Chapter Text
Authors Notes
This story comes about as a result of a few failed attempts within my drafts folder, and has some influences from other fic’s I have read over the time I have been exploring this corner of the fan fiction Universe.
This is an attempt to write a fully canon compliant, time travel fixit, back into the Marauder era. My first draft transported their memories back into their toddler selves, and I had it written upto the TriWizard Tournament, when I realised, ‘they would have used a time turner as well…’. So that’s in the bin now.
I wanted to also write a story of a Harry that grew up without any abuse, raised by his very much alive Parents and their friends the remaining Marauders and their wives. A boy who is friends with a lot of his peers and a complete little shit.
So I am interleaving the two stories, as one is required for the other and I decided to make it non linear, so if it doesn’t make sense, it will later, or maybe it won’t. I will no doubt be editing early chapters to retcon my plot holes. I will try not to. Honest.
The Marauders era stuff will at times be dark as the BAMF elder Potters go through the Death Eater cadre like a dose of Epsom Salts (laxative) upto the final showdown with Voldemort.
The Harry Potter’s Pirates/ Granger's Gnomes era is mostly crack (craic?) and tells the tales of a bunch of happy and mischievous kids going to a school of magic. What could possibly go wrong?
Why are they are interleaved? well because I am annoying. Ask anyone. It hopefully makes it entertaining.
Credits to these writers for seeding some of the ideas, there are others, and I will add them as I find them again
Harmony Times Two. Tom H Richardson
Family relationships of included characters
Endings and Beginnings
Ginny was enjoying being back on a broom, back on a quidditch team. It was the thirtieth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts as it had become known, and her old team the Harpies had arranged an exhibition match for former team members to play the current team. She was rocketing the length of the pitch on a brand-new Lightning-Bolt broom, the logo was the shape of Harry’s scar and a few galleons went to his charity with every sale. To her right were her old teammates, the other two chasers that had dominated their years on the squad.
On the far-right Helen effortlessly tossed the quaffle through the hoop and they broke formation in their signature starburst celebration, Ginny pulling serious Gee force as she turned hard left and down sitting sideways to the ground on her broom as she made the turn, contrails curling from her toes showing under the stirrups of her broom. She was leaning back and looking over her left shoulder for her team mates to reform into their arrowhead formation, she didn’t see the seeker diving down chasing the snitch as it crossed beneath her. The collision threw Ginny from her broom and cartwheeling into the stand.
Harry was sat in the stand with their daughter Lily, Ginny’s brother Ron was sat in front of them. Harry was watching his wife pulling the high gee turn back into the stand and saw the collision sending both players spinning to the floor. He jumped to his feet and his wand was in his hand to try to push Ginny back onto the pitch with its protective charms only for Ron to leap to his feet and block Harry’s view for the critical second, Harry stepped to the right trying to catch his wife only to see her body pinwheel along the seats.
He apparated straight to her side, but he could tell immediately, she had left him. He had seen too many broken bodies in his thirty-year career in the Auror’s department, there was no magic that would fix Ginny. She was Gone. Harry dropped to his knees and cradled his dead wife’s head as the tears ran down his face.
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It was quiet at the Burrow, they had laid Ginny to rest in the orchard, a simple white headstone
Ginevra Molly Potter
11 October 1981
2 May 2028
A Beloved Wife, Mother and Daughter
Rest in Peace
Harry was alone standing near her grave, his children had gone inside to join the rest of the Weasley family. With a heavy heart he walked back towards the house and heard the argument before he saw the people. It was Ron angry with Hermione.
Again.
His two best friends did nothing but argue, their voices were low and he paused trying to think how to get past them without being seen. He did not wish to be drawn into one of Ron’s strops today. The words drifted across to him, “I am telling you, he could have caught her, he had his wand in his hand, one little push, and she would have been fine. He didn’t, why didn’t he?”
Hermione’s voice replied, the emotion thick in her voice, “because you stood up in front of him and blocked his line of sight. He didn’t say anything because he doesn’t want his best friend to feel guilty about his sister’s death. He doesn’t blame you, so you can NOT blame him.”
Harry stepped away and walked back to the grave, he was trembling with anger, Ron blamed him for Ginny’s death. It was so typical of Ron, always jealous and striking out with his mouth before thinking, Hermione spent her life explaining to Ron that he had the wrong end of the wand, but he never apologised. He apparated away, to another grave, his parents. He needed a bit of time alone, he needed time to think.
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Harry was sat at his desk, he had been the Head of the Auror Corps for over ten years, he and Ron were both fast tracked in as Aurors after the battle of Hogwarts. Ron left after a few months to help George run Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, it had been just as well as Ron was failing out of the training where Harry was excelling. Harry had then led the team dedicated to tracking down the last of the Death Eaters and sending them to trial. Their interrogations under veritaserum in all cases led to confessions of multiple rapes, tortures and murders, sometimes whole families wiped out.
The trial verdicts were swift, and the sentence always the veil. It had taken them ten years, but they had them all, Lucius Malfoy took his own life to protect Narcissa and Draco, officially. Harry had always suspected that one of the two had helped him to decide, he didn’t care, Lucius Malfoy was a vain arrogant bigot, it had taken Draco years to throw off the upbringing and become a decent member of society, eventually being one of Minister Hermione Granger-Weasley’s loudest supporters.
Today he would be meeting his old friend, Hermione, the first mundane born Minister for Magic, Ron’s animosity to Harry had been the final straw that ended their friendship after Ginny’s funeral earlier that summer, Harry missed their old camaraderie, but could he could not find it within him to forgive Ron this time around. Harry read over the parchment in his hand one last time and left his office to his meeting with Hermione.
“Harry, come in,” she stood and walked around her desk, she wrapped him in a hug. “I miss you dear friend. How are you, it has been an absolute age since we talked.” Releasing him she motioned to a pair of chairs and a small table. “You have made a decision, I see.” Harry nodded and passed over the parchment. Hermione smiled weakly, “You will leave a big pair of boots to fill. Minerva is getting a fine professor. Defence I assume?”
Harry drew breath, “Yes, and a bit of Quidditch coaching at weekends. I can’t do this anymore, I need a break. It’s time for someone else to look after the world, I have done my bit I think.”
She passed him a cup of tea, “You have done more than enough, you deserve some peace.” She smoothed her skirt and tugged at the cardigan she was wearing over her blouse. “I have a little bit of news I wanted you to hear from me, rather than reading it in the Prophet. I am divorcing Ron.” She exhaled and her shoulders relaxed, “I am done with him, I moved into the official residence after the funeral, we have barely spoken since. I will revert to my maiden-name once the divorce is complete, Agusta will make it final at the next ‘gamot. I doubt the old guard will re-elect me after I divorce a pure blood, so I shall not stand when the time comes around. I think I am done as well, I have another year in office, but I am already thinking about what’s next.” Harry nodded slowly and sipped his tea.
“I am sorry it didn’t work out for you, I always wanted you two to be happy, but for what it’s worth, I think you lasted longer than you should, I am done with Ron as well, so don’t be afraid to call. Don’t be a stranger, you are still my closest friend.” He sipped his tea again, “How are your children taking it?”
Hermione smiled, “Rose thinks her dad is a complete prat, and it was her who told me to leave, she saw the argument at the funeral after you left.” She looked at Harry, “you heard him blaming you didn’t you?” Harry nodded. “You know that no one else thinks it was anything other than a tragic accident, no-one except that troll soon to be ex-husband of mine,” she shook her head, “why? In Merlin’s name why did I marry him? I had doubts from the beginning, and I settled, I thought I could fix him. What a fool.”
Harry shrugged and smiled, “I think we all just wanted to be loved after all the hate and fear, I was lucky, Gin and I made it work, it wasn’t a fairy tale romance, but we were happy. What about Hugo?”
Hermione replied, “he says it’s OK, he says I have put up with enough of Ron’s nonsense and I deserve a life.” He has his own family now, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Harry nodded, “I know you are busy, but I would like us to keep in touch, how about we meet up for dinner, once a month, a bit of food and a glass of wine between friends?”
Hermione smiled, “that would be something to look forward to, How are you fixed next Friday, my treat.”
Harry smiled, “let’s make that a date.”
Hermione laughed, “A date, Mr Potter? and me not even divorced yet. Scandalous.”
They both laughed, standing she leaned in and hugged him, kissing his cheek. “Look after yourself, if you want to talk call me, anytime.”
They separated and Harry walked to the office door, “Thanks Hermione, I think I needed to know I still had one friend. Look after yourself, and I will see you a week on Friday, seven pm?”
Hermione smiled, “I am looking forward to it.” Harry left the room. Hermione sat back at her desk and made an entry into her desk diary about her dinner with Harry and smiled to herself. “Dinner with Harry, that is something to look forward to,” Her mind wandered back to her schooldays, and her enormous crush on Harry, and then he asked her for advice on how to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, it had broken her heart, and she realised that Harry saw her as his sister, and nothing more. That was over thirty years ago, her love for Harry had mellowed into something else, but she would enjoy an evening in his company. She closed her diary and went back to the pile of documents requiring her attention.
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Harry was sitting in his Hogwarts office reading the daily Prophet, he had his first year of Practical Magic under his belt, and the results for the Ordinary Level Certificate – the old OWL level, were the best in the last fifty years. He was feeling a little proud of himself. The school had been heavily reorganised after the battle, the house system that promoted rivalries and conflict had been abandoned and students’ dorms were arranged by year group, first and seconds together, third and fourth, Fifth, exam year alone, and the Advanced level students in another.
The Houses existed within each dorm, and Quidditch was played at each Dorm level, the Advanced level students often choosing not to field teams. Other sports had been introduced, and it was common to see groups running along the path around the lake, canoeing on the lake and games of football were common after lessons. Fitness was finally part of the student’s education.
Divination was no longer taught, History was a new course, with a living Professor, and the rise and defeat of the Dark Wizard Tom Riddle was taught, history could not be allowed to repeat itself. Potions was taught in a ground floor room, well ventilated, well lit and well taught. New courses in mundane studies were compulsory for students from magical families, as was magical studies for mundane born students. Words like pureblood, muggle, mudblood were simply not in the vocabulary of the school. Students were also taught mundane topics, English, mathematics and World History, preparing all the students to blend into the mundane world, if they chose to live there.
A paper plane arrived on his desk, Minerva wanted to see him, he stood and stretched before picking his jacket off the hook and strolling through the castle to her office. There was no gargoyle closing the access, he walked up the steps and knocking entered her office. Sitting at two of the three chairs around the coffee table grinning like a pair of cheshire cats were Minerva McGonagall and the recently retired Hermione Granger. “Come in Harry, I believe you have met my new deputy, Miss Granger, may I introduce Professor Potter, Practical Magic Studies.”
Hermione stood and enveloped Harry in a hug, kissing his cheek, “Hi Harry, I hope this is a nice surprise?”
Harry laughed, “I should have known you were up to something Minerva,” turning to Hermione, still holding her waist, “It is ALWAYS nice to see you, you are basically the sunshine in my life, my kids can barely be bothered anymore. Welcome to Hogwarts, are you teaching any subjects?”
Hermione pulled him over to the seats and they sat and poured coffee, “We think that I might act as cover for the school, If anyone needs time off for any reason, I might do an Advanced elective on Law if there is any interest, but Minerva want’s me to understudy her ready for her retirement in a few years time.”
The following morning the sun was just rising over the lake as Harry stepped out onto the path for his morning run, “care for some company?” Hermione called from the doorway, dressed in sweatpants and a baggy top against the morning chill.
“Love some, I didn’t know you ran?”
“Started last year, wanted to get fit again, I enjoy it now. What’s your usual routine?”
“I usually do a steady lap of the lake, and then some stretches and a shower before breakfast.”
Hermione nodded as she was doing some warm up stretches, “that sounds perfect, lead off I’ll follow if that’s OK.”
“Yep, shout if you want the pace to change.” Harry set off down towards the lake and settled into his rhythm, to his delight Hermione strode up alongside him and matched his pace. They ran in comfortable silence for half an hour, “I usually try to stretch my stride for the last five minutes up to the castle, ready?”
“Go for it.” Harry kicked out and increased his pace, as the castle grew nearer Hermione edged past him, and with a sideways smile kicked her pace up and pulled away. The race was on Harry gave it everything as they covered the last two hundred metres to the doors, Hermione beat him by about three metres.
Breathless he squeezed her shoulder, between gasps, “Wow, you just kicked my arse. I can see we are going to have a bit of fun in a morning.”
“Sorry Golden Boy, but I was always a bit faster than you.” They laughed and headed back to their own quarters for showers. Later at breakfast Harry was sat at one of the tables in the Hall, the raised platform was long ago removed, and the tables were circular seating ten or so students, depending on ages.
Hermione walked into the room, scanning the tables, Harry waved his arm, and she joined him. She was wearing a pair of leggings and an old Quidditch top. It had the number 7 on the back and the name POTTER across the back of the shoulders. Her hair fell loose down past her shoulders to the small of her back. She was a few weeks away from her fiftieth birthday, but being magical, she looked to be in her late twenties, as she sat next to Harry he absent mindedly noted that she also possessed a rather shapely bum, and that his best friend was actually a very beautiful lady. “Is that one of my old tops?” He asked as she poured herself a coffee.
“From your third year, I started sleeping in it after the divorce, it smells of you, and it was comforting if I was feeling lonely at night. I had to have it washed in the end, so I thought I would wear it to my first breakfast for a giggle, I wanted to see your face.”
Harry’s face split into a smile, “It looks much better on you than it ever did on me. How does it feel to be back here, at breakfast. My first time it was a bit emotional, all the memories of lost friends and old times. I remember you running down the Hall to me after the mandrake solution released you from the petrification. You nearly knocked me on my butt, and then nearly broke my ribs. I was so happy to see you smiling again.”
Hermione laughed, “I had a massive crush on you back then, so I took any excuse to give you a hug. Harry’s eyebrows shot up,
“You had a crush on me? I always thought it was Ron you liked. I buried my feelings to let you two be.” Hermione put her cup back on the saucer and placed her hand on Harry’s arm.
“Harry, I settled for Ron, because the boy I had built up in my mind asked me how to ask a different girl to a Ball. It’s all water under the bridge now, Ron was a mistake, but my friendship with you is the most important thing in my life after my children.” The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Neville and the topic moved on.
The following Friday night Hermione joined Harry in his room for a glass of wine after dinner, that became a bottle, and then a second. They talked about old times and old friends, and their previous lives, Hermione was telling Harry about the end of her marriage, “I tried to make it work with Ron, but his constant jealousy destroyed any affection I may have once held him in. Do you know he would bring up our time in the tent in almost any argument, he was, and probably still is, convinced we were lovers behind his back. When it all went ballistic after Ginny’s funeral service, I told him I wished you had shagged me senseless, because then I would never, ever have kissed the frog and tried to find a prince. As you can imagine he sort of exploded, I thought he was going to hit me. I can take him down with a wand, but physically he would smash me to pieces. That was the absolute end of us.”
Harry was looking at Hermione like a rabbit caught in a car’s headlights, “did you mean it?”
She giggled, “Oh Merlin Harry, we were so young, you had no idea. You danced with me in the tent and I fell in love with you all over again, I wanted you to kiss me. I wanted you to make love to me, I thought we were going to die, and I didn’t want to die unloved. Then Ron showed up and you were happy to see him. It all went to hell in a handcart after that, by the time the music stopped you were with Ginny, I settled. I made a mistake.”
Harry was staring at his glass. “Hermione.” He looked into her eyes, she felt herself falling into his bright green gaze. Her stomach knotted itself, “Would you like to go on a proper date with me? I don’t know if we can make this work, but I love you, you know I do, I always have, if you want to try, I would be a very happy man to call you my girlfriend.”
Hermione’s heart was just about ready to burst, she could feel her tears threatening to flood her eyes, “Yes.” She whispered. She leaned across and kissed him gently on the lips. “I expect to be Wooed, Mr Potter. This is no bag of chips and a shag night out. I do love you, but we need time to adapt to this new status. After all, it’s only taken you thirty-eight years to realise that I love you.”
It was Hermione’s birthday, a stream of owls brought cards from far and wide, both sets of children sent cards. Luna sent one from South America, delivered by a Toucan. Lots of others from the ministry to members of the magical community who remembered her as the girl in the golden trio, defeating the death eaters. The first mundane born person to be awarded Merlin, First Class. She sat at the table reading the cards, Harry and the other professors were checking each envelope for anything untoward, before passing them over. The students were watching the two hero’s their parents talked of with a little awe, the rumour mill had already picked up on their fledgling romance, and the staff were holding a betting pool on the date of the engagement.
She opened a card from Padma, and the dam broke, her tears started to fall. Padma had signed it from her and Lavender, saying she knew Lavender would want to wish her a happy birthday. Fenrir Greyback had savagely killed Lavender and grievously injured Padma, Hermione had blasted him away from them, and the memories flooded her senses. Harry wrapped her in his arms and rocked her, as she spun into his shoulder sobbing, “I couldn’t stop him, I was too slow, so many died because we took too long to find those blasted evil creations, I still see bodies when I walk some of the corridors, I would give my life tomorrow to bring them back, when will it stop hurting? Some days I really wish we could go back and sort it out. I am sorry, I am being foolish, it's a long time ago, I should pull myself together.”
Harry stroked her back, “No, this is not foolishness, this is humanity. This is what we fought to preserve, this is what those people died to give to the rest. Don’t be ashamed to shed tears for fallen friends, you honour their memory with your tears.” He kissed her forehead and held her as she sobbed into his shirt. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your room, I have no classes this morning, let’s get you out of here.” He stood and half walked half carried Hermione from a very quiet Hall.
As they reached the door she turned to the room “I am sorry to put a downer on breakfast everyone, one of the cards triggered a memory of that day, losing some of my dorm mates to an evil beast. They were so young and bright, do not ever let evil like that back into our lives. Sorry.” She turned and let Harry lead her out of the room to her quarters.
They sat and cuddled for an hour or so. “I am going to take a run around the lake, grab a shower and then lover boy. You are taking me to bed. Life is for living. I need to start living again.” She kissed him and walked into her bathroom. Harry left to change into his running gear. On his return she was dressed in his quidditch top and a pair of yoga pants, the effect was very distracting.
Kissing Harry, “like what you see? Good, I need to burn off some energy, and then, well I hope you can remember what to do.” She jogged down the corridor, Harry followed, Hermione’s hair was bouncing in rhythm with her pace, they left the main doors and set off around the path, catching and passing a group of first years along the way, Harry was enjoying the view of his love’s legs and perfectly formed arse, he didn’t hear the chaos her passing had caused amongst the first years.
Brought up in magical families, most of them had no idea what a woman looked like under robes, the sight of Hermione’s legs and booty covered in skintight lycra was more than some of the young boys could cope with and they tripped over, ran into each other and generally fell apart. The Potter top added to the spectacle. Some of the girls looked on and decided to take the exercise much more seriously, if running could have the most famous wizard in their world following you like a puppy, they wanted to look like Hermione.
This time Harry powered past Hermione to the doors and swept her up in his arms kissing her deeply. “Shower.” She whispered. They went to his quarters and closing, locking and warding the door, left a trail of clothes into the bathroom. Later laid in his arms, Hermione kissed him, “That should have happened the night we saved Sirius.”
Harry nodded, “Being with you feels right, I am so sorry I had no clue, I wanted to ask you to the ball, but well. Ron. I thought he would ask, and I didn’t want to mess it all up. Merlin I was stupid.”
She stroked his chest and slid over him grinding her hips a little, “Harry, you were never loved by anyone as a child, did you even know what love felt like? I should have taken the lead, I wasted nearly forty years, because I was insecure. But I know what I want now, and I am sitting on him. Ready for round two?”
They made it back to lunch and the students presented her with a huge bouquet of Zinnia, Camellia, Sweet Peas and Snap Dragons, with a card saying “Happy Birthday Professor Granger. Thank you for saving our World. Our Parents owe you their lives, and so do we. The Students of Hogwarts.” She cried again, but tears of happiness, Harry pulled a small rectangular package out of his pocket. “Happy Birthday my love.” He whispered as she unwrapped the case and opened it to find a delicate bracelet made of silver and gold with pale blue stones set along it’s length. She placed it on her wrist and as she closed the clasp felt the tug on her magic. “Harry, what charms are on this?”
He smiled. “Potter House family magic, protections. I am not sure about all of them, but it wards off mind magics, and will vibrate, or get warm if it senses potions. It’s from the Potter vault, I had Kreacher visit and bring a few bits over. I hope you like it, you always loved blue.” Her smile dazzled him and she wrapped her arms around his neck and to the amusement of the school kissed him deeply. “I love it. Thank you.”
Halloween passed without Harry facing death and Christmas was upon them before they knew it. Most of the school had gone home, Hermione had slept in Harry’s bed the night of Christmas Eve, and they enjoyed a romantic lie-in before donning pyjamas and dressing gowns and calling the school elves to bring them a small breakfast. The pair settled on the rug in front of the small tree in Harry’s quarters, they opened the gifts they had received, small tokens from staff members, mostly books for Hermione, and sportswear for Harry.
Lastly, they came to the gifts from each other, “You go first,” Harry said.
Hermione grinned, “No, after you.” Harry laughed, and scratched his head. “Together?”
Hermione smiled and pulled a small square package out of her robe pocket; it was the same size as the gift Harry was holding. Harry’s eyebrows knitted, as Hermione kept her face the picture of innocence. They unwrapped their presents and opened the cases within. They looked at each other, they both had rings in their hands. “Yes?” they nodded, “Yes.” And falling into each other’s arms kissed and cried.
A little later Hermione picked her dressing gown from the pile of discarded clothes and slipped it on, as Harry folded their shed pyjamas, and slipped into his dressing gown. He knelt and finding the right box took Hermione’s hand and slid the ring onto her finger. She did the same with the other ring onto Harry’s finger. Harry looked into Hermione’s eyes and spoke, “With this ring I betroth myself to you, in this life and the next.”
Hermione’s eyes opened a little, she repeated the oath, “With this ring I betroth myself to you, in this life and the next.” There was a small flash of magic from the rings accepting the bond being made.
“So Hermione Granger, fiancée to Harry Potter. When do you want to get married?” Her smile was splitting her face, “next June, the Solstice. Then we can spend the whole school holiday as a honeymoon, I might even let you out of bed occasionally.” Harry smiled, “I think I can get on board with that idea.”
They walked into the Hall for the Christmas Dinner, hand in hand like teenage lovers, the two tables required for the staff and few pupils staying over the holiday turned to look, Minerva recognised the smile on Hermione’s face and her gimlet gaze fixed on her left hand. “Congratulations appear to be in order, have you set a date yet?” She smiled, she was also sixty galleons richer as she had predicted a Christmas proposal.
“Summer Solstice, I have no idea where or who we will invite. We need to figure that out, I don’t want any Weasley shaped drama. Probably a small ceremony with a few close friends. I wonder if Luna would come, I would like her to be my maid of honour.” She sat at the table and the ladies all gathered to look at her ring.
Harry looked at Neville, “Professor Longbottom, would you do me the honour of being my best man?”
Neville’s smile lit up his face, “I would be delighted Harry. I only came to dinner here on the off chance you would pop the question to Hermione.” He grinned at his old friend, “Hannah told me to tell you, that she thinks it’s better forty years late than never.” Neville laughed, “She is made up for you both. She is serving at the pub today, so she will be over later.” He reached out and shook Harry’s hand, “I am really happy for you as well, I never understood why you two were never an item at school, everyone thought you were both crazy for each other. Hermione was always wrapped around you, especially during that stupid tournament. Well, it’s finally fixed, you two are made for each other.”
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They married on top of the Astronomy Tower, where they had waved Sirius off on Buckbeak, where Hermione said should have been their first kiss, if Harry had not been such a noble idiot. Luna did attend, with her husband Rolf, and Neville stood alongside Harry, Hannah and the school staff were the only other guests. Following the wedding they got on a transatlantic Jet to the Caribbean and spent their summer in a rented beach house. They swam, sunbathed, and ran along the beach every day, they slept in each other’s arms every night. Finally Harry thought, he was happy, he had everything he wanted.
They returned to the school in late August a week before the term was due to start, the Professors Potter, Hermione dropping her family name this time around, laughing that they now both shared the initials HJP. Minerva surprised them with new quarters, for married staff, a little larger than their previous apartments, and a more generously sized bed. They walked down to breakfast, Harry tanned to almost the same colour as Hermione’s natural latte colour.
Neville was the one to break the silence, “You two look like you have had a good break. I don’t think I have ever seen either of you look so happy.” Harry sat down at the table, Hermione sliding in next to him.
She smiled, “Neville, I had to wait forty years, but I finally had the wedding and honeymoon I dreamt of. I came very close to telling Harry to just stay, buying a little shack on the beach and spending the rest of my life in a hammock, cuddled up to Harry.”
Harry laughed, “I think I could live with that, I have never felt so completely relaxed, I just hope fate has finished with me, I really just want to spend my life with Hermione, my life with Ginny was not the nightmare you had with Ron, but I am happier with you than I have ever been.”
Hermione leaned across and kissed him, “10 points to Potter.” She giggled. “So, Neville, how was your summer?”
Neville smiled, “We had a good break, Susan looked after the pub for us and we spent a couple of weeks in France, bumped into Bill and Fleur. They had heard about you two and send their best wishes. Apparently, most of the family know, but they haven’t told Ron or Molly as no-one wants to hear the ranting. Bill reckons Ron still thinks he can patch things up with Hermione, he just doesn’t hear what doesn’t fit his world view. Fleur will not let Ron anywhere near their house.
My Grandmother told me to tell you that you should attend the ‘gamot meeting after Yule, since you hold both Potter and Black votes. She says after you two have had a nice rest playing at school, she want’s the best legislator the Ministry ever had back where she belongs.”
He laughed out loud and grinning continued, “She says your name being Potter now blows any prejudice over the divorce out of the water. I think she is joking, but my gran is pretty fierce, she did tell me to congratulate you both, she is really glad you rescued Hermione one more time. She also said you were always a bloody idiot, and should never have let her go in the first place.” Neville was still grinning from ear to ear as he spoke.
“I should be deeply offended, if I didn’t mostly agree with her,” Hermione replied. “My Harry, the hero, rescuing his damsel one last time.”
Harry snorted, “I think we are pretty even on that score, I cannot count the number of times you saved my bacon, beating Riddle was ten percent me, ten percent shit luck and eighty percent the brain of Hermione Granger. If I saved you from misery, I owed it to you tenfold. The witches of Britain don’t revere you because I saved you, they know you were just as kick ass as the best of any of us, but with brains as well. I just charged in and made it up as I went along. I also got a few people killed through stupidity, you were almost always correct, I should have listened, we might have Sirius with us still if I had.”
Hermione squeezed his hand, “We did what we thought was correct at the time, I mean stealing a dragon and wrecking Gringotts was not the best idea I ever had, it took twenty years before I could step foot in the bank, we should just have told them what we knew.”
Harry laughed, “True, but telling Rose her mum rode a dragon was epic. I showed her the memories, she thought you were the coolest mum in Britain for weeks.”
The Howler from Molly arrived a week before Halloween, they erected a silencing field around it and listened to a muffled rant about how she had broken Ron’s heart, and how she was a scarlet woman for trapping Harry into a marriage. Hermione set the letter on fire before it finished. “I am done with Molly as well as Ron, she is where he gets the shout first and never apologise nature from. I had a letter from Lily yesterday, thanking me for putting a smile back on your face, and saying her and Rose were both really happy for us. She told me to remind you that you have a daughter, and not to be a stranger. I think we need to set up a meeting with our children, and perhaps apologise for marrying with none of them in attendance.”
Harry nodded, “Another thing to add to the to do list over Christmas.”
Hogwarts broke up for Christmas on the twenty first of December, the express leaving the following morning. With no classes that day, Harry and Hermione headed into London and called in at the Ministry to say hello to old friends and colleagues. They walked into the bull pen of the Auror department, looking to see if Teddy Lupin was around, to be stopped in their tracks by the Aurors all standing and applauding their presence.
Teddy was in, he stood and smiled. “Harry and Hermione, I think you now know what high regard you are both held in within this department, Harry you are still the gold standard we all try to meet, Hermione, you cut corruption out of this Ministry, you saved the lives of many Aurors with the stroke of a quill. To hear that you had found each other and started a new life together was the best news we heard all year, on behalf of the Auror corps, it is my great delight to wish my Godparents the best for the future. If you need Ron arresting and in a cell for the night, just call.” He laughed, “We might even do it if you asked.”
His smile spread, “It’s really good to see you both, you look better than I have ever seen you. I used to ask dad why he let Ron marry you, he used to get so cross with me.” He laughed again. “Sorry dad, Ginny was great, but she wasn’t Hermione.” He walked them over to his desk, “There is a little bit of bad news kicking around. Delphini Diggory has escaped Azkaban, with Dolohov. They killed one of the guards. Details are a bit sketchy, we think she seduced the guard, and waited for the time he forgot to leave his wand outside. We are pretty confident we can pick them up again, but you two would be top targets for her, she is her mother’s daughter after all.”
They sat and talked more routine family related matters, Hermione wanted to get all the kids together for a meal, either at a house or a restaurant, Teddy gave them his shift pattern for the next two weeks and they made their way out of the department. “Harry, I want to go see Saul Croaker in the Department of Mysteries. If Delphini gets another time turner she will wipe us all from history and start a new dark age.”
Harry nodded, “I knew I was too happy. Fate hates me. The second I have something good in my life, it all goes to shit.”
Hermione looked him in the eye. “Not on my watch Harry. I didn’t follow you around chasing horcruxes to give up on us when I finally got to have you. We are going to talk to the people who can fix this for us, I am not Dumbledore, his secrets killed so many, I will use every tool in the box. Delphini is dead, she is too high a risk to leave alive, I wanted to execute all the death eaters in Azkaban after the trials of the ones you were capturing, but they had already had trials and sentences, there was no mechanism to change their sentence.”
They exited the lift on the lower floor of the ministry and walked to the door of the Department of Mysteries, “Will he see us?” Harry asked.
“He will be expecting us, it’s not called the Department of Mysteries for nothing.” She pushed open the door, and a grey robed unspeakable met them inside the corridor.
“Unspeakable Croaker is awaiting you in the Department of Time, please follow me.” He, or she, turned and they followed him/her into a room Harry remembered from a night thirty three years in the past.
“Good afternoon, Professors. May I add the good wishes of our department about your recent wedding to the list, we always believed you were the correct pairing, but life sometimes interferes with destiny. I assume you have heard about our time travelling psychopath’s escape last night, we are concerned that she may have access to one of Mr Nott’s time turners. We can only see one path that leads to a favourable outcome in this circumstance. She must never be born.”
Hermione took a seat at the table in the centre of the room, Harry sat alongside. “How will you achieve that? We are not even sure where or when she was born.”
Croaker took the other seat, “We have to finish Riddle long before he can sire a child. We are placed in a position where a temporal mission is required, we believe we can destroy his horcruxes and kill him before you two would have started school. We ideally need a pair of agents, one with a near eidetic memory to recall the events in the timeline, and the other a skilled and powerful fighter.
The bad news is that we would need our time agents to travel back far enough in time that Tom Riddle is taken off the board long before Delphini is born. It is extremely unlikely that you would be able to return as you will exist in the same timeline as your younger selves. The question is, are the Potters prepared to sacrifice their lives here to save the world one more time?
Harry dropped his head in to his hands, he groaned. “I knew it was too good to be true, I thought for once in my miserable existence I could be happy, and fate takes a huge dump on us.” He lifted his head and looked at his wife, “What do you think, what should we do?”
Hermione worried her bottom lip for a moment, “If Delphini gets hold of a time turner, she will probably kill your parents before you are born. She can’t attack Dumbledore in the past, his schemes enable Riddle. I think the earliest she can kill your parents would be after their fifth year, when the friendship with Snape is finally done, he needs his potion master.” She huffed. “We have no choice, if she acquires a time-turner then we shall cease to exist without warning, the fight will be lost before we know it has started.” She took Harry’s hands in hers, “Can you do this again, with me at your side?” He nodded, sighing, “We don’t have a choice, do we?” they kissed. “Not really.”
“We shall need to make plans and send a message back to whoever receives you.” Hermione nodded and pulled a notebook out of her bag.
After a few hours discussion, Harry sat up slowly, “I would like to grab a few items from our vault in Gringotts, if we have time?”
“Can you send an elf? Can we summon an elf to here?”
“We are outside of time in this room, you can summons an elf from yesterday, or last year, they can acquire what you require.” Croaker stated flatly.
Harry grinned, “Dobby!” he said with gusto. A few seconds later Dobby appeared in the room, in his pillow case smock.
“What does the great Harry Potter require?”
“Dobby please pop to Gringotts and fetch my lock box from the Black Family vault, and return here.” Dobby disappeared with a crack, “Croaker, if we take Dobby with us, will this timeline unravelling affect us once we reach the past?”
Croaker sat and pondered the idea for a moment, it was Hermione who answered first, “No, because we will have travelled back to before the changes, and time itself cannot reverse.”
“Good, let’s take Dobby back with us.” Hermione smiled and nodded, “Agreed.”
Dobby reappeared with a grey metal box, that Harry passed to Hermione and she slid into the current incarnation of the beaded bag. Croaker opened a cabinet and removing a disillusionment charm walked back to the table with the original Nott Time Turner that had been taken from Delphini, “Have you settled on a destination year?” Harry looked to Hermione, she nodded and croaker passed her the time turner. She bent to speak in Dobby’s ear and wrapping the chain around her neck and Harry’s carefully set the year, they placed their hands on Dobby’s shoulders and the three of them disappeared from view