Rating:
PG
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Harry and Hermione and Ron/Harry and Hermione and Ron
Characters:
Hermione Granger
Genres:
Romance Angst
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Stats:
Published: 10/02/2003
Updated: 10/02/2003
Words: 3,109
Chapters: 1
Hits: 1,007

Life Goes On

Lissie89

Story Summary:
Hermione's lost. Ron's lost. Harry's (literally) lost. Will they be able to find each other? (H/R/Hr)

Chapter Summary:
Hermione is lost. Ron is lost. Harry is (literally) lost. Will they be able to find each other? (H/R/Hr) One-shot without spoilers!
Posted:
10/02/2003
Hits:
1,007
Author's Note:
This is a H/R/Hr fic. If you are offended by that, don’t read. If you feel nothing against that or if you support that ship, by all means, read, enjoy and please review. Thanks.


Life Goes On

You're gone, but you're not

You've left, but you haven't

You're lost, and not yet found

I can grief

I can cry

It won't help

I could die

But life goes on

We're here, but you're not

You're there, but we're not

We're lost, and not yet found

I can grief

I can cry

It won't help

I could die

But life goes on

"...you seen the cute one with... ...dream of his eyes looking straight into... ...is going out with that Ravenclaw sixth year... ...you hear about how he dumped her? ...he askes me out to next Hogsmeade weekend... ...be a disaster... ...god, if he only likes my make-up and... ...think he likes me..."

Hermione couldn't stand it any more. Having to share a dorm with Lavender and Parvati was one thing, but having to do her homework with them in the same room was an other. There was only one place where she would be able to work in peace. The library.

Packing her bag with her Transfiguration books, quill, several rolls of parchment and an apple, Hermione noticed Ron shooting worried looks at her. He's been doing that ever since it happened almost two weeks ago.

Two weeks... He couldn't possibly be alive anym - Don't think like that, a voice in her head told her. The voice was right, though.

Life goes on.

Walking through the corridors, she tried her best to think about how shape-shifters can do magic without a wand, instead of thinking about how he could possibly be alive. Just when she entered the library, she remembered that he, too, was a Metamorphmagus. Tears came dangerously near falling, but Hermione rapidly blinked them away. Realizing this essay about Metamorphmagi wasn't helping her, she took a bee-line to the other side of the library, where she knew 'Hogwarts: A History' is to be found.

Interesting how the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall actually had a purpose; After Salazar had left the others, Helga started to not trust him anymore. Salazar had always been good on a broom. He himself had put up the wards around the castle against brooms. If there was one person back then who would have been able break the wards, it would be him. Helga had asked Rowena to enchant the ceiling so any attack could be spotted in time.

Hermione was so mezmorized by the book - for the 26th time - that she hadn't seen Ron coming in. She startled at his touch.

"Hermione, are you OK?" Caught off guard by those big, blue eyes full of worry and an unmistakable feeling of love, she kept silent and just nodded. You seem to be caught off guard by Ron a lot, lately, Granger. Don't tell me you're now falling for your other best friend too! Just because you know Ron loves you doesn't mean you have to love him back, not in that way.

But she did.

"Hermione?" There it was again. That undetectable glint in Ron's eyes. She knew he missed him as much as she did. Maybe even more, if that was possible. She knew he loved him too. She knew more about it than Ron might realize.

She had seen Ron kiss him, the very night Harry had given her her first kiss. Neither of them had ever mentioned those happenings again, but Hermione knew that ever since, there had been a certain understanding among the three of them. An understanding that went beyond just friendship.

"Come on, let's go," Ron said, sounding a bit exasperate. Jumping back in the real world, she looked at Ron and then at the table she was sitting at. No large bag on it anymore, no 'Hogwarts: A History' on it anymore. The book was set back on the shelve and her bag was on Ron's shoulder. He took her hand and led her out of the library, back to the Gryffindor Common Room. During the walk, she couln't help noticing how well Ron's hand fit in hers.

When she entered the Common Room, she wished she hadn't. Judging by the look on Ron's face, neither did Ron. Everybody, meaning every single person in the room, was talking about tomorrow's Quidditch match, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. Realizing what exactly people were talking about, the fact that Gryffindor was one player short, tears shot back in her eyes and she looked at Ron. He, too, had blurry eyes.

Both of them practically ran up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Hermione knew that strictly spoken, she had no right being there, but at the moment, she couldn't care less. Once inside, door closed, Ron spoke up in a trembling voice.

"Where do you think he is?"

Silence.

Hermione, now looking out the window, as if trying to see him, knew nothing about his whereabouts, just that Voldemort had probably taken him. Ron spoke up again, very quietly.

"Do you think Harry's still alive?" Hermione couldn't take it anymore and threw herself right into Ron's arms, crying hysterically.

Why him? After all that the three of them had been through, why did he have to take away Harry, of all people? Why now? Why couldn't Voldemort have waited until Harry was actually ready for it?

Hermione knew she wasn't making any sense. Of course Voldemort wouldn't say, "Oh, sure Harry, I'll wait with abducting you until you are fully capable of killing me". But still, why now? Fact is, Harry wanted to go search for Him himself in just a week from now. He had it all planned. He had made up an act in Hogsmeade, where, they knew, would be Death Eaters. Sure, both Ron and Hermione had been trying to talk (or maybe 'whine' would do the act better justice) him out of it all. It had driven Hermione to tears several times. And it still did. But anything was better than this.

Hermione felt Ron's grip tighten with every sob. After a few moments she felt a silent tear fall on her neck. Ron's tear.

"I know he's still alive, Hermione," he told her in a hoarse voice. "He has to be."

"I know too." She meant it. If he wasn't, she would feel it.

Ron and Hermione spend the rest of the evening pouring their hearts out to each other. They talked about how Harry had seemed so insecure and small when they first met him. How Harry was now determined - or in Hermione's opinion, maybe a bit too dertermined - and older, both physically and mentally. And how Voldemort was able to take all that away from Harry, if he only knew how. They talked about how they wanted to be with him right now, fighting Voldemort, defeating Voldemort, or dying at his hand, it didn't matter. As long as they were together.

But they weren't.

Harry was as lost as Hermione felt lost. Harry was as near to being found as Ron felt found.

Besides bombing Ron with her worries about Harry, she also decided she had to tell him. She had to tell Ron how she felt. How she was in love with the both of them.

When she did, he kissed her and said two words. Two words that meant more to the both of them than words had ever meant; "I know."

*

The following morning was a quiet one at breakfast. The only ones not affected by the absence of Gryffindor's seeker were, of course, Slytherins.

Knowing Ron was as rational as Malfoy was nice at the moment, Hermione didn't bother talking to him. Even though they both constantly had Harry on their mind, for Ron, Quidditch still got to him good enough to make him uncapable of a rational conversation. In stead, Hermione kissed his cheek before Ron entered the changing room under the stands.

"Good luck," she said.

"Uh huh," Ron answered while nodding his head furiously. Hermione could hear the sound of his hard swallowing above the sound of large drops of rain falling on the wood of the stands. All he did was keeping his eyes directed at the door of the changing room. Once again, Hermione realized just how much he needed Harry, how much they needed Harry.

Ginny was a good Seeker, but against Cho (who had to re-do her sixth year) she was nothing. Therefore, it was a given that Gryffindor was not going to win by catching the Snitch. Even though Ron had not let in more than five Quaffles and the Gryffindor Chasers had scored nighteen goals, they lost. Cho caught the Snitch.

If Ron's mood couldn't be called 'down' yet, it could now. Walking back to the castle with Hermione on his heels, nearly running to keep up with him, he mumbled what sounded like apologies to Harry.

Normally, it would've been a party in the Gryffindor Common Room, whether they had lost or not. Now, everybody was silently talking, reading, doing homework or simply doing nothing at all, but everything went with a gloom look on their faces. Unbeknownst to almost everybody, up in the seventh year girls' dormitory was Hermione. Silently crying, Hermione listened to the near silence of the Common Room.

What would Harry have done? If he was here, they would've won, there would've been a party and Harry would probably be trying to get away from all the attention. He would've wanted to get to either her or Ron. Or both. It didn't matter, though. He wasn't here. He was gone. For fifteen days, exactly.

She let herself fall onto her back, her head on her pillow. Eyes still wet, she could feel her concious slipping away from her.

After what seemed like only moments of rest, Hermione was woken by a hand on her cheek.

"Hermione, wake up," came a quiet voice. When she opened her eyes, she could be found staring in her best friends eyes.

"You know it's time for dinner, don't you?" Hermione smiled as she slowly come to the realization that Ron was talking about food. How typical. Coming back to her senses, she suddenly bolted up, nearly knocking Ron over in the process.

"Dinner?! Are you saying I slept the entire noon?" Ron blinked. Then nodded his head once as the corners of his mouth twitched up in very Ron-like way.

Hermione stood up and dragged Ron out of her room, out of the Common Room (which was completely derserted, through the corridors (not a single soul, nor ghost to be found there) and finally into the Great Hall. Complete silence was one of the few things that greeted them. Swallowing hard, Hermione walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ginny, who had fresh tears in her eyes. She turned away.

Looking around, she noticed how everybody was carefully avoiding her eyes, if not staring plainly at their hands. Nobody, not even Malfoy, tried anything. Several times, the doors opened and a few students walked in, their sounds being completely silenced at the sight of the Great Hall, so crowded, yet so calm and eery.

For the first time ever, Hermione did not feel save in the Great Hall.

After the last group of students had entered, Dumbledore rose from his seat, the twinkle in his eyes gone, but not quite... Hermione couldn't place this look, but for some reason, it gave her hope. Hope for nothing in particular, but it was hope all the same.

"As some of you might already know," Hermione was taken aback by the seriousness and grief in his voice. "last night, the Dark Mark was found. The reason for why this horrifying news has not reached us earlier is that it was not found until this afternoon. The Dark Mark was found hovering above the place some of you might know by the name Godric's Hollow."

The knot that had formed in her throat now seemed to explode with enormous power. Hermione felt Ron take her hand in his as tears started burning in her eyes.

"Persumedly, this was the place where Voldemort has kept Harry Potter for the last two weeks. After last night's murder, we have not heard from Voldemort, nor the Death Eaters, nor Harry. I am afraid I have to tell you that, even though there is no proof, we fear the worst."

Hermione closed her eyes. This could not be happening. Not Harry. No, it couldn't be real. It must be a horrifying nightmare, anything, anything but reality. Tears were wetting her cheeks and neck. But why? It couldn't be real. Harry couldn't be dead. This was just not real.

She turned around to face Ron, in the hope he would wake her up, tell her it was a nightmare, tell her Harry isn't dead. But he didn't. He took her in his arms and held on to her as if he was never going to let go. At that, Hermione realized this was not a nightmare, it was real.

Dumledore had truly said that Harry was more than likely dead.

She cried. More than she ever had before. She held Ron like he held her. After a few moments, Hermione found herself on Ron's bed, still in his arms. Having no memory of ever getting there, she looked at Ron, who was seated next to her on the bed.

"I couldn't stand hearing peoples' condolences anymore, so we went up here," he told her, as if reading her mind. Hermione laid her head back on his shoulder. She started thinking about the time she had first met Harry and the last time she saw him.

She was reading a book as she sat between his legs on the couch in front of the fire place in the Common Room. Ron and Harry were quietly talking about how the Chudley Cannons had won their last match in the most spectacular way. That's all she remembered. She knew she fell asleep right there. The next morning she woke up, lying there alone. According to Harry's roommates, he had not slept there either. That's when it had all started.

And this is were it ends.

Hermione didn't move as she listened to the muttering voices down in the Common Room. Ron didn't move either. They just sat there, listening to whatever happened in the Common Room.

Suddenly, everything went quiet.

No more muttering, no more sobs, just the sound of the fireplace was to be heard. After a few moments, they heard professor McGonnagall.

"Were are Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?" Her voice sounded silent and dreamily, not quite like one would expect professor McGonnagall to sound.

Knowing they would be found anyway, Ron and Hermione went downstairs. Hermione knew that their Head of House would, of course, be affected by this too, but what she saw surprised her more than anything could at the moment.

Professor McGonnagall's normally piercing and fierce eyes looked dull and confused. Her attitude was different too. Her usual constant vigilance had momentarily left her.

"Come with me, please," came professor McGonnagall's not so firm voice when she saw them at the bottom of the stairs. Hermione looked at Ron, and even though she had tears in her eyes, she could clearly see the scared, painfull and undetectable look in his eyes. He nodded.

Hermione and Ron followed professor McGonnagall through the corridors, having no idea where they were led to, but asked no questions. After a few minutes, they came to a stop in front of a gargoyle.

"Sugar Quills," professor McGonnagall told the gargoyle. It began to move. Hermione wondered when was the first time Harry had seen this. Fresh tears started dripping down her cheeks. Moments later, she found herself on top of a stairs, facing McGonnagall, who then spoke up.

"I... I... I don't... know, I don't know how... but he's... Dumbledore asked me to bring you here to... to meet..." She shook her head and looked up as if making a decision. "Someone's here to see you," were her final words before she left.

Hermione looked at Ron, who looked back at her. Both of them wore a confused expression on their faces. Ron nodded towards the door. Hermione looked her trembling hand as she opened the door. Standing in the doorway, they could see an unrecognizable cloaked figure standing with his back to them.

Then, the figure turned, and dropped the cloak. Right there, right in front of them, stood...

"HARRY!" shouted Hermione as all three of them ran forward and collided together in a hug. As soon as this had become the worst day of her life, it now became the best. Here she was, hugging both of her best friends. They stood like that what seemed like forever, but to Hermione it wasn't long enough when Harry pulled away.

"I have to tell you something." He choked out. "Voldemort tried to kill me last night, but it didn't work. The curse bounded back upon him. It killed him. Not like sixteen years ago, but for real this time. He's gone, dead. According to Dumbledore, something like that could only have happened if I realy loved someone.

"At first, I didn't know who I loved enough to kill Voldemort with his own curse. Dumbledore told me this wasn't about family of friendship, but about pure love. That only confused me more. Then it hit me. It was you two. I love you. Both of you."

It was then that Hermione suddenly saw it all very clearly. The undetectable glint in both Ron's and Harry's eyes she always saw, was one they probably saw in her eyes too: incompletion. It was so simple. Why hadn't they figured it out earlier? Why hadn't they figured out they loved each other?

Because they were lost, and perhaps they still are. But at least, now, they've found each other.

Life Goes On

You're gone, but you're not

You've left, but you haven't

You're lost, and not yet found

I can grief

I can cry

It won't help

I could die

But life goes on

We're here, but you're not

You're there, but we're not

We're lost, and not yet found

I can grief

I can cry

It won't help

I could die

But live goes on

We hide, but it's no use

You seek, but it's no use

We're lost, and not yet found

I can grief

I can cry

It won't help

I could die

But life goes on

You sought, and now you're found

We searched, and now we've found

We're lost, but we've found each other

So together, our lives go on