Greetings! I suck at life, I know. I've been REALLY busy with school, hence the almost year-long gap between the last chapter and this one. Désolée. I'll try and end this story by the end of the summer, because I doubt that the next school year will lend much time to fanfiction writing.
After getting several comments about particular issues, I am going to address them once and for all.
Writers write what they know and I am writing what I know. I wrote the twins based on children that I know-based on my own childhood. They are mature, but you can also see the three-year-old in them as well.
I also do not write unrealistic stories, so I would appreciate it if people stopped commenting on Harry making references to Ginny and pressuring me to speed things along so that H/Hr can get together. It is unrealistic for them to have gone through so much trauma and then just jump into bed and live happily ever after in the space of a few chapters. If you haven't realized it, they are still hurt and living in the past. They are slowly learning to deal with what happened and move on. People need time to heal. Allow Harry and Hermione their time and you will have the ending that you want. I'm neither going to reveal everything from the get-go, nor am I going to drag out the past forever.
Cheers, and merci pour les revues!
Chapter Five
Overdue
Harry was scared. He had survived life with Vernon Dursley, escaped death every year at Hogwarts, defeated Lord Voldemort and his followers, and yet fear had not been the driving force in those situations. He survived his uncle because of the desire for freedom. Defeating Voldemort had started out as a civic duty and then had evolved into a means to avenge the lives of his loved ones that had been taken. But as he stood before the private hospital room at St. Mungo's Hospital, Harry Potter could safely say that he had never been so scared in his life.
The twins had been left with Mrs. Weasley since it had been decided that the situation was too traumatic for them. They'd spend the afternoon making Get Well cards and helping Mrs. Weasley bake Hermione's favourite cookies while their brave father woke their mummy up. Harry had arrived via Portkey ten minutes earlier to do just that, but there was one slight problem: he couldn't find the strength to open the door. As he stared at it, he couldn't help but wonder just how he had managed to be so victorious in school and even more so, what there was to fear right now. And then he blinked and saw the answer: Hermione.
Hermione had been there with him through everything: the Chamber of Secrets, nightmares about Voldemort, dealing with his bizarreness when puberty finally kicked in and his hormones were haywire, mediating arguments between himself and Ron, falling in love with Ginny, losing Ginny and Ron. She'd tried to help him after the deaths of Ginny and Ron, but she was too overcome grief to even help herself. Without his voice of sanity, he'd sunk way and disappeared from the wizarding world. After all those years of having Hermione as his shoulder to lean on, it was completely foreign to be the one in her shoes. He didn't know what to do, which was completely understandable.
"Hullo, Harry."
Harry turned sharply and found himself face-to-face with Luna.
"Luna," he breathed deeply, "You had me scared for a moment."
She smiled softly. "I'm sorry."
He waved her off.
"Would you like to come and check on a patient with me?" Luna asked.
"But what about Hermione?" Harry asked. It wasn't as if he were ready to go in the room, so he didn't quite know why he was asking that question.
"Hermione will be there when we return. I just have to give Mrs. Stewart her medication." Luna replied.
"Who is Mrs. Stewart?" Harry suddenly got nervous. He still hadn't been spotted by other wizards and he wasn't quite ready to meet yet another fan.
"An elder patient of mine. She recently broke her hip, but don't worry Harry, she doesn't remember the past ten years of her life and hasn't been able to for a long time. She won't floo any newspapers about you."
Harry nodded mutely and after glancing once more at Hermione's door before following Luna.
They walked a few doors door before turning into a brightly lit room. Harry's first reaction was to shut his eyes so that he wouldn't loose his balance. Not only was the room filled with the unusually bright sunshine of the winter's day, but everything was a shocking red.
"Hello, Mrs. Stewart." Luna walked over to the red bed, completely unaffected by the startling room.
"Lovey!" Something screamed.
Harry rubbed his eyes (his eyesight had been permanently repaired shortly after Dumbledore's death, because glasses were considered to be a weakness). When finally, his eyes adjusted to the painfully red surroundings, Harry found a streak of silver amongst the red sheets; Mrs. Stewart.
"I see that you brought a delicious treat with you," Mrs. Stewart eyed Harry hungrily.
"He's off limits, Mrs. Stewart," Luna laughed and walked over to her patient.
"Pity," Mrs. Stewart murmured. "We could have had some fun."
Harry wasn't so sure how he should have interpreted that statement. He wasn't very comfortable being the sex object of a woman who was old enough to be his grandmother.
"My husband, Peter, looked just like you, you know." Mrs. Stewart made herself comfortable as Luna checked her vitals. "We were simply wild about each other."
"Er," Harry replied.
"Peter never left my side," Mrs. Stewart continued, "did you, Peter?" She turned towards an urn that sat atop her red side table. "No you didn't."
"Your anniversary is coming up, isn't it?" Luna checked the heart monitor.
"Yes, in two days," Mrs. Stewart sighed. "It would have been fifty years. We married immediately after leaving Hogwarts. Everyone was shocked of course…"
"Why?" Harry couldn't help but asked. He found it rather odd that people who were so mad for each other could cause shock when they finally tied the knot.
"Because I was marrying my ex-boy friend's best friend," Mrs. Stewart replied, as if it were completely obvious.
Harry felt his stomach drop.
"But we didn't care. Harold had died the year before, skiing accident in Switzerland, and it was just Pete and I who were left behind. We helped each other get over a terrible loss and out of that bond grew a love that nothing could deter." Mrs. Stewart sniffled a bit as Luna gave her the daily injection. "I don't regret a minute of our relationship though, and I know that Harold wouldn't have wanted any other path for us."
Harry remained silent as Luna propped Mrs. Stewart's pillows and replied, "I don't think that Harold would have appreciated anyone else marrying his girl friend save for his best friend. At least then he could rest easy knowing that there was someone who remained in the world that truly cared about you."
"I know," Mrs. Stewart smiled and closed her eyes. "I think that I'll just have a little lie down now, if you both don't mind."
"That's perfectly all right," Luna replied. "We have another patient to visit. See you tomorrow, Mrs. Stewart."
Silently, the two left the room. Harry knew immediately why Luna had dragged him along on her round.
"Are you ready?" Luna asked as they arrived at Hermione's room door.
"Yes."
*~*
Hermione was lost. Lost in the dream of her final hours with Ron. Lost in the rapture that his kisses caused. Lost in the moans as his hands sought out places that they had been far too scared to seek before.
Harry had Apparated to meet up with Snape at remote location. He was to get critical information about the whereabouts of the final horcrux, an object of Godric Gryffindor, which Voldemort had hidden long ago. They had been left behind and had decided to use the few hours wisely, knowing that when Harry returned, they would have to leave and face the most brutal of all battles that they'd ever be involved in. They never got to actually make love, because Harry had returned earlier than expected and had needed them to leave immediately.
Those were the last good memories that she had of Ron, and she had stored them deep within her heart. She never allowed herself to ever revisit the past, because that would only prevent her from being a good mother to her daughters. But the night that brought her top the hospital changed everything and now it seemed as if she'd forever be stuck in the past.
*~*
Harry sat on the bed beside Hermione and gingerly took her hand into his. A thousand memories flooded his mind, but he did not pull away. She had been there for him on the night that she'd needed him most, and now he would be there for her.
"Hermione," he whispered into her ear.
He remembered their second year of school when she had been in the hospital wing and how he'd gone to visit her there. Even in her own state of peril, she had managed to provide critical information that had helped him save Hogwarts and the future love of his life. She was always there for him.
"C'mon, Hermione," he whispered. "Please don't leave me."
And what had he done for her in return? Run away in her state of confusion. Leave her pregnant with twins and having to take all of the guilt for producing girls that bore his distinct features. How had she handled the pressure? He knew that had their roles been reversed, he would have been a permanent resident of St. Mungo's. Surely he would have gone insane.
But that was his Hermione-always able to handle even the most difficult of situation. There was no denying it, without Hermione by his side all of those years, he would probably have died during his first year at Hogwarts. He owed everything to her.
"I'm sorry," he kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry."
He made a promise to himself then. He would become a better person, a better father, and a better friend. He would own up to his responsibilities, as painful as some of them were to think about. He would take baby steps of course-you couldn't learn to run without first walking-but in the end, Harry Potter would be a self-sufficient man. Voldemort was dead, and it was time that he got to live the life that had been stolen from him on the night that his parents had died.
*~*
"I'm so sorry."
Hermione had heard him.
Harry…
"I'll never forsake you ever again."
Harry…
Harry was standing before her, waiting for her to touch the portkey along with him and Ron. They would be leaving soon to face their destiny. She would go anywhere with him, fight any battle; he didn't even have to ask. She loved him that much.
"Please come back to us Hermione."
Us? Who is us?
"Lily and Jane need you."
Lily and Jane!
Her babies needed her. Harry needed her. But Harry was dead!
"Please Hermione, I'll never leave you alone."
Or was he?
"Harry?" The words struggled to leave her lips as she tossed about in her sleep. She needed to feel him, needed to know that he was real and that she wouldn't be plunged into the nightmare again when she woke up.
She felt his hand, and a jolt of heat soared through her veins.
"I'm here, Hermione."
She felt his breath against her ear.
"Harry?" The light was blinding as she opened her eyes, but she didn't care, she needed to see. Through the blur, she could make out his facial structure. She felt his tears against her skin.
"Oh, Harry!" Her own tears joined the mix as Harry pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I thought that you had died," she whispered feverishly.
"I thought so as well," he replied.
"I'm so sorry," she croaked.
Harry hushed her. "I'm the one who should be sorry, Hermione."
"Please don't leave me again. I can't bear to be left alone again."
"You won't be," Harry promised. "Everything will be all right in the end."
And it would be. They would hold each other's hands, and take baby steps towards the sun.
**~*~*~**~*~*~**
A/N: I hope that you liked the chapter. The sun is about to rise, but I just had to finish it. Reviews are welcome, even if you are criticizing my work. Don't worry, I won't drag out their depressing memories forever; Harry and Hermione will have their happily ever after.
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