Life of Lies

A lonely woman sat by the lake at Hogwarts. She was thinking, again, about the events that had made up her life. The enemy had been defeated just weeks ago, but her job was nowhere near over. No, in fact it was just beginning. Fixing the world would be a tough job.

As she watched the ripples in the water, a slight breeze blew her curly brown hair across her face. She gently brushed it out of the way and gazed at her surroundings, not really taking in anything. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, but she paid them no mind. She was too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice anyways. That was how her life went sometimes.

In the past few weeks she often found herself sitting alone in a corner with nothing but her thoughts. She had worked hard since she graduated from Hogwarts, to aid her friend. She couldn't remember how many hours a day she spent training in a private gym in order to better prepare herself. She learned stealth, she learned defense, she learned dueling-everything he deemed necessary for her survival. And she had survived. More than that, she won. He won. They won together.

His treatment of her as an equal may have been what won her over. Or perhaps it was his charm. She couldn't exactly tell. For the longest time she had denied her feelings for him, fooling herself into thinking they were just friends. One day he looked at her and it was all over. She fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably from the stress she experienced daily. He held her and told her it would be alright.

How could they avoid falling for each other? They shared the same pain, the same tears. Hermione had always seen crying as the most intimate thing to share with someone. After all, it is easy to show one's strength, but to show weakness is the greatest sign of love. Many nights they sat together on the porch of their home, watching as the sun set on the river behind the house. Sometimes she would sleep in his room with him, doing nothing more than innocent cuddling, just to reassure herself he was still there. They knew they loved each other, but it was not the time to engage in a relationship.

Every day when she came home, nearly fainting from exhaustion, it was the thought of him that kept her going. She felt there was never enough she could do to show her love for him. She learned how to cook and even the simplest meals they shared became romantic. They didn't always even talk. Sometimes they just looked each other in the eye and communicated without words. Life was good.

Hermione sighed and looked down at her hand, lying across her lap. A single ring, white gold, with two diamonds shaped as a star and a moon, was on her ring finger. She smiled to herself when she thought of all the preparation left to do.

Four more months and we'll be united forever. Four more months . . .

After the final battle, they sat together, breathing heavily from the physical exertion it had caused them. Both were relieved that all danger had been vanquished. She could finally see hope in the future, a glimmer of a life she longed for. She had spent most of her hours, waiting for the day the attack would come. She knew they were biding their time, waiting until they were totally prepared to attack. She smirked in spite of herself, thinking how totally wrong they had been. Whenever she thought of the battle, she couldn't help but laugh at the look on her opponent's face when he had seen her standing by her lover's side. After all, she hardly seemed the type to fight. As he was dying, she couldn't stop herself from kneeling over him, her face inches from his own, and whispering, "You were wrong about me; you always were, you fool. You threatened what is mine, now you die for it. Goodbye . . . "

She had been so thrilled that it was finally over. They sat for a while before looking at each other and smiling, tears of joy in their eyes. It was done; it was finished. They stood up and danced right there among the wreckage. No music was playing, but they danced to the beat of their happiness. It was then that he pulled something out of his pocket, but Hermione couldn't see what. He got down on one knee and asked her the question that she had dreamed about for years, ever since she first met him.

That led her to thinking about when she did first meet him. It was purely by accident, she was actually looking for something. She stumbled upon him and knew immediately who he was, after all, how could she not? She had heard about him before, she knew plenty to know what she was getting herself into when she befriended him. He believed in her, though. He saw something in her that many did not, even if it took him a while to realize it.

While at Hogwarts, she made sure to be the best in order to be applicable for the best training. She wanted to go to the top facilities afterward in order to prepare herself. She pushed herself to the limit during school, dragging her classmates along with her. However, she had a goal. She knew what she wanted. Hermione became a spy.

It was dangerous work; she was almost caught several times, but she managed to incapacitate those who saw her and fooled the others into thinking they had some tragic accident. What could she say? She was just that good.

Too good, almost. How easily she betrayed her subjects made him a little uneasy. She was so good at lying, that it was hard to tell if she was being a double agent. But she would never lie to him, not after all those years. They looked out for each other, and she made sure everything was running smoothly. Without her, he had to admit, the operation may not have been so successful. Yet she used her every last wit, and the fools kept on trusting her. Never once did her target think she was capable of doing just that. But he never underestimated her. In fact, he was often frightened by her capabilities. Her love for him had reassured him, however, that they would be safe and soon happily living their lives together.

She loved what she did. How could she dream of doing anything else? Still, Hermione was more relaxed now that the battle was over. She could now focus on fixing that which the others ruined. She shuddered to think of what would become of the world if they had taken over. That would be right awful, now wouldn't it? she thought to herself.

A muscle in her jaw twitched slightly and she realized she had been sitting there for over an hour. I need to be getting back. He'll be waiting for me. She got up and turned to the path toward Hogsmeade. As she made to leave, she looked up the grounds toward the now dismal school. She spotted the graves of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter nearby, and could not suppress a laugh. She smiled as she walked down the path.

Four months and we will be together. Four months and I will be Hermione Riddle . . .