A/N as of December 2018: Please note, this story is canon up until the end of Battle of Hogwarts. Though there are two exceptions to the events, but I'm going to explain them when the time is right. From then on it's obviously going to be very au.
Again, please note this story has to be a bit political / philosophical at times, so I have the right set up for the upcoming happenings, and also so I can be faithful to my imagination and plans.
I did use some thoughts of political theorists of the 20th century, particularly by Hannah Arendt (on freedom, power and public citizenship) and by Antonio Gramsci (on hegemony). I also reached back to historical experiences during repression in totalitarian regimes –again, mostly 20th century inspired. I also used some popular culture references too. If you want more information on that, don't hesitate to ask.
To sum everything up, I can reassure you, this story is going to be very complex at some points, and not an easy light hearted piece of work, I aim to entertain but on an intellectual, challenging way too, so if this doesn't appeal you, please kindly look elsewhere for reading material.
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognise as a part of Rowling's Potterverse, is hers, I'm just burrowing some of her creations because I would like to contribute to the afterlife of her story. [And at this point we have to embrace fanon and turn our back to canon.] The rest is a result of my imagination, unless explicitly told so. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this story.
Enjoy reading!
1 – Familiar intruders
Hermione Granger lets out quite a loud moan. If her mind wouldn't be engulfed in a state of contented bliss, eyes closed, lips curved in a satisfied smile, she might have been embarrassed at just how loud she is. But boy was it long ago that she felt this good!
Ever since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts three months ago, ever since she left the wizarding world behind, cutting all her ties (apart from keeping her wand), she is trying her hardest to heal, to re-learn and cherish small pleasures in life... which leads to her current situation: being pressed up against a random tree in a residential area of Oxford at night. She shifts, continues to rub her back against that seriously handsome piece of tree, and moans again.
Ah! The beauty in life that only an old friendly and a very hard tree can offer to an itchy back on a too warm summer night. At this thought she just has to let out a little chuckle.
Yes, she has come a long way since leaving the wizarding world behind.
She didn't mean to abandon anybody, or cowardly pop out, escape, but she felt like she lost herself along the way of fighting throughout her teenage years, living in constant fear, people always depending on her and turning to her to solve their problems. Not to mention her most recent experiences, putting together a puzzle left behind by a –let's get real and admit it- manipulative old wizard, keeping her best friends alive, dealing with extreme arts of dark magic, being on the run for almost a year.
She puffs her cheeks and leans back slowly against the tree, content to just enjoy the simplicity and feeling of security this situation can offer. She opens her eyes, crosses her arms on her chest and looks up at the sky.
Her mind drifts to her most haunting memories of the past year. She was captured, left at the fancy and moods of a seriously demented woman, tortured by her. She shudders at the images and sensations that suddenly overpower her, all of them are about that night. Those dark brown eyes, so... empty... void of everything, but some kind of crazed fever, her eyes, they still send chills down on her spine... After her and her friends fled that blasted manor, she was extremely grateful for being able to hold onto her sanity. She somehow picked up the pieces of her shattered self, and forced herself to continue, to find the remaining horcruxes, so she could at least hold onto the hope of a vague future that would enable her to put herself back together. She has never shown the boys just how damaged she was after Malfoy Manor. And then the battle broke out...
All those lives, all those scattered bodies... memories, dreams, hopes slowly leaking away and the ground that hungrily drank up every drop of blood...
She has to stop this train of thought now. Hermione shakes her head and inhales deeply.
The night air is rich with warm summer scents, a disturbingly sweet flower nearby almost overpowers the comfortable humidity in the air. But then she turns her head to the left, smells the tree's naturally comforting scent, and that makes her smile a little.
But a sudden 'pop' causes her to hastily and silently duck behind a nearby car.
This sound definitely was of magical origin, some stranger kind of apparition maybe?
She muses as she slowly pulls out her wand from her pocket and sneaks a peak. Two figures are standing not more than 20 meters ahead, a bit to the right from her. One of them is wearing a jumper, with the hood up, the other is slightly smaller, and appears to be more delicately built.
A woman perhaps.
Hermione guesses, before she hears them whispering:
"Are you certain?" Asks the taller one with a deep, somehow familiar voice.
"Yes! She has to be here!" Answers the woman, then they both seem to look up and down the street.
"I believe you." The hooded figure lets out a deep sigh, shoulders dropping just a bit, "but we have to move! They can be here any minute now..."
"No, she is here. We have to warn her at least!" The smaller one interrupts him, shaking her head vigorously.
Once again they both let their eyes roam the street. Hermione has a nagging feeling that she has met them before... but she can't explain the origin of this feeling yet, besides the war taught her to be even more cautious than she naturally was. All her instincts are screaming to wait, so she grips her wand more tightly and readies her muscles in case she has to jump or run.
The strange woman inhales deeply and mutters:
"She is here, the rabbit said she was."
Just as Hermione hears the odd sentence, the woman turns and begins to walk straight at Hermione's hiding place. Hermione tenses then lets out a shaky breath. The minute the light of a street lamp falls on dirty blonde hair, she chuckles.
Of course. Who else would have been led by a rabbit?
"Hello Hermione Granger. Did you find a Blibbering Humdinger under that car? That would be lovely, they are said to be very colourful and rather fond of yellow flowers."
"Hello to you too, Luna Lovegood." Hermione has to smile at the bubbly girl's refreshing oddness. She is way past her issues about Luna's invisible creature-garden, the experiences of recent years made her quite fond of the girl, her courage, her at times disturbing frankness, her vast knowledge and her loyalty. Hermione quickly steps up to her and pulls her into a tight hug.
"I've missed you my friend."
"I've missed you too Hermione Granger. And the lack of nargles around you, you seem to have a calming effect even on them." Says Luna in her usual dreamy way. Meanwhile Luna's... companion... friend? ...walks up to them as well. Hermione flicks her gaze to the man, and sees light glinting under his hood.
It's him.
"Harry." She breaths out, then throws her arms around his neck. She can't even choke a word out, she just squeezes him more tightly. Harry returns the hug just as fiercely, and he doesn't even attempt to hide his tears.
"'Mione." He glides his hand over her cheeks, "we have to move to somewhere safe without apparating. We are going to tell you everything later, but please don't ask anything now, just trust me, we have to go."
Hermione looks in his eyes, the green is shockingly hollow and haunted, yet he tries to crack a smile for her sake. She immediately knows that something is very wrong.
Yet, a hurried "Follow me." is the only thing she says, before she speed walks down the street, her friends close behind her.
Hermione turns twice to the left, crosses a street, turns to the right, climbs over a fence, follows a stream for several minutes, until she turns sharply to the left and walks through a hole on the fence. It isn't lost on her that during the whole walk both Harry and Luna are nervously looking around, holding their wands ready and not uttering a word.
There must be a serious threat for them to act like this. But what can that be? Voldemort is gone for crying out loud. What caused that look on Harry? He wasn't this broken not even at the worst hour of our horcrux hunt. And just where is bloody Ron? Not that I would tolerate meeting him at this point, but still.
Hermione lengthens her strides in her worry. She senses that the more they walk the more fidgety her friends are getting. She pushes a wide piece of wood out of their way to reveal a door that appears to open to some kind of yard. She waits till Harry and Luna walk past her, then hides and closes the door again. She turns, crosses the yard and walks up to a townhouse. She taps a code in a panel, and whispers something to a small monitor then the door opens.
Harry and Luna look at each other, surprise reflecting in their eyes. They weren't expecting Hermione to be, well to put it frankly, this muggle.
She gestures for them to walk in, Harry looks around one last time, while Luna steps in the house. After they are all inside Hermione re-activates the alarm.
"Han! I'm home!" She shouts. Luna and Harry once again turn to look at her, curiosity and by now slight amusement clearly written on their faces. She just rolls her eyes and hurriedly crosses the room, the others following her. They run up the stairs, Hermione knocks on the first door on the right.
"Han! Are you decent? I want you to meet somebody."
They can hear something crashing, a cat hissing, and somebody loudly swearing on the other side.
"Honestly, if you did something to Crooks I am going to hex your nipples purple with turquoise dots on them!"
Hermione pushes the door open and reveals a tall blond man with piercing hazel eyes...in a well, rather ungraceful position.
He is standing in the middle of the room wearing just a pair of Darth Vader-themed boxers, a broken flower pot at his feet, soil all over him, and he is caressing his obviously abused stomach that is covered with cat scratches while he bounces from smiling at the three to scowling at Crookshanks.
"Everyone, this is Hannibal my self-proclaimed brother. Han, meet Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood. Before either of you utter a word, Harry spill. Some serious threat has arisen once again, hasn't it? What happened? Where are the others? Why couldn't we apparate? Wha-"
But before she can ask more questions, she is interrupted, rather rudely.
"Sis, breath!" Han puts his somewhat dirty left arm around her shoulders, smiles reassuringly at her and then looks Harry in the eye, concern visible on his features, and simply states: "Now is the best time for you to finally speak up Mr. Potter. You see I really dislike to be rude to a guest, but if you are here to hurt Hermione, I am going to throw you out, and subject you to a random act of violence and terror that would make even Voldy-boy go pale!"
Harry gulps and nervously smiles. He is hardly intimidated by Han, but he is somewhat -and in his case quite understandably so- wary of strangers. And truth be told, his best friend having a brother that he has never heard of, unnerves him. But he tries his best not to squirm.
When Hermione sees Harry's discomfort, she gently pokes Han in the ribs while she rolls her eyes and fights the need to grin at her brother's rather melodramatic antics. Luna merely giggles at them, and in her usual airy way says: "You are an amusing man Hannibal Granger."
"Why thank you Ms. Lovegood." Han flashes a smile at her then expectantly turns back to Harry. Who clears his throat and takes a deep breath and in a for him so atypical, barely audible, whispering voice he chokes out:
"Hermione, we are wanted. We have to leave the country. We are wanted! Wanted! Can you believe this?! After everything...dead or alive...preferably dead, but we aren't getting any trial, just an immediate death sentence on the spot! We have to leave!"
At this point he is obviously distraught, until he finally breaks down and begins to cry silently.