Hermione's POV

Would I ever stop crying? Perhaps not. I had been a fool to hope there would be no more losses of those I held dearest to my heart― of course I hadn't wanted anyone to lose their life or a loved one ―I had prayed for hours on end that I would not feel the cold and eternal numbness death left in its wake. Yet there I was, sat on the steps of the remains of the Grand Staircase with Ron, my Ron, resting his head on my lap and crying. Tears pooled into my eyes and spilled down my bruised and dirt-coated cheeks as my chest ached, lungs burned and the realization so many of my friends were now dead hanging over my heart like a black shroud.

I ran one hand through Ronald's dust covered locks and rubbed his back in slow, soothing circles with my other. After his mother had finally released him, I'd thrown myself at him and collapsed to his side. He had clung to me like I was all he had left in this world, all that was good on the Earth and it killed me that although I was there for him, it still wasn't enough. It would not be enough.

Fred was gone. Dead.

And there was only more death to come. We'd soon discovered the bodies of Remus and Tonks, lying side by side with their clothes torn and blood-stained, faces dirtied and bruised, their eyes empty and their chests still. My knees had given up on me once again at that point and it was as if the world had given up. The sun would never again shine, birds would no longer sing, I would never hear the lullaby of music that was Ronald's sweet laughter.

Instead, it was as if his cries had been branded into my memory, bouncing around my skull.

A torment I would have to endure.

To make things worse, Harry had vanished. It was only when Ron and I had regained the function of our legs and rose that we realized Harry hadn't spoken and then realized he was no longer in the room. We'd instantly began searching for him, shouting his name as we searched the courtyard and the bridge leading towards the dark forests but the Aurors and members of the Order stood on watch there had declared Harry hadn't gone by them. He hadn't handed himself over to Voldemort but I knew Harry, I knew that it was only a matter of time.

All we could do was wait for him to make that decision and try to stop him before it was too late.

Stop him, or go with him. I thought.

In that moment I thought of my parents and how for the first time I was thankful to be an only child. Magic had heritable traits and although it was uncommon for there to be Muggle-Born siblings, it was far from impossible. If I'd had a sibling, there was a chance that sibling would have been a witch or wizard like I and that sibling and their life would have been caught up in this horrible war. I couldn't imagine doing what the Weasley family would have to do after all this was over. Bury their brother, their son. Never had I been more thrilled to be Muggle-Born.

My parents (my completely ordinary and loving parents) were safe at home. I wondered if I would ever see them again. It would be an amazing thing, to survive this war and return to them. To show up on their doorstep with an explanation. That they in fact have a daughter and she is a Witch. That she took their memories so she could go off and help her friends, to fight in the war against a very dark and very powerful man, so her parents would not come looking for her if she never returned home. That she'd survived the war and was home.

It brought a smile to my face, a smile that suddenly felt wrong. Out of place. My friends were dead and I had smiled? I couldn't do it again. I wouldn't. Not until all of this was over, not until Voldemort was dead and the world were safe.

A few moments had passed and we kept still, holding one another with our heads resting together. Things were nice for a second before I heard the sound of a stone being kicked from above. I glanced around and there he was. Harry. He stood at the landing above us, dressed in his dirt-coated clothes, blood stained skin and cold and hurt eyes. His hair was a mess, his smile fake and all I wanted was nothing more than to hold him close.

Ron realized I had looked away and he caught what I was looking at. Harry made his way slowly towards us.

"Where've you been?" I demanded, rising to my feet.

"We thought you'd gone to the forest." Ron added as Harry stepped by our side. He looked so small.

"I'm going there now," Harry refused to meet our eyes as he stepped between us and started walking further towards the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

"Are you made?" Ron gasped, "No!" Harry just kept walking. "You can't give yourself up to him." As we begun to follow he stopped at the top of the next set of stairs. There was something different about him, his aura. Something in his tear filled eyes, which hinted to something.

"What is it, Harry?" I asked. He knew I knew, Harry always knew. "What is it you know?"

Harry turned to face us, "There's a reason I can hear them, the Horcruxes. I think I've known for a while. I think you have too."

Tears then pooled in my eyes. He'd figured it out. I had theorized before, the moment I counted the similarities between Harry and Voldermort. I'd read about it in a book some time ago and realized that it may have been the same case here. I could tell by the look on Ron's face he hadn't a clue what Harry meant. I didn't blame him, it was an outrageous theory but it just so happened to be true. Harry is a Horcrux. "I'll go with you!"

"No. Kill the snake. Kill the snake and then it's just him." Harry said. I found my knees wobbling, my heart pounding against my chest with panic. I didn't want him to go! I threw myself at him and he barely had time to open his arms before I wrapped myself around him. He smelt, like always, of dirt and boy and the ocean, for some insane reason. I could feel the rough texture of his torn jacket beneath my finger-tips, feel the jab of his cracked glasses against my cheek. I knew I could refuse to let him go, that Ron and I could carry him off, kicking and screaming, away from the castle but it would all be pointless. Harry had made up his mind.

Harry pulled back, nodded one more time to Ronald and I before leaving us watching him as he walked to his death

FanWriter's Note:

Next chapter is here. Not a long one but we're getting closer to the end of the story now. Hope you enjoyed.

Responding to your reviews:

Heronlove: Thank you. I know, I wanted to save her hero also but realized that this way it we get to see more of the innocents that died in the battle. Not everyone can be saved.

~FanWriter Asher~