The Elder Wand
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe and all the characters in it belong to J.K. Rowling. This story is a work of imagination and is directed solely at readers of this website. No infringement of any rights is intended and no criticism of J.K. Rowling or her work should be considered to be stated or implied.
Author's note: an alternative reality story, taking all of the books into account.
Part 1. Hermione
"I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from," Harry told Dumbledore. "It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it."
"Are you sure?" Ron said, as Dumbledore nodded. He looked longingly at the wand, imagining the power that it would give him and what he could do with it.
"I think Harry's right," said Hermione quietly.
She uttered the words almost involuntarily and inwardly castigated herself as soon as they had left her mouth. After 18 months of trying to accept her situation; of attempting to do what seemed right and sensible; of recognising that Ron wanted her, while Harry didn't; when it came to a choice, it was still always Harry that she sided with.
But what else could she have done? As usual, Harry was right and Ron was reverting to type; needing recognition and craving attention. Ron had been different lately, more resourceful and kinder. But she couldn't escape the feeling that it was all false; an act that she fancied was being put on for her benefit and if that was the case, then what was the point? Yet those same qualities that seemed contrived in Ron came naturally to Harry and she loved him for it. And, before Voldermort had started to intrude into his mind, she and Harry had generally been on the same wavelength, agreeing on ideas and together working to solve Harry's many problems; sometimes even completing each other's sentences - they were so close. She thought of the two of them as a team and she hated the idea that all of this was about to change. Hermione had dedicated so much of her time and resources to Harry over the last few years, that she couldn't imagine a life without him. Her obsession - because that was how she often thought of it - had begun earlier than anyone knew, since Hermione had been infatuated with the story of Harry Potter before she even knew the boy.
Hermione vividly remembered the day when she had received her letter from Hogwarts. She had been sitting at the breakfast table in the family kitchen, absently toying with some breakfast cereal, a book propped up against the toast rack in front of her. It was the start of a beautiful summer's day and sunshine was streaming through the kitchen window, casting vivid shadows and making Hermione squint as she tried to read. Her mother had brought in the post and placed the official looking cream envelope, with the Hogwarts seal, in front of her, encouraging Hermione to open it in an excited voice. Hermione had done as she was instructed, carelessly ripping through the thick parchment, and devoured the contents of the letter with increasing amazement. It was the first time that she had been given some explanation for the strange things that sometimes happened around her and she had been both scared and relieved to realise that she was a witch.
Of course, her parents had known for a while; ever since Professor McGonagall had visited them. Hermione's mother had told her all about that occasion and the thought of it still made Hermione smile. Minerva had introduced herself as an "educational consultant" and had clearly tried to dress in the Muggle fashion to avoid undue alarm. However, Hermione's mother couldn't help laughing as she described the long, flowing bright red tartan skirt and matching jacket that the stranger had worn over an elaborately frilled white blouse. Her outfit was so outlandish that she had only succeeded in engendering the exact reaction that she had taken such pains to avoid. She fitted the role of a school teacher perfectly, however, enunciating her words very precisely in a high pitched voice with a strong Scottish inflection. Hermione could picture the scene perfectly. Minerva McGonagall perched stiffly in the chocolate-brown single armchair by the fireplace in the Granger's sitting room, her hands folded carefully in her lap; Hermione's parents trying to seem relaxed as they lounged in the matching sofa opposite, but growing more anxious and uncomfortable by the minute. Professor McGonagall had begun carefully, asking if Hermione's parents had any concerns about their daughter and how she was fitting in with main-stream education; whether they had noticed anything unusual. From there, things had progressed fairly naturally to an acceptance that Hermione had special talents and needed a special type of education and, although her parents had been shocked at first, they had gradually come to accept the idea. Hermione's mother had confessed that they were even quite proud to know that they were slightly different and unusual, even though they were sworn to secrecy and couldn't reveal Hermione's true nature to any of their friends or relatives. Hermione suspected that they would have been less thrilled if they had been aware of the enchantments that were put in place to enforce their discretion.
Hermione had insisted on an early visit to Diagon Alley and had not only purchased all of her recommended school text books but also many other books, particularly those concerning the history of the magical world. She had wanted to know everything possible about the new environment that she was entering and had intensely studied every word, committing it all to her formidable and almost photographic memory. Hermione's attention had been immediately drawn to recent history and the rise and eventual fall of the most notorious dark wizard who had ever existed, Voldermort. As a result, she had discovered the story of the "boy who lived", Harry Potter. She was enraptured by his mother's sacrifice and was intrigued to find out that the boy was almost her age but that nobody seemed to know what had become of him since that fateful night in Godric's Hollow. Hermione fantasised about meeting this incredibly romantic figure someday and possibly becoming his friend, or perhaps even more. She imagined the pair of them performing amazing feats of magic and ridding the world of Dark Magic for ever. These daydreams surprised and worried her, since she generally regarded herself as a practical and sensible person, who wasn't prone to flights of fancy. But the story of Harry Potter resonated with her and she couldn't help but draw parallels between herself and Harry's mother. Both Muggle born and both, at least she hoped, brilliant witches who had excelled at Hogwarts.
The reality, when she finally met Harry, had been extremely disappointing. He was not at all like she had imagined. Harry Potter was scrawny and underfed, with untidy black hair and old-fashioned round spectacles. Even more surprising than his appearance, however, was his lack of knowledge and his seeming diffidence. He wasn't the imposing, powerful figure that she had envisioned. At first, she couldn't understand what made this boy so special. But this negative opinion hadn't lasted for long. Harry soon started to show that he was different. Firstly, there was his flying ability, which he demonstrated on their very first lesson, but he had also stuck up for Neville against Draco Malfoy and showed that he wasn't easily cowed. At the time, Hermione had been angry with him, thinking that he was acting irresponsibly and risking getting them all into trouble. Then something had happened that had completely changed her opinion of Harry and the love that she still felt for him had begun to develop.
Hermione's first weeks at Hogwarts were a miserable experience. Her knowledge didn't seem to impress any of her fellow students and indeed she found that she was shunned and generally disliked, particularly by Ron Weasley. She remembered crying silently as she lay in bed at night, longing for her parents and home, but determined to prove that she belonged in this new, strange world. Then on Halloween, Professor Quirrell had let a troll into the school and, alone and upset in one of the girl's bathrooms, she would probably have been killed if Harry hadn't come to save her. To be fair, Ron had helped, but he had later confessed to her that he was present only under duress and that Harry had been the one who had thought about her and sought her out. That was typical of Harry; compassionate and caring, always thinking of others less fortunate than himself, even if he disliked them. From that point on, in Hermione's eyes at least, the two of them had become inseparable and had formed their friendship, although, unfortunately, Ron's presence had seemingly been an unavoidable consequence of the arrangement. Even so, in spite of their frequent quarrels and the fact that they had little in common, she had grown used to having Ron around and came to rely on his support, particularly in the later years when Harry was often unwilling to listen to her advice.
During their second and third years at Hogwarts, Hermione had continued to support Harry and she considered that they had grown noticeably closer, culminating in her use of the time-turner to help Harry rescue Sirius. However, through all of that time, she had never noted any sign of anything more than friendship directed towards her from Harry, although she hoped that in time this might change. Then in their fourth year, Ron and Harry quarrelled because Ron believed that Harry had deliberately entered the Tri-Wizard Tournament without telling him and, for the first time, Hermione was able to spend long periods of time alone with Harry. Rumours started to circulate that they were a couple and not just friends and for a few weeks Hermione basked in this mistaken perception of their relationship. But it couldn't last. Harry and Ron were reconciled and she was pushed to one side. Then, as if to emphasise the wretchedness of her situation, the Yule Ball had been announced and, even though she had managed by chance to have her front teeth - her singularly most unattractive feature - shortened and straightened, Harry had not considered her even fleetingly as a potential partner. Worse was to follow, as Hermione was given a clear indication of the type of girl that Harry was drawn to.
Cho Chang was one of the most attractive and popular girls in the school. She was highly intelligent - she was in Ravenclaw after all - but, apart from that single quality, Hermione and Cho had nothing else in common. Where Cho was beautiful, Hermione thought of herself as plain; where Cho was athletic, Hermione thought of herself as ungainly; where Cho was outgoing and friendly, Hermione thought of herself as introverted and awkward. Hermione could remember feeling intensely disappointed that Harry's choice in women was so conventional. She expected nothing more of Ron. She knew that he was superficial and crude. But she had thought that Harry was different and might value her friendship enough to overlook her physical short comings.
Hermione tried to drop a few hints, both verbal and physical, to ensure that Harry might recognise her true feelings - asking him to knit house-elf hats with her; kissing him on the cheek when they parted at Kings Cross - but she didn't dare to be too obvious for fear of rejection and nothing seemed to work. Harry appeared to remain oblivious. He hadn't even shown any signs of jealousy when Viktor Krum, a figure that both Ron and Harry greatly admired, had invited Hermione to the Yule Ball; although strangely enough Ron had been distinctly hostile - the first obvious sign of his developing affection for her, even though his general attitude had remained as unpleasant as before.
Harry's obsession with Cho had continued and had eventually led to a brief and seemingly shallow relationship that was doomed to failure. Once it ended, Hermione's hopes had been briefly revived. After all, she and Harry had been closer than ever during their fifth year; forming Dumbledore's army, ridding Hogwarts of Dolores Umbridge and battling together against the Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic. However, to Hermione's dismay, during the following summer, Harry had simply transferred his affections from Cho to Ginny Weasley.
Ron's little sister had developed into a beautiful young witch and, in fact, had become a red-headed clone of Cho Chang, with a slightly more forceful personality and a mean Bat Bogey hex. So, Hermione had finally conceded that her position was hopeless. She needed to move on and, since he was now pursuing her more openly, she had begun to be more tolerant towards Ron. But with Harry's situation becoming more dangerous, Hermione's emotions were raw and she found herself acting irrationally, needing Ron's support and validation, and often becoming openly hostile towards Harry. She had even hugged and kissed Ron right in front of Harry in an unguarded, stressful moment; actions that she now regretted. Ron had clearly been misled and would now be more attentive than ever, something that she didn't really need at present. Harry had looked really annoyed when it had happened, but that was just because he thought that they were wasting time and so she knew that she shouldn't read anything more into it.
Harry's relationship with Ginny had been interrupted by the hunt for the horcruxes but now showed every sign of being revived and so, for Hermione, with the final demise of Voldermort, the picture had become crystal clear. Any more serious relationship that she developed with Ron would mean remaining close to Harry, watching him and Ginny together, and that just wasn't possible. Now that the objective that she had focused on for all of these years had been achieved, she couldn't just be "friends" with Harry. She cared too much about him. Hermione knew that she must go away and start again somewhere. Perhaps reunite with her parents and even leave the magical world for good. Her parents were still confunded and were living with no knowledge that they even had a daughter. With Voldermort gone, they were no longer in any danger and Hermione needed to find them and restore their memories. She missed them.
However, she still felt uneasy. There was work that needed to be done. She just had to sort out the matter of the Elder Wand and then she would leave.
Hermione glanced over at Ron. He scowled back at her, looking distinctly displeased.