Disclaimer: Alas I own nothing, but I promise to put my toys away when I finish playing with them.
Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing this story. I hope you like this new chapter. I would like to apologize for the amount of time it has taken to update. So now that I am able and ready to post, here you go. Once again, sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks again Jade.
Chapter 40
Coming Home
Potter Ranch
Library First Floor
Current Day
"So are we to believe Harry is alive," Fred asks as he looks around the room as though waiting for one of his and George's jokes to pop out at them.
"I," Dumbledore starts to say when he is interrupted by the security system of the house.
"THERE IS AN UNKNOWN VISITOR REQUESTING PERMISSION TO FLOO IN AND GAIN ENTRANCE TO POTTER RANCH," a feminine voice sounds through the library. It is loud by not overly loud, just loud enough you can hear it anywhere in the library.
"Who is the visitor," Dumbledore automatically asks ignoring the looks he receives from those with him.
Another female voice responds this time, "Poppy Pomfrey."
"Allow her entrance this once," Dumbledore tells the house. As soon as he finishes saying this the fireplace on the nearest wall bursts into green flames and an older lady steps out into the room.
"That was interesting," she says as she places her bag down on the floor and proceeds to wipe her clothes off. Picking up the bag again she walks over to where Dumbledore is sitting looking at her curiously. "Have you seen Dobby or Hagrid," she asks once she is in within range.
Just then the doors to the library fly open and Dobby comes running into the room, "Madam Pomfrey this way," he calls out excitedly as he points towards the doors. "Mr. Hagrid placed him in his bed," he says as Poppy practically runs over to follow Dobby out of the library.
"Okay," George says watching the retreating backs, "what just happened," he demands.
Hermione looks over at the fireplace and then to the doors, without another word she is up and running out of the library trying desperately to find where they went. She sees them down one hallway to the right off of the first set of stairs. She runs after them, as she reaches the room, she is panting and trying desperately to breathe. She sees four figures blocking the way to the bed, she slowly makes her way into the room and as her eyes fall on the face of the one person she feared she would never see again, the tears start to fall once again, "Harry," she whispers as she runs to the head of the bed opposite of the others there. Though she ran to her it felt as though she had been crawling through mud and it took her way to long to get beside him.
"Ms. Granger," Poppy says softly yet sternly. "I need to check him over before you try to maul him," she says to the tearful lady.
"Harry," she cries as she tries to reach for him but is stopped by two large hands, "NO," she shouts out fighting against the hands restraining her. "HARRY," she shouts as she tries to get away from her captor and to her lover.
"Her'ione," Hagrid says as he holds her back away from the bed, "wai' a minu'e," he asks her.
Poppy quickly waves her wand over the lifeless form on the bed; she is still shocked to see the readings showing a heartbeat. Her readings show he is alive; he still has internal damage, nothing a few spells and potions can't fix. The main problem seems to be his head. "You may let her go now," she says to the giant who instantly releases Hermione who wastes no time in taking Harry into her arms.
"Harry," she whispers into his hair as she starts to push her arms around him, needing him nearer to her. "I love you," she whispers into his hair. "You are not leaving my sight again do you hear me mister," she orders even though she knows he isn't awake. Finally she brakes down and cries as she buries her face into his shoulder. Her heart breaking sobs wracking not only her body, but Harry's and the bed as well.
Alexandra watches her daughter take flight out the door and after the two strange people; she tilts her head wondering what her daughter has figured out that they haven't. She looks over at her husband in question only to see her look reflected on his face. "That has got to be the strangest thing she has ever done," she whispers as she shakes her head.
"Tell us about it," Ron says with a small smile. "She is the most logical of the lot of us, she never does something without thinking about it first, sometimes I think she has to think about it for three months before she does anything," he says with a shake of his head.
"But what was it she understood, or whatever that she needed to chase after them as if her very life depended upon it," Ginny asks as she shakes her head in question.
"The only times I have ever seen her act like that," Ron says and then drifts off as a thought passes through his own mind, "no way," he says turning to look at the entrance to the library as though it holds all the answers to the universe. "No bloody way," he repeats again in shock as all the pieces start to fall into place.
"What is it dear," Molly asks wondering what her son is worried about.
"The only time Hermione acts like that is if Harry is in trouble," he whispers as he continues to watch the door and then instantly he is up and running as well.
"Ron, where do you think you are going," Arthur asks watching his son running with all his might out of the library and up the stairs.
Just then a shout rings through the air, "NO, HARRY," the voice sounds pained and eager, even feisty and scared. The thing that gets everyone is the fact that everyone knows that voice, it is Hermione's. Everyone jumps out of their chair and takes off in the direction Ron just went.
Everyone runs up the stairs and quickly follows the oldest man there who just happens to be leading them to the right of the stairs and to the only open door. Albus stops at the door, shock evident to those trying to catch up with him. "Albus," Minerva asks as she stops beside him.
Albus looks away from the sight within the room and turns to Minerva, a smile gracing his face, a foreign twinkle in his eyes and tears rolling down his cheeks, "look," he finally manages to say as he points in the room.
Minerva steps up to the door slowly knowing all eyes are on her, she peeks around the door expecting the worst. Only to feel her jaw drop open and tears spring to her own eyes at the sight greeting her eyes. Ron has Hermione and to her shock and joy Harry wrapped protectively in his arms as Hermione cries in Harry's left shoulder, Ron is crying in his right one. "Minerva," a voice asks wondering what is wrong. Minerva turns and looks at Molly, and smiles the brightest smile anyone has ever seen and for her that is saying something.
"He's here," she whispers unable to say anything louder. "He's alive," she whispers.
"What," Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Charles, Bill, David, Alexandra asks as one.
Albus finally finds his voice, "Harry has finally come home," he says not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him. "Harry has come home," he repeats as everyone starts to come to look at the scene.
Everyone rushes into the room and surrounds the bed with the three best friends, the three who brought everyone together in such a way no one would have thought possible when they first started on this journey. "Poppy," Albus says startling the silence that had grown, "how is he," he asks hopefully.
Poppy looks down at her most troublesome patient and sighs as she looks back up at the headmaster, "in honest truth the fact he is still alive says a lot," she confesses. "He has multiple fractures, internal damage, atrophy, and many other things that can be repaired with time," she starts to tell them and then she gets to the part she never wants to have to say aloud.
"But," Hermione asks as she looks up at the matron, her hand tightly around Harry's.
Poppy looks over at Hermione as she is sitting beside the bed ridden patient, "but the biggest problem and the one I don't know about is his head," she finally admits. "I would guess amnesia at best, brain damage at least," she finally says looking away from the eyes of those in the room. "I don't know, he has taken quiet a blow and the fact he is comatose isn't a good thing," she tells them all with sadness only she can understand. "Then again he could wake up and not realize anything different at all," she says giving them the truth, "the brain is something no one really knows a lot about, we can't predict what is going to happen for we don't know much about it," she explains with a shrug. "Only time will tell," she finally tells them.
Hermione's heart starts to break as she listens to the matron talk, her Harry might not know her is the worse thing she can think of. She closes her eyes against the onslaught of thoughts. She takes a deep breath and thinks to herself, she will cross that bridge when and if it comes. As Madam Pomfrey finishes, Hermione leans over and kisses Harry's forehead tenderly as she silently vows to always be there for him.
As the others in the room continue to talk Hermione and Ron remain as close to Harry as they each can. Ron is on one side of the bed next to his brother, whereas Hermione is on the other side of the bed, once again as close as she can physically get. They know they should move, but they can't. They can't leave him alone; there is no way to get them to move, for each feels they need to protect him with everything they have.
"Where did you find him Hagrid," Minerva finally asks as the silence started to drag on. Everyone's eyes are on the three figures lying on the bed. There is certain completeness about them and those seeing them are unable to be put into words. "Forget that," she says with a shake of her head, "How did you find him," she asks a different question.
Everyone turns to listen to his story as he starts from his drink at the Leaky Cauldron, to his run in with the Muggle Law Enforcement Officer, once he gets to the drumsticks he pulls out the bag he had almost forgotten about and hands them over to the headmaster, "He ma'e the lady prom'se to give it to me and 'or me to gi'e it to you," he says handing over the bag.
Albus looks at the sleeping form and then to the bag wondering what was so important. He slowly opens it and he finds all his breath being removed from him. His eyes widen in shock at the sight within the bag. "What is it Albus," Minerva asks concerned.
Reaching into the bag he removes the two wands causing everyone in the room to gasp in shock and ultimately understanding. One of the wands is Harry's, Albus hands it over to Remus who quickly places it on the nightstand beside the sleeping figure. The other wand he looks at wondering what Harry was talking about why didn't, Harry destroy it, and then he remembers the conversation they once had.
"Break it," Severus says in suggestion.
"I can't," Albus says turning to look at his Potion's Professor. "If I were to snap this wand, it would release Voldemort's soul and make it possible for him to return," he explains to the shock of everyone. "Harry couldn't believe it would be as easy as a simple killing curse that could rid the world of Voldemort, it didn't before, so he figured it wouldn't now. So he did some studying and came up with entrapping his soul. But for it to work he had to entrap his soul into something personal and hopefully something no one would want anything to do with years from now," he continues to explain. "Harry made sure his soul was in his wand for no one would ever want to use this wand and it is something we can easily protect and hide," he pauses as he looks around the room and into the eyes of the people he has come to know and love as family. "We are the only ones who know about this, no one else knows Voldemort's soul is still capable of returning, Harry has prevented this," he says holding up the wand. "This is the soul of the man who killed Harry's parents," he says as he looks around the room, "the soul of the man who murdered so many people," he says still somewhat in shock.
Ron reaches over and picks up Harry's wand, "and this is the wand of my brother," he says, "this wand helped to save twenty some odd people, not the world," he says as he carefully puts it back on the table. "I don't want to lose my brother," he says looking down at Harry with tear filled eyes. "He will make it and he will be Harry," he vows, "it might take some time, but he has already said he would be okay," he says looking up at Hermione. "He was right again," he tells her as she starts to sob and yet at the same time smile.
Minerva gasps as she realizes exactly what Ron has just hinted at, "yes he was," she agrees.
"The battle field was wet, there were many figures and it was raining and there was lightening," Charles says in awe as he looks at his two youngest brothers on the bed.
"It was the last battle," Ginny says understanding what they are getting at.
"The 'read crumbs," Hagrid continues, "lead me to 'im," he says with a smile.
"You were the only one who could find him," Arthur says understanding what Harry had meant. "One month after the battle," he whispers in fascination.
"What about the poem of an angel," Neville asks confused.
"Oh," Hagrid says excitedly, "it 'as at the hosp'tal where I g't the wan's," he explains.
"But what about the green rhythmic dancing light," Fred asks loving the way the pieces seem to be falling.
"A heart monitor," David says instantly knowing he is right.
"There was a large gathering at home," George continues.
"Everyone did run up the stairs," Alexandra continues, "and it is at the Ranch," she concludes.
"He 'as in a d'rk room in the hosp'tal and he 'as co'ered," Hagrid says remembering that part of the saying from the day Harry told them about the vision.
Albus looks at Harry for a moment, "he will not remember right away, but he will remember," he tells everyone in the room.
"How do you know," Poppy asks confused with what everyone has been saying and yet at the same time fascinated with it.
"He will stop calling me sir as often as he does now, only after I have to re-introduce myself to him," Albus quotes from memory. "He will not remember me at first, but he will," he says looking pointedly at Hermione and Ron, letting them know to expect it and not to be too hurt by Harry not knowing them when he does wake. "It also says he will wake, for how am I to re-introduce myself if he never wakes," he finishes logically and with a smile.
As he says this every person in the room smiles as they realize the truth in what he has said. "He will wake," Arthur says nodding his head.
"He will wake and complete his destiny," Minerva says with a smile.