A New Dawn by libraryangel
Chapter Notes: This story is told from Hermione's point of view. While the other characters are still present, she is the main character, not Harry. I thought it would be interesting to write a story from this perspective. I hope you like it!
Hermione felt the warm glow of the newly risen sun on her cheek as she slowly embraced the blurry consciousness of waking. Although her body was telling her it was morning, her eyes did not seem to want to open. She had slept so soundly in the safety of her four poster bed that she did not want to move from the warmth and comfort just yet.
In the months of moving around from cold campground to campground and forest to forest, she had forgotten what it was like just to lie still without any agendas or cares. Without any fear. FEAR. This was a word that had encompassed her whole life for more than a year. Fear was present behind every thought, every action, every hope, every dream, and every emotion. Whenever she thought of her friends and her family, fear was always there to snatch any joy she might have, any longing, or even… love. No, she could not let herself think of love or worse, to fall head first into its wondrous and yet terrifying depths. She had to keep a cool head so that she could focus on her mission to help Harry destroy the Horcruxes.
But, the Horcruxes were destroyed. Voldemort was dead! Was this really true or was she still dreaming? She must be dreaming. It could not actually be real. She had hoped and prayed for this day to come and it seemed as though it never would. She would never be able to fulfill her hopes, dreams, and ambitions; or would she?
As she lay there in her cozy bed, everything came back to her. Everything from the day she met Harry and Ron until the fall of the man who had called himself Lord Voldemort came flashing through her mind. It was true! The war was truly over! As this realization washed over her, she felt a jubilance that she had never felt before. She felt as though she had a second chance at life and that future possibility was open to her and … Ron.
Ron. She turned the name over and over again in her mind and as she did so, a bigger smile than any she had ever smiled before formed on her radiant face. She had not even smiled like that when she received the letter telling her that she was a witch and was accepted into the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in all of Europe and possibly, in all the world. As she thought about Ron, her mind lingered on the first kiss they had shared in the midst of the raging battle of Hogwarts. Of course, it was not the most favorable timing, she thought, as she remembered Harry’s admonition to focus on destroying the Horcruxes. But, it was a glorious moment nonetheless.
Their kiss and yes, their passion had been building for years as both she and Ron had been too stubborn to voice their feelings for each other out loud. Her heart sank as she thought about what might have happened had Harry not defeated Voldemort. She might not have had the opportunity to tell Ron exactly how she felt about him. About how she longed to spend every waking minute with him and never leave his side. And what if Ron had … she could not even bear the thought.
But it was over, she reminded herself again as she shook the horrible thought from her head. She and Ron had a second chance! The whole wizarding world, in fact, was like Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes, rising from the ashes of the chaos Voldemort had created during his reign of terror. It was tragic that Dumbledore could not be there to witness the downfall of Lord Voldemort in person after all the hard work he had put into it and all the help he gave Harry. She knew, however, that wherever he was, he was proud of what Harry was able to accomplish and the parts she and Ron had played in getting him there.
After letting all of these thoughts float around in her head for what seemed like hours or maybe just a few minutes, Hermione finally sat up, stretched and dressed. Rested and refreshed, she was ready to face her new life, the new world in which everyone could live in peace and safety.
She was ready to go see Ron for the first time since yesterday, when they not only witnessed the downfall of Voldemort but also the destruction and morbidity he left in his wake. After she and Ron had accompanied Harry up to Dumbledore’s old office, there was nothing left to do but go and comfort the mourning. Now that the battle was over and won, Ron finally allowed himself to feel the excruciating pain of losing his brother, Fred. He had pushed this pain into the dark corners of his mind in order to remain focused as he was fighting in the battle of Hogwarts.
Fred. Hermione could not believe that he was gone. She remembered his mischievous smile and the sound of his laughter as he joked around with his twin for countless hours in the Gryffindor common room. True, she had often been hard on the twins, especially when they were trying out the Skiving Snack Boxes on the Gryffindor first years, but she never could be entirely mad at them because they were so much fun. They cheered up even the gloomiest days and their joke shop was one of the few things that made anyone smile during the terror and uncertainty that was Voldemort’s reign. She wondered how George would be able to cope now that his partner in crime, closest friend, and “other half” was gone, never to return to the shop he had co-founded or to the family he loved.
And then there was Ron. Hermione remembered how he just fell into her arms sobbing uncontrollably once they were back in the Great Hall with his family. She could not do anything but just hold him and stroke his flaming hair as they both cried. She did not even care about who was looking. The only two people who existed in that moment were she and Ron. She wanted to speak words of comfort to him but for one of the first times in her life, she was speechless. She wished she could just rush off to the library and look up the information she needed like she had done so many times throughout her years at Hogwarts but, of course, this was not an option. Although she hated to admit it, there are times when even books cannot help and this was one of those times.
As she thought about how upset Ron had been, she felt a little nervous and anxious about seeing him again. She knew that it would be a long time before he would be anything close to happy and that he would probably never be the same again even if he was eventually able to come to terms with his grief. It was impossible for anyone who had lived through this war to ever be the same. Although she accepted that Ron’s grieving would be a process, she wondered how she would be able to comfort him. She wanted to be able to take his pain and bear it for him so that he could feel joy again but obviously, this was impossible. She hoped that he at least had a restful and peaceful night’s sleep like she did so that he would be better able to face a new dawn and a new world. A world that was peaceful and safe. A world in which there were new endless possibilities. A world where they could explore their new relationship and the newfound passion they could now acknowledge. A world without Fred, Lupin, and Tonks, she thought bitterly, not to mention countless others that died in the fight.
As she walked down the stairs from her dormitory to the Gryffindor common room, she hoped that everyone could look beyond their grief and see the new possibilities open to them. She hoped that she would be able to be there for Ron in any way that he needed her. She hoped that he would still want to build on that kiss they shared during the battle even though he was grieving. They had come so far in their friendship, in their relationship, since the day that Ron and Harry saved her from the troll in the girl’s bathroom, she remembered with a smile. She had been in the girl’s bathroom all day on Halloween because Ron had said that she was a “nightmare.” Little did she know at the time, that the tall red-headed boy who was so mean to her would become her great love, the one person she could not live without.
As she continued walking, she decided that it was futile to be nervous to talk to the man she had grown so close to over the years. He was still Ron and her best friend. She could talk to him about anything and they would get through this together. After all, they had the rest of their lives to do so now that the wizarding world was finally safe.
Hermione stepped from the last step of the corridor onto the soft carpet of the Gryffindor common room. She slowly looked around the fairly empty room, not daring to breathe until she saw him. She exhaled. He was not there. Disappointment and relief washed over her at once as she pondered what she should do. Should she go up to his room and see if he was awake? She knew she would be allowed since girls could go up to the boy’s dormitory. She had done it before. She laughed as she remembered the time Ron and Harry had tried to come up to her dormitory but ended up in a heap on the floor because the stairs had flattened into a slide sending them crashing down. Even though she was allowed in the dormitory, she was not sure she should go up and find Ron. What if he was still asleep? After the day he had yesterday, she did not want to do anything to cut his peaceful rest short. His entire family had even opted to stay at Hogwarts so that everyone could rest before they had to figure out where to go and what to do next. What if he was awake but did not want to see her just yet? She did not want to risk his annoyance or anger if she forced him to see her before he was ready. No. She would wait in the common room for him. Although she wanted to rush up to his room and embrace him and never let go, she felt as though staying here was the more sensible option. He would come down when he was ready.
As she turned to go sit down in one of the squashy armchairs in front of the fire, she caught a flash of red in the corner of her eye. She slowly turned back around until she saw the ever so familiar mop of brilliant red hair she had seen almost everyday for the past seven years of her life. He was there. It was Ron. She finally faced him and their eyes met and locked on each other. Now was the moment of truth.