Crumple Horned Plot Bunnies

By Andrew J. Talon

Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own Harry Potter or any other copyrighted works mentioned in this story. I am not writing this for profit.


Year Seven, Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office...

Suppose Hermione had seen the memories with Harry?


Harry was silent as they emerged from the pensieve. Hermione had tears running down her cheeks. Not for Snape... But for Harry.

"H-Harry, you-"

"I'm the last Horcrux," Harry stated softly. His voice was resigned. He took a deep breath.

"We... Harry, that doesn't mean-!"

"It does, Hermione," Harry stated flatly. He slowly stood up, but Hermione held his arm tightly. He turned to look into her eyes. Bloodshot, as tears poured from them in rivers down her face.

He could see freckles-He'd never noticed those before.

"We can run," Hermione stated. "We can escape. We can find another way-We just-We just have to find a researcher, or-or a necromancer-!"

"If I die, maybe you can be spared-"

"You know he won't!" Hermione cried. "He'll kill us all after you, Harry! You know it!"

Harry stood up straight and tall. He almost had a smile on his face. A sad smile.

Because now, he'd figured it out. He stared at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He felt... Strangely calm. As though everything finally made sense.

And of course, it did.

"You planned me to be a sacrifice from the start," Harry said, "because there was no other way."

The portrait was silent, and sad, but nodded. Harry nodded back slowly.

"No!" Hermione grabbed him tightly, hugging him with all her desperate strength. "No! Harry James Potter, you are not going out there to die!"

"I have to-"

"No you don't!" Hermione screamed. She looked aside. "You don't! We-We can find another way, we always do-!"

"There's no time," Harry breathed, "just... Not enough time. Never was."

He tilted her chin up. He sucked in a deep breath.

"There's so much I wanted to do... But I guess I... I won't get to do any of it," he mused.

"We can run away," Hermione whispered, "just the two of us. We can figure this out-"

"There's nothing to figure out, Hermione," Harry said softly. "This is it. What we've been working for. When I'm gone, you can kill Tom. You just need to get enough people to have courage to do it. You'll do fine. You've been whipping Ron into shape, after all, he'll be there for you-"

"I don't want Ron! I want you!" Hermione fairly screamed.

It was silent in the office. Harry stared at her, but could only see her naked grief and love in her eyes.

"... I kept it inside. I held it back," she babbled, "I thought you'd never see me like that! I didn't want to ruin our friendship-You were so bloody thick and amazing and-and why have me?! I couldn't be selfish! We were fighting to survive! But Ron-Ron was there and wanted me and I care about him but I... But you..."

She trembled.

"Harry, I love you-!"

He pulled her into a kiss. It was warm and alive and more wondrous than that awkward lip press with Cho, or those awkward, heated kisses with Ginny. It felt... Perfect, like the first time he cast a Patronus.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

"Hermione... I'm sorry."

"Harr-?"

Her wand responded just like his old one did, and Hermione crumpled against him, Stunned. He laid her down gently on the floor, and tucked her wand into her hand. He let himself linger, just a moment, to brush the stray hair out of her face. He burned it into his mind.

Then he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, and headed out.


This next part written by DazzyFinky:


Hermione stared at the battered half giant as he slowly lumbered forward, quietly weeping as he refused to take his eyes off the prone figure in his arms.

Harry.

Nothing else mattered, Riddle's mocking faded away along with the hushed gasps from her fellow defenders. All of her focus was on his body. She refused to accept it. He couldn't be. Not like this.

Thanks to her hyper focus she noticed what no one else had, the low rise of Harry's chest as he breathed.
Relief and joy flooded through her, washing away the despair and stubborn disbelief for just a moment, before a familiar rage took hold. A rage that far surpassed her previous experience.

Hermione Jean Granger was going to murder Harry James Potter.

The noises and surroundings came back into focus as she readied herself. She knew Harry, she knew her friends. This wasn't going to be a broken surrender, soon when the shock wears off, the final battle will begin.

Shouts of panic accompanied Harry's sudden disappearance. He had taken the opportunity to slip out of Hagrids arms and don his cloak when the pandemonium began.

"NAGINI!" Voldemort screamed outraged. Looking towards the commotion, Harry was briefly impressed by the awesome sight of Neville Longbottom standing over the decapitated corpse of the giant snake, the Sword of Gryffindor coated in blood held tightly in his hand.

As he saw Riddle prepare to unleash his fury on his brave friend, Harry pulled the cloak away and stepped forward, revealing himself to the crowd with a shout.

"You've lost Tom!"

He could see the fear and rage battle across the now mortal dark lord's face. Harry strode forward, the crowd of friend and foe parting in his wake.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light struck Voldemort in the back and with a look of surprise and rising fear frozen on his face, he fell to the ground dead.

Everyone paused as they collectively blinked and turned their heads to the source of the curse.

Hermione Jean Granger, She-who-killed.

Harry saw her gaze was on him, she was more furious than he had ever seen her.

"Harry. James. Potter."

He gulped nervously as he felt his mouth go dry.

'Bollocks'


And now more written by me


Harry held his hands up, trembling as Hermione advanced on him.

"H-Hermione-I didn't know I wasn't gonna die-I mean I kind of did but-!"

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face in his chest. She sobbed in joy and relief, and Harry slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her in tight, a smile on his face.

"If you ever do anything that stupid again," Hermione whispered, as tears ran down her cheeks, "I will do worse than kill you."

"I know you will," Harry murmured, stroking her long, curly hair. He tilted her chin up and smiled, "but I just want you to know... I love you too. More than anything."

Hermione sobbed, and kissed him. He returned it eagerly, pressing her head against his with one hand while holding her tightly with his other arm.

"You bloody bastard, I was so worried, I love you, I'm going to beat you to death," she babbled in between kisses. Harry laughed softly, and kissed her back.

"Does it help that you were the one thing that made me get back up?"

"A little," she admitted. "Stupid bastard Potter."

"I love you too..."

"Bastard!"


What can I say? I like Harmony best of all the pairings. I like plenty of others but Harmony is just my favorite. You are free to disagree of course. It's just how I roll.