The Library Girl | Hermione Granger

33. The Fall Apart

Hermione's pov

She felt how Felicity let go of her hand and she felt a shiver that told her something wasn't right.

She saw her run after Fred and push him sideways. And as Hermione took a step forward, she looked at Felicity's back and saw through the window the giant fireball that was going to hit the wall in any second.

Her blood got cold and she felt her whole world fall apart.

- FEL! -. Hermione shouted frightened and with a trembling voice.

Around her, Fred, Harry, and Ron saw where she was looking and the sensation of panic invaded them too in the worst way possible.

- FELICITY! -. The three boys shouted in unison and tried to get closer before the catastrophe happened.

But it was too late.

- NO!! -.

As each of them tried to take away Felicity from the fireball's objective, the entire wall exploded and hit her first before the rest of them. The sound was even more awful to hear, how the bones were crushed by the rocks and put an end to everything.

But it all became blurred and the dust of the ruins surrounded the place, making it impossible to see with clarity.

Hermione lost sense of time and consciousness for a few seconds before someone took her arm and obligated her to stand up. The shape of Felicity was seen but she recognized that it was just an illusion far away from real from the present, and Harry's form cleared up across the dust.

- Wh- 

She looked beside her and saw her, in the ground... bleeding.

- No, no, no, no -. She said as she ran to her and collapsed next to her body.- No, no, no... Fel, please -.

She lost control of her emotions and felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She took Felicity's shoulders, turned her around, and got closer to hear her breathing.

Nothing.

She put her fingers on her neck to check the pulse.

Nothing.

Her breath escaped from her lungs and everything around became quiet and got frozen.

The blood wasn't stopping and it was spilled all around Felicity's head.

- No... -. She whispered, shocked, and she felt how reality stabbed her from the back.

Hermione caressed Felicity's cheeks as she felt how the warm temperature was slowly turning into cold.

- No... -. She said as she rested her head on Fel's chest and cried disconsolately, hoping for her heart to beat again and talk to her once more.- Fel -.

It was unfair, why did she have to go? 

Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder and she heard how he sobbed discreetly. 

- Please, wake up -. She whispered, with her head still on Fel's chest and putting all her hope on her pray.- Wake up... -.

- She saved me -. Fred Weasley said, shocked.

Hermione sobbed more painfully and clung to Fel's robes.

Wake up...

She felt a hole in her chest, which was consuming her and tearing apart her heart. 

Behind her, Ron sat on the ground and crushed a rock against what was left of the wall, violently, and the debris spilled around him. 

Around them, the war was still happening. But everything was happening so far away from Hermione that she completely forgot about the explosions and the screams. 

She put an ear right on Fel's heart and desired it to work again. 

- Please... -. She whispered again, weakly.- I need you -.

Suddenly, and like an avalanche, every memory she had of her flashed before her eyes and remembered every time they were together. The good and the bad. The times Fel caressed her hand and cheeks to comfort her, the sound of her voice when she was falling apart, her weakness, and her bravery. Every time they sat in the library to make each other's company, the first chance they got to look at each other like they did until now. Her eyes looking at her so lovingly and her passionate kisses at night.  

Every one of them was now an old memory, those that will become blurred over time.

They weren't going to grow old together and see each other live through the years.  

That pain would be forever beyond help.

The last thing she did to her was leave her behind and it destroyed her heart to remember how Fel was desiring to be next to her and be participate in that part of her life, and she hated herself for letting her overprotective self push her away.

But even in this timeline, or in any other, they would get to the same ending,

Fallen to pieces.