Hermione opened her eyes and immediately sat up. Judging by the light, it was very early morning. It seemed like she had finally fallen asleep on the cold stone floor of the Great Hall. Except, it barely looked like the Great Hall now.

At some distance towards her left, the Weasley family was huddled all around Fred. George and Ron, on Fred's left, were leaning into Mrs. Weasley, silent tears still flowing down George's and Molly's cheeks. Charlie had his head on Mr. Weasley's shoulder, both of whom were staring into blank space. On the other side, Ginny lay asleep close to her brother, still holding his hand, tear marks very much visible on her face, while Bill sat at her head, gently caressing her. Percy sat a little away from everyone at Fred's feet, his eyes glassy.

It was all too much for Hermione. The moment of triumph against Voldemort had long since passed, and now all she felt was pain. Pain for Remus and Tonks, who were lying a little distance away, still holding hands. Pain for Teddy Lupin, crying in Andromeda's arms, who would never get to know his parents well. Pain for Denis Creevey, sobbing over Colin's body. Pain for Luna, Fleur, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Trelawney, who were desperately trying to help countless other people out of their injuries, only to see them die one by one in front of them.

Pain for the Weasleys, who had lost a son. The son whose last laugh was still etched upon his face.

Hermione looked around for Harry. He was nowhere to be seen. That gave her something to do. She got up and walked out of the Great Hall, not wishing to look anywhere but forward. Goodness knew who she'd see lying dead if she strayed her eyes from her path.

She found Harry staring into the Black Lake, beneath the very tree she had sat under with her two best friends on pleasant weekends, scribbling away on parchments or throwing toast to the Giant Squid. How carefree they'd been. The memories brought tears to her eyes, but she pushed them back. She was sure Harry and Ron were both weak and vulnerable, and she would not cry in front of them now. Someone had to stay strong.

She approached Harry and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. He turned around with a jerk and his hand automatically reached for his wand, but relaxed on seeing her. "It's you, Hermione."

She nodded and took a step to stand beside him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"It was the only peaceful place I could find around here," he said. There was a moment of silence. Hermione looked at Harry; his emerald-green eyes glistened with tears.

Then Harry spoke again, "I really want to be like the Black Lake, Hermione."

Hermione did not know how to respond to that; it was too unexpected.

"You know, no matter how much you destroy, the lake does nothing but let the rubble sink underneath," Harry said softly. "And then it's back to normal. The ripples slowly die down and the lake remains as magnificent as ever. It's the only thing around here that gives me a sense of stability and permanence. Even Hogwarts has been destroyed," he motioned towards the crumbling walls of the castle, "but the lake's still here. I won't arrive here one day and find that it's vanished into thin air. I want to be like that for my friends, and for everyone else I know."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione whispered.

"I just feel so angry, Hermione," he continued, his voice rising steadily. "All this – it just feels so pointless now. Those Death Eaters were not worth all these lives. It was not justice to tear apart all these families to get rid of a few madmen in masks."

"You're blaming yourself again, Harry," Hermione said gently but firmly. "You know as well I do that we did not drag anyone into this. Everyone who's died came voluntarily and they knew what they were up against. I'm not saying it's their fault they died, Harry. I'm only saying that it wasn't you who tore apart all these families. It was Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and you made sure he could never do such a thing again. You were great, Harry."

"Hermione's right," a voice spoke from behind them. Hermione and Harry whirled around to see Ron standing a few feet away. "It wasn't your fault, mate. Mum, dad, Bill, Charlie... everyone knew the odds. Fred too, and he died a hero's death."

Ron's blue eyes were suddenly watering. Harry ran to him and hugged him hard. Both their grief finally poured out from their eyes, grief that had been restraining itself for so long. Hermione's heart ached for her friends, her eyes stung with tears too, but she had resolved not to let them out today. Harry and Ron needed comfort and support, and Hermione would be exactly that. She joined in the hug, rubbing both her friends' backs. 

It seemed as if her friends cried for hours. When there were no tears left to shed, the group hug broke apart. There was a long moment of silence. The trio turned to face the lake again, holding hands.

"So, what next?" Harry asked.

"Of course, you both will be staying at the Burrow," Ron said immediately. "Mum will want you to be with us. You're both family and you know it."

"Yes, Ron, but I can't stay there the whole time," Hermione said. "I need to go back to my parents' home, and see what I can do there."

This was just the half-truth. Hermione wanted to go back to Australia and restore her parents' memories. Now that the war was over, she couldn't wait to meet her mum and dad again. She needed to research thoroughly on the topic before making the move, and that would take her some time. Besides, staying all-time at the Weasleys would be equivalent to imposing her presence on them. Staying for the summer holidays was one thing; this was something entirely different. The future was bleak and unplanned, at least for now.

Ron sighed. "Well, you'll have to stay for some time, at least. To attend the... funeral."

"Of course, I'll be there, Ron," Hermione gently squeezed his hand.

"And you, Harry? You're staying full-time, right?"

Harry smiled. "It's not like Mrs. Weasley is going to give me a choice, is it?"

"I'm glad for that, then."

As the sun ascended the sky, its rays filled Hermione with warmth. Yes, they had faced a terrible loss, and Hermione's heart ached too badly to describe. But maybe, while she still had her friends, while they still had her, they could overcome the setbacks together.

Finally, Hermione Granger was ready to have a fresh start. Something she so sorely needed.