The Tide
by kiwibee

Rating: PG13
Ship: Harry & Hermione
Canon: Books 1 - 5
Genre: Angst, Drama
Status: Complete
Length: 2,252 words in 1 chapter
Published: 3 Oct 2004
Last updated: 3 Oct 2004

In a world of hatred and death, who can survive? Focused on the thoughts of his children, Harry lays dying after the war
is finally over. Can life go on with the tragedy behind? One-shot, based of The Tide by Spill Canvas.

From the Unofficial Portkey Archive: https://portkey-archive.org/story/3078/

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The Tide

And there's three, count 'em three

children playing on the beach

They were eager to learn,

to be taught and to teach

To the world, Harry Potter was a hero. He valiantly fought to his death, and to the death of his enemy. But to four
people in the world, he was family. He was a great man. He was the father of three precious children.

Harry threw down his opponent. It had been a full ten years since he graduated from Hogwarts. He was determined to
return home to his three children and loving wife. Yes, Harry and Hermione Potter had started a wonderful life together.
Some thought they were too young, but they were in love and determined to life full lives with each other . . .

Fate was against Harry in this aspect. He lived a wonderful life; he was a great father and husband. But Voldemort was
able to get the best of him. After months of dueling, both opponents were weak. Harry was clinging onto life. He finally
cast the finishing spell, ridding the world of Voldemort once and for all. But it was too much for him. He was
transferred to St. Mungo’s the moment he was found, barely alive.

Harry’s children nervously awaited today’s results. Every day was the same, waiting for news, sighing relief, and then
returning to the worrying the next day. They walked along the beach behind their home, eager to see their father and
know he was safe.

There's Veronica

She's biting her lip

as she watches the waves turn white at the tip

Veronica Potter sat at the water’s edge. The ten-year-old girl was stunningly beautiful, much like her mother turned
out. Her bright green eyes reflected the water as she thought about her life. In ten short years, she had witnessed so
much. The war was an on and off process. It seemed time would stand still for a year and peace would start to spread,
only for Voldemort to unleash his power and hatred once again. She silently watched the waves crash in front of her, not
even hearing the deafening roar. She just wanted her father home . . .

And there's Vada

Radiating with joy

and luckily she still can't stand the sight of a boy

Vada walked along the gentle hills of sand. At the tender age of eight, she was quite a lovely young girl. But she knew
deep down that Veronica always got the attention, and always would. She danced her way down the beach; Vada was
well-known for never having dampened spirits. She felt so sure that today would be the day that her father returned. She
could almost picture seeing her mother and father hugging inside, back from their long hospital trip. Her smile faded as
she thought of her parents. Harry had been away for so long; Hermione was a shell of herself while he was away. Now they
were both at the hospital at all times. Vada didn’t like St. Mungo’s. It was full of sad people who patted her back and
wished her luck. She didn’t understand. What was wrong? Daddy would be home soon; he was just sick. He would be home
soon.

And lastly there's Dade

His hair dances in the wind

and he's wondering what love is

And why it has to end

And he can't understand

how everyone goes on breathing when true love ends

Dade Potter was the spitting image of young Harry. His ever-untidy black hair blew fiercely in the ocean wind. He sat on
the edge of the dock, staring deep into the horizon. At the age of six, he had been through more than most adults. He
was as close to a genius as a six-year-old could get, much like his mother was. He thought of all the people he knew.
Dade had a deep mind for such a young age. Though he didn’t know completely what had been going on during his life, he
knew that so many people were dying at the hand of his father’s enemy. His best friend, Frankie Longbottom, was found
dead last week. His Aunt Ginny was found yesterday, killed by Uncle Draco. His own father was laying in St. Mungo’s as
life steadily faded. Dade thought long and hard about these people. Their lives were ripped from them, and the love that
others felt seemed to wash away with the tide. How can the rest of the world go on as normal when his life was full of
such tragedies?

His mother whispers quietly . . .

‘Heaven's not a place that you go when you die

It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive

So live for the moment . . . ’

He remembered his mother’s words. He inquired about love last time he saw her. Teary eyed, she tried to explain to her
youngest child. She tried to explain that love is heaven on earth. It’s when you feel your entire life before you, when
nothing matters but the ones you love, when you feel alive within this dark and dead world.

‘...And take this advice, live by every word

Love is just a hoax so forget anything that you have heard

and live for the moment now’

Love is only a passing thing in today’s world. People die, and though they are not forgotten, life goes on. Life can go
on. Dade angrily threw a rock into the waves. Is that what love is like? It’s there for a while, but then swept away
when something more powerful comes along? He felt so insignificant sitting on that dock. He knew how much his parents
loved him. He knew how much they loved each other. But what would happen if his father didn’t survive?

And there's three, count 'em three

children growing on the beach

They were eager to learn,

to be taught and to teach

The three continued to silently wait on the lonesome beach. The tension grew as the cloudy day progressed. Something
felt wrong . . . they had never gone this long without word from the hospital. The children began to worry even more as
the day slipped by, still without a word from the outside world.

There's Veronica

She's licking her lips

as she waits for her real, first passionate kiss

Veronica tried to think of something to ease her suffering. So many deaths, and now her own father’s was upon her. She
remembered the fairy tales. The girls always seemed to suffer, but in the end Prince Charming always came and kissed all
the problems away. She licked her lips as she hoped she would end up in a castle where her problems were whisked away
from her. Deep down, Veronica knew this was absurd . . . but the thought sure helped for the moment.

And there's Vada

Can't admit her jealousy

of her sister Veronica, and how she's so pretty

Vada continued walking along the sandy hills. She could make out the form of her sister sitting at the shore. Waves kept
pouring around her, but Veronica didn’t seem to care. She was so lost in thought. Vada admired her sister’s strength.
Though only two years separated them, Veronica seemed so much older. That’s what the war did to people. It forced young
children like the Potters to grow up and see life in the eyes of adults. Vada stared at the limp form of her sister. She
was so much prettier . . . she had definitely gotten Hermione’s good looks. It seemed like she already had many boys
around her and flaunted her good looks. Sure, Vada was pretty. But she was also naive. She wasn’t ready for the hard
life in front of her. Also lost in her own mind, Vada wandered closer to the shore.

Lastly there's Dade

Still sitting on the dock

Ponders his life, and he skips his rocks

And he wonders when his father will return

but he's not coming back

He had a hard life, but Dade was well adapted to it. His mind was warped from the tender stages it should be to the
maturity of a young adult. He sat calmly on the dock behind his beautiful home, taking his anger out on the tiny rocks
around him. He wanted his father home. Harry had not been there for his children as much as he would have liked, but he
was a great father nonetheless. His children radiated with joy when they were together. The Potters were truly the
perfect family when the horrors of Voldemort were not lurking in every corner. Dade gazed the smooth stone as it skipped
across the ocean. Yes, he wanted Harry home. He wanted him home more than anything. He longed for his parents, or at
least word of them. Today was different from all of the other days. Why had no one come to them today?

And he can't understand

how everyone goes on breathing when true love ends

His mother whispers quietly . . .

‘Heaven's not a place that you go when you die

It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive

So live for the moment

And take this advice, live by every word

Love is just a hoax so forget everything that you have heard’

He once again was reminded of his mother’s words. Love is fake; it’s just a picture painted for people too weak to live
without this feeble hope. His father was dying and his mother was grief-stricken. There was so little hope in his short
life. Everything seemed to ride on his father’s life. Without it, there couldn’t be a Potter family. He stared hard into
the ocean. Love rose and fell just like the waves in front of him. There was too much death to love someone for long.
Everyone would die, just like the waves washing upon the shore, ending their short life.

And there's three, count 'em three

children missing from the beach

They were eager to learn,

to be taught and to teach

Hermione Apparated into her large beach-front home. It was all over. The last breath of Harry Potter was spent. She
threw all the pictures off the wall as she made for her bedroom. Her life was over as far as she was concerned. He was
gone. He had given his life up for the safety of the world, and now her own life was insignificant. He was gone. She
lost consciousness when she arrived at her bed. The memories were too much for her. Hermione couldn’t bear to face her
three precious children, still outside, oblivious that their mother was home. They would just remind her of him. She
didn’t even notice what was happening outside.

But the sad thing

is that they never lived to see the age of fifteen

due to neglect from their mother

Who was bed ridden by her ex-lover, their father

She didn't even notice, or pay much attention

as the tide came in and swept her three into the ocean

Now all her advice, it seems useless

The weather steadily worsened, as if the heavens were lamenting Harry Potter’s slow and painful death. Vada approached
her sister, still sitting within the crashing waves. She tried to comfort Veronica, but it was no use. She was past the
ability to even speak anymore. The water slowly crept further and further up the shore, but the two girls didn’t even
notice. Their minds were full of images of Harry Potter, their loving father. The tide was in by the time they were
aware of their surroundings again. Waves crashed all around them. It was getting harder and harder to stay still in the
raging ocean . . .

Dade stared into the taunted water. He longed to become part of it, to let the waves wash away his problems. He was
entranced by the peaks rising closer and closer to him. The ocean was furious; the water was nearly up to the dock.
Waves crashed and roared all around. He had seen the last of this pain. Dade dove head-first into the emerald water,
imagining he was gazing into his father’s loving eyes . . .

Veronica and Vada gasped for air. They were pulled out further from the shore by the raging sea. They were fearful, but
deep down they knew that they would be with their father soon. The waves seemed to be washing away their problems as
they were pulled under the furious water. All they could hear was the deafening roar around them as life speed out of
their grasp. Veronica grabbed hold of her sister’s hand as the tide took their lives.

Dade’s mind raced one last time. He thought of the last words his father ever said to him. Harry was strong, stronger
than Hermione. Upon hearing Hermione’s explanations to Dade, Harry beckoned his only son close to him. He feebly
whispered into his son’s ear . . .

‘No, heaven's not a place that you go when you die

It's that moment in life when you touch her and you feel alive

So live for the moment

And take this advice, live by every word

Love's completely real, so forget anything that you've heard

and live for the moment now’

Harry loved Hermione more than life itself. They built a perfect life together in the short time they were married. To
Harry, he lived a full life. He wasn’t needed in this world anymore. His family would be reunited one day . . . much
sooner than he expected. Harry Potter, The-Man-Who-Died-To-Save-The-World.

Dade let every memory of his father fill his mind before life left him. He realized that love was real; it was so strong
within him that he couldn’t bear living in a world filled with so much hatred.
