As it should have been told:
Polegara
Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with Harry Potter. I am not making a profit from this story or anything like that. Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, how would you survive? Would you find love? Peace? Hope? What is there that makes the world carry on in spite of itself? Story inspired by Jayu's bonfire challenge on Portkey.
A/N: I am currently looking for a beta, if anyone is interested, please email me!
Challenge requirements: "On a midsummer night, in the light of the flaming fire, their eyes met. This is their story, as it should be told"
Specifications: -H/Hr only couple -No
Neville/Ron/Ginny/Draco/Luna, any other friend -Everything
takes place in the night, always with light of the fire
-Au
universe - no magic, no Voldie, not a single wizard affiliated
member
As It Should Have Been Told: First Night
It was a dark and stormy night when the old storyteller sat down by the campfire. He cleared his throat, "Ok, does anyone have a preference on what story I tell tonight? Does anyone have something specific in mind?"
A small, little girl, with wild, bushy brown hair raised her hand. "Sir, could we hear about the Sleepers?"
The old storyteller lifted his eyebrow. He hadn't heard a request for this one in a long time. In fact, he hadn't heard a request for this story in about ten years. He closed his eyes and thought for a minute. Why not? After all, his job description entitled telling a story every night. He clapped his hands and all quieted down so that they could listen. "We've all heard the story of the Sleepers. The ones who will come back and save us when needed. They come whenever, wherever they're needed. No one knows what happened before we lost everything." He used his arm to gesture to the wrecked landscape surrounding them. "We don't know what it was like before the sun was blocked off. However, we do know the start of our story, this particular story that we all know so well." He closed his eyes and let the silence carry the emotion. He lifted his head up and began, "On a midsummer night, in the light of the flaming fire, their eyes met. This is their story, as it should be told."
Approximately 500 years before
Hermione shivered and huddled around the fire with the other refugees. She held her hands out towards the flickering flame, but no warmth seemed to be going into her system.
She was scared. Alright, she wasn't just scared, she was scared shitless. A month ago, everything was fine. Then, after Harry's fight with Voldemort, the majority of the magic just…left. Wands had ceased working. Magical creatures had shifted into close approximations of muggle type creatures. The only ones that managed to hold onto something of their natures were the intelligent races, those that had been around the longest. She just had to face the fact that there was virtually no magic left. And, to top all of that off, the muggles went nuts. For some strange reason, the majority of modern technology wouldn't work. Anything that required electricity was shot, and there was some kind of funky haze covering the view to the sky.
None of that could compare to what was going on inside of her. She was in turmoil. Her body hurt in places that she didn't think existed. She had been searching for anyone she knew from the past, but she had had no luck. It seems that those who had depended entirely on magic had left when it did.
She was brought out of her revelry when a young man jostled his way to the front of the fire next to her. She raised her head and there eyes met. They both stood in silence for a minute, "Harry?" Hermione finally managed to ask.
"Hermione?" He responded in kind.
She turned and wrapped him in a hug, asking him as many questions as she could, "Are you okay? What happened? Did he die? Are you cold? Are you hungry? Is there anything I can do for you?"
Hermione quieted as he pressed his finger against her lips. "Hush. I'm fine. You can ask me anything you want later. Right now, I'm just happy to see a familiar face." He hugged her tightly, and they sat down together next to the fire. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So, how did you get here?" He whispered into her ear.
She shrugged, "After the fight died out, I went home. Only, there was nothing there. It was like a tidal wave had wiped out the entire village." She shivered, in spite of Harry's arm and the fire. "My parents were not there. No body that I had ever known was there. In fact, no one was there. I spent about two days wandering around, gathering what I could before I moved on. I just felt that I had to find someone, anyone."
Hermione closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek. "I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was drowning. I made my way from my village to the next, and I found another person. It was just one person, but it was a start. Her name is Elise." Hermione pointed her finger at a woman who was probably a couple of years older than her. "She had already gathered what she could, and we took off together. We've been going from town to town, gathering people as we go. We ended up here about a week ago. Now, we don't know where to go next. People keep trickling in, and they expect someone to make a decision for them." She sighed and leaned into him harder; she turned her head to give the impression of an intimate couple. "How did you get here?"
He smiled and reached his free hand towards the fire, "I heard of you." He corrected his statement when she gave him a look. "Oh, it wasn't you name. It was your reputation. Apparently, a very bright, young woman has been going around gathering up the abandoned. Did you know that's what everyone is calling you guys?" When she shook her head, he continued one with his story. "Those who didn't disappear last month are called the abandoned. No one that I've talked to really knows what happened. One moment, everything was fine, and the next everything stopped working. Nothing with electricity worked, magic didn't work, and thousands of people disappeared into thin air." He shrugged.
Hermione rubbed his back. Harry removed his arm from around her shoulder and put it on his knee. "And, then the sun stopped shining brightly last week. It looks like twilight during the day, and the sky is pitch black late at night. No stars make it through the haze, and I don't know what to do." Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his nose. "At least there's nothing that can make these not work."
Hermione smiled, "Well, you'll just have to remember not to break them. I can't cast the repairing charm anymore." She ruffled her fingers through his hair. "How did it go with Voldemort?"
Harry snorted, "It was fine. Everything went according to our plan. I cast the final spell, and he went down. He cast some kind of spell right before he died, and I don't know what he meant for it to do. But, I think, whatever it was is tied to what is happening now." He shrugged and moved both hands and rubbed them in front of the fire.
Hermione bit her lip before she got up and went over to another person. She asked an elderly lady to get up and come over to talk to Harry. "Harry, this is Suzanne White. She prefers to be called Suzy. She might have some more information for you about what happened in the muggle world." Harry glanced at her with a puzzled look. "Suzy was a Squib, but, since none of us have magic anymore, I don't see why we need to hide it so much now." Hermione sat the elderly woman down in the spot on the log that she had just occupied.
"I'm sorry, I would stay and talk some more, but I have to get ready for the meeting. We have to decide where we are going next." She wandered off to talk with a large group of people.
Harry extended his hand to Suzy, "I'm Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you Suzy. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Suzy shrugged, "Sure, I'll tell you what happened." She took in a shuddering breath before continuing. "My husband was a scientist. He worked for the government on some projects that I was not supposed to know about. Actually, no one was supposed to know about them." She bit her lip, "Since the government in now shot, I guess there's no one who will punish me for telling this story." She leaned closer to him, so that her words would end up in his ears alone.
"John worked on experiments that messed with part of the atmosphere. Actually, they messed with the layer called the thermosphere. Most specifically, they contaminated the ionosphere. They were working on a project that involved a space tether system. It was intended to create a circuit by using plasma contractors and the ionosphere to extract energy from the Earth's magnetic field to tether and power a satellite. Anyway, something went wrong. I guess it happened at the same time that Voldemort cast his spell that you were talking about. It shut down radio, TV, satellite communications, and it created mayhem everywhere. With everything being monitored through those types of communications, it shut everything down."
She shrugged, "We're lost. We have no communications. It's like we're back in the middle ages. I'm sure we could get power working again, but we have no one trained to work it all." Suzy shook her head. "They all disappeared. All of the scientists, inventors, politicians just up and disappeared." She started sobbing, "My John disappeared."
Harry wrapped his arm around her and held her to him tightly, whispering soft nothings and rubbing her back. When she calmed down, he asked her if she would be okay. He went and found Hermione. He needed to know what she thought about this.
Hermione was frustrated. She was bent over a table, talking to a large group of people who just wouldn't listen to her. "Okay, we're in Worcester now. The largest town closest to us is Birmingham." She pointed at her map. "It looks like we can follow A38 on the way up, and we can stop off in the towns along the way. It looks like there should be a lot of towns and villages along the way up. We can stop along each one and see if there are any survivors. There may be someone who really knows what's going on!"
One elderly gentleman looked at Hermione, "We may be closest to Birmingham, but we should be heading to London. Birmingham would take us 30 miles out of our way, and London is about 130 miles away from here as it is. We should head south." Hermione just shook her head.
"That may be so, but how many people could we save if we go to Birmingham. A lot of those people think that there is nothing for them! They might think the whole world is gone. We owe it to these people to show them that they're not alone! They weren't the only ones left behind!" Hermione punctuated her statement by punching the table.
Harry had been standing in the doorway of the tent, "I agree with her. Even if no one joins us, they need to know they're not alone. There might be someone there who will know what to do. They might know exactly what happened! How can you stop looking for that? Who knows, there might be some doctors available. Have you found any of those yet?" The group of men shook their heads. "What do you expect to do if you have a broken arm, or if someone gets hurt or ill? What will you do then, on your way to London?"
The gentleman who spoke up earlier started yelling, "Who the hell does he think he is? He hasn't been here. He doesn't have any room to speak here!"
Harry had had it at this point, "It doesn't matter who I am! There's a group of fifty people out there, waiting for the ten of you to make a decision. They've wasted a week here." He looked at them, "Do you know how long a week is to someone who has no hope? How long a minute can stretch? Did you know that an eternity can happen in only a few seconds?" Harry approached the man who had attempted to bully him out of the way. "I know. I know what it feels like to be them. I have been a person without a choice in his own destiny, and I never intend to be that again." He had reached a point to where he was only inches from the other gentleman's face.
The other gentleman backed down. There was some kind of fire in this young man's eyes. He had the attitude of a man who had lost everything, and then found it again. He was perfect. He patted Harry's shoulder. "That's what I wanted to see! I wanted to see fire and passion. Without that, we are nothing!" He extended his hand to Harry. "My name is Eric White. Who are you?"
Harry, shocked by how the man's attitude had changed, just took his hand in his, shaking it firmly. "I'm Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you."
Hermione crossed her arms. How the hell did Harry manage to get through that pig-headed fool's head? Oh well, she'll take whatever blessings she could. "Okay, it's settled. Tomorrow, we head for Birmingham." She looked at the map. "Does anyone know what we'll come to tomorrow?" One young man stepped forward and whispered in her ear. She smiled and called the meeting to a close.
Harry was introduced to the rest of the people at the meeting by Hermione, with side commentary:
There was Eric White, the annoying man who could never take what she said at face value. That said, he was a very competent man who had been mayor of a town.
Abigail Smith, a former school teacher, who had traveled all over the country. She was very knowledgeable about many different topics.
Rose White, the insipid wife of Eric White. She felt she had earned a reason to be there because she had married Eric.
There was Benjamin Wright. He was very smart, and he had been a butcher. He managed to make sure that there was plenty of food for everyone. At each stop off, he found any livestock that had been abandoned, and he prepared anything he could from them. He also ransacked the abandoned grocery stores. There were still plenty of canned goods on the shelves.
Agatha Barret was a tailor. She had had a useful trade, and she harvested any fabric that had been left behind. Her husband, Arthur, had been a farmer. He took care of any livestock that they took with them. He had a few people that weren't included in the meeting that helped him.
Chester Mitchell was a nurse. He had been the only person with any background in medicine that had been found, so far. He had proven very useful patching up people who had been injured when things stopped responding to their commands.
The final couple was Norman and Karin Nelson. They were both teachers, and had been trying to get some kind of school started during the long walk. He had been a Math teacher, and she had taught Science. They were the closest thing to an expert in either subject. They had proven useful with their broad knowledge spectrum.
When Harry commented on having three teachers in the group, Hermione responded, "The best way to learn a subject is to teach it. I guess you're number eleven for the council now. Although, I don't know what we're good for, other than representing everyone out there." She made a broad sweeping gesture encompassing the surrounding countryside.
Harry walked up behind her and responded, "We're good for more than just that. We're here to make sure everyone knows what is going on. Who do you think would make the announcements? Who would make the tough decisions? We've been put between a rock and a hard place since we were eleven. There's no way that we can not be involved in decisions being made." He hugged her tightly to him, taking comfort in her presence. "There's more going on here, and we need to find out why people disappeared so completely. But, for now, let's just work on getting to where we want to go. Maybe we won't be able to find out anything, but we can help these people get to where they need to go."
Hermione smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward out of their hug as she walked forward, "Come on; let's go get something to eat." She meandered through the crowd. There were people playing cards, some had instruments out, and others were just sitting by fires, exchanging jokes. It wasn't that cold yet, but with very little starlight making it through the haze, they needed whatever light they could manage.
Harry looked around in amazement. All of these people had split into groups of five on their own. He didn't know if it was families or what, but it was great to see them getting along so well. He stopped in front of a big pot, next to Hermione.
Hermione smiled at the lady cooking. "How are you doing tonight ma'am?"
The lady grunted before she giggled, "Honey, I'm doing great since you brought this piece of fine meat in front of me!" Hermione just giggled with her.
"Harry just got here, and I haven't had time to eat yet. Do you have anything left?" Hermione peered in the pot eagerly.
The lady laughed, "You are full of trouble. You know this is just the dishwater heating up." Hermione made a face. "But, you know me too well. I figured some lost soul found you and you got caught up." She gestured with her big spoon over her shoulder. "I saved a couple of plates for you over there." She winked, and Hermione led the way around the campfire.
Harry looked at Hermione incredulously, "Since when did you charm people?"
Hermione just shrugged, "Amy was one of the first people I found. She had lost her whole family when the magic left. I talked to her, and she feels comfortable around me. She used to be a cafeteria lady, and she cooks the food." She picked up a bowl and handed it to Harry before taking one for herself. She led them to a corner that was still lit by the fire.
Harry dug into his soup with relish. It was delicious. But, that could just be the hunger talking. "I must thank Amy for this. I think it's even better than what we used to get at Hogwarts." Hermione raised her head and nodded her head in agreement.
They ate in silence for awhile. When they finished, they put their bowls in the now boiling water. Harry thanked Amy, and Hermione took him around to meet more people. They stopped by a campfire where a group of people were playing instruments. Hermione greeted them warmly, and an elderly man asked Hermione to dance. Hermione acquiesced, and took his hand. The elderly gentleman showed Harry how to play the washboard, and he and Hermione danced to it.
Harry was mesmerized by the way Hermione looked in the firelight. She had a twinkle in her eyes, and, in spite of all that was going on around them, she seemed very happy. He smiled at her; she smiled back. The old man signaled that he had had enough. Hermione sat down, and they visited for awhile. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and led him off to her area.
Her grouping of people was smack dab in the middle of the group. She had a small tent erected, and her cat was waiting on her. He had a dead bird hanging from his mouth as a present for her. Hermione scolded Crookshanks, and she introduced Harry to her grouping. In fact, Harry had already met all of them. There was Amy, Suzy, and Chester. Harry made number five in their grouping.
"How are you two doing?" Amy smiled at them. Hermione had a flushed look on her face.
"Amy, Harry is my friend. I danced with Aaron, if you must know." She still had that twinkle in her eye.
Harry interrupted, "I would have loved to dance with Hermione, but Aaron was tired. Maybe we can dance tomorrow night."
Suzy smiled, her eyes watering. "You two make such a cute couple. How long have you known each other?"
"Since we were eleven, ma'am. She's always managed to get me out of trouble." Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and rubbed it.
"Oh, I haven't always managed to get you out of trouble." She was blushing furiously. "You managed to get me into trouble more often than I got you out of it!" They talked for awhile before they divided up into the three tents.
Amy and Suzy took one tent. Chester insisted on sleeping alone. For some reason, he seemed to think that Harry and Hermione were an item, in spite of their protests. Harry and Hermione were forced to share a small, pup tent. She crawled in first. Harry climbed in on the other side.
"Harry," She asked softly. "Did you ever think that we'd end up in a situation like this?"
Harry rolled on his side to face her, "Hermione, I never thought I'd live past the fight with Voldemort. I spent my entire life waiting to die, and now, I'm just happy to be alive." He grabbed her hand, "Promise me that we'll help these people. They are just as lost as I was at first."
Hermione, tears rolling down her cheeks, just nodded her head. He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, sending shivers down her spine. He pulled her hand up to his face and kissed the back of it. "I trust you, Hermione." His voice cracked. "I need to do this, and I think you need to as well. We spent too long at the will of others." He curled around her hand, and relaxed into a deep sleep. Hermione slowly drifted off to sleep as well.
"And, so, the sleepers have helped us through our darkest times. The world had disappeared around them, and they were trying to show us our way through." The storyteller bowed; he was done for the night. But, one thing was for sure. There were many more parts to this tale, and he could tell all of it.