When the end comes, she is prepared for it. The final battle has begun and she is ready. "Tomorrow will be a new day, the dawn of freedom," she tells everyone, before they all separate to fight. They will make it, she tells herself. She will see to it. In the chaos of the battle, she sees flashes of green, each one carrying the death of someone; friend or foe, she doesn't know. She hopes it is not her friends. She does not expect herself to survive, but she is praying the others would.
She is battling a nameless death eater when she sees a flash of red in the corner of her eyes. In a moment of recklessness, she takes her eyes off her opponent and turns away to see Fred and Percy battling the minister of magic. Pius Thicknesse, she reminds herself, before she feels hot searing pain in her chest. Struggling to breathe, she turns around to find the death eater she has been battling. He is about to utter the killing curse before she beats him to it. She feels a shadow of regret before she ruthlessly shoves it down and runs towards Fred and Percy. Fred is laughing, but all she sees is the wall behind him come unhinged, crashing down on him. She doesn't hesitate; she sprints towards Fred and pushes him away. He is the last face she sees before she is engulfed in the darkness. This is it, she thinks. Her only regret is that she hasn't seen them win, hasn't seen the smile of victory on Harry's face. She hasn't said goodbye to Ginny, but she knows Ginny will understand. They had shared a brief hug before the battle and she knows Ginny will understand what she had not said in words. Ginny is like that, she knows. This is it, she thinks once again, and in the in the distance, she hears someone screaming before she is no more.
When she sees Hermione's body laid out in the Great Hall, all she wants to do is scream. They have won but she doesn't feel victorious at all. She just wants to curl up beside Hermione's body, (dead body, she reminds herself painfully) and never let her go. Harry is beside her, his solid body the only thing holding her upright. He is screaming. He is on the verge of falling on his knees, she knows, but he is being strong for her. He doesn't have to be strong, she wants to tell him, but she can't utter a word. She wants to scream but all sounds have escaped her. Her whole body is shaking. She is crying, she thinks. She is unsteady on her feet, yet she walks forward. Harry follows her, only a step behind, with his arms still around her. The twins and Percy are by Hermione's side, and Fred is cradling her corpse. He is staring at her body like he has never seen her before. He hasn't, she reminds herself, always too wrapped up in Angelina to see her in the way she deserves. Deserved, she corrects herself with a silent sob. Thinking about her in the past tense makes this all too real. Faintly, she hears a scream from somewhere behind her and she knows that Ron is here. She shrugs Harry's arms off and falls on her knees, right beside George. There are tear tracks on George's cheeks, but she pays them no mind. Instead, she stares at Hermione's face. There is dried blood that had at one point trickled down her face but she looks peaceful. There is a ghost of a smile on her lips and it makes Ginny want to fall apart. Yet, she holds herself together, barely, and asks Fred hoarsely, "How?" Fred doesn't answer (he is still staring at Hermione) but Percy does. "The walls were falling on Fred," he says with only a shadow of grief in his voice (He didn't know her too well, she remembers), "and she pushed him out of the way." He stops and looks at Fred for a moment (Fred doesn't even give a glimpse of a reaction to show that he has heard anything) and continues, "She took the fall for him."
She looks behind her for a moment and sees Harry and Ron embracing. This isn't right, she thinks, they were the golden trio. Hermione should be right there with them. The golden trio has just become a duo and it feels wrong to her. She sees the rest of her family filtering into the Hall. All alive, she notes, before she turns back to the corpse of the girl who has (had, she reminds herself again) become her sister for all intents and purposes. She hears her mother say, "Our family's survived," from somewhere behind her and she hates her for a moment before remembering that she doesn't know. It'll break her heart, she thinks, but she still says, "No, it hasn't." She almost doesn't recognize her own voice, she sounds like a stranger to her own ears. She hears her mother gasp and then she hears Angelina asking her what she means. She doesn't want to talk to Angelina. She doesn't hate her, she knows, but she doesn't want to talk to her. She takes Hermione's body from Fred's arms and gently cradles her. Fred is still staring at Hermione's face. He is too far gone, she thinks for a moment, before her attention turns back to the girl in her arms. She gently places a kiss on Hermione's forehead and feels her tears finally making their way down her cheeks.
"Goodbye," she whispers, "Goodbye, old friend."
Dear Ginny,
If you're reading this letter then it means either of these two things. A, you've been snooping around my things again and found this letter (if that is the case, then I strongly suggest you stop reading it further and place it back where it was before) and B, I've finally gone and gotten myself killed. I am so sorry, love, if that is the case. I am so sorry for leaving you and everyone else, but it was only expected. Death is inevitable. My time just came sooner than later. It's okay. I've accepted it. You should too. I know you, Ginny. I know you'll be angry with yourself, even though I know it was my choice. Mourn me, Ginny, but let me go. Mourn me but please move on with your life. And take care of Harry and Ron for me, will you? Merlin only knows what troubles they'll get themselves into. They will need you, Ginny. Please be strong for them. And don't let them put their lives on hold mourning me. I know I sound arrogant, but I know my boys. The idiots will actually try to do something stupid without me being there to pull them back by their ears. So yes, take care of them. And take care of Fred. Make sure that he's happy and always smiling. The world will be a much darker place without him lighting it up with his laughter. I fell in love with his laughter, so promise me that you will do your best to never let him lose it. And one last thing, Ginny. Please take care of yourself. People may think that only Harry and Ron were my best friends, but they are wrong. You have been my best friend as much as they have. You have been my sister, and I will always love you, even in death. So promise me that you will look after yourself. You deserve only the best, always remember that. And remember that I will watch over you all from wherever I am. Goodbye, old friend. Live a wonderful and happy life.
All my love,
Hermione.
"When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too"
~ Avril Lavigne