7:30am
Nurse the baby on the couch
Then the phone rings
"Turn on the TV"
Watch the world explode in flames
And don't leave the house
Hermione Granger sat in the living room of her house, nursing her newborn baby, Athena, on the worn-down sofa. It was the most beautiful day outside that they had seen all summer: sunny and very calm. It was early in the morning, but nevertheless Hermione was up with her daughter, whose hunger seemed to be endless. Hermione’s husband, Ronald Weasley, was currently working in the Ministry of Magic as a Trainee Auror, along with Hermione’s best other best friend, Harry Potter. Ron had left an hour ago, at 6:30 AM, so it was somewhere around 7:30 now, and nearly time for breakfast. Reluctantly, Hermione decided that she couldn’t starve Athena, so she just let out an exasperated sigh and continued to let Athena nurse. Suddenly, Hermione heard a familiar “crack!” behind her. With some difficulty, she turned and situated herself so she was facing none other that her darling Ron. She gave a weak smile. “Hello, Ron. What brings you here? You only left an hour ago, and besides, you could have at least Apparated outside so you wouldn’t have scared me as”” She stopped as she saw the expression on Ron’s face. “What’s wrong, honey?”
And the sky overhead
Is silent, waiting
Clear blue holds its breath
And the heart is hit
In a city far away
But it feels so close
“It’s Harry,” Ron managed to choke out. “He didn’t come to work this morning. Nobody was really worried about him until the Aurors found out what happened. It seems that”Harry was actually somewhere in Scotland. He”he was attacked by Death Eaters, who brought him to You-Kn”V-Voldemort. V-V-Voldemort fought a duel with him, and now”and now”and now Harry’s dead.”
Hermione nearly dropped Athena; she was in so much sudden shock. “W-what? He-he can’t be. He just can’t be.” Her breathing was quick and shallow and her eyes were widened. “No…it cannot be.”
Ron looked her square in the eye. “Turn on the Wizarding Screen.”
Hermione gently put the sleeping Athena down on the couch and leaned over to switch on the Wizarding Screen, the wizard substitute for a television, since magical manufacturers had decided that it was a wonderful idea. It, of course, used magic instead of electricity, and boasted that it was “All wizard, all the time!” The channel was currently set to Veritaserum: The Whole Truth for Wizards. Broadcasts of debris and fiery wrecks littered the screen. A reporter was in the middle of a dispatch, speaking urgently and with a hint of panic in her voice. “…has resulted in the death of Mr. Harry J. Potter, previously known as The Boy Who Lived, 23 years of age. Mr. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has grievously informed us that since Mr. Potter has passed away, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will never step down from power. This information is being looked into for more facts. The town of Scaramandell, where the fateful duel took place, is totally destroyed. All residents are dead, and the town is a-shambles. The Ministry of Magic reports that Mr. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, has been transported to an undisclosed location for his personal safety. Trained Aurors have rushed to Scaramandell to try and stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but many have given their lives to the cause, without any effect whatsoever. It seems, from Mr. Dumbledore’s information, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will now have much power and will be undefeatable…”
Don't breathe the air today
Don't speak of why you're afraid
(Standing here on a one way road
And I fall down, and I fall down
No other direction for this to go
And we fall down, and we fall down)
Why can't I get along
Why can't I get along
Why can't I get along with you?
Hermione switched off the Wizarding Screen, fingers numb with shock. Ron cleared his throat nervously. “They evacuated the Ministry, and we were all told to go to our families, in case there was an attack on the Ministry or something.”
Silent tears ran down Hermione’s cheeks. She couldn’t believe this. Harry was dead and Voldemort would be the most powerful being in the world. The earth would explode in a fiery death. She couldn’t ever leave her house or she would die, poisoned by the air. She couldn’t breath… It had been such a silent day, as if the sky was holding its last breath before it died. Why did the world have to suffer like this? Why couldn’t they have made peace with Tom Riddle before he turned to the dark Side? Why couldn’t they have gotten along? Even so far away in Scaramandell, Hermione could feel her best friend’s death like she had witnessed it firsthand. So far away…yet so close.
And the president hides
While working men rush in
And give their lives
I look to the sky
And ask it not to rain
On my family tonight
The bushy haired woman looked up at the grimy ceiling, to where the silent sky was overhead, beyond the ceiling and all boundaries. Harry, she thought. Harry, I know you’re listening up there. Please, Harry, please don’t let them rip up apart. You gave your life, Harry, and now, He’s taking over. I know you’re listening, Harry. Please protect us. Protect Hogwarts. Help us with this thing. It’s not impossible. You stopped Voldemort once, when there was not a trace of hope left. Even thought the prophecy willed that you, if anyone, must kill him, Harry, please protect us once more.
Don't breathe the air today
Don't speak of why you're afraid
(Standing here on a one way road
And I fall down, and I fall down
No other direction for this to go
And we fall down, and we fall down)
Why can't I get along
Why can't I get along
Why can't I get along with you?
She opened her eyes and looked tearfully at Ron. It had begun to rain outside. A light, pattering rain that seemed like each drop was an arrow being fired into the world. Hermione let out a single tear, and Ron held her close in a loving embrace. It seemed that time stopped in that moment. Somewhere faraway, time had stopped as well.