The New Dark Lord

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy.

Requirements:

Harry defeats Voldemort, and after doing that he cheers with his friends just to see Ron and Hermione kissing. Since he loved her, that angers him, so he storms away.

No one is able to find him for years, and Ron and Hermione marry, she becomes minister and he the head of Auror Dept.

Crimes start to happen, and soon the WW is in fear again. A new dark lord has risen, and it is Harry. He attacks casually, purebloods, Muggleborns, whoever he finds in front of him when he attacks, he kills.

After some time of this new terror, and the Auror and Hermione as minister doing their best to stop him, finally he asks to speak with her alone.

Then he explains why he became what he is now.

From here, you choose how to lead it to H/Hr.

The New Dark Lord

Prologue

Dark clouds covered the sky over Hogwarts Castle. The grounds were stained with blood from attackers and defenders, bodies lay lifeless.

The ones still standing revolved their attention to a seventeen years old boy with raven messy hair, and his lifelong nemesis.

Green eyes stared darkly into red slits.

“So it has come to this, Tom. You, and me”

“Don't call me that, Potter” the snakelike figure snarled. “I'll punish you for your arrogance, just like I punished your father”

Harry's eyes grew darker.

“Avada Kedavra!” Lord Voldemort shouted, and the green light flew toward the boy. Harry Potter simply waited the curse to reach him.

He had in secrecy developed a new spell, with the help of his best friend Hermione Granger.

She looked at the approaching curse in fear, battered but overall fine, on the ground. “Harry, please, don't do that” she thought, unable to move.

But he did. He let the curse reach him, and he was engulfed in green light.

Lord Voldemort smirked in triumph, just to have that frozen on his thin lips.

The green light turned to white, growing always brighter.

The audience of the duel had to cover their eyes to not go blind, and so did the Dark Lord.

Harry Potter started floating over the ground, his hair moving eerily. Then, he closed his eyes and outstretched his hands toward his enemy, beam after beam of pure light erupting from him and hitting Voldemort in the chest, ripping him apart and destroying the last piece of soul he had in himself, after that Harry had destroyed the other Horcruxes.

Then, looking at the limp form of his nemesis, Harry passed out.

He woke up in a bed, and looked around, just to see Ron and Hermione at his side.

He smiled at them, taking his glasses. “It's over” he said.

“Harry, you have to rest” Hermione said him, stopping his attempt to seat. He nodded, and lay in bed.

“How long have I been unconscious?” he asked.

“Two weeks” Hermione replied.

He whistled. “Blimey”

“Harry, what you did was totally reckless. We were not sure it was going to work, why did you risk that?”

“I was sure” was his only reply.

After some chatting, his friends were sent away from Madam Pomfrey, who needed to check on her patient.

Seeming satisfied, she motioned to him to stand up. “You can go, Potter. But, take it easy the next few days” she brusquely said, disappearing into her office.

He grinned, if there was one thing he did not like of his years in Hogwarts was staying in the Hospital Wing, so he quickly dressed, and left, searching for his friends.

He walked through the empty school, the students were by now gone, as the term had ended the day of the battle.

Finally, he found them in the Gryffindor common room.

“Harry! What are you doing here?” Ron asked, a bit flustered.

“Poppy released me”

“Well, that's great” Hermione said, not looking at him.

“Come on, guys. We should be happy, it is over!” he said, grinning. He knew what he was able to do now.

Finally, he could reveal her his feelings, and that made him feel extremely happy.

“Get a grip, Potter” he thought. “You can tell her that, yes, but there's no need to rush things”

So, they went to say goodbye to the Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and left the castle once and for all, and from Hogsmeade they Apparated to the Burrow.

As soon as they arrived, Molly hugged the three of them with her trademark crushing hug.

“Harry, dear, you must be quite tired still. Go and have a nice kip in Ron's room” she then said him.

He had to admit he did feel a bit knackered, Apparating from such a distance was not an easy feat, so he accepted the offer, and went upstairs.

On his way, he met Ginny, who greeted him with an hug, and then looked longingly at his retreating form. She sighed and walked downstairs then.

Outside, Ron and Hermione were sitting under a tree, enjoying the nice weather, when Ginny reached them.

“Hey, guys. It's great to have you back here!” she said, going to hug them.

The previous two weeks had been hectic, with Harry unconscious, and the deaths of many they knew, Kingsley and Remus from the Order, and many fellow students, Colin Creevey, for example, Terry Boot, Ernie McMillan, and others they barely knew.

They still needed to break the news to Harry about Remus' death, and that would not be pleasant. The last friend of his father was gone, every link with his parents had vanished.

Later that day, Harry found them in the same spot, still chatting. Hermione spotted him, and thought better to get it done.

So she stood, and walked toward him.

“Harry, we need to talk” she said, taking his arm and leading him away.

He was elated. This was the chance he was waiting for, being alone with her. But, his happy thoughts were stopped by her words.

“Harry, there are bad news. You were unconscious, so we did not get the chance to tell you first. Remus…he's gone” she said, lowering her gaze.

He stood there, in shock.

“No” he said then. “No, this can't be” he ran away in tears, or at least tried to. She took him by his wrist, and kept him there.

“There's no reason to hide your tears from me, Harry” she said, hugging him and holding the boy while he cried.

“The funerals...they are going to be held in a couple days” she added then.

He nodded. If Sirius' death had taught him something, it was that bottling up his emotions, or trying to deny the evidence, did not help at all.

Remus was dead, there was nothing he could do about it. As much as he hurt for the fact, there was no point in trying to deny it like he did with his godfather.

So, a couple days later, he sat with his friends in the first row, attending the ceremony held on Hogwarts grounds to commemorate all the ones that died for the Light that day.

He wept softly during the celebration, and looked sadly at his former Professor's casket lowered in the earth.

He kneeled, and placed a single white flower on it. The most distressed was Tonks, who was in love with the man, and now had been deprived of him just when he was starting to notice her.

He walked toward her, and tried to console the Auror.

“Thanks, Harry” she sniffed when he gave her an handkerchief to wipe her tears. “He was a good man, although he was cursed with being a werewolf” she said.

“I know, Tonks. I know. And he will watch over us with Mum, Dad and Sirius now. They will be together again, and they will protect us” he said, holding the weeping young woman close.

Finally, when she calmed down, he left her to join his friends again, and grieve himself with them, but he was stopped on his way by the new Minister, Scrimgeour.

“Potter, the Ministry has organized a party to celebrate your victory. I really think you should come, boy”

Harry kept walking without even answering the invitation, and rolled his eyes. Now that he had won, he was the bloody hero, and everyone wanted to have a piece of him.

“What was that about?” Hermione asked.

“A bloody party to celebrate the victory” he said spitefully.

“I think you should go” she timidly said. “Then, you can put this chapter of your life behind your shoulders, and start over, this time in happiness”

He smiled. Yes, that was what he wanted. Start over in happiness. With her.

“Ok, if you think I should go, I'll go. But, you two have to come with me” he said.

Both Ron and Hermione nodded, and then they left. The grim atmosphere of the burials was something they vowed to leave behind, although they would never forget the lost friends.

They stayed at the Burrow for some time, Harry after all had no other place to go, as he would never go back to Privet Drive again. Seeing his relatives again was something he would really be glad to avoid.

Hermione, on her part, decided to stay some days before going to her parents' house. It was something they had never experienced, the chance to be carefree teenagers, and she wanted to enjoy it with her two best friends, at least for some time.

They used to walk in the wood near the house, often stopping by the pond, they boys at times would play Quidditch with the twins, when they were there, or go flying on their own, leaving Ginny and Hermione on the ground, chatting.

Finally, the day of the party came. Harry and Ron dressed in their best robes, the raven haired wizard had been given some with the Potter crest on them, the ones his father often used in official occasions.

Ron, instead, had been gifted by the twins some dark red robes. They then knocked on the girls' door.

“Hey, you two, come on. We're gonna be late” Ron called.

The door opened, and both boys stared open mouthed.

Ginny was wearing silvery robes, also a gift from the twins, and she looked gorgeous in them, but Harry's eyes, and Ron's too, were all for Hermione.

She was wearing a dark blue dress that clutched at her body perfectly, with a bare back and mildly plunging V-neck.

She blushed under their gazes.

“So, are we going?” Ginny finally said, amusement on her face.

The boys nodded, so the four of them exited the house and Apparated to the club where the party was to be held.

Harry was soon taken apart by some Ministry officials, and was given a small speech he had to read later in the night.

Then, he was left free, and went to the bar to have something to drink. Sipping his Butterbeer, he scanned the crowd for his friends, but there was so much people he could not see them.

“Pretty crowded, isn't it?” he heard Ginny say a bit later.

“Oh, Gin. Yes, there's an huge crowd. Have you seen Ron and Hermione?”

“Yes, actually they sent me to fetch you. We've taken a table outside, where it is less crowded” she said, and he followed her.

Once there, he sat. “Blimey, if I knew so much people would be here, I would have stayed home” he said.

“Come on, Harry, don't be such a baby. In a couple hours we will be able to leave, and all of this will be in your past” Hermione said.

“Oh, yes, you make this easy, but you do not have to give a speech in front of this crowd” he retorted, showing her the piece of parchment he had been given.

She read it, and giggled. “Poor Harry, hates fame so much, and they make you give a speech” she said, touching his arm and sending butterflies flying into his stomach.

Soon, the moment of the speech came, so he left them, and went to meet the Minister on the stage.

After clearing his throat and shaking the Minister's hand, he spoke.

“Friends, we're here reunited, because a great evil has been defeated. An era of peace will start now, and this is thanks to my victory over Lord Voldemort, yes, but I'm not here to brag about it. I'm here because we need, all of us, to cooperate to avoid that another man like him rises to power, and we need to do that under the guidance of the Ministry”

After he said the last words, he left, disgusted with the experience, and then went to search for his friends.

He spotted Ron and Hermione chatting in a secluded area.

A pang of jealousy surged in him, and he walked toward them. However, he stopped in his tracks when the redhead kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, clearly kissing him back.

Tears spilling from his eyes, Harry Apparated away from the club.

Later, Ron and Hermione returned to the table.

“Hey, Gin, hasn't Harry finished is speech yet?” Ron asked.

“He has, long ago”

“So where is he?” Hermione asked, puzzled.

“He Apparated away. I guess he did not like you two kissing” Ginny said, looking at them sternly.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy. I've reposted this with the correction about Remus and with a new bit about Harry's story in the five years of his disappearance.

Rise of Lord Eversor

As soon as Ginny finished her words, Hermione Apparated away to the Burrow, hoping he had gone there. Ron followed her with his sister, and they searched the house, but Molly assured them he had not been seen.

From that day, Hermione and Ron searched for him, helped by the Order of the Phoenix. Every night they would reunite at the Burrow and discuss where could he have gone. One of the first places to be checked was Godric's Hollow, once his house when he lived with his parents, but there were no signs of him there.

Then they tried at the Dursleys, although it was really unlikely he had gone there. Neville suggested searching at Hogsmeade, and in the Shrieking Shack. Maybe he had gone there to be near the only place he considered home, Hogwarts.

But even there they found nothing. Rosmerta gave them all the information she had, but it was very little.

However, that set them to search on the mountains, and even in full winter Hermione led the others to search for him, through snow storms and terrible cold.

Nothing.

After an year, even she had to admit defeat. Harry Potter had vanished, and it was clear he did not want to be found.

At night, she would cry over a picture of the three of them, and Ron would hold her. She was grateful to have him, at least, and welcomed his touch every night, falling asleep in his arms.

Their relationship progressed well, although knowing that Harry was upset about it gnawed at Hermione. But, she could not break it off. After all, Ron was the one who had stayed by her, not abandoning her. Even if Harry was upset to see his two best friends hook up, there was no need to vanish like that, she thought angrily.

They could have talked about it, and maybe he would have understood. But, no, he had to follow his instinct and leave.

Although there was still an hole in her heart, she finally started the career in the Ministry she had always dreamed of. Ron, instead, enrolled in the Auror Department. After an year of hard training, he was finally admitted to join the ranks.

One night, he proposed to her, and she eagerly accepted. She wondered, at times, how life would have been if Harry had stayed, but she was overall happy.

Her work pleased her, she had just gained an important role as Vice-Minister, and she hoped with time to reach the position now held by Scrimgeour.

Five more years passed.

No one ever heard from Harry. He didn't leave traces of himself. At first, he exiled himself to the Chamber of Secrets. No one would be able to find him there.

And there he based his new life, finally letting the rage he bottled up for years come out. Hermione leaving him for Ron had been the last straw. He let hate overwhelm him, and that was his mistake, as it consumed him. He fed on it, and on the dark arts hate made him like. The very dark arts he despised in his youth, the very dark arts at the base of his troubled life.

He fled from the castle, to not return there anymore, after an year since his disappearance. He went to the place where it all started, and set things in work to open a new chapter of his life. A chapter that will give him what he wanted, one way or the other.

In Godric's Hollow, a new black manor had been built where once the Potter family lived. In it, a lone man studied dark arts for months and months, till he managed to contact someone who was once an enemy, but could turn to be a valuable ally.

Today, an hooded man entered the castle.

He walked through the halls, till he reached the Throne Room.

“What are you doing here, Wormtail? Have you news for me?” a voice sounded.

The man shook his head. “Nothing big, my master. I only managed to find out that the Mudblood is Vice-Minister now, and the Weasley is Head of Auror Department. They are married, and with a child. She is three years old”

“This is really deluding, Wormtail. I already knew most of that, not about the brat though. I could kill you now, you know. That would be a fair punishment for betraying my parents” the other man said, caressing his wand, green eyes flashing in anger.

“Oh, no, Lord Eversor” the little servant said, but could not finish the sentence, because the Dark Lord Crucioed him.

Minutes later, he lifted the curse. “Try and not disappoint me again, Wormtail. Although, I doubt you will be able to. Now, go and try to find me as much servants of Lord Voldemort you can, and bring them here. I want to see if they are worthy of serving me”

Then he left, closing an heavy door behind him.

That night, in Little Whinging, a dark hooded figure wandered. He came to Privet Drive, and walked the street till he reached number four.

Blasting the door away, he entered the house, finding the occupants in the living room.

“Who-Who are you?” Vernon Dursley said, whimpering.

The man lifted his hood. “Nice to meet you again, Vernon” he said, uncovering his raven hair, a lightening scar on his forehead.

He pointed his wand at them, and one after the other he Crucioed them. Then, after he was done with that, three green beams of light erupted from his wand. Then, he left, setting the house on fire.

When he returned to the manor, he found Wormtail with some other people there.

“Let's see who have you brought, little Peter” he sneered. “Malfoy, McNair, the Lestranges, Dolohov. And other I don't recognize. Very well, I think some of you will be useful to me, my guests. The others, I will kill. Let's start from Malfoy…”

So the initiation of his new servants started. In the end, Malfoy, Dolohov and Bellatrix joined his ranks. Others refused, being that he had killed their previous Master, and they were killed themselves.

“Now, we are a restricted group, my friends. But this won't stop us. First of all, Bellatrix, Dolohov, I want a raid to kill the Minister. Never liked the man”

“But, this will make the Mudblood the most likely next minister” Bellatrix opposed. “You surely do not want that, Potter”

“Crucio!”

The woman writhed in pain on the floor. “Never call me that, all of you” he said, dark green eyes flashing with rage. “I'm not Potter anymore. I am Lord Eversor. Now, about your objection, Bellatrix, she's got more brain than all of you together. Let's clarify. I'm not gonna start a new pureblood campaign. I should kill myself if I were to do that, as I'm not pureblood myself. No, we will destroy everything that stands on our way. I'll select the targets, and you won't question me”

They all nodded, although Bellatrix grumbled.

“Good. Now, with the plan to kill the Minister…”

So, a month later, Bellatrix and Dolohov Polyjuiced themselves as Ministry employees that they had kidnapped, and entered the building, having with them the wands of the two they were impersonating. Going to their supposed offices, they later in the day went to meet the Minister as it was planned that the two employees would do. They had learned their schedules thanks to Wormtail's Animagus ability. He, as a rat, had been able to nick them and bring them to Lord Eversor.

Once in the office, Dolohov wandlessly Silenced the room, and Bellatrix killed the Minister. Then, they left the wands on the floor and grabbed an old quill and were Portkeyed back to the manor. At the same moment their Portkey was activated, the two prisoners were whisked away to the Minister's office.

As soon as they landed, both walked toward the Throne Room. They then moved to meet their Lord, and bowed in front of him.

“Lord, your plan has been accomplished. Minister Scrimgeour is dead, and the two prisoners will be charged with his assassination” Dolohov said.

The Dark Lord nodded his approval.

“Well done. Now, I reckon Malfoy has something he wishes to talk about with you”

They recognized the dismissal, and after another bow, they left.

Harry Potter, or, better, Lord Eversor, walked to a secret room that he had warded so that only he would be able to enter.

Once there, he looked at old photos from his Hogwarts days. Focusing on a tall redhead, he muttered angrily.

“See what you made me become, Ron? You will pay for this. I'll have what I deserve, after the life I was damned to live.”

Then, he conjured a fake Ronald Weasley, and punched him over and over, with rage. He often did that, to relieve himself of the stress that being a Dark Lord brought.

One month passed, and as Bella had predicted, Hermione Granger was the next Minister of Magic. The first thing she did was to call her husband in the office. She wanted the real killers of the Minister caught and thrown in Azkaban.

The two employees had been sent there, as the proves were too strong against them, but still Hermione was not convinced of their guiltiness. The story of Sirius Black had taught her that not always a case is as simple as it may seem, and she wanted to avoid to start her rule of the Ministry with the stain of an unjust accusation.

When he arrived, she warmly welcomed him in.

“So, Ron, I guess you know why I called you here”

“You wanted to see your handsome husband?” he joked.

She smiled, but shook her head. “This is not time for jokes, Ron. We need to find the killers of the Minister, soon”

He turned serious.

“I'll try, but Hermione, you must understand that once the Wizengamot has approved the condemn of the suspects, we are not allowed to open the case again”

“Very well then. This law will be changed as soon as possible. For the moment, do what you can. I want them to rot in Azkaban” she said fiercely.

“Is this all?” he asked.

“Yes, it is” she said, standing up.

“Ok, then. I'll see you this evening at home” he said, walking out of the door she was opening for him.

“Ron, wait” she said, and he turned.

“See you later” she said placing a sweet kiss on his lips.

Once he was left, she sat again at her desk, and sighed, looking at the picture she ahd placed there. One picture of the trio in Hogwarts, waving happily at the camera.

“Wherever you are, Harry, please come back. We need you. I need you” she whispered, caressing it.

Months passed, and as she had said, Minister Granger changed the law that blocked the Aurors from reopening a case once the Wizengamot had emitted the condemn. However, ever with all Ron and his men's efforts, there were no news on that case.

Instead, a path of destroying in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley had happened, and every time the attacked establishment would have a black phoenix hanging over it, just like the Dark Mark used by Voldemort.

One of the first to be destroyed was Madam Puddifoot's. Lord Eversor had requested that his servants kill everyone who stayed in their path, not sparing anyone, even if they were purebloods, and that had been a constant of the attacks. Rarely less than twenty killings were reported.

Bella kept complaining about the pointless attacks they were ordered to do, and every time she would suffer minutes and minutes under the Cruciatus for that. He would not kill his servants , as he had few of them still, but he would punish them hard for their insubordination.

Malfoy had been assigned to a logistic task, so he was often in charge of the actual planning of the operations, when Lord Eversor would not bother with it.

Wormtail proved to be a good spy, thanks to his Animagus abilities, and that made their planning easier, but still his followers, even if more cautious of Bella, didn't understand the purposes of their actions.

So one night their Lord reunited them in the Throne Room.

“Seems like many of you wonder what are we doing. I'm gonna explain it to you, useless servants of mine. We are striking hard, although I agree that we are doing it randomly, so that the Wizarding World will fall into fear again. For now the path we are following does not matter, as long as we kill, they will have fear of us. That will help with the recruitments too. When we will be feared enough, we will start the actual plan to take over the country”

Then he Crucioed all of them, and sent them away. “And do not bother me anymore with this, or you will pay with your life even if I have not much followers yet”

He referred especially to Bella, but the alert was meant for all of them.

And it proved he was right with his plan. Many wizards and witches joined his ranks thanks to the old trick of menacing their families, and a small army was slowly forming.

“Soon, really soon, we will be able to conquer all Britain” he sneered after marking ten new followers.

“Wormtail!” he called then.

“Yes, Master” the rat-like man said, coming into the room.

“I have a mission for you. I'm sure you remember well the Burrow, after all the years you lived there”

“Yes, Master, I know the house like my pockets”

“Very well. Go and kidnap Ginny Weasley. I've got something to do with her. Bring Bella with you, so that she can impersonate her for some time. We've got some Polyjuice left, don't we?”

“Yes, we have that. I'll tell your orders to her then”

His servant bowed and left, while Lord Eversor mulled over his plan.

A couple hours later, Wormtail was back with a tied Ginny Weasley. Lord Eversor had covered himself fully, even more than normal, to not be recognized.

“Leave us alone, Pettigrew”

“Imperio!” he cast on her, then. “Now, Ginny, I need you to tell me all the habits of your brother and Hermione, and all the information you have on their child”

After she told him all she knew, an idea started forming in his mind. He modified her memory, then stunned her.

“Wormtail, bring her back to her house” he ordered, throwing the girl roughly out of his chamber.

Then, he closed himself in the secret room, and sitting at his desk, he started a letter.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy.

Encounter

Once he finished writing, he folded the letter, and left it in the secret room. There was something that needed to be done before he could send it.

“Malfoy!” he called.

The blonde young man entered the Throne Room.

“Have you called, Master?” he asked bowing.

“Yes. It's time to move to conquer the power. Take Bellatrix and Dolohov, and kidnap the Minister's brat,” he said, dark green eyes flashing and a sneer coming on his lips. “It's time she learns what Lord Eversor can do.”

Now, the Minister's house was not easy to break into. There were many Aurors guarding it, both because of her role, and because with the fear rising in the Wizarding World again. She understood the pressures the previous Ministers were under, when Voldemort's menace had risen, and with her husband they had wanted to provide protection over their family, not just for themselves, but mostly for their child.

Dolohov and the other two Apparated nearby. Lord Eversor watched their progress from the manor, his eyes closed and his mind focused on them. He could see images in his head about what they were doing, it was a practice he had learned in the five years since he had vanished from the Wizarding World. It was based on long distance Legilimency, and he was able to see from his servants' eyes the situation.

The three snuck up to the building, and killed the first two Aurors, but then the alarms rang and twenty more came. The three of them were ready to Apparate away and face the wrath of the Master when a black phoenix-shaped cloud hovered over the Aurors and green lightning bolts erupted from it, burning their opponents.

In his manor Lord Eversor smirked, retreating his outstretched hand. “Aurors. So useless when confronted with a power such as my own.”

The three servants entered the building, killed the baby-sitter easily, and took the toddler away. She had curly red hair and brown eyes, and never shut up once she was in the manor.

The Dark Lord wanted so badly to kill her, but he couldn't. He needed the brat alive, to carry on his plan. And he could not torture her too, because that would have her screaming and talking even more. So he grew frustrated.

The letter he had written was sent, and soon arrived to the receiver carried by a black hawk.

The Dark Phoenix mark was on it.

Minister Weasley opened it shakily, she had just been told about the abduction of her daughter and had just arrived home with her husband.

“Minister,

Meet me in the Shrieking Shack in a week, at dusk. Alone.

Do not bring Aurors or that git of your husband, or your beloved

daughter will die. No tricks of any kind, or she will die. I want to

speak with you and no one else.

Lord Eversor”

She had read it aloud, tears in her eyes.

“The bastard,” Ron swore. “We're gonna take him. He's foolish enough to challenge us, we will be there. All the Auror Department, under Invisibility Cloaks. We'll get him.”

“No,” Hermione said.

“What? Love, he's got Lily!” Ron said.

“Exactly. And he is cruel. He won't hesitate to kill her, if we were to trap him. No, I'll go alone, as he asked.”

“No way. I'll be there. Under the cloak, no one will see me. I won't do a thing, unless he harms you.”

After a quick discussion, it was decided. Ron would be there, hidden.

The time for the encounter came, and Hermione steeled herself, entering the shack. She remembered when they had been there in their third year, with Harry. They learned the truth about Sirius.

She briefly wondered if she was to learn another shocking truth now, but she hoped with all her heart she was wrong, and pushed the thought away with as much force as she could.

They waited there nervously for some time, Ron in a corner, under the cloak, she sitting on what remained of the bed, till suddenly, without the slightest noise, an hooded figure appeared in front of her.

“Minister,” he mockingly bowed.

“Lord Eversor. You wanted to speak with me, show yourself first,” Hermione said, narrowing her eyes and moving her hand to grab her wand.

The figure scanned the area suspiciously, then raised his hand. “Fool of a Weasley, did you think I would not know you were here?” he said, wandlessly Accioing the cloak, and immediately stunning Ron before he could even move.

Then he grabbed Hermione by the waist and Apparated away through her shrieks.

Once he arrived in the manor, Wormtail immediately saw her.

“Master, you've kidnapped the Minister. What a smart move…” he started, but the Lord interrupted him.

“It was not planned, Wormtail, so keep your praises. Her git of an husband was there. I could not risk an ambush.”

With that he brought her in his secret room, and locked the door.

Then, he looked at her, who was staring defiantly at him.

“Where's my daughter?” she asked then.

“She's upstairs, well treated. Cried a bit once we brought her here, but then she calmed after more or less a day. She seems to have your wits, Hermione,” Lord Eversor said softly, lowering his hood.

To say that Hermione Granger was shocked would have been the understatement of the year. Oh, she had suspected that at times, but never wanted to believe it. And, the shock that ensued was strong.

“Harry,” she whispered. “Why?” she said then.

“Why, you ask,” he said, pacing and laughing hollowly. “Why. I'll tell you why. Have you ever wondered why I respected you that much in school? Why I always defended you, and protected you? Why I panicked that much in the Department of Mysteries in fifth year? Have you, Hermione?”

“No, but…”

“Shut up,” he said, glaring at her. “I was in love with you, then, Hermione. Never said that because I feared the bastard would use you to get at me. But once I finished him, I hoped I could finally have the happy life I wanted. I hoped to build a family with you,” he said, tears starting to flow on his cheeks, as the good part in him came out again after years. “At that blasted party I wanted to ask you out, after the speech. I wanted you and me to be together. I searched for you, and what did I see? You and Ron kissing.” He said, laughing hollowly again.

“Can't you see the irony of it? Ron was always jealous of me, my fame, my money, but then he got the only thing I really wanted, the only thing that would have made me happy, after seventeen years of hell. That was the last straw, and it drove me over the edge, onto a path I never thought I would take.”

Hermione looked at him in wonder. She never suspected he had loved her. In fact, she had always thought he would never do that.

“But why did you become a Dark Lord, Harry? We could have talked about that…”

“Talk? It would have done no good. I was so hurt, Hermione. The anger at Voldemort I bottled up in the years, and at the Dursleys for mistreating me, all of that turned into hate for the Wizarding World. Hate for everyone. I turned into the last thing I wanted to become. Another Voldemort, only more powerful. Surely you wonder how my servants managed to kill more than twenty Aurors guarding your house. I did that, from here. Can you imagine such a power? Well, I stumbled upon it in the first months of my new life, reading an ancient book.”

“We searched for you long, Harry,” she said. “You can't imagine how much it hurt me to not see you anymore. I suspected it, at times, you know. But I did not want to believe you turned into what you had hated so much in your youth”

He tiredly sat on a chair in front of her, silently watching her, as if he was trying to embed the image in his memory.

Then he outstretched his hand, and unlocked the door, putting his hood up again.

“You can go to see your daughter now, Hermione,” he said. “She's in the third room on the left. However, I'm sorry but I don't think I can let you go now. You'll have to live here.”

With that he left.

After a moment of shock, she followed him. “Wait!” she said.

Harry turned, and noticed Wormtail eavesdropping.

“Avada Kedavra!” he cried, and the rat-like man lay dead on the floor. Hermione cringed at seeing Harry using the Killing Curse without the minimum remorse.

“Harry, what does it mean I can't leave?” she said.

“Exactly what I said. You will live here with me. Your husband will try to find you, and we will leave hints to him. He will come here with the whole Auror Department, and my cronies and I will end in Azkaban like we deserve. I do not expect you will be here for long,” he said, leading the way to the upper floor. “I'm already tired of being a tyrant. I continuously feel my true self fighting to surface, and seeing you and talking to you brought it back in full force. I'm still hurt, but I don't want to be a Dark Lord anymore,” he added as an afterthought.

“You won't end in Azkaban,” she suddenly said.

“No? Well, you're right. I guess killing thousands of people and destroying and so on does not qualify for Azkaban material. Maybe a quick Dementor Kiss will do,” he said sarcastically. “I can already see the Prophet, “Harry Potter the New Dark Lord” he laughed bitterly again.

“I'll find a way to keep you out of there. It was partly my fault, if you've become this…thing, and I want to help you out of it,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I'm past the point when you can save me, Hermione. You've always tried to save me from myself, but in the years we were apart I damned myself. I do not want your pity now, nor I want you losing your position for me,” he said, glaring at her, and pushing her into the room her daughter was in, then he locked it and walked away.

“Mum?” Lily Weasley said.

She turned to see the small girl walk toward her.

“Hey, honey,” she said, picking her up. “Don't worry, Daddy will come to help us.”

“Mummy, who is that bad guy?”

“Has he treated you badly?” Hermione asked.

The girl shook her head. “No. At night he would even sneak in and play with me, when no one else noticed. But I know he's done bad things, and he pushed you. Has he hurt you?”

Hermione smiled. Although Harry was sure no one could help him, she knew from what she had seen and what her daughter had told her that there was still hope.

“No, honey, he hasn't,” she said, bringing the little girl to the soft bed in the room. Soon later Lily fell asleep, and Hermione looked around the room. It was very well furnished, not at all the usual cell prisoners were held in.

She smiled again. Deep in Harry's heart his kindness still resided, and she swore she would bring that in the open again.

In the meantime, the stunner on Ron had wore off. He stood up, and saw that there was no trace of Hermione.

Swearing, he grabbed the cloak and Apparated to the Ministry. There, he called all the Aurors available in the briefing room.

“The Minister has been kidnapped. I want all of you working on this case, what you're doing now must be put aside. This is of maximum importance”

All nodded, and he told them the details of the encounter in the afternoon.

They set to work, while he was advised to go and rest at home. He didn't seem particularly fond of the idea, but in the end accepted.

His sleep however was all but restful. He thrashed, nightmares of his Hermione and Lily killed, tortured, or worse.

In the same moments, Lord Eversor created magical traces of him and his minions to lead the Aurors to the manor.

He let the wards down, and waited, sitting on his throne.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy. The idea of the Liquid Imperious I've nicked from “Sunrise over Britain”, so I must say it is not mine but of Bob and Alex.

Captured and Released

Next day, Ron went to the office and found many reports about Dark Magic reported in the Area of Godric's Hollow.

It was like someone had left hints for them to pick up.

“I don't trust this. It will probably be a trap. Neville!” he called. The former Gryffindor entered the office.

“Gather all our forces. We're going to search Godric's Hollow. Tell everyone to be careful, it will probably be a trap,” he barked, readying himself with an holster for his second wand on his leg, and taking his cloak.

Soon later, the full Auror Department Apparated to Godric's Hollow. Harry smiled bitterly. “So ends the reign of Lord Eversor,” he muttered.

In a few minutes alarms ringed in the castle, and all his servants prepared for the fight. Harry remained sitting on his “throne”, watching the scene unfolding under his eyes.

Ron and his men walked cautiously toward the castle, breaking trough the wards that Harry had weakened, but triggering the anti-intrusion alarms in doing that.

“We will be expected,” he whispered to his men. “Be ready to launch a counter-attack.”

Neville nodded and passed the order to the others.

From the window in their room, Hermione spotted them, and was equally relieved and scared. Relieved because soon she and her daughter will be home. Scared because she had no bloody idea yet on how to help Harry go back to what he once was, and how to save him from Azkaban, where he would be lost once and for all.

Finally the Aurors reached the main doors of the castle. With a great effort, and using all their magic combined, they managed to open them.

Malfoy nodded to Bella as soon as the door started to move. They were ready to fight back, and so were all Harry's servants.

But, once the door was completely opened, all their wands flew to the ceiling, with a single movement of Harry's outstretched hand.

They had no time to think about what had happened before the Aurors stunned and bound them.

Then Ron walked to the throne.

“You've been defeated, Lord Eversor. Show yourself now” he commanded, his wand raised.

“Fool! Do you really think you could have defeated me so easily if I didn't want to surrender, Weasley?” Lord Eversor said, lowering his hood and contemporarily sending the Aurors' wands to keep company to the ones of his servants.

“Harry?” Ron stammered. “No, this can't be…”

“It is, Ron. It is. Now, will you be so kind to bring myself and my cronies to Azkaban? I think we deserve that. Oh, by the way, you'll find Hermione and Lily upstairs, in the third room on the left.”

Ron didn't wait for him to say that twice, and ran upstairs to see his wife and daughter.

Harry looked after him smiling sadly, then gave the Aurors back their wands, and let them stun him. It took five stunners contemporarily to do that.

That night, once Lily was in bed, an heated argument took place in the Minister's house.

“Hermione, you can't be serious. I know this is Harry we are talking about, but he acted no better than Voldemort himself. He deserves to be thrown in Azkaban, as much as it pains me! It's the man who kidnapped our little girl, for Merlin's sake!”

“Yes, and treated her like a little princess while she was with him!” Hermione spat back. “Ron, I know what he did, and I know that deserves to be punished. But, the truth is, he would have never become this monster if it wasn't for us.”

“Us? What does that mean?” Ron asked, dumbfounded.

She sat on the couch, tiredly putting her face in her hands. Tears started to flow.

“Ron, he's become this way because the two of us got together! He got this way because he saw us kissing at that blasted party, and that broke his heart! It was the last straw for him, after the youth he had had. This is why it is our fault, too!”

Ron was stricken. “He was in love with you, wasn't he?” he said, after a minute or two.

She simply nodded.

“Hermione, I know how you're feeling right now, but please, reason. Even if it was a bit our fault too, and I don't believe it, because what would be our fault, falling in love with each other? But, even if it was, he has still committed lots of crimes, and he needs to pay for that. I don't like the idea of putting my former best friend in Azkaban any more than you do, but there is nothing we can do about it. Harry signed his own fate with his actions.” he said, hugging her and holding her close, while her tears stained his shirt.

Hermione, of course, knew he was right, but she didn't have to like it.

Her sleep was filled with nightmares, and she tossed in their bed. Ron was going over some paperwork about the captures of the day, and shook his head.

Next day Harry and all his cronies were brought to the prison. There, Dementors filled the landscape, but strangely enough Harry was only little affected by them. He had very few good thoughts they could take from him, and the horrors of his past could not scare him anymore.

That day, Hermione entered her office and found owl post on her desk, as usual. She found the newspaper too, and shook her head, thinking Harry had been right.

In the first page, an huge title read:

The Boy-Who-Kills

Yesterday a mass capture occurred in Godric's Hollow where Lord Eversor and his minions were taken by an action of the full Auror Department, led by Ronald Weasley. With incredible bravery our men entered the well defended castle and after an huge fight managed to capture the Dark Wizards led by no one else than the once Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. It's clear that years fighting the Darkness have corrupted the heart of the boy, who has sunk so low to start a career similar to the one of his predecessor, Lord Voldemort…

Hermione stopped reading, throwing it in the trash bin. “If Harry had not let them in, they would have never gotten him.”

Enraged, she decided that even if that would cost her the position of Minister, she would find a way to get Harry out of prison.

Time passed, and tension started rising in her family. Often she and Ron would fight over Harry and her desire to help him. At times, they would do that even in front of Lily, who would start crying. After soothing her, and placing her in her bed, they would restart fighting, now on whose fault was that the girl had to witness that.

Adding to this, since at home she could not do that with Ron's remarks, she set for searching something to help him in her office hours, thus leading to having lots of work to do for the Ministry when at home, and to be stressed about that.

What was truly maddening for her was, however, the ease with which Ron would leave Harry to rot in Azkaban. How he could not feel he had a bit of fault in what happened to their best friend was beyond her, and she started to doubt he was the compassionate man she thought she had married.

Ron, on his part, could not understand why Hermione was so obsessed with Harry, and helping him. Ok, he had been their best friend, but he had turned his back on everything they had fought for, and had done horrible things, so now he deserved his punishment. Ginny, as much as she loved Harry, was on his side, so he thought he was in the right.

The fact was, that since Hermione was exhausting herself with work, their sex life had vanished, just a kiss now and then, and he was sincerely getting frustrated with that. He loved her, and wanted to show her by making love to her, but she was always too tired for that. Not for sneaking in their library to read at night, though.

So other fights started between them for that. It was like their marriage had been a landslide ready to happen, and the little rock of their disagreement on Harry started it. Now there was no way to stop the ruin that would follow.

In fact, Hermione started thinking about divorce.

Lily could see things were different between her parents, so one night, while Hermione was reading her a story, she suddenly spoke.

“Mummy, do you love Daddy?” she said.

Hermione was taken aback by such a question. “W-Why do you ask?” she said.

“I've noticed things are different between the two of you” the little girl replied, and for once Hermione wished she had not inherited her brains.

However, after a deep breath, she decided the truth was the best thing. “I dunno anymore, sweetheart. We have had lots of arguments lately, and I am not sure anymore we should be together”

The little girl started crying. “Leave me alone!” she said angrily.

Hermione did, although her heart broke at seeing her daughter crying. Lily eventually cried herself to sleep, vowing to not love anyone in her life, as love was a silly and temporary thing.

Days later, Hermione gathered the courage to breach the subject with Ron.

“Ron, I think we need to talk” she started.

“I'm listening” he said, not even raising his gaze from his sheets of work. “Is this about helping Harry again?” he asked sarcastically.

“No” she said coldly. “It's about us. The last weeks have opened my eyes, Ron”

“What is it supposed to mean?”

“That I think we did a mistake. If we can't work through difficult times like this together, and we keep fighting, maybe it was just not meant to be” she said, expecting his explosion.

“I agree” he said instead.

“You do?” she asked, bewildered. He smiled sadly at her, finally looking up from his work.

“Yes, I do. As much as I would like to continue our life together, I must admit we lived well while things were easy, but as the first trouble came, we discovered we're not so suited for each other as we thought,” he said. “I'll always love you, Hermione, but just not in this sense. I hope you will at least consider me your best friend still”

“Of course I will” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

So, they agreed to a divorce.

Lily was angry especially at her mother, so she asked to be placed with Ron, and it was settled. Hermione was heartbroken at losing her little girl, but she knew her decision to help Harry was right.

And she did.

She called a press conference, and announced that there were news on the case of Harry Potter. She announced that he was to be judged by the Wizengamot, and his case revised.

A week later, Harry was brought from Azkaban at the Ministry, and interrogated. Hermione was in the head of the jury judging him.

“Harry James Potter, you've been brought here for an interrogation. Your case is under revision, as it is suspected you've been fed a mind controlling potion called “Liquid Imperius”. You will truthfully answer our questions” she said, and hoped he would understand what she was doing.

He looked into her cinnamon eyes, and remained silent, although he knew he had not been fed anything.

“I suggest the use of Veritaserum” Ron said. It was not like he wanted Harry in Azkaban, but he believed in justice, and if his best friend was guilty, he believed he should pay. The use of Veritaserum would end Hermione's game soon. However, a blonde girl near him elbowed him in the ribs, scowling.

“I think that would be a waste of potion. We all know his powers, he could easily feign to be affected by it, and tell lies all the same” one of the jury said.

“I agree with that” Hermione said, smiled warmly at the witch. “Now, let's start with the questions. Mr. Potter, have you been attacked after the battle? Maybe in an occasion when you were in a crowded place?”

He feigned to be in thought. “Yes, Minister. At the Ministry party in my honour, I remember I was searching for you and my other best friend Ron Weasley when I was hit by something, and fell unconscious. Next thing I remember, I was in a dark castle, on a throne, wanting to conquer power”

“Could you have been fed a potion while unconscious?”

“I guess yes, I would not have been able to resist an eventual attempt to drug me”

“Have you ever learned about the symptoms of Liquid Imperius? Would you have been able to recognize if you were drugged?”

“I don't know how the potion acts, so no, I would not be able to recognize it”

“But he was able to resist Imperio at fourteen!” someone protested.

“Yes, I'm aware of that since I was there myself” Hermione said coldly. “However, Liquid Imperius cannot be thrown off. It is one hundred times more powerful than the Imperius Curse”

The questioning continued for a bit more, then the jury voted. Harry neutrally watched what was being decided of his destiny.

If he was to be released, he would be pleased, of course, but would feel guilty for escaping his deserved fate. If he was to be kept in prison, he would be glad because he would have deserved it and justice would make its right course, but of course his life would be hell forever.

In the end, he was released. Ron's vote had been decisive. Although the redhead knew Harry had not been drugged, his love for his best friends won. If Harry free could make Hermione happy, then he would be happy with that too. He had to admit that his encounter with Luna Lovegood few days after the divorce had been enlightening, and the two of them started seeing each other steadily. At the moment of voting, her opinion ended up influencing him. Of course the fact that she was right there near him did the trick too, as he knew she could be almost as scary as Hermione if she wanted…

Harry smiled gratefully at Hermione who simply nodded.

As predicted, Wizarding population did not like the event, and all started asking for Hermione's resignation.

She resisted for some time, but when it became blatantly clear that no on wanted her there anymore, she resigned.

Harry, in the meantime, had bought a flat, and lived there, without a job, as no one wanted to hire a former Dark Lord. Now and then he would meet with his old friends, trying to restart his real life from where he had left it. He had lost more than five years of their lives, and he was eager to catch up.

At times, when angry, the darkness within him would erupt again, but overall the love of his friends helped him in containing it.

They included him as much as possible in their lives, especially Hermione.

She was especially happy to have him back, as she had an ancient secret to reveal him when the moment was right.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy.

Starting Over

Few days after his release, Harry got an owl in his own flat. It was from Hermione, as she invited him to a dinner Luna and herself had organized to reintroduce Harry in their circle of friends.

He eagerly showered and dressed, and although a bit skeptical about being able to rebuild his life from where he had left it, he admired and appreciated Hermione's attempt. Of course, the fact that he had never stopped loving her helped, giving him a biased look on her actions.

That night he really enjoyed himself, though.

“So, mate, stopped scaring us, have you?” Neville teased, joining him and Hermione at the table holding hands with Ginny. Harry immediately noticed it, and smiled warmly at them.

“Yes, I hope I'm finished with that. The career of Dark Lord wasn't really suited for me” he joked. He was very well aware of the suspicious looks the other customers and the waiters were giving him, but he tried to shrug them off. After all, he had been in the center of the attention his whole life, that couldn't be so much worse.

Few minutes later, Ron arrived, his arm around Luna's waist. He moved to join them, and before Hermione could even ask, he reassured her.

“Lily is with Mum, at the Burrow. She's well taken care of, although our divorce seem to have convinced her that love is something stupid and unworthy of her attention” he said, chuckling. “She will change idea as soon as she finds a young wizard who will catch her eye”

Hermione smiled, although she was sorry for hurting their daughter. But the situation with Ron had become impossible to bear, and even if they were to go back together, both knew at the next big trouble, things would fall apart again. This was for the best, really.

They ordered pizzas, and ate chatting happily. Harry was filled in what all of them had been doing in the years, well, apart Ron and Hermione that he already knew about, having spied them in his dark days.

Ginny told him how she had become the first editorialist of the Daily Prophet, and although she could not intervene when some colleague wrote things like the article on him and his capture, it was a quite important spot in the newspaper.

Luna informed him that she was working with her father at the “Quibbler” and that they now and then would go for some research trips hoping to spot some of the strange things she kept mentioning, things no one knew about. Ron, however, had come to like those little journeys from reality she provided him when she talked about such matters.

Then it came Neville's turn, and the boy, not shy and botchy anymore, reported how he was Ron's first assistant, thus being in the Auror Department.

“Oh, yes, I kind of remember hearing about you a couple times from my ex-followers” Harry said. He eagerly listened to them, and wished once again he could have a normal life like theirs.

However, like all good things, this ended too. They wished good night to each other, Neville and Ginny left together, as well as Ron and Luna. Harry wondered how Lily would like Ron having a new woman with him, if she thought so bad of loving someone.

He was about to Apparate to his flat when he felt someone grabbing his arm.

“Harry, wait” Hermione said.

“What's up, Mione?” he said, resuming the nickname he now and then had used for her in their last year at Hogwarts.

She blushed a bit, then spoke.

“I thought that maybe I could come to live with you for a while, I mean, that would help you reenter a normal life, I could help you catch up…if you want that, that is” she ended shyly.

He grinned at her, and hugged the girl, no, the young woman he loved so much. “Yes, I would like that” he breathed in her hair, and she felt butterflies flying in her stomach, something she had not felt in a long time now.

So they Apparated to her flat to gather her things for the night, and then to his place, and he prepared the couch with a pillow and a blanket.

Then, after changing into his pajamas and wishing Hermione goodnight, he lay on it, covering himself.

“Oh, no, Harry, this is your flat, I can't kick you from your bed. I'll sleep there” she said.

“No way. You take the bed, it's comfortable, and you have to go searching for a new job, while I already know I'll do nothing in my life as no one hires an ex Dark Lord. So I can sleep all day tomorrow. Please, take the bed” he motioned to her.

She shook her head, smiling. “No way. We will both sleep there, if you insist to not let me take the couch”

He was bewildered at her suggestion, but in the end he admitted defeat. There was no point in arguing with Hermione, and that was a thing he very well knew from his Hogwarts days. So they both climbed in his bed, after enlarging it to have room for the two of them.

Soon, sleep overcome him. Next morning, he woke up feeling an hard thing next to him. Very close to him, indeed.

Opening his eyes and grabbing his glasses to check what was that, he found that Hermione had snuggled near him, lacing her arms around his body.

“Probably an habit from her days with Ron” he said, smiling and looking at her angelic face.

“My, she's still as beautiful as I remembered” he thought in wonder, trying to disentangle himself without waking her.

He failed, as soon she opened her sleepy cinnamon eyes to look at him.

“Good morning” he said then with a smile.

“Good morning” she replied smiling back. Then she realised the compromising position they were into and blushing furiously let him go.

He chuckled while she hid in the bathroom to cover her embarrassment, and went to prepare breakfast.

Later, Hermione left to go searching for a job, and he relaxed in his flat. She had an interview with the guy owning “Flourish and Blotts”. It did not go well, and at lunch she reported it to Harry as they met in the flat.

“…and so in the end he said he could not hire someone who made a former Dark Lord be released. He said I was not to trust” she said dejectedly.

Hearing that, Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, darkening. “I'm gonna kill him” he said, standing up and taking his wand. That was one of the moments his anger still got the best of him.

Hermione immediately grabbed him.

“No, you're not” she said fiercely, but he pushed her on the floor.

“He can't treat you this way, and I'll make him pay for that” Harry growled, and moved toward the door as he could not Apparate from within the flat.

Hermione grabbed him again, with all the strength she had, and pushed him into the nearer wall.

“You.will.not.do.such.a.thing” she said, enraged herself. “If you do that, you will only confirm their ideas on you and on me too. Both of us will never get a job. Instead, you will wait for me here, while I go and sustain another interview at the Ministry this afternoon. This is what you will do”

After a minute or two glaring at each other, Harry let his wand fall on the floor. “You're right” he said then. “It's just that it pains me see that you may have ruined your own life just to help me”

“It was worth the sacrifice” she said, smiling and leading him to the table again. “Now, let's finish our lunch, and then, if you really want to do something for me, you can go to my place and retrieve my things” she said, winking at him. He grinned.

That afternoon Hermione got a new position in the Ministry, one of not so much importance, but that surely would make her happy. She was assigned a place in the newly opened Department of Relationships with Other Magical Beings, one that she had opened herself in her days as Minister.

She could improve the way House Elves, Goblins and so on were seen from the Wizarding population, something she had wanted to do since Hogwarts, when she had founded S.P.E.W.

Harry decided a celebration was in order, so he took her out for dinner that night, and then they went for a Muggle movie. He would have liked to think about it as a date, but his pessimistic side reminded him it was just a celebration between friends.

A couple months later, Harry found himself pacing nervously his, no, their flat. He had decided it was time to try and make his move. Just to close all the chapters related with his past, and be really ready to go on. He loved her still, but he wasn't delusional enough to hope she would love him back. However, he wanted to try.

The only problem was how.

That night, while watching the telly, Hermione could say he was tense about something. And so she tackled it.

“Come on, spit it. What's troubling you, Harry?”

“N-Nothing” he stammered, for once resembling that lost eleven years old that she had met many years ago.

She smiled warmly at him. “You can't lie to me, you know that”

He nodded, and sighed. “The thing is, you'll surely think it silly and preposterous, but, would you like to go out with me?” he said, hope evident in his voice.

He braced himself for the coming rejection, closing his eyes, so he was utterly bewildered when he found a soft pair of lips covering his own, and felt her arms lacing around his neck.

Then, he felt her tongue probing his mouth, and all rational thinking was lost. He pulled her close and allowed her entrance, kissing her back in the process. Their tongues caressed each other, and for minutes, but it could have been hours, they stayed that way, passionately snogging their brains out of each other.

“Wow” he breathed when they finally parted.

“Yes, wow” she whispered, touching her swollen lips in shock. Never, in her years with Ron, she had felt such a sensation. It had been pure bliss.

And so it started. From that day, the two of them were an item, and Ron and their friends were happy for them. Many had known since Hogwarts that they were perfect for each other. The same Ron knew, although he had hoped he was wrong when she had agreed to marry him. But the arguments over helping Harry or not had confirmed his suspicions, and so he was happy for them now. Of course, having found Luna who made him fall in love all over again had helped.

They would now go out at dinner, or to see movies, all together, the six of them, triple dating, if you can call it that way, as they were three happy couples going out together. But of course, Harry and Hermione, as well as the others, would go out on their own too, getting to know each other all over again, and deepening an already incredibly deep bond.

Harry felt like this time he could really be happy and forget all the horrors of his past, and his months as a Dark Lord too. The hate bottled up in him was slowly vanishing, turning in undying love for the brunette witch he shared a flat with. His sudden outbursts of anger would become more and more rare, and he was happy for that.

It was clear Hermione had been right again, he could still be saved. And she was succeeding in doing so. But after all, she had almost always been right about him, he thought.

The only bad thing in his life was that he had nothing to do. No one would hire him, but Hermione brilliantly resolved that too.

“Harry, haven't you said once that Voldemort was just an orphan himself? What if you use part of the money your parents and Sirius left you to open and run an orphanage for Wizarding children? You could provide them the love they need, and avoid someone else turning into a Dark Lord, or at least try to do that”

He wasn't so sure about her idea, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised it was, as usual, genial. He would have something to do with his life, and he would help needing children.

So it was settled. He started working to set the project in motion, a new sense of purpose blossoming in him, and making his love for Hermione even stronger. He had by now grown used to wake up with her in his arms at morning, and wondered how could have he had gone on so long without that wonderful sensation.

Hermione was as happy as she could be, being with the man she had always known she loved, but never thought would love her back, and doing a job less stressful than being Minister, but still extremely pleasurable for her. Money wasn't a problem, she of course had a lower wage now, but it was still pretty good, and there was Harry's heritage that even if both of them did nothing at all would sustain both of them for their whole lives.

Half an year later, however, something came to trouble her happiness. She was working in her office when suddenly a crying Lily came out from her fireplace.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing here? And why are you crying?” she asked, rushing to her side.

“Daddy wants to marry that other woman, Luna. I don't want Daddy to marry again. He says he loves her, but I know it won't last, and I will be through that again…love can't last! So I ran away by Floo. I don't want to be with Daddy anymore” the little girl said.

Hermione hugged her. “Listen, honey. We now are going to owl Daddy that you are here, so he doesn't get scared by your disappearance. Then we go to Granny Molly and you'll stay with her, ok?”

“Ok” the little girl nodded. So Hermione sent an owl to Ron and brought her daughter to Molly. Then, tired, she Apparated to their flat, as she had to speak with Harry.

When she was finished, he slumped in his seat.

“So you'll have to move out of here and go to your flat?” he asked then.

“I fear so, Harry, at least for a while. I need to make her understand that love is not this bad”

“I see. Well, let me know if I can help somehow” he said, while helping her to pack her things.

“Of course. I think, in fact, that maybe you could be of help, telling her about how you never ceased to love me even in your dark days. She must have proof that love is a strong force”

So, the necessary paperwork was filled at the Ministry, and Lily went to live with Hermione. Ron was sad about that, but he knew if someone could make their daughter see what love really was, it was Hermione and Harry. He would build his own happy family with Luna, and teach their own children what love really is.

Of course, having Lily living with her cut Hermione's time for Harry, but he was understanding about that.

On Sundays they would go all together to parks, or to have lunch, or maybe to visit Hogsmeade or other magical villages. Hermione was trying to bring Lily to accept that Harry was part of her life, and that they loved each other.

One night, after they had dinner together, they put Lily to sleep. Then the two of them relaxed in the living room, Hermione's head resting on his shoulder, and she sighed contentedly.

“You're being of great help here, Harry” she said, turning to look at him.

“Anything for you, Hermione” he said, placing a sweet kiss on her lips. Unfortunately Lily couldn't sleep and entered the room exactly in that moment, seeing them.

She started crying and retreated to her room, and her anger at the two of them caused an uncontrolled bit of magic, setting the curtains on fire.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.

A/N: My response to my own challenge, “The New Dark Lord”. The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy. The idea of the Liquid Imperious I've nicked from “Sunset on Britain”, so I must say it is not mine but of Bob and Alex.

True Love Can Last

The burning curtains set on fire the rest of her room, so Lily got scared and started shouting.

That attracted the attention of Harry and Hermione, who ran to her room to see the flames advancing toward her little bed.

Hermione quickly went to take her daughter, while Harry with a flick of his hand extinguished the fire. Then he sighed, sitting onto the bed near Hermione, who was rocking her little girl to soothe her.

“Lily, dear, what has happened?” she asked after a while.

Still sobbing, the child answered. “I couldn't sleep, so I went to see you and ask you to read me a story, but I found you and him kissing, and I got angry, because love is such a stupid thing, and I hoped you would never fall into it again, so I retreated to my room, and suddenly fire started to spread on the curtains and on the rest of the room…I was so scared…”

Hermione sighed, while Harry passed his hand through his hair nervously. He understood the moment of a good chat had arrived.

“Lily, love is not something stupid. It can lead you to do stupid things, maybe even hurt the ones you love in the process, but it is not stupid itself. It is, instead, a force to be reckoned” he started.

The girl looked at him skeptically.

“I know you now think love is something temporary because of the divorce between your parents, but the thing is, there are different kinds of love. You may find your self liking a boy…”

“I'll never like boys! They are gross and stupid! And I'll never fall in love!” Lily protested, and Hermione seemed ready to speak, but Harry motioned for her to let him do the talking.

“You may think like that now, but you will definitely be interested in boys in a few years” he resumed, smiling at the doubtful expression the little girl gave him. “You will, I assure you. But, back on topic, you may be interested in them because of their appearance, and you'll think that guy is the one for you. Then, being with him, you find that you and him are not so well suited. That, Lily, is a weak kind of love. It's merely physical and it is called crush. In your teen years you will experience it, more than once maybe. But that is not real love”

He stopped for a pause, and noticed the girl was now interested. “Just like her mother, always ready to learn, and never missing a lecture” he thought smiling.

“Now, real love is based on physical attraction, but mostly on a deep bond of trust and loyalty to each other, and when you'll experience that, you will feel you're finally whole. That is rare, Lily, but out there, there is a guy perfect for you. The one, you may say. Well, this kind of love is the most powerful, and can do things you'll never expect. For example, I'm sure you know who I am, and my story”

“Yes. You're Harry Potter. You survived the Killing Curse at one, when no one was able to” the little girl said.

“Yes. No one knows how I could, but Albus Dumbledore, I'm sure you've heard of him, thought it was my mother's love who saved me. Of course that is another kind of love, but that is to prove that love truly is powerful. Now, back on romantic love. True love lasts, Lily. Again, take me as an example. I'm sure lately you've heard that I've done terrible things…” he said, regretfully.

“Yes, they called you a Dark Lord, and compared you to Voldemort” she said. Hermione in the mean time looked in awe at Harry, and his ability to capture her daughter's attention.

Maybe, just maybe, he will succeed in explaining the power of love to her.

He resumed his speech.

“Well, Lily, even during that time I never stopped loving a young woman who captured my heart in my Hogwarts days”

The little girl looked at him in thought. Then she spoke, triumphantly. “But you've stopped loving her now, since you kissed with my mum” she said, as to prove her point.

Harry shook his head smiling. “No, Lily. It's always been her, your mum, the one I loved, and still love more than myself”

The girl seemed taken aback, and kept looking from him to Hermione, not knowing what to say.

“But my mum loved my dad” she said then. “And she stopped loving him”

“That, sweetheart, is because I realized I did not truly love him. As Harry said, true love is lasting, but crushes and similar crumble with time” Hermione interjected.

Lily nodded thoughtfully. Then she looked at Harry in realization. “So you became evil because my mum was with my dad and not with you”

Harry nodded. “It's not something I'm proud of, Lily. It is one of the stupid things I mentioned love can make you do. You must understand that I've not had the best of youths, with my relatives mistreating me and Voldemort trying to kill me since I was one. So, I managed to grow a compassionate young man, but I saw people I loved leave me year after year, dead. My godfather, Sirius Black, then my mentor, Dumbledore. It left in me anger, added to the one I built up in the years for my evil relatives. When I saw your parents together, it was the last straw. Seeing the person I loved the most abandoning me for my best friend pushed all the hate and anger I had in me to the surface” he ended sighing.

“Well, I think for tonight this is enough. This little lady has to have her nightly sleep if she wants to grow up pretty and smart” Hermione said, tucking Lily under her blankets.

The little girl yawned, as to confirm what her mother was saying, and Harry smiled. “We will talk more tomorrow, if you wish” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, and leaving with Hermione in tow.

For the first time since her parents divorced, Lily slept really well, starting to believe in love again.

In the living room, Hermione and Harry sat, sipping Butterbeers.

“Thanks, Harry. I think your talk may be the thing she needed. You provided examples of the power of love, and maybe she will get it” she said, leaning in his embrace.

“It was the least I could do, since the scare of tonight was provoked by me kissing you” he said, stroking her hair lovingly. They stayed that way some time, then he left for his own flat, although he would have loved to sleep there with her, but maybe it was still too early for Lily to accept that.

In the next days Lily seemed more open toward the possibility of Harry and Hermione dating, and loving each other. Harry kept talking with her, giving her all the examples he could of the power of love, in its various forms.

Slowly she started actually enjoying his presence.

One Sunday, she woke up in he room, and walking into the kitchen where Hermione was fixing breakfast, she sleepily sat.

“Where's Harry?” she asked.

“He had things to attend for the homeless children foundation he has been setting up, so I don't think he will be able to join us today” her mother said.

“Oh” the girl said, dejectedly. “I was looking for playing with him in the park, like we do all Sundays…”

Hermione put the cup of tea in front of the little girl, with waffles and pancakes, and jam, and sat near her daughter, sipping her coffee.

“I know. I'll miss him too, but I'm sure he won't be more happy than we are at not seeing us. You know, he keeps talking about how adorable you are, and how much he would like to have a daughter like you” she said, mussing her little girl's hair.

“Really?” Lily said, her eyes sparkling again. “I like him too. I'm not sure still that the two of you should marry one day, but he's cool, and he can do so much things! I would love to ride a broom like he does!”

Hermione laughed. “You're definitely your father's daughter about this! I've always loathed brooms…”

“Speaking of dad, are we going to visit him soon? It's been lots since I've seen him” she said.

“I'm sure he and Luna will be more than happy to see you too. Maybe we could go visit them today, since Harry's busy elsewhere”

“That would be wonderful!” Lily said.

So they did. As predicted, Ron and Luna were glad to have them, and Lily could see her father was really happy now, even more than when he was with her mother. Hermione, as well, had a new glow since she and Harry had become an item. Lily was smart, and she picked up on this.

Maybe love was not so bad after all.

All day she played with her dad, and when going home she blurted out the question she was mulling over from days.

“Mum, if you and Harry marry, will he be my daddy?”

“No, well, in a way he will, but your natural father will always be Ron. Although Harry will consider you like his own little girl, and spoil you, so I would have to restrain him on that” she joked.

Hermione was glad her daughter was coming around and was starting to consider the chance of her marrying Harry. Because it was definitely something she hoped would happen soon.

A couple months later, Lily's birthday came. Harry organized a party for her, and she had so much fun with all her relatives and her parents' friends there. Then the moment of opening the gifts came, and she got some new books for which she was more than glad, and a mini broom from Harry.

He winked at her. “I don't think your mother is so happy at me right now, but I think you should definitely learn flying soon” he said, while chuckling at Hermione's stern expression.

“Don't worry, I'll make her forgive you” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks, this is wonderful” she said then, thinking that her mother was right. Harry was really going to spoil her, and even without marrying Hermione!

However, he did have programs on that. He was just waiting to let the little girl adjust to the idea. Three months later, when he reckoned the time was right, he convinced Hermione to let Lily stay with her grandparents for one night, and took her to a nice restaurant in Muggle London.

They placed their order, and then chatted happily through dinner.

“So, what's this night out for?” she asked, sipping her wine.

“Nothing, just thought we could enjoy a nice dinner” he said, caressing her hand lovingly. “I know this last period has been stressful for you”

“Yes, it has, but you've been of great help. With Lily too. By the way, how is your foundation going?”

“Well, I've set up all the necessary paperwork, it has been approved, and now in a couple months we're going to open. There are already ten orphans ready to be placed in it”

“That's great news, Harry! I'm so proud of you!” she squealed.

“Well, it's you who had the idea, so I should, once again, thank you” he said, looking straight into her eyes. She gulped at the emotion and love she saw in them, and took a sip of her wine.

At the end of the dinner, he took a small box from his pocket and got on one knee.

“Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?” he asked, opening the box to reveal a white gold band with a single diamond in the middle, and two small emeralds on its sides.

She couldn't speak, tears welling in his eyes. He stayed there, nervously.

“Look, if you don't want to, it's ok, I mean, we can wait…” he started, but was silenced by her lips crashing on his own, a passionate kiss being her answer to him.

“Yes, I'll marry you” she said then, once they parted.

He grinned and slid the ring on her finger.

Next day, Lily spotted the ring on her mother's hand.

“Mum, that ring…does it mean what I think it means?” she asked, hopefully.

“If you think it means Harry and I are going to marry, yes, it does” her mother replied, grinning.

The girl squealed excitedly. Few months ago she would have loathed such a development, but now she had regained her trust in love thanks to Harry, and was more than happy for it to happen.

“Please, can I be part of the ceremony?” she asked.

“Of course. You'll be a wonderful flower girl” her mother said, kissing her on the cheek.

The wedding was set for mid July. Harry chose Ron to be his best man, Hermione asked Ginny to be the maid of honor. The wedding party was completed with Neville and Seamus being the other groomsmen, and Lavender and Luna being the other two bridesmaid. Lily would be the flower girl, as her mother had promised her.

The preparations made Hermione nervous, and her mother tried to help as much as she could, but the fact was there were differences in opinions between her and her daughter. For example, the color of the dresses of the wedding party. Hermione wanted them pink, her mother peach. In the end it was decided for pink.

Then there was to decorate Hogwarts, where the ceremony would be held. And the cake to buy, and other thousands of things to settle…

Finally, the day came, and with it the worry over the preparations came to a stop. That did not mean the nervousness was finished, in fact Harry, in his black tuxedo, kept pacing.

“Ease up, mate” Ron said him. “She's not going anywhere. You'll marry her, and you'll live happily together”

“It's easy for you to say, Ron, but you're not the one in my position”

“No, in fact. I've already been there two times, and it is enough, thanks” the redhead retorted playfully. “Just one thing” he added then turning serious. “Don't hurt her or I'll kick your arse”

“I don't plan to” Harry said.

Then, he moved to his place in front of the altar set in the grounds. Soon later, the wedding march sounded, and Hermione came, accompanied by her father. She was wearing a simple white dress, sleeveless and with a partly bare back. The V-neck didn't plunge too deep, and a couple small white roses were pinned in her hair, which was fixed in an elegant chignon. Just a couple tendrils adorned her face, while her head was covered by a light veil. Harry's breath caught in his throat seeing her, and even more when she smiled at him.

Finally she reached the spot near him.

“Who gives this witch away?” the officer said.

“I, her father, do” Mr. Granger said.

Then the ceremony started.

“We're here to celebrate the joining in marriage of Harry and Hermione. If someone wishes to speak against this union, speak now or stay silent forever”

No one uttered a word, so he continued.

“Harry, speak your vows”

“Hermione, I've loved you since our Hogwarts days. Maybe I waited too much before telling you, and things got between us, but I never stopped loving you. You've been my rock in the hard times, and you pushed me forward when I wanted to surrender. I owe you so much, Hermione, and I love you more than myself”

Then it was Hermione's turn.

“Harry, I too loved you since Hogwarts. I feared you would not love me back, so I convinced myself I didn't, and as you said, things kept us parted. But, now nothing can separate us. I love you, Harry, for the noble man you've always been in your heart, even in the darkest hours of your life”

Then they were given the rings, to place them on the other's finger.

“Hermione, with this ring I thee wed” Harry said, sliding it on her trembling finger. He was shaking a bit himself.

“Harry, with this ring I thee wed” she said, copying his actions.

“Harry, you may kiss your bride” the officer said. And so he did, lifting her veil gently, and meeting her lips in the sweetest of kisses. Cheers erupted in the crowd, and clapping of hands too.

An huge banquet ensued in the Great Hall, and Ron had a field day with that. Then, dances were held.

Harry and Hermione, as tradition, opened them, and were soon joined by their guests. Harry danced with Lily too, making the little girl giggle in excitement.

Soon the ceremony was over, and they Apparated to their flat with Lily.

“I'm so happy we are all a family now” she said, hugging her new “father”.

“I'm glad too, honey. I've always dreamt to have a family one day, and now this dream has come true” he said, grinning at her and mussing her hair.

Hermione watched them interact happy of having found such a man in her life.

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