A Ray of Light in the Sea of Darkness

The Gryffindor common room was deserted except for four people. They sat huddled around a table in the far corner of the room, where shadows made by the dying fire played across their faces. They spoke in hurried whispers and the air around them was tense. Outside it was a cool and silent night, illuminated by a large, full moon. As the moon rose higher over head, the people at the table began to grow more anxious. Their speech grew more rapid more worried. Suddenly there was a great silence so strong that you could hear your own heart beat. Then someone spoke aloud, "What if Harry Potter failed and the world was plunged into total darkness?"
Hermione laughed. "Yeah, right. That will never happen." But everyone at the table could hear the quiver in her voice as she spoke.

~*~*~*~

"That will never happen." These words rocketed back and forth in Hermione's mind just as the tennis ball rocketed back and forth across the court. The sun was beating down on her burnt shoulders and the scene in the Gryffindor common room ten years ago was beating through her brain. "Why did I say that?" she asked herself.
A tennis ball came whirring over the net. It was just out of reach. She ran to get the ball and then sent it back over the net with heavy slice. It came bt as she was shuffling back to the center. She ran up to the net to get the ball; she got to it and slammed it back over. She reached her hand up to wipe sweat and tears out of her eyes, thinking that this was the end of the point. It wasn't, though. A split second later it the ball was a few feet above her head; by the time it would be low enough to reach, it would be behind her. Hermione, being the seasoned tennis player that she is, scissor-kicked into the air and caught the ball on its way down, sending it back across the net once again. She didn't get the power on it that she wanted, however, so it came right back, several feet out of reach and on her backhand side. She ran sideways and stuck out her racquet to hit the ball and slammed it right into the net. "Shit!" she yelled, throwing down her racquet.
Her husband and opponent approached the net. "That's my game," he said, smiling. His tone changed when he reached the net and saw that Hermione wasn't smiling back. "You're distracted, aren't you?" he asked.
"You don't know the half of it, Jeffrey," she replied.
Jeffrey reached over the net and put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Listen," he said, "if this has to do with Lord What's-His-Mort, then I don't want you to worry."
"Not worry?" Hermione asked. "How can I not worry? The whole wizarding world is in danger! Or at least the whole of Europe!"
"If something happens to the wizards in Europe, we can move to the United States. I don't want you to worry like this. It's not good for our marriage."
Hermione could think of a thousand things she would have liked to say to Jeffrey at that moment, but she didn't get to say a single one of them. Just then, two broomsticks appeared in the sky, and within seconds they had landed on the tennis court. One easley, who dismounted immediately and rushed to hug Hermione.
"Did you get my owl?" she asked.
"Yes," said Hermione.
Ginny stood back and eyed Hermione. "It's been a long time," she said with tears in her eyes.
Hermione replied, "It has."
After a moment, Hermione turned her attention to the person on the other broomstick. "Ron," she said quietly. "Back from California?"
Ron didn't quite meet Hermione's eyes when he said, "Yes."
Jeffrey put his hand out to shake Ron's. "Jeffrey Walters," he said. "Pleased to meet you."

Ron shook Jeffrey's hand, introduced Ginny, and then turned back to Hermione. "You had better go get ready," he said. "We're supposed to be there in an hour."
"Right," said Hermione. She leaned her racquet up against the net and headed for the house.
"I'll come with you," said Ginny. "I'd like to catch up. We haven't spoken in ages!"
Fifty-two minutes later, Hermione came out onto the porch in robes of crimson, her hair piled on top of her head and her wand in her hand. Ginny followed. Jeffrey and Ron were sitting in lawn chairs drinking martinis when the girls emerged. "You have a lovely husband, Hermione," Ron said loudly, "even though he is a Muggle."

Ron stood up and shook hands with Jeffrey once again. "Goodbye, old chap," he said, before vanishing into thin air.
Ginny was next. "You know where to go," she told Hermione. "I'll meet you." Ginny, too, disappeared with a small crack.
Hermione turned to her husband. "Tatyana will be home from dance in an hour," she said. "And if I'm not home tonight I'll be back by morning." She leaned forward to give Jeff a kiss. Just as her mouth was nearing his, he jerked his head upward and she kissed his chin. Irritated, she grabbed Ron's half-full martini glass, drank the entire contents in one gulp, and with a swish of her cloak, she was gone.

~*~*~*~

The blood rushed to her head as Hermione came to a shrieking halt and found herself standing in an open field with Ginny, Ron, and several other witches and wizards. Susan Bones, a girl from Hermione's graduating class, gave a sympathetic wave in their direction.

"Let's go," said Ginny. Ginny pointed ahead of her; in the distance stood Hogwarts Castle. Hermione hadn't been in Hogwarts in ten years, and seeing it again made a rush of memories and emotions surge through her body and mind like a powerful electrical current.

Ginny saw how Hermione was feeling and said, "It's all right. We'll just walk slowly." Hermione nodded and stood between Ron and Ginny. The three of them walked deliberately up the winding road to the great castle.
They approached the door together and it creaked open lethargically. They were met by an exhausted, puffy-eyed Professor McGonagall who croaked out the words, "Welcome to Hogwarts," before bringing her lace handkerchief to her eyes.

Hermione looked around the entrance hall. It was as if ten years had never happened. It looked exactly the same as it had when Hermione was a student at Hogwarts herself. School had not yet begun for that year, so there were no students, but aside from that, Hogwarts had not changed a bit.
"They're all in the chapel," Professor McGonagall said wearily, waving her arm in the direction of a back door. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny followed a group of former Hufflepuffs out into the grounds and into the tiny chapel. Though the chapel was only ten years old, it was built to look as old as the rest of Hogwarts. It was also enchanted so that however full it wass hold one more person. This allowed the thousands of people that were gathered at Hogwarts that day to all fit comfortably inside.
When the three of them entered, the whole place hushed. To the sound of silence, they proceeded down the aisle and into the front row. They looked ahead of them at a stone grave marker that sat on a plot of grass inside the chapel. There was a hole cut in the ceiling directly above the gravestone, and light shined through it, illuminating the engraved words:

Rest in Peace

Harry Potter

1980-1998

A squat little priest then appeared at the altar, which stood on a raised platform behind the headstone. He, like everyone else in the chapel, had been crying. He cleared his throat and said, "We gather here today to not only remember the death of Harry Potter, but to celebrate his life. God gave him life so that we may live another seventeen years in peace. Harry's life was not just a gift and a blessing, but it wasray of light in a sea of darkness!" At this, he gestured toward the sunlight streaming through the hole in the top of the chapel. "It gave us wizards something to hope for, something to live for." He paused. "But now that Harry is no longer with us, we should not give up hope! Now, more than ever, we need hope! We must gather together to fight against evil! Harry Potter died to save a civilization. We must honor Harry Potter." There was a moment of silence. Then the priest said, "Let us pray," and the service commenced.
Forty minutes later, everyone filed out of the chapel and across the grounds. Hermione vaguely heard people talking about how there would be a banquet in the Great Hall. Hermione wasn't in the mood for a banquet though. She walked around the other side of a chapel toward a particularly old and gnarled tree. Ginny followed. Ron started to follow too, but Ginny turned and said, "You go on to the castle. We'll be up in a few minutes." Ron hesitated, and then turned around and headed for Hogwarts.
There was a bench near the trees that Hermione used to frequent during her Hogwarts days. She always went there by herself when she was troubled and needed to work something out. She approached the bench on the other side of the tree and found there was someone sitting on it. The frail creature sobbing on the bench turned her ashen face to look at Hermione and Ginny. "Oh, Luna," Hermione said hoarsely.
Luna Lovegood was a wreck. Her face was stained with tears, here eyes bloodshot, her long hair dirty and unkempt. "Ginny," she whispered. "Hermione."
"Why weren't you at the service?" Hermione asked.
Luna turned her sad, protuberant eyes on Hermione. She didn't answer; she just looked at the bench, perhaps indicating for Hermione and Ginny to sit down.
"Oh, poor Luna," Ginny said, reaching to touch Luna's hand. "Harry's still with us. Do you want us to take you up to see him?" Luna's eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed Ginny's hand, sinking her fingernails into the soft flesh. "Luna, no!" yelped Ginny. Luna let go and sunk to the ground, sobbing hard.
"What should we do?" Hermione asked Ginny. Ginny looked frantic. Luna continued to sob and kick the ground like a child.
"Let's get her into the castle. Maybe we can get her something to calm her down."
"No!" shrieked Luna. "I'll not go anywhere! No!"
"Petrificus totalus," said Hermione. Then she lifted Luna's feet while Ginny took her arms and they carried the still body into the castle. They carried her past the Great Hall and down several corridors before walking into an unlocked classroom. They laid Luna down over a few desks. "You go get something for her," Hermione told Ginny, "and I'll revive her."
Ginny left the room and Hermione stood over Luna. "Enervate," she said. Luna's eyes bulged bigger than they already were and she sat up and put her hands around Hermione's neck. "Oh, Luna," Hermione whispered as he carried her over to a moth-eaten armchair in the back of the room. "Calm down."
Ginny arrived a moment later with a bottle of scotch and three glasses. She poured three glasses and gave one each to Luna and Hermione and drank one herself. "You should fell better after this," she told Luna. Luna drank the scotch and nodded. She turned to Ginny and smiled weakly. Ginny smiled back and took Luna's hand in hers. She saw that the diamond ring was loose around her bony, chalk white finger. There were scars in the pasty wrists where Luna might have tried to kill herself. Ginny sat and held Luna's haGinny. "Do you want to talk now?" Ginny asked softly.
"No," said Luna. "Could you just sit here with me?"
"Yes, just calm down," said Ginny.
Hermione finished her glass of scotch and poured herself another one. Just as she was getting ready to pour her third glass, there was a raspy coughing noise coming from down the hallway. "I'll check what that is," said Hermione. She got up and ran out into the hall. She noticed the noise was coming from the next room. She sidled up against the door and pushed on it slowly. It swung open a few inches and Hermione saw what was inside: Albus Dumbledore was lying sick in a bed.