Till The End | h.p

wait for you

On his way up the stairs, Hermione stops him.

"Sorry Hermione, I was going to talk with Sam."

"Uh- Harry, there's something you should know... I'm not sure I should be telling you this, but I think it's important you know. And before I say anything, you should also know that I stand by Sam in what she did completely. She had every right to..."

He tilts his head, "Hermione, what happened."

"The night you lost it, Malfoy found her crying. He asked her to- to kiss him and she did..."

Harry looks down in heartbreak, but Hermione continues, "She doesn't regret it, because she knows now where her heart truly lies and it's not with him."

He looks up and a small smile begins to break.

"Don't get your hopes up, I don't know if she's ever going to..."

He shakes his head, "It doesn't matter. She's the one, Hermione."

She smiles, "Good. But before you talk to her, find the right way to express that."

He nods slowly, thinking about how to do it properly. Christmas Day comes quickly and Arthur finally returns to Grimmauld Place to celebrate with them. The stand around the dining table, ready to have dinner as Molly wheels Arthur in.

"Here we go. Daddy's back," she announces and everyone smiles happily.

"Sit down, everybody, sit down. That's it. Now, presents."

They pass around their presents for each other and begin to open them. Molly made everyone their own scarves, hats and sweaters. Molly mixes up Fred and George again so they silently swap and Sam giggles. Ron grimaces at the color of his sweater and Hermione chuckles and gives him a smile. He blushes and smiles back.

"Just what he wanted, actually," Molly admits and Ron smiles.

"Yeah. Right. Thanks, Mum."

"Come on, then, everybody. Let's clear this away," she announces.

Harry walks in awkwardly and Molly exclaims, "Oh, Harry, Harry. There you are."

She hands him his present, "Happy Christmas."

He smiles, "Thank you."

She hugs him, "Lovely to have you with us. Now, Daddy. Pass that to Daddy," she calls over to George.

"Ah, yes. A toast. A Christmas toast," Arthur announces as he raises his glass, "To Mr. Harry Potter, without whom I would not be here. Harry."

Everyone agrees, "Harry."

Sam says nothing, but downs her drink, earning a chuckle from Fred. They all finish their dinner and part ways. Harry follows after Sam and up to her room.

"Sam?"

She turns and when she notices Harry she turns back around and places her sweater from Molly into her dresser.

"I know you don't want to talk to me, but uh- do you remember when I gave you that letter last year? I asked you not to open it until I told you."

She says nothing as she sits on her bed, "Well, um, if you haven't ripped it to pieces, you can uh- you can open it now."

She furrows her brows, but walks over to her nightstand and pulls out the letter. He lets his lips part slightly, shocked that she's kept it close all this time. She opens it up and he comes over next to her, but leans against the wall, afraid that if he gets too close she'll walk away again.

She unfolds it and begins to read it.

'Sam,

I think we've both always known that something dark lives in both of us, it may not be the same darkness but we both know the pain that it causes. I made a promise to myself that I would never hurt you, that I would always keep you safe... but the fact that you're reading this, means I've broken that promise, and I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I don't know what happened, but I can guess that you're questioning how I see you and I want you to know the truth. To me, you're everything. There's a light in your eyes that gives me hope and your smile makes everything around you so much brighter. Your laugh pulls me out of the dark. Being near you makes me feel like everything will eventually be okay. I don't want to imagine who I'd be if I didn't have you. When we met, we were so young and I hadn't the slightest idea what emotions I was feeling. But I can say, now, that I have loved you since the day I first saw you. Whatever darkness we face won't change that and I hope that we can face it together. I'm at my strongest, bravest and happiest when I'm with you. I'm the best version of myself with you.

I love you, till the end,

And after that.

Harry.'

She finishes it and stares at it in shock. She looks back up at him, the light slowly returning to her eyes. She doesn't smile, she just stares at him in surprise, realizing that he does, in fact, love her.

"Before you say anything, I know about Malfoy and I don't care. I don't care if you kiss everyone in the school. I don't care that it was Malfoy of all people. I hurt you. You have every right to kiss whoever. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you, Sam. None of that matters to me, not when I love you. I love you more than- more than anything. You're the one for me and you kissing Malfoy doesn't change that or how much I love you. You can ignore me for the rest of our lives, but I'll wait forever."

He gives her a small smile and leaves her room. She sits in silence and shock. All of these years, he had loved her. Everything that he said, everything that happened that night falls away and she remembers every good moment they've had with the new realization of how much he has loved her all this time. Till the end... and after that.

She stands up and throws the letter on her bed and races out of her room and after him. She finds him in the drawing room with everyone else. She pants, completely out of breath. Everyone looks at her in surprise.

"Till the end?" She asks him.

He smiles, "And after that."

She smiles brightly and cups his face as she kisses him deeply, for the first time in months. Savoring every second, she forgets about everyone else in the room. He pulls her in further, holding her in fear of losing her again. She pulls away.

"I love you," he says with the brightest smile.

"I love you too."

"Well, this is incredibly touching, but please take five steps back from our sister," Fred jokes.

"All in favor to make sure they're five feet apart at all times?" George asks.

"I," Fred seconds.

"I," Ron nods.

"I," Sirius laughs.

Sam chuckles and steps back from Harry, but continues holding his hand.

"That's not at all what I meant," George states in exasperation.