(A/N): Hello. How's it going?

... guys. I've made a terrible mistake. I should have continued my stance of wanting nothing to do with all things DCU. But no, I couldn't do the sensible thing. I've spent the last week in a fanfiction hole where I've read all things Jason Todd because I love him and OMG HIS HISTORY READS LIKE A GREEK TRAGEDY. What is up with that?! At least I haven't been writing any fanfiction for it though. That's a win.

Shoutouts to PIPhoenix, nightgigjo, d8rkforcen1ght7, Najada (side note I sent you a PM and just want to make sure that you got it), Silas Serenity, Berizuhime, Sora Loves Rain, Westcoast222, JessMalfoy8810, Adharablack85-2, Catzandbookz8, like. 56, Pterodactyl1993, alexaguamenti, Nessa Kane, peachx89, and Guests for reviewing! I appreciate every one of you and your support means the world to me.

I've had a few people asking about Natasha. I think Natasha is such a badass. But I also don't think we really saw the full extent of that until CA:WS. In the beginning, she was a cool spy but she also had a very... distant vibe about her. In CA:WS though, she really became the badass "I'll do what I want" Natasha. So just... keep that in mind going forward.

This chapter is unbetaed so my apologies for any mistake.

Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!


"I still can't believe that he didn't know," Fred repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

Angelina leaned forward in her chair so that she could be sure that Fred was able to see her glare. "If you say that one more time," she warned, fingering her wand.

"But it doesn't make any sense," George joined in. "We knew, and we weren't as close to her as Harry was- he was supposed to be her best friend. If we knew she wasn't dead, how come he didn't?"

Neville sighed and checked to make sure their privacy spell was still working. After the debacle at the Hog's Head Inn, he, Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia, and Hannah had apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. Hannah was managing the bar that evening and the others had taken advantage of one of the private dining rooms to discuss what had occurred earlier.

"What is it, Neville?" Alicia asked, having heard him sigh.

"The reason Harry didn't know that Hermione wasn't still alive is because he didn't want her to be," he told the group bluntly. "Think about it- if Hermione didn't tell Harry that she was going to pull a runner and hasn't contacted him since, it means that she didn't want him to know. The rest of us would hear that and think that Hermione just wanted a clean break from Wizarding Britain, and who could blame her? But to Harry, her being alive and not telling him would mean that she abandoned him."

"And who could blame her for that?" snorted Alicia, staring down into her mug. "After everything that happened, who could blame her for wanting space from Harry? I mean, I know it's not his fault, but even someone on the outside like me could tell that, a lot of the time, it was Harry running off and pulling reckless shit but it was always the people around him paying the price."

"You're not wrong," Neville agreed. "Like in our Fifth Year when we broke into the Department of Mysteries- Harry was the one who had the idea to sneak out, but Hermione knew it was a trap. She knew it, but Harry didn't care what she though. Harry had decided that we needed to go, and you were either with him or against him. But Harry was the only one who came out of that fight unharmed."

"No one would tell us for sure, but is it true that he almost killed another student in your Sixth Year?" George asked.

"Yeah. He almost killed Draco Malfoy using a spell he'd found written in a random book. Didn't have any idea what it would do but he used it anyway and then tried to justify it. Hermione told him to get rid of the book, had been telling him to do it all year, but he just ignored her like he always did. And then Ginny yelled at her about it. The thing that really struck me though was how… tired Hermione looked. Like that conversation had gone exactly how she thought it would."

Fred made a face. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely understand and appreciate a healthy dose of hatred towards the ferret, but almost killing him at school because you're suspicious of him is going just a bit too far, even in our books."

"He wasn't even really punished for it," Alicia told them, rolling her eyes. "He got detentions but that was it. I swear, Harry could have murdered someone in the Great Hall in front of the entire school and Dumbledore still wouldn't have done anything. I don't think any of us really cared about how unfair it all was at the time but looking back now… Harry, Ron, and Hermione really did get away with everything, didn't they? I remember sometimes feeling annoyed about it when we were in school, but now that I'm an adult, it's almost terrifying to think about just how bad things were at Hogwarts. Dumbledore may have been in charge, but I never saw the other teachers trying to stop him. I don't think I could ever send my kids to Hogwarts."

"Harry always went running head-first into danger," Neville started solemnly. "To be honest, I think Dumbledore always encouraged it. And Hermione always had his back and look where it got her. Look where it got all of us. We looked at Harry like he was supposed to be our Savior when all he really was was a kid. We put all that pressure on him and it went to his head- it's not just the adults fault that things turned out the way they did; it's partially our fault too and we need to take responsibility for that."


Sitting in the window seat of her study, Mia stared blankly out over the city. When she had first seen it, she'd wondered why on Earth Tony had thought to put a window seat anywhere in the Tower when the only view one could have was of downtown New York. Now, Mia was just grateful that he had. They loomed over the majority of the surrounding buildings so there was little blocking the sun streaming through the window and sinking into Mia's skin. For the first time in days, she felt almost warm. Even after breaking from Bucky, Mia still had an ever-present chill burrowing into her bones.

It had been two weeks since… since she'd…

Some days, Mia almost felt like the fight with the Kree had just been a bad dream. She'd wake up in the mornings and be so sure that that was all it could be- that there was no way it could be real. There was no way she could have taken all those lives with such careless deliberateness.

But then she'd hear her mother's even breathing coming from beside her in the bed and feel the twinge where Bucky used to be, and it would all come flooding back. There was no hiding from the truth for long, Mia knew that better than most.

What was it she had told Tony about the British Wizarding media when they first met?

"It's all absolutes when it comes to the British Wizarding World. You're either a sinner or a saint, a hero or a villain, a blushing virgin or a red-lipped whore."

Hermione had spent so much criticizing those journalistic practices but right then, Mia couldn't help wondering if perhaps they had a point. A hero or a villain. While she may have argued the point before, the truth was that maybe she had fancied herself a hero. But then, in a split second, she had turned away from being a hero and made herself into a villain.

Maybe Clint was right. Maybe she was no better than Dumbledore.

Hermione had been though. Hermione had been a good, if sometimes a bit vengeful, person. She would never have murdered innocents to save herself.

It seemed she really was Hermione no longer.

She was a sinner and a villain and all that was waiting was for her to make herself over into a red-lipped whore.

Her hands would never be clean of the blood covering them- the many hours she had spent scrubbing away in the shower testified to that.

There was a knock at the door and Mia glanced over to see Pepper walking into the room. "Hey, sweetie," she greeted, a cup of tea in hand.

Mia nodded in greeting but said nothing. Pepper didn't seem bothered by her silence, simply walking over to sit in an armchair close to the window. "You feeling any warmer?"

Out of everyone, only Pepper and Tony were aware that Mia was still struggling to stay warm. While Tony had at first worked himself up over the thought that Mia's body temperature was still unstable, Pepper had quickly realized that the chill was really all in Mia's mind. The only time the girl seemed to stop shivering was when she was being hugged or even casually touched by someone else. She couldn't officially diagnose anything, but Pepper was almost positive that Mia was feeling touch-starved but also simultaneously feeling unworthy of even being near them. It hurt Pepper's heart to even think about it and she knew that she would fight to the bitter end to make sure Mia realized just how amazing and loved she was.

Leaning forward, Pepper pressed the tea into Mia's hands. "I thought you might like to have something to drink before you and Tony leave. He wants to head out in about an hour so you should have enough time to drink that and then change."

Frowning, Mia set the tea aside and finally spoke. "I'm not going." She didn't know where exactly Tony was planning to run off to but she had no interest in joining him.

Pepper sighed. "Mia, you can't keep hiding away. I cannot even begin to understand everything you're feeling right now, but I do know that this-" she waved her hand between Mia and the tower- "isn't going to make things better."

Mia's arms tightened around her knees. "What, do you think watching my father leave again is going to be what breaks me?"

"No, Mia, I'm worried that having Loki see you before he leaves is going to be what breaks him."

That made Mia pause. She knew how painful it was for her father to leave now, had heard the loud, cutting arguments and curses he had hurled at Thor when the blond informed him that they needed to return to Asgard. Through their bond, Mia could feel the rage and self-loathing curling down her father's spine. He hated himself for leaving her, for causing her pain and nothing Mia said could make it better.

She felt ashamed. How self-absorbed was she to not even consider how painful it would be for Loki to have to look into her eyes as he- in his mind- abandoned her.

"Carol's also worried," Pepper continued, unable to see the new waves of emotions crashing over Mia through her blank expression. "I promise- it's not about you."

"Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all."

"Which is?"

The Ancient One turned to look at him. "It's not about you."

"We don't get to choose our time. Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered. Your time is short.

"You'd think after all this time I'd be ready."

Tears began to stream down Mia's face and she reflexively lifted her hands to cover her ears. Please stop, she silently- pathetically- begged. She didn't even know who she was pleading to, but Mia hoped that someone, anyone, was listening.

But in allowing your fear to govern you, you have missed the most basic of lessons… That death is an inevitability of life and it's an inevitability of war. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to save everyone.

Gods, she just wanted it to stop. All the thoughts and the memories- hers, Bucky's, the possibilities of the Time Stone. Mia just wanted to find a moment of silence both inside her head and out, a moment where she could just breath.

"Mia?" Pepper quickly moved so she was kneeling in front of the trembling brunette. "What's wrong? Do you need me to get someone? JARVIS-"

"Please don't," Mia choked out. "I don't want them to see me like this."

"Sweetie," she sighed, heart breaking. Pulling her into a hug, Pepper tried her best to reassure her. "It's okay to be sad, Mia. There's nothing wrong with feeling upset or angry or in pain. You don't have to be ashamed of feeling."

Roughly wiping away at her tears, Mia told her, "It hurts them when they know I'm upset- look at how much it's affecting you now to see me like this."

"It'll hurt us more to know you're hiding from us," Pepper gently countered. When Mia just continued to stubbornly stay silent, she silently sighed. "Go get changed," she ordered, standing and tugging the brunette up along with her.

Apparently deciding it wasn't worth the fight, Mia trudged off to her room and Pepper quickly left to return to her and Tony's floor.

When she stepped out into the living room, she saw Tony sitting on the couch with his head tipped back and eyes closed. "How is she?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Not good," Pepper admitted. Walking over to join him, she sank down onto the couch and curled into his side. "She's upset but trying to hide it because she doesn't want to hurt us. Loki leaving is just going to make it worse."

Tony wrapped his arm around Pepper. "I know," he responded, voice heavy. "And Carol can't stay much longer either. I just… I don't know how to help her, Pepper. And what if we try but end up only making it worse?"

His concern for his sister made Pepper love him even more. To the rest of the world, Tony was an arrogant, unfeeling asshole. But while he might have his moments, he also loved more deeply than anyone she knew and, if you were fortunate enough to be one of Tony's loved ones, he would do whatever it took to protect and care for you. "It's going to be worse before it gets better but we love her, Tony- Mia knows that. As long as we're there for her and remind her that she's not alone, then we'll make it through this. We won't let her fall alone."


When Tony met Mia down in the parking garage, she had changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top that he'd given her that had 'The Savage Life Chose Me' written across the front in red. "Love the clothes," he greeted her. "Whoever gave you that shirt must know you so well."

Mia shrugged listlessly. She was too tired and too numb to banter with Tony as she normally would. If it wasn't for the fact that she thought Pepper was right, Mia would have crawled back into bed by now and stayed there for the remainder of the day. But staying too close would only hurt her father more and she needed to make sure that his return as Asgard was as easy as possible for him. Loki was already agitated enough, no need to add onto it by making him feel as though he was continually failing her- especially when the only one failing was her.

Tony seemed to brush aside her silence, moving to open the passenger door to his current favorite car. "Well, nothing to it but to do it, kid- in you get. We've got a busy day ahead of us." Mia grimaced as she got into the car and Tony chuckled. "Just kidding- being busy means effort and that's just too much work."

As he started the car and pulled out of the tower, Mia settled back into her seat and allowed Tony's chattering to wash over her. What he was saying didn't really matter, it was just the fact that he was treating exactly as he had before that brought her comfort. He didn't seem to think any less of her despite what she'd done and it was… confusing. And a little frightening. Because Mia was positive that one day, sooner or later, Tony was going to realize that she was a terrible person and there was nothing Mia hated more than waiting for something awful to happen.

The more he talked, the more relaxed Mia became until she unexpectedly fell asleep. As soon as he was sure she was totally out, Tony stopped talking. Mia had seemed to slowly unwind as they talked the night before and he took a chance that the same thing would happen again. Tony could see the irony- he tried to survive on as little sleep as possible yet there he was, pushing his sister to sleep as much as she could. He'd have to keep an eye on Pepper in case she tried to use this against him.

It took far too long for them to make it out of the city- Tony really needed to get back to his flying car idea without Mia or Pepper noticing- but once they were out it was smooth going from there.

Popping in an earbud, Tony turned on his music and forced himself to not think about anything for the next three hours.


When she'd first been forced into the car with Tony, the last place Mia had expected for them to end up at was the ocean. Her brother's first response to any situation was to throw money around so she had been dreading the prospect of ending up in some high-end store. But this? This was… perfect.

Breathing in deeply, Mia felt the tension in her shoulders ease at the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves. Scrunching her toes in the sand for a moment, she took several steps forward until she was ankle deep in the warm, clear water. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, enjoying the feel of sun soaking into her skin and the light breeze fluttering over her.

Tony walked up behind her and placed a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. "You should probably hang onto these- just in case."

Mia glanced behind her and gave him a small, soft smile. "Thank you."

As per usual, Tony automatically ignored the gratitude being shown to him. "Don't forget to put on more sunblock soon."

"You're paler than I am," she pointed out, turning around and looking pointedly down at her brother's legs. Mia didn't think she had ever seen him in a pair of shorts before.

"Only because we've been stuck in New York for so long," he quickly retorted. "I'm used to spending all my time at our Malibu house."

"That place is not a house, Tony, it's a mansion. And an oddly shaped one at that."

He placed a hand over his heart in mock offense. "I designed that house myself!"

"Hence why it is oddly shaped."

As quickly as her good mood had appeared though, it dissipated the moment Mia realized she was actually feeling happy. She felt too much like she had before. But it wasn't before- they weren't before.

She wasn't before.

Turning back to look at the ocean, Mia tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. What right did she have to feel even a moment of happiness after what she'd done? Those people would never feel any happiness again because of her.

What you did was sacrifice. But what could have been was a slaughter.

Mia rubbed her eyes. She needed to stop thinking about that. She hadn't agreed to be Dabria's champion or anything of the sort. And she absolutely needed to stop trying to rationalize what she did.

Tony wanted to say something, wanted to convince his sister that she was allowed to be happy and that she was still a good person. He couldn't though. Not because he didn't believe all that- because to his dying day Tony would always believe that Mia and Pepper were the best things in the world and deserved all the brightest things life had to offer. No, he stayed quiet because he knew that his words would only hurt her more right then.

He'd felt the same way after Yinsen. After realizing that innocent people had been and were being murdered by the weapons he had designed. When he'd learned just how much he had actually earned the title of Merchant of Death.

There was no quick fix to stopping the pain- Tony knew that. If he could, Tony would take all the pain Mia was feeling onto himself in a heartbeat. But instead, all he was able to do was stand next to her and make sure that she was reminded of all the simple joys that were still to be found in the world. Because standing there in the ocean, all the things weighing down on them seemed just a little less heavy.


Clapped in chains again, Loki stewed in silence as he glared at the back of Thor's head. Once again he was being dragged away from his daughter and- once again- the fault for the separation laid in the hands of his brother. It was only Carol's steady presence beside him that kept him from using his silver tongue to slice as deeply into Thor as he could.

She would accompany them back to Asgard before returning back to Midgard for a few days more. Loki was curious to see if the Allfather would allow Carol to leave so easily after their first interaction and the part of him that reveled in chaos hoped that Odin would attempt to stop her. Carol wouldn't hesitate to destroy Asgard with her bare hands if that's what it took to get her point across- she was far more powerful than all of Odin's forces combined and she was not to be trifled with.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked, and Loki's lips curled into a sneer.

Carol beat him to the punch though. "Well that's a stupid question, isn't it?" she snapped.

Thor had the good sense to at least appear to be sheepish in response to her criticism. "My apologies, Lady Danvers. I just wanted to ensure that you were ready for Heimdall to open the Bifrost."

"What if I'm not ready?" Carol couldn't resist asking. "Does that mean we would just stand here and wait till I was?"

"No." Sif glared at the blond, clearly still firmly in the stance of hating the woman who appeared to be an ally of Loki.

"Then why ask?"

Loki's lips quirked. Watching Carol wind up Thor and his fool friends reminded him of exactly why she had caught his attention all those years ago. He knew how odd it would look to others that a woman who hated playing games had managed to catch the gaze of infamous trickster. But, for all that Carol hated playing games, she was a worthy adversary when it came to verbal sparring and turning the tables on all that opposed her.

He'd come to find that those qualities were all much less enjoyable when turned on him though. Their years together raising their daughter had shifted them from strangers to partners. They learned each other's secrets, discovered the weak points in their armors, and found the best way to present a united front. Yet, for all the ways they relied on each other, there was a part of Loki that could never bring himself to fully trust Carol.

She hadn't wanted Mia. In the very beginning, when she'd first learned that she was pregnant, Carol had wanted nothing more than to be rid of the unwanted visitor inhabiting her body. Loki had been lowered to begging in order to keep her from having an abortion. He'd been so terrified to find that he had created something as pure and innocent as a child but, more than that, he had been filled with wanting. He wanted that child more than he'd wanted anything in his entire life. And when Loki had learned that Carol was carrying a girl, he'd fallen in love. A girl who hadn't even taken a breath yet already had him wrapped around her finger and he couldn't have been more thrilled.

If he could have found a way, Loki would never have given her up. He would have brought her back to Asgard with him, watched her run around the palace as he had done, and raised her as the princess she was. But it was not meant to be and he had been forced to bitterly watch as someone else had the privilege of watching over his light. The fact that her life had ended up being filled with so much pain and suffering still haunted him.

Carol hadn't seemed to share his confliction though. He had watched her give up Mia without looking back and move on with her life. She set about achieving all her goals- leaving the town she was raised in, joining the military, becoming a pilot- while Loki was forced to cater to Thor's whims on Asgard and rarely had the opportunity to sneak down to Midgard to check on his daughter. Even after what had happened with the Kree, after she had regained her memories, Carol had left the galaxy with the Skrull without even pausing to check on their daughter.

If she had, then she might have been able to protect Mia- might have been able to save her from the agony of a torture curse and a slur carved into her arm. But Carol didn't spare a thought to her daughter's well-being and Loki hated her for it. He hated her for throwing away the one thing he would have given anything to have- a chance. A chance to raise her, to love her, to know her. If there had been a way for him to save Mia without Carol, he would have done it in a heartbeat.

Even after all these years, he couldn't help wondering. Carol had come when he'd asked and agreed to the bond that had been required to save their daughter without hesitation. She'd stayed and helped raise their child- been a willing presence in Mia's life as much as he had. But that was it. While Loki had desperately sought a way to better protect Mia from the threat of Thanos, Carol had been content to sit back and observe. Though that was an approach Loki generally favored, the time for waiting had passed. If they wanted to protect their daughter, then they needed to act. What was Carol willing to do to protect Mia? What was she willing to sacrifice?

Thanos grew more powerful with every day that passed and sooner or later, he would make his way to Midgard. He needed to be dealt with before it got to that point and if it fell on Loki to do it then so be it.

"Open the Bifrost," Loki ordered abruptly. It was time to stop stalling- he was going back to Asgard regardless of his own wishes and wasting time would not change that. He would prefer to get the coming minutes and confrontation over with as quickly as possible.

Ignoring the looks given to him that varied from surprise to suspicion, Loki looked up to watch the rainbow bridge form. There was a sort of irony to the fact that something so objectively beautiful would be the cause of so much pain. At least Mia wasn't here this time, watching as her father once more abandoned her.

"We're not abandoning her," Carol whispered to him, knowing what he was thinking. "We are not failing her."

Glancing over at her, Loki smirked. "Yes, we are. But is that not what we do- leave when she needs us the most?"

Carol flinched. You could have stayed, she hissed into his mind. If you hadn't gone off and tried to take control of Asgard, then maybe none of this would have happened.

And you could have kept her, he sneered back. All the pain and grief she has endured could have been spared if you had your priorities straight. How unfortunate then that there's no way for us to change the past.

The sound of the link between them slamming shut echoed through his mind.


"Are they a couple?" Bruce asked Pepper after the Asgardians and Carol had left.

"No idea," she told him, shaking her head. "I know they're friends, at least, but I have no idea how close they actually are."

Bruce nodded thoughtfully. "What about Mia and Steve? Are they a couple yet?"

"No. And I have no idea why but I am not going to ask."

"Because it's none of your business or because you really don't want to know?"

Pepper turned to walk back into the tower. "Because it doesn't matter. It's their choice on what they want to be and I support that. Besides, Mia is not in a good enough place to be in any kind of relationship and I'm proud that she's aware enough to know that."

Shrugging, Bruce agreed. "You have a point. I think Steve knows that too- which is good because Tony might actually try to kill him if he tries anything in the near future."

"If Steve doesn't stop trolling him, Tony might just kill him anyway." Pepper couldn't help rolling her eyes as she thought of Steve's latest tactic. "Natasha apparently showed him a book of cheesy pick-up lines and every time Tony starts to annoy him, he chooses one at random to use on him."

He burst out laughing. "Oh man, I would have paid to see that."

"I've had JARVIS saving the footage every time he does it," Pepper admitted. "We're going to watch it all one movie night when Tony's really getting on my nerves."

"Sounds like a plan," Bruce smirked.

Pepper sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen and watched as Bruce set about making himself a cup of tea. "So, I didn't get a chance to ask before but how was your visit with Dr. Ross?"

"Betty is fine," he answered, keeping his head ducked down. "She seems to be doing really well away from… all this." Bruce flapped his hand.

"You mean away from her father," she muttered, eyes turning hard.

Bruce visibly tensed. "General Ross isn't a bad guy," he tried to defend.

"Isn't a bad guy?" Pepper repeated, incensed on his behalf. "Bruce, that man lied to you in order to get you to work on the project to recreate Steve's serum because he knew you didn't want anything to do with it. He lied about it and then blamed you when it failed. He then started hunting you across the world in an obsessive need to get his hands on your blood so that he could make more of you. And then, when he did have some of your blood, he tried to create his own Hulk but instead turned a soldier into a creature they literally referred to as the Abomination which destroyed Harlem."

"The Hulk attacked him. Of course he'd want him taken down."

"But he didn't want to take down the Hulk! He wanted to figure out how to build his own personal army of Hulks! And let's not even start on the crap he tried to pull with Tony when Tony decided to stop building weapons."

Finally turning to look at her, Bruce asked, "How do you even know about all of that?"

Pepper grimaced. "Ross tried to have you taken into custody after New York," she admitted and Bruce's eyes widened in shock. "He came to the Tower and demanded we hand you over. Thank god for JARVIS- he had already had all the information about your past dealings with Ross compiled and had even managed to dig up some old photos and videos of Ross experimenting on captured terrorists and other military prisoners. Once we threw that at the army, they backed right down. Apparently, they didn't want people asking questions about that on top of everyone's demands to know just where the nuclear missile that was aimed at Manhattan had come from."

"You…" Bruce seemed at a loss. "I don't…"

She understood. "You're one of us, Bruce," Pepper told him warmly. "And we protect our own. No matter what happens in the future, we'll always have your back. I promise."


Angelina shook her head. "We all know that Hermione had enough reasons to leave and never come back. But, are we really saying that Harry would rather think she was dead than even consider that she'd just run off?"

Fred hummed. "Hermione being dead would feed right into that martyr complex he's always had, wouldn't it? His most loyal friend viciously murdered by Death Eaters in order to protect him. If the choice was believing that Hermione had died protecting him or had finally had enough of his shitty behavior and left, it's not exactly surprising that Harry would choose to think the former rather than the latter."

"But none of us thought she was dead," Angelina whispered, suddenly looking tired. "None of us decided to believe she was dead because it hurt less than thinking she didn't want to speak to us anymore."

"No, we choose to believe that she was alive because it was easier," Neville retorted, feeling slightly ashamed. "Because after the battle- after watching so many of our friends die- it was easier for us to think Hermione had just left. Had gone off and was living happily ever after rather than think she was dead. And the more time that passed without them finding her, the more likely it was that she really had just run off. And we were all so relieved to think that at least one of our friends wasn't dead- that we hadn't failed another person." Suddenly, Neville let out a strangled laugh. "Did you know, Luna does this thing every year on the anniversary of Hermione's disappearance where she leaves flowers at Hermione's parents graves in memory of their daughter? I asked her once why she does that. Did she think Hermione wasn't alive? Did she know something I didn't? Do you know what she said to me?

"She said that she left those flowers for the Hermione that we knew because that girl was dead- she died that day in Malfoy Manor. Because whoever walked out of there, she wasn't our Hermione anymore. She said that our Hermione Granger was gone, and she's not coming back. And she's right- our Hermione is dead. Whoever Harry encountered- whoever is coming back- it's someone else and we need to acknowledge that right now. Because Hermione doesn't deserve to have us forcing our ideas of who she should be down her throat."

The look Alicia gave him and the rest of the group was filled with fire. "She may not be the exact same Hermione that we remember, but she's not going to be an entirely different person. War changes a person, we all know that, but Hermione's too strong to ever let herself be broken down so completely that she turns into a totally different person."

"It doesn't matter if she's not exactly who we remember," George agreed. "She's still our friend and we failed her once. But no more. No matter what happens- even if the rest of Britain turns against her- we'll have her back. Because if it were reversed, she'd do the exact same for us."


Please leave a review on your way out!