The Fear Within

MisCard

Rating: NC17
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 23/08/2004
Last Updated: 17/10/2004
Status: completed

THE SEQUEL TO "THE POWER WITHIN". Two Dark forces have joined together to find an object that can grant immortality. The only person that can stop them is Hermione, who must fight to protect her family as she searches for the same object. With Harry's help, she will travel the world in her quest, along with their friends. Will Hermione succeed or will the Dark side win the final battle? Please R&R! ~FINAL CHAPTER HAS BEEN POSTED!!~

Chapters

1. Without You

2. The Healing Begins

3. Discovery

4. A Quest For Information

5. Hints Of What May Come

6. Arriving In Athens

7. The Search Begins

8. Revelations

9. The Beginning of Understanding

10. From Hell To Heaven

11. Of Gods And Goddesses

12. The Calm Before The Storm

13. The Approaching Storm

14. The Search For Hermione Begins

15. Cerberus

16. Rescuing Hermione

17. Voldemort's Final Downfall

18. Epilogue

1. Without You

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."~William Shakespeare~

Kingsley Shacklebolt, John Williamson and Alastor Moody apparated in front of Malfoy Manor, immediately drawing their wands. When they were sure there was no threat outside, they walked up to the door of the manor. Moody's magical eye swiveled in every direction and he nodded to the other two, indicating that it was safe to go in. Kingsley turned the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, careful not to make any noise. Looking from left to right and seeing no danger present he walked the rest of the way into the foyer. Moody and Williamson followed closely behind keeping a close eye out for anything that moved.

Kingsley turned to the two other aurors and said "I think everyone is gone. From what Harry told Dumbledore all the Death Eaters got scared and disappeared. Why don't we check the place out and see what we can find?" When Williamson and Moody both nodded their approval, he said "Moody and I will search upstairs to see what evidence we can find. Maybe we'll get lucky and find some more names of wizards and witches who are in league with you-know-who. Williamson, why don't you go down into the basement and take custody of Mr. Malfoy. Make sure to make a note of everything down there so it can go in the report."

"Can do, boss" said Williamson, smiling and saluting before he turned to make his way down to the dungeons. He heard Kingsley and Moody trudging up the stairs as he found the door that led down to the dank underground and made his way down. At the bottom of the set of stairs there was another door that was closed. Reaching his hand out to open it, he stopped short when he thought he heard voices on the other side. Drawing his wand once more, he held it in his right hand while he turned the knob slowly with his left. He eased open the door and when he looked up, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There stood Lucius Malfoy with his wand pointed directly at him.

"Well hello, I thought I heard someone in my manor. And who do you have with you poking around my home, hmm?" asked Lucius sadistically. Williamson just stared at him, noticing the cold red glow of his eyes.

'Wait, those are the eyes of...' thought Williamson, but before he could finish the thought Lucius said "never mind, I'll find ou tfor myself. Much more fun that way anyway." Smiling evilly and moving quickly, Malfoy waved his wand and yelled "Avada Kedavra!"

Finishing his final training session with Dumbledore for the term, Harry made his way back to the common room. It had been a rough couple of hours and his body ached from all the physical strain it had been put through. As he walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, he kept going over the new information Dumbledore had told him just before he left. Kingsley, Shacklebolt and Williamson had all gone to Malfoy Manor to arrest Lucius Malfoy and take him to the Ministry after Dumbledore had reported what happened the day Conlan was born. When they didn't arrive back to the Ministry six hours later Remus had been sent to check on them. He had found the three aurors dead, mutilated bodies lying at different places throughout the Manor. When he had found Williamson dead in the dungeons, there was no sign of Lucius Malfoy anywhere. Harry had no idea how he could have gotten away, he was bound when he left and he had put a silencing spell on him. On top of that, no one could find Voldemort's wand, the one Harry had forgotten to take with him. He had no idea what to make of it and was almost afraid of what it could mean.

Finally making it back to the Gryffindor common room he made his way through the portrait hole where the first thing he saw was Ginny and Lavender playing with Conlan. He smiled as he watched the two fussing over his son. He couldn't believe it had been a week already since he'd been born. It'd been a hard week too. Hermione seemed to be slowly drawing into herself more and more each day. He was getting worried about her, but when he had gone to see Madam Pomfrey before his training and asked about it, she had said it was normal for new moms to suffer from depression. It didn't quite seem like depression to him; Hermione had quit breast feeding Conlan when he was three days old and he had been the one to get up in the middle of the night to feed him lately. When he tried to talk to Hermione about it, she just said she was too tired or busy and didn't want to talk about it.

Harry looked around the common room and spotted Hermione at one of the tables with books open all around her while she wrote something on the parchment in front of her. He walked over to where Ginny was holding Conlan on the couch and reached down to take him from her. "How's my little guy today?" he asked, smiling at Conlan as he grasped Harry's finger in his tiny hand.

"He's such a good baby Harry" said Ginny "he's hardly cried the whole time we've been watching him."

"How long has that been exactly?" he asked, feeling his anger rise. He couldn't understand why Hermione had just handed her son off to Ginny to watch.

"Since you left for training" said Lavender, then noticed the angry look on Harry's face as he looked towards Hermione. "It's ok Harry; we love spending time with him and don't mind taking care of him."

"That's great and I appreciate your help but you shouldn't be the one taking care of him; his mother should be the one doing that." Harry looked at the two girls and felt bad when he saw the looks on their faces. "I'm sorry; I'm just frustrated with Hermione. It seems like every time I go to train, I come back and someone else is taking care of Conlan. She's been acting like she doesn't want anything to do with him."

"I'm sure that's not the case Harry" said Ginny "she's just been really busy trying to catch up on all the work she's missed since having him."

"I hope that's all it is" said Harry worried. "Thanks again you guys for watching him. I better give him a bottle and put him to bed." Ginny and Lavender stood up, walked over to where Harry was holding Conlan and each bent down to give the baby a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight Bug" said Ginny, gently running her hand over Conlan's fuzzy black hair.

"Bug?" asked Harry "Why did you call him that?"

"That's what my Dad used to call me when I was little; he still slips up and says it once in a while when I'm home. I always liked when he called me that" explained Ginny. Harry smiled at her and turned, making his way over to the table Hermione was sitting at. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, cradling Conlan against him. She didn't look up or acknowledge him in any way so he said "hi Hermione. Catching up on your homework?"

"Yes" she said, finally stopping her quill long enough to look at him. "I thought I had worked ahead enough that I wouldn't get behind if I had Conlan early, but obviously I miscalculated." Harry noticed that while she talked she looked directly at him and never looked down at their son. Conlan chose that moment to start crying and Hermione just ignored him and went back to her work. "Are you coming to our quarters soon?" asked Harry, becoming even angrier at Hermione's actions.

"I'll join you as soon as I finish this paper" she said, writing once again and not bothering to look at him. Harry was so mad at her that he didn't trust himself to speak at that moment, so he just turned and headed to the door of their room. Muttering the password, he walked in the door and tried to soothe Conlan by bouncing him a little until he could get his bottle. Madam Pomfrey had taught them how to charm the bottles to keep the formula warm without it going bad and he made sure to make enough of them to last throughout the day. While they had gone to classes that day Dobby had cared for Conlan. The elf had been so happy when Harry had asked him if he wanted the job. Of course he had gotten Dumbledore's permission first and he had made sure Dobby understood that he would be paid for his work. It had taken some coaxing on his part because Dobby felt that the honor of watching Harry Potter's son was payment enough, but he finally agreed with a little persistence on Harry's part.

Harry grabbed the bottle out of the small cabinet they kept them in and sat in the rocking chair Dumbledore had conjured for them. Rocking back and forth, he gently placed the nipple in Conlan's mouth and watched as he greedily drank the formula. Smiling at his son's fervor, he looked around their quarters and couldn't believe all the changes that had taken place in just one week. The day Madam Pomfrey said Hermione and the baby could leave the ward Dumbledore had come back with them to do some adjustments to their quarters. He had expanded the room and added the rocker along with a playpen and swing for Conlan. Harry was so grateful for everything Dumbledore had done for them this past year.

Hermione's parents had also been a great help this last week. They had watched Conlan during the day while him and Hermione were in their classes. They had helped as much as possible, including Jane teaching Harry how to change nappies and how to burp Conlan after he ate. They had left the castle this morning before classes started and Harry was sad to see them go. He knew Mrs. Granger also realized something wasn't right with Hermione, but she never said anything about it to him. They had spent every moment they could with Conlan before they left and had asked Harry if he and Hermione would bring the baby to come stay at their house after term was over. He had told them he would speak to Hermione about it and let them know. He had wanted to go to Grimmauld Place and start fixing it up, but with Hermione acting the way she was he thought it might be better for her to spend time with her parents.

Harry looked down at his son and noticed that he had fallen asleep while he had been lost in his thoughts. He gently stood up, cradling Conlan in his arms and made his way over to the bassinet. Trying not to wake him up, he lay him down just as gently and covered him with a blanket. Harry leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his son's forehead then changed into his sleep pants. Going over to his desk he took out the books he needed for his class work and started doing the assignment he had due in transfiguration the next day. About half an hour after he had started working the door opened and Hermione walked in looking very sullen. She started to walk over to the bed and Harry seeing this said "Hermione..."

"Not now Harry" said Hermione, waving him off and walking over to the side of their bed. She took a nightgown out of one of her drawers and made her way into the bathroom to change. That was another thing that had changed; Hermione refused to change her clothes in front of him anymore. He didn't understand why, he'd seen her naked plenty of times before. But the first night after she'd gotten out of hospital and they were getting ready for bed she had started to take her shirt off and stopped. Looking shy and embarrassed, she looked at Harry then took her nightgown and fled into the bathroom. It had been that way ever since; she would go in there in the morning to dress for classes and then again at night to get ready for bed. Sighing and running his hand through his hair in frustration he got up from his chair and went over to the bathroom door to wait for her to come out. After about five minutes the door opened and when Hermione came out Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. She stood there stiffly for a few moments and then pulled away quickly.

"What are you doing Harry?" she asked, sounding mad.

"I'm trying to hug my wife but for some reason she can't stand for me to touch her anymore" said Harry, becoming even more angry and frustrated with her.

"Maybe I don't want to be touched, did you ever think of that?" she asked, turning to walk away.

Harry grabbed her wrist and stopped her from walking away from him again. She tried to pull out of his grasp and he said "I think it's time you and I had a talk about what's going on with you."

She stopped struggling and asked "what do you mean, 'what's going on with me'? Nothing is going on with me. What, just because I'm not fawning all over you there's automatically something wrong?"

"It's not just about how you're treating me, Hermione, it's also how you're not taking care of Conlan" he saw an unfamiliar expression pass over her face as he said this and she wouldn't look at him anymore.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she said testily.

"What is wrong? Would you please talk to me? Conlan and I need you, can't you see that?" asked Harry quietly, hoping to get through to her and get her to talk to him finally.

"You two seem just fine by yourselves; I'm going to bed" she said, yanking her wrist free of his grasp.

"Hermione..." said Harry but stopped when she whipped around, glaring at him.

"You know what; I'm going to go sleep in the girl's dorm since you obviously won't leave me alone. I have classes tomorrow and I need to get some sleep!" She walked over and grabbed her robe off of the side of the bed. She hastily put it on and almost ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her. Conlan started crying immediately and Harry hurried over to comfort him. He picked his son up and put his head on his shoulder, rubbing his back and swaying back and forth. As Conlan snuggled into the crook of Harry's neck, finally settling down Harry made his way back to the rocker. He sat there thinking over everything that had just happened, unable to process exactly what he had done wrong. Conlan gave a soft sigh ofcontentment and Harry looked down at the now sleeping baby. "I don't think she wants us anymore Conlan" whispered Harry sadly, wondering what he had done to make the woman he loved not love him anymore. "It looks like it's just you and me little guy."

2. The Healing Begins

Just a quick note to say thank you for all of the great reviews! And just so you know, the chapter ends with some fluffy goodness! Please excuse my cheekiness, it's almost one in the morning and I'm tired! Once I'm on a roll though I hate stopping until the plot bunnies are out of my head!! :)

Harry awoke the next morning feeling like he hadn't slept at all. It was almost true; he'd only gotten maybe two hours tops. Between worrying about Hermione and waking up to feed Conlan, he was up and down all night. He crawled out of bed, checking on Conlan before making his way to the bathroom to shower. He'd gotten good at taking two minute showers lately. After toweling off and brushing his teeth, he got dressed for the day. By that time, Conlan had woke up and was ready to eat again. After giving him his bottle, he changed his nappy and dressed him for the day. Dobby usually showed up after breakfast was over, so Harry figured he would just take Conlan to the Great Hall with him. Just as they were about to walk out the door, it opened and in walked Hermione. He had to admit, she looked horrible. But to him, she deserved to feel like shit; that's how she was treating him and Conlan. She looked at him holding the baby and went to say something, but he completely ignored her and continued out the door. As he walked through the common room, Ginny met up with him and took Conlan from him. He was glad they had chosen Ginny to be Conlan's Godmother; she took the title seriously and spent a lot of time with him. Ron was pretty good at being a Godfather too. He usually played with Conlan right before going to bed, sometimes he would come into their quarters to see him. Ron loved putting him on their bed and blowing raspberries on his belly. Conlan seemed to love it too; he got excited and gurgled every time Ron played with him.

When they entered the Hall, Ginny sat next to Harry and Harry took Conlan from her so she could eat. He'd have to get used to eating one handed too. Cradling his son in the crook of his left arm, he started filling his plate with eggs, bacon and toast. As he started to scoop the eggs, a hand covered his on the handle of the spoon and he looked up to see Hermione.

"I don't need your help, thanks" said Harry rather nastily. He saw the hurt look pass over Hermione's face and felt a sadistic satisfaction. As soon as that passed, he felt sorry for hurting her that way. "Have a good sleep?" he asked her rather shortly.

"No, I didn't. Look, Harry you're right, we need to talk" she said with tears shining in her eyes.

"Now you want to talk? I tried to get you to talk to me last night and you ran out the door. Why should we talk now?" asked Harry. Conlan started to fuss so he started to lightly bounce him in his arm. "We can talk later; right now I need to eat and get Conlan back to the room so Dobby can watch him."

Hermione looked from Harry to Conlan and tentatively held out her hands. "Can I hold him?" she asked quietly.

"You don't have to ask Hermione, he's your son too" said Harry, passing the baby to her. The minute he was settled in Hermione's arms, Conlan started crying harder than Harry had ever heard him cry before. Hermione looked at him with a scared look on her face and handed him immediately back to Harry. Without a word she gathered her bag and almost ran out of the hall.

Ginny had noticed what had happened and asked "what was that all about Harry?"

"I have no idea" said Harry, noticing that Conlan had quieted down once again. "I wish I knew."

Hermione ran after she had gotten out of the Great Hall. She ran blindly through the corridors with no destination in mind. She stopped at a set of doors and realized that she was in front of the Hospital Ward. Standing there for a moment, she decided to go in and talk to Madam Pomfrey. Hermione felt so lost right now and Pomfrey had helped her so much when she was carrying Conlan. She walked back to the nurses office and lightly knocked on the closed door, hoping she was there. She almost sighed in relief as she heard the rattle of the doorknob and saw Madam Pomfreys face peeking out from the crack of the open door. "Hermione? Is everything ok?" asked the nurse, curious as to why she was there.

Hesitating for a moment, she said "no, no everything is not ok." Madam Pomfrey looked at Hermione in surprise and concern. She opened the door all the way and motioned for Hermione to come inside her office. Hermione walked in and sat in one of the chairs by Pomfrey's desk. She sat there nervously, worrying her lip and not meeting the nurse's gaze.

"Did you need to speak to me about something?" she asked.

Hermione sat quietly for a minute and finally looked up at Madam Pomfrey. The nurse's heart broke at the tears shining in the teens eyes. "I don't know who else I can talk to. My Mum was here, she saw what was going on and she didn't say a word about it" said Hermione despairingly.

"What did she see dear" asked the nurse, trying to coax Hermione into telling her what was wrong.

"That my son hates me!" said Hermione, bursting into tears.

"What are you talking about Hermione?" Madam Pomfrey was now getting an idea of what might be going on.

Sniffling and trying to pull herself together, Hermione wiped her eyes and said "I don't know what happened. When you released me from hospital, I went back to our quarters. I was so happy; I'm married to the guy I love and I have this beautiful son. Then I walked through the common room holding Conlan and I noticed some of the girls watching me. Something about the way they watched me walk across the room; they wore this expression that said 'I'm glad that's not me'." Hermione stopped to take a deep breath and said "I feel like my life is over before it's begun. I'm only sixteen; I'm not supposed to be a Mum already! And now every time I hold Conlan, he starts to cry like he can't stand me holding him! My own son doesn't want me!" Crying completely now, she blubbered "And Harry's so mad at me. I got mad last night and slept in the girls dorm; I couldn't stand to answer his questions. What would he think of me?"

Madam Pomfrey looked surprised at Hermione's outburst, and then a compassionate look settled on her face. "Hermione, what you are going through right now is perfectly normal, especially since you're from a muggle family. They normally call it post partum depression and lots of new Mums go through it." Reaching over to hand Hermione a tissue she continued with her explanation "As for your son hating you, there's no way an eight day old baby could hate his Mother. When you hold him, he can sense your fear of him and your anxiety about everything that's going on. He's been tethered to you for nine months; he can pick up on every emotion you are feeling. That's why he reacts that way; you just need to be calm so not to set him off."

"Really?" whispered Hermione hopefully. "What can I do to get back to normal Madam Pomfrey? I hate acting the way I am, but it seems like I don't have any control over it. I want my husband and son back."

Madam Pomfrey smiled at her and reached out, patting her leg comfortingly. She got up from her seat next to Hermione and walked over to where all her potion ingredients sat on a shelf. Selecting the ones she would need she brought them over to her desk and started mixing them into a rather large potion bottle. Putting the stopper in the bottle and shaking it for a moment, she got up to hand it to Hermione. "I want you to take one swallow of this when you get up in the morning and then again right before you go to bed at night. This will help to even out your emotions and when it's gone you should feel like your old self." Looking at Hermione with sympathy she said "I'm afraid you will have to fix your problems with Mr. Potter yourself. There is no potion that can do that for you."

Hermione gave her a small, watery smile while nodding her head in comprehension. Looking a bit embarrassed now, Hermione looked at Madam Pomfrey and said "thank you for listening to my ranting. I felt like I was going to burst if I didn't speak to someone and I thought you might understand with all the new Mums you've taken care of."

"That's my job my dear and you're not the first new mother to seek my help; there have been many that have gone through what you're going through right now. You just concentrate on getting better because if Conlan is anywhere near as powerful as Mr. Potter was when he was born you will need all your strength to deal with him." The nurse smiled at her and said "mark my words; with your intelligence and magical skills combined with your husband's power your son will be a great and powerful wizard."

Smiling at her, Hermione got up from her chair and did something very un-Hermione like; she hugged Madam Pomfrey. The nurse hugged her back, knowing she needed the assurance that everything would be ok. For all Pomfrey knew, she could be hugging the wife or mother of the greatest wizard in the world, depending on which Potter proved to be more powerful. Pomfrey knew if anyone could handle the Potter men, it would be the girl in front of her. Hermione pulled away and thanked her once again. Making sure she had the potion she was given, Hermione made her way out of the ward back to Gryffindor Tower. She had to get to class and think about how she was going to make amends with Harry.

Finally, Hermione's last class of the day was over and she was on her way back to Gryffindor Tower to find Harry. In the two classes they shared that day, he had refused to look at her when she tried to catch his attention. She finally gave up and resigned herself to waiting until classes were over that day. She said the password and made her way into the common room, looking around to see if Harry was there. When she didn't see him she went over to the door of her quarters and said the password again. She walked inside and what she saw caused a wave of jealousy to wash over her.

There in HER rocking chair sat Ginny holding HER son! Hermione had never felt so angry, so-so jealous in her life! Trying to suppress the urge to walk over and snatch her son out of Ginny's arms, she plastered on a fake smile and walked over to where she was.

"Oh hi Hermione! Harry went looking for you and asked if I could watch Conlan for a little while. I guess Dobby had to go help prepare the evening meal." She looked at Hermione closely and asked "is everything ok? I heard you slept in the dorm room last night instead of here."

Why that nosy little bi- "yes I slept in the dorm Ginny." Hermione tried to reign in the need to slap the shit out of Ginny right then and said "not that it's any of your business but Harry and I haven't been getting along lately."

Ginny picked up on the anger in her tone and quirked an eyebrow up, giving her a questioning look. "I know the two of you haven't been getting along lately; I think all the Gryffindors noticed something was up."

'Know-it-all little hussy' thought Hermione, and then stopped in surprise at her thoughts. Shaking herself to break out of her mood, she said "why don't you let me watch Conlan until Harry gets back. He is my son after all."

"Of course he is" Ginny said, sounding like she was placating her. "I just love spending time with my Godson. He's such a sweet baby, but I'm sure you know that."

"Sure I do" said Hermione with a fake smile and sickeningly sweet tone of voice. "Well, I'll see you later Ginny" she said, hoping Ginny would take the hint. Nodding her head, Ginny got up and went to hand Conlan over to her. Shaking her head, Hermione asked "why don't you lay him in his bassinet? I'm going to change out of my clothes and then I'll pick him up."

Ginny just looked at her for a second then took Conlan over to the bassinet to lay him down. "I'll tell Harry that you're in here with the baby if I see him" said Ginny as she made her way to the door.

"Ok, thanks" said Hermione, not turning to look at her friend. Ginny stood by the door just watching Hermione and questioning herself about how she was acting. Realizing that Hermione wasn't going to say anything more to her, Ginny walked out the door into the common room.

'Thought she'd never leave' thought Hermione as she took out some comfortable clothes to change into. Finding a pair of black sweatpants and one of Harry's shirts she had taken from him, she took off her skirt and unbuttoned her shirt. Sliding the shirt down her arms, she looked down at her stomach and couldn't stand what she saw. Her once flat stomach now looked like a pouch that a kangaroo has, just without an opening. The skin was hanging and she was still pudgy from the weight she gained while carrying Conlan. She hated her body and was embarrassed to change in front of Harry anymore. She noticed the weird looks he'd give her when she would go change in the bathroom. But she knew if he saw her undressed that he would be just as disgusted as she was with her body.

She pulled her sweatpants on and just as she picked up her t-shirt she heard the door open. Covering herself with the shirt she looked over to see Harry standing there watching her. "Ginny told me you were in here" he said, not taking his eyes off of her.

Hermione was squirming under his steady gaze; why was he looking at her like that? There was no disgust on his face, he looked almost in awe as he stared. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and asked "why are you looking at me like that?"

Snapping out of his stupor, Harry looked at Hermione's face and thought he saw fear there. 'Fear of what?' he wondered. She couldn't be scared of him, he'd never done anything to hurt her. "Like what?" he asked wanting to know what she was thinking.

"I-I don't know, like you can't believe what you're seeing" she said quietly. "I know my body is ugly and I don't blame you for not wanting me anymore."

'What?' he thought surprised at her statement. "WHAT?" he said voicing his thoughts. "Wherever did you get that idea?" he asked.

"I...I don't know, just the way you look at me sometimes. It makes me feel like you don't like what you see" she said, voicing her fears.

Harry's face fell as she said this. He couldn't believe that his Hermione, the independent know-it-all girl was standing before him scared of what he thought of her body. He started walking towards her and watched her for a reaction. She looked like a wide-eyed fawn caught in the headlights of a car; scared and unable to move. He stopped when he was standing right in front of her and slowly reached down to grab the t-shirt out of her hand. She seemed to grip it tighter at first but at his persistence she finally let it go. Tossing the shirt on the bed, Harry looked at her to see that she was looking at the floor now. He put his finger under her chin and raised it until she was eye-level with him. When she still wouldn't look him in the eye Harry softly whispered "Hermione."

At the desperate sound in his voice she raised her eyes to meet his, seeing a pleading look there. Moving his hands to grab hers, he moved his gaze from her eyes and let it travel down her body. He could feel her stiffen as he did this and he squeezed her hands in encouragement. When his eyes completed their journey and he was staring into her eyes once again he smiled at her and said "you're beautiful."

She looked at him for a moment and said "how can you say that? I have skin hanging from my stomach in a very grotesque way."

Harry's smile turned sad as he realized she didn't believe him. He cupped her face with his hands and caressing her cheeks with his thumbs said "when I look at you, I see the woman that sacrificed her body for nine months so that our son could grow and be born healthy. I see the woman that gave me a son at the sacrifice of so many things and not once did she complain. I don't care what you're body looks like Hermione, I love you no matter what. It's not your looks that turn me on, it's how sweet, caring and giving you are. You and Conlan are my family now and nothing is going to change that, ever."

Tears had formed in Hermione's eyes as he said this and she felt her love for him well up inside of her. She couldn't believe she was looking at a sixteen year old boy; no one his age could be so wise. Smiling a real smile for the first time in a very long time, she wrapped her arms around his neck, relishing in how good it felt to hold him again. When he wrapped his arms around her too she felt so safe and loved. She thought she would never feel that way again. "I love you Hermione, always" Harry whispered in her ear, making chills run down her spine. She knew now that he meant every word he said; how foolish she had been acting lately! Pulling away from Harry she stared at him meaningfully and leaned in to give him a kiss. When her lips met his, Hermione felt the familiar thrill run through her body. She couldn't remember the last time they had done this. Harry parted his lips and ran his tongue over her bottom lip, seeking entrance. When she opened to him, he slipped his tongue inside and groaned at how good it felt. Slowly exploring each others mouth, they stood kissing each other until they needed to stop for air. Leaning his forehead onto hers, he wrapped his arms around her waist and asked "are we ok now?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I acted the way I did. There is more we need to talk about though" explained Hermione. Conlan chose that moment to start fussing in the bassinet and Harry went to pick him up.

"What else do we need to discuss?" he asked curiously.

"You know what, that can wait until later tonight" said Hermione, envying the way Harry interacted with Conlan. "How about the three of us go down to dinner?"

"Sounds good, I'm starved" said Harry. He walked over to where Conlan's bottles were and picked one up. Turning to see Hermione putting her shirt on, he waited for her to get her shoes on also then motioned her over towards him. Cradling Conlan in his left arm and placing his right hand on Hermione's lower back, the three left to go down to dinner together for the first time since Conlan's birth.

*Before anyone flames me for not knowing what I'm talking about, I want to let you know that I know a lot about post partum depression. I suffered through it after both my sons were born. It's a very sad, lonely and scary time and I wanted to try to convey that through Hermione. I'm sure anyone who's gone through it knows what I mean. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks! :) MisCard

3. Discovery

~I want to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out. It's been a rough week and I just couldn't find time to sit down and write. I am now willingly unemployed, so I hope to get the next chapter out faster. Thanks for the encouraging reviews, I love that you like what I write!!~

The last week of classes seemed to fly by for Harry and Hermione. They both had end of term exams to take and were trying to take turns studying while taking care of Conlan. Two nights they had gotten Dobby to watch him in their quarters while they studied in the common room and then the other nights they would set him in the swing in the common room and if he cried they would take turns calming him down or one of the lower year students would take him out and play with him. They were both grateful to all of the Gryffindors; they had all taken to Conlan and would help Harry and Hermione as much as possible.

Things had gotten better between Harry and Hermione. Hermione still had her down days, but the potion Madam Pomfrey gave her seemed to be helping. Plus the fact that Harry seemed to be the most understanding guy on the planet helped too. He tried to assure her of his love and attraction to her every day and he also could tell when she just needed a little space. The only thing that bugged Harry was her interaction with Conlan. She seemed almost...afraid of him somehow. He couldn't understand how Hermione could be afraid of her own son, but that's just the feeling he got when he watched the two together. And she never held him for very long either. If he needed changed or fed, she would pick him up, do what was needed then put him right back in the bassinet. Harry wouldn't admit it to anyone, but a few nights ago he had snuck down to the library and found a book on new mums. He had read through a few of the chapters and had found out that Hermione wasn't bonding with their son. It said that a mother-baby bond was the most important thing in a childs life and that had him worried. He had thought that she had bonded with the baby while she was carrying him, but then since he's been born she seemed unable to take care of him and didn't want to be around him very much.

The night before their last exam, Harry and Hermione decided to stay in their room to study since Conlan was asleep. Harry had to go to the library to get a book on one of the curses they had studied in Defense Against The Dark Arts and had left Hermione with Conlan. Hermione was a little nervous, but she figured that since he was asleep it would be ok. She continued on with her studying for about twenty minutes before Conlan started crying. Her whole body tensed up at the sound and she looked towards the bassinet trying to decide what to do. He started crying even harder and she finally got up to walk over and pick him up. She cradled him awkwardly in her arms as she got a bottle and sat in the rocking chair. He drank for a few minutes and then spit the nipple out, crying once again. Hermione didn't know what to do so she lay him down on the bed and checked his diaper. Seeing that he was dry she picked him up and lay his head on her shoulder like she had seen Harry do so many times before. Walking around the room and lightly bouncing him, Hermione was getting desperate as the baby cried even harder.

"What's wrong Conlan?" she asked, knowing he couldn't answer. She kept jiggling him but it only seemed to make things worse. She tried rubbing his back and then rocking him in the rocker only to be met with a flood of tears. "What do you want?!" she asked, frustrated. Why wouldn't he stop crying? She'd done everything she'd seen Harry do before but it wasn't working. She was feeling so uncomfortable, not knowing what to do. 'But I know how to fix almost anything' she thought to herself 'why can't I fix this?'

The feeling that her baby hated her came upon her again with a vengeance. She got up and lay on the bed, laying Conlan next to her and snuggling him to her side. As he continued to cry, she joined in with him, huge tears running down her face. 'I'm a horrible Mother' she thought to herself, crying even harder.

Poor Harry had no idea what he was walking into when he said the password to their quarters and stepped inside. He heard the crying first, then looking towards the bed he spotted Hermione with Conlan laying by her side, both of them crying quite loudly.

"Hermione?" said Harry, hurrying towards the bed, starting to get worried. "What's wrong? Is it Conlan; is something wrong with you?"

Hermione sniffled quite loudly and looked at Harry with tears swimming in her eye. "He-he started crying and I couldn't get him to stop. What's wrong with him Harry? Why doesn't he want me to hold him?"

Harry finally got the answer to the question that had been plaguing him all week. Hermione thought her own baby didn't want to be around her. Reaching down to pick Conlan up, Harry put his head up on his shoulder and bounced him while rubbing his back. Hermione looked up at the two of them and started to cry again. Harry looked at her sympathetically and said "there's nothing wrong with him 'Mione. He probably needs to burp is all. What's going on?"

Hermione realized that she would have to explain to Harry the way she'd been feeling lately. This was one thing she hadn't explained to Harry during their discussion that one night a week ago. "I-I don't know what to do with him Harry. I'm used to being able to figure everything out, but I just can't seem to do that with Conlan. I do everything I see you do with him, but it doesn't calm him down when I do it. He's up at all hours of the night, he spits up all the time and some of his diapers should be labeled toxic waste." She sighed quite loudly and said "I just don't think I can be a Mum."

Harry looked at her, shocked at what she had said. "What do you mean, you don't think you can be a Mum? You don't get a choice Hermione. This isn't like you; are you saying you don't want Conlan and I anymore?"

"No, no that's not what I'm saying. I just feel so...stupid when I'm around Conlan. I have no idea what to do with him" exclaimed Hermione, surprised that Harry had thought she didn't want them.

"If you would have taken care of him his first week you would have gotten to know him better; that's how I learned and it wasn't easy. This isn't how it's supposed to be Hermione; you're his Mum and he needs you. I grew up without a Mum and let me tell you, no child should have to do that" Harry said, trying to hide the disappointment he felt in Hermione. "He's counting on us Hermione, we're the ones who are supposed to teach him right from wrong."

Hermione felt ashamed of herself. What would she have done without her own Mum? She looked at Harry and again was struck with how comfortable he looked holding Conlan. "Can you show me how to hold him? You know, like you do?"

Harry looked at her and felt a little hope blossom inside his heart. "Sure, it's easy" he said, walking over to where she was standing. He picked Conlan up off of his shoulder, making sure to support his head and turned him so he was facing Hermione. "Just lay his head up on your shoulder" he said and watched as Hermione took the baby from him and put his head on her shoulder. The baby started to fuss and Harry said "no, see you need to put his head up higher on your shoulder. Like this" and Harry scooted Conlan up higher on her shoulder. The baby quieted down and snuggled into the crook of Hermione's neck. A small smile blossomed on Hermione's face at the feel of the baby snuggled into her neck like that and the baby released a soft sigh.

"See, he's almost asleep already. He just likes to be held specific ways; I guess he's a perfectionist, like his mother" Harry said with a smile on his face.

Hermione mock-glared at him and went to sit in her rocker. "Why don't you put him in his bassinet?" Harry asked.

"I want to hold him like this for a little while" she said, closing her eyes while she rocked slowly.

"Ok" said Harry, happy that the two were finally content with each other. He walked back over to his desk and continued to study for his exams.

That night after Hermione had spent some time with Conlan, they had both studied until they were exhausted. They collapsed into bed around one in the morning and fell instantly asleep. Hermione had been sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning in the bed as her eyes moved under her closed eyelids.

"Hermione" a faint, soft feminine voice called out into the silence of their room. Hermione twitched but did not wake up. "Hermione" it said again, this time a little louder. Hermione's eyes popped open and she looked around the room, wondering what it was that had woke her up. She looked towards Conlan's bassinet, but he was sound asleep. "Hermione, come to me" said the voice, and Hermione felt fear course through her. 'Who could that be?' she thought to herself as she got out of bed and put her robe on over her nightgown. She walked over to the door of their quarters and opened it, peering into the darkness of the Common Room. Seeing no movement there and hearing no noise she made her way over to the couch. "Hermione, come find me" she heard again and realized it was coming from outside the portrait hole. Making her way slowly towards it, she paused for a moment, wondering if she should pursue her curiosity. Deciding to investigate, she pushed the door open and walked out into the corridor. "This way Hermione" the feminine voice said and she turned to her right, making her way to the staircase. She kept walking and following the sound of the voice until she found herself in front of the door to the Room of Requirement.

'Why would I need to come here?' she thought and slowly placed her hand on the door knob. Turning it, she opened the door and peered inside, hoping there wouldn't be anyone dangerous waiting there. Her eyes scanned the room and she gasped at what she saw. There, floating in mid air in the middle of the room was a golden scepter. It was half as tall as Hermione was and seemed to glow with an internal radiance. Hermione looked to the top of the scepter and saw what she thought was a lotus-bud. Something about the scepter seemed to draw her closer and she tried to resist, but the pull seemed to strong to ignore. Just as she walked up to it, she heard the voice again "welcome my child. Do not be afraid, take what is yours."

Hermione furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering what the voice meant by 'take what is yours'. How could this scepter possibly be hers. Her Gryffindor courage kicked in and she decided to grab the scepter to see what would happen. The minute her hand wrapped around it she felt power rush through every cell in her body and there was a glow about her that was blinding. After a minute of this display it stopped and she blinked, trying to adjust her eyes once again to the darkness. Her body thrummed with power as she took in every detail of the scepter. Something about her holding it felt very right and she was trying to remember if she ever read anything that could help to answer what had just happened. Coming to her senses, she bent down to put the scepter onto the floor and stopped abruptly as the voice said "do not put it back. It is yours now, take it and guard it with your life."

Hermione stood for a moment, contemplating what she should do. After a few minutes she decided to take it back to her quarters and she would go to see Dumbledore before breakfast. Maybe he would know where this scepter came from and why it had called out to her. Walking out of the room, she made her way back to the Common Room and back into her quarters. Placing the scepter on her bedside table, she took off her robe and crawled back under the covers falling right back to sleep. Unknown to Hermione, the scepter gave off a faint glow that was exactly like the glow that emitted from her body as she slept.

Harry and Hermione woke early the next morning, Hermione grabbing the shower first before Conlan woke up. She had made up her mind to be a good mother to him and that meant that she would feed and dress him this morning. After showering, doing her hair and getting dressed she started to gather her books together for her classes as Conlan started to fuss. She turned to make her way to the bassinet when she saw the scepter on the stand next to her bed. She had forgotten all about her night time treasure hunt and stared at it for a moment. Conlan's cries snapped her out of her daze and she walked over to pick him up. She cradled him in her arms and walked over to the cabinet to get his morning bottle. She walked over to the rocker and fed him, loving how comfortable she was starting to feel around her son. She rocked back and forth slowly, humming a lullaby her Mum used to sing to her when she was little.

Harry had just stepped out of the bathroom and saw Hermione feeding Conlan in the rocker. He stood listening to her humming and smiled, proud of her for finally getting past her fears and enjoying their son. He turned to make his way over to the side of the bed when suddenly the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. Recognizing this as a sign that danger was near, he froze and looked around the room. He looked towards Hermione and couldn't believe the sight in front of him. She had stopped humming and sat on the rocker with Conlan, just like she had a minute before. But now there was a soft glow around her and her hair blew in a non-existent breeze. Walking towards her, he stopped when he was directly in front of her and noticed her eyes were glazed over and she wasn't blinking.

"Hermione?" he asked, hoping to get an answer. When none came, he reached out his hand to caress her cheek and was zapped with a jolt of electricity the minute he made contact with her skin. He worriedly looked down at Conlan and noticed that the baby was surrounded with the same blue shield that was around him and Hermione before as he just lay there looking at her with what looked to be fascination, not affected at all. He didn't move or cry, he just watched her while still sucking on his bottle. Harry's attention was brought back to Hermione as she started talking in a voice that was feminine, but not hers.

"The green-eyed savior has failed
for evil still walks the earth in disguise.
As the sixth month dies, evil will rise again
and seek out the marked savior of the world.
The marked savior must succeed
where the green-eyed savior could not
and the light will turn to the dark
unless the scepter's twin is found."

Hermione became quiet once again as her head drooped down and the glow subsided. Shaking her head, she looked up at Harry and saw the look of fear in his eyes.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked, then looked down at Conlan whose shield had disappeared and was just staring at her. Seeing that he seemed to be ok, she looked back up at Harry and waited for him to answer. When he just continued to stare, she got impatient and said "well, what is it?"

"You-you just said..." he stuttered out, then trying to pull himself together he said "I think you just gave a prophecy."

"WHAT?! I wouldn't give a prophecy, I don't even believe in divination. How...but...what did I say?" she asked, becoming frantic.

"Something about me failing and that evil was still around in disguise. Then something about the sixth month...look, why don't we go to Dumbledore's office and I'll see if he'll let me use his pensieve? That way I can put the memory of the prophecy into it and you can watch it with Dumbledore."

Shook up and confused by what Harry had described, she just mutely nodded her head and stood up with Conlan. Taking the now empty bottle and putting him up on her shoulder, she started to burp him while making her way out the door with Harry close behind. The pair made their way through the common room, ignoring the calls of their friends. As they walked through the portrait hole and down the corridor, Hermione was almost scared to consider what had just happened. 'Did it have something to do with the scepter I found?' she thought as she walked quietly next to Harry.

As if reading her mind, Harry said "I'm sure Dumbledore will be able to explain to us what happened with you in our quarters. Try not to worry, ok?"

Nodding her head in agreement, she felt Harry wrap his arm around her waist, hoping to comfort her. She smiled her thanks to him and thought 'I hope it's nothing to worry about, for my family's sake.'

4. A Quest For Information

Harry and Hermione made their way to the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office and Harry said "chocolate frog". The gargoyle slid aside and they made their way up the stairs. Knocking on the door, Harry heard a faint "come in" so he opened the door and walked into the office. Walking over to Dumbledore's desk where he sat writing on a sheet of parchment, Harry and Hermione sat in the two chairs that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

Dumbledore finished what he was writing and looked up at them. "Harry, Hermione to what do I owe the pleasure so early this morning?" he asked, curious as to why they were there.

"Well, Sir, something strange just happened to Hermione" said Harry. The Headmaster cocked an eyebrow in question and looked towards Hermione who sat holding a fussing Conlan. Dumbledore got up from his seat and walked over to her, holding out his hands for the baby. Smiling, Hermione handed him over and watched as the baby immediately calmed down in Dumbledore's arms.

"Ah, children are so sensitive to their parent's feelings, it is the strangest thing. Obviously this is something that has you both very concerned, so why don't you explain what happened" Dumbledore said while smiling down at Conlan, and then looking at them.

"Well, Sir it started just a little bit ago..." Harry started to explain but was interrupted by Hermione "it actually started last night Sir."

Harry looked at Hermione confused. "What do you mean it started last night?"

"There's something that happened that I haven't told you about yet. Something woke me up last night and I heard this female voice calling my name. It kept calling to me, telling me to follow it, so I did. It led me to the Room of Requirement. I carefully opened the door because I thought it might have been a trap, but there was no one in the room. There was just this, I guess it's a scepter, floating in the middle of the room. She stopped for a moment and noticed the shocked look on Harry's face and the inquisitive one on Dumbledore's. "Anyway, I walked in and the voice told me not to be afraid and to take what was mine. I walked up to the scepter and grabbed it; suddenly I could feel power course through my entire body. I've never felt that powerful, not even when I had tapped into Conlan's magic."

"And where is the scepter now?" asked Dumbledore.

"In our quarters" Hermione replied quietly.

"WHAT?! You brought it back to our room without knowing what it was?!" exclaimed Harry, quite mad.

"I didn't feel that I was putting any of us in danger Harry. It felt like it belonged to me; I can't explain it but I knew that it was mine and I needed to keep it" Hermione said, trying to calm Harry down.

"What does the scepter look like?" Dumbledore asked, walking over to one of his bookcases while still holding Conlan.

"It's about half as tall as I am, it's gold and has a lotus bud on the top of it" Hermione said and Dumbledore's head snapped around to look at her.

"Are you sure that's an accurate description?" he asked, looking worried all of a sudden.

"Yes, I sat staring at it for a while last night. Why, what do you know about it?" she asked, getting concerned.

"Well, if I remember correctly, it is the scepter of Hera and dates back to ancient Greek times when Zeus was Ruler of the Gods and Goddesses" Dumbledore explained while pulling a book out of the bookcase. Walking over to Hermione, he handed Conlan back to her and sat down behind his desk once again. Flipping the book open, he held his hand over the pages and they magically turned on their own. Once he saw the chapter he was looking for, he stopped them and started to read. "Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus. Zeus tricked Hera into marrying him and was quite unfaithful to her. Because of this infidelity, Hera created a son from her own body; his name was Hephaestus" seeing the shocked looks on the two teens faces, he skipped ahead a few pages in the book. "Hera was the Goddess of Marriage and the Protector of Married Women; the symbol most associated with her is a Lion."

"Wow" said Harry, looking wide-eyed at Hermione, and then looking at Dumbledore. "But what does the scepter have to do with Hermione?"

"I suspect that somewhere in her lineage she is related to Hera" replied Dumbledore. "It may explain why you two were drawn together also; Prometheus and Hera both despised Zeus. One for his infidelity and the other for his hatred of Mortals. They tried to overthrow him, but they were unsuccessful and punished severely."

"Ok, but there is still the event that happened this morning. I had just gotten out of the shower and walked out to see Hermione rocking Conlan as he ate. Then suddenly she went into a trance and started speaking in a voice that wasn't hers." Looking at Dumbledore with a very concerned look, Harry said "I think she gave a prophecy this morning. Do you think it has something to do with the scepter she found?"

Getting up and walking over to a table against the wall, Dumbledore removed a cloth that was draped over an object there, revealing his pensieve. "Harry, will you come here please?" he asked.

Harry walked over to him and he instructed "I want you to think of the event that happened this morning, try to remember every detail." Harry closed his eyes and shook his head, affirming that he had the memory. Dumbledore removed his wand from the pocket in his robes and put the tip to Harry's right temple. Pulling the tip away from his temple, a silvery wisp of light followed the wand as Dumbledore brought it down and touched the tip to the silvery substance in the pensieve.

Dumbledore swirled the substance around with his wand and looked at Hermione, motioning for her to join them. "We are going to have to go in and watch the memory" he said and she handed Conlan over to Harry. "What do you mean we'll have to 'go in'?" she asked confused.

"Just take my hand" said Dumbledore, holding his hand out to her. She took it and Dumbledore bent down, touching his nose to the silvery, shimmering substance. He was immediately pulled in, with Hermione following close behind. They both landed on their feet and Hermione saw that they were in her quarters. She noticed she was sitting with Conlan in her rocking chair; she and Dumbledore watched as she zoned out and spoke in that strange voice she had heard last night. When the memory was through, they both found themselves standing once again in Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had a troubled expression on his face as he walked back over to his desk and started leafing through the book once again. "Just as I feared" he said as he located what he had been looking for.

"What is it Headmaster?" asked Hermione, becoming worried at his troubled expression.

"The scepter's twin mentioned in the prophecy you gave is the scepter of Zeus" he explained.

"How did I give a bloody prophecy!?" she asked, becoming frustrated. Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up at her outburst and she mumbled "sorry, but I don't believe in divination and there's no way I gave a prophecy. That job belongs to that fraud, Professor Trelawney."

Chuckling to himself at her behavior, Dumbledore asked "when you touched the scepter last night, you said you felt a surge of power run through your body, correct?" When Hermione nodded yes, he said "I believe it may have given you some of Hera's powers. She was known for her gift of prophecy and foresight; she was also well known for bestowing that gift on a few people."

Hermione dropped into the chair she had previously sat in, shaking her head in dismay. "I don't want to be a prophet; I have enough to worry about with Conlan and Harry" she said mostly to herself.

"Do we need to be worried about this scepter of Zeus?" Harry asked, sitting down in the chair next to her.

"Most definitely. During the first war with Voldemort, I did some research into his family's lineage and found that his blood line dates back to Zeus. The lightening bolt scar on your head also goes back to Zeus; the weapon he used in battle was a thunderbolt. The fact that the curse he used left the lightening bolt scar on you affirmed that he was in fact an ancestor of Zeus." Both Harry and Hermione's heads shot up at this and they stared wide-eyed at Dumbledore, afraid of where this story was going. "The prophecy Hermione gave mentioned that evil still walked the earth in disguise. It is possible that you didn't kill Voldemort in Malfoy Manor as you thought, Harry."

"But I saw him, his body was reduced to ashes" exclaimed Harry, becoming even more worried.

"He has survived before when we thought him to be dead. Remember Professor Quirell?" Dumbledore looked at them for a moment and said quietly "the green-eyed savior and the marked savior could both be you Harry, but I doubt it. It could be Conlan that is the marked savior; have you noticed any odd markings on his body?"

"No" said Harry and Hermione together. "Couldn't it also mean that Voldemort, if he is still alive, has marked Conlan as his next target?"

"That is an excellent point Mrs. Potter" said Dumbledore, thinking over what she just said. "Either way, the scepter of Zeus needs to be found as soon as possible and destroyed. That job, I am afraid, goes to you Hermione."

"ME?! Why me?" she asked confused.

"The scepter of Hera has sought you out, so that means that you are the only one that can use the magic it possesses. Using the scepter is the only way to locate the scepter of Zeus." Seeing the looks of disbelief on Harry and Hermione's faces, he said "I would not ask this of you if there were any other way. I will contact your parents Mrs. Potter and have them come to the school the day after classes have finished. The five of you will be going to Greece to find the scepter of Zeus." After pausing thoughtfully for a moment, he said "I will also send Remus and Tonks with you; they will act as guards for you and your family. I will also clear it with the Ministry so that you can use magic without getting into trouble. You are going to need to be able to protect yourselves and Conlan. If Voldemort has any knowledge of his heritage and if he has found another host for his spirit, he will be out to find the scepter also." Looking at them with a very grave look on his face, Dumbledore said "if he gets his hands on it, he will gain the immortality he has been after all these years. Merlin help us if that happens."

Harry and Hermione just sat there, trying to take in all the information they had just been given and the possibility of another grave, life threatening journey. "What are we supposed to do once we get to Greece?" asked Harry, not believing what Dumbledore was asking them to do.

"I will see if I can find a book that has the last known whereabouts of the scepter, and you can start from there. I will also ask Remus to find out all he can before your trip. You had better get some breakfast before classes start; big exams today you know and you wouldn't want to take them on an empty stomach!"

Looking at Dumbledore like he was nutters. Harry and Hermione stood up, then made their way out of his office. "I've always wanted to go to Greece, but not like this" said Hermione, shaking her head in disbelief. "How can he ask us to do this?" she asked.

"This time it's you that has to stop Voldemort, not me" replied Harry. "Don't worry Hermione, with Remus and Tonks with us we should be ok. Plus we'll have your parents along to help with Conlan."

"Yeah, that's a really calming thought" said Hermione sarcastically and the two walked down to the Great Hall to eat.

Lucius Malfoy sat in the dank, dark room that Voldemort liked to reside in inside of his lair. He sat rubbing his temples, trying to ease the pain of his throbbing head. All he could hear anymore was Voldemort's voice in his head, always telling him what to do like some puppet master. He just wanted to scream and drown out the high-pitched menace that seemed to dominate his thoughts.

There was a light knock on the door and Lucius gritted out "enter" while still messaging his temples. The bent form of Wormtail slunk into the room, bowing in front of Lucius. When he looked up, he saw it was Lucius sitting there and not his Master. Standing up straight, he asked "why are you sitting in our Master's chair?"

Lucius stopped his ministrations and glared at Wormtail, Voldemort taking over Lucius's mind and body as his eyes took on the same red glow that Voldemort's had. "You dare to question me?" roared Malfoy, but it was Voldemort's voice that was heard. Wormtail hit the ground groveling and stuttered "M-Master, what h-has happened t-to y-you?"

"Potter" Voldemort said, using Malfoy like a ventriloquist's dummy. Lucius hated that he could never use his own voice anymore. "After you sniveling idiots disappeared like cowards, he set my body on fire. When he left thinking I was dead, my spirit left my destroyed body and took refuge in Malfoy's body. He has been a most gracious host" explained Voldemort.

Wormtail stayed groveling on the floor as he said "it seems Rookwood has found out some interesting information at the Ministry Master."

"And why are you here telling me this instead of Rookwood? Send him in, I want to hear it from his mouth, not yours" shouted Voldemort, angry with the coward in front of him.

Wormtail got up, shaking in fear and backing out of the room. He backed up against the door and spun quickly to open it, afraid of being punished by Voldemort for making him mad. The door closed behind him and two minutes later Rookwood walked in. He walked up to Lucius and looked at him strangely. "What are you doing here? I was told to come speak to my Master, not to you."

"I am your Master you imbecile. If you would have stuck around Malfoy Manor you would have known that I inhabited Malfoy's body to survive." Glaring at Rookwood, Voldemort asked impatiently "I was told you have information for me?"

"Yes, Master, I have found out some very interesting things while looking through some of the Ministry's records. I overheard Remus Lupin talking to Nymphadora Tonks and it seems that your lineage dates back all the way to Zeus." A strange look came upon Malfoy's face as Voldemort asked "And why should I care about that?"

"After I found out about your ties to Zeus, I did some research on him. He had a scepter that was with him at all times and contained most of his power. Zeus was immortal and I have found a way for you to use his scepter to gain your own immortality" Rookwood explained, hoping to please Voldemort.

"And where is this scepter?" asked Voldemort, his mind reeling with the possibilities the scepter could hold.

"I don't know, I was unable to find it's exact location. All I know is that it is in Greece" Rookwood explained, noticing the angry expression on Lucius's face.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Whipping out his wand, Voldemort said "Crucio!" and watched as Rookwood squirmed in pain on the floor. After a couple of minutes he lifted the curse and said "you will find where the scepter is located and you will retrieve it for me. Is that understood, Rookwood?"

"Y-Yes Master" said Rookwood, still lying on the floor feeling the effects of the curse.

"And tell Nott to find out exactly how I am to use the scepter to gain my immortality" ordered Voldemort. "Now get out of my sight and get to work."

Getting up shakily and bowing, Rookwood stood and quickly made his way out of the room. "Well Lucius" thought Voldemort "you may soon get your body back and I may get the immortality I've always wanted. Then I can take care of Potter and his family once and for all!"

After their meeting with Dumbledore, Harry and Hermione took Conlan back up to their quarters so that Dobby could take care of him while they were in classes. They grabbed the books they needed and headed off to their Defense Against The Dark Arts class. After taking that exam along with two others that day, they made their way slowly back to Gryffindor Tower, exhausted. Hermione kept trying to keep her mind off of what Dumbledore had told them this morning, but it was no use. She was afraid to see her exam grades because her thoughts wandered all during class. After excusing Dobby from his job and thanking him, Harry walked over and collapsed onto the bed as Hermione walked over to pick Conlan up out of his bassinet. She walked over to the rocker and put his head up onto her shoulder like Harry had showed her, then turned her head so that her nose was pressed into his hair. "I don't think there is anything that smells as good as a baby" she said, then kissed his forehead. She looked down into his face and was happily surprised to see him smiling at her.

"Harry!" she yelled, jolting Harry awake just as he had fallen asleep. "Harry, look. He's smiling at me!"

Harry jumped up off the bed and quickly walked to her side, just noticing the smile before it dropped off of Conlan's face. "Wow, his first smile" he said, smiling a proud smile, glad he got to see it.

"And it was at me" said Hermione, happiness radiating off of her.

"Of course it was at you, you're his Mum" said Harry, bending down and placing a quick kiss on her lips and then kissing Conlan's cheek. "Are you starting to feel more comfortable with him now?" he asked.

"I'm feeling a little more confidant and comfortable with him" she said "it helps that my hormones are starting to go back to normal too."

"We've been through a lot this year, haven't we?" When Hermione nodded yes, he said "I'm just glad you and I made it through everything together." He reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly as he said "I love you Hermione, more than I could ever tell you."

"I love you too Harry" she said, squeezing his hand back. "You don't have to tell me how much you love me; you showed me when you stuck by me when I was being so horrible to you and Conlan. I think most other teenage boys would have given up and left."

"I wouldn't leave you, you are my family now and I'm not going to lose you willingly" he said, smiling at her as his love shone brightly in his eyes. Hermione thought she must have been the luckiest girl in the world to snag a guy like Harry.

A sharp knock on the door brought them out of their serious mood and Harry walked over to open the door. There in front of him stood Remus and Tonks, who had bright purple hair today. "Wotcher Harry! I hear we're going on a trip!"

Tonks walked by him into the room, making a beeline for Conlan and immediately started fussing over him. Remus walked in after her, smiling as he watched her. As she started talking silly baby talk to Conlan, Harry smiled at Remus and said "I think this is going to be a very interesting summer!"

~To see a picture of the scepter of Hera, go to http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/image?lookup=1990.03.0270&type=vase

~To see a picture of Zeus holding his scepter go to http://www.tunisiadaily.com/answers/wonders/zeus.html It's not really a close up, but will give you a general idea.

**I found something really interesting as I researched Greek mythology. Did you know that there really is such a thing as the Philosopher's Stone? And there really was such a person named Nicholas Flamel? Want to see pictures? Go to www.crystalinks.com/flamel.html for Nicholas Flamel and go to www.crystalinks.com/philosopherstone.html . I don't mean to sound like a geek or anything, but I didn't know these two things were real and I was blown away when I came across them. I thought they were just products of JK Rowling's wonderful imagination!! Please review!! Thanks!**

5. Hints Of What May Come

~*Thanks again for all of the great reviews! I think I covered some of the questions posed in some of the reviews, the rest will be answered in the coming chapters. Thanks to me missing my husband terribly, there is some fluff in here too. I still have three and a half months to go until I can see him, so I'm living vicariously through H/Hr. Aren't I pathetic? :( Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always please review!!!*~

The next day was spent packing everything they would need for their trip to Greece. Between Harry, Hermione and Conlan they had quite a lot of luggage to take with them. All of the other students would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go home for summer break after breakfast was over and they would be the last students left in the quiet castle. They were scheduled to leave the next morning at 6 a.m. so they figured they would spend the rest of their afternoon making sure everything was packed and ready to go.

Harry and Hermione, who was holding Conlan, went down to breakfast and noticed all the excited whispers as they sat down to eat. Everyone was looking forward to going home for the summer. Hermione's parents were due to arrive by floo at one that afternoon and would be staying in Harry and Hermione's room for the night. Dumbledore had added a bed for them along with expanding the room once again. Ron and Ginny came over, sitting across from them at the table.

"Hey guys!" said Ginny cheerfully. "Oh, can I hold Conlan Hermione?" she asked, smiling at the baby.

"Sure" said Hermione, carefully passing him across the table to her. "Are you guys ready to go back to the Burrow?"

Ron looked at her with a weird expression on his face. "What do you mean? We're not going home; didn't Dumbledore tell you?"

"Tell us what exactly?" asked Harry, wondering what was being kept from them now.

"Dumbledore called us into his office last night and told us everything that has been going on with you two and the scepter. Our parents were there also; he thinks it would be a good idea if we went with you guys to Greece!" said Ron, talking quietly so no one would hear their plans.

"Yeah, that way with Mum being there she can watch Conlan while we go looking for the scepter!" Ginny said, making silly faces at Conlan as she spoke. When he smiled at her, a huge grin split her face and she said "Look! He smiled at me!!" Some of the other students looked over at her after her outburst, but she didn't even notice, she was so concentrated on her Godson.

"Yeah, he smiled for the first time yesterday" said Hermione proudly. "And it was at me!"

Ginny looked over at her and noticed how happy Hermione looked. "Are things going better for you Hermione? I know you were having some trouble adjusting to Conlan" she asked and hoped she didn't make Hermione mad.

Hermione smiled at Ginny, glad to have such a good friend, especially after how horribly she had treated her lately. "I'm doing a lot better thanks to Madam Pomfrey's potion and a very understanding husband" she said. Looking contrite, Hermione said "Ginny, I just want to apologize for the way I've treated you lately. I would blame it all on hormones, but I'd be lying. I kind of felt threatened by you. You got along so good with Conlan and I felt like he didn't even need me with you around." When Ginny opened her mouth to protest, Hermione said "I know better now. You were just being the wonderful Godmother I knew you would be."

Ginny smiled at her, grateful to have her friend back. "So, do you know where we are going first tomorrow?"

Harry stopped the conversation he was having with Ron to answer. "We're going to Athens first, and then we'll get the rest of our itinerary from Remus there. Dumbledore said that they had to space the portkeys out because we're arriving during Greece's tourist season."

"So what do they mean by spaced out?" asked Ron.

"I think we're staying a couple of days in each city" explained Hermione. "That way we'll have enough time to thoroughly explore all of the sites where we think the scepter of Zeus could be."

"But why so many people?" asked Harry, wondering if he should be more worried about this trip.

"Well, let's see; there's Remus, Tonks and Mr. Weasley coming with us. I'd guess they would be going more for our protection than anything" said Hermione while ticking people off on her fingers. "Then there's Harry, Ron, Ginny and I to help search for the scepter. I figure my parents and Mrs. Weasley will be there to take care of Conlan. There will be ten of us all together, plus Conlan of course. I'm glad someone with magical abilities will be there in case anything happens" she said, referring to Mrs. Weasley.

Professor Dumbledore stood up at the head table, cutting all lines of conversation off immediately. "Good Morning! I know you're all eager to eat and make sure you're ready to go home, so I'll be brief. Another year is gone and I'm glad to say it was a relatively quiet one." Dumbledore looked over at Harry and Hermione, the twinkle more evident now as he smiled at them. "I just want to wish you a safe summer holiday and I hope to see all of your smiling faces again at the start of term in September! Now, tuck in!" As he said this, huge platters of food appeared on the table and everyone started spooning eggs onto their plates and grabbing toast and sausages.

"Sho do yoo think tha' thish trip will be dangeroush?" asked Ron with a mouth full of food.

Hermione, crinkling her nose in disgust, said "I'm sure there will be some danger involved. We're going after something that Voldemort and Lucius want. We all know they won't stop until they get it, so we just have to get to it first."

"Any idea where it's at?" asked Ginny, trying to eat as Conlan batted his hand at the shiny silver fork she was using.

Laughing, Hermione motioned for her to hand him back so she could eat. "No, no idea where it could be. That's why I'm going to use this afternoon to get some books from the library and do some research."

Now it was Ron's turn to look disgusted. "You mean you're going to do schoolwork on the last day of school?"

"Yes Ron" Hermione answered exasperatedly. "You might thank me if some of the information saves our lives you know."

"It's still work. We're supposed to be able to enjoy our summer" said Ron dejectedly. "I mean, we're going to Greece on vacation!"

"This is no vacation Ron" said Harry seriously. "If we don't find the scepter first, Voldemort will gain immortality and then the world will be doomed to live under his reign."

"And I'm the only one who can use the scepter of Hera to find its twin" said Hermione with a worried expression on her face.

After breakfast, the quartet made their way back up to the Gryffindor Common Room to say goodbye to all of their friends before they left. Hermione smiled as quite a few students from all the years stopped to say goodbye to Conlan, looking like they would miss him the most.

"Makes you feel loved, doesn't it?" asked Harry sarcastically as one of the first years left after gushing over their son.

"I'm just glad they treat him so well" replied Hermione "I was afraid we would be outcasts what with being married and me being pregnant at only sixteen."

"Yeah, I'm surprised everyone took it so well too. Well, maybe we'll be good examples of why abstinence is a great thing!"

Smacking Harry on the arm playfully, Hermione said "maybe for the girls! It seems like all you guys are just one big walking hormone."

Looking offended, Harry said "Hey, I haven't tried to touch you since you had Conlan. Madam Pomfrey told me I would have to...refrain from such pleasures for a while." As he said this, Harry's cheeks took on a pink glow of embarrassment that made Hermione laugh.

"She had a talk with you, I take it?" she asked, still laughing.

"You think it's funny, do you?" he asked, mock glaring at her as she laughed. "You have no idea what it was like sitting in an office with Pomfrey as she explained to me, graphically, why we couldn't have sex for three weeks after you had the baby. I just wanted to run out of there as fast as I could."

"I would have paid to see that" said Hermione, laughing harder. "Just be glad I'm a witch; muggles have to wait six weeks to have intercourse after having a baby." Seeing Harry's expression, she tried to calm herself down, then said "you poor thing. Going through withdrawal and having to put up with my wretched behavior all at once?"

Walking up to her and putting his arms around her while being careful not to squish Conlan, he said "yes and it hasn't been easy I'll have you know. There were a couple of times I'd see you looking scrumptious, then those bloody words of Madam Pomfrey's would creep into my thoughts and that was it for me." Putting his forehead against hers, he said "maybe we could make some part of this trip a honeymoon since we never had one?"

Hermione smiled as he planted a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and said "I think I'd like that. With Mum and Dad there, plus Mrs. Weasley I'm sure we could find someone to watch Conlan."

As they sat there, holding each other closely while Conlan squirmed in Hermione's arms, Ginny and Ron walked through the portrait hole and saw them. "Jeez you two, you could at least do that in your own room you know?" said Ron, looking disgusted at their display.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Ron, trying to glare at him but failing miserably. "If you would get yourself a girlfriend, maybe you wouldn't be paying so much attention to what Harry and I are doing?"

Ginny walked up to her laughing and took Conlan, giving the two the freedom to enjoy each others company. While Hermione laid her head on Harry's shoulder, with his arms still wrapped around her, she looked at Ron to see him glaring at her. "I just haven't found the right girl yet!" he said, almost pouting.

"Are you even looking?" asked Harry. Hermione listened as Harry's voice rumbled through his chest and sighed in contentment.

Ron got up from the chair he was sitting in and said "if you two are going to gang up on me, I think I'll go pack my stuff for tomorrow!" and turned toward the stairs.

"If you don't care, I'll take Conlan up to the dorm to look around and make sure I have everything ready too" asked Ginny, wanting to give the two a little time alone.

"Thanks Ginny" said Harry, rubbing his hand up and down Hermione's back. "Why don't we go into our quarters for some quiet time?" he asked.

"That would be great" she said, grabbing his hand to pull him towards their door. "Just remember, you have one more week to wait!"

After spending about an hour snogging in their room, Harry and Hermione emerged from their quarters with smiles on their faces. It felt good to spend some time together without having to worry about Conlan. They knew that with Ginny watching him, he was in good hands. They walked over to where Ron and Ginny sat on the couch playing with Conlan. They were each trying to see who could get him to smile the most. Ron looked up and saw the goofy smiles on their faces. "I don't even want to know what you've been doing" he said.

"Ha, ha Ron. Who says we were doing anything?" asked Hermione innocently.

"Right. You were in there for an hour and you come out with goofy grins on your faces. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what you two were up to" he said, enjoying the way their faces were turning a bright pink color.

"Lay off Ron; we are married. Besides, at least I have someone to snog with" said Harry, watching as Ron's face fell.

"Too much information Harry" he said "and I already told you, I just haven't found the right girl yet."

"Or maybe you're just not looking close enough" said Ginny mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron confused.

"Never mind, it's something you'll have to figure out on your own" she replied.

"Hey, maybe you'll find some Greek Goddess who will be your girlfriend" said Harry, earning himself a nudge in the ribs by Hermione's elbow. "Ouch, what'd I say?" he asked.

"You just make sure that Ron is the only one noticing the Greek Goddesses over there" she said, poking her finger in his chest to get her point across.

"OW! Stop that!" said Harry, rubbing the spot she had been poking. "You know you're the only girl for me. Why would I look for some Greek Goddess when I have my own Goddess right here?"

"Yuck!" exclaimed Ron as the pair started cuddling with each other again. "Would you two knock it off?!"

Harry and Hermione started laughing as Ginny laughed at her brother's behavior. Suddenly Hermione remembered that her parents would be arriving soon and checked her watch. "My parents should be arriving in twenty minutes" she said.

"So much for our time alone" said Harry, grimacing as Hermione smacked him playfully on the arm again.

"Let's go Romeo" said Hermione, walking over to take Conlan from Ginny. "I want to be there when my parents arrive. I know they'll want to see Conlan too; I bet my Mum's itching to see him. It's been a whole week!"

"Oh no, one whole week?" Harry asked cheekily, getting smacked again. "Quit hitting me!"

"Quit being such a twit!" Hermione responded while laughing. "Let's get up to Dumbledore's office."

The four of them made their way to Dumbledore's office, walking into the room just as the fireplace flared to life with green flames. Hermione's Mum came tumbling out first, then her Dad and Remus brought up the rear. Her Dad got up off of the floor and helped her Mum to her feet. They brushed themselves off and then noticed the group of teens, especially Hermione who was holding Conlan. Her Mum rushed over to her and Hermione held out her free arm, expecting a hug. Instead, her Mum grabbed Conlan out of her arms and started kissing his cheeks and talking baby talk to him.

"Nice to see you too" mumbled Hermione. Harry looked at her sympathetically and said "upstaged by our son twice in one day." Hermione smiled and grabbed his hand, grateful he was there.

Finally her Mum noticed her there, along with Harry, Ron and Ginny. "Wow, a welcoming party! Hi honey!" she said, finally giving Hermione a hug. Her Dad walked up to Harry and held his hand out. Harry grabbed it and they shook hands. "Nice to see you again Harry. I take it you're taking good care of my daughter and Grandson?"

"Of course Sir" said Harry, looking a little nervous. He hated when Hermione's Dad played the part of overprotective Dad. 'I'll probably be just like him with Conlan one day' thought Harry.

Robert Granger turned to Hermione and gave her a huge hug. "And how are you doing? You look good" he said.

"I feel good Dad" she said, hugging him back. "So are you guys ready for our trip tomorrow?"

"Sure am! I think the six of us will have a great time!" her Dad replied. Harry looked questioningly at Hermione and Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Actually Mr. Granger, there will be ten of you going on the trip" he explained.

"Ten of us?" asked Jane Granger. "Why so many people for a vacation?"

Hermione looked confused as she turned to Dumbledore and said "didn't you tell them why we were going to Greece Sir?"

"No, I felt that would be best left up to you" said Dumbledore, noticing the angry look on Harry and Hermione's faces. "It's not really my story to tell Mrs. Potter" he said.

"Why don't we take their stuff to our quarters and we can explain everything there?" asked Harry.

"That's a great idea Harry" said Remus "I'll come with you since I have their shrunken luggage in my coat pocket."

The group of seven made their way out of Dumbledore's office to Harry and Hermione's quarters in Gryffindor Tower. 'How am I going to explain to Mum and Dad all the new information I found out about our bloodline?' she thought, unconsciously squeezing Harry's hand harder. He looked at her, questioning her with his eyes about what was wrong. "How am I going to explain this to them?" she whispered.

"Just tell them the truth; I'm sure they'll be fine with it" he whispered back. "You're just telling them something they didn't know before."

"Yeah, but how do I say 'Mum, Dad, guess what? I'm a direct descendant of the Goddess Hera'?" she asked, getting nervous.

"Hermione, if you can face them and tell them you're pregnant, then you should be able to tell them anything" Harry said, trying to lift her spirits a little.

"You've got a point there" she said smiling, then noticed they were already in the Gryffindor Common Room. Seeing her parents sit on the couch, she looked at Harry and said "Well, here goes nothing!"

Hermione went on to relate the story of finding the scepter and everything else they had learned since that night. She explained exactly why they were going to Greece and the danger the trip could entail. When she was finished, she looked at her parents and noticed that they didn't look surprised by her information.

"Why is it that you two aren't surprised by what I just told you? You don't look the least bit moved by my news, why it that?" she asked, getting very suspicious.

"Well...You see Hermione, we kind of already knew of our ancestry" said her Mum, not meeting her daughter's eyes.

"You what?!" said Hermione, unable to believe what she had just heard. "Why didn't either of you tell me?" she asked, very angry.

"Because we were hoping that this day would never come" said her Dad. "Look, we're sorry we never told you, but we kind of realized that you had found out when we were told of our impending trip to Greece. We actually have distant relatives over there."

Harry walked over to Hermione's side and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "So you knew that there was a possibility that Hermione would have to go looking for this scepter of Zeus's?" he asked.

"We prayed it wouldn't happen, but when Hermione came home after first year telling us about Voldemort and how he was trying to gain immortality, that kind of tipped us off that Hermione was the chosen wielder of the scepter of Hera" explained her Mum, not noticing as Ron and Ginny flinched at her use of the dark lords name. "You're related through my side of the family honey. Where do you think we got our intelligence and cunning?"

"What we don't understand is how the scepter came to be here at Hogwarts" said her Dad.

Remus stepped up and said "Dumbledore and I think we may have the answer to that. With Voldemort inhabiting Lucius Malfoy's body, and Hera being a prophet, she somehow arranged for it to present itself to Hermione at this time because she foresaw the events coming to pass. More than likely the voice that called out to Hermione that night was Hera herself."

"How is that possible?" asked Harry. "The Gods and Goddesses don't exist anymore."

"That's not entirely true Harry" Lupin replied. "They were immortal, which means they couldn't die. No one really knows what happened to them. People just stopped worshipping them and they faded out of existence. The Druids still worship them, but other than that no other explanation of their disappearance was ever given."

"That's not entirely true" said Hermione, kicking into bookworm mode. "I read somewhere that their worshippers believed that they ascended into the heavens when they were no longer needed and that is where they still reside today, waiting for their followers to return."

"They were no longer needed?" asked Ron, looking thoroughly confused by the whole conversation.

"Yes, with the advent of Christianity and the worshipping of Christ as their new God, people no longer turned to the Gods of Mt. Olympus. They worshipped their new God and the others were forgotten" explained Hermione.

"Wow" said Harry, looking proudly at Hermione. "I never knew it was so complicated. Is there anything else that you can tell us?" Harry asked her parents hopefully.

"No; but we did bring something that might help. This has been passed down for generations, it was believed to be the diary of Hera. It's in ancient Greek, so you'll have to translate it to know what it says. I hope it will somehow help you find the scepter of Zeus" said Jane while she passed the diary to Hermione.

Hermione flipped through it and sighed. "I had better get to work on translating this. Harry, can you watch Conlan while I do this?"

"Sure, it's no problem. You're not going to be able to translate it all tonight though" said Harry, earning a glare from his wife. "Look, I'm just saying that you shouldn't work through the night. Try to come back early tonight, ok?"

"Ok, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry with you. I'm just trying to take in all the news my parents just laid on me." Hermione looked at Harry and leaned in, lightly brushing her lips across his. "I love you and I'm not going to let this ruin the nice day we've had."

"Good, because it's only going to get better once we get to Greece. You and I are definitely going to have some alone time" Harry said, then kissed her fully on the lips. Ron cleared his throat and they broke apart, glaring at him.

"What? I told you before, we don't need to see your public displays of affection" Ron said, then realized what he had said in front of Hermione's parents. "Oops" he said, under his breath.

"Do you guys make out in front of people all the time?" asked her Dad looking a little angry.

"No Daddy, Ron's just being a smart arse, excuse my language" said Hermione, really giving Ron a nasty look. "Ginny, would you please come with me to the library and help me with the translation?"

"Sure I will. We'll see you guys later!" said Ginny as she walked up to Hermione and grabbed her hand, almost pulling her out of the common room.

Harry looked at Ron and said "how about a game of wizard's chess?"

"I'm game, let me go get my board" replied Ron and he headed up to his room.

"I need to go speak with Dumbledore about what the Grangers told us" said Remus quietly to Harry so no one else would hear. "I'll see you tomorrow morning Harry."

"See you in the morning" Harry repeated and as Ron walked up with his chess set said "why don't we go in my quarters and play? I can put Conlan down for his nap." Ron nodded his head in agreement and Harry walked over to take Conlan from Hermione's Mum. "Will you two be ok? Do you have something you can do?" he asked his in-laws.

"We'll be fine Harry. We'll go walk around the castle or find something else to do" said Mr. Granger.

"Ok, if you need back into the common room the password is Buckbeak. If you want into our quarters the password is snuffles" explained Harry.

As Harry and Ron made their way into Harry's quarters, Robert and Jane got up to leave the common room. When they saw Harry was out of sight, Jane said "I knew we should have told her Robert. Now her life could be in serious danger and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her."

"I know love, but we did what we felt was best for our daughter" explained Robert. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Hermione is a very intelligent girl, she'll figure out where the scepter of Zeus is and destroy it in time."

"I hope you're right" said Jane "the fate of the world depends on our daughter."

6. Arriving In Athens

**A big thanks to eagle219406 and leprechaun for pointing out my mistakes in the first draft of this chapter. I'm happy to say they are now fixed! I hope you enjoy it!!!**

At six o'clock the next morning, the group of ten travelers were assembled in Dumbledore's office, awaiting directions on how their portkeys worked.

"The first group to go will be the Weasleys" explained Dumbledore "then two minutes after they have left, Harry, Hermione and Conlan will be going. Two minutes after that Remus, Tonks and the Grangers will leave. Your first stop will be Athens and you will be there for one week. When you arrive at the portkey destination, there will be two Greek Ministry employees waiting for you. They will be your 'tour guides' for the week. Please be safe, and Hermione, I wish you luck in finding the scepter."

"Thank you sir" she said, and then adjusted Conlan who was sleeping in what her Mum said was a Snugli. It was like a backpack with arm and leg holes cut out, but it held him to her chest and left both of her hands free to hold on to him and Harry during their trip. Her Mum had brought it so it would be easier to transport Conlan around town.

"Ok, first group, grab on to your portkey now" said Dumbledore. Arthur, Molly, Ron and Ginny all took hold of the hat they were given and ten seconds later disappeared. Harry held out the shoe Dumbledore had given him so that Hermione could grab it and he wrapped his free arm around her waist to help steady her on their landing. "Ok Harry, Hermione you have ten seconds." Nodding at Dumbledore, they prepared themselves and soon felt that familiar tug in their stomachs. It felt like it took about a minute to get to their destination and when they landed, Harry had to catch Hermione as she lurched forward and almost fell. Conlan was crying loudly, obviously frightened by the trip. Hermione started bouncing him, trying to calm him down and Harry looked around for the Weasleys, spotting them a few steps away. Harry guided Hermione over to them and noticed the two unfamiliar people standing there talking to Arthur and Molly.

Hermione looked up after finally settling Conlan down and noticed the two strangers also. The one that had caught her eye was a very tall, athletically built man with bright blue eyes and curly, short black hair. She looked over at Ginny and noticed her staring at the man as well. He was very handsome, and Hermione turned to Harry to see if he had spotted him yet. He seemed to be staring at something else, and when she looked in the same direction he was, she immediately got angry with him. Harry sat staring at the woman standing next to the man. She was talking to Molly, and she was very beautiful. She had the build of a model, with the same bright blue eyes as the man next to her; her hair was the same color as his, and just as curly, but it was almost to her waist. Hermione elbowed Harry in the side, breaking him from his trance.

"Ow, what'd you do that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot and looking at her confused.

"I saw where you were looking" she said "enjoying the scenery already?"

"Oh, you're one to talk. I saw you staring at the guy next to her" said Harry, and felt satisfied when Hermione looked guilty. "Look, I told you yesterday, you are the only woman for me. You are my wife; it's not like I'm going to go running off with someone else on a whim."

"I know" she said quietly "it just kind of set me off when I saw how you were staring at her" Hermione said. Just then, they heard a loud noise behind them and turned, seeing her parents on the ground with Tonks and Remus helping them up.

"I don't ever want to do that again!" said Mr. Granger, looking a little green.

"You're going to have to Mr. Granger" said Remus "that is how we will be traveling during the whole trip."

Mr. Granger scowled at him and made his way over to his daughter. "Did you get here unharmed?" he asked.

"Yes, I almost fell when we landed, but Harry caught me" she said, smiling at him.

"Wow, who is that gorgeous man talking to Mr. Weasley?" asked Jane, earning a glare from her husband. "I don't know" said Robert "I was too busy looking at the woman next to him." Harry laughed quietly to himself as he saw the equally nasty glare Hermione's mother shot at her husband.

"Why don't we go introduce ourselves?" asked Harry, grabbing Hermione's hand and walking over to Ron.

As Harry and Hermione walked over, Arthur noticed his arrival and said "Ah Harry, come meet our guides." Arthur motioned towards the man first and said "I'd like you to meet Phoenix Theodopoulos". Phoenix stuck his hand out and Harry took it, shaking if formally. Turning to the woman standing next to Phoenix, Arthur said "and this is Pyrena Theodopoulos." Harry turned toward her and took her outstretched hand also, shaking it awkwardly. "It is such an honor to meet you Mr. Potter" she said, hanging on to his hand a little longer than Hermione liked.

Taking in their similar features, Hermione asked "are you brother and sister then?"

"Yes" answered Phoenix, giving her his best smile. "We are twins, actually. The Ministry of Magic here in Greece has assigned us to be your guides while you are here. We will be going everywhere you go, including the other cities you will be visiting."

"Right, well I guess I should introduce you to everyone else here" said Arthur. "You've already met my wife Molly; this is Robert Granger, Jane Granger, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, my son Ron, my daughter Ginny and Hermione Gr..."

"Potter, Hermione Potter" Hermione said, interrupting him. She noticed with satisfaction that Pyrena's face fell a little as she said this. "And this is our son, Conlan." Pyrena glared at her as her brother Phoenix walked up to her and asked "you are a wife and mother at such a young age? You must be a very strong woman."

"Yes she is" said Harry, answering for her and wrapping his arm possessively around her waist. Hermione turned to him with an angry look on her face as Phoenix turned and walked away. "What?" he asked, trying to play innocent.

"Don't 'what' me; look, you have nothing to be jealous of, ok? You've already marked your territory so let it go." Hermione turned from him and walked over to where Ginny was just as Ron walked over to Harry. Noticing the look on his face, Ron asked "what's wrong Harry?"

"I really don't like that guy" said Harry quietly, then said "let's see if we can get them to quit kissing everyone's asses and finally take us to where we're staying." Ron watched as Harry stalked over to where his Dad was and thought to himself 'this is definitely going to be an interesting trip.'

Phoenix and Pyrena had driven one of their Ministry's cars to pick them up . After magically expanding the inside, everyone piled in and they were finally on their way to the place they were staying. After about ten minutes, the car came to a halt and everyone got out. Harry looked at a sign hanging over the doorway and was surprised. "Hotel Rio" he read aloud, catching Hermione's attention.

"What a beautiful building" she said, then looked up and down the street they were on. "Oh, this is Karaiskaki Square; I read about it in one of the books about Greece in the library."

Following Arthur and Remus into the hotel lobby they waited as Arthur checked in, with Mr. Granger's help, and walked over to hand them room keys. "Ok, Harry, Hermione here is your room key; Ron and Ginny, you'll be sharing a room of your own." Ron didn't look thrilled at this prospect as he took the key from his father, nor did Ginny. Turning to Tonks and Lupin, he said "there was a mix-up in our reservations and you two will have to share a room." They both looked at him, surprised.

"We have to share a room for a week?" asked Remus and Tonks at the same time, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, they apologized and said your stay would be free" explained Arthur, not making either of them feel better.

"Who is paying for this trip anyway?" Harry asked.

"Well, Dumbledore has made this an 'official' school trip" explained Arthur "that way it won't raise too much suspicion at the Ministry. So Hogwarts is paying for you students and since we're here as official Ministry employees to help keep you safe, the Ministry is paying for us."

"What about my Mum and Dad?" asked Hermione.

"Hogwarts is paying for them too; they're your chaperones" said Arthur smiling. "Well, let's get up to our rooms." Harry spotted the lifts and walked over to press the up button to summon the lift to the first floor. Soon their was a quiet 'ding' and the doors opened on one of them.

"We should be able to all go up at once" said Robert, noticing as the rest of them were hesitant to follow him in. After some uneasy glances were exchanged, they all piled in and rode up to the sixth floor.

They all found their rooms and waited as Remus magically expanded their luggage back to normal size. Taking their things into their room, Hermione looked around and saw that a fold-away crib had been brought in for Conlan. Taking the sleeping baby out of the Snugli, Hermione gently lay him down and sank down on the bed behind her. Looking around, she saw that there was just the queen size bed with a dresser, nightstand and table in the corner for furniture. She spotted a ceiling fan above their bed and a TV mounted on the wall opposite the bed. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, she noticed that it was 8:45 Greek time. 'That's only a two hour time difference' she thought. Harry, who had been standing at the door talking to Remus, walked over to her and said "We're all going to meet down in the restaurant in an hour to discuss our plans for the day."

Nodding her head, she said "good, then we can rest for a little while." Laying her head on the pillow behind her, she watched as Harry walked around to the other side and lay down next to her. She smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and snuggled into his chest, immediately drifting off to sleep.

Both of them woke with a start as someone pounded on the door and Conlan started crying. Immediately angry with whoever was at their door, Harry got up and grabbed the doorknob, jerking it open and growling "What?!" at the person on the other side.

Phoenix stood there, a little surprised at Harry's greeting and said "We are all going down to the restaurant now."

"Yeah, fine we'll be down in a minute" he said, barely disguising the dislike he felt for the man in front of him. Closing the door in Phoenix's face, he turned to see Hermione holding Conlan and feeding him a bottle, watching him. "You didn't have to be so nasty to him Harry" she said with a surprised look on her face at Harry's behavior.

"He didn't have to pound on the door either" Harry said, hoping Hermione would drop the subject. "Look, I know I'm not playing the part of the gracious guest, but there is something about Phoenix and Pyrena that sets off my defenses."

"Well, could you at least try to be civil to them; they are the ones who will be taking us to all of the possible sites of the scepter." Looking at the pleading look in her eyes, Harry gave in and sat down next to her, saying "yes, I'll try to be civil, for you."

"Thank you" she said smiling, and then leaned over to give him a kiss. They sat there for a few more minutes until Conlan finished his bottle and then they made their way down to the restaurant. Exiting the elevator, they walked around the corner and through the doors of the eatery. They spotted their group sitting in the back corner and made their way towards them. Harry held out a chair for Hermione and then sat in the chair next to her once she was seated.

"What took you guys so long?" Ron asked.

"We were sleeping" said Harry "until we were so rudely woke up." Ron gave him a strange look, wondering what he was talking about, when Hermione said "it's nothing Ron. Harry woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Why didn't you let him sleep on the side he wanted then?" Ron asked, confused by her use of the muggle expression. He was even more confused as Harry and Hermione broke out laughing at his question. "What?" he asked, looking from one to the other.

"It's a muggle expression Ron" explained Hermione, still laughing. Calming herself, she said "it means that Harry woke up in a bad mood."

"Why didn't you just say that then?" Ron asked, looking a little miffed that they had laughed at him.

"Sorry Ron; we'll try to just say what we mean and not use expressions anymore" said Harry, trying to pacify his friend.

After giving their orders to their server, Remus got their attention and said "I guess we should go over our plans. First, we will be here for a week as Dumbledore said. We will be exploring the Parthenon, the Acropolis and the National Archeological Museum while we are here. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, along with Molly will be staying at the hotel to watch Conlan. That leaves me, Tonks, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Phoenix and Pyrena to do all of the exploring. There are tunnels and caves known to be buried under the Parthenon and Acropolis that will take a while to get through. So each of those places will take two days. Then when we go to the Museum, we will just sort through the artifacts to see if we can find any clues as to where the scepter of Zeus could be." When he finished, he looked around the table and said "I'm going to get a map of the Parthenon after we are done eating so I can map out our trip for tomorrow. We can meet for dinner and discuss the plans tonight."

"If there are known tunnels and caves under them, how come the muggles haven't already excavated them?" asked Hermione.

"Because they are a well kept secret in the Ministry" answered Remus. "The muggles don't know they exist."

"You do realize that dinner for the Greek people starts no earlier than nine p.m.?" asked Pyrena, interrupting their conversation.

"Really? That's pretty late" said Arthur. "Greek people really don't follow a set schedule" said Phoenix "we are what you would call 'pretty laid back' people."

"But we do believe in our siesta time" said Pyrena. "Every afternoon between the hours of three and five everyone returns to their homes to take a rest."

"They take naps every day?" asked Harry. When Phoenix and Pyrena nodded in agreement, Harry said "I could get used to that."

"Me too" said Ron "mandatory daily naps. Do you think we could convince Dumbledore to give us 'siesta time' every day?"

"I doubt it" Hermione deadpanned, shaking her head at the two boys. "I think you two slept enough in our History of Magic class."

As the three of them were talking, Mr. Weasley had struck up a conversation with the Grangers about everything muggle which Molly, Remus and Tonks were listening to with interest. "So what year are you in at Hogwarts?" Phoenix asked, looking at Hermione.

"We will be starting our seventh and last year in September" she said, a friendly smile on her face. "Where did you two go to school?"

"We went to Durmstrang" answered Phoenix, noticing the looks that passed between Harry and Ron. "Yes, it's a Dark Arts school, but that doesn't mean that everyone that goes there is a dark wizard or witch."

"Then you would know Mr. Karkaroff?" asked Harry. "Any word on where he might be?"

"No, no one has seen him since the rise of Voldemort two years ago" said Phoenix and noticed some of the adults flinch at the name. "Voldemort is dead; don't tell me you still fear his name?" he asked.

"We were alive during his first reign of terror" said Arthur defensively "you were just a child and I doubt you would remember the horrors he inflicted on our kind and muggles alike."

"Doesn't matter now, does it?" asked Pyrena. "He's gone, there is nothing to fear anymore"

"That's not true" said Harry, then noticed the looks that Tonks, Arthur and Remus were giving him. Obviously the twins didn't know about Voldemort's possible resurrection. "I mean, he came back in my first year at Hogwarts after thought dead all those years."

"We read the Ministry report from the day you killed him. I don't see how he could possibly come back to life from a pile of ashes" said Phoenix, starting to look suspiciously at Harry. "How did you burn his body like that? It's like you cremated him by yourself."

"It was just a curse that Hermione found for me to use" explained Harry, then trying to change the topic asked "so when does siesta time start again?"

**A/N: I'm going to leave it there for now. I know it's kinda short, but I needed to leave it there in order to start the next chapter the way I wanted to. I should be posting another chapter tomorrow night. Thanks to everyone who read "Leaving Her Behind". I needed a break from this story and it was fun to write! And don't worry, Harry and Hermione will be having fun during their trip! :)

7. The Search Begins

~Thank you so much for the great reviews!~

After breakfast everyone returned to their rooms to unpack and rest for a while. Ginny and Ron ended up in Harry and Hermione's room; the girls were playing with Conlan while Ron and Harry played a game of wizard's chess. There was a sudden knock on the door and Harry got up to open it. He was surprised to see Phoenix and Pyrena standing there. "Hello" he said, still trying to be civil for Hermione's sake "what's up?"

"It seems that Lucius Malfoy has sent some of his Death Eaters here to find the scepter of Zeus" said Phoenix, walking past Harry into the room.

"C'mon in" muttered Harry after Phoenix was already standing in the middle of their room. "Mr. Lupin has called a meeting in his room; we need to meet him there now." As soon as he finished speaking, Phoenix re-joined his sister out in the hall. The four teens looked at each other, and then made their way into the hall with Ginny taking Conlan. When they got to Remus and Tonks room, they noticed all of the adults in their group were already assembled there. When Tonks saw them walk in, she pointed to the bed behind her and said "have a seat. There's something we all need to discuss." The four walked over and sat down, noticing Remus and Arthur having what seemed to be a very serious discussion. Arthur nodded at something Remus said and left the room while Remus turned to the group.

"We just received word that there was an attack on Diagon Alley." Noticing the surprised faces, Remus said "One of Dumbledore's contacts in the Ministry just contacted us to let us know that Lucius knows about the scepter of Zeus. It seems Rookwood has been snooping around the Ministry; he was caught looking through some restricted files and those files mentioned something about the scepter being here in Greece." Everyone started mumbling and Remus said "quiet please. It seems the attack on Diagon Alley was a distraction; when the Aurors responded to the attack, another group of Death Eaters broke into the Ministry's file room and stole the restricted file on the scepter. That file contained the incantation that unlocks the scepter's power."

Everyone started talking amongst themselves as Hermione stated "so all they have to do is find it before we do and then they will be able to use it to give Voldemort his immortality?"

"Voldemort?" asked Phoenix "don't you mean it will give Lucius Malfoy immortality?"

Hermione looked from Harry and then to Remus, realizing her mistake. "No, she meant to say Voldemort" said Remus.

"Remus!" said Harry, getting up and walking right up to him. "Are you sure we can trust Phoenix and Pyrena with this information? For all we know, they could be Death Eaters themselves."

"They're not Death Eaters Harry" said Lupin "don't you think that Dumbledore, Arthur and I checked them out thoroughly before we came here?"

"So why don't they know about Voldemort still being alive?" asked Harry, who then jumped as Phoenix asked from behind him "Voldemort is still alive? How is that possible?"

"The same way it was possible for him to survive the first time he was supposedly killed by me" said Harry, turning around to face the man behind him. "I would appreciate it if you would refrain from eavesdropping on my conversations."

"You really are full of yourself, aren't you Potter?" asked Phoenix. Harry sat staring at him with his fists clenched at his sides, everyone's attention fixed on the two hostile wizards facing each other down.

"I am not full of myself" said Harry, trying his hardest not to punch this pompous ass that was standing in front of him. "I've dealt with too many Dark wizards to trust just anyone, especially you." Before things could go any further, Remus stepped between the two and said "look, this is not the time to be arguing amongst ourselves. Please sit back down Harry."

Harry stared at Phoenix a little longer and went to sit next to Hermione again. She gave him a reproachful look as he sat down and he mouthed "I'm sorry" to her. Remus cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention back on him and he said "we are going to have to push up our plans. Arthur has gone to gather the supplies we will need so we can go to the Parthenon this afternoon."

"So what will we do, go search for a while tonight and return again in the morning?" asked Harry.

"No; we're going to have to camp out in the tunnels for a couple of nights." When he noticed the looks of surprise he was getting he explained "we have to find out everything we can before Lucius's men get here. There was an unknown portkey used at the same time as the first explosion rocked Diagon Alley and it was traced to Paros, which is one hundred and twenty miles from here. More than likely they have a completely different travel schedule than us, but we can't take any chances."

Mr. Weasley came back into the room with a handful of backpacks and started to pass them out. He went to hand one to Pyrena but she said "Phoenix and I already have our packs in the car, packed and ready to go."

Remus said "ok then, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Tonks, Arthur and I will all get packed and meet you down in the lobby in thirty minutes."

Phoenix and Pyrena both nodded in approval and walked out of the room, Phoenix staring Harry down the whole way out. "What is that guy's problem?" asked Harry.

"I could ask the same of you" said Hermione "why are you so hostile towards him? He hasn't done anything but help us since we got here."

"I don't know; maybe some time in the tunnels will shed some light on our twin friends" said Harry, getting up and walking out of the room also. "We'll see you in thirty minutes" he said as he passed Remus, followed by Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

Thirty minutes later, Hermione's parents and Mrs. Weasley all stood in Hermione's room, waiting as Harry and Hermione said goodbye to Conlan. Hermione had Conlan's head resting on her shoulder, hugging him as tight as she could without hurting him, saying "you be good for Grandma and Grandpa ok? Mummy and Daddy will be back tomorrow night."

"Goodbye little guy" said Harry, walking up to Hermione and rubbing Conlan's back. "Be good and none of those lethal nappies you like to spring on us, ok? I don't think Grams and Gramps could handle any of those." While Harry talked, Conlan smiled and tears sprung to Hermione's eyes. "I don't want to leave him" she said.

"He'll be fine dear; we'll take good care of him" said Mrs. Weasley, reaching out to take Conlan from her.

Hermione turned to her parents with a very serious look on her face as she said "Mum, Dad if anything happens to Harry and I while we're gone, will you take care of Conlan for us?"

Jane Grangers face had a look of shock on it after Hermione said this. "Honey, you'll only be gone two nights" said Robert Granger "what could possibly go wrong in such a short period of time?"

Hermione looked at Harry, unable to speak because she was too choked up. "Mr. Granger, I don't think you understand exactly who we are dealing with" Harry explained. "Death Eaters are merciless people; they will murder whoever gets in the way of what they want. If they find us in the tunnels, they will try to kill us. That's why Hermione asked you to take care of Conlan if we don't come back."

After staring at the two teens in front of him, Mr. Granger said "then you can't go!"

Surprised by what her Dad had said, Hermione pulled herself together and said "I have to go Daddy. I am the only one who can use the scepter of Hera and that may be the only thing that helps us find the scepter of Zeus."

"So you're just going to go and possibly sacrifice yourself? What about your son, what will he do without his Mother and Father if you don't return?" her Dad asked, trying desperately to understand why she was jeopardizing herself like this. Being a muggle, he didn't have the exposure to Dark wizards like she and Harry had.

"Mr. Granger, my parents sacrificed themselves for me. I know what it's like growing up without parents and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, let alone my own son. But anything is possible while we're gone; I'm just glad he'll be with people who love him and I know will take care of him, unlike my Aunt and Uncle that raised me."

Harry wiped at the tears that had formed in his eyes as he spoke and took Conlan from Mrs. Weasley. He stood quietly holding his son for a minute, then handed him back to Molly and walked out the door, unable to look back. Hermione bent over and placed a kiss on Conlan's forehead, then said "I love you". Walking over to give her parents a hug and saying goodbye, she also walked out the door without looking back, for fear she wouldn't be able to make herself leave. She saw Harry waiting for her by the lift and walked up next to him, noticing the sad expression on his face. "That's the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life, and that's saying something since I was the one who had to bring down the greatest Dark Wizard of our time."

Hermione turned towards him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I know; it was hard for me to leave him too. We just have to make sure we do everything in our power to come back to him." Harry reached out and took her hand, walking with her into the lift and watching as the doors closed, silently saying goodbye to his son one more time.

Once everyone in their group was in the lobby, they walked out to the Ministry car and piled in again. Everyone was quiet during the short trip, obviously thinking of the danger they could be walking into. The Death Eaters portkey may have taken them Paros, but they could have easily apparated anywhere else by now, including here. Phoenix parked the car and everyone climbed out, gathering their packs out of the trunk. As they walked away from the car, Pyrena muttered a spell and the car vanished. When she saw everyone watching her, she explained "it's just invisible, that way no one will know that we are here."

Ron and Ginny, who had been ahead of everyone, stopped at the base of a hill and asked "where is the Parthenon?"

"It's on top of the Acropolis" said Pyrena, motioning toward the hill.

"The Acropolis? I thought that was a separate building or something?" asked Ron, confused.

"The Acropolis is known as the sacred rock of Athens" explained Phoenix "On it there is the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea."

"So we're going to have to search through four buildings, plus the tunnels in two days time?" Harry asked, stopping where he was to look at Remus and Arthur. "How is that going to be possible? We don't even know what we're looking for."

"I'm hoping that this" Hermione said, pulling Hera's diary out of her pack "and this" she said again, pulling out the scepter "will help us." This was the first time everyone except Harry had seen the scepter, and they all sat staring at it in wonder. "When Ginny and I translated some of the diary last night, we wrote the translations down on parchment, then duplicated it until we had enough for everyone in the group. Hopefully it will help in some way; anyway here is a copy for each one of you." Handing them out to everyone, she said "maybe if we look for anything described in these transcripts we'll discover where the scepter of Zeus could be."

"We're going to split up into groups to do the buildings, and then we'll meet up at the Parthenon to go down into the tunnels" explained Remus. "Ok, now for groups; first group will be Arthur, Phoenix, Pyrena, Ron and Ginny. Group two will be Harry, Hermione, Tonks and I, that way each group has enough fire power in case anything happens. Group one, why don't you guys cover the Propylaea and the Temple of Athena Nike? We'll take The Erechtheion and the Parthenon; what time should we meet up again?"

"It's three p.m. right now; how about nine?" asked Arthur. "That should give us three hours to search through each building."

"Sounds good" said Remus. "Alright then, be safe and we'll meet up with you in six hours." Harry and Hermione watched as Ron and Ginny walked away with their group and Harry yelled "Ron, be careful mate!" Ron turned around and smiled at him saying "you too!"

"Well, let's be off!" said Remus, and they started walking up the path that led to the Erechtheion.

As they walked through the giant building, Tonks looked at Hermione and asked "what are we supposed to look for anyway? I mean, just the things described in your transcripts, or are there other things to keep our eyes out for?"

"Anything to do with Hera or Zeus" said Hermione "we really don't have much to go on; if I knew there was a file in the Ministry having to do with the scepter I would have asked Mr. Weasley to somehow obtain it, or at least get a good look at it himself."

"No one knew it was there; most of the members of the Order who work in the Ministry are Aurors" explained Tonks "we don't have anyone that works in the records department."

They walked the entire way through the building without finding anything vaguely important. After regrouping at the entrance, they made their way up to the top of the hill where the Parthenon stood. It was mostly just ruins; the sculptural decorations had been removed a long time ago and put in a museum. As each of them went in a different direction to cover more ground, Hermione walked the length of the building, feeling as if a hum ran through her body. She reached into her pack, pulling out the scepter of Hera and realized that was the source of the hum. A slight vibration moved through it and Hermione suddenly remembered something she had read in the diary the night before. It had mentioned how to activate the power of the scepter and how only a true descendant of Hera would be able to do it;anyone else that attempted to use it would be killed instantly. 'It's worth a try' she thought, praying that her parents were right about their family history. Walking into the middle of the room, holding the scepter in her right hand, she closed her eyes and yelled "Fainomai Sas Mystikos!" As she yelled this, a golden light seemed to emit from the scepter and engulf her; even her eyes gave off a golden glow when she opened them. It engulfed the entire room and then proceeded to fade completely. After the scepter returned to normal, Hermione sank to her knees on the floor, gasping for breath and shaking.

"Hermione!" said Harry, running over to where she was. Tonks and Lupin ran over also, wondering what the hell had just happened. "Hermione, are you ok?"

"I-I'm" she panted, sounding like she had just run a marathon "I'm fine."

"Um, Remus, Harry look..." said Tonks, pointing to the wall they were facing. On it, as if burned into the wall, were the words 'The Light Will Turn To The Dark While The Scepter's Twin Is Near.'

Ok, I'm sorry to leave it with a cliffie, but I have a huge amount of research to do before I can continue the story. I'm trying to make it as factual as possible, which means learning everything I never wanted to know about Greece. I'll try to post another chapter soon.

8. Revelations

~*Wow, two chapters in two days! This one is a filler chapter, but it answers quite a few questions also. Thank you again for the great reviews!!*~

Ron was the last in the line of the members of his group making their way to the Propylaea, which looked to be a pile of rubble with columns attached to it. As he was walking, lost in his thoughts, Pyrena had slowed down so that she was now walking next to him. "Not the most fun vacation for you is it?" she asked, smiling at him.

Wondering why she was suddenly being so friendly, Ron said "it's not really a vacation. We're here to help Hermione find the scepter."

"She and Harry aren't the friendliest people, are they?" she asked, making Ron wonder why she was fishing for information.

"They are great friends, if they know and trust you" answered Ron.

"You don't trust my brother and I either, do you?" she asked, stopping suddenly which caused Ron to stop and answer her question.

"Not really" Ron answered honestly. "You two have acted like you're hiding something ever since we got here. We're not the enemy, and if you really work for the Ministry you would know that." Ron started walking again, trying to catch up with the group and realized that Pyrena was once again walking beside him. He looked ahead and noticed how chummy his sister and Phoenix looked. "Does your brother put the moves on any female, or just ones he can use to make other people mad?"

Pyrena looked at her brother and Ginny, walking closely and talking with their heads close together. "My brother is a good guy; he may be a flirt, but when he falls for a girl he takes it very seriously." Looking closely at Ron as if she was sizing him up, Pyrena said "the only family we have left is each other. Our parents were killed on an excavation of the tunnels under this hill. They came too close to finding what they were looking for and were murdered for it. We were fifteen when they died."

"How old are you?" Ron asked, then realizing he'd just blurted out the question said "if you don't mind me asking?"

Pyrena smiled at him as she noticed the tip of his ears had turned red as he asked her age. "I am nineteen years old, and I don't mind you asking." When she gave him her best smile, the blush on his ears spread to his face and she laughed.

"S-so why doesn't Phoenix like Harry?" he asked, trying to turn her attention anywhere but on him. He was getting flustered around her and it was making him uncomfortable. Anyone would be blind not to notice how beautiful she was; she had olive skin with bright blue eyes and he itched to run his hands through her night-black hair.

"It's not that he doesn't like Harry" she said, looking off into the distance. "Can I trust you won't tell Harry if I explain why my brother is acting the way he is?" When Ron nodded his head yes, she said "Harry and Phoenix are similar in a very important way."

Ron looked confused and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out what she meant. "My brother, like Harry, possesses Ignes Venificum" she said, giving Ron the answer before he could hazard a guess.

"You mean, that whole 'fire magic' thing?" Ron asked, shocked. "I thought only descendants of Prometheus could have it?"

"We are descendants" she said "only I didn't end up with the magic he has. I was given a different kind of magic."

"What kind of magic is that?" he asked, watching as the emotions played across her face.

"I am a descendant of Hera; I have the gift of Prophecy and Foresight" she replied. "A descendant of Hera and a descendant of Prometheus joined somewhere down our family line; a set of twins were born from their joining. One twin possessed Hera's power while the other had Prometheus'. Since then, there gifts were passed down through a set of twins in each generation, keeping their powers in our bloodline so that when Zeus's descendant rose to rightfully claim the throne there would be someone around to stop him."

"Hold on, if you're a descendant then how come Hermione is the one with the scepter?" he asked, confused.

"When I found out my heritage, I was inducted into the Order of Hera, a group of followers that worship the Goddess. When you are inducted, you are given an incantation to read; if you are the chosen wielder of the scepter, then a golden glow will surround you after reading it and the scepter will appear to you." Looking crestfallen, Pyrena said "I obviously was not the chosen one. I hoped I was so that I could use the scepter to avenge my parent's deaths."

"But Hermione didn't read any incantation; the scepter found her and called to her in the middle of the night" Ron observed.

"The descendant of Zeus was getting too close to finding out about his heritage. Hera probably made it so that the scepter found Hermione instead of the other way around. That way we were given a head start on finding the scepter of Zeus before Zeus's followers or his descendant did." She looked at Ron and said "Hera and Zeus were brother and sister, but they were also husband and wife. Hera grew to hate Zeus because of all of his affairs with other women. She tried to get more Gods and Goddesses to help her dethrone him, but the attempt failed. It has been an ongoing power struggle ever since."

"They were married and they were brother and sister? That's awful!" said Ron, not wanting to think about it in terms of him and Ginny. Wanting to change the subject, Ron carefully asked "you said you're parents were dead and you wanted to avenge them; I take it they were murdered?" When she slowly nodded her head in affirmation, Ron asked "by who?"

"Followers of Zeus" she replied, confirming his fears. "My parents, like you and your friends, were searching for his scepter so that they could destroy it. That way the ultimate evil wouldn't find it first and use it to gain ultimate power and immortality. Unfortunately, the followers of Zeus will do anything to insure the rise of their new God, which includes killing anyone that gets in their way."

They continued to walk in silence for a while, Ron trying to take in everything he was just told. "So why can't I tell Harry or Hermione?" he asked.

"Hermione must be the one to find the scepter and destroy it; we are not allowed to find it for her. We can help with the search, but we will not find anything of importance. Everything will reveal itself to Hermione only, we are here mainly to help protect her during her journey" she explained.

"What are we even doing here then?" asked Ron.

"We can not let her know she is the only one who will find anything, it will be too stressful on her. She will push herself into insanity and we will lose the scepter for sure" explained Pyrena.

Suddenly, Ron thought of something he had heard Harry and Hermione discussing. "But Hera was immortal; wouldn't that make you and Hermione immortal too?"

"No; Hera felt it was a curse to have to live forever so she cast a spell so that she was the last immortal in her line" Pyrena explained.

"What about Harry, how come he can't know about your brother?" Ron asked, absorbing everything she was telling him.

"My brother is a member of the Order of Prometheus. Being wielders of the flame, they feel threatened by another of their kind. The only way for a fire wielder to be killed is by another fire wielder or a follower of Zeus, since he and Prometheus were enemies" she replied. "Harry needs to learn to trust my brother; until he does Phoenix will treat him as a threat instead of a friend. What is it?" she asked, seeing a questioning look on Ron's face.

"So-so that means that if Lucius doesn't kill Harry he will live forever?" Ron watched her closely, waiting for her to answer him.

"I have tried to see Harry's future, but all I know is that there will be a confrontation between Hermione and Lucius Malfoy. I was unable to see the outcome, but I know that my brother, Harry and I will be there by her side to help her. If Harry isn't killed in the battle, then a descendant of Zeus will more than likely kill him in the future; the far future." Pyrena had a far off look on her face as she was talking, and Ron asked "why do I have the feeling there is something you're not telling me?"

She looked startled by his question, and then a sad look crossed her face. "In my vision, one of us dies. All I know is that it will be either me or my brother."

Ron was shocked; she had talked about her possible death like it was already a given. Impulsively, Ron grabbed her hand, wanting to comfort her. "I can't imagine how it must feel knowing your brother might be killed; it must have been even worse to know you might have foreseen your own death."

Smiling at Ron sadly, Pyrena said "I've already accepted my death. I plan to do everything I can to ensure my brother lives." Looking down at their entwined hands, Pyrena said "you're very sweet, you know that?"

Ron's entire face turned red this time and he was unable to meet her eyes. "Harry and Hermione swear I'm an insensitive git."

"You're far from being insensitive" she said, then leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I hope we can spend more time together; you're a very good listener."

More embarrassed than he had ever been in his life, Ron could only smile and say "we had better catch up with the others." Pyrena nodded in agreement and they continued to walk, hand in hand.

Harry helped Hermione stand once she had recovered slightly from her ordeal. Reading the sentence burned into the wall in front of him, Harry asked "what the hell was that Hermione?"

"I-I had found an incantation in Hera's diary that supposedly unlocked her scepter's power and I tried it. All I remember is saying the words and then found myself on the floor." She noticed the wall, reading what was on it and repeated "The light side will turn to the dark." She stood in thoughtful silence for a moment, then said "that's a line from the prophecy I gave."

Everyone was looking at her in surprise. "Are you sure?" asked Harry, unable to recall everything she had said the morning she gave the prophecy. She nodded her head yes and he asked "do you know what it means?"

"I have no idea, but obviously it's something we need to figure out if it was important enough to burn into a wall." Feeling very weak, Hermione slowly walked over to one of the huge boulders and sat down.

"Are you ok?" Harry asked, walking over and putting his hand on her back.

"I'll be fine. That seemed to take a lot of energy out of me is all" she said and bent her head down, resting it in her hand. "Did you guys find anything?"

"Nothing pertaining to Zeus or Hera" replied Tonks, watching her carefully. "Why don't you sit and rest while Remus and I continue searching? Harry, keep an eye on her ok?"

"Alright" replied Harry "how much time do we have until we have to meet up with the other group?"

"We have another hour and a half" replied Remus, checking his watch. "Well, we should continue to look around if we want to cover the entire building before then."

Harry watched as Remus and Tonks walked away, then turned his attention back to Hermione. Noticing a frightened look on her face, Harry asked "what's wrong Love?"

"I-I saw something, after I felt Hera's power surge through me" she said, looking wide eyed and scared. "We were in a very dark room; I saw you, me, Phoenix and Pyrena. Lucius stood in front of us" taking a deep breath, she continued. "V-Voldemort stood next to Lucius, he had his body back again." Closing her eyes, Harry noticed as a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Grabbing her hand and holding it tightly in support, Harry asked "what did you see?"

"I saw one of us killed" she said, unable to keep a sob from escaping her. "Harry, one of us is going to d-die, but I couldn't see any details like hair color or facial features. I watched as Lucius and Voldemort said some kind of curse at the same time. Each of them had a hold on the scepter of Zeus and we were running, trying to escape. It faded to black and then all I saw was a body laying in the middle of the floor." Hermione broke down, violent sobs racking her body and Harry wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, it's going to be ok Hermione" he said, rocking her back and forth slightly. "We both know that visions can be changed." Hermione quieted down slightly and Harry continued "nothing is set in stone; we can try to use what you saw to stop anyone from being killed." Hermione clung onto him for dear life, afraid to let him go after what she had seen, afraid it was him lying there.

"I don't want Conlan to grow up without both of us there the entire time" she whispered, not trusting her voice. "I want us all to be a traditional family, without all of these threats hanging over us all the time." She stared into his eyes and said "I just want us to graduate and get our own house. I want to grow old with you."

"I don't think we've ever been normal love" said Harry, trying to get her to smile a little. When she stayed serious, he cupped her cheek with his hand and said "I'm going to do everything in my power to give you you're dream, I promise."

As he pulled her to him in a crushing hug, tears continued to fall down Hermione's face. All that she could think of was that body laying there, fearing it was Harry. 'I pray to Merlin you succeed Harry' she thought, closing her eyes and hugging him to her even more, afraid of letting him go.

9. The Beginning of Understanding

Sorry this chapter took so long; I had it written and just didn't like where it was going. So I scrapped it and re-wrote everything. I'll try to post sooner next time, hopefully in a couple of days!!! Thanks again for the great reviews!!!!! :)

After finding nothing else of importance in the Parthenon, Harry and Hermione walked up to the meeting point, followed by Remus and Tonks. As they approached the entrance to the tunnels, they spotted the other group already there waiting for them. "What the hell...?" asked Harry, staring at them.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, then following the direction Harry was looking, spotted the reason for his question. There, standing off to the side of the group was Ron and Pyrena, holding hands and looking very cozy. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and all but dragged her over to their best friend.

"Hey Ron!" said Harry, spearing him with his emerald eyes. "Find anything new during your search?"

Ron, startled by Harry's fast approach, said "N-No, didn't find anything. How about you?"

"Sure looks like you found something to me" stated Harry, looking down at Ron and Pyrena's entwined fingers.

"What's the matter Potter, you jealous?" asked Phoenix, walking up to their group.

Giving him a very nasty look, Harry said "no I'm not jealous, I just don't trust you or your sister as far as I can throw you!!"

Ron looked at Harry and said "look, don't get your knickers in a twist. Pyrena and I have spent the afternoon together and realized we like each other. No harm in spending time together, right?"

Realizing that Ron was trying to act mature and not lose his temper right away, Hermione said "there's no harm in that at all, right Harry?" Noticing the look Hermione was giving him, the 'you had better agree with me!' look, Harry looked down at his feet and mumbled "no, I guess not."

Arthur walked up to them at this point and said "we're ready to go down into the tunnels." The group of teens followed him over to where Remus was standing. Remus saw them approaching and said "are we ready to go now?" When everyone answered "yes" Remus took two steps forward so that he was standing in front of a huge boulder.

"Abditus limen, acclaro vester ipsum!" As soon as Remus finished the incantation, as if out of thin air, a doorway appeared in front of the boulder.

"Wow!" said Ron, clearly impressed. The rest of the group just stood and stared as Remus said "as soon as the last person goes through the door and closes it, it will disappear from view." He stepped forward and opened it, and then motioned for everyone to go through the doorway. Harry walked through after everyone else and closed the door behind him, casting the group into darkness. A chorus of "lumos" could be heard echoing through the dark tunnel, and then nine lit wands appeared, lighting the passageway. Forming a straight line, Remus led them down deeper underground and Harry realized that it was getting colder the further they walked.

Stopping, Remus turned and said "you might want to put on warmer clothes, it's going to get a lot colder than this." Glad that he had listened to the list of things they needed to bring, Harry dug through his pack and found the hooded sweatshirt he had packed. Waiting as everyone pulled on coats and sweatshirts, Remus turned and started walking again as soon as everyone was done. They walked for about thirty minutes, going deeper and deeper into the bowels of the hill.

Hermione had been shining her wand on the walls of the tunnel, looking for anything of significance when she stopped suddenly, causing Harry to run into the back of her. Once she recovered her balance, she walked closer to the tunnel wall, waving her wand over the wall and said "acclaro!" Ancient Greek text started to form in front of her on the wall, text that looked familiar to her.

"Hey!" she yelled, making the others stop in their tracks "I've found something!" Remus doubled back to where she was and noticed the tunnel wall.

"I didn't see this when I walked by this section" he said, using his wand to see the words more clearly.

"I noticed a strange marking on the wall; it was the same marking in Hera's diary that Ginny and I couldn't figure out. I simply said 'reveal' in Latin, and it worked" explained Hermione.

"Do you have any idea what it says?" Arthur asked as he walked up beside her.

"I think so" she said, looking more closely at the words. "As the sixth month dies, evil will rise again and seek out the savior. The scepter shall be found and the light will turn to the dark."

"That's the second time today we've heard that last part!" said Harry with frustration in his voice. "What the bloody hell does it mean?!"

Hermione had gone silent after reading the writings on the wall and Remus turned to her expectantly. "Hermione, do you have any idea what it means?"

"The sixth month is June, which is this month, so that gives us less than three weeks. The evil it speaks of is obviously Voldemort in Lucius's body" She noticed the adults flinch at her use of the name and rolled her eyes. "The last part makes it sound like Lucius will get the scepter and we will lose the battle."

Everyone turned somber at her interpretation, hoping she was reading it wrong. "So we are going to fail in our search?" asked Phoenix, not believing her.

Just as Hermione opened her mouth to argue her point, a huge explosion rocked the tunnel. As they all hit the ground, shielding their heads from falling earth, the tunnel collapsed behind them. The passageway back to the door outside was completely blocked. Before they could try to unblock it, they heard muffled voices up ahead. Remus made a motion for them to be quiet as he, Tonks and Arthur quietly crept around the corner. Unfortunately for Remus, the Death Eaters knew of their presence, and a cry of "Stupefy!" rang out. Remus fell stiffly to the ground as Tonks and Arthur ducked back behind the corner. Voldemort's lackeys, unfazed by their guests, walked around the corner, shouting "expelliarmus!" and "immobulus", sending jets of blue and red light sailing at them.

Tonks quickly yelled "protego!" and shielded herself from the disarming spell, but unfortunately Arthur didn't act fast enough and fell over, joining Remus frozen on the floor. Tonks quickly pointed her wand at one of the hooded figures and said "stupefy!" dropping her target to the ground also. Just as he fell, two more Death Eaters came around the corner with their wands drawn. Everyone else in the group quickly aimed their wands, but before they could mutter a single curse, a voice yelled out "Incendium!"

A ball of fire shot out of the group, hitting one of their opponents square in the chest, immediately setting his body on fire. Cringing at the screams of agony coming from their enemy, Hermione turned to Harry who was staring straight ahead...at Phoenix. He stood there with his palm out in front of him as his eyes blazed red. "Obvallo Ignesco Protego!" he yelled once more, causing a wall of flames to appear between them and the remaining Death Eaters. The Death Eaters continued to shoot curses at them, but none of them could penetrate the wall of fire. Hearing four sudden "pops", they realized that Voldemort's men had disapparated out of the tunnel.

"Exstinguo!" Phoenix said, while waving his hand from left to right in front of him. The wall of flames disappeared and Harry marched up to him, grabbing his arm and turning him around roughly.

"What the fuck was that?!" he yelled, afraid he already knew the answer.

"Come now, Potter, you know exactly what that was" Phoenix said rather cockily. "Ennervate!" he said, pointing his wand at Remus first, then copied his actions with Arthur.

"I know bloody well what you did; what I want to know is why you never said you possessed fire magic?" Harry shoved Phoenix roughly, causing him to stumble back a few steps. Tonks stepped between them, looking disappointed in the both of them.

"Boys, play nicely, ok? Phoenix just saved our arses Harry" she said, noticing the anger that flashed in his eyes.

"Yeah, well..."Harry started to say, but Hermione walked up next to him and said "well nothing Harry. You need to save the pissing contest until later. Right now we need to see what had the Death Eaters so interested up ahead." Harry stared after her, incensed that she had embarrassed him like that in front of everyone. Phoenix gave him a shit eating grin and said "my, you are a whipped one, aren't you?" and turned around to follow Hermione, laughing the entire time. The anger escaping from Harry was almost palpable; he wanted to knock the shit out of that wanker so bad...

"Harry?" asked Ron, causing Harry's head to snap in his direction. "Whoa, mate, it's just me. I'm your friend remember?" Harry looked from him to Pyrena who was standing next to him.

"Why didn't you mention your brother's magical abilities?" he asked, turning his anger on her instead.

"It is not my place to say anything about my brother's abilities" she replied, standing up to him with an angry look on her face. "Are you mad because you couldn't play the hero?" she asked, venom dripping off of every word. Before he could reply, she pushed past him and followed her brother down the tunnel. Harry looked at Ron, frustrated beyond belief.

"What the hell is up with everyone all of a sudden?" he asked, anger evident in his voice. "Since when am I the bad guy?"

"I don't have a bloody clue mate" said Ron, patting him on the shoulder. Harry stared in the direction everyone had gone and said "well, I guess we had better follow them." He started walking and Ron followed, wondering what could possibly happen to them next.

As Harry and Ron caught up with the rest of the group, Hermione, Phoenix and Pyrena all stood in front of one of the walls further up the cave. The Death Eaters had blasted holes in the wall so that the writings were missing in places. "What's going on?" Harry quietly asked Ginny, who was standing towards the back of the group.

"They're trying to read the text; it seems the Death Eaters were in the process of destroying the wall before they attacked us" explained Ginny, smiling sympathetically at him. "Have you calmed down any?" she asked, placing her hand lightly on his arm, which was kind of comforting for Harry. At least there was one female that wouldn't shout at him.

"A little" he said, giving her a smile of thanks. "I just didn't appreciate my wife taking Phoenix's side over mine."

"I think this whole scepter business has her a little on edge" explained Ginny "I bet she'll be ok once we get back to the hotel."

"I think I've got something!" Hermione shouted, pointing at a portion of the wall. "To find...scepter...must travel...where...Gods...watch...play" she read, some of the words missing thanks to Voldemort's morons.

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" asked Ron, earning himself an angry look from his Dad. "Sorry" he muttered.

"It means that whatever this wall says, the Death Eaters know the full wording and are probably on their way to the scepter" stated Phoenix, looking at Remus. "We need to figure this out and leave as soon as possible for the next location."

"I think I know what it's referring to" said Hermione, who had been intently studying the wall. "We need to get back to the hotel tonight; I need to look something up to verify my theory." Everyone turned and started backtracking until they came upon the collapsed part of the tunnel. Remus looked at Tonks and Arthur and said "ok, reductor curse on the count of three." They nodded in agreement and leveled their wands at the mound of boulders and earth before them. "One...two...three, reducto!" they all yelled at the same time, blasting their way through the blockage. Each of them climbed up and over the small mound of dirt that was left and walked back to the door, making their way outside so that they could plan the next step in their strategy.

Meanwhile, the Death Eaters that had escaped Phoenix's fire attack had went back to their Master's new lair. Looking around, Rookwood said "this place gives me the creeps. I mean, I know that our Lord likes dark places, but this is the most death infested place I've ever seen."

Nott could only nod his head in agreement; he was too busy looking at all the skeleton's littering the dank cave. Their Master called this place the Nekromanteion; supposedly it was rumored to be the mouth of the River Styx that ran through the underworld. The Greeks would send their dead afloat with a coin under their tongue; that coin was to pay their passage across the River Styx into Hades. Those who did not have a coin were doomed to walk the riverbank forever, hence the skeletons.

Nott and Rookwood walked up to their Master's throne, where Lucius sat waiting. "Well?" he drawled, a little part of him hoping they had failed so he could punish them.

"My Lord, we have deciphered the text in the tunnel" said Nott, bowing before him.

"And...?" Lucius growled, becoming impatient.

"And it says that to find the scepter you must travel where the Gods and Goddesses go to watch and play with their followers" Nott recited, hoping he had gotten the translation right.

"Watch and play, eh?" said Lucius, thinking to himself and hearing Voldemort in his head say 'it is referring to their temples, but which one?'

"It is a temple" said Lucius, repeating what Voldemort had just said "did it say to which God or Goddess the temple was dedicated to?"

"Um, no my Lord" said Rookwood quietly "before we could decipher the rest Potter showed up with about eight other people."

"You FOOLS!!" screamed Lucius. "I give you one simple assignment and you blow it?!! CRUCIO!!!" Rookwood and Nott screamed in agony as Lucius's curse caused them the worst possible pain they had ever felt. Lucius kept the curse on them for about two minutes, and then lifted it, watching with satisfaction as the two followers curled up on the floor. "You will go back and find out who the temple belongs to, and if Potter and the mudblood get to it first, you shall pay with both your lives."

Hermione ran from the lift to the door of their room as soon as they had reached their floor. Her mind was going a mile a minute and she wanted to write down all of her thoughts before she forgot them. Using her key, she opened the door to see her Mum sitting on the bed with Mrs. Weasley, who was holding Conlan. They gave her a bewildered look as she hurried into the room.

"Hermione, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you were going to be gone for two days?" her Mum asked. "Did something happen, is someone hurt?"

"No, Mum. I can't really talk right now, I need to write something down and then I will explain everything." Hermione found a tablet of paper and a pen, and then she sat at the table in their room. Writing furiously, she didn't even look up when Harry walked into the room shortly after.

"Hi Jane, Molly, I guess you're surprised to see us back so soon 'eh?" he asked, walking over and taking Conlan from Molly. "Hey little guy, I'm glad to see you."

"Harry, what's going on?" asked Molly, becoming impatient.

"We didn't really find anything until we got into the tunnel; there was a clue as to where the scepter might be. Hermione translated some of the words and she thinks she might know where we need to go next" he explained. "It would have been easier to figure out, but we were met with about six Death Eaters down there and they proceeded to blast holes in the wall, which also blasted some of the words away."

"Death Eaters?!" said Molly with a worried look on her face. "Is everyone ok, where are Arthur and the kids?"

"Everyone is fine; your family is back in their rooms, probably cleaning up" said Harry, looking down at his own dirty shirt as an example.

Molly jumped up and headed to their rooms and Jane got up also. "I'm going to go fill Robert in on everything that's happened" she said, then walked out shortly after Molly.

Harry took Conlan and lay him down on their bed, and then proceeded to lie down next to him after he stripped his shirt off. Knowing that there really wasn't anything he could do until Hermione cracked the clue, he cuddled up to his son and started to drift off to sleep, exhausted by everything they had gone through that day. He smiled sleepily as he noticed Conlan had fallen asleep and closed his eyes.

"I FOUND IT!!" yelled Hermione, startling both Harry and Conlan awake and causing everyone else to come racing into their room. Harry picked Conlan up and calmed him down, walking over to where Hermione sat.

"What did you find?" he asked groggily, looking at the map of Greece she had in front of her.

"The clue referred to where Gods watched and played; it could only mean a temple. That's where their followers worshipped them, giving them gifts and undying devotion. So I looked in Hera's diary and in the book on Hera I took from the library; there is a temple dedicated to her in Lindos."

Everyone was now gathered around her and hanging on her every word. "Well, I guess we're going to Lindos. I'll go make the arrangements" said Remus, looking at everyone in the room "everyone else needs to pack up. We're leaving tonight."

10. From Hell To Heaven

~**Ok, it's really scary how much you guys think like me! :) Last night after I uploaded the new chapter, I thought about how much I missed the smutty, fluffy interaction between our golden couple. You may be angry at me for how Harry behaves at first, but please keep reading because not only is there an explanation, there is a little smut added in at the end. Enjoy, and please review!!!**~

Hermione had still been reading Hera's diary as everyone started to make their way out of the room to go pack. "Wait!" she yelled, startling everyone and causing them to turn quickly towards her. "I have the wrong temple" she said, uncharacteristically admitting her mistake. "The temple in Lindos was a minor temple with hardly any followers and I don't think we would find anything there. But one of her biggest temples used to be in Samos; that is where we need to go next."

Remus looked at her and asked "are you sure this time? I won't be able to change the portkey once I get it" he explained as she glared at him.

"I'm sure; we need to go to Samos." Remus nodded and walked out the door with everyone once again following him. As they made their way back to their rooms to pack, Harry followed Ginny to the door and closed it behind her.

Walking over to set Conlan in the crib, Harry noticed that Hermione hadn't lifted her nose out of the diary since she had walked in the door. "Hermione, come on, we need to start packing" he said, starting to become angry when she didn't even acknowledge him. "Hermione..." he started to say, and then glared at her as she put one finger up as if to tell him to wait a minute. Harry was standing across the small table in about three strides. Slamming both of his hands onto the tabletop, Harry yelled "Damn it, Hermione, look at me!!"

Hermione looked up, startled when Harry had hit the table. She looked up at his face and was shocked at what she saw there. His eyes were ablaze, his cheeks were tinged pink and it was definitely not a look of love that he was giving her. If it were anyone else, she would be a little afraid right now. "What Harry?" she asked, somewhat condescendingly. "Can't you see I'm busy? I'm trying to translate this entry."

"I...don't...give...a SHIT about that...that damn diary!!" he yelled, then surprising even himself, reached over and grabbed the diary off of the table. Harry tossed the book across the room and turned back to see the angry look on Hermione's face. "Harry..."

"DON'T!!" he yelled, stopping whatever bullshit was going to come out of her mouth. "I have had it with you today; I understand how important it is for us to find the scepter before Lucius does. I understand more than probably anyone else in our group. But..." he stopped and breathed deeply, trying to reign in his temper "nothing, and I mean absolutely NOTHING, is more important than our son!"

Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "What do you...?"

"Don't you DARE ask me what I mean!" he said almost in a growl. "Ever since we came back to the hotel the only thing on your mind is finding the scepter. What happened to the Hermione that was scared to leave her son this afternoon? You haven't even looked at him!"

"I...I wanted to look this up before I lost my train of thought" said Hermione, her reason sounding lame even to her.

"Oh, of course" said Harry, glaring at her. Harry walked around the table so that he was standing in front of her and bent down so that he was face to face with her. "Maybe you would like to invite Phoenix in here to help you with your research?" he sneered, very un-Harry like.

"What?!" Hermione asked, confused by his behavior. "What the bloody hell are you on about Harry?"

Quicker than she had ever seen him move, Harry reached out, grabbed her by the arms and turned her, slamming her back against the wall. Pressing himself up against her, he asked "what's the matter, I'm not good enough for you anymore?" Harry started grinding himself into her and she forcefully pushed him away, her fear now growing by the minute.

"What is wrong with you?!" she yelled, advancing on him and putting her palms on his chest, shoving him away from her hard.

"What's wrong with me? You want to know what is wrong with me?" Harry leveled her with his gaze, and she noticed that his emerald eyes weren't just emerald anymore; there was a swirl of red mixed in. "I have stood behind you this entire time; from when you had Conlan and refused to take care of him up until now. And how do you repay me for my love and kindness? BY TAKING THAT ASSHOLE PHOENIX'S SIDE OVER MINE!! I AM YOUR HUSBAND, AND YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL IN FRONT OF HIM AND EVERYBODY ELSE!!!" Conlan had started crying, startled by Harry's loud voice. When Hermione started to make her way to him, Harry stepped in front of her and asked "what, so now you're going to play the doting Mum?"

Harry almost smiled as he saw the hurt his last comment had caused her. Good, she deserved it! Harry turned and went to Conlan, picking him up and calming him down. Feeling himself suddenly start to calm, Harry looked at Hermione and saw the tears falling down her cheeks. He stood there watching her cry, wondering what the hell had come over him. He walked up to her and put out her hand to wipe away her tears and watched in horror as she flinched away from him.

"Hermione" he whispered, then walked up to her and quickly wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, hugging her to him. "Oh Merlin, love, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what made me say those things to you." He felt her body shake as she cried and he felt so horrible. "Shhh, please don't cry, I am so sorry!" He heard her sniffle and she raised her head, not meeting his eyes.

"I need to take a shower before we leave" she said, looking at the floor as she walked toward the bathroom. Harry watched in despair, wondering what had come over him. He looked down at Conlan who was cradled in his arms, and saw his son staring back at him with amazingly clear eyes. "What have I done Conlan?" he asked their son, feeling lost and hopeless.

"AAHHH!!!!!" yelled Lucius, standing up from his chair and grabbing his head in pain. "Damn brat, I had a perfect link with Potter until he picked up his little bastard!!"

'We would have had him if it had not been for the child' said Voldemort's voice in Lucius's head. 'We could have used Potter to kill his mudblood wife and we wouldn't have to worry about them getting to the scepter before us. If he hadn't picked up the kid she would be dead by now.'

"What could the child do to break our connection? It's two weeks old" stated Lucius "it couldn't be that powerful yet."

'Obviously you don't remember the little fiasco in your dungeons Lucius. It was the child that protected it's parents from my killing curse and it will only get more powerful unless we can eradicate it and its' parents.'

After Hermione had gotten out of the shower, she went into their room and started to pack her things. Harry sat on the bed watching her, feeling horrible about what he had said and done. "Hermione?" he asked quietly, hoping she wouldn't ignore him.

"What?" she asked quietly, causing Harry to release the breath he didn't know he was holding.

He got up and slowly walked up to her, reaching his hand out to caress her arm where he had left bruises there before. "Merlin, Hermione, I am so sorry for what I did; I have no idea what came over me." She looked at him with disbelief written all over her face. "I swear to you, all I meant to do was talk to you about what happened in the tunnel today, but it was like something snapped inside of me and I was overcome with this murderous rage..."

"Stop Harry" she said, drawing his attention back to her. She stood staring into his eyes, as if searching for something. "Have you been practicing occlumency lately?" When he couldn't hold her gaze after her question, she had her answer. "I was thinking while I showered and I know you...you would have never hurt me like that Harry. I know you well enough to know the real you." Harry looked at her and smiled, part of him relieved that she believed him. "I think Voldemort tried to tap in to your thoughts and use you to get rid of me." She shuddered after saying this, the thought of Harry killing her clear in her mind. "There was red mixed into the green of your eyes; it must have been Lucius's inexperience that caused that to slip through."

Harry took one step and wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her so tight it was hard for her to breath. She returned his hug whole heartedly, relishing the feel of being in his arms. Harry pulled back a little and leaned in, placing a light kiss on her forehead, the tip of her nose and then on her lips. Just that small taste of her lips made him feel drugged and he remembered how much he had wanted her lately. He missed the feeling of her skin under his hands, the taste of her skin and how it felt to be buried deep inside of her. Merlin, he wanted her so bad. Letting his desire overcome him, Harry attacked her lips and kissed her hard, shoving his tongue forcefully into her mouth. He heard her moan and almost lost control of himself; he proceeded to back her up until she hit the bed and lay down with him following her. Harry broke from their kiss, panting and after taking a few deep breaths proceeded to kiss and suck the sensitive skin on her neck. He came upon the first button of her shirt and lost all sense of patience; he ripped her shirt open and grabbed the bottom of her bra, pushing it up and exposing her breasts. "Harry..." she whispered.

"I know; five more days, but nothing says we can't make each other feel good" he said and then bent down to take one of her hardened nipples into his mouth. Hermione almost cried out; it had been so long since they had touched each other like this and it felt so good. He continued to lavish her nipple with his mouth while he kneaded her other breast, pinching and teasing that nipple with his fingers which caused Hermione to moan in pleasure.

She couldn't stand it anymore, she needed to touch him too, and so she reached down and undid the button and zipper on his jeans. Plunging her hand inside, she wrapped her hand around him and felt him thick and pulsing with need. Harry continued to suckle her breasts, moving from one to the other, giving both equal attention. Suddenly Hermione could feel herself climbing higher and higher, on the verge of an orgasm just from the ministrations of Harry's wonderful mouth and hands. Closing her eyes, she felt herself climax and her body shudder, waves of immense pleasure washing over her. Riding it out, she slowed her breathing and felt Harry grow harder in her hand. She opened her eyes and looked at Harry, noticing his own hooded, desire filled eyes staring at her.

Hermione gently pushed him off of her and flat on his back on the bed. "Hermione, what...?"

"I'm paying you back" she said, smiling while she pulled his pants down around his ankles, along with his boxers. She saw his erection and wished she could just hop on and ride him for all she was worth. She missed having him inside her, having them joined as one. Shaking the thought out of her head, she bent over and took him into her mouth slowly, causing Harry's eyes to roll into the back of his head. She slowly moved back up his shaft and continued her motions, slowly at first but then speeding up. Harry buried his hands in her damp hair, his body humming with sexual energy. Feeling close to release, he signaled her to stop, but instead she buried him completely in her mouth. Harry lost control and emptied himself, hearing her gag and pull away quickly. Opening his eyes, he watched as Hermione ran into the bathroom and listened as she turned the water on in the sink. When she came back out, he had already cleaned himself off and pulled his jeans back on.

"Are you ok?" he asked, reaching out to pull her into his lap. She sat and looked embarrassed as she said "I'm fine; it just...tasted horrible." He tried not to laugh but couldn't help it and she hit him in the arm playfully. "I'm sorry" he said, suppressing his smile "but I tried to warn you that I was going to come."

"I know, but I've always heard the other girls gossip about it in our dorm and I thought I'd try it." Wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him, she said "don't expect me to ever do that again."

"As long as you don't mean the act itself, it's fine by me." He claimed her lips again, but this time he slowly explored her mouth, enjoying their time alone together.

As luck would have it, someone started pounding on their door and they broke their kiss reluctantly. Hermione got up from his lap and walked to the door, waiting as Harry pulled his shirt on. Hermione pulled the door open and saw Ron standing there.

"Remus said to come tell you guys that we're ready to go" said Ron, noticing her pink tinged cheeks. "What have you two been doing?" he asked, then regretted asking as Hermione's face now turned red and Harry had a shit eating grin on his face. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Get your stuff and meet us in my parents room." Ron turned and walked down the hall, muttering to himself and shaking his head.

Harry was laughing as he stood up and started to gather the rest of his things together. Hermione walked over and started to do the same, her face still red with embarrassment. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about love" he said with a big smile still on his face. "We are married; do they expect us to be celibate the rest of our lives?"

"Of course not; I just don't like Ron knowing that we were fooling around at such a serious time" she said, zipping up her pack.

"We deserve a little fun, don't you think?" Harry asked, walking up to Hermione and cupping her face in his hands. "I wanted to atone for what I did to you before; I wanted to show you how much I love and cherish you. Is that so bad, at any time in our lives?"

"No" she said, and then kissed him. "We need to get going" she said, and before she could pick up her pack, Harry had it and was walking toward the door. "I have all of our stuff, you just need to get Conlan."

Hermione walked over and picked up their son, who was blissfully asleep, and then walked out the door. Making a quick sweep of the room with his eyes, making sure they didn't forget anything, Harry pulled the door closed and followed Hermione down the hall.

11. Of Gods And Goddesses

~**Thanks to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter! I think this is the longest chapter so far and hopefully I explained everything well enough so that it is easily understood. Sorry if I confuse anyone, and if you have any questions please leave them in your review, and I will answer them as soon as possible! Thanks for reading my story!!!**~

After everyone met up in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's room, the group made their way out of the hotel and back to the same portkey point they had used that afternoon. It was eleven-thirty at night, and everyone in the group looked exhausted. Remus handed out the portkeys, assigning one to each group of four. Harry was not too happy with the fact that they would be traveling with Phoenix and Pyrena, but had no choice in their group members. Each group again left within two minutes of each other and appeared in Samos. Once there, they were met by a man named Leonidas Alexandratos who was from the local Ministry of Magic branch office. He ushered them to his car and shuttled them to the Paradise Hotel, where he had gotten them rooms for the next couple of days.

They each went to their perspective rooms, no one really saying much of anything due to their exhaustion. "Ok everyone" said Remus "we all need to try to get some sleep tonight; we're all getting wake-up calls at six a.m., so we can get an early start to the Heraion. Good night" said Remus, and then noticed as Tonks started to follow him. "Where are you going?" he asked, eyeing her wearily.

"We're sharing a room again; well, technically we never used the room in Athens" she said, smiling mischievously. "What's the matter Remus, don't you enjoy my company?"

"I-uh, yeah, of course, it's just that..." Remus tried to finish his thought while his face turned progressively redder than thought humanly possible. Harry laughed and Remus shot him a dirty look, trying to recover from his embarrassment. "Something funny, Harry?" he asked, shooting daggers at his adopted Godson who sat shaking his head no. "Alright, lets get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Harry and Hermione watched as he and Tonks walked down the hall, trying to suppress their laughter at Remus's obvious discomfort. "They'd be good for one another, don't you think?" asked Hermione, smiling at the couple.

"Remus and Tonks? A couple?" asked Harry, as if the thought had never occurred to him. After thinking it over for a minute, he said "you know what? I think they might be good for each other. It would be nice to see Remus have someone to share his life with, he seems so lonely all the time."

As they walked into their room, Hermione took Conlan, laid him in the crib and grabbed her pack. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted" she said, pulling out her nightgown and undressing. She felt his eyes on her and said "why are you watching me?"

Snapping out of his trance, Harry said "sorry, just thinking how lucky I am to have you. Talking about Remus and Tonks just made me realize how lucky we are to have each other and Conlan. I just wish we could live a normal life, away from all of this insanity."

Walking over to him, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "Hopefully, we can find the scepter of Zeus soon and take care of Lucius and Voldemort once and for all. I would love to be able to spend the rest of the summer at Grimmauld Place with you."

"You want to play house with me, eh?" he asked, a wicked gleam in his eye. "That would be nice; that big old house, just you, me and Conlan. I could have you any time I wanted."

Smiling at him, she asked "well aren't you just a sweet talker?" Giving him a kiss, she let go of him and turned, making her way to the bed. "Are you coming to bed or are you planning on staying up all night?"

Smiling, Harry walked over to the side of the bed and stripped down to his boxer shorts. Crawling under the covers next to her, Harry reached over and wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist, pulling her against him so that her back was flush against his chest. Hermione turned to face him and cuddled up against him as Harry whispered "goodnight Love" and was already asleep when Hermione answered "goodnight."

At six o'clock the next morning, the phone in Harry and Hermione's room started ringing, startling the couple awake. Reaching over, Hermione picked up the receiver and dropped it immediately back into the cradle again. They both crawled out of bed and got dressed, both on autopilot since they were still exhausted from the day before. There was a knock on the door, and Harry opened it to a very chipper looking Tonks, who had bubblegum pink hair. "Mornin' Harry" she said "we're all going down to the restaurant to grab some breakfast before we leave."

"We'll be down in five minutes" called Hermione from the bathroom. Harry looked at Tonks and muttered sleepily "yeah, what she said." Tonks laughed, said "see you in a bit" and walked away still laughing.

"She is definitely a morning person" said Harry, disgusted by her perkiness.

Hermione walked out, smiling and said "we're all ready to go." She walked over to get Conlan, who had been babbling to himself in the crib while Harry grabbed their packs.

"Let's go eat" he said, motioning for Hermione to go out the door first and then followed her to the lifts.

After they were through eating, Hermione handed Conlan over to her Mum and got up, grabbing her pack. "Take good care of him" she said, smiling at her Mum and then leaning down to give her a hug while kissing her son on his forehead. Handing her Mum their room key, she said "all of Conlan's stuff is in our room; have fun watching him." Smiling a little sadly, Hermione said "We'll be back soon."

Everyone gathered in front of the hotel and hopped in the car that Leonidas had brought last night for them to use. Phoenix drove and they were there in twenty minutes. As they climbed out of the cramped car, Ron looked around and asked "where is the Temple of Hera? All I see are broken columns and marble pieces."

"That's the ruins of the Temple Ron" said Hermione "and it may look destroyed, but there's more here than the eye can see." Taking off her pack, Hermione dug inside it and pulled out Hera's scepter. The lotus bud on top had an eerie white glow emanating from it. "I'd say we're in the right spot" she said, walking toward the temple ruins. Harry caught up to her and the couple started walking into the temple ruins before everyone else.

"Any idea what we may be looking for?" Harry asked, looking around the demolished building.

"No, but I think I'm going to do what I did in the Parthenon and see what reveals itself to us" Hermione replied, going to stand in the middle of the ruins. Everyone else gathered around Harry, asking what she was doing. As Hermione held the scepter in her right hand, she raised it into the air as Harry said "just watch."

Raising her other hand into the air as well, Hermione closed her eyes and yelled "Fainomai Sas Mystikos!" A golden glow erupted around her once more; the glow was so bright that everyone else had to shield their eyes. A ray of white light shot out of the lotus bud on the top of the scepter and landed on a spot a few feet ahead of her. A golden door suddenly appeared in the spot the light had been concentrated on, and as soon as it was fully materialized, the glow faded from Hermione's body and she collapsed once more onto the floor.

As Harry rushed over to make sure she was ok, everyone else stared at her almost in awe. No one else but Harry had seen her do the exact same thing in Athens and they were amazed at the display of power Hermione had just exhibited. As Harry helped her walk back to the group, Remus said "I guess we need to go through the door?"

"Yes" said Hermione, sounding out of breath "but I am supposed to go through it first while the rest of you follow. I heard Hera's voice while I was surrounded with that gold glow and she said I must go first to gain the trust of the doorway; I'm not too sure what that means."

"Do you think that's safe?" Harry asked, looking from her to Remus. "We have no idea where this doorway leads to, couldn't it be some sort of trap?"

"I don't think so" said Hermione "I'm almost positive the voice I heard was Hera's. I don't think she would purposely put her descendant in harm's way."

"She's right Harry" agreed Lupin. "She can go through first and then you and I will be directly behind her, with the rest of the group following us in." As everyone nodded their head in approval and understanding, Hermione started walking towards the door, with Harry close behind her.

Putting her hand carefully on the doorknob, Hermione turned it slowly and pulled quickly, opening it up just enough to see inside. When all she saw was darkness, she grabbed her wand out of her pocket and said "lumos!" With her wand lit, she could only see a little ways into the darkness. It looked like a room you would see in a museum, with artifacts and sculptures on display. Feeling it was safe to go in, Hermione passed through the doorway and instantly felt the coldest feeling she had ever felt pass through her body, much like when one of the Hogwarts ghosts passed through her accidentally last term. As soon as it was gone, she continued to walk into the room and was suddenly overwhelmed with visions and memories that weren't hers. She tried to stop the show of memories, but it was too much for her and she grabbed her head in pain, trying to suppress the scream that was threatening to escape from her. She felt like her head was going to explode; there was a throbbing pain behind her eyes and then she noticed darkness start to creep into the corners of her vision. Trying to hold on to her consciousness, Hermione closed her eyes tight and saw pictures of a beautiful woman and a middle aged man, both dressed like the Ancient Greeks used to dress. As the woman held her hand out, beckoning for Hermione to follow her, she felt the last traces of consciousness slip away. As she gave into the pain and collapsed onto the floor, she felt the coldness return to her body as the darkness surrounded her and she fell into unconsciousness.

"...ione? Hermione?" she could hear Remus calling her name, but she was having trouble becoming fully awake. "Can you hear me Hermione?" he asked again, lightly slapping her cheek. Using all the strength she had, she cracked her eyes opened and moaned as the bright light invaded her sight.

"H-Harry?" she asked, barely getting the word out. She felt so weak that she didn't think she'd ever be able to move again.

"Here, drink this" Remus said, handing her a small vial of clear liquid. "What's this?" she asked, eyeing it skeptically.

"It's a different form of pepper-up potion" he replied "I had Snape make some up for us before we left, for occasions just like this." Nodding in understanding, she drank the liquid and felt a warmth spread through her entire body. Feeling her energy start to slowly return, Hermione lay there for a couple more minutes, letting her body rest a little while longer.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, looking around at everyone mulling around the once dark room, which was now lit by torches that were hung on the wall.

"He is searching through the other room we found" he said. "Once the room was lit, we discovered there was another door at the far end of the room and he went to see if there was anything in there that could tell us what happened to you."

"Are you sure it's safe?" she asked, sounding worried.

"He's fine" Remus replied "are you feeling better now?"

"Much better" she said, slowly sitting up. Remus helped her to stand and she almost felt back to normal. She looked over at Tonks and asked "have you found any important clues to the scepter's whereabouts yet?"

"Not yet" Tonks replied "but we have everyone searching the room, so we're bound to find something." Nodding her head, Hermione said "I think I'll go join Harry in the other room, maybe he's found something there."

"Take it easy Hermione, you don't want to push yourself and collapse again" said Remus with a concerned smile on his face.

"I'll be careful" she said, touched that Remus was so concerned about her. She turned to the far side of the room and saw the door he told her about. Walking slowly, Hermione made her way to the now-closed door and tried to restrain the fear she felt when she reached out to open it. She was afraid she was going to experience those extreme emotions and coldness again. Summoning all of her Gryffindor courage, she turned the knob and jerked the door open quickly. Taking two steps into the room, she looked up to see Harry to her right, wait, who was that...?

"What the bloody fuck do you think you're doing?!" she screamed, almost running over to where Harry stood...kissing Pyrena! When she reached the two, she grabbed Pyrena's arm and pulled her away from Harry. Not even thinking twice, she pushed the other girl as hard as she could, slamming her up against the wall. Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it right in the other girls face, the wand trembling from the anger that was coursing through her at that moment. "How dare you..."

"How dare I what?" sneered Pyrena, glaring daggers at her. "How dare I return your husband's kiss?" Pyrena smiled evilly as she saw comprehension dawn on Hermione's face as she realized what the other girl had said. "That's right dear, he kissed me first, so maybe he's the one you should take your anger out on."

"You knew he was married, you little wench! I have the right to be mad at the both of you!" Hearing a noise behind her, Hermione turned to see everyone crowding in the doorway, curious as to what the ruckus was all about. "Go away!!" she yelled, waving her wand towards the door, causing it to slam in their faces and locking them out of the room. Turning towards Harry, she stared at him for a moment, taking in the expression on his face. There seemed to be guilt there, but other than that...she didn't see anything that indicated he was sorry for what he did. Maybe Lucius and Voldemort had gotten to him again...

"Harry, why did you kiss her?" she asked, hating how her voice had broken. He looked at her, and she almost cried when she realized his eyes were their normal emerald color. "WHY DID YOU KISS HER??!!" she screamed, face to face with him now, Pyrena completely forgotten behind her.

"Because I wanted to" he said even toned, which seemed to hurt her worse than if he would have screamed it at her. "What" she whispered, praying she hadn't heard him right.

"I wanted to" said Harry, walking closer to her as she stood there with her wand pointed at him. "Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss another guy?"

Hermione's wand still shook as she stepped forward and pushed it into Harry's chest, directly over his heart. Thinking of something better, she lowered her wand until it was pointing to his privates. "No, I have never wanted to kiss another guy just to know what it felt like Harry. Is that the best excuse you have, because if it is you can kiss ever having sex again goodbye." Harry's eyes widened at her threat and she felt a wave of satisfaction wash through her at the look on his face. "You kissed Cho in our fifth year; did you feel you needed to compare her and I with someone else?"

"You don't understand" he said, looking nervously at her wand "I had come in here to see if there was something that would explain why you fainted when you walked in, and she followed me in here. We were talking, laughing and she smelled so good; the thought that I might never kiss another girl besides you ran through my head and I freaked. I'm only sixteen, I've never been with anyone but you and I was curious what it would be like."

"So you just said 'what the hell?' and kissed her? Were you going to shag her too? Did you even think about how I would feel?" She fired off question after question, fighting hard to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. She wasn't going to show him how hurt she was by what he did.

"I didn't think you would find out" he said, sounding sheepish. Red flashed before her eyes as fury engulfed every cell in her body. Harry quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, which she immediately pulled back. "I'm sorry love" he said, and she snapped. Hearing him apologize after what he had just said, and then calling her 'love' was too much for her. She pulled back her fist and let it fly, connecting with Harry's nose and hearing the crunch of bone.

"Fuck!" he yelled, grabbing his nose in pain as his eyes watered. "what'd 'oo do tat fo?" he asked, unable to talk normally with his injured nose.

"You deserved it you wanker!" she yelled, advancing on him again. She almost smiled when he cringed away from her, afraid she would hit him again. "How dare you kiss another girl after everything I have given up for you! I gave up my dreams to marry you and have our son, I pledged to be faithful to you forever. You pledged the same thing, but obviously you didn't mean your vows."

"I did mean them Hermione, I'm sorry for what I did and I swear it didn't mean anything." She looked at him, finally letting the tears fall as she said "it may not have meant anything to you Harry, but it sure as hell meant a lot to me. If that's the kind of husband you're going to be, Conlan and I don't need you." Feeling her heart breaking, she turned to make her way back out the door into the other room.

"Hermione?" said a voice that was unfamiliar to her. Turning back to look at Harry, she saw that he was gone and in his place was a young man she had never seen before. He had light brown hair, sparkling blue eyes and a wreath of olive leaves on his head. He was dressed in a white robe that looked just like the ones worn by the Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Greece. To the right of him, instead of Pyrena, stood a tall, brown haired woman with blue eyes also and the same white robe as the man next to her. Hermione thought she had to be the most beautiful woman in the world; her skin glowed and her eyes were so bright and clear that you could probably see into the woman's soul through them.

Suddenly it dawned on her who the woman was and she whispered "Hera?" The woman smiled and nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yes daughter, I am Hera, Queen of the Heavens and Wife of Zeus." Hermione noticed the last part was said as if it caused a horrible taste in her mouth to utter his name. Then she remembered what she had just witnessed with Harry.

"Where did Harry go, and why are you here? Am I dead?" she asked, fearing the worst. Hera just shook her head and said "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It was a test to see if you were strong enough to give up the love of your life for what you knew to be right. I wanted to make sure you were worthy of wielding my scepter and I must say, you passed spectacularly."

"Th-that was a-a test?" Hermione asked in disbelief, part of her relieved while the other part was mad as hell. "How dare you subject me to that kind of pain, just to test my character?! What gives you the right to play with my heart like that?"

"My dear child, you must realize by now the severity of the quest you are on. I know where the scepter of Zeus is hidden; I had to make sure you were strong and brave of heart before I could bestow that knowledge upon you. Your travels so far have been easy compared to what is to come; I have foreseen the future and if you do not succeed, you and your family will die and the Earth will be thrown into darkness."

Hermione just stood there for a moment, absorbing everything she had just heard. She knew there was a chance for one of the group to die, but for her entire family to be killed because of her possible failure? She closed her eyes as a wave of hopelessness washed over her, and opened them again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Standing in front of her was the man that had been next to Hera.

"It is not as hopeless as it seems my child" he said in a smooth, deep voice. "Your husband is my descendant and the love he feels for you makes him twice as powerful as any God we've ever known. You need to trust in your love and let him stand by you in your hour of need. Do not push him away, no matter how great the temptation; separation will lead to the death of the Light."

"Prometheus?" Hermione asked quietly, in awe of the God and Goddess standing before her. The man nodded in assent and she smiled at him, liking him immediately. This was the man and God that helped to create the human race; without him she wouldn't be here. Sobering suddenly, she asked "but why choose me? There must be other descendant's besides me?"

"Yes, there are other's I could have chosen" said Hera, smiling down at her "but none of them have the inner strength, heart and loyalty that you possess. Pyrena is also my descendant, but her heart is so full of hate for those who killed her parents that it consumes her. You, you have faced many prejudices growing up, from being too smart in grammar school to being a muggleborn at Hogwarts, and you've never let anything stop you from getting what you wanted. And just now, instead of giving in and forgiving your husband for his transgression, you stood up for yourself and stayed strong. I know they say to forgive is divine, but in this case, you saw how selfish your husband was being and chose to stand up for yourself and your son instead. That is the outcome I was looking for."

"You see, that was always my fatal flaw" a very sad look crossed Hera's face as she spoke "I always forgave my husband for his affairs, thinking that his love for me would be strong enough to stop him from doing it again. When he continued to cheat on me, I chose to look the other way and made a fool of myself. People thought I was weak for not standing up to Zeus and I have to admit they were right. But you, you have proven yourself worthy of my power. Now, you must go to Crete; that is where the scepter is hidden. We have planted false clues for your enemy to find; those will point him in the wrong direction and give you more time. The scepter is in a cave called the Idaion Cave. It is the true birthplace of Zeus and the scepter is incased in a wall of diamond located deep inside the cave. It will be a long, hard trip but you must push yourself to the very end of the cave. No one knows exactly how far down into the ground the cave goes; no one's ever survived to make it that far. But Prometheus and I will be with you at all times, guiding your way and helping as much as possible. Now, it is time to return to your husband and friends. I fear we have kept them worried long enough."

"What do you mean, my friends were just in the next room" Hermione said, confused.

"Not everything is as it seems" said Hera, giving her a loving smile. "Stay strong child and be safe on your journey." Hermione watched as they faded out of sight and then she heard a loud noise from what she thought was the other room. Walking through the doorway, she saw herself lying on the floor in the doorway where she had first entered the mysterious room. She saw Harry kneeling next to her on the floor, holding her hand and smoothing her hair off of her forehead. He had a look of pure sadness on his face; he even had a couple of tears on his cheek. Closing her eyes at the sight of his anguish, she opened them up again to find herself lying on the floor, looking up at Harry who was still holding onto her hand.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. She looked at him, confused as to how she ended up on the floor.

"Wh-What happened?" she asked, sitting up with Harry's help and looking around at the worried faces of her friends. When she looked at Harry again, she reached her hand out and placed it on his cheek. "Is it really you Harry?" she asked, looking deep into his eyes to see if it was him this time or if this was another test.

"Of course it's me" he answered, bewildered by her question. Looking at her, Harry said "when you walked through the doorway, it slammed shut before we could follow you in. We couldn't open it for almost half an hour, and then it suddenly opened on its own. That's when we saw you lying unconscious on the floor, in the same spot you're in now." Smiling down at her, glad she was ok, Harry asked "what happened when you came into the room?"

"I saw Hera and Prometheus; they put me through a test to make sure I was worthy of the scepter, and it was horrible." Looking at Harry as she remembered how she felt when she saw his imposter kissing Pyrena, she shook her head and said "I'll tell you more about that later. Anyway, I ended up passing the test and Hera told me where the scepter of Zeus is."

Everyone had gathered around her as she spoke, hanging on her every word. Phoenix looked at her and asked "Where did she say it was?"

"It's in the Idaion Cave in Crete. Hera said she planted false clues for the Death Eaters to find. They will lead them to the wrong place to buy us some extra time to reach the scepter first." She looked seriously at the group, her gaze finally landing on Harry. "She said that you and I have to work as a team to get the scepter out of a wall of diamond deep inside the cave. If we don't get to it first, our entire family will die and the Earth will be plunged into darkness."

Harry looked at her, blown away by what she had just said. Recovering a little, he said "well, no pressure on us then is there?" When he saw the reprimanding look on her face, he said "I know how serious the situation is Love, I was just trying to lighten the mood a little." Helping her to stand, Harry kept his arm around her waist as she walked, keeping her close to him. What she said worried him more than he wanted her to know. 'Did she really see Prometheus and Hera?' he asked himself, wondering if it would be a good thing if she did.

Remus stopped and turned, facing the group. "Before we go any further, there's something we need to discuss. Obviously we have to go to Crete; the question is when to go? I could probably go to the local Ministry of Magic and obtain emergency portkeys for us so we could leave tonight. My question is, should we leave tonight, or would you all rather stay the night here, rest up and then leave first thing in the morning instead?" It seemed like everyone tried talking all at once, so Remus held up his hands, silencing the group. "Let's do this; everyone who thinks we should leave tonight, raise your hands."

The twins, Phoenix and Pyrena, were the only ones to vote for leaving that night. "Ok, everyone who wants to leave in the morning?" Watching as the rest of the group raised their hands, Remus said "looks like we're leaving in the morning."

12. The Calm Before The Storm

~*Ok, so here's another chapter. It's shorter than the others, but I felt there needed to be a little lightheartedness before the next chapter. Yes, all hell will break loose in the next chapter. I still don't know how many chapters are left in this story, it's kind of writing itself right now. So, I hope you enjoy the groups together time, I kind of had fun writing it. Letting something good happen to the characters for a change was a nice change of pace. I'm hoping to have the next chapter posted on Saturday. Thanks for reading and please keep the great reviews coming!!! :)

After they had returned to the hotel, everyone split off into their little groups for the afternoon. Harry and Hermione were in their room with Conlan and Hermione's parents. Hermione wanted to spend as much time as she could with them before they had to leave for Crete. As she sat there cuddling Conlan, she was telling the story of what happened in the strange room at Hera's Temple.

"I was kissing...Pyrena?" Harry asked, sounding almost disgusted. Hermione giggled at the look on his face and then noticed her Dad glaring at Harry.

"Daddy, it wasn't real" she said, trying to ease his temper. "Hera was putting me through a test of character; Harry did not cheat on me." Her Dad stopped looking at Harry and turned his attention to her.

"I know, but just the idea of it happening and you having to witness it makes me angry" he said. Hermione loved that he cared for her so much, but he was really overprotective sometimes.

"I did punch the Harry that cheated on me though; I got him right on the nose!" Her Dad started laughing, and she laughed with him when she saw the look on Harry's face. She looked at her parents and then looked down at Conlan, a very serious look on her face all of a sudden. "Mom, Dad I think it would be a good idea if you were to stay here with Conlan when we go to Crete." Harry, Jane and Robert all looked at her in surprise.

"You want them to stay here?" Harry asked, wondering what she was thinking.

"Yes, I think it would be best. That way if Lucius decides to send someone after them, they won't be able to find them easily" explained Hermione.

"I think that is a great idea" said Robert, thinking over what she said. "We probably would be safer here; is that ok with you Harry?"

Harry looked from Hermione to her Dad and said "I think it might be good for you to stay here. I'll go talk to Remus and see if he can make the arrangements and then I'll go speak to Mrs. Weasley and see if she will agree to stay with you."

Hermione watched as he walked out the door and then turned to her parents. "Mum, Dad would you mind if I spent some time alone with Conlan?"

"Of course not dear" said Jane "we understand that you want to spend all the time with him you can before you leave. Besides, your Dad and I will get lots of time with him while you're in Crete."

Smiling thankfully at her Mum, she stood up to hug her and her Dad and then watched them walk out of the room. Hermione walked over to the bed and laid down, placing Conlan next to her on the bed. "Well, little guy, it's just you and me for a little while." She smiled as he just lay there staring at her as she spoke. "I can't believe that I stayed away from you the first week of your life; I'll probably regret that for the rest of my life. You were a little scary though" she held her finger close to his hand and watched as he wrapped the tiny hand around her finger. "You have a tight grip; I bet you'll be strong like your father. He's a great guy, you know. I hope you turn out to be just like him; he's brave, he's handsome, he would give his life for us and he's smart too, even though he won't admit it."

"That's not true" said Harry, startling her from her private conversation. She noticed him standing at the foot of the bed, watching them.

"How long have you been there?" she asked, wondering why she hadn't heard him come in.

"I came in like I always do; you were just wrapped up in your one-sided conversation with our son." Harry slipped his shoes off and crawled onto the bed, laying on the opposite side of Hermione so that Conlan was between them. "So, I believe you were telling Conlan what a great guy I was?"

"Can your ego get any bigger?" she asked, swatting at his arm playfully.

"It goes along with the rest of me love, what can I say?" Harry laughed at the look on her face.

"Cheeky little bugger aren't you?" she asked, laughing. Sobering a little, she said "I wish we could just spend our summer like this; you and me relaxing and spending time with Conlan. All we've done is travel, but we haven't gotten to sight see or act like normal tourists."

"I know love. I would love to be able to spend every day like this, just you, me and Conlan spending quality time together." He stared at her for a moment before saying "Molly agreed to stay with your parents and Conlan. She thought it was a pretty good idea too. I guess when we leave, they will all stay in one room so that it's easier to protect Conlan."

"Good; at least that's one less thing we will have to worry about." Noticing that Conlan had fallen asleep, Hermione leaned over and placed a light kiss on the top of his head. Watching as Harry did the same thing, she said "he has the right idea."

"A nap sounds good to you too?" Harry asked right before a huge yawn escaped him. Laying his head on the pillow, Harry scooted a little closer to Conlan and reached over to Hermione, placing his hand on her hip. A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes started to droop, and finally unable to fight her drowsiness anymore, she fell asleep at the same time Harry did.

They had woke up a couple of hours later feeling rested and content. As Harry fed Conlan, Hermione took a shower and put some clean clothes on. She relieved Harry and he did the same, coming out of the bathroom to find Remus in his room.

"Remus came to invite us to go to dinner with him and Tonks" said Hermione. Harry looked at Remus's face and smiled.

"Would this be a double date?" joked Harry, earning a glare from both Remus and Hermione. "I was just joking, geez. What about everyone else?"

"The Weasley's are in their room right now with Hermione's parents and the twins. They had just ordered room service when I left to come see you. They know of our plans for dinner and Molly volunteered to keep Conlan for you so you could have a quiet dinner." Remus watched Harry and Hermione look at each other for a moment, an unknown look passing over their faces.

"Dinner for just the four of us?" Hermione asked, and when Remus nodded, she replied "sounds wonderful to me. Harry?"

"Absolutely, I can't remember the last time just you and I went out anywhere" Harry said, a huge smile on his face.

"Alright then, I will go tell Molly that you'll bring Conlan by her room in a little while." Harry watched as Remus left and went to wrap his arms around Hermione's waist.

"This may be our first real date" he said, placing his lips on hers in a gentle kiss that quickly turned passionate.

Reluctantly pulling away, Hermione said "I think you should get dressed so we can go; I wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to go on a date with you."

Harry smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. Walking over to the bed where his clothes were laid out, he said "there's something sad about the fact that we've been married for nine months and we've never been out on a date."

"Well, nothing about our relationship has been normal per se" said Hermione "but you have to admit, our lives have been anything but boring."

"That's true" said Harry "ok, I'm ready, let's go."

"It ought to be interesting to see how Remus acts around Tonks" said Hermione, and then when she noticed the smirk on Harry's face said "you had better be on your best behavior tonight Mr. Potter."

"Of course I will" he replied, picking Conlan up off of their bed and smiling at her. "Like you said, this ought to be a very interesting night."

They went to the Weasley's room and knocked, being let in by Ron. "Hey guys, I hear you're going on a double date with Remus and Tonks." He smiled at Harry and Harry smiled back, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.

"Yes we are Ron; I'm surprised you're not off somewhere snogging Pyrena" said Hermione, smiling as his face turned bright red. Giving her a dirty look, Ron motioned for them to come in and then closed the door behind them.

Harry walked over and handed Conlan over to Mrs. Weasley. She was sitting at the small table in the corner of the room talking with Jane Granger. "Thanks for watching him so we can go out to dinner Mrs. Weasley" he said.

Molly smiled at him and said "it's no problem Harry dear. You and Hermione deserve a night out once in a while, especially with the stressful day you have ahead of you tomorrow."

"Actually, this is our first date" said Hermione, walking up beside him. Her Mum looked at her surprised.

"Your kidding? You guys never dated before you got married?" she asked.

"Well, no there was never really the chance to go on a date. Other than Hogsmead weekends, there wasn't anywhere else to go" explained Hermione.

"We kind of skipped dating and went straight to the good part" said Harry, earning himself a swat on the arm. "Ow, I'm just joking so stop hitting me!"

Laughing at their behavior, Jane looked behind them and said "I think Remus is ready to go." Harry and Hermione turned to see him standing by the door.

"Ready to go?" he asked. They nodded and said their goodbyes, turning to make their way out the door. "Be good you two" yelled Ron, causing everyone to glare at him. "What?" he asked, trying to look innocent.

Walking hand in hand, Harry and Hermione followed Lupin and Tonks to the lifts. When they got downstairs, Tonks made her way to the Ministry car and went to get behind the wheel. "She's driving?" asked Harry, sounding a little worried.

"What's the matter Harry, you're not scared of You-know-who, but the thought of me driving has you worried?" Tonks asked, starting up the car.

"I'm not worried" said Harry, looking over at Hermione and noticing the concerned look on her face too. As they got into the back seat and Tonks revved the engine, Harry mumbled "Merlin help us!" and grabbed the seat in front of him as Tonks sped off down the street.

They ended up in a little restaurant in the middle of town that was almost deserted. They had walked in at nine p.m. and had been seated immediately. The lights were dimmed and there were candles burning on the tables, creating a very romantic atmosphere. "Where is everyone?" asked Harry, looking around the empty room.

"Remember what Pyrena said in Athens, that no one eats dinner until at least nine at night?" Hermione answered.

"I guess we came at just the right time" said Tonks, noticing some people walking in the door. Remus and Harry each held a chair out for the ladies and pushed them in when they were seated. After they were seated, a short balding man walked up to their table with a warm, friendly smile plastered on his face.

"Good Evening" he said with a thick Greek accent "my name is Zeno Leromenos, and I am the owner of this restaurant. How are you this fine evening?"

"Fine, thank you" said Remus, smiling back at the friendly man. When the man looked around the table, he stopped when he saw Harry and said "you're Harry Potter!"

Harry closed his eyes, cursing the Gods for not letting him have just one night of peace. "Yes I am" he said, opening his eyes and looking at Zeno.

"I am so sorry Mr. Potter, please forgive my rudeness. I am just surprised to see you here in my restaurant." When Harry gave him a small smile, Zeno excused himself and returned quickly, holding a bottle of wine in his hands. "This is a bottle of the finest wine from the Appellations of Playies Melitona; I would be honored if you would accept this as my gift to you. A thank you for your defeat of you-know-who."

When Harry opened his mouth to tell him he wasn't of drinking age, Zeno left again and returned with four wine glasses. Opening the bottle, he filled each glass and handed one to each of them. After taking their orders, Zeno left to make sure their meals were prepared to perfection. "Only the best for Harry Potter and his friends" Zeno had said as he turned to walk away.

"Hermione's not his friend" Tonks had blurted out "she's his wife!" Zeno had stopped dead in his tracks at this information.

"You are married?" he asked, looking between Harry and Hermione. When Hermione slowly nodded her head yes, Zeno looked so happy that Harry became worried. "In that case, we shall celebrate! Your meal is on the house Sir."

Harry watched Zeno walk away, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why'd you have to say that Tonks?" he asked.

"What'sa matter Harry? Ashamed of your wife?" Tonks teased, laughing at the dirty look Harry gave her. "Relax Harry; we're here to have a nice dinner. So what if he gave us free wine and free food? You deserve something for all the Hell you two have gone through, don't you think?"

Feeling brave, Hermione picked up her wine glass and took a sip of the burgundy liquid. "That's really good" she said taking another, bigger drink.

Harry looked at her and said "um, did you forget we're underage?"

"I won't say anything if you don't Harry" said Remus "one night shouldn't hurt anyone. We're going on a dangerous mission tomorrow, so why don't we just relax and enjoy Zeno's hospitality?"

"If you say so" said Harry, picking up his glass and holding it out in front of him. "To friendship and love" Harry said as a toast.

"To friendship and love" repeated Hermione, Remus and Tonks, clinking their glasses together and taking a drink of the sweet burgundy liquid, determined to relax and enjoy their night.

**Yes, I know your thinking 'Remus letting them drink?' But you know what? He was a Marauder,so I have to believe he's laid back once in a while. Plus, Harry's the freakin' savior of the world, I say let 'em drink! Just to let you know, in Greece it's considered a great insult to refuse free food or wine from a proprietor. And the name of the wine, it's actually a real wine made in Greece. More to come Saturday!

13. The Approaching Storm

Harry, Hermione, Remus and Tonks sat in Zeno's restaurant drinking the wine he had brought them and enjoying the wonderful food in front of them. Harry sat there listening to the conversation around him and realized he felt truly relaxed for the first time in a while. He looked over at Hermione, who was avidly talking to Tonks and Remus, and smiled at how beautiful she looked tonight.

Thud! Harry watched as Remus's head suddenly fell forward and hit the table in front of him. Before he could say anything, he watched as Tonks head also hit the table. Hermione looked at him frightened and then reached over to feel for a pulse on Tonks neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found one.

Hermione turned to Harry and watched in horror as his eyes rolled back into his head and his head also fell to the table. "What the hell is going on?" she asked frantically, looking at the other patrons in the restaurant. No one seemed to have noticed what was happening at their table, or they were ignoring it. She froze as she heard three pops behind her, knowing what she would find if she turned around.

"Hello Mrs. Potter" drawled the voice of Lucius Malfoy "we've been waiting for you." Before she could react, she heard him say "Stupefy!" and she fell stiffly off of her chair. Zeno walked out of the kitchen, smiling a very evil looking smile, and walked up to Lucius.

Bowing down in front of him, Zeno said "I hope you are happy my Lord."

"I am indeed" replied Lucius "you will be rewarded for your loyalty. Right now though, we need to get this mudblood back to our hideout and see if we can get the location of the scepter out of her."

Lucius took a portkey out of his pocket and held it out so that Rookwood and Nott could grab it also. Lucius made sure Hermione's hand was also touching it and then they vanished, leaving Harry there unconscious along with Remus and Tonks.

Harry groaned as his head throbbed with pain; what the hell had happened? Slowly, he moved his head up off of the table and groaned again. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked around and saw that he was in a restaurant. 'A restaurant, what am I doing here?' he thought, looking at the empty room. He noticed Remus lying on the table next to him along with Tonks, who was also passed out across from him. When he looked to his right he noticed the empty chair. 'Who...?' he thought, wondering why there was a glass of wine and a plate of food there, but no one occupied the chair.

"OH MY GOD! HERMIONE!!" he yelled, remembering that she had been with them. Forgetting about Remus and Tonks, Harry shot up from his chair and ran into the deserted kitchen, looking in every possible closet and any other place she could be. He ran back out into the dining room and noticed that Remus was starting to stir. Harry ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him awake. "Remus, Remus wake up!! Hermione's gone, I can't find her!!"

"Wh-what?" Remus asked drowsily, lifting his head slowly off of the table. "Who?"

"HERMIONE! She's gone!" he yelled again, waking Tonks in the process.

"What happened?" she asked groggily, running her hands over her face sleepily. "Where are we?"

"AAARG!" yelled Harry frustrated. He slammed his hands down on the table hard, making Remus and Tonks sit straight up in their chairs.

"Damn Harry" mumbled Tonks, rubbing her temples "what's your bloody problem?"

Harry dug his hands into his hair, grabbing handfuls in anger. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he opened them again and said "Hermione is gone."

"WHAT?!" yelled both Remus and Tonks at the same time.

"Thank Merlin" said Harry, glad they finally understood what he was saying. "The three of us were knocked out. I was the first to wake up, and when I did Hermione wasn't here. I looked all through the restaurant and she's not around here anywhere."

"Zeno" Tonks said, looking at Remus with wide eyes "I bet he had something to do with this. He gave us that damn wine; I bet he spiked it with something."

"What do you mean? Wouldn't he just magically stupefy us or something?" Harry asked, pacing next to the table.

"Not if he is a squib; maybe Lucius promised to give him magical powers if he agreed to help him" Remus explained.

"Where are all the other patrons?" asked Harry. "When I woke up this place was completely empty; no staff and no customers." He looked at Tonks and noticed she had lain her head back down on the table, looking pretty out of it again.

Remus looked at the watch on his wrist. "Oh no..." he said, staring at it in disbelief.

"What?" asked Harry, concerned by the look on his face.

"It's ten o'clock in the morning" said Remus.

"WHAT?!" yelled Harry. "How is that possible, it's dark in here."

"Harry, the windows are tinted; that combined with the window shades makes it seem like night in here all the time" explained Remus, looking around the restaurant. "What the hell did he give us to make us sleep twelve hours?"

"I don't know, but we need to get back to the hotel now and figure out where Hermione could be" said Harry, starting to sound panicked.

"Ok Harry, calm down. Panicking right now will not help us get Hermione back." He looked at Tonks, who still looked pretty out of it. "This had to be Lucius."

"Son of a bitch, I can't wait to get my hands on him. I swear to Merlin I'll burn him alive and enjoy watching him die!" Harry was pacing faster now, his fists clenched and his eyes were wild looking.

Remus walked over to Tonks and tried to fully wake her, with no luck. "Harry, help me get her up so we can get out of here."

Harry walked over and lifted her up, putting her arm around his neck the same way Remus had, and then started walking towards the door. When they got outside, they made their way to where the car was parked, only to see it was gone. "SON OF A BITCH!!!" Harry yelled.

"Calm down Harry" said Remus "hold onto Tonks for a minute." Remus shifted her over so that she was leaning entirely on Harry and he picked up a big rock that was lying on the ground at his feet. Tapping the rock with his wand, he said "portus" and the rock glowed for a second. "Alright, this will take us to the lobby of the hotel. Grab a hold of it; I'll make sure Tonks is touching it." Harry grabbed it and tightened his hold on Tonks as Remus started counting "3...2...1..." and Harry felt the tug behind his navel.

They landed haphazardly in the lobby of the hotel and fell to the ground. Luckily Harry and Remus had cushioned the fall for Tonks. Picking her up, they made their way to the lifts and up to their floor. Finally getting to the door to Harry and Hermione's room, Harry used his key and opened the door, seeing his in-laws sitting at the table.

"Have you guys seen Hermione?" he asked as he and Remus took Tonks over to the bed and laid her down.

"What do you mean have we seen her? You were with her last night; where the hell have you been all night anyway?" Robert Granger asked, looking at Tonks suspiciously.

"We were slipped some spiked wine and we all passed out. When we woke up this morning, Hermione was gone and the restaurant we were at was deserted" Harry explained quickly. "Is Conlan ok?" he asked, looking into the crib where his son was sleeping soundly.

"He's fine. He only woke up once last night, which is amazing considering we didn't sleep much. We were worried about you and Hermione" Jane said, getting up and walking over to where he stood by the crib.

Harry just nodded and then made his way back out the door to Arthur's room, leaving Robert and Jane behind with a lot of unanswered questions.

Harry knocked on the door, waiting impatiently for someone to open it. Ron answered, looked at Harry and said "you look like hell mate."

"Yeah, nice to see you too Ron" he answered "I need to talk to your Dad right away."

Ron stepped to the side so that Harry could walk into the room and closed the door behind him. "Harry, where have you been?" asked Arthur, who took in Harry's appearance. "Have you been out all night?"

"We went to eat at a restaurant in town last night. We met the owner, Zeno, and he brought us wine and gave us our dinner for free because he recognized me. He seemed harmless enough..." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger, still feeling the effects of whatever was in the wine. "To make a long story short, the wine must have been spiked and we passed out at the table. When we all woke up this morning, Hermione was gone."

"What?! What do you mean she's gone?" asked Ron, angry that Harry had been so careless.

"Remus thinks that Zeno is one of Lucius's followers, or Voldemort's, hell whoever is the new Dark whatever...Remus thinks they took her." Harry started to feel dizzy so he sat down and put his head in his hands. "Remus is ok but Tonks is still pretty out of it. I think I remember her drinking more than the rest of us."

Arthur looked extremely worried as he started to pace back and forth. "Right then, I'm going to need to get a hold of Dumbledore right away. Lucius could be anywhere; didn't Hermione say that Hera was leading them with wrong clues?"

"Yeah, something about leading them to...the wrong cave" said Harry, trying to recall the events of yesterday.

"That's a start; we know we need to look at caves in the area around the Idaion Cave" said Arthur, thinking out loud.

"I helped Hermione with the research on Hera's diary before we left Hogwarts; I know where she had everything written down" Ginny said, remembering the list Hermione had made when they were in the library.

"Good, that should help us with possible locations. Ginny, why don't you go see if you can find that list while I go contact Dumbledore." Ginny nodded at her Father and made her way out the door, heading to Harry's room. Arthur followed her out, heading towards the lifts to go to the local Ministry to contact Dumbledore through the floo network.

"How are you doing Harry?" Molly asked, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I feel horrible; I can't believe I let my guard down like that last night. I know better than to let myself relax and now Hermione is paying the price for my stupidity." Harry just sat there with his head in his hands, feeling like shit thanks to whatever was in the wine. "When is this stuff going to wear off?" he asked no one in particular.

"It depends what they gave you" said Molly, looking at his face when he looked up at her. "I must say, you do look awful Harry. Why don't you go grab a shower back in your room and pack your things. That way when Arthur gets back you'll be ready to go."

"That sounds like a good idea" Harry said, shakily getting to his feet. "Where are Phoenix and Pyrena?" he asked, looking at Ron.

"They were in their room the last time I saw them" he answered.

"Will you go down and explained what happened and make sure they're all ready to go too" Harry asked, slowly walking to the door.

"Sure Harry; go take your shower and I'll take care of them" Ron said, feeling kind of sorry for Harry. He was extremely worried about Hermione and she was just his best friend; he couldn't imagine if it were his wife that was missing. They walked together to Harry's door where he used the key to get in and waved a quick goodbye to Ron before walking in.

"Any news on Hermione?" Robert asked the minute he stepped into the room.

"No, not yet. We're going to go search some caves that are near the Idaion Cave we found out about yesterday. Ginny, did you find the list you were looking for?" Ginny looked up from her seat on the bed. She had about five books on her lap and she was flipping through a notebook she held in her hands.

"I haven't found it yet, but I have one more notebook to look through" she said, turning pages slowly.

Harry just nodded and walked over to his bags, pulling out a set of clean clothes. "I'm going to go take a quick shower and clean up." Looking around the room, he asked "did Remus take Tonks back to their room?"

"Yeah, she was finally starting to come around, so he was thinking about setting her in the shower stall and turning the cold water on her to wake her fully" Ginny said with a smirk on her face.

"Now that ought to be interesting; I wonder if he'll turn up with a black eye?" said Harry, picturing the scene in his mind. Pushing the thought away, he made his way into the bathroom to clean up.

The group met in Harry's room about thirty minutes later. Phoenix had started in on Harry the minute he had walked into the room.

"Great job Potter; you're wife is the only one who can use the scepter of Hera, which we'll probably need to use to get to the scepter of Zeus, and you let your guard down? What the hell were you thinking?"

Ron had to hold Harry back from going after Phoenix; he quietly said "He's not worth it Harry, just concentrate on finding Hermione, ok mate?" Harry nodded his head in agreement and Ron let him go.

Ginny had found the list of caves; unfortunately there were ten of them. Arthur cleared his throat and said "I got a hold of Dumbledore and he made arrangements for us to stay at a place called Hotel Vritomartis; it's within walking distance to all ten of the caves on the list. They are all located in the mountains surrounding the beach. For those of us who can apparate, we can check out the caves quicker than Harry, Ron and Ginny will be able to. There will be three groups and there will be three guides to help us navigate and search the caves. Each group will have one of these" he held up a gold coin "and if your group finds where Hermione is being held, you just tap it three times with your wand and say the name of the cave you are in at the time. It will then notify the two other groups and we will be able to apparate there straight away."

"I know how to apparate Mr. Weasley, I just don't have my license yet" said Harry.

"When did you learn how?" asked Arthur.

"When Dumbledore taught me how to use my fire magic last summer, he also taught me apparition. He said it might come in handy if I had to fight Voldemort." Arthur nodded his head in understanding and said "Ok, the groups will be..."

"Mr. Weasley?" interrupted Harry "I would like Phoenix and Pyrena to be in my group since Phoenix has fire ability also and Pyrena is a descendant of Hera."

Arthur looked at him for a second, weighing the options, and then said "Ok, you, Phoenix and Pyrena will be one group, Tonks and Remus will be another group and Ron and Ginny will be with me." Ron looked at his Dad and asked "why can't I go with Harry?"

"Because you don't know how to apparate yet; I'll be making portkeys for you and Ginny as we go from cave to cave" explained Arthur. "Ok, we'll be heading downstairs to take the portkey to Crete and then go to the hotel and check in. As soon as we do that, we'll get started in on searching the caves right away. It's almost noon already; we may not be able to get to all the caves today. Are there any questions?"

No one said a word so Arthur said "grab your packs and we'll head out." Everyone grabbed up their gear and started to make their way to the lifts.

Harry walked over to Molly, Jane and Robert who were still sitting at the table. "Are you guys sure you'll be okay staying here by yourselves?"

"Yes dear, we'll be just fine" said Molly, giving him a reassuring smile. "Arthur gave me one of the coins also, but if I tap my wand to it, it will send an emergency signal to him so he can come right back here if we need him."

"Okay then, I'll be going." Harry walked over to the crib where Conlan still slept and leaned over to place a light kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to go find your Mum" he whispered quietly "Grandma and Grandpa will take good care of you; so will Grandma Molly." Molly smiled warmly at him when she heard him call her Grandma.

"Finally, I have a Grandson; adopted of course, but still a Grandson just the same." Harry walked over and gave her a hug, along with Jane. Robert stuck his hand out and Harry shook it. "Bring my little girl back safely, ok?" he asked.

"I plan to Mr. Granger" Harry replied. Putting his pack on his back, Harry made his way out the door, briefly glancing back to wave goodbye. He met up with everyone and climbed into the lift, making their way down to the lobby.

They walked out the front door and made their way up to the top of a little hill that was across the street from the hotel. Mr. Weasley passed out three portkeys, one to each of the groups he had named off in the room and said "they are timed to leave every two minutes. The first one will leave in thirty seconds, and that one is Remus and Tonks."

Remus held out the old hat that was their portkey so that she could get a good hold on it. Arthur counted down the seconds and once he hit zero, they vanished. The next two groups left at two minute intervals, the last being Arthur, Ron and Ginny. When they hit the sandy beach, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The group of eight sat staring at a beach full of nude sunbathers. "What the hell is this?" asked Harry, noticing all the naked women around them.

"This would be a nudist beach" explained Pyrena "which hotel did you say we were staying at Mr. Weasley?"

"The hotel Vritomartis" said Arthur, watching as a beautiful naked woman ran past him after a frisbee.

"Vritomartis is a nudist resort" said Pyrena, trying not to laugh at everyone's expressions.

"What?" asked Ron "Does that mean we have to be nude too?"

"No, it's clothing optional, so you can stay dressed if you want. Besides, we won't be around much to have to worry about it" said Pyrena.

"Well, let's go check in" said Remus, pulling his eyes away from the scenery.

Ron walked up next to Harry and said "can you believe this Harry? A nude beach and we're not even going to be able to enjoy it!"

Harry just nodded his head in agreement while saying "yeah, it's too bad."

"Hey Potter, did you forget about your wife?" Ginny asked, looking a little annoyed.

"Of course not Ginny. I'm married but I'm not blind" said Harry, making her mad. "Don't be angry Ginny, I'm not doing anything wrong."

She just continued to walk ahead of them, pretending she didn't hear him. Harry just shrugged it off; he had more important things to worry about right now.

"Oy, Harry, would you look at her!" said Ron, pointing to a beautiful blond running down the beach and looking like a kid in a candy store. Harry laughed as he saw Pyrena give Ron a very nasty look.

"Better watch it Ron" said Harry "I don't think your girlfriend likes you looking at naked girls."

"Girlfriend?" asked Ron, confused. When Harry looked pointedly at Pyrena, Ron said "oh right, her."

Harry just laughed at the crestfallen look on Ron's face and said "come on Romeo, let's go find my wife."

~**There you go, just as I promised! The next chapter should have a lot of action in it, so it might be a little while before I post it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!! :)

14. The Search For Hermione Begins

~A/N>I have to say thank you to HarryJamesNorton who e-mailed me today and gave me the inspiration to get this chapter finished. I had tried all week to get it done, but had no idea where I wanted it to go. I'm pretty happy with the outcome, but I have to say I'm sorry for leaving you hanging at the end. I am going to try to post another chapter by Wednesday. I wrote "The Power Within" in four weeks, I've been writing this one now for four weeks plus I started a new story. So, I got a little burned out. I am back up to par now, and I will try my best to post sooner next time. I hope you enjoy, and as always, please review!! :)

The group made its way into the hotel lobby to check in. Waiting there were three men, who stood out simply because they were fully dressed.

"Are any of you a Mr. Arthur Weasley?" one of the men asked.

"I am" said Mr. Weasley, stepping forward. "Are you our guides?"

"Yes" said a dark skinned, dark haired man. "My name is Eli Christos, and this is Zarek Mikolas and Owen Akil." Mr. Weasley shook hands with all three men and proceeded to introduce everyone in the group to them. Harry was glad when he introduced him by his first name only. Once the introductions were over, the men noticed the packs they had brought with them.

"You will not be able to bring all of that with you" said Zarek "it will weigh you down too much and make the trek almost impossible."

"So what do we bring?" asked Harry. Zarek looked at him and said "all you will need is your wand and some water. And make sure to wear warm clothes."

"But it's hot outside" said Ron "why do we need warm clothes?"

"The deeper down into a cave you go, the colder it gets. By the time you reach the end, you will be freezing if you go the way you are dressed right now" explained Eli.

The group proceeded up to their rooms to leave their packs. Harry and Ron were sharing a room, so they went in and picked a bed, setting their pack on top of it. Grabbing their canteens, they each filled them with water from the bottles they had brought with them. After shrinking them, they put them into their pockets and placed their wands into their back pockets. They would take them back out as soon as they got to the caves, in case there were any muggles around. Grabbing a sweatshirt and heavy coat, Harry walked out into the hallway to meet up with everyone else.

"Everyone ready to go?" asked Remus when he saw everyone was there. When everyone nodded their heads, he said "ok, Harry's group, you'll be going with Owen. Arthur, you'll be going with Zarek and Tonks and I will be with Eli. Any questions? Everyone got their coins?" He looked around and saw three gleaming gold coins held up in the air. "Alright, let's go."

They made their way down the lifts, out of the hotel and back onto the beach. They made their way towards the hills that were behind the resort, where the caves were located. When they got to the base of the hill, they split off into their groups. "Eli, take the Sentoni Zoniana Cave. Zarek, you take the Gerani Cave and my group will take the Diktaian Cave" said Owen, taking command. The other two guides nodded in approval and turned in the direction of their cave, their groups following.

"What are we looking for" Owen asked, looking at Harry. "My wife, Hermione" Harry replied, noticing the surprised look on their guides face. "No one informed you beforehand?"

"No, we were only told by the Ministry to meet you at the hotel" replied Owen. "You look awfully young to be married" he observed.

"It's a long story" said Harry, walking next to Owen as they started to make their way to the cave they were assigned to search. "My wife has been kidnapped by a man name Lucius Malfoy; he took her from the restaurant we were at last night."

"That's terrible" said Owen, walking briskly now. "I lost my wife two years ago" he said, sounding sad.

"Can I ask what happened?" Harry asked, truly concerned. Owen looked down at him for a moment, as if sizing him up, and said "Voldemort killed her."

Harry just stopped in his tracks for a moment, then hurried to catch back up with Owen. "I'm so sorry" said Harry.

"There's nothing you could have done. No one even knew he was back at that time" he said.

"I did" said Harry quietly. Owen stopped walking and looked at him. "How could you have known?" he asked.

"My last name is Potter" he explained, and noticed the recognition to his last name on Owens face.

"He killed your parents when you were a baby" said Owen sadly "and you supposedly killed him at the same time." Harry watched as Owen's eyes sought out the lightening bolt scar on his forehead.

"No such luck. Last year he kidnapped Hermione when she was pregnant and in labor; it was horrible."

"You have a baby?" Owen asked, surprised again.

"Yeah, his name is Conlan and he is almost a month old. I promised him I'd bring his Mum back" Harry looked at Owen with a determined look on his face "that's one promise I fully intend to keep."

"Well, Harry Potter, I will do everything I can to help you find and rescue your wife" Owen said, smiling at him.

Remus was following Eli up the hill to their cave. He could see it from where they were at; it would take them about ten more minutes to reach the mouth of the cave.

"Ow!" yelled Tonks as she stumbled over a rock. Remus rolled his eyes and sighed; that was already the third time she'd tripped over something. Stopping to wait for her to catch up, Remus watched her carefully walk up to him, minding where she stepped.

"Are you ok?" he asked her, trying to suppress the smirk on his face. She just narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"I'm glad you think this is funny" she said "maybe you should just search the cave with Eli by yourself."

He looked at her seriously now, walking up to her. "I'm sorry" he said "it just seems that you trip over blades of grass sometimes." She just continued to look at him angrily. Remus looked behind him at Eli and noticed that he was looking up at the entrance of the cave. Turning back around, Remus leaned in quickly and planted a quick kiss on Tonks lips. He almost laughed at the shocked look on her face. Her shock slowly went away and she gave him a big smile.

"Apology accepted" she said.

"Good, let's get going" said Remus, grabbing her hand and walking slowly up to where Eli stood waiting for them. They continued up to the cave, Remus catching Tonks every time she stumbled so she didn't hurt herself. Finally they reached the cave and stepped inside, illuminating their wands. They made their way slowly through the cave, looking for any hidden passages or fake walls that could be in place. After about three hours, they hadn't found anything.

Arthur, Ron and Ginny followed Zarek up to where their cave was located. No one said anything the entire way, seeming lost in their thoughts. They reached the mouth of the cave about twenty minutes later and put on their warm clothes. Pulling out their wands, all four of them murmured "lumos!" and held their wands in front of them so they could see inside the dark cave. They walked slowly, examining the walls of the cave for any markings or writings that might give them a clue as to where Hermione or the scepter could be. As they made their way deeper into the cave's depths, Ron could hear a strange noise that sounded like it was far away from them.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered, putting out his hand to stop the other three. They all stood stock still and listened intently, trying to see if they could hear anything. Ginny looked up and said "I think I heard it too."

"What does it sound like?" said Arthur, unable to pick up any noise.

"It's a strange clinking sound" said Ron, straining to see if he could pick up anything more. Zarek looked at him and said "I hear it too."

The four of them pressed their backs up against the left wall of the cave, carefully side stepping further into the cave and trying not to make any noise. Zarek put a hand up to stop them and whispered "there's a light up ahead." He crouched down on all fours and, as quietly as possible, crawled a little ways ahead. When he peeked around the corner, he saw three men with pick axes attacking the right wall. He could see that they had revealed the see through wall, but didn't know the spell to pass through it. Zarek watched them work diligently, trying to get into the tunnel that was on the other side. He almost laughed; this wall was just a shortcut to the end of the cave, a faster route than the one they were currently on. He quietly made his way back to the Weasley's and whispered "I believe there are three death eaters up ahead."

Mr. Weasley looked at him surprised. "Do you think Hermione is in this cave?"

"No; they are trying to use pick axes to break through a magical part of the cave wall. It leads to a different tunnel that will take you to the end of the cave faster than the one we're in now; you have to know the spell to pass through it."

"What should we do?" asked Mr. Weasley, looking at Zarek for answers.

"There's three of them and four of us; we can take them" he answered.

"But two of us are only children" said Arthur, surprised at Zarek's answer.

"Obviously you trusted in their abilities enough to bring them along on this trip. Have faith in their abilities Arthur." Mr. Weasley stared at the guide for a moment, trying to decide whether he wanted to put his kids into that kind of danger.

"Dad, we went up against the Death Eaters in the Ministry by ourselves; there weren't any adults around to help us then" said Ron. He wasn't one to back down from a fight, especially against Death Eaters. They'd caused enough trouble as it was. "Maybe we can get them to tell us where Hermione is."

Arthur looked at Ron and said "It's against my better judgment, but ok, let's try to capture them."

Zarek nodded in understanding and said "ok, let's crawl up to where I was before. There's a curve in the tunnel that will hide us until we are ready to advance."

The three Weasley's nodded and crouched down on the floor of the cave the same way Zarek had done just minutes before. They slowly followed him to the hiding spot and waited behind him for the signal. As soon as it was given, the four of them ran out from their spot, shooting off spells as they ran.

"Expelliarmus, Stupefy, Confundo, Petrificus Totalus!" Each of the four watched as three of their spells hit the Death Eaters; two of them lay stiff on the floor as the other one wandered around with a confused look on his face. Only Ginny's disarming spell had missed. Zarek walked up the them and pointed his wand at each of them in turn, saying "incarcerous!" Thick ropes shot out of the tip of his wand, wrapping around each of the three Death Eaters, making them unable to move or get away.

"I'm going to go to the Ministry and get some Veritaserum; maybe we can get Mrs. Potter's location out of them" said Zarek.

"We'll keep a close eye on them" said Mr. Weasley. Zarek nodded and then with a soft 'pop', disappeared.

About twenty-five minutes later, Zarek returned with a small potion bottle full of clear liquid. Walking purposefully towards the three men that lay bound on the floor, he put three drops of the liquid into the first Death Eaters mouth. After waiting about a minute, Zarek asked him "what's your name?"

"I am Iason Feodras" he automatically answered.

"Do you work for Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes" came Iason's answer.

"What were you doing down here?" asked Zarek.

"We were ordered to find the scepter of Zeus. We were told to come to this cave and break through the magical wall. That is where the scepter is supposed to be."

Zarek looked at Mr. Weasley and said "there's no way the scepter is in this cave. That's the only magical wall in here, and like I said before, it leads to a shortcut."

Arthur walked up to the same man that Zarek had been questioning and asked "where is Hermione Potter?"

"She is in Hades" replied Iason. Arthur looked at Zarek, confused by the answer.

"Are you saying she's dead?" asked Zarek, hoping to get a clear answer.

"No, she is in Hades, with our Master."

Owen, Harry, Phoenix and Pyrena had finally reached the mouth of the Diktaian Cave and started to walk deeper and deeper into it's heart. The tunnel seemed to spiral downward, which seemed strange to Harry. "Do all caves usually slope down?" he asked.

"No, they usually go straight for a ways and then slope either down or ascend up into the hill. This one is different; it's one of the first caves ever known to exist in Crete."

They continued to walk, and Harry noticed how silent the twins were being. When he looked back, he noticed Phoenix's eyes were glowing, a sign that his fire magic had flared alive inside him. "What's going on Phoenix?" he asked.

"Something doesn't seem right" Phoenix replied. Owen turned to look at him and did a double take.

"What's wrong with his eyes?" he asked, staring at the young man.

"It's a natural defense mechanism he possesses" explained Harry, not telling Owen the whole truth.

"It's a little frightening" said Owen, staring at him for a moment more and then continuing his trek into the cave.

"I'm not going to engage my fire magic" Harry whispered to Phoenix "I don't want to tip Owen off any more than possible. Who knows who we can trust anymore."

Phoenix nodded and said "if I feel that we're in immediate danger, I'll send off a fireball to let you know."

"Just make sure you don't hit me with it" said Harry, eyeing Phoenix warily.

The four turned another corner and found themselves in an opening; the small tunnel had opened up into a small cavern, where a stream cut through the middle. As they advanced, a huge three headed dog emerged from a hole in the wall opposite them. Harry looked at it in horror; it had a tail that was a smaller version of a dragon and heads of snakes all over its back, instead of fur. "W-What is that?" he asked.

"It can't be what I think it is" said Owen, staring at the dog fearfully.

"What the bloody hell do you think it is?" asked Harry, starting to get worried.

"Cerberus" Owen replied. Phoenix and Pyrena looked at him in disbelief.

"That's not possible!" said Pyrena, her eyes wide with fear. "He's a myth."

"What's Cerberus?" asked Harry.

"It's the dog that used to guard the entrance to Hades; it kept the living from entering and kept the dead from leaving. Its brothers and sisters are the Hydra and Chimaera; like Pyrena said, it's a Greek myth" explained Owen.

"It sure looks real to me" said Harry, watching as it paced back and forth across the stream from them.

"According to the myth, the only way to get past him is to play music, it puts him to sleep" said Owen.

"Just like Fluffy" said Harry. When he saw the other three looking at him curiously, he explained "the groundskeeper at Hogwarts kept a three headed dog named Fluffy in the school my first year there. He had leant it to our Headmaster to guard something very important. The only way to get past him was to play music to put him into a magical sleep."

"We can't let this thing live" said Phoenix, staring at the beast. "What if it gets loose? It would make it's way into Crete and kill loads of people."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Owen, also watching the beast as it continued to watch them and pace the bank of the stream.

"Kill it" answered Phoenix. When he saw Owen and Harry just looking at him as if he were daft, he said "Harry and I could use our fire magic to dispose of it."

"Fire magic? What is that?" Owen asked, looking from Phoenix to Harry, waiting for an explanation.

"It's a form of magic that was passed down to the descendants of Prometheus" Harry explained. He turned to Phoenix and asked "how are the two of us supposed to take care of a three headed dog with a dragon for a tail and snake heads all over its body? It sounds like suicide to me."

"We have to get rid of the heads, remove the dragon from the body and incinerate them all, body included" Phoenix explained.

"Bloody hell" Harry muttered, thinking over what Phoenix had just said. "How do you propose we do this?"

"You're actually considering this?" Owen asked in disbelief.

"Phoenix is right" Harry said, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "If we allow that thing to live, there is a chance that it could get loose and kill innocent people."

"We don't even know how long it's been here" said Owen "for all we know, maybe it can't leave this cavern."

"Or maybe Voldemort brought it to life to guard this place so that we couldn't get to him and my wife" said Harry.

"Voldemort is dead" said Owen, looking confused.

"No he's not; when I incinerated his body, his spirit escaped and inhabited Lucius Malfoy's body" Harry explained. "That's why they're trying to get the scepter of Zeus, so that Voldemort can gain immortality. They kidnapped Hermione because she knows where that scepter is."

Owen stood there staring at Harry, looking as if his worst nightmare had come to life. "Voldemort is still alive?"

"Yes; if he finds the scepter, he will be able to get his body back again and become immortal" Harry replied.

"So then it's almost certain that this dog from Hell is a product of his Dark magic" said Owen, looking at the beast with an angry expression on his face. He sat staring at it for a few moments and then looked at Phoenix. "Ok, what's your plan?"

~**The names in this chapter were found at www. 20000-names.com . All the cave names in this chapter are real caves found in Crete.**~

15. Cerberus

A/N>Ok folks, get ready for a little gore. Not for the faint of heart; you've been warned. I don't know when I will get another chapter up. I've gotten this much done today, but I really don't know where it's going to go from here. Please bare with me; I promise I am not going to abandon this story or any of my other ones. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!!!

Phoenix and Harry stood on the bank of the stream, staring at the huge beast looming across from them. Cerberus continued to pace back and forth, watching their every move. "Are you sure about this?" Harry asked, looking at Phoenix.

"I thought you were the savior of the world Potter" taunted Phoenix "where's the great hero we heard so much about?"

Harry looked at Phoenix with a look of dislike on his face. 'Why couldn't I get someone different to work with?' Harry asked himself, staring at the cocky Greek standing next to him. "Alright, let's go."

Phoenix shook his head in agreement and said "On three, 1...2...3..." Both wizards apparated from sight and appeared on either side of the huge dog. Phoenix had agreed to take care of the heads of the beast while Harry had the dragon tail. Phoenix ran to the front, where he was face to face with the animal, and in quick succession yelled "conjunctiva! conjunctiva! conjunctiva!"

Owen watched as the beasts eyes turned red and swelled shut as it screamed in pain. Phoenix started dodging Cerberus's huge paws as it tried to strike him while pawing at it's eyes at the same time. Phoenix fired stunners at the giant jaws that were snapping at him, trying to keep them away, but it wasn't working.

At the same time, Harry was trying to cast an immobulus spell on the dragon tail, but it was moving to quickly to hit. Finally losing his patience, Harry felt his fire magic come alive inside of him, and making a slicing motion with his hand yelled "mutilo!"

The tail was completely severed from the beasts body and fell to the ground with a thud. When the head swung around to look at Harry, he knew he had made it really mad. Just as the dragon went to lunge at him, he repeated his actions from before and yelled "mutilo!" again. The dragons head went rolling across the floor, stopping at Harry's feet. Noticing that Phoenix wasn't having any luck with the three heads, he completely lost patience and waved his hand toward the dragons head and body and yelled "inflammatio!" Harry watched for a moment as the dragon's remains flared into a huge ball of fire, and then made his way to help Phoenix.

Harry walked up to the front and noticed that Phoenix had gotten the conjunctiva spell into the dogs eyes, but wasn't doing very well with the flailing heads and the huge paws that were trying to crush him. "Need some help?" he asked.

Phoenix shot him a nasty look before firing a couple of fireballs at the heads, hitting them a couple of times, which made the dog howl in pain.

"We need to sever the heads and then burn them" Harry said, evading one of the huge paws "that's what I did to the tail and it worked really well."

"What are you waiting for then?" Phoenix asked, glaring at him.

Harry went to repeat his actions from before, but before he could raise his hand, one of the huge paws connected with the side of his body and threw him up against the cavern wall. Harry slid down onto the ground, unconscious from the blow. Phoenix looked at him, not knowing whether to check on him or take care of the dog first. Making a quick decision, Phoenix made a slashing motion with his hand, repeating Harry's actions and yelled "mutilo!"

He watched with disgust as one of the heads was severed off of the beast's body, spraying blood on him and everywhere else, and then rolling off to the side. He looked over at Harry to see if he had moved at all, only to find him lying in the same position. As he brought his attention back to Cerberus, he saw one of the beasts huge mouths coming down on him and tried to get out of the way, only to feel one of the teeth slicing into his arm. Phoenix screamed in pain as he grabbed his arm, barely moving out of the way of another attack.

"Phoenix!" screamed Pyrena from the other side of the stream. She and Owen had been watching in horror as Harry and her brother had fought the dog. Now Harry was unconscious and her brother was injured badly; the cut on his arm was so deep that she could see the bone.

"I'm ok; do you think you could apparate over to Harry quickly and see if he is still alive?" asked Phoenix through gritted teeth.

"I can do that" she answered.

"I'll keep Cerberus busy" Phoenix said "just make it quick, ok?"

"Alright; I'm going now" said Pyrena, and then she apparated over to where Harry lay. Thankfully, Cerberus was focused on Phoenix, still trying to crush him under his paw. Feeling anger surge through him, Phoenix drew on his fire magic, made a huge slicing motion with his good hand and yelled "mutilo maximus!"

Pyrena turned as she heard her brother yell and watched as the two remaining dogs heads were cut from its body. She turned towards the stream and vomited, sick from the sight of all of the blood. As she turned back towards Harry, she noticed his eyes were fluttering as he fought for consciousness. "Harry?" she said softly, patting his cheek lightly, trying to rouse him. "Harry, come on, wake up. Phoenix needs your help."

As she said this, Phoenix stood in front of the three heads, waved his hand in front of them and yelled "inflammatio maximus!" The heads erupted in fire and burned quickly, the intensity of the flames making quick work of them. Thinking he was done, Phoenix looked up at the body that still stood in front of him, and noticed in horror that the snakes that made up Cerberus's body were now detaching and making their way towards him. "Pyrena!" he yelled.

Pyrena looked over at her brother and saw what looked to be hundreds of snakes making their way towards him. "Oh hell!" she said, and then turned to Harry. 'Hope this works' she thought to herself as she whipped out her wand, pointed it at Harry and said "ennervate!" She watched as Harry fully came around and sighed in relief. Remembering her brothers peril, she said "Harry, you have to help Phoenix!"

Harry looked at her, confused, and then looked towards Phoenix. His eyes grew wide as he saw the numerous snakes making their way towards Phoenix. He stood up slowly, his whole body wracked with pain, and started to make his way over to help. Noticing that not all of the snakes were off of the body yet, Harry waved his hand over the length of it and shouted "corpus glubo!"

He watched as the skin made of snakes peeled off of the body and fell to the ground. "Flammo" he yelled, pointing at the pile, watching as it erupted into flames just as the heads and tail did. Once that was done, he carefully made his way over to where Phoenix stood fighting off the many snakes. Noticing that he wasn't having any luck, Harry pointed one finger from the roof of the cavern, down to where one of the snakes lay and yelled "flamma!"

Owen and Pyrena watched as a bolt of lightening followed the path that Harry's finger had made and struck the snake dead. Harry kept repeating the action over and over, while Phoenix finally caught on and had started to do the same. Once all of the snakes were taken care of, Harry turned towards what remained of the body and shouted "templis ignes inferre!"

Owen, Phoenix, Pyrena and Harry watched as the remains caught fire and burned, quickly reducing them to ash. As Harry watched the last of the flames die out, he started to notice the blackness that started to creep into the corners of his vision. Next thing he knew, Pyrena was screaming his name and the ground was coming at him at an incredible speed.

Phoenix fished through Harry's pockets as he lay unconscious on the ground. "What are you doing?" Owen asked.

"Mr. Weasley gave him a coin that he could use to contact the other groups if there was any trouble or if we found Hermione. We need to contact the other groups so that they can come and help us" explained Phoenix.

"Why don't we just wake Harry up again and continue through the cave?" asked Owen.

"Because I'm pretty sure this is where they are keeping Hermione; why else would they post the hound from Hell as a guard?" asked Phoenix, trying to cast a healing charm on himself, but failing. "Pyrena, could you come do this for me?"

Pyrena walked over to him and cast the charm. They both watched as the cut closed up almost completely; Pyrena ripped part of the bottom of her shirt off and tied it around the wound to stop any seepage. "My brother is right Owen, we need to get the other groups here with us before we go any further." Owen just looked at her for a second and then shrugged his shoulders, not arguing any further.

Phoenix took the coin in his bad hand, his wand in his good hand and tapped the wand tip to the coin three times and said "Diktaian Cave".

"Now what?" asked Owen.

"Now we wait" said Phoenix, who then laid down on the ground to rest.

Mr. Weasley jumped when he felt the coin in his pocket start to vibrate. He quickly pulled it out and looked at it. The words 'Diktaian Cave' kept flashing on the face of it. He looked at Zarek and said "It looks like Harry's group has found Hermione."

"Really?" asked Ginny, walking up to her Dad and looking at the coin.

"What do you want to do with these Death Eaters?" asked Zarek.

"Can you take them to the Ministry?" asked Arthur. Zarek nodded his head yes and made sure all of them were immobilized. After tying rope around all three of them, making them one big bunch, he picked a rock up off of the ground. Tapping his wand tip to it, he said "portus" and the rock glowed for a second. "Please wait here and I will be right back." And with that, he was gone.

Remus felt the coin in his pocket start to vibrate, so he took it out and saw the words 'Diktaian Cave' flashing on the front of it. "Tonks, Eli, it seems that Harry's group has found Hermione."

Tonks walked over and looked at the coin in Remus's hand. "So I guess we're going there now?"

"Seems that way" he replied. "The way these coins work is that one of us holds it in our hand and links hands with the other. Just concentrate on the name of the cave, and it should take us there."

"I know where it's at already, so I'll go ahead and apparate there" said Eli.

"Alright, we'll see you there in a minute." Eli nodded and was gone. "Ready?" Remus asked as he held the coin and grasped on to Tonks hand.

"Ready" she replied, smiling at him.

"Concentrate on the name, and 3...2...1...'pop'!" and they both disappeared.

Remus and Tonks re-appeared inside the cavern where Harry's group was currently resting. When they saw the carnage around them, all Tonks could say was "bloody hell!"

Remus noticed Harry lying on the ground and ran up to him. "What's wrong with Harry?" he asked Pyrena.

"Cerberus, the dog that guarded the gateway into Hades, was waiting for us when we entered this cavern. Phoenix and Harry decided to fight him with their fire magic. Harry was slammed into the wall by one of the paws; I woke him up and he went back to help Phoenix, who was hurt pretty badly. Anyway, he must have exhausted himself with all of the magic he used because once Cerberus was dead, he collapsed."

"Have you tried to wake him again?" asked Remus.

"No, I figured I'd let him rest until everyone else got here" she answered.

Remus looked towards Phoenix and asked "are you ok?"

"Yeah; my arm was sliced open by one of the teeth, but it's almost stopped bleeding" Phoenix replied. Tonks walked towards him and knelt down beside him. She unwrapped the bandage on his arm, which was now blood soaked, and examined the red-raw gash.

"Let me try one of the healing spells they teach us in Auror training" she said, putting her wand tip to the wound and saying "sanguineus coagulus!"

Phoenix hissed in pain as his wound burned; as soon as the burning stopped, he looked at it to see that it was hardly visible anymore. "Thank you" he said, smiling at Tonks.

Tonks smiled back at him and made her way over to where Remus knelt next to Harry. Remus waved his wand over Harry's body, performing one of the medical spells that Madam Pomfrey had taught them. "How is he?" she asked.

"His magical energy levels are almost back to normal" he said, looking at the different colors glowing over Harry's body. "It should be safe to wake him up." Finishing the spell, he pointed his wand at Harry's chest and said "ennervate!"

Harry's eyes opened and he squinted up at Tonks and Remus. Looking at his surroundings, realization dawned on his face and he slowly sat up. "Careful Harry; you exhausted yourself again using your fire abilities" explained Remus.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked.

"Well, Phoenix summoned us. He figures that since Cerberus was guarding the doorway into the deeper part of the tunnel, that this is where Lucius is hiding Hermione."

"Nice of him to make that decision on his own" said Harry sarcastically. He sat there for a moment, trying to will away the pain he felt in every part of his body. He needed to get to Hermione before Lucius hurt her; he had a promise to their son to keep.

Zarek finally returned to the cave where the Weasley's were waiting for him. "Ready to go?" he asked. When everyone nodded their heads yes, he took an old hat out of his back pocket, closed his eyes in concentration and said "portus" while tapping the hat with his wand. Giving the hat to Mr. Weasley, he said "as soon as all three of you touch it, it will take you to the cave. I'm going to apparate there since I know where they are."

Mr. Weasley held the hat out for Ron and Ginny to take hold of, and the three of them disappeared. As soon as they left, Zarek closed his eyes and with a quiet 'pop' left the cave also.

Soon the four of them stood just outside the opening of the cavern. When they heard other voices, they walked inside and noticed everyone else was already there. They also noticed Harry and Phoenix lying on the ground, looking pretty beat up. Zarek walked up to the edge of the stream and put one foot into the water. Noticing that it was only ankle deep, he proceeded to walk across to where everyone else was gathered. Arthur, Ron and Ginny followed him, carefully stepping in the same places he did. Once on the other side, all three Weasley's made their way over to where Harry was.

"Alright there Harry?" asked Arthur, looking at him concerned.

"I'm ok; just had a run in with a dog from hell" he quipped, trying to make light of the situation. When he saw the Weasley's confused faces, he explained "we encountered Cerberus. It's a long story; just know that we killed it."

"Is that what all of this mess is, what's left of the dog?" asked Ron, looking around at the ashes on the ground and the blood splattered walls. "Looks like it put up one heck of a fight."

"You can say that again" said Harry, slowly standing up. "Now that it's gone, why don't we go explore the rest of the cave and see if Phoenix's assumption is true."

"You mean you're not sure if Hermione is in this cave or not?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"I'm not the one who summoned you here; Phoenix did that while I was unconscious. He figures that since Cerberus was here, Voldemort must be here also" explained Harry.

"You better hope we find her here" said Mr. Weasley, looking at Phoenix "because if we don't, then we've wasted an entire afternoon chasing after a hunch, which puts Hermione in even more danger."

"Why else would Cerberus, the guardian dog of Hades, be in a cave in Crete?" asked Phoenix, exhasperated. "I think someone would have noticed him before now, don't you?"

Mr. Weasley just stared at Phoenix, an angry look on his face. "Right, well then, we had best get going."

The group of eleven gathered in front of the opening that lead down into the heart of the cave. The three guides, Eli, Zarek and Owen went first and everyone else followed behind. They made their way through the twisting tunnels, the temperature dropping the farther they went. After about thirty more minutes of walking, they entered a part of the tunnel that had lit torches on the wall. They heard voices up ahead and Eli put his hand out to stop everyone from going any further.

It sounded like one of them was definitely Lucius Malfoy, but the other two didn't sound familiar. Eli turned toward Remus, Tonks and Mr. Weasley and asked "do you have a plan?"

"Screw the plan, I want my wife" said Harry, marching ahead.

"Harry, wait!" said Remus, unsuccessfully trying to stop him.

Harry continued to walk along the tunnel until he came to another huge cavern. He could hear the rest of the group catching up to him, but he didn't turn around to acknowledge them. His eyes were glued to the image of Hermione, who seemed to be magically suspended upside down, over a huge tank that held something that was moving. "Bloody hell..." Harry said, staring at his wife. He turned to Eli, who was standing right behind him, and asked "do you know what is in that tank?"

Eli stood staring at the tank for a moment, a look of fear on his face, as he said "Scorpions".

"What?!" said Harry "why would Voldemort put her over a tank of scorpions?"

Zarek walked up next to Harry and said "those scorpions are the deadliest on Earth. If he drops her in there, she will die a slow, painful death."

Eli looked at Harry and said "it is one of the worst ways to die; it doesn't matter how much venom is injected into your body, it will still take weeks to kill you. Basically, it eats you from the inside out. No one, not even Voldemort, deserves to die that way."

Harry stood looking at Hermione, his heart felt like it was in his throat, wondering what he could do to help her. He watched as her eyes scanned the room and came to rest on him. Her eyes went wide and she started to shake her head side to side, as if telling him 'no'. The fear he saw in those eyes was his undoing; Harry started to run into the cavern and came face to face with Lucius, who's eyes were two glowing red slits, just like Voldemort's.

"Where do you think you're going Potter?" he calmly asked. Lucius started walking circles around Harry, as if sizing him up. "I knew you'd find her sooner or later; St. Potter, the Hero of the World." He stopped in front of Harry, mere inches away from his face and said "she'll get to watch you die and then die herself; a slow, painful death, all alone. See, once the two of you are gone, I plan to find that son of yours. When I get my hands on him, I'm not going to use magic on him, oh no that would be too easy. I want the satisfaction of killing him with my own two hands, so I think I'll just snap his neck!"

Harry lost it; he went to grab Lucius's neck and try to strangle him, but he never even got close. Nott and Rookwood came from behind Lucius and grabbed him, punching him once in the stomach and once in the face. "See, you're not the only one who can fight like a muggle."

The rest of the group came running in, ready to help Harry, when they suddenly bounced off of an invisible wall. "I'm afraid Potter won't be needing your help. You see, if he wants to save his wife, he has to do it alone."

Harry looked at Lucius, his eyes glowing brightly with the intensity of his fire ability, and spat in his face. "I WILL kill you Voldemort, make no mistake about that. And this time, I'll make sure that it's slow and painful, since that seems to be the way you like it."

Lucius wiped the spit off of his face and glanced at Nott and Rookwood. He nodded at them and 'pop', they both apparated away from Harry. Smiling a very evil, happy smile, Lucius said "we'll see about that" and also disappeared. A second later, Harry heard Lucius say "Harry, do you like dogs?"

Harry looked up to see Lucius, Nott and Rookwood standing on a ledge high above him. With a wave of his hand, the cavern wall beneath him opened up, and standing there was Cerberus. "I already killed this monster" shouted Harry, looking confused.

"No Potter, that was just a warm up. This is the real Cerberus, and he's been waiting to play with you."

~There you go, did you like it? As always, please review!! :)

16. Rescuing Hermione

~A/N>All I can say is, here you go. And thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!!!

Harry stared up at what Lucius called 'the real Cerberus' and his mouth dropped open. This dog had red, glowing eyes and the same snake head covered body, but his tail seemed different. Not only was there a dragon there, but also a huge snake that looked to be an anaconda. When he looked at the heads again, all three were looking directly at him and they were all baring their teeth. He watched as a spot of drool fell from one of the mouths and hit the floor; the floor dissolved immediately. The dog's drool seemed acidic, which made him even more dangerous. If he even grazed Harry with his teeth, like what happened to Phoenix with the other dog, then he would surely be dead.

Harry made a very foolish mistake in that instant; he became overconfident. He raised his hand out in front of him, made a slashing motion and yelled "mutilo!" The jet of red light that left his hand shot up towards one of the dogs necks, and bounced off without doing any damage. "Bloody hell!" Harry said to himself as he watched the dog lift one of its legs and scratch the area he had just shot the spell at. It hadn't been affected by his fire magic at all. He ran over to the wall that was blocking his friends from him and sought out Phoenix.

"My fire magic didn't do anything" Harry said, sounding alarmed. "Do you know of any other fire spells that I can use?"

"No; this dog seems to have the protection of Hades on it. You're going to have to draw on all of your wizard abilities along with your fire abilities to be able to kill this beast" Phoenix explained.

Harry nodded his head in understanding and turned back to the dog. It was now starting to advance towards Harry with a very hungry look in it's eyes. Harry ran to his right so that he was a little further away from the animal, if you could call it that, and readied himself. This was going to take a lot of energy, and he was going to have to really concentrate so that he didn't drain himself too quickly.

As the dog sought him out once more, Harry turned towards it and held both of his hands out in front of him. "Mancus!" Harry yelled, hoping that his crippling curse worked. He groaned as he watched it bounce off of one of the four legs. Closing his eyes for a second and drawing on all of his magical and fire abilities, Harry shouted "MANCUS MAXIMUS!!"

This time when the curse connected, the beast collapsed onto its belly, howling in pain. 'Thank Merlin' Harry thought, his body feeling drained already. He sat thinking how he could do this without passing out from exhaustion again; he couldn't let that happen, his wife and son's lives depended on it. Gathering himself together again, he walked a little closer to Cerberus and held out both of his hands again. Drawing in a deep breath, Harry yelled "Mutilo Maximus!"

Harry watched as the head closest to him fell off of the body, only to have another head grow instantly in its place. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, feeling dread start to build inside of him.

"Oh no" said Pyrena, who was watching Harry's actions from behind the invisible barrier. "Phoenix, he's not going to be able to kill Cerberus by himself. We have to get in there and help him."

"And how do you propose we do that Pyrena?" asked Phoenix.

She stood there, examining the barrier and thinking of ways to break through it. Suddenly, it hit her; she had forgotten about the item she had brought with her. She reached into her pocket and drew out something that was no bigger than a knut. "Engorgio!" she said as she tapped it with her wand. Everyone in the group watched as the Scepter of Hera appeared in her hand, back to full size.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Ron, eyeing her suspiciously. "That belongs to Hermione."

"The Scepter of Hera belongs to no one" she said, eyeing him angrily "Hera allows Hermione to use it and that's all. Once its job is finished, it will be return to its rightful place."

"Um, ok" said Ron, a little frightened by her sudden change in character.

Pyrena held the scepter tightly in her right hand as she raised them both over her head and said "Oh mighty Hera, I ask that you bestow the mighty power of your Scepter within me, so that I may use it to save your descendant and my relation."

Everyone stood and watched as a shimmering image of Hera appeared in front of her. The specter of Hera looked at Pyrena and asked "what makes you worthy of my power child?"

"I am not worthy, Goddess, but I would be honored if you bestowed your gifts on me so that I may save Harry and Hermione, descendents of Prometheus and the Goddess herself" said Pyrena, bowing her head respectfully as she spoke.

Hera stood in front of her, staring at her as if sizing her up, and nodded once. "So shall it be; but the powers I am about to give you are not permanent. As soon as Hermione is out of this cave, you will not be able to use them anymore."

"I am honored Goddess, thank you. I won't let you down" replied Pyrena.

"Make sure that you don't; my scepter shall not be passed down for another twenty years and it needs Hermione's protection until then." Hera gave a small smile while bending down to place a phantom kiss on Pyrena's forehead. "Stay safe my child, and may you succeed in your quest." She stood up to her full height and waved her hand over Pyrena's heart and said "Fortunatus Potire Aetherium Herae".* Pyrena was enveloped in a golden glow for a split second and then was back to normal.

"Thank you Goddess" said Pyrena, bowing once more.

"You're welcome my child." Hera stepped back from Pyrena and looked at everyone that was standing around her. Putting both of her hands in front of her, palms up, she said "Bonum Animum Habera"** and vanished.

Phoenix looked at Pyrena and said "nice job Sis! Do you think you can get us out of here now?"

Pyrena smiled at him and said "I know I can." She turned toward the invisible barrier, held the scepter in her right hand once more, waved it back and forth in front of the wall and said "Evanescere Occaecare Saeptum!"***

Phoenix watched his sister and noticed that the whites of her eyes had turned gold after she said this, as did the barrier. The golden glow lasted for just a second, and then disappeared, along with the barrier. They were now free to help Harry and Hermione.

While all of this was going on, Harry had been continuously cutting off the three heads of Cerberus, only to watch them grow back immediately. He was becoming very tired and tried to think of what he could do next. Where he was now, by the heads, the beast's tails couldn't reach him. But if he were to go back towards the tails and try to get rid of them, the three heads could still easily reach him. So the fact remained, he had to take care of the heads first.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, running over to him.

"How did you get through the invisible wall?" Harry asked, very glad to see his best mate, but worrying for his safety.

"Pyrena had the Scepter of Hera, so she used it to summon Hera and asked for powers so that she could help you and Hermione." Ron turned to get his first close up view of Cerberus and said "Whoa, this thing is huge! Is this the same dog you and Phoenix killed in the other chamber?"

"No, this one is harder to kill" said Harry "every time I cut off one of the heads, a new one grows back in its place."

"Is there anything I can do?" Ron asked, as Phoenix and Pyrena walked up to them.

"Yeah, stay out of the way" answered Phoenix "that way you're safe."

"I have magical abilities too, you know" said Ron angrily "just because I don't have the fire magic that you and Harry have, doesn't mean I'm worthless!"

"I'll let you know if there's anything you can do to help me, ok?" asked Harry, trying to quell Ron's building anger. Ron just nodded once and walked away, shoving by Phoenix in the process.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Phoenix, eyeing the crippled body of Cerberus.

"Um, 'we' are waiting for a plan of action" said Harry, glaring at him. "Any suggestions?"

"You said that the heads just replace themselves?" Phoenix asked and Harry nodded. "What if one of us cuts off the head while the other burns the stump so that the new one can't grow back?"

Harry thought it over for a moment and said "You mean cauterise it? I guess it's worth a try."

"Make sure to say 'maximus' after the spell, ok?" Harry nodded once more in understanding.

"You do the cutting and I'll cauterise" he said, moving closer to the beast. Harry could hear Lucius laughing at him and quickly looked over to where Hermione was still hanging. "Pyrena, can you get Hermione down from there?" he asked, as he noticed that she was slowly being lowered down to the tank of scorpions. Pyrena nodded and quickly made her way over to Hermione. "Are you ready?" he asked, looking over at Phoenix.

"Sure am" Phoenix replied, moving to where he thought he should be. He put both hands out in front of him and yelled "Mutilo Maximus!"

As soon as Harry saw the red streams of light cut through the neck once again, he raised both of his hands with the palms facing away from him, and yelled "Incendium Maximus!" Two jets of fire flowed from Harry's palms up to the beast's neck, setting it on fire and closing the wound. He and Phoenix waited to see if another head took its place, but thankfully their plan had worked.

Unfortunately, the continuing pain had incensed Cerberus and he started thrashing around. Tonks, Remus, Mr. Weasley and their three guides were all shooting stunners at it, but they were just bouncing off of the beast. Harry watched in horror as one of the huge paws came down on top of Ron. "Ron!" he yelled, running over to his best friend. Harry threw his hand out and yelled "Flammo Grandis!" and set the paw on fire so that Cerberus yelped in pain and drew it away. Harry skidded to the ground next to Ron at the same time Mr. Weasley got to him. Mr. Weasley felt for a pulse while Tonks came over and started muttering medical spells, trying to see what kind of damage had been done to his body.

"He's got a lot of broken bones, more than I can heal, and possibly some internal bleeding" she said "we need to get him to a hospital."

"Owen!" Harry called and watched as his guide hurried over to him. "Can you take the Weasley's to the closest hospital?"

"Absolutely" Owen replied. "Why don't we body bind him so that we don't cause any more damage to his broken body?"

"Good idea" said Tonks, who then cast the spell.

Owen levitated Ron and Mr. Weasley put his arm around Ginny. "Be careful Harry" he said "I will be back as soon as possible."

"No Mr. Weasley, you should stay with Ron. There's not much you can do right now anyway; it seems only our fire magic works on Cerberus." Mr. Weasley nodded his head slightly and turned to exit the cave with Ginny by his side. Harry watched them leave and turned his attention back to where Lucius and his cronies stood on the ledge above, watching the events as if it were a carnival. Deciding not to do anything to them until Hermione was safe, he turned his attention back to Cerberus.

Phoenix had just incinerated the head they had cut off and was ready to go again. "Ready Potter?" he asked.

"Yeah" said Harry. They repeated their actions two more times and got rid of the heads; now they turned to the tails.

"This should be simple" said Phoenix "we just do the same thing we did to the heads."

"We can't" said Harry "the minute we severe the anaconda and dragon from the body, their going to come at us. These are separate animals; remember when the snakes detached from the other dog's body and came at you?"

"You're right" said Phoenix, mumbling the words. "What do you propose we do?"

"What if we hit them with two fire spells, and while they're burning, we cut them away from the body? Once they're detached, we cauterise the place they were cut from to stop any new 'tails' from growing" Harry suggested.

"Alright, let's do it" said Phoenix, and they both set to work.

Meanwhile, Pyrena had made her way over to where Hermione was hanging over the tank. Pyrena held the scepter out and said "ennervate!" She watched as Hermione's eyes fluttered open and looked around in confusion. When she noticed the tank of scorpions underneath her, she started to struggle against her binds. "Hermione, don't move" ordered Pyrena. Hermione finally noticed her there and calmed slightly. She noticed the scepter in Pyrena's hand and looked at her confused.

"I am only using it until you are able to connect with it again; Hera gave me permission" Pyrena explained.

"Please just get me down" Hermione said quietly. She looked around and saw Harry standing with Phoenix by the big three headed dog and then she saw Lucius standing above them all. She couldn't remember much of what happened the night before, but she did remember Lucius taking her out of the restaurant and that Zeno was a Death Eater who helped Lucius kidnap her.

"Hermione, I'm going to levitate you and then use the difindo spell to cut you down, ok?" Hermione thought this over for a moment and then said "alright, that sounds like it should work."

Just as Pyrena raised the scepter to levitate Hermione, a voice from behind her said "Crucio!"

Pyrena dropped to the ground, her knees buckling under the intense pain that was coursing through her body. Hermione watched helplessly as Nott kept the curse on her for what seemed to be a long time. Finally he released her and she slumped onto the ground. "You're not going anywhere" Nott growled, looking at Hermione. He apparated with a soft "pop" and Hermione said "Pyrena?"

She watched as Pyrena slowly sat up on the ground and then stood shakily. "Are you ok?" Hermione asked.

"I'll be fine in just a minute" she replied. She placed the scepter against her chest and said "Sanatio!" Once more Pyrena was surrounded by a golden glow which lasted just a couple of seconds, and then disappeared.

"What did you just do?" Hermione asked.

"I used the scepter to cast a healing spell on myself" she explained. Hermione looked at her surprised.

"How did you know how to do that?" she asked.

"I am also a descendent of Hera and I belong to the Order of Hera" Pyrena explained.

"The Order of Hera?" Hermione asked "I've never heard of it." She looked at Pyrena and asked "Will you please get me down now?"

"Right, sorry." Pyrena walked closer to her and held the scepter out once more. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Hermione felt her body become light and then heard Pyrena say "Diffindo!" Hermione bobbed up and down a couple of times and then Pyrena guided her back to the ground. It felt good to be standing again.

The two of them made their way over to the rest of the group and watched as Harry and Phoenix continued to battle with Cerberus. It seemed the tails were putting up quite a fight; the dragon kept breathing fire at Harry and the anaconda kept wrapping itself around his legs, tripping him. Phoenix wasn't really helping, he thought it was funny that they were attacking Harry and not him.

"AAHHH, enough!" yelled Harry after being burned for the third time. He pulled his wand out and yelled "Engorgio Maximus!"

"Harry, no!" yelled Hermione, but it was too late. The dragons body began expanding quickly and then exploded, all over them.

"Ewww!" cried Pyrena and Hermione, who were covered with dragon parts. Pyrena used the scepter to cast scourgifying charms on everyone and they watched as Harry cauterised the part of the body where the dragon had been attached.

"One down" he said, turning towards Phoenix, who was being squeezed to death by the serpent. "Serpentis Evanesco!" he yelled once more and everyone watched as the humongous snake disappeared in a flash of fire and smoke. Phoenix dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Thank you" he gasped out.

"You're welcome; next time you decide not to help me, I'll let you die" said Harry, who then turned to the body. With his hands held out in front of him once more, he said "Occido!" which sent a reddish-orange colored wave over the body covered with snake heads, killing all of them instantly. Next he said "Glubo Corpus!" and watched as the skin of snakes detached from the body. Finally, waving his hands over both the skin and body, yelled "Incendio!" and watched as they burst into flames. Now that the fight was over, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his friends, exhausted. Harry saw Hermione standing next to Pyrena and ran over to her, wrapping her in a fierce hug. "Are you all right luv?" he asked.

"I'm fine" she said, holding on to him tightly. Harry pulled back from her and kissed her fiercely, putting all of his feelings into it. They started to get lost in their reunion when they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

"Well, that was an interesting...display" said Lucius, glaring down at Harry and Hermione. "You may have gotten past Cerberus, but I can guarantee you won't get past me."

"That's what you think, Lucius, or should I call you Voldemort?" Harry asked, glaring back at him.

"Tut, tut Potter, didn't Dumbledore teach you to respect your elders? That's Lord Voldemort to you, unless of course you want to call me Master." Lucius grinned evilly at him and Harry went to take a step towards him.

"Now Potter, attacking me is really not a smart thing to do" Lucius sneered while his eyes took on the usual red glow.

"Oh really, and why is that?" Harry asked, advancing on him slowly.

An evil smile once more appeared on his face as he reached into his cloak pocket and said "because I have this."

Harry and everyone else looked at the item in Lucius's hand and gasped; he was holding the Scepter of Zeus.

*

Blessed power belonging to Hera
**=Be of good courage ***=Vanish the invisible barrier

17. Voldemort's Final Downfall

Harry, along with everyone else, stared at the scepter in Lucius's hand. "Wha-How...This isn't possible!" exclaimed Harry.

"Oh, but it is possible Potter" Lucius said, sounding arrogant. "You are not the only one who had the help of the Gods." Waving the scepter and then pointing it at the group, Lucius said "Vinculum!"

Harry and Hermione watched as a giant, white, shimmering dome formed around them, seemingly trapping them inside of it. An evil smile formed on Lucius's face as he said "you will have a front row seat when I gain my immortality, and then, you'll die."

"Like hell" muttered Phoenix, who was standing next to Harry. "We need to get out of here" he said.

"No kidding" said Harry sarcastically. "What do you propose we do?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll think of something" Phoenix said, with an air of haughtiness. Harry watched as he started to pace back and forth, obviously deep in thought.

"Would you please give me back the Scepter of Hera?" Hermione asked, as she walked over to Pyrena. Pyrena nodded and handed it over to Hermione.

"Do you have an idea as to how to get us out of here?" Pyrena asked, seeing the thoughtful look on her face.

Hermione just nodded her head yes and continued to watch Lucius closely. She had a plan, but she wasn't going to do anything until Lucius was busy putting his plan into action. She watched as he paced in front of their 'prison', glaring at her and Harry the entire time.

"You two are a real pain, did you know that?" Lucius growled at Harry, who stood glaring back at him with an almost amused air about him.

"You won't have to worry about that much longer" said Harry "because good always wins over evil."

"Not this time" said Lucius, who then turned and stalked away.

'Perfect' thought Hermione, as she turned and held the scepter in the air. "Evanesco!" she said, and watched as the barrier around them glowed, but stayed in tact. "Why didn't that work?" Hermione asked, mainly talking to herself.

"That spell isn't strong enough to cancel out the magic of Zeus" explained Pyrena. "You're going to need something stronger."

"Like what?" asked Hermione, unable to come up with an answer at the moment, which was unusual.

"Would you mind?" asked Pyrena, motioning towards the scepter in Hermione's hand. Hermione just shrugged and handed it to her. Pyrena walked up to the barrier and whispered something. A door suddenly shimmered into view, which she promptly walked through to freedom. Just as Hermione was going to follow her out, the doorway sealed, keeping her inside the enclosure.

"What are you doing?" asked Hermione, glaring at Pyrena. Everyone's attention was drawn to Hermione as she yelled, wondering what they had missed. When Harry saw Pyrena standing outside of their prison, his eyes grew wide.

"How did you get free?" he asked.

"Simple; I used the Scepter and the spell that Lucius taught me." She watched everyone's faces contort into a look of surprise, and started laughing. She looked at her brother Phoenix, who was the most surprised, and asked "what's the matter Brother? Surprised that I'm not a goody-two-shoes like you?"

"Pyrena, what are you doing?" he asked her "I thought you were on the side of Light, like me?"

"Please" she said, rolling her eyes. "What has being on the side of Light gotten us, dear Brother? It got our parents killed, that's what. Lucius has promised me power beyond imagination, and I plan to take him up on his offer."

"You actually believe him?" scoffed Harry. "Let me guess; he told you that if you told him where the Scepter of Zeus was and if you were able to procure the Scepter of Hera, then he would give you unimaginable power, right? All you would have to do is use the Scepter to give him his immortality?"

"Shut up!" shouted Pyrena. "I am so sick and tired of the great, almighty Harry Potter. You are nothing; so what if you have fire abilities? Once Lucius frees Voldemort from his body, and they both are immortal, they will kill you and your wife easily." Pyrena smiled at them, satisfied with herself and her deception, and walked away to find Lucius.

Harry looked at Phoenix and said "are you really going to tell me that you didn't know your own Sister was on the side of Dark?"

"I had no idea; she must have gone around the bend or something. I knew she had been having personal problems lately, and that the death of our parents was harder on her than it was on me, but I never expected something like this from her. She's always been a sweet, caring person."

"Well, she's not anymore" muttered Hermione, trying to figure out what to do next. She looked at Harry and said "how did Pyrena get the Scepter to work for her anyway?"

Remus walked over and said "she called upon Hera and asked for her help. She asked to be able to use the Scepter as long as we were in this cave. Pretty sneaky if you ask me."

Hermione nodded while he spoke, absorbing what he was saying, as her brain worked feverishly to find a solution. She would have to somehow summon Hera again, but without the Scepter. 'Is that even possible?' she thought to herself. Suddenly, an idea came to her that was too good to pass up. Grabbing her wand, she pointed it to the ground and said "Flagrate", hoping the fire writing spell would work on the ground as well as in the air. Luckily, it did. She started to draw a picture of a peacock, to the best of her ability, and then when it was done, she wrote 'Juno' underneath it, which was Hera's Roman name.

Hermione stepped up to the drawing she had made, which was now burning on the ground, and lifted her hands towards the sky. "Almighty Goddess Hera, Queen of the Gods, I call you forth to help us. I, your faithful servant, humbly bow before you Goddess Juno; I pray you heed my cry."

Harry watched Hermione in great interest, wondering how she had come up with such an idea so quickly. He knew it was a stupid question; Hermione was the brightest witch in Hogwarts, possibly in the entire wizarding world; if anyone could get them out of this, she could.

The peacock she had drawn on the ground started to glow, casting a golden color throughout the entire enclosure, bathing everyone in it's light. They watched as Hera materialized on the peacock, staring at Hermione, as if questioning why she had been called forth once again. "Dear child, I see you are well. Why is it that you have called me this time?" Hera asked.

"Pyrena has taken your Scepter to use for evil Goddess" stated Hermione, while bowing down in front of the beautiful woman in front of her. "She has helped Voldemort and Lucius find the Scepter of Zeus and now she is going to use your Scepter to grant them immortality."

Hera sighed before she said "something told me not to grant her the power to use my Scepter." She looked over to Harry and Phoenix and said "do you, Sons of Prometheus, feel up to a challenge?"

"Yes Goddess" they both said at the same time.

"Use the same means to draw a picture of fire on the ground and write "God of Fire" underneath it." Harry and Phoenix nodded their understanding and set to work; Phoenix drew the flames, Harry wrote the name underneath it. "Good, now which of you would like to summon Prometheus?"

"I will Goddess" said Phoenix, stepping forward. She nodded her approval and he stepped up before the drawing. "Almighty God Prometheus, creator of Human life, I call you forth to help us. I, your faithful servant, humbly bow before you; I pray you heed my cry."

Everyone watched as once more the drawing on the ground flared to life, only this time everything was bathed in red. Flames shot up from the ground and Prometheus appeared, seemingly surprised at his summoning. "My sons" he said, looking from Phoenix to Harry "why is it that you have called me here?"

"I'm afraid that is my doing Prometheus" said Hera, drawing his attention to her. "Our children need our help; it seems that one of our flock has strayed to the Dark side."

"Pyrena?" asked Prometheus. Hera nodded her head slightly, and a sad look appeared on his face. "That is truly a tragedy; how may I be of help?"

"I feel that the only way to help them is to possess Harry and Hermione" explained Hera. "Seeing as they are married, my power will be at it's full potential. I fear that it is the only way to defeat the Scepter of Zeus and Voldemort."

"Wait; what do you mean 'possess us'? Surely you don't mean..." asked Hermione, who was quickly cut off by Hera.

"Yes daughter; our spirits will become one with yours. That will give you the power you need to defeat the followers of the Dark side and destroy the Scepter" Hera explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Harry and Hermione looked to one another for a moment, seemingly speaking to each other through their expressions and Harry said "ok, let's do it."

A small smile appeared on Hera's face as she said "clear your minds of all thought; that will make this easier."

Harry and Hermione closed their eyes and cleared all thoughts out of their heads, and suddenly felt as if their bodies were being invaded. Trying not to fight off the invading spirits, they both tried to relax their bodies so that they would be willing hosts. Once the bonding of souls was complete, Harry and Hermione opened their eyes, looking around with curious expressions on their face.

"I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a mortal body" came Prometheus's voice from Harry's mouth.

Hermione turned towards Harry, and in Hera's voice said "Prometheus, do not take his power to speak. You are only to reside within him and let him feed off of your power."

Harry shook his head a little and said, in his own voice, "that's much better."

Hermione turned towards the shimmering dome and placed her hands against it. Her eyes took on a golden glow as she said "Antiquitas insurrectum, adiciere hic claustrum abolere!"* The dome around them started to shimmer with a golden color and started to pulse with the power of Hermione's spell. Suddenly, it was gone and they were free.

"Great job Hermione!" said Harry, smiling proudly at his wife.

"Thank Hera, not me" she said, looking around to see if she could spot where Pyrena had gone. "Harry, do you think that you and Phoenix can handle Lucius and his goons?"

"Absolutely" said Harry, his eyes flaring to life with his fire magic, whose power was now doubled, and glowing red.

"Hermione, wait" said Phoenix, walking up to her. She turned towards him with a questioning look, but waited patiently for him to continue. "Please try not to hurt my sister" he said.

"I'll try Phoenix" she said "but I don't think she's going to go down without one hell of a fight."

Nodding glumly, Phoenix turned and made his way over to where Harry stood. Hermione walked up to Harry and placed her lips onto his, lingering for just a moment. "Be safe Luv" she said, her concern evident in her voice.

"You too Luv" Harry replied, and then wrapped her into a fierce hug. "Remember, Conlan is waiting for us."

Hermione nodded her head and turned abruptly, determined to get this over with once and for all. This was the longest she had ever been away from her son, and she missed him horribly. 'Time to finish this' she thought to herself.

~*~

Harry and Phoenix made their way over to where they saw Nott and Rookwood; they were standing with their heads together, deep in discussion, and never saw them coming. Harry felt the extra power he had gotten from Prometheus as he flung his hand out in front of him and yelled "Occido Dolenter!"**

Phoenix and Nott watched in horror as a black lightening bolt made its way from Harry's palm to Rookwood's chest. Rookwood's eyes burst from their sockets as he screamed in agony; two seconds later, all was quiet.

"What did you do to him?!" shouted Nott, backing away from Harry's fire filled gaze.

"You'll see" said Harry, repeating his actions and watching as Nott suffered the same painful death. "Two down" said Harry with a smile on his face.

"Harry, what's gotten into you?" asked Phoenix, feeling a little leery of him at the moment.

"Prometheus" said Harry. "Now, let's go find Voldemort."

~*~

Hermione found Pyrena, standing off to the side, all alone. Looking around to see if she could find Lucius, she figured it was safe to approach the girl since he was no where to be found at the moment. "Pyrena" Hermione said, startling the girl, "give me back the Scepter."

"Go to Hell" snarled Pyrena.

"You first" said Hermione as her eyes glowed golden. She watched as Pyrena held the Scepter out in front of her.

"Fulgoris!" shouted Pyrena. Hermione watched as a bolt of lightening came from the top of the scepter.

"Declino!" shouted Hermione, thrusting both of her hands in front of her, palms out. She watched as the bolt shot towards her and bounced away, heading back towards Pyrena.

"AAHHH!" Pyrena yelled, quickly falling to the floor as the lightening struck her. She lay there for a moment, stunned, and finally shook herself. Standing up, she glared at Hermione.

"Give me the Scepter Pyrena, you can not beat me."

"We'll see about that" said Pyrena, unaware of just how powerful Hermione had become, thanks to Hera. "Condolesco!"

Before Hermione could react, the curse hit her square in the chest and she screamed. The pain that ripped through her body was unbearable; it felt as if every cell and nerve in her body was being cut in two. Finally, after summoning all of Hera's power, she was able to throw off the curse. She could feel Hera's anger, and before she could stop her, Hera had taken over her body.

"I'm tired of your foolishness child" came Hera's voice from Hermione's mouth. "How dare you defy me; Adflictatio!"

Hera watched with satisfaction through Hermione's eyes as Pyrena fell to the floor in agony once more. Standing up on unsteady legs, Pyrena looked toward Hermione with her eyes wide. "H-Hera? How is this possible?"

"Never mind child, just give me my Scepter." Hera watched Pyrena carefully, and she could feel Hermione fighting her, trying to gain back control of her body.

Pyrena noticed this distraction and took full advantage of the situation. "MORTIS MAXIMUS!!" she shouted, as a black jet of light shot towards Hermione's body.

"DEFENDO MAXIMUS!" shouted Hera, and a golden orb of pure, raw power encircled Hermione. They both watched as the black curse hit the orb and caused it's power to fluctuate. "Defendo Maximus!" said Hera again, as she felt her power drain slightly. Absorbing all of the blackness, the golden orb disappeared, having done its job.

"How DARE you!!" shouted Hera, causing Pyrena to take a couple of steps backwards. "I've had enough of your petty curses; "Sceptrum Apisci hic Caputitis!"***

Pyrena could feel the Scepter pulling out of her hands, trying to break itself free so that it could return to its owner, and held on for all she was worth. Unfortunately, Hera and Hermione's power combined with Hera's anger were too much for her and she let the Scepter go. She watched as it made its way back to Hermione's outstretched hand, and then turned to run.

"You will not get away that easily" said Hera, thrusting her Scepter out in front of her. "Cooperio Lapidibus!"

Hermione, trapped in her own body, watched in horror as Pyrena was literally stoned to death. There were rocks of all sizes flying seemingly out of nowhere, pummeling the poor girl down to the floor. Summoning all of her power, Hermione fought to push Hera's soul out of her body. "NOOO!!" screamed Hermione, finally pushing the Goddess out of her body. She stared at the specter floating in front of her, disgusted by her actions. "Why did you kill her?" she yelled, tears rolling down her face. "You didn't have to do that!"

"Don't be foolish child; she had given her heart and soul over to the Dark side, there was no way to bring her back" said Hera, looking at Hermione with disappointment on her face. "You, of all people, should know that."

Hermione just stood there, staring at Hera, unable to believe what she was hearing. "No one is beyond redemption, except maybe Voldemort."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Daughter" Hera said. "I will stay around in case Prometheus needs me, but I will leave you be."

Hermione watched her float away towards the group of people behind her, and looked around to see if Harry had found Lucius yet; unfortunately, he had.

~*~

"Ignesco!" shouted Phoenix, shooting fire at Lucius, who stood laughing at him.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked, watching the fire bounce off of his protective shield.

Harry, feeling the last of his patience fade away, flung his hand out once more and yelled "Templis Ignes Inferre, per Grandis!" He watched as his spell hit the invisible barrier that had formed around Lucius, and seemingly melted it away. "Now we're on even ground."

"You little bastard!!" shouted Lucius, his face red from his anger. Harry watched as his eyes took on the red, slit like appearance that Voldemort was notoriously known for.

"Well hello Voldy!" said Harry, egging him on "it's about time you showed yourself, you coward!"

HOW DARE YOU!!" came the high pitched scream of Voldemort's voice out of Lucius's mouth. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!!" he shouted, pointing the Scepter directly at Harry.

Before he could move, the green jet of light hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the floor. "HARRY!!" screamed Hermione, rushing over to him. She fell to the ground next to him, grabbing his body and rocking back and forth, all the while sobbing loudly. "NO, NOOO!!"

Harry could feel Prometheus soul dissipate from his body slowly, and heard his voice in his head say "good luck my Son; I have sacrificed my soul for yours."

Hermione's head lay on Harry's chest as she cried, her body wracked with her sobs. She suddenly felt something cold pass through her, and looked up to see Prometheus's form floating out of Harry's body. "What...?" she said, unable to say any more.

"He is ok Hermione" he said quietly. "He will come to in a tick and continue to fight. Do not cry; pull yourself together so that you can help him defeat the Evil."

"Ok" whispered Hermione, not quite able to believe what she had heard. "Thank you Prometheus for all of your help."

"You're welcome Child, just make sure to take care of that Son of yours; he is going to be very important to the wizarding world, more important than Harry ever was."

Hermione thought about that and shuddered; she decided to put this information aside so that she could think about it later. There were more important things to deal with right now, like getting out of this cave alive. "I will, I promise" she said, smiling at the God before her.

"Be safe Son" he said looking at Harry, who was looking back at him, and then disappeared.

"Harry, you're ok!" said Hermione, hugging him.

"Yes, but I won't be for long if you don't let me up" he said, hugging her back quickly and then pushing her away. He turned to Lucius and said "I've had enough of you."

"How are you still ALIVE!" screamed Lucius, his hair flying all around his head, a crazy expression on his face.

"Love and sacrifice, two things you know nothing about" said Harry. "Inardesco! Cremare! Incendium!" shouted Harry, firing off one fire spell after the other, all three hitting Lucius squarely in the chest. Harry and Hermione watched as Lucius's body immediately went up in flames, his screams echoing throughout the cave.

"Harry, look!" cried Hermione, pointing at the cloud of what seemed to be smoke above Lucius's burning body.

Harry saw the two red slits in the so-called smoke and knew that it was Voldemort's spirit, trying to escape again. "Oh no you don't!" he said, and just as he was about to try another spell, he noticed another figure appear next to them.

"Zeus?" he and Hermione said together, disbelief evident in their voices. The figure turned towards them and seemed to solidify before their eyes.

"You are correct" he said, and holding out his hand said "Sceptrum Apisci hic Caputitis!" He grabbed his Scepter as if flew towards him and pointed it at Voldemort's spirit. "Captivatis Manesium!" Harry watched as his soul seemed to be frozen in mid-air and Zeus, still pointing his scepter at it, said "Exsulo Hades!"

Voldemort's spirit looked like it was being sucked into the ground, into the earth of the Cave, until it completely vanished. "What did you just do?" asked Harry.

"I banished his spirit to Hades" explained Zeus. "Descendent or not, that kind of evil does not belong on Earth."

"I agree" said Harry, looking in awe at Zeus.

"Thank you, Almighty Zeus" said Hermione, bowing before him.

"You're welcome Child" he replied "I can see the resemblance to Hera in your features; hopefully that is the only similarity between the two of you" he said, smiling at her.

"Yes, I am not capable of killing without conscious like she is" Hermione said, looking sadly at the pile of rocks where Pyrena was buried.

Harry looked at her, not understanding why she had become so sad all of a sudden. "I'll tell you later" she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Harry wrapped his arm around her and said "it's finally over." He looked at Zeus and bowed his head a little. "Thank you, Almighty Zeus."

"You're welcome, son of Prometheus. You have fought bravely today, and you should be proud." Zeus looked at the Scepter in his hands and said "Confringo!" The three of them watched as the Scepter turned to dust and blew away in a sudden gust of wind, seemingly from no where. "Now it can not be used again for Evil purposes."

Zeus looked at Harry, and then Hermione and said "make sure that the two of you take good care of Conlan; he will be very important to the Earth one day." And with that cryptic message, he disappeared.

After staring after him for a moment, they turned around to see Hera standing behind them. "Goodbye Daughter, be safe."

"Goodbye Goddess; thank you for all of your help" replied Hermione, bowing once more.

"Goddess Hera?" asked Harry, getting her attention. "Can you please tell me what will happen to Prometheus?"

"His spirit will go back to Mt. Olympus, where it will be reconstituted" she explained. "He will once again be just as you saw him today."

"Thank you" said Harry, bowing slightly. She smiled at him and then disappeared much the same way Zeus had.

The group that now consisted of Remus, Tonks, Phoenix, Eli and Zarek came running towards them. A series of high fives and hugs soon followed, along with many congratulations.

Harry hugged Hermione, squeezing her so tightly that she had trouble breathing. She didn't care though; it felt so good to be safe in his arms again. She looked up and he captured her lips with his, giving her the most meaningful kiss he ever had. "It's finally over Luv" he said, smiling down at her.

"It sure is" she said, a huge smile gracing her face also. "Let's go see our son" she said happily.

"Ok" he said "and then, we have to go see how Ron is doing."

Remus picked a rock up off of the ground and made it into a Portkey that would take them back to the hotel so that they could get their things. Gathering everyone into one big, tightly packed group, Harry wrapped his free hand around Hermione's waist. She stood next to him, clutching the scepter tightly to her side, vowing to never let it out of her sight again.

"3...2...1..." counted Remus, and then, feeling the familiar tug behind their navals, they disappeared.

~A/N>that's not the end yet folks, there will be one more chapter. Sorry for the delay, I sprained one of my fingers, and it has been too painful to type before today. Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews and support for this story, I greatly appreciate it!!!!!!!! :)

*=Ancient Powers, cast this prison away
**=to kill painfully
***=scepter, come to this person

18. Epilogue

~Here it is, the final chapter of 'The Fear Within'. I hope you enjoy, and please review!!!~

Almost one year later...

"I hate you!" screamed Hermione, squeezing Harry's hand so hard it made him flinch.

"I know Luv" he said softly.

"I mean it, you're never touching me again!" Hermione closed her eyes and panted, hating the pain that was ripping through her body. She swore to herself then and there that she was never doing this again, no matter what.

Harry watched as a bead of sweat rolled from Hermione's forehead down her cheek, and remembered what had led them up to this moment.

Nine months earlier...

"I can't believe we just graduated!" said Ron, grinning from ear to ear. He, Harry and Hermione were walking back from the Quidditch pitch where the ceremony had been held, and they were making their way up to Gryffindor Tower for the big party. Everyone would be heading home tomorrow morning, so Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan had planned a farewell party, that way everyone could celebrate and say their goodbyes.

Ron kept babbling on about finally being free of Hogwarts, and how he couldn't wait to start practice with the Chudley Cannons; he was going to be their back up Keeper. After what happened to him in Greece, the doctors hadn't been sure he would ever be able to play again. They had stopped the internal bleeding, but half of the bones in his body had been broken, and even though they were able to mend them magically, Ron had had some problems walking at first and needed some physical therapy, which was very unusual for a wizard. He had stuck to it though and worked really hard, and he was finally back to his old self again.

They had all left the cave that day and had immediately made their way to the hospital to see him. Once they had been assured that he would be ok, Harry and Hermione had made their way back to Conlan. The minute Hermione saw him, she had started crying and swearing that she was never going to leave him again. Mrs. Weasley had immediately went to Ron and fussed over him until he was released from hospital; he said he had never been so glad to get away from his Mum before in his life.

Everyone had all traveled back to Hogwarts together and met up with Dumbledore to explain to him everything that had happened. Of course Remus had given him a quick run-down of the events that day, but he had wanted specifics, and they gave them to him. Harry had been surprised when Remus said that Dumbledore had wanted Phoenix to come to Hogwarts with them, but they found out the reason why in the meeting. Dumbledore had offered the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position to him, and he had accepted. Since Pyrena's betrayal, he had wanted nothing more than to get out of Greece and start over; Dumbledore gave him that opportunity, and he gladly took it. He became the youngest Defense teacher in the history of Hogwarts, and even though it pained Harry to say so, did a damn fine job. They had actually become friends during the course of the year; Phoenix had changed immensely since Pyrena's death, he had proven himself trustworthy, and had been inducted into the Order of the Phoenix a few months after he started teaching, along with Ron, Harry and Hermione.

The year had been tough; Harry and Hermione had to take turns doing their homework so that one of them was able to take care of Conlan, and by the time they were both finished, they were too tired to stay up to spend time together. Harry had played Quidditch, and had been named Captain, so that only added to his duties. Hermione had been a little angry when she found out she had not been chosen for Head Girl, but she finally came to realize that taking care of Conlan was more important; there was no way she could have done both. Ron had been named Head Boy, which surprised everyone(especially him) and Lavender had been Head Girl; she had also started dating Ron two months after school started.

Harry had applied to be an Auror and had been accepted into the training program; it would start in two months, in which time he hoped to get Hermione and Conlan settled into a home. They were still discussing where they wanted to live; they weren't sure if they wanted to call Grimmauld Place 'home'.

Hermione would be attending a University that taught magical subjects along with muggle subjects, that way she could decide what field she wanted to go in to. She had talked about becoming a healer, but she hadn't made up her mind yet. Her classes started around the same time as Harry's training, so they had a couple of months to spend together before their lives got hectic. Luckily, Hermione's Mum had agreed to take care of Conlan; she wanted to spend every moment she could with her Grandson while her Dad continued to look after their Dentistry office.

The three of them walked up to the portrait hole and found the Fat Lady crying. "Congratulations dears!" she blubbered.

"Are you ok?" asked Hermione, wondering why she was crying.

"Oh yes, I'm fine; it's always so sad to see the graduating class leave every year." She continued to sob and Hermione said the password, "Quidditch Champions", which seemed to set her off more, and the three walked inside once she had finally let them in.

The party was in full swing; there were streamers and balloons everywhere, along with Fred and George's famous fireworks going off all around the room. There was an entire table filled with all sorts of food and plenty of bottles of butterbeer; the alcoholic kind, of course. Music and laughter filled the room, and the center of the room had been turned into a makeshift dance floor.

After about an hour, having noticed Ron slip upstairs with Lavender, Harry took Hermione's hand and pulled her through the portrait hole out into the corridor. "Harry, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I have a surprise for you, but you're going to have to trust me" he replied, pulling what looked to be a blindfold out of his pocket.

She eyed the piece of cloth in his hand and asked "what are you up to Mr. Potter?"

"You'll see, Mrs. Potter; now, turn around." Slowly Hermione turned so that her back was to him and he tied the blindfold over her eyes. "No peeking" he whispered, close to her ear, causing a shiver to run down her back.

She yelped when he picked her up and started to carry her down the corridor. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"It'll be easier this way" he answered, and continued to walk. A few seconds later, he stopped and she could feel his hand fumbling for something. She heard a door open and he walked forward a few more steps, with the door closing behind them. He set her feet on the floor and placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "Ready for your surprise?" he asked, and when she nodded, he pulled the blindfold off.

She opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw; the room before her looked exactly like the room they had at the Hotel Vritomartis in Crete. It had been such a beautiful room; the walls had been a pale yellow that had just seemed to brighten it right up. There had been vases of flowers on all three tables, a huge, comfortable king size bed and a breathtaking view of the beach from their window. The moon had reflected off of the water and bathed the surrounding scenery in it's light, so that everything shone a silvery white. They had not gotten to stay there that night because Hermione had wanted to get back to Conlan right away, but she had told Harry that one day she would like to go back. Now she was standing in an exact replica of that room, with the same moon bathed scenery outside the window, thanks to her wonderful husband.

"Oh Harry, it's wonderful!" she whispered, sounding a little choked up. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and gently set his chin on her shoulder.

"I wanted to do something special for you, for us, tonight. With your parents taking Conlan for the night, this is really the first night we've had alone together since he was born, and I wanted to make it something you would never forget."

Hermione turned, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stared at him for a few moments before saying "I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, thoughtful husband; I love you so much."

"I love you too" he replied, and then bent down to place his lips on hers. The softness of her lips never ceased to amaze him; they felt like silk under his and it made him want her even more. He pulled her tightly against his chest and growled as he felt her breasts pressed into his chest. "Merlin, I want you" he whispered, kissing her fiercely now.

"I am all yours" she whispered, looking up at him with hooded eyes. His heart rate sped up a little more at the sight of her flushed cheeks and swollen lips, and he picked her up once more and carried her over to the bed. He gently laid her down and then climbed up on the bed with her, positioning himself over her. He ran his hand through her silky brown hair, gently down her right cheek, and continued downward. He grazed the side of her breast and ran his fingers over the skin of her stomach, the stomach where his son had grown and still bore a slight bulge. His fingers continued their journey, skimming down her right leg, to the inside of her thigh, to the junction in between her legs. She tensed as his hand passed over her jean covered womanhood, and she mock glared at him. "Are you trying to make me crazy?" she asked.

"Absolutely" he said, smiling at her as his desire shone in his eyes, "I want to make you want me as much as I want you right now."

She sat up, causing him to sit up also, and reached for the bottom of his t-shirt. "Then we have way to much clothing on" she said and yanked the shirt over his head. She brought her hands down and skimmed her fingernails lightly over his well-toned chest; she would have to thank Phoenix for talking him into all of the running, push-ups and other exercises they had done throughout the year. Turned out Phoenix was a health nut, and loved doing muggle exercises to stay in shape; Harry had joined him to get in shape for Quidditch, and it had nicely toned his body. She heard him hiss at the pleasure and pain her nails were causing, and then he reached down and took her shirt off too. He bent down and started to kiss and suck her neck, causing her eyes to roll back into her head at the wonderful feeling. Harry reached behind her at the same time and undid her bra clasp, and then sat up to slowly draw the straps down her arms. It felt like he left a trail of fire wherever his fingers touched her skin, and she was trying her hardest not to just push him back and take him.

He captured her lips again and gently pushed her back down on the bed while he kissed her, and then he started to trail kisses along her jaw, down her neck, until he reached her breasts. He kneaded her left breast while he took the other nipple into his mouth and sucked gently at first, and then a little harder, causing Hermione to squirm and moan underneath him. He loved it when she moaned; the sound of it always seemed to wash over his body and turn him on even more, which he hadn't thought possible at this point. He kissed his way from her breasts down her stomach and then took off her jeans, exposing the black lace panties she was wearing underneath.

"Very nice" he said quietly, staring at the only piece of clothing left; he waved his hand over the panties and watched as they disappeared. He looked up at Hermione's face and saw her looking at him, one eyebrow cocked in question.

"Doesn't that take a little of the fun out of this?" she asked, watching a smile form on his face.

"What can I say, I'm impatient." She had started to say something else, but he had moved back a little and bent down between her legs. She felt his hot breath on the insides of her thighs and then he started to plant tiny kisses there, slowly making his way up to the junction between her legs. After exploring every part of her womanhood with his mouth and fingers, bringing her to climax twice, he sat up and took in her appearance. She lay before him completely naked, her cheeks more flushed than they were before, and her body glistened with a light sheen of sweat. She was breathing hard as she started to come down from her latest orgasm, and gave him a sweet smile.

She sat up and pushed him so that he was now lying on his back. She quickly stripped him of his jeans and boxers, and then started to plant kisses all over his chest. She lightly took one nipple between her teeth and bit it lightly, causing him to hiss from the pain that also brought him immense pleasure. Teasing the other nipple in much the same way, she continued to rain kisses over his stomach and stopped at his erection.

She took it into her hand, feeling the silky hardness, and bent to take him into her mouth. She slowly took him in a little at a time, and then made her way slowly back up again. She continued the up and down motions, until she felt him twitch and knew it was time to stop. She moved and positioned herself so that she was straddling him, his erection nestled against her, but not inside of her yet. She bent down and kissed him, using her tongue to explore the inside of his mouth thoroughly while she slowly moved and slid him inside her.

She heard him moan and loved the sound of it; it was so deep and guttural that it made her want him even more. She loved sex with Harry; no matter how many times they did it, the feelings and intensity seemed to grow stronger rather than diminish.

She started to move up and down slowly and savored the feel of Harry inside of her. He reached up and took both breasts in his hands, thrusting himself deeper into her with every down movement. She continued her pace for a little while, but it was too slow for Harry. He pulled out of her and before she knew what he was doing, she found herself on all fours with him behind her, positioned to enter her once more.

"Um, Harry?" she asked, a little unsure since they hadn't tried this position before.

"Just this once Luv?" he asked, his voice deep with desire. She closed her eyes and nodded in agreement, chastising herself for always giving in to him.

He slowly pushed in, and Hermione gasped as he bent slightly and kissed her back. He straightened and as he started moving, she felt different sensations than she had the other times, and wondered why they had never tried this position before. He started thrusting into her harder and harder, pulling her back as he thrust forward, his hands on either side of her hips. He started going faster and faster, his pace becoming frantic as he neared his climax. Finally he thrust one last time, and they both came together, calling each others names. He pulled her up so that her back was flush against his chest as he was still inside her, and lovingly wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her shoulder and then whispered in her ear "thank you for trying that."

"Trust me, we'll be doing that again" she said with a look in her eyes that told him that she had enjoyed it just as much as he had.

Present day...

They had stayed in the Room of Requirement the entire night, taking naps and then waking to make love again. By the time they boarded the Hogwarts Express the next day, they were both exhausted and blissfully happy.

They had made their home at Grimmauld Place; Harry and her Father had started fixing it up the day they moved in. As they had discussed before, her parents had moved in with them to be closer to their daughter and Grandson. Harry didn't mind, her parents room was on the opposite end of the house, so they had a little bit of privacy and could escape to their room if they needed space from Robert and Jane.

Two months after graduation night, Hermione sat everyone down in the sitting room and announced that she was pregnant again and due around March tenth. Jane had jumped up and hugged Hermione, crying while Robert glared at Harry, still not able to accept the fact that his daughter was married and actually had sex. After a lecture from his wife, he hugged Hermione and shook his son-in-law's hand, congratulating them. Harry couldn't believe that Conlan would have a brother or sister so soon, but he was happy that his family was getting bigger; he had always dreamed of getting married and finally having his own family, and now it was all coming true.

That was what had led him to where he was now; in Hogwarts hospital ward once again so that Madam Pomfrey could deliver the baby. Hermione insisted that she be the one to do it, since she had delivered Conlan, and she also liked the fact that both of their children would be born in Hogwarts.

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed, squeezing Harry's hand so hard that it turned purple, and snapped him out of his reminiscing. She was obviously having another contraction, and this one seemed to be the worst one yet. Madam Pomfrey had said that she would be able to have this baby naturally, but Harry still wasn't sure if Hermione was happy about that.

Jane stood across from him as Robert was on the outside of the curtained bed, holding Conlan and pacing back and forth; he seemed more nervous than Harry was.

"Breathe honey" said Jane quietly, trying to calm Hermione down. Hermione just gave her the usual death glare and continued panting.

"Don't tell me to breathe, just get this damn thing out of me!" Harry looked at his mother-in-law, his eyes wide at Hermione's swearing, and saw that she was smiling.

"It's normal for women to behave differently while they're in labor" she explained "the intensity of the pain kind of makes it so that they don't care what they say or how they act." Harry just nodded and took her word for it; he didn't want to say the wrong thing and have Hermione mad at him.

"Oohhh, it's another one" said Hermione through gritted teeth, and Harry felt sorry for her as he noticed tears falling from her eyes.

"Another one already?" asked Madam Pomfrey, bustling over to the side of the bed. She checked Hermione and said "she's ready to deliver."

Harry suddenly felt nervous and happy at the same time; he was about to meet his new son or daughter. They had chosen not to find out this time; they wanted to be surprised. Jane helped get Hermione in position to push, and he bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you 'Mione" he said, kissing her lips.

"I love you too" she said, still crying.

"Don't cry Luv, hopefully the pain will be gone soon" he said, wishing he could take her pain away.

"That's not it Harry" she said quietly, pulling him a little closer. "I-I'm scared" she whispered, and he could see the fear in her eyes.

"Why?" he asked "you've done this before, with Conlan."

"That was different, he was cut out of me; I have to push this baby out this time." Harry understood her fear now; he may be a man, but he could understand how squeezing something that big out of something so small would be frightening.

"You can do it Luv, you're a strong woman, and I'm here to do anything you need me to." Harry said, and was glad to see a small smile on her face.

Her smile quickly vanished as another contraction wracked her body, and Madam Pomfrey said "Ok, on the next one we're going to push."

Hermione nodded in understanding as she panted through the contraction, looking at Harry. He smoothed her sweat soaked hair off of her forehead and said "you can do this."

The next wave of pain hit her and she pushed as much as she could, exhausted already from being in labor for ten hours, and lay back down on her pillow. She continued to push for the next hour, becoming even more exhausted, until she lay crying and saying "I can't do this, I just can't do it."

"Yes you can Hermione" said her Mum.

"Just one or two more pushes and the baby will be born" said Madam Pomfrey, giving her a smile of encouragement.

"C'mon Luv, two more and we can meet our child" said Harry, looking at her lovingly. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, and when the next contraction hit, she pushed as much as she could.

"Ok, the head's out" called the nurse, suctioning the mouth and nose. "Just one more push" she said, and Hermione pushed again. Harry watched as the baby's body came into view and Madam Pomfrey held the baby up and said "It's a girl!"

Harry smiled and cried at the same time, and then bent down to hug Hermione. "You did it Luv" he said, kissing her softly on the lips. She gave him a tired smile and he could tell she was forcing herself to stay awake. Madam Pomfrey cleaned their daughter up, wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Hermione.

"Congratulations" she said "she's perfectly healthy, and seems to have gotten her father's hair."

Hermione lifted up the tiny pink hat that was on the baby's head and saw quite a bit of black, fuzzy hair. She looked at her daughter's face and said "she's beautiful."

"Just like her Mum" said Harry, bending down to place a kiss on first Hermione's forehead, and then his daughters.

Jane had gone out and brought Robert and Conlan in, and they stood at the end of the bed watching. Harry walked over and grabbed his almost two year old son, and then walked back over to the side of the bed. "Conlan, this is your little sister."

Conlan just stared at the baby in Hermione's arms, and after a moment pointed at it and said "baby?"

"That's right" said Harry, hugging him and feeling proud of his family.

"So what is her name?" asked Jane. Harry and Hermione had refused to tell anyone the names they had picked out until the baby was born.

Hermione looked from Harry to her parents and said "her name is Lillian Jane Potter".

Her Mum's eyes filled with tears instantly as she asked "you gave her my name?"

"Yes we did; Harry's Mum was named Lily, but we agreed that Lillian was just as beautiful, and then we decided to give her your name too. We figured we'd name her after two of the strongest women we knew" explained Hermione, smiling at her Mum while tears streamed down her face. She looked up at Harry and said "I just wish your parents could be here to see her and Conlan."

"I'm sure they're watching over us right now" said Harry, wishing the same thing himself.

Everyone stopped talking when they heard the Hospital doors open, and then they all heard Ron's voice call out "is the baby here yet?"

"Yeah Ron, come on in, it's safe" said Harry smiling. Ron had been busy training, but when Harry had let him know Hermione was in labor, he had made his way to Hogwarts immediately.

Ron walked through the curtains followed by Ginny, Lavender and Dumbledore. They heard Madam Pomfrey huff in annoyance and then suddenly the curtains around the bed disappeared. "Can't all squeeze in there" they heard her mumble as she walked back to her office.

Ginny and Lavender walked over to the side of the bed opposite Harry and started gushing about the baby. Ron looked at Harry and rolled his eyes, making Harry laugh. Dumbledore walked up next to them and asked "so Harry, have you decided on a name?"

"Yes Sir, we've named her Lillian Jane Potter" said Harry proudly.

Dumbledore smiled, and with the usual twinkle in his eyes said "your parents would be proud Harry, especially your Mother."

"Thank you Sir" said Harry, smiling. Ginny walked over to take Conlan from him and Hermione handed Lillian to him. He stared at her, noticing that her face bore a slight resemblance to Hermione, and then looked around at everyone that was there with them. He smiled to himself and looked down at his daughter again. "I think I'm the luckiest man in the world Lillian" he whispered to the sleeping baby "now that you're here, I have everything I've ever wanted."

~A/N> Well, there it is, the last chapter. I hope y'all liked the ending, lots of fluff and romance that I had promised way before this. I am thinking about making this a trilogy, but I'm not sure yet. I'm going to finish "Kindred" first and then I'll try to start writing the next story in this series. If I do write another, it will deal with Conlan being a teenager in Hogwarts and what the prophetic words of the Gods and Goddess meant in Chapter 17. Thanks for all of your support and reviews for this story, I am deeply honored that you liked it so much!!! :) ~MisCard~