No one knew what to do. The rest of the wizarding world rejoiced at the death of their tormentor. But a small group of people sat in a small cemetery at a quiet funeral, tears in everyone’s eyes.
Hermione herself had told them to celebrate. She, the one who cared about Harry more than anyone, had pointed out that he was in a better place. His life was easy now, he was with his parents. And with Sirius, and with Lupin. And he was with everyone else who had fallen. She knew, she told them, that Harry would want celebration, not mourning. But Hermione was the one who cried the most.
All through the ceremony, she leaned her head on Ron’s shoulder, crying her eyes out. He valiantly tried to hold back the tears that he knew were bound to come. By the time Dumbledore was done speaking and it was his turn, he wasn’t sure if he could make it. As he walked back to his seat, after what had been a difficult to give, but beautiful speech, the tears came. Harry was dead. There was no longer a happy trio, just a lonesome duet.
After the ceremony, everyone headed for the Leaky Cauldron for a funeral luncheon/celebration. Ron was about to apparate, when he noticed Hermione was walking towards a lonely tree, very similar to the one the three of them always sat under at Hogwarts.
“Hermione?” he called, unsure if she wanted company. There was no response, and when she reached the tree, she sank to the ground and wept. He remembered his vow to Harry, and in a moment, he was at her side.
“Hermione?” he repeated, this time in a soft, gentle whisper. She looked up at him, and her gaze scared him. She looked so alone, so depressed. But more importantly, she didn’t seem to recognize him.
“Who are you?” she asked, wiping her eyes and shivering in fear. “What am I doing here? Why am I all alone?” The last question seemed to be directed at the world in general. After a moment, she seemed to regain her senses.
“Oh, Ron,” she cried, falling into his open arms. “I’m sorry, Ron, I just felt so alone, and suddenly, I couldn’t remember anything. I couldn’t remember anything except…except Harry.” A fresh wave of tears fell from her yes, and he pulled her tightly to him.
“Ron, I need you to stay with me,” she pleaded, pulling away to look into his eyes. “I love you, Ron, not like I loved Harry, but I love you. I need you to be with me. Otherwise,” she paused, took a deep breath, and continued, “Otherwise, I just won’t make it.”
“Of course I remember that, ‘Mione,” he said, shaking his head, “But, it just doesn’t make any sense. How could we have gotten to this point? Yelling and screaming, fighting like cats, threatening each other, and using Harry as a weapon?”
“
I guess, Ron, we’re just no meant to be more than friends,” she looked at him, and started, to his immense surprise, to laugh. “Funny, isn’t it, how you’re always the last to know how you feel about someone? Ginny told me that I loved Harry, you told Harry he loved me, and boom, it was true! I’m sure everyone could tell, from the day you asked me to marry you that it would never work. That’s why they kept telling us to wait a little longer.” She giggled again, and smiled, adding, “It’s a good thing your mum is so convincing!”
Ron smiled back, but just couldn’t get as happy as Hermione was. For nearly two years, he had been engaged to Hermione. For one year before that, he had spent every moment devoted to her, and only her. And now, with the realization that they shouldn’t be together, another girl drifted into his mind. She had long, sandy blonde hair and really ridiculous glasses, and even more ridiculous ideas. But Ron was remembering a moment, a moment from the beginning of their seventh year.
“Hello, Ronald,” a voice said as he rushed down to breakfast. He turned to see Luna Lovegood, clutching books to her chest and staring at him avidly. “Late for breakfast, are you?” she asked, smiling coyly.
“Well,” he said, grinning back, “If Harry hadn’t been in such a hurry to meet Hermione, he might’ve woken me up!” They both chuckled. Harry and Hermione were really quite adorable together.
“So,” he said, attempting to strike up a conversation, despite his tardiness. He didn’t need breakfast. “What’s you first class today?”
“Oh, I think I have Potions first,” she said, rolling her eyes, “I do hope Professor Snape will be slightly more bearable this year.”
“He’s rotten to you too, is he?” Ron asked, trying to make his voice sound as mature and smooth as he could.
“Oh, really, Ronald, who is he not rotten too?” she asked, smiling once again.
“You seem different, Luna,” he began, voicing his thoughts, “No offense, but you’re not as weird as you used to be.”
“Oh, none taken,” she was clearly trying her best to hold back a grin as she continued, “Falling in love can do a lot to your personality.” And with that, she kissed him swiftly on the lips and rushed off.
“Ron?” Hermione asked, pulling him out of his reverie, “Are you thinking about Luna?”
He smiled and sheepishly said, “How could you tell?”
“I’m sorry, Ron, I never even thought of her, all these years. I’ve been so selfish,” she started to tear up, and Ron put his arm around her.
“You needed me, ‘Mione, I don’t regret being here for you,” he paused to think, and then decided he’d best hurry it up if he was going to win her back, “But listen, now that we’re just friends again-”
“Of course,” she declared, throwing his arm off her, standing up, and pointing towards the door, “Get out there and find her! You two were made for each other!”
He also jumped up, grinned a huge grin, and exclaimed, “You are the most wonderful person, Hermione,” kissed her on the cheek, and ran out the door.
“Yeah,” she said to herself, slumping into a chair, “they were made for each other. Kinda like me and Harry.”
Hermione began to cry. The tears just would not stop coming. She couldn’t stop thinking about Harry, and everything he was missing because of his untimely death. He had become a legend, worshipped and adored by wizards everywhere. But he never had the chance to be a normal guy.
And then she thought about what she had missed because of Harry’s death. Hermione didn’t want to seem selfish, but frankly, his death had ruined her life. She had lost the one thing she needed, the love she had always longed for.
She slowly stood up and walked to the window of the flat she shared with Ron. (They weren’t technically “living together,” they just lived in the same apartment.) She looked out the window. She watched a few people walk by on the street below. And then, without warning she jumped.
Hermione bolted up in her bed. She stared around, wide-eyed and confused. “I’m, I’m in the dormitory…” she said to herself, totally bewildered. “It was all a dream!”
She was about to happily settle down to sleep, when she suddenly felt a pang of worry. What if the dream came back? “I gotta stay awake,” she thought, as she looked around the room. “I know, I’ll go make some hats.”
And Hermione Granger grabbed her needles and material and headed out of the girl’s dormitory to the common room, trying her best to forget the dream and hoping that the rest of her nights would be filled with refreshing, dreamless sleep.
A/n: so, were u SHOCKED? this was a very long chapter, at least for me, it probably coulda been two, but my friend Janyne couldn't wait to be SHOCKED, so this one goes out to her!
thanx for reading, i hope u liked it....be sure to keep an eye out for a sequel/type thing that i just finished posting (it should be much better than this one)