Once again paying more attention to this than my degree! I found this hard to write. I always find that when I'm reading war-time fics, I get bored and skip through the fighting.

Anyone who had the misfortune of reading this before it was edited. I'm so sorry. I very clearly didn't proof read prior to publication. 

It is that said some moments in life are unforgettable. Your first kiss, your wedding day, the birth of your first child ect. Hermione would forever remember the day the war began. Regardless of her feelings towards the matter, her memories would haunt her in the daylight and in the darkness for years to come. 

When The Order walked through the opened portrait on the wall of The Room of Requirement Hermione felt a little excited. She looked around at her most trusted friends and felt empowered. She had never been prouder of her peers. After seeing everything they had fought towards and accomplished in the run up to the war, she was sure that their efforts would end in success. 

Realistically, Hermione also felt a great deal anxious. Everything suddenly felt very real. Blood would be shed that evening, and when the sun rose over the grounds of Hogwarts the following morning, it was unlikely to be a pretty sight. She wondered how many of her smiling comrade's bodies she would be burying following the battle. Hermione dared speculate whether she herself, would be lucky enough to escape expiry. 

Gathered in The Room of Requirement were 50 or so students, joined by the entire Weasley clan (with the exception of Percy.) Clinging to Oldest son Bill was his new wife Fleur, The newest addition to the brood. Kingsley stood tall, stoic and calm as always. Remus smiled as he acknowledged his former students, he was clearly happy to have returned to the school. Hermione was reminded that he was the only member of the Marauder's remaining, if one was to exclude the rat who deserved to be Crookshanks's next meal. There were people Hermione had never met before, along with faces she recognized but names she could no longer recall.  

There was a mixture of confusion and acknowledgment around the room, and Hermione longed to escape from its stuffy confinement. She looked on at the Weasley's from a distance. She knew exactly what was to coming, she simply braced for impact. 

"Merlin bless my eyes, Hermione dear, is that you?" Molly screamed, waddling over with open arms.

As soon as one pair of arms let her go, another pair trapped her again, stopping Hermione from running away and hiding in the nearest alcove. With the evening she had had, Hermione wished to postpone the oncoming apocalypse for at-least 8 hours so that she could settle her emotions and get some sleep.

"What on Earth happened? We heard you were dead." Molly had a look of anger on her face, that she had very clearly tried to warp into concern. Hermione wasn't fooled.

"I shall repeat it once and only once. And no questions!" Hermione informed Molly, Remus and Kingsley. The others having decided to mind their own business.

As though she was reciting a poem, Hermione stood in front of her audience and relived her tale. She was emotionless and deliberately kept some of the details vague. She watched the emotions on Molly's face turn from shock to anger to pity. Remus had his fists clenched at his sides and kinglsey looked concerned. 

When Hermione had finished, an incrediblky awkward silence hung between the four. Molly, who looked inches from tears, enveloped Hermione into a warm hug and cradled her. Sympathy was not something the young witch had asked for, but even Hermione had to admit that it felt good. Perhaps in these frigid times, one needed personal contact to make them feel better.

Kingsley cleared his throat. "If anything we have more of a reason to fight, now." He said. He placed a large hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Indeed." agreed Remus, looking paler than usual. 

______

This was it, Hermione supposed. Headmaster Snape had called an assembly that was mandatory for all of the student body to attend, despite the odd hour of the morning. It was still dark outside. However these days it seemed eternally dark. The news spread throughout The Room of Requirement like fiendfyre, and there was an odd excitement in the air. The waiting and the suffering had been going on for far too long. 

War was finally upon them. 

Hermione seemed to be the only one who wasn't cheering. She was extremely well versed in historical wars, albeit muggle wars. From the battle of Hastings in 1066 to the Second World War in the early 1940's, there were always losses on both sides. Sure, each army thought themselves invincible. But it wasn't until later, after each side had buried their fallen troops, that they realized precisely how much the war had cost them. 

The students at Hogwarts were naive enough to think themselves invincible, but Hermione knew that they were unprepared and underfunded. The Dark Lord had power and experience and had no qualms with killing underage witches and wizards. The students had little chance, either they grew up or they gave up. 

Someone took Hermione's hand. Draco. She smiled weakly. He looked almost green. Draco had very little chance of surviving the fight. He was a traitor to both sides, and was prime target for anyone with a wand. His parents were equally as fucked. The Dark Lord was unaware of the true allegiance of the Malfoy family yet, but they were lying in wait. Who knew what the Dark Lord would have in store, once he realized that the family were spies?

Hermione squeezed Draco's hand. "Even if we survive, we all have a one way ticket to Azkaban." He said, wearing a deep frown. 

Pursing her lips in determination, Hermione had a thought. "They'll have to give you a trial, Draco. They can't just send you to prison. We'll make a case. I'll testify for you on the witness stand." 

Draco's head flicked up. "Will you?" 

"Yes, if we both make it out alive, I'll defend you." Hermione said. She was anticipating it anyway, with Severus and his history. By comparison, defending the Malfoy's would be a walk in the park compared to Severus Snape. 

Draco smiled. "Well now I really hope you survive."

"Git" Hermione laughed. 

__________

The occupants of The Room of Requirement fell into silence, as the students exited and attended the assembly that Snape had called. Harry had gone with them to intercept, so that Snape could call on Lord Voldemort and the war could end. Harry was confident that he had the Dark Lord on his knees. Hermione hoped that he wasn't flying too close to the sun.

That left Hermione, The Weasleys and The Order. They were instructed to wait until the signal, and then storm The Great Hall. 

Hermione sat in a corner, mulling over spells in her head. She was desperately trying to distract herself from replaying everything that Severus had said, earlier that evening. She silently willed herself to focus. She had bigger problems right now. Clearly, Ron saw Hermione's isolation as an opportunity to come and join her. "Alright, 'Mione?"

"Hi Ron." Hermione felt shy. She hadn't been alone with Ron in forever. 

"Can we talk?" He asked. Hermione nodded and looked down at her hands. "Its crazy isn't it?" 

"yeah." She agreed. She didn't really have anything she wanted to say to Ron. Yes. She had had a crush on him since 4th year. But that was nothing but a school girl crush. She now had a burning desire for another man. A magnificent man. 

Ron pressed his shoulder against hers, as he tried to sit closer to Hermione. "I wish I'd payed more attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I feel stupid for not listening and goofing off."

Hermione looked at Remus, who had heard their conversation and winked at her. "Ron, I wouldn't admit that in-front of your Ex-Professor."

Ron looked sheepish and acknowledged Remus from across the room. "Sorry mate, its nothing personal." 

"What is it Ron?" Hermione smiled weakly, sensing that there was something else that was playing on his mind. 

Snapping back to it, Ron took hold of Hermione's hands. "Its you 'Mione. It always has been you. And I know I had that fling with Lavender, but its all in the past now, I swear. Are you even listening to me, 'mione?"

"Ronald, now is hardly the time."

"Its exactly the time!" Ron argued back, stubborn as always. "I love you 'Mione. And if we get out of this war I want to marry you."

Coughing awkwardly to hide her surprise, Hermione began to sweat. She was horrified at Ron's declaration. Why he would choose to declare his love now, in front of his family and their friends was beyond her. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but she couldn't risk Ron dying without knowing the truth. 

Hermione swallowed her pride. "Listen to me. There was a time when I had shared your dream of having a romantic relationship with you. But we were young and you and Harry were my only friends. Now, I feel like my eyes are open for the first time in my life and I see the world differently to what I thought I saw before. What I felt for you was not romantic love, it was brotherly love."

Ron gaped, his mouth wide open like a codfish. He began to grow beetroot red. Hermione could hear the poorly disguised rage of Molly Weasley, coming to defend her youngest son, but she were saved the protective motherly bollocking by Harry's signal. A flock of yellow canaries.

"We must go." Kingsley's voice carried without him having to raise it. Hermione packaged her worry into the little box in the back of her mind, and stood up.

_______

Pumped with adrenaline, Hermione fought like it was nobody's business. Of course, she followed Harry's direction and supported him as he tried to defend his life.

When Fred died and it made her angry. She had never been particularly close to either of the twins, but they had always been a constant character in her life. Hermione recalled when George had lost his ear, and Fred had remained by his side all night to support him. It broke her heart to think that George would never be there for Fred in the same way. They wouldn't be able to crack jokes and provide comedic relief on gloomy days. Hermione tried to imagine how George was feeling. He had lost a limb that couldn't be replaced. The rest of the family would be equally as heart broken.

Still, Hermione powered on, feeling like an ant in a marathon. Nothing she did seemed to be making any conceivable difference, and she was beginning to feel weary and frustrated. Then they managed to destroy the Ravenclaw diadem, and Hermione caught a new wind. 

Harry and Ron had argued the toss with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who were already fighting for the crown between them. Hermione knew that would have to face off Crabbe and Goyle, in order to progress any further with the task. She ran after Crabbe blindly, as Harry rushed off to find the tiara. The next thing she new, Ron was dashing frantically in the opposite direction, bellowing a warning about the oncoming fiendfyre and Hermione saw her window of opportunity.

They had just about managed to escaped with their lives, Hermione reckoned. She wiped the grit and the ash from her face with an equally mucky sleeve and stared at Draco. He was injured and lay on the floor panting.

Hermione helped Draco up. "Go! Go to Severus's stores. Take what you need and hide."

He vomited all down his front, unable to stop himself. Hermione gagged as she struggled to hold him upright. "Draco, go. Severus will kill me if I let you die."

Ron and Harry watched in awe at the moment between the two. "I'm not going to ask." Harry said before taking off in the other direction. Hermione reluctantly followed, leaving Draco to hobble to the dungeons. 

When Harry directed Hermione to to follow Ron into The Chamber of Secrets alone, she knew she was in for it. Ron would not let their earlier conservation go. 

"Is that why you don't want to be with me?" Ron accused. "Because you're shagging Draco?!"

"I am not with Draco!" Hermione's voice echoed through the tunnels.

"Well then enlighten me. Tell me why you don't want to be with me, Hermione?" Ron was enraged.

Hermione frowned. "I just know that you aren't the man for me. I shouldn't have to justify myself!"

"Is this because we left you? We talked about that Hermione!" He had a flare in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Alright! I cant be with you because we want different things! I want to travel and experiment, and not be tied down by you. I want to see the world, not just The Burrow. I want someone who will see me as more than 'the clever one.' I am beautiful and I am original and you have never once complimented me, Ronald. How can we be expected to share a house without bickering every five minutes? I don't want to live in a stuffy cottage with children and a husband. I want to be free to drink, to have sex in inappropriate places and to make spontaneous decisions. You will never be able to give me any of that Ron. I know I will never be happy with you."

Ron had tears in his eyes. Hermione felt bad but it had to be said. "You have had everything you wanted handed to you on a silver platter. You think you can have me just as easy? Welcome to the real world." She said, bitterly. 

The silence that followed filled the empty chamber with a deafening racket. Their footsteps didn't even echo off the walls of the cavern. Hermione swallowed her tears, making her face turn into emotionless stone like Severus.

"We have to destroy the cup, like Harry did with the diary." Hermione said, her voice was oddly level and animatronic.

Ron grunted and continued to walk ahead of her. 

______

Hermione watched over the scene at the courtyard, and analysed what she was seeing. There were people missing. Draco, Narcissa and Lucius. Although Hermione assumed that they were safe in hiding. Bellatrix was still prancing around, like the psychotic bitch she was. Hermione chewed her lip. Remus and Tonks were missing. With a heavy heart, Hermione assumed that Bellatrix may have had something to do with their disappearance. 

Severus was also missing. 

The Dark Lord laughed, inviting people to join his side before he killed his prisoners. Harry lay in Hagrid's arms. She assumed he wasn't dead. But Molly still wept in her husband's arms. Hermione stayed silent. 

When Harry leapt to life, Hermione leapt to action again. Her muscles ached from the hours of fighting but she powered on. She fought for Harry, for Fred, for Remus and Tonks, for Sirius and for Madeye. She fought for her parents, who didn't even know she existed. Hermione felt the change in the air. Something inside her knew that it was the end.

There was a burst of magic, as Lord Voldemort fell to his knees and The Elder Wand flew from his hand. The Death Eaters seemed to stop and stare as Lord Voldemort finally met his downfall. Some began to run, and others stood around awkwardly.

Hermione stopped and watched the scene unfurl. The Dark Lord started to decay and fold in upon himself, until there was nothing left. Harry stood in limbo.

What now?

______

The Great Hall was flooded by the dawn light, as people crowded in and mourned the dead. The Weasleys were regathered around one stretcher that was cloaked by a sheet. Hermione didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't belong with the Weasleys. Harry had gone to dispose of The Elder Wand, so Hermione decided to aid Madame Pomfrey with the remaining casualties.

She tried to force down her worries that Severus hadn't returned. She tried to focus on the fact that they hadn't found his body. If there was no body, they was no evidence that Severus was dead. Hermione challenged herself to help treat the wounded rather the spiral into her own state of mourning.

There was dirt all over her body and all blood all over her clothes. She wanted to go home, have a bath and a cup of tea, and go to bed. Hermione didn't even know where her home was anymore. She had been naive enough to believe that she would be able to go home with Severus after all this was over.

It was becoming increasingly more unlikely with every second that she remained in the crumbling remains of The Great Hall, and he remained missing. 

At some point, someone had given Hermione a mug of sweet tea and told her to sit down. She managed to find a seat on top of one of the tables that had been pushed to the walls to make space.

She stared into her milky mug, forlorn. She thought that she would feel at least a smidgen of victory, but there was nothing. She was numb and empty. Hermione couldn't even summon a single tear. She was starving but couldn't face the buttery toast the house elves were bringing round, even though she had never smelt anything so appealing. No, Hermione couldn't even feel the hot tea burn her lips.

That was, until a warm hand on her back pulled her out of her depression, like a teddy picker machine claws at the prize. Terrified, Hermione did not lift her head. It could easily have been someone telling her that they had found the Professor Snape's body. Or that they had found Draco's body. She didn't want to hear it.

But the last inches of hope in Hermione's heart being gave her the strength to lift her head. Standing there, stoic as ever, was her Hogwarts Headmaster.