Love Conquers All

"Oh, Harry, this place is absolutely marvelous!" Hermione squealed as they entered the Golden Sphinx Restaurant.

That it was. Hundreds of golden candles danced around the majestic, cathedral-like roof and Hermione was reminded of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. From the center of the ceiling hung a massive chandelier that was enchanted to spin around and do other amazing feats that Muggle chandeliers could never dream of doing. A large golden statue of a sphinx was positioned against the far wall. Dozens of round tables dotted the three stories that surrounded the central dance floor where couples would dance to the music of a self-playing string orchestra. It was positively breathtaking, and she new Harry had to have used a week's pay to reserve them a table.

"Garcon!" Harry cried.

As the restaurant manager approached them, Hermione was surprised to see that it was Justin Finch-Fletchey. But it made more sense when she remembered that he was half-French.

"Yes, monsieur?" he replied in a dignified tone.

"Table for Potter, please," Harry said, smiling at Hermione.

Justin checked his list and then said, "Ah, yes. This way please."

He led them up the marble staircase on the right all the way up to the third floor. She grinned and waved at Ginny who was sitting with her boyfriend Colin Creevey on the second floor.

What a cute couple, she thought as Harry tugged her along.

"Here we are, sir," said Justin as they reached an empty table.

Harry pulled out a chair for Hermione to sit down and then returned to his own seat. Hermione glanced out the full wall window that circled the entire floor and admired the beautiful scenery of the night. She then turned back to Harry who was looking at her with all the love in his heart.

He's so adorable, Hermione mused.

They ordered dinner and while they waited, Harry entertained her with anecdotes he'd heard and seen at the Ministry. The ones about Neville Longbottom's continuous accidents throughout the entire workforce were particularly amusing. Harry had just finished telling her about how the entire Magical Reversal Squad had to come get his hand out of the throat of an albino Blast-Ended Skrewt when the waiter arrived with their food.

"Ooh, that looks delicious," Hermione giggled as her coir don bluer was set in front of her.

Harry had ordered a steak that was about the size of the cow it must have come from and Hermione didn't see how Harry was possibly going to eat it all.

"Oh, if I don't I'll just zap the rest over to Ron's place," he joked. "I tell you his stomach is a bottomless pit."

Hermione laughed and dug into her own meal.

Thirty minutes later, stuffed and content (Harry had managed to eat about half the steak), the couple continued to chatter until the bust boy came and cleared their table. Harry then reached across the table and took Hermione's hand, stroking it gently and looking deep into her soft, brown eyes.

"Hermione, love," he whispered. "I love you with all the love in my heart and I want nothing more than to make you happy."

She blushed. "I love you too, Harry."

He smiled and continued.

"When I first met you all those years ago, I was just a boy. I had only recently learned of my true identity, and was still coping with all these new changes. When I saw you on the train, I didn't think much of you because you were a girl. I was only eleven and didn't understand girls back then, so I was a bit shy. But after the incident with the troll, we became fast friends and I began to understand you for the first time. From then on you and Ron were there for me when I needed help, and it was great to finally have true and loyal friends. At first, that's all I considered you. A true and loyal friend. But by my sixth year in school, I had begun to look at you differently. You were no longer the bossy little bookworm you used to be (she slapped his arm at that comment), but had become a very warm, caring, and beautiful young women. It was then that I realized I had feelings for you. In the beginning, I really didn't know what to make of them, but after I had some time to think, I discovered that I was in love with you. I didn't know how it had happened but it had. I hid my feelings though, for fear you might not return my feelings. But when you did, I was scared, scared about what we were doing. That's why it took me so long to tell you that I loved you too. But when I did, I felt so much more relieved, and I knew that my ship had finally set sail. I knew that it was the beginning of a wonderful new life for me. I had lost nearly all of my family, but had finally found love in another. It was you, Hermione, you who brought love back into my life. And I want to share that life with you forever."

He moved to the other side of the table and knelt down before her, pulling a small, red box out of his robes in the process. He opened it up and she gasped.

It was a ring. The most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The gold band was crested with bright red rubies (Gryffindor, she guessed) and the diamond that jutted from the top was the size of half a marble.

"Hermione Jane Granger," he said. "Will you marry me?"

Tears brimmed in her eyes and she couldn't speak, so she merely threw her arms around him and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster. He gave into her kiss and held her close until she broke away, leaving him slightly breathless.

"Oh, Harry!" she exclaimed, choking of tears. "Of course I will!"

He grinned and kissed her again, running his hands through her bushy brown curls while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She allowed herself to get lost in his kisses, fireworks going off in her stomach at the thought of becoming Mrs. Harry Potter.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. A huge explosion sounded outside, the echo ricocheting off the walls. Women inside the restaurant screamed and the large glass walls shattered as a second explosion was heard, closer than the first. Harry forced Hermione to the floor and shielded her from the hazard of flying glass. The building began to shake violently as if an earthquake had just sprung up, and the great chandelier broke free of its support and plummeted to the ground. More screams and yelps came as four hundred pounds of glass and light crashed onto the marble surface.

Harry stared frantically out the window towards the source of the explosion. He shrieked in horror as he saw no less than six buildings along the shoreline collapsing simultaneously. Muggles screamed and dashed about the streets as the earthquake shook every building in sight, windows shattering left and right. Cars smashed into eachother in the street as three more buildings were reduced to shambles.

"BLOODY HELL!" Harry hollered. "WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME IS GOING ON?"

Hermione gasped from the floor as she watched the scene as well. It looked to her like another Muggle war in which they dropped devastating bombs and wiped out entire cities. Was that what was happening? She watched in terror as the destruction continued, but her question was soon answered.

A third, less violent explosion was followed by an enormous green light spreading through the sky in the shape of a skull with a snake circling out of its mouth and around the head. The Dark Mark.

There was a sharp intake of breath from every witch and wizard in the building but the Muggles continued to run around like mad. They were completely oblivious to what this sign in the sky meant.

"Oh, shit," Harry gasped.

In an instant there was an array of popping sounds as hundreds of wizards Disapparated and the restaurant was left empty, well, almost. Harry's fellow Aurors Dennis Creevey and Lee Jordan appeared on either side of him.

"Harry!" screamed Lee. "We have to get over there now!"

"Just a minute!" Harry had to yell over the commotion.

He turned and knelt down next to Hermione.

"Hermione," he said softly in her ear. "Get back to my place immediately and stay there. You'll be safe. I promise. I have every intention of coming back, but in case I don't-"

He kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you."

He stood up and she looked at him, terror in her eyes.

"I'll be okay," he assured her, "Now, GO!"

She hesitated but did as she was told. There was a small pop and she was gone. Harry did a quick Locater Spell and when he was sure she was in his apartment he activated the Impenetrable Charm, which made it impossible for anyone to enter his home by any means.

"Let's go!" he said to the others and the immediately Apparated down to the streets.

***

"LOOK OUT!" cried Dennis as a huge stone pillar tumbled over toward them.

Harry and Lee dived out of the way just as the massive piece of building crumbled into the streets.

"Come on!" shouted Harry. "This way!"

They ran down the darkened highway toward the sight where the first buildings had collapsed, dodging debris, Muggles, and out-of-control automobiles. Power lines fell to the ground, setting fires wherever they touched. Harry was reminded of old movies he'd seen about World War II, the Muggle war that had ravaged much of Europe several years before. As they neared the bay where constant explosions were causing more buildings to fall, they finally caught sight of the source.

At least fifty Death Eaters were standing about in the middle of the street, wands raised and firing curse after curse throughout the city's streets and buildings.

"BOMBARDA!" hissed a tall, stout Death Eater near them.

The violet jet of light stuck the bridge crossing over the bay with the force of an earthquake. More screams were heard as the bridge cracked and split. Cars swerved as the bridge buckled and caved in at the center. In one swift crash, the entire structure tumbled into the bay as cars lumbered and screeched over the edge, falling into the water. Harry gaped at the sight: an entire suspension bridge brought down with one spell.

"Harry! Lee! Dennis!" someone hollered from the alley beside them.

Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Neville Longbottom, and a dozen or so other Aurors had just appeared and were gawking at the damage.

"Death Eaters!" Harry screamed at them, pointing to the collection of masked men.

The group glanced around to see where he was pointing and they all drew out their wands in attack position.

"ATTACK!" Kingsley barked and the twenty Aurors took off to face against at least fifty Death Eaters.

In the uproar that was occurring around them the Death Eaters were not aware of their attackers until they were practically upon them. A few reacted quickly, sending several curses toward the Aurors who managed to jump away just in time.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" one of them shrieked and Dennis, who was not quick enough, was thrown back through the window of a nearby store.

"STUPEFY!" Harry bellowed and the Death Eater that had hexed Dennis froze in place and fell to the ground.

Hundreds of multi-colored beams of light shot from the ends of dozens of wands as the Aurors and the Death Eaters tried to fight each other off. Harry fought back to back with Neville and each of them brought down a Death Eater with each flick of the wrist.

"IVERTE STATUS!" Harry cried, sending a rather large Death Eater sailing thirty feet into the air before landing in the bay.

The ground suddenly shook violently and there was a loud rumbling sound.

"WATCH OUT, HARRY!" Tonks screamed.

Harry looked up to see that the building he was standing mere feet away from was swaying dangerously.

"MOVE IT HARRY! THAT THING IS COMING DOWN!"

But Harry didn't move. He had just spotted a small boy lying huddled up at the base of the very building that was about to collapse. There was not enough time to run and drag him away, so Harry did the first thing that came to his mind.

"Accio Boy!"

The boy immediately flew toward Harry as if pulled by an invisible rope. Harry caught him and stood him up on the ground but when he saw his face he screamed out in horror.

Red eyes, skull-white face, and slits for nostrils.

But just like that the face was gone and was replaced by one of an innocent, yet terrified little boy. He was shaking under Harry's grip, looking like he would die of shock, but there was no sign of what Harry had seen earlier. Harry sighed and tapped the boy on the head with his wand, transporting him to the far end of the city.

"HARRY! RUN!"

The building was toppling over at that very moment. Harry quickly Disapparated and reappeared in the alley with the others. However, he discovered that only seven of the original twenty were there.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked frantically.

"Stunned, Hexed, or Dead," Tonks replied solemnly.

His eyes widened. "And the Death Eaters?"

"What's left of them are still about," Tonks answered. "They split up and could be anywhere by now."

They covered their ears as the building nearby collapsed.

"We've got to find them!" Harry shouted. "Before they destroy all of London!"

"No need, Potter," drawled a deep voice from behind him.

Bellatrix Lestrange stood there with twenty other Death Eaters, her wand pointed straight at Harry. Harry's temper suddenly flared to an all time high. This was the woman who had killed Sirius, who had pushed him through the veil. He almost found himself strangling her, but remembered that she had an entire army behind her.

"YOU BITCH!" he snapped. "Haven't you caused enough trouble in your pathetic lifetime?"

She sneered. "Watch it, Potter. I'd hate to have pieces of you lying all over the street."

"Go ahead an try, Lestrange!" he barked. "But what will you do then? Run and hide behind Voldemort's cloak again like you did when you killed Sirius?"

She hissed at him. "How dare you speak his name!"

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Silence, unworthy half-blood!" she screeched. "My lord would not take kindly to your disrespect!"

"Then why don't you bring him here?"

"The Dark Lord abides by his own will," she hissed. "But I'm sure he won't mind if I bring him your head myself!"

She whipped out her wand but Harry's reflexes were quicker.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" he cried.

Bellatrix was thrown violently into the air, her wand slipping from her grip and her robes swished about her. She smashed against the wall at the corner of the alley and landed with a resounding crack on the asphalt. She lay there for a moment without moving before glaring up at Harry with fire in her eyes and blood streaming from her cheek.

"DAMN YOU, POTTER!" she shouted as she tried to pick up her limp arm, which was obviously broken.

She made to stand up but there was suddenly a loud rumbling sound from the wall she had just hit. Everyone looked up in horror to see the top story of the building crumble away. They all ducked away from the falling debris but Bellatrix was cornered. Pieces of steel and concrete fell all around her and she screamed out, trying to crawl away from the rain of debris. She just reached the edge but the impending death would not allow her. One enormous piece of rock pelted down on her, crushing her like a flimsy cardboard box. There was a cry of pain and then silence. She was dead.

"Bellatrix!" cried one of the Death Eaters. "She's dead! Potter killed her!"

The score of Death Eaters all drew their wands on Harry and his small band of Aurors.

"A long awaited day, Potter," one of them muttered. "Avada-"

BANG.

The Death Eaters were all suddenly blown backwards by a gust of blue smoke. They came to rest against the pile of fallen rocks and those that were still conscious looked up to the clearing smoke.

"DUMBLEDORE!" yelled the Death Eater who had nearly killed Harry.

Albus Dumbledore stood in the wisps of remaining smoke, with a fire in his blue eyes that Harry had never seen. He waved his wand at the Death Eater that had screamed and ropes instantly sprung up from the ground, winding themselves around the terrified man.

Upon seeing this the other Death Eaters decided they did not want to wait and see what Dumbledore would do to them so they immediately Disapparated. The ones that did not lay unconscious, save the one Dumbledore had tied. The seven Aurors stared at Dumbledore who turned to face them after a moment in which the only sound was that of fires, Muggles screaming, and road rage.

When he turned, Harry noticed that his face was not the face of the Dumbledore he had always known. The usual twinkle in his blue eyes was gone and it had been replaced by a pale hollowness that Harry found to be quite disturbing. He also appeared very tired as if it had taken an extremely large amount of energy to conjure the spell he had just performed. His face was gaunt, his wrinkles more distinct, and his hands trembled slightly. The strong, confident, elderly man that Harry had once known now appeared old and fragile like a rag that had been cleaned with too many times.

"Only a coward would take innocent lives," he said gloomily. "And Voldemort never was the courageous type."

His gaze met Harry's and he frowned.

"Harry," he said softly. "You must get home immediately."

Harry stared at him. "Dumbledore, I think that perhaps I-"

"No, Harry," Dumbledore croaked. "You must get home. I sense there is much danger there so proceed with caution."

Harry's heart sank. Danger, at my home? But that's where Hermione...

He gasped and immediately Disapparated from the scene.

Dumbledore turned to the remaining Aurors.

"Well," he said. "Back to the Ministry at once. We have a lot of work to do."