Disclaimer: I own none of it. If I did, I'd be out there promoting myself, but, alas, I'm right here, awaiting reviews. . .

***************

When the visions around you,
Bring tears to your eyes.
And all that surrounds you,
Are secrets and lies.

It was over.

Those were the words echoing in Hermione Granger's head as she slowly picked herself up off of the floor and surveyed the damage around her. Luna Lovegood was nursing a bloody nose, and Ginny Weasley was sobbing over the lifeless body of Neville Longbottom.

"He can't be gone!" Ginny suddenly screamed hysterically, disturbing the haunting silence that was slowly encompassing the room.

Hermione simply stood before Ginny, not knowing what to say. She was taken aback at the reality of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours; flabbergasted that her life could still be in jeopardy, despite the sacrifices that had been made on many people's -- including Neville's -- behalves.

"Ginny, he died a hero," Luna said quietly, her eyes not quite meeting her friend's. She looked down at the ground and said nothing further. Though Hermione did not, at times, understand Luna, she knew now what the girl was thinking. Some had gotten away.

"It wasn't worth it though, was it?" Ginny countered, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "They all got away. It was all useless."

"Don't over exaggerate this Ginny," Luna said the tone of her voice now turning firm. "Three of them got away." She held up three fingers and counted them. "And don't you dare say that this was all useless -- he died a hero, and he'll remain a hero forever."

Ginny wiped a stray tear away from her watery red eyes. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she began to silently sob once more.

****

Hermione turned from Ginny, unable watch her friend suffering anymore. They had gone into this knowing that some might not make it out alive, but Hermione had not expected it to be that way. Perhaps she was naïve, perhaps she was inexperienced, but she had truly believed that everyone would be all right once this had all finished. Oh, how she had been wrong.

She traipsed over to Harry, who was helping Nymphadora Tonks balance on her one leg that wasn't broken.

"Thanks for the help, Harry, I think I can take it from here," Tonks said earnestly, slowly hobbling over to where Mad-Eye Moody was helping Ron bandage a deep cut on his forearm.

Hermione glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye as if she was afraid that he had left. He hadn't.

"Hermione," he said, concern etched on his own battered face. "Are you all right?"

Hermione blinked in confusion. "Of course I'm all right," she lied. She wasn't all right; she would never be all right. There are some things that a person can't encounter without having nightmares about it for the rest of their lives. This was one of those things -- one of those things that would haunt her in both her waking and sleeping lives. One of those things that would be in the back of her mind forever; one of those things that would never go away.

"No you're not," Harry concluded after looking at her closely. He raked his hand through his hair and shook his head slowly. "No one is."

She glanced around the room and saw the faint truth to his words. The defeated bodies of fallen Death Eaters lay strewn across he floor, alongside those of the people who had fought for the light side . . . and didn't make it. She saw Ginny's small body still slumped over Neville, crying out in desperation. Luna had regained her dreamy composure, and was sitting quietly next to Ginny holding her friend's hand, and solemnly gazing around the room. Ron was helping Moody and Tonks repair the wounds of those various Order members who hadn't sacrificed their lives in the final battle.

"Maybe no one in here is all right, Harry," Hermione said, turning to face him. "But out there, out in the rest of the Wizarding World, everyone else is."

****

Hermione watched as Harry nodded glumly, his eyes focused on Ginny, Neville and Luna. She could only regard him helplessly as he surveyed the rest of the room.

"Ministry representatives are out looking for Travers, Rookwood and Dolohov as we speak." She shuddered at the thought of the man who almost killed her -- both in her fifth year, and only a few hours ago -- running around on the streets of London. He could be out 'finishing his master's work' as he had said. "They're going to send word when they catch them." She resisted the temptation to say 'if'; surely the Ministry would catch them, they had to.

"You mean 'if' they catch them," Harry said, his green eyes watching the bodies of Rudolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange being taken out of the room. "The Ministry is horrible at things like that, Hermione, and we both know it."

"I know, Harry," she said quietly. "But we can still hope." She observed the Lestranges' soulless bodies leaving the room and she instantly remembered Neville's bravery as he fought them off, ultimately giving up his on life in the process.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shake his head. She sighed, silently wishing to wake up from the nightmare that had gradually become her life. “Harry,� she said softly. “We can still hope.� She knew that she had repeated herself, but she wasn’t sure if he had heard her the first time.

“I know, Hermione.� He sighed and looked away from the scene before him. “It’s my entire fault,� he muttered.

“No it’s not,� Hermione said sternly. She breathed in deeply and touched his arm lightly, causing him to look her directly in the eyes. “We wouldn’t have come here if we didn’t want to. This is no one’s fault, and you know it.� She nodded toward Ginny and Neville. “We all knew what we were getting into when we followed you in here, and frankly, none of us had second thoughts; not even Neville.�

She saw the corners of Harry’s mouth turn up and form a small smile, and knew that he too was remembering Neville’s childhood cowardice. The cowardice that had disappeared sometime during their Seventh Year and had not since returned. She remembered how he had saved Ginny’s life today, and how he never would have done so if he was still the fearful boy that he had been less than five years ago. She remembered the look on his face as he avenged his parents’ torture. Most of all, she remembered how he had died a hero; a genuine hero.

I'll be your strength,
I'll give you hope;
Keeping your faith when it's gone.
The one you should call
Was standing here all along.

Hermione could feel Harry's eyes watching her as she turned from him and observed Tonks trying to heal Remus Lupin's wounds, though her own injuries restricted her from much movement. Though her broken leg had been repaired, Tonks still had many deep cuts and bruises on her arms and her face. Deciding that standing around wouldn't solve anything; Hermione took a step toward the young woman, only to be held back by someone grabbing her arm. Turning around, she found herself looking at Harry yet again.

"Hermione?" he asked, letting go of her arm quickly as though he was hurting her.

"Yes," she replied, dropping her arm to her side. Though he might have thought it, Harry hadn't been hurting her. In fact, she welcomed the gesture. She'd welcome any gesture of friendship in these dark times, even something as small as what Harry had just done.

"Thanks," he said, as he turned and approached Tonks and Lupin, pulling out his wand.

Hermione smiled sadly and walked toward Ron, who was now trying to haul Ginny off of Neville, without much luck. Ginny wasn’t going to move, even though Ron was now using most of his strength in an attempt to pry her body from Neville's.

"Leave me alone, Ron!" Ginny cried, wiggling out of her older brother's grip. “You don’t understand!� She turned and glared at him, and Hermione saw the raw emotion in her friend's eyes. Ginny, unlike Hermione and Ron, hadn't heard Neville declare that he would do anything to avenge the torture of his parents. Ginny didn't realize that, to Neville, it wouldn't end unless the Lestranges were killed. Ginny didn't understand that, in order for that to happen, Neville would have to sacrifice his own life.

Hermione saw Harry watching his former flame out of the corner of her eye, and felt a pang of regret for Ginny. The girl, barely eighteen years of age, had finally found love in Neville Longbottom, only to have her heart played with and torn apart like it was some sort of toy. That thought alone made Hermione angrier than she had ever been in her life. For the past three years, Ginny had been slowly falling in love, and now, only a mere two months after she finally told Neville about her true feelings, he had been ripped from her life.

"Ron," Hermione said quietly, as she took one more step toward her friend.

Ron turned to face her and Hermione thought she saw a glimpse of panic in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and Hermione wondered if her own former flame would ever be the same. Their relationship had grown during their sixth year at Hogwarts and Hermione had found herself infatuated with him. They tried to work on a romantic relationship but quickly discovered that their personalities were too different. The relationship quickly fizzled and the two walked away with new perspectives on what they wanted in a relationship. Their friendship, however, had grown stronger and Hermione had begun to respect Ron more than she ever had before.

Hermione shook her head, attempting to clear her the murky thoughts clouding her mind. "Leave her," she said. Her voice was nary a whisper. "She needs a bit of time, Ron. Leave her."

Ron glanced back at his sister, sighed, and walked toward Harry, who was now watching the scene, his face unreadable.

Hermione watched as the two of them began to converse, and though she was out of ear-shot, she knew what the topic of conversation was just by watching their faces. They were talking about the battle that had just ensued. Ron’s face often showed much emotion, and now he looked thoroughly shocked. Harry’s face was hard and solemn, but Hermione knew that he was thinking about something. She often had to guess what one of them was feeling. Though Ron’s emotions were easy to uncover, Harry had become more and more secretive about his feelings over the years. His eyes, though, still conveyed the emotions that Hermione knew he was trying hard to hide. She often looked him in the eyes when she was talking to him, just to understand what he was feeling.

She approached them slowly, trying to hear their conversation, but instead found that they were watching her walk toward them, the expressions on their faces stony.

“Hermione,� Harry said when she got close enough to hear him properly. “Lupin just told me that two more Death Eaters escaped.�

Hermione’s ears perked up. “Who?� she asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

“Greyback and Yaxley,� Ron answered for his friend.

“We’re going after them,� Harry continued. “Whether you join us or not is your choice. You can take some time to think about it.�

“I’m going,� Hermione said. She didn’t need time to think about it; she hadn’t let Harry down and she definitely wouldn’t, now that he needed her the most.

Harry nodded as though he knew that that would be her decision. “Fine. I’ll be speaking with Luna when I get the chance; she’s with Ginny right now.�

Hermione nodded, but Ron looked puzzled.

“Luna? Why Luna?� he asked.

“She’s a part of this just as much as we are,� Hermione answered.

“Yaxley killed her father,� Harry said. “She wants to be a part of his undoing. I think it’s only fair that she accompany us.�

“I’ll talk to her,� Hermione said. She hadn’t spoken to Luna since they went into this final battle, and she wanted to speak with the girl again. Though the two were by no means, close friends, Hermione had come to appreciate Luna and the bit of light that she always seemed to shine in the darkness.

“What about Ginny?� Ron asked.

Hermione and Harry shook their heads.

“Look at her, Ron,� Hermione said, nodding her head toward Ginny, who was slowly getting off of the ground, tears still streaming down her face. “Do you really think that she’ll want to leave again to look for more Death Eaters?�

Ron shook his head. “I suppose not, but what will she do while we’re away?�

“Charlie offered to take her to St. Mungo’s to be looked over by a Healer,� Harry said. “She’ll be spending a few weeks at the Burrow after that. He didn’t think it was a good idea for her to return to her house, they know where she lives.�

Ron nodded solemnly.

“She’ll be fine, Ron,� Hermione consoled, though she silently added, ’We’ll all be fine.

And I will take you in my arms,
And hold you right where you belong.
'Til the day my life is through;
This I promise you.

Five days had passed since the battle at the Ministry. It was only now, standing outside an old, abandoned building, waiting for Harry, that Hermione let her thoughts wander. Fred wouldn't be the same without George, Ginny's emotional damage would haunt her for the rest of her life, and Bill and Fleur's young daughter, Ella, would grow up without a mother. She shook her head and sighed. She didn't want to think about death, she wanted to think about life, but it was hard. She wasn't used to having so many people here one minute and then gone the next. She felt guilty for having survived, while they had all struggled and eventually surrendered their lives so that Harry could save both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. Had she been a different person, she knew that she wouldn't have had the strength to accompany him to the end; she didn't even know if she had the strength now. A small part of her wanted to turn and run away, become the coward that she knew was hiding somewhere inside of her soul, but she didn't. Instead, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and continued to wait for Harry.

Instead of letting her thoughts wander again, however, Hermione began to take in her surroundings. Harry had told her to meet him outside of an old building in the outskirts of London. She was standing in a darkened alleyway. Behind her, the building loomed out of the shadows, making the alley seem more eerie than it already was. The walls were filthy, riddled with various graffiti and pictures of rude gestures, though they were barely visible since they were covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime. A rat scurried in front of her, probably searching for food. The moon glowed in the sky, making the alley glow with a surreal beauty that Hermione had not seen in years. That same small part of her that wanted to run away was advising her to leave the alley and tell Harry that she couldn’t make it. Heaven only knew what could be lurking in the shadows. For all Hermione knew, Greyback and his fellow Death Eaters were watching her from hiding places, concealed by darkness. But she didn’t make a move to leave; she couldn’t do that to Harry, even if she was becoming more scared with every moment that passed. She wouldn’t let her paranoia get the better of her. Over the years, she had learned to expect the worst, but now that everything was almost over, she found herself wishing that her pessimistic outlook on life would vanish.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed a shadow slowly moving closer to her. Her heart immediately began to pound in her chest as she moved closer to the brick wall behind her, searching absently for some sort of cover. Her grip tightened on her wand as the shadow inched its way closer to her hiding spot and she raised her wand arm, readying herself for the various scenarios that were running through her mind. She mentally formulated the amount of time that it would take the shadow to reach her. If she made a run for it, they would surely catch her, or throw a curse at her. If she disapparated, they would know that someone had been here, and keep the place under close surveillance; her choices were limited.

The figure stopped within feet of her and, had she not chosen to conceal herself in the shadows, she would be able to see the face of the person who was causing her heart to thud rather loudly against her chest. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears and she was surprised that whoever was standing before her couldn’t hear it as well. She knew that the person was a man; she could tell from his body shape and the way he carried himself. In fact, he seemed quite familiar. He slowly began to turn around and Hermione stiffened. Surely, he would see her. Though she was concealed, the shadows weren’t nearly enough to hide her entirely. Had she had more time to hide herself, she would have found a way to go into the abandoned building, or she would have apparated to safety, however risky it may have been.

She let out her breath and moved out of the shadows once she saw the person who had caused her heart to throb wildly. Her heartbeat became normal and her breathing regained its steadiness.

The figure smiled as she ran up to it and wrapped her arms around his neck, muttering into his ear, “Harry, don’t ever scare me like that again.�

She dropped her arms to her side as Harry shook his head. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come, Hermione,� he said. “I had to be careful.�

She placed her hands on her hips and smiled; her first smile in days. “I know, Harry. I know.� She glanced around the alley once more before speaking again. “Why did you want to meet here, of all places? I had assumed that we would meet in a public place; it would have been safer.�

Harry shook his head. “Not necessarily. No where is safe anymore, Hermione. You know that. I wanted to meet here because I know that no one uses this building.� He motioned to the building behind Hermione. “I’ve been watching it for the past few days. It was the safest place I could think of on such a short notice.�

Hermione nodded but she didn’t speak. She instead watched as Harry pulled out his wand, aimed it at the building and muttered a few words. The large bricks on the wall faded away, revealing a large wooden door. Harry pointed his wand at the door and again murmured words that were inaudible to Hermione. The door opened quietly, revealing a dark, empty room, occupied only by a lone, black rat.

Harry stepped inside and motioned for Hermione to follow. Not wanting to be in the alley for any longer, she quickly obliged. He walked toward yet another door and entered, leaving Hermione in the company of the rat. She followed him and gasped in awe at the sight that was now before her eyes.

Instead of emptiness and darkness, like in the other room, this room was bright and welcoming. A set of five glowing candles had been placed on a small table in the middle of the room. Tapestries covered the windows of the room, so natural light couldn’t enter. A small rug had been placed on the floor and two raggedy looking armchairs were facing an old fireplace. By no means was this room beautiful, but Hermione managed to find comfort in the small amount of normalcy that it gave off.

Harry, who had taken a seat in one of the armchairs, sat facing the small fire that was beginning to glow in the dusty fireplace. He didn’t look up when Hermione sat in the chair beside him, but instead began to speak. “Luna and Ron have already left.�

Hermione nodded again, but didn’t speak. She knew that he had more to say.

“They’re going up north to look for Yaxley. Lupin thinks that he went to stay with relatives who own a small pub outside of Glasgow. Luna is going to pose as a poor witch looking for a job. Ron will be searching the city for Travers. We think that the two left together, but we don’t know whether or not they split up, once they reached the city.�

Hermione fought the urge to ask Harry who ‘we’ was, and kept her eyes focused on him. The war hadn’t been kind to him and with everyday, Hermione was forced to notice how much older and mature he looked. She missed the boy whom she would help with homework because he had slacked off due to Quidditch practice. She wanted that boy back, but she knew it wouldn’t happen. Harry had been forced to stop the most powerful dark wizard in the world; he had had no time to be immature. Now, when she looked at him, she saw a man who had seen enough of the world. His face was hard and cold and he spoke with a voice that didn’t sound like his own. She didn’t know if she could ever get used to this new Harry. She didn’t know if she wanted to.

“Ron will be reporting back to Lupin weekly.�

Hermione frowned. “Lupin? Why is he reporting to Lupin? Why isn’t he reporting back to you?�

“I’ll be busy,� he said firmly.

Hermione raised her eyebrows questioningly. “And what exactly will you be busy with?�

Harry looked at her and Hermione could have sworn that she saw a glimpse of that boy whom she missed so dearly. “We’re going after Greyback personally. Lupin thinks that he can lead us to more supporters of Voldemort who didn’t take part in the battle. If we can stop him, we might be able to stop them all.�

I've loved you forever,
In lifetimes before;
And I promise you never,
Will you hurt anymore.

“We’re going after Greyback personally. Lupin thinks that he can lead us to more supporters of Voldemort who didn’t take part in the battle. If we can stop him, we might be able to stop them all.�

Hermione didn’t know how to respond to Harry’s words. She stared at the dancing yellow and orange flames in the fireplace and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. She was shocked that Lupin wasn’t going to be the one to track Greyback down. She wanted to know about the plan of action, but at the same time, she wanted to walk away from the situation. Instead, she blurted the one thing that she had been trying hard not to think about. “And what about Dolohov and Rookwood? Are we just going to forget about them, Harry? Are we going to forget about what they did?� Her words were harsh and panicked. She would have thought that, considering what Dolohov had tried to do to her, they would have been going after him.

Harry closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. “Lupin and I both think that Dolohov and Rookwood followed Greyback. Since we think Greyback is trying to gather all of Voldemort’s supporters, it would only make sense that they’re with him.�

Hermione raised her eyebrows. “What if they’re not?�

Harry glanced at her before concentrating on the fire once more. “If they’re not, we’re going after them as well. I haven’t forgotten what they’ve done, Hermione, and I’m not about to stand by while they hurt innocent people.�

Hermione nodded mutely. This side of Harry was new to her. He wasn’t the carefree boy that he had once been. He was a serious, determined young man. “Why don’t you think Yaxley and Travers are with Greyback, then?�

“Lupin remembers hearing them talking about going to Glasgow until everything had died down. He said that they were going to try and find people who supported Voldemort’s cause, but didn’t act on it. Ron contacted Lupin yesterday. He said that there has been no sign of Yaxley or Travers, but he has heard people talking about them.�

“What are we going to do?� Hermione asked, bracing herself for what was going to come next. The plan was certainly going to be dangerous – deadly, even. After being a part of the fight against evil for the past eight years, Hermione would have thought that she would be used to hearing about the risky things that needed to be done; she obviously wasn’t.

Harry took his time before answering. Hermione knew that he was going over his words in his head. He did that often now, leading Hermione to think that he didn’t want to disappoint anyone with what he had to say.

“We’re going to have to blend in as much as possible, while trying to find information about their whereabouts. Lupin suspects that Greyback might have brought them to a pub in Manchester where many dark wizards frequent whenever they’re in the area. We’ll have to get inside that pub. Know everyone’s name, age, status; everything about them. We’ll have to know who the regulars are and at what times they usually visit. We’ll have to keep a sharp eye out for anyone who looks remotely familiar. We’re not going to be able to make any mistakes now.�

Hermione nodded once again. “Where will we be staying?�

For the first time in weeks, Harry allowed himself to smile. Hermione was delighted that she was able to see a glimpse of the boy she used to know. “I haven’t any idea,� Harry chuckled.

“I have an aunt who used to live just outside of Manchester,� Hermione said. “She moved to London a few years ago, but she didn’t sell her house, just in case she ever wanted to go back. I could ask her if we could stay there for a while.�

Harry nodded. “We’ll stay there, then. It’s probably for the best, anyway. We won’t be drawing too much attention to ourselves that way.�

Hermione smiled. “When are we leaving?�

Harry checked his watch and looked at her, his green eyes glowing. “In about an hour.�

***

Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes and let out a breath that she didn’t know she had been holding. Less than a half hour ago, her best friend had been explaining how the two of them were going to attempt to destroy the rest of Lord Voldemort’s ‘army.’ It was an unsettling thought, even to a girl who had experience in the matter.

Sighing, Hermione at the contents of the green suitcase on her bed. So far, she had packed three sweaters and a single pair of pants – hardly enough for over three weeks.

Three weeks. It sounded like such a long time. Of course, she would probably be gone for more than three weeks; fate had a funny way of doing that to her – making her believe that something won’t take long when it’ll really a prolonged amount of time. It happened when she, Harry and Ron were searching for Voldemort’s horcruxes, and Hermione had the distinct feeling that it was going to happen again.

Hermione took a seat beside her suitcase and put her head in her hands. Realization hit her like a bus zooming out of control – half of her friends’ lives had been ripped from the face of the earth like they were pages in a book. She would never again see Neville, George, Lavender, Charlie, Padma, or even Fleur and Percy. Bill and Ginny were both heartbroken; the loves of their lives were eternally sleeping. George and Parvati had lost both their twins and their best friends. Ron and the rest of the Weasleys would never be able to welcome Percy back into the family, or hear Charlie’s tales of dragons and foreign wizards.

Hot tears spilled out of Hermione’s eyes and onto her cheeks. She let out a small sob and wrapped her arms around her waist, seeking comfort. She didn’t want to put her life – or anyone else’s lives – in jeopardy, but at the same time, she didn’t want to live in fear anymore. She didn’t want to have to keep a low profile in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds anymore, but she didn’t to die just so she could do so. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple, trying to figure out what she really wanted to do.

She made up her mind however, when she heard the voice of her best friend whisper, “Hermione,� in her ear and envelop her in a hug.