Chapter 37 - Epilogue (Take 2)

Jo Bob

Rating: PG
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 16/09/2007
Last Updated: 17/09/2007
Status: completed

The Epilogue the way it was meant to be written! Harry/Hermione ALL the way!!

Chapters

1. The Epilogue

1. The Epilogue

AN: Hey everyone, this is the very first fanfiction that I’ve ever posted in my life!! I’ve written some others, but I thought I would start everything off with this piece of work to set things in motion. As you will soon see, what I have done here is rewrite The Epilogue in the way that it was meant to be written. Let’s face it, J.K. Rowling is a fantastic writer, and she was clearly “Imperio-ed” into leaving out a few vital facts in the Epilogue. The mind of that fantastic writer is more powerful than the spell though, which is why she left so many openings for us to rework into the true ending! Hopefully, this story will match with the original Epilogue and prove to all that no matter what happens, H/Hr will always reign supreme at the end of the day! I hope this satisfies everyone! Feel free to leave comments. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Wonderful World of Harry Potter. It all belongs to the marvelously talented J.K. Rowling. In fact, in this fic, I probably only own 20% of the words (I didn’t count, of course!). Absolutely no infringement is intended by this ‘revision’ and should I breach upon some rule that I was previously unaware of, I will promptly remove this story with a heaping pile of apologies.

Spoiler Alert: If you didn’t get it from my AN… and you still didn’t get it from my Disclaimer…. Then by now, hopefully you’ve realized that this story will contain spoilers pertaining to Book 7. (for only one chapter, but still, I give you a fair warning) Then again, if you have yet to read Deathly Hallows, why are you reading fanfictions? If you still want to read go ahead. But you’re only spoiling it for yourself! Enjoy!

Chapter 37 (Take 2)

Epilogue – Nineteen Years Later (again)

Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The air was chilly and clear and playful winds buffeted the sturdy walls of a large old train station. Radiant beams of sunlight cascaded gently to the ground and bathed everything in an ethereal glow. Even the typical pedestrians seemed to possess an uncanny form of magical energy as they briskly made their way to their next destination.

A particular group of people walked purposefully into the station. If one were to listen closely enough, it might even appear that this entire group was a family—and of course, that would be accurate to a certain degree. At a first glance, it may seem odd that this group of six was pushing two trolleys burdened with large trunks and caged owls, but considering the time of year, all of the normal visitors to the station didn’t spare the strange people much thought. The entire ordeal had become almost a routine in the fast-paced and monotonous lives of classic passersby. Twice a year, a bizarre collection of people would pass through the crowded station with an even more abnormal collection of “things”. One would find their lives infinitely easier to go through by simply ignoring these people. And so, this is what everyone else did. The aforementioned group continued on their merry way and they were not disturbed—hardly noticed, even—by the regular crowd. This particular day, a young redheaded girl tearfully attached herself to the arm of who could be assumed to be her father as she mournfully followed two arguing boys that were most likely her older brothers.

“It won’t be long now, and you’ll be going too.” The father, a powerful-looking and handsome man by the name of Harry Potter, told the crying girl.

“Two years… I want to go now!” the young girl, Lily, pouted stubbornly.

The “constructive argument” that the two boys were having seemed to be escalating as their voices could now be heard by the duo of adults behind them. “I won’t! I won’t be in Slytherin!” the voice of Albus Potter shouted obstinately.

“James, give it a rest!” Ginny Weasley, a beautiful red-haired woman, groaned.

“Stop teasing your younger brother, James William Potter.” Hermione berated sternly.

“I only said that he might be,” said James with a suggestive grin directed towards his brother, “There’s nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth—“ James fell silent as soon as he realized he was subject to his mother’s petrifying glare. The five Potters and Weasley finally arrived at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. With another smirk at his beloved brother, James took the cart from Hermione and rushed straight for the barrier. In an instant, he was gone!

Albus turned back to his parents, “You’ll write to me, won’t you?”

“Every day, if you want us to.” Ginny said.

“Of course we will!” Harry said, “I’ll be wanting a detailed report of all of the mischief I’m sure you’ve gotten into!” he added with a wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry’s antics, “We’ll write you every hour if it would make your feel better,” she said gently, “Merlin knows that I’ll have the time now that you and your brother are out of the house. Maybe it will finally be clean for a change.” Hermione paused before sending a significant look towards Harry, “Oh wait, I forgot about the other man of the house.”

“Hey, I resent that!” Harry attested.

Albus rolled his eyes at the playful banter of his parents and turned to address Ginny.
“Not every day. James said that most people only get letters from home about once a month.”

Ginny snorted at the comment, “Psh” she said, “we wrote to James three times a week last year.”

“And you don’t want to believe everything he tells you.” Harry added.

With everything said and done, the little “family” urged the final trolley to increase speed and finally, they emerged on the other side of the barrier unscathed. A conveniently placed sign proudly declared its message: Welcome to Platform 9¾!

Steam was rolling out of the train dubbed the Hogwarts Express and this only added to the confusion as a thick mist was already swirling through the platform. Indistinct figures could be made out in the far distance, but with all of the atmospheric interference, it was still impossible to make out the countenance of anyone unless they were right next to you.

“Where are they?” Albus asked apprehensively.

“Don’t worry, dear.” Hermione said soothingly.

“We’ll find them,” Ginny added brightly. There was another uneasy moment of silence (one’s voice sounded awfully lonely in the thick cloud of mist) before Ginny exclaimed suddenly, “I think that’s them, Al.” Sharp eyes watched four figures emerge out of the thick blanket of condensation. The (other) Weasley’s had arrived! Greetings were exchanged merrily and a detached collection of conversations broke out.

“Hi,” Albus said simply. Rose Weasley beamed radiantly at him.

“Are you ready for Hogwarts, Al?”

“I sure hope so…”

“What are you worried about? I’m sure you’ll make both of your parents proud!”

Albus smiled weakly, “Thanks, but I’m worried that I might get sorted into Slytherin and—”

“Why does it matter?” Albus took several moments to think through his reply.

“I don’t really know…” Rose just giggled.

“Mother says that the Sorting Hat will be able to sense your Agati Mauses and that it doesn’t like them.”

“Agati Mauses?”

“They’ll attach themselves to your hair if you’re too worried about something.”

Albus moaned pitifully.

In the meantime, the older witches and wizards had struck up conversations of their own. “Parked alright then, Harry?” Ron asked. “I did. Hermione didn’t believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I’d have to Confund the examiner.” He added accusingly to Hermione. Young Victor (diehard fan, eh?) Weasley avidly watched the world around him as he clung on to Ron’s hand.

Hermione retorted quickly, “No, I didn’t! I had complete faith in you.” Ginny rolled her eyes with a wide smile.

“As a matter of fact,” Ron whispered to Harry, “I did Confund him!” Together, the two wizards lifted Albus’s trunk and owl onto the train.

“Is Luna feeling better, Ron?” Hermione asked curiously.

“A little. She still felt under the weather today so I’m on my own this time.” Ron answered, “She said something about Purning Bedcakes… or maybe that was burning headache… I’m not sure…” he added thoughtfully.

Harry laughed out loud, “Why can’t you just make her a Pepper-Up Potion?”

Ron fidgeted uncomfortably, “Well you see, Harry, I would. Don’t get me wrong, I’d do anything to have my beloved wife all better, but it’s a little complicated…”

Ginny raised an eyebrow, “You don’t know how to make the potion do you?”

Ron raised his hands in surrender, “It’s not my fault! She’s the smart one, and our potion supply has run dry.”

“Can’t you just go to the store?” Hermione asked slowly.

“Well, I would, but…” Ron laughed nervously, “It’s a funny story, heh, you’d be surprised how many brands of Pepper-Up Potion there are and I just don’t want to buy the wrong one…”

“Can you just—oh never mind.” Hermione gave up with a frustrated sound.

Harry laughed again, “I hope Luna gets better, mate. For both of your sakes!”

At the same time, Lily and Hugo, Rose’s younger brother, were in an exciting conversation about which house they would be when they were finally old enough to go to Hogwarts.

~<>~

The conversations continued on up until eleven. James returned excitedly with juicy news on Teddy Lupin and the Potters and Weasleys happily exchanged stories, passed on jokes, and traded playful insults with each other until it was finally time for the children to be on their way.

“It’s nearly eleven, you’d better get on board.” Harry said glancing quickly at his watch.

“Don’t forget to give Neville our love,” Ginny said as she hugged James.

“Don’t forget Headmistress McGonagall or Hagrid either.” Hermione reminded him.

“Mum! I can’t give a professor love!”

“But you know Neville and Hagrid and McGonagall!”

James rolled his eyes and Harry watched with amusement as his wife and son argued, “Outside, yeah, but at school he’s Professor Longbottom, isn’t he? I can’t walk into Herbology and give him love… and Headmistress McGonagall!? She’s almost two hundred years old! How do I give her love!?”

“Two hundred!?” Hermione gasped and Harry laughed outright. “I expect you to show Headmistress McGonagall a lot more respect, young man.” She berated.

James shook his head slowly. Parents just never understood anything! He decided to redirect his emotions to his poor younger brother, “See you later, Al. Watch out for the threstrals.”

“I thought there were invisible? You said they were invisible!”

James laughed and quickly received his kiss from his mum and gave his dad a quick hug. With that, he leapt onto the train again and out of sight.

Harry quickly consoled his youngest son and handed him to Ginny. Ginny gave Albus a kiss, “See you at Christmas.”

Hermione gave her son a tight hug and a quick kiss on his other cheek. “Take care, Al. If anything happens, make sure that you tell Harry or me. Love you!”

“I love you too, mum.” He replied sincerely. Then he turned to his father and hugged him tightly.

“Bye, Al.” Harry said kindly, “Don’t forget, Hagrid’s invited you to tea next Friday. Don’t mess with Peeves. Don’t duel until you’ve learned how. And don’t let James wind you up.”

“What if I’m in Slytherin?”

Harry knew that only this vital moment could force his son to admit the extent of his fears. Crouching down to about eyelevel, he looked at his son carefully. He alone, of Harry’s three children had inherited Lily’s eyes while Lily (the younger one, of course) had received Lily’s (the older one!) flaming hair.

“Albus Severus.” Harry said quietly. Ginny, being the closest, was the only one to hear him and tactfully picked that moment to pretend to be waving to Rose. “you were named for two Headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

“But just say—” Albus protested.

“—then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won’t it? It doesn’t matter to us, Al. But if it matters to you, then you’ll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.”

“Really?”

“It did for me.” Harry answered simply.

Albus’s face broke into one of wonder when Harry said it. Now, the train was truly beginning to move as the doors began to close all across the train. Albus quickly finished his goodbyes before leaping into the train. As soon as Ginny had closed the door behind him, the train began to prepare for its departure. Many students poked their heads out of the carriages and seemed to have their heads turned to stare at a relaxed looking Harry Potter.

“Why are they staring?” Albus asked indignantly.

“Don’t let it worry you,” said Ron, “It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”

“No, Ron.” Ginny interjected with a small smile, “It’s definitely me. Being the rather famous house wife that I am, everyone can’t help but look at me!”

Ron had a confused look as he tried to comprehend what his sister had just said. “How is that right, you’re not married, Gin?”

Ginny smacked her forehead, Harry and Hermione tried valiantly to conceal their snickers and Albus, Rose, Hugo and Lily just laughed. The train then began to move. Even though it was still inching forward slowly at this point, soon it would reach its maximum speed and usher the eager students to a brand new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Parents walked alongside the train while it crept forward at the station and wish final farewells to their children. The young students craned their heads out of the window and bid their own fond goodbyes. Harry slowly followed the train and forced himself to wave even though he was struck by a sense of grief that his youngest son was finally rolling away from him.

Finally, the last traces of steam evaporated into the atmosphere as the Hogwarts Express rounded the final corner. The rumbling of its grand engines died off as it settled into the distance. The train continued to follow its course off into the horizon and Harry simply stood there with his hand still hanging in the air.

“He’ll be alright.” Ginny said from beside him.

As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightening scar on his forehead with one hand. Hermione reached out from beside him and took his other hand with a firm squeeze. Harry smiled down at her and squeezed in return before finally turning to Ginny.

“I know he will.”

Ginny smiled lightly at the couple before she excused herself. “I’m so glad I came with you to see them off. We’ll have to do it again next year! See you at Christmas!”

“Definitely” Hermione answered and Harry nodded. Ginny left with a final wave.

Harry finally lowered his hand from his forehead and looked towards Hermione again. She had a questioning look in her eyes, “Are you alright, Harry?” she murmured.

“I’m fine, Hermione.” He answered easily and smiled. He squeezed her hand to reassure her before posing her own question. “What about you, though? You’ve been a little quiet today.”

“It’s nothing,” Hermione answered quickly, but just as swiftly caved under Harry’s understanding gaze, “Our children are leaving us, Harry.” She said quietly.

Harry nodded in understanding, “They’re not gone yet. We still have Christmas and summer.”

“I still remember when they were just babies and kids. It’s so hard to let them go.” Hermione sniffled, “Sorry, Harry, it’s so illogical to be crying about this. I knew all along that it would happen.”

“Hey, hey, Hermione,” Harry said sternly, “Don’t apologize for crying about this. They’re your kids and you love them with all of your heart! Let me just tell you that there is absolutely nothing logical about love.”

Hermione sniffed a final time before wiping she wiped away her tears quickly. She quickly located Lily who had taken her place a respectful distance away from her parents. She smiled brightly at Harry, “Shall we go then?”

“Let’s get out of here then!” Linking hands with the two most important women in his life, Harry led the way off of the platform.

“Mum, Dad?” young Lily asked hesitantly.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Hermione asked gently.

“Now that James and Albus are both gone, are you two going to be all mushy all the time now?”

Harry and Hermione just blinked at the rather unexpected question. They looked towards each other before laughing loudly. “Aren’t we already?” Harry answered innocently. Hermione laughed and Lily just rolled her eyes at her absolutely smitten parents.

~<>~

Harry and Hermione lay comfortably together in bed later that night. Lily was tucked in and had instantly fallen asleep. Today had been an exciting day for her, a day where her parents focused completely on her—and it was something she could get used to!

Night had since fallen with the sun and a pristine moon rose up to commandeer the skies. Hundreds upon thousands of stars winked happily down upon the slumbering world and a cool gentle wind playfully rustled the leaves of sleeping trees.

Harry could make out the contours of the full moon and could not help but think back to the fateful war with Voldemort. The horrible battle that had separated Harry with his last living links to his parents. Moony, better known as Remus Lupin, would be suffering on this night though—so perhaps, he was finally in a better place…

Hermione turned to face him before speaking, “Are you alright, Harry?”

Harry knew that he could never keep anything from Hermione for long, so he decided to relay his feelings, “I’m just thinking back to that night.” Hermione instantly knew exactly which night Harry was referring to. “So much has happened since then… I don’t think I regret anything except not being able to save more lives though…”

“Harry,” Hermione said determinedly, “You saved millions and millions of people on that night. Don’t ever beat yourself up about not being able to save more. Those people all willingly gave their lives up for you, and you made sure that those lives did not go to waste, so in reality, you didn’t fail anyone!”

Harry smiled, “Yeah, I suppose you could think about it that way. So much has happened since then. I really can’t believe that I’m here with you right now.”

“Do you regret that?” Hermione asked.

“Of course not!” Harry answered resolutely, “You are by far the most important person in my entire life. I couldn’t make it through a single day without you by my side.”

Hermione grinned, “Same here. I’m really glad to be here with you right now.”

Harry chuckled softly, “And to think, I always figured that you’d somehow end up with Ron.”

Even without seeing it, Harry could tell Hermione was rolling her eyes. “Ron and I have never truly worked out. Besides you, we honestly didn’t have any sort of connection. It wouldn’t have worked between us anyways.”

“Why not?”

“Harry, he made me choose! Between you and him. He forced me to choose only one of my two best friends in the whole world. That just isn’t something that anyone should ever be asked to do. I made my choice though, and I’m definitely sticking by it all the way.”

“But you seemed so miserable without him…”

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was miserable because even though we were alone, you were still being so distant with me?”

“Oh… I’m sorry.” Harry said quietly, “You probably should’ve gone with Ron.”

“No, Harry, staying with you wasn’t a mistake. Ron had his chance with me, and he blew it.”

“But I saw you kiss him and thought—”

Hermione, in a very un-Hermione-like fashion, snorted, “Honestly, Harry, do I have to explain everything to you?”

“Please?” Harry asked teasingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes again, “Well, think about the situation. To us, for all we knew, it could have been the end of the bleeding world! Harry, I’ve liked you for so long, I just had to see if you really liked me back or not.”

“How does kissing Ron equate into seeing if I liked you?” Harry asked slowly.

Hermione laughed softly, “I wanted to see if you would get jealous, Harry.”

It was Harry’s turn to roll his eyes. “That was a rather horrible time to check if I was jealous, Hermione. I had a world to save and all; there was no time to think about those things.”

“I know,” Hermione said with a smile, “In retrospect, it was rather silly of me.”

“You think?” Harry teased gently.

Hermione deftly changed the subject, “Speaking of people being together though. It almost seemed like you would get back with Ginny after the war.”

Harry laughed, “Ginny and me? Eh… I really can’t see it. She’s a lovely girl, and we did go out for a time but I don’t think we were meant for each other like you and me, Hermione.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, think about it. If I wasn’t ‘Harry Potter’, Ginny would never have given me a second glance in the first place. She really only crushed on me because I was some sort of celebrity to her. Sure, it might have grown into something… but it still wouldn’t be really real—if you know what I mean. At the very root of her affections, I would always be Harry Potter, the hero, to her. You were the only person that treated me like a real person, and that’s something I really appreciate from you.” Harry said genuinely.

Hermione smiled, “You always did seem to go for the beautiful, intelligent and sporty girls though. First Cho, then Ginny. Why did you settle for me?”

“First of all,” Harry answered simply, “I did not ‘settle’ for you. If anyone did any ‘settling’ it was you. I’m sure you could’ve found someone out there that could match you in intellect.”

“Harry, as I’ve said before, books and intelligence aren’t everything! Sure, I could’ve of found someone a little quicker to the draw than you—no offense—but what fun would that be. We could engage in all sorts of great intellectual conversations all day. But that’s not what I seek in life. You’re not stupid, Harry. In fact, you’re very intelligent. Sometimes you’re just a little slow to getting the point, but that’s why you have me. In reality, you keep me grounded. With your history as horrid as it was, you help to remind me that sometimes there are more important things than being smart and chasing ambitions.”

Harry grinned widely, “Now to answer your question, you are all of those things you rattled off. For all that I care, you are the most beautiful girl in the world—I mean, I you seen yourself!” Hermione blushed and Harry just continued, “You already have the intelligent part down and you use your intelligence to help others which is the only way that intelligence is any use, right? You also have an incredible capacity for helping others. Take your House Elf Campaigns for instance. Even though you pretty much had the entire wizarding population against you, you still went for it. It shows that you know what is right and are not afraid to fight for it. As for the sports, if correcting me was a sport, you’d be a world champion!” Hermione laughed softly and nudged Harry playfully. “You have a very competitive side, Hermione, trust me. You just show it in a different way, which is totally okay! Those girls that I dated all of those years ago, sure they were pretty, smart, and played Quidditch, but that’s not what’s important to me now. Back then, they were my outlet to being normal. When I had a girlfriend, I felt like I was still a normal teenage boy and that’s what I wanted to be the most. They were what I needed back then, but you’re what I need from now on. Hermione, there is not another girl in the entire world like you. There isn’t a single person in this universe that understands me like you do and that’s what’s important.”

Hermione cried silently at Harry’s kind words and snuggled herself even deeper into his gentle embrace. “When I went with Ron for him to get his license, the proctor thought we were together.”

“Oh really?” Harry asked passively.

“Yeah, we explained it to him though. Some people just don’t understand that a guy and a girl can be the best of friends without being together.”

“Well… we couldn’t” Harry mused out loud with a smile.

“That’s completely different.”

“How?”

“It’s… Well… It just is!” Hermione huffed.

Harry laughed, “I know what you mean. When you were with Ron that day, Ginny and I went grocery shopping. I couldn’t tell you how many thought we were together as well. I think it’s because the Prophet has been writing nonsense again.”

“Friends don’t usually go grocery shopping together, Harry.” Hermione pointed out.

“And I don’t see why not either…”

Hermione smiled lightly, “Isn’t it funny how many people are fooled by first appearances, propaganda and rumors?”

Harry laughed, “Yeah. People will believe everything they read these days!”

“Love is just so much more complicated than ‘looking cute’ or any of that nonsense.”

“I think you look cute.”

“That’s not the point.”

Harry grinned. “I’m really glad that everything turned out like this. That you ended up agreeing to marry me—though for what reason, I don’t know!”

Hermione nodded, “I’m glad everything turned out like this too. I can’t imagine myself being anywhere without you now.”

“I know.”

Both were silent for several moments, simply reveling in the feel of being together and completely in love. “Hermione,” Harry whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Have I ever told you that I love you?”

Hermione smiled, “Time and time again.”

“And yet, time and time again, I can’t believe that I’m actually allowed to be saying that to you!”

“You’re so sappy, Harry.”

“But you still love me!”

“I do.”

The couple lapsed into silence again. “Hermione,”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Harry.”

Nothing more was said that night. Nothing really needed to be said. The two had such a complete understanding and love of each other that words could barely describe it. It was and is clear that for as long as they should live, they would always love each other. It’s something that simply works and makes sense to everyone involved. Either of the two could have ended up happily with any other person in the world. However, this happiness would seem significantly diminished in comparison to the true happiness that they feel with each other. Some things in the universe are simply right. The details are difficult to explain, but no explanation is necessary.

Hermione slept at complete ease next to Harry who had an arm wrapped gently around her. In the few moments before Harry succumbed to slumber, he briefly reached a hand up to brush the lightening scar on his forehead. The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.

AN2: Thank you to an Anonymous reviewer for pointing out a fatal flaw in my grand scheme. However, in rectifying the problem, I lost all 1 of my reviews!! Every single review is incredibly appreciated so I was wondering if anyone could show me how to edit chapters without losing reviews. Thanks a lot!!