Chapter 1: The Dust Settles?
Harry Potter stood in the courtyard of Hogwarts, fingering the Elder Wand. After a long silence, he used it to repair his own broken wand. Another pause, and then, in a sudden burst of anger, Harry snapped the most powerful wand on earth like a twig.
This damn wand, coupled with Voldemort and the split pieces of his soul, was the reason so many lay dead or dying in the Great Hall of the castle behind him. Yet, he too was responsible for so many lives lost, though many would try and deny it. Because of him, so many were gone.
Gone. The death toll of name after name after name marched through his head like its own funeral procession. Cedric. Sirius. Dumbledore. Mad-Eye Moody. Tonks. Lupin. Colin Creevey. Fred. Dobby. Gone.
Harry walked slowly back into the castle, to the Great Hall, where he was met with more bodies of people he had known, and a whole new wave of grief hit him.
George. Bill. Fleur. Charlie. Percy. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. And, worst of all, Ginny. All the Weasleys. Gone.
And, finally, came the two people who had been his whole world. The two people whom he had loved more than anyone in the world. The two people he had viewed as a brother and a sister. Ron and Hermione. Gone.
Gone. The word echoed like a bell toll in his head. Gone. Gone.
Gone.
A small wail made Harry look down. He had almost completely forgotten what else he was holding: a baby, the product of a love between his two best friends that he had never fully understood. His goddaughter, now an orphan, just as he had been. Rose Weasley had been born in the wee hours of that morning, May 2nd, 1998. Minutes later, her mother had passed on to join the father, who had died protecting them in battle. Now, Harry realized, with a jolt, this little girl was the last of her family; the last of the Weasleys.
His thoughts were interrupted when Professor McGonagall came bustling towards him. "Potter? What are you doing? You must be exhausted! Get up to your Common Room right now and put yourself and the little one to sleep!"
Harry gave a forced smile and nod. He had always been found of his Head of House, who was now the de facto Headmistress of Hogwarts. "Yes, ma'am," he said and returned to his Common Room without another word.
He approached the Fat Lady portrait. It swung open before he could even give the password; that stuff didn't matter anymore. He was met by the surviving members of Dumbledore's Army. Upon seeing Rose, everyone stared. Then, they rushed Harry eagerly, especially the girls.
"Who is that, Harry?"
"What's it doing here, Harry?"
"Oh, can I just hold her, Harry?"
Harry held up a hand to silence everyone. "This," he said slowly, "is Ron and Hermione's daughter. Her name is Rose." There was a gasp from some of the members who had not been present in the Room of Requirement the day before to see Hermione's bloating stomach.
Seamus Finnegan gave an awkward laugh. "Someone was actually born during this bloody battle? One birth in exchange for so much death? Guess we should start calling her the Girl Who Lived, eh, Harry?"
Everyone else laughed. "Yeah," Neville agreed, than his expression changed as he peered at the infant. "She came from Heaven and landed in Hell," he muttered darkly. Never were words so true.
Harry absentmindedly slipped a hand into his pocket, and felt the glass vial inside. He then remembered how Hermione had released some of her memories to him on her deathbed, as Snape had done the night before. Harry was curious to discover what those memories contained.
"I have to go to Dumbledore's office," Harry told the group at large. "Would you lot mind taking care of Rose' till I get back? Get her to bed soon, though." He passed the infant to Lavender Brown, who held her awkwardly (for obvious reasons), but nonetheless eagerly. Harry left Neville, Seamus and Dean trying to find something to transfigure into a crib and Lavender, the Patil twins, Cho and Luna gently fighting over who got to hold Rose as she was passed from person to person.
Harry had no trouble getting into Dumbledore's office, and soon the Pensieve stood before him. He emptied Hermione's memories into it and then paused. He felt as though going into the Pensieve would be a major invasion of her privacy. But, he shook his head, muttered, "I must be out of my mind," and plunged his head in.
The first few memories were ones he himself carried. He saw Hermione reuniting with them after becoming un-Petrified and the awkward exchange when she and Ron almost hugged and then didn't. He saw them fighting at the end of the Yule Ball over Victor Krum. A night in the Gryffindor Common Room was next, in which the three had been sitting by the fireplace after Harry kissed Cho Chang, and Hermione told Ron he had "the emotional range of a teaspoon" before the three busted up laughing. He saw Hermione by Ron's bedside in the hospital wing after he was poisoned sixth year, and her reaction when Ron murmured her name in his sleep. Then came the aftermath of the Battle of the Seven Potters at the Burrow, where Hermione fiercely hugged Ron when he came back unharmed.
Throughout all of this, Harry was confused. Alright, Hermione, what are you trying to tell me? He thought. This is nothing new; I already know all this.
As if to answer his question, the next memory landed him in an upstairs bedroom in Grimmauld Place. Harry looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. He saw Ron and Hermione talking and then heard a melody float up to them from somewhere downstairs.
"Hermione," Ron was saying. "Since we don't know if we are going to come out of this alive, I need to tell you something."
"I'm not afraid to die." Hermione said, interrupting his train of thought. "I've been dying a little bit every day since you came into my life."
Ron looked as though his heart had almost stopped. "What are you talking about?"
She looked at him with a sad smile. "I love you," she said quietly.
"Y-You love me?" Ron repeated in amazement.
Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Something wrong? I'm sorry, I-"
"No, it's alright, it's just that…I was going to tell you the same thing."
Hermione smiled and hesitantly leaned forward. Ron stretched towards her and for the first time, their lips met.
Though he knew that Ron and Hermione must have somehow quit dancing around their feelings for each other, Harry's mouth still fell open in shock. The scene faded, only to rapidly reappear a moment later.
Harry was in for another shock as he spied his two friends in bed, naked, making passionate love. Hermione was laughing as Ron kissed and licked her ears, nose, mouth, everywhere, like a hungry puppy.
"Oh, Ronald!" she giggled. Ron did not let up, and Harry winced uncomfortably when he spoke, his voice husky.
"Come on, love, let's do this. I told you, we might never get another chance. Do you know how long I've waited for you?"
The pair rolled around under the sheets, laughing. The scene faded.
Harry stood there for a moment, stunned from the sight he had just witnessed. Now, he definitely felt like he was invading Hermione's privacy. That must have been the night Rose was conceived. His two best friends had had sex in what was technically his house, right under his nose, on the start of a life-threatening mission. He didn't know what to feel, elation or anger or something else.
The mist cleared again to start the next memory. Ron and Harry were practically nose-to-nose, yelling at each other. The present-day Harry felt a new set of pain take him; it was the night Ron had abandoned them on the hunt.
"You're parents are dead! You have no family!" Ron was yelling at the memory Harry. Each launched himself at the other, fighting physically for the first time in their friendship. Hermione screamed as she watched the two men she cared for most in the world slug it out. After a moment, she came to her senses and erupted a Shielding Charm between them. Ron threw off the locket Horcrux and then wheeled on Hermione.
"Well, are you coming or staying?"
"I…I…yes, Ron, I'm staying. We promised Harry we'd help."
"I get it. You choose him. I saw you two last night," Ron growled. He stormed out of the tent.
"Ron, that's nothing! Please come back! Please!" Ron just kept on walking as Hermione followed and suddenly, the former turned back, gave her a disgusted look, and Disapparated.
"No, Ron, please! You don't understand!" Hermione screamed desperately as he disappeared. She collapsed onto the grass, breaking down. Finally, she choked softly through her tears, "I'm…pregnant."
The real Harry wanted to desperately help her, but then the memory Harry came out of the tent a few moments later and helped her inside. The scene faded.
The next memory showed all three of them in the tent again. At first, Harry thought the memories were out of order, until he saw the Sword of Gryffindor propped up in the corner. This must have taken place a few days after Ron returned. Ron was trying to talk with Hermione, but she was giving him the silent treatment.
"Bloody hell, Hermione how long are you going to stay angry with me? I said I was sorry!"
Hermione finally cracked. "As long as you were away from us! I think that's appropriate! You abandoned us, Ron! That's not something I can easily forgive!"
The Memory Harry was watching them row, moving his head back and forth like he was witnessing a tennis match, as he fingered the destroyed locket.
"I know that! But, being angry right now is only getting in the way of what we have to do! So, if you could just find it in your heart to forgive…"
"I'm pregnant. With your child," Hermione burst out suddenly. Memory Harry's mouth fell open. Ron looked just as shocked, but quickly broke into a grin.
"Bloody hell…are you serious?" Hermione nodded, her expression blank. Before she could evade him, Ron picked her up and swirled her around in his arms, and soon both were laughing as though the fight had never happened.
"Fantastic," Memory Harry said sarcastically, and he carelessly tossed away the locket. "This is just fantastic!" Ron and Hermione paused in their rejoicing to look at him.
"Something wrong, Harry?" asked Ron as innocently as he could.
"Oh, no, no, no, nothing's wrong. It's just, it dawned on me that we now have a KNOCKED UP WOMAN ON THIS MISSION! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WE'VE GOT AHEAD OF US? AND NOW WE HAVE THIS TO DEAL WITH? WE ARE SCREWED! DO YOU HEAR ME? SCREWED!"
"Bloody hell, Harry, clam down! Hey, you didn't know, I didn't know, Hermione probably didn't know until recently…"
"Actually, I did know," Hermione said quietly. "I've known ever since just before you left, Ron." Memory Harry stared at her and then slowly advanced, his voice dangerously low.
"Do you mean to tell me that you've known you were pregnant for over two months and you didn't tell me?!"
Hermione was now beginning to lose her patience. "Hey, look, I'm sorry, but it is what it is now! With the war going on, Ron and I felt we shouldn't leave anything unsaid. I didn't think that this might happen!"
"Well, you should've thought of that, Hermione, before you opened up your legs!" Harry spat. Hermione gasped dramatically, horrified at what Harry had just said. Ron stepped in between them and towered up to his full height in front of Harry.
"I can see where this is going," he said in soft anger. "Think it's your turn now to walk away, Harry? You be my guest- better do it quick before I throw you out of this tent." Silence reigned until Harry went fuming out of the tent. Hermione began to cry and rushed into Ron's arms.
"Do y-you th-th-think he'll come b-b-back?" she sobbed.
"Course he will," Ron said. "He just needs some air." Then, he joked, "He can't walk out on his own mission, now, can he?"
The mist returned. Real Harry felt guilty over how he had acted. If only he'd known then what he knew now about Rose.
The mist parted briefly, opening up to Malfoy Manor. Harry fought the urge to squeeze his eyes shut as he watched Bellatrix torture Hermione, who was lying on her stomach on the floor. "CRUCIO!" Hermione screamed, and then whimpered in pain as her hand flew instinctively to her belly, as if she was trying to shield her unborn child from the torture. Far below, Harry could hear the panicked screams of Ron echo up to them…
The mist closed and then, after a moment, faded away. Harry now found himself in Shell Cottage. Hermione was lying awake in bed, clearly still recuperating from her torture. Ron was in a chair next to her, holding her hand.
"I'm feeling better. Fleur says the baby made it through. It must be very strong, to withstand the Cruciatus Curse." Ron didn't answer. After a moment of silence, he looked up.
"Will you marry me?" he asked her unexpectedly. Hermione was surprised, but quickly tried to recover.
"Oh, Ron, yes! I'd love to, but we have too much to worry about right now. Can't it wait until after the war?"
"No, now!" Ron insisted.
"Ron, doesn't it make more sense to do that after-"
"There may not be an after! Don't you understand?" Ron got down on his knees, still holding Hermione's hand. "Hermione, remember when you told me you thought we should not leave anything unsaid? Well, I think this should be included. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long that may be. If we do die in this thing, I want us to be together in a way other than just friends or lovers."
"But what about Harry-"
"I don't want to hear about Harry," Ron said sharply. "I'm not exactly happy with him at the moment. You know, after he went mental about the baby, basically called you a slut without actually saying so, and then said You-Know-Who's name when he knew it was Tabooed and caused you to be tortured! Therefore, I don't want him at the wedding."
Hermione's mouth fell open. "Ron, that is so unfair!"
"Oh, so you've already forgiven him after how many times he's dropped the Quaffle?"
Hermione paused. "No," she admitted.
Ron softened. "You've been worried that our relationship would get in the way of the mission. Well, it hasn't too much and won't, no matter what Harry says. He's going to leave tomorrow evening to stake out Gringotts under the Cloak. He should be back late. We could get married, right on the beach, while he's gone. Cause, honestly, this may be the last chance we have while we're at relative peace before things get really ugly." His eyes pleaded with her. "Please, Hermione?"
Hermione looked torn. She wanted to make Ron happy, but she didn't want to hurt Harry. Still, it was better for the baby to be born in wedlock. It was bad enough that it had been conceived out of it. "Alright," she whispered finally. Ron grinned like a fool and slipped a simple engagement ring onto Hermione's finger. "You'll get the big one tomorrow," he told her.
The scene faded. Moments later, the mist cleared to reveal the beach in front of Shell Cottage. The sun was setting over the waves in the horizon beyond. Ron and Hermione were wearing borrowed wedding garb from Bill and Fleur. A priest was in front. The only people in attendance were Bill and Fleur, Dean, Luna and Mr. Ollivander. Griphook, the goblin, must have still been upstairs resting. Ron and Hermione said their vows, were blessed and then tenderly kissed. The receding daylight only made them glow more.
Mist descended one last time, and then cleared soon after. Harry watched as his best friends consummated their marriage in Hermione's bed at Shell Cottage. The moon was high in the sky, so Harry assumed he had returned from his scout-ahead mission in Diagon Alley. He recalled that he had stayed up all night that night playing Exploding Snap with Bill and going over the plan in his head. Absolutely nothing had indicated to him that something very important had happened in his absence.
"We should probably get some sleep," Ron panted in between kisses. Beads of sweat glistened along his hairline and his body seemed to be convulsing from the effort of having sex. Hermione was not paying any attention, as she lay on top of her new husband and continued to trail kisses down his body. "Hermione…" Ron groaned in an attempt to broach the subject again. Instead, Hermione flipped Ron so that he now lay on top of her.
"Hush, Ronald. I need you inside me. Now. Besides, the more sex we have, the deeper we'll sleep, and we'll be well rested for tomorrow."
Ron grinned. "Your logic for wanting my body is impeccable, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione arched her back up towards Ron to whisper in his ear.
"Say my new name again."
Ron grinned and repeated it, his voice dripping with ecstasy at every syllable. He began to suck on Hermione's neck as she stared up at the ceiling. She soon spoke.
"Ron, what happens when Harry finds out about this? About our marriage? Do you think we did the right thing?" When no response was forthcoming, she half-heartedly snapped, "Are you even listening?" Ron emerged and looked at her lovingly. "No. You know me, I can only focus on one…thing…at a time," he explained, punctuating the last few words with a kiss. "If Harry finds out, he finds out. I don't worry about how he might react and neither should you. He has not supported us so far, and so I don't think he deserves to have his opinion regarded. Maybe he'll learn a lesson." And with that, he resumed making love to his wife. Hermione joined in with enthusiasm, her worries from moments ago gone. Harry stared at his friends. Both seemed at peace and full of bliss and happy.
Darkness surrounded Harry as he was pulled back up out of the Pensieve. He lay on the floor of Dumbledore's office, sobbing. He had hurt his friends deeply for not understanding about Rose…and payed for it. They had gotten married in secret…without him! Harry had always known Ron and Hermione's interactions with each other had been different than the ones he had with each of them, so he had figured that when they finally got together, he would accept them. It turns out he had been blinded by the Horcrux hunt and unintentionally driven them away. Now…now he couldn't even tell them he was sorry. Harry now only cried harder; he screamed, calling out to an empty room.
"Forgive me, Ron and Hermione! Forgive me!" he bawled.
But, maybe you already have been forgiven, a voice in his head reasoned. Hermione made you Rose's godfather, didn't she?
This was true. Yeah, she entrusted her child to an insensitive prat, a fool of a wizard who got her and her husband killed, Harry thought. He cried and cried until everything went black.
