Disclaimer: I don't own it, although I wish I did. Unfortuantly I just twist the plot to make it suit me.

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Chapter Forty: Only the Beginning.

Harry was sitting in a chair next to Hope, asleep, when Severus and Draco returned a couple of hours later. He was curled up, with one hand holding hers, and the other hanging over the side of the chair. Draco laughed, and Severus himself couldn't help but grin.

Severus took out his wand and conjured two more chairs, as well as a plate of food before waking the boy up. "You need to eat something. Hope wouldn't want you to neglect yourself. Plus, I don't want to hear a lecture as the first words out of her mouth."

Harry laughed, pulled the tray toward himself, and began eating. Afterwards, he started talking with Draco.

"Do you think she'll wake up?"

"Of course she will, mate. She's a fighter. Look at what she's been through."

"Draco, she'd lost it right before. I had to carry her out at first because she was so distraught." They knew exactly how to hurt her."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Remember that place she was at this summer?" Draco nodded. "That's where we were. I had never seen her cell, so I had no clue. But that's what Lucius and Seamus said. It was the same exact cell. She kind of withdrew and lost it."

Severus turned toward the boys. "Did she come out of it?"

Harry sighed. "I really don't know. She started running with me, but then we were pulled away from each other. She came back all bruised and stuff, and then was thrown into the lake. I don't think she really ever dealt with being there."

Severus nodded, tucking that bit of information away for later. "She didn't. She never wanted to talk about it, and there was always something else going on, so I didn't push. I see now that I should have."

"She used to be afraid of sleeping because of nightmares. I don't know what happened with that," Harry muttered.

All three sat quietly before Draco broke the silence. "Well, I guess that gives us something to work on this summer. Other than figuring out how to kill that git."

Everyone laughed, and the mood was lifted for a minute before turning solemn again. "Yes, we just have to hope that she wakes up."

"Giving up on me already?" Hopes quiet voice came from the bed.

"Hope!!" All three exclaimed, immediately getting up. "You're awake."

"Duh. You think I'd sleep forever? I know I need my beauty sleep, but dang, Harry. How ugly can a person be?"

Harry laughed before kissing her gently. "You're not ugly, you're gorgeous."

Hope smiled before turning serious. "Did you get him?"

"Who?"

"Santa Claus, duh. Voldemort!"

"No, I was more concerned with getting you out of the lake," he said with a glare.

"Well, you should have been more focused with killing him."

Harry sighed, ignoring the comment. "Why does that upset you so much?"

"Because, I want him gone. It's too late now, we lost our chance."

All three looked at each other. "Hope, we have you, we have Harry. We've not lost our chance. This is far from being over. How could you even think that?"

"Maybe because he always finds a way around our defenses. He always gets close. We're not going to survive on luck much longer."

"But Hope! This time it wasn't luck. This time it was training. The training taught me how to take down the wards and that's how we made it out."

"What happens next time then Harry? He'll have stronger wards. He knows that we can do that. It's over. We're screwed."

"It's so far from over Hope. We ARE going to beat him. We're going to come up with a way as soon as you get better. You just can't think it's over."

Hope thought about it for a bit. Then she agreed. "It's not really over. We just have to be prepared for the next time. We're not going to be so lucky in the future. The next time, lives are going to be lost. The war's only beginning."

Everyone turned and looked out the window. Finally Draco spoke. "She's right. It's only the beginning."

Everyone nodded and began slowly shifted subjects. They had at least the summer to prepare at Snape Manor, so fighting could wait till later, after everyone was out of the hospital.

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A/N: I'm so sad!!!!!! This is the last chapter of Never Lose Hope. But on Friday, the very first chapter of Surviving Without Hope will be published. How will Hope cope with all those memories that she pushed back instead of dealing with? Will Harry and Hope's relationship continue? Will Hope's new family stay strong in their relationship, or spread apart because of the war? Who's going to die, and who's going to win the war? It's going to be full of surprises and twists, so come join in on the fun. Email or review me any ideas you have! I'll try to put everyone's idea in.

Kayla