Disclaimer: You know already, all HP characters don't belong to me.

Disclaimer 2: The ending is inspired by a Chinese romance tale

Author's Note: This is an alternate universe where there's no Voldemort, Hermione is a pureblood and Harry's parents are still alive.

Thank you all for your reviews!

Chapter 11: Broken Hearts

Harry woke up a few hours later, but devastated by the news, he lost his appetite and didn't see the need to nourish himself. He locked himself in his room and stared at Hermione's poster for days. The only time he ever came out of his room was to go to the bathroom.

Soon, Harry fell ill and when his good friend and Healer, Cedric Diggory came to visit him, he found Harry lying in his bed, as if he was going to die any moment.

"He's been like this ever since he got home last week." explained James.

"From where?" asked Cedric.

"Hermione's." answered Lily.

Cedric thought for a while before he got up from the chair beside Harry's bed and took Harry's parents to one side, out of Harry's earshot.

"I heard from my father that Hermione is getting married." said Cedric quietly. "To Draco Malfoy."

"What?" hissed James.

"I will take that Harry is sick because the news is too much for him." said Cedric and he returned to Harry.

Cedric checked Harry's pulse, tested his temperature and he went wide-eyed at his temperature. It was near 22 degree Celsius. With a body temperature like that, Cedric was surprised that Harry didn't freeze to death.

James moved forward and said to Harry, "Harry, this is ridiculous. There're lots of other girls out there for you to love. You can't just let yourself die because of one girl. Hermione is good, but there must be someone else who is better."

Harry looked at his father blankly and said weakly, "You don't understand, Dad. What if you are in my shoes and Mum is marrying someone else who is a villain?"

James shut up. All his intentions of talking Harry to get out of bed had disappeared.

Coughing, Harry turned over and closed his eyes.

Opening up his medic bag, Cedric took out a red potion and handed it to Lily. "Here, I can't heal his heart, but at least this potion helps with his physical illness."

"Thank you." said Lily.

"And I advise you to try to get Harry to eat. If he doesn't eat, he will just get weaker. At that point, even the potion can't save him. If he can't help himself, no one can."

James and Lily nodded.

"Inform me when Harry's condition changes." said Cedric.

The Weasleys were the next ones to know that Harry was heavily ill. Since school was over for Ginny, almost all of Weasley children came over to see Harry.

"How are you feeling, mate?" asked Ron.

"Dreadful." said Harry and he coughed.

"Does Hermione know that you're ill?" asked Ginny.

Harry thought for a while. "Don't think so." he said, shaking his head slightly. "Besides, I don't want her to worry… not with her wedding coming up…"

"Rubbish." said Fred while George nodded in agreement. "It's not like Hermione is happy to be married with that git."

"Hermione must be informed. I will tell her right now." said Ginny, getting up.

"W-wait!" cried Harry suddenly.

Ginny stopped.

Harry struggled to get up, but it was hard as he was very weak. Fred and George had to help him to sit up. "Y-you are going to see Hermione?"

"Yes."

"Then I want to write a letter to her. Give me a quill and a piece of paper."

Everyone watched as Harry smoothened a piece of paper on his lap. His quill was in his hand as Harry thought of what to write.

Harry thought for a while. This was a good chance to tell Hermione how he felt about the wedding. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and he would still be even after she was married…

Again, Harry felt a sharp pain in his heart as he thought of Hermione. Hermione was smart and beautiful. He remembered how they first met, their first argument and their first kiss, which happened during their sixth year, after Harry and his Quidditch team won the Quidditch Cup. All the happy times they had went through Harry's mind. Now those times were over and Harry knew clearly that he and Hermione wouldn't have any more of them…

Harry tried to control himself. Why Hermione had to marry that git? Why…

The more Harry thought about Hermione, the sharper the pain was in his chest. Harry tried to stop the images of her in his head, but he couldn't.

Finally, Harry couldn't take it anymore and with a cough, he spat blood all over the paper.

"Harry!" exclaimed his friends in alarm.

Harry stared at the blood on his paper blankly.

"Harry, just lie down!" ordered his mother in horror and threw the paper aside. "James, get Cedric over here, fast!"

Ginny picked the paper up and folded it. "Harry, I will get Hermione to come and see you. I promise." she said seriously.

Then she left.

Hermione had no idea that Harry was ill and practically dying. The Malfoys had just sent her the wedding dress and her parents begged her to try it on. Unwillingly, Hermione tried it on and looking at herself in mirror, Hermione didn't feel happy at all in her wedding dress.

"Miss Granger, Miss Ginny Weasley is here to see you." said her maid as Hermione tried on her bridal veil.

"Bring her in." said Hermione, cheered up a bit at the fact that her friend was here.

Ginny came into Hermione's room and she stopped at the sight of Hermione in her wedding dress.

"Hello, Ginny." said Hermione, smiling slightly and turned to her servants. "Leave us."

The servants quickly left.

Ginny didn't greet back. Her face was solemn. Hermione's small smile faded and she sighed.

"I know it's bad for me to try on the wedding dress. But my parents begged me to." she lifted her head. "But I won't marry Malfoy, you'll see. I will be Mrs Potter, no matter what. I will announce to the world during the ceremony that I love Harry and no one else. The Malfoys couldn't do anything by then."

Ginny continued to keep her solemn expression.

"What's wrong? Don't you like that idea?" asked Hermione.

"Hermione, take a look. This is what Harry's situation like currently." said Ginny, taking out the paper.

Hermione took and unfolded it. All she could see was blood all over it. She gasped in shock and terror and dropped the paper.

"Ginny, Ginny, what happened?" she asked and grabbed Ginny's shoulders. "You must tell me! Is Harry dead?"

Ginny shook her head. "He isn't. But he looks like he's going to be. He's heavily ill."

Hermione sat on the chair. Pain and sorrow were shown on her face. "I-I didn't know that he's ill!"

Hermione looked up at Ginny and she stood up. "I have to go and see him, I just have to!"

"Now?"

Hermione looked uncomfortable.

Malfoy was strolling lazily up the Grangers' stairs and to Hermione's bedroom. The door was closed, so Malfoy thought of going in straight. Putting his hand on the doorknob, Malfoy was about to turn it when he heard the conversation inside.

"… not now. My parents are watching over me like hawk. I can't disapparate out of here either. I bet it's Malfoy's orders, usually they just let me be…" he heard Hermione saying. "I will go and sneak out of the house at midnight, when they are asleep. Oh I do hope Harry is all right…"

Malfoy smirked before his hand left the doorknob. He then left.

"Great, I will go back now and tell Harry that you will go to him tonight." said Ginny quickly.

"Take this back with you." said Hermione, walking towards her dressing table. She picked up the bookmark that Harry gave her during Halloween and handed it to Ginny. "Tell Harry that if he misses me, just look at the bookmark and think of me. And tell him that I love him."

Ginny took the bookmark and nodded.

That night, Hermione waited impatiently until midnight. Then after she made sure that the lights in her parents' bedroom were out for a few minutes, she opened her window.

Hermione looked down. Her bedroom was on the second floor, but if she was careful enough, she could make a safe landing.

Carefully, Hermione climbed out from the window, then down to the first floor.

Soon after she reached the ground, Hermione was silently congratulating herself when…

"Stupefy!" yelled a voice.

Hermione gasped in pain as someone had hit her with a spell behind her. Hermione fell and hit the floor.

All she could see were her parents and Malfoy, looking down at her from above.

"So you think you can sneak out at night and go to Potter?" asked Malfoy and he sneered. "Fat chance." he turned to Hermione's parents. "See what happened when you don't watch over your daughter 24/7?"

"I'm sorry, Darling, but we have no choice." said her father as he lowered his wand.

Hermione stared at her father in disbelief before she passed out.

Over at Harry's, the situation was terrible. Harry's condition had improved slightly when he heard that Hermione was coming over, but it's already 1am and she didn't come. Seeing that Hermione didn't arrive, Harry's illness went worse than before. His face was pale and thin. He clutched Hermione's bookmark against his chest as he breathed shallowly.

Ginny went in and out of the Potters' front door, keeping a look out for Hermione, but she didn't see anyone.

The rest of Harry's friends were in his room, watching as Cedric examined Harry's pulse. Finally he shook his head and sighed.

He got up and turned to Harry's parents. "I afraid there's nothing more I could do, I'm sorry."

Just then, Ginny ran up to the room.

"Is she here yet?" asked Neville anxiously.

Ginny shook her head desperately. "I don't know what's keeping her…"

"Harry," said Ron, rushing to his friend and clutching his hand. "Just hang in there, Hermione will be here soon, I know she will!"

"Hermione loves you, Harry." said Neville sincerely. "You are ten, no, hundred times better than Malfoy. I believe that she will come soon."

"We will go over to her house and bring her over now if you want…" said Ron seriously and his friends nodded.

"We don't care what her parents will do, just as long as Hermione could come over." said Fred.

Harry smiled at his friends weakly. "You guys are the best… Thank you for trying to bring Hermione to me..."

"That's what friends are for, pal." said George, grinning.

Harry closed his eyes.

Ron felt Harry's hand slipping away from his grasp and he watched helplessly as it fell back limply to Harry's chest.

No one had said a word. They understood what had happened perfectly.

Harry James Potter had passed away.