"By hoping ... for you," said Hermione softly, curling in closer still. "By believing in you. Every year ... on the anniversary of ... of your ..." she stumbled at the words. She refused to say them now. "Anyway ... on that date, I held a party. Every year, I hoped you'd come ... as a ghost, as a reincarnation, anything. It gave me the courage to stay alive. Part of me always knew you weren't really gone. I could feel it, though I could never describe it in a way that other people could understand. I never gave up on you. Sue thought I was mental, but I kept on believing. And now I'm rewarded, not only with your life, but with ... whatever this might be. What it could be ... what I truly hope it will be."