I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us

The room around her started to fade, and Hermione stumbled backwards away from the Pensieve, screaming as she came back to consciousness in her own body. Her young alive body.

She continued shuffling backwards, tripping over one of the steps that led up to Dumbledore's desk and falling flat on her bum, and continued until she reached the corner of two bookshelves. Then, she curled up into a ball and started sobbing.

Dumbledore looked at her with a sad look on his face, not quite sure what to do. He had seen this before. Specifically, when Neville Longbottom had asked for the details of the Arcadia Battle of the First War. It was the battle in which his parents had gone insane.

There was a scuffle to his left as Harry came to, gasping great, shuddering breaths. He wiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve, causing Dumbledore to frown. He could have conjured up a box of tissues to prevent Harry from getting blood on the sleeve of a perfectly good robe.

Dumbledore's methodical mind started to go over what he had just seen, barely registering that it was almost one o'clock in the morning. Harry was now aware of a great many things he could do without him knowing. Dumbledore rubbed his temples. He was aware of the Horcruxes. He was aware of the prophecy. It certainly sounded like he was aware of Dumbledore's biggest secret, one he had hoped to take to the grave.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of Harry rushing over to Hermione's side. It seems he had finally become coherent enough to realise his surroundings.

"H-Hermione?" Harry questioned quietly, reaching out to touch her. "I'm sorry, I-if I had known-"

He was interrupted by Hermione throwing her arms around him in a hug tighter than any he had ever recieved from her before. She clutched at his clothes, her breathing quick, and uneven. He heard her swallow noisily.

"You're okay," she whispered to herself. "You're okay..."

"It's fine, Hermione. I'm alright," Harry said, his hand behind her head. "I...you're alive..."

They stayed there for a minute or two locked in their embrace, before Dumbledore coughed slightly, gaining their attention. They stopped their hug, but Hermione remained clutched on to Harry's arm with no intention of letting it, or him, go anytime soon.

"I'm so very sorry that two so young had to witness such atrocities. Know that if I had known how bad it was, I wouldn't have allowed-"

"But you did know." Harry said bluntly. "I told you I remembered a war-zone. Did you not believe me? I see how much faith you have in me now."

"I-" Dumbledore started, but sighed. Had he not seen them, he would have had no idea that Harry's memories could have been so awful. "Forgive me Harry. I didn't believe that you meant something that bad."

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two.

"No, of course you didn't. That's to be expected. I'm only thirteen after all. I wouldn't take me seriously if I was in your shoes," Harry acknowledged.

Dumbledore's bushy eyebrows rose; "That is a surprisingly...mature response, Mr Potter. Either way, know that I shall take you far more seriously from now on." He paused and swallowed slightly, and Harry saw tears glistening in the light from the Pensieve. When had it gotten so dark? "I'm also incredibly sorry that you had to go through such an ordeal at all. I retract my earlier statement. We must do everything we can to avoid this."

"But aren't we doing that already?" Hermione interjected, albeit quietly. "We've already being doing it, I mean, even now. That's what we're doing isn't it? Right now, changing the way it goes?"

"Correct, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "However, now I believe it prudent to take a more...disruptive course of action."

"You mean completely change everything?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Good. I was going to do that anyway, after I had seen that."

"The first thing we need to do," Dumbledore said, "Is to destroy some objects known as Horcruxes. Harry, I believe you know what I'm talking about."

Harry nodded, and Hermione frowned into his arm. She didn't like being the most oblivious person in the room. She wasn't used to it. She decided to show off her deductive skills.

"I'm assuming a Horcrux is something used to achieve immortality, or to prolong someone's life?" Hermione asked. "I mentioned it in the memory. Before... Before everything..."

She started to sniffle again, and Harry wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her arm.

"Very true, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said gently. "They are dark, evil objects that can stop a wizard or witch from dying, by effectively splitting their soul? This is the reason I believe Voldemort survived that night."

"You mean-?"

"Yes, 'Mione. He means when my parents died," Harry whispered to her. "I'll explain this all to you later."

"Voldemort has not risen yet. Should we destroy these Horcruxes before his return, it may in fact prevent this," Dumbledore started moving, and sat at his desk, steepling his fingers. Harry and Hermione took this as a cue to sit down themselves, with Hermione never letting go of Harry. They ended up on an armchair, with her sitting in his lap. Harry didn't mind.

"Now another thing we must do is train you," Dumbledore told the two of them. "Should we fail in our mission, and Voldemort is resurrected, it will be prudent that you know how to defend yourself. This is a worst-case scenario, but nevertheless, it should be considered."

Harry nodded, and chuckled slightly as he felt Hermione's head droop, but shoot right back up. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was likely starting to feel just how tired she actually was.

"Harry, at a later date, I ask that you allow me to go through your mind with an art known as Legilimency. I'm assuming you know what this is?"

Harry gasped in pain and clutched his head with the hand that wasn't around Hermione. More memories flowed into his brain; Occlumency, Legilimency, the lessons with Snape, how they had caused him to build a natural barrier against unwanted eyes in his mind, the correct incantation, how not everybody could do it, the many passages he had read on the topic, how-

Harry gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes. I can't perform it, though."

Dumbledore seemed unfazed. "That is unfortunate, but not disastrous. It is Occlumency that matters, though there are benefits to Legilimency."

Harry nodded, the pain fading, "I take it you want to try and find the date of Voldemort's resurrection in my mind?"

Dumbledore mimicked Harry's action. "That is correct. Any other vital information also. I will avoid any personal memories unless absolutely necessary."

"Then, yeah, I'll allow it. I trust you, I suppose," Harry said. "Though in that time, I would like to talk to you about some things that I won't bring up now because of how late it is."

Dumbledore seemed satisfied with this, and opened his pocket watch. His eyes bulged slightly. "Goodness Gracious! I apologise, Harry, Hermione, I was unaware of the time. There is much more for us to discuss, but I agree that a later date would be better," He paused. "Once again, I would like to express how truly sorry I am for what you went through. No-one should have to do that. Miss Granger, may I talk to you for a moment?"

Harry frowned; "Am I not wanted?"

Dumbledore smiled. "You have nothing to worry about Harry, I assure you. But I do need a private word with Miss Granger."

Harry narrowed his eyes for a moment and didn't move, but then he seemed satisfied and he nodded. He lifted Hermione off his lap, and gently prised his arm from hers, causing her to panic slightly.

"I'll be just outside," Harry whispered to her, and gave her one final hug. He kissed her on the forehead affectionately, before turning and leaving. He knew there must be thousands of questions in that head of hers, and it would be his task to answer them the next morning.

The door clicked shut behind him, and Dumbledore diverted his attention to Hermione. She seemed uncomfortable in the chair alone, and her eyes kept flitting to the doorway. Usually, that would mean she didn't want to be here. Now, Dumbledore believed she simply wanted to be with Harry.

"Now, Miss Granger, I feel I must warn you," Dumbledore began seriously, leaning forward. "You may have noticed differences in Harry today, and I believe these will only become more pronounced after tonight. There is the possibility of Harry going through something known as 'shell shock', and I feel your presence would be for his betterment. You can, of course, deny this task, but I feel it would be good for both of you if you sat down and spoke about those events." He sighed, "I'm very sorry for having allowed you to watch that. That was a sight nobody, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl should have seen."

"Post-traumatic stress." Hermione mumbled softly, after a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's called PTSD," Hermione said, louder this time. "'Post-traumatic-stress-disorder'. It hasn't been called shell shock since the early half of the century."

Dumbledore smiled at her; "Something else that the muggles do far better than us, is the simply magnificent names things are given. It is times like this I so wish our world was up to speed with theirs. The Draco Malfoy in that memory had a point about Muggles and Wizards living in harmony. We could learn so much from each other..."

He shook his head. "Am I to take it you want to do this?"

"Yes." She answered immediately. "Good God, yes. I'd do anything for Harry, and it helps that I have a lot of questions for him."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm sure. Know your boundaries, however. I warn you, I have seen this many times since the first war, and there are some things that he may just not be ready to talk about. I'm aware that you believe you are in the same state as him, but know he is a lot worse. It is one thing to see, and another to experience. I know how close you two are, but I wouldn't expect him to reveal everything to you."

"But then again, things have changed." Dumbledore mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "After tonight, your relationship with Harry has deepened. You know it has. You now know the lengths he would go to for you, and that's the problem. Hermione, he would sacrifice the world for you. In fact, he already has."

Hermione said nothing, and suddenly became very interested in the hands in her lap.

"Would you like some Firewhiskey?"

Hermione's head rocketed up in shock. Dumbledore was offering her a minor, Firewhiskey? "What?" She asked dully.

Dumbledore nodded, reaching into his drawer to grab three crystal glasses and a dusty bottle of a glowing, sunset orange liquid. "Ah, you're right of course. We should invite Harry in for a glass. I'm sure he could use it more than the both of us."

Hermione was too tired to argue, and as such she simply grunted. The door opened with a flick of Dumbledore's wand, and Harry walked in.

"You ready to go 'Mi?" He asked.

"Before you leave, Harry my boy, I insist you have some of Ogdens finest to take your mind off tonight's events."

Harry stared for a moment, before shrugging and making his way towards the vacant armchair. When he sat down, Hermione made some strange whimper, and scooted to sit on his lap again. Harry looked at her, concerned, and gave her a hug as her weight settled against his body.

"You okay?"

She didn't answer, just tucked her head into the crook of his neck, whispering something over and over again. Harry rubbed her back, and shot Dumbledore a concerned look. 'What do I do?!' His eyes practically screamed.

Dumbledore slid two glasses of the amber liquid across the desk towards him. It was only when Harry picked up the glass, that he realised just how young he actually was.

"You do realise that you've just given two third year students some of the strongest alcohol in the country?"

Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively; "Ah, It's not so tough. I'm sure we all need it before we get some sleep."

Harry gave him a disapproving look, but took the glasses anyway. He tapped Hermione on the shoulder, and one of her hands came and took the glass as she shifted away from his shoulder to sit upright. They both took a sip, and began coughing.

Dumbledore chuckled.

There wasn't much talk for the next hour. Harry doubted Dumbledore even knew he kept them that long, especially after he had seemed so insistent on getting them to bed earlier.

Hermione had fallen asleep on his shoulder about forty-five minutes ago, but Harry hadn't minded. He absentmindedly drew circles on her back, even as Dumbledore made a sudden start.

"My boy, Harry! It's nearly half past two! You simply must get to bed. You can't return to the dormitory at such a time of night, as you will wake the portraits, so I shall ask one of the House Elves to show you somewhere the pair of you may spend the night."

"Subby!" He called, and an old looking elf came into existence with a slight pop of displaced air. "Yes, Sir Dumbelydorey?"

Dumbledore beamed down at the creature. "Do you know of any rooms Harry and his friend could stay in?"

The elf nodded. "I do! I do! It is on the seventh floor corridor, near the silly wall towel. Shall meet them there." He dissapeared as quietly as he had came in the room before.

"There you go then, Harry." Dumbledore said, taking a sip of his Firewhiskey. "I do so love those fascinating creatures..."

"Why don't you treat them like everybody else does, sir?" Harry asked him curiously.

"A good friend of mine once opened my eyes to their mistreatment, and I have done my best to be kind to them since." There was a moment of silence. "Anyhow! Off you trot! And be sure not to tell anyone that I gave you alcohol - I would be fired immediately!" Dumbledore chortled slightly, and let out a small belch of flame.

Harry barely suppressed a groan at his pun, and gave the drunk man a look, before scooping the sleeping Hermione up into his arms, and carrying her as she lay down across his arms out of the office. The corridors were unsurprisingly devoid of any teachers or prefects on the prowl, given the early hours. Most of the patrolling figures retired after about eleven o'clock.

Harry had just finished the last flight of stairs, and was walking down the corridor when he saw the old elf, true to his word, waiting at the end of the corridor. Harry approached him, and put a finger to his lips, nodding to the sleeping Hermione who let out a slight snore at that point.

Subby wiggled his big ears in silent confirmation. "This is the Come and Go room, or as Wizard calls it, the Room of Requirement. Walk past corridor three times thinking of what yous wants, and shall appear."

"Thank you," Harry mouthed, before starting to pace by the tapestry, envisioning a bedroom in his mind's eye. On the third pace, a door appeared, and opening it Harry discovered a small bedroom, identical to the one he had been thinking of.

There was a fire, not unlike the one in the Gryffindor common room, and a single four poster bed in a neutral white colour, with matching curtains tucked into the corner. A plush looking red sofa was opposite to the bed, on a slight angle so that it was looking into the fire. The ceiling was low, and it seemed quite cosy.

Harry gently placed Hermione down on the sofa, not noticing her eyelids fluttering open, and drew back the covers so he could deposit her into the bed. Walking back around the sofa, he smiled at what he thought was her sleeping form. Softly, he lifted her up, one arm under her knees, the other on her shoulders, the crook of his elbow supporting her head. He moved across the room and lay her down on the bed. Carefully removing her robe and tie, followed by her shoes, but leaving her in her trousers, shirt and jumper to sleep in. He moved the covers back over her and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well, 'Mi," He whispered, making sure she was properly tucked in. He didn't notice the small smile on her face before he made his way to the sofa and lay down. It didn't take him to long to drift off into a fitful slumber.

Hermione awoke, and stopped herself from opening her eyes and it felt as if only a moment ago Harry had been laying her down on the bed she was currently on and tucking her in. She had slept soundly that night, far too tired to have nightmares about what she had seen.

Her eyes snapped open at that point, and she slowly started to remember everything she had seen in the Pensieve. However, before she could do anything more than think, she frowned as she realised she couldn't actually see.

She moved her hand to her face, and felt a sheet of parchment stuck to her forehead. Peeling it off huffily, she read it.

Hermione,

Make a careful note of the time right now. I've just had a conversation with Harry that you're sure to find interesting. It's going to take a bit of time, and you're going to miss your first two classes, which is why, of course, I've used this time turner.

-Hermione

At the mentioned name, Hermione looked to the side and saw Harry asleep on the sofa, still dressed in yesterday's clothes. She tapped the note with the glowing tip of her wand, causing it to wipe itself clean. A quick Tempus spell revealed it to be a little past eight in the morning. Noting the time, she swung her legs out of the warm confines of the bed, and made her way over to Harry, yawning.

Hermione wasn't completely sure on how she felt about Harry at the moment. She would admit to a schoolgirl crush on him for the majority of their first and second year because of the troll incident, and then further getting to know him, but that had waned sometime in the summer. Shrunk, when she realised she would never be more than friends. Shrivelled, when she realised she wasn't as close to him as she had previously thought.

He was still her best friend though, obviously, and closer to her than Ron ever had been.

Last night had changed things. Her perspective of Harry had shifted, and for once she had allowed her mind to entertain the possibility that Harry could view her as more than a friend. She knew that she might be closer to him than she had previously thought, and wasn't at all sure of how to react to what he had done for her. She had read sappy stories where one friend or lover would die for the other, but never had she read a story where the significant other had destroyed eleven years of time and space just because he couldn't live without her.

It was another knife stabbed in her theory of Harry not liking her, and a small fraction of hope was desperately trying to restart her crush on him. She was secretly pleased that Harry had married the future her. She honestly had no idea how to react to that other than a pleasant flutter of happiness coursing through her.

Harry was twisted strangely on the sofa, his glasses askew and his mouth slightly open. Hermione suppressed a smile, and shook him awake. Groaning slightly, he twisted over to face her.

"Yeah?" Harry burbled unintelligently. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, sitting up and cracking his stiff back. "Mornin' beautiful. You okay?"

Hermione blushed brilliantly, and willed herself to behave before she smiled and motioned for him to move along. Sitting down, and leaning against him, her smile dimmed slightly. "Sort of. I'm not sure. I just... I saw so much yesterday, y'know?"

Harry started to stroke Hermione's arm comfortingly, not fully aware of what he was doing; "I would have preferred it if you hadn't seen it, to be honest."

"Why?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I just wanted to protect you from...well, that."

"My choice, Potter," Hermione said.

"Though I sort of wish I hadn't seen it, I am glad that I did. It's just," she seemed to struggle for words, "I didn't realise how... brutal the world could be. And, I mean, I thought Voldemort was dead. We all did. It's weird, now that I know he's alive. Even now."

She shivered slightly, and looked around to Harry's amusement.

"So," Harry prompted after a pregnant pause. "Are we, erm, going to talk about the elephant in the room?"

Hermione wasn't stupid, and flushed red. "I suppose. We have to do it at some point."

"That we do," Harry said.

There was silence for a couple of minutes, until Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed.

"You know there's use getting all embarrassed about it! We got married in the future, so what? That doesn't mean anything. We're changing that future," she huffed, folding her arms.

Harry retracted his own arm from around her, and she barely saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Hermione's own eyes widened as she realised how harsh her statement had sounded. "Oh Harry! I'm sorry! I didn't think how that was going to sound! I mean, I'm not-"

Harry cut her off with a laugh; "Don't worry about it."

"But I am worrying about it. You're always so good to me! You would deserve so much better than mousy old me, and-"

"And I married you," Harry finished. "Whether you want to or not in this future is completely your choice. You don't even have to think about it now. I mean, for crying out loud, you're only fourteen. The only person I can see my future with is you, but that could be mixing up my feelings now, and my future self's feelings." He started to play with her hair. "Just know, that if you'd ever give me a chance, I'd love you for both of us."

"Oh Harry, you're so sweet," Hermione's mouth twitched into a smile again.

"Anyway," Harry said. "What on earth do we know about love? We're children. I think if we suddenly declared our love for each other, it'd be a tad bit strange. I mean, I suppose we could try it out, and just see what happens from there."

"Not yet," Hermione swallowed. "I need some time to think about this."

"Perfectly fine," Harry said. "Take as long as you need."

There was yet another pause, and Harry smirked. "I find it funny that's what came to your mind when I said we had to talk about the elephant in the room."

"Do you?" Hermione said, flushing with colour. "Well, I'm sure- wait. What did you mean?"

"I was talking more about how I killed you," Harry shrugged casually, though he had a look in his eyes that was clearly pained.

Hermione's temper flared, and she slapped him across the face with a resounding crack;"Don't you dare say that, Harry James Potter! That was not your fault! I saw that as well as you did, so don't blame yourself for something that is by no way your fault."

"It might as well have been," Harry sucked in a breath, rubbing his cheek with a strange sense of déjà vu. "I remember most of that war now. I've done awful things. I... Hermione, I killed you."

"I'm still alive."

"But I still killed you. It doesn't matter what happened after that moment. I killed my own wife. What kind of person would do that?"

"Someone who had no other choice!" Hermione said, exasperated. "You had no control over that situation. A building fell and you did your best to save me."

"We'll change it Hermione, I swear. I swear we will. I won't let you die again."

"I know we will," Hermione said, the sincerity of his words causing her to feel fuzzy. "You must have loved me so much. To destroy eleven years' worth of history for me."

"I still do, though I'm not sure how much of that is this me," Harry murmured so that she barely heard. "Damn future memories and feelings. How do you separate them from your own, huh?" He joked.

"Prat," Hermione said, swatting his arm playfully. She decided not to let on how much she hoped they were his own.

"Well, you needn't worry. We'll change that future."

"I know we will," Hermione repeated. "There's loads of reason we have to. I hated that future. I mean... I don't want to lose my family. Is that so wrong?"

He didn't answer, and her eyes widened.

"I mean... I'm sorry, I didn't... That was a dumb thing to say."

"Why?" He asked, and tilted his head. Then he clicked his fingers. "Oh, yes, because my family is dead. I'd completely forgotten."

The warmth in his voice made her smile. "You're such a moron. Sorry though."

He waved her words away. "If people had to apologise to me every time they made some random comment about dead families, I'd never get anything done. As for our relationship, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I want you to be happy and for your parents to be happy, and more importantly, safe. Whatever way you can achieve that is fine with me, and if that includes staying away from me now that you know what I'm going to attract, then I'm okay with that."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Though I don't think I could ever leave you."

"Then that's your choice," Harry smiled, pulling her into a tight hug.

"I was wondering," Hermione said, mustering up her courage. "If I, erm, could, err,"

She was blushing.

She could feel how red she was and she just wanted to be swallowed by the ground.

"Could I kiss you?" She asked timidly.

Harry flashed her a bright but nervous smile. "Hermione, dear, it's completely your choice. I won't reject you, if that's what your worried about."

God, Harry, you aren't making this any easier. Hermione cursed him mentally. "It's just that, er, if I marry you in the future, there's got to be a reason, right? I just wanna see if it..." She twiddled her thumbs for a second. "...y'know, feels right."

Harry nodded in understanding. 'Of course."

Hermione licked her lips nervously, and gathered up all of her Gryffindor courage. She turned to face Harry, and found herself looking anywhere but at him. She leant forward slightly, her breathing increasing in pace. Her eyes lifted, and met Harry's and she lost herself in those pools of green. They expressed his emotion in a way that his often blank face and controlled smiles never did. She was desperately trying to read those eyes of his now, looking for any sign of resistance, of rejection, of mirth. Anything that might suggest he was laughing at her, but found none.

Their lips brushed gently, and Hermione stiffened slightly before she forced herself to relax into it. She felt her stomach flip at the contact, and found herself melting into his touch. His lips grazed hers again and she pulled away reluctantly, a massive, natural smile forming on her face.

"I could get used to that."

A/N:

Another one down. I can't say I'm very proud of this one, if I'm honest. I didn't like the way it flowed, and the reactions seemed a bit...tame. Oh well. Tell me what you think.

I've got two ideas for stories. Well, one's an idea, the other is a challenge. You know Reptillia28's 'Don't Fear The Reaper Challenge'? Yeah, I thought I'd give that a shot. I've always wanted to do it. Here's hoping I don't mess it up too badly...

The other idea is a little bit different. I was think, and bear with me on this, of doing a sort of Back to the Future parody. I say sort of, even though that's exactly what it would be. A Back to the Future parody. That'll be a bit outside my comfort zone, as I usually write the serious stuff, but I really wanna see it. Obviously, if I did that one, I'd have to mess with canon dates a bit. Not too much, but a bit.

Special thanks to my beta, Yuilhan! They're absolutely awesome!

I hope you enjoyed.