The shock sent him flying backwards at what felt like a hundred miles per hour. He had never performed the killing curse before; he had never even practiced it on a patch of air. And he was not prepared for it.

He really hadn't wanted to use an Unforgivable curse, even on his biggest enemy. Those required hate. He didn't hate Voldemort. He had learned that about a year ago, towards the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts.

He had been sitting in the common room late at night, working on an overdue Potions essay. He was absentmindedly chewing on the end of his quill when he heard a soft whoosh as a figure in pink pajama bottoms and a white tee slipped down the stairs from the girl's dormitory.

"Harry?" She said, as she came closer to the fire, evidently shocked to see him there, "What are you doing down here?"

"I'm trying to finish this essay, Hermione, I still have to do another roll of parchment," he said, a little annoyed with her. He needed to focus on the essay, and Hermione lately had had the tendency of distracting him.

But he had to talk to her. "What are you doing down here?" he asked, as she plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Oh, I had a bad dream," she said, sheepishly twisting her hair around her finger, "And I couldn't fall back asleep, so I was going to come down here and make some more hats!" She finished, showing Harry her knitting needles and material for her elf hats, which lately, actually, were looking very good.

"But if you'd rather be alone," she said, starting to stand up. Apparently, she had noticed his tone of voice earlier.

"No, stay," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back onto the couch, "I could use the company.

Hermione managed to make about six hats in the time it took Harry to finish his essay. When he was done, he glanced at his watch. "Wow," he said, "Sorry I kept you up so late, Hermione."

"Oh, its no problem," she smiled, "I wasn't going to fall back asleep, not after that dream I had."

He sat back to the back of the couch, put his hands behind his head and asked, "Really? It was that bad? What was it about?"

He could tell she really didn't want to tell him, and he wasn't going to press it, when she suddenly spurted out, "Harry, please don't die."

Harry was utterly shocked, to say the least. "Well, ummm, well, that isn't one of my goals in life, Hermione, but I'm going to have to die at some point. Everybody does."

"I'm serious, Harry," she said seriously. She seemed angry with herself, but she also seemed to feel the need to explain herself. "Its just, if you leave me, everything will be terrible."

"Why would I leave you?" he asked, more confused than he had been a moment ago.

"Well, I mean, with V-voldemort, I mean, his whole goal is to kill you, and, well, I mean, you hate him so much and everything-" Harry cut her off there, surprising even himself with his next statement.

"I don't hate him," he declared simply, as though his subconscious had wanted to let that secret out for years.

"You don't hate him?" she asked incredulously. Hermione just didn't understand things like that, he realized. There had to be a logical explanation to everything. And Harry not hating the man who killed his parents and who was responsible for the deaths of many more, there was just no explanation. At least, none that she could see.

"I'm not sure why I don't hate him," he said, running his hand over his scar, "I didn't even know until a moment ago."

"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked, leaning back herself so that there eyes were even.

"Actually, yes.�

They spent the whole night talking. It was really amazing. By the end, Harry still didn’t understand why he didn’t hate Voldemort, but he did understood what Ron had meant when, a few days before that night, he had told Harry that it was obvious to everyone but Harry and Hermione that Harry and Hermione were meant to be together.

He was pulled out of his reverie by a loud masculine voice calling over all the shouting of spells, “The Dark Lord is dead!�

Everything stopped. The battle seemed to have been won with that one pronouncement. Harry managed to sit up slightly and look around at the field before him. All around, Death Eaters were raising their hands in defeat. He saw Ron leaning over what looked like the small, lifeless body of Ginny Weasley. Harry gulped back tears.

He saw who it was who had made the pronouncement of Voldemort’s death, it was Professor Snape. When the battle started, Snape had shed his double agent role and openly fought on the side of light.

Looking around more, he saw Neville and Parvati covering a Death Eater with long black hair with their wands. Even from many yards away, Harry could see the anger mixed with the sadness in Neville’s eyes. Bellatrix Lestrange was the reason that Neville had no parents, at least, no sane parents.

He surveyed the ground further, and saw that many students and members of the Order had fallen. Madame Pomfrey, with the help of Professor Sprout, was conjuring stretchers for the wounded and the dead. Harry saw McGonagall’s limp body be lifted into a stretcher, as well as those of Tonks and of Kingsley. He saw Colin Creevey openly weeping over what appeared to be his younger brother’s body, and a few yards away from them, both Lavender and Dean lay badly wounded.

Harry began to worry. He had not seen Hermione yet, and he was beginning to fear the worst, when he heard a voice call, from far across the grounds, “Harry! Harry, are you okay?�

In seconds, she crossed the distance between them and was sitting next to him, a look of intense worry upon her face. “Harry, oh Harry, are you okay?�

“I’m fine,� he lied, forcing a smile, when in fact, he was incredibly tired and weak from the duel he had just participated, “Are you all right?�

“Oh Harry, don’t lie to me, I can always tell when you’re lying,� she said curtly, and promptly removed her cloak. She folded into a pillow and slipped into under his head, “Lie down, Harry.�

He laughed as he leaned back. Hermione seemed okay, she was still able to be her bossy stuff. But, he noticed as she pulled her straggling hairs back, that she had a large cut on her arm. “What’s that?� he asked, forgetting for a moment his own condition to sit up and examine her wound.

“It’s nothing Harry, it’s really nothing,� she said, forcing him to lie down again, “Now please, rest, you look terrible.�

He suddenly felt the full impact of the last seven years of his life. It was done now, but that didn’t make the pain of it all go away. Seven years of fighting battles, big and small, not only to defeat Voldemort, but just to make it through school.

And Harry wanted to let go of all of it. He knew, at the moment, that if he would allow his body to do it, he could die. Move on, be with Sirius and his parents, and everything would be miles better. But then there was Hermione.

She was looking at him, her brown eyes full of so much concern. He remembered her words to him the previous year. He couldn’t leave her now; he just couldn’t abandon her like that.

They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, and Harry silently fought the battle to hold on. After what seemed like several hours, but was really only about five minutes, Hermione whispered, “Harry, you can let go if you have to.�

He looked up at her, and saw tears welling up in her eyes. “But Hermione—“

She put her hand to his lips and said sweetly, “I know what I said, Harry, but I was wrong. I promise Harry, it may be tough, but I’ll find a way to make it without you. But I can’t go on knowing that you prolonged your life of pain and suffering just for me. Harry, I love you.�

“Tell Ron I’m sorry about Ginny. Take care of him, Hermione. And take care of yourself. I love you too, Hermione,� Harry whispered, even in his last moments thinking of others. And with that, all his memories of pain and suffering were gone as his life drifted away.

Nearly an hour after the battle’s end, a heart-broken Ron Weasley was searching for the people he cared about most in the world: Harry, Hermione, and Luna. With Ginny’s death and the loss of Fred and Percy the years before, Ron wasn’t sure he could take anymore pain. That’s why he was ecstatic when Luna rushed into his arms and he knew she was all right. But after a few moments with her, he knew he had to find his best friends. He whispered to hear that he would be back, and set to searching again.

He found Hermione near the tree the three of them always used to sit under by the lake. She was lying on top of something, shaking with sobs. Ron didn’t want to know what she was lying on top of, especially since he had a pretty good idea what, or rather who, it was.

“Hermione?� he whispered, gently tapping her shoulder. She sat up and turned to him, and he was surprised to see her smile through her tears.

“Oh Ron,� she cried, falling into his open arms. “Oh Ron, I don’t know how to feel. He’s dead, he’s dead…� here she paused, as more and more sobs came. Ron tried to fight back his tears, desperate to stay calm and be there for his best friend. But her words kept playing in his head. “He’s dead, he’s dead.�

She pulled away from him and smiled, “But Ron, I told him to let go. He’s in a better place now, he’s with his parents, and Sirius, and Lupin, a-and Ginny…� Ron hung his head at this point, fearing that any moment now the tears would start again.

“He told me, before he died, to tell you that he’s sorry about Ginny, Ron,� she put her hand under his chin and lifted it up, “And I’m sorry too, Ron, I’m so sorry.�

Ron wanted to scream that saying sorry wouldn’t bring back his little sister. And saying that Harry was in a better place wouldn’t make it hurt any less to have lost the best friend he ever had. But it was no use, it was all they could do.

“Come on, Hermione,� Ron whispered, as Madame Pomfrey came to take care of Harry’s body. Dumbledore was roaming through the grounds, visiting with fallen students and helping to secure the Death Eaters. Ron saw him coming, and felt the need to get away; he didn’t want to talk to anyone, except for Luna and Hermione.

But before he could pull Hermione away, the Headmaster was upon them. He looked down at the two of them, the usual twinkle still in his eyes, but greatly dimmed by the sudden brimming of tears.

“Are you two okay?� Dumbledore asked, offering his hands to help them up. Ron stood up on his own, still feeling the need to be with only the two people he cared about immensely. Hermione, however, took the Headmaster’s hand, and seemed to grow reassured as he pulled her up.

“We’ll make it, sir,� she said, grabbing Ron’s hand in a friendly gesture. Ron felt the same warmth he was sure Hermione had felt from Dumbledore.

“Of course we will,� Ron added, trying not to notice Harry’s body being lifted unto a stretcher.

“I’m sure you will,� the old man whispered, putting a hand on each of their shoulders’, you were there for Harry all those years, I’m sure you’ll make it if you’re there for each other. I just hope I will,� he finished, and for the first time ever, the great Albus Dumbledore completely broke down in tears.

“Professor,� Ron said, suddenly confident and desperate to help the man who had helped him and his friends so many times, “Weren’t you the one who said that to the organized mind, death is but the next great adventure?�

Dumbledore wiped his tears and smiled, “I did indeed say that, Mr. Weasley,� he said, the twinkle coming back, “And I am incredibly thrilled that Mr. Potter told you that bit of wisdom and that you reminded me of it now. Yes,� he said, the twinkle fully back now, “Harry’s adventurous life is not over, its just continuing in, shall we say, a different venue.� And with that, he laid a hand on each of their shoulders once more, and continued his journey through the grounds.

Harry’s body was being carried away from them. Ron smiled awkwardly as Hermione released his hand. “I have to go find Luna again, are you gonna be okay, ‘Mione?�

“I’m going to go with Harry, just for a little more, Ron. You go find Luna,� she turned to walk away, when Ron called her back.

“Hermione, a long time ago, Harry made me promise to take care of you…�

“He made me promise the same thing, Ron. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of each other,� she smile and wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. When she pulled away and looked Ron in the eyes, she almost laughed as she thought of something. A dream she had had, a little more than a year ago.

“Ron,� she said, happy she thought of something to lighten the mood, “Let’s never get married.�




A/N You might not have gotten the ending if you didn’t read my other story, “When Life Gives You Lemons…�
Well, I hoped you liked my dark romance here. It’s my second attempt at a story with relationships, and I hope it’s a little better than the first. Let me know with some reviews! And I’d like to give a shout to Janyne once again, for inspiring this whole train of thought, and to Meagan and Jessica for the title help of the previous story and for your support of my stories! And thanks to all my reviewers too, you make my day!