Revelation
Ryan didn't bother sitting anywhere near Harry and Ron the next morning. He had been hoping to avoid his mother but the matter was taken out of his hands when she didn't show for breakfast.
"How are you doing?" Neville said as he sat across from him.
"I've had better days," Ryan sighed. "But it was nice to wake up on time and without injury." Neville nodded his head. "So did Harry say anything?"
Neville took a sip of orange juice and set the cup back down. "After the verbal lashing you gave him? Not really. He really thinks you are off your rocker, though."
"Maybe I am," he replied morosely.
"You know Ryan, I might not know Harry and Hermione like you do, but I do know them better, here and now. Have you thought that there's a reason that Harry isn't acting on his feelings for Hermione? Why he came to me last to talk about Hermione instead of going to Ro-"
"Mr. Harrison," Professor Lupin stepped up behind Ryan and interrupted them, "a word please?"
When they were out in the corridor and they both made sure that no one was around them to hear what he was about to say, Lupin said, "I figured it out."
A ray of sunlight pierced the dark clouds of Ryan's spirits and he looked up at the professor with hopeful eyes. "You did?"
"Lightning."
"Lightning?"
"Lightning," Professor Lupin repeated. "That is the only thing strong enough that can spark the Time Turner back to life." His face fell. "And that's where we run into a problem, no one knows where lightning will strike or when…Ryan?"
Ryan looked like Christmas had come early. "Be right back," he said and he sprinted to his common room up to the dorms where his trunk lay. The latest edition of Hogwarts: A History lay in his trunk. The edition that included the explosion in the Astronomy Tower that nearly burned it to the ground, an explosion caused by a lightning bolt.
"Incredible," Lupin whispered as soon Ryan showed him the book. "Incredible."
"It says that a lightning bolt caused the explosion in the Astonomy Tower," he eagerly pointed out.
"So it does, Ryan," Lupin frowned. "But you do realize that this said event happens in less than forty-eight hours?"
"Um…"
"And that you haven't gotten your parents together yet?"
Ryan leaned forward, determined. "I thrive under pressure. I'm Harry Potter's son!"
~*~
Harry hadn't seen Hermione all morning in their classes, she didn't show up for lunch, she didn't go to her afternoon classes. He was out of his mind with worry.
And evidently, he wasn't the only one.
Ryan plopped down in front of him, next to Ginny. "Hey Au-Ginny, have you seen Hermione?"
Ginny put down her fork and stared at him. "You know, a simple No Thank You would've sufficed."
Ryan sighed. "Look I didn't mean…I need to speak with her."
Ginny shook her head. "I'm not going to say one word to her nor am I going to lift a single finger to help you."
Frustraed, Ryan walked away. He was going to find his mother himself then.
"What was that about?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked up at him as if she were contemplating what she was going to say next. Finally, she just gave up. "Hermione's been upset all day. A simple `No thanks, I'm just not that into you' from Ryan would've sufficed. He didn't have to yell at her that he wouldn't have anything to do with her. Nearly crushed the poor girl…Harry?"
He couldn't believe that Ryan had said that, he was filled with a sense of outrage.
"I'll talk to you later," he said, absently as he got up and left the table.
The common room was empty but Harry knew that she was up in her room after looking at the Marauder's Map.
"Hermione?" he called out to her. "It's me, Harry. I know you're up there. Could you please come down?"
There was no answer at first but he moved to the foot of the staircase when he heard the scrape of a door opening. Hermione's eyes were puffy and red, her nose was as well and her hair was frizzy and wild. She was still in her pajamas and he briefly wondered if she had been in them all day.
"Hermione," he said softly. "Come down, I want to talk to you."
She crossed her arms and frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, Harry. I just don't feel up to it right now."
Harry moved closer to her, placing a hand on the banister. "Please?" he asked softly.
Hermione looked at him for the longest time before nodding her head and walking down the stairs. She took a seat on one of the couches and Harry sat next to her.
"I hadn't seen you all day and I was worried about you. What happened?"
She turned her head and looked at him. "Harry…do you think I'm pretty?" she asked.
Harry was a little taken aback by her question. He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off.
"I mean. I wore makeup just like Lavender and Parvati do and everyone in our class thinks they are the best looking girls but he didn't even notice me. And I changed my hair, I made it all straight and pretty because every guy likes a girl with smooth, straight and shiny hair and then I was going to change my clothes because they were all dull and boring. Lavender was going to let me borrow some of hers. I tried flirting with him. I just wanted him to notice me and…and…he said I creeped him out!"
She began to cry and Harry felt an outrage at Ryan. "He said what?!"
Hermione looked over at him with wide eyes. "Oh, Harry, no…don't be mad!" She reached out and grabbed his hand just as he sprang out of his seat.
"He said that you creeped him out?!" Harry was in shock. He couldn't believe that someone would say something like that to Hermione.
"You don't have to repeat it," she grumbled. "I mean, what's wrong with me, Harry? Why can't I catch a guy's attention so easily like the other girls do?"
Harry knelt down in front of Hermione. "Because you're not like other girls, you're better. Hermione, you have no idea how beautiful you are. You don't need makeup, you have a natural beauty about you and you don't need to do anything to your hair, it's wonderful as it is. The way it tumbles around your shoulders in gentle curls and I don't know what shampoo you use but it always smells nice, comforting actually…to me. And your mind, my God Hermione, you're so smart. The way you raise your hand in class to answer a question no one else knows is just so…so…endearing. Other girls have to do all that stuff so they can be like you and…what?" She was looking at him in a way that she had never looked at him before. It made him a bit uncomfortable…in a very good way.
"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked him, softly.
Harry stared at her, stared at her beautiful face, her kind brown eyes. "Well…yeah…I…"
Hermione reached out and brushed her palm against his cheek. It had the faint traces of stubble on it but he felt wonderful and Hermione suddenly wondered why she had never noticed it before.
But she had.
She had always noticed Harry. He was always there in her heart, the idea always in the back of her mind, shoved there to protect their friendship. His lips were parted slightly, the lips barely chapped. His eyes darkened slightly from their emerald shade and Hermione thought they reflected the same realization.
"Harry," she whispered as she moved to close the gap between them. Their lips had only brushed together when the portrait door opened and Ron walked in.
Harry sprang away from Hermione whose eyes were wide with surprise. Ron looked between his two friends. He was not smiling.
"So…that's it, huh?" he said before he turned around and stormed back through the door.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other with wide eyes before Harry took off after him.
Ryan was going to kill his uncle.
He was hiding in the stairwell and had witnessed his parent's near-kiss. They had almost gotten together until his Uncle Ron barged in on them. His mother was still sitting on the couch, still in shock. Ryan stepped out to meet her.
As soon as she saw him she got up from the couch. "I have nothing to say to you," she said.
"You don't have to. I just wanted to apologize," he said.
"You're a real jerk, you know that?" she snapped at him.
"Yes, I am. I shouldn't have said to you what I did. It was mean and it was cruel. I was just so frustrated with the two of you!"
"With the two of…what are you talking about?" Hermione shook her head in confusion. "You know what? I don't care and I don't want to know." She moved to the stairs but Ryan stopped her.
"I'm from the future," he said quickly. "I got to this time by a faulty time turner."
Hermione stopped and stared at him. "What?"
"I was on the Platform, ready to board the train to take me to Hogwarts for my final year. I had forgotten my trunk outside of the barrier and when I went back for it, I ran into this lady and I grabbed what I now know was a time turner and…well here I am."
"From the future?" Hermione asked and Ryan nodded. "Prove it."
"Um," Ryan thought for a moment then went back upstairs to retrieve something.
~~~~~~~~
"MUMMY!!!! MUMMY!!!!" Ryan and Emma screamed at the top of their lungs. The two of them were huddled together in the bed, Ryan made the brave leap from his bed to hers, sidestepping the monsters that lived underneath both of their beds. The bed was a safe haven from the creatures whose hiding places were betrayed by the frightening flash of lightning. Poor Michael was left to his own defenses in his crib, screaming and crying until Ryan worked up the courage to retrieve their youngest sibling.
There was another bright flash followed immediately by a crack of thunder that shook the house. Ryan and Emma screamed and dove under the covers.
"Ryan! Emma!" their mother proclaimed as she entered the room. The monsters and creatures scurried away. She moved over to the crib to pick up Michael, who immediately calmed down.
"Mummy, I'm scared," Emma said in a small voice. Another flash, another loud shout of thunder. Their mother jumped slightly.
"Oh dear," she said, "that is a terribly frightening storm. Well, there's only one thing to do. Come along dears," she said, turning away from them. Ryan and Emma scrambled off the bed to follow their mother. Ryan grabbed on to his mother's robe with one hand, his sister's hand with the other as their mother led them to her room.
There was a deep rumbling sound and Ryan stopped in his tracks. His mother turned and looked at him in concern.
"There's a dragon in here," he whispered. His mother looked at him, puzzled for a moment before a wide grin broke out on her face.
"Oh no, darling," she giggled. "That's your father." She led them to the bed and poked at their father. "Move over, Harry," she ordered.
"Huh? What's going on?" his father asked, yawning.
"The children are frightened of the storm," his mother replied as she helped Emma onto the bed.
"There's a storm?" his father said as a loud peal of thunder shook the house again. His mother tutted.
"Hi Daddy!" Emma said, brightly as she snuggled in next to him.
"Hey Princess," he replied, kissing the top of her head. Ryan settled in next while his mother put Michael in between him and her. She reached over and stroked the hair on his head.
"Go to sleep darling, your father and I will keep you safe," she said.
"Promise?" Emma asked.
"Promise," his father answered.
"This is quite a storm isn't it?" his mother said.
"Yeah," his father replied. "Kind of a nice break though, its been so hot and dry lately. This reminds me of the time I had a quidditch match and I couldn't see anything because the water kept fogging up my glasses and you put an Impervious charm on it."
"Hmm, I remember," his mother replied.
"Did I ever thank you for that?"
"I'm sure you did."
"You really are the most brilliant witch of our age, you know."
Ryan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep knowing that his parents were watching over him, keeping him safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here," he said, handing her the newest edition of Hogwarts: A History. Hermione stared at it with wide eyes as she took it from him. She thumbed through the pages that she knew by heart and saw indeed that there were new additions to it. She looked back at him with wide eyes.
"I didn't mean what I said earlier," he went on to explain. "It was mean, I was frustrated and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry. When I said it was giving me the creeps that you were…er…hitting on me, it was because I know you in the future."
"You do?" she asked.
Ryan wiped his sweaty palms on his robes. "You're my mum."
Hermione dropped the beloved book from her hands in favor of gripping the stairs' banister to hold herself up. She felt as if the room were spinning and she couldn't get a grip where she was. There was one thought that did creep forward. She knew how babies were made and if her…son was standing in front of her, then…
"Who…who is…your…who is your father?" she asked.
Ryan looked at her in despair then searched around the room. He found a small glass on a table and he took it, dumping the water inside in the fireplace. He tapped it with his wand and transfigured them to a pair of eyeglasses. He stepped back in front of his mum and slowly put them on his face.
Blood rushed and roared in Hermione's ears when she saw Ryan transform before her very eyes to a near spitting image of Harry.
"Mum?" Ryan asked with concern. Hermione's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted, Ryan catching her before she hit the floor.
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