A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for taking so long to write this chappie. I've had a ridiculously long case of writer's block…not that that's really much of an excuse, but anyway…

Secondly, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for bearing with me for so long. This was my first published work, although not the first completed one, and you have no idea how much your encouragement and positive reviews mean to me…

So, with a final tear, on with the last chappie!

Chapter 15- Happy Ending

Hermione's head shot up at the sound of the voice. It was Harry! He'd found her!

"Harry!" she sobbed out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Harry's heart wrenched at the sight of her, strapped helplessly to the chair, tears pouring down her face, mascara streaks evidence of all the tears she'd already shed. Then anger took over. How dare he do this to her!

"Where is he Hermione?" he bit out between clenched teeth. Before she could answer him, though, a voice piped up from the corner.

"Looking for me?" Krum asked, an evil grin on his face as he appeared out of the darkness. "Because you're just the man I was looking for."

"Let her go Krum," Harry said, struggling not to whip out his wand and hex him into oblivion right then and there. "This is between you and me."

"Well, actually, it's between me and her, but it's nice of you to stop by," Krum leered.

"No, see, that's where you're wrong. Hermione is the woman I love, and therefore anything she's involved in involves me," Harry said. Krum scowled at him, although only for a second.

"Aww, how sweet," Krum mimicked. "Harry coming to the rescue of his one true love. It's almost enough to make me want to be ill."

"Please do," Harry spat out. Krum shot him another look, and quick as a flash, he was behind Hermione, wand at her neck.

"Don't push me Potter," he said, his tone clearly showing he wasn't kidding. "Don't make me kill her." Hermione was still as a stone, save for the tears still flowing down her cheeks. Her eyes were on Harry's, trying to communicate with him, although he didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.

"Harry…" Malfoy said from behind him, shocking Harry for a moment. He'd forgotten Malfoy was with him.

"Malfoy, go get Dumbledore. Here, take the map, he'll understand how to use it," Harry said shoving the map at Malfoy, never taking his eyes off Hermione, and more importantly, Krum. Taking several steps forward, he tried again.

"C'mon Krum, don't do this. You know you don't want to do this," he said.

"Oh, but don't I?" he asked. "She won't be with me, and by killing her, no one else will be able to have her either." Krum's eyes conveyed a cold-bloodedness that made Harry shiver, for he had no doubt that Krum was more than capable of killing her. From the look in his eyes, he had a suspicion that it wasn't his first time, either. But he didn't really want to think about that at the moment. All he could afford to concentrate on was saving Hermione's life.

Malfoy ran through the twisting and turning hallways, trying to follow the sound of the music. Eventually, he found the hall again and burst inside. Scanning the room, he found Professor Dumbledore speaking with Professor Snape, and from the looks of his face, he had the feeling he knew what they were talking about. Sprinting across the room, he reached them and quickly told them everything he had seen.

"Here," he added, handing the map to Dumbledore. "Potter said you'd know what to do." Dumbledore began flipping through the pages, much in the same manner as Harry had only minutes before, until he found what he was looking for.

"Quickly," he said. "Professor, you come with me. Mr. Malfoy, round up the rest of the search parties and meet us down in the dungeons as quickly as possible. We're going to need as much help as possible. I trust you'll be able to find your way back?" Malfoy nodded, and they went their separate ways, each knowing the importance of their task.

Harry was struggling to maintain his composure. He'd never felt so helpless in life, and it was absolutely killing him. There was Hermione, his Hermione, just seconds away from possible death, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it! He didn't want to risk reaching for his wand, for fear of what Krum would do if he spotted him. And even if he used the element of surprise and pulled it out, he didn't think he'd be fast enough to prevent Krum from doing the damage anyway.

"Just keep him talking," he told himself. "Malfoy went to get Dumbledore, so just keep him talking until Dumbledore gets here." Unfortunately, it was as if Krum had read his mind.

"Let's quit the chitchat," he said, more a threat than a suggestion. He cut Hermione loose and pulled her up to stand, wand still at her throat.

"Why don't we take a walk, love, " he added, goading Harry. Cutting his eyes to Harry, he said, "And don't even think about following us, or I'll kill her." Harry didn't know what to do. Did he risk letting him out of his sight? Or did he try and stop Krum now and risk her life? Knowing there was only one choice he could make, he stepped aside, allowing Krum to leave. He looked at Hermione, praying she understood that his decision was for her own wellbeing. She had tears in her eyes, and as she passed by him, she whispered,

"Good bye Harry. I love you." Harry's heart broke at the thought that this might be the last time he ever heard those words come from her mouth. Determination set in, and he again evaluated his options. Realizing that there was another choice that he hadn't considered before, he set out behind them, careful to keep at least a hallway's length behind them. Thankfully, he was able to keep track of them through Krum's talking.

"They're moving," Dumbledore said. "They're getting closer to us." He had his eyes trained on the map.

"What do we do?" Ginny asked nervously.

"We wait," he replied.

Harry trailed them through the hallways, back the way he came. He could tell they were getting closer to the hall as the music steadily grew louder. Hopefully, they were also moving closer to Dumbledore and the rest of the search party.

He heard the voice stop and quickly ceased moving himself. There was a sudden crash followed by a yell of surprise. Praying that it had been Dumbledore, he came out from behind the corner, arm raised, wand grasped tightly in his hand. The sight before him was one that brought great relief.

There was Krum, under the watch of Dumbledore, and Hermione crying with Ginny. She saw Harry and threw herself at him. He held her as she sobbed into his chest, stroking her hair and back and whispering words of comfort in her ear.

"It's okay love. We did it. It's over," he said, not sure whether he was trying to reassure her or himself. It didn't matter. It was over. They had survived.

They were all dressed up, with their caps and gowns. Dumbledore was calling names as the crowds clapped. It was graduation.

"I can't believe it's already graduation," Harry whispered to Hermione. "It hasn't felt like it's been seven years at all."

"I know," his girlfriend replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm going to miss this place. It's been like a second home to me."

"We all will. But don't worry…I know someplace else that will feel like home to you," Harry added with a wink. "I just found this great flat, if you're interested…"

"You mean, like live with you?" she asked. He nodded, and she squealed softly. "Harry, of course I'd love to live with you!" He smiled and kissed her softly. She sighed and said, "I feel like I'm living my own fairytale, complete with my perfect happy ending."

"Well I should bloody hope so," Harry said. "Because you're my princess." She giggled and he kissed her again. Breaking apart, he pulled her in for a hug, thanking Merlin for giving him this beautiful girl.

Fin

A/N: Aww…I think I'm going to cry. I've had so much fun writing this!

I just want to thank every single person that reviewed this story for me, and also for sticking with me, even when I didn't update for months…thank you all so much! If I could, I'd hug each and every one of you guys! Unfortunately, I can't, so I'll have to settle for thanking you all one last time…thanks guys!