Title: The Rising Phoenix. Chapter: 36 – Unexpected But Welcome Visitors
Main Characters: Harry Potter, Ginny Potter nee Weasley
Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews everybody! I read them all and appreciate everyone's input. We're coming closer and closer to the end if you can believe it... Hopefully you'll stick with me to the end!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters!
Ron and Hermione quickly made their way through the tunnel. The secret passage had closed behind them and they couldn't hear anything that was happening on the other side. They could only hope that the plan Snape had come up with worked.
"Do you think we should go back for him?" Hermione whispered as they walked, constantly looking over their shoulders.
"It would be rather pointless don't you think? We could be walking into a bad situation and just make it worse." Ron countered.
"I guess so. I just feel so bad leaving him there."
"You heard him, he was ordering us out."
"Ronald, we should have taken him with us."
"Well maybe he's a spy for the Order here just like he was for our Order. I mean he said so didn't he? Maybe we should trust he knows what he's doing."
"I guess so." Hermione agreed softly. They walked another few feet in silence until suddenly they were outside.
Hermione held up the portkey Snape had given them. "I suppose we should use this."
"What is it? I can't see it."
"There must be concealment charms on it. I can feel it, but I can't see it either." Hermione said looking at the invisible air around her hand.
"Maybe it'll take us to Harry." Ron said looking in that general area as well.
"Do you think so?" Hermione asked looking at him now.
"Well it should at least take us to someone that knows where Harry is." Ron said shrugging. "It sounded like Snape knew where Harry was."
"It did sound that way." Hermione agreed. "Well let's go. The sooner we get him the sooner we can go home."
"Right." Ron agreed and held out the portkey. Hermione grabbed one end and Ron the other. "What's the password?" Ron said looking at Hermione like he was hoping she'd know.
"I have no idea… umm… Dumbledore." She tried. Nothing happened. "Order of the Phoenix." Nothing. "Harry Potter." Hermione tried now going out on a limb. Still nothing.
"Hogwarts." Ron tried. Still nothing.
"Oh come on!" Hermione cried bringing her wand down on the portkey. It was the touch of her wand on the chain that triggered the portkey. They were suddenly spinning in the sky, hurtling towards their destination, and they could only hang on. Almost as suddenly as they started, the spinning stopped and they slammed into the hard ground outside a rather large building. A building they both recognized almost instantly. It was Hogwarts. They stared up at it in disbelief for a moment before wide grins stretched across their faces. They were sure Harry was here.
"Harry's at Hogwarts?" Ron asked nobody in particular. "Typical."
"Of course he is!" Hermione squealed excited. She jumped to her feet and started running for the doors. Or at least that was her intention. Instead, a spell hit her and she was knocked back to her bum. She let out a yell in surprise and then looked up to see a wand pointing at her. She went cross eyed looking at the wand that was in her face before her eyes traveled up the wand and wand arm to see Sirius Black looking back at her. Hermione blinked in surprise.
"Who are you and what are you doing here? Don't lie to me; I'll know if you are." Sirius demanded, his face more serious than Hermione had ever seen it before.
"Hey! Get away from her!" Ron called indignantly and Sirius' wand turned and pointed toward Ron. Ron stopped mid step and glared at Sirius.
"I asked you both a question. Who are you?"
Remembering what happened last time they answered that question, Hermione decided to go about a different tactic. She slowly stood up and stepped next to Ron. "We just came for Harry, that's all we want."
Of course, that was probably the worst thing to say.
Sirius's eyes widened and then he took a step back and his wand moved as if he was about to curse them. Well, Ron and Hermione had been on the receiving end of that before so they dived. Sirius' spell sailed through the space they had just been in not a moment later.
Hermione popped up first, her wand out and twirling. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted.
"Incarcerous!" Ron added his own spell to the mid.
Sirius blocked one and dodged the other. He sent another spell back at them in retaliation.
"SIRIUS!" Someone else yelled and suddenly another wand was added to the mix. Because of the dark, Ron and Hermione couldn't make out who it was, just that they were really good. The duel was becoming faster but no one was giving ground. Ron and Hermione were standing side by side, looking out for the other as the blocked and deflected spells. They were focused on the duel and blocked out everything else.
Across from them, James and Sirius kept their spells up steady. They were impressed with these newcomers and their skills, but they were also worried. How did they get into Hogwarts? They resolved to ask them when they finally got the situation under control. James had been standing behind Sirius when the two had arrived. They had been on patrol and happened to be nearing the castle when the two arrived. Sirius had taken his hood and mask off as he was sure that no one could get in and he was getting hot. The Twins had charmed his robes to be extra warm heating charms tonight and he was trying to figure out how to get the two back. That's when the newcomers had all but landed in his lap. When they announced they were here for Harry, Sirius could only register that somehow they knew the Flame's deepest secret.
The patrols happened every day by different people at different times. They checked all the access points of Hogwarts and scouted Hogsmeade while they were at it. Death Eaters had tried to get inside the grounds a few times since they had been expelled, but Lady Hogwarts had assured them that the castle was impenetrable. So far, Riddle hadn't moved against them, but according to Severus, he knew that Phoenix Flame was set up in the castle. And that meant that it was a matter of time before they did something against them at the castle. No one wanted any surprises.
Inside the castle, Harry and Ginny were all the way up in their suite, having just decided to head to bed. Their radios were by their heads on the table by the bed. Everyone had to keep their radios on, no matter where they were. Hogwarts was big, and it was still easier to send messages over the radio, or with Lady Hogwarts if she was willing. Usually, the patrols were able to talk to one or two other people so that they could stay awake and not be so bored outside. That's how the whole Flame knew that Sirius had been pranked by the Twins tonight. They had said that James had been saved from the same fate because he was quicker getting outside than Sirius.
As the alarms that announced someone had suddenly entered the castle ground went off, Harry and Ginny sat up in bed and looked at each other in surprise. There was nothing coming from the radio now, meaning that James and Sirius must be either engaged with the trespassers or they were incapacitated. They didn't have to say anything as they both pulled on a pair of jeans, grabbed their wands and radios, and head down the stairs and for the grounds at a run. No matter what was going on outside, they were determined to get there and help. Or stop whatever was happening.
~RP~
Outside on the grounds, the duel had come to a standstill of some sort. Both sides were breathing heavily from the spells they had been casting the moving around they had done. James' hood and mask was still in place so Ron and Hermione had no idea who he was, but Sirius and James had glimpsed their looks a few times. Now they thought that maybe something else was happening here and it wasn't exactly sinister, just surprising.
James had managed to get close enough that his wand was at the girl's neck as she lay on the ground. Sirius had the man at a standstill a few feet away.
Sirius narrowed his eyes at the two. "Well aren't we in a pickle." He and James were between them and Hogwarts, but the two Marauders seemed to have the upper hand.
"Lower your wand." The boy commanded, looking mostly at James.
"I think not." Sirius and James looked at each other. "And I don't think you can say that."
"We can still take you both." The boy threatened raising his wand again. Under James wand, the girl also had a look of determination on her features that James had thinking that she must have something up her sleeve.
"What do you think Prongs?" Sirius asked tilting his head, but not taking his eyes off of the man in front of him. "Do you think they can take us?"
At that moment, quite a few other Phoenixes showed up at the door of Hogwarts. Now they were really outnumbered. "Not a chance." James responded, his wand pointing down at the girl. As the light from Hogwarts spilled out onto the grounds and illuminated the duelers, he got a clear look at the girl under his wand. And he had to do a double take.
~RP~
Ron and Hermione were exhausted. The effects of the spell that Pettigrew had put them under had taken a toll, but so had their trek through the secret passage from Snape's quarters. Now they were dueling and fighting someone who appeared to be Sirius Black and another somebody that they had yet to identify. In the flashes of light from spells, they had seen that the unknown man was wearing dueling robes and had a mask and hood which obscured his identity.
The duel was exhausting, but the two managed to stay on their feet and deflect the curses and spells sent their way. Finally, Hermione accidently stepped wrong and as she tried to correct herself in time, she was hit by something and sent flying to the ground. When she was able to breath again and made to get up, she saw a wand pointing down at her. That wand was held by the unidentified man. As he towered over her, she couldn't help but notice that he seemed to hold himself a bit like Harry did.
A few feet away, Ron saw her predicament and stopped his spell casting. Sirius mimicked his actions and they came to a standstill. Hermione glared up at the man above her as Ron did the talking.
"Well aren't we in a pickle." She heard Sirius say.
"Lower your wand." Ron commanded, looking mostly at James. Hermione would have rolled her eyes at that. The other two mostly had the upper hand.
"I think not." Sirius said and Hermione could hear the amusement in his voice. "And I don't think you can say that." Hermione had to agree but she knew that she and Ron had a few tricks up their sleeves yet.
"We can still take you both." Ron threatened raising his wand again. At the same time, Hermione had been slowly reaching into her pocket, looking for the little bottle she had inside. Greyback hadn't felt it on her as he never really patted them down. It wouldn't be much, dark powder in the dark night, but it would hopefully distract them enough that she could get back on her feet and get back on equal footing.
"What do you think Prongs?" Sirius asked not taking his eyes off of Ron. "Do you think they can take us?"
Hermione froze as she heard the name. The nickname, she realized. And then her eyes shot up to the face of the man above her with a new intensity. Prongs? As in James Potter, Harry's father?! She asked silently. It can't be! But it actually could be she realized. The man above her saw the change in her demeanor, she was sure of it by the way he lowered his wand slightly. She looked behind him to see that there were actually quite a few other people gathered on the steps of the castle and that the light from the Great Hall was now spilling out onto the grounds and them.
Ron, however, didn't notice any of this. He only knew that the man they couldn't identify had Hermione on the ground, his wand over her, and Sirius was in front of him. He had a bottle of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in his pocket as well and that that it might be just the thing they needed to get out of this mess. Harry was here, he was sure of it, but they had to find him. Had to rescue him. Ron shot a spell at Sirius without warning and then tossed the bottle to the ground at Sirius' feet. The darkness rose and instantly engulfed Sirius. Sirius backed up coughing and trying to shoot spells at the spot where Ron was last.
James turned to look at what was happening with Sirius to see him get engulfed with a dark powder. As he turned, Hermione rolled from under him, knocking his legs out from under him and causing him to go crashing to the ground. She hopped to her feet and turned and deflected a spell that was heading her way from the people at the steps who were now rushing forward to help.
Hermione and Ron ran to each other and then started to weave spells and shields, trying to stay alive. Before them, the angry horde was approaching, spells flying thick through the air.
~RP~
Harry and Ginny raced for the Entrance Hall as fast as they could. Their suite was in the middle of the castle, but they were still the last to arrive. When they did, they got there in time to see James falling down, Sirius emerging from a dark cloud, coughing and tossing spells in a general direction, and the other Phoenixes running forward. Without all the people in the doorway, the light spilled out further and stronger onto the grounds. As Harry and Ginny raised their wands to help, they caught sight of long bushy hair whipping into the dark.
"Lumos Maxima!" Ginny yelled, casting the brilliant orb into the sky. Immediately the scene was illuminated to show that two people, likely the trespassers, were trying to block and deflect spells being thrown their way by the horde of Phoenixes running towards them. But what registered first with Harry and Ginny was that it was Ron and Hermione.
Harry used his wand to set off several loud bangs. The dueling stopped, the Phoenixes stopped their advance, and several turned back to look at him. Hermione and Ron looked up at noise to see him and Ginny framed in the doorway, light spilling from behind them and the ball of light hanging above them illuminating their faces. At first, the two stayed in their dueling positions but then they realized who they were looking at. Expressions of excitement, relief, concern, and happiness crossed their faces.
"Harry! Thank Merlin!" Hermione cried and took a step forward. James moved as if to stop her but Harry waved him off.
"Sirius, put your wand away," Harry ordered as a smile spread across his face. "You too Ron, I don't want anyone accidentally getting hurt." Seeing his two best friends here caused Harry to suddenly feel relief surprisingly.
"Who is this? What's going on?" Remus asked gesturing to Ron and Hermione.
"It's Ron and Hermione," James answered as he rotated his arm as if it was sore and as if it was obvious. Indeed, as he said it, people were looking between Hermione and Minnie, surprise and astonishment crossing their faces.
The two twirled to face him in surprise. "How'd - how'd you know that?" Hermione squeaked in surprise.
"You look a lot like someone I know," James answered grinning.
"Harry, what the hell is going on here?" Ron growled out looking at his friend and ignoring James and the others.
"I realize that you must be who you say you are, but let's put Sirius', and the others', mind to rest shall we?" Harry said coming down the steps slowly.
"You first." Ron ordered looking at Harry suspiciously.
Harry shrugged. "I'm Harry Potter, I am married to your sister, Ginny Weasley," Harry gestured to Ginny who was standing beside him. "I could keep rambling for hours Ron, ask me something specific."
"How did we become friends with Hermione?"
"We locked a Mountain Troll in the girl's bathroom only to discover that Hermione was inside. We went into the bathroom and you used Wingardium Leviosa to knock the Troll out with its' own club. When the teachers arrived, Hermione lied to them to cover up our rule breaking." Harry answered.
"You did what!?" Lily called in surprise. Harry shrugged in response and looked a bit sheepish but Ginny was laughing.
"That's how you two became friends?" She squealed in delight. "Oh you are soo lucky mum didn't find out Ron!"
Harry turned back to Ron and Hermione and looked at them. "Your turn, Hermione, how did Ron say he got back to us during our camping trip?"
"A ball of light from the deluminator went into his chest and showed him where to apparate." Hermione answered quickly, her face beaming as she looked at Harry.
"Ron, what did we do on Christmas that same year?"
"You and Hermione visited your parents' grave in Godric's Hollow before seeing Bathilda Bagshot and encountering Nagini." Ron said a little guiltily.
Harry nodded satisfied and James and Sirius stowed their wands at the sight. "It's about time you two got here!" Harry said grinning and gathering Hermione in a hug when she ran up to him.
She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek before letting him go. "Harry Potter! You had us worried sick! Don't ever do that again!"
"Oh yes because it was my choice to be transported to this alternate reality." Harry answered rolling his eyes.
Hermione just grinned and hugged him again before turning to hug Ginny. Ron and Harry embraced as well, not nearly as long as Hermione and Harry had, but they were happy to see each other. "Come on in you guys, we'll go to the Great Hall and hopefully we can answer each other's questions."
Harry turned and everyone walked into the Great Hall. Harry and Ginny sat at their usual table and Ron and Hermione joined them. James and Lily also sat down next to them and gazed at the two newcomers with happy expressions. They were happy they got to finally meet Harry's best friends. Ron and Hermione gazed at the two older Potters with baffled and surprised looks.
"Right, first thing first, Ron, Hermione, meet James and Lily Potter." Harry introduced the two older Potters to his friends and they smiled in welcome.
"Good to finally meet you two." James was sincere and happy. "And sorry about your welcome, but we can't be too careful."
"We've heard a lot about you two." Lily told them also grinning widely.
"I-I." Ron stuttered not sure what to say.
"I wish we could say the same about you." Hermione returned and then looked mortified she said it out loud.
"No need to be apologetic!" Lily said waving off Hermione's comment looking amused while James chuckled. "We know all about Harry's life."
"Yes. And we'd like to thank you for being such good friends to Harry here."
"But he's not your son." Ron said confused and a bit tactless.
"He may not be our son," James said growing serious, "But we know that his parents would be proud of him. We are, and from the sounds of it, we are pretty close to how the James and Lily of your reality."
"Let's see, Luna and Fred and George are also here," Harry continued pointing them out in turn. Ron scanned and saw two of his brothers in the room. He noted how they were looking at him fondly but also a bit apprehensively. "Then there is the Hermione of this reality, but we call her Minnie," Harry went on. Hermione's eyes latched onto Minnie and the two stared at each other with evaluating and surprised expressions.
"And then Sirius and his wife Audrey. Their son Nick must be up in bed by now. Remus and Dora Lupin, us, Lauren Richards, who isn't here, and Severus Snape make up the Phoenix Flame."
Ron and Hermione looked around the room and were surprised to see how small the group was. "This is it?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Yeah. A small but tightly knit group and we don't have any leaks. Much bigger and we could have some problems. Fred and George over there are in charge of the PR campaign. They run the radio and print posters and such. The Heirs obviously are the main thing in our rebellion, at least, as far as Riddle is concerned. Remus and Dora are our advance scouts, they do some intelligence work for us. Severus is our spy in Riddle's inner circle, Audrey is our resident healer, Lily is an excellent planner, and Lauren does some odd jobs and finds things we need as well as lead the raids against the slave auctions."
"Wow. Sounds like you have quite the operation going here." Hermione managed after a moment.
"You'd be surprised," Ginny said grinning and looking at Harry with an amused expression.
"Anyways," Harry shrugged. "Once Ginny and I landed here, we were asked to help the Order of the Wolf get rid of Riddle by Crouch." Harry started to explain.
"Order of the Wolf?" Hermione asked surprised.
Harry nodded and together with Ginny told them what had happened since they were pulled into this reality. When they were finished, the two looked stunned.
"No wonder you didn't try to come home." Hermione muttered as she looked at Lily.
"Well it wasn't exactly at the top of my priority list." Harry confirmed as he looked at his friends. "I knew you'd come eventually. But what about you? How did you get here? When did you get here?"
"We came here, looking for you, what a day ago?" Ron asked looking at Hermione who nodded. "We landed in Grimuald Place. When we didn't find you there, we went out into the street. Our thoughts were to head to Diagon Alley to see if we could find some trace of you in the magical world. Once we passed through the Leaky Cauldron, we could tell something was different about this world. But our first clue didn't come until we saw Flint, Greyback, and a few other Death Eaters." Ron started to explain.
"You landed in Grimuald Place?" Ginny asked in surprise. She turned her gaze to Sirius then and continued her question. "Sirius, why weren't we alerted to their presence then?"
"The house is abandoned and there are no wards on it besides Muggle repealing wards." Sirius answered shrugging. "If the house is left abandoned for a certain amount of time, only limited wards can be maintained on it."
"Oh," Ginny looked surprised at that information but shrugged and turned back to Ron and Hermione. "So you were saying," she offered to get their story back on track.
"What happened next?" Harry prompted looking at Hermione.
"I broke the Taboo when I said Vol- Riddle's name." Hermione quietly added. "I can't believe it."
"It's alright Hermione, you're safe here with us now." Ginny said patting her friend's hand.
Hermione took a deep breath before nodding and then pressing on. "Well anyway, we were captured by Flint and Greyback. They took us to some big manor where You-Know-Who and his goons apparently live."
"Riddle Manor." James interjected.
"What?"
"The manor is Riddle Manor. They live there now that we ejected them from Hogwarts."
"Oh, right. Anyways, that's where we ran into Severus. You must have told him we were coming and that we might break Taboo because he came up with a cover pretty quick." Hermione said looking at Harry with big eyes.
"What was it?" Lily asked immediately and most everyone leaned forward with interest.
"We were his slaves that he recently purchased and he thanked Greyback for finding us and returning us." Ron spat, still disgusted. His face twisted to show his displeasure with the cover story.
"Way to go Severus." James said sharing a grin with Lily who was silently laughing.
"What?" Ron asked confused. He looked at the two Potters with surprise and apprehension.
"That was quick thinking on Severus' part and if it weren't for that you two would be in the hands of Riddle right now. He'd probably have you two telling him everything about Harry here and what you did in your reality to get rid of your Riddle and he'd be checking his Horcruxes to make sure everything was safe. Than he'd probably either double the security on them all or move them all to one location. Either way, it'd be bad news for us if discovered how close we are." Lily answered when she saw that the two were totally confused.
"You're, you're friends with Snape then?" Hermione squeaked uncertainly.
James and Lily just nodded, knowing they'd find that odd.
"Right," Ron agreed, still not quite believing that James and Snape were friends. "Anyways, we tried to run away and we ran right into Riddle himself. Snape used the same cover story except he implied we were for sexual use." Ron sounded disgusted again.
"We'll have to give him a pay raise." Lily commented looking at Harry grinning.
Harry only chuckled and looked expectantly at Ron and Hermione.
"You aren't disgusted by that? You're ok with what he said?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Ron, you're alive aren't you?" Harry asked with some annoyance. He knew that the two might have some trouble accepting some of the things here, like how much of a friend Severus was to all the Potters.
"Whatever, he's still a spy and Death Eater." Ron pointed out.
Harry decided to head it off before he could really start. "He's our spy, he's on our side, and he just saved your life. Hermione, what happened next?"
"He got us back to his room and told us a little bit about what is going on. He had to go to dinner and he left us in his room. He didn't realize that Wormtail had slipped in at some point and when Snape was gone, Wormtail appeared. He t-tortured us, a-asking for information, and oh Harry, I-I'm s-sorry, we t-told him so that he'd stop-p!" Hermione wailed and broke down crying.
As she rubbed her eyes with her hands, Harry motioned to Audrey who had already stood up and approached the two. She discreetly scanned them but found that they were perfectly alright. The potions Severus had given them had healed them of any damage. Ginny had moved so that she wrapped her best friend in a fierce hug. Harry reached across the table and put one of his hands on hers as Ron draped an arm over her shoulders but glared at Audrey as she got closer to them.
Harry motioned to Audrey and started to explain, hoping to put their worries to rest. "Audrey is our resident healer as I said. She's good enough to be the Head Healer at St. Mungo's. But don't worry Hermione. It's alright. So what does Riddle know?" Harry asked resigning himself to that fate.
"N-nothing." Hermione sniffed. She had taken comfort in Ginny's embrace and pulled herself together enough to continue with their story.
"What?" Ginny asked surprised. She wasn't the only one who was surprised.
"He doesn't know anything. Snape came back after dinner. Wormtail tried to surprise him, since he couldn't leave, but Snape got the upper hand and they dueled. Snape killed Wormtail and then opened a secret passageway from his room. He gave us his portkey and told us to leave. He was going to blame it all on Wormtail."
"He had me maim his leg before we left though so that it seemed believable. I don't know what happened after we left the room." Ron added.
"Peter is dead?" James asked softly. Both he and Sirius were looking at them in surprise. Not that they were the only ones, but their surprise was the most evident. Hermione nodded uncertainly, not sure what their reaction would be. She had often wondered what Sirius would have done if Wormtail had died before him.
James ran a hand through his hair and looked out the window in quiet contemplation. Lily laid a hand on his arm, knowing that he was feeling a little bit of remorse, hence his sudden quietness. Sirius, on the other hand, was the opposite. He let out a great whoop of delight and then started to curse. "That bloody bastard was the one who did it! I can't believe he got to get rid of the traitor."
"Sirius!" Remus' voice was filled with exasperation and also rebuke.
"What?" Sirius asked annoyed.
"He was our friend once." Remus pointed out. He was with James, happy that the traitor was gone, but also sad. For at one point in their lives, he was a friend. One of their best friends, he completed the foursome that had become the Marauders.
"That was a long time ago."
"But it still matters." Remus pointed out.
"I'm glad he's dead." Sirius answered standing up and glaring at Remus. "I just regret that I wasn't the one that got to do it."
"Don't say that Padfoot." James said softly.
"Why not?" Sirius asked in defiance. "It's true and you feel the same way."
"I-I," James paused and closed his eyes before shaking his head. "Not really."
"Don't lie to yourself Prongs, you know it and I do too. Without the rat we're better off."
"I don't deny that." James answered looking up at Sirius. "But Moony is right, he was our friend once."
"A long time ago. And for the past few years, killing that rat has been a motivation for me in this whole mess of a war. Now that greasy bastard got to do it. It's - it's not fair!"
"FAIR?" Lily thundered. "Fair? Sirius Orion Black, you of all people know that life isn't fair. And you claiming that you have some sort of claim on another man's life," Lily paused and shook her head. "You should be ashamed. No one has claim to another's life. Not Riddle, not you, not Harry, and not Severus. But the pain and anger you felt at Peter is just as great as Severus'. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Severus' was more. He almost lost as much as I did that night. If anyone deserves a fair life, it is him and you very well know it!"
Sirius just glared at Lily and then stalked over to the window. Lily stayed with her husband at the table, her eyes boring holes into Sirius' back. Audrey sent an apologetic look towards the Potters and headed over to her husband. They stood at the window, staring out into the night with her arms around his waist and one of his around her shoulders. James watched Sirius for a bit before turning his attention back to Harry and his friends.
Harry decided to try to move on from what happened. He'd deal with Sirius and the other Marauders later if it was necessary. As the argument unfolded, Harry checked the bracelet on his wrist and was relieved to see it was the normal black. After Sirius went to the window and the argument seemed over, for now, Harry took control of the conversation again.
"Severus is alright. His plan worked."
"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked confused.
Harry showed her his bracelet and explained how it worked.
"Umm, there is some bad news to this whole thing now." Fred pointed out softly.
"What's that?" Ginny asked.
"Severus doesn't have a portkey now. If something happens, he has no way to get out of there." George pointed out.
"I know." Harry muttered and sighed. "I'll have to fashion a new one for him and hope that he'll be able to visit sometime soon to get it."
"I'm sure it'll work out Harry." Lily assured him softly.
Harry nodded slowly before turning his attention to Ron and Hermione again. "Well I'm glad you two are here now. You arrived just in time for the end of the war."
"Harry," Ron started slowly looking around at everyone before turning back to Harry. "We need to go back. We need to go home. We came here to find and get you and Ginny. Now that we did, we can go home." Ron sounded like it was the only option. At his tone and the look on Harry's face, several people looked at each other, wondering if they should leave and give them some privacy.
"Ron, I can't just leave. Not now." Harry told him softly after a moment.
"Yes you can. There is only one Horcrux left, they can do that. You don't need to be the hero again Harry!" Ron argued.
"I'm not the Hero." Harry countered narrowing his eyes at Ron. "They are."
At a nod from Harry, James, Minnie, and Luna stood up so that the two could see their robes. Now that the two were looking, they could see that everyone was in dueling robes of some sort. Even Harry and Ginny were.
"I don't understand." Hermione said as she looked around at the group.
"These four people are special. They are the Heirs of some of the greatest Witches and Wizards in the world and they are the ones the public has been seeing in the fight against Riddle."
"Who?" Ron asked looking at them again.
"You can't tell?" Harry asked amused. "James is the Heir of Gryffindor, Minnie is the Heir of Ravenclaw, Luna is the Heir of Hufflepuff, and Sirius is the Heir of Slytherin."
"Oh my…" Hermione trailed off looking at Minnie.
"What?" Ron asked annoyed now.
"Ron, that means that in our reality, Hermione is Ravenclaw's Heir. And Harry is Gryffindor's." Ginny explained quietly.
"But," Ron looked at Harry in surprise and then looked around at the Heirs again. "So that means that Luna is too. But what about Sirius?"
"It's Teddy." Ginny answered. "But since Sirius named Harry as the sole heir to his estate, Harry is regent of Slytherin until Teddy turns of age."
Both stared at their best friends in surprise before Ron shook his head. "This is messed up. The Founders never had any Heirs." Ron objected.
"They did." Hermione whispered looking at Harry now, her eyes big.
"What?" Ron looked at his wife, his confusion evident now.
"They did. They disappeared over time and there is high speculation about who could be related to them today. Does this mean that the Academy is real too?"
"And the Library," Harry confirmed nodding.
"Except that they aren't exactly operating at the moment," Ginny quipped with a bit of a smile.
"Holy Merlin," Hermione whispered softly.
"I know how you feel." Harry nodded in agreement.
"Fine, so you two are Heirs to some of the most important witches and wizards of our world. Great. So is this why you didn't come home?" Ron asked sounding annoyed.
"I think I hear Nick," Audrey said suddenly. She tugged on Sirius' hand and the two quickly left the hall most everyone following them, also muttering excuses of some kind. Only James and Lily remained.
"Ron, what are you talking about?" Ginny asked when everyone had left. Her eyes were blazing, anger in her eyes as she looked at her older brother.
Ron either ignored it or didn't see it. "What I'm saying is that we've missed you both at home! You missed Christmas! You have missed five months of your Godson's life! Five months you'll never get back! Teddy wonders where the hell you've gone and why you haven't come back yet! You two had no right to gallivant around here trying to take on Vol- You-Know-Who!"
As he talked about Teddy, pain came to Harry's eyes, but at the end of Ron's little tirade, his eyes grew hard. "No right?" Harry asked softly. "You know what it was like to live under Riddle's rule. These people have been doing it for such a longer amount of time! I had no way to get home so I made the best out of the situation."
"No you were selfish! You stayed to get to know them!" Ron countered heatedly and pointed at James and Lily. James and Lily were following the growing argument like a tennis match, their heads going from Harry and Ginny to Hermione and Ron and back again. Now they looked at each other in surprise.
"They are not your parents Harry!" Ron was standing at this point and his eyes were blazing in anger. His neck and ears were red. "They are not your family!"
Ginny and Harry looked at Ron in surprise. Harry looked at his best friend. "You really think I don't know that?" Harry asked softly.
"Are you trying to replace them with, well, these?" Hermione asked softly gesturing at Lily and James after an apologetic glance at the two of them. When she looked back at Harry though, she was concerned.
Lily put a hand on James' arm and gave a significant glance towards her husband. He got the hint right away and nodded to her. "I think we'll give you all some time. Goodnight Harry, Ginny." Lily and James quickly scooted out of the Hall, leaving the four friends alone together.
Once they were gone, Harry looked at his two friends with a calmer expression. "I am not trying to replace my parents with James and Lily Potter from here. I am simply trying to help these people get rid of a tyrant."
"I don't buy that bullshit for a second." Ron scuffed and walked away from the table a few feet before turning around. "You're staying because you want to get to know the family that you never knew! You are staying because you're selfish and pigheaded!"
"How is risking my life to get rid of Riddle for them selfish and pigheaded?" Harry asked folding his arms.
"Because you want another adventure," Hermione answered softly. "You've wanted another high risk adventure since we finally got rid of You-Know-Who."
"That's not true." Harry countered softly shaking his head as Ginny grew steadily angrier next to him.
"You do have a saving people thing Harry, we all know it." Hermione went on.
"I don't know what you two have been eating but that's not true. I didn't look for a way home because I knew that you would be looking for me and because it was over my head. Yes I'll admit that I wanted to get to know Lily and James Potter but I have not replaced my parents with them. They had no idea about the Horcruxes when I was brought here. Now we are so close! I can't leave this unfinished. We've come so far!"
"If you're so close than surely they can finish it?" Hermione asked softly. "Teddy misses you Harry. You're missing him growing up. You're missing your life."
Harry's eyes swung to hers and the green orbs bored into brown. After a moment of silence, Harry answered with a quote he thought was apt. "Even if you are on the right track, if you just sit there you'll get run over."
"What?" Ron asked confused.
"It means that Harry is still needed here." Ginny answered, the first time she had said anything in this argument. Ginny was mad at her brother and sister in law. They knew Harry better than most people, sometimes better than she did, but they just didn't get it this time.
Ron waved his hands, dismissing Harry's words. "Harry! This isn't your family! Your family is back home with my parents and brothers. You want to stay here, forever, with them, but you can't. You're place is at home. With us, with Teddy." Ron argued.
"I don't want to stay here forever Ron." Harry spat standing himself now.
Ginny touched Harry's arm, giving him a significant look, as Ron started another rant. "I don't believe -." Ron started.
Harry sighed before he cut his friend off. "I'm saying you don't have to worry. We'll be out of here soon enough. But I'm going to finish what I started first!" Harry told them angrily. He turned on his heel when they looked like they were ready to continue the argument. As he left the Hall, Ron and Hermione turned to look at Ginny.
"He has no idea what we went through to get here." Ron huffed crossing his arms.
"Oh please Ronald," Hermione sounded annoyed. "He has a better idea than most." She sighed and looked at Ginny. "But he should know that we moved heaven and earth to get here."
Ginny just rolled her eyes at her friends. "Please don't think we haven't been doing anything to get home either." She shot at them. "While Harry put his faith in you, Lily and I looked at trying to get back and we both knew it was advanced magic. Lily witnessed the ritual and knew it was dark. And I knew that you would never use it to bring us back. So we knew that if you didn't show up soon, we were going to have to try to figure out how to get home ourselves."
"But you haven't been."
"We have been kind of busy." Ginny quipped softly.
Ron and Hermione looked at her for a moment before Hermione sighed. "Ginny, talk to him. Tell him that it's time to go home." Hermione pleaded. "His place isn't here, it's at home with his family."
Ginny looked at the two of them and sighed. "Even after all this time, you have no idea what it's like to be him do you? Back home, where ever he goes, he's stared at and gawked at and people treat him like he's a god who can do anything he wants. He hates it. He was just saying to me the other day that the Wizarding community must have noticed by now that we've disappeared."
"They have and that's no excuse for staying here. He's dealt with fame before."
"You miss the point Hermione." Ginny sounded exasperated. "Here he is treated with respect and love because of who he is and what he's done. Not because of something he can't remember."
"He destroyed You-Know-Who. He can remember that."
"Still missing the point Ron," Ginny huffed. "Harry knows that you two and I are his family. He knows our parents consider him a son and treat him like it. But what's wrong with him having another family, here, with people who could have been his parents?"
"It's not right. It's not healthy." Ron insisted.
"He can't stay here forever. He can't get connected to them like this." Hermione also insisted.
Ginny huffed in frustration. She threw up her hands and shook her head. "Look, we know we are going home. We want to go home. We don't want to get killed here fighting their war, that's why the Heirs are doing most of the work. We've almost gotten all the Horcruxes and then there is just Riddle. The war will be done soon and then we'll all head home together." She paused and looked at each of her friends. "But put yourself in his shoes for one minute. Pretend you don't have any parents at all. Everything you know about them you've gotten from strangers and near death experiences. Then suddenly you are dropped into a situation where you have the opportunity to get to know them. Even if it was for a short period of time where you knew that you'd never be able to see them again, you'd take it wouldn't you?"
Both Ron and Hermione were silent. Ginny nodded. "I thought so. I would. I told him to do it and I support his decisions. We've made them all together and we've been together every step of the way. And contrary to what you might think Ron, I agree with Harry. We need to stay and finish this fight we started." She turned to leave the Hall herself but paused.
"Oh, you'll be staying with Minnie in Ravenclaw Tower. She'll be expecting you tonight." She reached the doors and turned back to look at them.
"And one more thing," her gaze locked with theirs. "Harry considers you two to be his closest family. Not our parents Ron, not our brothers, you two. So start acting like it and starting seeing that the selfish ones here are you two and not him." She disappeared without another word.
Hermione and Ron looked at each other in confusion. They did feel a little guilty for their words towards Harry. And Ginny was right, if they were in his shoes, they would want to spend as much time with James and Lily as possible. "Come on Ron, let's go get some sleep." Hermione suggested wearily.
Ron wearily nodded in agreement and together they headed up to Ravenclaw Tower. The door opened before Hermione could even knock and Minnie stood in the doorway. "Oh good, I was just about to come look for you." She smiled softly. "Come on in." The two Gryffindors entered Ravenclaw Tower with looks of surprise and admiration.
"You get what would be the first year dorms in the boys' dorm. I'm in the seventh year girls' dorms if you need me at all during the night." Minnie left up the stairs, leaving the two in the common room to talk. She knew that they would need time to digest their situation.
~RP~
The next morning, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall where everyone was having breakfast. The Hall quieted as they entered, making the two new comers feel even more self conscious. Harry and Ginny looked up at them and waved them over to his table. They sat down slowly, looking around them at the people at the table. The Twins were there, along with a woman they hadn't seen yet.
"Hermione, Ron, this is Lauren. Lauren, these are my friends, Ron and Hermione."
"Ah so they did come," Lauren commented looking at the two interestedly. She had heard all about last night already.
"Yep," Ginny quipped smiling.
"Harry," Ron started. "I'm sorry for what we said last night."
"Yeah, we know you know your priorities and what's important for you." Hermione agreed.
"And we talked it over last night and we want to stay and help you." Ron finished.
"That is, if you still would like our help." Hermione added.
Harry just smiled at his two friends and nodded. "We'd love to have you around and helping. It's just not the same without you two."