Chapter 17. The Greatest Adventure Of Them All.
Harry surveyed the empty Great Hall, he was sitting in the Headmaster's chair mulling over the events of the last few weeks, it appeared that they had done it again. Triumphed when the odds against them had seemed insurmountable, but as before the victory was hollow. Last time they had lost Dumbledore, Snape and little Austin Henry, this time although everyone lived they had still lost Solomon and worst of all, Natalie. Harry knew he should feel happy for them both, Nat and Ambrose had what they wanted, they were together, but he, Harry, wasn't going to have the satisfaction of seeing his daughter grow up slowly and become the beautiful young woman he knew she was, she had done the whole process when he wasn't looking and he felt cheated.
Now here he was, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and he doubted he would even be given the time to feel sorry for himself.
The fragrance of her perfume arrived before she did; Hermione never used anything exotic, the simple purity of vanilla expressed her persona better than anything. He closed his eyes and relished the pleasure as she perched herself on the arm of his chair and slipped her hand round the back of his neck and embraced him. That feeling had never diminished; his love for his brown eyed bushy haired witch always drew him back from whatever despair he was falling into. As Hermione leaned over and kissed him on the top of his head, Harry pulled her over and on to his lap, and then as their lips met Hermione provided the best medicine for an ailing husband.
They sat together for a while enjoying the silence and each others company, for the moment the school didn't need either of them and it left them in peace.
"Feeling better Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Harry gave an answering squeeze, and he smiled, "How could I not be, with you here by my side, well on my lap anyway." He waved his hand over the table and a jug and two goblets appeared.
"You're getting very good at that," Hermione said.
"Well you mustn't let you mind wander when you're doing it, I nearly ended up with porridge on my toast instead of marmalade this morning, join me in a drink?"
"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.
"Should be pumpkin juice," Harry said, looking warily into the jug. "Yup that's what it looks like, anyway."
Hermione laughed, "OK, what shall we drink to, you and the school?" she said.
"How about, us and the school?" Harry replied.
"Fine by me," and Hermione watched as Harry, his hands nowhere near the jug, poured the drinks and they drank to just that.
As the noise of the school going about its daily business began to intrude into the quiet of the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione realised that unfortunately they could not spend the whole day lazing around and as they rose to leave and walk across to the staff door, Hermione remembered something she had meant to mention.
"Oh by the way Harry, you will have to have a word with James," she said.
"James? I thought that Nat sorted out all his worries the other day? He said.
"She did, but at that time his father hadn't been made Headmaster, had he?"
"Ah," said Harry understanding, "and that has caused some more difficulties I take it? He was a little distant with me at breakfast this morning."
"He thinks you have done it on purpose just to make his remaining time at Hogwarts as hard as possible." Hermione told him.
"Is he ever going to forgive me?"
"Oh yes," she assured him, "go light on the homework, give him anything he wants for the next ten years or so, and he will." Hermione gave Harry a sideways glance and giggled, Harry shivered as he always did. "If we all live long enough that is," she said with a smile.
…………………………………
Maybe it was some kind of reward who can tell, but live long enough? They certainly did, and you mustn't go away with the idea that they never had any more battles to fight, there were plenty of them. In these battles no one died, no one was even injured, at least not on purpose, because they were all to do with running the school, bending or changing the Ministry rules, and the general homely sort of situations that all witches, wizards and even some muggles have to deal with on a daily basis. It wasn't boring for them, what would make you think that? There is nothing in the least easy or relaxing in running a school with a thousand magical students all intent on 'out-Harry Pottering' the Headmaster.
But never again did Harry, Hermione or the rest of the Tyr have to stand up to a wizard such as Voldemort or an elemental evil like the Infundus. Perhaps if there were any of either persuasion remaining in or on this world they got the message, and left everyone alone. This really was the time to live, the time to enjoy the peace and freedom, the time to have a happy ever after.
Hermione even got to see the wedding that had been promised to her, and it was well after James had left Hogwarts. He finished with nine NEWTS and it appeared that his wand knew what it was doing when it picked him out. The legendary healing power of the Simurgh was carried in the feather that lay at the core of James' wand and it was no surprise that he went on to be one of the greatest healers St.Mungo's had ever seen. He and Jennifer married when they were twenty five and Hermione, standing waiting for the ceremony to start, looked in vain for an image of her past self watching the proceedings. At the precise moment Hermione knew the young couple had turned to her watching from the past, a partridge exploded from a bush with a flurry of wing beats and a cry of alarm, James and Jennifer turned toward the bird, and the circle of time was completed again.
James and Jennifer worked together at St. Mungo's and in time discovered the cure for lycanthropy. Werewolves everywhere howled their praise until they took the treatment and then they could thank them properly.
Natalie and Ambrose, as they were careful to call him, were frequent visitors to the school and to Godrics Hollow. To allay any suspicions they aged themselves slightly as the years progressed, but not everyone was fooled, at least not completely. For some while after the event, Ron had a quiet word with Hermione.
"It occurred to me that there was a slight problem with Ambrose's story, about the destruction of the Infundus," he said to her one evening when they were all enjoying walking through the grounds of Hogwarts.
"Oh yes, what's that then Sherlock Weasley?" said Hermione, curious as to what her old friend had been thinking about for so long.
"Who's Sherlock Weasley?"
"Never mind, go on."
"Well it's your necklace, you gave it to Solomon and he destroys the Infundus, but then you get it back when Ambrose arrives. You see I know you didn't have it on before you went to see what had happened to Nat that morning, and it was there when you came back down stairs. I think that there is more to Ambrose and Solomon than uncle and nephew."
"Err… Ron how did you know I wasn't wearing it, what makes you so sure?"
Ron had the grace to go a little red then he squared his shoulders and said "Well if you must know I was looking at you," he became very quiet, "You see Hermione if the truth be told I have been in love with you, just a bit mind, ever since, well I'm not sure. It's not like the way I feel about Luna, it's just that you make me feel……"
"Safe, wanted, loved, that if she approves of what you have done then it has all been worth while, and that if she asked you would do it all again without a seconds thought." Said Harry, without rancour, he had obviously been eavesdropping on the conversation.
"Err…yes" said a very embarrassed Ron, whose face now matched the colour of his hair.
"You and me both mate," said Harry smiling at the pair of them, "you and me both."
In the gathering gloom, arm in arm, the three walked across the lawns, and Ron's suspicions went unanswered.
………………………….
The years rolled on and as time passes you begin to lose the ones you love. New ones come along to join the family but that doesn't lessen the sadness when some one goes. The children gave them grand children and they then gave them great grandchildren, but the circle of the Tyr was broken on the day that Luna died. Ron did not take her loss well and Harry and Hermione watched with mounting sadness as their oldest friend declined and in the year that was the sixtieth anniversary of Harry's headmastership, Ron took the walk down the passage that led to his reunion with his wife.
For one hundred and twenty years Harry and Hermione were the leading lights at Hogwarts, during that time there was never a head and his deputy, they ruled together, and it was a golden age for the school and the wizarding world. The thousands of students that passed through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts could not be unaffected by the presence of the paramount witch and wizard of the time. Each of them left with a little of the togetherness without which the wizarding world would have never overcome Voldemort or the Infundus, and they took that togetherness out into the world with them.
The year that Harry and Hermione left Hogwarts for the sanctuary of Godrics Hollow was the year that they became the last left alive in the wizarding world to have participated in the fall of Voldemort. Ginny departed to be with all the others and left them on their own, but they weren't lonely. The cottage was filled with family, grand children with a significant number of greats before the grand appeared to keep the elderly couple younger than their years should have allowed. The attendance of three house elves, Dobby's children, helped even more. Dobby himself was waiting, he did little these days other than that, his children did not know what their father was waiting for, but Harry did. The little house elf had saved Harry's life on two occasions from two generations of the same family, and he was waiting for the time when he knew he would not have to do it all over again.
Right at the beginning of all his adventures Albus Dumbledore had told an eleven year old Harry that to a well organised mind death is but the next great adventure. "It is really like going to bed after a very long day". Dumbledore had said. At the time Harry had not understood, but now with the last of his friends gone and Hermione by his side as he knew she would always be, it did not seem to be such a terrible thing.
During one long summer in that short period between July and September when Harry and Hermione were both one hundred and eighty years old they said their goodbyes and put their affairs in order.
Sitting together on a sofa which was even older than they were, Harry had purloined it many years before from the Gryffindor Common Room; they quietly enjoyed their own company. Harry turned to his wife, she looked no different to him, but the bushy hair was now silver not brown. She returned his stare; the boy she loved was still there hidden under a mantle of years, his white hair short enough so that the lightning shaped scar was still visible on his forehead.
Harry reached over and ran his fingers through the silky strands of Hermione's hair, savouring the feel that filled his mind with so many memories. Slipping his hands around her neck he felt for the clasp of her necklace and unfastened it. They held it together between them, the stone flickering with that strange double pulse of blue light. They laid it down in the box on the blue cushion where Harry had first seen it displayed so long ago. Hermione gave the stone a pat to say thank-you and farewell, now there was no need for words, they were so in tune that both knew that the time was right.
Standing they held each others hand and indulged in a last kiss. Harry waved his hand and at his summons the stone arch appeared before them, the lightly fluttering veil hiding what lay beyond; there was no hesitation in their pace, they walked confidently up to the threshold and side by side they stepped through. On its velvety blue cushion Hermione's Tear gave one final burst of light then lay there cold and dark, and then as if it was melting away, vanished from the cottage.
It was as it had been before all those years ago, the corridor in Hogwarts that was a path through the forest and in reality was neither. As they walked Harry felt the discomforts of age fall away and he looked to his wife whose long bushy hair was glowing with the colour of youth. In those wonderful brown eyes he could see his own reflection and for him the years had diminished as well, his dark hair untidy as usual obscured his vision of the young Hermione that now graced his arm, and unconsciously he brushed it back out of his eyes with his hand.
Hermione, whose eyes had never left the sight of her rejuvenated husband, gave a little cry of surprise and stopped to turn to him and examine his forehead.
"It's gone Harry, your scar it's gone," she said excited by her discovery but with a twinge of sadness that the one thing that had positively identified her husband to everyone had gone.
"Never mind love," he said smiling at her, "I never really liked it anyway."
They laughed and embraced and kissed, then arm in arm again they continued with their journey.
………………………………..
In Godrics Hollow a very old and tired house elf looked at his three children, they were all crying but Dobby held up his hand to quieten them.
"I's can go now, Harry Potter needs Dobby no more," the elf's voice was faint and difficult to hear, "but you's remember he is not the last of the Potters and it is to them that you should go. Our families are not joined by service or obligation, our families is joined by love." Dobby drew in a deep shuddering breath and as he let it out he slowly faded away and vanished.
Dobby's children shut the front door of the cottage and walked slowly to the gate where they were met by a witch and wizard who stood and gazed at the small house, their eyes glistening with unshed tears. The wizard looked down at the house elves with a kindly face.
"All done?" he said.
"Yes sir, Master Ambrose," said the eldest of the three.
"Very well, off you go." he smiled as the three house elves, with a quiet pop, disappeared.
"I can't believe its over," said the young woman at his side.
"Come on Nat," gently chided Ambrose, "you know this isn't the end, you know there is more to all this than just fading away."
"I know, but I am still going to miss them, even so." said Natalie the tears streaming unashamedly down her face. She sniffed once very hard, and was silent for a while. "I'm OK now," she said drawing in a deep breath, "shall we do what we came here to do?"
"Of course, we will have to get to the top of the hill then we can include all of the hollow in the enchantment." said Ambrose, he held out his hand and gave her an understanding smile, "come on."
The two of them walked slowly up the gentle rise past the small copse of trees concealing Natalie's grandparent's graves. She looked sadly at the marble headstones regretting the fact that she had never known Lily or James in person or even ever met them when she was waiting on the other side. Reaching the summit they turned and faced Godrics Hollow, it was a beautiful place, the sun glinted off the small stream and the pretty white cottage sat there looking smug and ever so comfortable.
Ambrose and Natalie raised their arms and in their outstretched hands appeared the staff of Avalon. It shone with the power of the ages and in unison the eternal witch and wizard spoke the simple enchantment "Semper hic adesse videri non posse". The brilliance of the staff raced outwards to encompass all of the hollow, then as the light faded, a mist began to form which slowly grew to fill the entire shallow bowl that hid the cottage. Slowly but surely Godrics Hollow was moved slightly sideways to the rest of the world, and like Avalon was hidden for ever.
"There it's done," said Ambrose, "If they ever decide to come back they will be able to find it again."
"Will we know if they come back?" asked a still tearful Natalie.
"Do you think that Harry and Hermione could ever walk this world and we not know?" Ambrose answered with a question of his own.
"No not really," said Natalie with the beginnings of a smile. "Let's go home love."
With a silent nod Ambrose reached out and took Natalie's hand and the pair disappeared from one of the most precious places on earth.
……………………………….
Harry and Hermione walked further down the pathway than they had ever done before, they had left the old sofa at the halfway point far behind them. Now the end was looming in front of them and both were feeling a little nervous as to what they might find waiting for them. There was another fluttering veil, white this time, covering the doorway in a marble arch, still hanging on to each other they stepped through onto the rich green lawns that stretched away into the distance from the other side of the veil.
There was quite a crowd waiting to welcome them, everyone was there Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, and all the old marauders, Hagrid, Poppy, Minerva and Dumbledore. He stepped forward, he was slightly younger than Harry and Hermione remembered, but then you could look how you wished.
"There were so many who wanted to come to greet you, it would have been too much for you, but they are all here and you can see them soon. However nothing was going to keep this lot away." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his amazingly blue eyes.
Who could say how much time passed if any passed at all, but friendships were renewed, loves rekindled and Harry finally got to have a really long talk with his mother and father. Throughout it all Hermione never left Harry's side, for it was truly impossible for one to exist without the other.
Harry and Hermione remained just that, it was clear that some of their friends had played the game before and they carried their past lives with them, but for the two this had been their first journey. They had no other experiences to draw on and it made them wonder if they should not try again.
Harry looked at his soul mate. "It was fun last time, well most of it anyway", He said. "To have another chance to fall in love with you all over again would really be something".
Hermione gazed into those brilliant emerald green eyes. "Let's see, shall we?"
………………………………
The great scarlet steam engine wheezed and puffed as it waited to take the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry back to the north to start another year of scholastic achievement. For Jonathan Carpenter this was to be his first trip and at the moment he was on the platform with his older brother saying goodbye to his parents and younger sister. He came from a loving and close family, wizards or witches all, and that morning they had travelled from the modest house in Kent they liked to call their home. This was not the first time he had travelled to a school. Since the age of five he had attended Thrubwell's Academy, but that part of his life was over now, this was the real deal. Hogwarts, the name still thrilled him and he had been aching to go there since his brother started three years before. It was his chance now, this was where the adventure really began, and he couldn't wait.
At the other end of the platform a dark haired brown eyed girl was hugging her mother, this parting was a first for her, she and her parents had only recently returned to the country and she had never been away to school before. Not that she was uneducated, far from it, her personal tutor had seen to that. The old woman was a stickler for correctness in all that was done, and she had been a hard task master but beneath it all she had a very kind heart. The girl saw her own reflection in the window of the carriage and the flash of the sun as it struck the stone on the necklace her tutor had given her as a parting gift. The old witch had fastened it for her and the girl had felt a tingle through her whole body as the stone had touched her skin. The girl knew that the stone was magical, but her tutor would tell her no more about it. Waving once more to her parents, the girl boarded the train and went in search of a likely compartment.
Jonathan disentangled himself from his mother's grasp, kissed her once more, and then followed his brother onto the train. He listened to the last shouted instructions from his parents as with a loud whistle the engine began to draw the train out of the station. Ducking his head back inside he saw that his brother was already in deep conversation with some of his school mates, so with a quick, "See you later," to him, Jonathan set off on an adventure of his own. He walked down the swaying corridor, bypassing compartments full of chattering students, some of whom he recognised from his time at Thrubwell's, but he didn't stop. He was looking for something specific he wasn't sure what it was, but he felt a strange compulsion to continue down toward the end of the train.
He stopped at the door to the compartment; there were only three occupants, two boys sitting close to the door to the corridor and a dark haired girl in a seat by the window. The boys were talking in excited voices about their holidays, and they broke off and looked up at him as Jonathan walked between them and took the other window seat opposite the girl whose head was buried in a large book. The two boys had hardly turned back to their conversation when loud shrieks of laughter from a compartment further up the train and the sounds of definite mischief pulled them from their seats and out into the corridor. The girl looked up once and made a 'tut-tut' sound of disapproval in the direction of the departing merrymakers, but as her eyes travelled back to her book they just happened to catch the face of the boy sitting opposite her.
His eyes were the most brilliant green she had ever seen, his fair hair was a bit of a mess but to be honest he wasn't all that bad looking, and he was quick, she had to give him that. For in that briefest of eye contact he had smiled and said "Hi."
"Hello," she replied, perhaps a little coolly and was going to return to her book when…
"Jonathan Carpenter," said Jonathan, and looked at the girl expectantly.
Resigned to at least some conversation, the girl stared back and said "Samantha Parfitt."
"Oh," said Jonathan, then not knowing what to say next caught sight of the stone on its white metal chain hanging around Samantha's neck, and before he could stop himself, "Nice necklace," had come dribbling out of his mouth.
"Really?" Samantha was more amused than anything, but she hid it well.
"Err… yes…" there was a rather long slience because Jonathan found that he couldn't take his eyes off the sparkling gem, he knew he had seen one like this somewhere before, then it came to him. "Have you ever read Hogwarts, a history, the new edition?" He asked.
"No," said Samantha, "not even the old edition. Is it important?"
"Not really, but it is full of wonderful facts about the old castle, it's just that I'm sure a stone like yours is mentioned in it," he laughed, "can't be the same though, can it?" He looked up from the hypnotic influence of the stone to stare at the girl's face, she was very pretty and she had the most amazingly deep brown eyes he had ever seen, "Wow!" he said quietly and with a feeling he was not quite ready for.
At that moment an elderly witch appeared at the door to the compartment pushing a refreshment trolley, "Anything off the trolley dears?" she said smiling hugely at the pair.
"Here let me," said Jonathan, breaking his rapture and beating Samantha in holding out some change. As he chose the sweets and handed his money to the old witch he glanced up and smiled at her, and for just a moment there was a sense of recognition which passed almost before it had begun. He thanked the old witch, then purchases in hand, he returned to his seat and offered Samantha the pick of the selection. As he held out his hands and the girl leaned forwards to see the sweets he had chosen the train must have passed over an uneven rail for the carriage jolted and swung alarmingly, the stone on the necklace around Samantha's neck arched out on its chain and made contact with the back of Jonathan's hand. There was a brief flash of light and the shock made Jonathan drop all the sweets into Samantha's lap.
"Oww, what was that?" he said, rubbing his arm.
"No idea," Samantha replied, "are you OK?" she asked. Jonathan nodded examining his hand, and found that it still worked.
"I think it was your necklace," said Jonathan glancing once more at the glittering jewel, "I wonder what it means?"
The goblets on the trolley rattled together as the train hit another uneven bit of track, and they both looked up to the witch that was still standing in the doorway of the compartment.
She winked at them, "I am sure you will find out soon enough," she said mysteriously, for some reason she seemed very pleased. "Have fun," and with that she pushed her trolley forwards and moved on down to the end of the train.
There was a second elderly witch sitting with the Guard in the last carriage having a cup of tea as her trolley came rattling into view. She looked up at the witch pushing the trolley, it was uncanny, for she looked just like her. Then the disguise rippled away, and in an instant she didn't. The dark haired, emerald green eyed, ageless appearing woman that the trolley pushing witch had transformed into smiled, and winked at the Guard.
"Found what you were looking for my dear?" said the Guard's companion, as the young witch handed the trolley back to its rightful owner.
"Yes thank-you, everything is just where it should be." said Natalie Potter, then with a wave of her hand she vanished from the train.
"Well there's queer," said the real trolley witch to the Guard.
The Guard gave a grunt of assent, then smiled, shimmered and vanished as well.
"Ooh!" cried the old witch in surprise, and dashed off to find the engine driver.
Back in the compartment the conversation that had started so tentatively had begun to blossom, all the little pieces of information about family, home, hopes and fears of what Hogwarts would bring, were being exchanged. The process of getting to know each other was moving along smoothly, and at some point in that long journey it dawned on each of them that whatever else may happen, after this chance meeting on the train to Hogwarts, they had at least one friendship to rely on.
"You obviously like books," said Jonathan, when the conversation had switched to school and lessons, indicating the large tome on the seat next to Samantha. "What are you reading?"
"Oh this one is my favourite, my very favourite," said Samantha, enthusiastically, "it's about a witch and a wizard and their life together," she told him, "but what is really good about it is that I have never been able to finish it." Jonathan looked quizzically at Samantha. "You see," she said, in explanation, "this is a magical book, and the story it contains is magical too, because it has no ending."
Jonathan wasn't sure whether or not to believe his new friend, but he was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, because living in a magical world, as they did, had taught him that anything was possible.
Deep in the stone of Hermione's Tear, infinitesimally small and unnoticed by either child, a strange double pulse of blue light began to flicker. ……………………..
* * * * * * * * * *
For my Mother who stepped through the veil on 29th March 2006.
"So alive in my mind that I will never be without her."
Thank-you all for reading.
Solomon.
Just as a final postscript this is my answer to a lovely review sent to me by Yukon it is for her, but it does apply to all who have posted their thoughts on these stories.
I thank-you very much for your kind review. There may not be many reviews on any of my stories but as with yours they are all encouraging, and for that I am thankful. I would love to be able to continue writing Forever Together but as you will see my characters soon fall out of the remit of this fan fiction site and so there it must end. However I have plans for Solomon and there is a lot of his story that has yet to be told, but not here.
It may be that one day I will fill in some of the potential gaps left in Chapter 17 and reconsider rewriting The Letter and making that a full story, but for the moment I want to play with my own characters in their own world and leave JKR to hers. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these stories over the last year or so and thank all of you who have read them.
Solomon Aegis,
England, April 2006.