A/N: I got both amused and teary writing this chapter. I know you're going to yell at me for it, but it had to happen... I'm sorry!

IMPORTANT! Tomorrow I'm going to be releasing a one-shot companion to this story – it's about Luna's life and how she got tangled up into this mess. So stay tuned for that! Also, if you haven't checked out my other new story "When a Stranger Calls" do that now. : ) Thank you! You people are awesome.

Also, thank you to: weirdgiraffe, semantics, xenaz3, Alexybath, whitestripes123, JRRTFrk (x6) and knut4yourthoughts. I wouldn't be able to go on without you guys.

Chapter 36: Anticlimactic

Hermione: 3 Years Later

In the end, everything always is anticlimactic in real life.

Sure, you have your exceptions. For example: Harry Potter killing Lord Voldemort after completely trumping the killing curse a second time – climactic? You bloody bet! And now he has a happy, bustling life with a wife who controls him. Anti-climactic.

Dumbledore? Killed by his closest confidant to save a blondie. Climactic. But, for us normal people, the world doesn't work like that. We have our drastic, hell bent, crazy moments – and then when it's time to do the stuff that actually matters, it seems you've fallen short of the standard.

And me? I'm exactly short of the standard, no matter what anyone else wants to think.

After all, no matter all that I had gone through, there were still critics out there thinking that I had fallen short of my brilliant potential. To those people I say screw you. I'm quite happy where I am, thank you very much.

I had a fulfilling job and a fulfilling family. My life had had its twists and turns, so naturally when it finally came down to the details of my happily ever after – it would be anticlimactic in comparison.

Yes. Hermione Malfoy now lived a quiet life writing complicated textbooks, papers, and research theories. Yes, I, Hermione Malfoy, am especially contented with my life.

At present, we had moved back to where it had all began for an indefinite amount of time. New York City in all its finery and glory, I love thee! The city had a life of its own. It breathed and sang, was grumpy and swore at you like your own spouse. I loved it.

Granted, I had come here to research for my new book, but that was all background information.

Life here was as great as it had been for me all those years ago. Except better if possible. How can life be better when you have a gorgeous man on your side, you ask? Well, now I didn't have to go to some ratty ministry job. And instead of slaving away stressfully at the office, I now had a job that was lovely and a child I adored.

Oh, and friends. I had real friends now. Zara was delighted that we weren't just here to visit, of course. But I had found an old friend in the hustle and bustle of the city.

Yes, folks. Luna Lovegood had come to town.

/

One evening, whilst walking home from the movies, we bumped into a very spindly looking blonde girl attached to an equally spindly looking blonde man. At first, I thought I was dreaming when Draco said hello and introduced me to the woman.

Could it really have been Luna Lovegood halfway around the world? After the war, she had completely disappeared and her father had continued to run his magazine as if he hadn't had a daughter at all to begin with. It had been a bit startling, but no one had questioned it. Many were aware that the Death Eaters had captured Luna, but very few knew that she had escaped. Almost everyone had assumed that she had died in the battle. Even I had. So seeing her here in the street was an enormous shock.

I'd stared at her shocked, surprised – after all, it isn't every day you find someone you fought a war with half way around the world.

No, Draco doesn't count.

I hadn't known how to say hello, still too shocked, but Draco, acting like the idiot he is just rambled on and on and on until I'd finally started paying attention to what he was saying.

"... she was my therapist, remember? Back when I –"

Ignoring him for the moment, I nearly bounded onto her like a madwoman and hugged the hell out of her. What can I say... I'm an affectionate human being. If I were a pokemon, my attack would be bear hugs. Literally. I will hug you to death and smother you with love.

Unless you're a stinky monster, then you're out of luck.

She enthusiastically hugged me back, of course. "Is it really you?" I'd asked her at that point. She'd just nodded. "Did you say she was your therapist? Why didn't you tell me before!" I asked Draco over my shoulder, my arm still around Luna.

Draco chuckled sheepishly. "Well...confidentiality! Besides, I hadn't known you two were close."

I shrugged and Luna had just smiled serenely. "The nargles must have gotten him," she said in that dreamy voice of hers.

After all these years I see her, and she just had to bring up her magical, fictional creatures as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Leave it to Luna Lovegood to bring an awkward pause in an otherwise delightful reunion of very old friends. But because I was just so happy to see her, I decided to ignore her insanity.

But the man that had been with her must have noticed our uncomfortable pause.

"What Luna is referring to," he said in a know-it-all voice that Harry said I possessed, "are the Memoriam mortiferis. Creatures that live in the southern part of New Guinea that have the uncanny ability to disorient their victim and give them temporary memory loss in order to devour them. The locals refer to these creatures as nargles." He stared lovingly down at Luna. "Though entirely impossible for them to be present here. Interesting fact, the first Memory Modifying Charm was created through observing these creatures in –"

"1145, by the Korowai wizarding tribe," I interrupted, smiling. "I didn't know the locals referred to them as nargles. That's really quite an interesting addition... I'm thinking you've read Magical Creatures and their Spellworking Properties?"

"Are you joking?" the man asked me, pushing the bridge of his glasses farther up his nose. "Hermione Granger is a genius! Have you read her works?"

Draco couldn't help it. He burst out into laughter. "I should hope so," he muttered snidely, grinning at Luna. She was smiling, but the poor man just looked blindly at us for a clue.

"I have read the books, yes," I eventually said kindly, smiling up at him.

"Am I missing something?" he asked, looking at the three of us, a bit put out I could tell, and extremely confused.

"Oh, nothing important," I assured him.

It took him the next three hours to figure out exactly who I was and when he finally did, a deep red blush was present on his cheeks for the rest of the night, much to the amusement of everyone else. But for me, well, I'd found an intellectual who was actually interested in the same things as I was. It was refreshing.

It took me exactly three weeks to figure out that Luna was married to the man and had a 7 year old son as well. Scorpius found a new play mate and I found another family to invite over on Sundays.

It all seems to happen for a reason in the end.

/

Things slowly became a regular pattern in my life. It was a sort of calm before the storm. I had Scopius to look after, his father to take care of, and a social life to keep up with. Not to mention the hours and hours of research I had to keep up with for my new book. It was fulfilling to the extent that each night, I'd fall asleep immediately, as soon as my head touched the pillow.

It was enough to take my mind off the fact that it was probably around the time I was supposed to die. That's alright though, I tell myself. But it's not really alright. I'm scared out of my bloody mind. Not that anyone else needs to know.

Riddle had slowly attempted to make the passing easier, but as he's an idiotic arsehole, that really didn't help me all that much.

Figures.

/

"It really isn't that bad, you know. You might get an eternity of spending time with me! You never know... You might get lucky."

I buried my head in my arms. "You're really not helping, Riddle!" I groaned at him. "Why are you still talking? Go away!"

"Since when do you not want me to talk? I'm Tom bloody Riddle! Everyone loves to hear me talk." When I looked up at him sceptically, I saw him grinning. So the git was just trying to amuse me, was he? I wasn't really in the mood for being amused.

"Who would want to hear you talk? You're a boring old geezer."

His mouth dropped open and he stared at me in shock. "I resent that! Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't have feelings, woman. I demand that you apologize, instantly!" I just shrugged and he managed to glare at me before stomping off.

"Oh, alright, I was only joking," I called after him. "No need to get your knickers in a bunch."

"That," he said, flicking my ear, "is not an apology." But he still came and sat down across from me at the table I was sitting at. "Why are you worried, anyhow? Death is but the next great adventure." There was such an air of forced wisdom in his voice that I was just forced to look up at him with a conflicted expression on my face. Was I meant to laugh or let him continue?

He made up my mind for me. "What, the Dark Lord can't be wise too?"

I laughed. "I know for a fact you stole that quote for Dumbledore." I just laughed harder at his horrified expression.

"Why do you have to be such a know-it-all?" he asked indignantly, with his arms crossed over his chest. He began to mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "Damned mudbloods and old faggoty coots..."

"I resent that," came a voice from somewhere behind us. "My sexual preferences should not characterize my intellect."

Turning around I found Professor Dumbledore smiling at us from a distance. I smiled back warmly. "Hello Professor. Care to join us?"

Riddle looked horrified at the prospect, but he couldn't make his escape quick enough. And so he was stuck with his biggest enemy beside him on a stone cold bench. I smiled at the pair. One exuded wisdom, the other knowledge. They weren't so different, really. They both had like minds. One was just more...pragmatic than the other.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation –"

"Bet you couldn't," Riddle added in, snidely. God he was such a child sometimes!

But Dumbledore just smiled politely, as if he was used to Riddle's abnormal behaviour. On second thought, he probably was used to it. Dumbledore patted Riddle's hand and continued. "Death is after all the next great adventure."

"What will it be like, Professor?" I asked him.

He looked at me strangely for a moment before Riddle stepped in and saved the awkward moment. So I suppose the man did have his purposes. "Cold," he offered. "Very very cold." Dumbledore chuckled but I didn't understand what was so funny. As if sensing my question, Riddle continued. "We wouldn't know what it is like to be dead because we are not truly dead ourselves."

Dumbledore sighed. "That is an unfortunate fact, indeed."

I looked at them both perplexed, searching one face and then the other. When they didn't offer up further explanation, I pouted. So they weren't going to make it easier for me, were they! "What do you mean? You both are..."

"Our physical manifestations have been destroyed, yes," Riddle said in an overly exasperated voice, as if I should already know all of this information. "But our souls are stuck here," he gestured to the general area around him. "In this world."

"But why?" I asked, still confused. "Why haven't you...gone beyond? What is beyond?"

Now Riddle was annoyed. "I couldn't tell you, I've never been."

Dumbledore clapped Riddle over the head and I was strongly reminded of Professor Snape taking part in a similar action during a study period in our fourth year. Ah, good times... "Patience, Master Riddle," he said in a sagely voice. I could almost detect a hint of sarcasm and couldn't help but grin.

"That's right, Master Riddle! Patience is a virtue," I couldn't help but add in. I suppose it wasn't fair ganging up on him, but someone needed to push him off his self made pedestal.

"Beyond is decidedly a gateway to a place that has no ties to this world. Some have not gone through the door because their purpose has not yet been completed," Dumbledore continued, this time with an edge of sadness in his voice. I had a strong suspicion he was speaking of himself and I truly felt bad for him. He had done enough for the world, hadn't he? He should have been able to move on. "But others," he stared pointedly at Riddle, "are simply not able to."

"How do you mean, Professor?"

"They are either not willing or their metaphysical manifestations are not capable, or too damaged, to pass through the gateways."

Riddle was staring off into space, seemingly ignoring our conversation. "Well, what can they do?" I asked, for his sake. I saw him twitch at the question.

"Ah, but that is the question. It depends largely on the person. Some simply need to feel deserving enough. Others need to be rebuilt through extremely painful remorse." He stood up, patted Riddle on the shoulder and shook my hand. "I must be going, children. There is a curious little boy that should not be awake at this hour."

And with that mysterious note he was gone.

I stared at Riddle questioningly, but he just shrugged as if to say "don't ask me, I don't know how his brain works". Sighing, I copied his earlier move, staring off into space before realizing I probably ought to leave and get an early start on my day. Getting up to leave and making my way to the door, I heard Riddle speak again, but it seemed it was more to himself than to me.

"It is cold. But I suppose that is the fate I deserve... Not for you though, Hermione Granger. You're much too strong to be left behind." I heard him sigh. What did that mean? I was too afraid to acknowledge that he had spoken at all. "To be courageous is to accept one's destiny and step towards it regardless of where it leads you," he told me, looking at me straight in the eye this time. "To be selfless is to suffer for a cause bigger than your own."

So perhaps he was wise after all.

3 Weeks Later:

It was a bright Sunday afternoon and we had decided to invite our friends over for a drink. A drink quickly turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into Draco declaring it was time to barbeque.

Overall, it wasn't such a bad idea. Luna, Zara, and I watched Draco and Ralph (Luna's smarty pants husband) argue over exactly how the barbeque worked, while the kids played in our expansive backyard. Men, as men are, amused themselves over the intricacies of outdoor equipment – and as usual, failed miserably.

Wizards, honestly.

Zara's three children, while adorable, created chaos that would put the Potters to shame. They were really that mischievous. So, like the genius that I am, I introduced them to wizard's chess.

It was quite the ingenious move on my part, Zara later told me. The violence of the game was enough to keep them enraptured with it for hours on end and the necessary brain power involved them to the extent that they were happily occupied in the shade of our rather large back garden. That obviously meant no destruction for the duration of their stay. Thank God.

Not that they were quiet in the least, mind you. I hadn't heard a louder bunch in all of my days around children. I had no idea how Zara managed them and keep up with a house, a job, and a fabulous appearance all at the same time.

No, I was happy I just had the one excitable child. I didn't need a gang.

How the hell had Molly Weasley managed?

Now that my mind had fallen on the subject of my son, I looked around for Scorpius and found him playing in the sandbox we had installed for him a year or two ago. He was building sandcastles with Luna's adorable child. If I remembered correctly, which I always do, her name was Miriam.

I wanted to kidnap the kid and call her my own, she was that adorable. Long blonde hair, brilliantly blue eyes and Luna's serene calm. It seemed like she never cried, always listened, and was the model child. It was the kind of kid you always wanted to offer ice cream to and spoil rotten.

Watching them play, a cold feeling swept over me that was completely not in touch with the mood of the party.

A blond little girl and a boy with chocolate coloured hair and grey eyes playing in a sandbox.

Yes. It was a vision. It was the last vision between me and my death. My buffer. My heart clenched and for a moment or two I was mortified, paralyzed with fear. And all I could do was just stand there, chanting to myself: it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay...

No one seemed to notice me and my fear, not for a while at least. Soon it was time to go and eat Draco's half cooked, half burnt, half raw meat (which Zara skilfully replaced with meat she had been cooking in the background with magic in the kitchen) and we all had a relatively nice meal sitting in the sun. It was alright, really. I was okay.

At least, that's what everyone else thought.

After everyone had eaten, we sat around lounging in the shade. But I couldn't sit still. I really didn't want to lounge around. I just wanted to get out of here. Noticing there were no more beers in the fridge, I offered myself up to go to the store.

"We also need milk," Draco called to me from his place in the overly big lawn chair, with Scorpius settled on his lap. "Don't take too long, okay?" I nodded.

I went inside to get my purse and came back to kiss Scorpius on each cheek. "Be good, okay? Don't give your father any trouble while I'm gone." Giving Draco an extra tight hug that I held for a few seconds longer than necessary, I said my goodbyes to everyone and made my way to the door.

What I didn't notice in my hurry was that Luna had followed.

"Hermione?" she called after me when I'd reached the front door. There was an odd expression on her face, one that looked quite out of place on her normally serene demeanour. I wondered what was wrong.

"Yes?" I asked. I was still in quite a hurry, but I supposed if it was that important... my little stroll could wait.

"Are you sure you want to go out now? I... I suppose I have a bad feeling about it." She stared at me awkwardly.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't go," she said, her eyes suddenly wide and a desperate expression on her face.

"Why, Luna?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea..."

She bit her lip as I put my arm around her shoulders. "I think I have to, you know?" There was a sort of light in her eyes and comprehension dawned on her face. "It's going to be good for me. To clear my head and such. Besides, I'm tired of being stuffed up in this house all day!" I smiled at her, encouragingly.

"You have to?" She questioned, a sort of childlike expression now on her face.

She seemed so trusting... Well. Whatever works, right? "Yes, Luna," I coaxed. "I have to."

She hugged me tightly around the middle. It was so sudden that I didn't even know how to react, so I simply patted her awkwardly on the back. Her long, waist length hair flowed around her, and her eyes were mysteriously wet. Why the hell was she crying? I was only going to the store.

"I'll miss you then. Come back soon, okay?" I nodded, feeling weirded out. Patting her on the shoulder this time, I made my way out the door. "Don't let the fillywigs get in your hair!" she shouted after me.

Yes, some things never change.

It turned out that going out to run errands had been good to clear my mind. I had rationalized myself into staying calm, avoiding a panic attack. So what if a vision had passed? It didn't necessarily mean anything. And even if it did... well, that should be okay too! Right? RIGHT?

With my arms full of grocery bags, I made my way down the street. Silently wishing I'd brought the car instead of walking so I wouldn't have had to carry such a heavy weight, I made my way back home. It was too hot for this much exercise. Why the hell had I done this on my own?

Crossing the road was a hassle in itself, but when my foot reached the middle of the paved hell, I immediately knew something was horribly wrong. First, there were screams and yells, and an entirely confusing din. Who were they yelling at, anyways? And secondly, brakes should not be squealing that hard.

The next thing I knew I was on the ground and in extreme hot flashing pain.

I knew I was bleeding, I was pretty sure whoever had hit me with their car had smashed several bones. I was seeing black spots. Was this the end? Suddenly, my mind flashed back to the ordeal I had suffered three years ago. To be killed by a psychopath... I remembered wishing fate would give me something easier.

"Fate was a really cruel bitch. Couldn't it just hit me with a car or something? A quick death as opposed to some psychopath raging after me?"

Damn you fate! Why the hell do you actually have to listen to me, hm? I'm not serious when I talk, really. You should just learn to ignore me when I yell at you. I'm human after all. We all have our weak spots! You're not all that great yourself, you know...

When I realized exactly what I was thinking to myself, I attempted to laugh. That was a very bad idea, obviously, because I started to cough up blood. I could hear people yelling around me. I could hear sirens blazing. But I really didn't care anymore. I realized I had seen this coming all along.

Me, laying, bleeding, torn. Tears falling from my eyes, but oddly at peace.

Yes, I had seen it all those years ago, hadn't I? Why had I been so afraid? I had known I would be peaceful. And truthfully, I was peaceful. I was laying on concrete, blood pooling from my body and I was rather torn up. I was slowly weeping from the pain, but I was no longer afraid. This was what was meant to happen. A self fulfilling prophecy.

And in the end, it had been anticlimactic. Nothing fancy. Just an old car. How sad is that? And it had all been of my own doing in the end. Not fighting a war, not a raging psychopath...not even a research accident! Just me and my own foolishness.

After all, if I had just listened to Luna I wouldn't be here right now, would I? If I had maybe paid more attention instead of wrapped up in my thoughts of dying – I would probably be alive. It was meant to happen this way. Things were slowly fading, my vision dying out around me.

But I didn't panic. Instead, I remembered the wisdom that had touched my heart.

To be courageous is to accept one's destiny and step towards it regardless of where it leads you. To be selfless is to suffer for a cause bigger than your own.

Riddle had really hit home there. I shouldn't be afraid. No, I was calm. I had lived happily with Draco and had a beautiful, lovely son. I had everything I needed. And I was suffering for a cause fate had decided I needed to be a part of. But I'd done it willingly. And now that my time was up – I was willingly going.

My eyes burned, my breathing was laboured. I could hear the muggle paramedics attempt to bring me to life. I wanted to laugh at them for trying. I wanted to thank them for attempting to do their job. But it was useless. It's useless, stop trying. It's time for me to go now.

I was aware of the amount of blood I had lost. I was woozy. My body was wracked with pain. I thought I saw a flash of blonde rushing towards me, but it was probably just my heart aching for Draco to be here with me, these last moments. My breathing slowly stopped. My heartbeat sputtered.

And just like that, I was gone. But I had not gone in fear, nor in loathing. I was not sad.

After all, death is just the next great adventure.

A/N: So... am I going to have any readers next week? I promise it'll be worth it.

Unsigned Reviews:

Alexybath: I certainly hope that this chapter lived up to the drama expectation! But perhaps I ought to watch out for you trying to kill me in my sleep now. Thanks for reviewing!