1-Prologue: Never Let Me Go

"Which direction am I going in?" Hermione thought, "I'm stuck at a crossroads here and if I lean towards one side, the other aches." She bit the inside of her cheek, concentrating on the rain. The falling droplets were just like her thoughts: they came and went in a matter of seconds. She's not broken, she isn't chipped, she's torn. Hermione still hasn't processed what happened only a few minutes ago.

Ron left.

He shoved her away and left them. Both of them. She had a lot of questions, too many questions for her brain to handle. His cruel words lingered in the back of her mind, stabbing at her self-esteem.

"That's all you're gonna be," he screamed, "a follower who won't quit. But 'Mione we won't win this, it's obvious. Three kids can't fight off armies of them and you know that. We're bound to lose." The locket wasn't on him. He flung it onto the floor in a sobbing rage. He gave up. He gave up on himself and his two best friends, but the locket wasn't on him.

"Did he really mean it?"

"Will he ever come back?"

"Is he worth it?"

""I'd say that it's one short step from 'wizards firs- One engine barely makes it away-We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same and worth saving-Hold on, they're breaking their bonds." The voices of Kingsley Shacklebolt and Colin Meloy crackled throughout the tent.

"Are you done with this?" Harry interrupted Hermione's deep, dark trance.

"Huh?"

"Your dinner, are you done with it?" Harry lifted up a plate of half-eaten rabbit and a chunk of stale cheese.

"Oh…yeah."

"Are you sure? We're walking tomorrow, we'll need to eat."

"It's fine, I'll just find a big breakfast."

Harry sighed at her dull speech. Something was wrong and he wasn't going to ignore it. She was hurting, and he sensed it.

Hermione didn't go through all of this to be left behind. If she did, she wouldn't have gone to the Yule Ball with Viktor, she wouldn't have gone to Slughorn's Christmas Party with Cormac, she wouldn't have cried over his relationship with Lavender Brown, and she certainly wouldn't have begged Mrs. Weasley to lower the chest hem on her dress she wore to Fleur's wedding!

"Does Ron even love me like I love him?"

"Do I even love him or do I just crave closeness? Why would I go through so much trouble for him? It's not like he did anything for me. I'm going through trouble for Harry but it's not only for him, it's for our world…my world. Also, he's a real gentleman. I guess Harry's just more mature than Ron."

"No, I just cannot think about love right now. There's a world I have to save. I can't give into that intimacy. It's a temptation that could potentially end me."

"Looking up from underneath

Fractured moonlight on the sea

Reflections still look the same to me

As before I went under" The radio sang. The static and voice mixtures were gone, leaving only the voice of Florence Welch in the tent, lingering in between their constant silence. Hermione buried her head in her hands trying to force the questions out of her head.

"Ron is brave. Truly brave. He just has his moments. But Harry-oh-Harry he knows how to cheer me up. Even when I feel absolutely horrible about mysel-"

"May I have this dance?" Harry asked. Hermione's head jerked upwards, seeing Harry standing proudly, holding out his hand, and slightly swaying to the majestic beat. He never looked so handsome. Carefully, he lifted the locket from her neck and placed it on Ron's mattress. The weight of the world was off of her shoulders. An instant spring was in her step.

"Speak of the devil." Hermione thought. Her stomach plummeted to her wet boots. With little debate, she accepted with a weak smile. She placed her hand onto his as he led her to the radio.

"Harry's not the little first year anymore. He's grown, physically and emotionally. So has Ron, but mostly physically, he still has the emotional range of a teaspoon."

"Oh, and it's breaking over me

A thousand miles out to the sea bed

Found the place to rest my head" His arms wrapped around her waist as another burst of anxiety rushed through Hermione's veins, and her legs went weak, almost numb. They were so close together. She felt his heart beat bounce back and forth between them. His eyes screeched devotion and determination. He grinned as they began to dance, creating sloppy shapes with their feet along the floor. Hermione paid very close attention to the lyrics:

"Never let me go, never let me go

Never let me go, never let me go

And the arms of the ocean are carrying me

So cold and so sweet

And all this devotion was rushing out of me

And the questions I have for a sinner like me

But the arms of the ocean deliver me

And it's over and I'm going under

But I'm not giving up

I'm just giving in" Harry held and caressed her. A wide grin met Hermione's lips.

"He does know how to cheer me up." Hermione leaned her head on Harry's chest, hearing his heartbeat, begging for a temporary feeling of happiness. Right there, the rain was gone, the bags under her eyes vanished, and her mixed feelings morphed into one final statement.

"Do you know what this song means?" Harry asked. She could feel his vocal chords vibrating over his chest.

"You listen to them?"

"Not often, but this is just one of my favorites."

"I can tell, it's very beautiful."

"This song is about surrendering. But not giving up on everything, it's about giving into something…or someone. It's about being so overwhelmed with something you just want to stay there forever."

"Wow." Was all she could reply.

"Listen Hermione, I had no idea Ron was leaving, but we both know that this isn't going to be easy. I don't wanna choose between you and the future of the wizarding world. I can't afford to lose you as well. I can barely afford to lose Ron, but you, without you we would've died."

"Stop exaggerating." Hermione scoffed

"No, it's true. Who gathered up our things in a beaded bag before the Death Eaters came to Bill and Fleur's wedding?" Hermione sighed deeply, "Exactly."

He inched backwards and stared into Hermione's eyes. She met his gaze and blushed.

"Sometimes, you just have to push everything back for a moment." He said.

"Deliver me

(Never let me go, never let me go)

Never let me go, never let me go)

Deliver me

Never let me go, never let me go

And it's over

I'm going under

But I'm not giving up

I'm just giving in"

Harry put his hands on her cheekbones.

'So close.' Hermione thought

"Sometimes, we have to be ourselves instead of soldiers."

"Ah, slipping underneath

Wooh, so cold, but so sweet."

She could've kissed him. But, images of Ron flickered in the back of her mind.

"F-for the best?" she thought. Reluctantly, she pulled away from his grip and trudged to her bed. Her ears rung and feeling seeped into her legs. She forced herself to believe that she made the right choice.

"I could've kissed him."

During the Battle of Hogwarts

The water splashed onto them, Ron gasping for air.

'Did we destroy it? What happened?"

Hermione turned to Ron examining his face for answers. He didn't look puzzled, he looked ready. Their terrified breathes echoed through the chamber, something was bound to happen. This war was dangerous. Every breath could truly be their last. Every step might be their last. Ever touch could be their last. Somebody had to take advantage of this. Steadily, Ron leaned into her lips.

'He's finally matured; he's finally come back to his senses.' The images of Harry flickered in her mind. That night in the tent, their friendship, and their potential love. She ignored them.

She let him kiss her. She forced herself to believe that she made the right choice.