Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the 'Harry Potter' universe. I don't make money from writing this crap, and I certainly don't claim any rights to the lyric bits, either.

A/N: Well… this is it. I hope you all liked the ride. There were many twists and turns, numerous ups and downs, and more than a few laughs and tears. I'm going to take a small break, and then I'll be re-releasing the first chapter of the story, 'Message in a Bottle.' I want to thank all of the reviewers on both Portkey and on FFdotNET, you've kept me in line, pointed out glaring mistakes and discrepancies, and have given me more than a few good ideas. I know the last chapter was a bummer… I'm so sorry to all of you who think I did a terrible thing, but I knew what was going to happen when I first started writing this story. Well, sit back and try to enjoy this last installment of Demon's Soul/Lost Demon. If you haven't reviewed up to this point, now's the time to let me know how good/bad/disappointing/whatever this story was. Thanks again to all of you who have stuck with me. I love you all. (Word Count: 6527)

-----~-----

Chapter 53: A New Morning (Kinda like an epilogue… thingie… ^_^)

I will come for you at nighttime,
I will raise you from your sleep,
I will kiss you in four places,
and I'll go running along your street.
I will squeeze the life out of you,
you will make me laugh and make me cry,
and we will never forget it…
you will make me call your name, and I'll shout it to the blue, summer sky.

We may never meet again,
so shed your skin and lets get started, and you will throw your arms around me.

Excerpt from the song, 'Throw Your Arms Around Me,' by the band Hunters and Collectors.

-----~-----

August 3rd, 1997 - Lily's Love Lagoon

In a flash of light, Harry and Hermione appeared in the living room of the beach house. Hermione was wearing a simple black dress, black pumps, and an elegant string of pearls around her neck. Harry was in the neat black suit he had purchased the day before.

Hermione's eyes were red and swollen from crying, while Harry's eyes just looked dead. Harry hadn't cried at all during the service. Hermione seemed to do enough of that for the both of them back at the graveyard in Godric's Hollow where they had laid Kotone Potter to rest in the space next to James and Lily.

Hermione leaned heavily on the backrest of the sofa while Harry shrugged off his suit jacket and threw it into one of the suspended egg chairs. Hermione was about to ask if he wanted any of the massive amounts of food that was given to them by family and friends, but she was stalled by the involuntary sob that escaped Harry's throat.

She had wondered how long he could hold out before he broke down after the emotionally charged day they had. She quickly pushed herself from the sofa and embraced Harry as he let out an anguished wail. Feeling his body shuddering against her in grief caused her own tears to start flowing once again. They just stood there in the middle of the room, holding each other, giving whatever comfort they could to each other, crying over the loss of someone who grew so incredibly close to them in such an incredibly short amount of time.

-

That morning they had visited Tonks and Remus at St. Mungo's. Tonks was in surprisingly good spirits, considering that the Ministry wasted no time in removing the new werewolf from the auror ranks. She was more concerned over Remus's condition, as he had taken a near fatal blow from one of the goblin's silver weapons. It was touch-and-go for a while, but she had received the news just before they arrived that he was going to eventually recover. It would take time, though, and it seemed they had as much time as they wanted now that Remus had no more excuses not to be with her.

While they were there, they received the death count from the battle. Almost half of the aurors who had come to assist in the battle had died… including Benjamin Bones. He had died valiantly, taking a rather nasty cutting curse, effectively saving Kingsley Shaklebolt's life. That news had hit Harry and Hermione particularly hard… both had grown to like the kindly, grim-faced auror, and the Bones family had already paid more than their fair share during the war.

The Death Eaters fared much worse. Out of the one hundred and seven Death Eaters who were in and around Godric's Hollow that day, thirty-one had been taken alive and were relatively unharmed, thirty-nine were currently in St. Mungo's security ward in various states of consciousness, and fifty-two had perished. Among the dead Death Eaters were Dolohov, Rastaban and Rodolphus Lestrange, Herman Goyle, and, much to Harry's satisfaction, Walden MacNair, the wizard who took so much pleasure in torturing Kotone.

The one person who wasn't among the dead or captured at Godric's Hollow was Bellatrix Lestrange, however she was found the following day when Voldemort's lair was searched to recover Scrimgour's soulless body. She was discovered sitting on the floor beside the partial corpse of Tom Riddle. She was in a near catatonic state when she was found, drooling and muttering nonsense. She was now residing in the security ward at St. Mungo's, also.

There were deaths among the Order of the Phoenix, but many of those Harry hadn't known very well. Along with Benjamin Bones, the only other casualty that Harry personally knew was Hestia Jones, one of the witches who had come for him to escort him from the Dursley's to Grimmauld Place. She was one of the Order members who were caught outside when the werewolves arrived. She was probably one of the reasons that Tonks was still alive.

Minerva McGonagall had been badly injured during the battle, but her wounds weren't life-threatening. However, they were bad enough to convince her to go into retirement, leaving the acting Head position at Hogwarts to the diminutive Charms professor, Filius Flitwick.

Flitwick's nomination initially caused an uproar amongst the school's Board of Governors. They were quite adamantly opposed to naming a half-breed as the Headmaster of the school, but when every remaining professor threatened to leave if he wasn't instated as the Headmaster, the Board had very grudgingly changed their minds. Almost immediately after accepting the position, Harry had received a letter from Flitwick asking him if he was still willing to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. In addition, Hermione had received a similar letter, asking if she would be willing to take her N.E.W.Ts before the start of term in order for her to take over as the Transfiguration Professor.

They both had yet to reply to the letters.

Upon leaving the wizard hospital, Harry and Hermione made the trip to the cemetery at Godric's Hollow. There was already a small group in the graveyard when they arrived. When they first appeared there, Ron had given Luna a brief kiss before he moved to stand beside Harry to offer whatever support he could, for which Harry was very grateful. Most of the Weasleys were there, the only exception was Percy, although nobody was surprised by his absence. Even Ginny managed to swallow her pride and showed up along with the rest of her family. After all, Kotone had been instrumental in saving her sanity and her life. It was the least Ginny could do. Harry was mildly surprised to see some of the Hogwarts staff mingling in the small crowd, and even Madam Pomfrey took time away from her infirmary at Hogwarts to attend… the stern matron had apparently grown to like the little half-witch, too.

Harry wasn't surprised to see Ragnok, along with his usual hobgoblin bodyguards, standing amidst the small crowd that had come to attend the service. Harry appreciated the fact that the goblins had made their presence known… which was more than what could be said for the Ministry. Nobody from the Ministry bothered to attend, aside from the remaining aurors who had joined in the battle… and all of those had tendered their resignations from the Corps on the morning following the battle. The aged goblin said nothing for the entire time he was there. Nothing really needed to be said. It was only when the aged goblin was leaving did he give Harry a sympathetic glance and a meaningful nod. A few minutes after Ragnok left, one of his bodyguards walked up to Harry and presented him with a gift. It was a long, mahogany box that contained the scythe that Kotone had used during the battle.

Hermione didn't know how Harry kept from breaking down when he looked inside the box, but the pained look on his face told her that he was dangerously close.

-

They didn't know how long they stood there in the middle of the beach house and crying on each other's shoulders. They only broke apart after Harry let out a deep, tremulous sigh against Hermione's hair.

Hermione leaned back and began untying the knot of Harry's tie as he struggled to remove the cufflinks from his sleeves. After getting the tie removed, she carefully began undoing the buttons down the front of his shirt. Harry then cautiously pulled off the tear and bloodstained shirt and, after throwing it on top of his jacket in the chair, he pulled his loose-fitting, bloody tee-shirt over his head.

Hermione's eyes were drawn to the bleeding and blistering wound in the center of his chest. Being careful not to directly touch it, Hermione ran a finger along the slightly swollen, angry red burn that was on his chest. It was an imprint of a septagram that appeared to be seared into his flesh. It was the same size as the septagram that adorned the front of Kotone's breastplate, and it appeared on Harry's chest the moment that Voldemort's killing curse had hit the young half-witch as he held her in his arms. Nobody at St. Mungo's could explain how it came to be there… or how to heal it. They just assumed that the energy of the killing curse that had hit Kotone caused some sort of accidental reaction with the symbol on the armor and said that, while it would naturally heal eventually, there would always be a scar left there.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Harry? I'll wake you up for dinner in a few hours if you like."

Harry just shook his head and then turned and walked towards the front door. Although the weather was pleasant back in Britain, there on the island a storm was raging. Harry stepped out into the cool, driving rain, walked down to the shoreline, and stared out at the angry, crashing surf. In his mind's eye, he could almost see the sunny beach with Kotone dancing and playing in the waves. A distant flash of lightning brought Harry back out of his thoughts, reminding him that the current weather matched his emotions almost perfectly. He stood there on the beach, the pouring rain mixing with his falling tears. He had hoped that the rain would help to wash away his grief.

It wasn't working.

-----~-----

August 7^th, 1997 - Conference room - Grunning's Drill Company, London

"…I assure you, sir. The production problems we're having right now are being addressed. The labor market around here isn't what it used to be, and we're having problems finding skilled machinists. In the last hiring drive we had, the assistant manager of production personally interviewed the applicants, but found that most of the self-proclaimed 'experienced' machinists had actually misrepresented themselves on their applications and were summarily rejected. We ended up hiring some recent college graduates, thinking that they'd be easier to train."

"How did your assistant manager know that the applicants misrepresented themselves?"

"Why, he called the companies that were listed as former employers of theirs," explained the company's general manager, "Come to find out, they had never worked at the places they said they had."

Harry thought for a moment, and then asked, "Exactly how many of those applicants were turned away?"

"Twelve!" exclaimed the manager in a huff, "Can you imagine that many people falsifying their experience history?"

"No, I can't… what happened to those applications?" asked Harry suspiciously, "Are they still on file?"

"Of course!" said the manager emphatically, "By law, we have to hold those for a year, but we're certainly not going to call those individuals if any openings arise."

"Let me have a look at them, please."

A few minutes later, a secretary from the human resources office entered the meeting room carrying a folder. She placed the folder on the table in front of Harry and left the room. Harry opened the folder and picked up the top application.

"May I use the phone?" asked Harry politely.

"Well, of course!" said the manager as he practically fell over himself as he reached for the telephone on a nearby desk and transferred it to the table where Harry was sitting.

Harry picked up the receiver and quickly dialed a number.

"Yes, I'm a representative of Grunning's Drill Company here in London and we received an application from a former employee of yours by the name of Mark McGrath. Can you confirm that he had worked for your company? … Yes, that's right. … Six years, huh? … and why did he leave? … Relocated? You mean your company isn't here in London? Ah, I see, just the offices… No, that's quite alright… thank you for your time… Yes, good-bye."

Harry set that application aside, picked up another one from the folder and dialed another number. Twenty minutes later, it was found that none of the twelve rejected applicants had lied on their applications.

"That… that doesn't make any sense!" exclaimed the general manager embarrassedly, "Why didn't those companies tell us about their former employees the last time they were contacted?"

"Who was the assistant manager of production that supposedly made these calls?"

"Now see here! Are you accusing…" the general manager stopped himself. He was so used to being the 'big boss' in the company and not answering to anyone that he momentarily forgot to whom he was speaking, after all, he wasn't just the owner of Grunning's, but also the man who had just defeated that 'You-Know-Who' fellow just a few days earlier, or so his wizard brother, Ted, had told him, "I mean to say, he's been with the company a very long time. Worked his way up from the floor, and all that. I'll call him in here and you can speak to him yourself."

-

Vernon Dursley was waddling along the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. He had just received word from the general manager that the owner was in the building and wanted to speak with him! As he hurried along, his mind was already going through the list of exclusive restaurants in the area… maybe he was a golfer and would like to join his country club! Getting an ultra-rich entrepreneur to join the club would certainly raise his social standing amongst his new friends there!

He could hardly contain his excitement as he approached the doorway to the conference room. He paused a moment to catch his breath, to run his hands over his suit to straighten out whatever wrinkles were there, and then he brushed his fingers through his thinning hair before he stepped up to the doorway and confidently strode into the room.

"You called for me, Mr. Tonks?" asked Vernon in as clear of a voice as he could manage in his excited state. He saw the general manager facing him as he stood before a gentleman in a chair that was facing away from the door. Vernon could just see the mop of messy black hair over the tall chair back and thought that for a rich entrepreneur, he should at least be able to find a proper barber!

"Ah, yes, good job coming so quickly. We had a few questions for you concerning the recruitment drive we had at the beginning of the summer."

Unseen by Vernon and unnoticed by the general manager, a wicked smile appeared on Harry's face the moment his uncle entered the room.

"Oh! Where are my manners," said the general Manager, "Step right up, Vernon. Don't be shy! I'd like you to meet the owner of our fine company…"

Vernon nearly tripped over a chair in his haste to get closer to the man at the end of the table. He already had his meaty hand extended as he neared the far end.

The general manager addressed Harry, "This is Vernon Dursley, the assistant manager of production."

Still facing away, Harry stood from the chair as the general manager continued, "Vernon, this is Mister Harry Potter."

Upon his introduction, Harry turned to face his uncle, still wearing the devilish smile.

Vernon froze. His eyes widened for a few moments, then narrowed suspiciously, and then widened again. His mouth fell open as his breath left his lungs, which caused his bushy, walrus-like moustache to flutter as he involuntarily croaked out, "You!"

"Well, Vernon… fancy meeting you here," said Harry evenly, not showing the least bit of emotion. Harry's eyes dropped down to the beefy hand that was still stuck out in his direction and noticed that it was trembling quite badly. He didn't take it.

After a few more moments of stunned silence, Vernon roughly pulled his hand back, drew a deep breath and bellowed at the manager, "Now see here! If this is a joke, it's not the least bit funny! What are you playing at, bringing this freak in here and telling me he's the owner?"

"Steady on, Dursley! That's no way to speak to your boss!" said the manager as he stepped towards Vernon in an attempt to calm him down. The manager looked confusedly between Vernon and Harry and said, "Do you two know each other?"

Harry mentally ticked off the seconds, 'five… four… three… two… one…'

Vernon's face suddenly flushed to a glowing crimsonish-purple so rapidly that Harry swore that it couldn't be healthy. At the same moment, a pair of angry blue veins pulsed out noticeably on Vernon's temples as he yelled, "You're ruddy well right, I know this… this perverted excuse for a human being! I had to put up with his freakish nature… his unnaturalness… for the last sixteen years! I thought I was bloody well shut of him, but now he prances in here and uses his… his oddness to fool you into thinking he owns this place!"

Vernon turned to Harry and continued, "I know that you have used your… something… on him, but I'm wise to your tricks! When your freakish friends find out that you used that stuff, you'll be thrown from that freak school of yours and locked up for good!"

'So predictable,' thought Harry with a smirk before saying, "You seem to have forgotten what Dumbledore told you last year about me coming of age at seventeen. I know you never paid any attention to my birthdays all of these years, but for your information I turned seventeen last week. Even if I did use any magic here, which I didn't, I wouldn't be in any trouble at all, considering everyone in the room already knows about the magical world."

Vernon's blood engorged face darkened even further as he looked suspiciously the general manager, "How… How…?"

"I was going to ask you about why you had lied about contacting the previous employers of all of these applicants…" Harry calmly interrupted as he held up the open folder in his hands so that Vernon could see. Harry then snapped the folder closed, carelessly dropped it on the table, then leaned forward while resting his palms on the surface and said in a low, dangerous whisper, "…but I'd much rather know what happened to the three million, seven hundred seventy-nine thousand, six hundred eleven Pounds that you stole from my Gringott's vault."

"Vernon!" exclaimed Tim Tonks, "Is that where you got all of the money that you've been throwing around for months? You said that you won a sweepstakes! Now I find out that you actually stole the money from the greatest wizard in Britain?"

The unhealthy purple in Vernon's face did the seemingly impossible… it darkened to an even deeper shade of purple. He stared open-mouthed at his boss for a few heartbeats before he bellowed, "You! You're one of those freaks, too?"

Mr. Tonks looked at Vernon indignantly as he angrily said, "If by 'freak' you mean 'wizard,' then no, I am not one of those freaks… but my younger brother Ted is. That's how I know about Gringott's and the magical world. Now what's this about you stealing money?"

"I stole nothing!" huffed Vernon loudly, "I had every right to that money! I worked and slaved to put food in his mouth and a roof over his head for all these years, I deserved to be compensated for all of the trouble he's caused me!"

"Bollocks!" yelled Harry, "You put nothing over my head but a set of stairs, and the only food you put in my mouth was what Dudley couldn't stuff into his! That's another thing, Uncle… what happened to all of the money that you were being given every month to buy food and clothes for me? After all, all of the utilities on the house were being paid for from my vault, and you didn't have a mortgage because I already owned the house… what happened to the two thousand pounds a month that you were being given to take care of me? Lord knows, you didn't spend a single pence on me while I was there!"

'Finally!' thought Harry as he watched the bright purple drain away from Vernon's face.

"I… I have no idea what you're on about!" said Vernon defensively, "I never got anything from anyone, and you can't prove otherwise!"

"I beg to differ, Mr. Dursley," came a harsh, squeaky voice from a seemingly empty corner of the room. As the disillusionment was dispelled, a small goblin appeared out of thin air holding an assortment of rolled up parchments.

Vernon jumped back with a horrified look on his quickly paling face, "What the bloody Hell is that thing?"

"My name is Griphook, and I've been the manager of the Potter vaults in Gringott's Wizarding Bank for over thirty years," said the goblin as he placed the rolls on the table and picked one particular one up, "According to my records, each payment for the care of one Harry James Potter had been faithfully transferred to your muggle bank account, and you have been regularly drawing funds out of that account as long as it's been in existence."

Vernon was staring open-mouthed at the goblin as his complexion started changing from the ashen gray to a sickly green.

"In addition," continued Griphook as he picked up another parchment roll, "I have here a legal agreement, signed by you and witnessed by the late Mr. Dumbledore, that you would use the money in good faith to care for your nephew… something you have failed to do most spectacularly."

"That doesn't prove anything! That Dummlebore freak is dead now, so you can't prove I agreed to anything!"

"Under Goblin Law, we have all the proof right here, and along with Mr. Potter's testimony, we certainly have enough evidence for prosecution."

"There's not a court in all of Britain that would convict me! I'll get a barrister and I'll see you in court!"

"No, you won't have a barrister," smiled Griphook as he advanced on the cowering muggle, "but I assure you, we will see you in court… in about thirty seconds!"

Griphook waved a finger at Vernon, freezing him in his tracks. The goblin calmly walked up to the man and placed a copper bracelet on his meaty wrist. A moment later, Vernon disappeared in a fall of colour. Griphook smiled a toothy smile at Harry, gave a slight bow, and then disappeared as well.

Vernon Dursley was never heard from again.

-----~-----

October 31^st, 1997 - Transfiguration Office, Hogwarts

"He's not doing too well, is he?" asked Ron as he sat on the corner of Hermione's desk.

Hermione's quill halted mid-sentence on the transfiguration essay that she was correcting. She placed the quill in its stand and folded her hands on the desktop.

"No, he isn't… but he's not getting any worse," she replied, "He seemed to perk up a little once he started his classes, but that didn't last too long. I know he's been moody these past few days, but you know that Halloween has never been the best time of year for him."

Ron stayed silent as he picked at the sleeve of his robe, clearly wanting to say something, but obviously didn't know how to go about it. Hermione eyed him a moment, then let out an aggravated sigh.

"Are you ever going to tell me what's eating you? You've been acting as if you've had a bug in your pants for a long time now. Out with it, or leave me to my work… these essays aren't going to grade themselves, you know!"

Ron lifted his gaze to meet Hermione's. They stared at each other for more than a few seconds before Ron had to avert his eyes. He drew a deep breath and spoke.

"You know how I was practicing that seer stuff before the battle? I was having fun with it. I'd get to the point where I could see all those faces and places and things inside of all the floating bubbles. Sure, most of the time I'd see really boring stuff… but there were a few times… well… at the time, I didn't know what to make of the things I saw."

"Things like what?" Hermione asked.

"Well… things about Harry's daughter… I saw… well…"

"Oh, come on! Just spit it out!"

Ron sighed and looked up from his fidgeting hands, "I saw Kotone here at Hogwarts. Not like when she was here with Harry before… she was older. I saw her in the school uniform, attending classes. I saw her getting pulled into Myrtle's bathroom by a bunch of older girls. They stunned her, stripped her naked, and painted all sorts of things on her body… then they left her hanging by her tail from a chandelier in the great hall. Another time, I saw her getting beaten up in the Astronomy Tower… that was pretty bad, I saw her lose one of her fangs during that… and I… I saw her getting raped by a bunch of older students down in the dungeons… they cut off her tail as a souvenir when they were done…and they weren't Slytherins, either…"

"How could you have seen her here? She's dead!"

"I don't know, but I did… In fact I saw her loads of times, but that was before the battle. I never told anyone this… I really didn't think it was going to happen, since I saw her older and in school… but just a few hours before the battle while I was waiting for Tonks… I was practicing again, and I… I saw Kotone die, just like it happened. I haven't had any more visions about her since then… I dunno… I just had to tell someone. I really didn't think she was going to die… I saw the killing curse, but I thought that since I saw her older, that she survived it somehow… That's why I never told Harry about the vision, you have to believe me! If I had… if I only told him, then maybe she… would have lived but… I know he's suffering, but I can't help but to think that maybe it was better that she… she…"

Ron's voice trailed off into silence. He looked as though he was going to be sick.

-----~-----

October 31^st, 1998 - Lilly's Love Lagoon

Harry's dress slacks were pooled around his ankles as he grunted in exertion. Hermione's flowing white wedding dress was hiked up around her waist, her knickers were dangling off of her right foot, and her legs were draped over Harry's arms as he frantically pushed into her.

This was their first time making love as a married couple. They never even made it up to the loft. The instant they arrived in the flash of light, Harry had her pressed up against a wall and began kissing her madly.

Hermione had never felt anything like it. Sure they had made love plenty of times before, but this time… there was something primal… animalistic… She had felt it the moment that their vows were completed and they were announced as husband and wife. All the way through the reception she found herself eyeing her new husband with vicious intent. It was obvious from the way he was returning her burning glances that he was feeling it, too. The meal wasn't even halfway through when they both quickly stood up at the same time, looked into each others wild eyes, and Apparated away without a word to anyone.

They could feel the wall against Hermione's back shaking with each of their thrusts. They seemed to be trying to meld their bodies together, pushing and grasping, their laboured breaths coming out in ragged puffs as they each neared their rapidly building climax.

Suddenly, just as they both cried out each other's names in their mutual, heart-stopping climax, Hermione involuntarily entered her state. Her wedding dress, while still the same flowing, strapless gown, turned a midnight black that matched her hair. Her skin paled into a flawless, porcelain-like sheen that seemed to glow in the darkened room.

At the same time, Harry was thrust into his own state. His black tuxedo morphed into a radiant white, his black hair lengthened and began to flow around his head as if he were standing facing a gale. Their eyes locked with each other's, drawing them both into that odd 'connection.' Their souls shifted from their locked-together bodies and merged into each other, creating the majestic griffon form of their combined souls.

As his seed continued to spill into her, a blinding bluish-white light engulfed them both. Their souls had merged, but they also were still connected with their bodies. As well as their own experience, they were also feeling each others, giving them both an insight into what the other's orgasm was like. That strange, new sensation seemed to overpower them, because a heartbeat later, their souls both merged back into their respective bodies and summarily collapsed onto the floor.

They remained locked together on the floor, both unconscious until late the next afternoon. Harry was the first to awaken, and finding himself sprawled awkwardly on top of his new bride, he sprung to his feet, only to find that he was too weakened to stand and he immediately fell back onto his arse. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs from his mind, and then opened his eyes. He couldn't stop the gasp of shock that escaped his throat.

He was looking at Hermione, laying on her back with her wedding gown still hiked up over her waist. Seeing her half naked wasn't the cause of his shock, it was the septagram that was burned into the front of her gown. He looked down at himself, and found the same septagram burned into his own tuxedo jacket and shirt. He roughly grabbed the front of his clothes and ripped the shirt open, sending buttons scattering across the floor. He quickly pulled up his similarly burned tee shirt to find that the scar he had received the night if the final battle was gone.

Harry crawled over to the still unconscious Hermione and pulled down the front of her strapless gown to expose her chest. There, starting on the lower part of her breasts and covering the upper portion of her abdomen, was the raw, bleeding septagram burned into her flesh.

-----~-----

May 24^th, 1999 - Lilly's Love Lagoon

Harry stood on the balcony overlooking the expanse of beach before him. Lying on a lounge chair near the shoreline, shaded from the midday sun by a large umbrella, was his naked wife Hermione. She sat reading the book that was propped up by her distended belly where their first child was growing. He couldn't help but to smile at the thought of becoming a parent again.

The distant sound of laughter drew his attention away from Hermione and to the equally naked pair of lovers who were currently walking along the far side of the fresh water lagoon. Ron and Luna were happily flirting around with each other near the base of the waterfall. His grin widened when he saw Ron pick his fiancée up and threw her into the cascading water. She emerged a few moments later with a very stern expression on her face. Ron's laughter abruptly stopped as she climbed out of the water with her wand in her hand. Harry knew that Ron did it on purpose… Harry had no idea why Ron liked being 'punished' so much, but to each their own. They were happy, and that was all that mattered.

He and Hermione had already spoken to each other. They would allow Ron and Luna to build their own beach house on the far side of the island… under the condition that it was built well out of earshot of their own house… they didn't need the sound of a whip cracking or Ron's yelling to wake up their baby when it arrived.

Harry's gaze drifted back to Hermione, and then out over the ocean. His smile faded slightly as old memories returned, but thankfully, the pain was getting easier to bear with each passing day.

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that Hermione had risen from her chair, waddled all the way into the house and had climbed the stairs into the loft. He was startled out of his thoughts as a pair of warm, tanned arms wrapped around his sides from behind. The smile returned in full force as he felt the mound of baby pressing into his lower back.

"You have to leave soon," said Hermione as she nuzzled the back of his neck, "You have the meeting with the Ministry today."

Harry turned around, and was momentarily distracted by the naked, pregnant woman standing before him. His eyes briefly focused on the septagram-shaped scar before he lifted his gaze and placed a small kiss on her lips, "How do you think they'll take it? It's not every day that they hear they're no longer in power…"

Hermione sighed and said, "You already know what's going to happen when you show them the documentation from the Queen. It's not like they would ever guess that she has the power to abolish an entire ministry… after all, the Ministry of Magic is just another branch of the British government. Who knew that the Royal Family retained the power over that particular branch?"

Harry smiled as he said, "Well, she was in a right state when we told her that all the trouble Voldemort caused the muggles was mostly due to the failure of the Ministry. It took no time at all for her to convince the Prime Minister to agree to the dissolution of that particular ministry, as he had first hand knowledge of their incompetence."

"They're not going to be too happy when they find out about the new Wizard's Council being enacted, either… and that you're going to be the Director of Wizarding Affairs."

"Well, it was right nice of the Queen to give us control of an entire area of Devon to have a consolidated Wizarding community. We'll still be separated from the Muggles, but there's going to be a lot more cooperation between the governments."

Hermione gave Harry a quick kiss and said, "Go on, now… and be careful. You never know what those Purebloods will try once they find out that the new Council is made up almost entirely of Half-bloods and muggleborns. Things might get nasty for you."

Harry stepped back and said confidently, "I don't think they'll give me too much grief… if they try anything funny…"

In a fraction of a second, Harry entered his state. Hermione had to admit that while he was transformed, he did make quite the intimidating figure. She was sure he wouldn't have a problem.

-----~-----

July 31^st, 1999 - St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

"Push!" said the mediwitch who was tending to the birthing of the Potters' first child, "Come on, you can do it… you're almost there, just one more time!"

Harry felt Hermione's fingernails digging into the skin of his hand like the talons of her eagle form. He watched helplessly as she struggled through each contraction. Every so often, the pain would cause her to involuntarily shift into her state, which only served to make things harder for her because of the time shifting that would accompany the change just prolonged her suffering.

It was just into the sixteenth hour of labor then the newest Potter entered the world.

"It's a girl!" cried the mediwitch as she bundled the newborn up in a blanket and, after a few quick cleaning and diagnostic charms, laid her on top of the mother's chest.

"She's beautiful!" cried Hermione, grinning broadly as she gently touched the baby's hands, silently counting the fingers.

"Just like her mother," lied Harry as he gently kissed Hermione's sweaty forehead. He looked down at his new daughter and thought that it was the ugliest thing he ever saw, being so wrinkled and purple. He had been told that newly born babies looked rather odd when they first arrived, but would soon look normal after a few hours of exposure to the outside world. Still, he kept his opinion to himself… he was sure she'd be the most beautiful thing on the planet, once she stopped looking like an alien… Still, she had thin, wispy black hair and what was definitely Hermione's nose and mouth… even just a minute old, it was clear who's daughter she was. He was sure she would be a beauty.

"You'll have a chance to bond with her once we get her all weighed and checked out," said the mediwitch as she picked up the newborn from Hermione and walked over to a nearby table.

"You did great, sweetie," said Harry kindly as he ran a damp cloth over Hermione's brow. Harry looked down into Hermione's eyes and breathlessly said, "We're parents now!"

Hermione smiled tiredly at her husband. Seeing him so genuinely happy and excited after such a long time was like a balm to her soul.

Suddenly, from across the room they heard the mediwitch gasp and say, "Merlin, I've never seen anything like this!"

Harry and Hermione glanced anxiously at each other, then Harry sprang from his wife's side and rushed across the room saying, "What's the matter? What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Nothing's wrong…" said the mediwitch as she stared at the baby, "It's just that she just opened her eyes, and… well, I've been a healer for over twenty years… I know that most babies are born with blue eyes, but in all my years, I've never seen a baby with violet eyes… I've never seen anyone with violet eyes!"

Harry's head snapped around and his eyes met Hermione's. She was looking just as shocked as he was. Harry turned back and shifted into his state while looking at his newborn daughter.

There, shimmering around the bundled child on the table, Harry saw his daughter's soul form… a tiny, beautiful angel. From her bed, Hermione shifted herself into her state and saw the same thing Harry did.

They both shifted out of their respective states and looked at each other. Hermione pulled the front of her smock out far enough for her to look underneath. Her eyes widened, then she looked up at Harry and shook her head. The septagram scar was gone. Slowly, a smile crept across Harry's face… a smile that definitely reached his eyes.

"Have you settled on a name for this little one?" asked the healer as she carried the bundle back to Hermione's bed with a clipboard and quill hovering behind her.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other again, and after a brief conference through the connection, they smiled. Harry nodded at her, and then Hermione took the baby from the healer's arms and said, "Yes, we have the perfect name for her… Angela… Angela Kotone Potter."

-----~-----