Hermione watched the figure in Hagrid's arms, her gaze not moving from the messy, black hair on the person's head. She blinked back tears, looking away from those emerald eyes that would never open again and into the intense, red-eyed stare his killer was fixing her with. Hatred, loathing, coursed through her veins as she returned his glare, her hand moving towards her wand. She might have lost her love, but she had not lost her nerve.

"You!" shrieked Hermione, breaking out of George's grip and in front of McGonagall, who grabbed the back of her jacket. Voldemort laughed cruelly, his eyes flickering over her body. Bellatrix cackled - normally this would have reminded her of Malfoy Manor, but she refused to acknowledge the crazy woman's taunting - and waved her wand. Ropes sprang out of them but Hermione just walked forward, her gaze set on Voldemort. His followers began cursing her, every hex, spell, or curse imaginable spouting from their disgusting lips. But the Brightest Witch of Her Age just deflected them all, not even bothering to move her gaze from the red-eyed stare of her boyfriend's killer. "You killed him." She growled it out. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. A statement that seemed to frighten even her own side.

Voldemort smiled twistedly, his wand in hand as he coldly stared at the petite witch in front of him. "I did? Oh, yes, I did." Hermione growled, her hand shaking as she pointed her wand between his eyes. "And what are you going to do about it, Mudblood?"

It was Hermione who laughed this time. "You couldn't have thought up a better insult? Mudblood? I got over that the night that word was carved into my forearm. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself, you know. I used to hate that word, even fear the mention of it, but now that's all it is - a word. And soon that's all your name will be. Voldemort will only be a word, a thing of the past. No longer feared. Because when you killed Harry," she swallowed, her eyes not moving from his, "you killed a part of yourself. You made seven Horcruxes, Tom! Seven, not six!" The majority of the crowd behind her gasped collectively, but this didn't sway her determination, "That night in Godric's Hollow, a piece of your soul drifted from what was left! And it nestled itself in the only living thing in the room... Harry Potter was a Horcrux you unknowingly made. And now you're a mortal man, Voldemort, we can kill you just as easily as you could us. We are equals."

"We are not equals!" squealed Bellatrix, her wand trained on the back of Hermione's head. "You are Mudblood scum! We are pure of blood!"

Hermione laughed. It was a cold, empty sound. "No you're not, are you, Tom? There is one thing you seem to have forgotten. You're a half-blood yourself! You walk around like you're better than everyone else, putting up the masquerade until you seem to think you are what others believe you are. Your mother was a Gaunt, yes, but did you know your father was a muggle?"

She heard the shocked gasps of his followers, the indignant yell from Bellatrix, the collective outraged roars from the Light. But she didn't care, just ploughed on. "Did you know that every life you have taken might have led others to believe you were powerful? You're not powerful, you just continue to hide behind others while your reputation precedes you! You don't deserve the title you have! You are not the darkest wizard the world has ever seen!" She felt the tears come sliding relentlessly down her cheeks and the anger radiate from the supposed Dark Lord, but she didn't care whether she lived or died. Hermione had loved him, but now he was gone. That was all that mattered.

"Did you care that every life you have taken has slowly ripped your soul to pieces? Did you care that every innocent man, woman, and child you have mercilessly slaughtered might have been a better person than you have ever been? Di you care at all? No, you didn't!" she was screaming now and her voice was raw, but nothing mattered more than ending the reign of terror the Dark Lord had brought along. "But guess what? I don't care either! I don't care whether I live or die now! All that matters to me more than forcing you down on your knees and watching the light leave your eyes! Because that's what you have done to so many others! Fred! Remus! Tonks! Colin Creevey! Lily and James Potter! You deserve it because of what you have done! What about Lily and James Potter, the young, powerful people who were more human than you've ever been? The young life that belonged to Colin Creevey, a small boy who stood up for what he believed in and died a too early death! Tonks! She was a woman who wasn't afraid to be who she was! She was a woman who never backed down from a fight, who knew what was wrong and what was right! She was a beautiful, loving woman who never deserved to die! And Remus! A loving, tender man who held his ground even after his wife was killed in front of him! Who was left to face the unknown alone when his best friends were innocently convicted, was killed, or betrayed him! Who went through hell every month because he was only half-human! But he was more a man that you are! He didn't deserve any of this! Fred!" she shrieked, marching forward to slap Rookwood around the face. "He was so alive, so full of laughter and love and music! He was someone who knew what he felt and how to express it! So caring and kind and beautiful... None of those people deserved to die... Harry didn't deserve to die... You do!"

And then George and Percy were on either side of her, Ron flanking her from behind. McGonagall, Neville, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team stood a little way off, glaring the Death Eaters down. "And now you have reached your end," growled George, menacing closer to Voldemort. "For Fred!"

"For Remus and Tonks!" shrieked Angelina Johnson, firing a curse that sent Bellatrix flying into the same wall that had killed Fred.

"For Colin!" shouted Dennis Creevey, striking Dolohov as he attempted to run. He slumped to the ground, dead.

Ron was the next to speak up, shouting, "For Lily and James Potter!" He let off a curse that hit Voldemort between the eyes, watching the Dark Lord writhe in pain on the ground.

"You have met your end," repeated Hermione, turning her wand on Voldemort. The Dark Lord stopped writhing, his eyes still scrunched up against the pain, and suddenly, as if it happened so easily, collapsed, his body slumping. His hate-filled eyes were empty, devoid of all emotion. Cheers erupted from every corner of the battlefield, screams of outrage bending them from the centre.

But Hermione didn't care. She rushed over to Hagrid, pulling the man out of his arms and into hers. Hermione fell back on her haunches, cradling him in her arms. The tears fell freely down her cheeks, her hands running through the messy black hair of her beloved. "I'm sorry, Harry," she sobbed, holding him close. "I am so, so sorry. I wish I could have done something... anything..."

A cackle of laughter brought her eyes to a familiar, mad face. But she swallowed the curse from her throat, letting the bright green light fill her vision.

And then the world went black around her.

She opened her eyes, blinking away the bright light that had replaced the green one. Instead of coming face-to-face with Bellatrix Lestrange, however, she was looking into a pair of familiar bright emerald eyes. "Harry," she breathed, sitting up so quickly it could have been magic. She threw her arms around his neck, feeling the tears fall from her eyes. "Am I dead, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed, running a hand through her hair and meeting her amber eyes with his bright green ones. "We're dead. But I have you again... I was so worried something would happen to you."

Hermione placed her lips on his, cutting him off as she wound her hands through his hair. He responded immediately, his hands moving to her waist to hold her to his chest tightly, his eyes closing as he cupped her cheek with one hand. "I love you," she breathed against his lips, sending a shiver through Harry's throat.

He laughed, pulling back and meeting her eyes. "I love you, too." He swallowed, and both stayed there for a moment, not breaking their connection as they looked into each other's eyes. "There are a few people I want you to meet, My Own. Mum and Dad, Sirius and Eve, Remus and Tonks... they're all here."

"You want me to meet your parents?" she gasped, blinking dazedly up at him. Then Hermione laughed. "I thought I'd never see the day when I walked up to you and you told me you wanted me to meet your dead parents, Harry - I thought it'd be you meeting mine first!" Harry laughed, nodding. "Do you think they'll like me?" she continued anxiously.

Harry grinned, caressing her cheek. "They'll love you, love. I do."

"Feeling the love, Harry," said Hermione, giving him a peck on the cheek and standing, pulling him up from his seat. "Now - where are they and how do I say hello?"

Her boyfriend patted her head, "You walk up to them, say hello and introduce yourself as my girlfriend." He spoke as though he was teaching a five-year-old child, and she whacked him upside the head. "Are you sure you're OK with it, My Own?"

"Let's do this," hissed Hermione. She paused, "And there's one thing I'd like you to do." Harry nodded, looking grave. "Talk me out of it." He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her out of the room.

They travelled down the hallway - the journey was far too quick in Hermione's opinion - and through the door on the left. In the room were a group of people, laughing loudly with each other. Hermione recognised Tonks immediately - her bright pink hair wasn't easy to miss as she talked with a sandy-haired twenty-year-old - and made a beeline for her.

"Tonks!" she squealed, tackling the older witch and flattening them both against the sofa. Tonks squealed and hugged her tightly, her hair turning a bubblegum blue as she embraced the younger witch.

Tonks frowned at her. "Hermione Jean Granger, why the hell are you even here?" she asked incredulously. Hermione fidgeted, her eyes locking with Harry's. He was shaking with silent laughter as Tonks glared at the younger witch. "You are in so much trouble, missy," Tonks tapped her nose and the Brightest Witch of her age protested, whacking the finger away.

The sandy-haired man grinned wolfishly at Hermione, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Hello, Hermione," said Remus, squeezing her. Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You evil, evil man!" she shrieked, tackling him in a hug. "You left your son, you git!" She was laughing now, messing up his hair. "Why did you die?" she whinged, plopping back on her haunches.

Merry laughter filled the room as a redheaded woman with emerald eyes beamed at Hermione, offering her hand. "Lily Potter," she said, smiling.

Hermione froze, looking up at the familiar eyes with slight hesitance. "Hermione Granger," she replied, taking the hand and shaking it slowly. Suddenly she burst out laughing, clutching her sides as she giggled. "I - I'm sorry! I j-just never thought I-I'd be introducing m-myself to y-you!" She shrieked with laughter, coughing harder and harder as she rolled on the ground. And then she stopped, looking up at the confused woman. "Sorry," breathed Hermione, standing up and swallowing her hiccups. "That was just so - so weird! I never really thought about introducing myself to Harry's parents because - because, well, you died."

Harry put his hands on her shoulders, standing behind her and resting her chin on her brown curls. "Neither did I," he said, grinning at his mother.

And then a black-haired man that looked exactly like Harry was behind Lily, putting himself mockingly in the same position. "James Potter," he grinned at her as Hermione gawked at him.

"But - but... you look just like him!" she shouted, her eyes swivelling between them. She backed out of Harry's grip, and then she was sitting in someone's lap.

"Hey, Granger," Sirius ruffled her hair, looking considerably less gaunt than when she had last seen him. He was smiling at her happily as she blinked at him. And then she squealed and tackled him in a hug.

Hermione slapped him. "That was very stupid, Sirius Black," she said stubbornly. "Very stupid, indeed."

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't stupid." said Harry, grinning as he flopped beside them and pulled Hermione into his lap. "Like family."

Lily and James perched themselves on the coffee table as Remus and Tonks sat on the floor by their feet. "Family," breathed Hermione, smiling shakily around at everyone. "I like it."

"Family," repeated the room at large, grinning at each other.