Forever Together Part Two.
(A Time to Live and a Time to Die)
This takes the story from the end of Hermione's Tear to the end of Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. He has Hermione at his side, the rest of the Tyr behind him, and Voldemort in front of him. Whoever wins, everyone loses something.
Although HBP was released mid way through the writing of part two of Forever Together, I have not used any of it's plots in the story. I have utilised some of the new devices, terms, names etc. which fitted but I have not changed my story to fit them. So thanks JKR, it saved a lot of delving into Latin dictionaries, and the like.
For anyone who has not read Part One, and is intending to read Part Two, it will help if you do, but it is not essential (I think). As with Part One, so find the same with Part Two. The characters and universe created by J.K.Rowling are hers alone. As imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I hope this story can be taken in that way. Some of the additional characters are mine, and who knows, some of them and the geographical locations, may even be real.
Solomon.
1. Avalon Revisited
Hermione Granger sat in the back garden of her parents' home staring into the crystal that was on the table before her. She was feeling very frustrated because she was getting nowhere, and this was not a situation that rested well on the shoulders of the brightest witch to grace the halls of Hogwarts since the mother of her boyfriend Harry Potter.
Hermione was a muggle born witch, that is to say that her mother and father were muggles, humans who were unable to use magic. This in itself was reasonably unusual, and to some sections of the wizarding world made her a second class citizen. What was even more unusual was that her parents were living in a wizard village, and not just any wizard village, their home was in Avalon.
Avalon was not supposed to exist; it was part of the muggle legend of Merlin and King Arthur, not real at all. Yet it did exist, right where it was not supposed to be.
Dominating the market town of Glastonbury is the Tor, a steep grass-covered hill with the remains of a church on its top. Avalon lies at the foot of the Tor on its North East side, just slightly sideways to the rest of the world. Being slightly sideways meant that anyone in the normal world could not see it, and anyone living in Avalon could not see the normal world, and that suited them just fine.
The residents of Avalon did not walk about in some kind of perpetual mist; all the physical attributes of the real world were there. The Tor, the land around its base 'The Isle of Glass', the sluggish River Brue to the south, and the hills off in the distance to the north, it was all there. Just no muggles, and no other-world wizards, and nothing of muggle or wizard construction, except those structures that belonged to Avalon. So putting it concisely, Avalon was hidden to everyone apart from those who knew how to get to it. It was a place of safety.
This was why David and Natalie Granger were living there, because Voldemort was after them.
Voldemort was the most evil wizard to appear in living memory, he wanted them because of their connection to their daughter Hermione, and he wanted her because of her connection to Harry Potter, the sixteen year old thorn in his side and the only wizard who could defeat him. He wanted them all and he wanted them dead.
Harry and Hermione had arrived back in Avalon two weeks before, at the end of their sixth year at Hogwarts. They had travelled by the nimbus limen, the cloudy doorway, which allowed instantaneous travel between Avalon and anywhere. Harry loved this mode of transport, it was quiet, comfortable, and he didn't fall over on arrival, despite the fact that the mist fogged up his glasses.
On their arrival in company with Professor Aegis and his familiar Compass, a large black Labrador with a penchant for food, Harry and Hermione had been greeted by their family with warm embraces, and drawn into that warm cosy feeling that comes with being with those you love and those who love you.
For Harry this was a reasonably new experience, only since last Christmas had he had a proper family he wished to call his own. David and Natalie, seeing the relationship that was so evident between Harry and their daughter, decided that although there was no legal bond they would claim Harry as their own.
The Grangers were overjoyed to see how well their daughter looked now. Less than a month before she had been badly injured by a blow to the head that would have killed her, had Harry not performed a meticulous piece of healing and repaired the damage that had been done. She was left with no obvious signs of the attack, but deep in her head the repair that Harry had wrought had provided the means for the two of them to share mental communication and produce a mental shield that could stop any intrusion.
Now two weeks later Hermione was attempting to unravel the last conundrum that had appeared at the end of the term, a pyramid of clear crystal, with a base about four inches in length on each side.
Professor Aegis had been using the pyramid to augment his mental abilities. He had been given the job of scanning the school for the thoughts of those in trouble and in danger, by the Headmaster. Fishing he called it, but that was not the sum of the powers of the pyramid. In some way Hermione was supposed to use the crystal to aid Harry in his fight with Voldemort, and that was the problem, she didn't know how to do it.
Her cry of frustration attracted the attention of her father, who had been in the kitchen peeling some potatoes for the midday meal.
"Anything I can help with dear?"
"What!?" said Hermione crossly, then "Oh sorry Dad, it's not you, it's this perishing crystal. It just sits there and does absolutely nothing. No matter how many thoughts I push into it, there is no response."
"Magic crystals are not really my area of expertise." said her father; both Hermione's parents were dentists in the muggle world, "perhaps you just need to look at it differently. Is Harry coming home for lunch?"
"Umm?" Hermione's attention had drifted back to the crystal, "Not sure, I'll find out"
She sent out a mental question to her boyfriend who was in the offices of the Merlect, the head of the council of Avalon, on the other side of the village. "Yes he says he'll be back in about ten minutes." 'Love you too' was added thoughtfully.
"Oh blow this!" Hermione said to herself; then to her father, "I'm going for a wander round the garden Dad, I need to rest my brain, I'm here if you need me."
"OK" came back from deep within the kitchen. David Granger watched his daughter through the back door. Looking at her now she could be anyone's daughter, dressed in muggle clothes, shorts and a tee shirt, it was too hot for their school robes, her long curly brown hair loosely tied back, walking amongst the flowers that grew so easily here, but she was his, and he felt his emotions rise.
Not yet eighteen, and with the worries of the world on her shoulders, it wasn't fair.
"Penny for them?" Natalie Granger walked up behind her husband and slipped her arms around his waist. Resting her chin on his shoulder she could now see what he had been looking at. "Ah, Hermione?"
"Yes, just thinking how unfair it all is."
They saw Hermione turn as a young man opened the side gate. He looked hot, dressed for summer in a light blue shirt worn outside of a pair of light trousers, with his heavy black robes slung over his shoulder. His untidy mop of black hair was stuck to his forehead with perspiration. He dropped his robes at the table as he passed it crossing the garden to her, there was a welcoming hug and a quick kiss, then arm in arm they continued walking in the flowers.
"Unfair to them both" said Natalie "But they have their reward, each other, and you know Harry, he will do his best to keep her safe."
"Yes of course, but I pray every night that his best will be enough."
………………………………….
They walked to the very end of the garden and looked out over the unspoilt countryside. In the warm summer weather it all seemed so peaceful, it was hard to imagine that evil existed at all.
"How is it going at your end?" asked Hermione.
"Don't really know, we spend hours talking, studying obscure spells and rituals to see if there is anything we can use. It's much more your sort of work; you know 'books and cleverness'." He smiled, "I can't make much sense of it all."
"Well if it is any help I'm at a dead end too, the only thing I see in that crystal is me staring back out. We need a new perspective on all of this."
"That's OK then because we are going to get one, Ron and the others arrive tomorrow. Mum and Dad have agreed to put them up so it looks as if we will have to share for a while."
Hermione couldn't hide her surprise, "What us share?"
"Yeh" Harry was trying to hide his grin. "Girls with you, and the boys with me."
"Oh" there was a little disappointment in that simple sound. "I thought you meant…."
"Sorry, no," He gazed at the girl whom he loved more than life itself, "We have our whole lives in front of us, when Voldemort is gone the next two hundred years will be ours". He held out his left hand and turned it palm up "I have your love here" he indicated the heart shaped mark in his palm. "And here" he tapped the side of his head. 'And you have mine' he thought at her.
Harry tried something then that he had never dared before; he gave her what could only be described as a mental kiss. He didn't even know if it would work but the effect was instantaneous.
Hermione closed her eyes and grabbed hold of him as her knees buckled 'Oh Merlin Harry!… That was incredible!' she regained control of her senses, 'Gosh! I think I might need notice when you do that again.'
Harry was feeling very pleased with himself "You know if I were to kiss you like that you wouldn't have to complain if I had been eating onions, like you usually do."
"Oh no Mr. Potter, you eat onions then no kisses, mental or otherwise!"
They were interrupted by a shout from the house "Lunch is ready!"……..
……………………….
"There you are Harry ham and salad, potatoes in that dish and there are some spring onions over here."
"Err… thanks Mum but I think I'll give the onions a miss from now on." said Harry as he tucked into his food. Natalie Granger didn't miss the furtive glance that Harry gave her daughter, and smiled.
…………………………..
Ron, Luna, Ginny and Neville stepped out of the nimbus limen into the Grangers' back garden early the following morning. Harry and Hermione were there to greet them. Just over twelve months ago these six students had fought side by side at the Ministry for Magic against Voldemort's Death Eaters, and at the start of their sixth year Professor Aegis had kept them together in a study group.
Ginny had given them a name. She had chosen 'The Tyr' from the runic symbol for justice, and they now formed the spearhead of the Defence Association. They were Aegis' top defence students and he was rather proud of them.
At the moment the Tyr were acting like any teenagers out of school, sitting in the sun and catching up on the last two weeks that they had been apart.
"Come on then Ginny, what did your mum say?" Hermione was dying to know Mrs Weasley's reaction to the news that her youngest had a proper boyfriend. This particular piece of information had only come to light at the end of term and was not general knowledge outside of the Tyr. Neville had been quietly courting the red haired girl and had apparently won her heart. Strangely Ron, usually an over protective brother, had accepted the situation with no qualms at all. Hermione expected that Mrs Weasley would have been a different matter.
"It was really weird, we told Mum a few days ago when Nev' came to the Burrow. She went awfully quiet then looked at the pair of us and said 'That's nice dear' and carried on as if nothing had happened."
"What, no fireworks?" asked Hermione.
"No" Ginny replied "and I was ready for a really good row as well."
Harry smiled, he thought that Molly Weasley was a very perceptive woman.
The talk in the garden naturally turned around to Neville and his parents. Frank and Alice Longbottom had been driven to insanity by repeated application of the Cruciatus curse some fifteen years ago. The intervention of Harry, Professor Aegis and Lady Niniane, the rest of the Tyr and the souls of Harry's parents, had rescued the Longbottoms from their hiding place, and returned them to sanity.
The progress they had made over the last six months had encouraged Neville to believe that they would make a complete recovery. Repairing the physical damage that fifteen years of incapacity had wrought, and recovering their magical powers was taking time, but every day was an improvement. With this, and Ginny at his side, Neville had every reason to be content.
This was one of Harry's happy moments, one that he would look back on and say 'do you remember when….' He was looking round the group storing up the faces and the way they interacted between each other. He knew the time ahead would be difficult, failure was not an option that he considered any more, but he had to be prepared to lose some of the people he cared about, he may even lose himself but he, no they, would win. He just wasn't sure how.
Ron and Luna were sitting quietly taking in the surroundings they now found themselves in. Harry thought that even though they had only been a couple for a few months, they had 'found' each other last Valentine's Day; they fitted together like a hand in a glove. They each kept each other 'warm', and each would have been empty without the other.
Ron had changed a lot since Harry had first met him on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago, not just in height, though that was considerable, but his outlook had changed as well. The insecure, 'I'm at the bottom of the heap of five older brothers' Ron, was gone. He was his own person now, he had his own confidence, and now he had Luna, and that was the biggest boost of all.
'Luna, what of Luna' Harry thought. She could be dizzy at times, but that dizziness could be very perceptive. She was also clever, the only one of the six in Ravenclaw, 'the intelligent' house. Although, like Ginny, a year below the others, she had shown herself to be loyal and not afraid of what they would have to face. Harry wondered why the Sorting Hat had not placed her in Gryffindor like the others, of any of the six the one who should have been in Ravenclaw was Hermione.
Harry shifted his gaze, and it was returned by a pair of deep brown eyes 'Don't worry Harry you can't control all our destinies, we all made a pact. Remember what you said "Forever Together, that's what it will take and that's what we must remain." Whatever happens to us as individuals that pact will never be broken.'
Harry smiled; he had just had another reminder as to why he loved this girl so much.
……………………………..
Solomon Aegis was the only Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Harry had ever known who had lasted more than one school year. He was a resident of Avalon, and the son of the Merlect Lady Niniane. He was tall, broad shouldered, and had a mane of shoulder length sandy hair tinged with grey. He had an air about him that suggested he could handle himself in a tight spot, but he had never been seen to use a wand. Solomon gave them a whole day to settle in before turning up at the cottage. He walked up to the front door, and was about to knock when he saw the sign attached to the wall. David and Natalie had decided to give their home a name, the bold letters burnt deep into the wooden plaque proclaimed THE REFUGE , Solomon chuckled, 'very apt' he thought as he banged on the door.
On entering the cottage he was assaulted by six renditions of 'Good morning Professor' he looked at the Tyr arranged in pairs around the breakfast table.
"OK I think I've had enough of that at school" he said laughing "now we are on a more informal footing Solomon will be quite sufficient, but not in front of other students or teachers, especially Professor Snape, he gave me enough grief for daring to call you by your given names. That might be just too much for him."
"It would almost be worth it just to see the look on his face." Said Harry, with an evil grin.
"Ah! Solomon, thought I heard your voice, would you like any breakfast?"
"No thank-you Natalie, a cup of tea would go down well though" he sat at the table next to Harry and Hermione "Well Hermione, any progress with the crystal?"
"No, not yet" she replied glumly.
"Well, early days, now that you have everyone here I would suggest trying as a group, you might find it useful. It worked when you were helping Neville with his parents, it may be what you need to unlock the pyramid."
Ron looked up from his cleared plate, and in deference to Luna who hated him speaking with his mouth full, swallowed. "Aren't we doing any spell work while we are here err...Solomon? I was hoping to improve some of my offensive charms."
"Sorry Ron, I wasn't aware that you had any offensive charms" said Aegis deliberately misunderstanding him, "I mean, like do you snore in bed?"
"YES!" said Harry and Neville together.
Once the laughter had subsided, Solomon acquiesced "Yes Ron, and my apologies, but defensive not offensive. The residents here would not appreciate stunners and reductors flying about, but there are some here who are past masters of the use of the shield, and that is what I want you four to concentrate on, whilst Harry and Hermione continue with their own tasks."
He took a sip of his tea. "I have arranged for you to meet with Montis Sutton and Bristol Stockland later today, they are both experts in the field of shield work. I am hoping they can improve on the Aegis maximus charm we worked out last term."
…………………………………………….
That first day proved to be a pattern that was repeated over the next two weeks. The two wizards who were to train Ron, Luna, Neville and Ginny were obviously the strangest of a strange bunch. Montis Sutton was short, stocky and bald, he had a very round lined face, and when he smiled it was apparent that he had lost several of his front teeth.
Bristol Stockland, on the other hand, was tall, maybe an inch or so more than Ron, he was heavily built, and with his height it made him look formidable. His thin face and long white hair gave him the look of Dumbledore, from the neck up. What was amazing with these two disparate characters was their speed. Conjuring round shields about three feet across, they could manoeuvre them from place to place so fast, that you could not tell that the cover they gave was not total.
These shields were not merely defensive, despite what Solomon had told them earlier. Round cabbages impaled on poles represented the enemy, Bristol whirled his shield around his body deflecting imaginary spells, then by adding a second enchantment the edge of his shield burned red and started to spin. The effect was rather like using a very sharp sword. Touched by the edge of the shield, cabbages fell to the left and right, chopped to pieces. Little imagination was needed to realise the effect it would have on flesh and blood.
Painstakingly the four students were taught the art of 'Volo ventosum', to move like the wind. The lessons were very tiring, and on their return to the cottage each evening it was all they could do to eat and go to bed.
For Harry and Hermione boredom was beginning to set in. They were spending their time exactly as they had spent the first two weeks, getting nowhere; it felt that they were marking time, waiting for something.
……………………………
It was Luna who suggested it, Harry's birthday was almost upon them, he would be seventeen, and of age.
"I thought it would be nice to have a party" she said one evening, when they were sitting outside enjoying the cooling breeze.
"That's a great idea Luna", said Hermione. " I'll ask Mum and Dad and we can lay on some food, perhaps invite some of the Islanders we know. There's plenty of room in the garden, Harry you'll love it."
Harry smiled, when Hermione was happy Harry was happy, and she loved organising people.
"No, not here, there" Luna had raised her hand and was pointing skywards.
"I'm not having my party on a cloud, Luna." Harry said, half hoping that she was joking.
Luna giggled "No silly, not on a cloud, up there on the top of the Tor, at midnight."
"Why?"
"Because midnight is the witching hour, it's when you will be seventeen, and the Rose Line runs straight through the top of the Tor." She said as if it was all the explanation that was necessary.
Ron looked puzzled "What are you talking about Luna? What is the Rose Line?"
"It's the main lay line of the world, and lay lines concentrate natural magic. It makes it a very special place. I thought Hermione might like to bring the pyramid with her." She said giving her a little smile.
Hermione stared at Luna with new respect. "That is bloody brilliant, why didn't I think of lay lines, even my dad told me to look at it differently. I think I've gone stupid."
'No way love, staring into that crystal for a month would clog up anyone's brain Luna looks at things upside down, she told me that once, I think.' "OK" said Harry out loud "top of the Tor, midnight on Wednesday, it's a date."
"Yeh" said Ron to no one in particular "the Thirtieth of July. Ha Ha!"