I know the last chapter seemed like a bit of a jump (ha-ha, just got a review confirming that :P) but I honestly couldn't think what to write, so I came out with the Voldemort part. Yes, well, that is all… :D

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter or anything from the magical world. However, I own the plot of this story!

Chapter Eighteen

Everyone stood stock still, staring at the figure emerging from the forest. Hermione took a step forward and Ron grabbed her shoulder to stop her. She shrugged him off.

"Hermione…" Ron warned. She ignored him and quickened her pace as the person at the edge of the forest came into focus. She stopped in front of him and he smiled.

"Hello," he whispered, not making any attempt to pull her into a hug or anything of the sort.

"H-how are you here? I-I thought…"

"He's gone, I can feel it. I'm finally free…" Hermione thought this whole thing must be a dream and was tempted to pinch herself, just to make sure.

"Hermione, I am so sorry. I should never have made you do that. I-it was selfish-"

"I don't understand how you're here." He smiled and looked down at his hand. Hermione looked too and her eyes grew wide as he opened them to reveal their love bracelets.

"I love you, you know," Harry whispered. Hermione looked up to find him smiling at her. She smiled back.

"I love you, too. More than anything in the whole wide world." He grinned and pulled her into a kiss.

"I thought you were gone-"

"I'd never leave you-"

"I watched you die-"

"I'm not going anywhere without you," Harry breathed against her lips, before resting his forehead against hers.

"I told you always and forever," he said. "And I meant it."

----

Exact details of the event are unclear, but the Ministry is doing all it can to find out what happened –

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Ron said, twirling his spoon round with every 'yadda'. Hermione glared at him.

"What?" he asked, innocently. "We all know what happened." Hermione shook her head and continued to read in silence. The three of them were covered in bandages. Hermione had one round her head and her broken wrist and plasters trailed all the way up her arm. Ron had a scar running all the way down his cheek and his left arm was in a cast. Harry had broken his ankle, which he hadn't been aware of and had another bandage round his arm. Harry looked around the Hall. All in all, they hadn't lost that many people. Draco Malfoy had died, along with his father. Terrible shame that…Then there was Mad Eye Moody, but I suppose, everyone saw that coming. Then there were seven more wizards that Harry didn't know and a whole bunch of them in St. Mungos in life threatening situations. Everyone from the DA was still with them and none of the teachers had died. Harry decided that it was a good outcome. Apart from the fact that he had told Hermione to kill him. He still couldn't believe he had done that.

Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence and everyone stopped to look at him. The Great Hall was a lot more packed than usual as parents and a few relatives had been invited down for the speech. Harry didn't really know what speech this was meant to be, but it didn't bother him.

"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming at such short notice. Secondly, I would like to thank any ministry members here who helped in the downfall of Voldemort. Thirdly, I would like to thank all members of the DA for their input in the fight against Voldemort. You all fought very bravely. Lastly, I would like to thank, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and of course Harry Potter, who we all know, played the biggest part in the downfall of Voldemort. I wonder if the three of you would be so kind as to say a few words?" Dumbledore offered. Harry felt himself go bright red as everyone turned to look at them, but dragged Hermione and Ron up anyway to the front of the Hall.

"Err…I don't know what to say really…" Harry confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. He saw Mrs. Weasley smile at him and nodded, smiling himself.

"No," he corrected. "I know exactly what to say. First of all, I have to add my thanks to Professor Dumbledore's, to everyone who helped me along the way. To everyone who's been my friend since our first year here. Especially to the Weasley's, who've always stuck by me. I don't know where I'd be without you lot. And of course Ron" – he turned to his best friend – "I know everyone says you have the emotional range of a tea-spoon (everyone laughed) but we all know it's not true really. You care as much as we all do. Thanks." Harry held out his hand and Ron took it, grinning from ear to ear. Harry turned to face Hermione. "And Hermione. Me and Ron would have got ourselves killed by now if it wasn't for you. We all know that the two of us are bloody hopeless and that you have to help us do everything, Ron more so (everyone laughed again, even Ron) and I…well, both of us are really grateful." Harry looked out at the audience of people staring at him.

"I was going to wait 'til later to do this, but now is as good a time as any," he said, turning back to face her. Pulling a box out of his pocket he smiled.

"I'd kneel down if I could, but the amount of pain I'm in right now, I don't think I'd be able to get back up. Hope you don't mind… Anyway, getting to the point." He took a deep breath.

"Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?" Every single person in the Great Hall gasped and Hermione's face broke into a smile. She threw her arms around his neck.

"I'll take that as a yes," Harry laughed, twirling her round as best he could. Almost everyone in the audience cheered and Hermione finally let him go long enough for him to put the ring on her finger. Dumbledore held up his hands for silence.

"Thank you, Harry, and congratulations to both of you. I believe that the two of you will be wanting these back?" he asked, holding out the two love bracelets (he fixed them) to Harry, who took them gratefully.

"Hermione Granger, being the smartest witch of her age, has also figured out a spell to re-awaken the dead," Dumbledore said, smiling. "The power of love…"

----

"I still don't understand," Ron moaned, throwing himself backwards on the picnic rug.

"Why not?" Harry huffed.

"Because…you can't just…just come back from the dead-"

"Well I did, so get over it-"

"Oh give it a rest. He's here, that's all that matters. For Merlin's sake!" Ginny interrupted. Ron held up his hands in defeat and Harry smiled. The three of them, along with Hermione, her parents, Lilly and the Weasley's were sitting on the Hogwarts Grounds, enjoying the sun. Hermione was sitting in between Harry's legs as he rested on the old oak tree.

"So, Hermione, what colour's your wedding dress going to be?" Lilly asked, smiling.

"Err…I have no idea…"

"Should be white," Ginny said.

"No, I think it should be pink," Lilly interjected.

"Well you would," Hermione added, raising an eyebrow. Lilly rolled her eyes and Ron burst out laughing. Everyone looked at him.

"It runs in the family." He stopped suddenly. "I never did get to find out if you were ticklish." Lilly didn't have time to react before Ron had her pinned to the ground and was tickling her.

"Don't!" Lilly begged, trying to roll away. "Stop! Stop!" Ron smiled and stopped tickling her, but by no means did he let her go. Harry couldn't believe it. He expected that after defeating Voldemort, he would be depressed for months to come, but it had been three days, and he was enjoying his life, properly for the first time since he was born. He knew it was because of Hermione and Ron being there for him and he smiled.

"Just think, we'll all be related soon!" George laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Hermione asked. "How did you work that one out?"

"Well, when these two finally get their act together" – he pointed at Ron and Lilly "and start dating-"

"-Ron can propose-"

"-Lilly can say yes-"

"-and we can all be one big happy family!" Harry laughed as Ron and Lilly both turned red.

"You have to come with me later, I need to apologise to you properly," Harry whispered in Hermione's ear while everyone was preoccupied with Ron and Lilly. Hermione nodded and Harry pulled her closer.

----

"Harry, where on earth are we going?" Hermione asked for the umpteenth time.

"You'll see. Just be patient woman!" Harry joked, looking down at the directions he'd been given and then back up at the path. Hermione, noting that he'd stopped, followed suit. Harry smiled, although Hermione could see it was forced and he nodded towards a gate, leading into an alleyway.

"Shall we?" he asked. Hermione frowned before walking towards the gate and pushing it open. They walked down the alleyway, followed the road they came out onto for about ten minutes, turned a corner went on for another ten minutes on a completely deserted patch of grass, turned one last corner and stopped. Harry looked at the cottage in front of him and smiled. Hermione gasped.

"Are we were I think we are?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Harry replied, pulling a key out of his pocket and walking up to the front door. Hermione rushed after him and stopped him just as he was about to put his key into the keyhole.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" she asked.

"I'm positive. I need to get over it sooner or later," Harry replied, simply. He took a deep breath, turned the key and let the door swing open. He couldn't believe how tidy everything was. There wasn't a single thing out of place. The walls were lined with pictures and Harry licked his lips before stepping through the door, up to the first set of pictures.

Those ones were school pictures. Apparently, Hogwarts used to take year photos. Harry found his parents instantly, near the front, not even looking at each other and guessed that, that must have been their first year. They didn't really seem to show their affection for the other until about their sixth year, where they stood next to each other in the fifth row from the bottom. Then, in their seventh year, James had his arms around Lilly and both of them were beaming. Harry also recognised Sirius, Remus and Peter from the picture and smiled. Everyone in the picture was waving.

The next set of pictures, Harry guessed, were from after Hogwarts. There were a few of them just messing around and then the next couple were of their wedding and then they moved onto their honeymoon. Harry smiled again as he came to a picture of his dad twirling his mum around in her wedding dress. The next picture he saw made him stop and only when Hermione took his hand in hers did he look at it again. It must have been the most recent picture of them as they were holding a small child. Him.

"I can't believe that this was my parents," Harry said, spinning round to look into the living room. "It's just so…perfect." Hermione smiled and watched as Harry explored the living room, then the spare room and the kitchen and bathroom and finally stopped outside the last room, which he knew must have been his parents.

"You…you don't have to do this right now you know," Hermione told him. Harry looked up.

"Yes I do…" Closing his eyes, he turned the handle of the door and let it swing open. He stood at the doorway, looking around for a moment and then stepped in. Hermione stayed by the door as he looked around the room. He ran his hands along the cot and then leant on the bar smiling.

"Funny to think I was this small once," he said. Hermione smiled and he looked round at her. "Why are you standing there?"

"Giving you a moment alone." He held out his arms to her and she gladly stepped into his embrace. Harry rested his cheek on her head and closed his eyes.

"I'm really sorry, for everything," Harry whispered. Hermione pulled back enough to look at him.

"I've forgiven you already."

"I know, but to make it up to you," Harry said, pulling a box out of his pocket and handing it to Hermione. She gave him a confused look but opened the box anyway. Her head snapped round to look at him.

"Well?" he asked. "Fancy living in here with me?" Hermione took the key out of the box, kissed him and put it in her pocket.

"I would like nothing more."

"Good."