A/N - As usual I acknowledge that I do not own Harry Potter or Back to the Future. Now the chapter you've all been waiting for... especially me. Expect everything. Thank you again to my Beta's Katia, Dementor149 & Ragavendran.
"Harry... you and Lord Voldemort have journeyed together into realms of magic unknown and untested." Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pg. 569.
Chapter 14 - History never repeats
When Harry woke next he was still on the floor where he'd collapsed and his neck hurt from sleeping at an odd angle. Hermione was still on the couch sleeping peacefully but Harry expected that was because she'd had more of the potion than he had and so would take longer to recover. He carried her up to bed and pulled the covers over her. His head was still pounding so he went to the bathroom, drank a pain killing potion and splashed some water on his face.
After a few minutes he felt a bit more human and a lot hungrier, so he went down to the kitchen to make breakfast. Sitting at the kitchen table Harry ate in silent solitude, he could hear the ticking of the mantle clock that had been a present from Lily and James their first Christmas and his thoughts focused around that.
At some point in the past two years this house had really become home for him and he loved it here. Everything they had done was a logical part of being undercover long-term, they had set the house up to look like a home because it would have been strange if they'd done otherwise. But having done that, and then lived in it for two years, Harry had grown to really love the little house.
He looked around the bright cheery kitchen with a sad smile on his face; there were touches of his mother and Hermione everywhere. The simple net curtains that hung on the kitchen window had been sewn for them by Lilly and the purple geranium had been potted and placed on the sill by Hermione.
Harry pushed aside his empty plate, sent it to the sink with a careless flick of his wand and then headed into the lounge room. Hermione and his mother had spent hours doing this room as well, except for the bookshelves that had been a project Harry and his Dad had done together.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to stem the flood of melancholy rising inside of him but everywhere he looked he saw phantoms of the past two years playing out the happy memories he had made here. Even staring at an empty corner of the room didn't help; it was where they had placed their Christmas tree. And all the while the mantle clock, gifted to them by Lily and James, continued to tick and remind Harry that their time was almost up.
He wished Hermione would wake up and distract him from his thoughts; he'd been so good at suppressing these things, over the past twelve months especially. Ever since little Harry had been born he'd been fighting against feeling jealous towards that little tot. If all went according to plan that little boy would get the life that he had always wanted but had never had, he would only have it for 16 years but it was still more than Harry had.
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down in the window seat that always made him think of Hermione. He didn't regret anything and he wouldn't change it. He would sacrifice himself a million times over to save his family; he just wished that he could somehow save himself too.
He pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out the window, he'd had a small taste of what it really meant to be part of a family and he should be grateful for that. He'd been practically adopted by the Weasleys during his teens and now he'd had some time with his parents too. He had two Christmases worth of memories with them that he didn't have before and thought he would never get. He and his Dad had done all kinds of things together, they'd played Quidditch and been out drinking, and they'd even worked on his Dad's motor bike and talked about girls. Really, Harry thought morosely, he had been very lucky.
Harry stood up, unable to sit still with these thoughts any longer, and made his way back up-stairs to the bedroom he'd shared with Hermione for the past two years. Living with her, as her husband, had been easier than Harry had ever dreamed possible and falling in love with her had been even easier. They'd had their share of arguments but it was never over petty things, the only times they'd really argued was in life or death situations where each of them was only trying to stop the other from getting killed.
Harry stood in the doorway and watched Hermione sleep. She'd been brilliant; he would never have been able to do any of this if it weren't for her. Thank you seemed such inadequate little words to express how much it meant to him. Not just for everything she did either, though Merlin knew he owed her thanks enough for that, but mostly just for being there with him and for him whenever he needed her. There had been many times, over the last few months in particular, when Harry tried to imagine Ginny helping him in the ways that Hermione had. But he just couldn't do it.
Thinking of Ginny at all in that context felt like a betrayal of Hermione. He'd even thought a few times of the possibility that he might survive tonight's ordeal and what might happen next and, even if he hadn't realised his true feelings for Hermione, he just couldn't picture himself being able to go back and take up with Ginny again like nothing had happened. He couldn't ignore how much Hermione meant to him anymore and, while thinking like that was technically a betrayal of Ginny, it felt as though thinking of Ginny in Hermione's place was the true betrayal.
`I can't decide if it's cute or creepy that you're watching me while I sleep,' said Hermione, her voice bringing Harry back to reality.
He grinned, `It's creepy, definitely. I was thinking about kidnapping you and running away.'
Hermione sat up in the bed and returned his grin with a sleepy smile, `Haven't we already done that?'
Harry laughed, `Yeah, I guess we have.'
She yawned, `What time is it? I'm starving!'
Harry cast the time spell on the wall, `It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and there's a plate of breakfast for you on the bench in the kitchen.'
The day passed in relative quiet, both Harry and Hermione were too absorbed in their thoughts for conversation and when the sun started to set they made their way across the street, as ready as they could be for the confrontation that evening.
Hermione played with baby Harry as darkness descended and Harry sat on the couch trying to ignore the familial scene and the ticking of the clock that brought his almost certain demise ever closer. Part of him was ready for this but another part just wanted to run screaming into the night.
He went to the bathroom and just stood staring at himself in the mirror, he had gotten used to the way he looked with long hair and a short beard but if he was going to die tonight he wanted to do it as himself. Working briskly he removed the spell from his glasses that made them invisible, he shaved his beard off and he cut his hair. When he recognised his reflection as himself again, instead of Harvey Porter, he walked quickly out of the room without a backwards glance. Hermione glanced up but didn't say anything and Harry returned to his station on the couch.
At eight o'clock Hermione abruptly stood up, the baby was fast asleep in her arms but Harry hadn't noticed that they had stopped playing.
`We'll need to put the little one to bed, Voldemort will be here soon and we'll need to get ready.'
Harry nodded and followed her out of the room and up the stairs and not until the baby was in his cot did Harry speak again.
`You should go now, Hermione, I really appreciate you staying with me all this time but... I don't want you to get hurt.'
`I'm not going anywhere Harry James Potter.' She turned on him now her eyes fierce.
`What?'
`You heard me! I've been thinking about this and it won't work. You can't give your life to save your life... it just doesn't add up.' She was still whispering, so as not to wake the baby but her voice was hard.
`I'm not giving my life to save my life,' growled Harry, furious that she was going to argue with him about this now, `I'm giving my life to save my whole family.'
`Yes, Harry, and that's very noble of you but it still won't work. Your death won't give that baby the protection he needs to survive Voldemort's curse and if that baby dies then you'll die before you even get here and we'll have a time paradox. Do you know what a time paradox is?'
`Yes I know what a time paradox is I've seen "Back to the Future", remember, it's one of those things that will destroy the universe.'
`Exactly and I think that's worse than anything else that might happen.'
`So what exactly do you suggest I do Hermione, don't you think it's a bit late now to bring this up? We're out of time and we're out of options.' Harry was very conscious of the baby sleeping only a few feet away, but he was having real difficulty preventing himself from yelling.
Hermione took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips, `There is another option.'
`Oh yeah, and what's that?' asked Harry.
`I'll do it, you go, I'll stay here and... I'll do it.'
Harry felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, `No... No way! Hermione, you can't! You have to go... you... you can't do this!'
`Yes I can, if you think for even a moment that I don't love you enough... then you don't even know me at all.'
Harry felt winded, he couldn't breathe, `I...' he gasped and Hermione cut him off, `You can either leave willingly or I can put you under Petrificus Totalus under your invisibility cloak, it's up to you.'
Harry felt fire race through his veins, he couldn't let that happen, he would never be so helpless again, `You will not!' he roared, the baby whimpered but didn't wake and Harry dropped his voice to a furious whisper, `I'm never going to stand by and watch helpless as someone I love dies ever again. You are not going to do this Hermione... if the universe explodes then so be it, but I will not let you sacrifice yourself for me.'
They stood toe to toe as seconds that felt like hours raced by until Harry finally spoke again, `I will put you under the Imperius curse if I have to but you will go, now, while you still can. Voldemort will be here at any moment.'
Hermione blinked and took a step back, tears rolled unchecked down her face and for a moment, just a moment, Harry thought she was going to leave. But then she looked up at him and that fierce determination was in her eyes and he knew that she wasn't. Anything he said wasn't going to make the slightest bit of difference, she wasn't going anywhere and her next words confirmed it.
`I can't, I can't just go and leave you here alone, Harry,' she smiled then, a little sad smile that only touched the corners of her mouth and didn't make it anywhere near her eyes, `What kind of wife would I be if I did that.'
`You're a great wife, the best any man could hope for. Please just go.'
Tears streamed down her face and she moved to stand in front of the door to the baby's room, `No, if you're going to put the Imperius curse on me then I suggest you do it quickly because I'm not moving... and... I think he's here.'
Harry rushed to the window and looked out but the street was dark and deserted, he turned back to tell her that there was no sign of anyone in the street but he never got the chance. The door was blasted off its hinges, it caught Hermione in the back throwing her into a wall, and Lord Voldemort stepped into the room.
Harry drew himself up to his full height and strode forward to meet him putting himself between Voldemort and the cot where baby Harry lay still sleeping. It took every ounce of willpower Harry had not to reach for his wand and blast the foul creature into oblivion.
`I know why you're here, but take me instead... leave the baby and kill me.'
Voldemort shook his head, he seemed amused, `James Potter, there is nothing that can save you or your son.'
Harry was startled for a moment at being mistaken for his father but in a split second decided to use it to his advantage, `Don't kill the baby, take me instead... please.'
Harry gripped the edge of the cot tightly with both hands to keep himself for going for his wand as Voldemort laughed in his face.
`Why does it have to be either one or the other, James? I think I'll just kill you both.' He raised his wand and screamed, `Avada Kedavra.'
A jet of green light rushed at Harry's head and, for a second, he knew no more.
When Harry next opened his eyes he was standing in the middle of nothing. Everything around him was grey and for a moment he was reminded of that first Christmas with Hermione, only on that occasion everything was white. Then he saw another figure, standing about twenty paces away and shrouded in black.
`Am I dead?' he asked, his voice echoed inside his head.
The figure did not respond to this question but instead asked one of its own, it's voice booming and horrible. `Does the master of my Hallows stand before me?'
`Yes,' replied Harry, trying to keep the fear from his voice, `though I suppose Voldemort is now the master of the wand.'
`He is not. He only killed you, he did not disarm you or defeat you in a duel.'
Harry did not know how to respond to this so he stayed silent.
`Did you wish to die?' the sepulchral voice asked next.
`It was necessary.'
`But you did not wish it?' the voice was now almost hissing.
`No.' Harry didn't understand the point of these questions but felt it wise to answer them as honestly as he could anyway.
`I shall make a bargain with you then, Master of the Hallows, I shall return you to your body and your body to life.'
`What do you want in return?'
`I want my Hallows returned to me.'
Harry almost agreed immediately but, as sometimes happened, his mouth had different ideas to his brain. `You can have the stone now and the others on my death.'
`You may not be master of the wand on your death.'
`So disarm me now, and just give me permission to use it until then.'
Death was silent for a moment before speaking again, `I accept your proposal, but that one must stay.' He extended a hand, his long skeletal fingers pointing to Harry's leg.
Harry looked down and saw, for the first time, a small, timid thing clutching to the leg of his trousers. This time his mouth and his mind were in complete agreement, `I'll be glad to be rid of it.'
Harry blinked and opened his eyes a crack, it seemed like only a few seconds had passed because now Voldemort was standing over the crib with his wand already drawn on the baby inside. He noticed that the ring was gone from his finger and wondered if his brush with death had been sufficient to form the necessary protection. But wonder was all he could do; it was too late for anything else now. Harry closed his eyes tight and prayed that his sacrifice had been enough, as Voldemort screamed those fatal words for the second time that night.
`Avada Kedavra.'
Harry opened one eye just in time to see the spell shoot into the crib and, miraculously, rebound upon its caster. The spell rushed through Voldemort's body, tore his soul free and swept it from the room, Voldemort's body fell to the floor with a thump leaving a mere wisp of soul fragment behind. For a moment the fragment hovered, like a feather in the air after the swift passing of a bird, but then it drifted gently downwards into the crib and entered the fresh cut on the infant's forehead.
Harry crawled over the debris on the floor towards Hermione. She was pale and cold; a trail of blood had trickled from her hairline down the side of her face. He pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest. In the last five minutes he'd gained more than he'd ever dared to hope for but he still felt as if he'd lost even more. He'd been more than willing to trade his own life for the life he could have had but he'd never, ever wanted to trade Hermione's.
`Please, Hermione, please,' he whispered rocking back and forth, `please don't be dead.'
The baby in the crib started to cry and scream but Harry was only vaguely aware of it. Nothing penetrated, in his world now nothing existed except for the sound of screaming and Hermione's still body in his arms. The moments wore on as desperation and desire warred within him. Was there some way he could call Death back, and bargain for Hermione's life?
He lay beside her on the ground, littered with the debris from the exploded door, and began to pray. Harry had never been to church and had never been particularly religious. After he'd entered the Wizarding world he'd taken up the habit of most wizards and referred to Merlin the way most muggles would refer to God. But now, in this moment of absolute direst need, he had to apply to the highest power he knew. So he prayed heartily prayed fervently to God.
He lay, holding her to his chest while the world dissolved around him, and gradually his shock began to wear off and he became aware of the feel of Hermione's heart beating in time with his own.
The relief that rushed through him was so powerful it made him dizzy.
He sat up and with gentle care he pulled her up into his lap and held her. He impatiently brushed the tears from his face and the tenderly caressed her cheek, `Hermione?' he said her name softly, his former panic now completely gone.
Her eyelids fluttered and Harry's heart almost stopped beating, `Hermione, are you okay?' he asked gently.
She opened her eyes and looked at him, `Harry?'
`Yeah, it's me.'
`What happened?' She looked confused for a moment and then looked around wildly, `where is he? Did everything... is everything okay?'
`Everything is great.'
She looked at him then, her eyes wide, and sat up slightly. Harry didn't loosen his grip on her at all but she didn't try to move away. Instead one hand came up to lightly touch his cheek, `and you're okay?'
`I've never been better.' Harry swallowed and his gaze dropped to her lips. Now there was nothing standing in his way, he had survived and the future was stretched out before him, shining and perfect, and she was the only one he really wanted to share it with. He loved her and he was going to kiss her. He looked back up to her eyes and saw something in their depths that had him leaning in to kiss her without another thought.
Their lips met in the sweetest of feather light touches, Hermione gasped and her lips parted beneath his. Harry didn't need any further invitation to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipped inside her mouth and moved against hers. Her hands slid up his chest and curled around the back of his neck, her fingers twining in his hair and dragging him even closer. Harry's fingers slid under the hem of her jumper and gently caressed the soft skin of her back. Hermione groaned in response her hands now clutched at his shoulders as the passion of their kiss intensified.
`Oh my god, what's happened?'
They broke apart guiltily and looked up at where the door had once been and where Lilly and James now stood with identical looks of shock and horror on their faces. James clambered over the rubble of the door and made his way to the crib, only sparing the corpse of Voldemort a passing glance.
`He's okay Lilly,' he called back to his wife, `he's fast asleep... he's got a cut on his head but aside from that he's just fine.'
Having re-assured himself of the baby's safety he turned to face his son, and took in his altered appearance. Harry stood to face his father as himself for the first time.
`So is this what you normally look like then?' asked James.
Harry was surprised at the comment but recovered quickly, `When did you figure it out?' he asked.
`That day when you apparated into the yard on your broomstick, I stuck around and listened to your conversation. I take it Hermione's not actually pregnant then and this was all part of some plan of yours?'
Harry and Hermione both blushed but Harry nodded so James continued, `Well Lilly, I guess you can be happy to know that our son doesn't usually have long hair.'
Harry looked over at his mum who was now standing by the crib, `That is a relief.' She agreed.
`It was the first thing she asked me, when I told her that you were our son, but I can tell you I've got more questions than you can shake a broomstick at.'
Harry looked at Hermione for guidance, they'd obviously worked out a few things but he wasn't sure how much more he should tell them. Thankfully Hermione stepped in to fill the breach, `I don't know that anything we tell you about the future will still be true anyway, Mr Potter. We've just changed something fairly dramatic now and this will probably change everything else.'
Lilly came to stand beside James and he put his arm around her, `We were supposed to die tonight, weren't we?' she asked.
Harry just nodded, `There's a prophecy that predicts that I'm the only one who can defeat Voldemort, Snape heard part of it and told him about it. But when Voldemort killed you, mum, Snape spent the rest of his life trying to find a way to undo the past. Eventually he came up with this potion that allows a person to apparate through time as well as space and ... well... here I am.'
`Snape invented the potion that saved us?' asked James incredulously
Harry nodded, `though he only did it because Mum died, I suppose someone else will have to invent it now, or convince him that he still needs to.'
Lilly nodded, `I think I could convince him, and if I can't,' she shrugged, `I'm better at potions than Severus is anyway... if he can do it than I'm sure I can.'
James tightened his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head then addressed his son again, `I suppose you two will be leaving now, will you?'
Harry nodded tightening his own embrace on Hermione, `I think we have to, before we actually do create a Paradox.'
`So does that mean it's all over now?' asked Lilly tearfully.
Harry shook his head, `No, it's not over. Voldemort himself still exists, though of course don't tell anyone else that, but even aside from that his Death Eaters are still out there and they won't go down without a fight. Just be careful, okay?'
`What should we tell everyone... about what happened here tonight?'
Hermione was the one to answer that question, `Tell them that we died. You got home, found us dead, Voldemort dead, and Harry still alive with the scar on his forehead. Aside from that you don't know anything.'
`When are you going back then?' asked James
`Soon,'
James only nodded not knowing what to say, but Harry saved him the trouble.
`I just want you to know, the past two years have probably been the best of my life and... Well... I'm just really glad that they won't be the best of his life.'
Lilly couldn't contain herself any longer and flung her arms around the young man who stood before her. `I'm so proud of you!' she told him tearfully
Hermione stepped aside to allow the mother to embrace her son and James joined the embrace a second later.
`Me too, no one could ask for a better son.'
Tears welled in Harry's eyes and there was no preventing them from cascading down his cheeks, `You've got no idea how much that means to me.'
`We love you, Harry, very much,' said James, his voice gruff with un-shed tears.
`I know. I love you too.'
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