Harry Potter and the Future's Past.

Disclaimer: Don't own them, well I'll take Miranda the Goddess of love.

A/N: Harry Hermione story. Ginny and Ron Bashing, Mild Dumbledore bashing (remember that anything less than my Champion's story is mild.) Time Travel Fic, soulmate fic.

Chapter 1

Harry awoke with a start, unsure where or even when it was. Slowly opening his eyes, and making out a fuzzy outline of a bed and room he hadn't slept in in almost a year, but he knew very well. As he continued to fight off the sluggish sleepy feeling that still permeated his body the memories of the last couple of days came back to him. The Gringott's bank where they had stolen Hufflepuff's cup from Bellatrix's Vault and had escaped on a dragon, the near capture in Hogsmeade, the passage to the Room of Requirements, the reinforcements showing up, the search for the last Horcrux, the battle, the walk to the forbidden forest, Voldemort casting the killing curse, the talk with Dumbledore and the final showdown with Riddle. It all came back to Harry. Voldemort was dead. He was free, finally. Then he remembered the bodies lying in death he had seen. The faces of Remus, Tonks, Fred, Dobby, Hedwig, Dumbledore and even little Colin Creevy swam in front of his face and a wave of guilt swept over Harry. "Why am I alive and so many people dead?" He asked himself.

A light knock was tapping on the door. Harry realized that must have been what woke him up to start with. Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to talk to anyone yet, but he heard the voice calling quietly, "Harry, it's me. Are you awake?" Harry smiled as he recognized the voice of Hermione. He called back "Yes, you can come in." Harry reached for his glasses as he heard the door open. It was only as the covers shifted that he remembered that he hadn't had any pajamas to put on and didn't want to ask any house elves to help since they had been fighting as well. After Harry had showered, he had gone to bed wearing nothing. He quickly pulled the covers up higher as Hermione made her way to his bedside and sat down on his bed.

"Hello Harry." Hermione said looking at one of her two best friends. "How are you feeling?"

"Happy, sad, tired…I don't really know." He replied. "Too much, too fast I guess."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." She said. "I can't believe it's finally over."

"Have you been downstairs yet?"

"Yes." Hermione replied. "It's strange. People want to celebrate, but with all the deaths it just doesn't seem right."

"Did you see the Weasley's?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "They were just getting ready to take Fr… to go back to the Burrow."

"Ron's going with them?"

Hermione nodded again. "And Ginny is too, though she wanted to come up and say good bye to you."

Harry remembered something from the previous evening. "So you and Ron?"

Hermione blushed and looked away. "He asked me to be his girlfriend this morning."

"And?" Harry asked. "You know he likes you."

"I know. It's…It's ..well" Hermione started and her blush deepened. "I really shouldn't bother you." She got up and getting ready to walk toward the door. Harry's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Tell me Hermione. There's nothing you can't talk to me about." Harry said his emerald green eyes boring into Hermione's almond ones. "We've been through too much over too long of a time."

"It's personal Harry….and it concerns…well never mind." Hermione said. "Let's talk about something else."

"Hermione please?" Harry said.

"You tell me something personal first then Harry." Hermione replied. "Are you getting back with Ginny?"

Harry thought about the youngest Weasley. Remembered walking past her last night as he went to face Voldemort; he remembered thinking of her as Voldemort cast the killing curse, and remembered her fighting Bellatrix with Hermione and Luna's help, but this morning something was different. "I don't know." He answered truthfully.

"So right now she isn't your girlfriend?" Hermione asked a questioning look in her eyes.

"I guess not. Well technically speaking." Harry answered trying to figure out where this was going.

"Then I want a single favor from you Harry." Hermione said.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Hermione."

"This you might have a problem with, so I want you to promise me you'll do it, before I tell you what it is."

Harry knew Hermione had saved his life more times than he can count in the last year. The escape from the wedding, from Bathilda Bagshot's home and the Lovegood's home all were because of her. Over the last seven years the trust they had built was beyond measure. Looking at his friend, he nodded.

"No Harry, I want you to tell me that you'll do it." She replied.

"Ok, Hermione. Whatever favor you request, if it is in my power to grant, I shall." Harry replied.

Hermione gave a small smile and sat back on Harry's bed. "First you have to promise not to laugh at me."

"I would never laugh at you Hermione. I'm not…" Harry was about to say Ron, but realized insulting her boyfriend might not be the best choice of words.

"OK here goes then. I've had a particular dream ever so often ever since our first year." Hermione started and her cheeks reddened. "It's…well it's me being kissed by someone."

"Well Ron kissed you last night, or I should say you kissed him."

"Shh…let me finish, this is hard to do Harry." Hermione replied. "And yes I know I kissed Ron last night and that's some of the problem. Well in my dream the kiss is a magical kiss. Like the ones you read about in fairy tales. You know, a golden glow surrounds the couple and they are lost to themselves."

"So what does this have to do with me?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked at her friend and took a deep breath and continued. "When I kissed Ron yesterday it wasn't magical, there was nothing. No feelings, nothing. It was just two pairs of lips pressed together and frankly his breath stunk."

"Again what does this have to do with me?" Harry asked as they were treading into a subject he wasn't comfortable talking about.

"I had the dream again last night Harry." Hermione said. "Always before I never could see who was kissing me, but last night…well I saw who it was."

"And?"

"It was you Harry." Hermione held up her hand has Harry started to protest. "I know Harry, it was a dream, but the dream has always been very real. I…I just want you to kiss me once. That's my favor, that's all I ask for."

"But.."

"I need this Harry. I can't be with Ron with that dream hanging in my subconscious." Hermione said. "Kiss me and prove to me the dream is nothing but that, a dream. Kiss me once as you kiss Ginny. I promise it will not affect our friendship."

Harry looked at Hermione; her eyes were locked onto his. "Are you really sure?"

"Please Harry. I need this." She pleaded.

"Right now?" Harry asked.

"It might be our only chance. Once we go downstairs, we are going to be surrounded by well wishers and reporters and I doubt we will get another chance to be alone for a while and I owe Ron an answer soon."

"Ok, but I should go brush my teeth first." Harry replied. "If I'm going to kiss you, I don't want my breath to stink." He grinned at her as he said that.

"Oh thank you Harry." Hermione said putting her arms around Harry and giving him a hug then pulling away and looking again at her friend. "I'm sorry if you're uncomfortable doing this. I know I'm not anywhere close to being as pretty as Ginny or Cho, but…" she didn't get to finish her statement as Harry's finger found her lips.

"Hermione, you are absolutely as beautiful as Ginny and in some ways even more beautiful." Harry said.

Hermione blushed, "Thanks Harry but you don't have to say that. I know I'm pretty plain."

Harry smiled at his friend. "I'm not just saying that Hermione. I think my jaw is still loose from how far it dropped seeing you at the Yule Ball." It was the only bright spot of a very disastrous evening in their fourth year. "Ron will be very lucky indeed to have you."

"Thank you Harry. Ginny is very lucky as well." Hermione said her eyes continued to be focused on Harry. "Does he really think I'm pretty?"

"Well let's get this over with. I'll run brush my teeth and be right back."

"Ok, Harry." Hermione replied as she continued to look at her best friend.

"Uh..Hermione I, well I didn't have any bed clothes last night and well…" Harry stammered.

Hermione was still thinking about the compliments Harry had said to her, and it took a few seconds as his words filtered in. "Oh…then you're…" Hermione looked at Harry's bare chest and realized that it was more than his chest that was bare under the covers.

"Yeah."

She stared at him a few more seconds, her cheeks blazing red before her mind reengaged. "Oh here." She reached into her beaded bag she had carried all over the country in the last year and pulled out a set of clothes for him. "I'll step outside for a couple of minutes."

Five minutes later, the two of them were back sitting on Harry's bed. "Are you really sure you want to do this?" Harry asked again, sighing heavily.

"Yes Harry. Just one kiss and we go back to being best friends and get on with our lives."

"Ok, well here goes." Harry leaned closer to Hermione and watched her eyes close. He hesitated when his lips were only an inch away and finally closed final distance. As their lips touched, they each heard music that reminded them of a phoenix song and a golden glow surrounded them. The kiss deepen, lips parted and tongues intertwined in a soft battle. All conscious thoughts of the two participants of the kiss were lost. When they finally parted they found themselves not in the Gryffindor tower but in a room of pure white.

"What happened?" Hermione asked still slightly dazed from the power of the kiss she just received.

Harry looked around and then back at Hermione, who was standing there totally nude. "Uh Hermione, you're not wearing any clothes."

That statement fully reengaged Hermione brain and she immediately looked down at herself and doing her best covered up her privates. Looking over at Harry she got a look at what Harry didn't let her see earlier. "Neither are you Harry."

Harry's hands immediately covered up his privates as well, but unfortunately he had spent too much time admiring Hermione that his body had responded in a way that covering wasn't easy. He turned away from Hermione to reduce his embarrassment. Looking around he realized it was strangely familiar. "This looks similar to the place I saw Dumbledore last night. At least the white lighting, not the location."

"So we died?" Hermione asked. "We survived Voldemort and died while sharing a kiss?"

"I don't know. Dumbledore said there was another step, a way to go on if you're dead." Harry replied. Then remembering something else and he thought of having clothes to wear and a bundle appeared next to him. "Think of wanting clothes, Hermione." Harry told her as he quickly started pulling on the pants and shirt that had appeared.

"What…oh." Hermione replied and a few seconds later another pile of clothes appeared.

Harry turned to Hermione once she had her clothes on while still keeping his hands in front of his pants. "Well was that the kiss you wanted?"

"Uh….yeah...it was very…..uh….magical." She replied thinking of the entire body sensation that the kiss had caused. She could still feel tingling throughout her extremities and other more central spots of her body.

"FINALLY!" A voice ranged out and a small petite woman appeared in front of them. "About bloody time too."

"Finally what?" Harry asked. "And who are you, and where are we?"

"Finally you two kissed and sealed your soul bond." The woman said. "I have been trying to get that kiss out of you for almost seven years." The woman's hands went to her temples as if trying to massage a headache away.

"Soul Bond, what is that?" Hermione asked.

"First things first, I am Miranda, Goddess of Love." The petite woman said.

"But the Goddess of Love is Aphrodite or Venus or Hathor." Hermione quickly responded.

"Hmmp. Think I don't know my own name? It's Miranda. Want me to spell it for you? I can't help it, if the poets of your societies didn't like Miranda. Hard to rhyme Miranda with anything they said, we'll just call her Venus. Bloody stupid minstrels."

"As for where you are," she turned to Harry, "You were correct when you said it reminded of where you met Bloody Dumbledore. Idiot shouldn't have been there last night anyway. It was suppose to have been your mother. Conniving manipulative bastard got those twinkling eyes onto his guardian angel and wham…he gets to greet you. Oh, to where you are. This is like an antechamber to our Realm; I guess what you would call heaven."

"So we are dead?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, no, but we gods and those who have passed on cannot go back to the real world, we can only interact in this place between the two." Miranda said. "Of course I've been about ready to kill you for the last five years. Do you know how many times I've had to regrow my hair because you caused me to pull it out by the roots?"

"Uh..no." Harry said. "How did we do that?"

"By not giving each other a kiss on the lips and getting your souls bonded many years ago as it was suppose to have been. I mean really every year, year after year."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. "And what is this soul bond?"

"I mean I've set you two up time and again to kiss. Your first year, I know, eleven and twelve is a little young but when it comes to soul bonds the earlier the better, gives you time to grow into it." Miranda said. "Now where was I, oh yeah, your first year, Hermione you had your arms around him..remember the words I gave to you.."Friendship and Bravery and LOVE. WHY DIDN'T YOU FINISH IT! Harry would have kissed you at that moment."

"I..well I thought it would embarrass him." Hermione said remembering the word she was going to say to him all those years ago. "He would have kissed me?"

Miranda mumbled to herself for a couple of seconds before replying. "Yes, he would have. Harry had never been told he was loved. At least he didn't remember it. If you had brought that word out, he would have given you a small kiss."

"Oh, I didn't know."

The goddess of love rolled her eyes. "They never know. I can hit them with a stick with the word love written on it, and they still never know." She said to herself, and then back to Harry and Hermione, "And that second year.."

Harry had opened his mouth to say something,

"No, kissing someone when they are petrified does not count." Miranda said to him.

Hermione turned to Harry. "You kissed me when I was petrified?"

Harry blushed and nodded. "I was whispering how much I missed you and Madam Pomfrey said I had to leave and I well…I kissed you. I'm sorry."

Hermione smiled at Harry. "Don't be. I just wished I had known."

"What good would that have done?" Miranda asked, "A month later you rushed into his arms when you were unpetrified and I thought for sure the kiss was coming, but no, not a single bloody kiss."

"We were in front of Ron and the whole Great Hall." Harry said.

"Oh don't get me started on the red heads, either of them. Just don't go there." Miranda said.

"Ron and who? Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Yes, those two, but I'll come back to them in a few minutes." Miranda said. "Now where was I? Oh yeah third year, the broom. If that stupid red headed idiot hadn't of really blown it out of proportion your anger at Hermione would have went away very shortly and you'd have realized that it was her caring for you that led her to tell McGonagall. I had a wonderful get back together plan that would have had you two sharing that first kiss. But no blast it, foiled again by the walking red headed stomach. Then later when you were off trying to rescue the hippogriff and Sirius, you had so many chances. I had my bottle of Champagne ready to go…but no I ended up ripping eight handfuls of hair out that night and smashing the bottle of Champagne on the floor." She glared at them, "And it was bloody good Champagne."

"Why do you keep insulting Ron?" Harry asked. "He's been a good friend."

"Really? A good friend? He has single handedly, well he and that silver bearded manipulator kept you from achieving your soul mate and your potential. But we will get back to those in a while." Miranda said. "Now fourth year. Ah the Triwizard tournament. I celebrated for hours when that 'friend'," Miranda's voice dripped in sarcasm at the word, "left you. Finally I had you two together. How many hours did you spend together during that time? But this time I blame you Hermione. You pushed Harry too much into the Library. If you had just spent a little more social time with him, he would have got his mind off of that Cho person and onto you, …AAARRGGGGHHHH" Miranda hands had reached up to her hair before she regained her composure. "Then there was the Yule Ball. I am not even going to comment on that one. But I bet you feel foolish now in not asking Hermione don't you Harry."

Harry looked over at Hermione and remembering how beautiful she was that night. "Yeah, I do."

Hermione head snapped up at that, "You do? If we had to do it all again, you'd ask me?"

"Yes I would, without a doubt." Harry replied without a bit of hesitation.

"Well so much for that perfect vision in hindsight. Unfortunately you're bloody blind when looking forward." Miranda said. "But before the Yule Ball there was that first task, when it was over you," She was glaring at Hermione, "Just had to bring the read headed idiot back with you after the dragon didn't you."

"You're talking about my potential boyfriend." Hermione said.

"Really, potential boyfriend? After that kiss? Haven't you been listening to me? You and Harry are soul mates."

"What does that mean?" Hermione exclaimed. "You keep saying it but not explaining it."

"Later, I'm on a good tirade here." Miranda replied dismissing Hermione with a wave of her hand. "Now after that first task, if the red headed 'friend' hadn't followed you, the kiss would have happened right then and right there. There went another four handfuls of hair and ANOTHER BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE!” Miranda had to pause for a minute to collect herself. “We already covered the Yule Ball, and how in the world did Ron Weasley go from being an idiot to the thing you would miss the most in a couple of months?" Miranda was now glaring at Harry. "You do realize half the students in the stands wondered if you were gay after that don't you?"

"Uh, no."

"Well they did." She said. "Now I won't even mention the third task and what happened afterwards, but Hermione do you remember the train station? The kiss on the cheek? Three inches away from the lips, come on three inches and it would have been perfect. I tried my best to get Harry to turn his head at just the right moment. Bloody noble streak in him."

"I was just trying to show him I cared." Hermione said.

"But then you must have stopped since you let that idiot of a Headmaster dictate what you would tell Harry." Miranda said. "Just when he needed his friends the most, he had watched someone die before his eyes. A person who died because he was trying to be fair and his friends basically ignored him." She turned to Harry. "Harry, why didn't you ever push to know why you had to keep going back to the Dursley's? Why not question why the headmaster of your school had any say on what you did? How he could leave you after you witnessing Cedric's death to a life of isolation is beyond me. Bloody Greater Good. And when you did see your friends you blamed them instead of the idiot who forbid them to write."

Harry looked at Hermione. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"You're right, you shouldn't have." Miranda said. "I had it all set up, you would have been kissing Hermione the day you arrived at the Black home, but no, you had all this misdirected anger at her. Do you know how much hair I lost that day? Too bloody much." The Goddess of Love looked at Hermione, "Though you should have been writing to Harry more. You could have figured out a way to tell Harry some things without the Headmaster finding out. I do believe you know how to use a MUGGLE TELEPHONE!!"

"But he told us not too." Hermione replied looking somewhat bashful.

Miranda just shook her head. "I've got to deal with that too," she muttered under her breath. ""That fifth year was a mess, but Hermione if you could have seen the look on Harry's face when that Death Eater hit you with that curse; you would never doubt he was in love with you. Well no need to keep this tirade up, but I do have to get to the Weasley's, because they had the most to do with the rest of the time."

"What about them?" Harry asked.

"Let's just say you two ending up with those two was not a true case of finding true love." Miranda said.

"You mean they used love potions on us?" Hermione shrieked.

"Oh no, they knew that you'd sniff out a love potion in a heartbeat Hermione." The Goddess of Love said. "But they gave you something far worse, and it almost cost you two more than your soul bond. It almost cost you your friendship."

"Our friendship?"

"Tell me, why would you have been jealous of Lavender Brown?"

"Be..Because I liked Ron." Hermione answered.

"You liked a young man who you always argued with about things that are at the core of your beliefs?"

"Well yeah. I mean, he is uh…nice, in a way." Hermione was struggling to figure out exactly what she did see in Ron.

"Nice in the way he belittles what you love?" Miranda asked. "Cuts you down so his ineptitude seems impressive to himself."

"Well…" Hermione answered very weakly.

"No, what you suffered from was a jealously potion keyed to the Red Head." Miranda said. "You obviously must have had a reason to be jealous of Miss Brown right? So your logical mind figured out you must like Ron Weasley. Rather a good plan too. They use the potion for a while, stop using it and let your mind take over. Of course Ronald didn't come up with it. That was," The Goddess looked at Harry, "your girlfriend."

"Ginny? But why?"

"Because she wanted you and you were way to close to Hermione for her comfort. And course you got your own dose of jealousy potion keyed to her."

"WHAT!"

"That monster that kept cropping up in your chest when you saw Ginny with someone else?" Miranda asked. "You didn't think that was love did you? Love is wanting someone to be happy no matter what it costs you. No that was jealousy, and artificial jealousy at that."

"But you said it almost cost Hermione and me our friendship." Harry said.

"The book." Hermione said softly. "That bloody half blood prince book."

"You were jealous of it weren't you?" Miranda asked. "Harry finally starts doing well in a potions class and you get jealous. Does that really sound like you after five years of pestering him to do better?"

"No, but it wasn't.." Hermione started. She wanted to say Harry had cheated, but she now as she thought about it, she realized he hadn't really.

"The problem was they made one huge batch of the jealousy potion, and made exact same size dosages." The goddess explained. "They didn't account for the weight difference between you and Harry so your jealousy was more extreme and emotional, especially when you add in your time of the month. The jealousy bled over to that book. Do you really think you would get jealous about following notes written beside the text of a book? Lots of people mark up their books taking notes and you know it."

"I…I" Hermione sputtered hopelessly trying to figure out why she felt like she did about the book.

"So your girlfriend and your future boyfriend were feeding you jealousy potions, and as soon as they broke up with their respective partners of course you were interested in them. If not, why were you jealous of them?"

"But Ron has always been there for us." Hermione said.

"He has?" Miranda said. "Tell me about these times?"

"Just a few months ago he saved my life." Harry exclaimed. "He jumped into a pool of water and pulled me out or I would have drowned in it."

"Yes he did." The Goddess agreed, "Wow, he jumped into a pond and pulled you out." The Goddess looked thoughtful as she lightly tapped a foot before continuing. "Not much risking his life there, yeah the water was cold but did he have to fight a monster to save you? Oh that's right, he just had to cut a necklace off your neck. For that act of 'heroism' he is immediately back in your good graces after spending months warm and fed at his brother's house while you two continued to suffer from cold and hunger. Forgiven for possibly throwing away the future of the entire wizarding world because he didn't like being hungry."

"What about the troll?" Hermione asked.

"Did that boy move more than five feet away from the door?" Miranda asked.

"Well I don't think so, but.."

"But nothing, if that troll had actually taken a step in his direction he would have been out of there in a heartbeat."

What about when he sacrificed himself in the chess game first year?" Hermione asked.

"Did he really? If I remember correctly the black pieces were huddled along the back wall I do believe. They weren't dead. Was it truly a sacrifice or his way to get out of the adventure in one piece? Did either of you check on him at the time? (A/N in the book which I write from, the white queen drags Ron away and Harry and Hermione go on without checking on him unlike the movie)."

"He was unconscious when I went back for him." Hermione said.

"Cuts? Blood? Lump on the head?" Miranda asked.

"No but it took a while for me to get him to wake up."

"I'll let you in on a secret, he was faking it. He was afraid you had come back to convince him to follow you."

"HE WHAT?" Hermione exploded. "That could have cost Harry his life."

Miranda smiled to herself as she watched the witch immediately defend her soulmate again with such passion. "Yes it could have, and you'd have been down your soul mate and the world down its Chosen One." Miranda said, and then she turned back to Harry. "Do you remember what Ronald saw in the Mirror of Erised?"

Harry thought back to that night in their first year. "Yeah he saw himself Head Boy and Quidditch Captain."

"Now in the years since he saw those things as what he truly desires, did he do a single thing to try to achieve those goals? Well I guess he did talk Quidditch enough, but did he lift a single book he didn't have to? And when he was made Prefect, did he do the job well so he would have a chance at Head Boy?"

"Well no." Harry admitted as he remembered his friend confiscating things from younger students only to proclaim he was keeping it for himself. Remembered his refusal to back Hermione up as she tried to keep the twins from using the younger students as test subjects for their novelty items.

"But he did criticize those who did try to do better like your soul mate didn't he? He kept trying to make himself better by pretending those around him were worse them him. Unfortunately some of that rubbed off on you Harry."

Harry opened his mouth to reply and closed it because he couldn't argue.

"You do know that his friendship was originally setup don't you?" Miranda asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you first meet the Weasley's?"

"At the station, I couldn't find out how to get on the platform and Mrs. Weasley helped me when I asked her."

"But how did you know you could ask her for help?"

"I overheard Mrs. Weasley mentioning muggles which Hagrid had mentioned was a magical world word." Harry replied."She was complaining that she couldn't remember the platform number. I heard Ginny tell her mother it was nine and three quarters."

Hermione's hand shot to her mouth. "It was set up wasn't it?" She asked Miranda.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry, the Hogwart's Express has always, and I mean always left from Platform nine and three quarters. There are no other magical platforms at Kings Cross."

"So."

"Then why would Molly Weasley who has been sending her kids to Hogwarts for over eight years not remember the number?"

"They were doing it for me."

"Exactly Harry." Miranda said.

"So his friendship was faked all of these years?"

"No, but the Manipulator arranged for you two to be put together early in hopes of you two becoming friends. He wanted you influenced by a family he himself influenced. I have nothing against Molly Weasley except her overbearing motherness, but that is beside the point. I had planned on your soul mate meeting you on the train first. She would have come into the car looking for that toad, seeing you alone, she would have struck up a conversation and you two would have become friends before ever making it to Hogwarts. You would have been more inclined to follow Hermione's studying habits instead of Ron's."

"Ok, so Ron wasn't Harry's best influence, can you explain the soul mate stuff now?" Hermione asked.

"Yes dear." Miranda replied. "But before I do, may I ask if you liked the kiss? Was it everything your dream promised?"

"You knew about my dreams?"

"Who do you think has been sending them to you? I have sent them to you frequently, and each time it showed Harry, but you blocked that portion of the dream out." The Goddess of Love explained. "But finally last night, you were so exhausted, all of your defenses were down and you finally saw the whole dream as it should have been. So did you like the kiss?"

Hermione blushed and looked at Harry. "Yes, uh..very much so. It was everything I dreamed of."

"Why didn't you send similar dreams to me?" Harry asked.

"That bloody horcrux you had in your head, of course." Miranda said. "Nasty magic. All I needed was for Voldemort to get a dream of kissing Hermione. Of course that might have caused his head to explode."

Hermione paled severely at that thought.

"Now as for what a Soul mate is, well every so often I can see into the future and find those cases where love can play an extremely important part in major events in time." Miranda explained. "In this case I saw the importance of Harry in the time stream."

"The prophecy?"

"Yes dear, the prophecy, it was in the time stream years before Trelawney spit it out." Miranda said and continued. "In those cases I search for the one person whose love would match perfectly with the one that is in need of the love. Once I find the person, in this case it was you Hermione though at the time you were still a thought in your parents mind, and Harry wasn't even that, I magically bind their futures as much as I can. The final binding happens at the first kiss between the two. For the need was so great in this case I went to such lengths to get you two together."

"But it's too late now. Voldemort is dead."

"And at what cost?" Miranda asked.

Harry thought of all the bodies that he had seen in the Great Hal. "Too many deaths of good people."

"Exactly Harry." Miranda responded sounding a lot like the silver haired Headmaster did in a time previous.

"If we had got together earlier, would it have happened differently?" Harry asked.

The Goddess of Love looked saddened, "Yes Harry it would have been much different. At the very least, you would have listened to Hermione when she told you she thought the Department of Mystery thing was a trap. You would have shown her the package from Sirius and opened it, finding the mirror. She would have remembered it and you would have been able to talk to Sirius."

Harry looked at one of the white walls. Tears filled his eyes and he remembered his godfather. How Harry had been responsible for Sirius being anywhere near there, and of him falling slowly through the Veil of Death caused by Bellatrix LeStrange. Finally he turned back to the petite Goddess, "So Hermione and I were destined to be together. But why did I see her as my sister if our love was so compatible."

"Tell me Harry, when you sat in front of the Mirror of Erised, what did you see?" The Goddess of Love asked softly.

"My family."

"And family is what you most desperately desired. You had seen the marriage of Vernon and Petunia Dursley so you didn't see a wife as part of a good family yet, but a sister, that would be family. You put your love into family, just misplaced how it was defined. You called her sister, because that is how you defined true love at the age of eleven with nothing else to compare it too."

"So a soul mate is a person's true love?" Hermione asked

"It's more than that dear." Miranda answered. "It's a love so deep that it binds the two people together in heart, in mind and in soul. If you two had carried on and married other people, you would have always found yourself feeling incomplete."

Hermione turned to Harry. "How are we going to explain this to Ron or Ginny. With Fred dead it's going to devastate the Weasley's."

"I just wish there hadn't been so much loss of life." Harry said. "I could spend my life with you Hermione and be truly happy, but how happy will I be knowing I was the cause of so much death."

"None of it was your fault Harry." Hermione said forcefully. "You saved more lives than you can imagine. You were willing to die so others could live."

"And that brings us to the final point." Miranda said. "Harry your sacrifice was made in the name of love. You willingness to die so that so many deaths would end purely out of love gives me a chance to help you."

"What do you mean? How can you help me?" Harry asked.

"If you both could go back in time to relive you life knowing what you do now, would you? You would have to fight Voldemort again, but you would already know his secrets. You could save many of the lives lost recently, and you might be able to save your friendship with the Weasley's."

"How far back? Far enough to save Cedric and Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I can just do Sirius, but I can't give you back Cedric." Miranda said. "The events that transpired that night are too far dissipated into the fabric of reality to unwind."

"What about the Horcrux that was in me?" Harry asked.

"I can either leave it out, or put it in. I would recommend having it in your head."

"WHAT? WHY?" Harry thundered.

"Considered it a get out of a Killing Curse free permit." Miranda said. "Remember it is your blood in Voldemort that links you. As long as the killing curse has something to destroy, you will be tethered to life. But I will need you to be able to keep your secrets of the future well secret, so I will offer you Occlumency protection. You will feel no pain from your scar and can block Voldemort from projecting to you or taking over your mind."

Harry looked over at Hermione then back at Miranda, "Can we talk about it?"

"Of course. It is an important decision; it is possible to lose someone else while saving someone you love."

Harry turned to Hermione, "What do you think?"

Hermione looked at Harry, "Before I answer that, I would like to talk about us Harry. While we are here, while we have time and before we make any kind of life changing decisions, I want to know about us. Are we in love? Do we have a future together? I came to you just a few minutes ago so you could dispel a dream, and then I was going to go tell Ron I would be his girlfriend. But now…. now everything has changed.”

"And I was going to go talk to Ginny, but do we presume Miranda is telling us the truth?" Harry asked. "If she is, we were tricked into those relationships. You have any reason to doubt her?"

"No, but I also have reason to believe her either." Hermione responded.

"If we agree to have her send us back and she does, would that be proof enough?"

"It would take a Deity to put us back in the same bodies in the past and for us to keep our memories. But Harry the kiss was real, the dream was real. Maybe you are my soul mate."

"If I am are you sorry for it?"

"Sorry to be the soul mate of the kindest, most loving, handsome but stubborn beyond belief man? I think I could live with it. Especially if you keep kissing me like the way you did earlier." Hermione replied with a smile. "What about you? I'm not Ginny or Cho. I'm just a bookworm who has bossed you around for seven years."

"You're right; you're not Ginny or Cho. I've already told you, that I think you're as beautiful if not more, as they are." Harry said as a crooked grin broke out over his face. "I guess I could deal with the smartest witch around. Can you do me one favor though?"

"What favor Harry?" Hermione asked. "I asked for a simple one and now our entire lives have been changed."

"True, but this one is far easier. I just want to dance with you."

"You don't dance Harry."

"No, but I'm remembering you at the Yule Ball, and want it to be us this time."

"Ok, but will it be the same if I'm not in my dre.." Hermione broke off as her clothes transformed into the same dress she wore that night, and Harry was in the same Dress Robes. Her hair was put again as it was during the Yule Ball. Hermione glanced over at Miranda.

"My Realm, my rules. Enjoy." And with another wave of her hand music started playing.

The music started playing, and Hermione found herself in Harry's arms. He wasn't moving very far or fast, just more of swaying to the music. Hermione found herself fitting perfectly in Harry's arms. She felt safe and secure, a feeling that she hadn't had in a long time. For the longest time they danced and stared into each other's eyes, finally their lips found each others once again touching, deepening, and everything felt perfect in Hermione's world. She knew it really was Harry Potter she loved; the feelings had been there for what seemed like forever.

Harry was coming to the same conclusions in his own mind. He did love Hermione. Even as he tried to compare what she was to him to what he felt for Ginny, he knew instantly that the woman he was dancing with was truly who he loved. Finally the music ended and they found themselves looking at each other again. "I don't know where this is going to go, but we have a relationship blessed by the Goddess of Love. I know I love you here and now, Hermione Granger, will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione looked into those emerald eyes and nothing else in the world mattered, "Yes I will be yours Harry."

Harry smiled at Hermione, "I think that answers your question on do we have a future together."

"I think it does. So do we go back in time, or back to our lives as they are?"

"I would like a chance to save Sirius, and it that means facing Voldemort again, it's worth it." Harry said. "Maybe we can settle this before Hogwarts itself is hurt. I can save Hedwig and Dobby and maybe even Dumbledore."

"So we go back to sometime in our fifth year?" Hermione's eyes lit up, "You know what that means? I can redo my OWLS. That Exceed Expectations on my Defense has always bugged me."

"For all things that change, some things stay the same." Harry smiled. "Yes love you can retake your OWLS."

"Do you really think Ron and Ginny gave us potions?" Hermione asked.

"Does it matter if we don't give them a chance this time?" Harry replied.

"I guess not. We can take a trust but verify attitude, though if you're my soul mate Ginny better not try anything with you."

"Same with Ron and you."

Harry turned back to Miranda, "We decided we will go back and do what we can do."

"I'm glad. I think you will be happier to know you tried. Now before I send you back, I need to discuss Dumbledore with you." Miranda said.

"What about him?"

"You know he's been manipulating you all of your life don't you?" Miranda said. "The Dursley's." The petite Goddess actually growled the name out. "Talk about a family that needs some love in it. I know he sent you there until you went to Hogwarts, but why afterwards?"

"What do you mean; it was for my protection wasn't it?"

"Why not stay at Hogwarts during the summer? Tom Riddle stayed there some summers. That's why he turned Hagrid in remember? No the blood wards protected number Four Privet Drive. So yes you were protected while you were locked away in your bedroom," Miranda said, "but nowhere else. If they had protected you anywhere else, how did you get attacked by Dementors just a few blocks from there? Or how did you keep getting attacked at Hogwarts? Or how could the Death Eaters be waiting right outside the wards on the house."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, then back to the Goddess, "Then why?"

"Before I answer that let me give you one last question. Why even send you back there after your sixth year? Why not directly to the Weasley's? Or why until almost your birthday? And coinciding your departure with your relatives." Miranda looked at Harry directly. "Albus made an oath as part of the agreement with Petunia taking you in that he would protect them as well. So year after year, he used you to fulfill his oath. That's why his portrait made the particular horrible plan to rescue you because he wanted the Dursley's out at the same time. Even in death he was fulfilling his oath. In a time of War Albus had always looked out for the Greater Good. Tell me Harry, in your opinion when fighting Voldemort, who was more valuable to the Greater Good, Mad-Eye Moody or the Dursley's? The potential for loss was even greater than just Alastor. George almost died and so did Hagrid."

Harry just stared at the petite Goddess, "I hadn't thought of that."

"Just be careful when you go back. Keep a very open mind when it comes to Albus. You know he has a weakness for power, so do not give it to him. Knowledge of the future is power. Do not let him know your secrets, and for Merlin's sake listen to your soul mate. Oh that reminds me. I need to give you your Occlumency and another gift I hope will help you two get along. You aren't going to like the second thing at the beginning but I think you need it to understand each other better." Miranda looked the two soul mates in the eyes and they both felt a wave of nausea sweep over them as memories poured into each other's minds. Finally after a few minutes the onslaught ended and they were able to regain their focus.

"There, I just dumped a piece of each other's childhood into the other's brain." Miranda said.

"WHAT?" Harry yelled. "How could you do that?"

The Goddess of Love looked at Harry and shrugged, "It was easy I just used my Deity powers and it was done. Now for why I did it, because you both need to understand a little more about the other. Harry you will now see why Hermione has a hard time not respecting authority figures. Like you, she didn't have friends at school and the only people who would protect her were the teachers and her Parents. Hermione, you can now get an idea of how badly Harry was treated in his youth and understand why he doesn't like bullying teachers like Snape or students. Early on at schools he tried to complain to the teachers but they just reported it to the Dursley's who then beat him for complaining. That is why he feels he has to solve the issues himself all the time."

Harry and Hermione looked at each and nodded, each with an understanding that they would discuss it later.

"Now the memory dump also will help you control your Occlumency. Now are you ready? I'll count to three and then send you back ok?"

" - One - "

" - Two - "

"Oh, when you get back there you might want to check yourselves out on that Marauder's map of yours. You might find out something interesting."

"Wh.." Harry started but then

" - Three - "

The white room faded around Harry and Hermione and they found themselves awash in various colors and sounds that lasted several minutes. Finally they found themselves coming to a rest and when they opened their eyes and found themselves alone in the Gryffindor common room. There was litter and party supplies and empty bottles of butterbeer lying everywhere.

"I wonder when we are?"

Harry nodded at a table near the back of the room and the Silver Qudditch cup was sitting on it. "I would say the end of May at the end of the fifth year. Remember we got introduced to Gawp today."

"I wonder if Harry's still ok with us. Is he going to regret it in the morning?"

"I'm more than fine with us Hermione." Harry replied as he looked over at his now girlfriend. "And I'm not going to regret it in the morning."

"I..I…I didn't say that out loud Harry." Hermione sputtered as she looked at him with wide eyes. "Can you hear this?"

Harry's eyes also went wide as he clearly heard her voice but she didn't move her lips. "Uh…yeah I did hear it. What's going on?"

"You try it, think something to me." Hermione said urgently.

"I love you Hermione."

Hermione blushed, "I love you too Harry." She replied softly looking around to make sure no one heard her.

"So we are back to being fifteen and sixteen. No legal magic anymore." Harry said.

"Oh that's right. Well I'll be seventeen in a few months."

"Lucky you. So what does this mental stuff mean?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." Hermione replied but Miranda's voice echoed through both of their minds, "In heart, in mind and in soul you are bound."

"So this is the mind?" Hermione responded to the Goddess's voice.

"Yes."

"Heart is our love?"

"Yes."

"What about soul, what does that mean?"

"Did you check that map yet?"

"No, but what does that have to do with it?'

"Check the map dear, just check it."

Harry had heard the conversation and was already half way up the steps to get the map out of his trunk. He grabbed and hurried back down and once he was sitting beside his girlfriend, he laid it out and tapping it with his wand he uttered the familiar phrase, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good", and once the lines and dots were drawn on the piece of parchment they looked at the Gryffindor Common room where they saw Harry Potter sitting next to Hermione Potter.

"What the bloody Hell?" Hermione screamed in her mind.

"Language love." Harry thought.

"You aren't the one sitting there with a last name suggesting that I am…we are….married." Hermione yelled mentally and they both heard the giggling of a Goddess, "Bound in soul, yes you are married in the magical world. You can choose to tell or not tell, but it can be verified in the magical records office. You have no fear of any love potions or in this case jealousy potions as nothing can come between you two. Have a wonderful life you two, I'm off to finally have that Champagne."

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