Hope

Harry and Hermione fell asleep together that night. Harry was laying on his back and Hermione lay on his uninjured shoulder, her head on his chest, her ear right over his steadily beating heart. Her one arm lay in his stomach which was bare as his shirt rode up, exposing his abs. Her hand was placed tenderly on his abs. Her breasts were pressed to his side. Harry's arm which wasn't in a cast was wrapped around her waist, his hand under shirt.

They looked peaceful and content they don't look like teenagers forced to grow up due to a war wherein they were expected to finish.

With this in mind, of course, the nightmares are present- whether you liked it or not.

...

Harry found himself in a long corridor with a door at the end where he could hear screaming from within. The screams were of someone who was being tortured. His heart tugged with familiarity. His breathing became labored and came in short gasps.

"Hermione!" he screamed as he sprinted towards the door.

The screams were getting louder although he was no where nearer to the door. In fact, he felt further and further away with each step from the door.

"Hermione, hold on!" he called out to her, running faster to no avail. He still couldn't get near the door.

As if hearing his voice, she screamed out, "Harry, help me!"

"I'm coming, Hermione! Hold on!" he screamed.

Then... "HARRY!" The scream was so blood-curdling, he panicked. And he was right to- for his ears met silence.

Unfazed by the sudden change, he continued to run towards the door which was getting nearer and nearer. Finally, he reached the end, pulled out his wand and blasted the door off its hinges. The sight made his eyes see red.

In the dark room, Hermione lay prostate on the floor, her head turned towards him. Her eyes were opened unseeingly, her chocolate brown orbs which were once looking at him with love and concern are now devoid of life. There was no blood, however, which meant that she was hit by the same curse that took away many of his loved ones.

Looking up, he saw Voldemort looking at him, his noseless face held a sneer. His wand was still pointed towards the witch on the floor. He laughed mirthlessly.

"You have failed again, Harry Potter. You are powerless to stop me. Now, I have taken your precious Mudblood's life. Such a shame, really, you couldn't reach her in time. You can't save everyone you love from me. I will hunt them down, one by one, and kill them in front of you," he taunted.

Harry screamed painfully and jabbed his wand at the Dark Lord, a green light rushing towards the pale man who was only cackling.

The curse hit his adversary square on the chest and he disappeared into thin air without a trace. Now feeling drained, he dropped his wand then dropped on his knees, his eyes on the witch who had stolen his heart from the moment she barged into their compartment years ago. He crawled towards her, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. Once he had reached her, he gathered her lifeless body in his arms and willed her chocolate eyes to focus on him.

"Hermione... please... come back to me, love. Please come back," he pleaded.

Receiving no answer, his tears fell from his eyes in cascading rivulets. His lips met her curly hair, kissing her on the head tenderly.

The scene changed. Looking around, he was on Hogwarts grounds. He noticed some people huddling close a few feet in front of him. Running towards them to take a closer look, he was surprised when the people made way for him to pass. In front of them were a lot of marble slabs standing upright, coming up to the thighs. When he came closer, his breath left him and he felt weak in the knees.

They were graves. Lots and lots of them rising from the grass. It started raining as he approached one which seemed to stand out from the others. The words written on it brought him to his knees.

Here lies: Hermione Jean Granger

The Brightest Witch of Her Age

Born: September 19, 1979

Died: April 27, 1997

"The aim of education is the knowledge, not of the facts, but of the values."

Then with a loud sob, he screamed, "NO!"

...

He awoke to the sound of his name. He bolted upright in the bed feeling drenched with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. He was panting. He felt a shift beside him and an arm on the bed which made him flinch.

"Harry," a soft voice said.

Though it was dark and he couldn't see without his glasses, it didn't take a genius to figure out that it was Hermione beside him.

"H-Hermione? Is that you?" he said, his voice raspy.

The bed shifted again and arms wrapped around him, bringing him closer. He rested his head on her shoulder, his hand grabbing at her elbow desperately as his body was racked with sobs. She simply held him, her hand caressing his hair. She whispered reassurances in his ear which helped him calmed down.

Within a few minutes, he had calmed down, only sniffles came from him. Pulling away gently, he turned away from Hermione, wiping away his tears and apologized. A hand came up to grab at his chin and turn his head towards her. She shook her head and wiped away his tears with both of her hands.

"You have nothing to be ashamed for, Harry. You're only human, it's normal to cry. You don't have to be ashamed with me, Harry. I won't judge. I'm here for you," she whispered. She pressed her forehead to his.

Harry closed his eyes at the contact. With a vulnerable tone in his voice, he whispered, "Promise?"

He felt soft lips on his as she kissed him tenderly. Pulling away, he heard her say, "Always, love."

He kissed her. "I love you so much, Hermione. Never forget that. No matter what happens, know that I will always love you."

She shook her head. "Don't say it like that, Harry. Don't say it like you're leaving. Don't say it like you're not going to survive this. I swear, Harry, we'll get through this war together."

Shaking his head, Harry extricated himself from her embrace. "How can you be so sure of that, Hermione? How do I stand up against a Dark Lord with decades of experience when I'm only a seventeen year-old boy and barely even out of school? What do I have that he doesn't? What do I have that will help me win over him?" he whispered desperately.

She cupped his face with both hands. It was dark but the moonlight helped them see each other's face. Hermione saw the boy she met years ago on the Hogwarts Express, clueless but curious in his eyes. He looked so vulnerable, so old despite his years. She was amazed at how he looked both so old yet so young at the same time. She saw what he described- an inexperienced seventeen year-old young man who was forced to grow up and fight a war he never wanted.

But she said, "No, Harry. You do have something he doesn't have. You have love. You have people around you who love you. He never knew and understood love and that's where he is weak- he doesn't know what love can do. We love you, Harry- the Weasleys, Dumbledore's Army, Remus, Tonks, everyone at Hogwarts... and most of all, me. I love you, Harry. And I swear on my life that I will do everything to help you survive this war. We still have our lives ahead of us- we still have a future, Harry."

She pulled him into a hug. "You know what I want after the war? I want to go to Australia to get my parents back... and introduce you to them as the man who snagged my heart; daddy might be hard at you first but he'll come around eventually and mum will accept you because you became my friend when no one else wanted me because I'm such a bossy know-it-all. Then I want to go back to Hogwarts, probably with you and Ron, and take my N.E.W.T.S. After graduating, I want to work at the Ministry, preferably in the DMLE. But... most of all, I want us to get married, probably live at Godric's Hollow where your parents once lived; I want us to have at least three children where we will raise them in both the magical and muggle worlds so that they may be like us; I want us to grow old together- to die of an old age rather than in this war. I want all of those things, Harry. And I want all of those with you."

Pulling away from her, Harry gave her a little smile. "You do?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yes, Harry. I do. I love you. And one day, I hope to be called Mrs. Potter. I want us to live through this war, Harry, because there are a lot of things we haven't done yet. And of course, whatever we do, we do together."

Chuckling, Harry kissed her. "Alright. I'll help you achieve those. I want a life with you, too." Then, with a serene expression on his face, he said, "I don't know what to do without you, Hermione. I can't imagine a world without you. You make me a better person. You only see me as me and not the Boy-Who-Lived or the Chosen One or any of those other things they call me. I'm no hero- but I can be your hero. I love you... so much."

Hermione kissed him slowly, putting all her love and passion in her kiss. "I can't imagine a world without you in it as well. I love you, too, Harry."

...

A/N: The quote on the gravestone is not mine. Credits go to William Shakespeare.