Forever

1. Forever

He stood ominously upon the edge of the cliff.  His long black cloak billowed about him in the wind.  A sword like none other hung from his waist.  He had faced the greatest dark wizard ever known and had lived.  Voldemort was dead, so were too many others to count.  Voldemort had made them pay dearly. Freedom was always worth the price.  Dumbledore had spoken to them all just before the final battle ensued.  Was it really Harry thought to himself was freedom from the constant fear worth the lives of nearly everyone he knew?  He couldn’t bear to face the cheering crowds of wizards and witches.  They once again had their hero.  The-Boy-Who-Lived had again proven to be too stubborn to die.  He had chosen to leave it all behind, maybe forever.  Tonight he would become a muggle.  He would get a job and make a new life for himself.  No more fame or responsibility he had had enough of that in his nineteen years.  He had visited Gringott’s and changed some of his vast fortune into muggle currency.  He thought he had enough to live on for a month or so.  By then he would have a job. 

He took off his cloak and Godric’s sword.  They both went into a large duffle bag.  Everything he couldn’t leave behind was in that bag.  He was now dressed entirely like any muggle on the streets of any town in the west.  His scar had begun to heal after the last battle soon it would be hard to see.  Maybe it would fade away entirely.  He turned to watch the sun setting over Godric’s Hollow one last time before he left for America.   He would be lost without her.  Life just wouldn’t be the same without her.  She had been his constant companion for nearly eight years now.  He heard a faint pop behind him.  She had come.  He felt her silently behind him.  He had hoped and prayed she would catch him before he left.  Maybe that was why he had come here.  Where they had spent many hours together. 

He turned around and looked at her.  They were nearly the same height, and she was dressed just as he, muggle head to toe.  She had placed a duffle bag almost identical to his on the ground.  She smiled at him and his resolve melted.  “So where are we going to live now Harry, America I think would be nice.” 

“How?”

“How could I not know, they are all gone, all of our friends, my parents, your godfather, even Dumbledore.  England has too many ghosts for us now doesn’t it Harry.  I told you years ago you would never be alone again, if you had left already I would find you.  The world is not a big enough place to hide from me Harry.”

She was right he knew, as always she was right.  He nodded.

“I think it is also time we finally talked about it Harry.  Everyone who we worried would be upset or mad about us is gone.”

Again he nodded understanding exactly what she was talking about.  They had shared too much together, felt too much, and lost too much.

“At some point before we were born a single soul was split in two, it found itself eight years ago Harry.  Our souls belong together and you have felt it as well.”

She was staring into his eyes, less than a foot away, daring him to contradict her.  He returned that stare, unflinching, bearing his soul to hers.

“Yes Hermione I know.  I can say it at last.  I love you Hermione.”  He put his arms around her waist and gently pulled her close to him.

She smiled that smile again, “I love you Harry, I always have.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck.

They had both dreamt about this moment, hoped and prayed some day it would happen.  They both knew what would happen next, there was no more need to delay or deny it.  As one they brought their lips together, tenderly at first.  Then the passion they had suppressed for so long found its release and they deepened the kiss.  An age later they finally pulled their mouths apart to gaze into each other’s eyes again. 

“Forever?” he asked.

“Forever!” she answered.

He separated from her and knelt to look inside his duffle bag.  He pulled out a small box.  “Then its time I gave you this Mione.”  He opened the small box to reveal an exquisite engagement ring and wedding band set.  There was a matching band for him.  “These were my parents.  Dumbledore gave them to me last year.”  He pulled out the engagement ring and closed the box again.

She gasped, “Oh Harry!”

He looked her in the eyes and knelt before her.  “Hermione Anne Granger will you be my wife?”

She answered the only way she could. “Yes Harry, of course”

He took her left hand and slid the ring into place.  It fit her flawlessly as though made for her to wear.  She pulled him up and into another long deep kiss.

“Maybe some day we can return here Mione and rebuild my parents’ home.”

“Yes Harry I would like to raise our family here some day.  When the children are old enough to cope with this.”

“Alright America it is then.  Any particular place?”

“Someplace quiet Harry.”

“Ok we’ll find somewhere Mione.”

A/N: This is a one shot.  At least until I get done with everything else I want to write before this point.  I re-read this one day at work and had to change it.  The story is the same I just modified this slightly, more to make it flow better than anything.  I have learned a lot more about that in the months since I originally posted this.  It doesn’t really fit with my other fic but the idea hit me and I had to write it.  Enjoy

Gol