A Whole New World
"What would you be liking Dobby to be doings now, Master Harry Potter?" the elf asked.
"How the fucking hel-" Harry stopped. "I'm sorry, Dobby. I shouldn't have gone off like that. Bring me Hermione's school records, fetch a bottle of Firewhiskey and then do what you can to help out in the Hospital Wing"
"Yes, Master Harry Potter" Dobby bowed low to the floor before vanishing with the smallest of pops. His two children lay in crib like beds next to the four poster bed that was Hermione's. Harry sat on the edge, listening to their almost inaudible breathing, listening to the sounds of the aftermath of battle and the occasion spell fire as groups found the remaining Death Eaters and their supporters. From what Harry had found out from some of the liberators, the moment he had killed Voldemort most had clutched at their arms and fell to the ground – dead as the proverbial doornail. The ones found were those that did not have the Dark Mark – connections to Voldemort's soul. The Dark Lord's body was stuffed, at Harry's direct order, in the 3rd floor toilet. The idea had been that, if Voldemort had shit on people's lives, they could, at the very least, return the same compliment to him in death.
"Speedy little bugger" Harry grunted as a thick file appeared on the bed next to him – the bottle being on the bedside table that still held a lot of Hermione's things inside. He smiled as he realised he had never read Hermione's permanent school record before. She was going to do all the normal Hermione-like things at him when he told her. Then, his wife would bre… The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared on his face and Harry opened the file and started looking for her last address. When he found it, he called for a House Elf and gave it a set highly detailed set of instructions. Ten minutes later, and still wearing his blood stained clothes and with his injuries untreated, he made a little trip to Muggle Surrey – leaving his children in the care of two companies of Aurors, two Hit Wizards, the surviving members of all four houses of Hogwarts and Victor Krum – the Quidditch player having arrived on the sailing ship towards the middle of the battle.
#
"… and then he bit the assistant too!" Daniel Granger said.
"What happened?" asked Emma Granger.
"The father apologised and got the kid out so quickly" Mr Granger said. He and his wife walked into the living room and, as he was pouring a glass of brandy for the pair of them, he felt something watching them.
"Good Evening" a cold and hard voice said. Both adults turned around to see a blood stained, torn clothed youth sitting with a piece of wood in one of their armchairs. It took them several seconds for them to realise it was a very emotional Harry James Potter.
"Get out of here before I call the police" Mrs Granger said.
"Sit down and be very quiet" Harry pointed his wand at the two Grangers. "Although you threw Hermione out of this home and cast her out of your family, I think that you should at least know this – even if you don't deserve to. For the last couple of months, Hermione and I have been fighting a war against a very dark and power wizard called Voldemort. During that time, Hermione and I became very close and were married. We have two children together – one of each. That, however, is not why I am here. Hermione Potter, my wife, was killed during a battle several hours ago – saving my life in the process. I personally killed the man who did it. Although you do not deserve to know, you are still her parents and should know of this"
"We want the children bringing to us at once" said Mrs Granger. "They are our daughter's, and they should belong to us – her parents. You are clearly an incapable and unfit parent. Did you rape her under a spell? Whatever, you'll be handing them over along with Hermione's body. At least we can have those now that you have taken our daughter away"
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK LIKE THAT ABOUT HER! SHE WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME. SHE WAS YOUR DAUGHTER AND YOU THREW HER OUT AND WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH HER – BUT NOW YOU WANT HER AND OUR CHILDEN?" Harry had to take several seconds to calm down. "I came here to tell you of your daughter's death and of the grandchildren that you will never see in your lives. If you ever try to make contact with me, my children or anybody connected to me in any way, shape or form, I will personally hunt you down and kill you on the spot" and he pointed his wand at two points, and drilled holes into the wall less then the width of a hair above the Grangers' heads.
"How dare you walk into our house and threaten us like that, you bastard fre-" but Mr Granger was stopped from speaking by Harry's wand jammed into his lower jaw.
"Be careful how you finish that word, Sir" Harry said. "Right now, I could most likely kill you and get away with it scot-free" and, punching the man in the head, he portkeyed away back to Hogwarts.
#
"How did it go?" asked Luna.
"Like I expected it to go" Harry said.
"That bad, huh?" Luna said. "Pomfrey wants me to have you go down to the Hospital Wing to get sorted out"
"I need to look after our children" Harry said. "Once I look after them, I will go to the Hospital Wing – not before" and Luna simply gave up on it.
"Aurors are here to remove the Prisoners to Azkaban – Gringotts are helping out with some of the guarding" she said. "Healers have come to help out Madam Pomfrey and I would very much like to give you a blow job" and it took the worn out Harry several seconds to figure what she said.
"Give it to Neville" he said absently, "I am sure he'd appreciate it more then me" and a brief look of pain came over the normally happy girl. "Oh no… Not Neville as well…"
"He and Ernie McMillan charged Death Eaters in order to buy time for the wounded and the younger students to retreat" Luna said. "Saved a hell of a lot of people…"
"Have they found his body?"
"Doing dental records now" Luna shuddered as she spoke the words. "Right now, the Healers are working to stabilise the most seriously wounded and have them transported to St Mungos' as soon as possible. Harry… Get off to St Mungos' before I carry you"
"I can't, Luna" Harry replied. "Captain's always the last man out…" and Luna could understand the sentiment. "Can I trouble you to watch over the kids for a while longer?" he asked.
"Of course, and, Harry, it is no trouble at all. It is the least that any of us could ever do" Luna smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Lu" Harry sighed. "If there is anything you want to remember Hermione by, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you taking something" and he left the Gryffindor Tower for the Hospital Wing. During the walk down there, everyone stood out of his way out of respect – Aurors and Hit Wizards saluting him.
#
"… and that should be the last potion for now" Pomfrey said. The Hospital Wing was still busy, but less then it had been for the last few hours.
"Thank you. I don't suppose that I could bring the babies to see you in the morning?" Harry asked. "I thought they could do with another check up or something. Dunno what, exactly, but you'll know what they'll need" he shrugged.
"It would be a pleasure" Pomfrey said. "I suggest, Mr Potter, that you go and have as many hours of sleep as you can possibly get. The last of the seriously ill patients should be well enough to transfer to St Mungos by tomorrow afternoon, so I should have enough time for you to come and see me"
"Is… Is Hermione still here?" Harry bit down a sob.
"I believe that she is the last one there" Pomfrey said, "Though a few may still remain too. It has been hours since I last checked"
"I won't be long – just want to say goodnight" and Harry slipped into the Morgue without another word. It was dark in the sad and stately room, but somebody had done something to produce a faint golden and purple glow from the wall in a vein attempt to liven the place up a little bit. As he got closer to Hermione's pull out shelf, Harry noticed that the door was ajar. Thinking that somebody might have opened it by mistake, he fully opened the door and found the space empty. With a roar of rage, pain and grief, Harry spun and ran back to the Hospital Wing and found Pomfrey tending to a girl with terrible burns.
"Something the matter?"
"She's gone" Harry spat out. "Somebody has taken Hermione"
"I gave strict instructions she was not to be moved without your permission" Pomfrey said. "I assume that she must have been taken to the Morgue at St Mungos" she added.
"Right" Harry's rage and grief came to the boil once more and he found the nearest working Floo connection and went to get some answers.
#
"Name?" a bored looking Healer asked.
"Your worst nightmare" Harry replied. The witch looked up to see the Saviour of the magical world looking incredibly pissed at her.
"Can I help you at all, Mr Potter?"
"Where is she?" Harry had to use every inch of his being not to simply blast a whole through the frowning Healer.
"Who?"
"MY GODDAMNED WIFE YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Harry lost it.
"Name?"
"Hermione. Hermione Potter"
"You believe she was taken here?"
"I wouldn't be here speaking to you otherwise"
"Let me check" the Healer looked through a couple of clipboards with lists on them. "Ah, here we are. Hermione Potter… White Level"
"The Morgue" Harry said.
"No, Mr Potter. White Level is where autopsies are carried out…" the Healer suddenly found herself on the wrong end of Harry's wand.
"TAKE. ME. THERE" he spat out.
"I have to stay at my post unt-"
"YOU'RE RELIEVED!" Harry jabbed the wand under the chin of the Healer who was estimating the remaining seconds of her life and regretting never going to the 1989 FA Cup Final. At wand-point, the Healer hurried down a corridor and showed Harry the stairs to the level Harry wanted. "Keep going" and the Healer did so.
"That door" the terrified woman said, pointing to a door at the end of the last corridor of the level. In reply, Harry simply blasted the double doors apart and went inside.
"Crucio. Crucio. Crucio. Crucio. Crucio" his wand fired spell after spell at the five protectively wrapped suited people. He had never been filled with a rage this powerful – not even for Sirius. Over and over the spell was cast, and he only finished because he was nearly out of power. There was a lone table in the middle of the room with a stained and sheeted body on the cold metal surface. When he had pulled back the sheet, Harry for the first time seriously wondered if he should kill the five after what they had done. Hermione's chest had been cut open and it was plain that they had started the autopsy – against Harry's direct orders. The body of the girl looked like a big piece of meat had been sliced up. Harry lost his tenuous grip on reality and went crazy – smashing up everything he could see. When he was done, he picked up Hermione's desecrated body and carried her as far as he had to in order to get them both away from the place.
# # # # #
BANG
The explosion caused the remaining defenders to wonder if some kind of suicide charge was being mounted by any Death Eaters and those following them. Horrified screaming had the few Aurors and a few of the older students running to the main entrance doors in time to see Harry walking with the bloody and covered figure of Hermione in his arms. Either he ignored them, or he was simply unaware of their presence – either way, Harry carried the body of his beloved along the corridors to Gryffindor tower – placing her gently on the bed she had so often slept in.
#
Every single surviving Auror was placed in an armed guard around the five healers who had started the autopsy. This was not just because they had committed an offence, but they had had several attempts to be killed by Harry and Hermione's surviving friends.
"Is he ready?" asked Luna.
"He is ready to go, but I don't think he'll ever be ready" said Dean. It had taken hours of quiet coaching for Harry to give up Hermione's body, and an armed Goblin guard, added to by the House Elves, had blocked the doors to the Hospital Wing where Hermione had been taken care of. Silently, and watched by Pomfrey from a safe distance, Harry had cleaned her, dressed her in the complete school uniform, applied make up and sorted out her hair before placing her into the coffin with things that reminded him of her – Books, the treasured necklace and other things like that. With a last kiss to the dead, cold lips, he sealed it with a combination of screws and powerful protective spells. That had been three days ago.
"Come on, Harry" the recently returned to normal Daphne Greengrass adjusted her formal robes and gently pulled Harry to his feet. She had been devastated by Hermione's death, and had helped the others to plan a full funeral in the grounds of the Potter family plot.
"Alright, Daphne" was all he said, taking the children that he and Hermione had created into his arms and holding them close to him. Together, the friends walked out of a place that Harry was living in with his two children until he returned to the cottage him and Hermione both loved – all of the expenses being met by the rebuilding Ministry. Apart from the humans, Hedwig, Crookshanks, Dobby and Griphook would also be attending. The Knight Bus was sat at the end of the path for them, and they all went aboard and undertook the journey to the plot in Godric's Hollow. There was, however, one place to go to before the service would begin. Hermione's coffin was floated around the bookshops in Diagon Alley because Harry insisted she'd never forgive him if she didn't have a last look around.
#
"I was Hermione's friend" Harry said. He was the last to stand and speak to the small group gathered for the service. "More then that, I was her closest friend, her lover and her husband. I knew Hermione was the one for me the day we all went to Hogwarts. And from the very first moment I saw her, I never felt such emotion until the day we married. Hermione and I were thrown together because our respective families forced us out of their homes and didn't care what happened to us. We ended up moving in together in our own little place. Over the following days, weeks and months, the two of us got closer and closer. We planned to marry the day we graduated from Hogwarts, but the start of the war changed all of that. We were never sure of the exact date, but it was very early on in the run that we discovered Hermione was pregnant. We thought that it was just the one child, but Hermione always liked to do things twice as much as everybody else…" he smiled weakly. "I would have died before getting to fight Riddle, but Hermione pushed me out of the way and took the spell instead. She saved my life, I know that now. Despite everything she could have done, Poppy Pomfrey was unable to save her and our children. Hermione was able, before she died, to make the decision to save the pair of them above her own life. I… I went through several versions of this speech, trying to think of one or two things to say that sums up Hermione and her life. Maybe it is best that we all remember her in our own way, but there are a couple of events that spring to mind. After escaping Hagrid's giant two headed dog, Hermione, myself and a friend, who later turned out to be a traitor, got back to Gryffindor whereupon Hermione said '… before you get another crazy plan to get us killed – or worse, expelled'. The other time was something that happened between me and Hermione when we had set up the home together. Hermione was so grateful that I 'had allowed her to live with me' that she cooked my breakfast for me one day. It wasn't the food, though, that made it so funny, but the bits of flour and bread in her hair and her intense examination of a cookery book was just so cute, so funny and so Hermione…" he gave a half hearted smile and looked at the coffin that contained the only person he had ever truly loved with all of his heart. Without any kind of warning, he suddenly broke down into tears and had to be led back to his seat by Lavender. He stood, silently sobbing, as Hermione's coffin was floated into the cold earth and the soil placed over the wooden box.
# # # # #
"Do you have any ideas about names?" asked Susan.
"A couple of names" Harry said. He was at the wake that was being held at the temporary home. All of their friends had returned with him, and they sat around and ate and drank as they remembered some old tale about Hermione.
"What like?" asked Daphne.
"If we had a girl, Hermione wanted to name her Cassiopeia, Mildred or Enid" Harry said. "If it had been a boy, we were thinking along the lines of Thomas, Edward, Henry or Gordon" Harry filled his glass with another generous helping of Firewhiskey.
"Not James?" asked Dean.
"Maybe in another life" Harry shrugged, "But I never really knew my father all that much, so…" he took a mouthful.
"When are you going to register the names?" asked Parvati.
"I was thinking about tomorrow" Harry sighed. "I should get a start on moving back into the cottage, but it is going to be awfully odd without Hermione besides me"
"Our lives" said a drunken Seamus solemnly, "Will be infinitely poorer for not having her around"
"Aye" Hannah hiccupped.
"To Hermione" Harry raised his glass.
"To Hermione" they all said.
"Has McGonagall said anything about repairing and rebuilding the damaged parts of the castle?" Padma asked.
"It should be ready for the start of the new term" Susan said. "From what I have been able to hear from Auntie, it's going to be announced that everybody will be retaking the year they were in" and she looked at Harry. "What about you?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"Are you coming back to Hogwarts?" Susan asked, reaching for a tray of muggle snacks.
"How can I?" Harry snorted. "I have two children to look after now – a single parent who is still a student…?" he shook his head. "I really do not know"
"You have a couple of weeks left before the cut off date" Luna commented. "You have time to think about it, but, and don't take this one way, I think that Hermione would be at you if you decided not to return"
"Perhaps McGonagall could give you a separate set of rooms or something" said Daphne.
"That's something I will have to discuss with her" Harry agreed. "The trouble is that I don't know all that much about parenting. You all know about what happened with me and the Dursleys, and I certainly don't want to be like that to my own children…"
"Well, Harry" said Lavender, "Whatever happens to you, we're right behind you every step of the way. We'll even help out looking after them and stuff like that" and the others agreed. Harry nearly burst into tears from the support his friends were showing him. If it hadn't have been for the children, he would have killed himself ages ago. The gathering went on until there were no more bottles to be drunk, and they went to their various homes – promising to help Harry with anything if he was to return to Hogwarts.
# # # # #
"Mr Potter, what can I do for you today?" asked the witch at the Registration Office in the Department of Records.
"I would like to file some paperwork" Harry said, handing over a folder containing the birth certificates of his two children. He had decided on calling his son Thomas Zordon, and had decided upon the names of Cassiopeia Hermione Brenna Mildred for his daughter.
"That is all in order" the witch said. "Oh… These should have been filed at the time of the births"
"I was ever so slightly busy" Harry said flatly. His mind flashed back to seeing the lively children and the lifeless Hermione.
"Yes…" the woman said, "Of course… Please forgive me, Sir" and she went away to file the paperwork – taking just fifteen minutes to do so.
#
"Harry Potter!" a voice called over the atrium in the Ministry. He turned to see McGonagall limping over towards him.
"Hello, Professor" he said. "How are you?"
"I am doing well enough" the Headmistress said. "I was just coming from a meeting with the Minister and a number of other officials" she explained.
"About reopening Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"They completely agreed with me when I said it should be reopened on time – to bring people back to normality. I am, however, facing problems with people returning to the school"
"Oh? How so?"
"A lot of parents think that if this could happen once, it is possible that it might happen again in the future" McGonagall said.
"I think all of the others are going back" said Harry. "I suppose that I should go as well, but I don't know how I will react to not seeing Hermione around the place anymore"
"Would you mind if I let it be known that you are returning?" McGonagall asked, and Harry agreed. "Oh" she added, "I thought you might like to know something. I checked the names of children newly registered to attend Hogwarts. Both you and Hermione's children have got places"
"Thank you, Professor" Harry managed a weak smiled. "I am sure that Hermione would have been pleased"
"Indeed" McGonagall said. "How are you managing to cope on your own?"
"Fine enough" said Harry, shrugging. "Dobby is a great help in looking after them when I am not at the place. They do all of the normal stuff like eating drinking, crapping and waking me up at the most unholy of hours – I like it. They've both got check ups at St Mungos the day after tomorrow, and I need to pick up a couple of books on parenting and everything. About returning, Professor, I was wondering if I could have a private suite. As much as they said they would help me, I don't think the rest of my year would appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of crying babies" and McGonagall smiled.
"I will see what I can do"
"Mr Potter!" a voice had Harry and McGonagall turn to see Rita Skeeter hurrying over.
"If only she was a Death Eater…" Harry said wistfully.
"Mr Potter, I am glad I have been able to speak to you" the reporter had a notebook in one hand and a quill in the other.
"I am not giving any interviews to the Prophet, Rita, and certainly not to you" Harry said.
"But, Harry, my boy…" Skeeter put one hand on Harry's left arm – trying to pull him back around.
"Take your hand off me" he hissed, "Or I swear that I will make you regret it"
"I heard about what happened, Sorry" Skeeter said, not sounding it at all.
"Just go and stay away from me, Rita, or I will plant you so far into the ground they will be doing the autopsy in New Zealand" Harry said. "Good Afternoon, Professor" he nodded at McGonagall. He had hardly moved away when he heard Skeeter's voice calling out to him.
"What will you do now that your wife has left you?" she asked.
WALLOP
The fist struck out, got her on the jaw and sent the witch flying to the ground. He followed it up by starting to vent his rage on a woman that had always loved to insult Hermione.
#
"… back by the end of the week" said Madam Bones. She, like so many others, bore the scars of fighting and imprisonment. After the minimal time needed to recover, she was back at the Ministry sorting out enough Aurors to cover everything that needed protecting.
"Minister! Madam Bones!" an Auror came running into Fudge's office.
"What is it?" asked Bones.
"Mr Dawlish's respects and would you mind coming down and stopping Harry Potter from killing Rita Skeeter?" and there was a pause.
"Do we really have to?" asked Fudge.
#
"SHE DIDN'T LEAVE ME – SHE DIED!" Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at the injured woman. "Rita Skeeter, for the insult and disrespect to my late wife, Hermione Potter, I do call challenge on you to the death"
"Mr Potter…" McGonagall said carefully.
"Respectfully, Professor, stay out of this. What do you say Rita?" Harry asked.
"I accept" she spat through the blood.
"Accept what?" asked Madam Bones – hurrying towards them with as many Aurors as she could gather up.
"Miss Skeeter insulted the memory of my late wife, and I have challenged her to a duel to the death. It is perfectly legal" Harry said.
"I have nothing to fear" Skeeter said. "I am more powerful then you, little boy" she spat, stumbling to her feet. "Why not do it now? Bombarda!" she cast the blasting hex – hoping to kill him there and then. Harry dodged it to the sound of the woman's laughter. "Is that all?" she cackled. "Is that all?" and Harry simply removed the Model 1911 from his back pocket and calmly put a single shot into the middle of the witch's forehead.
"Yes" he told the corpse, "That is all. Madam Bones, I am going back to my temporary accommodation where I do not expect to be disturbed by Aurors or groups of people wanting me to stand trial. If anyone threatens my family, they will be met with deadly force. Good Day" and he walked to the Floo network points and went home.
"He has to pay for what he did" Bones said.
"Agreed. How dare Mr Potter leave a body lying around like this! Doesn't he know there is a fine for littering?" Fudge, for the first time in years, was beginning to enjoy himself.
#
"How are they, Dobby?" Harry asked, looking at his two sleeping children.
"They are being the very bestest little children, Master Harry Potter" the elf whispered. He was afraid of waking the sleeping babies after getting both back to sleep.
"Thanks, Dobby. I'll make you a deal. If you make me a good dinner, you can take the rest of the day off" and Dobby nodded and vanished to the kitchen – walking so as to not disturb the sleepers. As he sat in a deep and comfortable armchair watching his two children sleeping, Harry wondered about how he would cope with the life that lay ahead of him.
A life without his beloved Hermione…
A life as Harry Potter – Single Parent.
A/N:
Here it is – the first part of the last part of the three part story. (Congrats if you said that without getting it wrong the first time)
With regards to the last chapter of Running Together, I'd like to point out some items. 1st, the arrival of Victor Krum in the sailing ship, the message afterwards and Harry's message after he kills Voldemort are all from the film "The Yangtze Incident". 2nd, the two first year Ravenclaws that double team Death Eaters before kicking their corpses are Rudy and Ben from Harry Potter True Friends and a number of my other HP works. 3rd, Voldemort surprised that Harry wouldn't take the offer is modified from Sharpe's Rifles.
For the record, Hermione is going to stay dead in this one and never come back again – apart from two or three moments in upcoming chapters. The reason for this being so long in coming is because I decided to put some chapters in the fanfic vault so I can go and do other things – like driving steam and diesel locomotives!
Now onto the fic plots…
Without the help of his wife, Hermione, Harry is going to have to grow up a lot quicker then he expected and cope with being a single parent – going through rough periods, a kidnapping and a complete breakdown. Any love interest will not take place until Chapter 8 and afterwards, thought the observant ones here may well spot the person anyway.
Here's Hoping For A Good Set Of Reviews
Stephanie
(One half of the GREATEST Hp fanfic writing team)