Author's Note: This is it. The FINAL chapter. I will get to work on the prequel ASAP, cause I'm super excited about it. The only thing is, that it may appear differently than the one that will be posted on FFN. You see, in the prequel I plan on writing to this, it will contain Hr/R. Maybe. MAYBE. And if it does, I have a way to work around it so it conforms to Portkey rules. I'm trying to figure out how I can have them be 'together' but not 'together'. Definite issue.
I always find it funny when Word wants to change Snape to 'Snap' and Pavarti to 'Pervert'. Very very amusing.
And one final thing, thanks everyone who has reviewed. You've all made my first publishing experience FANTASTIC, and run and tell your friends what a great piece of ficcage this is. ::smiles::
Harry entered the dormitory and saw a complacent Ron sitting on a windowsill. He opened his mouth to speak but objected to it; seeing Ron so focused and reserved scared Harry. Harry didn't know how, when or why he was going to tell Ron about Hermione and him, but he dismissed it and focused on how he was going to sleep with what just happened. He crept into his bed, without changing, and fell into an unnatural feeling slumber. He had certainly stretched his mind completely, and happy was not strong enough to describe how he felt.
Hermione however, could not sleep. She had trouble making it to the stairs without the urge to go and hurl herself at the stone floor. She was feeling so much at one time; her mind was split and exploding all at once. Despite the uneasiness she felt, she was constantly hot and flustered, and for some reasons, Hermione liked this. It was refreshing.
She never did make it to the dormitory because she heard an oh-too-familiar voice calling her quietly. She smiled in the dark and groped her way back down, as the lights had all been extinguished. She turned the corner and the only light source was a burning fire, and the flickering tongues of fire reflecting off of his eyes. His dark hair was unruly, and the grown man hadn't had a decent shower in weeks. But this was how she had always seen him, every single glance he would look as though he did not have time to look at himself while going out the house. She walked up behind the man and he whispered,
"Are you happy now? Are you finally content?" She smiled again, blushing. She could think on happy thoughts
and not have them snatched away from her.
"Yes, I am." She answered back. He stood up and turned to face her. He smiled and sighed, like a weight was
being lifted from his shoulders.
"Thank you, Hermione. Thank you for helping him, thank you for not taking another thing away from him, thank you
for continuing to be there for him while I--I--" He choked back a sob.
Hermione had never seen this man cry. At times he was soft, and at other times he was cold and argumentative. But he had never cried in front of her. She reached out to grab his hand, and she held it, patting it softly.
"Sirius…." A salty tear fell down her cheek and landed on his hand. The roughness of the hand soon began to
soften, and before she knew it, she had grabbed him into a hug, deepening his sorrows. The grown man sobbed, and
Hermione comforted him. She couldn't see how much of a comfort she was, as she was too crying into his shoulder.
Two crying people must bring comfort to each other. His shoulder was strong and it was real. It was real. And then a
thousand questions came to mind. She looked up at him and he could sense her wonders.
"Hermione…. I--I can't stay…" He broke the embrace and a breeze sent the flames to their death and she
could not see where he had gone. She reached out to cold air and walked blindly in the dark.
"Sirius? Sirius…Sirius? "Her heart beat faster, and she cried out, "What am I supposed to do?" She laughed at herself, it was so silly. Sirius was, well, gone and calling him was pointless. She slowly found her way to the stairs, climbed into her bed, and fell into an instant sleep.
She was certain that there was no book on this planet that could teach her all the things about love.
She found it was weekend before she could talk to Harry again. She never told him about seeing his godfather, she never told anyone of the encounters between her and the dead convict. She couldn't bring herself to think about even asking her wise Headmaster about it. She preferred it that way.
Word spread around about the end of Ron and Hermione's relationship. It took a while for Ginny to digest that her friend had hurt her brother. When Ginny saw that Ron was happy without her, Hermione was forgiven. What Ginny, or the rest of the school did not know was about Hermione and Harry. It was secrecy, however they found it exhilarating to be keeping it. They had decided not to announce anything until after their time at Hogwart's which was approaching fast. Ron seemed to calm down and found happiness in the three of them once again, even if he knew that Hermione was in love with his best friend. Nothing could or would ever come between them.
Weeks passed on, and life continued to carry on as planned. Hermione never saw the mirror again, and she was content with that. She didn't want any chance of her heart's desire ever changing. It really could drive a person mad.
Sirius had never made another appearance, and it led Hermione to believe that he was not real. She never ventured on the thought, however, because she knew she would never know the answer.
Sometimes people would ask Hermione why she ended the relationship with Ron. She had always thought of what she would tell people who didn't already know. It was quite the drama. She was unaware at how popular it was, but answered truthfully. Pavarti and Lavender always hated her answers; they expected tears and rage. Hermione would always smile and tell everyone who asked,
"A great friend of mine once told me that I was in love with being in love. A terrible thing also, that I didn't see it before I was told. He was right, and things just happened from there. Fate really knew what she was doing then."
She would instantly think of Sirius and how wise his words were.
She'd never forget how she came to accepting her love for Harry Potter.
THE END