Choose from the Three
by Ydream08
Chapter 1: Newspaper
"I kissed—"
Hermione Granger shifted towards the loud voice, and shot a Stupefy without missing a heartbeat.
"—HER!" the voice shrieked. Hermione saw her spell bounce off a transparent silvery shield, and once the shield dissolved, she looked into the emerald eyes of her best friend. "Hermione, it's me!"
"Harry?" Hermione lowered her wand. Putting it back to her sleeve, she sighed. Pushing away her curly hair from her face, she shook her head. "Godric, you gave me a scare!"
"Sorry?" Harry quipped, but he didn't look so apologetic after all. "It was a hard day at work, I suppose."
Hermione shed off her blazer and hung it. "You'd have no idea," she said while crossing to the kitchen. She had just arrived home. "Want some tea?"
Just when she put water to the stove, she heard Harry follow her to the kitchen. Turning around, she faced her dear old friend.
Harry had changed after the war. He had grown taller, still not tall enough to match Ronald, but it was enough to remind Hermione that she was on the shorter side. With his growing height, Harry had gained weight as well. Quitting his job as an Auror hadn't helped either. Gone were his abs, famous Harry Potter now sported a slight belly that was the laughter material of his oldest friends. Especially Ron. Compared to the Keeper of Chudley Cannons, the Defense Against Dark Arts professor of Hogwarts had lost his touch.
Losing Ginny hadn't done any good to him. First his job, then his health…
"I kissed her, Hermione," Harry said with a goofy smile on his face. His smile wavered though, as if he wasn't sure he had the right to smile.
Hermione observed her best friend's rosy cheeks and flushed neck. His raven hair was a mess, worse than usual, and his button up shirt was missing a few buttons. He had had a good snog, it seemed. But it looked like he had rushed straight to Hermione's apartment.
"You didn't leave her and come here, did you?" Hermione thought all of a sudden. Harry could be daft sometimes, and he did the most ridiculous things in those moments. "Wait, who is she?"
"Of course I didn't! I—I—" Harry stopped and swallowed, then continued. "It was a goodnight kiss. I kissed her on her doorstep, then came here."
"Yes, sure," Hermione said with narrowed eyes. It was April, school wasn't yet over. A missing DADA professor would be a big deal, unless they hadn't left the school grounds…
"Don't tell me it's the charms professor…" Hermione started to say but Harry intervened.
"Is it okay?" he whispered. Harry raised his eyes from where they were stuck on the floor. His eyes glistened but his hard stare was indication that Hermione shouldn't be handling this situation lightly. The kettle blew, and its persistent voice that indicated the water was ready grated on Hermione's nerves.
She turned around, taking the water from the stove, prepared the teas as a heavy silence reigned the small kitchen.
"It's only been a few years," Harry added after Hermione passed him a mug.
"It's been seven years," Hermione corrected him. It's been seven years since they had lost Ginny Weasley.
"Not enough," Harry protested with a pained voice. "I should have looked harder for her. There must have been leads that we'd missed, or clues—"
"Stop," Hermione chided. "You're doing this because it is the first time you've been romantically involved with someone else after her. Daphne Greengrass deserves better."
Harry looked as if about to protest, so Hermione continued on. "We both know that you've done everything you could have done for her. You've searched for her for five years, Harry- five years! She had to be declared dead. Nevertheless, the Weasleys are ever the most grateful."
Hermione waited for Harry to take in every word she said. When he nodded and sighed, she led them to the living room.
Getting seated, Hermione asked Harry about work -and how he sneaked out of Hogwarts to find her- and she talked about her own for some time. It was the usual. Struggling for House Elf rights against bigoted, unpleasant wizards who held the Wizengamot seats was always a pain in the arse. At least young heirs to some seats like Harry, Hannah Abbot, Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy were helpful. Even with their aid, Hermione mostly overworked, staying late and bringing work to home. She and Ron had had numerous arguments regarding that when they used to date. It wasn't like their relationship had been roses and butterflies if it weren't for her work, Ron had once given quits to the Wizarding world, for Godric's sake!
One and a half years after the war, she and Ronald had decided to end things.
Truth be told, one of the many reasons for their break-up had also been their distant attitude.
It all started when Ginny disappeared.
~2000
Sometimes Ginny Weasley questioned her prioritizing. Her decision to accompany Harry to this Godric-forgotten place was outright daft. She had to wake up early in the morning so she should have been opting to do exactly that, not go treasure-hunting with Harry.
Yes, unlike at the moment, most of the times she was sensible; even more so than her brothers.
Bill's obsession over puzzles had led him to be a curse-breaker, a risk-taking one at that. So as the eldest, he roved the boat of 'insanity' for the Weasley children. Charlie had followed him with blind eyes. Who in his right mind would dedicate his life to fire-breathing monstrous dragons anyway? Percy hadn't been left out from that boat either, albeit his way of showing that he was lacking more than a few brains cells had been strictly hidden in the borders of legislation and rules. Fred and George had been a whole different story. Although Ginny's heart squeezed at the thought of Fred -she indeed missed him terribly- Ginny knew that even only a year after his death, George was promoting wickedness through their joke shop for Fred's expense too. Lastly there was Ronald.
Good old Ronald.
Ginny wondered as of right now, why she hadn't taken him as an example. He had quit Auror training after a drunken night in which a new girlfriend of his had told him he had an extraordinary voice. How that obviously flirtatious compliment had gone to his brain as a decent idea, Ginny did not know. Being aware of the Galleon equivalent of his newly sold single, Ron had in fact proven Ginny to be the idiot.
She shouldn't have mocked him that much.
Oh, and here she was! She had followed a might-be-lover into Auror training, both of them full-fledged Aurors at the moment. Harry and she were on and off as a couple though. Some days he escaped from her as if she were the plague, and some days it was vice versa. Ginny could see their break-up on the horizon if she was to be truthful, but deep down she didn't want to depart from her childhood crush. She had given her first kiss to another guy just to make Harry jealous even!
What a boyfriend Harry Potter was, unaware that his girlfriend would be dropping out of being an Auror and had try-outs for Holyhead Harpies first thing in the morning!
Ginny huffed and kicked a rock out of the way. She had thought that Harry had other plans for tonight when he had asked that they go out. Last thing that came to Ginny's mind for going out had been Auror business. She was thinking more in the lines of a surprise fancy dinner.
Here they were!
The Ministry had been sorting out its new properties which were claimed from the convicted Death Eaters. The Gaunt's Cottage was next and the higher up Aurors were busy chasing the escapades of the Battle; they were more useful for that job rather than cleaning up an empty house.
As a result, scanning the cottage fell on Harry and Ginny's shoulders. Apparently, rookie Aurors, whomever they may be including the famous saviour of Wizarding Britain, Harry Potter, were given the lowly errands.
"Auror Bardsley says a few weeks more and I could join with their chase of the remaining Death Eaters," Harry muttered as he Diffindo'd another ivy that had gotten tangled around his feet. "He says these are only formalities."
"Sure," Ginny drawled out, not caring an inch. She was apparently the fill-in for Harry's sick partner, so why would she humour him? This was the first time in weeks that they were alone and this was what Ginny got. Of course both of them needed time to cope with the after-effects of the war, its second Anniversary had been only two weeks prior, but Ginny had noticed earlier that she sought physical comfort while Harry did not. She couldn't even get a hug from the guy!
Sighing, Ginny joined Harry who was now making sure that the yard held no distasteful surprises.
"There is nothing much around the yard," Harry noted. Ginny was eyeing the place as well, her eyes not registering anything threatening. The cottage, or rather the rundown shack was hidden well inside the woods. As a result, whatever Harry called a yard was actually a part of the woods, easily hiding sinister objects unknown to both Harry and Ginny.
"I'm going in the cottage," Harry declared. Ginny absentmindedly nodded her approval while she cast a few charms around the yard just to be sure.
She checked whether any creature -human being or not- was hiding somewhere they had failed to see, all Auror protocol; another charm checked any recent magical activity just as it scaled the Dark magic remnants. Nothing popped out from her scanning spells, so Ginny shrugged and decided to follow Harry into the cottage. There could be something worthwhile in there.
Ginny almost prayed to find something there. If she was not going to have that fancy dinner, at least she could use some action.
Changing her steps toward the cottage, Ginny was confused to see Harry standing a good five meters away from its entrance. He looked around with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"Harry?" Ginny asked, what the heck was he doing there? Standing like a damn tree? "Weren't you going inside? Or were you waiting for me?"
Harry turned to Ginny as she picked up a faster pace to reach him; his flushed neck was an indication that Ginny's latter assumption was not true. Sure, Harry Potter was not a smooth talker, frequently flushing at anything close to flirtatious, but it had been months since Ginny made him flush. This time it was probably out of embarrassment, not because of heated attraction.
Speaking of heated attraction… The yard was obviously unkempt, but Ginny always had had a guilty fantasy of an out-door-
"I… I don't know. I just keep walking to the door, but I can never reach it," Harry interrupted Ginny's wild imagination. She cleared her throat and put her hair at the back of her right ear just for her shaking hands to be occupied.
"Yeah, really?" Ginny asked automatically without Harry's words registering. Then she popped out of her daze, "Woah, wait! You can't reach it? Umm… well, ahem. Are you sure? Maybe you could try again?"
"I'm not lying, Gin! It's just- I already tried a few times, walking to the door, I mean. But whenever I look around, I'm still here. Not moving an inch. I can't move further."
It was Ginny's turn to be confused, having finally given her full attention to the problem at hand. She had just stopped next to Harry, trying to discern what he was getting at. She looked at the door of the cottage, easily distinguishing the dead snake nailed to the wood.
She grimaced but shrugged. Harry was probably trying to prank her, but she hadn't grown up in the Burrow without learning her way around. She'd not fall for such an easy game.
Ginny raised her wand, then casted the same spells she did in the yard to be certain that there was nothing dangerous. Better be cautious, than sorry, was the Aurors' policy.
A few quick wand flicks later, she was surging forward, unaware that she had passed a boundary which was drawn by two pillars, the emerald eyes of the snake heads carved on their top flashing precariously with old magic.
Ginevra Weasley hadn't seen either of them, not the flash of light and not even the pillars.
She stopped at the doorstep of the ancient Gaunt's Cottage, brilliant accomplishment to walk to a door.
Ginny turned around, ready to inform Harry that she wasn't falling for his foolish antics, but she stopped in her tracks.
Upon facing the yard, Ginny's eyes found empty space where Harry should have been.
"Harry?" Ginny called. Rushing to where he'd stood, repeating his name with growing alarm. "Come out, Harry! You know I'll come and get you otherwise!"
Ginny casted the spell which revealed human presence again but nothing showed where the yard meet the woods, where Harry Potter stood a moment ago.
Likewise, Harry had watched helplessly as Ginny walked up to the cottage. One moment she was there, and the next she was gone. Just like that, Ginny Weasley had turned into thin air, not leaving a single clue as to where she had vanished.
After the loss of Fred, Ron no longer had it in him to continue as he used to during the war. Hermione had talked with him one night about it. Ron Weasley had fought that war for his family, and in the end he had failed to protect all of them.
They had lost Fred, and seeing his mother, Molly, crumble down had taken its toll on Ronald.
He had taken the Auror training as a quick escape, but had severely struggled to complete it. His and Hermione's fights had increased during those hardships. Their newly-budding relationship wasn't strong enough to endure those coups.
They would have reunited during when Ron quit his singing career at its peak, opting to give a shot at the tryouts for Chudley Cannons, but any chance they might have had was crushed with the news of Ginny's disappearance.
Hermione was not the woman to be a pillar to Ronald Weasley while he coped with yet another loss. Not as his lover.
So, here she was, nine years after Ginny's disappearance, unquestionably single. She hadn't been alone in her single status, as Harry had been persistent to not dishonour Ginny's memory, yet he had long moved on.
Only tonight, he had been courageous enough to take that final step: He had accepted someone new into his heart.
"She's beautiful, you know," Hermione whispered, her palms pleasantly warm where they covered her mug of tea.
It was already past twelve; Harry really should be going.
"Isn't she?" Harry whispered back, obviously not minding the time. He sighed, and Hermione could swear it was because he wasn't spending these hours with a blonde Slytherin. "I can't help but feel...guilty, you know."
"I know." Hermione put her mug away, and hugged him. Resting her head on his back, she noticed that Harry hadn't moved where he was leaning towards the coffee table, elbows on his knees. He gently put one of his hand on hers, rubbing it with his thumb absentmindedly.
They stayed like that for a long while, listening to each others' breathings. It was comfortingly similar to when the two of them were alone on the run to hunt Horcruxes. They still had one another's back.
They were inseparable.
Exhaling loudly, Hermione decided it was time she shipped Harry off to Hogwarts. He shouldn't be needing a damn letter each time he returned back to the old castle.
"C'mon, up you go. Your princess shouldn't see a monster first thing in the morning instead of her prince charming," Hermione mocked Harry as she urged him to stand up. It was really getting late, and as selfish as it may sound, she had work early in the morning too. She didn't want bags under her eyes just in case one Draco Malfoy would visit the Ministry for one business or another. Their truce from last year was edging at turning into something brand new, and Hermione wouldn't have Harry endanger it.
Also, not giving any excuse for the blond Malfoy to jab at her appearance was a boost to her confidence. Having that pretty mouth of his slightly ajar at the sight of her sexy work attire was getting quite addictive, if Hermione had to be honest.
"Ha-ha, 'Mione. It is hilarious that you're kicking me out," Harry countered, pulling Hermione's mind off of their childhood nemesis. How times had changed!
Shoving him toward the fireplace, Hermione laughed him off. "Come with your engagement announcement next time. I won't have you set your foot in my apartment if you come crying that she's slipped away from your fingers."
Harry grunted, and retaliated with messing with her hair. Damn him!
"At least I'd have someone to cry over, Ms. Granger. Your pretty know-it-all attitude is an adequate male-repellent."
Hermione huffed and playfully smacked his head. "I don't have the tragic flaw of the Chosen One ego, Mr. Potter."
"That," Harry said with a wide grin. "Is not exactly a come-back, is it?"
"Fine, you win. Now go; I have work in the morning."
Harry took a handful of floo-powder. Rolling his eyes at her, he said under his breath, "Like I don't either."
Hermione chose to ignore that while giggling. She really had missed him.
"Good night, Harry," Hermione called. Harry smiled and bid her goodnight before vanishing in the green flames of the fireplace.
Sending her friend off, Hermione got up to tidy up the place. The mugs went inside the dishwasher; her books scattered around went to their respective places with a flick of her wand; and her blazer followed Hermione to her room where she'd hang it in its rightful place.
Finally entering her room, first thing Hermione did was to shed off her Royal Blue pencil skirt. However hot it made her feel, after a certain hour, being unable to cross her legs annoyed her to no end.
Clad in her button-up shirt, Hermione brushed her teeth in the attached bathroom and cleaned the remains of her make-up. She got rid of her remaining garments and showered. The hot water eased the stress of the day, and a welcoming sleepiness pulled down her eyelids. Yawning, Hermione braided her hair and changed into her usual sleepwear, shorts and a camisole.
Just as she was about to crawl into bed, Hermione noticed a newspaper lying on top of the blankets. Odd. She didn't remember leaving the Prophet in her room.
Picking it up, Hermione skimmed the titles, but none of the news seemed familiar.
"Defense request by French delegates was denied!"
"Adamaris Prewett nee Rosier claims the Prewett's Wizengamot seat!"
"Hogwarts is shocked by two murders! R.H. arrested!"
Hermione's brows furrowed even further when she arrived at the last headline. What the hell was this? Murders?
And, what Prewett were they talking about? Molly had been the last to the name, there no longer was anyone who bore it.
Hermione's eyes quickly searched for the date of the newspaper. It didn't look particularly old. It's paper wasn't yellowish to start with. The only indication that it was read was its crumpled state.
"A-hah!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes finally finding the date. 2nd of January, Friday, 1942.
This confused Hermione even more. An outdated newspaper, in her bedroom, on top of her bed. Why? And how?
Hermione had already collected her wand from the leather wand holder at her right forearm. The familiar wood giving the security her wards lacked at the moment.
Hermione cast spells to detect any breaches in her wards, but there were none. No traces of unknown magic in any of her rooms, her bedroom foremost. She cast more spells, anything that came to her mind actually, to find any oddity. Concluding there was nothing out of ordinary, Hermione switched to strengthening her wards. Just in case.
Putting the newspaper aside, Hermione pulled the blankets on herself finally and closed her eyes. I can look into this better in the morning, she thought as she fell asleep to dreams of a certain pair of silver eyes.
