What I Always Wanted
Epilogue: Coming Home
Hermione strode into the nursery to find Harry, dressed in his dinner things, lying on the floor wand in hand bouncing their five month old twins into the air. It had been the twins' delighted shrieks of laughter that had alerted her to the fact that Harry was entertaining them. James and Lily were always ten times more exuberant when their father was around. It seemed that the littlest Potters had inherited more than Harry's jet black hair and startling green eyes. They also seemed to have his love of flying through the air. Hermione smiled fondly as she stood in the doorway watching the three most important people in her life for a moment before she contorted her face into a stern expression and clearing her throat called out.
"Harry, I just put them down and now you've got them all wound up it'll be the devil for mum and dad to get them settled down again."
Harry bounced the twins higher into the air and their squeals rose in pitch. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the din the two were making.
"I would think that as Robert and Helen want to spend as much time with their grandchildren as possible they'd rather they be awake."
"First of all if mum and dad heard you calling them by their given names they'd be crushed, and secondly, as true as it may be that mum and dad would rather Jamey and Cary be wide awake for the duration of their visit, they won't be the ones dealing with a pair of crying, cranky babies banging miscellaneous pieces of furniture about in a fit of temper at four in the morning, that'll be me. So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop winding them up."
Harry looked from the twins giggling madly in midair to the place where Hermione was framed in the doorway tapping her toe against the floor. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his stunning wife. She was wearing the simple black dress she'd worn for their wedding reception. He'd specifically requested that she wear the dress seeing as how it was their anniversary it'd seemed appropriate. As his eyes travelled up Hermione's slender legs to her face his eyes stopped to linger on the cleavage the front of her dress allowed him to see.
Hermione smiled as she caught the expression swathing Harry's face.
"See something you like Mr. Potter?"
In one swift movement Harry was on his feet, it took only two strides for him to cover the distance between. His arm darted out and locking itself around her waist pulled her snugly against him. Harry lowered his head and Hermione parted her lips allowing him full access to her waiting mouth. The kiss was deep and passionate and a bit frenzied; they clung to each other as though they sought to devour the other. Harry turned them around pressing Hermione's body against the doorframe while he caressed her back and arse. She moaned wantonly and ground against him as she felt his arousal press against her. Harry's mouth left hers fleetingly as he trailed kisses down her neck to the sensitive throbbing pulse at its base and back up again to her mouth where their lips met again in a blazing kiss. Harry's left hand had moved from her waist up her side to cup her full breast.
Suddenly, the sound of a clearing throat intruded upon their lust clouded embrace; Hermione opened her eyes to find her parents standing just outside the doorway looking horrifically uncomfortable. Hermione blushed scarlet as she shoved Harry away and stammered.
"Mum, Dad, you're here… Ha… Harry and I… were… were..."
Helen Granger her cheeks as scarlet as those of her daughter waved her hand in a gesture that clearly imparted that any explanation of their behavior was unnecessary. Like her mother Hermione nods and says to the room at large.
"I'm going to go and finish getting ready."
Before anyone can respond she has fled the room. Helen looked across the room and spying the still floating twins gave a startled gasp. Harry looked around as well and upon seeing what his mother-in-law was gawking at he broke into a wide grin. Turning to Robert he pointed to the twins and exclaimed.
"Would you look at that… they're doing it all on their own… sustained levitation at their… oh you've got your mummy's brains don't you!"
Robert Granger smiled as his son-in-law rushed across the room and scooped his son and daughter into his arms twirling them around eliciting another chorus of shrieking laughter. He then deposited a kiss on each of their foreheads before sitting them down in their playpen where Helen set about settling them down.
Harry walked back over to Robert and invited him downstairs for a drink. He had a very nice Baron de Sigognac brandy that he was certain his father-in-law would enjoy. As they sat sipping their brandy Robert asked.
"How did the trail proceedings go today?"
Harry shrugged.
"It wasn't much of a trial really, more along the lines of a sentencing. They were just kids really; most of them had no idea about Ben and Lyra's plans to use the Book of Spells to overthrow the Ministry… still they were party to the conspiracy so they were each sentenced to six months in Azkaban."
Robert nodded his head absently. Before he could reply Hermione stepped into the room smiling brightly. Not long after the pair had said their good byes to Hermione's parents and were safely ensconced in the car heading to the restaurant. Hermione had been unusually quiet during the drive. She had over heard her father and Harry talking and though she knew that many of the young witches and wizards who'd been sentenced in relation to her kidnapping had been tricked and lied to in order to gain their support and cooperation she still could not muster up a great deal of sympathy for their plight. They'd been responsible for holding her captive and endangering the lives of her children thus she couldn't quite manage to feel bad about their having to spend time in Azkaban, a small part of her even felt that six months was a bit light considering that it had been Harry Potter's wife and Agamemnous Melbourne's daughter that had been held prisoner. Hermione's mind drifted to Lyra, and she wondered if her fate had been decided as her compatriots had been. Turning in her seat slightly and focusing intently on Harry she said.
"I heard you and daddy talking about the trials earlier, and I'd like to know what if anything has been decided about Lyra.
Harry sighed. He had suspected that Hermione had over heard his and Robert's conversation. Not wanting to ruin their evening but knowing that Hermione wouldn't rest until her questions were answered he replied.
"Well there's been no change in her condition. She just sis and stares at the walls. Physically there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. The healers at St. Mungos have tried every charm, spell and potion known to wizarding kind and still she just sits there. They say she appears to be in some sort of catatonic state brought on by her hand in her sister's death."
Hermione chewed her lip for a moment before asking a second question.
"And they believe that this breakdown of hers is real?"
Harry nodded.
"They don't seem to think they have a reason to believe otherwise."
The image of Leah being blown across the room and into the wall at the hand of her twin sister Lyra flashed across Hermione's mind. Perhaps she should send that particular memory to the Wizengamot so they'd have a clearer picture of the type of cruelty Lyra Penneford was capable of.
Harry saw the tension as it settled across Hermione's shoulders, reaching across the seat he grasped Hermione's hand in his and caressed it reassuringly as he spoke.
"I've spoken to the Wizengamot and they've agreed that its best if Lyra be sent to Gevangenis Hospital for the Incurably Criminally Insane, they have experience with these kinds of cases and they'll be able to sort out whether she's faking or not."
Hermione nodded.
"You must think I'm horrible for feeling this way."
Harry shook his head.
"I'd actually be more concerned if you weren't feeling this way considering everything that happened."
Hermione nodded. Harry smiled and added.
"No more talk about anything unpleasant, we're celebrating."
Hermione returned Harry's smiled and leaning across the seat she planted a kiss on his cheek before agreeing with Harry's pronouncement.
"Absolutely."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry had wanted the evening to be special, just he and Hermione with no one shoving a camera in their faces, peppering them with loads of questions about the trial and the children. Thus he had made plans for the evening in muggle London. Because they were not famous in the muggle world it was often easier to enjoy private moments in environments that the majority of wizards were less likely to frequent. Tonight had been no exception. In celebration of their first year of marriage Harry had taken Hermione to see the play Arcadia at the Duke of York's Theatre followed by a romantic dinner at Petrus. After dinner they'd gone for a lovely stroll around the Thames before heading back to the car and Hermione thought home. Thus, she was quite surprised when Harry directed the magically enhanced Mercedes 320 sedan out of the city. Within half an hour they had pulled onto a long and winding gravel track which brought them to a stately old manor house some fifty miles west of London. Sooner than Hermione could open her mouth to ask where they were and why Harry stopped the car and hastily scrambled out. Offering her his hand he helped her out of the car and wrapping an arm about her waist turned her so that she facing the manor and the rolling expanse of an estate on which it sat. Smiling brightly Harry asked.
"Look familiar?"
Hermione was about to say no when suddenly she was hit by the oddest feeling of déjà vu. She had seen this house before she was certain of it. Her eyes scanned the darkened grounds and felt a familiarity in the trees that dotted the meadow; she had been here before of before but when. She was just about to ask Harry whose house it was when she remembered a dream that Harry had once shown her, a dream with a green-eyed little boy with the mop of messy brown hair careening through the air astride a broom with his green-eyed, messy dark haired father. This was the very same house that Harry had shown her when he'd asked her to marry him. Staring incredulously at the house before her Hermione exclaimed.
"You bought the house from your dream!"
Still grinning Harry replied.
"Not exactly… I had house built."
Hermione turned to Harry the surprised expression still covering her face.
"You built the house?"
Harry nodded. Hermione added another query.
"But the estate… how did you…"
Harry cut in.
"I've owned the property for sometime now. Since Ron bought the cottage in Hertfordshire actually."
Seeing the stunned look on his wife's face he gave a small chuckle before going on.
"Ron was proving so hard to please that the estate agent thought it might be a good idea to show him some property as building a house seemed more of a likely option for him than purchasing one. Ron wasn't too keen on building though so he passed on the idea. But I saw… well… you know what I saw… so I bought the estate."
"You've had this all that time?"
Harry nodded.
"Its just sat here idle until Jamey and Cary came along that is… after coming so close to losing you I though I had better get moving on my promise to you about our stopping living the life we were meant to live in dreams."
The words were barely out of Harry's mouth when Hermione threw her arms around him in a vise-like grip and kissed him with such force and passion that when she finally let him go he staggered back a few paces. Hermione's kiss reminded Harry of their earlier interlude in the nursery at Grimmauld Place. Robert and Helen knew all about the house and had prepared to stay the night with the twins.
Out of the blue Harry realized how truly fortunate to have Hermione in his life, how fortunate he had always been to have her unwavering devotion and love, especially her love. It seemed that he had spent his entire life searching for the one thing that would make him complete without realizing that she had been right by his side since he was eleven years old. A broad grin broke across his face as he scooped his wife up into his arms and strode off towards their new home and the life that he had always wanted.