"Maybe we should just stay here, Harry. Grow old..."
"Stay here..."
"Stay."
"Maybe..."
Hermione's words echoed throughout Harry's head. Sure, they could stay there. Live off of fish and berries. Enjoy the warm summers and the white winters.
Never see Ron again. Or any of the Weasleys. Or face Voldemort. Or watch the Wizarding World collapse.
At first it seemed like a ridculous idea.
But then he thought about it again.
"Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe. Maybe we should just stay here."
"Harry...I was kidding. You don't honestly think that..." She trailed off.
"Hermione...I'm not kidding. You're right. Forget about the WIzarding World. Forget about You-Know-Who. Forget about everyone and everything." Harry shifted closer to Hermione. "I'm just tired of it."
"Harry..." Hermione put down her book. "I know you are. I am too. I want him to be gone. But it's not like we can just forget about it-"
"Hermione! Please. No one will find us here. And we can keep moving if we need to."
"But what about Dumbledore-"
"Hermione! I don't have any idea where the other horcruxes are and neither do I. Why don't we just...take a break from horcrux hunting? If we need to, we'll start it again."
Harry was being sincere and when he wanted something, he gets it. Hermione thought about it. She didn't think just giving up was rational, but if they had to continue the horcrux hunting...
"Harry...I don't know. I don't...I just..." Harry's pleading green eyes were breaking her down and she sighed. "Fine Harry. But if we need to-"
Hermione realized that it was pointless because Harry wasn't paying attention to her anyway. He was smiling like an idiot and running around yelling, "I'M FREE!" Hermione smiled and got up, brushing the snow off her jeans.
"Harry!" She called. "You're acting like an idiot! Come back here!"
"NEVER!"
"HARRY!"
Harry came back when Hermione had dinner (which consisted of trout and some fresh, non-posionus blackberries) and was dripping wet.
"Why...are you soaking wet?" Hermione asked him slowly.
He grinned. "I jumped in that little river. The water was surprisingly warm."
"Shocking."
That night before bed, Harry asked Hermione a question. "Why do you love him?"
Hermione sighed. "I...I don't know. I really don't anymore. He's just so...temper mental. He blows up at the smallest of things. I just thought I would end up with him. Everyone thought so. I just...went along with it."
"And if you had a choice? Who would you pick?" Harry asked, looking up at the roof of the tent.
"...I don't know. Who would you? Ginny?"
"No. The war seems to bring out the worst in people. Espeically him. But you would think he had a litte self-control."
Hermione chuckled. "This is Ron we are talking about Harry. He doesn't have self-control."
Harry laughed. "Good point." He looked at her. "You know you're amazig right?"
"Many people have told me that."
"Modest, are you?" Harry grinned.
Hermione grinned up at him. "You know what I meant Harry."
He looked skeptical. "Maybe."
"Maybe." Hermione whispered.
"Maybe I will figure out why you make me feel special." Harry spoke softly and Hermione looked at him.
"Maybe I know why I don't love him anymore."
"Maybe you do." Harry agreed, looking at her.
"Maybe I should go up there with you Harry. It's cold down here..."
"I agree. It is a little cold." Harry moved over and let Hermione climb up. Ron's bunk hadn't been touched since he left so no one slept in it. Harry hesiatnly put his arm around her. "Hermione?"
"Hmm?" She snuggled into his side and placed her am over her stomach, pulling him closer.
"Do you love me?"
She smiled shyly. "Maybe."
"You're actually being shy around me." She stared up at him. "Don't be." He whispered. She tilted her head up and Harry kissed her, for he was not exactly thinking straight. She kissed him back, with as much passion as she could manage.
That night was the first in a long line of love-filled nights.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
On September 1, 1998, nine months later, Hermione gave birth to their first son, James Sirius Potter, with the aid of Harry. Somehow, three months later, Luna Lovegood found them in the Forest of Dean.
"Luna?" Hermione asked, handing James to Harry.
"Hermione? Harry? Is that actually you?" She asked innocently.
"Oh my...Luna that is you." Hermione hugged her old friend. "How...how did you-"
"Find you two? Well...three I guess." Luna said, gesturing to James. "I don't really know. I just..." She sighed heavily and Hermione invited her to sit down. "The Wizarding World is in turmoil. Most people think you two are dead. Ron is beating himself up for walking away from you two. You-Know-Who is-"
"Luna. We don't want to know what is going on. Trust me, I know what is going on. I still tend to see what is going on in You-Know-Who's head. Luna...there is a reason why we are just...staying here." Harry said slowly.
"Well...what is it?" She asked, somewhat impatiently.
"We're just...staying put. We both needed a break, love happened and then James came." Hermione said softly, looking back at Harry, who was bouncing James on his kee. The little boy giggled and Hermione ran her fingers through his brown hair. "We just...are living. Actually living." She whispered.
"Harry. Tell me how to defeat him. We can do it."
"Technically, only I can. But..." With a quick glance at Hermione, who nodded, Harry proceded to tell Luna everthing he knew. He told her that to defeat him, they had to destroy the Hufflepuff Cup, the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, Nagini (You-Know-You's snake), and Voldemort himself.
"That's it?" Luna asked.
"Yeah. Pretty much." Harry nodded. James began to get fussy, so he handed him to Hermione, who went to the back of the tent to feed him.
"You think that will destroy him? Destroying all of that? That will get rid of him?"
"Yes Luna." Harry nodded once. "One thing though."
"What?"
"You tell no one where we are."
Luna nodded and agreed.
Although, it wasn't that simple, destroying horcruxes that is.
Once Luna and Ron had destroyed all those things, minus Voldemort, Harry learned from Voldemort's thoughts that he had to die too. He was a horcrux.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" She looked up from her book.
He looked into her eyes and said, "You have to kill me."
Hermione's eyes got wide. "Harry...I can't...I won't." She whispered.
Harry sat next to her pulling her into his lap. "If you don't, some Death Eater will." He spoke quietly, but Hermione heard every word. "I am a horcrux Mione. The horcrux he never meant to make. I have to die. The prophecy said...'Neither can live, while the other survives.'"
"But Harry!" Hermione had tears in her eyes. "I love you and I know I can't survive without you. James won't survive without his dad. Don't make me do this." She begged, the tears spilling over and down her face.
Harry hugged her and wiped the tears off her face. "I love you too Hermione. But I'm serious. I'm...I'm ready to die."
"Well I'm not ready for you to die!" She yelled. James, who was in his little playpen that Hermione had transfigured out of branches, looked up startled and whimpered. "Please Harry, don't make me do this! I love you too much to let you go!" Hermione cried, burying her head into his shoulder.
Harry stroked her hair and murmured soft nothings into her ear, making her calm down a bit.
Little James didn't know what to do. He watched as his mummy yelled something at his daddy, crying and hugging him tightly. So James started crying. He didn't know what was going on, but he looked between his mum and dad and knew something was wrong.
Hermione looked up and wiped under her eyes, picking him up and hugged him tightly. Along with Harry. It was a gentle family hug. "When do you want me to do this Harry?" Hermione finally whispered.
"When James goes to sleep." He whispered back.
She nodded tearfully and kissed James' head. Then she kissed Harry slowly and passionately.
Once James was asleep, Hermione grabbed her wand, something they rarely used these days, and Harry stood on the other side of the tent.
"You have to mean it Hemione. Remember all the times you were mad at me, like when you were having James, all those things you yelled at me." He whispered.
"Goodbye Harry. I love you."
He nodded. "I love you too Hermione."
Hermione took a deep breath and muttered the spell she never wanted to say. "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry fell backwards as the green light hit him, and Hermione promtly burst into tears, falling to the ground in a heap and rocked back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest. She crawled over to him and ran her fingers through his hair, letting the tears drip onto his peaceful face. Hermione heard James start to cry and ran back to grab him out of his crib, going back to Harry's body. She held James close and rocked back and forth, crying loudly. James cried with his mother, not really knowing why, except the fact that his dad was lying on the floor, not moving. He struggled in his mother's grip and wanted to go to him, but Hermione held him close.
"Don't Jamie." She whispered in his ear.
After half and hour of him just lying there, Hermione and James were fighting sleep. James started to drift and Hermione knew she had to get him back to his crib. She slowly stood up and walked back to his crib, placing him in it. "Jamie...your daddy loved you very much and he knew that you would not remember him, but...he died for a reason. For the greater good." Hermione whispered. James looked up at his mother, staring blankly. She sighed and kissed the top of his head, walking back where Harry was.
Only, he wasn't on the ground.
He was standing up, grinning. "Hello Hermione."
"Harry?" She asked tentavely.
"In the flesh and horcrux free."
She ran to him, throwing herself into his arms, kissing every part of his skin showing, wrapping her legs around his waist and smiling like an idiot.
"So your not dead?" Hermione asked for the millionth time that night after they made love endlessly.
"I think I proved that to you not ten minutes ago." Harry smirked.
"Shut up. I thought you were really..." She sucked in a breath.
Harry nodded. "I know. So did I. But...it was only the horcrux that had to be killed. Not me."
Hermione looked up at him. "Good. I can't lose you. James will be happy when he sees you later."
"Did he think I was dead too?"
"Yes...we both did." Hermione admitted.
Harry kissed her forehead. "Well, I'm here now love. Forever until the day I actually die."
"Mmm...good. Me too Harry." Hermione snuggled into his side and placed her head over his heart, listening to it's beat.
"Good night Mione."
"Good night Harry." Hermione mumbled and fell asleep.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Luna and Ron managed to find everything and destroy it, even though it took a while. When Voldemort started to make his way to Hogwarts, they had a war.
Many were killed and as Luna told Harry and Hermione the stories of the battle and Hermione looked like she was ready to go and help them fix Hogwarts, but Luna said it wasn't nessacary. When she started listing the ones that were dead, Hermione had to leave after Tonks and Remus. Harry stayed and leanrned that Fred had died too, along with many others like Colin Creevey, who had snuck back in after he was told to leave. Lavendar Brown died too, an attack from Greyback left her dead.
But...Voldemort did die, in the end. Harry was free and Hermione was happy.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
After 10 years of a Voldemort-Free-Wizarding-World, Harry and Hermione never fully rejoined the Wizarding World. Although, today was September 1, 2008, and Harry and Hermione Potter (yes they got married, eventually, just for Luna's sake) were dropping off James for Hogwarts. Albus was trailing behind them and Rose was pinned to her father's arm.
"You just walk right at it and you'll go right through." Harry was saying to James. He nodded, terrified and Harry sighed. "Together then?" James nodded and Rose let go of her father's arm, letting him and James go through the barrier. Hermione grabbed her other son's and daughter's hand and ran through the portal with them. They oohed and awed and ignored everyone that stared at them.
"Ready James? Jumper? Hair...just like your father's. Never stays in place." Hermione muttered.
"Mione, relax." Harry said. "He'll be fine."
"Dad? What if I get put in Slytherin? Will I be a bad wizard?" James asked hs father, completely terrified. Hermione glanced at Harry and took Rose and Albus somewhere else so that Harry could talk to him alone. Harry crouched down to his level and looked James in the eyes. His eyes...Lily's eyes.
"You, son, will never be a bad wizard. If you end up in Slytherin, then they will have gained an excellent student." Harry said, fixing his son's shirt.
"But..."
"You know Jamie, you can choose where you want to go. The Sorting Hat will always take in your wants."
James' eyes lit up. "Really?"
Harry smiled. "That's what it did for me."
The whistle blew and Harry stood up and helped James with his trunk and watched as he got on the train. Harry waved and picked up Rose, who had turned seven three months ago and was the smallest thing ever and was also waving at her big brother. Albus waved also at his big brother and was excited for all his stories when he comes home for Christmas.
Where was home exactly?
The Forest of Dean of course.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
That night before bed, James sent an owl.
Dear Mum and Dad,
Nah. I didn't put Rose or Al. They'll find out eventually.
Hogwarts is huge and I know I'm going to get lost. Headmistress McGonagall is nice and speaks highly of the both of you. That's a good thing, right? I bet it is.
I got into Gryffindor, Dad, you were right. I admit it. My dorm is fun and the guys in there are nice and clumsy, sort of like Uncle Ron...except not really...does that make sense? No? Sorry about that then. I can't wait to come home for Christmas, but I know I'll ave fun here. Hagrid's really nice too Mum. He invited me for tea on Friday. Said he was going to tell me stories about you two. Sneaing out of beds late at night are we? Hmm...? (I'm joking Mum, relax.)
Anyway, bye for now,
James.
"Harry? Is that from James?" Hermione asked, tying her hair up.
"Yup."
"Well? What house is he in?"
"Why I wanna know!" Rose whined, jumping on Harry and Hermione's bed.
"Hey, so do I!" Albus yelled, flopping next to her.
"He's in Gryffindor!"
Both cheered and Hermione laughed.
"Maybe we're doing something right." Hermione mumbled.
"Maybe..." Harry smiled at her, then at Rose and Albus. He had created a family.
Sometimes, Harry wanted to thank Voldemort for creating all those horcruxes. Because if he hadn't, he and Hermione wouldn't be together.
(But then he realized that was stupid and Voldemort will never be thanked.)
-A/N: Yup. It's done. A One-Shot. Hope you all enjoyed it! Drop me a review, will you? Be a kind soul...
Love all you Harmonie fans.
Dreamers. 3