The stonewalls of Hogwarts crumble and fall around me as I race to find the stairs. I always thought the multiple staircases were neat until I was struggling to find the right one. Another spell hits the wards outside, throwing me to the floor briefly. I blow a strand of hair from my face as I push myself off the floor. The staircase I've been searching for suddenly appears in front of me and I almost cry in relief.

I reach the top out of breath and worried about my friends. Harry looks back at me and gives me a small nod. Ron gives me a nervous smile before turning back around to watch the enemy forces attack the castle. Ginny turns and pulls me into a tight embrace. "I'm so scared, Hermione," she whispers into my neck. I hug her tightly to me and tell her everything will be alright. I continue down the line consisting of my comrades. Fred and George smile at me as if nothing is wrong and this is another one of their silly pranks. I glance at Tonks and notice her hair is its natural color; she's nervous. Remus just holds her hand tighter.

I finally reach the person I've been searching for all this time. Ice blue eyes meet my own and I smile slightly. Fleur Delacour holds out her hand and I take it in my own. "Bonjour 'Ermione," she manages over the sounds of crumbling stone. I nod my head in a silent greeting and squeeze her hand slightly. My eyes turn to the battle before me. The guardians of Hogwarts are fighting off the dark forces the best they can. I pray to God that they can hold off the enemy forces on their own. But something inside me knows that the wards and our guardians will not hold much longer. "Fleur," I manage over the noise and chaos. Her eyes turn to meet my own and she arches an eyebrow slightly. "Je t'aime," I murmur against her skin. Fleur gasps slightly and looks down at me. She opens her mouth and just as she begins to give me a reply, our world is thrown into complete and utter chaos.

When the wards finally fall, we are all thrown into battles of our own. I'm separated from everyone, including Fleur. My heart aches at the thought. I run into the entrance hall and catch a glance of my quarter veela. I almost sigh in relief that she's alive. But then Bellatrix just has to ruin things. "Well well well. Long time, no see Muddy." My body tenses as I turn to face the woman who had tortured me. That insufferable smirk is in place as always. "Yes, well, I've been rather busy. You know how wars can be," I mutter sarcastically. Bellatrix lets out that insane cackle of hers. "It seems as though you've developed quite a mouth since the last time we met. Maybe I should take care of that for you." She shoots a stupefy at me and before I can throw up a spell of my own, someone else does it for me. I turn to my right and catch sight of Ginny. I smile gratefully and we begin to fight Bellatrix the best we can.

Bellatrix finally hits me with a stunning spell, effectively putting me out of the battle for a few minutes. I watch as she turns to Ginny and see the killing curse forming on her lips. My best friend is going to die right before my eyes and there's nothing I can do. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" I almost laugh as Molly steps in and kills Bellatrix on the spot. Ginny runs over and helps me up now that the spell has worn off. I hug Ginny quickly before we slink off into battle once more.

Several hours later, Voldemort is finally dead along with most of his followers. However, our side has also lost many people. Fred is dead along with Tonks, Lupin, and several other great people. I have yet to see Fleur to confirm whether she is dead or alive. I'm currently seated in the Great Hall with the survivors mourning their dead loved ones. Molly and the Weasleys are surrounding Fred's dead body. My heart aches for them as I take a seat next to Ron and Harry. Ron wraps an arm around my shoulders and I offer a comforting smile before dropping my head into my hands.

The first time I meet Fleur is in fourth year. She's three years older than I am and I have the desire to instantly dislike her. The moment our eyes connected though, I knew that was impossible. I immediately felt a strong pull to this beautiful woman. When her blue eyes met mine, I knew I was in trouble. She smirked charmingly at me and I practically melted in her hands.

I smile at the memory and shake my head. Tears begin to well up in my eyes and I struggle to keep them back. Ron's arm tightens around my shoulders. I think back to our time at Shell Cottage and how close Fleur and I had gotten.

We hadn't spent long at Shell Cottage. A couple weeks at the most. But Fleur and I had learned a lot about each other in that time. I found out that Bill wasn't her veela's mate. My heart practically soared at the thought. But it was shot back to the ground when I realized that I probably wasn't her mate. Still, a part of me held onto the possibility that I could be.

Tears were pouring down my face now and sobs wracked my small frame. What if I never see Fleur again? I'll never know if she reciprocates my feelings for her. The doors of the Great Hall bang open. My head turns to look out of instinct. My chocolate orbs meet ice blue. I shrug Ron's arm off of me and get up from my spot next to him. I'm suddenly running towards Fleur, ignoring Ron's questions. I fling myself into her embrace and begin sobbing against her neck. "I thought I'd lost you, Fleur. Gods I was so scared." Fleur's grip on my waist tightens and her lips brush the top of my head. "Shh, mon amore. It is alright. I'm alive and well as you can see. A few scrapes and bruises, but nuzzing more." I can feel the questioning stares I'm getting from the Weasleys, especially Ron.

I decide to ignore them and burrow impossibly closer to Fleur and her warm scent. Fleur's hand comes up to stroke my hair. I smile as she begins whispering reassuringly to me in French. I pull away from her a little and begin wiping the tears from my face with Fleur's assistance. "'Ermione," Fleur murmurs just loud enough for me to hear. I glance up at her again to see what she wants. "Je sais," she whispers. It takes me a few seconds to realize what she's responding to. When I realize that she's responding to my confession from earlier, I practically faint. "I love you too by ze way," she whispers in English.