Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: No amount of thanks would be enough for my friend Lynney who wrote the prophecy, borne of my ideas and storyline. It fits here perfectly and without her, this chapter wouldn't be here!

Also, I know this is shorter than normal (and took longer to post b/c of the long weekend and other daily life activities!) but I thought this Prophecy deserved a chapter unto itself, pretty much…so here it is! The next chapter will have Harry's Surprise Bday party and certain news for Harry….

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The Prophecy

"Harry, something happened you'll never believe…I'm pregnant."

Hermione paced in front of her mirror shaking her head as she mulled over what she would say.

"Happy Birthday Harry! I have a present for you that I can't really wrap," she muttered to herself, twisting her robe sash in her hands nervously.

"Dammit, Hermione, think of a way to tell him!" Hermione chastised herself as she sunk down onto her bed, cradling her head in her hands moaning quietly to herself. It was early morning, the day after Harry managed to remove the cylinder from his wall. After dinner the previous night they had both gone to bed, exhausted but for two entirely different reasons. Hermione knew she had to tell Harry about her being pregnant sooner than later. She needed him to know, it was his right, but she had to find the courage to tell him.

As she began the process of getting herself showered and dressed, Harry was wrestling with a different issue as he stood on a sidewalk in Hogsmeade. He had told Hermione he needed to go out and get some butterbeer as Bill, Fred and George would be coming over later to see what was inside the cylinder or to help them open it, whatever came first. He had every intention on following through and buying a few bottles, but he also needed to get to Jasmine's Jems right when they opened. As he walked down the sidewalk towards the small out of the way jewelry shop, he could see Jasmine herself flip a sign that now read OPEN. Harry hurried inside just in time to see the tall, red haired witch disappear in to a back room, then come out again carrying a tray of sparkling necklaces.

"Good morning Mister Potter! Merlin, you are prompt!"

"Thanks. I had to sneak out under the guise of butterbeer," Harry took the outstretched hand and shook it firmly. She had an amazing grip and he wondered how she could create such fine jewelry and not break each and every piece. "I'm guessing you got my message I owled last night?"

"Well, if it worked, that's all that matters! Yes I did and I believe I came up with something you might like. Now, you told me you wanted a platinum engagement ring, not too flashy, and with her birthstones incorporated right?"

Harry nodded, his stomach fluttering at the word "engagement". He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. And it was all Ron's fault…truly.

The night before, after Hermione had fallen asleep next to him, Harry had laid awake, tossing and turning and finally decided to head to Hogwarts and see if Ron was around. He just to update him on the cylinder and see how his friend was doing.

Three hours later (with only a half hour being a conversation pertaining to the cylinder) Ron and Harry had talked about Quidditch, school, Ginny, and how weird it was that she might be with Draco. Then, Ron had asked the big question.

"Are you going to marry Hermione?"

Harry stared at his friend across from him in the DADA classroom, not sure if he had heard him correctly. Ron grinned at the surprised look on Harry's face and repeated the question.

"Uh…I haven't really thought…," Harry started but Ron interrupted him.

"Oh, come on! She's perfect for you. You've known each other forever, you're now sleeping with her I'm sure," a typical Harry blush accompanied Ron's statement, "and no one can see either of you with anyone else. If you are sleeping with her and now living with her, I wouldn't string her along. You know how she is about things."

"Yeah, I know…I mean…I can't really see myself living without her," Harry hedged, the idea taking full bloom in his head. It amazed him how warm and happy he felt when thinking about her, with him, for the rest of their lives.

"So, what're you waiting for? If you ask her over the summer, then you could be married over Christmas, take your honeymoon and come back to school a happily married couple!" Ron told him, pointing to Harry's calendar which still said June. Harry nodded, staring at the calendar thinking about what it would feel like to ask Hermione to marry him.

"Ron…it's just weird. I mean, you were with her longer than I have been," Harry started seeing Ron shake his head.

"You've known her a year longer than I have-if you take into account my death, and if you want to get specific about it. You and I can also see how she has matured over the past year. I couldn't ever really see myself marrying her. We were in one of those "first serious relationship" scenes and now we aren't." Ron actually used his fingers as quotes causing Harry to stifle a laugh. He had never seen his friend so conversational about relationships before. "But…as I see the two of you interact and how you basically predict each other's movements, I know you two were meant for each other. Nothing would make me happier than to see the two of you live happily ever after, to be cliché," Ron told Harry.

"Yeah…me too and now that you mentioned it, the whole idea seems so…," Harry let his eyes wander around, trying to find the words to portray how it made him feel to think about marrying his best friend. "I guess it just all of a sudden feels so right."

"Do you think you could surprise her? No one has ever managed to do that before," Ron mused. They were silent for awhile as Harry thought through what he was doing. He knew this was one of the biggest steps in his young life and to surprise Hermione? Well, that would be the icing on the cake.

"I think I can, if I act quickly. If I can get the ring done and propose to her on my birthday, then she would never suspect anything. I mean…who gives someone else a present on their own birthday?"

Ron laughed, which was music to Harry's ears. He had missed his friend so much he wasn't sure how he ever managed to survive the past year.

"Good luck…and go home before she wonders where you are. Keep me posted, mate!"

And so, Harry was bent over the counter looking at three different rings that were on display before him. All were platinum; all had diamonds one carat in weight but that's where the similarities stopped. Harry was truly amazed at the talent Jasmine had in creating a ring for someone she didn't even know. The middle one was seemed to be calling out to Harry. In addition to the sapphire slivers on either side of the ring, Jasmine had added a small ruby between the diamond and sapphires. There were two…and Harry thought of Ron and Ginny when he saw them; that this was everything coming full circle. They were all together, maybe not in this plane of existence but in each other's memories…and a plane Harry had yet to visit. He also knew that ruby was his birthstone and before he could stop himself, he pointed to the middle one.

"I'll take that one."

And just like that, fifteen minutes later Harry had paid in full for Hermione engagement ring. Now, as it was tucked safely in his pocket, he managed to remember to grab a case of butter beer and then hurried back home before she suspected anything.

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Hermione was quiet most of the morning as she poured over books looking for anything on "Potter" and "Prophecy" and Harry was nervous about having such an enormous question looming in his head. But, both were so focused on the cylinder, neither one really noticed the other one was acting out of sorts.

"This is ridiculous," Harry finally said, exasperated as he tugged on the stopper for the umpteenth time. "I think I could use as simple reducto curse and have this stopper out of here."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea, Harry. You might ruin what's inside," Hermione walked over to where he as laying on the sofa, the cylinder was in his hands which were resting on his stomach. "Do you think that maybe we could shrink just the stopper?" Hermione asked reaching for the cylinder. Harry handed it to her and shrugged.

"Maybe if one of us put a shielding charm on the cylinder and the other used a shrinking charm on the stopper, we might be able to do it," Harry thought aloud as he watched Hermione roll it between her hands.

"Do you want to try it? I don't think that would hurt anything. Worse thing that could happen is that it doesn't work," Harry continued as he sat up and moved next to Hermione, where she was standing near the window.

"I agree…okay. Do you want to shield or shrink?"

"I'll shield," Harry took his wand out of his pocket at the same time Hermione pulled hers out. Carefully, she set the cylinder down on the floor and they took a few steps away from it and each other. Their eyes met and Harry nodded that he was ready. Pointing his wand at the cylinder he silently cast the shielding charm while Hermione carefully aimed her wand at the black stopper. Slowly, Harry could see the black stopper begin to move, so slightly and if he wasn't so focused on it at the moment, he was sure he probably would never have noticed if he just happened to glance in the cylinder's direction.

A slight sucking sound reached his ears and, suddenly, the stopper dropped out and rolled away. Simultaneously, Harry and Hermione raised their wands and looked at each other.

"Good job," Harry praised and saw a blush reach her cheeks as she smiled at him.

"Thanks, now let's see what's in there!"

Harry pocketed his wand and reached for the cylinder, his eyes straying to the clock on his wall.

11:07 am was the time. He wasn't sure why he noted that, but for some reason it seemed important to him. He reached for Hermione's hand and tugged her down next to him, then shook the cylinder, upside down into his hand. Easily, a piece of rolled parchment slid onto his hand.

"Wow, that looks pretty old, just like the cylinder hinted," Hermione murmured, leaning over and seeing nothing else in the tube. Carefully, Harry flicked his hand under the wax seal, which was a fancy red "P" pressed into the wax and unrolled it. It was only eight inches or so long and about five inches wide.

"Thankfully, nothing too exotic happened, like last night. Don't think I could do that again," Harry sighed feeling Hermione shift beside him.

"Read it aloud!" Hermione whispered excitedly, grabbing his knee. Harry cleared his throat and began reading the carefully penned words.

"Magic follows no man's will
Heeds no man's call, no wish fulfills
No Wizard masters all its skills
Its secrets writ by no man's quill

Their children ever after, too
Born of love unquestioned true
Will bear amongst them one that who
With eyes of green will carry through."

--H. Potter-Trelawney

"Trelawney? What the hell?" Hermione and Harry voiced at the same time, looking at each other in amazement. Harry's heart was beating rapidly as he tried to make sense of the poetic words that filled his head.

"I don't think I got it all the first time around," Hermione voiced and Harry handed it to her, feeling like he was in a daze. She began reading it aloud again, slowly. As she read, a tone of awe filled her voice. Now being the second time hearing it Harry truly realized what this was. Someone from Professor Trelawney's family was related to him. She, or he, had written this prophecy and once he heard "marked to all by eyes of green" he realized this was about him.

"Well…this basically predicted everything that you and your family have gone through," Hermione said quietly, running a finger gently down the parchment.

"I'm still struggling to understand it all. Once I heard "eyes of green" I knew it was about me," Harry added, reaching in front of him for the cylinder and looking at it carefully.

"Well, in short it talks about where our magic comes from, then talks about your mother's love and how that gave you protection…and if you go on to here," Hermione tilted the parchment towards him and pointed to the eighth stanza, "it's about the Horcruxes and that you rid every single one of them…but in the process of that and Voldemort's followers being around, we lost two loved ones, Ron and Ginny, then goes on about how true love will be found again." Hermione lifted her eyes to Harry who looked at her evenly, knowing that there was a very expensive ring upstairs in his room, hidden. Taking a deep breath he looked to where she was pointing now. She had been running her finger down as she explained each part of the prophecy.

"So, after all this…everything we have gone through," Harry started, his eyes wandering further down, "our children will continue to keep good over evil and one will have green eyes?" Harry questioned, startled to hear a small hiccup sound come from Hermione. He glanced at her and saw her staring at the parchment.

"What is it?" Harry touched her hand and she gave her head a small shake then a small nod, confusing Harry even more.

"You said…you said our children," she whispered, blinking back tears that threatened to spill over. Her hand clenched the paper a bit harder as Harry gave a small, uncomfortable squirm next to her.

`What if I'm wrong? What if she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life with me?' he said to himself. Outwardly, though, he managed a stuttered reply.

"Well…I just thought…I mean I assumed…I know you shouldn't assume but I thought at some point you and I-," Harry began then fell silent as she lifted her head and looked straight at him. He felt his heart jump as he saw the look in her eyes. There were tears glistening in the corners and she looked almost scared and happy at the same time. "Am I wrong?" Harry whispered, hoping she would tell him if he was. He would rather find out now, than on his birthday.

"No," Hermione whispered, shaking her head and carefully placing the parchment on the ground. She leaned over and he met her hug halfway, drawing her to him, "Not at all." She buried her face in his shoulder and forced herself to bring her emotions under control.

Now she knew he thought they would be together in the future. He had thought about them having children and with that truth a great wave of relief washed over her. She felt his hands rubbing her back and she nestled closer, realizing now how much she had gone through to be with him, at this moment.

Now, she could stop wondering what she could get him for his birthday, because she had the one thing no one else had, or would ever have, to give him. And as she pulled back and saw the seriousness in his eyes she gently pushed him back onto the rug. And, right there on the floor, showed him how much she loved him.

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