A/N: just because I don't condone underage drinking doesn't mean I wont write about it. Just as I'm sure JKR doesn't approve of murder (I know I'm assuming here but I'd like to think of it as a safe assumption) yet that wont stop her from writing about people getting killed. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and here's the next chapter.
"So their names were Professor Snape, and Dr. Sam?" Johnny asked as he took the firewhiskey from Hermione and took the last drink, emptying the bottle.
Hermione nodded, "There's something weird between them... Can't put my foot on it... And, I don't think I want to."
Hermione smiled brightly and put her arms around Johnny's neck, "congratulations, to you Harry... for number three."
Johnny's face flushed hot and ever nerve on his skin seemed to become quite sensitive at that moment. He looked over Hermione and began to notice things like her cheeks were a bright pink colour, The hem of her skirt was a bit frayed, but in certain places... probably because she would scratch at it when she was nervous, and her eyes. They were nothing special, the dullest colour of brown, but there was a pain in those dull brown eyes, something that ran deep and he knew he could never be able to repair with a dumb joke. And even though the pain was evident in her eyes, she was smiling, and it was genuine. Johnny wondered how anyone could contain such conflicting emotions.
He hugged her, something he had wanted to do for the longest time, and it felt good. Not because every nerve on his body seemed to be magnified so any contact felt quite good, and not because he was a boy and she was a girl, but because somehow it made all the evilness of the past month go away. It was just a hug, nothing more, nothing less. He was thinking no romantic thoughts at all, just that... for some reason, in some small way... this contact seemed to heal his soul.
"Hermione?"
She mumbled something that seemed like 'uh huh' so Johnny continued, "How can you make the world go away?"
He had no other way of describing it, that's what it felt like. She let go of him a little, so they could look each other in the eyes.
She smiled and said, "Magic."
Her face got much closer to his. He was sure she could feel how hard his heart was beating. He felt his whole body move to the rhythm of it, but she didn't seem to notice. In the next second, rather it seemed like hours later, she put her head to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her and laid his chin on top of her head.
This was getting weird.
* * *
Johnny woke to the sound of his mother saying his full name. He sat up and realized that he and Hermione had fallen asleep on the library floor.
His mother picked up the bottle, and smelled it.
"You get to your room right now, and you stay there until we get up there, you have a LOT of explaining to do."
Johnny did as he was told, but not as quickly as he could because he kept looking back to see if Hermione was alright. She was being helped up by the woman he now knew as Dr. Sam, and she didn't look at all angry, she looked rather indifferent.
Once Johnny was up in his room he took his pillow and laid it on the foot of his bed and stretched his body across the bed.
The door swung open and his mother and father entered and shut the door behind them. Johnny sat up and looked at both of his parents.
"What on earth were you thinking?" His mother asked as she held up the bottle, "Were you even thinking?"
Johnny could do nothing but shake his head. He didn't know what to feel at the moment.
Part of him was ashamed at what he did and part of him just knew that he felt so much better because of what happened so he didn't feel as badly as he knew she wanted him to.
"And what about Evie? What if she found you before we did?" His mother asked.
Now Johnny felt horrible. He didn't want her to do any of that, he didn't want her to think it was cool, or all right, he knew he wasn't setting a good example.
He was also so caught up in himself and what was happening to him he forgot about her, about what all of this might be doing to her...
"Johnny, we trusted you to make good decisions, it's as if you don't care anymore." His father said.
And that was what killed him. His father wasn't angry, just disappointed, which was a hundred times worse than angry.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about anything. I just... She said that I had done it before, I thought it would be something familiar, I thought I might have gotten my memory back. And I... well things had been hard and I just wanted not to deal with it for a while. It was stupid... I was stupid..."
His mother dropped the bottle in the waste bin and went over and hugged him.
"We feel as if we're loosing you. The more you learn about your old self the more that you push us away and we... we'll never be the Potters, but we want to be your parents, we love you so much and every day it feels as if we're loosing you. It doesn't matter if you remember or not, just please never forget your our son in every sense of the word, and we love you very much, no matter what name you go by."
Johnny nodded and squeezed his mother to him. His dad walked across the room and hugged them both.
* * *
Hermione and Evie were in the middle of playing a game when Johnny came down into the living room the next morning.
"Johnny, you've got to see this! It's like clue, but you give the person that kills the bad guy a parade! And EVERYTHING moves!"
Johnny looked down to see indeed, a miniature version of himself was given a parade by all the other figures.
"That looks really cool." Johnny smiled.
Evie turned to Hermione and said, "Can Johnny play with us next game?"
Hermione suppressed a smile and looked over to Johnny, then back to Evie, "I don't know. He is all right, for a boy, but he might have cooties... most boys do. WE wouldn't want to catch any."
Evie seemed to think about it for a second, "True, he is a boy, but he's also my brother. I'm sure our parents had him decontaminated."
"That's good thinking," Hermione said, "I guess we can let him play with us."
"Who are these people?" Johnny asked as he looked at the other pieces on the board.
"Those over there are all the professors at Hogwarts, and these are our friends. The object of the game is to figure out who killed Voldemort, then give them a parade."
Johnny looked quizzically at her, "That's the game?"
"We were trying to make fun of something, to make it less painful." Hermione said rather quietly.
Johnny nodded and they continued playing. The Winters gave them something to eat and sat on the sofa, trying to read, but ending up watching the game instead. Johnny kept taking Hermione's little figurine and not letting her play it at all, while Evie kept playing Hagrid. Probably because if you touched the figurine's stomach he would let out a belly laugh.
"It's true."
Everyone turned to see who was the one that said that. Three figures were in the walkway, Johnny recognized from the pictures around the house two of them as Ginny and Ron, the other was a round faced boy.
"Ron..." Hermione said getting up, "How... How did you find out?"
"Dr. Sam told us. Funny, I expected to at least hear of it from you."
He looked angry, while the other two looked sad and a bit frightened to say the least.
"Ron I-"
"Should go." Ron finished for her.
"What?"
"Hermione, I think it's time for you to pack." Ron said looking at the floor.
"Like hell I will!"
"Hermione, it's what's best."
"What are you talking about? What's wrong with you!? Your best friend, who you thought was dead is standing here, and all you can think to say is to order me to pack my things?"
"That's not my friend. Our friend is dead, he's just wearing his skin, you've wasted your time here and it's enough. "
"No!" Tears began to flow from her eyes, and she looked to the others for support, "Ginny? Neville?"
"We'll help you pack your bags." The round-faced boy, who was probably called Neville, said.
Hermione was ushered out and Johnny didn't understand why she didn't fight back, why she didn't insist on staying, why she didn't stand her ground. Johnny stood up to Ron, ready to fight him if he insisted on taking Hermione somewhere she didn't want to go.
"Could Harry and I talk alone?"
"Johnny?" His father asked.
Johnny nodded and the Winter family, minus Johnny, walked out. Ron stepped into the room and closed the doors.
"When you defeated you-know-who last year-"
"Who?"
Ron let out an exasperated 'agg' then continued, "The last time I saw you, the last time you had your memory you asked me to do something. You asked me to promise you something. You told me I had to protect her. I know she signed up to do this, and normally she's able to make her own decisions, hell she'll make my decisions for ME, that's Hermione. But I'm still going to protect her- even from you."
Johnny shook his head, "I'm not some kind of murder, I would never do anything to hurt her."
"I know that." Ron nodded, "But you'll never get better. I talked to Snape, he said there was no way to reverse the charm without the original caster, and your mother's been dead for seventeen years. You're presence in her life is going to drive her insane. The thing is that you're not bad. If she hated you, this version of you, it would be easier to give up on the thought that Harry may return. But you're nice, just like you always were, and she's going to commit her life to the past, to what she had, hoping the thing that's wearing her boyfriend's face will turn back into her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah, obviously she forgot to tell you that bit."
'I died the day you did.' Her words wrung in his head repeatedly, he had been so blind to everything.
"So, to keep her safe, I've got to bring her back to Hogwarts. It may be too late all ready."
"Too late?" Johnny asked.
"When we thought you were dead she... She tried to kill herself. To make her go through that again, your death again... But I've got to take her now, while there's still a chance."
Johnny nodded and did not move as Ron made his way out of the room and up the stairs.
* * *
"We've all been teaching DADA, that's how I found it." Ginny said as she folded one of Hermione's Hogwarts skirts in her trunk.
"Found what?" Hermione asked numbly.
Just then, the door opened and Johnny walked through the door, paused for a moment, then took some clothes from the closet and put them next to the trunk.
"The teacher roster." Neville finished for Ginny.
"Apparently Dr. Sam's full name is Doctor Samantha Snape. She's his daughter! No wonder she hates his slimy guts." Ginny shivered.
Hermione crinkled her nose, but it was short lived when Johnny took another pile of clothes and put them next to her trunk.
"You agree with this?" Hermione asked Johnny.
"It's the only way." Johnny said.
He didn't want her to go, he wanted her to stay there with him, and help him fill up those empty spots in his soul. But it would never happen. He would have to face facts and just give up, go back home, to the Winter family home.
"Don't help." She said shortly as she tore the clothes from his hand, "Get the hell out of my room."
He did as she said and went into the hallway closing the door behind him. As he walked to his room he reminded himself that it was for the best. That he would never get his memory back anyway. That he was glad for the time that he could have spent with her, and even though knowing he could never see her again would leave a bigger hole in his soul than the loss of his memory seemed to, he would get over it. He would get over that final look she gave him, the last look she'd ever give him.
Johnny fell to the floor of his room, passed out.
* * *
Lily Potter was a very clever witch. Clever enough to know even her best spell may backfire on her. That is why she put the third charm on her husband's ring. The third charm was in case she herself lived the attack of Voldemort. A slim chance, but one all the same, she decided no to tempt the fates. The third charm would lift all charms from the ring. The only way, and she made sure it was the only way, was if the wearer of said ring fell back in love with the person they had been in love with before the charms were cast. Capturing James Potter's heart a second time seemed as if it would be easy so, she put the charm in place.
Lily Potter was indeed a clever witch.
And that was the reason why, as he got up off the floor, the memory of his former life as Harry Potter came steadily back to him, and why his father's ring re-appeared on his finger.
When the world seemed to stop spinning at such high speeds he tried to get up to establish his bearings. When he realized the ring was now back on his finger and what it must have done, he tore it off and threw it across the room.
Something was happening, something bad... he remembered; Hermione was supposed to leave. Or she had already left.
He couldn't let her go, he had to get to her, he had to see her again.
He walked down the hall, Grasping at the wall for support, and opened the door to her room to see nothing inside. He went down the stairs and watched as Lupin was trying to fall up them.
"Is Hermione gone?"
"They're just about to leave, why?"
"I remember everything."
Lupin paused as they neared each other at the bottom of the steps, "How do I know you're not just saying that?"
Harry put both his hands on Lupin's shoulders, "You're my Mummy and I love you."
"We better hurry." Lupin put one arm around Harry and they both tried to walk fast.
But both were weak, and it looked rather like a bad three-legged race.
"Oh my god, she's his daughter?" Harry said finally realizing all the disgust that added to that thought.
"How do you think I feel? I'm twice her age and I-"
"Down boy. Not really wanting to hear it right now." Harry said as they neared the stairs to the basement.
"They went down there?" Harry asked.
"Yup." Lupin said.
"They can't just make this easy, can they..." Harry said as he held onto the railing for dear life. Lupin did the same on his right and they clumsily made their way down together.
They got half way down , but then both tripped and fell down the rest of the steps banging into the Fawks/Order door.
"Who's there?" Ron's voice sounded from the other side.
"Girl Scouts, would you like some thin mints?" Harry said as he and Lupin tried to detangle themselves from each other.
Ron opened the door and helped Lupin to his feet, then helped Harry.
"Look, we've discussed this." Ron began, "If you want to say good bye than go ahead, but I think it would be best if you-"
Harry was just about to talk to Hermione, but turned back to Ron, "When did you turn into Hermione?"
"What are you talking about?"
"What's with the being responsible bit?"
"I'm plenty responsible, I'm going to be a dad soon."
"You knock Luna up and that makes you responsible?" Harry waved it off and turned to Hermione, "You can't go."
"It's what's best, remember?" She said turning away from him.
"That was then."
"An hour makes that much difference?"
"In this case, yes. Hermione, I remember. I remember everything. I remember what side of the bed you like to sleep on, I remember the way you hit Malfoy, I remember how much you hate it when I do that thing with my mouth."
The entire room silenced and Hermione said barely above a whisper, "Harry?"
Harry nodded and she dropped the bag from her shoulder, which made many braking noises, ran and hugged him so tight Harry knew she cracked some ribs.
He had never felt better his entire life.
"My prophecy said I would give you a gift... I don't know-"
Harry put his hand over her mouth, "Don't be an idiot Hermione; you are my gift. It was worth it."
Harry and Hermione kissed, and they all lived happily ever after.
Except for Snape, but he was always a miserable git.
THE END
No, really I mean it this time.
Seriously.
Look out for the sequel coming soon.
Just joshin' you.
Really.
This is it.
The End.
A/N: Just like to thank everyone that has read this story, and especially everyone that has reviewed. Thanks a bunch guys.
~Laurie