A/N: I do not own any character references by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter series or agree with her comments. This story is a product of my pure imagination. I do not profit from this and will not pay for any commissions for art about this story.
In spite of the way you were mocking me,
Acting like I was part of your property.
Remembering all the times you fought with me.
I'm surprised it got so far.
Got so far.
Things aren't the way they were before,
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore.
Not that you knew me back then,
But it all comes back to me in the end.
~ In the End by Linkin Park
~*~ 5th May 2003 ~*~
As Harry left Gringotts, the conversation between him and Kraglin echoed in his head.
"You see now why it matters who your heir is," Kraglin stated, clearing his throat, "The Peverell inheritance has always been a mystery. Now we know it's not the coin or the gold, but the knowledge they held. All this will be Rosella's one day. Potter gold, Black influence, and Peverell magic. All to prepare her to lead, to think, to learn what others have forgotten."
Harry felt the weight of it. "I need to know everything. Whoever you have to pay, please do it. Categorize it, rid of it what you must. If she is going to inherit this… I need to understand it all."
"Good, then we shall begin with the ledgers of the Potter holdings, then the Black, but know that this vault is not to be rushed," Kraglin said, meeting Harry's eyes. "Knowledge isn't a race, Lord Potter. It is a gift, and you must be careful how it is shared."
Approaching the Lily Pad, Harry placed his head against the door, trying to gather his thoughts before he walked into Hermione's store. A knock on the other side startled him as a woman stood on the other side. Harry stepped back, and the door opened.
"Are you coming inside?" she asked, "I'm Regina, by the way."
Hermione was halfway through arranging a new display of enchanted journals when she heard Regina's voice across the shop.
"Are you coming inside?" she asked, "I'm Regina, by the way."
Hermione frowned and poked her head around the shelf, only to see Harry standing frozen in the doorway, wide-eyed, looking very much like a stag caught in the headlights.
"Regina!" Hermione hissed as she stepped around a shelf and walked over, grabbing his arm, "Leave poor Harry alone."
Before Regina could get another word in, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him toward the stairs. Up in her office, she closed the door and finally let him go. "I am so sorry about Regina," Hermione said, leaning back against her desk. "She means well, she really does, but… she can be a lot to handle sometimes."
Harry didn't answer her. His gaze was far away. Hermione frowned as she walked over and took his face in her hands, "Harry, honey, what's wrong?"
He blinked back at her, focusing slowly. "Want to expand the store by any chance?"
Hermione straightened, caught completely off guard. "What? No! What are you talking about?"
Harry dragged his hands through his hair, and Hermione noticed for the first time how tangled the ends were, like he'd been worrying the strands between his fingers. "I'm rich."
Hermione looked at him, confused. "We knew that."
Harry shook his head, eyes wide. "No, I just left Gringotts."
Hermione stared at him. "Like how rich? Malfoy rich?"
Harry stared at her blankly. "Like I own the Malfoys rich."
Hermione gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "No!"
"Yes," Harry said, starting to pace the office, his hands pulling at his hair again. "I can't have this much money, Hermione! My first purchase with my own money was the whole snack cart on the Hogwarts Express! Do you understand what I'm saying? I cannot be trusted with this!"
Hermione took a breath. "Okay. Okay, it's all right. Just breathe. We can figure this out."
"I can't have money, Hermione!" Harry said, nearly hysterical.
Hermione moved over to him, taking his face in her hands. "Harry, breathe. Just look at me." She said, making eye contact with him. "Who have you told?"
Harry blinked at her. "Only you. Why?"
Hermione sighed in relief, dropping her hands. "Because everyone and their uncle will come crawling out of the woodwork, that's why. Listen to me… You cannot tell Melinda."
Harry frowned. "Why not?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Because if you decide to marry her, she'll never let you go. She'll use you for your money until you're hollowed out."
"I don't think that's possible," Harry muttered. Then, to Hermione's horror, Harry dropped onto the floor and sat with his head between his knees. "There's just too much. I can't even begin to wrap my head around it."
Hermione crouched down beside him, her knees popping. "How big are we talking?"
Harry lifted his head. "Not counting the endless piles of galleons, I own about ten houses and probably half of Diagon Alley."
"Fuck," Hermione whispered, sinking onto the floor beside him.
Harry shook his head. "Fuck is right, then there is this crystal. Kraglin thinks it is related to Merlin. Merlin's, Hermione! It was sitting there in the middle of this old vault, glowing like some bloody freaking lighthouse, and it barely let me touch it, and it's like a ton. Like it knows I'm not worthy of everything."
Hermione shook her head, "It's not Excalibur, Harry… or is it?" she asked.
"No," Harry groaned. "It's not a sword, but a bloody crystal. God, Hermione," Harry said as he folded over into her lap, "I'm so in over my head, and it's spinning."
Hermione swallowed hard as she ran her fingers through his hair. "We need to get all your ledgers, Harry. An itemized list of everything in those vaults. Properties, artifacts. We'll go through it piece by piece together and figure it out."
Harry exhaled hot against her stomach as he sat up, giving her a sheepish look. "See? I knew you'd fix it."
Hermione grinned, "Why do I always end up cleaning up your messes?"
"I'm so stupid, Hermione," Harry said, shaking his head, "I can never apologize enough for not coming to you the day I left and waking you up to tell you my plan." Harry swallowed hard, "But I knew, if I told you and saw you, if you asked me to… I'd stay. I had to get away, not from you, but the weight of it all, the expectations. Please know that."
Hermione stood up and walked over to her desk, "I forgive you, but I can't lie, Harry. I was hurt. Deeply hurt. I didn't understand why you couldn't at least have left me a note."
Harry stared at her, "I did."
Hermione looked at him, "I'm not talking about the 'I'm sorry' in Ron's note."
Harry stood up, "Hermione, I left you a note! I couldn't wake you, but I put it on the table next to your bed! There was an elf in there cleaning. I swear it."
Hermione inhaled as she swallowed hard, her heart racing. "Harry," she breathed out. "I… I never got anything. There was nothing there. I looked because I couldn't believe that you wouldn't leave at least a note!"
Harry dragged his hands through his hair. "This is ridiculous. I mentioned our situation to Kraglin, about how our mail was intercepted."
Hermione sat down at her desk. "What did he say?"
Harry looked at her. "He thinks he knows a way to find out. He wants you to write to me using this enchanted parchment," Harry said as he pulled it out of his pocket. "He can track the whereabouts to see where it's going, if it doesn't come directly to me."
Hermione leaned back. "So, a magical breadcrumb trail."
Harry nodded.
"And what are we supposed to do when we find out? What then, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "I guess it depends on who it is."
Hermione blew out a breath. "That's not much of a plan."
Harry snorted. "Since when have we ever had much of a plan? Kraglin said there are goblin laws that could help, and I have more power than I ever wanted if I choose to have it. I have three seats in the Wizengamot out of the 50 members. Since my grandfather, no one from the Noble House of Potter has sat. The Peverell line is considered Noble and Most Ancient, and it was absorbed into the Potter line centuries ago. One of those two lines will be Rosella's in the future."
"What about the third seat?" Hermione asked.
"It belongs to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. It was Sirius's seat and his father before him. I can choose who sits in that seat myself," Harry told her as he looked at her. "What do you think?"
Hermione stepped back against her desk, realizing what he meant, "Me?! Harry, women can't be on the Wizengamot."
"Not true, Mrs. Longbottom is," Harry grinned, "Andromeda says she wants nothing of it."
Hermione's heart raced, "You talk to Andromeda?"
Harry nodded. "Every week, she lives at Grimmauld Place," Harry said, as Hermione groaned and started pacing. "What?"
"I never thought to reach out to Andromeda!" Hermione said, exasperated, "I'm so stupid! Rosella and Teddy could have grown up together."
Harry shrugged, "Andromeda is living Muggle, other than living in Grimmauld and getting the Prophet, she stays away from the magical world."
Hermione scoffed, "No wonder you thought I was still with Ron if she listened to that garbage."
Harry looked at her, "Hasn't it gotten better lately for you? I mean, they don't write about you anymore."
Hermione sat down at her desk, "Helps that Rita is gone, but… no, they don't. How did you know that?"
Harry shrugged, "It was one of the requirements of the deal that they fired her."
Hermione turned her computer on. "What deal?"
Harry sat down in the chair across from her desk, "When I bought the Prophet."
Hermione's neck popped when she looked at him, "You what?"
Harry sighed, "I was tired of them tearing you down, and I knew I was coming back eventually. So I used some of the money I inherited from Sirius to buy a controlling interest in the Prophet. Only two requirements in the deal were that anytime they wrote about either of us, my solicitor would have to approve it to make sure it was appropriate and that they fire Rita."
Hermione stared at him, "Harry… I… don't know what to say."
Harry shrugged, "Probably should call her to see what legal leg we have to stand on in both the wizarding and muggle worlds, depending on who is manipulating our mail."
Hermione held out her hand, "Give the parchment to me."
Harry handed it over to her, and Hermione pulled out a pen.
"Dear Harry," she read as she wrote it, "I request you contact me at once about drafting legal documents about the custody of Rosella, and so we can outline our situation. Sincerely, Hermione."
Harry looked at her, "I can have my solicitor talk to yours about it."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, this is something that would make you stay. If someone is trying to keep us apart, they will likely attempt to sabotage our relationship. Myself? We can handle it between ourselves."
Harry nodded, "Got it."
Hermione stood up and walked over to Mercury, "Mercury, I know Harry is here, but take a flight around a bit before attempting to deliver it."
Mercury, her work owl, nodded at her as she tied the parchment to his leg and took off.
Harry grinned, "Mercury, fitting."
Hermione blushed. "Well… I thought it would work well. He's not exactly the fastest owl, but it worked." Hermione sat down, groaning, "I'm ready for a nap." Running her hands over her face, she looked at him, "Ask Andromeda if she would come over for dinner tonight. See if you can get a copy of the ledgers, and we will go over them together."
Harry leaned forward, "What time?"
Hermione smiled, "Six?"
Harry nodded as he stood up. "At the very least, I'll be there."
Hermione worried at her lip as she bustled around her kitchen. She had only met the woman once, if you could even call it that, and the fact that Harry had kept in contact with Andromeda this entire time unnerved Hermione. Without Harry having a family of his own, his keeping in contact with Andromeda made Hermione nervous as if she were meeting his mother for the first time.
The timer went off, and Hermione hurried over to the oven to take out the shepherd's pie casserole that she had made. As she set it on the table, the floo chimed, making her jump.
"Hermione? Can I come through?" Harry's voice asked.
Hermione wiped her hands on her apron. "Come through."
Walking into her sitting room, she found Harry dusting himself off. "Is she coming?"
Harry nodded as he pulled his Moleskine bag out of his pocket, "And I have the ledgers."
"Good," Hermione said as he followed her to the kitchen.
"Smells great in here," Harry stated.
"Thanks, I wasn't sure what Teddy liked, so I made shepherd's pie because it was a Rosella safe option and I hoped it would be for Teddy too," Hermione said as someone knocked on the door, and she frowned.
"That would be Andromeda, she drove," Harry stated as he walked to the front door.
"Uncle Harry!" Teddy shouted as he launched himself at Harry as soon as the door opened.
Harry caught him mid-leap, "Blimey, you are getting heavy," Harry laughed.
"I can't carry him any longer," Andromeda said as she entered the house, and Hermione swallowed as she noticed how much she looked like her former sister, as their eyes met. "Hermione, thank you for inviting us over."
Hermione smiled, "I am so glad you could come. Rosella has been beside herself since I told her that Teddy was coming."
Almost as if she had heard, there was a crash upstairs that Hermione imagined came from her bedroom door, then hurried footsteps. Hermione glanced up the stairs to see Rosella pause at the landing before her eyes landed on Teddy in Harry's arms.
"Hello," Rosella said as she slowly came down the stairs.
Harry set Teddy down. "Rosella, I'd like you to meet Teddy. His Daddy and I were friends, and he named me his godfather."
Rosella looked at Hermione, "So like Uncle Ron?"
Hermione nodded.
Rosella looked at Teddy, "Do you like to read?"
Teddy nodded, "Lots!"
"Come on!" Rosella said, taking his hand. "I have to show you my castle!"
"How about after dinner?" Hermione commented.
Rosella pouted, "Fine."
Dinner was polite. Andromeda provided Hermione with stories of the few times that Harry had come home and what he and Teddy had done together. She was interested in hearing about the Lily Pad, and between the kids, there was definitely never a lack of conversation. After a piece of pie for dessert, both kids had run off upstairs while Hermione cleared the table so Harry could pull out the ledger summaries that Kraglin had given him.
Hermione poured them coffee as Harry spread them out with a sigh. "These aren't comprehensive, but I thought between the three of us, we could make sense of it. I can't wrap my head around it alone."
Hermione sat beside him, pen in hand as she opened a notebook. "Let's start simple, Potter Holdings, correct?"
Harry nodded, opening the small golden book. "This is all the contents of the Potter vault, undeniably, as they had access to it."
Hermione blew out a breath as she watched the gold script on the page change before her eyes, "And it updates on its own."
Harry nodded, "Exactly. That is with investments, land, properties, and such."
Andromeda turned it around so she could see it and put on her glasses. "Godric's Hollow is still owned by you, which is great. If you wanted to take the house down, you could."
Harry shook his head, "I don't know what to do with it. I mean, they aren't there anymore, but… I don't know."
Hermione placed her hand on his, "It's not a decision you have to make now."
"You have properties in Bath, Sussex, Cornwall, Kent, Scotland, mostly in Hogsmeade. Merlin, Harry, you need to find out who is operating these properties. They are in very lucrative locations." Andromeda stated.
"The old Potter manor is in Bath. Kraglin said that my grandmother wanted to make it into an orphanage and children's hospital," Harry told her.
"Your grandfather was in potions, and I think she was a medi-witch, so that makes sense, from what I remember, they struggled to have your father. Sirius was over there more than he wasn't when they were in Hogwarts," Andromeda stated, "But I don't think they lived in Bath. I think it was the house in Sussex." Andromeda flipped through some pages, "Potter holdings also has investments in Flourish and Blotts, Ollivanders, and Quality Quidditch and Supplies."
Harry looked at Hermione, "I'll have someone buy out my ownership of Flourish and Blotts."
"Don't be silly. It was your grandparents' investment, Harry," Hermione said as she got up to pour more coffee.
"Thank you," Andromeda said as Hermione refreshed her mug, "As far as investments, it looks like your grandfather made some smart investments. Some of these companies still exist, such as Rolls-Royce, BP, Tetley, to name a few."
Hermione glanced at Harry, "Is Nimbus Racing the broom company? Harry, you have dividends coming in quarterly."
"What's a dividend?" Harry asked.
Hermione groaned, rubbing her temples. "We'll come back to that."
Andromeda closed the ledger book, "The rest are heirlooms that you will need to go over."
Harry set the second book, a black book with gold trim, "Now this is the Black ledger. If there is anything, and I mean anything, in this one. It's yours, Andromeda."
Andromeda straightened as she took the ledger and scanned it. "Grimmauld Place, which we knew. Vault holdings, jewelry… Ah, it is still in our possession."
"What is?" Harry asked.
"My Uncle, Sirius's father, owned a manor and a vineyard in France. The manor burnt to the ground in the first war, and they moved to Grimmauld. I wondered about the vineyard," Andromeda stated.
Hermione leaned over, interested, "A vineyard?"
"It was two hundred acres or more, from what I remember in Bordeaux. My grandmother adored it. The Blacks used to harvest and produce the rarest wines in wizarding society," Andromeda told them. "The Villa in Milan, Italy, was my grandfather's. It was where… my sisters ran after the first war. The house in Paris was a getaway home that Aunt Walburga hated."
Andromeda shook her head, closing the last ledger, "Between the Potter and Black vaults, Harry… you, nor Rosella will have to work a day in your lives."
"I couldn't do that," Harry sighed, running his hand through his hair as he took the final one out, "And this is Peverell."
Hermione gently took it from him and opened it up, "Harry, there are a few monetary things in the vault, but… this is more than possessions. From what has been added, there are texts and portraits… knowledge that could have been lost for centuries. Who knows what that crystal you described is used for? According to this short list, there are journals from the brothers. We know the Hallows are real. The journals could tell how they were created." Hermione said.
Harry reached over and shut the book. "I don't know what to do with all of it, though. I just wanted to survive. Now I've got vaults full of… more money than I know what to do with, and more houses than I could live in."
Hermione touched his arm, "We take it one step at a time. You aren't in this alone."
Andromeda nodded, "She's right. The ledgers can be organized, and the vaults catalogued. You have choices now."
Hermione squeezed his arm, "And no one, not the Dursleys, not Dumbledore or Kingsley can tell you what to do with it all."
Harry swallowed hard as Teddy and Rosella's laughter came from upstairs.
Hermione was sitting talking with Andromeda, poring over Harry's ledgers, when the sound of laughter rang through the house, and Hermione glanced at the ceiling. "I'd better go rescue him."
Andromeda laughed as she got up with her.
Once upstairs, Hermione found Harry crawling on the floor with Teddy, who had gray hair shaped like a knight's helmet, was climbing onto his shoulders, and Rosella was tugging at the sleeve of his jumper. He made a growling noise, and Teddy jabbed him in the ribs with a fake sword that Hermione didn't realize her daughter even owned. As he raised the sword, it knocked Rosella's tiara from her head.
Rosella snatched it from the ground, "Not my crown, Teddy!" she yelled, shoving it back on her head. "No, thank you!"
Harry collapsed with a groan. "You two royal terrors defeated the dragon."
Hermione leaned against the doorway, smiling as Andromeda stepped up beside her.
"He's going to be a great father," Andromeda said quietly.
Hermione bit her lip as Harry rolled onto his back and Rosella scrambled onto his chest, sitting on him, declaring that she had won the battle. "I do not doubt that," she whispered. "We just… missed so much time."
Andromeda sighed, "I'm sorry for not reaching out. When I lost Nymphadora and Remus, and my Ted… it was too hard to remain in the magical world. There was so much prejudice against them all. So, I buried myself in work and let Ted's sister help with Teddy when I couldn't. It's not easy being a working mum. I know that part well."
Hermione sighed. "No, it's not."
"I'm not saying that when Harry starts up at St. Mungo's that it will be easier," Andromeda stated, "I'm only a nurse practitioner and even that's difficult at times."
Hermione's gaze drifted back to Harry as Teddy piled stuffed animals on Harry's chest. "We will make do."
She saw Harry yawn as Rosella ran up the stairs of her castle and shrieked with laughter. "You know what, rowdies. I think it's time to head downstairs for a movie."
Rosella peered over the railing, "Aww, come on Mumma," Rosella protested.
"I think we need to let Harry rest for a bit," Andromeda said as Rosella rushed down the stairs of her castle, grabbed Teddy's hand, then ran out of the bedroom door in a flurry of giggles.
Andromeda followed them, and Hermione turned to Harry, "Did the Princess and her trusty knight defeat you?"
Harry ran a hand through his long, knotted hair. "I'm exhausted."
Hermione smiled, walking over to him and holding out her hand, "She can do that to a person."
Harry took her hand, letting her help him to his feet. "I might fall asleep watching a movie. What are we watching?"
Hermione grinned, "Rosella has been called the Princess of my store since she was little. She's taken it a little too much to heart and wears that crown everywhere. So, probably another round of Ariel. She's her favourite."
"The Little Mermaid?" Harry guessed, squeezing her hand.
Hermione quickly let go, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It's the red hair," she said with a smile.
Harry chuckled, "Between Mum, Ginny, and you, I should have known that she'd be a spitfire."
Hermione looked at him, "I don't have red hair."
Harry stepped closer to her, making her swallow hard as he pulled a strand between his fingers and twisted it, "When the sunlight hits it, there is some redness to it. More golden."
Swallowing hard as he walked around her, Hermione cursed herself for telling him to work on things with Melinda. But she knew she also could not just fall at his feet as if nothing had happened. He had left, even if he left a note. Even if their letters had been changed, he hadn't returned, and he was at fault for that. She was going to make him work on repairing things.
Andromeda and Hermione slipped into the sitting room after giving up on his ledgers for the night, and immediately noticed Teddy curled up on one end of the sofa, fast asleep. Rosella was also sleeping on Harry's chest, while Harry was asleep against the armrest, his head back as he and Rosella snored nearly on cue with each other.
Andromeda smiled. "I'd better get him home. I've got a bit of a drive ahead of me."
"You can stay here tonight, or even use the floo," Hermione offered.
"I enjoy the drive, how un-British of me," Andromeda grinned as she crossed the door and leaned down to shake Teddy gently.
"Teddy, it's time to go," Andromeda stated.
"I don' wanna go," Teddy mumbled, curling into the cushion he was on.
"We'll see Rosella again soon," Andromeda promised as she took his hand. Hermione smiled as he stumbled to his feet, still half-asleep, and leaned against her side as she grabbed her purse. "Thank you for an enjoyable night, Hermione."
"Thank you for coming," Hermione stated as she walked them to the door, then waited until they pulled out of her driveway into the night. Flicking off the porch light, she locked up and returned to the sitting room. Only to freeze in the doorway.
On the sofa, Rosella stretched her arms over her head, yawning, as Harry did the same at the exact time. They even rubbed their eyes in unison, like mirror images that gave Hermione's chest a little twist that she wasn't ready for. Biting her lip, she said quietly, "I think it's time for bed."
Rosella flopped onto the couch dramatically. "I'm too tired for bed."
Harry grinned as he scooped her up into his arms. "Come on, Princess."
Hermione followed them up the stairs, her heart doing flips as she watched him carry their daughter like it was the most natural thing to him.
"Potty and teeth," she reminded Rosella as he set her down on the floor.
Rosella groaned and then shuffled off.
Harry chuckled as he sat on the edge of her bed and glanced up at Hermione. "She's amazing."
Hermione nodded. "She is. I see us both in her a lot. Your dramatics for one."
Harry gave her a look. "I'm not dramatic."
Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, you aren't? I call bullshite on that one."
Before he could argue, Rosella shuffled back in, dragging her doll with her. "Daddy, read me a story."
Harry pulled back the covers, letting her climb into bed. Tucking the blankets up under her chin, "Any particular one?"
"The story of the big snake," Rosella said, her eyes already getting heavy.
Harry looked at Hermione, who blushed. "I may have told her some child-friendly versions of our adventures."
"The basilisk?" Harry asked.
Rosella nodded. "Yes! That one!"
Harry hesitated as he sat on the floor beside her bed. "Well, you see, there was this prince."
Rosella giggled, "It's you, silly."
Harry smiled. "Maybe. Once upon a time, I could hear snakes. I didn't know what it meant. One day, in class, I heard someone saying mean things. Terrible mean things that no one else could hear."
Hermione squeezed his shoulder, leaning down and kissing Rosella's forehead, "Goodnight, my flower. I love you."
"Love you too, Mumma," Rosella said as Hermione left the bedroom and leaned against the wall outside the door.
Hermione bit her lip and listened to Harry reshape their memory into more of a fairytale than a story where Hermione nearly lost her life. "And that, my Princess, is why you must always be brave and trust your friends," Harry whispered.
Hermione's throat tightened as she walked down to her bedroom and into her bathroom. Flicking on the light, her reflection stared back at her. She sighed at how tired she looked. With a sigh, she pressed her hands to her face.
A knock on the doorframe startled her.
"Sorry," Harry said quietly, "She's asleep. I probably should get home."
Hermione nodded, reaching up to turn the light off. Harry lingered in her room, his gaze roaming over her room. "What?"
"I just… I don't know. I expected there to be more books," he said as she watched his eyes sweep over the floral wallpaper, the lacy curtains, and a quilt her mum had made her neatly on the bed. She saw him pause when his eyes landed on the photo on her nightstand. A picture from Fleur and Bill's wedding, the single dance they had shared before everything fell apart. Next to it sat a single book and a small frame of Rosella as a baby.
"I didn't forget, Harry," Hermione whispered, making him turn to her, and she met his eyes. "My heart… It's still wounded, though."
Harry stepped closer. "I'm going to make it right."
Hermione closed her eyes, a tear slipping free. "You can't make it right when you're engaged to another woman, Harry."
"Hermione, I-"
"No," She said as she opened her eyes, "I think it's time for you to go."
Harry moved to the doorway and paused. "You were the most important person in my life. I can't understand how I let that change without noticing."
Hermione swallowed hard. "There's nothing wrong with moving on. We're older now, and what we shared was out of desperation. We thought we were dying. We're now in different stages of our lives. You have a fiancée, you've made your own family, and we both have more people depending on us than just each other. Does it hurt? Yes."
Harry's jaw tightened. "I still love you. There is plenty wrong with what you just said. You're still my family."
Hermione closed her eyes as she crossed her arms over herself. "Don't act like you don't know what you were doing."
"I made mistakes, I know that," Harry said as she heard him come closer, and she instinctively stepped back. "But shouldn't we move past them? I should have come home. I was a…" he exhaled. "I was a coward, all right. But did our time together mean nothing to you?"
Hermione's voice trembled as she refused to open her eyes and look at him. "At the time, it meant everything."
His voice grew closer, desperation on the edge of his words. "And now?"
She made the mistake of opening her eyes, looking into the familiar green ones. The ones that she dreamed of nearly every night, the same ones that had broken her heart. "I need time to adjust to your existence again. We could have worked out if you hadn't been a jerk and left me."
Harry drew in a sharp breath and stepped back. "I'm so sorry. I should have talked to you."
"Harry, sometimes, I'm sorry doesn't make up for things," Hermione said quietly.
Harry stared at her. "I know, and I'm willing to do everything to earn your forgiveness. Even if it takes forever."
Squeezing her lips together, she looked up at him. "What if it will never be the same between us? What if we'll never be the same?" she barely whispered.
He stepped forward, one last time, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Hermione."
Her heart raced as she watched him leave, torn between her heart screaming for him to come back and her head. The sound of the Floo downstairs echoed through the quiet house, and her legs gave out as she sank onto her bed. Tear slid from her eyes, into her hair as she stared up at the ceiling.
Angrily wiping her tears away, she stood up and walked down the stairs to make sure everything was off and locked up for the night. Shutting down the floo with her wand, she walked into the kitchen, washed up the dishes, got Rose's lunch ready, and threw a load of laundry into the wash. Letting it run for the night, she walked into the kitchen to shut off the kitchen lights when a knock on the front door made her jump.
"Hermione, are you awake?"
Hermione sighed as she walked to the front door and unlocked it. "Luna, I'm not- oof," Hermione said as a pair of arms wrapped around her tightly.
"It's okay," Luna said, rubbing her back.
Hermione looked up at Ron, confused, and he shrugged. "She's been worried all night for some reason. She was getting her shoes on when Harry's letter showed up for me while I was trying to talk her into going to bed." Ron explained.
"Harry sent you a letter?" Hermione asked, frowning.
Ron sighed, "He said we might not be on good terms, but you needed someone."
Luna pulled back and looked at her, "Let's have some tea."
"I was heading to bed," Hermione explained, "I'm exhausted, guys."
Luna ignored her as Ron shut the door behind him and looked at Hermione as Luna headed toward her kitchen. "So, I'm guessing the reunion didn't go well."
Hermione laughed bitterly, "No, it did. But… I think he wants things to go back to 'normal,' but he's engaged Ron, and my heart is breaking all over again."
Ron pulled her into his arms. "Did he at least explain?"
Hermione breathed in the comforting scent that was uniquely Ron. "Someone has been intercepting our mail. The letters I sent, he didn't get, or they were changed. I'd imagine it was the same in reverse. It was Kingsley, we are almost sure of it."
"Bloody Hell," Ron muttered, rubbing her arms as he put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the kitchen, where Luna was preparing tea for her. Hermione sat down at her own kitchen table as Luna set a mug in front of her.
"Sleepy tea," Luna announced, "With a hint of lavender. Neville's unique mix." She said, bringing the kettle over and pouring it into her mug. She touched Hermione's hand. "You look like someone took your soul and wrung it out."
Hermione huffed, then laughed. "That's about it."
Ron sat down beside her as Luna washed the kettle out. "I knew something was off. That Harry wasn't writing to you? Or me? That never made sense." He stood his head as he sipped his tea, then coughed, "That's revolting."
Luna patted his back as she sat down beside him.
"But Kingsley?" Ron asked, shaking his head. "Merlin Hermione. That's a betrayal. But we knew something wasn't right. He's been way too weird about Harry since he left."
Hermione wrapped her hands around her mug, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. "Harry's furious." She sighed, "I don't know how to feel. I'm angry, I'm sad. I'm relieved that he's home, but so hurt that he came back. Ron, he came back and didn't see us any of the times he was back." She swallowed the scalding liquid as it went down her throat. "And now… There is a fiancée. And I'm just… here, still trying to hold everything together for Rosella. I don't want her to feel any animosity towards him. She is innocent in all of this."
Luna set her hand on Hermione's, "You aren't alone. Not now, not anytime. We are always here for you."
"Drink up, you'll pass out and feel better. Tomorrow is a new day, and we'll figure things out," Ron said.
Hermione looked at Luna wide-eyed as she smiled impishly, "Did you put something in my tea?"
Luna sipped her own tea, "Possibly."
Hermione struggled with her eyes suddenly, "What the hell, Luna?"
"It's just a little dreamless sleep. Don't worry, we are spending the night in your guest room. Don't worry about Rose and Misty has the store in the morning," Luna said as Hermione started closing her eyelids.
She felt Ron catch her. "Way to go, Luna, you should have at least given her the heads up."
Luna's response was lost on Hermione as she drifted off.
~*~ 6th May 2003 ~*~
Hermione woke with a groan, rolling onto her side as the dull throb of a headache pounded in her temples. For a moment, she forgot why her head felt so heavy, but then she remembered: Ron and Luna had meddled and drugged her tea last night. Best friends, her arse.
Crackling one eye open, she groaned louder when she saw the clock. It was already seven, and Rosella was most definitely already awake. Forcing herself out of bed, she slid her feet into her slippers and padded into her bathroom. Splashing cold water on her face, she worked through her morning rituals on autopilot. Toothpaste, face wash, face cream, and use her wand to conceal the bags under her eyes.
Pulling her brush through her hair, she had to tug. Ron put her to bed last night, and she hadn't been able to put her hair up in her bonnet, so her curls were thick and wild. Spraying her hair straightened them a little, making them softer. Throwing the brush to the side, she rubbed her forehead, sighing as she prepared herself for downstairs, and turned out the light.
She'd barely made it halfway down the stairs when Rosella's voice rang out. "Daddy!"
Hermione froze, her hand tightening on the wood of the banister. Her heart clenched in her chest, and she paused, taking the cowardly way out for a moment.
"Rose, darling, it rained last night," Luna's voice announced. "Shall we go outside and look for wood nymphs? They adore puddles and are more likely to be out after a good rain."
"Uncle Ron, Daddy, do you want to come?" Rosella asked.
"No, Princess," Harry said, "I think I need to talk to Uncle Ron."
"Get your boots on," Luna instructed, and a moment later, she heard the door creak open, then shut.
Hermione sank on the steps, resting her head against the wall beneath the railing. She knew she shouldn't listen, but couldn't move closer.
"Look, Ron… I'm sorry," Harry told him.
"Harry, you are an asshole. You know that, right?" Ron's voice carried through the hall up the stairs, "If my brother hadn't already punched you, I'd do it myself. You're a fucking bastard."
"I know I am," Harry said, barely audible. "I just… I had to get away."
"You think we didn't understand that?!" Ron barked back. "We did, Harry. We got it, but you didn't come back! You avoided us, avoided her! As if we didn't mean anything to you! Do you realize what you did to her? Huh? She's upstairs, rung out and broken again because of you! The hell you put her through…"
Hermione closed her eyes as she swallowed hard, gripping the banister over her head.
"And I'll spend a thousand lifetimes, if I have to, earning her forgiveness," Harry said.
Silence was heavy until Ron scoffed. "And you lied to me from the start. Told me she was like a sister when you'd already… when you two had already fucked each other!"
"Keep it down, if she is sleeping!" Harry hissed, "And it wasn't just…" his voice broke. "It wasn't just fucking, Ron, at least to me. I loved her. I still love her."
Hermione pressed her palm to her mouth to hide her gasp.
"Bullshite," Ron's voice echoed with fury, "If you loved her, you wouldn't have left her."
"I left because…" Harry paused, "Because you obviously had feelings for her, and yes, I lied to you that day. I told you what you wanted to hear because you were angry, hurt, and standing there with a bloody sword in your hands. Riddle had just manipulated you, seeing us kissing in front of you, and you'd lost it when you destroyed the Horcrux. What else was I supposed to say?"
Hermione squeezed her eyes together as the tears came.
Harry paused. "Even when she and I were together, I kept my heart guarded. I never let myself think long-term. Ron, I didn't think I'd survive! I knew you cared for her, too, and she cared for you on some level. I was there for her when you were with Lavender, and that broke her. I respected you both too much to get in the middle."
Ron scoffed again, but quieter.
"After you came back, we never touched," Harry told him. "I wouldn't do that to you."
"Liar," Ron hissed, "I know that you two slept together after the battle."
"Because I was telling her goodbye," Harry told him, "I'm not as brave as everyone thought I was, and I'll admit, I was going to end it, Ron."
Hermione gasped as loudly as Ron did, masking her own. "What the fucking hell, Harry?"
Hermione moved over to the other side and looked through the railing to see Harry's shoulders slumped. "When I was in the forest, I died, Ron. I died, and I was in heaven, afterlife… whatever it was, and it was… I was at peace. I was in the forest with my parents, Sirius, and Remus. Afterward, I had a moment of weakness, and I was in horrible pain, and I decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I'd realized my whole life I lived with him in my head. I didn't know if there really was a me to be there for her, for anyone. What if he messed my brain up? I planned to tell her goodbye and… one thing led to another." Hermione wiped her tears from her face, "So no, I didn't plan to stay. I had a plan to go into the forest, find the stone, and hide in the forest with my parents until something took me or I just… wasted away because I felt there wasn't enough of me left anyway."
"What changed?" Ron asked.
"Teddy," Harry admitted, "Seeing him at the ceremony, I couldn't do it. I knew even if I went away, I had to be there for him. So do you see… if I knew about her, if I knew…. That she was mine," he said as his voice broke, "I would have been there. But I ran into Viktor, before Christmas when I was going to come home, and he told me about Rose Veasley," he said mimicking Viktor's accent, "After that, I had to stay away… like a coward, because it would tear me apart to see you won."
"She wasn't a prize," Ron hissed.
"I know that!" Harry snapped, "I know that all right. She was, and is, so much more than that."
"So why are you engaged?" Ron asked.
"I didn't propose to her, if you could believe that. Melinda… fuck, Ron. I've been manipulated all my life, haven't I? She knew I was coming back, I thought you two were getting married…"
"And you said yes," Ron finished.
"Yep," Harry sighed, "Fuck, how do I fix it? Hermione says I need to work on things for Melinda."
"Because she's too good a person, and in the end, the woman did come from wherever you were last, for you. Where were you last?" Ron asked.
"Brazil, she's traveled with me through Mexico, from the United States … for a while. We've only been officially dating since December, though," Harry sighed.
"Give Hermione time, see if… things work with you here and with Melinda. Just know, if you hurt Hermione again, I will kill you," Ron told him, "I don't care who you are, Harry."
Hermione stayed on the stairs, in the quiet, as the boys must have moved into her kitchen. Composing herself, she walked down the stairs and found them in the kitchen.
Harry was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pan, as Ron sat at the kitchen table with a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"I don't know what you did to keep the Prophet quiet about your return," Ron commented, "They haven't had much to say about it as I thought they would."
Harry didn't look up. "It helps when you own the paper."
Ron barked out a laugh, "Of course you did."
Harry turned to him, "I'm not trying to hide anything from her, but I wanted to give us all peace."
"And I appreciate that," Hermione said, making her presence known and making them both jump, "I'm not the boogie man." Hermione walked over to him, "What are you making?"
"Just some porridge with fruit," Harry said as Hermione came over and stole a raspberry. "Will Rosella eat it?"
Hermione shook her head with a grin. "No."
"Well, shit," Harry said as he turned off the stove.
Ron snorted, "Rosella is picky. It's smiley pancakes and cereal… if she's not tired of it."
Harry looked at Hermione, confused. "Rosella's palette is ever-changing. One day she will like a certain cereal, the next she hates it." Hermione walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out yogurt. "Here, maybe if we mix in yogurt and fruit, she will eat it thinking it's a parfait."
The back door opened after Hermione put the bowl on the table. "Breakfast."
"Yummy, berries," Rosella said as she went over to the table.
"Hands," Hermione stated.
Rosella sighed, "There is no germs on my hands."
"That you can see," Harry and Hermione said together.
Ron frowned, "Shit, it's starting again."
Preview of Chapter 33 – No Matter the Reason
"… and apparently, she's been seen again with that weird singer from the Weird Sisters," Melinda stated, her bracelets making him glance at her as they clinked as she gestured wildly. "I read about it in Witch Weekly, in this cute little bookshop that I sat in nearly all day with adorable kitties that I found downtown. What was it called… the Lily Pond or something-"
Harry's fork stilled, as his stomach twisted.
"The Lily Pad?" he asked.
Melinda blinked, "Yes, that's it. Why?"
Harry lifted his eyes from his plate. "That's Hermione's store."
For a moment, Melinda's mouth hung open, then she sighed, setting her fork down with a clatter on her plate. "It always comes back to her, doesn't it?"
Harry frowned. "That's not fair, Melinda."
"Fair?" she said, her voice becoming sharp. "Harry, I left my family in New York for you! I followed you to Texas-"
Harry's chair scraped against the floor as he sat back, staring at her. "Wait. You followed me to Texas? You told me we met there by chance."
Melinda froze, looking away from him. "I didn't mean it like that, I just-"