I'd Give My Life For You

A young woman stood at the front window of her house, staring absently out at the glistening rain. Any passerby would have seen that her glazed eyes were searching for something beyond the mud-filled sidewalk- or rather someone. Her eyes held no trace of tears, for she had long since milked all the tears out of her body. Now she only trembled, wishing in vain that she could once again feel a fraction of the happiness she used to know.

Hermione suddenly came out of her trance as a shrill wail came from her six- month-old son's crib. Taking a few deep breaths, she hastened to calm her son. But the sight of him only further depressed her. It was not that Hermione didn't love her son, because she did so with a passion; but the striking resemblance to his father made her heart ache for her love more than she thought possible. Soothing her son by rocking him gently, she forgot her own sadness for a moment and turned her thoughts to her son's misfortune; he was to grow up without a father.

Although Hermione knew in her heart that her husband had died in order to give his son, moreover the entire world, a life without danger, it did not lessen the pain. It did not seem fair to Hermione that her family was to suffer so much to accomplish the execution of a single evil dictator. At that moment as she looked at her sleeping child, she knew her desire to protect her son had never been so strong. She no longer cared for her safety or happiness. She only hoped to give her son the life he deserved, which was one full of adventure, opportunities, love, and freedom. If not for her son, she would have ended her life long ago.

Carefully setting her son back down into his crib, she turned toward her bed, daring to hope for a few hours of sleep. After tossing and turning in her sleep for two hours, Hermione shot up out of bed. Seeking comfort, she reached out a hand for her husband, when reality caught up with her.

He was dead.

He was not there to lull her back to sleep with his steady breathing. As Hermione slumped against the pillows of the bed they had shared, she once again questioned the existence of their love and marriage. Now that she was alone, she had no one to reassure her that their love was real. Looking back on it, it had certainly seemed too good to be true. The couple had been blissfully in love, and the entire magical world rejoiced at the news of their marriage and later on, pregnancy. Their love for each other had remained untainted, and was Hermione's lifeline when the violence surrounding her went past her endurance. But the war kept raging forth, bringing with it an enormous amount of casualties. Among the endless lists of deaths was the name of the man she still loved with all her heart and soul. And now that she was so miserable and lonesome, she had a hard time believing that she had once had a companion who had made everyday extraordinary.

As she scanned the room, her eyes fell upon her sleeping son- the proof that her marriage had not been a dream. True and pure love had brought him into the world. Realizing the lateness of the hour and that the futile attempts at sleep were not working, Hermione slipped into her kitchen and started boiling water for tea. Looking at her son's tuft of jet-black hair peeking through the bars of the crib, she found that she still had many more tears to shed. Weeping for all her sorrows, she decided that from now on she only had one purpose in life- to care for her son and see to his happiness. She would give her life to ensure it.