AN~ I know I should be working on finishing MOI but I just had this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone. I'm even less supposed to be working on this because there is another challenge I accepted recently, but what can I say, Mathew got in my head and wouldn't quit bugging me until I told his story I hope you enjoy it.
`Hermione Voldemort is dead, and… so is… Harry's… I'm sorry Hermione, Harry didn't survive.'
***
`I'm leaving Ron, I'm sorry but you've got your family and Luna, I know you'll be ok, I just have to get away.' Ron just looked at her in shock so she continued.
`I won't be gone forever just… well for a long time probably.'
`But how will I get in touch with you?' he asked pain in his eyes.
`I'd prefer if you didn't. I promise, I'll be back when I'm ready. You'll always be my best friend…'
***
It was the eleventh anniversary of Harry's death when Hermione finally decided it was time to make good on her promise to Ron that she would return someday. The pain of loosing him, though ever present in her life, had dulled sufficiently that she felt she could once again visit the burrow without feeling as though her heart was being ripped out.
She felt odd just thinking about going back there but she knew it was necessary; she'd been hiding too long. She'd left England and gone just about as far away as she could. Melbourne Australia was her hiding place of choice, it was large enough that a single individual wouldn't stand out and enough like home that she was able to slip into the lifestyle without too much difficulty, it also prevented her homesickness from being too severe.
She had built a life here, made friends, gotten a good job, made a house a home, it would be really hard to leave it all behind. But as much as she had settled herself in this place she had never allowed herself to get too attached, her friends were lovely but not too close, she had changed jobs every two years or so, and all of the homey touches she'd made to her home were with nick nacks and other things that could be moved easily. She'd always known that at some point she'd go back, if for no other reason than she wanted her son, Harry's son, to go to Hogwarts.
Hermione had found out that she was pregnant not long after the memorial service for Harry had been held. The shock of the pregnancy and her grief over Harry's death were the two main motivating factors for her flight from the magical community and England. If the Daily prophet, or any other wizzarding news service, had discovered she was carrying Harry's child they would have hounded her and her son. Hermione hadn't wanted that kind of life for her child and she knew that Harry wouldn't have wanted that either.
Giving birth in a muggle hospital, rather than a wizzarding one, had made the birth harder on her physically but it was more than made up for by the fact that absolutely no fuss was made over the name Harry Potter as the father on the birth certificate, and even less fuss was made over giving their child Harry's last name. Unfortunately as much as Hermione wanted her son to be a Potter she had simply found it easier to register him at primary school and everywhere else using her last name, most people assumed they shared the same name anyway. So although he was legally Mathew Harry Potter, he had grown up simply as Mathew Granger.
Right now the young man in question was out in the backyard playing basketball with the hoop that she had hooked to the garage for his birthday. He'd turned ten a few months ago and ever since Hermione had been thinking about her return to England. If she wanted him to get a letter of acceptance from Hogwarts they would have to return soon, she wanted him to have a chance to get settled and get used to everyone before he started school, Merlin knew he would have a lot to get used to.
She'd written to Ron the day before telling of her plans to return and she held her reply in her hand. She was amazed at how quickly he'd replied given how long she'd been gone, but she supposed that she had warned him she'd be gone a long time.
Dear Hermione,
Thank Merlin you are finally coming back. It's strange that you have big news that you wanted to prepare us for and I should warn you likewise that I have some big news for you too.
I know you said I'd freak when I found out what it was and oddly enough I want you to be prepared to freak out when you find out what our news is.
This is so strange that we both have big freaky news for each other but I agree with you that some things are best said face to face.
I can't wait to see you again, All my love,
Ron.
He was probably married with five kids Hermione thought amused by his letter, goodness knows what he thought her news was but she knew it couldn't possibly be as big as what she had to tell him.
If they were really going back to England she would need to talk to Mathew about it thoroughly before they left and prepare him for the pandemonium that was likely to great their arrival. Thankfully he was every bit as intelligent and confident as she had been at his age, though in every other respect he was his father's son. Sometimes looking at him with his messy black hair and bright green eyes she felt like she'd been transported back in time to her first year at Hogwarts.
`Mathew, come inside please honey, we need to talk.'
Mathew caught the basketball easily and came into the house, sitting down at the kitchen table across from his mother he looked at her quizzically.
`What's up Mum?'
`Well you've always know I was a witch and I went to a very special school called Hogwarts in Scotland.'
`Yeah, you even made me read that book Hogwarts a History.'
`Well I've always wanted you to go to Hogwarts and I know it's what your father would have wanted as well,'
`You've told me that before Mum, so we're moving back to the UK is that it?'
`Yes, we'll be leaving in two weeks but before we go there are some things that I haven't told you, about your father, that you'll need to know.'
Mathew looked at her confused for a moment before speaking,
`But you told me he was dead, he is dead, isn't he?'
`Well yes and please don't speak about it that way Mathew you know it upsets me.'
`I'm sorry mum, but what is it that you haven't told me about dad, and why is it so important?'
`Do you remember I told you about that Dark Wizard that killed your father, and how he had killed the Dark Wizard in his dying moments?'
`Of course I remember Mum.'
`Well the Dark Wizard was so Dangerous and feared that by killing him your father became famous, actually there is more to it than that. You see, this Dark Wizard had been trying to kill your father for a long time, ever since he was only a baby, so your father was famous all his life and only became even more famous in his death.'
`Ok but that was a long time ago, people aren't going to care now are they?'
`It wasn't so long ago, and you see when I left I didn't tell anyone about you and haven't been in contact with them at all, I asked them not to contact me before I left.'
`I know that.'
`When the Wizzarding world finds out about you I'm afraid they are going to get very excited, especially as you are the absolute spitting image of your father.'
***
It was a lot to take in, most of the story Mathew had already known. His mother had never tried to hide her magical nature from him, though she had told him he couldn't tell any of his friends about it, and she had answered his questions honestly. When he was younger he'd asked her about his father a lot, so he knew she still loved him and he knew most things about his life, but as he'd gotten older he'd realised how much it upset her and he'd stopped asking. Sometimes she'd volunteered information, like when he'd first asked about where she'd learned to do magic, she'd told him all about Hogwarts and that's when he'd first found out that she wanted him to go there when he was old enough. It had made him a bit sad at the time to realise that he would have to leave behind all his friends and everything that was familiar and that's why his mum had given him Hogwarts a History to read.
After reading that book he'd been nothing but excited about the prospect of attending Hogwarts someday. He'd even bragged to his friends about the fact that one day he was going to go to boarding school in Scotland, though few of them had been suitably jealous as he wasn't allowed to explain to them why it was so special. After his talk with his mother she'd given him a scrap book of newspaper clippings about his father, she'd put it together shortly before leaving the UK with the intention of giving it to him one day, so that he would understand exactly how the wizzarding media had treated his father. His mother said she wanted to prepare him.
He was using his time on the trans Atlantic flight to read through them all, it was a good thing this was a long flight cause there were heaps of them. The scrapbook started with articles written after his father's parents had died, they all seemed to say the same thing, in the most sensationalized language possible, that Harry had survived and `You know who' (he assumed they meant Voldemort) had disappeared. Then there was a small article about his father starting at Hogwarts. Then there was a set of articles in his fourth year at first praising him and talking about his sadness at loosing his parents, then another article claiming he had found love, then an article about how the girl he loved (his own mother) was using him, then an article about how he was disturbed and potentially dangerous, then finally a tiny article about him winning the Tri-Wizard tournament. It was enough to make Mathews head spin, the poor guy; he'd been a fourteen year old orphan when they'd written all this stuff about him.
The more he read the angrier he became on his father's behalf, in the space of two years they went from calling him an attention seeking lunatic to hailing him as the next messiah. The series of articles after his death were the most disturbing and he could finally appreciate fully why his mother had left England all those years ago, he would have left too. He still didn't understand why she'd cut herself off from all contact with her friends, but he guessed he'd figure it out eventually. With that in mind he closed the scrap book and settled down to sleep, his head full of dreams of what his new life would be like.
***
`Settle down Harry, she'll be here soon.' Ron begged as he watched his best friend pace up and down the living room of the burrow.
`She's late, Hermione is never late. What if she's changed her mind?'
`She would've written and told me. She wouldn't just not show up. She said she'd be gone for a long time and she asked me not to try and contact her in the meantime because she'd be back when she was ready. She's been gone nearly eleven years, she's obviously ready to come back now.'
`I just wish we'd been able to find her, I wish…. I wish it was only 11 months ago that we last saw her instead of 11 years.'
`I wish we'd been able to find her too mate, but you know what Hermione's like she doesn't do anything halfway, if she doesn't want you to find her you won't.'
At that moment there was a nock at the door, Harry looked at Ron in panic and practically ran up the stairs to hide. They had agreed that Ron should try and tell her gently first before Harry came in, it was their sneaky little plan to avoid her having a heart attack or some other equally fatal kind of reaction. Ron waited until Harry was out of sight before he answered the door. Hermione stood on the step looking nervous.
`Hi Ron good to see you.'
Ron didn't say anything he just wrapped her in the biggest hug of her life. When they finally broke apart Hermione was smiling but still looked nervous.
`Come in, have a seat.' Ron said indicating toward the table, `I think we should get our big news over and done with don't you?'
`Yeah, Ron, I just want to say I'm really sorry for not telling you about this but I just thought it was better this way.'
`It's ok Hermione really, I tried to contact you in every way I could think of, I'm sorry I couldn't, cause I know you would really have wanted to know this.'
`You're going to be really shocked Ron,' Hermione warned.
`So are you Hermione,' Ron replied.
`I've got someone that I want you to meet, waiting in the car; I'll go and get him.'
Ron smiled, `Another coincidence then, I've got someone who really wants to see you, waiting upstairs.'
They both stood up, Hermione going out to her car and Ron heading upstairs. As timing goes it was impeccable, Ron had just re-entered the kitchen with Harry in tow when Hermione re-entered with Mathew. Hermione came to a sudden dead stop when she saw Harry. Then shrieking and crying she flung herself across the room and into his waiting arms.
`Oh my god Harry you're alive!' she was sobbing as he held her tight, `I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were alive.'
`Hey it's ok Hermione, me being alive is a good thing, I know you didn't know, we tried to find you to tell you but we couldn't.' He said as he smoothed her hair back trying to comfort her.
Ron then turned to see who it was that Hermione had wanted him to meet and found himself staring at an almost perfect copy of Harry as he had been when they had first met. Ron stood gaping for a moment staring at the little Harry copy, the little Harry copy was staring, just as stunned, at his mother and the man she was greeting so enthusiastically. When Harry and Hermione finally broke apart the little boy spoke for the first time.
`Mum,' Harry and Hermione turned as one, a look of shock appearing on Harry's face as soon as he spotted the little boy who had spoken, `Is that man my father?' he asked pointing at Harry.
`That's a good question Hermione,' Harry said now turning to look at her, `Am I his father?'
Hermione bit her lip and glanced up at Harry, then nodded once.
`Mathew, this is Harry Potter, your father, and Ron Weasley, my very good friend from Hogwarts.'
A/N ~ Oh dear that means I now have three, In progress fics… well I guess that means I need to get cracking on MOI…
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