Everything was going so horribly wrong. The third wizard war had started and they were losing. The Order had lost half of their members to Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic was tearing itself apart from the inside out. Everything was in chaos, including the Muggle world.

She looked about at her friends as they sat in the drawing room at The Order's headquarters. Their faces all looked worn from the long days of work they each endured for the mere prize of survival. No matter how much she tried to rationalize it, she just couldn't see what there was to live for now besides winning. All of them faced perilous dangers every day and no one knew if they would return back to Headquarters or not. But they set out each morning on a new journey to live a little longer so that their fellow men and women could fight for justice a little more.

Harry sat across from her on one of the large squishy sofas. He held a steamy cup of coffee in his hands, his head hung low. The steam from the froth of the cream gently soared upward in various circular patterns in the still air. Poor Harry, she thought, always the one with the biggest burden.

Harry's bottle green eyes stared vacantly at the floor. Occasionally he sighed with frustration. Though his eyes showed no trace of it, he was very deep in thought. His messy black hair was sticking up at the back of his head and his glasses still got broken every once in a while- she was, of course, always there to fix them. No matter how hard it seemed to move on, Harry kept moving without complaint. He had dished out his anger a long time ago. He was more docile now since the last of his fuses had run short. Harry was still a little snappish every now and then, but who could blame him? The outcome of the war rested heavily on his shoulders.

She glanced over at Remus Lupin. He was trying to coax Fleur Delacour into a conversation to ease her mind from worrying about Bill who had been sent as a spy out of the country. Lupin was ever the gentleman; just as gentle as he was man. He was valuable to the order, no doubt, for his 'furry little problem'. It allowed him to get information that no one else could. It turns out what he has thought all these long years to be a curse, is actually a blessing. But that was a very small comfort compared to the reality of it. He was never very healthy and he became weaker with each transformation. But that didn't stop him from being the kind, gentle, and wise comforter of the lot.

She turned her attention the Fleur. Glistening tears ran down the veela's fair cheeks and sobs of despair floated gracefully out of her mouth, ever so quietly. The only man she ever truly loved might not ever come back. If he did come back, what state would he return in? There was no way to know. Fleur closed her eyes and rested her lovely head on Lupin's shoulder. He whispered to her words of encouragement that Bill would come home safely and that she had nothing to worry about. But the veela cried harder still.

Ron and Ginny caught her eye next. Ginny had fallen asleep on the couch, her head lying gently on her brother's lap. He stroked her hair gingerly, an expression of worry and confusion plastered on his goofy face. He didn't want his little sister to get caught up in the heartache and cross fires of war. He especially didn't want her fighting in it. But when she became of age a few years ago, Ginny had joined The Order without question. Ron didn't approve of it at all, but over time he learned to accept his sister's decision. Now he cherished every moment he had with her, never knowing when she or himself would not return home one day. Ron looked down at his sister and smiled. It was the smallest of smiles, and no one would've caught it if they didn't look for it.

There was only one other person left in the room besides her; Sirius Black. He stood in the back of the room, arms folded across his chest. His usually good-natured face turned into a scowl. She knew that Sirius was extremely protective of Harry. Sirius didn't like Harry getting involved at all in this war, but he knew he had to live with it until everything was over. He contented himself with being sent out on various missions to obtain information. No one was looking for Sirius Black nowadays- not with the war going on. It was safe for him to go outside, just not for too terribly long. He also spent his time trying to help Harry and herself and everyone else get through just one more day. Sirius would always tell them, "Just one more day and we'll make it through".

She looked around at everyone one last time, wondering how come suddenly they all smiled. Ginny was in a fit with laughter as Ron tried to tickle her. They might've been in their mid-twenties now, but they were siblings and siblings would never stop being children. Fleur watched them with a smile on her lovely lips, secretly wishing that she and Bill would one day have children as joyous and rambunctious as the two that she now watched. Lupin was chuckling to himself. He knew that a simple thing, like the laughter that now filled the room, was just the medicine the Fleur needed to ease her mind. Sirius shook his head and smiled, remembering the good times when there was nothing to worry about.



She looked at Harry. He was smiling solemnly to himself and took a sip of coffee. She hadn't seen him smile in ages. It was nice to see his lips curve in such a pleasant manner- it lifted the shadows from his handsome face. They were in the middle of a war and even Harry was smiling. How could this be? Just a moment ago they were all crying, worrying, and depressed. What happened?

Harry looked up at her. "Hermione," he said, "we're all just happy to be here now, with each other."

He smiled again, this time a bit broader. She smiled back. She had learned to be happy in the midst of war.