A/N - This is it... the final Chapter. I still don't own Harry Potter or Back to the Future. I'm still not making any money from this. All of the hard work I've put into this story has been purely for my own enjoyment and of course for yours too. Thank you again to my BETA's Katia, Dementor149 & Ragavendran, your advice and assistance has been invaluable. Sorry this took so long.
Chapter 18 - A whole new world.
Harry returned to consciousness slowly, all around him was grey and quiet and, for just a moment, he thought he might have died again. The thought only lasted a moment though, because as soon as he tried to sit up he knew that he wasn't dead. His head throbbed painfully and there was something, or rather someone, warm and soft draped over his chest.
His arms were heavy, as though they were moving through water rather than air, but with some effort he was able to raise them enough to touch the person lying across his chest. He felt warm skin and soft hair and he knew immediately that it had to be Hermione. He had not entertained any real doubt that that it was her, but after two years of sharing a bed with her there was no mistaking the feel of her soft skin and even softer hair.
At the touch of his hand she was immediately awake, he still couldn't see her but he felt the absence of her warmth when she sat up and the small amount of weight that had been resting on his chest lifted.
`He's awake!' He heard her say, then in more hushed gentle tones she addressed him, `Harry, can you hear me?'
He tried to nod but his head and neck ached too much, he tried to speak but his throat seemed to have closed up. He felt Hermione's hand in his, warm, soft and comforting.
`It's alright, Harry, just squeeze my hand if you can hear me.'
With infinite effort he closed his fingers on hers and was rewarded with a soft kiss to the cheek. Harry was sure that if he could smile, he was.
He heard her voice again, now clearly talking to someone else, `Do you think he's going to be okay, Madame Pomfrey?'
He didn't get a chance to hear the response though because he had already faded from consciousness again.
When Harry next woke he felt much more himself, his head was clear and his arms didn't feel anywhere near as much like lead. He opened his eyes but, as usual, his vision was blurred. He reached out beside the bed and found his glasses. When he had them on he discovered that he was in the Hogwarts hospital wing, again. Harry smiled, he was happier to be there than he would have ever thought possible. Hermione was seated in the chair next to his bed, her cheek rested on the corner of his pillow and she was breathing deeply, fast asleep.
Harry smiled and stroked her hair from her face, it was a move that he'd used countless times in the past two years but on this occasion it felt more special and intimate than it ever had before. Hermione stirred at his touch and opened her eyes, when she saw him a smile lit up her face and she looked so beautiful that she absolutely took Harry's breath away.
`You are so beautiful,' he whispered.
He felt so overpowered by emotion that whisper was all he could do, he loved her so much and felt so grateful that they were both here and both still alive. With that thought occurred others as Harry realized that he had no idea if any one else had made it out of the house alive.
`Is everyone else...' Harry couldn't finish his question, but he didn't need to, Hermione's eyes dropped to the floor and that told him everything he needed to know.
He knew that someone had died.
He had tried so hard to make his plans foolproof but even with all his efforts part of him had known that some would not make it.
`Who?' he asked, dreading the answer even as he asked the question.
Hermione met his eyes again, `We lost Tonks and Mad-Eye to killing curses.'
Harry swore, `What happened to their shields?'
`It was the heat of battle, Harry, they were hit in the back and we don't even know where the curses came from.'
Harry nodded, `but, everyone else is all right?'
Hermione looked down at the floor again and shook her head, Harry held his breath while he waited for her to speak, `Snape and Charlie Weasley were both caught in the house when it collapsed, they only found the bodies yesterday.'
Harry rubbed a hand across his face, `I had no idea the spell could do that, there was nothing in our research to suggest it was even possible...' he trailed off unable to continue. Harry couldn't pretend he would miss Snape but, considering everything he owed to the man, he did wish that he hadn't died. Charlie's death was much harder to deal with, Harry hadn't known him very well but he still felt the loss keenly. Charlie was Ron's brother and as far as he was concerned a brother of Ron's was a brother of his.
`I know, Harry, and everyone else does too. You've been out for a few days and I've had plenty of time to talk to them about it, they all know that there was no way we could have known what would happen. Besides those emergency Portkeys saved several people and the shields saved all of us at least ten times each.'
Harry nodded again, `There were more, weren't there? More deaths, I mean... who else died, Hermione?'
She looked into his eyes as though trying to judge whether he really could take the news she was about to give him.
`Hagrid,' she said finally.
Harry buried his face in his hands and tried to stem the flow of tears; Hermione put her arms around him and held him. For a few moments no words were spoken between them.
When Harry finally looked up they both had eyes rimmed red with tears, `he was my first friend' Harry choked out.
`I know, Harry,' she said softly, she paused for a moment and then added, `But I think he would have been happy for you, if he'd known.'
Harry nodded, he knew she was right, the Hagrid he had known, not to mention Charlie, Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody would have all been thrilled that Harry had his family returned to him. It didn't change the fact that he would miss them, Hagrid especially, and wish that things could be different.
Hermione offered him a slight smile, `I know it doesn't make it any easier.'
They lapsed into silence again for a moment, until Hermione squeezed his hand.
`I promised your parents I'd send them a note as soon as you woke up. They couldn't stay and wait themselves because,' Hermione paused and grinned, `well, I'll let them tell you that. Anyway, do you mind if I quickly run to the owlery?'
Harry shook his head, `Of course not, I'd love to see my parents.'
Hermione smiled at him again and, with a final quick squeeze of his hand, she left the room.
When the door closed behind her, Harry now had time to think of the bad news she'd given him. He knew that his action in taking down Voldemort so efficiently had probably saved tens or even hundreds of lives. He also knew that the shields and the Portkeys, not to mention the detailed plans that he'd drawn up, had saved the lives of many of the people who had gone with him not to mention saving his own life. Yet somehow none of that could even reduce the sting of loss he felt at the news of those of his friends who had died.
They had all been not just his friends but the friends of a great many other people that he probably didn't even know and he grieved for them too. Intellectually he knew that he was not responsible for their deaths but he still felt that he was, it wasn't rational but it was how he felt. Sitting alone in the hospital wing Harry allowed himself to wallow in his grief for a few minutes and let his mind replay all of the good times he'd shared with each of his fallen friends. He did dwell primarily on Hagrid but, since he'd spent by far the most time with his large friend than he had with any of the others so he thought that was natural.
He hadn't been alone long however before the door to the infirmary opened again. Harry quickly collected himself and looked over towards the door. He had expected to see Hermione returned from the owlery but was surprised to see his little sister Jazzy timidly entering the room. The words "his little sister" echoed in his brain, it was only the second time he'd even seen her and he was still getting used to the idea that he had a little sister at all. She came up and stood by his bed as he just stared blankly at her until the silence was broken by her speaking.
`Hermione said you were awake.'
Harry snapped out of his stupor, she must have thought he was brain damaged with the way he'd just stared at her so he spoke quickly to assure her that he was okay.
`Yeah, just woke up not even half an hour ago.'
Jazzy nodded, `I was so worried about you,' she looked on the verge of tears and paused before adding quietly, `Hermione said she told you about Charlie.'
With a start it suddenly occurred to Harry that, having known Ron since he was three he must have known Charlie just as long and far from being virtual strangers they were probably quite close. Harry only nodded in response and to his very great surprise Jazzy flung herself at his neck in a violent hug.
`Don't ever do anything like that again!' she demanded bawling all over him.
Harry put his arms around her and hugged her back a bit awkwardly. He wasn't used to this level of emotional concern about his well being from anyone but Hermione, but he was beginning to suspect that with parents still alive and at least one younger sibling he would have to get used to it very quickly.
Jazzy pulled back and glared at him ferociously, `you won't do anything like that again, will you?' She demanded.
'I won't, I promise.'
This reassurance seemed to be good enough for Jazzy because she tightened her grip on Harry's neck and buried her face in his chest once more. As he held her there, his initial awkwardness began to give way to an ease and comfort he had not expected and a small kernel of warmth burrowed its way into his heart. His grief remained, like a constant dull ache, but the longer he held his little sister the more reasons he found to be happy and look forward in a positive way.
He and Hermione had done the seemingly impossible, they had travelled through time, destroyed the Horcruxes, saved his parents and both lived to tell the tale. It wasn't just he and his parents who had benefited from the adventure either. Neville had grown up not with the severe Grandmother, in whose eyes he was never quite good enough, but rather with parents who loved and supported him. Neville's parents had been spared from a lifetime of insanity, Sirius hadn't died or spent thirteen years in Azkaban, Lupin had never been left alone and friendless and the small quivering girl in his arms had been given life where none had existed before.
Harry took a deep breath and tightened his arms around his little sister. His eyes filled with un-shed tears and the tiny kernel of happiness that had wormed its way into his heart unfurled and grew. He'd barely known her an hour but he already adored his little sister (his mind stilled reeled in wonder over even being able to call anyone that), he stroked her soft hair absently.
'Shhh,' he whispered to her as her sobbing continued unabated, 'it's going to be okay,' he whispered.
A feeling of wonder settled over him and he repeated the words in a daze, 'everything will be okay.'
For the first time in his life Harry knew that it was really true, nothing could change it now, the fight was over and everything really was going to be okay.
The last few weeks of the semester flew by, there were still the usual classes to attend and exams to sit but Harry and Hermione had other things to worry about as well. The testimonies that they had to give in the trials of various Death Eaters, including the Malfoy's, took a lot longer than Harry would have thought possible. The trials went smoothly, despite being a bit of a media circus, and they provided good contrast to the funerals. The six funerals were all held on different days culminating with Charlie's.
Ron had been at home with his parents and the rest of his family for a week following the Death of his brother. Harry wished that he could have been there for his friend but he also knew that it wasn't his place.
The first week back at Hogwarts was the most difficult, with all of the funerals and the trials on top of their regular classes they also had to try not to speak to anyone too much. Without Ron there to help them out of difficult situations they lived in constant fear of saying the wrong thing. But for Harry the hardest part of it all was not being able to crawl into bed beside Hermione at the end of each day. He hadn't realised how much comfort he got from just being able to hold her while he slept until he was no longer able to do it. They had only been back for a few days before they both agreed that they would move in together as soon as they finished Hogwarts. Until then there wasn't much they could do except try to get used to sleeping alone again.
The few short weeks they spent at school after returning from the past were the most surreal of Harry's life. Everything was the same and yet, in the most unexpected ways, it was completely different as well. Truthfully, he'd never been so happy to leave Hogwarts in his life as he was on the day that term finally ended for the year. But he'd never had a home to go back to before either.
The house was very much as he remembered it and Harry didn't even try to stop himself from grinning madly as he dragged his trunk upstairs to his bedroom. He pushed the door open with his foot and hauled his trunk into the room, dumping it at the foot of his bed with a thump. The room glowed with the warmth of the afternoon sun and Harry stopped for a moment to look around and take it all in.
On the surface this bedroom was much like his room at the Dursleys had been. A single bed stood along the wall opposite the door with a window above it, the foot of the bed faced a desk and the closet stood next to it. To Harry however the similarities were superficial but the differences were as distinct as they were significant. There was no trace of any bars having ever been on this window, there were no locks on the outside of the door and certainly no cat flap in the bottom. Instead Quidditch posters of Puddlemere United and Gryffindor pennants adorned the walls. The Tri-Wizard cup stood gleaming on the bookcase and performed the job of a bookend for various magical books ranging the light hearted, like Quidditch and pranking, to the more serious books on Defence or text books from previous years. It was the bedroom he'd always dreamed of.
Harry flopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, he could see the faint outline of glow zone stars and the sight caused him to smile. Dudley had gotten glow zone stars in his bedroom for his ninth birthday and Harry had always been so jealous of them. He idly wondered how old he'd been when they'd been put up on his walls.
The sun was streaming in through the window and Harry closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth of it on his skin and savour the feeling of being at home for the first time in his life. He could hear the noise of his family down stairs. Jazzy was in the kitchen talking to their mother while she prepared them all something to eat. His four year old brother Jake (the reason his parents hadn't been able to stay at the school to wait for him to wake up) was zooming around the living room pretending to be a Quidditch player complete with commentary and loudly approving fans.
A smile played across Harry's lips, it was so good to finally be home.
A board creaked in the hall floor outside his bedroom and Harry sat up, alert and wand at the ready but then felt extremely foolish when he saw it was only his Dad. Harry smiled at him and put away his wand away, he still wasn't used to not having his life in danger.
'Hey sport, how's it going?' James asked sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Harry.
Harry smiled and nodded, 'Yeah, I'm doing okay.'
It was probably the simplification of the century, given everything that he'd gone through and everything he felt at that moment, but James nodded as though he understood all of the thoughts that Harry had left unspoken.
'I don't imagine these past few weeks have been easy for you.'
Harry nodded ruefully, 'Well in some ways yes and in others.... no, not at all.'
James lips twitched in a small smile, 'You know, I.... ' he trailed off as though unsure of himself and Harry, who knew his father well enough from their time spent together in the past to know how uncharacteristic this was in him, looked at him curiously.
James coughed and tried again, 'I know you aren't the young man that grew up in this bedroom, I knew it as soon as I saw you that night in Dumbledore's office.' Harry gaped at his father but James only smiled at him and continued, 'I don't think anyone but your mum and I could tell the difference,' he laughed then, 'though Jazzy did mention in a couple of her letters that you've been acting a bit weird lately.'
'You're not disappointed are you?' Harry couldn't stop himself from asking, 'to have me rather than him, I mean.'
James laughed again, 'There is no you and him. You are him. You are my son and I've always been very proud of you.' James lay an arm across his son's shoulders reassuringly, 'The only reason I brought it up,' he continued, 'is because I wanted you to know about the pensieve.'
Harry looked at his father confused, 'The pensieve?' he asked.
James nodded, 'Your mum and I knew this would happen eventually, well, we suspected it would anyway... we weren't completely sure how this would work.' James shook his head as though this was all irrelevant now, 'the point is we decided to prepare for this, just in case we needed to, so for your eighth birthday we bought you a pensieve and I taught you the spell to store your memories there.' James smiled at the memory, 'I was so proud of how quickly you picked up that spell, of course you had to borrow a wand till you turned eleven.' He laughed out loud and rumpled Harry's hair, 'and you've never let anyone look in it, but.... I know it's hidden in a "secret" compartment at the bottom of your trunk and I know that the password is three taps of your wand.'
James laughed at Harry's shocked expression, 'Don't look at me like that!' he exclaimed, ruffling his son's hair again, 'I've never looked in it, I just had to know where it was and how to get to it! If I hadn't how else would you be able to use it now?'
Harry conceded the point with a nod, 'Fair enough'
James stood up and scruffed Harry's hair again, a gesture which at first had delighted Harry but now was getting a little annoying. Harry ducked his head away and James laughed, 'anyway, I'll leave you to it. I expect you want to get started exploring that pensieve of yours.'
Harry grinned, 'Thanks, Dad.'
James smiled at his son, 'No problem.'
His father had only been out the door a second but Harry was already on his knees in front of the trunk digging through his Hogwarts gear searching for the hidden compartment. He had to completely empty the trunk before he found it and as promised it clicked open with three taps of his wand. Harry picked it out, placed it reverently on his desk, and then just stood and stared at it. He almost couldn't wait to get started but at the same time something made him hesitate.
'You've only been home ten minutes and already you've made a mess of your room' a familiar voice scolded him teasingly from the doorway.
Harry turned and grinned at Hermione, 'My parents bought me a pensieve,' he said, instead of "Hello"
Hermione nodded, 'That was nice of them.'
Harry's grin broadened, it was so rare that Hermione didn't understand something immediately, 'No, they bought me a pensieve for my eighth birthday.'
Hermione's mouth formed an "OH" of surprise.
'Want to go for a walk down memory lane?' asked Harry teasingly.
Hermione nodded enthusiastically. He held out his hand and she clasped it with her own as she came to stand beside him. Harry gazed down at her as she looked up at him. Then they went into their next adventure the same way they'd gone into all of their previous ones, together.
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