Unofficial Portkey Archive

*AN: Please forgive the liberties I've taken with Godric's Hollow and environs. I hope it doesn't take away from the story.

A Hollow Beginning-Chapter 14

"Whoa, what a day, huh Hermione?" said Harry as he lay back in the bed with his feet still dangling from the foot. Harry wasn't sure Hermione heard him because the water was running at the sink. "Did you hear me, Sweetheart? Quite a day, huh?"

"I'm sorry Harry, I heard you but I would have swallowed toothpaste if I'd answered," she said. Her voice was much closer than he expected. "So, tiger, what should we do tonight?"

Harry was sure that they had the same idea by the way she asked. He was uncertain though how she felt about taking such big chances on getting pregnant. "Hermione, if it's a question of what I want do, you know my answer." He said with a fiendish grin. "We got carried away last night and may have made the mistake of our lives."

"Are you referring to the possibility of pregnancy, Harry?" she asked.

"I never expected to push you to that. It was wonderful to experience our first time with out worrying about it, but was it a wise choice? I was surprised you didn't stop me. Please don't think I'm sorry, I just wanted to know what was on your mind about it?" he said.

"Harry, you didn't do anything that I didn't want you to do," she sat next to him and put her hand on his chest. "When I went home I saw the family doctor for protection. Are you shocked? I realized that we were not some harmless puppy love. But I don't want you to think I wouldn't love to have your children some day, but we're 17 Harry. It was so I could feel free to say yes when I knew our love was real. There's still a risk, you know."

"Were you really that sure we couldn't control ourselves?" asked Harry.

"Harry, I was stuck on stupid. One minute I wanted to run because you made me crazy. The next I wanted you to ravage me. It wasn't like me. So when I went home I thought about it. I would have been a fool to think it would never happen to us. There are times that we were so lost in excitement that saying `no' seemed wrong. Yet I knew saying yes was wrong." She said. "In all other things in my life Harry, I'm conservative. With you a flame burns that makes me throw caution to the wind."

Harry touched her lips with his finger. He'd never done that before last night. He had kissed her a hundred times and never noticed how beautiful her lips and mouth were. He said nothing about it. "So, I turn you into a wild woman, do I?" he asked playfully.

"You do Harry and I think every woman wants a man who makes them feel that way. I mean secretly they do," she said. "I hope you're happy with the result." She put her hand on his chest. "Were you happy?"

"You know what I felt Hermione as I realized where we were going to end up. Fear, Hermione. Not run away fear, but that fear that comes when you are afraid to disappoint someone. There was no way I was stopping but I felt it. Every guy wants to think that he'll have no conscience when that time comes and just do it like he was a stud or something." He smiled. "The fact is that there is no way a guy can ever be prepared for sex with a woman by sharing romantic evenings with Rosy Palm and her five sisters." He held his hand up wiggling his fingers.

Hermione laughed. "Harry, that's funny. Here's a saying from a girlfriend at home when we were talking about sex. She came up with a great line because she didn't want to take birth control. This is what she told her boyfriend. I'll call her boyfriend Tom in case you ever meet them, she won't want to hide from you because I told you this story…anyway…She said, `Tom, you will just have to get used to the idea that the only action you and `little Tommy' will get is a rub, a tug and a few kisses.' I died laughing because she said it with a straight face."

Harry laughed. When they'd started talking last night, he thought that's where it would end for them too. He was surprised at the turn of events. "No regrets, Hermione?"

"I wish I had seen it coming with us Harry. I would have been so much more help to you these past two years. I wasted time worrying about a friendship with Ron that was healthy as a friendship and unhealthy as more. The whole while, I was not paying attention to the love of my life the way I should have," she said simply.

"Maybe we needed to grow so that we could handle it," said Harry. "I actually buy into that things happen for a reason theory."

"Me too, Harry." She curled up closer to him.

Things were really quiet. They were so quiet that Hermione expected to see Harry asleep next to her. To her surprise, he was looking at her deep in thought.

When he realized that she was looking back he gave a start. "I must have zoned out or something," he said. "What does it mean to you when I say I love you?"

Hermione thought about it. "Harry, when you say it I believe it without question. I did the first night. But I know what you're asking. I felt that you were confirming that you cared for me more than any other girl in your life, but that was all at that moment."

"Was that enough for you? I mean did you want me to love you more than you wanted Ron to love you at that moment?" he asked.

"I never thought of it that way. I wanted Ron to love me, but it was one of those `struck by a bolt of lightning' things, you know. Here is my best friend in the world professing his love for me and I was blind-sided. But your words and the way you looked at me seemed so sincere, it stirred something inside me. It wasn't really love at that moment, but I said it anyway. It only took being in your arms in the morning for me to know it was love. That's why I was scared and told you I had to go. When did you know how you felt Harry?"

"I have to tell you honestly. I loved you for a lot longer than you know. I loved you for so long I can't remember when it happened. But I had a flawed picture of love. I loved this beautiful, intelligent, sexy girl. I loved the girl who could make me laugh and make the sadness go away. It was love," he said, "but it was superficial then in a way it isn't now. Tonight, I have fallen in love with you again. It's a love from the soul Hermione. I think you got to that level before me. And I want you to know I understand it now."

"Harry, why do you say you understand it now?" she asked.

"In the music store the other day, we stopped for quite a few minutes, remember? I was in the aisle between Rock and Pop for a moment. There was this song playing in the background. I don't remember who the artist was or the title of the song, but I heard the words that will forever remind me of how you're presence in my life have affected me. I don't know why a song like that captured my attention, but it's played in my head on and off for the past few days. In the last few minutes as I listened to you I heard it again as if it were playing right here. He spoke the words as best he could remember them:

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

(Because you loved me- written by D. Warren as performed by Celine Dion)

Those words are true of your role in my life Hermione. Maybe I'm not saying this in a romantic way and all. It's just that those words explain how you inspire me to do what I have to do. Today, I knew you loved me from your very soul. Your fear for my life confirmed it."

Hermione's reaction took a moment after Harry stopped speaking. "Harry, that is so sweet!" She kissed his cheek and smiled. But it wasn't long that through the smile her eyes welled with tears. "Don't make me sorry that I love you Harry. I'll try not to make you sorry you love me."

Again, there was a long silence after they both scooted back to the headboard and sat mindlessly staring at the TV. "Movie?" asked Hermione.

"No, I don't need a movie to inspire me to make love to you any more. Hermione, can we just get it on like a couple of wild teenagers?" he smiled. "I mean we know we love each other, but when are we going to do it like we mean it so that the pictures on the walls and the lamps aren't safe?

"Harry?" she looked at him with surprise at his aggressiveness.

He jumped out of bed, grabbed her foot and pulled her toward the edge as she half-heartedly protested until she had to stand up or land on the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and began to unbuckle his pants. "You're serious." She said. "Just like that."

"Is there a problem?" he said standing naked in front of her. "I mean you can't say that I forced you to do anything other than stand up. I'm as vulnerable as the day I was born. I want to make love to you, but for a different reason than yesterday. Today, it's all about the pleasure."

She smiled. "You're sick. But sick I understand." She raised her arms. "Well, if you're going to make feel guilty for letting you stand there naked, you can't expect me to do the work can you? That would just be silly." She giggled.

He found it erotic that she wasn't wearing a bra under her tee shirt as he slipped her tee over her head. "What happened to your bra?"

"You really don't think you're capable of original thought where sex is concerned do you?" she giggled. "If it happened again tonight, there weren't going to be any awkward obstacles."

As Harry's hands slid her shorts and panties down to her ankles she stepped out of them.

"Hermione, I'll never get over how beautiful you are. Never." He said kissing her softly.

==//___ -__//==

That night Harry had a dream of Godric's Hollow and the fire at the Dursleys. He tossed and turned, but Hermione hardly noticed as she dreamt of similar things.

Hermione dreamt of Lily and awoke in a sweat as she saw visions of Harry's mother standing tall against Voldemort. They had spent the last hour before going to sleep discussing the fact that this was probably the last time they would be comfortable together like that until after the last Horcrux was found. Hermione also knew that it may mean until after Voldemort was gone, or they were dead. It had chilled her to the bone.

Hermione remembered Harry's words vividly. "The longer we wait now, the more likely Voldemort is to figure out that I've identified the Horcruxes. We have to act now. I love you. Hermione, we can do this together." She smiled that her lover included her as his full-fledged partner now. She was ready.

Hermione couldn't sleep with all that running through her head. So, she went to the backpack and opened the folder that contained everything Lupin could find about Godric's Hollow. "Harry, this is what I'm good at, so I'm going to figure this out." She said to herself and a sleeping Harry. She took the book to the small table on the other side of the room and used the two-way light to keep the light out of Harry's eyes and began reading.

Hermione laid out a plan. They could get to within a few miles of where everyone thought it was. Without Hagrid, who they found out was with Madame Maxine in France; there was no one who had actually been to the cottage other than Harry. She read slowly as the accounts seemed to contradict on another. Hagrid had used Sirius' motorcycle which would have been a help if it didn't fly. She giggled as she hit another dead end.

She would find herself whispering to Harry in his sleep or to herself. "Darn it, this is just insane. No wonder the Fidelius Charm was so hard to break. Add the charm to an unmapped muggle town and it's nearly impossible."

She made more tea and found her second wind after battling with falling asleep in the chair. She found it. It was near the coast and the village may or may not have been Godric's Hollow. The little town or village may have another name and may have had a section of it called Godric's Hollow, sort of like a modern day subdivision. A hollow could be a little valley and was probably home to Godric Gryffindor family for ages. Often wizard families lived amongst muggles and only used their powers sparingly to avoid detection. There it was. Three little towns in the direction Hagrid had mentioned in conversations with Lupin and others. She just wished that Hagrid were around to confirm it.

She snuggled in with Harry even though it was close to dawn. She knew she was too excited to sleep, but she knew that the times they could be this close were getting fewer. She wasn't sad, she told herself. She was just sure that every moment would count from here on out.

It took them all day to get to the real starting point south and west of the Burrow. They had taken all their nonessential things from the hotel and put them in the attic at the Burrow. Once they got to Godric's Hollow they had no idea where things would go or how long things would take.

Hermione had come up with a simple plan to avoid raising eyebrows of the locals. She had first thought that using the cover story of being siblings might work except that they might meet someone who knew his parents. The biggest thing was to get rid of the Potter name so that anyone one tracking him wouldn't get lucky. Hermione spent the late morning making muggle identification for Harry by using her own as an example. She'd gotten hers with her parents the summer before. She used the surname of Welch. It was a common name that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. Harry remained the first name because she knew that she'd used too many times to see Harry as anyone but Harry.

With that done, they devised a cover story for traveling in the area. Hermione was full of surprises for that too. She'd disguised the folder of information they had as a genealogy for Harry's branch of the Welch clan; she would be his girlfriend helping him trace the bloodline for a project in school the next year, their second at Oxford. She tried to keep as many facts as she could so it sounded real. She was his girlfriend. He was looking for lost relatives, his parents. This was the area they needed to look in for answers. So there were only a few things to remember outside of what they were really doing.

"Harry, the only thing you have to be careful of is someone calling out the name Potter and responding. Potter could be the name of someone totally unrelated to you. I have the distinct feeling that there are watchers who don't know much, but are looking for a Potter nosing around. Lord Voldemort would use people like that," she said.

"Got it. Welch, looking for family, second year at Oxford," he summarized.

"If questions about the school come up let me answer, I know it like the back of my hand since that's where I want to go," she said.

They had used the theory of hiding in plain sight. No one would expect them to being hitchhiking-cautiously. They'd gotten a ride to the point where asking anyone to take them further would have been to ask them to go way off the beaten path.

Harry was pleased that Hermione was so into the cloak and dagger nature of their quest. He could not have thought of all these things on his own. He'd added some wrinkles by asking questions and she thought of the answers, like why. Her answer was for school. He liked it.

"Well, we should stop here for the night," said Hermione as six o'clock approached. "It's another four hours or so to the next town on foot unless we find a ride right away." They had enjoyed the chance to talk and enjoy the late summer weather. It had been the only saving grace that first day.

"I really felt like my luck would hold out," said Harry. "But I suppose there is a reason Godric's Hollow is so hard to find. Someone wanted to make sure it was obscure. It's just too bad for my parents that they shared their secret with that traitor Pettigrew."

"Harry, I know but we've been talking about it all afternoon and we agree that Pettigrew was weak. Don't dwell on that though, Sweetheart. It'll just give you fits or even worse, nightmares," said Hermione.

"I thought about that. We really made each other think too much last night," said Harry, reflecting on the conversation after they'd showered and got ready to go to sleep the night before.

"I've thought about your Mom before, Harry. But last night was the first time I had a dream like that," revealed Hermione. "Looking at those pictures made me smile and feel sad at the same time."

"Listen to us. What are we trying to do? Are we trying to make sure we wake each other up screaming?" he laughed nervously. "Can we talk about something like what's for dinner?"

"Sure, Sweetheart, I understand and I'm sorry if I'm prolonging the conversation," she said not knowing whether it was her or Harry who had kept it going. "I hope the little restaurant in town has good food."

"Me too," said Harry. "I sure would like something satisfying after a day of walking like this."

They sat down to a nice meal consisting of the special of the day which happened to be pot roast, boiled potatoes, carrots and green beans. It wasn't what they had envisioned walking all day but it was highly recommended and they weren't disappointed.

They checked into the small twelve-room, ranch-style motel, the Willow Brook Inn at the end of the road. They'd passed it on their way in and hoped to find something a little bigger and more inviting later, but had no such luck.

Before either of them knew what hit them they were asleep in each other's arms. The day had wiped them out. Hermione awoke first at around five-thirty in the morning. It appeared that neither of them had moved from the spot they went to sleep in. Hermione couldn't remember being as tired as that in a long time. Harry woke up shortly afterward.

"Well, are you ready for another day of frustration?" he said after they'd been awake awhile. "I'm just preparing myself for more disappointment. I hope I didn't jinx us." He smiled.

"Harry we knew this would be hard. I still feel like it is hidden in plain sight. We'll either see it or hear someone talk about it," she said flatly trying to remain positive.

The second day proved to be a little hotter than the first. Even though the terrain got a little hillier and more difficult, the sights were a little more pleasant. "Seeing the never-ending farmland yesterday nearly bored me to tears. At least today, we get to see trees that turn into real woods again."

The rolling hills seemed to go on forever. They tried not to think that this was just thirty kilometers from Willow Brook to Farmdale. Hermione's estimates of distance on the old map had proved to be way off, but Harry didn't complain because everything else was on the mark.

Just as the sun started to fall below the tree tops, Hermione and Harry arrived in the little town of Farmdale, population thirty-five. "I was hoping we'd get a chance to look around before dark," said Harry. "I guess we'll just stay here and get an early start."

"Oh, are you here to go sightseeing?" asked the kindly waitress. "My name is Millie. We don't get many sightseers here, but when we do I always enjoy it."

"We're sort of sightseeing, but not really." Hermione paused for a moment and then asked, "So, Millie, have you lived here long? I'm Hermione and this is Harry."

"Well, I've been here all my life Hermione, but my husband hasn't. He just happened to be wandering through looking to buy land about eighteen years ago and the rest is history," she said with a polite smile. Millie gave them a quick history of town and how the name had been derived. As they ate a wonderful meal which was made all the better by the kindness Millie showed them. "Gordie had been in town for a few years by the time I was old enough to be married; he tried hard to convince me to marry him for three years and I finally gave in. We've been married ten years now."

Hermione smiled at Harry as strong middle-aged man arrived and put his hat on the rack near the door. "So, has Millie given you the history of Farmdale yet? Oh, by the looks of your faces, she's bragging again about how she played hard to get long enough break me of my philandering ways. I saw you two come in some time ago. Hello, I'm her husband Gordie."

Millie's husband looked like he might be nearly ten years older than her, but he also seemed just as pleasant as she. He gave her a hug and welcomed Harry and Hermione with a warm handshake. "She loves this little town. When we had the opportunity to buy this place, she convinced me that it would do a lot of good for the town if we could keep people here overnight to spend their money. What brings you through here?" Instantly Harry took a liking to Gordie.

"Harry has a project for school that all history majors get. The project is to recreate a history of their family by visiting places where they were known to live." said Hermione.

"So you have family here in the area, Harry?" asked Gordie.

"Can we help?" asked Millie before Harry could answer.

Harry knew he had to get into this conversation somehow so, he made a joke. "Ehh, she's the brains of this outfit I'm just along for the ride," he smiled pointing at Hermione. "But we could use any help finding this little place called Godric's Hollow. It's mentioned only twice in my genealogy and it isn't really specific about where it is."

"Godric's Hollow," said Millie. She said it again as if it rang a bell but she couldn't tell where.

"Gordie, is that the little section of Pine Acres that has that lovely garden?" she asked.

"It sounds so familiar, but it's not right here in Farmdale so I'm not as clear on where it is exactly."

"You know it is. I'll be. That's a gorgeous little place just south of here near the coast. There are about five or six cottages there. The garden sits between two of them. I remember a strange sensation as we walked through the garden as if it were almost too beautiful to be true. The neighbors seemed to take delight in it though. They said that years ago there was a young couple who took care of it," said Gordie. "It was tragic though. Apparently, someone meant them harm because they were found dead there just after Halloween 1981."

Hermione and Harry had the chills. Hermione saw the dazed look on Harry's face and decided it was time to take over the conversation. "So, how did you find about that?"

"You know, it was strange. We went on a little three day honeymoon about three years ago and happened upon the place," said Gordie. "It's strange I haven't thought about it since. But anyway, the neighbor saw us and came out to say hi. They told us the whole history, but never mentioned the caretakers until we asked who took care of it now since they seemed to talk of the caretakers in the past tense."

"You know, it was such a sad thing. No one remembered the names of the caretakers, nor did they know any details. It was like they had been made to forget. I can't imagine anyone forgetting that kind of tragedy. Remember the story, Gordie? They said that ever since the caretaker's bodies were found that little garden has remained in nearly pristine condition without anyone touching it. They refer to it lovingly as the `Magic Garden'," said Millie resolutely.

"Oh, never mind Millie, she and I have this argument every so often about the crops or just the weather. She says there are magical powers working all around us that we never see and I'm a skeptic," he smiled. "But she's so adorable I can't argue too long."

Gordie paused a second. "But I have to admit that unless someone is sneaking in to take care of that garden, it is pretty amazing that it looks that good. I could see how people believe in magic."

"Did you ask the circumstances around the tragedy? Did the neighbor say they saw anything?" asked Harry in an almost but not quite agitated tone. Hermione noticed it and hoped he remained calm.

"Harry, Millie and I felt so uncomfortable with the whole situation that day that we didn't ask. But if you go there and hear anything, I would be interested to know now that you mention it," said Gordie.

Harry smiled at Hermione. "Sure, it just seems odd that no one remembers. But you never know. This world is a crazy place sometimes," said Harry wanting to get upstairs where they could talk in private. He'd calmed down as he realized that Gordie and Millie were the wrong people to asks such questions.

Hermione saw the look on Harry's face. "Gordie and Millie, it has been delightful to talk to you. Harry and I are just worn out. You did say the room has two beds right?"

"Oh, yes, Sweetie. Wouldn't want to give that boyfriend of yours any ideas now, would we?" kidded Millie.

"It's too late. The ideas are there, but she threatens to leave me if I act on them so I have to be good," said Harry with a light-hearted laugh.

"You two are a cute couple. I can see a good life for the two of you if you're patient with each other," smiled Millie.

Gordie laughed. "Did I tell you she's the town matchmaker too?"

"Gordie, stop that. You'll make them think horrible things about me," replied Millie with a giggle.

Hermione gave Harry a hug. "We get along great and we love each other. We just have some things to accomplish in life before we settle down."

"Good for you," said Gordie. "Well, I have to wash up for dinner so I'll see you two tomorrow I hope."

"Will you kids be coming down for breakfast?" asked Millie quietly as Gordie walked through to the kitchen. "If you like, I can make you a special meal since you're our only guests. If it were Sunday, there'd be a dozen people here for breakfast."

"Sure," said Hermione. "We'd love a home cooked breakfast. After all where in the world can you go but here and get great food and that kind of service."

Millie beamed at Hermione's comments and Hermione looked happy to have made someone's day. Harry noticed it too and felt an affinity for Millie and Gordie that he'd rarely had for the muggles he'd met. A pang of sadness hit him wondering why Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia couldn't be like them. He pushed it out of his head as soon as he could.

Hermione whispered to Harry. "We need to see if we can be heard in the hall." She took the key and went it. She started talking about the day as if Harry were in the room and after a few seconds came out and said, "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I thought you'd come in with me."

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't hear a word." He paused. "Now, I'm going to be up all night waiting for daylight. I can't wait to see it."

"Me too, Harry, but we need to sleep. The worst thing we could do would be to get to our destination without our wits about us," she said. "We have to be able to think when we get there. I'm sure there is something there that will help us."

Harry knew she was right, but was equally as sure that he was too excited to sleep. "We have to think of something that will help me sleep," he said pensively concentrating on what he'd just heard.

"Yeah, it's too bad we've given up sex for a while," said Hermione teasing Harry without thinking.

A smile broke across Harry's face. "That'd do it," he said with anticipation.

"No way, Harry, I was joking," she said. "I'm sorry, but I'm not making the bed shake after our little display of wholesomeness downstairs."

Harry smiled. "I know I knew you were kidding. But this is one of those times that I need my mind taken off the rest of the world for a while. You're right though. We need to stay focused. This is why we agreed to be good for a while."

"I know Harry. I want to be with you too, but we seem to sleep in and lose track of things when we get lost in the moment and we can't afford that right now," she said. "I really am sorry for saying that."

He got up, walked to where she sat at the little table in the corner and put his hand on hers. "Sweetheart, maybe if we just sit and talk about things we did this summer or plans for the future we'll get our minds off of it. Don't let me let my mind runaway with thoughts of my parents."

"I know Sweetheart. Well, one thing that came out of this is that there is a class at Oxford that challenges students to create a family history from their genealogy. It sort of like what would it have been like for your family during `blank'. You fill in the time period with something like The Elizabethan Era or World War II. I love magic Harry, but that stuff interests me too," said Hermione.

Harry was glad she was able to think of something so quick. He wondered about the entrance requirements for her and asked her how she planned to get in. They were able to fill a couple hours with a wide variety of subjects. "You know Hermione, I don't care for school that much. Yet when I listen to you and how much you know about things outside of the magic world, I get more interested."

"You know Harry it wouldn't be that hard for you to get into some classes as a student-at-large. Okay, maybe they wouldn't be at Oxford or Cambridge, but at a smaller school somewhere," she explained. "A good set of grades there and the larger schools would take a look at you."

"Come on Hermione, you could blow those kids away that go there. I'm a middle-of-the-pack student and you know it," he said realistically. "I would do it for classes that interested me and stick to what I know."

Hermione smiled. "Well, all I want is for you to be happy, Harry. I don't want you to think that you have to be good at school to keep me interested in you. After all, I'm a witch and that will forever be a part of my life."

"Yeah, maybe with your brains and my brawn…," he stopped and flexed…laughing.

Hermione cracked up too. "You know we could just be happy together owning a place like this. I couldn't be the fulltime cook, maid and bottle washer though," she said making a face with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. "I'm afraid I'd kill more than I fed with my cooking. I could do the baking and stuff. I liked doing the cake for your birthday."

"Are you just making stuff up as we go along?" Harry asked.

"Sort of, maybe. But we were talking just now and I realized how much I would love to be with you all day and do something together. Just think, we own our own business where we could raise our kids and enjoy life. You wouldn't be out chasing dark wizards or nutty witches making love potions. It would be just us making a life for ourselves," she said dreamily.

"Would you be happy that way?" he asked. "I don't know. I get kind of a rush from the chase and the excitement."

"Me too, Harry but I wanted to think of something positive and peaceful. Not to mention that we already have the money for something like that. My Dad would love to see me do something like that. He'd probably accept that as an alternative to Medical or Dental School. I mean being an entrepreneur would please him." She said as she walked to the sink to brush her teeth for bed.

"You want to make your parents proud, don't you Hermione?" asked Harry. "I'm not going to make that harder, am I?"

"Don't talk like that," she said. "First off, I'm Daddy's little girl and he'll be happy with what makes me happy if I prove to him that I'm truly happy. That's why I know they'll eventually fall in love with you like I have." She came back into the room ready for bed and kissed Harry on the forehead. "Just let me handle my parents and let's stay alive long enough to make our dreams come true."

Harry smiled at her as her hand trailed off the ends of his finger tips. "Fair enough, Sweetheart. Why shouldn't I trust you with that? I trust you with everything else."

"Exactly. Now get some sleep and don't go visiting Rosy Palm and her five sisters tonight. It'll spoil our next time together." She shut the light out giggling into the pillow. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, you little vixen," he said trying to think of something other than "prick tease" to call her. "I'll send Rosy on vacation, but remember if you get too sassy I can call her home in an instant."

"Oh, Harry, shush up and go to bed," she said roaring in laughter again.

Harry's dreams turned to Hermione that night. Throughout the night he dreamt of her in every capacity they'd talked about. He was aroused with dreams of making love. He was warmed with dreams of cuddling. He was entranced with the thought of having a child with her. He thought of her holding the baby as he kissed her and played with the baby's feet. And then, as if the whole dream was a prelude to tragedy, a dark figure entered. He was paralyzed as he watched his Hermione stricken in the face. He couldn't move. She fell as she struggled to hold their baby.

It was surreal. He started moving toward them now. He was fighting to move to get closer. He saw her face. It was fierce and unrelenting as she fought her attacker.

Suddenly, he saw himself lying in the crib with a scar on his forehead and his mother lying on the floor. He looked back and saw the ominous figure pointing his wand at him, "You didn't have to die you know. You should have just given me the child." There was a flash of green light and Harry sat up with a scream.

"Noooooo!" he yelled.

Hermione nearly fell out of bed and there were foot steps in the hall, "Harry, are you alright, Sweetie?" She knew immediately what happened without knowing details.

"Are you kids alright in there?" asked Gordie from outside the door. "Harry?"

Hermione opened the door to dispel any thoughts that Harry might have been yelling at her. "Gordie, Sir, Harry suffers from terrible nightmares sometimes. This is the first one in a long time. We're sorry for making such a spectacle."

Harry sat shivering in bed in a cold sweat. "Please shut the door, Hermione."

"I'm sorry to intrude, please, he needs a moment," said Gordie stepping away but looking back in with sadness in his eyes.

As soon as Hermione closed the door, Harry's eyes welled with tears. "It was the worst thing I could have imagined, Hermione. It was us with our baby…and Voldemort or someone….and then you crumpled to the floor. When I got to you, it was my Mom," his voice cracked at every word. "It was me in the crib, but the wand was pointed at me. It's all so out of place." The tears became sobs.

Hermione worried about Harry. The closer the time came to facing Voldemort and the truth about himself and his family, the more profoundly moved he was-both for good and bad. She's felt it in the passion in his kisses and the intensity of his lovemaking. It was also apparent in his body as he sobbed now.

"Sweetheart, I will never leave you. Never. I will always be in your heart, Harry. No matter what happens, you have to withstand these things. I hate myself for saying this but you can love someone too much, Harry. You are not responsible for your mother or me," she cried with him.

"I would die to change it all, Hermione. I can't take it sometimes. I look at you and I think of our future. I want to see the baby we make together like in my dream, but…," he was incoherent as he mumbled.

She held him through the early hours of the morning until just before dawn when he fell asleep in her arms. She tried to think of all they had talked about that could have brought such a powerful reaction. She guessed that there were stronger powers at work here than just dreams. She would have guessed that Harry had connected to memories of that night so long before.

By nine o'clock Harry was sitting up. "Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. It was just so real," he said quietly.

"Does your scar bother you?" she asked looking at him wincing slightly.

"I suppose it does, but it's not like it was before. It's like a blinding flash that pierces now instead of a burning sensation," he said. "We have to go there no matter what today, Hermione. That dream will come back if I don't. There are details that I am supposed to fill in, I can feel it."

She couldn't argue with him. They had to go. These two instances of raw emotion were unsettling. She went down to the restaurant as Harry got ready.

"Hi," she said to Millie who was sitting at the counter reading the morning paper.

"Is everything okay, honey?" asked Millie. "Gordie was worried about Harry. Gordie was in the Royal Army for a while and he said the only time he'd ever seen anyone react like that was after a near death experience in battle. We know you guys are too young to have done anything like that."

Hermione tried not to take a deep breath, but it was the natural reaction when you tried to think of an answer that fit but didn't give away the whole truth. "He lost a friend a month or two ago. It was his mentor. It was a horrible thing that he doesn't talk about much. All I can do is comfort him. His mentor was like a father since his parents had both died when he was very young." Hermione didn't know why the story was coming so close to the truth. It was as if her soul needed cleansing, but it rushed out as she held her tears back poorly. "I love him, Millie and I don't know how to help him."

Harry heard her from the steps. He listened.

"Honey, all we can do to help those we love is to be there when they ask us to be there. If we try to be there every minute we lose who we are and then we're not strong enough to help," said Millie. She looked around the room. "Hermione, Sweetheart, Gordie and I will have to adopt children. Gordie struggles with his malady. No one besides me and his doctors-and now you-will ever know the pain he feels for not being able to do what he feels a man should do. We missed our opportunity, but love is enough if you want it to be."

Hermione looked at Millie. "How do you help him when you know the pain is the greatest though? He must feel like he's on the ledge and jumping seems like an option."

"He lives on in spite of it though, Hermione. Does Harry get that way?" she asked.

"No, it's a little different. It's too long of a story, but I will say that he has the capacity to love others so much that he has nearly sacrificed himself for them when it wasn't necessary. I'm afraid that one day that will happen," said Hermione. "I don't go to church, but I find myself praying for him."

"Hermione, God or whatever power you believe in gives us only what we can handle. I believe that. I also believe that each time we survive a trial, we prove we can handle more. Then just when we think we've made it, more is given to us. Harry is strong and so are you. Your love makes that so," she said. "I don't know you that well, but I can tell that you two are breaking boundaries of commitment and love everyday. Just keep going sweetie."

Harry coughed and went up two steps and back down to warn them. "Hi, ladies, how's my best friend doing there?" He smiled at Hermione. "She is my strength sometimes, Millie. I don't know why the dreams affect me that way, but she sets me right."

At that moment, Harry alleviated the sadness growing in the room. Millie shared some of the lighter stories in the local insert to the London Times. One of the farmers in Willow Brook had a prized hog get caught in a fence. Another farmer had a birthday party for the family cow. The cow had given them milk for ten years. So on and so on. Hermione and Harry were able to relax for a few moments before they moved on.

"Harry, would you and Hermione like a ride to …what's the name of that little place?" asked Gordie.

"Godric's Hollow," said Hermione. She looked at Harry.

"Sure, my feet are still sore from the walk. Hermione, do you want to keep a room here? We could walk back here instead of both ways," suggested Harry.

"Oh, now, that's a wonderful idea Harry," she said perking up as she noticed that Harry seemed to be in better spirits. Hermione turned to Millie. "There is the possibility though that we won't come back tonight, can you just let us keep the stuff somewhere until we do come back?"

"Sure, we'll only charge you for when you stay. And for you guys, it's half price," said Gordie.

What would have been a four hour walk took less than twenty minutes riding with Gordie. Just before they got there Gordie turned to Harry. "Harry, mate, I hope I didn't embarrass you by staring at you through the door. I just felt your pain and I didn't know why."

"Gordie, you and Millie have been so nice to us. What were you supposed to do, ignore someone screaming in their sleep?" said Harry rhetorically.

"Well, it was weird. We've had couples that woke us screaming, "Yes!" at the top of their voice, several times in succession as I remember, but never anyone yelling "No." he smiled and looked out the windshield. "So, kids, don't feel that you have to pretend to be saints. Do what the spirit moves you to do."

Harry and Hermione had to smile at each other. "Thanks for the ride," said Harry to change the subject. "We do appreciate it."

They rolled to a stop at the opening to a little gated community. "Hey, they must be selling tickets to the garden these days."

There was a sign on the fence that said, "Godric's Hollow, home of the Magical Garden."

"Nice," said Harry trying to put his best foot forward as his stomach tied in knots.

"Thank you. We'll see you soon, Gordie," waved Hermione as he turned around and went the other way.

They waited for him to get out of sight and then Hermione told Harry, "I know you heard me talking to Millie. I'm sorry, Harry. I lost it too."

Harry took her around the shoulders and pulled her head to his chest. "Sweetheart, we both got a valuable lesson today. It was unavoidable under the circumstances. Just don't worry about me getting heroic. I actually have a reason to think first now…and you're that reason."

Nothing could have prepared Harry and Hermione for what they saw that afternoon. Harry took a deep breath, "Shall we?" he asked Hermione and held out his arm.

"Absolutely, whenever you're ready," she said taking his arm as they walked through the gate.

Harry had no idea what he would see. Would it be like Grimmauld Place? The house appeared out of thin air there and once it appeared seemed perfectly normal. He had no idea what it looked like when he was inside. Today would the garden even exist in his eyes? Was it simply a magical screen to cover the ruins of his first childhood home?

It was Harry that saw the garden first. He was taken aback that it actually existed. It was just as beautiful as Gordie and Millie had made it sound. Hermione saw it just a fraction of a second after Harry. "Wow," he said. "Would you look at this!"

He walked through it and around it three of four times looking for anything that appeared to be different about it than a regular old garden. He could find nothing. He and Hermione took a seat on the bench at the back of the neighboring property and just stared. "I would have thought there would be something," said Hermione. "I didn't expect anything but the garden but I expected you to see something."

They walked the grounds looking at the flowers, hoping to see something that remotely resembled a sign of the magical nature of the garden. Hermione noticed the small gravestones and called Harry cautiously. "Harry, this is interesting." She pointed at her feet. Harry knew instantly what she'd found.

He took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and walked toward her some fifteen meters away. As he approached, he felt happier and not sadder as he'd imagined he would. A sense of belonging filled him as the wind caressed him. His eyes glassed over, but he maintained his composure.

"You feel their presence, don't you Harry?" Hermione guessed.

"I don't know if I feel them, but I feel a sense that I am supposed to be here," he said simply. He turned and looked around from where he stood. He noticed something that he'd not seen just moments before near the place he'd been standing. It glistened in the summer sun. If he had seen it in the park in London, he'd have thought it was a piece of debris such as tin foil. Here right now, it looked like something he was supposed to find. He walked over and found that it had been placed there. He was convinced of it.

"Harry, what have you there?" asked Hermione.

"I'm not sure," he said. He looked around to make sure no one was around. "It's strange. It's covered with runes."

"Harry, I remember reading about these. They are like magical time capsules. If the runes are read correctly, it will produce a sort of waking dream for all those present. I can read the cover but I would need the light of a wand to cast the proper light on it to read the rest. It says on the top, "My Dearest, Harry."

Chills consumed them both. "Harry, we need to be somewhere safe to invoke magic this powerful," said Hermione. "Someone needs to transcribe the runes and then you speak the words, Harry. It is very complex."

Harry was still staring at the think box that was the width and height of a man's wallet but the depth of a credit a small memo pad. "Why, Hermione? You could read it here."

"Harry, this will produce a sort of hologram of the sender or senders. This was not produced by your parents, Harry. They had help. It hasn't sat here for sixteen years either. Everyone who can see us will see the message, Harry. That's what I'm trying to say," explained Hermione.

"Harry, it works like a pensieve only it is locked and only the one who it is intended for can open it," she said. "I think you want to be in private where you can take it in."

"I don't want to leave though, Hermione. I've found them. Don't you understand?" he said sadly. As he spoke the breeze picked up and sudden feeling of warmth passed through him. He knew no one on earth could feel it but him at that moment. He didn't know whether it was real or in his mind, but the message seemed to carry the soft, loving voice he remembered as a child.

"We love you, Harry. Trust Hermione. Her love for you will carry you now as mine did years ago. Listen to the love in your soul not the sadness in your heart, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes and looked to the sky as love passed through him once more. He felt the presence of the love of family for which he'd longed for so many years. As the feeling passed, he looked at Hermione and smiled realizing she was now a member of that family in spirit.

He took a step closer to Hermione who had watched him intently for those few seconds.

"Harry, you felt your Mother's spirit pass through you, didn't you?" asked Hermione.

"How did you know?" said Harry with a tear. "How do you know me so well?"

"I don't know, Harry. But for a brief instant, I felt her too. It had to be her. We should go to the Burrow and find a place to open this. I believe it was saved until this very moment to enlighten and strengthen you."

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