Say Goodnight

AnndeeGranger

Rating: PG
Genres: Angst, Drama
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 23/08/2005
Last Updated: 23/08/2005
Status: completed

Harry loses a friend. Character Death. Song fic

Chapters

1. Say Goodnight

1. Say Goodnight

“Say Goodnight”

By: AnndeeGranger

Summary: Song fic to the lyrics of “Say Goodnight” performed by Beth Neilson Chapman

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter in anyway (I would much rather own the deed to Ron) and no infringement is intended.

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The gathering was small and intimate, with only close friends and family. The way the person who was now being slowly lowered into the wet ground as the rain dropped onto the mahogany casket - would have wanted it. The larger, more public memorial service would be held in a few days time, but the actual funeral was only for those who had truly mattered.

Those people were currently staring, tears streaming or trickling down grief stricken faces under the umbrellas protecting them from the rain, as the casket disappeared from sight beneath the earth.

One by one, the mourners walked by the still open grave, dropping roses of varying beauty inside. Some tossed red roses, others white, and a few dropped yellow – for friendship. One man, however, whose handsome features were somehow unmarred by the hard cold look of emptiness in his green eyes, eyes that stared from behind glasses coated in droplets of water as he stood without an umbrella for protection, seeming to welcome the cold that soaked into his suit, standing over the grave, his flower in hand, he could not part with it quite yet.

Say goodnight not good-bye
You will never leave my heart behind
Like the path of a star
be anywhere you are

The man continued to stand over the grave, holding his flower as the other mourners slowly walked away, and the grave diggers began to fill it with the dirt that would top the casket in which her body now lay. Her soul, however, was floating free. At least he had that for comfort.

Another man approached, taller and with red hair plastered to his head, as he’d left his umbrella behind as well. “Harry,” he spoke softly, as he came to stand next to the man who had been his best friend for more than seven years, placing a brotherly hand on his shoulder, “Harry…it’s time to go.”

The dark haired man did not move and his eyes remained on the now muddy and finished grave of his other best friend, Hermione Granger.

“Harry…she wouldn’t want to see you like this.” The red head croaked.

Again, the other man did not respond, but continued to stare, as if he were waiting for something to appear out of thin air, as if he were waiting to wake from some nightmare. However, this was no nightmare, or at least not one he would ever wake from.

Ron Weasley sighed, “Harry…please.”

“I’m afraid to leave her.” Harry Potter’s bottom lip quivered, “I don’t want to leave her alone.”

The grip Ron had on Harry’s shoulder tightened, “That’s not really her though mate.”

In the spark that lies beneath the coals
In the secret place inside your soul
Keep my light in your eyes
Say goodnight not good-bye

“I don’t know what to do without her…I don’t know how to live a life without her in it.” Harry croaked, tears flowing silently down his cheek to mingle with the rain. “Why did she have to do it? Why did she have to sacrifice herself? I would have died for her and her alone.”

Ron turned to look down at the grave that held his friend's attention, “Because she loved you mate, loved you more than anyone ever did or ever would…don’t you know that?”

Harry did not respond, but kept staring at the mound of mud before the two of them. He knew. He had known the moment she had stepped in front of the curse that the now late Tom Riddle had thrown at him. It had hit her, and he’d known in that moment as she collapsed to her knees and lifted her wand and uttered the Killing Curse that had rid the world of the worst evil forever, that she loved him in the same way he’d come to realize he’d loved her. However, as he fell to the ground with her and caught her in his arms, and green eyes full of horror and anguish met brown ones full of love and triumph that were quickly dulling, he also realized that he was about to lose her.

Don't you fear when you dream
Waking up is never what it seems
Like a jewel buried deep
Like a promise meant to keep

“Promise me you’ll live Harry, that I didn’t just give my life just for you to give up.” Hermione whispered to him as her breathing became shallower.

“Mione…thank you,” Harry cried, his tears falling on her face as he held her.

Hermione looked up at him in confusion, as she took in a painful lungful of air.

Harry knew what she was silently asking, “for everything, for being my friend, for supporting me, for being my conscience, and for loving me.”

“That…that last one…was easy.” Hermione whispered and shivered as her body turned cold.

Harry buried his face in her neck and held her tightly as she whispered, “Say goodnight Harry, not goodbye” in his ear as her brown eyes closed forever, and her soul left her body to wander unchained.

Harry took Hermione’s hand and brought to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm, as he sobbed, “I’ll dream of you.”

You are everything you want to be
So just let your heart reach out to me
I'll be right by your side
Say goodnight not good-bye

Harry, still staring at Hermione’s grave, finally let the lily he held in his hands fall in the middle of the mound that lay atop the casket.

“I’ll see you again someday Mione…I love you.” Harry whispered, finally saying the words he had never been able to tell her.

Ron looked at Harry, “She heard you mate…she knows.”

Harry finally turned to look at Ron, “She knows you loved her too.”

A half-hearted smile appeared on Ron’s lips, “I know…ready to go?”

Harry turned to look at the grave one last time, as the workers uncovered the gravestone, which read:

Hermione Jane Granger
September 19, 1979
to June 18, 1997
Say goodnight, not goodbye

“Yeah, Ron…I think I am.” Harry said, slowly turning away from the place he would come to visit quite often in the years to come.

Ron turned and followed Harry as they walked through the rain towards the cars waiting to take them to the Granger household. “So what do we do now?”

“I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to see what I can do about liberating some house elves.” Harry said as a smile finally formed on his face as the rain began to stop.

You are everything you want to be
So just let your heart reach out to me
Keep my light in your eyes
Say goodnight not good-bye

*~*~*~*~

AN: You should go check out a great H/Hr vid by Sandra using this song at harryandhermioneorg.portkey.org

AN2: Thanks to Joanie and LadyStarlight for another wonderful beta job.

AN3: The html wasn’t converting right, so I’ve been going crazy trying to fix it.