Chapter Eight:Beginning to See A Truth
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor. Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
Ron had gotten to the safe house without much fanfare. Despite being pursued, there was little that they could do to catch up to him. They had even given up at one point. Not that Ron minded of course. But now that he sat in the room, staring at the muggle contraptions, he figured he had time to think.
He needed to that, and with Harry/Fawkes's return, there was little time for him to set things straight. He had too many thoughts rolling through his head.
Since Harry left for the first time, he felt the darkness in the world. He knew it was there, he had to be stupid not to know that. But for the first time, he had seen it close up and personal. Ron had seen the darkness that Voldemort was and he saw it attack Hogwarts. That same darkness had seeped its way into his family in the guise of mistrust and denial.
Hermione had managed to take the brunt of it, unjustified as it was. He loved her when he had asked her out, and he still did. Just not in the way she deserved to be. He had tried to court her, but she refuted him every time. That was had set off his mother the first time. Now though, things were different.
Ginny had made it her personal duty to ensure that Harry was always on everybody's mind, and it was on everybody's mind that he would return for her. That would have worked, if Hermione had not held adamant to her stance that he would return, but not for her or for Ginny. He would return because it was right.
Both were wrong. Harry returned for Hermione. She was only one he listened to, no matter who he said he was, he listened to her. That was what made it so easy to believe that Death/Fawkes was Harry. He listened to Hermione, and she responded to him.
Hermione was even better because of him. Whatever Ginny had said to Hermione to force her into the shell was broken with the arrival of Death/Fawkes. He would have said that Hermione would return to normal with Harry's return, yet her capture still troubled him. Harry was going to go after her, and he was to practice his magic.
Ron took the small book Harry had given him before they entered that complex. He said the answers to his magical strengths were within him. That he had to focus upon his home, upon the place where is at peace. At first he thought Harry had meant the Burrow, clearings surrounded by wooded areas. Yet there had to be more of it than just that.
Opening the book, Ron began to slowly read about the five magics that encompass the world. Of the islands, swamps, mountains, forests, and the plains. There was magic everywhere. What did Harry want him to learn?
I0I
Hermione was starting to get angry. Harry hadn't talked to her in well over an hour now. He gave her a book to read, and told her he'd talk to her when she was finished.
"What are you doing Harry?" Hermione finally asked. He had been silent for the last twenty minutes, the only movement she could figure was when he moved closer to transfigure her chair into a more comfortable one. She heard a groan and the shifting of sheets.
"I was trying to take a nap," Harry said. "You finish the book?"
"No, but what's that go-" she started to say.
"You decide to go back?" Harry interrupted.
"No, but-"
"Then wake me when you do either of them," Harry said. The sound of something large hitting the mattress was the only thing she heard.
With a growl, she relaxed in her chair. He knew something that he wasn't telling her, and she was being too stubborn to see it. That much at least they both agree upon. She just didn't understand why Harry didn't tell her what she needed to know, then he could be on his way, and leave her.
He already told you he wasn't leaving without you.
She turned the book over in her hands, trying to figure out what to do. She didn't want to go back, not like this. The only way to get him to talk to her was to read the book. Which was what she was planning on doing.
Curling her legs underneath her, she wordlessly cast the spell, the words becoming braille. She found herself drawn in, forgetting about her anger toward Harry, about how loneliness. Something about the words drew her in.
Magic rests upon the soul. Soul rests at home. It is where the home lies that magic will flourish.
Magic can be broken down into five types: red, green, white, blue, and black. Each type corresponds to an area of the world. To mountains are red, the forest green, the plains white, the islands blue, and the swamps black. Each type of magic is different, but there are similarities between some of them, and starch contrasts between others. That however is not the purpose of this entry. The purpose is for a reader to prove themselves as wizards. To prove themselves by drawing upon the mana of their magic and use it to complete real magic.
Hermione continued to read, finding notes written along the edges. The book was handwritten, the course lines still sensed below the braille. How she would have loved to read those words, decipher the scrawl. Yet more importantly was get to know the man who passed down this knowledge to her.
As she read, the image of a beach stretching into a long plain, with distant mountains in one side, and a forest toward another. It was almost like between her beach, the mountains, and the forest, a triangle could be made. She wasn't going to think about that right now.
Closing her eyes, she could almost feel the sea breeze as it touched her cheeks. She could smell the salt in the air and hear the seagulls flying above. She turned in her mind toward the plains, feeling draw in the direction of the mountains. She began to walk slowly, past the tall grass and lone tree.
"Well, looks like you're finished." Harry's voice snapped her out of her trance. That was the only way she could explain it all. "Do you understand a little bit more, or would you like to mediate some more?"
"I'd like to talk about it," Hermione said.
"I figured you would," he said. She felt something move close to her chest, right above her abdomen. "I took the liberty of ordering us some take out. I figured it would be best to get you something to eat. It's probably been close to three hours since you started reading."
"What?" Hermione turned her head in the direction of his voice, or at least where she hoped his voice was.
"Would you like an explanation, or would you like to tell me what you saw first?" He had a chuckle in his throat, and she would have glared at him, yet he was right. She needed to talk about it.
"I'd like to know what happened first, might make it easier for me to explain things," Hermione said.
"The book is an older version of one I have, I apologize for not give you that one, it goes further in depth about all of the types, but I thought that this would help you focus on yours," Harry said. Hermione felt one of her hands being grabbed then her fingers being wrapped around a box. "I got some Chinese, if that's okay. The fork's in the box."
"Thank you," Hermione said. She shouldn't have been surprised by how calm and understanding of her situation, but she was. This Harry wasn't her Harry, not completely at least. But she wasn't his Hermione that he remembered either. "So what happened?"
"What place did you picture in your mind? The plains I hope," harry said.
"I found myself at where the beach met the plains, but there these mountains off in the distance and some forests as well." Hermione said.
"Don't worry about those right now, lets just look at the plains and the islands," he said.
"I was just at the beach though." Hermione pushed whatever was in the box around a bit, trying to figure out what it was or if she was hungry.
"There were islands out there, trust me," Harry said. "So that makes you a blue and white mage, leaning toward white, I presume. We'll have to see though."
"But what does that mean?" Hermione asked.
"It means that you will be able to use those types of mana to counter other types, heal wounds, summon birds, knights, wind and water elementals, soldiers, and a dozen other things. Heck, you might even be able to summon some fish." He laughed at this point. "But I doubt that."
"I could do all that?" Hermione asked, astonished. Magic as she knew it was restrictive in just about everything it could do. "Cure without potions? Counter magic?" There were no counters to magic, there never had been. Magic simply was too strong to counter.
"Do you believe it to be possible?" Harry asked. She nodded, knowing that there had to be something stronger than just magic. "That it will be. Now, granted it will take some time before you could do everything I mentioned, but you'll have to start small."
"That's fine, when do we start?" Hermione said, getting excited about this new type of magic. Or rather older magic she was about to learn.
"After lunch," Harry said. "You need to eat and relax first." Hermione took a bite of the food she was given. Not surprised at the sweet and sour pork she was given, she still felt good to enjoy it again. It had been a long time since she was able to enjoy good Chinese food. While this wasn't necessarily it, the meal was close enough.
Swallowing, she began to think more about the man in front of her. While he may have looked like her Harry, he wasn't. Not really. But she wanted to get to know this Harry.
"Harry..." She wasn't sure if she should ask, or even if he would answer, but she still wanted to know. "What happened to you?" She heard Harry put down his meal, and let out a sigh. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. "I'm sorry, if-"
"You remember when I left?" Harry asked. She nodded, gripping the locket he had given her unconsciously. She never took it off, and always believed that if she held it, Harry was closer to her. "I headed off to Hogwarts, specifically Albus's grave. I needed to grieve still. I don't remember how long I was there, but it had started to rain. If I had known at the time, it would have made it easier figuring out which type of mana I am able to control." Hermione just nodded, logging the question away for later. His voice was tense, and she could tell he was going to only have harder time dealing with telling his story. She wasn't going to make it any worse. "I went to his office, and read a letter he left to me. He told me to begin to look for knowledge that would unlock the inner magics within us all. So that's what I did. Grabbed his time turner, and headed into Europe."
"How much did you find?" Hermione asked, then kicked herself. She didn't want to ask questions, but that one came out before she could stop it.
"Not much," Harry said. "To be honest, I spent more time enjoying myself and relaxing than looking. It was another thing that Albus had asked me. Was to enjoy my summer before I returned. He said that it would be a long time before I could ever find peace like I found that summer again.
"You know how you said you hated skiing?" Harry offered. "I found that it was one of the most relaxing experiences I've ever had. Right after that was napping on the beach. I felt normal for the first time ever. Didn't last long, even with the time turner. About two months or so. I headed back after that, to my parent's house. You already know what happened there." Hermione nodded. "Well, I found myself about seventy years in the past, a couple years before the Great Depression. I was actually surprised they even let me become a doctor at that point." Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question, but a phone rang. Must have been a cell phone that Harry carried.
"Ron-calm down Ron-what's wrong-okay....okay... I'll be right over," Harry said.
"What was that about?" Hermione asked. He sighed and she felt the table disappear, making her thankful that she was holding her food.
"Ron leaped before he looked and did something incredible foolish," Harry said. "I've got to clean up his mess." He walked over to her, his steps light as he stood beside her. She reached out blindly, grabbing onto his arm.
"Please don't leave me, I couldn't bare it again," Hermione asked. The fear she felt was not the abnormal one that Ginny seemed to induce, or her own insecurities. This was one that had haunted her for quite some time: the fear of losing him all together. She felt his hand go over hers and give it a gentle squeeze.
"Hermione, I need you to think long and hard about something," Harry said. "I want you to tell me what is more important, returning with me, as you are, or not returning at all, and being without me." He kissed her forehead at this, and she felt the shiver run down her spine. "Please love, think hard." Harry whispered. And in a moment, the room became a lot colder. She sighed and did what he asked: think long and hard. Would she truly give up her beauty for him?
I0I
Ron couldn't believe it when he did it. The damn thing had sprouted out of the pot along the wall, and by now there was about ten of them, walking around the room and on the walls. They were like weeds, only uglier. They didn't speak, yet he could have sworn there were faces on them and they were watching him.
He didn't mean to do it, but as he thought about the forests he had found in his mind, he saw the the weeds there to. But they weren't moving. He drew his arms outward before pulling them in, just like the book said he could do to gather the mana. The forest had paled around him slightly, and the mana was stronger than he thought. Waking from his trance suddenly, with the image of those weeds still in mind, he pushed the mana outward.
"Ron, what was the first direction the book gave?" Harry asked. Ron nearly jumped off the bed he had been sitting upon when Harry appeared in the room.
"How the hell you do that?" Ron asked.
"Magic," Harry said with a shrug. Ron glared at him and then jumped when all of those damn weeds began to circle Harry. "Ron, call them off." His voice was tired, though Ron could have cared less at the moment. He was still trying to figure out how those damn things got there in the first place. "You have no idea what you did do you?"
"Hey, the book should have come with better instructions of something," Ron said. Harry just sighed again and crossed his arms. "Okay, I didn't finish reading, give me a break."
"Ron, there was a reason I told you to finish reading before you started trying this," Harry said. "Though, I must say, you sure did a hell of a lot better than me my first time."
"You summoned these things too?!" Ron asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, kinda because its a trial and error process," Harry said. "Now, call them off."
"How do I do that?" Ron asked, looking sheepish. He really should have finished that book. "Wait, I got it." Harry raised his eyebrow as Ron stood from the bed. "Form a protective perimeter around this room." He drew the mana in once again, concentrating on what he needed to do as he spoke. Pushing out the green mana, he felt the spike of energy be released, and the weeds shifted directions.
They began to crawl along the walls, growing and leaving trails of vines and leaves behind them. By the time they were in the corners of the room, the walls had been covered in a thick vines.
"Much better than my first time," Harry said, looking around at the walls. Ron never heard what else Harry had to say. His body was just too heavy for him to hold up any more, and he collapsed on the bed. Had he been awake, he would have heard this: "Course, I blew up a room when I was supposed to light a candle."
I0I
Hermione sat there for a moment. His words and question kept echoing inside her mind. She had already given up the beauty for her friends. Could she accept who she was now? Could she accept who she was now?
Taking a chance, she took off the cloth around her head, but kept her eyes closed. She had to take one step at a time. Thinking back to her beach, Hermione stood from her seat and opened her eyes, feeling more in control then she had ever felt before.
Opening her eyes, she kept them straight ahead. She wanted to look into a mirror first, to fully see the changes that Riddle had thrown upon her. With each step she took toward the mirror on the far side of the wall, she felt a little calmer, a little less fear. It was as if the fear was breaking off bit by bit. Picturing that in her mind, she stopped in the mirror, letting the scene of the beach and plains fill her up before she looked.
Looking out on the beach, she could see the islands that Harry spoke of. With a smile, she thought she might go over to them one time, but not right now. Something didn't feel right, and she felt as if it were on the plains. Heading in the direction of the forest this time, Hermione continued on, a feeling a dread growing as she walked along.
There was something dark not too far away from here, something that shouldn't have been there. It wasn't from the enchantment, though, how she knew that, she couldn't say. No, this was placed there by someone else.
The grass was dead around the stone that Hermione saw. Everything was dying off as she got closer to the rock. She stopped when the dread was too much for her. Thinking back to the book, she began to gather the mana from the land around her.
She pushed her hands together, cupping them as she would an insect between them. Yet what she held was a lot more unpredictable. Removing her hands, the ball of white mana, with flecks of blue, floated in front of her. She smiled to herself at the power she was able to draw upon, before nodding in the direction of the rock. The ball took off, cutting the rock in half.
Almost immediately, the ground beneath her grew lighter, healthier. She fell to her knees, no able to prevent the smile that had settled onto her face.
"Why is it that my first attempt I end blowing up an entire room and you can do it perfectly?" Hermione looked up to Harry walking toward her from the mountain.
"How did you get here?" Hermione managed to get out. Harry just smiled and crouched down in front of her.
"You don't think I recognize the trances when I see them?" he said with a slight chuckle. "Lots of monks went into them as they took care of the monastery I was at."
"What do you mean?"
"These trances are used to help a mage magnify their ability to manipulate and control mana," Harry said. "Eventually, these places will become more prominent within your own minds. So much that you don't even need to fall into a trance to use the mana. Quite astounding really." He stood back up, and held out his hand. "Find an answer to your question?" Hermione shook her head.
"That was kinda the reason I was here," she said. Harry just gave her a smile as he nodded. "I wanted to see how I looked in the mirror before I decided." He nodded as she took his hand, lifting her up as she held onto it. "I wanted to be able to face myself with the decision."
"I wish I had your wisdom sometimes," Harry said. Hermione blushed as the world around them melded back into their hotel room. She closed her eyes before she stared into the mirror.
Her skin was still wrinkled and cracked. Her eyes still held the jaundice that was there before. Her hair was thin and wiry, as if it had never been combed before. Yet there was something different. She wasn't afraid anymore. Staring into her eyes, she could still see her thirst for knowledge, and want to help. She closed her eyes and turned around. She wanted to look at Harry, and see the man that he had become. The smile that crossed her face made her feel almost normal.
Harry had his back to here, so she couldn't see much difference between him and Fawkes. The weight of the world still rested upon his shoulders. His stance was still strong. It wasn't until he turned around did she see the man who he was.
His hair was shorter, much shorter, yet still managed to stick out at all ends. Gone were the glasses, but Hermione suspected he was truly wearing contacts or the magic equivalent. His jaw was stronger and the stubble made him look like a cowboy from one of those American Westerns her father loved. His eyes though, told her his care for her, and his smile hid the pain he felt for her to be like this. There was, though, nothing he could do to help her.
"If you promise to help me," Hermione started, "I'll go back."
"Why would I not help you?" Harry said with a smile. "Would you go back, even like this?"
"Like I said, if you help me, I will," Hermione said. She walked back over to her chair and sat down in it. There was a tension in the air, but she wasn't as worried about it as she had been before.
"When have you ever asked for my help and I refused?" Harry said. "Now, do you want to continue my story, or work on your magic?"
"Is there a way to do both?" Hermione asked. "Go back into the trance, I mean." Harry looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"I want you to be careful though, do not do anything there until you see me. You can explore, but that is it, don't interact with anything unless you absolutely have to," Harry said. Hermione nodded, closing her eyes.
The beach and plains seemed so much easier to get to now. She didn't want to head out to the islands, not without Harry yet. Heading back toward the plains, she wanted to see if she could make it to the mountains. They kept calling to her, like there was something there for her to claim. It wasn't where she would find another strong source of mana; she might be able to use at times if she trained long enough. No, there was something else.
There was a commotion up ahead, and she almost wanted to run over there. But Harry's words were too reprehensible. She didn't know enough about this world. She didn't even think she was in control of any thing. She really wished she had her wand right now.
"Ma'am, what are you doing out here? Its not safe." She spun to see a group of soldiers behind her. They were unlike any soldiers she had seen before. If anything, they were Roman gladiators, dressed in what they could find and armed even worse.
"Why not?" Hermione asked. She knew enough to defend herself, or at least she thought she did. The book did tell her of two spells. The disenchant that she had used earlier and a defensive spell that returned the object to its place of origin. That latter was blue, and she hopped to she'd be able to draw upon it out here. The distance she had traveled from the beach was much farther than she had thought it to be originally. She did not travel normally here, and she couldn't understand it. Harry had a lot of explaining to do when he finally showed up.
"We're under attack, you need to get out of here," the soldiers said. Hermione didn't get a chance to respond.
Arrows began to fly in the direction of the mountain, as if something was coming that way. There was too, a spell of some sort that burned the air behind it as it flew toward her. A fireball that was descending upon soldiers as they fired ahead. She was pulled away as the fireball grew closer. The soldiers had made her decision for her, taking her by the arms and dragging her away.
The heat of the fireball was unlike she had ever felt before. The soldiers seemed to reflexively defend her without another thought. Harry had mentioned the summoning of soldiers, yet these were not hers.
No, they were someone else's, Harry's possible. She doubted that as well though. They were too rough with her; Harry would have been gentler, or at least she hoped he would have been.
Through the mess of soldiers fighting, she could see the greenish figures attacking the soldiers that stood in defense. Goblins. Not the ones she was familiar with, these were different as if devolved versions of the ones at Gringotts. There was an anger between the two of them unlike she had ever seen. There was no mercy, no compassion, no-
Her next conscious thought was that of the relative calm that had surrounded the plains. The fighting was over and the medics were nursing the wounds. On both sides.
"I thought I told you not to do anything." Hermione looked to see Harry sitting next to her, a small smile on his face. "That included getting yourself hurt."
"What happened?" He helped her up slowly, his arm around her waist. She didn't need to be steadied, but he didn't need to know that.
"They know now that I am not to be messed with," Harry said.
"You...you were the fireball?" Her knees gave out, and he caught her once more. His grip had tightened, and she could not help but move closer into his body.
"Of course," Harry said. "Damn bastards are always fighting, had to stop them somehow.
"What happened?" Hermione looked around as the goblins and soldiers were being carried off in separate directions. Many more goblins had fallen then soldiers, yet their numbers were much larger to begin with.
"Mana is energy Hermione, it balances through struggle, just like the rest of us," Harry said with a light laugh. "Even allies fight from time to time, just to reassert their own powers. It happens." He shrugged at this. "Ready to go to my place? To my side of the mountain?" His smile grew large at this as he lifted them off the ground. She curled in closer to him as he put his arms under her legs.
"How did you do that?" Hermione asked. He had his phoenix wings, though that was only part of him transformed.
"It comes with practice," Harry said with a smile. "I've got a small villa on a plateau, we should be safe there for now."
"Safe from what?" There was another explosion from behind them. She could make out the images of men attacking the soldiers and goblins who had survived.
"I've got issues," Harry said with a sigh as he changed direction.
Looking around her, the mountains where much larger than any she had ever seen or heard of. In the distance was a mountain that stretched beyond the clouds and the sky. Smoke filled the air as she could have sworn she saw a dragon fly past them in the direction of the battle. He was right about the plateau though, it had settled in the middle of the mountain range, the tall grass and trees almost hiding the small house that Harry had erected.
He landed softly upon the grass, and Hermione could not stop at the building before her. There was sense of home to it, a sense that she belonged there. Shaking her head, she looked back at Harry as he moved toward the small lake he had created.
He was almost the exact same as he was before they had jumped to wherever they were. But he held himself a little stronger, a little bit more confident than she thought even he knew. There were so many questions.
"What happened that caused all this?" Hermione asked. Harry stood up from his knelt position, turning to look at her.
"When I first stepped back, I tried to study everything on time as I could, found out a few interesting things, but nothing more than I'd have to wait it out," Harry said with a shrug. "I spent my time studying in the normal world to become a doctor. Worked for quite some time during the Depression free of charge. Some of the best work I ever done."
"I'd like hear your stories sometimes, if you'd tell me them," Hermione said. She took a step closer to him. She didn't want to scare him; he looked so much like a scared dog that would jump at any sudden movements. His back had turned toward her, his piercing gaze no longer looking at her soul.
"I'd like that too," he turned to look at her again before his gaze fell onto the tallest peak, the one that disappeared into the clouds. "I did some traveling though, and stopped in France for a bit of a vacation. Nice people, decent food. I was there when it fell, and managed to escape long enough to join a resistance. I hadn't practiced magic in over ten years at this point, though I still knew how to. Just had no care to." He waved his hand, a bench of stone rose from the ground. Hermione nearly fell over as she watched the ground shift back, as if there was no disruption to the grass. "You can sit if you want. The story is a long one." She gave him a weak smile before taking him up on his offer.
Patting the seat next to her, Hermione could not help but feel the calm overcome her again. Like she was being protected against the evils of the world, just by sitting there. As Harry smiled at her, she knew she was protected. Better than anyone else could have done.
Harry sat and began to expunge everything that had happened to him during the second Great War. She didn't want to hear it, but knew that someone had to. The care she felt him was never greater than the moment when he told her that the hardest choice he ever made, was when there was the life of a child in his hands, and he had to let the child die. He wanted to help the babe so much, and he broke down against her as he tried to explain why he couldn't. Hermione only pulled him closer, knowing that had haunted him for so long, and it would continue to for a even longer time.
The war ended shortly after that incident, at least for Harry. He stopped practicing medicine for about five years after, choosing to instead study magic once again. That only lasted for a couple years when he went back to practicing medicine, this time in the States.
"It's how Grace found me," Harry said. Hermione looked up at him from her position with her head upon his shoulder. She pulled his arm closer to her as he removed a locket from his jacket. "She was a causality of a drunk driving accident. Her mother died on the table, but I was able to save her. She didn't have anyone else, and we had talked a lot while she was recovering. Visited her every day."
"She's beautiful," Hermione said. The young girl had Harry's dark hair, and could easily pass for his daughter. Her eyes were blue though, a bright blue that almost matched the sky. Her smile in the photograph made Hermione want to smile even wider.
"She was," Harry said. The silence lasted longer than Hermione thought possible. She was going to tell him he didn't have to talk about her if it hurt too much. But when was Harry known for listening to everything she thought? "It was mainly because of her that I stayed in one spot for so long. When she was finished with high school, I made her go to college. She was too smart to just take a menial job. She got accepted into a law program and began to study to become a lawyer." He sighed though before slipping the locket around his neck. "I went off, traveling the world. Kept looking for something new to study. I never told her about the magical world, and maybe that was what made it so special with her. She didn't need that to think her father was a magician."
"What happened to her?" Hermione asked. His hand was playing with the end of her jacket, which she didn't know how it got there, but wasn't complaining.
"She was working late one night," Harry said. The tears were already resting in his eyes and she could wrap her arms around him tighter. "Despite my efforts, she didn't want to move to a nice part of the city. Kept saying that she had friends there that she wouldn't have anywhere else. I respected that, but made she had enough to protect herself. A tazer, some mace. Made sure she learned self-defense. Did everything I could, but it wasn't enough." He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on her. He was trying to stay strong. "Some punk tried to take her purse. She...she was able to fight him off, but his friends...." He broke down here, pulling her almost onto his lap. It was several minutes before he was in control again. It was only then that Hermione noticed the storm that seemed to follow them. She began to whisper in his ears, telling him to let everything out. He sat up, still holding onto her, but he took a deep breath, as if to calm himself. It must have worked because the storm soon disappeared into nothing.
"Sorry," Harry said. Hermione wanted to glare at him as he drew away from her, but only pulled him closer when he tried. "I haven't talked to anyone about it."
"Then it was good that you got it off your chest," Hermione said. She reached for the locket, giving him a shy look when he didn't pull away. Looking at the picture of Grace once more, she smiled to herself. "I think she would be proud of you."
"Who?" Harry asked. His gaze was lost to the mountains again, and Hermione could not help feel her heart warm at the peace that crossed his face.
"Grace," Hermione said. She pulled back to sit up on her own, waiting until Harry removed his arms from around her. Albeit he was rather slow to do so. "She'd be proud of you." He however, just nodded. He stood a moment later, leaving her on the bench.
"I know, but its difficult, Hermione," he said. "I mean, I have you for a family as well too, and hell I messed up, but when I was with Grace, I felt like I didn't have to go back. I felt at peace." He needed to get this off his chest. He was gone a lot longer than five years, he was gone a lifetime. Could she learn to love him again, even if he was older than she could ever be? "Time is a cruel mistress. She decides for you how far you will go, what you be limited to know. She cares not for the beginning, begrudging you the safety of the womb. She cares not for the time spent in life, before you enter that silent tomb. How dare she declare that one life mean more? How dare she decide what my life has in store?" He turned back to look at her, his face now grim. "Do you know what I believe? I believe that each of us, has but one love in life. One person to share everything with. Yet we have many children. The love of the father knows no bounds, yet the love of the soul is constricted and contorted if it should ever look away."
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Hermione asked. She didn't want to know if he found another to love when he left. He shook his head, turning back to look at the mountain.
"There is when time separates them," Harry said. He stared at the mountain again, and Hermione could not help but wonder why he did so. What was hidden there that he wanted so much. "Its hard to hold onto something through time, and its even harder to let go after holding on for so long."
"Do you want to let go?" Hermione asked. She stood, walking over to him. The air was filled with the smoke and ash of the dragons that seemed to always be passing by, yet there still was something comfortable about the air. Something comfortable about Harry.
"No, I don't," Harry said. He turned to look at her, his smile forced. "You wanted to know where I learned about this, and here I am rattling on about something that really doesn't matter." He turned away, brushing away what had to be tears. "Now, what do you want to know?" Hermione stared at him for a moment, trying to remember all the questions she had to ask him. All she could see was a man, tortured by his own words and mind for more time than she could imagine.
"I'd like to know how you do it?" Hermione asked.
"Its rather simple really," Harry said with a smile. "All this mana, I can draw upon. As far as the eye can see then even farther. Because the mana isn't really here, it's inside of me. Here." He placed his hand over his heart. "Its a reflection of my personal and subconscious beliefs." That wasn't the answer Hermione was looking for, but she'd get it out eventually from him. "Same as the island and the plain is a reflection of yours."
"What do you mean?" Hermione looked back to where they came from. Now she could see the islands that didn't seem so far off.
"I mean that your passion for knowledge and strict need for order is embodied within the islands and plains. More so knowledge than order I'd say, you've broken enough rules in your time," Harry said. Hermione blushed lightly at the remark. "Which is why you have a few mountains under your control as well, but the use of them is likely to wait until you are able to fully use your islands, then plains."
"Then why could I use the white spell first?" Hermione asked.
"Because you haven't been close enough to any islands. Come here," Harry said, motioning her closer. He held out his arms, as if for her to slid right into them. She could not hold back the smile that formed at his motions. There was nothing that made her doubt that he cared for her.
She wrapped her arms around his stomach, picturing that beach once again. He was right, there was something about that area that made her feel safe. "Wonderful job." She opened her eyes, looking up at him. They were back upon the beach, though now the mountains were as close as they were the first time Hermione had arrived. "Ready to practice?"
"Practice what?" Harry just smiled for a moment before stepping back. He waved his arm in the direction of the mountains, a red flash being pulled back as he drew his hand toward them again. Hermione covered her ears as a loud squeal echoed down toward them.
"Ib should be joining us right about," a goblin crashed in front of them, "now." The goblin jumped to his feet, looking around menacingly, or at least trying to. His dazed expression left him looking nothing more than stupid. His metal helmet was askew and he appeared to be trying to direct one thing or another.
"What's he trying to do?" Hermione asked.
"Summon some other goblins to his location," Harry said. "So what are you going to do?"
"Me?" Hermione asked, taking a step back as Ib looked at her.
"Yes, you," Harry said. "You can destroy some enchantments with white mana. Well, here there is no white mana. What was the second skill that I said we'd teach you?"
"The blue one ,the one that returns a thing to its place of origin," Hermione said. She moved closer to Harry, trying to get away from the goblin.
"Good, draw the mana and perform the spell," Harry said.
"What? I don't know how to do that?" Hermione looked back at the goblin, its gaze fixed upon her now.
"Hermione, just relax," Harry said. He took her arms that had been holding onto his stomach, which she had no idea how they did that. She told them explicitly not to do such things. He moved her in front of him, holding her steady. "I want you to think about something that calms you. Think about the knowledge you have and the calming motions of the sea. Cup your hands together, and draw those thoughts together into a single motion of energy."
Staring at the goblin, she still had no idea what to do. Taking a step forward, she did the only thing she could think of; she did what Harry had asked her to do. Hermione had no idea about the knowledge of this place, only that the magic was within her, so that meant the knowledge to do what she needed to was within her as well.
She ran her fingers over the air around her, feeling something dragging behind with them. Cupping her hands, she drew them toward her chest, holding the substance together. Opening her eyes, she nearly screamed as the goblin approached her. Out of reflex, she took a step back, stumbling over something and releasing the substance she had held onto.
"Now that's more like it," Harry said with a laugh. Hermione watched as the goblin took off in the direction of the mountains, as well as a great deal of the sand and rocks that had surrounded the goblin. "Control will come over time. But that was still a great start."
"What did I do?" Hermione asked. She took Harry's out stretched hand, letting him pull her to her feet.
"You started yourself down another road of magic," Harry said with a smile. "I believe now we should pick up Ron, and head back." The world around them faded away to the room that Harry had taken them to in the first place. Now though, she was resting upon the bed, Harry looming over her, brushing some of her hair out of the way.
"Harry?" She reached out, touching his cheek lightly. Why did he have to move on?
"I've been gone a long time Hermione, but I'm back," Harry said with a sad smile. It was almost like he was saying goodbye again, but it wasn't to her. "Would you give up love for your beauty?"
Hermione looked at him, trying to figure out what he meant. She was already without her looks, and she was already in love. With him no less. Not that she wanted to be; she fought that emotion every damn step of the way. But no... she had to go ahead and fall in love with the git.
"What I mean is, if you had to give up the love of your life for your beauty, would you?" Harry's hand moved to her hair, running through it slightly. It didn't feel as dry or tangled as he touched it, as if his hands were healing the hair as he touched her.
"No," Hermione said. "but that doesn't mean that I'll fall in love." She stared at him as he looked down upon her.
"Your spirit is strong, Hermione, it always was," Harry said. "You've been fighting yourself for so long that I guess you forgot that part of you." She had to turn slightly to look at him now as she lay beside her. His gaze went straight through her, right to her soul. "I can fix this, Hermione, but you have to understand."
"Understand what?" Hermione asked. Harry definitely had turned into a Dumbledore with age. Him and his damn riddles.
"That if you were to regain your beauty, you would be locked in," Harry said. He turned away from her at this point, getting off the bed completely. He must have realized how close they were, and how ugly-wait!
"What?" Hermione sat up as his words sank in. "Locked?"
"Trapped, without escape," Harry said. "Could you accept that? Accept being bonded to someone else?"
"Harry?" Hermione sat up with a slight laugh. "What worse could there be than Voldemort?" She looked at him.
"How about a life with someone you barely know?" Harry said. "With someone who's life is half over right now."
"Harry, what are you talking about?" Hermione said. "Who is this person that you're talking about?" Harry took another step back, before turning away. He was nervous, it must have to do this person. He had said something earlier about breaking bonds with another bond, and then something about a phoenix's bond.... "Harry, are you talking about yourself?" He nodded, though, still not looking at her. "You talking about bonding yourself to me? Why?"
"Because, I can't stand to see you like you are now," Harry said. She felt an anger grow inside her, but that was quickly put down by the endowment. He was right, she was ugly, she was disgusting, she was - "Broken. Like you could barely hold yourself up. That's not the Hermione I know, that's not the Hermione that made me hate myself for leaving in the first place." Hermione looked at him, the fear gone from her. "I want that Hermione back. I want my Hermione back." She stared at him for a few moments, trying to gather her remaining courage.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want fix you Hermione, I want you to fix you," Harry said. He had finally turned to look at her, the care and pain evident in his eyes. He looked almost the age that his soul was. "But most of all, I want you to know that no matter what, you have to be happy. That's all I've really cared about." Hermione looked down at her feet, trying to figure out his words. She needed to make a decision. Harry obliviously wasn't going to so it was up to her.
"What do you need me to do?"
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