Chapter Three: Meeting the Author
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"Harry, Hermione!" Jo exclaimed as she headed over to the sofa. "It's so nice to see you both."
She held out her hand to Harry and he stood up quickly, letting go of Hermione's hand as she followed suit. As he shook Jo's hand, he noticed that she was not an imposing figure; she was a forty-ish woman of average height with her blond hair cut into a stylish bob and was dressed in a black v-neck sweater and a pair of jeans.
"Yes, it's nice to see you, too." Harry replied. "I don't think we've officially met, face to face."
Jo took in the sight of two of her main characters and was surprised to see that they both looked so grown up, as they existed in her mind's eye as eternal teenagers. Hermione, in particular, looked like a sophisticated career woman and she felt very proud indeed.
The maid entered the drawing room and placed a sterling silver tray filled with three teacups and saucers, and a small kettle covered with a tea cozy. She poured the tea and quickly left the three of them alone.
An awkward silence followed as Jo, Harry and Hermione sipped their tea.
Jo put her cup down and cleared her throat. "So, what can I do for you? I have to say I was very surprised to hear that you wanted to see me."
Harry caught Hermione's eye and took a deep breath. "Well, Jo, Hermione and I came to see you because we are not particularly satisfied the way you ended things in the final book."
Jo raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean by `not particularly satisfied'? Harry, you defeated Voldemort and married the girl of your dreams. You have three beautiful children. And, Hermione, you married Ron and have two lovely children. You have one big happy family, everything is perfect -- what more could you possibly want?"
Harry could tell this was not going to be easy. He couldn't blurt out that he would have rather been paired with Hermione, especially since he hadn't talked it through with her yet. He had to tread carefully.
"Well that's just it, Jo. Things are a little too perfect, too pat. I can't help but feel that you took Hermione and me and fit us into some preconceived notion of what you thought perfect happiness is. But you never really asked us what we wanted."
"What you wanted?" Jo asked incredulously. "I'm the author - you are my creations, characters written in a book. You are supposed to do what I want you to do!"
"Even if it seems forced?" Hermione blurted out. "Jo, we mean no disrespect here. But Harry and I feel that things aren't quite right. We feel like there's something missing in our lives. It's like a hollow happiness. There's no substance behind it."
Harry took Hermione's hand and gave it a quick squeeze, proud of the way she had articulated exactly what he felt. This did not go unnoticed by Jo and a sinking feeling hit her square in the stomach.
"So, can you both tell me exactly what it is you're looking for?"
"Well, perhaps you can explain to me why you paired us off with Ron and Ginny?" Harry asked.
"One minute I've defeated Voldemort and ran to see Hermione and Ron to tell them what happened and now it's nearly twenty years later, and I'm married to Ginny. She was a great girlfriend for me to have when I was sixteen or seventeen when all I wanted was a good snog and to run my hands through her hair. But I'm much older now and quite frankly I don't like what Ginny's become. She is no longer the beauty I fell in love with and she's pushy, hot-tempered and she's spoiling my youngest. We barely have anything in common anymore, except the children."
"It's the same with me and Ron." Hermione interjected. "All of the things that annoyed me to no end while we were growing up are still there. His table manners are atrocious, he often belittles me and we still bicker all the time. We barely see eye to eye on anything, except the children. That's all we have in common. The Ron I fell in love with years ago reverted back to the Ron who bugs the hell out of me. To be honest, the only good thing about marrying into the Weasley family is that Harry lives next door to us and he's always there to calm me down when Ron and I fight."
Harry nodded. "And I'm glad to be there for her now, especially since Hermione was always there for me growing up. It's so nice to be able to talk to her, about something other than how to make sure the kids are eating their vegetables."
Jo took this all in, feeling terribly confused. She truly thought she was giving them a happy ending by marrying them both into the Weasley clan, but seeing how frustrated Harry and Hermione were right now bothered her. She had done the right the right thing, hadn't she? She had to make them see the light.
"But what about Ron and Ginny's needs? Aren't they important, Harry? The Weasleys were the family who practically took you in and made you their son. Are you going to turn your back on the only real family you ever knew and your best friend?"
Harry took a deep breath. He had a feeling she would try the "ungrateful child" route. But he was no longer a child.
"Jo, I appreciate everything the Weasleys have done for me and I love them, I really do, especially Ron. But I don't see why you had to make me one of them to be happy. Wasn't the story about me? My name was on the books, it's my name that's made you a very rich woman. If you wanted the story to be about the Weasleys then you should've called them The Weasley Chronicles!"
"I agree with Harry," Hermione added, emboldened by his cheek. "I love the Weasleys too, but I feel like their needs and happiness have overshadowed mine and Harry's. I thought Harry and I were the hero and heroine of the story. You wrote this amazing bond between us, one that goes deeper than friendship or family. We could read each others minds, finished each others' sentences, and understood each other like nobody else. When everyone deserted Harry, including Ron, I stayed with him and supported him."
"Hermione, I hate to disappoint you, but you were never intended to be the heroine of the story. You were just the sidekick, like Ron. That's why I paired you with him." Jo said with a smug look on her face.
With this remark, Harry could see that Hermione was close to tears. He grabbed her hand to comfort her and she gave him a grateful squeeze. He took another breath to calm his temper.
"Jo, please don't talk down to Hermione like that, she deserves better. And as far as I'm concerned, she is the heroine. Who helped me solve the riddle to get the Philosopher's Stone? Who figured out that the Basilisk was in the pipes? Who took me back in time to rescue Sirius and Buckbeak? Who spent hours teaching me the summoning charm that saved my life when Voldemort returned? Who prompted me to start Dumbledore's Army? Who got Rita Skeeter to interview me so the Wizarding World didn't think I was an attention seeking, delusional liar? Who never left my side during the last months of the war? It certainly wasn't Ginny!"
"But Harry, you left Ginny behind. You loved her and wanted her to be safe." Jo replied, trying to ignore Harry's list of Hermione's impressive accomplishments over the course of the story.
"Only because you wrote it that way!" Harry exclaimed. "What has Ginny ever done for me?"
"Harry, she's your wife and mother of your children, isn't that enough?"
Harry ran a hand through his hair. Was it enough? The honest answer was `no'. "But she's not my soulmate, Jo," he said quietly looking at his hands.
"I know that, Harry."
Harry's head snapped up. Was she finally getting it?
"Harry, let me explain something to you. Sometimes you don't marry your soulmate, that's just the way it us. But by marrying into the Weasley family, you and Hermione are still close - you live next door to each other. You have a beautiful lifelong friendship, a platonic friendship." She said, putting emphasis on those two words.
"Oh, yes. Platonic." Harry said, rolling his eyes. "Why didn't you ever let me consider Hermione in a romantic light? You had my jaw drop when I saw her at the Yule Ball, but after that, nothing! You even had us alone in a tent for days, but not once was I allowed to have a non-platonic thought about her?"
Hermione turned to Harry, surprised. "Your jaw dropped when you saw me at the Yule Ball?"
Harry blushed. "Um, yeah. I didn't recognize you at first, I just thought you were some girl Krum brought as his date. But then I recognized you and it hit me just how beautiful you looked."
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Harry, I had no idea." She took a moment to collect herself.
"Jo, I have one question for you. If you didn't intend for Harry and me to end up together then why did you have us look at each other when Bill and Fleur said their vows? Why did we polyjuice ourselves into a married couple when we went to visit Harry's parents' graves? Why did I always fling myself into Harry's arms? Why did I call him "fanciable" and "tasty?" If we're so platonic as you insist, then why?"
Jo felt as if she were being pushed into a corner by their questions. Did she really have a good answer for them? One they would find convincing and leave her alone? She took a deep breath.
"I was trying to write teenage relationships in a realistic manner, you usually don't find your true love at seventeen. You often go for the wrong person, and sometimes you wind up marrying them. I didn't find my true love, my husband Neil, until I was about your current age."
"But you wrote this sickly sweet ending to the story, making it seem like all was well with Ron and me and Harry and Ginny." Hermione continued. "But Harry and I knew better. And if what you say is true, then couldn't you have ended the story with Harry and me discovering our true love after all these years?"
"You love me?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione turned to him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Yes, Harry I do," she whispered.
"I always have."
"I love you, too, Hermione." Harry replied, his voice thick with emotion, as he gazed at his beloved. "And just so I'm perfectly clear, definitely not as a sister."
Before she knew what was happening, Jo watched her two guests envelop each other in a tender embrace and kissed passionately.
Her impulse was to break them apart - this wasn't supposed to be happening! But something suddenly stopped her. It was her fast beating heart, finally allowing her to see the beauty of their relationship staring her in the face. Watching their kiss warmed her heart like nothing since she had fallen in love with Dr. Neil Murray.
When Harry and Hermione parted, they were still in their own little world, beaming at each other.
Jo cleared her throat to remind them that she was still in the room.
"Well, I suppose you don't need me anymore."
"What do you mean? You still have to fix this!" Harry exclaimed.
"No, you two don't need me anymore. You've found each other, in spite of all of the roadblocks I tried to impose on you. And I can't re-write the epilogue. What's done is done - millions of books have been printed, I would look an absolute fool if I rewrote the ending."
It was Hermione's turn to get angry. "What are we supposed to do now? Have an illicit affair?"
"Hermione, what you and Harry need to realize is that I no longer have control of you and your lives." Jo explained patiently. "The Harry Potter series is done. I'm writing new stories with new characters and need to focus on them."
"So we're free?" Harry asked.
Jo smiled. "Yes, Harry you are free. You and Hermione can live your lives however you please."
"But we don't know where to go. We're so used to being under your control." Harry protested.
"Don't worry. If you are in need of writers to help you continue your story, you should look on the Internet. There are many websites devoted to something called "fan fiction" and while I don't really endorse or read it, I would bet that there are hundreds of writers who would be more than willing to help you."
"Hundreds of writers?" Hermione asked. "How would we ever pick?"
"Hermione, one of the things I instilled in you is your love of reading. Why don't you and Harry go the Edinburgh public library and research some of these stories? Find an author you like and make contact."
Harry considered Jo's advice and the notion that they were now able to pursue their lives and find someone who appreciated their love and would help them navigate their future. While it was too late to turn back the hands of time and there was the issue of their marriages and children, there was always the option of divorce. So they wouldn't be popular with the Weasley clan for a while, but Harry had been through much worse.
"Hermione, I think we've taken up enough of Jo's time. We still have the afternoon open, why don't we grab some lunch in town and then go visit the library?"
Hermione smiled at him. "Well, you know how much I love libraries! Harry, let's go."
They joined hands again, stood up and headed into the foyer. Jo followed them.
"Harry! Hermione, before you leave."
They turned around to face their once beloved creator for one last time.
"I just want to say that I owe you both an apology. I'm truly sorry that I pushed you both into marriages that didn't make you happy. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. But you've both made me see that I was terribly wrong and I don't usually admit that. I will certainly consider the lesson you've taught me today in the books I write in future."
"Thanks, Jo." Harry and Hermione said together as they turned their backs on Joanne Rowling and walked out her front door.
Once they were outside, Harry picked up Hermione and swung her around, their laughter filling the vast, well manicured front lawn. They were finally free.
TBC
A/N: I wanted to be harder on JKR, I really did, but I'd rather have her see the error of her ways than have Harry Crucio her until she agreed to rewrite the epilogue. Speaking of, there will be an epilogue to this story….
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