Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition by Beater 1 for the Appleby Arrows

Prompts:

(word) moonlight
(quote) 'It's my turn to show you a sight you've never seen before.' Haruka Nanase, Free!
(song) 'You Are In Love' by Taylor Swift

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

You can hear it in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out
You're in love, true love
You're in love

She didn't know how they had managed to get away. She remembered there were screams, tears, sweat, and blood. She could close her eyes and see the ruined castle and bodies everywhere, lit by flames and the moonlight. She could see her best friend's lifeless body lying in Hagrid's arms and the chilling laughter in the background. That was why she never kept her eyes closed for long.

Hermione Granger was on what was quite possibly the shakiest bus ride she had ever been on, and she had been on the Knight Bus before. She was in America with Ron, they'd been able to run after Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts. Sprinting through forests, hopping on trains just to get to an airport and confounding many muggles got them where they were a week later - headed to New York City. They knew that Voldemort wouldn't just stop with taking control of Britain and that he would keep fighting until he would rule the world.

He had big dreams, but they were going to stop him. And to do that they needed help from within the States.

It was hard to get news on the Wizarding World in Britain, especially since they weren't even in the country. It wasn't like they were getting the Daily Prophet everyday letting them know about new laws Voldemort had installed and what were happening to the people that still opposed Voldemort - especially the Muggleborns. Hermione had hoped that they realized they needed to run and get out of the country, just like she and Ron had.

The two best friends (more than best friends now really, ever since the kiss) hadn't spoken much to each other since the battle, but words were useless to them right now. So many people they knew and loved were running, captured, or dead.

Her and Ron had always been close, they had been best friends for seven years! But now she felt more than close, she felt like there was some sort of magical bond around the both of them. The world was shit right now, but she just knew that they could fix it. If there was a problem, Hermione Granger would always figure out the solution, and Ron would always be by her side trying to help her and encourage her.

Even though Hermione had felt as if they had reached rock bottom, like everything had went wrong and every nightmare she'd ever had came true, she had never felt stronger. She had never felt so alive.

Hermione could see a change in Ron, he seemed stronger as well. When they found out that Harry had been murdered, it was as if a switch went off inside his mind. Their one hope, their last chance was just gone like. But she knew how stubborn he was and she knew that now he would stop at nothing to avenge his friends and family so they could defeat Voldemort once and for all.

Now it was only a matter of getting other cities and countries to unite together to take Voldemort and his hopefully short reign over Britain down. As far as she knew, though, a World War would be a new thing for the Wizarding World. Usually Ministries were able to take care of their own countries without the help from others, they never thought like Muggles who knew there was strength in numbers. Hermione had faith that they would help, surely word about Voldemort had crossed over the ocean and they knew how truly horrible and terrifying he was.

After what felt like forever, their bus stopped and they both looked at each other. Taking a deep breath, they stood and slowly made their way off the bus. They took in New York City, the bustle of the city shattered the silence they had been in for the last week. It was a sight they had never seen before. There were so many different places and people, of all shapes and sizes. Some looked like they were heading to work, some looked like they were ready to party, everyone dressed differently. Hermione had a small realization that New York City was supposed to be filled with all sorts of creativity, something the Wizarding World lacked much of. She wondered how different things would be back in Britain if they used their minds like Muggles did, creating something out of nothing without the use of magic.

Hermione made a mental note that when they would take Voldemort down, she would make sure that the Ministry was doing things differently. There were so many simple things that they could have done to make sure Voldemort wouldn't overpower them, yet the Ministry had made all the wrong decisions. That was going to change.

Taking another deep breath, she grabbed Ron's hand with one of hers, and kept her other hand in her pocket where her wand was, ready for anything. It was going to be a start of a new era, one in which they would take back what was stolen from them: their freedom.

Voldemort may have one the battle that he thought would end the war, but he was so wrong. They would win the war. The good guys always won. Love always won.