Everything was happening in slow motion. Ron was sobbing over Fred's body with Mrs. Weasley doing her best to comfort him while trying to hold herself together. Professor Trelawney was making rounds, confirming who was dead and who wasn't. Madam Pomfrey was fluttering around to the children first and the adults second, handing out healing potions she brought from the Hospital Wing. Whoever was able was already trying to start cleaning up the rubble.
Hermione emptied every healing item she had into Madam Pomfrey's hands, asking if there was anything she could do.
"Just rest, Hermione. You three need to rest."
"'No, we can't. Ron and Harry and I…" She looked around. "Where's Harry?" He was gone. "No… no…" She got a little relief when she noticed Lavender sitting on one of the benches, no longer bleeding as much. Lavender managed a scared and weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. A thanks.
It didn't take long for Ron to leave the Great Hall as well for a moment of solitude. He'd lost a brother. She didn't blame him, but they couldn't be separated right now. Her instinct was to go after him, but a hand on her arm stopped her.
"Stay here, Hermione. They may need you." It was Katie. She had a black eye, her shirt was ripped in a couple places, and there were more cuts on her face than Hermione had, but she otherwise seemed to be okay. At least one of their friends was safe. "He's not going far."
"I know," Hermione nodded. "I know he's not. But he's running."
"He doesn't run."
"He's protecting himself."
"I'll go make sure he's okay. You stay here."
It was hard to trust Katie, someone she barely knew, with the heart of one of her best friends, but she knew she wasn't the best one to comfort him, especially right now. Her own thoughts were on Harry, and she knew he didn't want to hear about Harry when he was in such a deep place of mourning. She couldn't comfort Ron like she could comfort Harry. It wouldn't mean the same, and he knew that.
Ron trusted Katie, so she should too. "Just… be careful with what you say. Ron can be-"
"Sensitive. I know," Katie grinned. "I pay attention."
Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay. Thank you."
"It's the least I can do."
As Katie left, Hermione knelt down to pull the Marauder's Map out of her bag. It didn't take long to find Harry's name in Dumbledore's office. Then, she could finally breathe. Harry was safe, at least for a little longer. He hadn't gone into the forest yet. She sat there for a while, watching for his footprints to move, to come back to them.
"Did you find him?" Ron asked from over her shoulder. Hermione turned quickly and came face to face with Ron, who'd knelt down beside her and kept his eyes on the map. He wasn't going to look at her in fear of what she'd see. She could tell he'd cried himself out, and he probably wouldn't smile for a long time, but he was there. For now, at least. He hadn't run away after all.
"He's in Dumbledore's office. He's been there for a long time, though. I'm not sure what he's doing."
"Do you think we could get out of here?" Ron muttered. "Find somewhere quiet? I… I don't really want to be alone, but this is…."
Hermione nodded quickly. "Of course. Yes." She hadn't realized she'd been drowning out all the noises around her. Everyone had slowed down to a more casual pace, but a lot was still going on. People were moving and starting to help as they healed, freeing up hospital beds for those in worse shape. She stood, picking up the map with Ron following suit. He did look up at Katie as they left, but Hermione took him to one of the staircases where they sat, silent. Unsure of what to say or who needed to talk first. Ron hesitantly took Hermione's hand, threading their fingers together.
It was cynically funny how much that gesture had changed between them. Last year, her heart would have burst out of her chest. Now, it was breaking. He just needed someone to hold his hand while he grieved, something he didn't trust Katie to give him yet. He leaned his head on Hermione's shoulder, and she rested her head on top of his.
"I want to go home, Hermione."
Me too, she wanted to say, then she realized she didn't have one. Where was she going to go after this? How long was she going to stay at Hogwarts? She couldn't go to the Burrow - not for a while. Not with Fred's absence. She still had the tent. Or maybe she and Harry could go back to Grimmauld Place.
No. She stopped herself. Would Harry even be going back to Grimmauld Place? Or would they have to retrieve his body from the forest after the war was over?
Hermione heaved a sob, but quickly bottled it. She couldn't do this - not right now. She couldn't let her worries cloud her judgement.
"I know," she whispered instead. "I know you do. I'm sorry. For everything."
"I just don't understand why it had to be him. Why it couldn't have been me."
"I don't know, Ron. No one knows."
"Fred has something good going for him, you know? They've got the shop. I'm just useless." Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't. Ron wasn't looking for an argument. "Even though I destroyed a horcrux and I've been on the hunt and we've been the ones putting ourselves in danger, we're all right. But Fred… he's innocent, Hermione. He… he was just helping. If he'd just been in-"
"A different place at a different time?" Hermione finished, and Ron sighed heavily, nodding. "But if we were all in different places at different times, we may not only have one horcrux left."
"Two," Ron corrected sadly.
"Don't remind me." Hermione's gaze went to their linked hands, running her thumb over the back of Ron's hand before using his other to hold it as well.
"He'll be okay."
"You think?"
"He's got you. Of course he will be."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't see how there will be any way around it. If… if he's a horcrux and all of them have to be destroyed-"
"We'll figure it out, Hermione. I know we will."
"He's pushing me away."
"I know. Has he left Dumbledore's office yet?"
Hermione let her eyes wander over to the map on the floor in front of them. Harry was moving, and she gasped. "He's leaving now."
Ron took a deep breath and stood, pulling Hermione up with him. "Let's go get him, then."
"What?"
"He's not going to come see us before he goes off into the forest. We have to catch him on the way." He didn't expect the kiss on the cheek Hermione quickly gave him, but managed an upturn of his lips nonetheless.
Hermione's eyes didn't leave the map, following Harry while plotting their best course to cut him off at the pass with a determination she hadn't felt all night. There was no way she was going to let Harry sacrifice himself. She'd follow him to the ends of the earth if she could.
"Hermione… Ron… What are you two doing here?" Harry's voice was like a tether. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck for what may be the last time, hugging him harder than she ever had.
After a moment, she pulled away just enough to speak. "I had to make sure you were safe." Harry still wasn't making eye contact, nor was he hugging her back as tightly as she'd hoped. "What is it, Harry? What did you see? What do you know?"
Harry swallowed hard. "There's a reason I can hear them, Hermione. There's a reason I have a connection to Voldemort. I've known for a while… and I think you have too."
"Harry, please look at me," she whispered, putting her hands on either side of his face, and it was only then that their eyes met. He was crying, and Hermione was shortly behind. "I'll go with you."
"No," Harry insisted, moving his hands up to rest on her wrists. "He'll kill you, Hermione."
"I don't care."
"No."
Hermione pressed their foreheads together - the minimal contact just wasn't enough. "I'm not going to let you go off and die, Harry."
"I don't think we have a choice. I'll be okay." His voice cracked.
"You keep saying that, Harry."
"I know. I know I do." He wiped Hermione's tears with his thumbs, cleaning off her face a little in the process, but it did no good. Her cheeks were perpetually wet. He could tell she was terrified.
"I'm not going to lose you!"
"Hermione, please. Trust me on this, okay?"
"I'm coming with you, Harry." She hugged him again, burying her face into his neck, and he finally caved, finally held her. She was so warm, so comfortable, and he soaked it all in. If this was going to be his last memory of her, he didn't want it to be them just standing there crying together.
There was no rush anymore. He'd been pushing her away so he wouldn't have to do this, but now that the moment had come, partially on Hermione's interception, he never wanted it to end. He'd stay here in this moment forever if it meant he wouldn't lose her. That she wouldn't lose him. As tempting as it was to take her along, though, he knew she wouldn't come back. He looked at Ron, who was just watching. He'd been crying. Of course he'd been crying. And Harry had just abandoned him too when he may have needed him. But he couldn't let Ron lose both of them.
He kissed her, tenderly at first, but she gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer, and Harry felt a rush, like she was transferring her magic into him. The clarity that came over his mind was astounding, the calm he felt just being with her renewed his energy and willingness to fight as much as he could until the very end. And with that clarity, it made him hate even more what he was about to do.
Lips still locked, he moved his hand down her side to grab the wand from her pocket. He'd only have a second or two before she figured him out, so he didn't waste any time. He broke away from the kiss and pointed his own wand right at Hermione. "Incarcerous." It wasn't ropes this time, but chains that wrapped around Hermione's body, effectively weighing her down and keeping her from following him. And without a wand, there was very little chance she'd be able to get out of them herself. She'd never quite mastered it.
"Ron," Harry turned to him and held Hermione's wand out. Ron's eyes were wide, but he was attentive. "Take care of her for me, okay?"
Ron hesitantly took the wand from Harry's hand, barely nodding.
"Harry, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Hermione cried, struggling against the chains to no avail. Harry looked back at her, wiping his eyes. "Harry! Ron, get me out of here!"
"I love you, Hermione."
"Harry James Potter, you let me out right now! I'm not letting-"
"I love you, Hermione!"
He wasn't going to leave until she said it back, and while part of her never wanted to say it so he didn't have to leave, she knew Voldemort wasn't going to wait forever, and Harry had made up his mind. She could feel it. Though she couldn't see through her own tears and Harry was just a blurry silhouette, she stopped moving and took a deep breath.
"I love you, too, Harry..."
Harry hugged Ron tightly for a few seconds, too. "Kill the snake. Kill the snake and then it's just him, okay? Get Neville to help. Neville and Luna and Ginny if she's up for it."
"Harry, I… I love you, mate" Ron muttered. "Please be careful. I can't… I'm not losing two brothers tonight."
"I love you too, Ron. Thank you… thank you for… everything. Everything you've ever done for me. There's… I can't even tell you-"
"Then tell me later, yeah?"
Harry nodded once, and they hugged again before he finally turned to leave, forcing himself not to look at Hermione again. If he did, he worried he'd stay.
The walk to the forest was slow and quiet, offering him plenty of time to think. There were fires still burning steadily in the courtyard, but he didn't stop to look. He'd never heard the grounds this silent. There were no birds, no animals, no creatures, nothing to listen to but his own thoughts. Even Voldemort had seemed to give him a break from inhabiting his head. Because there was nothing, and Harry snapped next to his ear to make sure he had hearing at all.
He hadn't wanted any of this. Where had they been last May? Happy. Well, that wasn't true. They'd been happier, though. Anything was happier than this. A year ago, the only thing Harry was worried about was finding out who the Half Blood Prince was. He didn't forgive Snape. Not at all. He felt sorry for him, sure, but Snape's love for his mother didn't excuse the way he treated him throughout his time at Hogwarts. He'd paid his respects and would mourn his death in time, in a way, but the greatest loss was that of the spy. Ron had been right - Snape had led them to the sword in the forest.
Ron. His first friend. The last person he'd touched. The last person he'd ever speak to. That wasn't something Ron would take lightly, and Harry knew that. But what choice did he have? Ron was the second hardest person to give up next to Hermione, but he'd rather die himself than watch Voldemort kill her.
She'd been so strong for him. Not just this year, but for the past seven. Always by his side, no matter who wasn't. It had always been her. He almost thought about the regret he felt for not realizing it sooner. He'd spent too much time infatuated with Cho. But he didn't want to think about his regrets right now, especially his last image of Hermione being in chains on the floor, crying her eyes out as he walked away. No, definitely not.
Their relationship had been… was… different from anything he'd ever felt in his life, or anything he ever thought he was capable of feeling. Just like he'd thought, though, it couldn't last forever. Even if Harry did survive this by some miracle, things would be different. Would they get to do all the things she wanted? Go to Hogsmeade, maybe fly around on the Quidditch Pitch after curfew? Maybe they'd even sneak into the Room of Requirement, given it was still around, one night and spend the moonlit hours making love to each other.
He wiped his eyes quickly. He couldn't think about the what-ifs. Now wasn't the time for that. He had to think about the now. Tempted to tap into Hermione to see how she was feeling, he clenched his fist - he couldn't do that to himself.
Would she be okay without him? Without their bond? Maybe it would be easier.
No.
He had the rune. He had protection against death. He'd be okay. If there was a time for optimism, it was now.
The atmosphere seemed to change as he stepped past the trees. He didn't know where Voldemort was, but he was sure he'd go the right way. When he couldn't see the castle behind him anymore, that's when he stopped. There were a few more people he needed to say goodbye to.
Harry carefully reached into his pocket and pulled out the Snitch he'd secured to the inside. I open at the close. This was the close.
"I'm ready to die."
At the press of his lips to the cool metal, he could hear a soft whirring sound, and when he pulled it away, he grinned with disbelief. Hermione had been right. What he'd been thinking was in here was right. Dumbledore had given him the Cloak and, inadvertently, the Wand. Why wouldn't he also have given him the Resurrection Stone?
He put the Snitch back into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the smooth triangular rock. He wasn't sure who was going to show up, but it would be people who loved him. And what better way to die than to be surrounded by loved ones?
Harry closed his eyes and took a breath, preparing himself for what he was about to see when he opened them. His parents, Sirius, and Lupin, all standing around him and looking… proud . His mom reached out a hand, and he immediately rushed forward to take it, but went right through her. Right , Harry remembered. They weren't real.
"You've been so brave, sweetheart," she whispered. Harry could tell by the look in her eyes that she was sad they couldn't touch, too.
"Why are you here? All of you?"
"We never left."
Of course. The love of the people who he carried with him in his heart. His family. As he looked around, he realized, not for the first time, but for the most illuminating time, that everyone standing there wasn't the only family he had. His family was back at the castle, with the Weasleys, with the DA, with Hermione. Hagrid, McGonagall, Flitwick - they were all his family. His family who may have to deal with losing him.
He turned to Sirius, swallowing down tears. "Does it… does it hurt? Dying?"
Sirius grinned. "Quicker than falling asleep." Harry was relieved - not only would he not be in any pain, but Sirius hasn't suffered either. "But you're not going to die, Harry."
"What are you talking about? I have to."
"Part of you does, yes," Lupin chimed in. "But… things work in mysterious ways, Harry. Surely you of all people believe that."
"I-I do, but-"
"You made a very brave choice, son." Harry pivoted slowly to see his dad. "Though, I'd start thinking of a way to tell Hermione about your rune. I don't think she'll take kindly to you having lied to her."
Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know about that?"
"I told you," Lily reminded him, "we never left. We've seen your heart. It will heal over time. The Dark feeling you have won't last forever."
"So you're… you're telling me that it'll work?"
His dad nodded.
"Mum, Dad… I wish you could've met Hermione. She's-"
"We already have, honey. Or at least, we've met her as you see her."
"So all the better, right?" James piped up, which made the tiniest smile pull on Harry's lips.
"Will she forgive me?"
It was Lupin who smirked, next to Sirius. "We can't predict the future, Harry, but you know she will. I could see how much love for you she had even when you were in my classroom."
"I'm… I didn't want any of this. I never wanted any of you to die for me. And Remus, your son-"
"Others will tell him what his mother and father died for. One day, he'll understand, as you have."
Harry knew he had to cut their conversation short, too. Otherwise, he'd spend all night in the forest. He took one last look, slowly taking in all of their faces. "You'll stay with me?"
"Until the end."
"And… and he won't be able to see you?"
"No," Sirius whispered. "We're here, you see." He reached out to hover his hand over Harry's heart, and he could swear it felt like he really was touching him, even if for a second.
"Stay close to me."
"Always."
The Resurrection Stone fell, and Harry headed towards his fate.
Hermione started throwing futile punches at Ron's chest as soon as he unraveled the chains from her body. "How dare you let him do that?! How dare you go along with that bloody stupid plan! We could have helped him!" She stood up and moved to run, but Ron grabbed her.
"It's too late, Hermione. He's probably already down there. By the time you get to him, he'll be…"
Hermione spun to face him. "He'll be what , Ronald?"
"There's nothing you can do! You know that! You're not gonna take on Voldemort yourself."
"And you think I'll let him?!"
"You have to! Harry nearly got himself killed trying to go after you in Malfoy Manor and I'm not letting you do the same thing for him! You can't let love make you reckless, Hermione! You're better than that."
Hermione huffed, yanking her arm from Ron's grip. "What do you suppose I do, then? We can't kill the snake until Voldemort's close. He's not letting it out of his sight. The last two horcruxes are right next to each other and nowhere near us!"
"We wait. We help who we can to get ready for when Voldemort comes to the castle to finish the rest of us off."
Hermione shook her head quickly, trying to push the hair out of her face. "That's… that's useless."
"It's useless to Harry, but not to the rest of the school. You get onto Harry all the time about his heroism and how he doesn't need to run to save everyone all the time, yeah? And here you are about to run blindly to your own death. And if you did save him, what do you think that would do to him, huh? He wouldn't want to live while you're dead, Hermione. Let him be The Chosen One for once." Ron was crying again, but he couldn't stop. "Let him be the one to sacrifice himself instead of our friends, instead of my brother! Call Trelawny a nutter all you want, but you were there in the Department of Mysteries. You saw the prophecy. It's about him , Hermione, and you trying to save him isn't going to change that! Have you learned nothing in the last year about the fact that destiny exists? Fate exists. Runes and divination and soulmates and magical bonds - all of it exists! And you're telling me that you think you can change the fate of one single person just because you love him?! I love him too, Hermione. And I love you. But I know when to give up."
Hermione was speechless. She'd never heard anything like that come from Ron. But the fact that it had come from Ron gave her pause. She'd never seen him so vulnerable. She'd never seen him so scared. For so long, she thought that him running from his feelings was for self-preservation, no matter how much she'd tried to convince herself it wasn't. She thought when he left the tent, he didn't give a damn about her feelings or Harry's. He left for selfish reasons.
But Ron wasn't selfish at all.
In fourth year, he was mad at Harry because he thought Harry was hiding something from him. And even though all that, he helped him. He skirted around conversations and went behind Harry's back to make sure he knew as much as Ron did. He was always right behind Harry, no matter how Harry felt about him. Even when Harry didn't trust him.
In fifth year, he was just as upset about not being able to communicate with Harry as Hermione was, and she'd thought that him not pitching a fit about it meant he didn't care. In reality, Ron knew he couldn't fight Dumbledore. No matter what he tried, he wouldn't be able to get through, and he knew they'd be able to fill him in on everything eventually. He'd picked his battle.
He left them alone on the hunt because he knew they'd be okay by themselves. He knew they could take care of themselves. As harsh as Ron's words were, they were right. Harry didn't have family to lose like Ron did. Not blood family, anyway. And neither did she anymore. Ron was loyal to the people he loved. He had to protect his family in whatever way he could. He was scared of losing them.
And now he had.
Their family would never be the same again, something he'd tried so hard to prevent. Of course he wasn't going to let Hermione run off into the Forbidden Forest to single-handedly take on the Dark Lord. Harry would think it was stupid, too, which is why he wasn't going to let her do it either.
She'd been the selfish one. She'd taken initiative with their hunt, with travel, with training, with researching, with everything. She hadn't thought about Harry or Ron at all. How would they cope with her death? Harry would feel responsible. Ron would feel responsible. The one moment she'd been terrified of was happening. Harry was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't accept it. Harry had said to trust him, but how? How could she? A quick tap into Harry's emotions showed her he was calm. If he was calm, she could be too.
Her hands were shaking as Ron carefully took them in his. "Hermione…?" When had everything gone so cold? Were the Dementors back?
"I… I need… C-Calming Draught."
Ron took a look around and nodded before picking her up in his arms and carrying her back to the Great Hall, not trusting her to be able to make it there on her own. Since they weren't too far away, it didn't take long, thankfully. Madam Pomfrey was on them as soon as they made it through the archway.
"Calming Draught. She'll be fine," Ron said softly before Madam Pomfrey could start asking questions, mostly because he couldn't answer them. A little rest and a potion later, Hermione's breathing had gone back to normal, but she wouldn't let go of Ron's hand. "Feeling better?"
Hermione nodded. "Thank you. I-" Her words were cut off as she released a blood curdling cry that echoed off the walls and ceiling of the Great Hall. All eyes were suddenly on Hermione as she clutched her chest in agony, clawing at her own clothes. Madam Pomfrey rushed over to her, but even she didn't know what to do.
"What's happening to her? What did she do?" she asked Ron, who just shook his head.
"I don't know! She… she was fine and then…"
Through the strangled gasps coming from her mouth, Ron was barely able to make out one word: "Harry."
His heart sank into his stomach.
She managed to get her jackets open to reveal an amber light shining through her shirt that was quickly fading to nothing. The bond. It must be the runes.
Hermione tugged at her hair, trying to get out of her own body. It didn't feel right, like it didn't belong to her anymore. It was too big and too small at the same time, suffocating her and giving her too much room. She couldn't feel Harry anymore. It had been like the snap of a twig - there one moment and gone the next. She didn't know how to fix it. All she knew was that if she was going to feel like this for the rest of her life, she'd rather go face Voldemort herself. She couldn't live like this. There was no way.
"Stupefy!"
Finally, with Hermione unconscious, the Great Hall fell silent again, but everyone was still staring, waiting for an explanation. Ron took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead nervously.
"Harry's… gone."
The only sound that followed Ron's declaration was shuffling, as no one knew what to say. The staff looked around at each other, trying to hide what were clearly thoughts that they were doomed. Harry really had been their last hope. The students started crying again. Out of the corner of his eye, Ginny buried her face into her mom's shoulder. Ron quickly looked away. It seemed as if everyone had accepted their fate. It didn't take long to find Neville and explain their plan - they still needed to kill the snake - before Neville said he'd be right back and headed off into some other part of the castle. Ron didn't question; he wasn't about to leave Hermione.
He waited until the light from her shirt was gone before he woke her up, hoping that meant it was over and it would stop hurting so much. "Hermione?" he whispered, rubbing her arm as she blinked herself awake.
"Harry…" She sat up, looking around and taking everything in. "Where is he?" She pulled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, whispering his name.
"Hermione, Harry's-"
"No, he's not." She shook her head quickly, forehead pressed against her knees. "He's not."
Ron sighed. "Look, Hermione, I know it's hard-"
"Ron, I can still feel him."
"... What?"
"Yes. It's… it's barely there, but I can… I just need quiet. Quiet…"
"Quiet!" Ron called out, though there was no noise to begin with. Hermione's shoulders relaxed a little as tears started falling down her cheeks again.
"He's alive," she whispered again. "I don't know how, but… we need to help him." She picked her head up and looked over the students.
McGonagall was the first one to approach, placing a calming hand on the bed next to her. "Are you sure, Miss Granger?"
"Yes, Professor," Hermione nodded. "We… we have a… a magical bond. I can still feel him. He's still alive." She was going to repeat it until she believed it, too. "He's still alive."
"Then what are we waiting for?" McGonagall smiled. It was an exhausted smile, but a smile nonetheless.
This time, the commotion was hushed. Deliberate. Determined. Hermione was amazed and so, so proud that Harry meant this much to all of the students that were in that room, whether or not they even knew him. Robes had been discarded. There weren't any houses anymore, just the good side and the bad side. Then, through the sea of people, a very distinct shade of blonde hair moved past the entrance, not even pausing, but glancing inside, incidentally making eye contact with Hermione.
She was up before Ron could stop her, storming into the hallway. "Draco!"
He slowed for a split second, his fingers clenching a little before he kept walking.
"Draco!"
Nothing.
Hermione huffed, jogging a little closer. "Draco, you saved our lives! You damn well owe me an explanation."
Draco finally stopped, but didn't turn to look at her. "I don't owe you anything, Mudblood." It didn't pack the same punch.
Hermione stopped behind him, quickly pulling her left sleeve up to the elbow to show him the scar that looked almost as new as the day she got it from his aunt. "We match now, Draco. You think that name bothers me anymore? Especially coming from you?"
He turned his head to see what she meant, and at the sight of her arm, he looked back in front of him, swallowing hard. "Just… let me go, please. Let me leave."
"Who are you running from?"
"I'm not running."
"Draco, look at me." When he didn't answer, she reached for his hand, but he jerked away.
"Don't touch me."
"It's not too late. You don't have to do this. You don't have to be on his side."
"I do!" When slate grey eyes met hers, she stepped back a little. His face was red with mild burns in a couple places. His eyes were red and puffy. There was a little bit of dried blood on his face that had slid down his neck to stain his shirt. He looked beaten, broken, and out of options. "I have to. I'm not ready to die."
"Your only two options will be servitude or Azkaban."
"We're not going to win this."
Hermione sighed quickly. We. He was on their side. "I don't know how much you know, but if we can kill Voldemort's snake, we can kill him and it'll be over. That's what we've been trying to do." Draco's eyebrows furrowed. "We have a shot. And the more people we have on our side, the stronger we'll be. You… you didn't give Harry away when you had the chance." Draco looked towards his feet. "You told him how to save me. You gave him his wand back. Why?"
"It's not that easy anymore. One… one thing isn't going to change the outcome of this war. He's too strong. I don't even have a wand. What would I even do?"
"Stand with us. You know there's more grey in this world than black and white. I've learned that more than enough times over the past year. Anyone can change sides."
Draco met her eyes again, and briefly, Hermione saw his face relax. She reached for his arm again, slowly, not breaking eye contact, but he was still hesitant. "I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered. Draco's left fist clenched tightly, as if his Mark was irritating him. She barely noticed the twitch of his muscles, but it didn't go entirely ignored. This felt so strange, being this close to him, but this was her last shot. Her own hand began trembling as her fingers wrapped around his forearm. She knew she didn't have time to hesitate, but he was unarmed, so she wasn't as worried about getting hurt as she probably should have been. As rushed of a decision her kiss was with Harry, she wrapped her arms around Draco's middle, pressing her face into his chest. God, what was she doing? She was almost as tense as he was, and she was already doubting why the hell she thought this was a good idea.
Draco's entire body was stiff as a board, his arms in the same position as they had been, not returning the hug, but not pushing her away. After a few relentless seconds where it seemed like they were both holding their breath, she let go and stepped back. For a second, Draco looked like he was about to cry, then he took a breath as he lowered his arms, pulling himself together. "Good luck, Granger," he muttered before turning to walk again. "I can only hope your death is painless."
Hermione crossed her arms tightly over her chest, letting out a shuddering breath. Though not much, that was the nicest thing he'd ever said to her. There was something in his eyes she'd never seen before - maybe she'd gotten through to him, but she couldn't count on him. If he hadn't made up his mind to take their side, she of all people wouldn't be able to change it. But he'd let her hug him. When was the last time he'd been hugged? Sure, he'd been raised as a racist, a bully, a Death Eater, but in the last year, he'd cracked. She had no idea who he was, but she was beginning to see, at least, who he wasn't.
People started filing out into the hallway behind her while Ron ran up to hand her wand back. "What's he doing?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I can't tell. But it doesn't matter. If we all go into the forest, maybe we can-"
The sound of something heavy moving across stone caught her attention. It sounded like it was coming from the courtyard. Despite her first hope, she knew it couldn't be Harry, could it? Something was still wrong - Harry's signal was still fading, though it was slow. Not enough to hurt, but enough to notice.
They waited until everyone was together before moving out of the castle. No one could be unattended or unaccounted for in a moment where they didn't know what was coming. But there was Voldemort, surrounded by Death Eaters, moving across the bridge towards them, and in ropes, Hagrid, who was carrying Harry's limp body.
The sight made Hermione snap. "No!" she cried, running forward before being yanked back by Ron's hand clutching her jacket.
"Hermione, stop!" he breathed as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her to his chest.
"Stupid girl," Voldemort hissed with a cynical grin. "What a strange turn of events this is. I thought you," he pointed his wand directly at Hermione, "would be first. I thought we'd have to take you for him to come, since he's been so keen on protecting you all these months. But it turns out he was stupid enough to face me on his own."
Hermione struggled, but Ron was stronger.
"Harry Potter is dead!" Voldemort laughed, and so did all the Death Eaters.
Bile burned the back of Hermione's throat; she had never felt so humiliated. Voldemort knew about their bond. Every moment between them while the horcrux was around was suddenly tainted, and with Voldemort in her sight, she could no longer feel Harry at all. What little of their bond that had been left when she walked into the courtyard was gone, like a part of her own soul was missing. It was something she'd have to get used to again.
"From this day forth," he continued, "you put your faith in me. Now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us… or die."
Ron's arms fell as he let Hermione go. He knew she wouldn't move. No one was.
"Draco!" Lucius called from the other side, and when he still didn't move, more desperately, "Draco…"
"Draco… come." It was his mother who spoke up, reaching out her hand like she fully expected him to take it.
It took a second to find him in the crowd of students, but another moment of brief eye contact communicated all she needed to know before he slowly crossed the gap to his family without looking back. Either way, he'd have to betray someone.
"Well done, Draco. Well done." It looked unnatural, the way Voldemort hugged Malfoy - partially because it was but Hermione couldn't believe Voldemort, even as Tom Riddle, had ever hugged anyone in his life, and he didn't even know how. But Malfoy was stiff. He didn't want this.
They blended back into the crowd of black, and Hermione could have sworn Narcissa had handed Malfoy something in secret. Something she didn't want Voldemort to notice. Of course, he was too busy focusing his gaze on Neville, who was limping forward, holding the Sorting Hat.
"What are you doing?" Ginny whispered, but Neville ignored her.
The sword had come from the hat the first time; Neville was hoping it would again. It was genius.
"And who might you be?" Voldemort's annoyance was clear.
"Neville Longbottom."
The Death Eaters were laughing again, and it lit a fire inside Hermione's stomach. She looked over at Harry, but couldn't bear it for long. The way Hagrid was holding him like a fragile rag doll made her sick.
"'Well, Neville, I'm sure we could find a place for you in our ranks."
"I'd like to say something," Neville interrupted.
Voldemort almost rolled his eyes. "I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say..."
"It doesn't matter that Harry's gone."
Hermione swallowed - what was he saying?
"Stand down, Neville!" Seamus tried when no one else spoke up.
"People die every day! Friends. Family. Yeah, we lost Harry tonight, but he's still with us. In here. So is Fred. And Remus. Tonks. All of them. They didn't die in vain. But you will, because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us! For all of us! It's not over!" Heroically, like he knew exactly what he was doing, which made it look all the better, Neville reached into the Sorting Hat and when he pulled his hand back, the Sword of Gryffindor came with it.
There was a collective gasp not only at Neville, but the thud of Harry unceremoniously rolling out of Hagrid's grasp and falling to the ground before quickly standing up. Hermione let out a cry of relief at the sight of Harry moving, breathing, standing. But he was unarmed. And their bond was gone - she couldn't give him any power to do wandless magic.
"Potter!" With a blur, Malfoy ran, tossing Harry his wand before anyone knew what had happened.
"Confringo!" Even just the sound of Harry's voice after the last agonizing half hour was music to her ears. Death Eaters were ascending in their cloud forms up into the sky, disappearing out of sight of heading to other parts of the castle or as far away as they could get. Harry ran for the covered border of the courtyard as the stone exploded around him with Voldemort's blasts. When Harry managed to make his way out of sight, Voldemort turned back to see half his force gone.
The Dark side was panicking.
Harry was running towards her and it seemed like slow motion, like it still wasn't real. Like he still wasn't alive, but there he was. Kingsley was effortlessly handling the front lines while the kids moved back inside as their opposing forces dwindled.
Harry's hand grabbed her arm to ground her. "Kill the snake," he ordered, and Hermione could only nod, still reeling with a dozen emotions. "I'll lure him into the castle. We need to get them separated."
"Wait, you'll need this!" Hermione pulled one of the fangs from her bag and pressed it into Harry's hand. "Be careful."
"You too."
Neville rushed forward with the sword in a second wind of bravery (or stupidity) and was knocked back between them, flying backwards into the Great Hall, unconscious.
"Neville!" Hermione cried as Harry pulled her out of the way, holding her to his chest. For a split second, things were quiet again, and he kissed her with lightning speed.
The remaining Death Eaters were rushing back into the castle, but there weren't many. At least as far as numbers went, they had the upper hand at the moment.
"Kill the snake," Harry repeated, panting. "I've got Voldemort. Stay safe."
Hermione nodded, watching Harry go and letting out a breath. It was almost over - she couldn't stop to even think. She pulled the other fang out of her bag and headed to check on Neville. Pressing two fingers to the side of his neck, all she could do was make sure he was alive, then she had to go, tucking the sword behind his body to hide it from prying eyes.
She tried to follow behind Harry, but he'd gotten too much of a head start for her to be able to tell exactly where he was. Outside of the Great Hall and further into the castle, though, it was quieter. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to see if there was any feeling from Harry at all.
Nothing.
"We'll have to split up once we find Harry," Hermione whispered, handing over the fang to Ron. "That way it'll only see one of us coming. I'll distract it and you can come up behind it or something."
"Why am I stabbing it?!"
"I'm bad under pressure. You know that. Plus I've got better aim."
"That's fair."
They jumped, clutching to each other at the deafening sound of stone crashing against stone.
Harry.
Resisting the urge to call out to him, Ron and Hermione ran towards the noise to find a section of the ceiling on the stairs. The snake was still moving, so Harry wasn't hurt too badly yet. She thought it was strange that Voldemort hadn't taken it with him, but she wasn't about to complain. Ron motioned to get Hermione's attention and indicated he was going to try to go around to the other side by a different staircase, and Hermione nodded, picking up a fallen piece of rubble from off one of the steps.
Well within range, she quietly hurled the stone, striking the snake in the stomach. When it wheeled its head around to start coming towards her, she threw another rock and hit it right in the head. So spells were no good against it, but physical force wasn't an issue. Good to know. She had no idea where Voldemort was, but they weren't together, which meant he couldn't protect the snake.
Without breaking eye contact, Hermione began backing up, and just like she planned, the snake followed. They moved slowly and steadily down the stairs and to a landing as Hermione tried to slow her heart to a normal speed - she was sure the snake could tell she was scared. Terrified. She couldn't hear any more fighting, but she knew it wasn't over. They'd all know if it was over.
"That's it," she whispered. "Keep your eyes on me."
Out of her peripheral, she could see Ron coming up one of the staircases leading up to them, fang clutched tightly in his hand, ready to strike. Come on, Ron.
As quiet as he was trying to be, Ron's foot tapped against a piece of rubble, alerting the snake of his presence. It whipped around and struck Ron's hand, sending the fang toppling down into the rest of the rubble.
"Ron!" Hermione ran after him, wand out, just to see. Maybe she couldn't do any spells on the snake, but that didn't mean she couldn't do anything on herself. She kicked another rock in the snake's direction to get its attention off Ron, quickly casting the best Disillusionment Charm on herself she was able in such an emotional state. It was far from perfect, but it was enough to confuse the snake so she could run by. There was nothing more they could do except run. Her charm faltered as she grabbed Ron's hand and tugged him in whatever direction wasn't backwards.
Red and green lights were battling for control in the direction of the courtyard, reflecting in the fires and off the stone. They needed to get out there and help Harry. She needed to help Harry.
They were almost there.
Ron turned to cast a spell at the snake, and it did nothing, but the blast of the rebound made Ron stumble, tripping over his own feet and pulling Hermione down with him into a pile of stone with the snake right behind them, rearing up for a strike.
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ron whimpered, pulling her to his chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… Harry…"
Hermione closed her eyes - if she was going to die, at least she wouldn't be alone. At least Harry wouldn't feel it like she had. At least-
"Ahhhh!"
The strike didn't come, and the red and green lights Hermione could see through her eyelids stopped. Hesitantly, she peeked. The snake was gone, vanished, and in its place was Neville with the Sword of Gryffindor on the backswing.
"Thank you, Neville," she whispered in a rush as she stood, her legs still shaking in fear. She couldn't do much, but she didn't even wait for Ron to get up before running into the courtyard. It was an amazing sight. On opposite sides, on their knees, were Harry and Voldemort. The lights coming from their wands met in the middle, sending blazes of light and sparks in a dome around them. She couldn't get close if she tried, and she was entranced at the power if nothing else. Watching that much power coming from Harry was doing something to her that definitely wasn't well-received in her current situation. It radiated through her body like a shockwave. She'd heard about what Harry and Voldemort's fights could do, but Voldemort had the Elder Wand - surely he'd be more powerful than Harry.
But something was wrong. The red stream coming from Harry's wand was steadily overpowering Voldemort's green one, and when they met, everything stopped as the Elder Wand flew out of Voldemort's hand, spinning across the courtyard, and straight into Harry's as he stood, panting. Voldemort was powerless.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, and in favor of the wand he'd been using before, Draco's wand, instead of his new one, Harry pointed it back at Voldemort, taking a deep breath.
He's been so keen on protecting you these past few months. He'd known. He'd been there the whole time. All their firsts were shrouded in evil. He'd taken away the best parts of Harry's first real love. They'd never get that back.
"Avada Kedavra" came out as barely more than a whisper.
A green flash.
It was over. The Dark Lord was dead.
Hermione's knees hit the stone beneath them as her heart shattered.
A/N: It Felt Like That coming Monday December 20.