Hope on Fire

Life never does anything by halves. It's either a raging storm or a quiet interlude. Everyone has problems and currently, Hermione Granger had more than her fair share. Between the raging political battle lines at the ministry, Harry's unwavering advice, Ron's circus of a wedding, and McGonagall's cold silence: Hermione was overwhelmed.

She had always had a great compacity to prioritize and logically work through a problem. Rationally being the backbone of her hope, fueling hard work and determination. She had always believed if she tried her best she could move mountains, or at the very least teach others to be the best version of themselves.

Taking the management position at the ministry had been her second chance. The opportunity to prove that all her hard work was relevant and that the people; if given the opportunity would make the right choices.

But what she truly learned as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement was that her faith in humanity was miss placed.

Those in power always chose corrupt greed over the well fare of the community.

Society ran on the fueled ambition of others; humanity be dammed.

There was no such thing as magical brethren or equality of magical beings. Everything Hermione had believed was the unrealistic hopes of a child and did not exist anywhere in the world.

Humanity was corrupt.

Sherlock had been right, she had been wrong.

Everything she had tried to do for the greater good had been pointless.

Her own melancholy inward examination was interrupted by Sherlock banging on her door and his declaration of love.

She had not thought it possible, for him to love thus with the want of physicality and the implied promise of something he had voiced so loudly against…a family…emotions…romance…words she had scarcely imagined he comprehended.

And it had been easier that way, to love simply.

Love: a single word that encompassed millions of definitions.

Her and Sherlock, like, her and Harry: Family without blood. This she understood. Perhaps it was she who was lacked definition for the illogical way that Sherlock made her feel.

She had thought she loved Ron romantically. He had always made her stomach flip and she had thought it was attraction only to realize, after everything, it was pure nerves and the stress he put on her sensibility made her jittery and uneasy.

Sherlock, however, had kept her rooted and twisted up inside at the same time.

She had been in shock during Sherlock's confession. Even now she struggled to fully process everything that was happening around her and inside her.

It seems her emotional rage could be maxed out after all, Hermione thinks silently to herself.

Then the blustering laughs of Harry Potter interrupts her pondering; It's a deep belly laugh with tears streaming down his face.

She glares at her dearest friend which only makes him laugh harder.

She is quick to irritation. "This is not funny!" she commands, her tone demanding he stop his laughter at once.

But Harry only removes his glasses and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief continuing his chortling.

She watches him wearily as he struggles to reign his humor in, then, "The two of you trying to protect each other, might be the funniest thing I have ever seen. How can the two smartest people I have ever met be so clueless. You're over complicating it, Hermione." He bluntly observes.

Hermione immediately goes defensive, "What, exactly am I over complicating?" she questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Everything!" Harry Potter declares adjusting his glasses on his nose. "It is so easy," He assures with a smile. She continues to glare at him. "You are miserable at the ministry, so quit. You enjoyed teaching, so teach. You love Sherlock, so marry him."

"Not so easy." She grinds out behind her teeth. "I have responsibilities I must consider. It's not all as black and white as you claim." She rages.

Harry shoots her a reproaching look.

Hermione opens her mouth to continue to argue when Harry put this hand up stopping her, "You need to look at all this with a different perspective than the dutiful, stubborn girl I love. Sometimes things don't work out the way you thought they would, sometimes they work out better than that you can plan. You only must have the courage to embrace change. Consider all your options fully, and pick the one that will make you happy. That is all any of us want for you." Harry encourages with a small smile and a tilt of his head.

Hermione scowls turning away from Harry. "I wish it were so easy. But there is still work that needs to be done at the Ministry. Work that only I…"

Harry scoffs. "You have dedicated twelve years of your life to the reform of the Ministry and you have succeeded in a way that no one else could!" He tells her exasperated. "You started out in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures you literally rewrote the book on treatment and regulation of non-human magical beings…"

"…Yes…but…" Hermione tried to interject.

"You then moved to Magical Law enforcement where your reforms have already changed many lives." He continues.

"You're over exaggerating…"

"No, I'm not. You are amazing and the Ministry doesn't deserve you. Hermione, you under appreciate the magnitude of change you have already made. How can you be so blind to all that you have already accomplished?"

"Accomplished?" She scoffed. "There are more compromises then reforms in old thought law. Perpetuated by the cynical minds than know nothing of the world beyond the prison they have built for themselves. True changing and growth impossible to take root in the soiled beliefs of those too long in this world, holding our community back. Ten years…I've wasted on an unwinnable war."

"You're wrong; your compromises had planted a seed of hope within our generation. Breathed a possible future of co-existence between the magical and muggle and given muggle born a foot hold in both worlds. Hermione, you are the bridge between the mundane and magical. What you have accomplished is extraordinary! I see the fear in their eyes, I hear the whispers in the shadows. There are many in the ministry who are older than Dumbledore. They remember a different time were caution kept them alive and their families safe…"

"I know all that." She interrupts. "The last witch imprisoned was in 1897. The witch/ wizard life expectancy in Great Britain is 137. The oldest wizard ever recorded was 755 and he died in 1991. With a longer life span comes longer grudges. It's hard to forget and forgive such hatred, and I'm not asking them to…I'm asking for them recognize that errors have occurred and that ignorance will not make things better. Understanding the threat is the only way to neutralize it. And muggles have changed. The disbelief in the supernatural has made living out there among them possible."

"With him." Harry states, stopping any retort as Hermione stands there gaping at her friend. Then he asks, "What would you do, Hermione Granger, if you didn't need to solve the problems of the world?"

She considers this silently with serious contemplation.

She feels her heart in her throat and the first response that pops in her head is a desire that she has tried to hide even from herself for so long that it brings tears to her eyes.

Harry's bright green eyes and small smile is all the encouragement she needs to follow her new dream.

Train of Life

The Ministry had accepted her resignation without rebuff, Harry stepped into her position pleasing the political powers. The poster boy for defeating evil was now in charge of the Law enforcement division. Ron's wedding had been lovely and Hermione was pleased to see him so happy.

Head McGonagall accepted her back at Hogwarts with a courtly nod and knowing smirk. Hermione was given the office Sherlock and she shared the previous year. It was just as she left it and there was a sense of coming home when she walked through the door.

She could have gone to Sherlock, after all she knew where to find him, but she didn't.

Waiting for him at Hogwarts, wanting to see his expression when he came and saw her seemed a far more rewarding choice.

He came with the students, his eyes alight with wonder at his surroundings pulling a smile from Hermione's somber expression as she watches him. When their eyes meet he looks so relieved to see her that he smiles back. Then he pushes his way to the front and walks up to the teacher's table, Neville offers his seat to Sherlock, who quietly takes it with a friendly nod. Hermione can feel the tension radiating off him. When he is seated, she reaches over and takes his hand in hers without hesitation his fingers intertwine with hers with intensity.

They are both professionals and their air of decorum holds until they are alone in Merrythought's old office, Sherlock's luggage had been brought up as Hermione had instructed.

The moment the door shuts Sherlock's hands are in her hair and his mouth is on hers. Their actions are the words they have yet to say, the ones that are the hardest to voice.

Words come later, after actions have made clear what they mean to each other.

Words are what follow when he suddenly gets up and fishes a ring out of his coat pocket then returns to her side, "Mycroft use to read me scripture of gods wrath and the damnation for my sins. The East Wind was always apart of his sermons, he would use it to scare me..." Sherlock explains dully, kissing her cheek.

"You are the East Wind, Hermione. Your righteous fury ripping through my life propelling me towards the potential you have always seen, my conscious. I find our methods of keeping each other safe flawed. It has become clear that to keep each other safe what is needed is for us to be together…will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Hermione is curled up in his embrace, she nods and kisses him. Sherlock takes her hand in his and slowly places the beautiful Amber ring with silver metal work, on her finger.

"I think becoming your wife prudent if only to keep an eye on you." She says, teasingly as she admires the workmanship of the ring. That is when she notices the little beetle with beautiful colors preserved perfectly in the amber. This is the path they had always been on, only now see comprehends how much Sherlock has always loved her.

Epilogue

Time is a concept that comes with age. Understanding the rewarding comprehension of time in correlation to patience happens when you see your life's work become fruition.

This is realized by Mr. and Mrs. Holmes when Cathar Lisben is elected as Minister of Magic.

And real change begins to happen.

It is because of Cathar Lisben's policies, that their eldest daughter, who has no magic, finds peace in both the worlds she was born into.

A.N: Done! Off to watch season four of Sherlock...I told myself I couldn't watch it until I finished this story! Motivation!

Thank you for reading.