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Chapter 18: Things That'll Never Die
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They were jerked through time, and when they reached the destination, they stumbled and almost fell. They looked around at where they were and saw it was an empty Dumbledore's office. A note lie on his desk that said two words, `Welcome back.' Julia, Blake and Lily all looked at each other.
"Does that mean it worked?" Julia said. Blake shrugged.
"I think so, but I'm not so convinced."
"Neither am I," Lily agreed.
"Ok, then where do we need to go to see if we're in the right time?" Lily headed for the door, her brother and friend behind her. They went up the stairs and didn't stop walking until they were outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Lily looked around the corner. A black-haired man with glasses was sitting at his desk with his head bent over his work. There was no visible way to tell who it was. Lily leaned back and faced her brother and friend.
"Is it Mum or Dad there or both?"
"I think it's Dad, but I can't see his face, we could be too far into the future."
"Are you serious? Lily, what did you do?"
"I didn't write the date on the piece of paper, Jules did."
"What I put the date in, December 21st, 2024." Looks of horror appeared on Lily and Blake's face.
"Jules, you were only supposed to put how many years we wanted to go into the future, not the year."
"What?"
"You were supposed to write nineteen on the paper. We might have gone two thousand and twenty-four years into the future."
"No, but you already said that your dad was there at the desk, so maybe we went to the right year."
"Lily thinks it's Dad, Jules, it might not be, who knows, they might have started this generational thing that a Potter always teaches DADA."
"Blake I think you're overreacting, who knows maybe that potion reads the dates too, since she wrote the month and day we wanted to go to."
"I hope so." All three of them stood in the doorway, looking at the man at the desk. Lily put her fist up to her mouth and cleared it. The man looked up, and silent sighs of relief went through the three as they saw the lightening shaped scar on his forehead and recognized him as Harry Potter. Harry smiled.
"Morning you three. You're up early." Lily looked at her watch and saw it read 5:30 in the morning.
"So it is. Well, you know how that is, when you wake up, it's hard to get back to sleep, so Jules had to wake the rest of us up."
"I did not." The three of them walked up to the desk.
"What are you up to this morning, Dad?" Blake asked.
"Auror work. You know, I'll be so glad when we can get all these Death Eaters in Azkaban where they belong. Then maybe I can sleep at night without worrying that one of them won't break in in the middle of the night and avenge his master by killing all four of us during the summer." Harry ran a hand through his hair and started reading again.
"Well, it's only happened once, like a long time ago," Lily said. "We were like, what, nine?"
"Once is too many, Lils." Lily and Blake looked at each other, remembering that night when a Death Eater, trying to avenge the death of his master by killing his defeater and his wife and children. Lily and Blake couldn't sleep that night, something felt funny and they just couldn't sleep. They went downstairs to warm up a couple glasses of warm milk; they heard that worked. When they reached the last step, Blake put a hand out to stop his sister behind him.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"I heard something, someone's here."
"What?!" She whispered in surprise. Lily and Blake looked around the corner into the living room and saw a man in a black mask walking around the room, occasionally stumbling over things in the dark. He didn't see them, nor heard them as they ran back up the stairs up to their parents' room. They opened the door and ran to their parents' bed.
"Mum, Dad, wake up." Hermione woke up first.
"What is it you two," she said sleepily. "What are you doing up still?"
"Someone's downstairs."
"What? I think you two are hearing things, come on, go back to bed."
"No, seriously, we saw him. He was tall with a black mask on his face." Hermione sighed and was about to throw back the blankets when she heard something fall downstairs. She jumped at the noise and finally believed her son and daughter. She turned and shook her husband awake.
"Harry, wake up. Harry."
Harry's voice was muffled from his pillow as he said sleepily, "What?"
"Wake up, someone's downstairs."
"Who is?"
"I don't know, but Lily and Blake described him, and I think it might be Death Eater." Harry, now wide-awake, sat up fast and grabbed his glasses and wand and threw back the blankets. Lily handed her wand to her mother as she crawled out of bed and put on her robe. Harry had also put on his robe too, and was already out the door on his way downstairs.
Hermione said at the door, "You two stay in here, if anything happens to us, try and floo to Ron and Luna's. Do you understand?" Lily and Blake nodded. Hermione closed the door behind her and the twins heard her walk down the stairs. They couldn't hear much, just muffled voices and crashing around. After what seemed like hours, the twins heard someone come up the stairs and they hid in the closet for fear that it was the Death Eater coming up the stairs. They heard the door open and heard their mother's voice say,
"Lily? Blake? Where are you?" They opened the closet door and ran to Hermione and hugged her tight. Tears were coming down Lily's face.
"Are you alright? Is Dad alright?"
"We're both fine, Dad is on his way to the Ministry right now to haul the Death Eater off."
"Is he dead?"
"No, just stunned by a powerful stunning spell. Come on, let's go downstairs, I'll make you some hot chocolate." The three of them went downstairs and the twins sat down at the table while their mother made their mugs of cocoa. An hour later, Harry apparated back and immediately Lily ran to him and hugged him. He picked her up and held onto her.
Harry said comfortingly, "Everything's ok now, Lily. Don't worry."
"No more of this?"
"No more." Husband and wife shared a worried glance, which made their son worry too and doubt that this would be the last of the attempted attacks.
"Well, I've got some things to get done before we leave today, so why don't you three go have some breakfast and make sure you're packed?" The trio nodded and instead of going down to the Great Hall, went up to the common room. They sat in the chairs that it seemed like just a few hours ago they were sitting in with their seventeen-year-old parents. They were silent for a while, until Blake broke the silence.
"I remember that day. When the Death Eater broke in."
"So do I."
"The day after I thought Mum and Dad would split up."
"It was just a conversation, Blake. It wasn't a fight, they wouldn't have split up over a conversation like that."
"I know that. But then it seemed like they would. I was nine, Lils."
"Hermione, why did you marry me?" Hermione set the knife down she was using to chop tomatoes and turned to her husband.
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Just answer it."
"Because I love you, that's why."
"But why though?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"If you hadn't married me, you wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of Death Eaters killing you in your sleep, or killing your children." Hermione sighed and came over and sat down on her husband's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"That's what this is about, Harry?"
"You'd be safer without me."
"I don't care how much safer I'd be, I love you, and I'm not leaving you. No matter what happens, or what I'm at risk to. I've stuck by you through everything, even through the battle against Voldemort, and if that was bad, then anything a Death Eater would try would be unproblematic."
"But if Lily and Blake hadn't seen him then he could've killed us all."
"Harry, just because you were destined to defeat Voldemort, doesn't mean you were destined to be alone. You deserve happiness in your life now that he's gone."
"It's not really a great thing for my family to have to keep watch out for Death Eaters."
"No, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're there for us, to protect us from those Death Eaters."
"For the moment." He looked away, and Hermione sighed.
"Harry, look at me. Look at me," he finally turned his gaze back to her, and she said firmly, "I'm not leaving you. Not ever. You're too good of a husband and father to let go, and I love you too much. You can't get rid of me that easily," Hermione said with a smile. Harry gave a feeble smile.
"We'll be fine, Harry. Lily, Blake, and I are better off with than without you."
"So, Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, when will you enlighten dear Professors Potter of your relationship?"
"Soon."
"And if you tell, we'll tell about you and Will."
"Speaking of which, I must go find young Mr. Finnigan, have a little chat with him about dating my little sister."
"Don't, please, Blake," Lily pleaded.
"I won't talk with him if you don't say anything."
"Alright. I promise. But you have to tell them sometime, if it gets serious, you can't just go off and get married without them knowing about it."
"Duh. And it's not that serious right now." Lily looked at her watch.
"Well, we'd better get packed." The other two nodded and all three went to their respective rooms.
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"All packed?"
"Yep. All packed." Blake cast a spell on all the trunks to shrink them so they'd fit into their pockets. They stepped off the Hogwarts grounds.
"Are we stopping at home first, Harry, or are we going to my Grandpa and Grandma's right away?"
"You're supposed to stop at home first, but we're going to go straight to your Grandpa and Grandma's. Ok, so you know where you'll all apparating to?" They all nodded.
"Ok, let's go." All five of them apparated and the Potters arrived in the foyer of the Weasley home, where they were greeted with hugs and kisses from Molly.
"It's so good to see you all again, it's been a while. Harry, Hermione, why don't you bring your children over more often?" Harry laughed.
"I think you have enough grandchildren of your own to worry about that you need two more."
"Nonsense, Harry, a woman can never have too many grandchildren. So are you hungry?" Hermione smiled sweetly.
"No, we're fine thanks, Molly, we ate before we left."
"Oh, Hermione, you ought to know better by now that you never eat before you come here."
"Yes, I know, but since we did, we have to make sure and save room in our stomachs for the excellent dinner you have for us once everyone gets here, so we shouldn't eat anymore." Mrs. Weasley blushed slightly and gave Harry another hug.
"You flatter me more than Ron does, Harry."
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That evening, almost the entire Weasley clan was gathered together for dinner. Molly and Arthur of course were there, along with Bill, Fleur and their four children, Percy, Penelope, and their six children, Fred and Angelina and their six children, George, Alicia, and their six children, with a seventh on the way, Ron and Lavender and their five children, and Ginny and Draco with their four children, and the four who technically weren't Weasleys, but were still part of the family, the Potters. They all were congregated out in the garden, which had been enchanted to keep warm and dry while they ate. During the main course, Fred asked all his older nieces and nephews,
"Alright, what's the latest gossip at Hogwarts? Who's causing trouble and everything?"
"Honestly Fred, do you even have to ask that? You know your sons and George's sons are causing trouble again," Angelina said.
"No, I think lately they've been outdone," said Harry. Fred's eyes widened in surprise.
"By who? They'd better be Weasleys." Hermione sighed.
"Fred, you shouldn't condone mischief to your sons and daughters and nieces and nephews, it makes everything worse for us teachers."
"That's what's so good about it, Professor Potter. But no, who's gone and outdone my sons?"
"Well, one of them is a Weasley, the other two aren't though," Julia said.
"Which is kind of ironic and sad that the son and daughter of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers are the top mischief makers along with Julia," Percy's son Philip said with an air of one who thinks he is better than everyone else, being Head Boy gave him that aspect of personality. "I would have expected better from Uncle Ron's daughter." Bill snorted.
"Well, apparently you don't know your Uncle Ron very well, Phil."
Just to spite Philip, Lily shook her brother's hand and said brightly, "Heck yes, we've surpassed Fred's sons in the mischief making!"
"Next stop, passing Fred and George."
"Hey, you'll never pass us up, you three. We're impassable," George said.
"Oh that'd be just what this school needs is more of Fred and George type antics," Hermione said sarcastically. Everyone but Molly, Percy, Penelope, and Percy and Penelope's children laughed at the statement.
"Ok, enough about the mischief making, who's going out with who now?" George said after the laughter had died down. Questions went around the table to the Weasley offspring, and answers were given back. Lily raised an eyebrow at her brother and best friend, and a mischievous smile snaked its way onto her face. Julia glared back at her friend, and their gazes were broken when they heard George ask,
"So how about the second generation trio? Who are you all going out with?" Neither one answered right away.
"No one? I'm finding that hard to believe. Jules, nobody?" Lily grinned innocently and coughed. Through her cough you could hear, "Blake." Julia and Blake's eyes widened in surprise. Fred grinned.
"What? Did I hear that right? Blake? As in Harry's son Blake?" Lily nodded as Julia fixed a glare on her. Fred laughed.
"Oh this is great."
Ron cleared his throat and said, "How long as this been going on?"
"A few days," Julia answered somewhat nervously, still glaring at Lily. She pulled her gaze from Lily to her father, who looked at Harry. They looked at each other for a moment, while the entire table hung in silence.
"Well?" Ron said.
"Well what?"
"What do you think of this?" Harry shrugged.
"What about it?"
"Your son and my daughter are going out, and you have nothing to say about it?"
"What is there to say about it? So they're going out, so what? They're seventeen now, they're adults." Ron turned to Lily,
"Please tell me Lils that you're going out with one of the Weasleys, cuz' I wanna see the look on your Dad's face when he finds that out."
"No, I'm not going out with one of the Weasleys boys."
"No, she's going out with a Finnigan though." Lily glared at Julia.
"Hey, I promised, if you don't tell, I won't tell, and you told, so I told."
"Finnigan? Will Finnigan? Seamus's oldest son?" Harry said. Lily nodded silently. Harry looked around the table and smiled.
"When does second term start again?"
"Dad, don't. Please."
"How long have you two been going out?"
"A few months."
"A few months?"
"Yes, and I didn't say anything because I knew you'd be all Dadlike about it." Draco laughed.
"Lils, that happens when guys have daughters."
"But Will Finnigan? Seriously?" Harry said.
Hermione sighed and said dreamily, "Ah Lils I don't blame you, he looks a lot like his dad." Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw her husband looking at her. She glanced at him and then looked at the people around the table.
"Did I say that out loud?" Everyone nodded, having a hard time keeping from laughing. Hermione turned in her chair to face her husband.
"I love you." Harry looked away and shook his head and everyone laughed. Blake leaned over and kissed Julia on the cheek and she smiled. George saw it and pointed at Blake.
"Hey, no PDA at the dinner table." Blake leaned back and put his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry."
"You've got some nerve, Blake; kissing Ron Weasley's only daughter in front of him," Bill said. Blake grinned.
"What can I say? I'm a Potter, I take risks even if it's a danger to my life." Everyone laughed in agreement.
Ron said to Harry, "If your son is anything like you romantically, I might have to hurt him."
"If you hurt my son, I'll hurt you." Hermione said,
"And if you hurt my son or my husband, Mr. Weasley, I'll hurt you too, worse."
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That night, after everyone was in bed for the night, Lily got up from her bed and weaved her way through the many beds full of her adoptive cousins and to the desk in the corner. She pulled out her wand and whispered, "Accio journal!" Her journal came silently flying to her, and she caught it. Grabbing a quill and ink and sitting down, she opened the book and flipped to where she left off. She wrote about the successes and failures of the time travel trip, and wrote about the widely known relationships out in the open now. She concluded her entry with,
"In all the things I've learned from this, these things'll never die: Love; Her mum and dad, and her and Will, and Julia and Blake, and Luna and Ron just to name a few. Hopes and dreams; Her hopes and dreams for the future, to become an Auror, get married and have a family. Family; The dinner tonight gathering with the entire Weasley family, and the four of them; Harry, Hermione, and Lily and Blake. Friends; Julia Hope Weasley, Blake James Potter, and Lily Anne Potter, the second-generation trio. The past; Her parents as seventeen year olds, growing up, learning lessons of life…and those tricky deals of fate.
A/n: Hey hey!! Here's the last chapter to Those Tricky Deals of Fate. Hope you enjoyed it; I know I enjoyed writing it!! The sequel should be up soon, I'm not going to give an exact date but soon, so look for Fate's Never Ending Cycle!! Anyways, please review!!! TTYL everyone, love ya lots!!!
Husker-fan-2006
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