arms around herself in fear.

Harry put up a strong fight, trying to release himself from them so that he could go back to Hermione, who looked like she was going to collapse. "Let me go, you can't do this to me!"

"Take him out first." said a guard. "We will get this one now."

His tone sounded like he was going to take animals out to slaughter.

Hermione could still hear Harry yelling as they took him out. Then she felt someone grabbing her arms.

"No… let us go, please, we are innocent…" she whispered.

The guards ignored her and pulled her up roughly from the floor. Hermione refused to support herself, leaving her weight for the guards to support.

"Come on now, do not be afraid." she heard someone saying.

"No please, please don't hang us!" screamed Hermione loudly in despair.

The guards wanted to drag her out of the cell, but she was screaming and kicking in protest.

"Please don't hang us! Daddy! Daddy, help me!" she cried, as if her father could hear her miles away. "Daddy!"

Hermione was losing control. The guard had no choice but to take out his wand.

Immediately, the non-verbal spell was being cast and Hermione went still. She became quiet and she let the guards to take her out of Azkaban to join Harry.

Once he saw Hermione, Harry tried to rush to her, but he was held back by the guards.

"Hermione! Hermione, are you all right?" called Harry.

Hermione nodded slowly. "Don't worry, Harry, we will go through this together."

Harry didn't know what had happened to Hermione to make her willing to face death, but seeing that she was so brave, Harry nodded and he followed the guards to the scaffold.

People gathered outside Azkaban, with signs in their hands showing their anger towards the Ministry for not giving Harry and Hermione a reprieve.

"If these two die, the Ministry people are murderers too."

"The Ministry are idiots for killing the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Killing our nation's hero and his girlfriend is a disgrace to the wizarding world."

Harry, Hermione and the guards walked past the crowd. The people were silent as they watched helplessly at Harry and Hermione walking towards death and one of them was Ginny.

"Hermione! Harry!" she cried as they walked past and tried to reach out for them.

Harry and Hermione glanced at her. They stopped.

"Goodbye, Ginny." said Harry.

"Goodbye, take care of William for us." said Hermione and reached out her hand to take Ginny's hand.

But before Ginny could grasp her hand, the guards pushed the couple forward.

"I will, Hermione!" called Ginny. "I will raise him as my own!"

Whether Harry and Hermione hear her, Ginny wasn't sure. One thing she was certain was that, she swore she saw them smiling at her before they entered a tower where they would be hanged.

Harry and Hermione entered the tower and up the steps to the stage, where there were two nooses for them. They stood in front of them and the guards placed the nooses over their heads and around their necks.

A guard was about to put the white cap over Harry's head when he said, "Can I don't have that cap over my head?"

"I don't want it either." said Hermione calmly.

"Fine." said the guard. "Erm, do you two have any last word before you died?"

"Yeah, and it's private, I only want Hermione to listen." said Harry.

The guards turned away. "Go ahead. We won't listen."

"Hermione…" started Harry.

Hermione looked at him.

"The best time I ever have in my life is the time I spent with you." said Harry truthfully. "I treasured every single minute of my life with you. Since we are going to die now, I just want to say… I love you."

Hermione smiled. "I love you too, Harry." she whispered.

"Done yet?"

"Yeah." said Harry quietly.

The guard placed his hands on the lever which opened the trapdoors beneath Harry's and Hermione's feet. Suddenly Harry moved and held Hermione's hand. Hermione responded by holding it tightly. They closed their eyes, ready to die.

The guard stared at the way Harry and Hermione accepted their fate and he couldn't bear to move the lever and end their lives.

"What are you doing? Hurry up." said another guard impatiently.

The guard looked at him and found him looking at the other direction. Like himself, that guard couldn't bear to watch the execution either. The others had their eyes closed, covered with their hands or they just looked at another direction.

The guard gave a last look of pity at Harry and Hermione before he squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the lever.

The loud sound of the trapdoors being opened was heard and immediately, the lovers were dead.