A/N: Firstly, I want to thank everyone who actually made it till the end. This has been one of the longest stories I've ever written, and I'm so relieved to see how many people enjoyed it, and gave me positive reviews. This will be the last chapter before the Epilogue, so enjoy!
•Everything was dark at first. There wasn't any pain, nor bliss. It was just a state of nothingness. But then, Hermione felt her eyelashes fluttering, and soon her vision was filled with white. It was gleaming like fresh parchment, endlessly traveling into the sky with no ceiling in sight,
'Where am I?'
Sitting up with a wince, Hermione trailed her eyes across the pristine room. It looked like the Hogwarts Library, as the were walls lined with shelves of unmarked books. The many tables scattered about were occupied by people, familiar people whom Hermione remembered from her past. Luna and Dean were sitting together with a Quibbler at one setting, while Ginny, Lavender and Pavarti giggled silently from behind their held up book at some unsaid joke from another. In the far corner, Fred and George Weasley were working on one of their products, while Colin Creevy watched with delight from afar.
It was a beautiful sight, to see everyone at peace. The only eerie thing about the scene was the silence. The heavy, yet loud silence of Death. Getting to her feet slowly and taking a few steps forward, Luna and Dean looked up. Their faces were barely distinguishable, yet Luna's dreamy gaze still peeked through as she grinned and turned to point across the library. Following the finger with her eyes, Hermione saw two blotches of color.
Gasping, the young witch thanked Luna quietly before weaving about the tables, making her way towards where two boys were playing a game of wizards chess,
"Ron...Harry?"
Hermione felt as if the breath had been ripped from her throat as both boys turned to look at her in unison. Ron's fire red hair was still as vibrant as ever, and his smile reached his sweet eyes as he laughed slightly. Harry's dark hair was still messy, and his smile was a little gentler, though still as genuine as Ronald's, "how are you both here?"
"We came here after you left, 'Mione," Ron said, standing up to tower over the form of his past girlfriend, "we've been waiting for you,"
"Ron even bet me a sickle it wouldn't be till you were an old woman," Harry injected, standing as well and holding open his arms. Ron did too as the Golden Trio embraced, holing each other tightly as far tears rolled down Hermione's face,
"I-I thought I'd never see you guys again,"
Sniffling and pulling away from her friends, Hermione looked around again, "where are we anyway?"
"It's the place between death," Harry explained, shoving his hands into his jeans with a crooked smile, "we all came to see you, Hermione,"
"So you're all dead? I...I'm so sorry..."
Hermione sniffled again as Ron shook his head and pulled the young witch closer to him,
"Not really, eh? We're just, waiting for our time, ya know?"
"No, I don't know Ronald," Hermione mumbled, causing Harry to happily laugh,
"It's pretty confusing. But you should be getting back soon,"
"I should?" Hermione looked between her two friends confusedly, "I can leave?"
"Well you aren't really dead," Ron stated, picking up Hermione's hand to reveal the Resurrection Stone,
"Of course, the Resurrection stone can bring back loved ones from the grave. That's why you're all here,"
"Yep. You always were the smartest of us,"
Harry beamed as Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione's forehead,
"We'll all be here for you love, kick Voldemort's arse for us, yeah?"
"But...what if I don't want to go back?"
"That's all up to you, I guess." Harry stayed with a slight shrug, "but you definitely don't belong here,"
"At least not yet," Ron added last minute, "you'll see us again love, I promise. But right now, I think there are some jolly good blokes who need your brains,"
Laughing tearily, Hermione wiped at her eyes,
"You always did have a peculiar way with words, Ronald. B-but how do I leave?"
"Well, the best way to exit someplace is through a door," Harry pointed across the room, "and there it is. Don't worry about us, Hermione, we have plenty of books to read in here. Maybe I'll even be able to convince Ron to read Hogwarts: A History?"
"Not even in death, Harry Potter, will either of you read my favorite book," Hermione rasped, still fighting valiantly against the tears rolling in thick ribbons down her face, "promise I'll see you again someday?"
"Promise," Harry made an X over his heart while Ron jerked a thumb in his direction,
"Yea, what he said,"
"Then I guess this is goodbye," hugging the two boys once more, and placing a final kiss on her past boyfriends lips, Hermione made her way towards the large door. Turning around one last time, the Library was empty besides two boys playing wizards chess across the room. Smiling, and somehow knowing she would see them again, Hermione turned and passed through the heavy doorway•
Hermione returned to consciousness with a gasp, her eyes snapping open towards the ceiling as an immense pain flooded into her head. Groaning and clenching her teeth, the young witch grasped the Elder Wand with one hand, while feeling the back of her head with the other. It felt as through the ceiling had come crashing down on her, and based on the rubble lying at her feet, that's precisely what happened.
Leaning on one side and clutching her tender scalp, Hermione could see a broad figure standing before her with a gleaming sword in hand,
"R-Remus?"
The werewolf twisted around rapidly, and Hermione could see the tears running down his face, and the disbelief which filled up his eyes. At his feet was a pile of black ashes, no doubt what remained of Nigini, "...you killed it?"
"Hermione! Gods I thought I lost you,"
Remus dropped the sword with a clatter as he fell to his knees beside his girlfriend, physically shaking with relief as he took her up in his arms and held her tight, "bloody hell, please don't do that again. Never, ever, again,"
"What happened, exactly?"
"I-I came running around the corner and the snake...and you...and-and then things were falling-"
Hermione took hold of her boyfriends arms and clutched them tightly, trying desperately to halt his nervous shaking,
"Remus, its alright. I'm fine...perhaps a little tender, but fine,"
"I thought you were dead,"
"I thought so too for a while. Here, help me up,"
Grunting slightly, Hermione sifted as Remus got to his feet, hauling the young witch up onto his shoulder as she held her wand and pushed some hair behind her ear, "where is everyone?"
"The Order managed to corner most of the Death Eaters in the courtyard," Remus explained, "Lily, James and Sirius are there right now,"
"We need to help them,"
"You're in no state to fight-"
"Remus, we're so close. I'm not stepping back now,"
The werewolf boy seemed ready to protest, but resigned with a heavy sigh and a nod, pulling Hermione closer to him as the castle shook with a large and powerful bombarda spell,
"We need to move,"
Nodding, the pair picked their way through the rubble of the castle, refusing to look at the many bodies still sprawled about the grounds. Finally, the sounds of a dwindling battle could be heard. Throwing the invisibility cloak over them both, Remus and Hermione snuck into the courtyard. The remaining Death Eaters were all pushed into one corner, wands outstretched in every possible direction. In a similar member, Order members stood in a half moon around the opposite half of the courtyard. In the middle though, Minerva McGonagall stood proudly in dueling position against a very pale, very dark haired man,
"...you think you can defeat me, woman?"
The strangers voice was silky, yet still remained sinister as he laughed and opened his arms, "where is your precious Dumbledore? Why isn't he here to protect you!"
"You should know that Dumbledore is dead, blathering fool,"
McGonagall's Scottish drawl was strong, no doubt betraying her own fears as she stiffened her grip on her wand. The pale man, whom Hermione now suspected was Voldemort, cocked his head to one side,
"You take me for a fools woman," he drawled, "only a great wizard could have unraveled my plans,"
'Or a time traveler,' Hermione thought with a slight smirk, rubbing her bad arm as she flexed and unflexed her hand around the Elder Wand,
"But even so, I will take delight in killing every dirty blooded witch and wizard in this country, as well as those who mean to protect them," Voldemort smiled from under his snake lips, "starting, of course, with you,"
"That is if you can beat me first, Voldemort,"
Stiffening beside Remus, Hermione felt his hand intertwine with hers as she watched Voldemort cast the first attack. McGonagall deflected it expertly, but it was a weak block and more and more spells were hurtled at her. Finally, the Scottish woman was on the ground,
"Awe, pity," Voldemort said, "and I was hoping this would be difficult, Avada-"
"Stupefy!"
Hermione removed herself from under the invisibility cloak as Voldemort was flung backwards mid spell, sending a bolt of green light uselessly into the air as Hermione ran towards McGonagall and kneeled by her side, "are you alright, professor?"
"Under the circumstances, Miss Black, I think you can call me Minerva,"
Smirking slightly, Hermione helped the woman to her feet as Sirius and James came to assist her off the battle field. This left Hermione to face Voldemort head to head,
"Well, well,"
Hermione turned, seeing the pale, snake like man being helped back to his feet by some of his Death Eater followers, "I suddenly sense that you're the one who has been causing all the trouble?"
Hermione said nothing as Voldemort laughed slightly,
"A little girl? Come now, child. Step aside and let the grown-ups do the talking,"
Clenching her jaw, Hermione remained silent as Voldemort narrowed his eyes, "really, what could you do to defeat-"
Voldemort was cut off as Hermione cast a wordless spell, causing the man to deflect. Soon enough, Hermione was throwing spell after spell at the one person who had ruined the lives of countless wizards and witches, in one timeline and the next. Stunners, disarmers, even one of Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex's, Hermione used them all in quick succession to back Voldemort onto the crumbling aqueduct. By the time Hermione was out of breath, Voldemort was as well and they just stood, facing one another,
"Well, it seems like we're at an impasse," Voldemort breathed, "such power from a little girl,"
"I'm not that little," Hermione hissed slightly, clutching the elder wand in her grip, "I'm just finishing what destiny started,"
"I wouldn't think a girl like you to believe in destiny. And funny thing is...I feel like we've met before. Maybe not here or now, but in another life it seems," Voldemort admitted, inhaling deeply as he stood straighter, "come my dear, one final sachet to see what destiny has in store for us?"
Hermione said nothing as Voldemort lifted his wand up high,
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Retrorsum!"
Two beams of brilliant light collided at the center of the aqueduct, the lightning blue spell sparking with electricity as the Slytherin green one swirled like ink in water. Squinting and holding her ground, Hermione felt a hand gently take hold of her own as Ron's wispy white silhouette helped keep her steady. Meanwhile, more white figures had started coming out of the spell. Hermione could make out Luna and Dean, the Twins, Ginny, Lavender, Pavarti, Colin. Everyone whom she had known in her other life stood around her, crackling like an electrical storm as Harry appeared on Hermione's other side and lifted his own wand.
There was a brilliant flash of light as Voldemort's killing curse shattered, sending it back towards the snake like wizard as a choked scream escaped his throat and there was an explosion of black ashes. Lowering her spell with a tremendous effort, Hermione blinked away the figures she had been seeing, looking to the sky where a blackish snow was falling. There was no sound to accompany the moment, just silence and heavy breathing as Hermione turned to look back at the courtyard.
Remus was standing in the gateway holding the sword of Gryffindor, flanked by Lily, James and Sirius. Behind them, Aberforth was helping McGonagall keep in her feet, while people like the Longbottoms kept the left over Death Eaters at wand point. Exhaling deeply, Hermione smiled and pushed some hair behind her ear as Remus slowly made his way towards her and fell down onto one knee,
"We made it," he breathed, "will you marry me now?"
It sounded almost like a plea as Hermione got to her knees and hugged Remus tight, almost like he would fade away if she let go,
"Yes," tears streaming down her dirty face, Hermione inhaled shakily and nodded into her boyfriends chest, "yes I will."