The Love of A Hero
By Misha

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and is not mine, however much I might wish differently. However, I am not making any money off of this, so please do not sue me!

Author's Notes- This is just a short, angsty Hermione piece. It has some H/Hr in it. It also has Hermione/Crabbe friendship. Yes, Hermione and Crabbe. A friend of mine dared me to write a piece where the two of them were friends and this is what I came up with. It's a little strange, but I think it works. Well, that's all for now, enjoy!

Pairing- Harry/Hermione.

Summery- She should have known that loving a hero could only end in heartbreak.

Spoilers- All four books.

Rating- PG-13

Hermione fell into the first pair of available arms. It took her a while to realize who they belonged to.

"Vince." She whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "He's gone."

"I know." Vincent Crabbe soothed. "A lot of people are gone."

"What am I going to do without him?" She sobbed, unable to stop herself.

"I don't know." Vince told her. "I honestly don't."

Hermione continued to cry, grateful for the strength of Vince's arms.

If anyone had told her two years ago, that she would take comfort from him, she would have laughed in their face.

But the war had caused them all to set aside their petty differences. Those loyal to Dumbledore had banded together.

Hermione had been slightly surprised to learn that Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were amongst them, but... In time she had learnt that they weren't as bad as she had always thought. They all learnt that.

In fact, Harry and Draco had become close friends in time. Sharing a bond that Ron and Hermione couldn't understand or be part of.

Harry. The thought of him caused Hermione to sob harder.

Her beloved Harry. He was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

He had sacrificed himself to save them all. She had always feared that it would come down to that. That to achieve peace, she would lose the one thing she valued most.

After all, she had fallen in love with the one that they had all christened as their savior.

She should have known that in the end, he'd have to give up his own life to save them all.

But it wasn't fair.

A sixteen year-old boy shouldn't have to die so that others might live. But then nothing about Harry's life was fair.

From the time he was a small child, he had been their hero and in the end, that was all he could be. Even when it claimed his life.

That was just who he was. Who life had forced him into being.

"Why?" She whispered out loud. "Why him? Why did he have to be the hero?"

"Because that's who he was." Vince said quietly. "Hermione, it wasn't just who he had to be. It was who he was. It was ingrained in him, everything did spoke of that. Could you see Harry not wanting to fight? Not willing to sacrifice everything for peace and freedom?"

"No." Hermione said softly. "Those things meant the world to him."

"Exactly." Vince told her. "Harry was a good man, the best, and that's why he ended up doing what he did. Because he knew that for the sake of the world, it had to be done."

"It just isn't fair." She whispered. "I loved him so much."

"And he loved you." Vince assured her. "But he wouldn't have been the man you loved, if he had been a coward at the end."

"I know." She said quietly. "That wouldn't of been Harry."

"No." Vince agreed. "It wouldn't have."

Hermione looked at him with sad eyes. "I should have seen this coming, huh?"

Vince didn't say anything, but Hermione could read the answer in his eyes.

She pulled away from his comforting embrace and stood there, arms wrapped around herself.

There was a bleakness in her eyes as she smiled sadly. "I should have known that daring to love the hero would have a bitter price."

She shook her head at the truth of her words, ignoring Vince's attempts to comfort her.

She had known the love of the world's hero and in the end, she had had her heart broken.

Because, as she should have known, Harry belonged to the world first and her second. That meant it could only have ever ended the way it did.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Vince said sincerely.

Hermione looked at him with bitter eyes.

"So am I, Vince." She said softly. "So am I."

Still as much as it hurt, she never regretted loving Harry.

For a moment, she'd had the love of a hero and though it had ended in heartbreak, it was also the sweetest thing she had ever known.

The End