by Cali
 
 
 

He looked around. A small town, just hours before filled with people, filled with laughter. Now there was nothing left but
darkness, and a mist filling the air. Godrics Hollow. The town where his parents had lived, and died. He leaned his head
backwards, feeling the pain he was left with. He knew he should be happy: the evil was gone, perished. He no longer
needed to live in fear, no longer had to worry for his friends lives. He knew what was wrong. He felt guilt. He hadn’t
manage to protect HER. The only girl he’d ever loved, not as a boy, but as a brother, a friend.

"Look out! Behind you!"

"No, get out of the way! Noooooo!"

He looked at his friend, standing next to him. His face, which usually was red and alive, seemed pale and dead. A single
tear running down his chin. Her last words...they had ripped both their soles apart.
 
 

"Remember me, won’t you? When I’m gone."

"Stop talking rubbish, you can’t die!"

"All things can die, my friend. That’s what makes us alive."
 
 

He looked down at the her, lying at his feet. She looked peaceful, and somehow different. Why didn’t he see it before?
She was the very image of wisdom, stability, friendship. Always there. What would they do without her? And there, right
next to her, another body.

HE was as always, even though dead, radiating power, dignity, charm. The only thing that was different from his living
self, was the loneliness, the restless spirit he always had had. It was gone. There was a smile at his mouth, for once not
taunting, but real. A real smile.

He gave a shiver, knowing that his friend was next to him, doing the same. And then, suddenly...

"She’s gone."

"I know."

He didn’t look at his friend, afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face. He could feel the tears
starting to run down his cheeks, now shaking. Not because of the cold, but because of the pain, the numbness that was
left inside of him.
 
 

"Harry, don’t cry. And Ron, please, use a handkerchief, will you?" A familiar voice sounded from behind them. They turned
around, and looked into a pair of brown eyes. It was her. Like she always had looked, but less solid, less colours to her
face.

"Hermione." was all he could say, feeling as though saying a word to much would make her disappear.

"Please don’t leave us," said Ron, he too trying to hold back tears.

"Silly! Do you really think I’d leave you just like that? Do you really think the people we care about leave us?" She looked
at him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"But you won’t stay, will you?" Harry said.

Her smile faded.

"No, I have little time here left. I just wanted to say -"

"Goodbye."

"No, not goodbye. Don’t you remember, I don’t believe in goodbyes."

"It’s not fair!" Ron suddenly spoke up. "This whole thing! It wasn’t you fault, you were innocent! You got killed because
of us!" He was sobbing, all dignity forgot.

"I played my part in this game, Ron. So did we all. Mine just ended a little bit earlier than yours."

She looked at them, and stroke a warm finger through Harry’s hair. A thought flew through his mind, a silly thought.

"You’ll be all by yourself, who’ll take care of you?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry, always acting a big brother, aren’t you?" A tear was trying to escape her eyes.

"I can look after myself," she said, before continuing: "what I wonder is who is going to take care of you guys?"

She hugged them both. It felt warm, but then...

"Hermione Granger, please don’t tell me you’re always this late." Both Hermione, Ron and Harry turned. In front of them,
HE was standing.

Hermione loot go of her friends, and grabbed the boys’ hand. They looked at eachother.

"We have to go," the boy said.

"Harry, Ron." Now she was whispering. "I’ll be watching you," she said, and closed her eyes, drying away a tear. Both
she and the boy turned, and started walking.

"Malfoy!" The boy stopped at the sound of his name.

"Yes, Potter," he said, turning his head to look at Harry.

"Take care of her, will you?"

Draco swallowed, and then forced a smile.

"I will."

And they walked away from Harry and Ron, hand in hand, before disappearing in the mist.
 
 

R.I.P Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy-

by losing their battles, they won our victory.