In sickness and in health

Any character or place you recognize belongs to J K Rowling


There were hundreds of death eaters and a hundred and fifty people protecting the school. Draco squeezed Hermione's hand as they walked towards their uncertain fate.

They all lined up with no more than a hundred yards between them and the dark forces before them. There was a long silence before Harry forced his way to the front of the group and spoke into the night.

"Come and meet your fate Voldemort. Your horcruxes are gone and one way or another one of us must die." There was a terrible roar at his words and Voldemort glided forward and began throwing spells at Harry. The two sides collided and so it began.

Later Hermione could never recall exactly what she did although others remembered it vividly. She was everywhere casting spells with her bare hands. Then Lucius Malfoy confronted her with an evil grin on his face.

"Ah my dear we meet again." He said. Hermione turned into a black panther and growled. It was a lovely growl richly layered with scorn and contempt along with all her anger and pain. For a moment Lucius was surprised but then he began casting spells at her.

Hermione flitted from form to form and for a minute the whole battle halted just to watch her. They all gasped when they realized what she was and gasped again when they saw the mark upon her shoulder. Many of them burst into tears. Then the rest of the battle resumed.

"Tell me my dear how did you get away?" Lucius sneered.

"Your son rescued me. He is the only one I have been able to speak with in recent months and now we are engaged." She showed him her ring and in his momentary shock leaped at him in her dragon form and tore out his heart before burning it to a crisp and spitting out out onto the ground.

She rose into the air above the battle and began reeking chaos among the dark forces. And then it happened. There was a blinding flash of green light and every death eater dropped to the ground dead. Hermione reached Harry just as he collapsed. His scar faded away and he was no more.

Hermione burst into tears and pressed her face into the chest of her best friend.

"Oh Harry. You never even got to meet my children. I'm so sorry I blew up at you." There was a light touch on her shoulder cold as ice and Hermione looked around to find a ghost Harry behind her.

"I'm sorry too Mione."

"Harry how-?" Hermione began.

"I had a quick word with the blokes upstairs and they've agreed to let me have a couple of hours to say goodbye because of all the good I did. I would very much like to meet your children." Hermione burst into tears again and ran up to the castle.

She only announced that the battle was over and they won when she entered the room of requirement before grabbing her children and hurrying back out to the battlefield where everyone was gathered around the ghostly Harry. She pushed her way through to the center and showed the babies to Harry who looked at them sadly.

"In my whole life I never once got to hold a child." Hermione nodded sadly. Harry reached out a pale hand and gently ran his transparent finger over each child's forehead. They didn't cry but looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "What are their names?"

"James Albus Granger and Anna Lily Granger. I thought that you would be happy to have your parents names be a part of them." Harry nodded.

"Thank you. I'll let them know that they and Albus are remembered." He started to fade. "I love you everybody. I'll see you in the next life." He disappeared completely. Hermione leaned back into Draco's arms and wept. Ron approached and took the children into his arms.

"I'm really sorry Mione. I just didn't think he could possibly care for anyone." He said and stroked the thin layer of hair on Anna's head.

Hermione laughed weakly and took her fiancee and her best friend into her arms.