Chapter 23: Remembrance
This chapter begins the night after chapter 22 ends.
The first Order of the Phoenix meeting, since Sirius died, took place on July the tenth at eight in the evening. Aberforth and Mundungus were the only ones not present. When everyone was assembled in the formal dining room Mr. Weasley stepped forward.
He looked very concerned and could not seem to look away from Harry as he rushed through his report. "There was a fire on Privet Drive last night. Almost the entire residence of number four has been gutted. The muggle police are investigating. No one was injured as the Dursley's were not home when this happened. Vandals are their current suspects." Quite a few gasped at this. Hermione's fingers clenched around Harry's left arm and Mrs. Weasley clutched at the dish towel she always seemed to carry.
Into the stunned silence Professor Dumbledore asked calmly. "What was the time of the fire Arthur?"
Mr. Weasley finally tore his gaze away from Harry and looked at Professor Dumbledore. "About ten last evening, the Dursley's did not return from visiting Marge until noon today."
Dedalus Diggle stepped forward and nearly dropping his hat in his nervousness asked, "And you, of course, spoke with them yourself?"
"Yes of course, I was there when they arrived home. We assisted them in relocating to a muggle inn. The proprietor is a squib I know."
Harry asked, "Is someone guarding them? I mean if Voldemort was behind this he will certainly try again."
Mr. Weasley shifted slowly from one foot to another before he answered. "Kingsley assigned two Aurors to guard the Inn and um Mundungus is covering the alleys around it."
Harry turned to look at Professor Dumbledore before he spoke again. "Well as long as they all stay at their posts that should be adequate. Professor Dumbledore I think it is time they all know just what Voldemort was after at the Department of Mysteries last month. Will you show them please?"
"I rather expected you to bring this up tonight. Very well, The Prophecy that Voldemort, and nearly everyone else, believed lost is indeed known. In fact it was to me it was spoken. Many of you have asked me about Harry's sudden change in attitude. This is in preparation for when next he faces Tom Riddle. Here, let me show you the prophecy, then we can discuss it's ramifications at greater length." Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and swished it around quickly. The lights dimmed, the familiar silver pensive appeared on the middle of the grand table. Professor Dumbledore leaned forward to stir the swirling smoke then stepped back as the figure of Sibyll Trelawney rose from the swirling mist.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches
Born to those who have thrice defied him, Born as the seventh moon dies
And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not
And either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies"
As Professor Trelawney's image sank back into the mist Harry stood with Hermione close beside. The Order of the Phoenix was at last confronted with the stark truth. Only Harry could defeat Voldemort and one of them would die. Harry stood still, Hermione's hand was now intertwined with his, they held tightly but neither moved nor spoke as everyone stared at him with new eyes.
Surprisingly Mrs. Weasley did not break down at this revelation, she merely nodded her head sadly as though confirming a long held belief.
Professor Dumbledore motioned with his wand and the silver pensive vanished, then the lights came back up. He immediately began lecturing, his tone no more alarmed than if he were discussing a mild summer storm. "Tom knows only the first two lines of this prophecy. It is the reason he tried to kill Harry. The single reason that James and Lily died that night. The reason he lured Harry to the Department of Mysteries. What I find interesting about this is that it could have applied either of two boys, Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom. As many of you will remember both of their parents were in this order. Both had thrice been confronted by Tom or his minions. Both children were born as the seventh month died. Harry on July 31st and Neville on August 2nd. Yet Tom chose to mark Harry, not as many would have predicted, the pure blood wizard but, the half blood like himself. Perhaps he intended to kill them both that night, we may never know. But mark him he certainly did. There can be no other interpretation of this prophecy. Harry can defeat Voldemort, in fact he must."
Harry's voice cracked as he started speaking into the stunned silence. "I have chosen to do everything in my power to make sure that I am the one who lives, again. Voldemort continues to attack me mentally but I have been able to defend myself sufficiently thus far." He paused and looked about the room before continuing. "There is but one reason for my decision, Hermione. She has made me realize that there is a world out there that I want to see, a world without fear of Voldemort. We ask for any and all assistance that the Order can provide. My life is dedicated to training myself to be capable of this task. Thank you all, Professor." Harry nodded respectively in Professor Dumbledore's direction.
Elphias Doge wheezed out a question. "Well, now we all know why the boy was allowed into this meeting. But why is the girl here?"
Hermione heard a guttural growl as Harry stepped forward to challenge old Elphias. She pulled hard on his hand she still held. He swung around to face her. She appeared quite calm and spoke to the assembled Order. "I will speak for myself Harry." He took a deep breath then looked into her eyes and quickly calmed himself, then stepped back beside her, still holding her hand.
Hermione took a deep breath and her eyes blazed with internal energy. "Why am I here you ask?" She raised her right hand which still held Harry's. "The simple answer is Harry. I am here for him. Can any of you say the same?" She looked around the room meeting the eyes of all those present in turn. Most of them looked away instead of meeting her eyes. "I thought not. Most of you are here because he is your hero. The only one who ever lived when Voldemort tried to kill them. Well I am told that last month Professor Dumbledore survived quite handily at the Department of Mysteries." She turned her gaze on Professor Snape. "Some of you are here just to watch him flounder. Telling him to do something yet holding back just how he is to go about it." Professor Snape glared at her but then looked down. She turned her gaze to Arthur then Molly. "While he tries desperately to be the hero you have made him." Molly flushed and looked at her shoes while Arthur's gaze migrated to the finely paneled ceiling.
She turned to face Professor Dumbledore and continued. "How many of you have your own hidden agenda? Secrets you dare not share with anyone?" Professor Dumbledore frowned and looked away from her piercing gaze. "I have no secrets from Harry. I will not turn my back on him. I will go with him into Hell itself, if that is where he must go. I am here to watch out for him. While he tries to do what you all expect him to do. I see the real hero, the one who saved my life, the one who's life I have saved. You are all correct, he is a hero."
She looked at Professor McGonagall, "Not for what he did when he was one year old." Minerva blushed and looked away, "For what he has done in the last five years." She held up her left hand and counted with her fingers as she listed his accomplishments. "Preventing Voldemort from getting the Sorcerer's stone. He stopped the memory of Tom Riddle from becoming real. He killed the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. He saved Ginny's life. He faced Voldemort after his return in a duel and then returned to Hogwarts with Cedric's body and the portkey Voldemort was going to use to attack the school."
She lowered her left hand. "So in the last five years, since he and I, learned that he was 'The Boy Who Lived.' He hasn't done half bad. I have been told that I am the smartest witch to come through Hogwarts in over a century. I have dedicated myself to the task of defeating Voldemort and keeping Harry alive. So my original answer stands. I am here for Harry. To support him in any way I can and to ensure that he survives and Voldemort does not." She slowly lowered her right hand. Harry squeezed her hand tightly, though her nails had drawn blood from the back of his hand as she spoke. He ignored the pain and smiled when she looked over at him.
Harry turned his attention back to the assembled Order. "We will leave you now to your meeting. Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, for inviting us to address the Order of the Phoenix and ask for their assistance. Welcome to our home, may it continue as a safe and secret place for future meetings." As one they turned and walked from the room. Winky closed the door quietly behind them. They walked straight across the hallway into the parlor and sank into a plush sofa near the back of the room. Winky appeared beside them and set two cold butterbeers on the table before them. She presented Hermione with a small bandage, just right for covering the back of Harry's hand where her nails had made him bleed. Hermione quickly wrapped the bandage around his hand and held it gently.
"If master and misses needs anything they just needs to ask."
Hermione looked up from Harry's hand and replied in a surprisingly calm voice, "Thank you very much Winky, we will."
Winky bowed as she faded away.
Harry put his arm across her shoulder and pulled her to him. "I want to try and talk to Snape tonight."
"About what Harry?"
"Well I told you about how my dad mistreated him the day they took their O.W.L.S."
"Yes"
"I have decided that I need to apologize to him for that. Professor Snape was right, my dad was not a saint and I need to stop idolizing him."
"How do you think he will take that?"
"I don't really care at this point. I need to do it for me. Maybe it will clear some of the problems between us. If I am going to be teaching next year then he and I should at least be civil."
"I think that would be a good idea. I should not be present while you are talking to him though. He would be more relaxed if it was just the two of you. How about this? When they come out you get Professor Snape's attention and bring him here. I will go into the entrance hall to say farewell to everyone and then speak with Professor Dumbledore until you open the door again."
"Alright, that sounds good enough to start. So how did the founders get around the problem of the sky spell actually causing it to rain or snow inside the great hall?"
Hermione pulled out her miniaturized copy of Hogwarts, A History as she answered brightly. "Oh, let me continue where we left off. I thought they were quite ingenious about that."
Harry smiled at her and they quickly rearranged themselves on the couch so Hermione was snuggled into his embrace and leaning up against his chest.
The meeting ended an hour later. Hermione stood quickly and pocketed her suddenly miniature tome. She helped Harry straighten his robes then quickly moved to the entrance hall. Hermione bid them each good night. Many of the Order seemed to be pondering the revelations of the evening. Harry watched from the shadows of the parlor as Dedalus Diggle tipped his hat towards him then stepped into the night. As Professor Snape started to leave Harry stepped out of the shadows and caught his attention. "Professor?" Then he motioned towards the parlor, Snape snarled but walked into the room anyway. Harry followed him and Winky closed the door behind them. Professor Snape spun around when he heard the door close and leered at Harry, he focused on Snape's glaring eyes.
Barely containing his rage Professor Snape spat out a question, "What is it Potter, some of us have important things to do? Do you think you are more important now?"
Harry ignored the attack and spoke steadily. "Professor Snape I am sorry for the way my father treated you. It was wrong. My father was not a saint, I understand that now. I would like to work with you and thank you for all you have done to help."
Professor Snape took a slow step backwards and briefly cupped his chin in though. For a moment he contemplated Harry. When he spoke at last the venom in his tone had mellowed. "Well, well, the brat has found his manners at last. Alright Potter. I am man enough to accept an honest apology. I shall try to judge you by your own actions and not by your fathers.
"I would like to resume our Occulmency lessons."
Professor Snape thought about that for almost a minute before replying. "Hmm the need for urgency is great, seven pm; I will try and be here every week night. I hope you will actually try this time."
Ignoring the barb from Professor Snape he simply nodded his head and calmly answered. "That should work with Hermione's schedule. I will make sure she knows. Thank you Professor Snape."
"Tomorrow Potter, steel yourself, I hope you have improved from our last lesson." Winky barely managed to open the door in time as he quickly whirled and stalked from the parlor, scowling.
(Meanwhile in the formal dining room Hermione and Professor Dumbledore were speaking quietly.)
"What is it Professor?"
When he answered it was barely above a whisper. "Well I though you might be interested in learning that you were correct about a certain other green eyed boy, the one with red hair?" His bushy eyebrows both rose expectantly, awaiting her response.
Her curiosity piqued she quietly asked. "Yes Sir, what have you discovered about Mark?"
Professor Dumbledore peered over his half moon spectacles to address her. "Well it appears he will be attending Hogwarts this coming year, Minerva went to their house earlier today to introduce them to our world as she did for you. Apparently Lily's father, Tom Evans, had a brother John, that brother was Mark's grandfather."
"Oh, that makes them much closer than I had thought. Should they be moved here? If Voldemort was behind the fire last night then surely they will be found only a few blocks away."
"I had not thought to bring them here. Thought here is still safest for all concerned." He seemed to be thinking out loud then reached his conclusion and nodded his head. "Very well, we shall bring them here. Do you wish to surprise Harry with this or inform him before they arrive?"
"When?"
"Monday I should think, give them three days to prepare. I will speak with Minerva immediately."
"I will speak with him this weekend then. I don't want him to wait too long after for them to arrive."
Professor Dumbledore's eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked down over his half moon spectacles. "Her wisdom will give counsel to the wisest. Such keen insight, yet another prophecy fulfilled."
Surprised, Hermione blurted out, "What! I'm in a prophecy?"
Professor Dumbledore chuckled as he looked up at the ceiling. "Indeed you are. My dear brother, absent from reality as he may be most of the time once, and only this once spoke with the voice. It was nearly thirty years ago. He had been ill; suddenly he stood up and stared blankly at me."
"That which the Darklord fears most approaches.
There will come a witch who shines above all others.
Rent asunder before their genesis, they will be united.
Her intellect will give direction to he who flounders.
Her wisdom will give counsel to the wisest.
Her heart will strengthen the strongest.
He who was thought dead shall die at last."
"So you see it all fits you rather perfectly I think. He needs you. In fact we all need you." Suddenly his manner changed and he looked over her shoulder before continuing. "Good evening Miss Granger. Later, I will speak with you more on these matters. Harry, get some rest this weekend, you have been training very hard."
Harry seemed to struggle with that for a moment before asking, "But we have tomorrow's sessions still sir?"
"Indeed we do, you are looking tired, good night." Professor Dumbledore disappeared with a very soft pop.
Harry approached Hermione slowly and asked quietly, "What was that all about Hermione? I heard him saying that I and in fact we all need you?"
She quickly grasped his hands and met his questioning eyes before answering. "Yes he was just pointing out how much help I have been. Not nearly enough yet though. Come on let's get to bed, it has been a long day."
"Alright," together they walked upstairs.
*** *** *** ***
Saturday dawned bright and sunny which was in sharp contrast to Harry's mood. Voldemort was growing stronger by the day and they seemed virtually powerless to contain him. Today they were going to run away. Well not for long but neither of them had felt comfortable asking Professor Dumbledore or even Remus to accompany them.
When Hermione knocked on her parents' door she heard her fathers' familiar, "Yes?"
She opened the door and silently slipped inside. Her parents looked up from the massive tomes before them. "Oh hello darling, come in. Can you explain what a Petronius is again please?"
Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a quick silencing charm on the room, "sure mum, just a moment." Both Dan and Emma pulled out their wands and mimicked her motions of the silencing charm. Neither spoke the incantation however. "No mum, watch again." She repeated the wand motion until both of her parents were doing it correctly. She moved a tall stack of books out of the third chair at the table with a quick "Wingardium Leviosa." That sparked another minute of wand motion mimicking. When they were done with that she settled into the now vacant chair. "A Petronius is a manifestation of good feelings. It is known to repel both the Lethifold and the Dementor. Each wizard, or witches, Petronius is different. Mine is an otter, Harry's is a stag. You must concentrate on a strong happy thought when casting the spell or nothing will happen."
Dan looked confused as he asked, "So the stronger the thought the stronger the manifestation?"
She quickly shook her head no, "The strength is apparent in the size of the Petronius. If the thought is not happy enough then the spell will simply fail. The strength of the Petronius appears to be some manifestation of the caster's relative strength. For example, Harry's Petronius is larger than a real stag, as large as a big horse, probably double the size of a real stag. My otter is about as big as a large dog, five or six times bigger than a real otter is. Harry is a very strong wizard, probably the strongest in a very long time."
Emma sat back in her high backed chair, "Can you show us dear?"
Hermione smiled at the thought, "sure mum." She stood and concentrated on Harry, her love for him swelled inside her and surged out through her wand as she incanted, "Expecto Petronum!" A silver mist quickly formed into a huge otter. Warmth and a strong feeling of happiness seemed to radiate from the otter. It stood on its hind legs and sniffed about, questing for any prey. They were all speechless while they watched the otter intently. Hermione knelt and looked at it carefully. It walked up to her then reared up on its hind legs again. For a moment they looked intently at one another then the otter's nose brushed hers and with a surge it rushed back into her.
She fell back onto her bum and looked dazed. A broad grin stretched her mouth wide. Dan and Emma raced to their daughter's side. "Are you alright Hermione dear?" "Should we get Remus?"
Hermione shook her head no. Her mother handed her a glass of water, after drinking briefly she uttered one word, "Wow!"
"What?" Emma asked.
Dan quickly added, "We should at least get Harry shouldn't we?"
That seemed to bring Hermione out of her shock. "No, don't get anyone. I'm fine. I was overwhelmed with happiness for a bit there." They helped her stand and then they all sat back at the table. "Actually I came here to ask you a favor."
Emma asked, "What is it dear?"
She took a deep breath and spoke in a rush, "Harry and I are going to visit his parent's graves today."
Their expressions became very serious. Dan asked, "What do you need us to do dear?"
Relieved that they were supportive she filled them in on what little details there were. "Well we are going to take the portkey Professor Dumbledore put in James's trunk. It will return us to Diagon Alley, not here."
Emma asked quietly, "What time do you need us to pick you up?"
Hermione smiled at her parents understanding, "Let's try for four this afternoon. We will go just after lunch, which will give us a few hours but not too long."
Dan reached across the table and gently touched Hermione's wrist. "Ok dear we'll be there. We may have Remus with us. I doubt we can leave without him. We will be there to get you."
"That's alright if Remus is with you. I just can't allow anyone to disturb Harry while he does this. He won't go alone, I know that but I will try to give him the support he needs to get through this." She stood to leave and they quickly stood and came around the table to hug her tightly. When she tried to slip away they kissed her cheeks.
She hugged them both tight, "Thanks, we'll see you at four in The Leaky Cauldron."
Her parents hugged her again before letting her go. As she left the room her father said, "Yes dear we will be there."
Hermione quickly rejoined Harry who was waiting impatiently in their room. "Will they pick us up?"
"Yes of course they will, are you ready to go?"
"As ready as I'm going to get."
*** *** *** ***
Harry and Hermione landed hard on a lush green hill. They both sprawled into the short clipped grass at the foot of a large stone bench which was nestled under a towering oak. Two long flower beds branched out from its base, encompassing the stone bench and creating a huge V which ended at the graves themselves. Beyond the graves the land ended abruptly at a cliff overlooking the sea. The scent of the flowers mingled with the salt from the sea. The faint crying of gulls could be heard over the gentle crashing of the sea. There was a massive white marble double head-stone. Inscribed in gold were the names of James and Lily Potter. Their epitaphs filled the bottom of the great stone. James's read 'Beloved Husband and Father, You brought joy to us. Rest well greatest of Marauders.' Lily's read 'Beloved Wife and Mother, This world has lost its brightest soul.' Two flowers, which seemed picked only yesterday, drooped in a vase built into the base of the stone. The gravesite was picture perfect as though the caretaker had just left.
Harry only managed to get up on his knees before looking around. When he saw the gravestone he froze in place. Hermione stood and helped him to his feet, only glancing about quickly in her haste to help him. She pulled the snitch slowly from his slack hands. It beat its wings and then settled as she slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. She took Harry's hands and pulled him to his feet, he stood slowly, as though dazed. She pulled him to within a meter of the stone. She felt him shaking and saw silent tears sliding down his cheeks. She found herself crying along with him. Slowly she walked behind him, never breaking contact. She wrapped her arms firmly around him and held tight, her chin on his shoulder, she felt the small hairs on his cheek brush hers.
She pondered her best friend, her soul-mate as he confronted the reality before him. Could he come to grips with their deaths? Parents he could not remember. Parents whose death had so dramatically altered the course of his life.
His shaking slowed and he reached up to touch her arms. He took a deep breath and let out a ragged sigh. His hands traced slowly along her arms, sending shivers down her spine. Then he shifted his left arm, gently settling it on her shoulders, she slipped next to him and they stood side by side. She asked softly, "Do you want to sit for a while?" He nodded and they turned around and walked to the stone bench. They settled into the bench under the ancient oak.
A few minutes later he leaned forward, plucked a blade of grass and slowly twirled it in his fingers. Haltingly at first he began. "I can almost feel them here. I can only remember actually seeing them twice you know. First was in the Mirror of Erisid back in our first year. Then I saw their echoes come out of Voldemort's wand. They talked to me then you know. How can echoes talk? They knew who I was and helped me escape. This is the first place I can say I felt them though."
She gently rubbed his back. "Albus created a place that is at once strong and beautiful." He looked at her, "The crashing of the sea, the might of this oak, the beauty of the flowers and the cry of the gulls. All of it seems to be symbolic of them, something crafted carefully. I bet he comes here often to make sure it stays just like this Harry."
"Someone certainly does, this is not an abandoned gravesite. I expected it to be more rundown. Thank you Hermione, I could never have gone through this without you."
"You're welcome Harry, and thank you."
"What for?"
"For allowing me to share this with you and for letting me into your heart."
"I don't think you gave me much choice on that now did you?"
"What?"
"Letting you into my heart, you kind of barged in over all logical protests as I recall."
"Someone once told me that: "Logic will only take you so far Miss Granger. Your heart must take you the rest of the way. Trust in your heart; forget your fears and feel! That is what Harry desperately needs."
"Who told you that?"
"Professor Dumbledore."
"That must have been an interesting conversation."
"Quit it mister before I have to punish you."
"Oh? And what would you do to me?"
"Deprive you of sex maybe."
He slid off the bench and dropped to one knee before her and pleaded, "Oh no! Anything but that!"
She quickly relented, "I'm just teasing you Harry, I could never deprive you of anything."
Triumphantly he teased her, "Whew you really scared me there."
"Watch it you tease."
He bowed his head in defeat, "I most humbly concede defeat."
"I most graciously accept. Now I wonder where that path leads."
"I guess we can go look, I think I'm done here for now." He stood and helped her up, they approached the gravestone. "Mum, dad, this is Hermione, she is going to be my wife. I think you would have loved her." He took another ragged breath then continued. "Good bye for now we will come back again I promise."
Arm in arm they walked slowly down the path. Hermione found herself wiping away more tears. Tears shed at the thought of never meeting the parents of the man she loved. The path meandered through the dense forest, gently descending from the hilltop. The path was clearly defined though the forest around it seemed like it would have long since encroached upon it. After walking for ten minutes they came around a bend in the path and saw a clearing ahead of them. In the middle of the large clearing was a house. Beyond the house on the other side of the clearing a small river meandered along before returning to the forest. A single set of Quidditch hoops stood at the far end of the clearing. Hermione felt the snitch in her pocket struggle to be free for a moment, before settling again.
The house was two stories, bright yellow, with red shutters and trim. The roof was shingled with black slate. The windows were closed but white curtains could be seen from where they stood at the edge of the clearing. Harry spoke very quietly, "We're in Godric's Hollow right?"
Stunned, she could only whisper, "yes."
"Then that must be my parent's house."
Again she whispered, "yes." I didn't expect to find this today. Such a beautiful house yet marred with such a terrible past.
He took a deep breath then relaxed. "Well we've come this far, I need to see the inside. We still have an hour before we meet your parents' right?"
She glanced at her watch before again answering, "yes, almost two."
"Ok," he pulled her along, down into the tall grass that surrounded the house. Three sets of wind chimes hung on the front porch. Creating a gentle music that blended with the distant babble of the stream. Above the door was a small plaque that read Potters Place. "Well I guess that answers that question." They continued right up to the front door. Harry reached down and slowly turned the handle. The latch released with a soft click and the door swung open quietly. Together they stepped into the silent house.
Wand at the ready Professor Dumbledore apparated onto the porch as alarm bells went off inside his head. He immediately saw Harry and Hermione inside and thanked Merlin he was invisible. He silenced the bells in his head and quietly moved off the porch. He whispered, "Welcome home Harry." With the faintest of pops, he apparated to the grave site. He changed the flowers in the vase before sitting on the bench. "Well he has come home at last my friends." A few minutes later he stood and again addressed them. "I will return tomorrow my friends. Until my duties are done and I join you on the next adventure, I must continue my appointed task."
The house felt empty. Upon reflecting that was probably the best she could have hoped for. There were no lingering smells to remind one of either the good or the bad that had happened inside these walls. The rooms were furnished but everything was either white cloth or lightly stained wood. Everything was neat and clean. No pictures hung upon the walls or rested upon the shelves. Harry startled her out of her reverie when he spoke up suddenly. "It's like the house was built and furnished but no one ever moved in."
"Well all of their possessions were packed into your father's trunk, remember?"
"Yes that's what's missing, pictures and nick-knacks."
Hermione sat on the white couch and looked up at him. He apparently recognized that she was struggling with something so he sat beside her and took her small hands in his. "What is it?"
She bit her lower lip before answering. "Well, I managed to keep it a secret for three days at least."
"What? You're not pregnant are you?"
"No silly. We are going to have guests starting Monday for the rest of the summer."
"Who? Not the Dursley's, I couldn't stand it!"
"No, though that's an interesting point. Do you remember Mark Evans?"
"Of course I do."
"Well he, his sister and at least their parents will be coming to stay at Grimauld Place on Monday."
"I think I'm missing something important here. Why?"
"Remember that day in the park when his sister fell and he stopped her from hitting the ground?"
"Yes."
"Well I was struck that day with how much he reminded me of someone I know very well. So when I told Professor Dumbledore about him I also asked him to investigate and see if I was right about my feelings."
"Evans, that's it isn't it? He is somehow related to my mum isn't he?"
"Yes Harry he is. Your mother's father had a brother, John Evans. He was Mark and Melony's grandfather."
"So I have another cousin and this one isn't a muggle." She saw a look of horror pass across his eyes. "Oh no, how many people am I going to endanger just by being the ruddy Boy-who-Lived?"
She quickly wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him to her breast. "Harry, stop that. It's not your fault. Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore have taken steps to safeguard them and move them to Grimauld Place."
He looked up into her eyes plaintively and asked. "But we can't move everyone to Grimauld Place can we?"
She gently toyed with his unruly hair as she answered. "No, not really. I started Dobby and Winky setting up rooms for them in the basement, below the potions lab, where there were only storage rooms for furniture before. I also asked Remus to think about converting the ball room and music room into bedrooms for others. We have a lot of space there Harry; it's just not allocated correctly for our needs."
He sat up, fresh with resolve. "Is that potion going to be ready today?"
"Yes we should be able to add the final ingredient tonight, if we can catch one."
"Suddenly I am very anxious to complete that potion. I feel as though Voldemort is watching me right now."
"We can go back to Gringotts now if you want."
"Yes lets."
Hermione stood and pulled the snitch out of her pocket, Harry quickly grabbed it and they felt the familiar wrenching behind their navels'. They arrived in a sectioned off portion of the main lobby. Many curious onlookers were apparently waiting for them to arrive. Someone shouted "I win!" An official looking goblin said, "The time is precisely…" The rest was drowned out as Solicitor Ripag and his guards surrounded Harry and Hermione and ushered them into a nearby quiet office.
"Terribly sorry about that Mr. and Mrs. Potter. One of the other partners overheard the Chief Warlock telling me to expect you soon in the lobby and he started a pool. Would you like some time before you head over to The Leaky Cauldron?"
"Yes please. That was quite shocking."
"We did not expect a crowd waiting for us."
"Professor Dumbledore told you we were coming?"
"Yes about thirty minutes ago. He did not give a precise time but one does not argue with the Chief Warlock."
A few minutes later Harry and Hermione left the small room to the now normal main lobby of Gringotts. "Good day to you both and thank you for stopping by."
They waved as they headed out into the noon day sun. Automatically they turned and headed towards Ollivanders. They entered the quiet shop and as always Mr. Ollivander himself greeted them. "Ahh, Mr. Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger. I expect this is not concerning either of your wands, wands which you appear to have swapped? Interesting, never had that happen before. Now she holds the wand whos brother gave you that scar, the only wand capable of matching its brother. Very intriguing indeed." He lapsed into thought and just as Harry was about to start talking Mr. Ollivander suddenly continued. "Wands, your parents Miss Granger. An interesting puzzle there. There is a theory that magic can be learned. Now don't tell anyone but I believe it is true. Magic is in the soul, not the body. Well none of those are the reason you are here are they?"
Harry quickly answered. "No sir."
Hermione asked, "We wanted to find out about very short wands."
Harry finished her sentence for her. "Something that can be easily concealed and be used in an emergency."
"Oh, most certainly. You may need to adapt some part of your clothing to accommodate them. Nothing better than inside the soul of your shoes, that works quite well. Here let me show you. You both seem to be partial to Phoenix feathers cores, now let me see." He wandered towards a back room motioning for them to follow him. They passed into his workshop. Bits of wood were scattered about and several partially completed wands lay in stands on his workbench. He pulled out a large suite case from under his bench. Without bothering to clear a spot he put it on top of his workbench. He then opened the case and they could see it was filled with wands. Not one of them was longer than six inches. All of them were neatly tucked into layers of soft leather. Many of them looked like common items, a large nail, a pencil, a pen, a small ruler.
Mr. Ollivander stepped back to give them room to admire the wands. "Now, feel free to take them out one at a time and try something with them. Try and be quiet, there will be another customer in here momentarily. The phoenix feather ones are all in the brown leather. The unicorn hair ones are in the white and the dragon heartstrings are in red. I will be back shortly." With that he turned and wandered back to the front of his store. Just as he disappeared they heard the front door open and close.
By the time he returned fifteen minutes later they had each picked two miniature wands, all phoenix feather cores. "Ahh, excellent choices, those will serve you well I believe. Five galleons each, thank you Miss Granger." They each put one wand into their pocket and idly held the other they had chosen. These both appeared to be pencils. Common enough for two muggle raised to be carrying about openly.
"Note that those will write and never need sharpening mind you."
"Thank you Mr. Ollivander."
Harry added, "Yes thank you very much sir."
They left the store and walked towards The Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley was only lightly populated. They both failed to recognize Remus, in his new clothes, until he stopped directly in front of them. "There you are!"
They both echoed, "Remus?"
Remus glanced about nervously. "Yes, who else were you expecting? Come on lets get you two home, then we can talk about this quietly."
He turned and led them into The Leaky Cauldron. Dan and Emma were waiting just inside. Emma hugged Harry and asked, "How did it go?"
Hermione answered for Harry, "Good enough, we'll tell you about it later alright?"
Dan quickly added, "Ok, home it is then."
*** *** *** ***
Well that was it. They had found nothing after a week of searching. Tomorrow they were going home. Ron sat in his bed pondering the week of hunting. He pulled out his Omnioculars and started flipping through the many photos he had taken this week. Most of them were of creatures they had stumbled across and he had quickly snapped their image. All of them had turned out to be known creatures. He paused at one of the very blurry images he had taken by accident and tried to focus it. Suddenly the image snapped into focus and he saw the most amazing creatures slowly munching on the leaves of a bush. He jumped out of the bunk bed and stumbled out of the room, unable to speak in his excitement. He ran to the kitchen where the Lovegoods were preparing dinner.
He shoved his Omnioculars before them, "look, look I found them!"
They both studied the images of the creatures as they methodically ate the leaves of the tree they were perched upon. Finally Luna found her voice, "Ronald? Where did you get this image?"
"Actually that one was an accident, it was all blurry. I played with the adjustments and suddenly there they were."
Mr. Lovegood spoke breathlessly, "So we have been looking in the wrong place for them all along." He went to the table and sat down, Ron's Omnioculars held before him on the table.
Luna walked over to Ron and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long kiss on the cheek. Ron stood stunned; this was the first time she had done anything where her father could see. "Congratulations Ronald, I guess you just won the prize money for finding Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
"There's a prize?"
Mr. Lovegood looked up at them thoughtfully before answering. "Yes definitely, five thousand galleons, from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures none the less. Once this is official they will have to award you the discovery prize."
Before that could sink in Luna startled him by jumping away and bouncing excitedly, "Father, could we go outside and look again right now?"
He glanced back at the picture in the Omnioculars before answering. "Well let's eat some dinner then sure we can go look for them. I guess they are only half an inch long? They should be easy enough to find now that we know where to look."
Luna turned back to Ron, a look of sheer joy upon her face. "Excellent, let's finish that dinner then."
*** *** *** ***
"Harry Potter sir?"
Harry sat up abruptly in bed, reaching wildly for his glasses. Hermione swung her arm across Harry's chest to point her wand at Dobbys long nose. Dobby jumped back in alarm as the tip of her wand almost touched his nose, several of the hats stacked atop his head fell to the floor. "Sorry Dobby, you startled me." Hermione lowered her wand as Harry finally got his glasses in place.
"Is it time already?"
Dobby quickly started scooping up his fallen hats, "Yes Harry Potter sir. It is the time you requested to be woken."
Hermione threw the sheets off of them and quickly climbed out of bed. "Thank you Dobby, we will be ready in a moment. Please make sure no one will see us going to the potions lab."
Dobby finished restacking his hats, "Yes Misses Hermione. Only Winky is about at present, all others in this house are abed. I will await you in the hall." He quickly spun and dashed out of the room as Hermione pulled off her night clothes.
Harry sat in their bed and admired her naked back in the moonlight. "Harry, you're not moving. Get dressed."
"Sorry just admiring the view."
She kept her back to him as she pulled on her bra. "Men, don't they ever get enough?"
Harry crossed his arms before his chest, "Ha, I will gladly answer that question. No, we, at least I, will never grow tired of seeing the woman I love."
"You forgot one word there Harry, naked."
"I didn't forget it, I just didn't say it." She turned and scowled at him, he laughed and she smiled. "Alright, I'll get dressed. Save the McGonagall look for when I deserve it."
A few minutes later they opened the door. Dobby was standing in the hallway he quickly turned and motioned for them to follow. They walked quickly and soon found themselves in the potions lab. Hermione asked, "What about the Ashwinder egg?"
Winky appeared before them in the potions lab. A small bright red egg bouncing between her small hands, "Winky got the egg Misses."
Hermione snatched a pair of tongs from the workbench and in a moment captured the egg. "Thank you Winky." She stepped to the now cooled potion and looked at her watch. "Just in time," she slipped the egg into the cauldron. A large plume of green smoke erupted. It disappeared as it hit the ceiling. She put down the tongs and stepped back. She bumped into Harry, he grabbed her and they stood watching the plume of smoke.
Harry whispered into her ear, "How long now?"
She whispered back, "It didn't say, just that you have to drink it within an hour of the smoke stopping."
He nodded his head, "Yeah I remember that now. I love you."
She turned to face him, putting her arms around his waist. Green eyes locked with brown, "And I love you, more than anything."
They hugged each other tightly and kissed slowly. Then parted and returned to watching the smoke slowly diminish.
Harry hugged her with his arm that was draped across her shoulders, "Not long now I guess."
She looked over at him and returned his hug with her arm around his waist. "No, we can still back out of this."
He slowly shook his head no, "There is no reason not to do this. I trust you beyond words. I just hope this works right."
She answered simply, "Me to."
A few minutes later the potion stopped smoking. Hermione used a ladle and scooped out a small glass. It was a thick, red pudding-like mixture. She turned and offered it to him. He took it in both his hands and quickly downed the entire glass. Just as he handed her the glass someone spun the world on him. He found himself lying on the floor with the room spinning around him rapidly. He closed his eyes and felt a wrenching sensation. He heard Hermione say "Oh" and then she landed on him. His arms went about her automatically and they lay there for a few minutes. When the world stopped spinning Harry realized that Hermione was crying into his chest. He opened his eyes to see the top of her head. She refused to look up at him for several minutes. He rubbed her back and held her tightly. Then he began to feel her emotions. They nearly overwhelmed him before he managed to block most of it.
"Let's get you up to our room." She nodded into his chest. He stood and cradled her in his arms. Winky opened the door and escorted them back to their room. He saw no sign of Dobby. "Winky make sure that potion is disposed of, it is poison to anyone else now."
"Yes Mister Potter sir, Winky understands she does." She closed the door and they were alone again.
Harry placed Hermione gently on the bed. He quickly pulled out Godric's sword and locked the door. He sheathed the sword then stripped to his boxers and sat down next to her. She had stopped crying but seemed unable to meet his gaze. Now that they were safely in their room he dropped his barriers to her feelings. Guilt, worthlessness, and pain flooded into his mind. Behind it all he felt an immense responsibility to do what was right. These were all familiar feelings for him. He had borne them for fifteen years. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently. Through the new link they shared he tried to reassure her and give her strength.
A while later she choked out a question. "How? How can you bear feeling like this all the time?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "It has always been there. I don't know anything else." He gently brushed her cheek.
She shivered at his caress, "How do you get up in the morning and face the world?"
Harry thought about that for a while before coming to the only answer that fit. "You, even before I met you there was something driving me. I think it was the need to meet you, my soul-mate. Now in more ways than one, I feel closer to you."
"I can feel our souls intertwining. I am very tired Harry. I don't know if I will be able to do much of anything today."
"It is Sunday so there isn't much to do really. I will tell everyone that you have been pushing yourself too much and need a break. You will have to endure your parents I'm sure, otherwise it shouldn't be too bad. Alright?"
She nodded slowly, "Yes that should work. I hope that I adjust to this by Monday though. This seems more severe than what was described."
"Well maybe two souls have never been reunited in this manner?"
Hermione tried to sit up straight but he held her tight. "Yes that would make more sense. I wish I thought of this sooner."
He smoothed her long hair back, "Rest, go back to sleep dear. I will be here."
She nodded her head then slowly slumped into his embrace. Eventually she fell into a fitful slumber. Harry held her the rest of the night and though she tossed and turned she did not wake. Several hours later the sun found him, still awake holding her. Though he had tried not to pry her dreams flew into his conscious. She had dreamed of Voldemort laughing over their corpses. He locked that memory away and whispered, "I swear we will triumph." He sealed his promise with a gentle kiss to her forehead.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Well there is the next installment. I hope you all enjoyed it. Did I surprise anyone? Did I make you laugh or cry? I try to put a lot of emotions into my stories. This one was a lot of work to write. I will not promise when the next chapter will be up. I will promise that this story will be finished. RL is just too much work for the foreseeable future for me to commit to any timeline. I am an IT professional and must upgrade my certifications in the next few months so will be spending a lot of my "writing" time studying. I have also started writing a novel for future publication. (I hope) That has refocused a lot of my passion for working on this story. Please leave me a review or email me comments. I always try to reply to everyone that emails me. Thank you all, especially those who pushed me to get this finished… (you know who you are)
All the best,
Golasgil