Unofficial Portkey Archive

An Effective Abstraction

By Muirnin Cocan

Chapter 6 - Plentyn O Dewiniaeth

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"I d-d-didn't m-m-mean to d-d-do it," she stammered through a hand clasped in front of her mouth.

"What do you mean? Did you do that to Malfoy?" Harry questioned his bright green eyes wide in shock.

Petunia nodded as tears fell from her eyes and left trails of wet down the back of her hand.

"Harry, I think we should just get her out of here." Remus said quietly to Harry. "The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad will be here anytime now to sort him out."

"We just heard their confession to the..." he glanced over at Hermione and saw her eyes filling with tears. "Shouldn't we tell the Ministry what we heard?" Harry said as he felt Hermione's hand grasp hold of his in need of protection.

"If the Ministry or anyone else needs to discuss this with you; they can reach you by owl. I think perhaps, it would be a good idea for your aunt not be subjected to anything else... at just this time." Remus said as he began leading Petunia away.

Harry nodded as they began walking towards the barrier that would take them back to the Leaky Cauldron. Remus tapped the stones to open the portal once more to make their way through so they could go back to the car park. Before stepping through, Harry looked back and saw several wizards apparate in, trying to restrain a very irritable Draco Malfoy and his pair of thugs who appeared to not be able to do much of anything to help their comrade.

After placing Aunt Petunia in the front seat next to Remus who was driving, Harry and Hermione sat in the back. None of them had spoken since the incident at Diagon Alley; an unspoken question hung in the air... How could Petunia actually do accidental magic?

Harry had never heard of such a thing... but then, he was not known for paying attention in class. Although he had only been to London on only a couple of occasions, and the vistas they were passing were splendid; he felt no desire to see the areas they were passing through as they drove. Unconsciously he felt Hermione's hand, once again, interlock with his and the comforting effect that this slight action held for him caused his fingers to entwine tightly with hers.

Time held no meaning for Harry as he sat in the back seat, his head laying back and his eyes shut. The emotional vortex that he had experienced the last few days had finally caught up with him and he found himself quite exhausted. Having gone so long dissimulating his fears, the reality of his own strength of emotion had finally consumed him.

"Harry..." he felt as someone gently shook his shoulder, "Harry?"

The voice seemed to be more insistent as he slowly opened his eyes. "Umm... we here already?" It had seemed to Harry that time had moved in the blink of an eye, having just closed his eyes.

"We were driving for about a half hour..." Hermione said quietly. Harry looked around and saw that Remus had already taken Petunia inside the building. A valet and a door attendant were both waiting for Harry and Hermione to remove them from the car.

"Oh... I guess we better go in." Hurriedly extracting himself from the car he found himself standing in front of a tall marble building. The trim details were not too extravagant, yet luxurious to say the least. The gilded red and golden sign over the door to the building read 'Plentyn O Dewiniaeth'.

"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." A well-dressed man in his mid fifties walked up towards them and extended his hand. "Welcome to 'The Tower', I am Benjamin Gray and I am the manager here... Please let me extend to you both my most heart-felt condolences upon your losses. Everyone here at the Tower will do everything to make your time with us as worry free as we can."

"Uh, Thank you Mr. Gray." Harry said and then looked again at the large gilded sign "You called this 'The Tower'?" He asked as they began walking into the building. He was conscious of the fact that Hermione was holding onto his hand, desperate to get away from everything.

"Yes Mr. Potter... As you can see by our signage, the actual name of the building is 'Plentyn O Dewiniaeth' as is spoken in Welsh or translated into English 'Children of Magic'. There is a great history regarding this establishment..."

"I will admit that I am curious about the history of this building, but I find the name very unusual for a business here in London." Harry said as they made their way towards the lifts.

Everything that he saw spoke of an opulence he had never been accustomed to in his life. The lobby was resplendent with deep reds and gilded embellishments, from the lush carpet to the elegant velvet draperies. Marble and Mahogany were the materials of choice in all the finish work around them.

"While this building itself has not been in existence for more than 50 years, the establishment has been around for over 800 years." Mr. Gray said with a smile. "Squibs are what many in the Wizarding world long ago had been ashamed of and in most cases were ostracised. In reality, we are the children of magic."

"Are you are a Squib?" Harry said with a bit of shock.

"Yes Mr. Potter, as are many of the residence here... it is part of the reason why this complex was created so long ago, to give us a place where we were accepted and also connected to those who were magical." Mr. Gray explained as he led them out of the lift on the 12th floor and towards the only suite on the floor. "Well, we are here sir, if there is anything I can do for you, please contact me immediately. You will find everything stocked and ready for your use."

"I would like to continue this history lesson once I take care of some other business." Harry said shaking Benjamin's hand.

"With pleasure sir... I do hope that you and your Aunt as well as Miss Granger will be comfortable here, I am aware of how trying a time it has been today for all of you... Again, please accept my condolences upon your losses and know that my family is here to serve you in any way we can."

After so few years within the Wizarding world, even within this seemingly Muggle environment, Harry was less surprised than he should have been at the fact that they were still surrounded by those who knew of who he was but also who and what he and Hermione were.

Petunia was sitting in the lounge with a hot cup of tea talking quietly to Remus Lupin. She appeared to be less upset than she had earlier and Harry could only guess what was added to her tea to calm her so.

"Ah Harry, Hermione... Dobby has made some tea and biscuits for both of you." Remus said as the pair came and joined them in the lounge. Once Harry and Hermione were seated in comfortable chairs, Remus began to speak to them both again. "If you are both up to the task, you can take care of all the arrangements tomorrow morning. I took the liberty to have your school things brought here Harry and if you would like I can also do the same for you Hermione."

Hermione looked up at this and nodded. "I need to make some phone calls..." she started.

"Yes, there is a private extension in your room which is down the hall and second door to the right. Harry, your room is at the end of the hall next to Hermione's room. Your aunt will be in the first room... Each has their own amenities and has access to the balcony that surrounds this suite of rooms. Your personal wardrobes has been stocked and if you need for anything, just let Dobby know... He will have lunch ready for you all in half an hour."

"You aren't staying." Harry said suddenly realizing that he would be left with two very emotional women.

"Not right now Harry" Remus said then added, "I had other arrangements for this afternoon and would rather not cancel out on them."

Harry gave Remus a quizzical look then in a sudden mischievousness asked, "Hot date have you?"

Remus blushed uncharacteristically, "Um... yes... I have plans for tonight with Dora." He said quietly.

Harry looked over at Remus with a quirked eyebrow and then looked at Hermione who for the first time in quite awhile had a slight grin on her face.

"Please tell Tonks hello for us..." Hermione said to Remus, whose face flushed even further.

"I didn't know you and Tonks were dating..." Harry said astounded at this revelation.

Remus sighed, "I don't know how you knew I was talking about Tonks Hermione... I have always known you were the cleverest witch of your age... but really... That was some deduction there." Causing Hermione to blush slightly, he turned and looked at Harry admitting, "Yes, we started working together quite often within the Order and then after... well you know after, she helped me quite a lot to work out the pain of losing Sirius..."

"I'm happy for you Moony, I really am..." Harry said with a smile. "If anyone deserves to find some happiness in life it is definitely you."

"Well, enough about that... If you would like we can come over in the morning to assist both you and Hermione. Molly and Arabella will be over tomorrow morning as well to be with Petunia while you are both out..." Remus said and then added, "I've already discussed this with your aunt Harry."

"Moony, I don't know how to thank you enough for all you have done..." Harry said sincerely.

"Since the day you were born Harry, I have always thought of you as family... Sirius and James always joked about 'whose' son you actually were... however, to me... you were always Lily's son..." Remus started and then said softly, "that just made you even more special to me... Anyway... I best be off." He said as he got up from the sofa, he began heading towards the door.

Harry got up to follow him out. "Moony..."

"Yes Harry..."

"I know how difficult today has been for you as well..."

"It surprised me to talk to Padfoot again, but to see Prongs and well... to see your mother again..." his voice cracked again.

"You loved her didn't you?"

"Your mother was one of the most special people I have ever known... When we were both in school, we were both Prefects... she always regarded me differently than the way she did Sirius and James... She actually discovered about my being a werewolf long before the Marauder's did, but she kept my secret... She and I became best friends; different from what I was with James, Sirius and Peter... we talked and studied together quite frequently... I knew she was sweet on James but she hid that so well... James was enamoured by her; from the moment, he laid eyes on her. She was beautiful and a very dear and beloved friend to me..." Remus paused then confessed, "yes Harry, I did love your mother deeply... but knowing how James felt about her and how she felt about your dad... I knew that she and I would always only be best friends... every woman I have met after Lily, I have always compared to her..."

"Is that why you started dating Tonks?" Harry asked.

Remus looked at Harry and chuckled. "Dora is not like Lily. At least not gracefully," they both laughed at that, "scholastically not even close... but there is just something that reminds me of Lily when I look at Dora... and I have seen her in her natural state... not the metamorphic that she can become... but for who she truly is and yes, her heart is very much like Lily."

"Thank you Moony... you didn't need to tell me all that you did... I guess I always knew that there was more to what you had told me in 3rd year about my mum..."

"I know I can never take James' or Sirius' place, but I am always there for you... Now, I must be going..." Remus paused with his hand on the door knob, "Take care of Hermione Harry... she's going to need your friendship, strength and..." he sighed, "Oh Harry, I know what Lily and Petunia went through when their parents were killed before our 7th year... just be there for her..."

Harry nodded his head as Remus left. He stood by the closed door and thought about what Remus had said regarding his mum... He turned back towards the lounge and saw Hermione and his aunt talking quietly. He could see that what ever Aunt Petunia was saying to Hermione had a profound affect upon his best friend.

As he stood there just watching them, he thought about what Remus had said regarding his mum. He knew it was foolish but in some ways he too compared every girl he met at school by some means to Hermione. After his experience at the Department of Mysteries and his own reaction to seeing her hurt by that mysterious curse, he could not ignore the fact that no other person in his life held a higher position to him than Hermione.

Certainly, his feelings for Ron held a similar regard; yet, there was just something different about Hermione. He knew that people comparable to Cho would always feel threatened by his close friendship with Hermione, but he figured it was always just a form of jealousy.

Looking at her now, he began to feel the same fluttering he had felt after their lips had met the night before. He silently chastised himself at the prospect of those kinds of feelings for his best friend. He admitted to himself that he missed the feel of her hand in his, the comforting affect that simple action held. Shaking his head, he began to walk back to the lounge.

Dobby popped suddenly next to him, silent so that he did not disturb the others. "Harry Potter sir" Dobby said softly. "Lunch is in the dining room when you are ready sir."

"Oh Dobby," Harry surprised at the silent approach of the house-elf. "Thank you, I will let them know."

"I is so sorry for your loss Harry Potter sir…" Dobby said solemnly. "Dobby knows how bad your family treated you but knows that you are sad by their deaths. Dobby is frightfully sad for Harry Potter's My-own-knee and her parents death, she is very sad as well."

"That's very understanding of you Dobby." Harry said looking at the wide green eyes that stared at him with sincerity.

"Dobby did not wish to disturb Harry Potter's Aunt nor his My-own-knee, but wanted to make sure that you were fed Harry Potter sir."

"Thank you Dobby, follow me in there and we can tell them together." Harry said as he began to walk back into the lounge.

Dobby cringed behind Harry's leg and clung to his trouser leg, "Oh no Harry Potter sir… I is a good house-elf and should not be seen by muggles."

"It's alright Dobby, my aunt will need to get used to seeing you anyway… besides, and I think that Hermione would like to say hello to you."

Dobby nodded, but continued to follow Harry rather closely. His awkward gait did not go unnoticed by either of the women.

"Harry is something wrong why are you walking strange…" Hermione said then noting Dobby smiled, "Oh Hello Dobby."

Petunia's eyes widened at the sight of the diminutive creature clutching her nephew's leg.

"Don't be frightened Aunt Petunia, this is Dobby. He is a house-elf and will be taking care of us while we are here." Harry said as he tried to pull Dobby out to face his aunt. "Say hello Dobby."

"Hello Harry Potter's Aunt… I is very sorry for your loss ma'am." He said shakily, his large green eyes filled with tears as he looked at Hermione and said "I is also very sad at your loss too, Harry Potter's My-own-knee…" she gave him a sad smile as he added "I is telling Harry Potter sir that I have lunch ready in the dining room… I is thinking that you both should eat something Miss."

"That is very kind of you er… Dobby" Petunia said kindly, causing Dobby to dash back behind Harry's legs.

"I is a good house-elf no matter what other house-elves say… I is taking care of Harry Potter sir and his family." Dobby squeaked, then popped out of the room.

Harry escorted his aunt and Hermione into the dining room. He felt his aunt stagger slightly upon seeing the amount of food that was laid out upon the table.

"We're not expecting Ron for lunch are we?" Hermione said teasingly.

"No, Ron's not coming to lunch" Harry chuckled, "Don't worry Aunt Petunia, we aren't expected to eat everything."

"Good Lord, this looks like a feast!" Petunia exclaimed.

As they sat down Hermione explained to Petunia, "When you are fed by house-elves they tend to make sure that there is plenty to eat… We usually have something like this at every meal while at school… only on a grander scale."

"And you said Dobby did all of this?" Petunia asked.

"Yes, he did and he will for every meal I'm afraid." Harry said as he started to dish up some of the steak and kidney pie. He noticed that both Hermione and his aunt were barely touching any of the food. "Hermione," he cautioned, "You don't want Dobby to be upset that you aren't eating now do you?"

"Oh Harry… I just…"

"I know, but you do need to keep your strength up," He gave a sidelong look at his aunt to let her know that he was also speaking to her as well. "But you know how Dobby is… he doesn't take no for an answer."

"Of course your right…" she said taking a small helping of roast beef and potatoes, "I just don't feel like eating much right now."

"Well try and eat something… please." Harry pleaded, noting that his aunt had also started eating just a touch more than what she had originally intended.

"Do all wizards have House-elves?" Petunia asked.

"No, not all Wizard families do… most of the wealthier Pureblood families have them… but some families like the Weasley's even though they are purebloods don't have house-elves… Although I think Mrs. Weasley does a superb job cooking like she does… I've seen her put out a spread like this for the whole family."

Lunch was rather quiet, with just a small spattering of questions from Petunia in regards to the Wizarding world. Her knowledge from when Lily had been alive was sparse but enough that she did understand a few things.

As lunch ended, Hermione excused herself and went in her room to call her grandmother. Petunia and Harry went back into the lounge and sat down on the sofa.

Both of them were a bit nervous, Harry knowing what Aunt Petunia would ask him and his not knowing what to say… Petunia still upset at the entire set of incidents that had befallen them earlier as well as her own guilt at what she had apparently done to that boy outside the bank.

Harry finally broke the silence. "Aunt Petunia, do you want to explain to me what happened outside of Gringott's today?"

Petunia sat twisting her hands in her lap as she thought for a moment. "I heard that boy… I think you called him Malfoy. He was saying such awful things. The more he spoke the angrier I became… All I could think of was 'I just wish he would zip his lip'… and then it happened."

"I sort of understand why it happened, but not HOW it happened… I have never heard of anyone who was not magical being able to do that." Harry looked at his aunt and could see her discomfort. "I'm sure that there is some explanation for all of this… Do you remember when I was younger how my emotions would sometimes cause things to happen?"

"But you're a wizard… you are able to do magic."

A knock at the front door caused them both to stop suddenly. Harry got up to head towards the door when Dobby appeared in front of him. "Headmaster Dumbledore is there; do you want me to answer it?"

"No Dobby, that is alright… I'll get it, but thanks" Harry said watching the house-elf pop silently out of sight again. Opening the door he was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore standing there in a finely tailored three-piece suit.

"Hello Harry. I thought I would have a word with you and your aunt regarding what happened outside of Gringott's today." Dumbledore said.

"We were just discussing that when you came, please come in…"

Harry led the headmaster back to where his aunt was sitting. He was uncomfortable being in Dumbledore's presence but also knew he needed to know what had happened with his aunt. He chose to sit quietly and just listen to what they discussed.

"Hello Petunia… I am so sorry to be bothering you at this time."

"Not at all sir… We were just discussing what I did earlier to that Malfoy boy… We heard him and his friends talking about causing the explosions…" her voice cracked suddenly as tears began to fall to her cheeks.

Dumbledore took hold of Petunia's hand and patted it gently, "I know it is difficult my dear… you have suffered a great loss today. I also know you have some questions and that is why I have come."

Petunia sniffled, "Yes, I want to know how I was able to do that to him…"

"I understand that your husband's grandparents were Squibs… is that correct?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Yes… I don't think that Vernon" she wept again, "ever knew what they were… He never spoke of them, but he always hated anything magical…" she said. "My mother in law was the one who told me shortly before her death… I had confided in her about Lily and about how we came to have Harry. That was when she told me about Vernon's family…"

Dumbledore nodded and his blue eyes twinkled as he thought about what she had just said. "I believe Petunia that even though you were not born magical like Lily had been, you are not a muggle as we had originally thought but you are indeed a witch."

"What? That's not possible!" Petunia sputtered, "I never got a letter… I've never done anything magical before…"

"Let me explain… When a magical child is born into our world, their names automatically appear into our ledgers… It is a way for us to tell who is going into Hogwarts or any other magical academy around the world. Lily's name appeared after she was born, but yours was not… at the time of your birth. However, shortly after the explosion that took your husbands life, your name magically appeared in our records."

"Professor, that doesn't make sense." Harry finally said seeing the shocked look upon his aunt's face. "I have never heard of someone becoming magical later in life."

"While it is not a common occurrence Harry, it has happened on a few rare occasions." Dumbledore said, "I know that it is difficult to understand, but your Aunt is now a witch… without proper training."

"How does this tie into Vernon's death though? It seems like too much of a coincidence." Petunia remarked.

"We will be investigating this I promise, but if I was to hazard a guess it would be that some how your magic was blocked and when Vernon died, it released the block to your magic. Given what you have told me about Vernon's parents… their prejudice against the Wizarding World and his hatred towards all things magical, I would assume that someone most likely from Vernon's family decided to make sure you had no chance of becoming magical."

"That just doesn't make sense Albus. If I wasn't born magical why on earth would anyone assume that I may become magical… especially after you have told me that it is not a common occurrence." Petunia said still very perplexed.

"Just as there are within the magical community groups whose philosophies differ than others, the same is said for those who are Squibs. Some, like those who have long been associated with the Potter family find places to keep touch with both magical and non-magical aspects of their lives. Others completely cut themselves off from all things magical and those who stay within only the Wizarding World. Then there are those like your husbands family who want to destroy all things magical; they have found ways to bind a wizard's magic and in essence make them 'muggle'. From what I have discovered over my lifetime, just as there are dark wizards out to destroy everything that is not purebloods, there are also dark squibs."

"What could they use to bind the magic? If that was the case why didn't Uncle Vernon do the same thing to me?" Harry asked.

"Well as your Aunt Petunia has said, he probably didn't know his grandparent's were Squibs… but his parents did know… I am guessing here, that his father probably gave Petunia some sort of binding potion early on in hers and Vernon's relationship. It is quite uncommon, but not completely unknown… Especially to those of us who associate with Squibs on a regular basis."

Harry was going to ask more questions but noticed that Hermione was waving him over. He excused himself and walked over to where Hermione stood and then followed her out onto the balcony outside her room.

"Nana is coming over…" Hermione said quickly. "I told her about mum and dad's deaths and she already knew. Apparently, someone contacted her and she wants to see me immediately. I am so sorry Harry, I just couldn't say no to her."

"It's alright Hermione… I have no problem with your Grandmother coming to visit… If needs be we can have Dobby fix up the other bedroom for her and she can stay here."

"Oh no Harry, she just wants to see me… she said she would only be visiting for a little bit and then would see me at the memorial." Harry could see how nervous this was making Hermione and took hold of her hand.

"Hey, what's got you so wound up about your grandmother?"

Hermione's eyes started to fill with tears "Damn… I am never this emotional…" she paused trying to collect her thoughts and gain control of her emotions. "It's just… I do not know how to tell her about my being a witch… Mum might have told her, but I do not know. Nana is a bit eccentric… I should just warn you now, she is very affectionate."

Harry gave her a smirk "Not unlike her granddaughter?"

She playfully smacked his shoulder with her hand, "No… not like me… well not exactly anyway. Mary Sullivan is a very complicated woman… I adore her… she is quite the character. It is funny, in some ways Hagrid reminds me of her… very kind and loving and full of energy… but you don't want to get her mad. She's a fireball."

"Not unlike her granddaughter…" He smirked again receiving another smack on the arm.

"Oh Harry, I'm nothing like that…" Hermione said then quickly changed the subject. "So what is Professor Dumbledore doing here?"

Harry went on to explain what he had over heard from Petunia and Dumbledore's discussion. He explained about the different factions of Squibs in the world as well as the possibility that a potion of some sort had bound Petunia's magical powers many years ago.

"How's she handling the information?" Hermione asked.

"Alright I guess. Shall we go back out there?" Harry asked. He could see that she was not enthusiastic about being in Dumbledore's presence again and added, "I've thought a lot about what he told me after Sirius's death… I know I still have some unresolved issues with him, but that should not reflect upon your…"

"He pisses me off Harry… I'm sorry, but I know there is no good reason for me to be angry with the Headmaster, but I am… what he has done to you… actually to us all these years just irritates the bloody hell out of me. I guess this has been coming for a long time now… I've hid it well but I am tired of having this façade that everyone sees and expects me to just bow down to their decisions… I don't know how you put up with it over the years. I also understand WHY you were so angry last summer when you got to Grimmauld."

"And this is an example of why not to get Hermione mad… just like her grandmother" He smirked again and then pulled her into a hug. "I know it's hard to let go of the anger… Merlin knows I'm not doing so well with it… but I think together we can get through this… all right. Come on, let's go out and wait for your grandmother to show up…"

They walked back into the apartment and headed into the lounge. They could over hear some of what Dumbledore was telling Petunia. Dobby popped in front of Harry and Hermione.

"Harry Potter sir, a woman is coming up in the lift to here."

"Thanks Dobby, you best stay hidden for awhile… just ring a bell or something when dinner is ready."

"Oh I will Harry Potter sir…" he popped back out as silently as he had come in.

The chime on the door alerted him to the visitor. Harry walked over to the door and taking a deep breath opened it to greet Hermione's grandmother.

Whatever impression Hermione might have given about Hagrid reminding her of Mary Sullivan was completely off compared to what his impression was of her.

When he opened the door he was immediately embraced by a sprightly woman dressed all in black that stood two heads shorter than Harry did.

"You must be Harry dear…" she said giving him a squeeze then grasping the sides of his face she added, "And such a cute boy you are as well…" She then pushed him aside and headed straight for Hermione. "Oh Herja! My dear…" engulfing her in a hug, patting her on the back "It will be all right my Herja…" she rocked her back and forth.

Harry closed the door and headed over to where Hermione's grandmother still hugged her.

"I'm fine Nana… I'm fine." Hermione said in mild exasperation. She loved her grandmother, but Mary Sullivan's over exuberance was tiring at times.

By this time, Petunia and Dumbledore had risen from their seats and had come over to greet the new arrival. As soon as Mary Sullivan saw Petunia, she immediately engulfed her in a tight embrace causing Petunia's eyes to widen in shock.

"Oh my dear… my dear… So sad for your loss…" Mary Sullivan gushed. "Oh how silly of me, you don't know me from Adam and here I am consoling you on your loss… I'm Mary Sullivan, and you are Harry's aunt."

"Er… yes, I'm Petunia Dursley… ah…"

Surprising everyone in the room Mary Sullivan turned and embraced Albus Dumbledore. "Oh Albus it's been so many years… how are you dear!"

"Quite fine Mary… Quite fine indeed." Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling at the complete and utter confusion expressed on the faces of Harry and Hermione.

"I'm guessing that my Herja is attending your school… How is she doing? Alexeve never told me a thing about her school except that it was up in Scotland and it was very special… but I know my Herja… she is a special girl…"

"She's top of her class in all areas…" Albus said, "But looking at Miss Granger and Mr. Potter's faces I would venture to guess they are unaware of your knowledge." He grinned.

"Nana? What do you know about my school?" Hermione finally managed to ask.

Mary Sullivan came over to her granddaughter and took her hand patting it gently. "My Herja… Your Headmaster was a dear friend to my first husband who was a wizard… I of course am a muggle just like your grandfather and your parent's were… Nevertheless, I knew that you were special. I could just tell…" She smiled up at her granddaughter, "Even though your mum, my dear sweet Alexeve never told me specifically, I knew all about your being a witch… My Alexeve would tell me about all sorts of delightful tales when you were a small girl, how you turned a teachers hair blue, or how you ended up in a tree that had no way to climb up… Ah yes, My Sweet Herja, you are a special girl."

Hermione sat down heavily upon the sofa, shocked at the sudden impact of information she had received. "What happened to your first husband… if you don't mind me asking Nana?"

Sitting down beside her granddaughter, Mary Sullivan took her hand again, patting it ever so gently. "My Herja… I know this is all a shock to you… Especially after what happened to my Alexeve and your dad today… My first husband was murdered many years ago…" She turned to look at Albus, "Do they know about…"

Albus nodded his head, "Unfortunately they do… Especially Harry here."

"No… don't tell me that!" Hermione said jerking her hand away, she got up forcefully from the sofa and ran into her room, slamming the door. Harry could hear her sobbing. He wanted to go to her desperately to consol her but knew that he needed to know what had happened.

"Mrs. Sullivan, are you saying that your first husband was murdered by Lord Voldemort?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Well at the time practically nobody knew him by that name… My husband was a solicitor who dealt with both the Muggle and Wizarding world... Although due to the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy, he had to keep quite a bit of what he did secret from the Non-Magical community. It was in 1942 that Malcolm first met Albus… but that's a tale for another time… You want to know about Riddle… When Malcolm met Tom Marvolo Riddle, it was shortly after Albus here had defeated Grindelwald in 1945. Riddle had contacted my husband in regards to recovering his father's estate.

"Apparently there were some issues regarding his father who had refused to acknowledge the younger Riddle's existence. From what I learned later, his mother had died in childbirth after Tom Riddle had deserted her and young Mr. Riddle placed in an Orphanage. Supposedly, his father and his grandparents both died very suspiciously and at one point their gardener had been arrested but then the charges were dropped when they could not find probable cause to their deaths… I am not sure to this day, why Riddle had sought out my husband but he had heard of Tom Marvolo Riddle from Albus a few years before. Albus here, had kept an eye on him for many years but shortly after he had defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald, Riddle decided to try and wipe out the possibility of Half-bloods and Muggleborns. My beloved Malcolm was one of his first victims."

Harry knew better as he knew that Moaning Myrtle had been killed by Riddle, as had his father and grandparents. Harry shook his head in disgust. "Thank you for telling me that… er… I am going to go check on Hermione to make sure she is all right."

"Yes, you do that dear… make sure my Herja is not too upset. It has been a very trying day for all of us…"

He reached Hermione's door and knocked softly with a muffled "Come in" in response. Opening the door he saw that Hermione, curled up on the bed, her face wet with tears.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he leaned over and with his thumb brushed away the last of her tears. "How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" She said with a sarcastic tone.

"I'm thinking that you are sick and tired of dealing with this façade that you are strong and able to handle everything… that you can't believe how many people's lives have been fucked up by Voldemort and you feel powerless to do anything about that…" Harry said putting his head in his hands.

"That's very perceptive of you Mr. Potter…" Hermione said swinging around and sitting on the edge of the bed next to Harry. "You got that pretty much on target… except for one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You're not alone…" Hermione said getting up off the bed and walking back out onto the balcony. She stood there looking out over the city, but not really seeing anything. Her hands were against the railing and she just held on, not wanting to let go for need of the security that holding on brought to her.

Harry got up and walked over to where she stood and standing behind her, he placed his hands on either side of hers. He felt her body relax against his and he wrapped his arms around her.

"So did he?" Hermione asked softly.

"Uh huh… Voldemort killed your grandmother's first husband…" Harry said resting his chin on top of her head.

"You want to bet that Dumbledore told Nana about my parent's deaths before he told us…" Hermione whispered.

"Who do I look like, Ludo Bagman? That's a sucker's bet if I ever heard one." He chuckled softly.

"I should probably go back in there and talk to Nana…" Hermione said quietly.

"Not just yet… Let's stay here… I don't feel like being around anyone else at the moment." Harry said holding on to her a bit tighter.

"Me neither… There is a part of me that wants to just deal with the reality that we will face in the morning and get it over with… but there is a larger part of me that just wants to stay right here and just forget about everything and not think anymore."

"That's where I am right now… right here and trying to forget about everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks." Harry said softly.

"Last week when we were still at school, I kept wanting to talk to you about Sirius… but Ron kept telling me not to…"

"Ron doesn't understand what this is like. He was never as close to Sirius as what you and I have been… he hasn't really lost anyone in this war." Harry said, "His mum lost her brothers before my folks were killed but that isn't the same thing. You and I have always had a closer connection to each other than what we have had with Ron… It's sad in a way since he is our best friend but he will never quite understand what we are going through or what we know…"

"When I first met you both on the train, I knew I would be friends with you…Don't ask me how I knew I just did… but if it wasn't for you Harry, I would probably not be as close to Ron as I am now…" Hermione said honestly. "You have saved my life so many times…"

"You've saved mine too you know… I could never have gotten through half of what I have without you." Harry said with an even softer tone, "I thought I lost you at the Ministry… I could not face even looking at you after you were hit… I just held on to your shoulder and prayed that you were not dead. If Neville hadn't told me that he felt your pulse… I don't know what I would have done." He tightened his hold on her "I felt like a part of me had died right then."

"Oh Harry," she sobbed he loosened his hold and she twisting her body around to face him, then she wrapped her arms around him. They held each other in a tight embrace not wanting to let go, both shedding tears and releasing their sorrows. Once the tears subsided, they just held each other with Hermione's head resting against Harry's chest.

Harry could see the trails that her tears had left and gently ran his thumb over her wet cheeks. She looked up into his emerald green eyes and saw a look that she had never seen from him before. It was more than just sincerity that she saw…

Their eyes locked for what seemed an eternity and what Harry saw shining back at him from her eyes of dark honey brown was hope…

Slowly in a silent joint affirmation, Harry lowered his head towards Hermione's upturned face and their lips inched closer…

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I at any time owned any of the Harry Potter characters. This is an original plot, based on characters created by J. K. Rowling. In no way is any money being made, nor copyright or trademark infringement intended. J. K. Rowling owns all rights as well as various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, with additional rights belonging to Warner Bros., Inc. Some parts may be of an adult nature that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

A/N: First off I want to apologize to everyone on the lateness of this chapter... As I was writing I encountered what some may know as the blue screen of death... *sigh* I lost a great deal of this chapter and had to rewrite and while I am not as happy with this chapter as I had been previously, I did have a few things happen that just sort of wrote themselves (again...) I had not intended to on this chapter but as the Queen Mother of the Royal Family of Cliffies, I would have been remiss if I had NOT left you with even the slightest hint of a cliff hanger…

Thanks for taking the time to read this story, and I hope that you will take a few moments to feed my review addiction…it is healthier than drugs and does not cost you a dime. Take care and have a good week!

Peace - As Always,

Muirnin - who firmly believes "An imaginative mind is a terrible thing to waste..." @}>---'---,---