It Won't Be the Same This Year by stu14688

Rating: PG
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 01/12/2006
Last Updated: 01/12/2006
Status: Completed

One-Shot. Song fic from Vince Gill’s “It Won’t Be the Same This Year” off of his Let There Be
Peace on Earth cd and of the song “Silent Night”. The first Christmas after the Final Battle
between Harry and LV. A tear-jerking Christmas fic.




1. one-shot
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“It Won't Be the Same This Year”

By: Vince Gill

Let There Be Peace on Earth cd

Verse 1:

It's time to pack our bags and hit the highway,

And head on back for Christmas holiday.

I won't fall apart when I pull in the driveway.

It's my first time home since brother passed away.

Verse 2:

His favorite time of year was always Christmas.

We reminisce about the days gone by.

Oh, how I wish that he was still here with us.

My memories of him will never die.

Chorus:

When the stockings are hung,

Silent Night has been sung,

And Christmas is finally here;

It won't be the same this year

Verse 3:

Losing my big brother hurt so badly.

Its help me learn what Christmas really means.

There's nothing more important than your family.

We're all the children of the King of Kings.

Chorus 2x

**“It Won't Be the Same This Year”**

**By: imagination_running**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Please don't sue!**

**Summary: Song fic from Vince Gill's “It Won't Be the Same This Year” off of his**
**Let There Be Peace on Earth** **cd** **and of the song “Silent Night”****.** **The
first Christmas after the Final Battle between Harry and LV. A tear-jerking Christmas fic.**

Hermione packed her bag. Today was Christmas Eve, and she had agreed to stay with the Weasleys
for the holiday. She would stay the night with them tonight and come back home tomorrow evening.
She didn't really want to celebrate anything. In fact, she hadn't been in a celebratory
mood for about seven months now - since the Final Battle. It had been a horrific ordeal, and in the
end, Voldemort had been defeated. However, taking Dylan Thomas's words to heart, he had not
gone “gentle into that good night.” In his final moment, Voldemort had shot a spell at Harry; it
wasn't a killing curse, but it was as good as because Harry had died just days later, having
never recovered from the wound it produced.

Hermione stopped her packing and sat down on the edge of her bed. Every time she thought of
Harry's suffering the days following the battle, she broke down into tears. She was trying to
get over it, and on most occasions she could stop herself from dwelling on what happened, but
sometimes, like now, she couldn't. She fiercely wiped the tears from her eyes and face and
stood up. “Get a grip, Granger! You need to get past this!”

She threw a blouse into the suitcase, and quickly took it back out, folded it neatly, and placed
back in. Double-checking to make sure she had everything she needed for one overnight stay. She
went to the sitting room of her flat and gathered the gifts that she had bought, leaving only three
small envelopes under the tree. She would take care of them later tomorrow evening.

Hermione flicked her wand once and sent the suitcase and the bag of gifts to the Burrow. Then,
with a final check of the flat, she Apparated to the Weasley home.

The first thing Hermione noticed upon arriving at the Burrow was that it was in its normal
frenzied state. People were everywhere, chaos was running rampant, and food was cooking in the
kitchen. She was greeted by Fred and George who were setting up fireworks for the evenings show.
Knowing those two as she did, Hermione guessed that they were doing far more than what appeared,
but she decided she really didn't want to know. After they tried to magically change her hair
color and offered her a rather dubious looking pastry, she finally managed to make it to the
kitchen door where she was immediately grasped around the waist in a bear-tight hug by Ginny.

Hermione laughed a little and hugged back. “Well, it's good to see you, too, Ginny. It's
been what, all of one day since I last saw you?”

Ginny laughed and stepped back. “Has it only been one day? With this bunch it seemed more like
two weeks! Mum's been going haywire over the Christmas preparations. Fred and George have been
being all they ever are, and Ron's been moping because he hasn't been able to go see Luna!
Not to mention that everyone's been arriving. It looks like a regular hotel around here!”

Hermione smiled. “Who all's here?”

“Well, Mum, Dad, me, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Remus, Tonks, and you. Luna is
supposed to be coming over later for a while, and if I remember right, she's bringing her dad.
Charlie's girlfriend is coming over tomorrow for a few hours, and so is Neville.”

“Nothing like a Weasley Christmas…” Hermione murmured as she took in the familiar Burrow
Christmas decor.

Ginny's laughter tinkled around Hermione. “You got that right, girl. Now, come on! I'll
help you get settled in, and then you can go greet everyone else.”

Once they were in Ginny's room, the red head turned to Hermione, frowned, and sighed,
“You've been crying again.”

Hermione's eyes widened and she said, “No, I haven't! I'm fine! What made you think
that?”

“Don't even try to feed me that lie, Hermione. I can see it in the way your standing and
everything. You've got upset again. Are you sure you want to do all of this?” Ginny gestured to
the house around them, indicating the Christmas celebrations.

Hermione sat heavily on the bed. “Well, what else am I supposed to do, Ginny? Go to my parents?
Gee, that'll be interesting - it would probably make the headlines: Hermione Granger, smartest
witch of her age, goes mad and spends entire Christmas in a graveyard. Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I'm sorry, Hermione. I just meant that you could come tomorrow for a few hours instead of
staying here the whole time - if you want to, that is. I know it's hard for you.”

Hermione didn't say anything. She just nodded.

“Look, stay here as long as you need. Go back to your flat, if you'd rather, but I hope you
decide to stick around. I'd love stay here with you, but Mum needs me in the kitchen,” said
Ginny. She leaned over and hugged her older friend. Then, she walked out the door, closing it
quietly behind her.

*********

Ginny went into the kitchen where she found Ron and her mother. Ron was cooking the only thing
he could - toast - and nibbling on everything else in sight. He looked up as soon as Ginny came
through the door. “Ginny! Is Luna here?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “No, Ron. She won't be coming over for another four hours. Quit
asking everyone that and make your toast.”

“The only reason I was asking is because I heard the door open earlier, and I thought she may
have come early.”

“That would have been Hermione. She's upstairs in my room, and how did you hear that door
opening?”

Ron cleared his throat, looked down at the toast and mumbled something that sounded like “It
happens” but Ginny wasn't sure. She knew what he meant, though. During the previous year's
expedition, his senses had been heightened, especially that of hearing because of all the dangerous
adventures he had taken part in with Harry and Hermione. She immediately regretted her question and
started to make soup.

Ginny looked over to where her mother was busily engaged in preparing a pie and thanked all her
lucky stars for merciful person who had given her mother a set of wizarding wireless headphones for
her last birthday because it always upset Molly to think or hear talk about the last year and a
half. Ginny wasn't sure she could handle her mother breaking down right then.

After several minutes, Ron managed to get himself under control and said, “Did you say that
Hermione is in your room, Ginny?”

“Yes. Why don't you go talk to her?” Without even waiting for the toast to finish, Ron left
the kitchen.

*********

Ron bounded up the stairs, but slowed considerably before he reached Ginny's door. He knew
why Hermione hadn't come down as soon as she had set her bags down, and he wished that there
was something he could do to ease her pain. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the door. He
wished Harry were there to help, but if Harry had been there, then there would be no need to cheer
Hermione. It was an ongoing problem, and he'd been struggling to deal with it for seven months.
If it weren't for Luna, he was sure he himself would have gone bonkers by now.

At last, he straightened back up and knocked on the door. He heard Hermione softly say, “Come
in,” and he opened the door.

“Hey, Hermione.”

Hermione walked quickly to him and gave him a hug. “Hey, Ron. I was just about to come
down.”

“Ginny said I could come up and talk to ya for a bit. Your eyes look red-rimmed; are you
okay?”

Hermione looked down and to her left and sighed. “No, but I will be. I know I need to move on,
but…it's Christmas, and you know how much he loved Christmas ever since he started Hogwarts.”
Her voice had raised an octave as she spoke, and she also kept speaking faster until she dissolved
into tears on Ron's chest.

He held her tight, letting her cry all she needed. He knew she'd been trying to move on, but
he also knew it was harder for her than anybody else. He gently smoothed her hair as he said, “I
know, Hermione. I know.”

After a few minutes, Ron felt Hermione pull back. He watched as she wiped her face off with her
sleeve. Silence surrounded them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Ron knew she needed time to
compose herself, so he didn't push. He'd only seen her like this once before, and at that
time Harry had been there to help her deal with everything. That was over a year ago, though; back
when Hermione had just received word that her parents had been killed in a Death Eater attack.

Finally, Hermione finished wiping her face and straightening her hair and clothes. Ron looked at
her and said, “I miss him, too. I think, sometimes, that I'll turn around and he'll be
there, but it never happens.”

Hermione nodded. “It hasn't been and it won't ever be the same without him. This was
going to be the first Christmas he would be free of Voldemort…of the Dursleys. It's not fair,
Ron. It's just not fair.”

Ron hugged her again and said, “I know, Hermione. I know.”

*********

The next day, Hermione awoke to a several presents at the foot of her bed. Ginny was not in the
room, so Hermione guessed she was already downstairs helping with the final dinner preparations.
Hermione was given several books, a few quills and ink bottles, one very nice blouse, a few boxes
of her favorite candy, and a single white rose. The rose brought tears to her eyes. It reminded her
of the previous Christmas…

*She, Harry, and Ron had been on the hunt for Horocruxes for several months. There had been no
time for shopping even if the stores had been open. In the end, they had returned to the Burrow for
Christmas, but had not managed to bring a single gift for anyone. However, when she had woken up
that morning, she had discovered a single white rose amongst her presents, and the little card had
been simply signed “**Love,* *Harry.” It had meant more to her than any of the other
gifts she had received.*

She looked at the card attached to the rose. It said, “He'll never be gone from your life as
long as you remember him. Happy Christmas! -Ron.” Hermione smelled the beautiful rose and smiled
through her tears. Then, she left the warmth of the bed, put on her fluffy house shoes, and went to
get a small cup of water for the delicate flower. Once she had the rose set up on Ginny's
window sill, she went and knocked on Ron's door.

She heard Ron stumble, swear, and say, “Hang on, Ginny! I said I'll be right down!”

Hermione giggled. “It's not Ginny! It's me, Hermione!”

The door suddenly swung open. “Hermione! Happy Christmas!”

Hermione smiled and laughed again. “Happy Christmas, Ron! I just wanted to say thank you for the
gifts. I've needed more ink and quills, and the rose is beautiful!”

Ron smiled back. “I'm glad you like them, Hermione, and I'm glad to hear you laughing
and see you smiling again.” He hugged her, but it didn't last long because without warning,
Hermione pushed him back and yelled as she took off down the stairs, “Last one down is a rotten
dragon egg!” Not to be outdone, Ron ran down, hot on her heels, ducked her out of the way at the
last five steps from the bottom, and jumped the rest of the way.

They were both out of breath and laughing so hard that tears were pouring down their cheeks. The
noise they had made brought everyone to the bottom of the staircase to see what was going on. At
long last Hermione gasped out, “You…You are a…cheat…Ronald Weasley! Jumping doesn't count!”

Ron laughed more and shook his head. “Not…the way…I remember it! Harry jumped…and you let him
win!”

Hermione, who had gained her breath back, laughed again. “You don't understand, Ron. I bet
he would win the race, but he bet he would lose it. If I lost the bet, then I had cook, but if he
lost, then he would have to cook. He tried to win the race and the bet, which was impossible. He
jumped and reached the floor before I did. Then, he said that since he jumped, it didn't count,
so I won the race and lost the bet. I told him that the only requirement of the race was to reach
the floor first, so he won the race and lost the bet, which meant, he had to cook. Simple as
that!”

Ron was still grinning. “So why did the rules change for me?”

Hermione smiled coyly and said, “Because this is a different race and there are no bets in which
the loser has to cook!” Everyone laughed as Ron looked scandalized and stuck his tongue out at
Hermione. She just smiled.

*********

Hours later, after all the gifts had been opened and food eaten (which was saying something
considering the shear amount of food that had been cooked), everyone sat scattered about the
Weasley sitting room sipping on hot chocolate and listening to the wireless play a marathon of
Christmas carols. As the evening whittled away, the DJ finally announced that the last song of the
night would be “Silent Night” played by a muggle orchestra. Hermione looked over to where the
wireless sat on an end table and saw Mrs. Weasley reach to turn the box off. Quickly, Hermione
said, “No! Just this last song - please.” With a puzzled look on her face, Mrs. Weasley left the
wireless on.

Hermione sat back and listened to the orchestra play the beautiful song. It was gorgeous, and
she swayed slightly to the beat of the music. As the last note faded out, Hermione smiled. “Thank
you. Thank you, so much!”

The wireless was turned off, and everyone sat for several minutes without saying a word.
Finally, Lupin, who was across the room from Hermione asked, “Why did you want to hear it so
badly?”

Hermione looked at him. She knew everyone was waiting for her answer, so she took a deep breath
and said, “For a few reasons. One, I love to hear the muggle orchestra play. The music is
beautiful, and it's not often that I am able to hear a muggle orchestra in the wizarding
world.

“Two, my parents always sang that song to me on Christmas day when I was little girl. Normally,
they didn't sing much, but they never neglected to sing it on Christmas day. Even now, I can
hear their voices harmonizing and blending.

“And third, last year Harry and I were walking through Godric's Hollow around Christmas
time. We were headed to his parents' graves because he wanted to put some flowers on them for
Christmas. As we were walking down the street, we came to a house where a group of carolers were
singing. We stopped to listen for a bit. It was the first time Harry had ever heard the song
“Silent Night.” Of course, having so recently lost my parents, I was in tears even as it began.
Harry noticed and pulled me close. Right out there, on a sidewalk, under the stars, in front of
about 30 people we didn't know, and in the middle of a war, we danced as the carolers sang.
Harry loved the song. He said it was one of the most beautiful that he had ever heard.

“Throughout the entire hunt, I think that was the most relaxed he ever was. I'll never
forget how peaceful he looked after the song was over, nor how he held me so close and gently as we
danced. It was the best time I'd had in a long while. I think it was for him, too.”

Hermione looked up and noticed that there were few dry eyes in the room. Unsurprisingly, she
felt tears on her own cheeks as well. She looked at each of the faces and knew that they were still
mourning Harry, but she also knew that they had been encouraged by the story. It always brought
back a smile to her face to think of how he had looked as the song ended, or of how her
parents' voices blended together as they sang the familiar hymn.

“Hermione?”

Hermione looked up at Tonks, which is who had called her name. “Hmm?”

“Would you sing it? I'd like to hear the words again. It's been a long time.”

Hermione wanted to say no because she knew her singing voice was nothing to rave about, but
instead she said, “Yes.” Everyone looked at her, which made her nervous, so she closed her eyes and
sang:

Silent night! Holy night! / All is calm. All is bright. / `Round yon virgin, mother and child. /
Holy infant so tender and mild. / Sleep in heavenly peace! / Sleep in heavenly peace!

A small applause went up as she finished the song. Hermione blushed and said, “There are more
verses, but I don't know them.”

“Eet was lovely, `ermione,” Fleur responded. “But, what doz eet mean?”

Hermione smiled and explained that it is a Christian carol that tells the story of the birth of
Jesus Christ the Messiah, who was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem on Christmas day. She
explained that He is the Savior to all who believe in his death and resurrection - that his death
paid the price for all mankind to be saved from the depths of Hell itself, should they only have
faith and believe.

“Harry really connected with the story. I think it is because of the things that Jesus went
through before He died. He literally had the weight of the world on His shoulders, too. I don't
know what Harry ever did with the information, but he did love the song. I heard him humming it a
lot after that.”

“I did, too,” said Ron, “but I didn't know what it was. I never asked, and Harry never said.
I'm glad it brought him some peace, though.”

*********

Later that evening, at about 8:00, Hermione finally Apparated home. She went over to her small
Christmas tree and picked up the three envelopes: one to Harry, one to her mother, and one to her
father. Then, she Apparated to the graves of her parents.

Quietly, she knelt down. “Mum. Dad. It's Christmas, my second without you. I still miss you
so much that there are times I can hardly stand it. I love you so much! I know that you always said
you don't need a gift, and I also know that you can't actually read these. But I wanted to
do something for you, so I wrote you each a Christmas card. Take care of each other, okay? I love
you! Happy Christmas!”

Hermione placed the cards at the head of the graves. Then, she stood up and dusted off the top
of the double tombstone before bending over and placing two kisses on the granite surface. She took
a step back, looked at the graves one last time, and Apparated to another cemetery hundreds of
miles away.

It was snowing at Godric's Hollow. She peaked out from behind the building and looked up and
down the street, but unlike last year, there were no carolers. She knew there wouldn't be,
though because they all would be with their families in the comfort of their homes.

She made her way to the now familiar graveyard. Finally, she reached the corner where the graves
were nearly hidden from view by the weeping willow. She moved behind the limbs to the three graves
were laid alongside each other. She stopped at the oldest two first.

“Mr. and Mrs. Potter. It's me, Hermione. I came to talk to Harry, but I wanted to tell you
Happy Christmas, too. I hope you are keeping Harry in line. He needs it. Don't argue, Harry,
you know you do! Well, it's snowing, and I still need to talk to Harry. Take care, and Happy
Christmas!” Once again, Hermione dusted off the headstone and kissed it twice. Then, she moved on
to the last grave hiding behind the willow's limbs.

“Hey, Harry! I got your rose this morning. Thank you! It's beautiful! I know Ron bought it,
but he did it for you. I told everyone about our song, Harry. About how we danced as the carolers
sang just down the street from here. Most of them cried, but it made them happy, too.

“I also told them about the story of baby Jesus. I told them that you really seemed to connect
with the story. I didn't tell them that I hope you believed it, though, Harry, but I really do
hope you did.

“I have something for you for Christmas, Harry. It's just a card, but I really wanted to
give it to you. I'll lay it right here.” She laid the card at the head of his grave, right next
to the headstone.

“It's getting cold, so I need to go. Don't get into too much trouble, okay? I love you!
Happy Christmas!”

Without another word, Hermione kissed the marble tombstone, stood up, and Apparated back to her
flat feeling better than she had in months.

*********

**Author's note: I hope you like my terribly sad Christmas fic. Actually, this fic kinda
took a life of its own from the “Silent Night” section down, but I like. And yeah, I know, I'm
cruel to my characters, but please forgive me and review anyway.** **(I'll put in a good
word with Santa for you!)** **Merry Christmas everyone!**

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