Driven by Thoughts of You

He was on his knees, his head tucked into his chest. His raven black hair fell into his emerald green eyes, covering his forehead except for where his lightning bolt scar was. Harry Potter had his teeth gritted against the pain, his eyes shut tight. His fists continually clenched and unclenched as if he was trying to get a grip on the tiled floor.

The pain in his chest was excruciating from where the spell had hit him. The voice inside his head was telling him he had to get up, he had to fight back. He tried to stand up, taking it slowly. He had one leg up but he couldn't stay in that position. He fell backwards.

Inside his mind he was calling for help. He needed someone to come and find him and Voldemort. But he knew it was pointless. He wasn't psychic. None of his friends or the members of the Order of the Phoenix were psychic either.

And then he thought of her, the one thing that meant more to him than his own life. He could picture her, the way her hair framed her face and the warmth of her caring eyes. He heard her voice in his ears, telling him what she had told him every time he voiced his concerns about the battle. He was always concerned he would not be able to defeat Voldemort and survive.

"Harry, don't worry. You know you're a great wizard, one of the greatest who've ever lived. Everyone believes in you, you just have to believe in yourself as well. You're not going to die that night, Harry. You may be the only one who can defeat Voldemort but that doesn't mean no one can save you."

He gazed down at her as he ran her fingers through her soft hair. He hadn't been able to completely comprehend what she was saying, but he had a pretty good idea what she meant. "You're not going to be there. I'm not about to let you-"

She interrupted him. "I never said I would be there personally. But, Harry, it's not like I'm not going to be in your heart if you really love me."

"You know I do," he assured her.

"Then I'll be there," she whispered, her hand over his heart.

Harry nodded and cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her. He pulled back after a few minutes, looking at her adoringly. He kissed her forehead lightly, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of flowers.

His eyes flew open as he unclenched his fists one last time. He reached out, feeling around on the floor for his wand which he had dropped. He didn't take his eyes off Voldemort for a second. Finally he felt it and grabbed it quickly with his right hand. He held it tightly as he stood up, his legs shaking only slightly. He held his wand out at arm's length, pointing it at Voldemort.

He lost himself in more memories from over the years as he battled Voldemort. One memory he didn't want to relive, but couldn't help but remember, was from earlier that day. It was when his scar had started hurting again and he knew he had to leave with the feeling he might never return.

The door to her room was shut and Harry knew that meant she didn't want to be disturbed. But he also knew he had to tell her. He couldn't leave without saying good-bye to the woman he loved. She had to know he might never return. He knocked lightly on the door, his knuckles white as he knew it could be their last moment together.

She opened the door, and when she saw the look on his face, she knew what it meant. Tears started to form in her eyes but she stood strong. He knew it was because she didn't want to keep him from doing what he had to.

He hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go. They stood like that, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, for what seemed to them like a second. In reality, it was five minutes.

He turned to leave when she choked back a sob and said, her voice desperate, "Harry, wait."

Harry looked back at her and took her hands in his gently. "Don't say it. Don't you dare say it," he whispered, his expression sad. "This isn't the end, it's just the beginning. If I come back, we'll have the life we've always talked about, the life we've always dreamed about. And if I don't-"

"Harry," she interrupted, her voice pained, "don't say that, you're going to come back."

He continued as if she hadn't said a word. "And if I don't, you can still have the life you've always dreamed of. It'll just be with someone else." He kissed her cheek and turned around, leaving her standing there.

She fell to her knees and sobbed as he walked away, forcing himself not to look back.

Harry was slammed against the wall, panting heavily. He closed his eyes tightly as he tried desperately to open his eyes and watch, Voldemort's screams reverberating in his ears. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, not even when Quirrell had tried to take the Stone from him. As Harry watched, it seemed to him as if what remained of Voldemort's soul was being ripped from his body. There was a flash of green light before everything went dark.

When Harry opened his eyes, it was to find the body of an elderly man he had never seen before on the floor in front of him. It took him a moment before he realized it was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Voldemort was gone. He heard the pounding footsteps of a group of people running down the stairs to where they were. He looked up. The first person he saw was Ron. And just behind him, was her.

Her face was chalk white and tearstained, her eyes red and puffy. When she gazed upon him, she let out a sob of relief and ran to him, knocking Ron into Hagrid. She flung her arms around him. She kissed him all over his face as if she couldn't believe he was okay. And all Harry could say was her name.

Hermione.