Author's note - Everything written in italics is a memory/flashback.
She didn't know how long she'd loved him for. Her entire lifetime, give or take 11 years or so would sound about right. She felt she had a good excuse to be a little forgetful; she was after all 162 years old. Her mind tracked back to the first time she'd met him, so many years ago on the train to Hogwarts. She'd recognised him immediately from all the stories she'd read about him. There was no way she was going to fawn all over him though; she remembered that part very well! No - he was just a normal boy from an unusual background. In fact he was similar to her in some ways, he'd known nothing of magic growing up and his letter from Hogwarts inviting him to attend the great wizarding school had come as much as a shock to him as hers had.
As time had past she'd grown to realise what a powerful wizard Harry was, sometimes marvelling at the fact that he seemed to have an ability to sense the danger growing around him as he got older. There were times when he'd tried to push both her and their best friend Ron away from him - in an effort to protect them from what only he knew was to come. Over time he'd come to realise, with a gentle amount of persuasion from them both, that they weren't going anywhere and would fight alongside him.
Hermione sighed deeply as her memory shot to the final battle with Voldemort.
They'd all prepared for so long, trained with Dumbledore and all the members of the Order. However…nothing could have prepared them for what took place on the first day of term in their final year. The attack launched by Voldemort and his Death Eaters was so vicious, so callous that many adults and students alike died in the first few hours. Dumbledore had feared the attack would come at Hogwarts, but even he had failed to predict the level of assault. New, never seen before curses were thrown at the school and its occupants. Madam Pomfrey fought to counteract as many of the hideous effects as she could, but even she had been thrown off guard by the complex level of the spells.
Snape had shown his true colours that day. At the opening stages of the battle, he'd rushed to his dungeon and thrown himself into creating new and far developed potions to combat the new curses. He'd taken on the appearance of a mad man as he ran about his dungeon ordering the younger students to assist him in his quest. As soon as he was happy that he'd prepared enough potions, he headed back to the battle and threw himself headlong into the frontline. His manner of fighting the Death Eaters was far from pleasant to watch, almost as though he was putting to rest so many painful memories from his past. He'd been fighting Lucius Malfoy when he'd fallen. Not by the hand of Malfoy, he was no match for Snape, but by the hand of Voldemort himself.
Voldemort had been protected by a ring of Death Eaters, quietly surveying the scene unfolding before him with a satisfied smile on his lips. He'd seen Snape and stepped out of his protective circle to utter the simple curse to end his life. Snape didn't ever have a chance; his back had been turned to Voldemort when he struck. As he fell to the ground dead Voldemort was heard to mutter "You…you left me forever…you were always going to die by my hand…"
This was one of the few memories Hermione had of the battle; Dumbledore had ordered her back into the castle to assist with the healing. At Harry's insistence she'd only received minimal battle training in the last few months, more concentrating instead on healing abilities. She'd had a feeling why, they'd argued for so long about it, but eventually he'd told her.
"Hermione, I can't fight Voldemort if I know you're in danger. I wouldn't be able to protect you. Ron will be by my side - you must be ready to aide those that will fall.
Please, honour me this one request."
The pleading in Harry's eyes as he'd made his request stirred feelings in Hermione she barely recognised, but she couldn't fight him and had agreed to devote her time to developing new healing skills.
The last she remembered seeing of Harry as she turned back to the castle was he and Ron pushing there way towards Voldemort. Ron had turned and was facing Lucius Malfoy whilst Harry was face to face with Voldemort - his Death Eaters having scattered at the sight of the Boy-who-lived.
Oh she was so tired. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and let out a long, drawn out breath.
"Mum? Mum? Are you ok?" she heard a voice calling to her
She slowly opened her eyes and saw herself looking into the eyes of her son, Michael. He wasn't exactly a spring chicken either, she thought to herself. He must be at least 142 now.
"I'm fine young man…don't fuss over me." She smiled, as she berated her eldest son.
"Oh Mum, I'm not fussing - but after everything that's happened today…I…I'm worried for you." Michael replied, tears welling in his eyes.
"Michael, stop - what's happened, has happened. It's just the next big adventure, remember that. Your father would want you to think the same." she took Michael's hand and squeezed it. "You do look so like your father, so handsome…"
"Handsome?"
"Well you are!" cried Hermione as Harry took her in his arms. "Handsome, clever, brave and my best friend!"
Hermione had just run full speed at Harry as he entered the Hospital wing straight from the battle. She'd been so thrilled to see him alive that she was barely conscious of what she was saying to him. She felt as though so many hidden thoughts were rushing to the surface and she couldn't stop her mouth from going into overdrive.
"Am I? Am I your best friend Hermione?" teased Harry
"Of course you are, you and Ron - always." Hermione had shot back, whilst casting a downward glance at her shoes
"So…do you see Ron and I in the same way Hermione? It's just…"
"It's just what? Harry what is it? Has something happened to Ron? Oh - I just assumed you were both ok…please don't tell me he was hurt in the battle!"
"Oh bloody hell - I'm fine you mental witch!" exclaimed Ron as he came into the hospital wing. He looked unharmed, if a little tired.
"Ron! Oh Ron!" Hermione had escaped from Harry's grasp and had enveloped Ron in the biggest hug he'd ever had the pleasure to experience.
"Alright…alright…come on…ok Hermione, I can't breathe…gerroff me!" Ron said as he was attempting to disentangle himself from Hermione's grip.
Hermione finally let him go and stood between the two of them, her face suddenly looking very serious.
"Is it…over?"
Harry move forward and hugged her tightly "It is."
Hermione returned his hug and felt him relax in a way she never had before. It was as though all the previous years were leaving him and he could finally see a future ahead of him - unplanned and unaffected by prophecy. Thinking back on the events later Hermione would also remember that she'd sensed a subtle difference between the way Harry and Ron had held her in those immediate moments after battle.
She was faintly aware of Ron excitedly yabbering about his final fight with Lucius, and how Harry had fought Voldemort in ways no wizard had ever witnessed. She was only faintly aware as she was far more aware of Harry looking at her very intently.
"You're beautiful Hermione; you know that, don't you?"
Hermione looked back into his deep green eyes, they looked so alive...
"Harry? What are you talking about?" Hermione instinctively moved her hand to his face and was subconsciously stroking his cheek.
"Exactly what it sounds like - I'm telling you you're beautiful because you are. I don't care who hears me say it. I've never told you before as I've always tried to keep you at a distance. I know we'd spoken and you'd insisted at staying close to me to help me prepare…but…I was always so worried for you…I could never let you know my true feelings out of fear for you. Now, there's no fear anymore. Voldemort has gone - my future is no-longer dark with the knowledge that I may have died at his hand. I'm free now Hermione, I'm free to plot my own course. I'm free to tell you what I've wanted to tell you for so long. I love you Hermione. I always have."
A single tear fell from Harry's eye as he too cupped Hermione's face in his hand as he spoke.
"Harry…you've no idea what this means…"
"I know. I don't expect you to respond immediately. It's got to be a shock…I'm sorry, I had to tell you.
Hermione immediately leaned forward and kissed Harry lightly. She pulled back slightly, but rested her forehead on his.
"It's not a shock Harry. You just beat me too it…"
Hermione giggled at the memory. They'd spoken about that moment so many times afterwards. Hermione liked to gently tease Harry that he just couldn't escape from his secret desire to hog the limelight, what with being famous, and simply had to get his "love decree" in first. He'd always responded with the simple fact was he had to get it in first, so that Hermione didn't keep putting it off with visits to the library to check up on the true definition of love.
"Grams? What's making you giggle so much?"
Hermione smiled as one of her littlest (and numerous) great, great grandchildren had shuffled up onto her bed and was looking up at her with big, green eyes.
"Just like Harry…amazing how that one trait just keeps on appearing…those eyes. You must remember that, Harriet - you have famous eyes."
"But why are you giggling?" inquired Harriet, slightly confused at her Grams comments.
"I'm thinking about your Gramps. I'm thinking about my Harry. Sometimes the memories make me giggle, sometimes they make me sad. Mostly though, they make me happy."
"I can't think that Gramps would ever make you sad. He never made me sad." whispered Harriet.
"Oh sweetie, he never directly made me sad. Sometimes I get sad thinking about everything he went through whilst he was growing up." Hermione replied
"Mum," said Catherine, her eldest daughter, "you know all the bad memories faded once he started his life with you. I remember him sitting and telling me the stories of everything you both did in the years after the battle. You filled him with new life, you were the reason he became the man he was."
"We loved each other so much, it all fitted into place. Everything we did, everywhere we went…nothing could touch us. We were so happy." Said Hermione, as fresh tears began to appear in her eyes.