19

Hermione's funeral takes place the very next week. The autopsy confirms the cause of death was a gunshot to the head, and it doesn't take long to settle that it was suicide. "She knew she was going to do it," Molly sobbed, "She said she'd see him soon!" Doctors also told the family and the press that Hermione was suffering from severe starvation and exhaustion, so much so in fact that if she had lived much longer, she would have died anyway.

Hundreds of people attend, showing just how many lives she touched. George can barely breathe through his tears and he sits to one side, not taking his eyes off her coffin for a second. Ginny has random outbursts of sobbing, and has to be comforted by Harry and Ron, who stay by her side all evening. Blaise's face is completely blank, showing no emotion, but everyone can see how he is breaking inside.

Her funeral is almost as busy as Dumbledore's and as many people are crying. They have a basket by her coffin for people to leave notes in, telling her closest friends how much they loved her and how she touched their lives so dearly. Many are just 'Rest in Peace'; however there are a couple of very personal ones.

'He was right. I loved you all along.'

'I take it all back. Every single word. I just wanted you to be happy.'

'You were the best thing that ever happened to me. It was all my fault.'

'Thank you for trying, baby girl. I understand why you did it, and I completely and unequivocally forgive you.'

'Mi, you were the brightest star. Look down on us, beautiful girl.'

'I loved you like a daughter. Be with Freddie in heaven now. And above all, be happy.'

'You did the right thing'

After the priest says the traditional words, George gets to his feet to say a few words, "There never was a more beautiful human being than Hermione Granger. Throughout everything, even through her darkest days, she never lost faith in the human race. I had the unbelievable privilege of watching her at her happiest, when she was with my brother, and the unimaginable agony of watching at her lowest point. Hermione fought so hard to try and turn things around after Fred died, and believe me, she wanted to stay alive because she loved every single one of you so much. But in the end, her therapy became her weakness. She was so obsessed with her running and her work, she didn't remember to eat or sleep. And I blame myself every day for that, because I left her alone. I didn't look after her like I promised Freddie I would. But they're together now and they'll be happy. And I know that if they're looking down on us right now, she is telling us to be strong, to wipe away those tears and to remember the good times, of which there were many, because she's where she's meant to be now. Rest in peace, my baby girl. Rest in peace, my brother. Look after each other." As soon as he finishes, he starts to sob again and sits, crying on his mother's shoulder for the rest of the service.

Harry gets up to speak next and he has an important message to deliver. "You loved Hermione Granger, because she was beautiful and charismatic and compassionate and enigmatic. But Hermione was so much more. She is the single reason all of you are alive today, because if it wasn't for her, we never would have brought Voldemort down. She's braver than everyone I know put together, she's smarter than anyone and she sacrificed everything to protect you all. For the year it took us to bring him down, we kept being told that it was for the 'greater good'. Well, hey, there's no-one who gave more for that cause than Hermione. She lost her parents and her fiancé for all of you. So when you grieve for her, when you mourn the awful loss we've suffered, you thank your lucky stars, no you thank her for being so bloody brilliant. And know that she is watching over you every second, and that she never stopped loving any of you."

Blaise gets to her feet then and moves to the front of the congregation. "When I was told I had to speak today, I suddenly ran out of words. There are so many words I could use to describe Hermione but none of them quite do her justice. I could tell you how she was captivating, how she could persuade you to do something with a single glance, but it's not enough. I could tell you how beautiful she was, how she could take the breath away of a whole room, but until you've seen her at her best, it's not something you can understand. I could talk of her brains, how she could unravel a problem in seconds before you've even read it for the second time, but it's just not adequate. She was perfect, pure and simple, and so I'm not even gonna try and describe her anymore. I'm just gonna read this poem to you:

Funeral Blues, by W.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message She is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

She was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song,

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong

The stars are not wanted now, put out every one:

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

As he finishes, the whole congregation falls silent. Then sounds of people crying come from every corner of the room and Blaise finishes, "There's one line in that I don't like. 'The stars are not wanted now, put out every one' is not quite accurate. Leave her star burning. And never forget her. Rest in peace, my love."

Soon afterwards, the ceremony ends and just like at Dumbledore's funeral, the coffin bursts into flames and is replaced with a large tombstone. It is directly next to the former headmaster's and is exactly the same size, which is a massive sign of respect for Hermione, ranking her on the same level as Dumbledore. George steps forward first, laying a large bouquet of flowers on it, before waving his wand. An inscription appears on it, stating her name, dates of birth and death and a short message simply reading, 'OURS'.

One major result of Hermione's suicide is Kingsley's resignation as Minister for Magic. Nobody could blame him for leaving the job, for everybody knew his story. Kingsley was an orphan, brought up alone from the start, and he found it very difficult to love. In fact, there was only one person alive who he loved and that was Hermione. The loss was massive for Kingsley and it weighed down on him, so much that he couldn't deal with the pressures of the job anymore. The day after her death, an article was published in the Daily Prophet, blaming Kingsley and highlighting the empty promises he made to help people with their recovery. Soon after letters were flooding in, accusing him of murder. He felt he didn't have a choice but to resign, and his closer friends respected this. He announces it the day before her funeral, so by the time her funeral comes, he holds no more responsibility than the common man.

At her wake, to everyone's surprise, it is Ron who holds it all together. He serves drinks, offers mourners tissues, and is a brilliant host. People spend all day telling the Weasley family how brilliant Hermione was and it soon becomes too much for George, Charlie and Ginny, who go and sit by her grave. Speeches are made but nobody is really listening any more, too torn up over the massive hole she's left in their lives.

What happened next:

George marries Angelina Johnson. They have two children, who they named Fred and Hermione. George keeps the shop going in the name of his brother, and Angelina became a professional Quidditch player. They visit Hermione's grave (where Fred's body was moved to shortly after her funeral) every Sunday, and make sure their children understand the legacy they are continuing

Ginny and Harry marry, having three children named James, Albus and Lily. Ginny is a successful writer for the Daily Prophet, also commentating on the Quidditch games part-time, while Harry goes on to become Head of the Auror Office and set up trust funds in the names of the dead. They pray for Fred and Hermione every evening at dinner, and go to visit their graves three times a week.

Neville and Luna marry, and have one child, Lysander. Neville becomes Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and later Headmaster, while Luna teaches Charms. The pair of them lead a prayer for those who died every night at Hogwarts, and they try to visit the grave every day.

Charlie stays single, and never really gets over Hermione. He flies back from Romania once a month to lay flowers on her grave.

Kingsley similarly never recovers. He becomes an alcoholic and is found dead one morning, slumped over Hermione's grave.

Blaise marries Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's cousin, and they have three children named Julian, Cassidy and Hollie. Blaise becomes a very successful lawyer, responsible for the sentencing of many famous Death Eaters, while Astoria buys the Leaky Cauldron. Blaise, although he is happy with his family, lays 20 red roses on Hermione's grave every Saturday until he dies.

Draco and Daphne marry, and have one son, who they name Scorpius. He works to protect magical creatures, as Hermione would have wanted, while Daphne replaces Professor McGonagall as Transfiguration teacher.

Ron also never marries, instead becoming a brilliant Auror. He prays for Hermione every morning and every night.

And what of Hermione and Fred?

AND THAT'S THE END! I know that some people really didn't like this story, but I wrote it pretty much in one go and I just wanted to publish it. I'm sorry that Hermione died but I think there are some things you just can't come back from and even though she fought really hard, I wanted them to be reunited. I actually wrote a prequel to this, about their death and the immediate impact of Fred's death - if you want to read it, please inbox me.

Thanks for reading and please review