Author's Note: This is it.
Indiegurl2000 – You know the chapter which appeared to be a dream? That's a little what would happen if Hermione and James stayed together. So… I don't think I'll write an alternative ending.
Angel of Slytherin – Thanks for the maths lesson. Always nice to be reminded of school when you're on vacation (actually I read your review the evening before my school started again).
Of course, also loads of thanks to: KLLRS, majohime, Monkeystarz, Lils, I hadn't forgotten about you guys!
Epilogue – Goodbyes and Hellos
Hermione stopped at the gargoyle standing outside the Headmaster Office.
"Whomping Willows," she said, after which the gargoyle moved away, allowing her to enter the moving staircase that took her up and into Dumbledore's office.
He was there already, pacing, as always.
"Headmaster wanted to see me," she said.
"Yes," he said. "We have now found a way for you to return."
Hermione gasped. "Re-return?"
It was strange, this feeling. How much she ever longed for her own world, her parents, her friends, she didn't want to leave this world either. But it was December – true this time – and she would have to.
"Yes, Miss Martin," he said. "You sure understand that you cannot possibly stay here – and after a second thought, I don't think you want that either."
"No," she said, slowly. No, it didn't matter how much she had gotten attached to this world, but she couldn't stay. She didn't belong here, she belonged in the future.
"There is a potion," he began. "If you drink that potion one hour before you are about to exit through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, you will get back into your own time."
"That's how I got here," she said.
"Good! Then you know how it all works, I assume."
"I think so," she said.
"Good! The Potion is being made as we speak, and you may visit the Potions teacher and collect it on the evening before your departure.
"Okay."
"Then I believe I will speak to you again in a couple of years," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
She smiled weakly. "Yes. Goodbye, Professor."
"Goodbye."
Hermione had a hard time keeping her tears away as she walked down to the Great Hall and sat down between Lily and Amy. All of the Marauders were also seated there, and James and Hermione had finally learnt to look at each other without blushing.
"So what did Dumbledore say?" Lily asked.
"Was it about your departure?" Amy asked curiously.
"No," Hermione said softly. "Or... well, he just wanted to check if I had had a good time and such, you know, he thought we should speak to each other one last time before I leave."
"Are you going back with the train as you came?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah, and then my mum will meet me on the Platform, actually... then we'll take a portkey home."
"So we get to meet your mum?" James asked.
"Er... she said she might be a little late, and I don't think you guys would want to wait."
"We'll miss you," Sirius said.
Hermione smiled weakly. "I'm sure we'll see each other again some time," she said cryptically.
"You'll have to owl me!" Lily said.
Hermione swallowed. "Er... sure."
The small, small, mini problem was that you couldn't send owls in time.
"We aren't going home for the holidays," Lily explained, her arm slid around James' waist, his arm around her neck.
"Oh," Hermione said. "Well, then I guess..."
"The carriages are leaving for the train in ten minutes, Alyssa, are you coming?" Amy shouted.
"Just a sec!" Hermione shouted back, and then turned to the couple again. "Then I guess this is goodbye, then."
"Yeah," said Lily and pulled herself loose from James to embrace Hermione. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too," Hermione assured her, tears tickling in her eyes. "You have no idea."
When the two girls pulled apart, Hermione turned to James and smiled uncertainly.
"Well, I..." she said but interrupted herself and hugged James instead. He seemed slightly surprised by the sudden embrace, but hugged her back. "Just don't forget me, okay?" she whispered into his shoulder.
"I couldn't even if I tried," he said as they broke apart.
"So..." Hermione shifted her weight on one foot. "Bye, then."
And without a second look on them, she turned around and walked after Amy, levitating her trunk in front of her.
"Tell your mum hello!" James shouted after her.
"And your friends," Lily added.
Hermione smiled sadly to herself. Yes, she was going to tell them hello. But she couldn't tell from who it was.
"Alyssa!"
Hermione turned around. Just as she had gotten used to that name, she was going to have to get used to being called Hermione again... However, this time it was Sirius approaching her.
"Were you just leaving without saying goodbye?" he said with a mischievous look.
"Oh," she said. "I thought I might see you at the train."
"Nah, I'm staying here with Prongs and Lily," Sirius said, with a shadow on his face. "It's better that way."
"Oh," she said again, feeling stupid. She should have known – after all she did know about Sirius' family, although he didn't know she knew. "Well... bye, then."
She slid her arms around him and he laid his around her, and they hugged. Then suddenly someone knocked Alyssa on her shoulder.
"Five minutes, Alyssa," Amy said.
Hermione pulled herself loose from Sirius, blushing slightly. "I have to go."
Sirius smiled. "Bye. And yeah, bye to you too, Amy," he added when seeing the look upon Amy's face.
To Hermione's slight surprise, Amy leant forwards and kissed Sirius quickly on his lips, before grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her away.
"So are you two like a couple?" Hermione asked curiously.
Amy shrugged. "I dunno, actually. We're mostly fooling around. He says he doesn't want it to get too serious and honestly I don't want to either. I have this feeling I'd just end up being hurt."
Hermione couldn't help but wonder what happened to Amy. Maybe she could ask Dumbledore when she was back.
"Are you sure you don't want us to wait with you?" Remus asked.
"No, I'll be fine," Hermione said, suddenly very eager to get rid of them.
Amy wasn't a girl who used to cry, but even she wiped away tears from her eyes when Hermione hugged her.
"It's been great having you around," she said.
Hermione smiled, and then hugged Remus and even Peter – although somehow less enthusiastically. But it would have been suspicious not to. The thought that he might already be attached to Voldemort passed in her brain, but she pushed it away. There was nothing she could do about it anyway.
"Go now," she said, although with a somehow unsteady voice.
The Platform was slowly being emptied. Hermione had taken her Potion exactly an hour ago, and now, making sure that no one was noticing her, she set of towards the barrier. As always, she closed her eyes while passing, and opened them when she was outside.
Quick, she thought, get out of here. Someone from her real time might see her.
"Hermione, darling!"
Her mum attacked her from the back and pulled her into an embrace.
"Hi, mum," Hermione said. "Come on, let's go!"
"You aren't in a rush, are you?"
"Well, I…" she started somewhat desperately, "I'm terribly hungry."
"Okay," her mum said as mother and daughter started walking away. "Your father couldn't be here, unfortunately, but he'll be home before dinner. So, how has it been? I must say I've been a little worried, you haven't written a single time..."
"I've been really busy... much studying."
"And it'll get worse next term, won't it? With the final exams and everything."
"Er... oh yes," said Hermione.
After having had dinner and come up with good answers to all of her parents' questions, she went up to her room, deciding to write to Dumbledore and say that she was back, to Harry and to Ron.
She felt somehow uncomfortable, though, since it was exactly as in her dream. But she wasn't dreaming now, she reminded herself. This was not a dream, and Harry was alive.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
I am back, and everything has gone well. I do believe that I have accomplished my mission.
I have a question, if you don't mind. I was wondering; what happened to Amy Watson? I've never heard her name before but apparently she was a very close friend of Lily's.
Yours sincerely,
Hermione
She folded the parchment and sent it away with her owl. Then she took a new piece of parchment and started writing another letter, which she planned to send away when her owl had returned.
Dear Harry and Ron,
I'm back from South Africa now. It was so awesome! My friends all say hello.
So how have you guys been? I've really missed you. What's the news? How are everyone?
Hoping I'll see you soon,
Hermione
When having written this, she yawned, and decided to go to sleep. Then, when she woke up the following morning, her owl had returned, and he was carrying a letter as well. She took the letter, quickly sent the owl off again to Harry and Ron, and unfolded the letter she had received.
Dear Miss Granger,
I am pleased to hear that your trip went well and we are all looking forward to having you back in school.
To answer your question about Amy Watson, I am not entirely sure, but I think she has moved to New Zealand. I assume you know, though, that you mustn't seek her up in any way. She thinks that you two are the same age.
Merry Christmas,
Albus Dumbledore
The response from Harry and Ron came while she was having lunch.
Dear Hermione,
It's so great to hear from you again! I tried writing but Hedwig always came back with the letters… kind of weird, isn't it? I never got any owls from you either but I guess you were to busy to write. Hope you had a good time.
Ron is over in Fred and George's joke shop, helping them out, but I'll tell him you wrote when he gets back.
In fact, we're at Grimuald Place right now, and Mrs Weasley was so delighted when she heard that you're back, and she wants to have a dinner for you, on December 26th. Hope you can come – if your parents don't mind of course.
Hoping I'll see you soon too,
Harry (and Ron would probably say hello if he was here)
Hermione grabbed eagerly a parchment and her quill to write down a short answer.
Dear Harry,
I'll be great to see you on December 26th. I can't wait! I haven't asked mum and dad, but I'm sure they'll be all right with it.
Hermione
"Hermione?!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice as Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace in the kitchen at Grimuald (A/N: Spelling?) Place 12.
"Ginny!" Hermione said with a smile as her younger friend ran up to hug her.
"How have you been?!"
"Good... I've been good."
"Harry!" Ginny shouted. "Hermione's here!"
One second later, Harry appeared into the kitchen.
"Hey!" he exclaimed as they both ran towards each other and met up in the middle with an embrace.
"It's so good to see you, Harry!" Hermione said with a smile and looked around in the kitchen. "Wow, it looks really different."
It sure had been getting a real makeover. In fact, she almost didn't recognize it, but she thought it looked much better now. Newer, fresher.
Then her gaze stopped at a big, moving picture on the wall. It was a picture from a wedding, the bride and groom looking as happy as they possibly could, as did the best man, who was standing beside them. They all three had three now familiar faces.
"Your parents," Hermione said.
"Yeah," Harry said and the grin on his face slowly faded away.
"It's a beautiful picture," Ginny said. "No, I'll go and get the others!" she announced and hurried out of the room.
Hermione couldn't take her eyes off the picture.
"I wish they could see me," Harry whispered. "I wish I could meet them – that I could go back in time..."
A single tear fell down Hermione's cheek, but she quickly dried it away with the back of her hand as the rest of the persons suited in the house had been alerted that she had arrived, and now stormed into the room.
Author's Note: ::sob:: I don't want it to end. But I also know that I can't go on with it forever, try to stretch it out or something and fill it up with crap because then it will only turn out bad. And then you'll stop reading it, and then I won't get all those awesome reviews.
Because you kept me writing. I think this is one of the stories that I'm most satisfied with; I liked the idea. Plus, I don't think I've ever gotten so many reviews for just this amount of chapters.
So; thank you!
And for anyone who might wonder; I don't see an epilogue for this fic so that is not coming (if anyone's got an idea, feel free to submit to me in a review of course).
I planned this other fic, you know (While you were sleeping), but seeing as school has started and things are getting quite stressful (already – I just hope I will get through this upcoming months alive!), I thought I might save that for later. I am very sure though, that I will write that fic sooner or later, when I get more time. In the meantime, I will keep writing my fic The Sister of a Slytherin.
Tip of the Day: A movie called Lilja 4-ever. Honestly one of the most touching movies I've ever seen.
Use your imagination and free your soul,
Megafreak