I apologize for taking almost a month to update. I had planned to get this up within a few days of the last chapter, but life has a way of thwarting my plans. LOL I'm not perfectly happy with this, but given what I've had thrown at me lately, I think it is about the best I can do without hanging onto it forever. Thank you for the reviews and the continued interest. Let's just say I plan for the next chapter to be better and hope life cooperates :)
"We are so proud of you," Lily Potter hugged her son tightly. Her smile was shining in her eyes.
Harry clung to her, melting in the embrace of a mother he had never known. "Are you real?" he asked, feeling dumb and elated at the same time. The amazing light shining around them had brought him this far.
"You did it!" James added, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "And put on quite a show, to boot." He grinned mischievously, obviously reminded of his own antics with the Marauders. "That lion move was something else! I knew you'd be an animagus just like your old man."
"James!" Lily sighed. "That was so dangerous, but you did it, Harry. He's finally gone."
"Where's Hermione" Harry asked, thinking of her immediately, despite the newness of being so close to his parents. "Is she all right?"
"She'll be fine. You both will." James answered. Harry saw first hand how much he really did look like the man, messy black hair and all.
"All three of you will be fine," Lily said, still beaming with pride. Harry could not help but notice how beautiful her eyes were as they sparkled.
Harry grinned back at her sheepishly. "You know about the baby?"
"None of this would have been possible without the baby," Lily answered.
"What happened anyway?" Harry asked. "All I remember is light and darkness. The light was holding me back and the darkness was pulling me toward Voldemort… by our bond?" Harry trailed off. "The bond was broken." He thought a moment. There had been a searing pain and then a wealth of relief like he had never known before. "He fought to take me with him, but had to let go. He couldn't endure the light."
"It's love, Harry." James said. "You had the power of love surrounding you in an eternal circle."
Harry let his father's words sink in. His parents were his past; Hermione was his present; and the child was his future.
"Where are we?" Harry questioned. All around was brilliant white. "Am I, am I dead?" He reasoned that if were talking to his parents, he was dead. He had suspected that the only way to kill Voldemort was to die himself.
"You're sort of in limbo, baby." Lily said soothingly. "The battle took a lot from you, but not your life."
"Can I see you again?" Harry asked hopefully. He knew his time with them was limited. He could feel that they were going to be gone again soon.
"We're always with you, Harry. We're always watching over you," James hugged his son. "I can't tell you how proud you've made us through the years. You grew up too fast and too hard. We would have changed it if we could have."
Lily looked around as if she heard someone calling to her. "Just remember how much we love you and how proud we are of you," she said quickly. "We've got to go. But, Harry, thank Molly for me."
It looked as though James was saying something too, but Harry could not hear him.
"I love you both!" Harry exclaimed. He wanted to lunge forward and hold onto them both, but he found he could not reach. He was being pulled further and further away. "And Sirius too. Tell him for me!"
Harry was vaguely aware of muffled voices around him. His focus had shifted to searching for Hermione. He tried to call out to her, but he could move neither his body nor his lips to make a sound. He felt oddly like he was drifting, floating on water. He strained to understand what was being said, hoping to recognize the voices. He only caught a word here and there.
"Survived…they...amazing... Snape... recovering…"
His arms and legs felt very heavy and unyielding. He was not sure how long he laid there listening as the bits and pieces of the conversations tended to come and go. He eventually realized that Hermione's parents and Molly Weasley were in the room. Harry thought he heard Ron once, but if Ron was there, he was being unusually quiet.
"You two go on and rest," Molly said. "I'm not going anywhere for a while. Everyone's going to be fine." There was the sound of people shuffling about and the doors opening and closing.
"She'll be all right," he heard Molly saying, sounding less like she was at the end of a far away tunnel. "Madame Pomfrey healed her injuries."
"I feel so lousy about being mean to her, Mom." Harry was certain that was Ron. He wondered if he was talking about Hermione. Now, he knew without question that was in the hospital wing.
"Then tell her you care when she wakes up, you prat!" Came Ginny's voice.
Harry was relieved to know that both Ron and Ginny were safe, but he had to find out about Hermione and the baby. His parents said they were fine, but he had to know for himself. "Hermione," he called, not realizing it sounded like little more than a whisper.
As soon as Harry spoke, he felt a rush of bodies come to his side.
"Oh, you're awake!" Molly Weasley exclaimed, taking his hand.
"You're safe!" Ginny exclaimed, leaning down to hug him.
"You were brilliant, mate!" Ron said. Harry opened his eyes and saw 3 blurry red-heads and the nurse standing over him.
When he tried to say his wife's name again, he became aware of how dry his mouth was. Mrs. Weasley seemed to sense this and helped him sit up and drink some water. "Thanks," he told her, clearing his throat. "Where's Hermione?"
"She's still sleeping. She was given a dreamless sleep potion because she could not rest while you were unconscious. She finally gave in and took it, knowing that she did need to take care of herself."
"Baby?" He asked, pushing himself to sit up. He saw Hermione on the bed next to his, looking peaceful. Her hand was lying on her stomach.
"Fine, dear. Everyone will be fine," Molly answered, holding his hand tightly. "I'm so proud of you."
"Baby?" Ron repeated. "Did you say baby?"
"They're okay?" Harry asked again. Clarity was setting in slowly for him. He took comfort only when Molly replied once more in the affirmative as she stacked pillows behind him so he could sit up comfortably. She also gave him his glasses so that he could see them better.
"Mr. Weasley?" Harry said, afraid that he was hurt or worse since he was not with his wife.
"Author will be so pleased to see you when he gets back. He's gone to the Ministry to make a formal announcement about what happened here tonight." Molly answered.
"What baby?" Ron asked again impatiently, his face turning a paler shade of crimson.
"Congratulations, Ron. You're going to be a godfather," Harry answered dryly. So much for keeping the secret until Christmas, which he and Hermione had planned to do.
Ron's mouth fell open, but no sound escaped. His eyes were wide and bulging, just like his little sister's.
"You're having a baby?" Ginny looked at her mother as if questioning her as well. This was no surprise to Molly.
"Hermione is," Harry answered with a smile. "The baby saved her life tonight." He saw that Professor Dumbledore had entered the hospital wing and was coming closer to his bed. "You were right."
Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling once again. "Harry, I hear that you performed amazingly well tonight."
"It wasn't just me, Professor. Hermione, the baby, my parents… they were all part of it. I don't understand exactly."
"Then, allow me to explain as best I can," Dumbledore began. "Harry, Voldemort, marked you his equal many years ago. Neither of you were from pure blood. Neither of you grew up with parents. Your magical ability is equal, but you had a power with you that Voldemort never knew… love. Your parents loved you. The Weasleys love you. Hermione has been by your side since you came into the wizarding world. You came from love and despite growing up without love, you did not learn to hate. You did not wish to use your power to hurt others or to dominate them. Your love with Hermione has created a new life. Your past, present, and future are all shrouded in love. It lives within your very being. Voldemort could not stand that as he tried to possess you, nor could he overpower the trinity created in the eternal circle of love surrounding you. Do you understand the power of three, Harry?"
Harry shook his head. Everyone in the room was listening intently to the headmaster.
"Three is truly a powerful number. It stands for what is sold, real, and complete. In geometry, the first shape is a triangle. That is because two lines can not form anything that is whole. You and Voldemort alone could not overpower each other. Three represents the mind, the body, and the spirit; or thought, word, and deed; or past, present, and future. It is all-encompassing in time, life, or divinity. Your parents were with you and their charmed rings held onto part of them, they brought part of your past and your heritage into this fight. Hermione was there, your present, and carrying your future. All of these together empowered you in a way Voldemort could never understand or physically tolerate. Because your blood ran in his veins, his life was bound to you and drawing strength from you. The life force flowing from your parents to yourself to your child destroyed him from the inside out."
Harry nodded, still listening.
"Hate in it's purest form is one-dimensional, a flat power, if you will. Love has many facets and at this point in your life, Harry, you are embodying them all. Voldemort, who has never known love, never experienced love, and, most importantly, never loved could not withstand love at it's fullest strength. Instead of possessing you and your power as he desired, you were shielded with such force that he could not escape the magnitude of it, nor could he survive the onslaught of such a foreign power. Imagine, if you will a Muggle form of cancer and the way it invades and takes over the body. The love flowing in your veins was like a cancer to Voldemort. Only, as love is non-tangible, it's power was felt beyond his body and even his spirit was destroyed."
"I thought I would have to kill him alone."
"But, Harry, that would be impossible, for you are not alone. You never have been."
Dumbledore's words were soft and profound. They settled on Harry as none ever had before. He could clearly remember the cupboard where he was kept as a child, the birthdays that passed without so much as a "have a nice day," the loneliness of primary school as Dudley insured he had no friends, the ridicule over his hand-me-downs and his broken and re-broken glasses, and summers without contact with his friends. So often in his life he had thought he was alone, but having just seen his parents, he realized he'd always felt their presence. It was their love that had kept him from becoming filled with hate and resentment no matter how the Dursleys treated him.
Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley who had tears brimming in her eyes. Her relief over his safety was clearly evident. "Mom said to tell you thank you."
"What do you mean, dear?" She asked, startled by the statement.
"I just saw her. She said to tell you thank you for taking care of me. It was the last thing she said before I had to come back."
"You saw her?" Molly choked back a sob and took Harry in a smothering hug. "Oh, Harry," she sniffed, holding him tightly. "I couldn't bear to loose any of my children. I'm so glad you're still with me."
"Can't breathe," Harry coughed. His adoptive mother let him go and he kissed her cheek. "Thanks," he said. "And that one's from me." His next question was, "What about Professor Snape? Did he survive?" It might not have been avada kedavra, but Harry knew first hand how much pain Voldemort could inflict bellowing crucio at his enemy. It would make one think he was dying or wish to die just to escape the pain.
"He's recovering," Dumbledore answered, pleased that Harry was showing concern for his most disliked professor. He was very proud of the growth he had seen in Harry, not just as a wizard, but as a man.
"Is everyone okay? Hagrid? Lupin? Tonks? The other houses? Did everyone in the DA survive?"
"I lost count of injuries," Madame Pomfrey answered. "Some close calls. Many students, aurors, and professors have been treated and released. Some are still recovering. Very few casualties given what happened here."
"Luna," Ron sighed. "She's out cold. It wasn't even magic that got her… a bookcase in the Ravenclaw common room was toppled and it landed right on her. But her bones are healed."
"She'll be fine," the nurse said, patting his shoulder and holding back a smile. "Professors McGonagall and Sprout and some of the other students who were hurt have been taken to St. Mungo's. We don't expect any more casualties."
"Did anyone die?" Harry asked, looking to the headmaster. "Define very few."
"Some of the aurors," Dumbledore replied. "Moody, Shakelbolt, Herring, Clarke."
The room was silent as everyone accepted the news. Ron and Ginny both looked particularly disheartened. Harry was having trouble believing the losses were so few.
"Overall," Dumbledore continued, "Things went very well. By trapping the Death Eaters under our own conditions, we had the upper hand. All of the professors were aware that I was not really leaving and we could expect trouble. No students were killed. Almost 30 Death Eaters were captured or killed. Most importantly, Voldemort is no more. We will grieve our losses, but we must take comfort in knowing they died for what is right and they have helped ensure a freedom this world has not known in decades. They would want us to celebrate and that is exactly what we are going to do."
"How can we celebrate at a time like this?" Harry asked, thinking about the losses, injuries, and destruction.
"How could we not celebrate?" Dumbledore replied. "You've freed us, Harry. We can live without fear because you choose a different path than Voldemort. Remember, it is our choices that make us who we are, not our abilities."
The words reminded Harry of another time he had faced the Dark Lord and survived, plagued with confusion and doubts about himself.
Dumbledore looked to Hermione. "I know Mrs. Potter will be thrilled when she awakens to find you safe. You've got yourself a brave and wonderful wife, Harry."
Harry nodded. "I know. She's amazing."
"Our whole world will be lining up to celebrate your marriage. I believe a full fledge grand event is in order. After all, they think you are marrying on October 1. We mustn't disappoint the masses. I believe everyone will be well recovered by then and it will be a perfect time and excuse for us to come together over your victory and our freedom. Until she awakens, I want you to rest. You've been through an incredible ordeal tonight. I must go to St. Mungo's to check on the other students and professors and I should drop by the Ministry and help Author with the details. I'll see you all soon." With a swish of his robes, Dumbledore turned and left the infirmary.
"Okay, you heard the man," Molly began. "Harry needs to rest. Hermione will be asleep for a few more hours. Ms. Lovegood needs some peace and quiet. I want you two to go back to your dorms. No arguing," she warned sternly.
Knowing better than to put up much protest, the Weasley children did as they were told, ensuring Harry that they would be back first thing in the morning.
Harry realized how correct Dumbledore was about his need for rest. He reached across the bed to the one beside him and stroked Hermione's hair. "I'll be here when you wake up," he told her. Soon, he was asleep again too, and for the first time in years, there were no nightmares lurking in his subconscious.