Good Bye

Zephyr in the sky at night I wonder
Do my tears of mourning sink beneath the sun

I hope no one knows...Hermione thought as she quickly composed herself to go say goodbye to Harry and Ron. They were leaving for the war. Hermione had been so dreading their departure she had found herself sobbing every night for them. Her tears didn't leave her all last night, and now she found herself crying as she saw them walk into the room with their uniforms on. Harry looked so handsome. Hermione had loved Harry all through their years at Hogwarts, but never let her feelings show. It wasn't sensible to let such a thing as a crush come between such a precious friendship, she reasoned while a flicker of regret struck her. Should I have let him know? He might not come back from this war...

Harry and Ron walked over to her. She felt like a mother seeing her children out the door as they left for their first day of school. She stifled another sob.

"Hello." Harry said.

"Hello" Ron echoed.

They looked so composed and mature in their uniforms, standing there before her, looking down at her as if almost telepathically telling her not to be scared for them.

"Hello" she muttered. "You look so poised, boys." She always called them that, 'boys'. It was her little nickname for them, even though it'd been years since they were boys. Now they were men. It gave Hermione some sort of comfort to call them boys, like holding on to pieces of the past because the future was so undetermined. A tear slipped from her eye.

"Don't cry, 'Mione." Ron calmed her, stroking his hand over her hair. She quickly wiped the tear away.

"I'm not crying." She looked at them again, she couldn't let them see her so emotional, they needed strong support right now, not another crying woman, "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes" they chorused.

"I'm very proud of you both, you're so brave."

"Thank you" Harry said, his voice just above a whisper. Hermione looked up to see his eyes glossy with tears. He quickly looked down, staring at his boots.

"I'm going to miss you so much, boys." She choked back her sobs, even though her voice was thick and unstable.

"We'll miss you too, Hermione." Ron said, studying her every feature.

"Why are you looking at me like that Ron?"

"Like what?"

"Like you'll never see me again..." she muttered.

"I might not."

The tears in Hermione's eyes could no longer stay brimming at her lashes. She looked up at Ron, tears staining her freckled cheeks.

"Don't say that Ron." She whispered, now crying again.

Ron and Harry both grabbed her and embraced her fiercely. All three now silently sobbing, breaking and remaking their bonds.

"Never forget who you are

Little star
never forget how to dream,

Butterfly" Hermione whispered to them, in their embrace.

"What're you talking about?" Harry asked.

"It's a song my mother sang to me. Shhh..." she comforted them.

"May the angels protect you
And sadness forget you
Little star

There's no reason to weep
Lay your head down to sleep
Little star

May goodness surround you
My love has found you
Little star" Hermione ended her song to Ron and Harry, barely being able to complete it through her weeping. Ron and Harry quickly wiped their faces of the wetness and stepped away. Trying to regain their composure.

"9 years isn't enough to spend with you Hermione..." Ron said.

"We'll have many more years once you come home, you'll only be away for a little while."

"No Hermione, we're not all coming home."

"Stop talking like that Ron, you're coming home."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Remember what you told me in first year, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Harry that was so long ago."

"You said, '..There are more important things, friendship and bravery, and just be careful.' That's all we need Hermione, we need your friendship, we need to be brave and to be careful, and we'll be just fine."

Hermione nodded and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She clutched the locket around her neck, close to her aching heart. It had two small pictures of Harry and Ron in it, it was to be her steadfast through this horrific war, she knew.

"All right men!" a sergeant called and all the soldiers in the room started to gather around the door.

"Good bye, Hermione" Harry said.

"Bye, 'Mione" Ron said. They'd said those words so many times over in their time together, but no other time held such closure.

Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Creation comes when you learn to say no

She needed to let them go, and not fall apart in front of them. They didn't need to see her like that as their parting images.

"Be brave boys" They nodded. Hermione gave them one last hug, "Good bye."

There's no greater power than the power of goodbye.