The Gift

radcliffeluvslave

Rating: NC17
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 14/04/2006
Last Updated: 14/04/2006
Status: completed

The final Horcrux...the gift of the end. (Warning: Character death)

Chapters

1. The End

1. The End

The Gift

Subject: Harry Potter

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: HP/HG

Summary: The final Horcrux...the gift of the end.

Rating: NC17 - Adult situations

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Thank you to Sarah for the inspiration. You always make me look deeper and question everything.

Thank you to Mikey. You make me want to inspire people. You are the inspiration for this story. You are the inspiration to everything I do. I love you.

Lyrics are from the song We Belong Together by Gavin Degraw.

Chapter one - The End

We belong together
Like the open seas and shores
Wedded by the planet force
We've all been spoken for

Hermione wiped away a stray tear as she stared at the roaring fire in front of her. Books surrounded her, as did parchment and quills. She had been searching, as had become her life. That's all she ever did anymore, search and wait. But what was she waiting for? Hope? Answers? The end? Death? Her head pounded as her mind spun with all of the newly revealed answers. Now all that was left to do was wait, wait for Harry to come home so that she could tell him.

He stumbled into the flat, late and bleary eyed. His steps were slow and his eyes blood shot, his face darkened with the stubbled facial hair of the past few days. He looked tired, older than his years. He hung his cloak on a nearby hook, tossed his glassed onto a small table and looked into the living room where the hearth was blazing. He could see her sitting in front of it, her research strewn about the room as she continued her search for the answer to all of their problems. They had been searching for the final Horcrux for nearly three years. Harry was going on 28, almost past his prime. He didn't know how much longer they could search before he finally cracked. But then again, he wasn't sure how long before Hermione would crack either.

The past ten years had been the hardest of the trio's friendship. Ron had died three years prior, helping to destroy the sixth Horcrux. He had died with honor, Hermione and Harry at his side. Hermione had wept bitterly for months, almost in an emotional coma. Harry had shaken her out of it just in time for them to begin searching for the final Horcrux. The end of Voldemort, the end of the war, and a new beginning to their lives seemed so close, but still so far away.

As Harry walked towards Hermione he could hear her crying. He walked faster, coming to her side and wrapping her in his arms. "Hermione," he whispered, wiping away the tears that had begun to stain her face. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

She choked back a sob and then let her head fall into her hands, trying to muffle her intense sobs. He stroked her back and rested his cheek against the top of her head, her frizzy, curly hair tickling his face. He backed away and let her compose herself. She looked at him, her expression illuminated in the golden firelight. Her face was beautiful, framed by her wild, untamed hair. Her eyes were large and red from the hours of crying. He looked at her and sadness flooded his heart. He was concerned for her. He cupped her cheek in his hand and ran his thumb gently over her skin, trying to console her.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong, love?” he asked gently. She turned away from him and shut her eyes, shaking her head as she stood up slowly, crossing her arms over her chest and standing stoically in front of the fireplace. She took a deep breath and turned back to him, her face solemn and stricken with guilt.

“I figured it out,” she said, voice hoarse and barely over a whisper. A smile cracked for only a moment before the tears began to wash over her face once again. She silently wiped them away, turning her eyes towards the ceiling and sighing deeply.

“The final Horcrux? You found it?” Harry asked, smiling, standing to come stand by her. He put his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him, seeing the glimmer of moisture in her eyes. “What is it, Hermione? I thought that this would make you happy. Isn’t this what we’ve been working for? It’s almost over!” he exclaimed, taking a few steps away from her. “We won’t have to worry every time we walk down the street or turn a corner at Diagon Alley. We can be normal people with normal lives, Hermione!” he said, coming back to her and embracing her. She nodded into his chest, wetting it with her tears.

He pulled away, grasping her shoulders. “You don’t have to cry, Hermione. Everything will be fine. We can finally finish this war. We can have our lives back!”

She shook her head. “I…I just…”

“And you haven’t even told me what it is you’ve found either. Come on with it. I’m sure it will make you feel better if we talk about how we’re going to destroy it.”

She gasped, choking on an oncoming sob. “Hermione…” he coaxed, hugging her to him tightly and gently rubbing her back. “Why can’t you just tell me what it is?” he asked, frowning.

She pulled away fiercely and took a few steps away from him, fighting to compose herself. She turned back to him, looking as if her heart had just been broken. “Because…” she started, pausing, looking at him, filled with pity. “Because it’s you, Harry. You’re the final Horcrux.”

The hammer may strike, be dead on the ground
A net to my hand, a cross on his crown
We're done if who we're undone
Finished if who we are incomplete
As one we are everything
We are everything we need

He stared at her, mouth open slightly and eyes unblinking. She turned away from him and kneeled on the ground, beginning to gather her books and papers from the floor. She heard his heavy footsteps come to stand by her as he knelt beside her and put his hand on top of hers, stopping her. She dropped her head, the sobs racking her body. She fell from her knees and hit the floor with a thud, resting her head in her hands as Harry took her into his arms. As she quieted Harry gently drew her away from him, wiping away the stray hairs that were mingling with the tears on her face.

“Hermione,” he whispered, emotions clouding his vision as he fought to contain the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. “Hermione,” he said, taking the sides of her face into his hands and looking straight into her eyes, “explain this to me please,” he continued, his voice cracking and a single tear running down the side of his face. She gazed up at his face, reaching her hand up slowly to clear away the moisture, then trailing her hand upwards to his scar.

“This,” she said, “is what it comes down to. This is what will decide the fate of the world as we know it,” she whispered, resting her hand against the thunder bolt shaped scar lightly before drawing it away quickly, as if burned. “The details of it don’t matter, Harry,” she said quietly. “Each Horcrux needs to be destroyed, because each one is a piece of him.” Her tears mingled with his as he hugged her close, never wanting to let her go.

We belong together
Like the open seas and shores
Wedded by the planet force
We've all been spoken for

His lips were on hers before either of them could say anything else. Their bodies were tense and their kisses were fierce. Eyes were closed and tears were running freely. She gasped against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. She rested her knees on either side of his hips as she ran her hands through his hair feverishly, his hands coming up to caress along her neck. Their bodies were in shock, overpowered by the sudden desire to touch flesh, to feel alive, to assure themselves that they were still able to feel anything. At that moment, Hermione was feeling fear. Hermione was feeling anger, hate, love, desire, and lust. It was as if every emotion she had ever felt or desired to feel had built up inside of her and burst from her very soul.

He drew away from her sharply and gazed at her, breath labored and eyes searching. “Harry,” she said, emotions taking over, “don’t leave me. Please, don’t leave,” she whispered.

“You know what this means, Hermione. You wouldn’t have told me if you weren’t sure that this is the only way.” She made no sound now as the tears flooded down her face.

“We could run away, Harry. We could hide someplace, anyplace. Just say where and I’ll go with you. I’ll go to the ends of the earth with you, Harry.”

“Don’t be like this, Hermione,” he said gently. “You know that I…”

“No!” she cried, hugging him to her fiercely. “I can’t lose you,” she said in muffled tones. “I love you, Harry.”

“Don’t say that, Hermione. You don’t mean it.”

“Don’t tell me that I don’t mean it,” she said, looking at him with a heated gaze. “You are the savior of the wizarding world, and my best friend. You’re all I have left, Harry. I can’t lose you like I lost Ron. I love you too much to say that it’s ok for you to go die!”

He sat there, silent and motionless. He shifted his weight and gazed at her once more. “I love you too, Hermione,” he said in a hushed tone. Before she could respond he had lifted her into his arms and had begun to carry her to his bedroom.

What good is a life with no one to share?
The light of the moon, the honor of a swear
We can try to live the way in which you speak
Taste the milk of your mother earth's love
Spread the word of consciences you see
We are everything we need

Her light yellow t-shirt and short white spring skirt were long forgotten, as were his black dress pants, belt and white button up shirt. She laid before him in nothing but a tight white tank top and white knickers. He kneeled over her in black boxer shorts and a plain white wife beater. She sat up and reached around him to pull off his tank. He smiled sadly at her as she tossed it to the side and reached for the hem of her own tank. He stopped her hands with his own, slowly pulling the shirt over her head and tossing it aside, watching her as she shook her hair out and lay back down on his bed. He let his hands travel up her legs and along her torso, tracing over her plain white bra until they came to cup both of her cheeks and bring her to a sitting position. With his hands buried deep within her hair he kissed her slowly, softly, savoring every moment, every kiss, and every breath he had with her. Hermione’s delicate hands began to run gently up and down his sides and around to his chest and stomach, then to his back, letting her fingernails scrape gently over his shoulders. She pulled him back down on top of her as she kissed him passionately.

His mouth left hers to kiss down her cheek and to her jaw, paying special attention to her collarbone and shoulders as he worked his way down. He reached her cotton-covered breasts and quickly undid the catch in the front. The material fell open, as if revealing a long awaited gift to him. Before Hermione could even breathe Harry’s name in pleasure his lips were kissing her breasts, making her arch and writhe beneath him. Her hands grasped onto his back, nails digging into his shoulders, leaving crescent moon shapes in their wake. Harry’s magical lips continued their journey south, kissing over her ribs and stomach, planting a sound kiss on her belly button. He came to her simple white knickers and hooked one finger in the waistband, pulling them down slowly as he kissed down her shapely legs. He tossed them to the side and looked up to see Hermione tossing her bra to the side along with them. As their eyes locked she let out a deep breath, realizing that for the first time she was laying before her best friend, completely naked, physically and emotionally.

Harry reached down and stripped himself of his boxers, then proceeded to inch his way back up her body, placing gentle kisses here and there. Hermione was shaking with anticipation by the time Harry’s lips finally reached hers to give her a thorough kiss. He pulled away, looking into her eyes. Her arms came up and reached around his neck, lacing her fingers together and smiling at him, a single tear falling from her eye.

We belong together
Like the open seas and shores
Wedded by the planet force
We've all been spoken for

His hand snaked between them and found its way to her burning center. She gasped as his fingers slid inside of her slowly, working her at a tantalizing speed. With an amazing patience he brought her to a high she had never known before. Her mouth fell open in soundless awe as her body responded to his every motion. Harry’s other hand found her right breast and gently kneaded it, no sense of urgency about him at all. His gentle caresses and thoughtful touches made her skin burn and sweat break out on her body. He drew his hands away from her body and braced himself over her, the muscles in his arms tensing as he held himself up. As she reached down and took him into her delicate, soft hands, his eyes fluttered shut and his mouth dropped open in silent appreciation of her. One of her hands came up and cupped his cheek, bringing his face to hers and kissing him lovingly.

Her hand snaked behind his neck and urged his body closer to hers. He entered her slowly, trying to preserve every moment that they were together in this way: Man and woman – lovers. Her breath was hot on his neck as he became fully sheathed within her, filling her, stretching her, pleasing her. She gasped and goose bumps broke out on his skin. Her legs came up to hook behind his back, urging him to go on. He completely withdrew from her warmth and then plunged back into her, letting out an audible grunt of pleasure and desperation.

“Harry,” Hermione whispered into his ear, nibbling gently on his earlobe. He didn’t need her to say another word.

Without further discussion he began to make love to her at a steady, warming pace. Hermione felt pleasure from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes. She gasped, she screamed, she cried and she trembled. Harry fought with every bit of his strength to keep his composure throughout their lovemaking, but as her inner muscles tightened around his arousal he gasped and let a tear roll down his face. It landed on Hermione’s chest and trickled down between her petite breasts. He bent his head and kissed it away, reaching up with his hand to cup her cheek and bring her lips to his. She cried soundlessly as his tongue coaxed her mouth open, invading her in the slowest and loveliest of ways. Hermione raised her hips to meet his every thrust. His mouth was torn from hers as he let out a long, deep groan.

Hermione whispered her deepest, darkest desires to him and he met every one without complaint. Her nails dug into his back and she scratched across his shoulders, knowing that she was leaving marks. Harry wished for those marks to stay with him forever. Her mouth fell open ever so slightly as she neared her peak. Harry increased his speed and was rewarded with a quiet gasp from Hermione and the momentary stillness of her body. Her inner walls tensed and vibrated around him as she reached her momentary high. Harry continued to ride her orgasm out with her until he saw stars and spilled himself inside of her. The sweat gleamed off of their bodies as they rode out the final waves of their pleasure highs.

There wasn’t a sound made except for their labored breathing. Hermione’s eyes fluttered open and she gazed into his green orbs, which were dropping with sleep and satisfaction. Harry, however, saw fear and concern etched on Hermione’s face. He pulled her close to him and rolled over onto his side, taking her with him. He went to pull out of her but Hermione placed both of her hands on his backside and shook her head.

“Stay,” she whispered, so softly that he barely heard her. He smiled weakly at her and kissed her forehead, pulling her closer to him.

“I lo…” he started, but Hermione stopped him with a finger over his lips.

“Don’t,” she said. “Please.”

“But…” he tried, but once again to no avail. She shook her head at him, a tear sneaking to the corner of her eye where it sat and waited.

“I can’t,” she said, desperation making its way into her voice. “If you say it then I won’t have the strength to let you do what you have to do. If you say it, then it makes it real. And if I think that it’s real, then it will hurt too much when you’re gone.”

“If I don’t say it then I won’t have the closure to do what I have to do. You know how I feel, and I hope I know how you feel,” he said, a sneaky grin creeping across his face, “but I can’t finish my battle with the Dark Lord while there’s still a battle going on in my heart.”

“I just can’t, Harry. It’s too hard.”

“No,” he said, rather harshly, his voice cracking with the force it was taking to hold back his tears. “It’s too hard to not say what feels right. I love you, and that will never change. I love you like a friend loves a friend, like a lover loves a lover, like a man loves a woman. I can’t go off and end this life without telling you that, Hermione.”

She let silent tears fall as she buried her face in his shoulder. He shushed her and rolled onto his back, nestling her on top of his chest. “I love you, Harry,” she mumbled. “I love you so much that it’s going to kill me when you’re gone. I can’t do this without you.”

“Yes you can, Hermione,” he reassured her. “You can do anything. There’s nothing that you can’t do if you set your mind to it. I believe in you, love. You can’t stop living just because I’m not here, and I’m not gone yet,” he said, causing her to turn her head towards him. She forced a gentle smile and he gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

“We belong together, and something as trivial as this isn’t going to keep us apart,” he whispered to her, watching as her eyelids fluttered shut in exhaustion. He kissed her forehead once more before letting her roll to her side, still nestled in his arms, sleep resting her worries for the night.

All this indecision
All this independent strength
Still, we've got our hearts on safe
We've got our hearts on safe

She watched as the rain fell outside of her bedroom window. It was as if the world was mourning for him, crying for him. He was gone. Hermione couldn’t even think about him without breaking down. She couldn’t remember when the last time was that she had actually left her flat. She lived a shell of an existence, half of who she was, missing – gone. Hermione lost herself the day that Harry gave himself up to save the world. Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived to Die. It had been his purpose, his mission, and his fate to rid the world of darkness. And he had done so, but at the cost of his own life and the lives of so many others. Hermione no longer felt alive. Her soul had died along with him on that day, the day she had cradled him, kneeling on the ground with his dead body in her arms.

Harry’s final words, his final wish, he had spoken to Hermione. As she had knelt on the ground, weeping for him as he slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, he had whispered to her, his voice strained, “Don’t let them forget, Hermione. I gave them a gift. Share it, love…share it.” Those words would stay with her for the rest of her life. She had written them down, as to not forget.

She never stopped crying. The tears would barely dry on her face when a new wave of pain would bring her to her knees, weeping. There was no one left. She was alone. There was no one to understand. Her soul was broken and she felt no reason to go on. Life as she knew it had ended. A wave of horror struck her and she rushed to the bathroom and wretched into the toilet, letting the sadness wash over her as she relieved herself of the stress that weighed on her fragile existence. She sunk to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest as tears ran down her raw, red cheeks. They were silent tears. They were lonely tears. There was no hope left in her life, no love. Her family – gone. Her passion – gone. Everything that motivated her – gone.

Except for one thing – Harry’s gift.

Someday when you're lonely
Sometime after all this bliss
Somewhere lost in emptiness
I hope you find this gift
I hope you find this gift

As she turned her head to relieve her nausea once more into the toilet she couldn’t help but thank Harry for what he had given her. She stood and wiped her mouth, traces of a smile gracing her face. She returned to her bed and lay down on her back, her hands gently resting on her stomach, feeling the warmth of the bloodline that Harry had left to her to carry on.

Harry’s memory would live forever in her heart and in the soul of her child – their child.

His child – his gift.

I hope you find this gift