New Life, New Battles

by IrishEyesAreSmiling

Sequal to Facing the Past wa New GenerationHarry is brought to life by love, and now he must live on through trials to destroy the demons of his past balancing hate, love, and family.Someone wants to destroy it.All one chapter.

The Beginning Part 2

By Kaitlynn Santeford

Sequel to Harry Potter 7th Year

April- May 2002

Forward

If you have read my last story on the flashback of Harry's death, just forget about it. In this book, Hermione does NOT marry Ron, and Harry did not die. Sari never existed. This is a different story and a different life for the characters.

Thank you!

The story begins as Hermione clutches the lifeless body of Harry Potter in her arms. She releases the sobs escaping her. The people around are doing the same, but no one hurt as much as she. Hermione was holding Harry's hand. It was cold and limp and that terrified her because the truth was clearer. Her best friend was dead. His eyes were closed and he looked so peaceful as if he was only reposing. But he would never wake up. Never.

"Come back." She whispered.

Before, Hermione had told him to go to his parents, but now it was intolerable without him. She regretted saying it, but was it clemency?

"Miss Granger," the headmaster's voice said softly. "Leave him. I will bring Harry to the castle."

She shook her head. "No."

"Miss Granger." He repeated.

Hermione said nothing and placed her forehead on his. From a short distance Ron was watching her. He stood and walked to her and his friend that she held so tightly.

"He's gone, Hermione. Just leave him alone."

Ron's eyes traveled from Hermione to Harry but jerked his head sighed. Ron placed his hand gently on her shoulder, but she suddenly turned from her burden and glowered fiercely into his eyes.

"Are you happy now? You were right, weren't you? Harry died and you believed it all along. I didn't. I fought that image and that fear, but I was wrong. I still believed and it just had to be you that was right."

Ron's breath was ragged and guilty tears swam in his eyes, down his cheeks. She spoke so pungently that it was like he was to blame. He thought about that and felt that he somewhat was. If only he had believed. If only…. If only.

The Death Eaters had already fled, but the body of Voldemort remained, abandoned and forgotten. Rebecca Callaway came from inside the mass of students. She was shaking in fear of the tragedy. Hermione saw her and almost departed from Harry to attack her and scream. "Why did you have to tell him?" she wanted to holler. "He would have been happier not knowing, and I could still have a friend with me tonight!" But she resisted. Harry felt so helpless in her arms that she did not wish to release him.

All of Hogwarts and the teachers were now coming out of the school. They had witnessed everything and bore grief-stricken faces. Professor McGonagall, shaking and releasing sobs gazed sadly at the body of Severus Snape lying dead. And Harry. Yes, lifeless Harry in Hermione's arms.

"Albus!" she cried. "Are you and the students all right?"

"All of us but two." He replied in a dead tone. "It is over, Minerva. We have our freedom that came with a cost."

As they spoke quietly Madame Pomfrey ran back and forth among the students to see if any needed help or condolence. She came upon Severus Snape but turned away almost immediately. What was the point of soothing a dead man's pain?

"Please, miss Granger. We need to get him to the Hospital Wing. You cannot leave him here, child."

"No."

"Poppy," Dumbledore interrupted. "Leave her be."

The woman nodded slowly and walked away. It hurt to do so.

"Students!" the headmaster shouted. "We must enter the school now. It is late. Tomorrow we shall see what is next in store."

Like herds of cattle the children obeyed. It was a silent procession. Not a word was spoken and the only thing heard was the shuffling of their feet in the grass. Ron glanced over his shoulder at Hermione. He was in a stupor. An entrancing pain that filled his body from his head to his toes. His friend was dead. Dead, gone, never to return.

Hermione watched him from the corner of her eye. She watched him turn around in defeat and follow the others. Harry was getting heavy in her arms but she did not release him.

"What about Granger?" asked McGonagall.

"We will leave her until she comes out of her shock." He replied sadly. Dumbledore, despite his calmness, desired nothing else but to grasp Harry in his embrace and weep for him. He'd weep all through the night for the boy he loved so dearly.

When the people were far enough, Hermione began talking to Harry. She told him about how she wanted him back and what she would do if he did. She knew it was pointless. Harry was dead and that was the end of it. Nothing more or less. Hermione began crying again, but no matter how hard she tried they would not stop.

"Come back, Harry. Come back to me." Nothing happened. She didn't expect something to anyway. Hermione placed her forehead against his and felt his cold skin.

Then, something strange happened. She sensed it between herself and Harry. Blue light illuminated and it glowed brightly in the darkness.

"Albus!" Minerva cried. "What is that?"

Dumbledore turned and saw it. "I am not sure."

Hermione gazed fretfully. She did not know what was going on. Fear caused her to shake but there was a sudden realization that came to her. Didn't Lily Potter do this? Yes and it gave Harry energy! However, Harry wasn't dead when it was done. Lily wasn't around either. Could she possibly do it? Her hope faded. Was it even possible?

Hermione rested her forehead on his again. "Come on, Harry. Be alive again."

The light grew brighter and the feeling she felt was stronger. Harder and harder Hermione tried. Her own energy began to diminish. Although it was a strange feeling she smiled in hope.

Almost two minutes later weakness replaced her sorrow. In her delirious state she realized that the skin that was alongside hers was no longer cold.

"Open your eyes." Hermione pleaded. Nothing happened. She held his hand tighter and whispered his name. Her energy became faint and the blue light faded. She collapsed onto the ground with her head on top of Harry's chest that was rising and falling.

Hermione awoke the next day with the sun flooding the room to the Hospital Wing. She wondered how she got there in the first place and what had gone on to cause it.

"Miss Granger," said Albus Dumbledore near the bed next to her with the curtains drawn around it. "How are you feeling this bright and fine morning?"

"Professor!" she cried in alarm. "I didn't know you were there. I guess I'm fine but, where's Harry? Is he okay?"

Dumbledore slowly turned back to the bed next to her and pulled the curtains away. On the bed lay Harry. He was pale from the loss of blood and still. A bandage was fastened around his throat that had faint stains of blood.

"Is he alive?" she asked weakly.

The headmaster ignored her. He took a huge bar of Honeyduke's chocolate from the table and gave it to her. "Eat that. Poppy told me to when you had waken."

"But sir-."

"To answer your question, Miss Granger, yes Harry is alive and fighting."

"Do you think he will make it?" she asked hopefully. Happiness swelled in her heart but she didn't want to think about the terrible outcome that could still happen.

Dumbledore frowned as he sat down on her bed. "What you did to him, Hermione, was a powerful and ancient magic that is rarely used because it is long since forgotten. Yet you found it and put it to use."

"But how? How was it possible?"

"I believe that Harry's energy was more adeptly given to him because Lily died to save Harry in love. Yes, he could have survived and keep the given energy to recover but it was too late."

"But how did I do it?"

The man hid a small smile that had crossed his face. "If I'm not mistaken I think that your love for Harry was just strong enough to do it. You had a purpose for that ancient magic."

Hermione blushed brightly and stared at the blankets. Dumbledore rose from the bed and said, "You may leave once the chocolate is gone." And he left without another word.

Hermione shoved the candy in her mouth and climbed out of bed. She tiptoed over to Harry's bedside to stroke his face.

"You'll get better. Then we can talk about maybe going to Ron's house this summer and possibly even show him the Muggle world." She went on and on until the sun set farther down the window.

Ron was playing a game of chess by himself when Hermione walked into the common room. He looked up and saw her. He asked if she was okay and she nodded. They said nothing else for a while.

"How is Harry?" he asked finally in a quiet voice.

"Fine for now, but they don't know if-." She cut herself off and couldn't finish her sentence. Ron nodded silently and began his game again. After a short while he sighed.

"What?" she asked.

"I won again." He replied miserably. Hermione smiled and he gave a small laugh.

She turned to look out the window and gazed outside pondering.

"What are you thinking about?" Ron spoke.

She shrugged. "Things."

Ron frowned at her and picked up the chess pieces. "Forget about last night."

"I'm not really thinking about that. I've done so too long. I was actually thinking about the future. What do you think we'll be doing?"

"I don't know. What happens happens."

Hermione paused before she nodded. Later she played Ron in chess and he finally lost.

Three weeks passed until Harry's condition improved. He had weakly opened his eyes and started noticing the people around him. One day, Ron and Hermione were permitted to visit him. Minerva, who had gone to fetch them, said that Harry asked to see them. "Of course," she said. "He had to write it on a piece of parchment. The nurse absolutely refuses the use of his voice until later."

So when they entered the Hospital Wing Harry was seen sitting up in his bed reading a book.

"Hello, Harry." said Hermione. Harry's head snapped up from the book and he smiled widely.

"How are you feeling?" asked Ron. Harry gave them an expression telling them that he felt better than before.

The smile was gone from his face suddenly. It was full of sadness and pain.

"Don't think about it, okay?" Hermione said quietly. "You defeated Voldemort, Harry. Yes, Snape is dead, but he did it saving you. You saved all of us."

Harry picked up a quill and parchment and wrote: "But people always die because ofme. He wasn't supposed to"

Hermione looked away from it quickly. "It is over now, Harry. Everything will be fine now that you have settled the evil down. No one here could ask any more from you."

Harry glared at the wrinkles on his bed sheets and sulked silently. Ron began to have a feeling that he didn't belong and soon stood up.

"Why don't I leave you two to discuss this?" Harry and Hermione nodded. They watched him shuffle to the door and exit quietly.

"Harry," she began. "Voldemort is dead. We cannot think about the people who were murdered now. We need to move on and continue our lives the best we can. You saved us from a nightmare that everyone thought had disappeared. Do you think of the future, Harry?"

He wrote: Not often.

"Do you think of the past?"

Harry stared at Hermione. On the parchment he slowly wrote: All the time.

She shook her head pitifully and rose to her feet. "Very well. Is there anything else you want to say?"

He nodded and scribbled a short message underneath his words of anger. You said Voldemort's name.

A small laugh escaped her throat. "I guess I did." She felt a hard lump push tears into her eyes and immediately she dropped the parchment and gathered her things. "Goodbye, Harry. I'll see you in the common room."

She swiftly proceeded to the door when a loud bang echoed behind her. Harry had his fist on the table. He opened his mouth as if he was trying to speak but it pained him.

"Write it, Harry." She said. He refused. Despite his desire to tell her he waved a defeated hand for her to go.

Before she could even open the door she said, "I'll come after lunch."

When the bell rang and masses of students left the Great Hall, Hermione skipped toward the Hospital Wing. She had been thinking back on the night Harry died in her arms to now have him alive again, which put her in a blissful mood. She hadn't lost him. He was alive and breathing.

Harry was eating his own lunch when Hermione entered. He seemed to be having great difficulty in doing so.

"Need help?" she said smiling. Harry grinned sheepishly and shook his head. He had attempted to force down an orange slice but it wouldn't go down until she beat on his back to stop him from choking. Harry held the napkin to his mouth to catch any blood that came out. The bandage reddened slightly.

"You okay?"

Harry waved his hand and looked away from her.

"Anyway," she went on. "I was wondering if you could maybe ask Dumbledore if you could come home with Ron. Then we could all meet up and bring him into the Muggle world."

Harry fixed her an expression that read: Won't he stand out? He doesn't know a thing.

"I know it sounds weird but I think it would be fun and a great experience for Ron."

Harry thought a moment and smiled in agreement.

"Good. See you later then. Ron couldn't come. He's a little guilty and nervous. Long story, I'll tell you about it later."

She turned and grabbed her books.

"Hermione." Said a whisper.

She spun around. Harry was forcing himself to speak to her. He didn't want to write what he wanted to say.

"I still love you, Hermione." He coughed slightly and winced.

"I still love you, too, Harry."

He smiled shyly and fell back into the pillows looking exhausted. Hermione pulled the handle of the door but turned around to see Harry gasping into a napkin. Blood seeped down his chin and stained the white sheets. A tear slid down Hermione's cheek. It was so wonderful yet so sad that he would endure the pain just to say that one short sentence. The school was to be let out earlier because of what had happened. There was to be a celebration the next day before school was dismissed. Everybody was excited when there was going to be a dance too. A few days before the dance, Harry went back to his regular classes. Ron and Hermione left him alone during the vacant hour Potions was held at. He sat alone by the lake, but today Hermione could not leave him alone.

She saw him sitting with his legs tucked and his chin on his knees.

"Harry?" she asked quietly. He didn't respond. Hermione walked closer to him and sat down close to him. Still he said nothing. Neither said a word, nor did they look into each other's eyes.

It wasn't until dusk came when Hermione sighed peacefully t the orange shimmering sun on the placid water.

Harry turned his head in her direction and after a short pause he reached out his hand and ran his fingers through her hair. Hermione looked into his morose face.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"I'm just sorry that I put you and Ron through so much pain and trouble all these years. You could have died trying to bring me back. It would have been a waste."

"Harry, no!" she said sharply. "You are not a waste. Nothing you could have done would have changed it. I still would have done what I did."

Tears tumbled down his cheeks. "Don't cry, Harry." She whispered as she wiped off his face and smiled. "There have been too many tears already."

Harry smiled softly. Hermione pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. "I couldn't bear to live without you, Harry."

Tears rolled down her face as well as Harry's. He hugged her tighter and pressed his face into her hair. Harry reached out his hand and held Hermione's face gently. A tear fell down by her smile. Harry wiped it off and kissed her. Not on the cheek, but softly on the lips.

"I love you." He whispered.

The bell rang in the distance for evening dinner.

"Let's go, Harry." They stood up together, hand in hand, and walked back to the school.

When they entered, Madame Pomfrey came trotting down the corrider.

"Harry," she cried when she reached them. "When you get finished eating, come by so I can change your bandage."

"It's fine." He answered.

Madame Pomfrey flew her hand to her mouth. "Don't talk! It hasn't healed enough. It could get infected!"

This didn't leave Harry with a choice.

"Fine then, I will be waiting."

At dinner Harry found it difficult to eat hard foods. He took soft foods like bread and drank pumpkin juice to soften them. Ron asked him if he was going to eat meat, but he gestured that he didn't want any. Dumbledore did not give the usual speech like he usually did. He did not mention the battle in detail, just that they should be thankful for the safety of their lives and the future of the world. That was all. Harry felt a sigh of relief about this. He was not mentioned, although he was well aware of the stares people were giving him.

Harry was going off to the Hospital Wing after by himself when Hermione ran after him to follow.

"I want to go with you!"

"Good, you came." The nurse said as they came through the door. She took a small pair of scissors and cut the bandage. Harry gave short whimpers when moved the bandage on the wound.

"See what I mean? Talking caused it to stick." When it was off she told him not to touch it although it itched like crazy. Hermione tried not to catch a glimpse of it in fear of what it might look like. Another bandage was whipped around his neck and fastened securely.

"There, you can take it off in three days." (I know you have to change it more than that but bear with me). "After that put on another one and after that it doesn't need to be worn anymore."

Harry felt irritated. He just wanted the stupid thing off.

In the common room Harry was sitting near the fire reading a book from the library. Ron was busy writing a letter to his mother. He already had two other sheets of parchment about what had happened. Hermione had gone to bed early .

"How do you think my Mum would react when she reads this?" asked Ron.

Harry held up his hand and jerked it down. Ron laughed. "Yeah, I think she would faint too."

Minutes later Harry closed his book and pointed at the boy's dormitories.

"You go on ahead. I have to finish this. See you in the morning."

Ron watched his friend leave upstairs. A sudden sadness washed over him. He wrote his final sentences on the parchment. "Mum, I don't know what I'd do without Harry as a friend. I've realized that now."

The next day Harry woke up and changed into his robes. In the common room, Ron and Hermione were talking. They stopped immediately when he entered. He held up his hands in apology.

"That's fine," said Hermione. "I was just telling Ron about maybe going to the Muggle world."

Harry smiled and pointed outside the room and pretended he had a long beard.

"Yeah, you'll have to ask Dumbledore." Hermione agreed.

"I'm sure he'll let you, Harry."

Harry shrugged and let out a sigh. Hermione shuffled her graded homework from the week prior into a pile, and no one spoke another word.

Two days later Harry and Hermione went out into the garden and sat on a stone bench where the leave fell above them.

"I plan to teach here, I think," she said. But I will have to wait until Prof. McGonagall retires. Transfiguration is my most favorite subject."

"I don't know what to do. I'll probably have to stay in the Muggle world for the rest of my life.

Hermione glanced at him in his gloomy mood. She tried hard not to tell him to keep his mouth shut.

"You can stay with Ron for awhile. The Weasley's will be happy to have you."

Harry sighed. "I don't know. I'll have to ask Dumbledore."

Silence followed them for a moment. There was nothing but the sound of the crickets and the rustling of the branches. Harry suddenly spoke.

"You know, I don't really feel happy about Voldemort being dead. I feel more—."

"More what?" she asked.

"More relieved. Relieved because he can't ruin people's lives anymore, or kill for pleasure. Finally I can be comfortable in my life and not have to worry if I will live or not."

Hermione reached for his hand. "Do you ever think about how your life would be like if your parents weren't dead?"

"I've tried," he replied. "But I just can't get it right. Too many pieces are missing. I can only imagine them as Ron's family, and only that. I guess that is the family I have always wanted, you know?"

Suddenly he smiled and looked her in the eyes. "I just remembered, Mione. McGonagall wanted to help me get into the academy to become an Auror. You think I can do it now that Voldemort is gone?"

Hermione froze. There it was again. That stupid word. "No. It's dangerous work, Harry. You almost died awhile ago and now you want to risk that again?"

Harry frowned. "What else am I supposed to do? All I have done since coming into the Wizarding world is fight."

Realization crossed through Hermione's eyes. "This isn't about that. This is about avenging your family and getting Peter Pettigrew. That's the only reason."

"No it isn't." Harry replied as his face hardened.

"Oh, don't be so stupid. You know as well as I do that you would do anything to make him pay, so just admit it."

"I'm tired. Let's go in and call it a night." He said quickly. Harry removed his hand from hers and walked calmly away as if she wasn't even there.

The headmaster looked Harry carefully in the eyes and twisted his mouth thoughtfully. Harry, meanwhile, sat quietly in the large chair waiting for an answer.

"I don't think I will allow you, Harry. This is my reason; Too many Death Eaters are still alive out there and waiting for you to be vulnerable. They have been brainwashed into making sure you die, with or without the Dark Lord. It is too dangerous."

Harry furiously opened his mouth, but Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Do not speak. Poppy will let me have it if you come to harm again with you wound. Please abide by my decision. The aftermath of this war is still at large, and until all of the Death Eaters are caught you are to be protected."

Harry glared at the table in misery. Will it ever end?

"However, I will allow you to go to the Weasley's. The Dursley's are no longer your guardians. Now please excuse me while I write them a letter. They will need to know that you will not be returning."

Without looking at the man, Harry rose and left the office. Fuming, he barged into the common room, slamming head on into Hermione.

"Ouch! Harry, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

"Dumbledore!" he struggled to shout. "I can't go because I'm still in danger, as he says. Doesn't he think I can defend myself by now?"

Hermione sighed and thoughtfully bit her lip. "Look, I will talk to him, all right. Just stay here and I'll come back as soon as I get done."

"Right."

"And don't use your voice."

The reason why I am rushing is because I never have time to type all this so I skip and make up stuff from my notebook. If you get lost, sorry!

Harry came running down the stairs as Hermione came in almost forty-five minutes later. She was smiling.

"You can go to London! Dumbledore just wants to remind you of the dangers and to be careful. Please do." She said her last sentence in annoyance, knowing it would take everything in Harry's power to remain trouble-free.

Harry pranced around the room jubilantly and hugged her. "Thank you!"

Ron wasn't too thrilled when he found out that night. "I don't know, you guys. My Mum is really protective over you, Harry."

"He knows to be careful," Hermione said. "Besides, it is about time Harry learned what life is really like."

Hogwarts Express rolled into the station and the Weasley's were waiting for them.

"See you soon, Harry." Hermione said as she gave him a hug and left with her parents. Ron dragged him over to his mother, who quickly pulled him into a fierce embrace.

"Oh, I was so horrified, Harry. I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Um…Mum, can we do this later? You have an audience." Ron said in embarrassment. A crowd developed around them.

"Right." She said.

Mr. Weasley sat in his car reading the Daily Prophet when they stuffed their baggage in the trunk.

"Arthur, put that away in front of the Muggles!" He slipped it under the seat and unlocked all of the doors.

"Get in all of you."

"Thanks for letting Harry come home!" Ron said to his parents.

Arthur gave his wife a look and mumbled a reply. Harry could tell that they weren't happy that they were going to London. Dumbledore must have told them the "dangers." This irritated him.

Supper was dull as ever. The twins were gone at their shop and Ginny went to her friend's house and wouldn't be back until later that evening. Harry couldn't speak anyway, but he wanted to do something to break the silence. Ron sensed the discomfort and quickly stuffed his plate in the sink and motioned Harry to follow. He didn't get far.

"Harry dear," said . "Can I speak with you a moment?"

He nodded and sat down near her. She put her hand on his knee and swallowed hard. "It wasn't an easy decision, Harry, to let you come. We had to think of the important issues that included your happiness and your well-being. If Hermione had not gone and did what she did, you would not be here. I am grateful that you are, and I wouldn't want that to change. Now, I don't want you to think that we don't want you here, we do, but considering the circumstances we almost refused. When you go to London be alert and wary. Keep your wand nearby and don't trust anyone."

Harry began to feel nervous. The woman bent near him and kissed his forehead.

"From now on I'm going to be your mother, and I will stay that way forever. Will you let me be you mother, Harry?"

"Yes" he whispered. The tears were fighting to escape him.

"Then I will treat you as a son."

Harry smiled. "Goodnight, Mum."

She grinned back. "Sleep tight, son."

When Harry had gone to get a drink that night, he heard the adults arguing from the kitchen. He sat on the stairs and inched closer to hear.

"Molly, we need to send Harry back." Mr. Weasley whispered harshly.

"Arthur, no. Not to those awful people. I won't tolerate it."

He cursed. "Molly, he is better off there, don't you understand? Too many things are at risk. The Death Eaters wont stop until Harry is dead, is that what you want?"

"I worry about him, of course. Who wouldn't? But Harry needs a life now. He needs to be like a normal person for once."

"As what? A muggle or wizard? He will never be normal here and he wont find himself elsewhere."

"He will be an outcast with his relatives. That is how they think of him. I cant deal with it anymore, and neither will he."

Harry went down one more step.

"At least keep him for one more week. He needs to keep bandages on until then. The muggles wont even care about him if he went back now."

"Molly, just be quiet. We will discuss this later."

Shuffling came from the kitchen to the living room and Harry, not feeling too thirsty now, turned away. Faintly, he saw the silhouette of Ginny pressed against the curtains of the hallway staring at him. Saying nothing, he went back to bed.

The next morning Harry woke before anyone else and decided to write a letter to Lupin in the kitchen. He got out his parchment and ink and began to write.

Dear Lupin,

I'm sure you have heard about what had happened, but I am fine now. I am at Ron's house and all of us, including Hermione, are going to London in a couple days. Don't worry about me and I hope you are doing fine as well.

Harry

"Harry?"

He flinched. Turning around he saw Ginny come down from her room. She sat down next to him and sighed. "I heard them last night too. I hope they don't send you back."

He nodded in agreement.

"You know," she went on. "When I saw you fighting I was very scared, but I was also very confident in you. Even when it seemed like you wouldn't make it."

Harry whispered his thanks and she smiled kindly. "No, thank you. Thanks for giving up everything for people that you could care less for. Like Malfoy."

Sounds came from the stairs and they turned to see Mrs. Weasley. "Oh, good. You're awake. Breakfast will be ready as soon as I can get your brother to wake up."

When Ron came down ten minutes later, irritated, she cooked it up quickly and served it.

"The ministry is receiving Howlers," said Mr. Weasley. "They are angry that the Death Eaters haven't been caught yet."

"I'm not surprised. They probably quit work to celebrate just like they did before."

"Molly, please."

Silence followed the table. Harry struggled to eat to make his new Mum happy, but he was surprised about painful it actually was. Must have ruined it again.

"Mum," said Ginny nervously. "I heard you two talking last night. Please don't send Harry away."

His heart raced. Both parents were stern and glowered across the table. "Ginny", her father said stiffly. "it has not been decided, but yes it was considered."

"But why?" asked Ron.

"All of you know why. Don't pester it any longer."

Ron's ears turned pink and he silently stabbed his eggs.

The disturbance made Harry feel embarrassed. This whole argument was over him, once again. It angered him.

The week went by and finally it was time to go to London with Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was fretting as she fervently gave them both a lecture.

"Bring your wands, do you hear me? Remember your spells and don't leave one another. Inform us when you get there, all right? I don't want to worry all day."

"Mum, we can't bring an owl into London," said Ron.

"Oh, right. Harry, come here so I can change your bandage. It is getting slightly red."

Harry removed himself from the couch and stood by her, trying to avoid the anxiety of having Ron see the wound that Lucius had made across his throat. The woman cut it and took it off in a swift motion and bent down to take a blue bottle from a cupboard.

"This will speed up the healing and prevent it from giving you a scar. I don't think you want another one for people to look at."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, not really."

She rubbed the liquid on, and it took every will not to scream at the unpredicted pain that shot up his neck.

"Almost got it, dear." Mrs. Weasley wrapped another clean bandage and fastened it with a spell from her wand.

A knock rapped at the door and caused her to leap in fright. "She's here!" She flew open the door and Hermione stood in the doorway in muggle clothing.

"Good," she said. "You're dressed okay, Ron. You should untuck your shirt though. Boys will think you're weird." (I know in the movies they are always in regular clothes outside of school, but in the books they seem not to be when Mr. Weasley asked Harry if he looked okay at the World Cup book 4.)

"But it's blue and says Gap. Isn't that the weirdest word ever anyway?"

She sighed. "That's the name of the company that makes it, Ron."

"Oh."

Harry came up from behind with Mrs. Weasley still checking his neck. "Are you sure it will be fine? I know you can talk more but it is still too tender."

"It's okay. I'll be fine."

"Well, come on then," Hermione interrupted. "My parents are in the car waiting."

They said their good-byes and got into the backseat of the white automobile parked near the fence. Her parents nervously backed out of the front yard and pulled into the clearing.

"How did you guys find us?" asked Ron as he fastened his belt. Harry was having trouble finding his.

"Well," she smiled. "I had to use some magic, of course. Now that we are out of school it is so much better to be able to use this without getting into trouble." Hermione held her wand proudly in her hands.

"Awesome," he replied. "Harry and I haven't done much yet since he can't talk that much."

"Harry, you're sitting on the buckle."

He looked at her in confusion and stood up. Noticing it, Harry smiled sheepishly and pulled it from underneath him.

"Dolt," Ron chuckled.

At that moment, Mrs. Granger glanced at his neck. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Uh..accident at school, Mum. No problem, he just can't talk that much."

"Oh, all right."

When she faced the front and turned up the radio, Ron whispered in Hermone's ear, "You didn't tell her?"

She shook her head. "I can't. If they knew how terrible everything was I wouldn't be able to bear it."

Harry caught her eye but quickly glanced out the window. He didn't want her to see the images that danced across his eyes.

Finally they reached London. The bridge could be seen over the water and Big Ben stood stiff among the others. Ron became excited. He had walked in the city, but he never explored it. All they ever did was go straight to the Leaky Cauldron.

The car pulled up onto the streets and stopped at a curb near a library.

"See you three at five," Mr. Granger said. "Don't be late."

"Okay, Dad. See you then."

The two drove off and disappeared.

First, the three of them walked down the crowded sidewalk and visited the shops. Ron couldn't contain his excitement and dragged Harry and Hermione everywhere.

Two hours later they stopped to eat at a small café underneath the umbrellas to talk about the Wizarding world.

"What do you think about what Dumbledore said with the Death Eaters?" asked Hermione in a whisper. " He said they were living among the muggles to avoid the Ministry."

Ron answered, "I don't know. I mean, You-Know-Who is dead now. I don't understand why they would keep doing everything if they were scared to death by the mere thought of him."

"But the purpose of Voldemort's life wasn't carried out."

"What do you mean?"

"Voldemort had to show the world how powerful he was. When he failed to kill Harry, it ruined his reputation and continued to do so every time. Then his other purpose was to get rid of the last Potter alive. That failed too. Death Eaters were trained to be loyal."

There was a silence until Harry pulled out his notebook and a pen. He wrote, "I think it is possible that what Dumbledore is true. The Ministry is being unusually busy and has been working longer hours. I believe that everyone was right when they said that we should be careful here. Especially with me being with you."

"It's not your fault, Harry, but I do agree," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Ron nodded. He looked around as if expecting something odd to happen or for someone to ambush them while they were chewing on a chip (British French Fry).

Later that day the three of them walked quickly to the park where a fountain profused water in the middle, and vibrant flowers aligned the pathway. A bridge was in the back crossing the pond where the tree's leaves slapped the wood. Hermione seemed to think this was romantic and grabbed Harry's arm.

"I think Ron is having fun, " she said with a huge smile on her face. Harry smirked. Ron was skipping ahead chasing geese and pigeons while screaming a war cry.

Hermione sensed Harry's discomfort and turned to view the expression on his face. She saddened immediately.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

Harry did not respond at all. His eyes were fixed into a depressed glare as if he was thinking back to old times that no longer existed.

"You're thinking about the fight with Voldemort. You always do, I can tell."

Still he made no recognition.

Hermione glowered at him and stopped him in his tracks. "Why must you do this, Harry? Everyday! You, of all people, should realize that it was a struggle that ended in good."

"What good?" he whispered. "The only good that came out of it was Voldemort's death. What else was good? Snape died trying to save me, and the lives of the student's were in danger. As I was fighting, mostly when I thought I was going to die, I wondered what it was all for. Not just that night, but my whole life. If my destiny was only for that night what is the rest for? If my existence ruined so many other's why did I have to be the one that had to live? Cedric was innocent and I wasn't. I deserved to be dead just as much as Voldemort deserved to be."

A hot, stinging, feeling struck the side of Harry's face that left him stunned. Hermione stood before him with shinning tears circling her eyes with her hand in the air. He silenced himself at once.

"Keep those disgusting comments to yourself." She pushed Harry away and quickly stepped toward the pond where Ron sat near the water. Harry struggled to call to her. Nothing but a painful moan escaped his throat.

Hermione screwed her face tightly at the sound of Harry's voice, but she ignored him just the same. Ron gave her a questionable glance at the look on her face and turned to see his friend stand miserably behind them.

"Come and sit, Harry," he said. "We've done everything today, so sit awhile." He didn't answer.

Hermione turned. "Harry?"

They saw his face stare curiously into the sky ahead of them. He pointed and Hermione gasped. "An owl."

Ron squinted toward the sky and saw a brown speck coming in their direction. "Why an owl in London? Do you think the Death Eaters are sending messages?"

"No," Hermione whispered. "It's too dangerous for that. It looks like it's for us, perhaps."

Harry lifted up his arm as the owl came through the trees. When it rested on him, Harry took the parchment from the owl's leg. At once the bird took off without a sound.

"Read it!" Ron cried.

Hermione took the letter from Harry's hands and glanced at it. "It's from Lupin.

Harry,

Get yourself out of London as fast as you can. If not possible, hide in the Leaky Cauldron at once. Mundugus has news that the Death Eaters know that you are there and are in the streets. I don't know when this will reach you, but you must act quickly.

Lupin

"Let's go. The Leaky Cauldron is best."

"But, Hermione, that's on the other side of the city."

"Ron, don't argue."

The three of them left the park in a hurry and tried to blend in among the people. They didn't believe that the Death Eaters would be stupid enough to risk any magic seen by the muggles. Hermione made a point that it would be easy to spot them by the manner in which they attempted the "muggle look". Harry knew to look for Lucius' ridiculously long blonde hair. He flattened his bangs nervously to cover his scar. It seemed that every person was an enemy.

Then Harry saw one man in particular. He looked so familiar…Where had he seen him before? The dream.

"Rookwood!" Harry gasped.

As if the man had heard him, their eyes met.

"Run!" Harry shouted.

Hermione saw what was happening and grabbed Ron by the arm. "Let's go!"

They ran quickly past angry shoppers as the shouts of men followed them in pursuit. Before they could round the corner the floral building to their right exploded from a blue blaze of a spell. The windows were shattered and pieces of the building's interior flew in all directions. The city erupted in screams when the fire swelled up into the sky. People near the building were thrown from the force, including Ron Hermione and Harry.

Harry was pulled off his feet and landed several yards away in the street. He had no idea where his friends were through the smoke. He lay breathing heavily and coughing in his shock. A car in the other lane screeched to a stop and the driver opened the door in fear.

"Are you all right?" the woman shrieked. "You're bleeding, here."

A handkerchief was placed against his head where he just realized warm blood was running down.

"What happened?"

He whispered that he didn't know. She saw the bandage on his neck and didn't question as to why he couldn't speak.

"I need to find my friends." Before she could say more he took off. People were screaming and watching the blaze burn. His stomach tightened at the thought of the people inside when it happened. The Death Eaters were nowhere in sight, and neither were Ron or Hermione. More building were destroyed around him. Harry clutched the cloth to his head and ran along with the frightened people.

A man stumbled out of an alleyway and crashed at Harry's feet.

"I can't do it, I can—" The man with thinning hair trembled and muttered to himself in his delirium. He looked up at Harry. "Potter, I didn't do it, can you condemn an innocent man?"

Harry snarled and kicked him onto his back. "Peter, get away, you traitor!"

He giggled annoyingly and nervously rubbed his fingers together. "Lucius is waiting for you here. Pity you will not be able to scream for help with that wound of yours."

"Why are you attacking here in view of the Muggles? They have done nothing and yet you destroy them just the same."

"Why else, Potter? Because of you."

A familiar stab of guilt hit Harry's chest and made him tense. Pettigrew noticed this and giggled louder while remaining in a fetal position. Harry took out his wand.

"I'm not playing anymore. Your master is dead and the aurors are searching for all of you. Why do you not stop these acts of murder?"

For the first time the fear was once again visible in Peter's eyes. "Because we were told to. But, I did nothing, Potter I admitted it. Now I must flee."

With a loud pop Pettigrew disappeared, and Harry stood standing alone with rubble still falling around him.

"HARRY!"

He spun around and saw Ron and Hermione coming out from behind a building with Lupin's letter still clutched in her hands.

"Oh, Harry," she cried. "We thought we lost you!"

"Yeah, mate, where did you go?"

"Pettigrew was here. He just Disappearated."

Hermione dried her tears and gasped. "What did he say?"

Harry winced as the pain was beginning to burn. "That he didn't do any of this and now he would be in trouble. The Death Eaters were here under someone else's orders."

"But who?" asked Ron. "Do you think Lucius?"

"Who knows. What we have to do now is to reach the Leaky Cauldron."

No one got the chance to respond. A cloaked figure jumped out of the darkness and struck Harry to the ground. Hermione screamed loudly. Harry felt something sharp pressed to the back of his neck, and saw the man enforce ropes around his friends.

"So, Potter, we finally found you. How dimwitted can you be to be walking so freely when we are creeping about?"

"Stop it!"

Harry recognized the voice as Rookwood's from him quivering at Voldemort's feet in the dream. "I can't do that, girl. Not where I have him where I want him."

Fortunately, it did not happen as he had planned. Out of the sky came hooded men Appearating next to them. Harry ducked as a spell whooshed over his head and struck Rookwood off of him.

"Are you all right, Potter?"

He glanced up and saw Bill Weasley kneeling at his side. "Yeah, just peachy, Bill."

"Good. We should get back to the Ministry and get this sorted out. Can't wait to see the look on Mum's face."

Ron groaned. "She doesn't have to know, does she?"

"You'd be lucky if she didn't know right now."

"Perfect."

In forty minutes time Hermione's parents were informed and Ron's were on their way. Ron wasn't looking happy.

"Man, now Mum's really going to send you back, Harry."

He nodded miserably and rubbed his head where the wound had been earlier. A healer had been summoned at their return.

They were distracted by a loud screech.

"I knew it! Did I not say you should all stay home? Foolish, the lot of you!" Mrs. Weasley stormed in with her husband clutching the cap that lay lopsided on his head trying to catch up.

"But, Mum!"

"Don't 'but Mum' me."

From far off they heard a man holler, "Six Muggle buildings destroyed, one hundred ninety-six injured, seventy-three dead! Find those Death Eaters or else!"

Bill popped his head into the room where the voice came from. "Sir, can they leave?"

"Go ahead," he snapped. "I'm busy, I can't babysit!"

A month passed and the Death Eater's attacks continued. What scared Harry the most were places that he had been before. The Dursley's were ransacked. They were not present at the time and figured it was a burglar, although nothing was stolen. Hogwarts was attacked as well. Since most of the inhabitants were teachers, they were able to sneak in and plunder many of the passages in search of Harry. Only one was caught besides Rookwood from London. Goyle.

One day, however, it happened. Hermione was over at the Burrow with Ginny in the kitchen while Harry and Ron were playing a Exploding snap at the table. A loud bang bear at the door and a voice cried, "give us Potter!"

Harry, frozen in fear, could not move, but Mrs. Weasley took action. She grabbed him by the arm and shoved him toward a closet.

"Get into the back! There is a small trap door that you can fit into."

Harry almost obeyed, but something that Pettigrew had said made him stop. "Why else, Potter? Because of you."

"No," he whispered.

"What? Harry, they will kill you, dear!"

" Let them have me. If I hide they will hurt you."

He could never forget the look on her face. It was a blend of shock and hurt that was on the verge of being anger. Mrs. Weasley said nothing as she grabbed his shoulders and shoved him down to the closet floor. With a slam of the door Harry was left in the darkness. He heard the girls panic and shift the chairs against the wood. Seeing Mrs. Weasley's face in his mind, Harry scrambled to the trap door and pried it open. It was indeed small. He had to tuck his legs up to his chin to fit comfortably.

Another bang made him flinch. Ginny screamed and Harry could hear the voices of men shouting at them.

"Where is Potter, we know that he is here."

"Yes, but after the attack in London we had him leave!" Mr. Weasley shouted back. "He is not here."

"Liars!" The man seemed to have knocked the table over after a loud thud hit the wall near Harry. The hate was starting the boil in his veins.

"I can smell the lies you are telling us. Potter is here and I will find him, even if I have to tear this house down to the ground!"

"Please!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "He's gone. Dumbledore took him away!"

There was a silence and Harry hoped that the Death Eater was contemplating on leaving. Unfortunately, he was doing the opposite. Harry heard scratching outside the closet and someone scraping along the inside. Holding his breath he prayed that he would not be found. Sure, he was keen on giving up beforehand, but if the Death Eaters found him now, the Weasley's would be killed for sure.

"Nott!" the same man shouted. "There's nothing here. Crabbe checked upstairs, let's go."

"Yes, sir!" came the voice in the closet.

Moments later house became silent and nothing stirred until Harry heard movement in the closet again.

"Harry, come on out. They're gone now." Ron helped him open the door and pull him out, but stood away from his as his mother came towering over him.

"Harry, what were you thinking? Do you honestly think that we would hand you over like that to save our own necks? It's ridiculous, and I am ashamed that you would think that at all!"

Harry hung his head in remorse but didn't reply. Hermione spoke, "Why would you want to go with them anyway?"

He couldn't make them understand. What was the point of trying to explain? But they wanted answers.

"Because—," he stopped a moment to straighten himself to look them in the eye. "Because my purpose is over with. Why must I threaten your lives like I had with the others if it is not necessary anymore?"

Ginny shocked him by responding. "I know it seemed like you were an object of importance before, Harry, but now you can be a person. You can have a life and be loved, not hunted and only known as the-boy-who-lived. When those Death Eaters are caught, imagine the possibilities for you."

"Yeah, mate," replied Ron warily. "You're not an object without feelings like you were made to feel before."

Harry did not respond to him directly, but looked at the mess left by the Death Eaters. "Sorry about all this."

Arthur laughed. "Aw, come on, Harry, what did they do? Kill our furniture?"

Harry forced a laugh. The table had a broken leg from being tossed against the wall. They just killed the furniture.

Years later Harry was now nineteen attending classes for the Auror profession. Mrs. Weasley was frightened at the thought, but he was an adult now and could make his own decisions. Ron was glad that her attention was on him because it let him act more freely. Harry wasn't amused. Three years in training gave him his license and focused on his work immediately. Twenty-three of the Thirty Death Eaters were caught, and he was determined to find the rest. Hermione was the first to notice his obsession, but Harry was Harry. He had a place of his own, a two bedroom house in the middle of nowhere. The spare bedroom was his office where he kept records of wanted witches and wizards. Every time he checked the files he glared at the photograph of Lucius Malfoy, who was still hiding. Hermione visited almost every weekend since she lived nearby. They would talk quietly of the past, but never the future, because it always came to Lucius, which Hermione tried hard to avoid.

"I know your job is dangerous, Harry, but never do something you know that you can't."

That day came, however. Of course. Harry was sitting at the table doing his work while Hermione was washing the dishes from lunch. Because he was absorbed in his work, the house was silent, but she broke it after she was starting to finish.

"Harry, maybe you should rest. You've been up all night doing that."

"Can't," he mumbled over his papers. "They expect this to be done tonight."

Hermione sighed and scrubbed furiously on an already clean plate. She stopped when a gray owl came soaring through the window and rested on Harry's books. She watched as he unrolled it and began reading. Suddenly, he stood up and ran across the room to retrieve his cloak.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"It's the Ministry. They found Lucius." He went behind her and grabbed his wand from the table.

"Harry, please, don't go! Save it for someone else."

He froze and glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

"Don't go."

"Hermione, this is my job, okay? I need to do my job to get money, and I need to get money to support myself, all right? It hasn't changed since the last time I checked."

"Don't be a wise ass, Harry," she retorted. "Don't go."

I'm supposed to do this. Lucius has been wanted for years and I might be able to turn him in."

"No, you want revenge. He almost killed you that night, remember?"

"Yes it is, and it is a risk I am willing to make." He was getting annoyed. How many years had he been enduring the "remember That Night" talks with everyone? "I have to do it, all right?" Harry went to the table and began piling his books together unconsciously.

"You told me that we could finally be something, Harry. I knew that if you became an Auror it would ruin it. You told me not to worry. Now look at you, totally obsessed with the pictures in your files."

"I do care for you, Mione."

He hadn't called her that in a long time. Her voice cracked. "Then prove it. That's something you're good at, right?"

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to do something."

"Oh, right, and I am the sacrifice? If we ever do have a life together this will not happen. If we have children this will definitely not happen. You can't just leave and risk never coming back. Maybe we should just not be together."

Harry gave her a pained expression. "I can't quit my job, Hermione. I worked too hard to stop now."

She glowered at him. "So it's over, just like that?"

Harry said nothing.

"Fine, I'm leaving, and you can go be the hero again. Just remember, we won't be there for you."

"No," he replied softly. "You're not leaving, because you have to understand something. I am not doing this because I want people to know me as a hero. I need the purpose back in my life from before. Without it, I feel lost and not in control. I need to feel danger and fear. I need to feel pain. Doing this without you does sadden me, but then I know that you cannot be harmed anymore. I need to get rid of the people who caused the pain for me to realize that I am doing something for myself now. Can't you understand, Mione?"

"Oh, Harry," she exclaimed through tears. "Why do you need something like that?" She ran into his arms and embraced his body that endured far more than anyone she knew. "Please, Harry, just this time. Don't go."

He sighed heavily. She felt his breath waver and heard his heart steadily beat inside his chest. Why did it mean so much then?

"Fine, Hermione. I'll stay."

It wasn't until a week later that they heard news about that night. Another Auror who Harry knew well took the job of going after Lucius Malfoy. Harry was reading about it in the Daily Prophet as Hermione poured him orange juice.

"Damn!"

Hermione started and caught her breath. "what is it?"

"It's Albert," he replied.

"Didn't he take your place?"

"Yes," retorted angrily. "Read this."

Hermione took the paper from his shaking hands and read it quickly. "Lucius escaped him."

"And Albert died in the struggle. Stab wound to the head. The head!"

"You knew him?"

"Sure. He taught me how to be an Auror. Three kids lost their father now. Damn Malfoy."

Hermione closed her eyes and held them shut. "That could have been you, Harry."

He was too enraged to care. "If I ever get my hands on him…"

"Quiet, you don't know what you are saying."

About a month later Harry was sorting through his reports late at night. He had taken three weeks for searching and investigating to discover where the other Death Eaters had been hiding. He had been close, but more questions arose in each solution. He lit a lantern near him on the cluttered table in his office bedroom for concentration. Hermione was their, of course, because she had greeted him earlier after his long absence. She was dozing on the couch in the living room across the bedroom. Harry figured that Peter Pettigrew was indeed alive, and most likely in his animagus form. To find a rat would be simple, but one with a missing toe was much more complicated. Peter was second from Lucius in Harry's hit list. He had betrayed his parents and caused a domino result afterwards. Thinking of Sirius made him tense. Harry worked earnestly for another hour and took out files where sightings of missing criminals were documented. He had spoken with a Muggle near London who had said that he saw a rat that fit his description in a pet shop. Harry got the address and left immediately. However, the shop owner informed him that an employee had left the cover open, and six rats, including Peter, had disappeared. He had a brief conversation with a snake, but he had only witnessed the lot scurrying across the floor.

"Why would Peter move from one place to another if he was safe from other wizards as an Animagus?" he asked himself.

Then it clicked. Harry's head snapped up from the mountain of papers and stared at the photographs. A small smile twisted on his face as he darted out of his office and scrambled over to the kitchen for one of his books.

Hermione had waken up at the noise and asked what was wrong.

"I think I figured it out!" he replied excitedly as he flipped through the pages.

"Figured what out?"

Harry looked up while still searching. "I think I found out where Peter is. It's so simple I don't know why I didn't figure it out earlier."

"Pettigrew? We haven't heard from him since that day in London."

"I know. See, the book says here, If any witch or wizard who is an Animagus, can keep their form if desired. The process is long and difficult and may only be used in the presence of Ministry officials to be declared legal. Rodents and types of birds are more effective than any other."

"You see?" Harry said as he slapped the book shut. "That's what Peter is after. If he can stay as a rat forever, he can escape Aurors and live among other rodents. I just have to get to him before he can do it."

"But how did he live with Ron's family so long if he couldn't stay like a rat the whole time?"

"He couldn't. At night he would have to change back for a certain amount of time, and it would explain why some of the time he disappeared."

Hermione smiled at his effort, but regret and a flare of resistance sparked from her eyes. Harry noticed this and sighed.

"Hermione, you know that I have to do this for me and my job. I have to do this to avenge my parents, and he was the cause of our trouble with Voldemort."

Hermione fought the tears that threatened to leak out of her eyes. "You're obsessed."

"Please," he replied. "It means a lot to me."

She looked at him defiantly but she was bombarded with the puppy eyes and smiled warmly. " Fine. I guess it's okay."

"Thank you so much!" He picked her up and spun her around.

"Harry, stop!" she laughed.

He set her down and reached for his cloak on the couch and put his wand in the pocket.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No, it just gives the bastard more time."

He put the cloak on and turned to face her. "I'll be back, I promise.'

The cold airy night was silent and a suspenseful as Harry trudged on. He had Appearated there minutes before, and was miles away from Hermione. He thought idly on her face that kept him going and kept reiterating "I will come back" over and over. It would have been a shame to break a promise and be one of the few Aurors who actually died on their first mission. Occasionally an owl would hoot loudly or a cry of some animal echoed in every direction that made him edgy. He gripped his wand and cautiously stepped on the damp ground, trying not to crunch on leaves or sticks. The palpitation of his heart made his breath quiver, but why was he so nervous. Was he excited? This would be the end of Wormtail if he succeeded. That would give him the respite he needed for a time before he set his sights on Lucius.

A sudden movement made Harry freeze. A short, balding man stumbled into the trees and breathed raspily as if he had been fleeing from someone other than Harry. As he studied him better, he realized that he was looking at Peter Pettigrew himself. He seemed to have either aged rapidly, or had been under extreme duress because his silver hair shone in the moonlight, and a slight limp was developed. Harry figured that it wouldn't be too difficult to catch him, but Albert taught him to never judge an opponent at first sight.

Slowly, Harry proceeded in Peter's footsteps. He kept a fierce glare at him in surveillance, then made sure he was hidden well enough. Should he attack unnoticed or should he reveal himself so Peter could defend himself with dignity? Harry couldn't make up his mind, but learning from more experienced Aurors, he knew that revealing oneself was more beneficial. However, he decided not to. Harry sprinted behind the swaggering man and tackled him to the ground like a Rugby offense player, and Peter let out a shriek that echoed loudly in the forest. (If anyone saw Napoleon Dynamite, just think about how Uncle Rico screamed when the orange hit his windshield). Harry held his face roughly into the dirt and fished through the man's robe to rid him of his wand.

"Remember me, Wormtail? Or do I need to refresh your memory?"

Peter flinched at the sound of his nickname, but turned to get a better glimpse at whoever held him down. At once he panicked.

"Let go! Leave a poor man alone!"

"I'm going to avenge my parents tonight by handing you over to justice. That one night ruined the rest of my life and the ones that were lost because of it."

"Please!" he begged. "My master was going to kill me if I did not do what he asked of me. I had no choice."

"Your miserable life would have been better if you had been killed. Voldemort despised you no matter what you did for him. "

"Don't say his name, I beg you. You don't understand."

Harry hit him on the back of the head and shoved him closer to the ground. "Why can't you say it? He is dead and gone. You and your friends are still going around torturing Muggles and what for? It is over and done with. Now, why?"

"Master promised me power."

Harry laughed. "And look at you now. Your master is dead, and these Death Eaters are being collected like Wizard cards by people like me who look for people like you. I am searching for another that I owe dearly to. Do you by chance know where he is?"

"I haven't seen Lucius since the attack in London. He left us all and rumors say that he is organizing an army of dark wizards to overthrow the Ministry."

Harry became interested. "How far has he come?"

"Dunno. Last I knew he had over two hundred men and a few women."

"And he thinks that is enough to do it?"

"How would I know? And I don't care, anyway. Don't care for much anymore."

Harry thought it over carefully. It seemed to fit speculations that the Ministry had collected. There were reports of people missing from their homes, obviously by force, and Death Eaters who had been captured admitted to a story similar to what he was hearing.

"Why didn't he just round up the other slaves of Voldemort?"

"Because he didn't trust them. Lucius thought that we were no longer loyal and trustworthy after our master was gone. He was right."

Harry let go of Peter and stood up, staring at the shaking form on the ground. "I've come to take you in Wormtail. Make it easy on yourself and cooperate,"

"You're an Auror, aren't you, Potter?" Peter muttered angrily.

"Yes, and I have you to thank for that."

He fixed himself into a ball and whined, "I'm not going."

"Yes you are. I'll make sure that you feel the effects of what you have done. Unless it already haunts you today."

Peter laughed and Harry was confused. "Oh, Potter, you'll never kill me or let anyone else do so. Remember the night in the Shrieking Shack?"

Anger flared in Harry's eyes as he retorted, "I have no explanation as to why I protected you then, but I should have allowed them to murder you. Don't think that I won't make the same mistake twice."

Wormtail whimpered as he was forced to stand and watched as Harry pointed his wand at him. Turning into a rat was useless.

"Now I'm going to take you to the Ministry to let them do what they please with you."

Harry reached into his cloak for the portkey when Wormtail suddenly wrestled free from his grip. He lunged for his arm, but Harry felt a searing pain rip across the side of his body. He cried out and held his hand to where it hurt and saw blood drip down onto his arm. Looking up, Harry saw a flash of silver in Peter's hand. A knife. Harry ran full speed in the direction Peter was fleeing and ignored the throbbing that made his breathing short. Leaping, he landed on top of him and kicked the weapon free from his grasp.

"NO!" he cried wildly as he fought to reach it.

"Stupifey!"

A jet of red light fell upon Peter, and he finally lay still. Gasping, Harry struggled to bend down and took them both away by portkey.

Hermione was laying lazily on the couch when she heard the door creak open. Her head snapped up and she saw Harry enter the house wearily.

"Harry! I was so worried, are you all right?"

"Yes," he answered tiredly. "Got him. He's at the Ministry now, they can do whatever with him." He didn't bother to tell her about the six-inch scar on his side.

"Get to bed, Harry. I'll clean up here."

He mumbled a reply and slowly walked over to his dark, empty bedroom. Hermione watched him and shook her head.

Before leaving she made sure that all of his clothes were in his hamper. Creeping cautiously, Hermione snuck into his room and picked up all the clothes that he senselessly threw all over the place. Typical Harry. When she looked to see if he had waken, she saw the pale sliver of a scar running down his side, and she knew he never had that before.

"Harry, why didn't you tell me?" Hermione stroked it gently and saw that he didn't even stir. She sighed. "Good night."

It was later in the week when Harry had received an owl from Ginny inviting him to her new house that her fiancé had bought her. They both lived in it, but he was rarely home due to work. Harry sighed heavily and wrote back saying that he would come. Apparently she had invited the family as well. Hermione said that she was going, and that's all Harry needed to go. He didn't understand why he felt so far apart from everybody now. Maybe he was too involved with his job to notice.

Arriving by floo powder, Harry tumbled into Ginny's parlor and lay miserably on the floor until she came in shortly after at the sound of the noise.

"Oh, there you are, Harry. Everyone's already here."

"Sorry," he replied as she helped him up. "Lost track of time."

"That's fine. Mum was looking forward to seeing you and wouldn't be quiet."

Harry followed her through the kitchen and into the backyard where everyone was gathered. He couldn't believe how many people were there. Even Dumbledore stood calmly with a smile on his face next to Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum! He's here."

Mrs. Weasley stopped her chatting immediately and whipped her head around at the two of them. "Harry dear! Come here and say hello."

Harry walked down the stone steps and fell into her enormous bear hug and nodded at Dumbledore. "How have you been?"

"Better if you would drop a note now and then," the woman said haughtily. "We still exist, you know?"

Harry smirked and nodded. "Sorry, I've just been busy."

"Heard about Peter, Harry, "Dumbledore noted. "Well done."

"I feel more relaxed knowing I don't have to worry about him anymore. I just can't seem to get off of Lucius."

"So I've heard," said Mrs. Weasley. "Hermione is worried about you in case you had no idea. Says you're too obsessed. Why don't you just relax now? Your war ended That Night."

Harry sighed and didn't look her in the eye. Why were they always pestering him about this? "Everything isn't the way it used to be yet."

"Dear, it never will be. Seeing you full of rancor like this will only make you think that the Death Eaters are dangerous."

Harry was about to open his mouth when Ron called from across the yard, "Oy, Harry! Come over here!"

Dumbledore glanced meaningly at him. Like he knew about Lucius and the Death Eaters as he did. "Go, Harry. Ron hasn't seen you in awhile."

Hermione came forward and grabbed his arm. "Come."

"I'm coming, geez."

Ron wrapped an arm around his shoulder with a tight squeeze and pushed a drink into his hand. "Here, mate, enjoy yourself for once. You look like you ran across a blast-ended screwt."

Harry laughed. "And I feel like it."

Hermione came forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek and ruffled his hair. "Did you even brush it today?"

"No. I woke up only and hour ago. You know me."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat on an empty chair. "Exactly. How late?"

"Three."

Ron shook his head pitifully. "You know mate, they should really cut you a break. Just because you're Harry Potter doesn't mean you can do everything."

Harry sighed. "What else would I be doing? It keeps me busy."

Ron gave him a look that he didn't like and quickly took a drink of whatever the contents of the glass was. He was feeling uncomfortable with his own friends, and suddenly he found himself thrust back into the past that he tried hard to avoid in his work. Would their friendship be tested again?

"Harry," said Ron softly in his own nostalgia, "It isn't helping you at all."

Hermione looked at the two of them and put her head against her hand. Why was it still a touchy subject?

"Ron's right, Harry," Ginny said. "You need to let go. Do something healthy that will make you happy."

"Is this why you made me come over?" he snapped. "I don't need your help, I'm fine. My business is my own, and my job gives me a reason to go on. I'm trying to sort it all out." Harry glared down at Hermione. "What else did you tell them?"

"Don't blame me!" she retorted. "Harry, you don't know what you need."

Harry put the glass on the table and straightened his jacket. "I need to leave, that's what I need."

"See what we mean? You're running away from everything."

"Ron, shut it."

He didn't mean to be so cold to them, but his mood couldn't be helped. Harry didn't understand it himself, but ever since he woke up sore and half-dead in the hospital wing years ago he knew that he had nothing else. The prophecy was over and done with, and now he was supposed to be a human being, not a weapon.

Harry walked into Ginny's house and stood there a moment, looking at everything that held essence of his friend. His friend. Harry felt the tears begin to swell and a lump bulge in his throat at the thought of his guilt. How selfish could he get? Everything was always about Lucius and work, not the people who cared for him. He found himself wondering if Ginny had died That Night, and here she was, alive, and he was standing in her house. She was alive. Was it because of him, or just chance?

Harry rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Snap out of it, you arse."

With that he left with the sound of heavy feet on wood, and the slam of a door. He was walking home.

Harry ignored the owls that were sent by his friends for the next week. For the time being he wanted to be left alone with his work and his own misery. Twice he fell asleep to the buzz of liquor and woke up in a hangover that made him despise himself more than before. They were right about him, and nothing angered him more than the thought of it.

A knock late one night drove Harry out of his stupor. He was staring miserably at the wall as he lay on the couch. The knocks became more persistent and a faint voice could be heard through his grogginess. With a sigh that sounded more like a growl he forced himself to get up and answer whoever was beating down his door. Unfortunately he stubbed his toe on a ridiculously huge book and cursed. "Coming, hang on."

After he flung it open, he wished he never opened it. Hermione stood in front of him with a look of pure shock.

"Harry, what happened to you? You're so pale!"

"Haven't been feeling well."

"Obviously. Can I come in?"

Harry held his breath and silently let it go to relieve his distress. He tried not to think about his kitchen that looked like a bomb had demolished it.

"I guess. Come in."

Hermione gently placed her hand on his arm and followed him inside and closed the door quickly.

"What is it you came for?"

Hermione took off her woolen hat and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, just to see how you were holding out since you never replied to our letters. I told Ron that we just needed to give you some time to cool off. They wanted me to tell you that they were sorry about what was said last week. It's just that no one has any idea what goes on in your head. You have to open up."

Harry thought he would be angry, but only sadness weighed his heart down. "I know. I've been a real arse lately. I don't know why I'm acting this way, and I am sorry for hurting all of you."

Hermione let out a small laugh. "We all behave that way, Harry. It's not only you."

He didn't say anything in reply. The only thing he could do was nod.

Hermione glanced at his kitchen. "Shall I get to work, then?"

"Don't trouble yourself. I'll do it some other time. When I feel like it."

"When is that? Next week, perhaps?"

Harry gave her a weak smile. "Perhaps."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "We'll take care of it tonight."

Harry washed and she dried. It was very odd for Harry because Hermione seemed to be friendlier to him than she had been for the past few weeks. He stayed quiet most of the time in case she was playing some sort of game where he would fall into a trap. Auror life was making him paranoid.

They were halfway done around ten in the evening and the kitchen started looking livable. It had been awhile since either made a sound, and as usual, when in silence Harry's mind roamed. He heard Hermione hum behind him and it brought him back to the moment in the hospital wing. Weak and semi-conscious, he heard her voice humming softly above him as her fingers gently stroked his face. What if she had died and he had lived? He remembered all what they had done together, and how he saw Ron's face contorted in pain after suffering a broken leg. He saw Hermione fly backward unconscious in the Department of Mysteries. He saw Ginny lying pale on the damp floor of the Chamber of Secrets. Bellatrix's laughter rang in his ears while the image of Sirius fell among the darkness of the veil. And Cedric Diggory's dead eyes stared accusingly back at him. All because of him.

The plate in Harry's hand fell with a crash onto the floor. Hermione gasped and turned around to see him collapsed against the counter with his head buried in his hands.

"Harry! Harry, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She rushed to his side and held him in her arms as he broke down into violent sobs.

"Come sit down." She steered him to the nearest chair and set him down and rubbed his back. His face fell into the table.

"I keep seeing and hearing everything! It never leaves me."

"What do you keep seeing?"

"Everything. All of you in pain when we fight the dark arts, and I see Sirius and Cedric dying. Everyone who died I watch it happen again. I hear laughing and mocking from the Death Eaters. It doesn't stop unless I make myself busy. I need to work to kill everything off."

Hermione felt tears form around her eyes as she too thought back. "You're blaming yourself again. How many times do we have to tell you it wasn't your fault? I don't know what else to say to you about it. We can never truly know how you have felt these past years, Harry. You've dealt with so much."

Harry felt her lips kiss the back of his neck softly like flowers tickling him. He calmed himself gradually and pulled his head up to rub his hands on his face.

"I'm sorry," Harry said suddenly as he bolted up and back into the wall. "I never wanted you to see me like this."

"What weakness do you think this is? It's nothing to be ashamed of. You are human, Harry."

"Don't be acting like Dumbledore. I don't want to be human!" Harry shouted.

Hermione stared at him with pity. Deep pity that embarrassed him. Slowly she walked forward and he hung his head in shame. Why did she have to see?

Hermione pulled his chin up gently and gazed into his watery eyes. "If I could, Harry, I would have taken your place to rid you of your fears. I would have done anything."

"No you wouldn't, Mione." He replied weakly. "You don't want to know what I have known." Sadness erupted inside him once more, and he brought Hermione close to him in a kiss on her soft mouth. He held her in an embrace and cried silently, but almost instantly stopped and shoved her away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-."

"No, Harry. It was fine. I don't mind at all." Hermione fell back into place kissed his neck, smelling his comforting scent telling her he was still alive. He was safe. She felt his hands caress her back and the exhilarating feeling of love swarmed her body. Both collapsed onto the couch and she fell upon him, feeling his body under hers. She knew it wasn't right, but she loved him. Oh, how she loved him.

All Harry could do was let her come to him. With each passionate kiss she made he never wanted her to stop. For the first time in a long while, he felt affection given to him. He marveled at the emotion his body was enduring at that moment, and he realized he couldn't stop it. Damn hormones.

The next morning Harry awoke with Hermione's hair draped over his chest and her head on his shoulder (that was numb). For a moment he laid there stroking her and staring at the ceiling absentmindedly. He finally realized he was starving, so Harry gently slid out from under her and got dressed in his bedroom. He knew that the smell of breakfast would wake Hermione up, so he got to work making eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

Moments later, Hermione's head poked up from behind the couch, and she saw Harry's back to her facing the stove. Smiling, she quickly dressed and stepped beside him.

"Good morning!"

He grinned. "Morning. Hope you're hungry."

"Famished. Want me to help you at all, Harry?"

"You can start the pancakes."

"All right." She kissed him on the face, then went to do them. "Harry, have you had any nightmares lately?"

"No," he replied thoughtfully. "Well, not in awhile. It was mostly after what happened at school and maybe a year or so after. That had been the worst. Why?"

Hermione gave him a gentle glare and peeked into the trash. "Because there is a huge amount of empty alcoholic glasses in your trash."

"Oh, that," he replied nervously.

"So, what do you have to say about it?"

Harry shrugged and blurted out the answer, "So I was a little depressed, so what? It was only a couple nights."

"That better be it. And I don't want to see any bloody razors in your bathroom either."

"Hermione, I'm not that dumb." He turned and smiled at her. "Why would I do something that noticeable?"

She flashed him an angry look and made him laugh. "Harry, you better not be doing anything stupid."

"Hermione, please. Just because I drank myself drunk for two nights doesn't mean I'm going to kill myself or something." He dumped the eggs and bacon onto a plate and handed it to her. "That would be too easy."

She blinked her eyes quickly and sniffed her nose. "Well, Harry, you were pretty close to it when you were a teenager, so I wouldn't joke about it in front of me."

"Don't start it already. I just want to eat, for pete's sake."

Hermione hadn't been watching the pancakes well enough, so most were burned. Harry had a laugh at it just to make her furious, but was then forced to consume the remaining cakes in punishment.

"I don't mean to rush you so early, Hermione," he said after they had eaten. "But I have to get to the Ministry."

"Why couldn't you have a more rewarding job? Like I do."

Harry laughed. "Nah, I can't stand so many kids. How do you babysit them all day. There's thirty of them!"

"Eleven, Harry. Besides, Ginny comes on most days and helps out. Witches pay good money for me to raise their kids, you know?"

"And I get good money catching bad guys."

Hermione smiled and put her hat on. Opening the door she planted a kiss on his mouth. "Don't work to hard."

"You know me."

Playfully she glowered at him. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Harry waved and closed the door slowly. He thought about the night before and smiled slightly. How he loved her.

Hermione arrived home just as the first parent came to her residence. Ginny was welcoming them inside and called out to her. "Hey, where have you been? I had to use the spare key."

"Harry had a rough night."

Ginny's face filled with concern. "Is he all right?"

"Come inside, we'll talk." She smiled at the woman with the baby boy. "Hello, Mrs. Collins. How is Marcus doing today?"

"A bit colicy today. Just give him a bit of honey and he quiets some. I really thank you, Ms. Granger, but my grandson is just too much for my ill daughter."

"Perfectly fine."

When the old woman left Hermione held sleeping Marcus and led Ginny into the kitchen.

"What is wrong with Harry?" She whispered.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Depressed. When I came to his house last night he was so pale and sick looking, and his house was not in order. I found alcohol in the trash, and he said that it was nothing to worry about. Like getting drunk for two nights straight isn't a big deal."

"But why is he doing it? Is he having dreams again?"

"That's what I thought, but no. See, when we were cleaning the kitchen he suddenly collapsed against the counter and I practically had to lead him to a chair. He said that he keeps seeing images in his mind about the past and what happened That Night. I don't know what to do."

Ginny bit her lip. "He needs help, Hermione. Obviously he can't figure it out on his own."

Hermione shifted Marcus in her arms and sighed. "He wouldn't speak to us again if we did that."

"Are you that thick, Hermione? He could hurt himself real bad if he gets depressed enough. We all know that."

"I don't know about that, though. He's too determined to find Lucius."

Ginny appeared shocked. "He doesn't have to kill himself to cause harm. Did you look at his wrists for scars?"

"Just the ones from before, Gin."

The doorbell rang from the front of the house and Ginny moved to answer it. "Just get Harry help."

Harry, meanwhile, was working feverishly at his desk in the Auror department. There was a recent report of some disturbances in the Muggle world involving a culprit entering people's houses and bewitching everything inside. They then ditched the house and escaped before anything could be done about it. For a moment Harry smiled to himself at the thought of Fred and George going about causing chaos like before. But his smile vanished almost immediately when he remembered that it couldn't be them. They both had died on duty in the Order.

"Harry!" someone called.

He popped his head up and saw Ron striding in his direction with an expression of fury.

"Ron? Aren't you supposed to be in the Department of Foreign Magical Trade? (stupid title, I know)." He asked curiously.

Ron stopped in front of him and glared daggers. "Do you mind explaining what the hell is going on with you?"

Harry was confused. "What?"

"My sister told me something very interesting about you that she heard from Hermione."

Harry threw his quill down angrily. "Really?"

"Do you honestly think that drinking your life away will make you forget what you are feeling?"

"Could you be any louder, Ron?"

Harry was alarmed when he rushed forward and clutched both of his hands on the arms of his chair. "I can be as loud as I want! Now give me an answer."

Harry tried to ignore the staring eyes of the beady-eyed man across the hall and replied, "You know, Ron, I think I am old enough to be able to drink and know what I need."

"That's beside the point!"

Pushing Ron's hands off his seat he retorted, "Well, what do you want me to say to you?"

"Say the truth."

"I don't know why Hermione thinks it is her business to rat me out, but I assure you, Ron, that I'm fine. I don't need people worrying about me."

"You know, mate," he said quietly. "I never believed you when you said that before, and I don't now. I've always been right. We are not going to go through more of these damn arguments anymore. Would you open your eyes and see how all of us are feeling while you waste away in your hole?"

Harry sighed in exasperation. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Matter of fact, I do. Nice having another friendly chat with my best mate."

Harry felt the annoying bubble of guilt rise in his chest again as Ron left, and he wondered if it would ever go away. It never seemed to cease.

That night Harry returned from the Ministry late, as usual, and felt completely and derangely despondent. Every part of him felt dejected and heavy that he literally prostrated himself face first into his bed. Why was he hurting so much? All he wanted was Hermione in his arms. He wanted to feel her lips on his skin and her hand in his. Even though she disappointed him he needed her there.

There was that craving again. That lust for drink to blank out his mind and numb him completely. With enormous effort, Harry pushed himself off his bed and walked into the kitchen like a man on a mission. He kneeled near the cabinets and fished behind random objects until the smooth glass bottle reached his hand. Jack Daniels, his new best friend. Harry tore open the cap and took a swig that made his face screw up in disgust. He fell against the wall and breathed heavily while pondering on what he was going to do. He felt like jumping off a building.

Harry wallowed in more self-pity by drinking and flipping through the photo album that Hagrid gave him years ago, wishing that things could have been different. He wondered what his parents would say to him now if they saw him then. Disgusted, Harry swallowed the rest of the alcohol in the glass and staggered into his bedroom where he slept away his pain.

"Argh, crap" Harry grunted as he awoke to the worst hangover he ever had. He could barely open his eyes and it felt as if he were spinning, and it wasn't helping his stomach at all. He willed himself not to vomit all over his carpet.

"You never learn, do you?" said a voice.

Harry jolted in surprise. "What-? Hermione? What are you doing here, how did you get in?"

"Apparently you left the door unlocked. Lucky no one robbed and killed you."

"If they did I think I would be feeling better than I do now."

Hermione sat next him on the bed and huffed, "Well, who's fault is that? Unless you blame Mr. Daniels for it."

Harry rolled onto his back and put the pillow over his face. "Please don't lecture me. Why don't you go tattle on Ginny and Ron, you're good at that."

"I'm sorry for caring. Now what happened that made you like this?"

"Ron came into work yesterday and started lecturing me. I felt terrible for making everybody upset that I was so disgusted with myself. I remembered what happened to Fred and George-." He couldn't continue. His headache was torturing him and he was sick of his own bull.

"You can get better," she said sincerely.

"I think I just need you."

Harry couldn't believe he just said that. Maybe it was the buzz still in him, but he knew that he meant it.

Hermione laughed. "Okay, I'll marry you."

Did he ask?

And that was how it went. It was how he finally pulled himself together and focused on what lay before him. Ron seemed to think so as well. The day of the wedding the two were chatting alone about how life would be.

"I never thought this would ever happen, to tell you the truth."

"Why not?" Ron asked. "It's perfect."

"Well, with what we all have been through in school and my idiocy the past few years. I'm surprised I even made it this far."

"Ron was quiet and swished his drink around nervously. "Harry, you've got to answer me truthfully on this. Do you ever wish that you had died That Night?" Harry gazed around uncomfortably as he continued. "I mean, I lost my brothers. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my best mate."

"Ron," Harry replied softly. "There were many times, yes. I kept thinking about them, and how I would have died in their place because they were innocent. I can't stand living with the thought that it can never be done. It hurt to see all of you upset. Especially your mother, because I felt responsible. They had died right in front of me."

"Harry, there was nothing—."

"Times like now I wish that I didn't, because I have Hermione now. Maybe now I can make sense of everything by her."

Ron smiled. "Then it's a good start."

And Harry planned to make Hermione happy as possible. Since Harry had captured Wormtail, he received a decent amount of money to buy them both a respectable two-story house with wooden floors and polished mahogany furniture. The walls were painted dark red and the parlor had light yellow with white baseboards, where Hermione loved the most besides the small library. The parlor had soft Victorian rugs and small tables with vases. White curtains swayed in the breeze from the tall window that reached from the floor to the ceiling. She was pleased.

When Harry had to excuse himself for meetings, Hermione would give him a quick breakfast and kiss goodbye. Both were happy, and hardly argued (which was saying something), unless he was to come to work at absurd hours. Often in the early morning before the sun was even up.

"We should send letters to everybody every once in awhile," she said one evening at dinner. "Sometimes I think that we're not friends like we used to be anymore."

"You have the time," he joked.

"Very witty. Anyway, how has work been?"

Harry told her that another Death Eater had been caught. "It's going to take forever to do this. They aren't stupid, and neither are we since Fudge left office. I just wish they were all caught and taken care of."

"Well, you only have five more to go then."

"No, there's more than two hundred people under Luci-," Harry cut himself off abruptly. He forgot that she had no idea.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Nothing. I was just saying something that doesn't have anything to do with this."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. She wasn't fooled. "Something is going on, isn't there?" Harry watched her as she sipped her tea with pursed lips.

"Listen, Mione," he sighed. "The night I went after Wormtail he said that Lucius was gathering followers just like Voldemort. I'm not going to try to go after that many people alone, but for some, yes. He is just so hard to detect all of a sudden."

During this time Hermione had stopped eating and stared at him in disbelief. "But that can't be possible. The other Death Eaters said nothing."

"They never knew. He did this on his own because they were for Voldemort under duress. Draco could be a part of this."

"But didn't he send you that letter saying that he would help you find him? I mean, he revived you That Night, don't you remember? Why would he help you and then want to kill you?"

"He's still a git."

"People change, Harry."

"Not a Slytherin."

Three months later, Harry got disturbing news. He had just gotten out of a meeting with other Aurors about Lucius' progress. They weren't getting anywhere and they knew it. The lead Auror had suggested that someone be a spy. Harry volunteered, but the man opposed his offer.

"I can't let you do that. They will recognize you right away, and a disguise won't trick them. They want your head on a silver platter, Potter. You're not going anywhere, especially after just getting married."

"But sir," he objected. "Many Aurors have families. I don't see a difference there."

"I have my reasons, Potter, and I have just given them to you. If this plan cannot be put into action, then we must decide on another. I don't care what the Ministry says. I think we should let the enemies make the first move."

Heads snapped up in his direction, and a man with blond hair said, "Don't tell me you think that's going to work. Their first attack could be their blow into our defense. We will be taken over by hooded maniacs!"

If the man meant humor, no one laughed. In fact, they agreed.

"It will be their last attack, Simmons. We will be ready, and no matter what they have planned, it won't work. They plan long, but without care. They don't have a second one to back them up. Now all of you are dismissed. Let me know of any changes."

The man who had spoken to the lead Auror stopped Harry as he was almost out the door. "Hey, Potter!"

"Yes?"

"I was thinking to myself in there, if you would actually do that for us."

"What, spy?"

"Yeah, but you were shut down. I was wondering why you would want to be among people who want to kill you in the first place."

Harry thought for a second. "It's nothing new. I just want to get them all back. It's just hard when I have more to worry about."

"Yes," he said. "Aurors have a difficult life. Some say it is best to live alone. Anyway, my name's Greg Simmons. If you need anything, just ask me. It seems like our Ministry is getting crazier every year."

Harry entered his house and saw Hermione in the kitchen crying into a tissue. In her hands was a parchment with a short note written on it.

"Hermione," he asked worridly. "What happened?"

Dabbing her eyes, she shakily handed it to him. "Here, read this."

He didn't even read the whole thing. Once he saw those three words, he dropped the paper and fell into an embrace with his wife.

Albus Dumbledore was dead.

For a short time after Harry fell into another depression that he had been in before. Hermione, well prepared, was able to keep alcohol away from his possession, but was not able to support him emotionally. When he lay in bed with his back toward her, she snapped.

"Harry, we're not going to go through this again. Dumbledore helped you survive. You didn't survive just because you did. You didn't survive all through our seven years just because you did, and you're definitely not here just because you are. Things happen, and things adapt. You have to decide whether you survive life and it's problems now, or stop because you just did. Dumbledore wouldn't want this."

Harry heard her storm away, and he knew she was right. As usual. He began to put himself back in his obsession with the Malfoys. That and Hermione were all he fought for.

It was a cold January night when Harry sat in front of the fireplace drinking hot chocolate. Hermione came down the stairs, and when their eyes met, she flashed him a smile. He let her lay her head in his lap as she gazed into the fire.

"So are you sure that it is all right?"

"Of course. I mean, I don't know much about them, but I'll do my best."

She laughed. "You'll learn."

Harry nodded and thought about the day he found out. I was the week before as he was sorting in his books. Hermione asked to speak with him, and he followed her into the parlor some distance away where she gave the story. She was with child. Harry couldn't believe his ears. He stared at her in shock and didn't say a word.

"Are you upset?" she asked, appearing frightened.

A small grin crossed his face. "No, I'm happy. How far along?"

Hermione beamed. "To tell the truth, a month. I was so scared to tell you in case you weren't ready to hear it yet." She hugged him joyfully. "Isn't it strange how time flies. We used to be silly eleven year olds and now we are going to be parents."

Months flew by and Hermione's stomach grew. Harry told her to tell Mrs. Weasley herself since she was still angry at him for not visiting, work, and now having a baby to juggle with. It came as a surprise when he saw her flying into their house eager to embrace him.

"Oh, wonderful news! Just wonderful! What do you want the baby to be?"

Harry shrugged as Hermione answered. "A boy."

"Well, I hope your wish comes true, dear." She rounded on Harry and told him gravely. "You'd better be home long enough to take care of him!"

When it became late in the months Harry began to worry a lot about her. He asked if he could do anything for her or cook the meals so that she could get off her feet. Hermione always laughed and told him that the baby wasn't going to be born that day.

Finally, in October, it was ready to be. Harry, of course, was in another meeting at the Ministry. They were discussing what would happen if they did not succeed or if the Death Eaters would break apart before they attacked when it was disrupted. A woman excused herself and walked towards Harry. She whispered in his ear, and he quickly stood up and gathered his belongings. No one objected, but gave him cheery smiles as he left.

Harry was pacing back and forth anxiously when the Weasleys arrived at the hospital. He stopped to welcome them but then began to pace again.

"Relax, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley. "The both of them will be fine."

An hour later he was sitting on the bench next to Ron when a nurse walked up to them and asked who the father was. Harry bolted out of his seat and followed her into Hermione's room. She lead him inside and left after closing the door. Harry walked closer and saw a small bundle in her arms.

"You're a father, Harry!" she said wearily. "And we have a son."

He grinned at her and peeked at the baby. "What are you going to name him?"

"Well, I was thinking something nice. Maybe Samuel is good. I didn't want to do it without your opinion."

"Samuel is fine."

"You can give him his middle name if you want."

He smiled slightly in thought. "James?"

"James is lovely. Do you want to hold him?"

Harry nodded and gently took his child into his arms and smoothed his skin. "Little Samuel James Potter."

Harry brought his son out to show everyone. Mrs. Weasley cooed all over him and announced that he would grow to be a handsome young man. Ron played the role of an uncle and held Samuel for about ten minutes before he had to hand him back over.

"Your parents would have been proud, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said. "He's a beautiful baby, dear. Take him back to his mother."

A year later it was Harry and Hermione's second anniversary. Samuel was a little over a year old and had his mother's features, including her intelligence, it seemed. Harry went to London to buy Hermione's gift, and returned home to find Samuel sitting in front of the door playing with a toy wand.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a playful voice.

Samuel looked up at his father and giggled. Harry picked him up and set him on his hip.

"Where's Mummy?"

"Der," he answered, pointing to the kitchen. They went in and saw her busily preparing dinner.

"I'm home."

"Oh, finally. I was getting ready to owl you to ask where you were." Hermione said as she gave both of them a kiss. "Can you watch him now? I'm busy." She waved her wand and silverware flew across the room to the sink. Samuel clapped and giggled.

Harry took the boy to the parlor and tried to help him stand, but he held on to him in fear of being let go.

"It's all right. I have you."

Samuel whined and held onto Harry's fingers in his little tight fists as Harry walked backwards with him. He smiled as his son's chubby feet patted on the wooden floor, and his hoots of fear.

"I'm going to let go, Sam, okay?"

"Kay."

Harry released him and watched his body as it swayed. He bent his knees to avoid falling.

"Good, Samuel. Walk towards me now."

The boy had a smile now and wildly swung his arms to keep balance to reach his dad, who was holding his hands out for him. He fell into his arms and laughed.

"You did it!"

Samuel jumped for joy and called for his mother.

She came in with a look of panic. "What is it, Sammy?"

"I walk!"

Hermione stared at Harry to confirm this, and when he nodded she cried, "That's wonderful! Good boy. I'm going to make you something special for dinner."

Samuel smiled and began walking in the direction of the door, still hooting. Hermione sat down next to Harry in a chair. "Now we really have to watch him. He'll be in the cupboards before I know it."

"Come on," said Harry. "I'll help you with dinner."

When the meal was served, Harry set Samuel in his high chair and gave him bits of food on the tray, and sat across from Hermione. Dinner was quiet and uneventful until she asked what was going on with work.

"Oh, we found another Death Eater. Greg Simmons found him. You know him, don't you?"

"Yes, he came to the house one day looking for you."

"Oh, when I was at Ron's?"

"I think so. Did you two get what you were searching for?"

Harry shrugged. "More or less. Ron still doesn't know what he wants for his house."

Hermione smiled at Samuel next to her. "You did so well today. I'm going to give you some chocolate cake."

"Chocet cake!" he yelled happily.

So, after a long hour of dinner and "chocet cake," Samuel was sent to bed, and Harry and Hermione had the night for themselves.

"I'm so tired," he yawned. Harry sat on a chair in the parlor and closed his eyes.

"I have something for you, though, so don't fall asleep." She went into another room and walked in excitedly with a narrow box.

"For our anniversary."

Harry smiled. "I told you didn't have to do that!"

"I know, but I wanted to. Open it!"

He did, and inside was the shirt that he had always wanted, along with a photograph inside a frame.

"How did you know I wanted this?"

"Come on, Harry. I see you every time we walk past the store window. And look at the picture."

He flipped it over and he grinned at the photo of Ron, Hermione, and him after their seventh year standing in front of Hogwarts. It meant so much to him because it was the time of peace and reconstruction. They were leaving the past and heading into a future. All of them had pleasant, soft smiles that seemed like a powerful image of hope.

"Wow, Hermione. I forgot about this. How did you get it to be like a Muggle camera?"

"I just charmed it. I think photographs mean more when still. This one especially."

Harry got up and opened the drawer near the door and pulled out a box. "This one is yours. I went to London to get it."

When she opened it she let out a gasp. "It's beautiful, Harry!"

He took the necklace and clasped it around her neck. The silver heart had diamonds along the curves of the shape and it gleamed bright with the fire.

"Thank you so much, Harry." She kissed him and embraced him warmly. "You're the best husband and father in the world."

When Samuel was two years old, a new sister arrived. Elizabeth Lily was exactly like Harry in every way, except for her foggy gray eyes. Samuel adored her at first sight, and promised to protect and play with her. Seeing him feed her and dangle toys over her head as the years past proved him true, and terribly cute all at once. However, when it came to raising her, Elizabeth was completely different. She flung food across the table and screamed and cried in her high chair. Harry fought with her squirming to squeeze her feet in, and Samuel could only watch in wonder. She could really scream. Elizabeth loved her mother, but revered Harry more. He would be pacing in the library and hear little feet behind him, or see her head pop up from behind the desk as he worked. And she ALWAYS wanted to be held.

"What are you doing, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked when she was four, sitting in his lap.

"Work, sweetie. I have to read a lot." Harry wanted to tell her to get off because he was busy and his leg was numb. He wanted to but she was pretty content.

"I can read! It says, 'the unicorn ran to the little elf and gave him a ride into the clouds with a baby bunny'. Right, Daddy?"

Harry smiled and nodded. It really talked about prison records in Azkaban, but could he really tell her that?

"You're so smart."

She giggled and put her sleeve in her mouth. Harry pulled it out. "Don't do that. Mummy doesn't want to sew up more holes."

Later that day, Hermione was feeling busy, so she did the dishes by hand. A loud shriek made her glance up out the gritty window. She was going to clean that. Harry had Elizabeth on his back chasing seven year-old Samuel around the large oak tree in the front yard. He pretended to fall and she rolled off him giggling uncontrollably. Samuel ran forward to give him a body slam, and Elizabeth followed behind and tumbled off of Samuel face first into the grass. Hermione chuckled to herself while thinking about how great a father Harry truly was.

A half-hour ticked by, and as the grandfather clock chimed, Hermione opened the door and stopped almost immediately.

"Harry!" she hissed in panic. "Look!"

Harry turned his attention from her to where she was pointing. Three masked men were approaching quickly onto their property. At once, he grabbed both of his children's hands and jerked them up from the ground.

"Get inside, now! Tell your mother to lock the doors and hide in the safe spot. Remember where the safe spot is?"

"Yes, but Daddy, what's happening?" Elizabeth asked as tears fell down her face.

"Samuel, take her and go."

His son took hold of her and bolted into the arms of their mother. When the door was slammed shut, Harry gave an encouraging nod to Hermione as she peeked out the window with that familiar face of fear.

"Potter!" one of the men shouted merrily from a distance. "How are you this fine evening? Not ruining your family time, are we?"

The other two laughed behind him and stopped as the one in the middle moved forward. Harry snuck his hand into his pocket and fingered his wand.

"Get off my property." He muttered dangerously.

"What's wrong? Not so welcoming, are you, Potter? We are here to simply send a message from our master."

"Master, huh? Is that what you call him now?"

"I wouldn't be so bold. That could get you killed, you know?"

Harry was seething. "Then tell me what you are here for and get off my property. I can send you to Azkaban quicker than you think."

"I realize that. Everyone understands that you are hunting all of us, even before you became an Auror. You're pretty determined, arent you? I suppose I would be as well if they made my life hell. Unfortunately, this isnt the case. We will be out of here before you can do anything."

He was too close to him. Harry suddenly felt a numbing pain in his stomach. As he doubled over, Harry let out a grunt, and felt hands shove him to the ground.

"Oh, Potter, you can be predictable," said the man as he circled him. Harry clutched his bleeding abdomen and caught a glimpse of a small knife waving in his hand. It reminded him of Pettigrew, and that made him irate. He couldn't believe how stupid he was letting his enemy get the best of him. With the pain throbbing and taking over his mind he found it difficult to concentrate. But when had pain ever stopped him?

To the shock of the men, Harry threw himself onto his feet and whipped out his wand. "Crucio!"

The Death Eater collapsed in a heap and writhed on the grass in agonizing screams. Harry jabbed his wand again and sent him soaring into the tree.

"Leave us!" he shouted. His voice wavered as a jolt of pain seared his body. "Go or I will kill all of you!"

Harry wanted to murder them with such a fiery passion, but he was not feeling up to it. He had the weakness, but also a reputation.

"If I could kill Voldemort, imagine what I could do to you."

He didn't need to see the faces of the men. Both stood petrified and looked to the man on the ground for an order.

"Fight him, you fools!"

They fumbled for their wands and Harry raised his. "I told you to leave!"

The short man crumbled in response to the Cruciatus, and the other launched the same curse.

"Protego!"

The spell bounced off Harry's shield and rebounded on the man's chest, knocking him over.

"You idiots!" Harry saw the other Death Eater regain his footing and run toward him.

Spells flashed between them and Harry ran to corner the man against the tree. Harry managed to push the man down again, but he saw the familiar light aimed in his direction. Where had he seen this?

"Protego!" Harry felt something strike his forehead, and at once he remembered. The night at the Department of Mysteries. It had also hit Hermione, and he had seen her unconscious. Oh, that man was going to pay.

Harry got to his feet and kicked the man square in the face, causing his head to bash into a rock. It wasn't just his head. Harry cringed as he heard a loud crack, and the masked man never moved again.

There was a pop and the remaining Death Eaters Disappearated. Harry's face contorted in both grief and agony. He was still killing after all this time.

"Why don't you just fucking leave me alone?" Harry screamed, kicking the dead man's body to release his emotion. Tears fell from his face and finally he stopped to rest against the oak tree. The world was beginning to spin from the blood loss, but he didn't have the energy to walk into the house.

Hermione's face came to his mind like it had during every struggle he endured. She was waiting for him, all of them. Harry stumbled across the yard and used the alohamora spell to unlock the door. Standing there a moment, he lowered his head to view how serious the wound actually was. The blood was so thick that he couldn't find the wound. Perfect, just perfect.

The safe spot, as they called it for the children, was in the library behind a bookcase that led into a secret room. The windows were hidden by magic, and lucky for him, not in view of the attack. Harry staggered against the walls and gasped with each step, trying to at least make it to the library. He rounded the corner and practically ran to the bookcase, using the last of his strength to slide it open. Three pairs of frightened eyes stared into his.

"Daddy!" A small body started to run in his direction happily.

"Elizabeth, no, stay back please." He gasped. "Hermione, get the children upstairs, then come back down. Hurry."

She looked at him quizzically and saw the red staining his shirt and the sweat moist on his forehead.

"Harry, what happened?"

"Please, just go. Please hurry."

Hermione put Elizabeth on her hip and tugged on Samuel's arm as they scurried out of the room. Little Elizabeth started asking questions one after another and kept looking at him pleadingly. Harry fell onto one of the chairs and grunted heavily. God, it hurt so bad. Even breathing pained him.

Loud footsteps echoed from the hall and Hermione came running in with tears down her face.

"Oh, God, Harry, what did they do to you?" She asked frightfully as he flinched under her touched. At once she ripped off her light jumper and pressed it against his abdomen. Harry let out a repressed scream and closed his eyes wearily, trying to feel her comforting hold on him beyond the pain.

"I don't know who they were. Just some Death Eaters. We dueled and one of the men is dead under the tree."

Hermione gasped at the thought and whipped her head in the direction of the front windows. "I'm going to the Ministry by Floo powder, Harry. Wait a moment."

He felt her leave and heard her steps quickly move away as if she was running from death itself. Harry spaced out in thought in the darkness under his eyelids as he waited for her return. It was difficult to describe what his body was feeling. It had hurt so much before, but it now seemed as if everything was immune to the discomfort. Harry let himself drift off to sleep…

When he awoke, Harry blinked several times to identify the environment he was in. A bed was to his left and a blue wall in front of the one he laid in had get well cards tacked onto a bulletin board. It flashed colors and reminded him of Ginny's Valentine Card that screamed at him in their second year. Then it clicked. He was at St. Mungo's. Harry wasn't having it. The sharp pain had receded to a dull stab when he turned sharply, yet he managed to force himself off the bed and walk toward the door. Instantly he felt relief wash through him at the sight of his wife standing stoutly near a Healer with her hand on her hips.

"What do you mean my children cannot see him? They should be able to visit their father so they know that everything is all right. "

"I am sorry, Mrs. Potter, but the hospital does not allow children to enter when a patient is unconscious."

"I'm quite awake, so let them come in." Harry answered from the doorway. Hermione spun around and covered her mouth in surprise.

"Oh, Harry! You're awake. It's been two days."

He let her pull him into a gentle embrace and kiss his cheek. She seemed pale and tired, and not to mention flustered at the Healer she was arguing with. Harry was stunned to hear that a stab wound had forced him to be confined in a bedridden state for two days.

"The knife hit your liver, Harry," Hermione said in response to his confusion. "You almost died. Everyone is happy that you made it this far and want you to leave as soon as possible."

The Healer slowly waddled in their direction and glanced Harry over above her silver spectacles. "Just make sure you stay immobile long enough to keep the pain from worsening. You have our permission to leave, just get your things together." She indicated to the gifts and abundant candies that he noticed were piled rather high near his pillow.

"Right," he said. "Thanks for all your help."

Hermione followed him inside and packed everything neatly in a bag, then shrunk it. Harry noticed that she refused to lay her eyes on him, or speak at all. "what's wrong?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Hermione whispered bitterly as she fought off tears and jerking the bed sheets up. "Do you realize how traumatized the children were when they saw you laying in that chair in the library? They saw you! Elizabeth tried to wake you and screamed that you dead. Do you know how much it frightened me, Harry?"

"I fail to see how this is my fault."

"It isn't!" she cried as she threw the pillow roughly in place. "But what you fail to see is that you are not the only person who is haunted by the past! How many times when we were teenagers did you suffer under the Death Eaters and almost die? How many times did Ron, Ginny and I had to see you suffer and deal with so much that you were forced to suffer through? Too many times, Harry, and now here you were, almost dead. For what? It didn't seek you, you sought it yourself and paid the price. I don't want to live through this again, Harry."

"Is that what this is all about?" He asked as his voice rose. "What about the children, Hermione. You failed to mention them in the picture."

"The children know nothing about what we have gone through. Right now they have to square with the fact that your job isn't just a job that every normal father has. They know that you could never come back."

Harry turned around at once. "Let's go home, now."

A few months passed without incident. Mrs. Weasley bombarded Harry about the issue, and Ron had the same look behind his eyes as Hermione had. That glance over the shoulder to the past. No one spoke of it.

It was the night after Elizabeth's fifth birthday when Harry tossed her up into the air and dumped her into the bed to read a story. Giggling, she buried herself under the covers and grinned at him. "Read the one about the boy and his father. You know, the ocean one?"

"We've read that so many times that you could recite it by now."

"Pleeaaaassssee!"

Harry sighed heavily. "All right." He opened the bedside table drawer and fished through to pull out a yellow book. Excitedly, Elizabeth clapped her hands. Harry began reading. The story was about a young boy in Ireland waiting for his father to come back from the wars with England. He had waved him goodbye as he sailed away, but he never returned. Harry felt rather uncomfortable. He set the book on the table and bent down to give her a kiss, but stopped. He saw something in her eyes that he had never seen.

"Will you ever go away, Daddy?"

"Sometimes, but I can't do anything about it."

"Will you come back all the time?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Why would you ask that, Elizabeth?"

"I hear you and Mummy talking. She worries about you when go away. She doesn't think you will come back."

Harry didn't know what to say. He was tired of trying to hide a lie to his children that could scar them if they found it untrue. "Honey, I'm not going to lie to you. My job may not let me come home, but I promise you, I will try. I know I scared all of you that one day, and I'm sorry. I love all of you, all right."

Elizabeth looked at him in a peculiar way and said nothing. After a brief silence she dug herself deeper in the blankets and turned her face to the wall.

Harry rose to his feet and walked to the door. "Goodnight."

Hermione smiled as he came into their bedroom. "What story was it tonight?"

"The depressing one she thinks is funny."

"I can't understand why."

Harry rolled his eyes and laid next to her. "Yeah, well, I think now she understands. She's been asking questions again."

"She has every right to."

He said nothing in reply.

After midnight, Harry and Hermione awoke and heard Elizabeth screaming. They ran out into the hallway, down a corner, and burst into her bedroom. Harry shook her awake. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Daddy! I was so scared! The bad man tried to get me!"

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"The man tried to get me, and you were there. You fought him but the man got you, and you fell on the ground and didn't get up again." Elizabeth was in tears and held him tighter. Harry glanced at Hermione to see what she had to saw about it. She had nothing to say all.

"It's okay. You just had a bad dream."

"No, it was real."

"Go back to sleep." Harry gave her a kiss and set her back into bed. Samuel was watching from the doorway, but didn't move.

"Go to bed." He ordered.

Harry couldn't sleep when both had returned to their room. What his daughter had said alarmed him. Was she seeing things like he was able to? But Voldemort was the reason he could.

"Do you think what she saw was true?" Hermione whispered beside him.

"I don't see how it can't happen." He heard her breath sharply, but he ignored her. Perhaps ten minutes later, Harry felt that Elizabeth was in the room. She quietly climbed onto the bed and crawled toward him. Softly, her head cuddled close to his back. Saying nothing, he closed his eyes.

The week went by slowly and Elizabeth began following Harry around like she used to, and would not let him out of her sight. Meals were quiet, interrupted by soft commands by Hermione to the children to use their table manners. Many days were raged with storms and pounded against the house. Every night Harry could feel his daughter's hands clutch onto his shirt in fear. One day during a heavy rain Greg Simmons came knocking after dinner. Hermione answered it and called for Harry.

"Potter, I need to speak with you now."

Hermione watched the two of them carry on an urgent conversation curiously and became flustered when Harry burst into the house cussing up a storm. He didn't realize everyone staring wide-eyed.

"Harry, how dare you use such language in front of the children? What came over you?"

"Those damn Death Eaters, that what. They attacked the Ministry last night, but no one could get in touch with me because of the storm!"

Samuel and Elizabeth witnessed his violent movements and raised voice in terror. They had never seen their father in such a way.

"Come here, I want to talk to you!" Hermione hissed as she led him to the library and slammed the door. Samuel tip-toed to listen and Elizabeth followed.

"You cannot help that the Ministry was attacked. You just found out today."

"We knew they were instigating something, but the lead Auror told is to wait until they made the first move. I volunteered to spy but I wasn't granted the opportunity."

"How long have you known this?" she shrieked.

"Long before Samuel was born, but that doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. Your people could have prevented this. Now Ron is in the hospital, how are you going to live with that?"

Harry's voice tightened. "By not worrying about that now. We plan to ambush the remaining Death Eaters after this. The Ministry is still in our control."

"And how are you going to do that, exactly?"

"I'm leaving tonight. The Aurors are regrouping to fight Lucius." There was a brief silence that made the children lean in closer to hear. It seemed that their parents were at a loss of words.

"What do you mean?" Hermione's voice asked frightfully.

"You know what I mean. I'm leaving, and I don't know when I will be back." A longer silence disturbed the room.

"You are not leaving this house."

"Yes I am. This is important and cannot be ignored."

Her scream overpowered his. "Neither can your children!"

"You know that I can't stop because of that….with the job that I have had for years. I gave into you the first time, I won't do it again." Steps moved toward the door, but hers caught up. Their arguments grew fiercer, and Samuel hugged his frightened sister beneath him.

"Harry, you don't know when to stop; you never did. You could be killed. And then I'd remember you saying that it didn't matter…it was just part of the job."

Then Harry did something he had never done before. He struck her. Hermione crumbled to the floor and wept softly. She didn't raise her head in fear of another. Harry didn't feel any regret. He had to show his authority.

"Listen to me, Hermione. We are not in the past anymore. You said so yourself that things change and people adapt to it. Our own lives have been altered, as well as what we have had to encounter. What we did in school is child's play to what I need to do now. I don't have Dumbledore, or even you and Ron to help me. It's not how things work now."

Harry moved past her and flung open the door. Samuel and Elizabeth stared fearfully when their eyes met.

"Where are you going, Daddy?"

"He's going to get himself killed because he's an Auror and doesn't care about us." Samuel answered angrily.

"Samuel James!" shouted his mother. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide.

"It's not true, is it?"

Harry glared briefly at Samuel before answering quietly, "No, it's not."

He gave his family a hug goodbye before departing, and hoped that he would be able to see them once more.

All of the Aurors were together in the forest where the Death Eaters were camping out. All thirty-two were lined in a horseshoe behind bushes to see what was happening. Harry could see the faint light from a wand, disguised as a firefly, confirming no problems.

"What do you think they are planning?" A man named Jack Davies asked. "It looks skilled to me."

"True," the lead Auror noted. "Lucius must have been busy all these years."

Harry had been feeling a sense of disappointment sink in. This wasn't Lucius' doing. "I don't think so. Look at the way they form themselves in those lines. They seemed to be taught some other kind of technique than the one he teaches. It doesn't seem right."

Everyone took a better look. "My God," the lead Auror gasped. "You're right, Potter."

"Of course this isn't right," a fearful Scott Gorham hissed. "We are in enemy territory. There is a safer way."

"You do your job, and you do it without complaint."

A silence befell the men and stared at the scene in front of them. Some Death Eaters were speaking in some language they couldn't recognize.

"He's gathered from overseas. He must have been getting desperate."

From the other side, a light burned blue in a figure eight. The lead Auror straightened himself and stood up. "Let's move out, men. We have a job to do."

Silently they scrambled across the forest, encircling the main section of the campsite. Harry raised his wand in response to the lead Auror's movement, and watched as he shot a spell at a canvas tent in front of them. It burst into flame. The camp came to life in frightened shouts and men ran in panic.

"Now!" Every man behind the bushes leaped into the clearing and bombarded the area, flinging spells and jinxes left and right at fleeing Death Eaters. A man began shouting, "Aurors, Aurors!" Harry silenced him from behind. Everywhere was confusion. Men were running in every direction, yelling became louder, fires swept from tent to tent. Unconscious bodies were strewn along the grass like a sea of black. The Death Eaters seemed to have forgotten who they were and what they could do. Few fought back. It seemed that Lucius had coerced most of them into the army. Some were escaping deep within the forest, and Harry followed them. One straggling man paused for a breath but was stupefied by his wand, and the three he saw ahead did not attempt to save the man.

Fog from the weeks of rain grew thicker. Harry could barely see in front of him, and he stopped. He began to panic. None of the Aurors were in sight, and with his luck, he would most likely meet up with the enemy. Every snap of a twig made him freeze to the spot. He sensed someone nearby, but he made no effort to see who it was. Gripping his wand tighter, Harry spun around after a loud rustle came from behind.

"So, Potter," a cool voice teased. "It's been awhile…"

Harry raised his wand, but before he could open his mouth, his foe stupefied him, and he fell to the ground.

Harry awoke hours later in a different area of the forest. Weakly he sat up from the ground a viewed his unfamiliar loation. It was still dark and slightly foggy, but he could see that it was early morning at least. Just as he stood a figure in black slowly proceeded into his direction. To Harry's surprise, it wasn't Lucius. It was Draco Malfoy.

"You!" Harry hissed.

Draco laughed. "Yes, it is me. You seemed surprised."

Harry glared and answered, "If I think about it, no."

"You're a clever man, Potter. Almost too clever. I knew that you most likely distrusted my promise to help kill my father for you. I knew you would be hard to trick."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'll begin with my father. Remember I said that I would kill him for you if it was necessary, as I said? Well it was."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You killed your own father?"

The eerie smile on Draco's face grew wider. "He was ambitious. Slaving every day for power and glory. He had the power to defeat Voldemort, yes indeed. But he wasn't stupid enough to try and do it without knowing the true potential of him. However, every time you thwarted him, and that night when you destroyed the Dark Lord, my father knew he could have done it. And he could possibly kill you as well. Since then he had been gathering people and plotting your death, as everyone feared. I found out about it of course, and everything was going well in the beginning. However, the men became more and more disloyal, and after the attack on the Ministry last week, we had even less. Years ago I told my father that he needed something different, but he was too ignorant. I wanted to be in control of his weak army and turn it into something spectacular. Training them would be simple, I knew what to do. My father lost his touch years ago and it never came back."

"Your army is not trained at all," Harry cut in. "They ran from us."

His eyes narrowed. "I wasn't expecting you to come so soon, but what can I expect from an Auror?" He paced in a circle slowly and faced Harry again.

"I don't understand you, Malfoy. You saved me back at Hogwarts when your father tried to kill me. I even saved you, remember?"

"People change, Potter, you know that. Besides, I have seen a whole new outlook on power. Very intriguing it all is, really." He smirked nastily. "What's more intruiging is how you can catch one man, free another, yet lose one as well. Sound familiar?"

"You mean Pettigrew?"

"Correct. Then once you did that Sirius Black was set loose, and can you figure out the rest?"

Harry put it all together. What did he lose? His eyes grew wide. "No! Not Dumbledore."

"Yes, Potter. I came to him years ago and told him of my plan as he laid weakly in his bed, the stupid old man. I didn't have to do much really. I simply gave him the Killing Curse and he was out like….what do your Muggles say? A light?"

Harry was enraged. His body trembled in an attempt to hold in his anger.

"He didn't even try to stop me, he knew it was time to die. He even wrote that hag McGonagall to not allow anyone to his funeral. Just a simple little service…..a burial rather. "

"You killed him in vain."

"No. He was too good, too honest and trustworthy. Weak, in other words. Power can only be obtained by force of action. Not by teaching and instructing a school of damn Mudbloods."

Harry glared at him fiercely. All the hatred in his heart exploded inside of him at the thought of the great Albus Dumbledore dying only because of the quest for power.

"I've noticed that you have yourself a little family. I'm not surprised you married that Mudblood Granger. How about I make your job a little easier?"

"Don't you dare lay a finger on them!" he shouted.

"Well, I have to say that I have taken a liking to your daughter…Elizabeth, right?"

Harry eyed him suspiciously as Draco stepped towards the woods. He beckoned to something, and to his fear, his little girl nervously stepped into sight.

"Elizabeth!"

"Daddy!" She started to run in his direction but Draco held out his arm to stop her.

"Leave her alone! You want me, not her."

"She came upon me quite suddenly, actually Potter. She came walking by in the dark and my Death Eaters stumbled upon her."

"I'll fight you, Malfoy, just let her go."

Draco laughed. "I thought you'd never ask. Go on, girl."

Harry bent down as his daughter ran into his arms and cried on his shoulder. "I'll ask questions later. Right now I need you to sit by that big tree over there and stay put until I'm done, all right?"

"What's going to happen?"

"I have to work now. When we get home I'm going to let you be the first on the swing, all right? Sit by the tree the whole time or Samuel is going to get it first."

"Okay!" she tried to say happily. He watched as she skipped to a large tree and plop down as told. Draco threw him his wand.

"Let's start then. But before we do anything, I have decided to add an obstacle." Harry raised an eyebrow. Draco raised his wand and chanted something in a different language, one that Harry had never heard of. A bright yellow light shone in the sky and a faint image of some sort of woman with long wavy blond hair swirled in a mist overhead. She was made of mist and only her face could be seen. The bright blue eyes were stunningly vibrant behind black lashes. Harry's first impression was an angel, but the force from it was dark magic.

"This is a Laiyan, Potter. It is a spirit used in duels like this one that immediately take the life of the person in greatest risk of death. Therefore, you."

Harry glowered but made no verbal comment. A strange and familiar pang of fear began to embrace him again. The same fear he had with Voldemort.

"Are you fair at swordplay, Potter? I will allow you both wand and sword since it is likely you are not."

Harry laughed inside. Lupin had taught him how to use a sword since it may have been useless to use wands with Voldemort. Apparently Draco didn't know everything.

Malfoy held out his hand and a bright silver sword appeared in his hands with a blade too sharp for question. Harry did the same and held his own, similar to Draco's. "Let's go, Potter. I want to see how you can fight without the use of magic, a task that was even difficult for me to master." He spread out his hands on the sword and stepped out on his left foot. Harry moved at the same time and the two stared cautiously at their movements. Malfoy lunged and swung high over his head, but Harry blocked and turned so that the other was pinned into the ground. Harry placed his weight on the end and kicked off the ground, nailing Malfoy in the neck. Draco grunted and stumbled back but remained on his feet. And this is the author and I have to say that when I wrote this I had a writer's block and had difficulty creating exciting words and sentences. Everything was a blur. Their swords clanged loudly together and Harry was pleased to see that Draco was worried. He hadn't expected him to be lasting as long as he was. He dodged Malfoy's attack from hitting his face and hurtled his leg up to strike his opponents face. Draco fell backwards but didn't release his weapon. To Harry's surprise, he leaned his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked, breathing heavily in exhaustion.

"You, Potter. I can't believe you. I thought that I would instantly win, but I see that I was wrong. Very wrong indeed. But I'm not going to be playing games anymore."

Harry's heart fluttered in alarm as Malfoy quickly sprung forward. He saw in the corner of his eye the Laiyan watch closely from above.

Elizabeth was watching the battle in fear. It suddenly sunk into her head that her father had lied to her. He would not be okay, and the night could occur just as it had in her dream. She slowly rose from the ground, watching the Laiyan tower over the scene before her. It was exactly like her dream…Elizabeth walked toward her father in fear for her father. She had to protect him, thinking that the dream caused what was happening now.

Harry hadn't noticed her until he stopped to get a better grip on his sword. He stared in shock and their eyes met. Before he knew it, a searing pain eliminated all of his sensed for a brief second. The wind was knocked out of him and he fell onto the ground. Elizabeth screamed as the Laiyan streaked down toward him, spreading its glowing essence behind it. But before it could reach him, Harry rose to his feet and braced himself. The creature stopped in its tracks and stared into his determined eyes. Draco's face screwed up in rage as the Laiyan nodded at Harry and flew back up into the sky.

"I'm not giving up," Harry said painfully. The gash in his back seared violently. " I have my family to go home to tonight."

"Spare me, Potter. Love is not the only thing that runs the world. There is also power. Even if you have love, you need power to run your life. To control the power of, what you call love. You don't fathom what I am attempting to bring into our world."

Harry opposed. "You're a fanatic with what every dark wizard is a fanatic for: power and glory. You use it in your vicious act and impelling people into it. Ingenuity can be used in many ways, but which way do you think will make a positive difference in people's lives? You don't know what love is, Malfoy. Your father used you for power."

Draco swung the shinning steel and hit Harry hard across the head. He fell into the dirt and groaned at the throbbing pain.

"I cannot stand your liberality, Potter. You know me better than that, or you should. Power does come in many forms, I admit, but change does also. What kind of power do you want? You already have part of the Dark Lord in you anyway. Why not make it the power I seek? "Join me"…breathes heavily… "I am your father"…just kidding people. Forget that last sentence, I just had to crack a joke. Draco goes on…"The Dark Arts is not as bad as it is rumored. You have you weak, and you have your strong times just like any other magical being. So, I ask you, what do you choose?"

"I choose the power to destroy people like you!" Harry sprang upon Malfoy and the flashing steel flared once more. With every cut and every scrape neither succumbed to the other. The Laiyan was watching more carefully. At the moment it seemed as though Harry was the weakest, but determination was still a vital role in any duel. Harry was tiring, and that was what scared him. What would become of his family? Elizabeth huddled on the ground in guilt. It was her fault that her father was injured. Would he be angry and not let her on the swing?

Harry's sword was knocked out of his hands. He watched it in horror as it clattered on the ground, and heard Draco's excited laughter overhead. Harry dodged him and reached for his weapon, but it was kicked away. Harry had had enough.

"Crucio!"

Satisfaction spread inside Harry as Draco writhed in pain. Harry regained possession of his sword and released him. The Laiyan seemed to drifted closer as it continued to circle.

"I didn't think you had the nerve, Potter," Malfoy gasped. "The rules are dropped. No wands. You can fight perfectly well without them."

Harry's anger flared. "You can't change the rules! This is an honest duel."

"If you haven't notice, Potter, I am in control of it! This Laiyan cannot disappear unless it takes a life. We are here until the end, under my regulations!"

Harry watched as he tossed his wand to the side, so he had no choice but to do the same. He ducked, leaped, swung and darted quickly to survive. The creature's eyes bore down on him like a vulture that sent his heart thumping. His body was shaking from the loss of blood, and every time he moved, Harry's back seared with blinding pain. It was impossible, like running a race with a broken leg. Quite suddenly, the sword slipped from his hands, and he collapsed onto his knees.

"Daddy, get up! Get up, get up! He's coming!"

"Listen to your child," Malfoy said softly. "See how she pleads for you?" Harry felt another blow as Draco's sword cut deep in his right shoulder. He gave a weak shout and fell onto his back, wincing at the wound already there.

"You're weak, Potter. I can take care of you easily" after a pause he said in amusement. "In fact, I bet your child could."

Harry heard him call to hear. He tried to stand but didn't have the strength. Elizabeth whimpered when Draco kneeled and gripped her shoulders. "Take the sword, girl." She almost dropped it from the weight. "Now, all you have to do is swing real hard."

"I don't want to hurt Daddy." She whispered.

"Hurry, girl. Put your father out of his misery."

"No."

"Do it!" Elizabeth flinched and tears streamed down her face.

Harry glared at Malfoy. "Why are you making her do this? She is only a child!"

"To see both of you suffer, of course. Obviously she won't go through with it. I suppose it's because she LOVES you too much. Is that what you have been trying to say? I see now power in this."

Draco reached to grab his sword, but Elizabeth, to Harry's horror, turned quickly around and stabbed Draco in the chest.

"Elizabeth, no!"

Draco gasped and fell backwards, hands pressing hard to stop the bleeding. Harry felt the panic rise. "Elizabeth, run! Don't come back!"

"You!" Malfoy shouted. "You little filthy half-blood!"

He scrambled toward her, and Harry lunged to block him. "Get out of the way, Potter."

"Stay away from my daughter!"

Draco swung his fist and punched Harry straight in the jaw. "I can't stand you, Potter. I'm going to finish the job that Voldemort and my father have spent year trying to do." He raised his sword and Harry stumbled backwards. That was when he found his wand in the grass. He held it firmly. Rules or no rules."

"Expelliarmus!" Draco flew twenty feet into a tree and collapsed roughly onto a patch of dead grass. Harry told Elizabeth to run, but she only hid behind the tree from before. Malfoy groaned, and Harry saw him pick something up. It felt like ice just slipped into his stomach.

"Fine, you don't want to work with my rules? That's all right with me then." He flicked his wand violently, and Harry was consumed in vibrant flashes of electricity. Screaming, he fell and wished for death to come. It seemed to be happening. The Laiyan soared down and gathered him up into its arms. He felt himself rise in the air. The power of the Laiyan made him arch back and lay limp as he felt his soul being taken. Harry did not try to struggle. Then a sharp scream jolted his mind. Through the yellow light he saw a flourecent purple consume the Laiyan as it gave earsplitting shrieks. Harry felt the grip lessen, and the unknown force guided him safely to the ground.

"No!" Draco shouted in rage. "This isn't supposed to happen!"

Harry had no idea what had just occurred, but he was filled with a huge spur of energy and rage. At that moment, he didn't care whether or not he lived or died, or whether or not his wounds were bleeding. Draco's chest was his ailment, and it cost him speed. Harry didn't know what drove him on, and it didn't matter. Fear was in his enemeys eyes, and it made him laugh inside. He jumped to avoid a blow, and soared into the air. It seemed as if time were slowed down to collect the very moment. The pictures moved but there was no sound. Harry's sword went over his head, and with once quick slice of the steel, he slashed Draco clear through the stomach. The man gasped and gagged in pain as blood pured into his hands. The Laiyan wasted no time. It sped in Malfoy's direction, and Harry had to shield his eyes from the blinding yellow light. There was no screaming at all, and as the brightness dwindled down to nothing, the Laiyan was gone, and Draco's body lay in a heap on the ground. It was finally over. Harry let out a tear of relief and smiled up at the sky. Dizzy and weak, he collapsed.

Harry's eyes were closed when he felt someone touch his hand. Elizabeth was sitting near him and had a wet face covered in dirt.

"It's over now, sweetie. You're safe now."

"But Daddy," she whined. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." Harry could have laughed. How many times has that been a lie?

She fished through the grass and put something round into his hand. "Here's your wand."

He had an idea. "listen, I don't know if it's possible, but try and send sparks from my wand."

"But that might not be my wand type."

"Try it. You remember, don't you?"

Elizabeth nodded. Under his eyelids he saw the flash of red, and peace claimed his conscience.

"Daddy, wake up. Help is coming now."

"Good girl," he whispered. "Now you can go on the swing when we get home."

"You have to come home. Mummy and Samuel are waiting."

Thunder clattered overhead, and Harry felt the soft drip of rain begin to sprinkle. It felt soothing. The smell of the dirt and the blades of grass only made him want to sleep. Just sleep and sleep and sleep. A tear slid down his cheek, and Elizabeth moved his hair out of his eyes.

"Don't cry. The pain will go away when help comes."

"I'm not crying because of that." Harry whispered. He felt so crestfallen all of a sudden. Elizabeth seemed to understand what was happening.

"You're not going to go away." She said it with so much certainty.

He fingered her hand and said nothing, but he couldn't focus on her. His vision was blurry and glazed, and nothing was beginning to make sense. Was he on the ground or in a bed? Harry's breaths became labored, and it hurt too much to do it. Slowly he was starting get used to it. Or was it going away? Funny how your mind and body acts when death is near.

"Daddy, don't do that," she squeaked. Elizabeth shook his arm, but he didn't respond. "Daddy?"

Then she knew. It was like she aged ten years at that moment. A child cannot hold that much emotion, and see that much and still be a child. She did not cry. Instead, she lay next to him and clenched his hand tighter in hers.

It was later that morning when the door was knocked on. Hermiones crambled from the table and flung it open. Greg Simmons was standing on the doormat, wiping his feet from the early morning's rain.

"Did you find Elizabeth? Where is Harry, is he okay?"

"Yes, we found your daughter." He answered quietly.

"And Harry?"

Greg was silent. Hermione's hands shook as she covered her mouth. "Mrs. Potter, Harry died this morning fighting the leader of the Death Eaters. He is dead as well. You daughter was there and witnessed everything."

Hermione gave sharp cries and tear poured out of her red eyes. She swayed and Greg caught her, leading her toward a chair. "Elizabeth is at the Ministry. So is Harry."

"I don't know if I can do it, Greg. I can't look at him when he's like that. I've done it many times before, and I've had enough." She burst out in sobs and covered her face.

"Are you going to tell Samuel?"

"I'll have to."

At that moment Samuel came bounding down the stairs with his pajamas still on. "Mum, is Elizabeth all right?"

"Yes, Sam."

"Then what's wrong?"

Greg walked out the door and shut it behind him.

"Samuel, your sister was found this morning. But your father—." She cut off.

"What?" he asked worridly. "What happened?"

"He's gone. We're going to find out how, but he died doing something right."

Samuel stepped back and his face flushed crimson. "He can't be!"

"Please, Sam."

"It's not going to be all right, Mum! I'll never forget it. I said something terrible to him. Remember? I said that he was leaving because he didn't care about us. Now look what happened! That was the last thing he heard me say!"

Hermione shook her head and embraced him. "He knew that you loved him. Love is stronger than words, Samuel."

At the Ministry, Greg led Hermione and Samuel to the room where Elizabeth sat. She ran to them and cried hysterically. "Mum, it was awful!"

Hermione tried to console her. The room was full of Aurors, and after counting them, her anger flared. Harry was the only one who didn't make it.

"Where were you all? Harry might still be alive!"

Some hung there heads, but the lead Auror spoke, "I was chaos last night. I had no idea where most of my men were. Your daughter said that the enemy planned to corner Harry alone to begin with. She told us everything. If you want to hear it, stay put and remove your children."

After a long discussion, Hermione was left in shock. "How could it have been Draco?"

"I told you why."

"I just can't believe how he changed." There as a brief silence before she spoke again. "I want to see him. Right now."

Greg came forward and led her into the hallway. Samuel and Elizabeth tried to follow, but she signaled for them to stay put.

"We just found them not too long ago. We didn't put him anywhere special."

"As long as he's here."

He way lying on a table and covered with a sheet. The sight almost made her faint.

"I'll leave you alone."

Hermione couldn't stand it. Her husband was dead. Once it had been her best friend, and now it was her husband. Pulling the sheet away from his face, she kissed his forehead softly, and laid her head on his still chest. She couldn't do what she had done That Night. Even if she could. Harry had to rest now, and he would be given it, with her sacrifice. She new she had to leave now. It was time to move on.

"Goodbye, Harry. I love you so much. You protected everyone selflessly, now you can rest in peace."

It was the little things that made her sad. It was putting four plates out for dinner instead of only three, and lonely nights in bed. It was waking up without Harry tickling her, or kissing her softly. It felt as if someone wanted her to tear into pieces, and have her heart wrench in envy when she saw young couples embracing. Why were they given such happiness? What had Harry done wrong? The years had passed and the children grew without a father, and Elizabeth was never the same. She was seventeen now, just out of Hogwarts, and as she watered the plants on the windowsill, her eyes wandered to the tree with the swing, now old and frail. She hadn't swung on it since he died.

Samuel saw what she was looking at. "I think about him too, you know?" She nodded. "You used to sit on that swing every day. Just sat there."

"I don't even know why."

"It reminded you of him. He used to push you every day."

Elizabeth blinked back her tears. "I stopped later on. It was foolish. Why dwell on sad memories when there are other things to worry about?"

Samuel gave a low chuckle. "You were only a child."

She scoffed. "Not after what I saw. And just because I gave up on it, doesn't mean I hate Dad for dying."

The next day, she was alone in the house. Samuel was gone in the Ministry, and her mother was babysitting at another house. Elizabeth didn't know why, but she found herself walking to the tree she played on in her childhood. The wood on the swing was splintered and the rope was now a pale yellow. Stray hairs stuck out in odd angles. Closing her eyes, she remembered her father's hand press into her back as she giggled in the air. His heavy laugh made her happier, because they were having fun together. Then she saw him lying still, with the blond haired man laughing cruelly above him. His laugh was not like Harry's at all.

Elizabeth opened her tear-filled eyes angrily. With loud shrieks she kicked the swing as hard as she could. Harder and harder she kicked, wanting to tear it to pieces and have it disappear. The wood gave away, and it fell to the ground. Looking down at it, her face screwed up in grief. Now her father was truly gone.

The End I have a second ending so keep reading. My friends didn't want Harry to die, so he lives in the next one. And the purple light was from Elizabeth.

Rescue

"Daddy, it's them!" cried Elizabeth. "People are coming to help!" She waved her hands and screamed loudly. Voices came quicker to the clearing.

"Are you two all right?"

Harry realized it was Greg Simmons. "Greg, take Elizabeth back to Hermione. Hurry!"

"Harry!" he yelled in alarm. "What in the hell happened to you?"

"Forget it, just take her to my wife."

Greg scooped her into his arms and was led away. She was terrified at the sound of her father's screams as the other Aurors attempted to move him.

"He will be fine," said Greg. "Your father is a trooper."

Hermione and Samuel burst into the hospital, sending Healers with papers flying in attempts to escape. "I'm here to see my daughter and husband. Harry Potter. I want to see him NOW!"

At once a Healer led her down twisted hallways and opened at door to their left. When Hermione entered the woman gave her an ungrateful stare and left.

Elizabeth was seated on a chair next to her father's bed, and ran quickly to meet her mother. "You came!"

Hermione looked Harry over briefly before speaking. "Why did you run away like that? You could have been killed!"

"I couldn't let the bad man get Daddy, so I went after him."

Her mother sighed. "You foolish girl."

Samuel was still in the doorway. His eyes would not leave the sleeping form of Harry. He seemed so vulnerable and fragile now, which was nothing he had ever seen before.

"Should I wake him up?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, let him rest.'

Rushing…The next day, Hermione came in alone to visit. Harry was dozing, but when he noticed her, he sat up slowly and smiled. "Hermione!"

Hugging him tightly she kissed him on the head. "I thought we were going to lose you again. It was Hogwarts all over again."

"I couldn't kick the bucket when I have everyone to come home to." His smile was too charming. She laughed.

"I heard Ron got out." She said. "Have you seen him at all?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but he left a note."

Hermione nodded and tried to smile, but her grief was bursting to come out.

"What's wrong?"

She breathed deeply to regain her composure. "Draco. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Harry's face faltered for a moment, but relaxed with a smile. "It doesn't matter, Mione. We have a future now. And besides you don't have to worry about anything anymore."

"Why?"

Harry rubbed the back of his sore neck nervously. "Well, I just had a talk with the Lead Auror some time before you came. He wants me to resign. Can you believe it? All the years and hard work to get this job, he wants me to quit."

"What did you say?" Hermione asked, a little too eager.

"I had to agree. After what happened."

She laughed. "Since when did that stop you? But I am happy for you."

"I knew you would be."

Harry was welcomed home with Elizabeth jumping all around him, and Samuel glued to his leg. He was so relieved to be alive that it was hard for him to keep from crying. Harry tried to get back to normal life, but his shoulder proved to be a problem. It didn't work the same as before, and it took months to make it useable. Frustrated, but determined, Harry overcame it.

Years later, Elizabeth was accepted to Hogwarts, and Samuel was in his third year. Harry warned him not to take Divination as an extra class. Bad memories came from there.

Elizabeth was excited. "I hope I'm sorted into Griffyndor just like all of you!"

"I'm sure you will," said Hermione as they crossed into the barrier. "No doubts at all."

"We'll send an owl in the morning," Harry yelled over the hooting of the train. "And behave! I don't want to hear anything about you causing trouble. I'll send you a Howler."

"We will" they said at once. "Bye Mum, bye Dad!"

They boarded the train and Hermione stood next to Harry. "I always wondered when this day would come."

"Me too. I just hope they don't turn out like us."

"Yes, but you say it like it was a bad thing."

He looked stunned. "Oh, now you say it was okay. Back then you hated the risk of being expelled."

Hermione smiled. "Of course, but deep inside, that didn't really matter."

"Then what did?"

Hermione walked in the direction of the barrier. "You."

Hallelujah, I'm finished. It took me FOREVER. Please be nice in reviewing. It was a lot of work.