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mj_granger who commented on my Drabble Meme requesting Hermione/Any Character (HARRY POTTER). i even got a marriage proposal along with it. all in all, a good day. : )
AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: this is a "what if?" FutureFic. by that, i mean: "whatifthey lostthewar?"
I CAUGHT FIRE (IN YOUR EYES)
Incendio!
The fire roars up in between them, illuminating the empty spaces and it creates the shadows on their faces, making them deeper and darker. The flames leap up and lick at the corners of the room, but Hermione just stares at her across the pit – the open area they’ve cleared in the Room of Requirement so that they could start the fire to begin with. Hermione just stares at her and wishes the fire wasn’t so hot; wishes they weren’t on opposite sides – if just so that she could touch her, put a hand to her face and know that she’s really there.
But Ginny really isn’t there. So it’s alright, for now, that Hermione isn’t able to reach out to her.
Around her, the Room of Requirement is broken. It lies in odds and ends, like it exploded and shot out a memory of everything the room has ever been used for. Out of the corner of her eye, she can spot some of the useless statues she used when they were still in school; when they still called themselves Dumbledore’s Army.
Army, she snorts. More like children. Dumbledore’s Children.
She guesses it doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The ‘Army’ is gone now, she tells the empty space. We’re all gone.
Harry, Ron, Hagrid, Neville, McGonagall, Dean, Seamus, Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Fred and Charlie and Bill and Percy, Luna…
All gone.
Ginny, we’re all gone.
Even Ginny is gone.
Ginny left her; took the spell meant for her and died in Hermione’s arms, promising Hermione the world even to her dying breath.
Incendio! she remembers Draco Malfoy yelling, his wand pointed dramatically in her direction.
Hermione! she remembers Ginny yelling, lunging at her, pushing her forward; away.
No! she remembers screaming – until she remembers nothing but Ginny’s eyes and Ginny’s hands and Ginny’s blood.
She remembers Ginny’s blood and Ginny’s promises.
She remembers Ginny’s robe catching fire first, and the way the flames matched her hair and her spirit and she remembers Ginny putting the flames out, only to be hit again.
Avada Kada – she remembers trying to stop it; trying to stop him. She almost wins – he only says half of the full curse, but it’s enough. She remembers Ginny stumbling forward onto her knees and the glassy look in the younger woman’s eyes.
Her eyes were on fire, she tells the room, as if Hogwarts (or what’s left of it, after the war) cares; as if Hogwarts can hear her.
She waves her wand and the fire grows, illuminating everything she couldn’t see before.
And there’s Ginny – she was just hiding behind some shadows.
Ginny, Hermione breathes out.
But Ginny doesn’t answer; doesn’t do anything – just gives a small smile that might not even be a smile at all.
Hallucinations are tricky that way sometimes.
We lost the battle, she whispers to Ginny. We didn’t win the war either. We lost…everything.
She hears voices – someone’s approaching the castle and they’ll no doubt see the fire.
She mutters under her breath and the fire dies down, just becomes nothing but a pile of ash and smoldering dust. Ginny disappears in the flames, sliding in between the cracks in the floor and the cracks in Hermione’s heart.
Hermione grabs her things and decides she’ll head towards Hogshead.
She’ll start another fire there.
Ginny will come.
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guilty
accomplished![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
calm![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
contemplative
aggravated