Disclaimer: HP still doesn't belong to me, no money's being made and I'm only borrowing JKR's creation for fun and not profit.
Author's Note: So, I wasn't intending to write any more of this imaginary biography of Harry Potter but, well, I did-because so many people wanted more and because several of you wanted to know why Harry died at the young (for a wizard) age of 126 years old.
Be warned, though, this is angsty and bitter-sweet and may require tissues. That said, enjoy!
Journey's End
The Dark uprising of March 2107 was over, having received a mortal blow with the death of its leader, the so-called Lord Mordaunt, and the capture of so many of his leading supporters, men like Sebastian Trask, William de Montaultcy and Jasper Finch.
But the triumph over the Dark uprising of Evil March, as it came to be known, was subdued.
It was the first battle from which Harry Potter did not walk away himself.
In the past 110 years, in all the duels and all the conflicts in which Harry had fought, there had seemed to be some strange power about him, protecting him. It had become part of the living legend of the Boy Who Lived, that in spite of his injuries (and some of them were quite severe), he was still standing and he always managed to walk away from the site of battle. This had been true of every confrontation with Dark wizards in which Harry had been involved from his 6th year at Hogwarts onwards.
(This includes the final battle of the Second Voldemort War because history has always remembered the one dramatic scene where the smoke cleared and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had survived looked up to see Harry, standing very still over the crumpled heap of black robes that was all that remained of Tom Riddle. It will be remembered that he stood like that for what was probably a good minute before, finally, he crumpled to the ground, unconscious, as he stayed for many hours.)
He did not walk away from this battle.
His bruised, bloody and unconscious form was found and swiftly transported to the Intensive Care Unit of St. Mungo's, where he remained for many days.
Hermione kept a sleep-less, faithful vigil by his bedside-as she always had, in all the times whenever Harry was injured. It is known that she refused any and all offers to watch over Harry while she got some rest, resisting the entreaties and the orders of the Healers, Ron Weasley, and her children.
Her vigil was rewarded when Harry awoke four days later. It was 2 April 2107.
The story has it-and we have no reason to disbelieve the story, given how probable it is-that the first word Harry spoke, the first sign he gave of his return to the land of the living, was the mumbled word, "Hermione."
He slept then and did not fully awaken until some hours later, hours in which his three children and all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren had been hastily summoned to St. Mungo's to anxiously wait.
But Hermione's ordeal was not over yet.
The prognosis of the Healers at St. Mungo's and Harry's personal Healer, Abegail Brantley, who had been the main Healer to help the Potter family in all their health needs since the birth of their first child, Emily, in 2006, was not optimistic.
Harry had been the target of too many curses in his time and now, finally, an unlucky combination of the curses he had received in the Dark uprising had done its work. His body was weakening, his muscles and his organs beginning to deteriorate.
He was dying.
This harsh truth was broken to Hermione and Ron first, separately from everyone else, by Abegail Brantley. Here, for the first time, Hermione's strength and her composure deserted her utterly from the force of the blow.
She gave one cry that rang in the ears of both Ron and Healer Brantley, haunting them (as they later admitted) and then fainted, falling into merciful unconsciousness.
Nor did she awaken to her pain for several hours.
But it was when she regained consciousness that Hermione Potter showed her true mettle, the strength for which she was to become known.
She never cried, that we know of at least, or bewailed the circumstances again.
Instead she set herself to comforting her family, talking to the Healers to find out details of Harry's condition and what the remainder of his life would be like, and arranging for Harry to be removed as soon as possible to the comfort of their own home.
We can only imagine what this must have cost her, the agonies she must have suffered internally. We can also only imagine the scene in which she told Harry the truth.
Neither she nor Harry ever spoke in public about the imminence of his death. Ron and all the rest of the Potter family adhered to that policy and also preserved the silence.
So it was that the wizarding world at large did not find out the truth of Harry's condition until after he had died. What the public knew was only that Harry had been severely injured and that he would spend the rest of his convalescence in the privacy of his own home, where visitors would be severely restricted to his family and a select group of close friends.
We do not know any exact details of Harry's last months at home.
His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren moved in to the house and lived there. Their eldest daughter, Emily, as a Professor of Charms at Hogwarts, had to continue teaching, but she returned to the home of her childhood every weekend to complete the family party.
Ron, his wife Luna and their children and grandchildren (who had always considered Harry an uncle) visited nearly every weekend as well.
We can imagine that it was not, at first, an entirely unpleasant time.
Harry was still quite active and was even seen flying in practice Quidditch matches with his grandchildren and the Weasley grandchildren by some intrepid people who ventured close to the Potter house.
Harry must, indeed, have rather enjoyed the first few weeks after his return home when he was still active and able to indulge in the company of all those he loved the most.
It may even have seemed like an extended family vacation at first.
But those halcyon times came to an end soon enough.
By the end of April, Harry was confined to his house, unable to walk far enough or long enough to venture outside.
The 8th of June 2107 was the 106th anniversary of Harry and Hermione's marriage. It must have been the single most poignant anniversary of their long and happy lives together.
Harry and Hermione spent that day alone in their bedroom, undisturbed, as we know from the short account of Harry's last days later published by their granddaughter, Anne. They received meals-although by that time Harry did not eat much and Hermione hardly more than he did-on trays which were left at the door.
One can only speculate as to what those two life-long friends and lovers spoke of. But we know that it was not all sadness for Anne, when she returned to pick up one of the meal trays, heard them laughing together over something.
It was proof-not that any was needed-of just how faithfully Hermione kept the vow she had made more than a century earlier, to laugh with Harry for the rest of their lives. Even then, so close to the end, when they both knew it, they found something to laugh over.
The end came six days later.
Ron was summoned before dawn to say goodbye to his best friend.
Early that morning, Emily, Andy and Sabrina were called to Harry's bedside for a private, last conversation with their devoted father.
Later still, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren joined them.
At the last, however, only Hermione remained-at Harry's request.
His door was shut behind his grieving family and Harry and Hermione were left alone.
At just after 11 in the morning on 14 June 2107, Harry Potter closed his eyes for the last time.
He was just six weeks short of his 127th birthday.
Ron, Emily, Andy and Sabrina who remained lingering at the door, knew of it because of the one cry, "Harry!" which Hermione gave, before she broke down into wild, despairing sobs.
We do not know what Harry's last words were to his children. Neither Emily, Andy nor Sabrina ever talked about the last time they saw their father. Indeed, all three of them were seen to get tears in their eyes when they spoke of that last talk with their father for more than five years after Harry's death. It is the best proof, if any were needed, of just how close and how loving Harry's relationship with his children had been.
His exact words to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are not known; they were brief and the only words which were spoken of afterwards were simply that he loved them all.
As for Harry's final words to Hermione, again, we do not know. Hermione herself categorically refused to speak about it, though she talked of Harry often, with an immediacy that made it seem as if he were very nearby even years after his death. But she never revealed what Harry's last words were, only answered enquires with a gentle response that her memories were too personal-and, one imagines, too painful-to speak of.
In the end, however, all of Harry's many friends and admirers must be glad of the fact that Harry died peacefully in his own bed, surrounded by his family, and with the woman he'd loved so long and so faithfully by his side.
~*~
His funeral was held on 19th June and was the largest funeral in the history of the wizarding world, attended by dignitaries from all over the world and broadcast on the wizarding television and wireless networks into private homes worldwide, as well as in a large screen set up for the purpose in the Great Hall of Hogwarts and at various other places throughout Great Britain for people to watch.
It was a day of mourning throughout all of Great Britain as thousands of witches and wizards of all ages cried for the death of the Boy Who Lived.
The Minister of Magic at the time, Josiah Lovett, spoke of Harry as the hero who had saved the wizarding world from Dark magic so many times and defeated evil more than any other person in wizarding history. He spoke movingly and feelingly of Harry's exemplary courage and devotion to the safety of the wizarding world.
And then came the surprise of the day.
No one had expected Hermione to speak. Everyone knew how devastated she was by Harry's death; the sincerity and the depth of her grief were clearly evident in the pallor of her skin and the shadows under her eyes. She looked as if she had aged more than 20 years in the last few days. We know now that everyone from Ron to her children had urged her not to speak but she insisted.
And so, when Minister Lovett sat down, she was the next person to speak.
She did not cry, though her voice shook audibly at several points in her short but heartfelt eulogy.
Her words provide, perhaps, the best eulogy and the truth of what he would most wish to be remembered for: "Harry Potter was a great man. But what made him so great was not his courage and his many heroic deeds. What truly made Harry great was not his bravery but his heart."
There was a long silence after Hermione spoke, broken only by the quiet weeping of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Harry was buried per his request, at Hogwarts, not far from the tomb of his Mentor, Albus Dumbledore.
His tombstone was very simple, according to Hermione's instructions of what his wishes had been, and provide a revealing glimpse into Harry's priorities. There is no mention anywhere of the title by which he was known his entire life, the Boy Who Lived, or of his legendary courage or the many times he saved the wizarding world. The stone says very simply that he was a Beloved Friend, Beloved Husband, Beloved Father and Grandfather.
Hermione survived Harry by more than 30 years.
For the first two months after Harry's death, she remained in seclusion for the most part at their home, seeing only her family and her very close friends. This seclusion was the only outward sign she gave of the depth of her grief.
After she emerged, she continued to live an active life, much as she had before, with continued energy in spite of the searing grief which everyone knew she must feel over Harry that her strength of character became a byword in wizarding culture. To this day, to "be like Hermione" or "pull a Hermione" is a phrase expressing the ability to go on living and not to give in to what might seem like debilitating, all-consuming grief. It is hardly surprising that the charitable foundation dedicated to raising funds to help the families of victims of Dark magic was named after her.
With the death of Harry, their love story became the basis of legends, enough so that Hermione was, to the day of her own death, never referred to as being Harry Potter's widow. She was always, simply, Harry Potter's wife.
Hermione died on 5 November 2139 when she was 160 years old.
She was buried beside Harry with a tombstone that matched his.
Above their graves, their children and grandchildren had a plaque placed in honor of the great love story. On the plaque is a simple drawing-drawn by their eldest grandchild, Helena-of two clasped hands. Beneath it is one line: Friendship and bravery and above all, Love.
~*~
Now, the biographer's task can come to an end with a brief word about the legacy of Harry Potter.
Harry's legacy is two-fold.
He is, of course, remembered as being the Boy Who Lived, a hero, whose many brave deeds are still recounted and celebrated in stories, myths, songs and poems.
But he is also remembered as being half of the greatest romance in wizarding history. When famous lovers are spoken of, the names of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger Potter are always mentioned first.
Theirs was a love that saved the world, in many ways, and it is remembered for its strength and its depth.
One is reminded of the many, many indications which Harry gave in life of the paramount importance of Hermione and their relationship.
Harry Potter, as he said, knew only one love in his lifetime and that is remembered.
One likes to think that somewhere, Harry and Hermione are aware of their most lasting legacy and that they are smiling.
~The End~ (for real, this time)
Author's Note 2: If you want to know what Harry's last words to Hermione were, I wrote out that scene too, in a short ficlet, posted at my fic journal. You can read it here (http://avonlea-dreamer.livejournal.com/58898.html ) and, in case any of you don't know, my fic journal is where I post everything I write, ficlets and longer fics, before I post them anywhere else. (And in the case of ficlets, I only post them on my fic journal.) Feel free to friend me or just keep an eye out.