Till The End | h.p

joy

"I can't wait to go and see Fred and George's shop," Sam remarks to Hermione as they both sit on her bed.

"I'm actually quite curious myself. It's been awfully quiet around here without them."

"It's horrible. I miss them both terribly."

They are both currently sitting and going through old photos among other things. Making lists of things they will need for school and tossing ideas out about Christmas. They figured with everything going on, they want to enjoy every day that they can, in case it's their last year at Hogwarts.

"I really wish we would've done more before things went to hell. It's hardly ever sunny anymore," Sam notes.

Hermione thinks for a moment, "Listen, I don't normally think it's a good idea, but maybe if you let your emotions flow freely and we have one really great day... the clouds will break. I mean, when you get really low it rains or storms, so maybe when you're happy..."

"Hermione, you're a genius! Grab my camera."

They race up the stairs and to Ron and Harry's room, "Get out of bed, we're having a great day!" Sam shouts.

"But it looks horrid outside," Ron moans.

"Just trust us," Hermione states, "And Harry, kiss her."

Sam turns to Hermione, "What?"

Harry shrugs, "Whatever the plan is, I like it already," he says as he stands and walks up to Sam.

He pulls her in and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear before kissing her slowly. She smiles into the kiss. He pulls away and then plants another small kiss on her lips with a genuinely content smile. Hermione smirks, "Ron, look out the window."

They all turn and look to see sunlight streaming in, "Bloody hell."

"Brilliant," Harry grins, "Let's go then."

"Whoever gets outside last has to make dinner!" Sam shouts as she bolts out of the room.

Everyone scrambles after her. She skips four steps at a time, but Harry and Ron get risky and hop from rail to rail.

"That's cheating!" Hermione calls out.

"Not if you're winning!" Ron retorts.

As Harry and Ron try to trip each other down the stairs, Sam grabs Hermione's hand and pulls her into a room and opens the window.

"Trust me," she says before Hermione can question it.

She pulls her out of the window, and uses her powers to levitate them down to the ground from two stories up. They land just in front of the door as the boys scramble out.

"How did you do that?" They boys ask in frustration.

"A girl never reveals her true secrets," she says with a wink, "Anyone up for a childish game of tag?"

She quickly taps Ron on the shoulder, "You're it!" She shouts as she runs off.

Everyone scatters and Ron goes after Hermione first. As Hermione runs, she turns and takes pictures until Ron tags her and she sneaks up behind Harry and tags him on top of his head. Harry searches the yard for Sam and spots her before chasing after her. She runs behind a tree and laughs. Harry peers around the tree and she takes off again. Hermione continuously snaps pictures as Harry captures her from behind and spins her around.

"You're it, love," he says as he kisses her cheek and runs off.

Sam runs after Hermione and Ron, but he trips and takes Hermione down with him, landing on top of her. He stutters and blushes profusely, but before he can say anything, Sam tackles them both.

"Gotcha!" She laughs victoriously.

None of them stands up as Harry lands on top of all of them. They all laugh loudly and enjoy the long missed sunshine and each other's company. With everything around them changing, they need to savor these special moments together. Sam grabs the camera from Hermione and holds it above all of them as she takes a picture of them laying on top of each other. They each help each other up and as Ron helps Hermione up, Sam takes a picture of them discreetly. She smiles at Harry and he grins at her.

As the sun begins to set and the sky becomes a brilliant combination of orange and pink, they all sit down next to each other and live in this moment. As it grows darker, they all head inside and Sam hoists herself onto the counter.

"Ready to make dinner, boys?"

Hermione giggles and sits at the table patiently. Harry and Ron groan, but start pulling out pots and pans.

"What do you guys want?" Ron asks as he turns on the stove.

"Hmm, surprise us," Hermione grins, reveling in the fact that they won.

"Mhmm," Harry rolls his eyes playfully.

Sam slides off the counter and sits next to Hermione as she goes through the pictures they took today. Sam subtly hides the picture she took of her and Ron. They comment on each of the pictures and laugh.

"Oh my gosh," Hermione exclaims, "I nearly forgot to give this to you. I lost it the day I took it, but I found it in my bottom drawer the other day."

She hands Sam an old picture from the summer of the Quidditch cup. It was a moving picture of her and Harry sitting in the tree. They were staring and smiling at each other. Sam realizes how much they have truly loved each other all this time.

"Thanks, Mione. I'm so glad someone got this on camera."

Harry turns around from the stove, "What did you catch on camera?"

"I'll show you later," Sam smiles, "Don't burn the food."

He scoffs and turns back to the stove.

Sam leans over to Hermione, "Is it weird that I like watching them cook together?"

Hermione sniggers, "No, I think we just love that we're all together. It feels like we're normal teenagers again."

Sam nods, "Do you think it'll ever just be like that again?"

Hermione's smile fell away, "I don't know. I think we'll have moments of normalcy, but I'm worried that it won't ever be the same really. Our childhood is being spent by fighting Death Eaters, Voldemort, giant snakes, and trying to not die every year... but that's why we have to cherish these moments and find new ways to create them in the chaos."

"Agreed," Ron confirms as he eavesdrops on their conversation, "Food's done, by the way."

They both make the plates and set them on the table, "You're welcome."

They all dig in and discuss their plans for the upcoming year.

"I'm going to try out for the team this year," Ron announces.

"Bout time," Harry states.

"Yeah, I mean Harry's team captain this year so it would be so cool to watch you guys play together," Hermione adds.

"I'm going to be absolutely reckless and destructive this year," Sam comments.

"What, why?" Ron asks incredulously.

Sam shrugs, "I want to enjoy my youth."

"Fair enough," Harry agrees, "Maybe not reckless, though, please. We can have fun without risking our lives further."

"Oh, come on. We've started a streak, why break it now?" Sam remarks.

Silence falls over them before they burst into laughter.