Here is the final chapter, ladies and gents. There is an epilogue to follow yet, but this is officially the conclusion of Dueling. I am... there are no words for what I am currently feeling people. It took me the better part of eight years to finish this bloody story. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it (and re-writing it), and have fallen in love with the characters just as much as I have. I have a sneaking suspicion they'll be back. I'm developing an annoying crush on the McGonagall brothers that my muse won't let go of, and ridiculously, if nothing else that may drive me into writing a sequel more than anything else. Anyway, without further delay...
Chapter Twenty-Four
Minerva stared out the window of her hotel room, unwilling to look at the bed where Hermione had not slept the night before. Granted, she hadn't slept there either. She hadn't slept at all. Malcolm was snoring softly on the other bed, unwilling to leave her side. He really was a good brother, even if he was an annoying little shite a good deal of the time. Sometimes annoying, persistent, constant, loyal to a fault were the things one really needed in life. Robert was her guiding star. Malcolm was her rock.
A glance at her cup of tea showed that it was empty. She sat it down on the table beside her, more harshly than she'd intended, causing it to clatter noisily. "Fuck," she whispered.
"Min?" Malcolm called groggily. "You okay?"
"Fine, Mal."
He sat up. "You're a fuckin' liar."
Minerva shrugged. "I do that when I haven't slept. Of course, you've slept too long. We're meeting Harry for breakfast in half an hour. If you're going to shower, you should do so now."
"He stayed with Rob, yeah?" Malcolm asked.
"Per technicalities."
"You were meant to get some sleep."
Minerva frowned. How the hell had they expected her to sleep after what had happened yesterday? She remembered hearing the clock chime, and then turning around to see Hermione covered in blood and not breathing. She hadn't known what to think, she hadn't known what to do, so she'd just stood there gaping like a god damned fish until Harry and Robert came rushing over, chattering at each other.
"Brilliant," she'd heard her brother say, awe in his voice. "Stupid, but fucking brilliant."
"That's Hermione," Harry had replied ruefully. "Death's door and she has to invent one final spell. What a bloody swot."
No, she had seen the stuff of nightmares yesterday. Sleep wasn't even remotely close to an option. "Go shower, Mal," she ordered. "I'm going to go check on the kids. Rose and her husband are bunking with Hugo and Harry's elder boy James down the hall. Tanner is bunking with Albus a few rooms down. I think Harry sent a Patronus to Ginny, but Ronald's already gone on assignment. Hermione's kids don't have anyone else."
"Their grandparents?" Malcolm suggested.
"I'll ask Rose and Hugo after breakfast if they want me to send for Molly and Arthur, but I doubt it," she replied. "Rose is of age, and Hugo's not far behind. It's not as though they're young children who need minded. I just mean to check on them to ensure they have at least some sense of support right now. Yesterday was…"
"Yeah, I know. I can't believe they still plan on doing the award ceremony this evening," he said scathingly. "What a fuckin' joke."
Minerva agreed. Yesterday, the Duel-Off and its rules and regulations seemed to matter a good deal. Today, she didn't give two shites. Hell, she didn't give one shite. She just wanted to go back to yesterday and do things differently.
She knocked on the door with the larger group of young adults first. Hugo answered. "Hey Minerva," the red-haired teen said mutely. "Come on in."
To her surprise, the moment she entered, Rose got up from the bed and launched herself into Minerva's arms and held on for dear life, sobbing. "Shhhh, sweetheart, it's alright, I've got you," she assured Hermione's daughter, easing them both to the floor. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
"I know, I know," Rose said. "Sorry, I just…"
"You do not have to have to explain," Minerva said. "You have every right to completely lose your shite right now. Merlin knows I'm doing plenty of it on my own."
"Yeah, we figured as much," Hugo admitted.
"In any case, breakfast per your Uncle Harry in about twenty minutes. I believe your Aunt Ginny arrived late last night, and will be along as well," she added.
"Uh, does Albus know his mum's here?" Rose asked.
Minerva winced. Right. They were having a row. "I'm on my way over there next. I'll give him the option of bowing out of breakfast if he really doesn't want to see her. The rest of you hop-to."
"Yes ma'am," they all said.
"Oh, and Misters Potter and Roland?" she addressed, pausing at the door. "Have you figured out how to differentiate between yourselves in addressment, given you are both called James?"
The older Potter boy answered. "I've begrudgingly agreed to resort to being called by my childhood nickname of Jamie for the time being."
She nodded, and now prepared for how to address them at breakfast, headed to the next room. Tanner and Albus were in the middle of a game of Wizarding Chess when she arrived, which astounded her considering the early hour. There wasn't even a pot of tea in sight. "Breakfast in about fifteen minutes downstairs if you boys would like to join," she said.
"Yeah?" Tanner asked, still focused. "Who all?"
"Rose and her husband James, Rose's brother Hugo, my brothers, and the full complement of Potters save for Lily," she relayed. "I don't believe you've ever met Mrs. Potter, Tanner. She's very nice."
Albus coughed. "My mother is here?"
"Your father had her come in last night," Minerva replied.
"Tanner, I'd really rather stay up here. Can I talk you into sticking with me, bro?" Albus said in that tone of voice that Minerva knew meant he was trying to sound casual, but was truly very on edge.
"Have a row with your mum or something?" her brother's godson asked.
"Or something," Albus said crisply.
Tanner shrugged. "Honestly dude, you're not getting much sympathy from me. If I knew who my mum was I'd not be a big enough prat to let anything get in the way of me talking to her for long. A mum is too important. Besides, I'm hungry. Want me to bring you anything back?"
Albus scrambled up after making another move on the chess board. "Fuck it. If you're going down, I'm going down with you. No way I'm letting you deal with that shite without me."
Minerva was certain now. Something was going on. Albus was being downright skittish.
She followed the boys quickly, and by the silence in the other room, it appeared the other group had already made their way down. As they walked through the lobby and into the dining hall she spotted Malcolm and the other young adults, as well as Harry, and then a smile graced her lips as her eyes found her paramour.
Living, breathing, sitting in a wheelchair per Robert's orders, but most definitely not dead. "Good morning, my love," she greeted, pressing a soft kiss to Hermione's lips. "Do anything stupid yet today?"
"Not so far," Hermione replied. "Poison anyone?"
"I'm considering the merits of poisoning your nephew," she teased. "He's been a jittery mess since I mentioned his mother came in last night."
Hermione frowned. "Ginny's here?"
"Where's Tanner?" Robert asked seriously from behind her. "Hermione, if she…"
Minerva was about to ask what the hell they were going on about when Hermione pointed across the room to where Ginny Potter was standing face to face with Tanner Hagrid, staring at him and clearly in shock.
"Too late," Hermione murmured. "Minerva, if you'd excuse us, our godson is in a bit of trouble."
"Is there any way to salvage this?" Robert asked Hermione as soon as they were clear of an obviously annoyed Minerva's earshot.
"I don't think so," she replied. "The best we can do is try to contain it. Even if Ginny turns around and runs right now, Tanner will figure it out. He's not stupid, and he has her eyes."
"How'd you know my name?" Tanner was asking Ginny, suspicion in his tone, as they approached. Then, he saw them. "Oh, hi Uncle Robert, Aunt Hermione. I was just talking to Mrs. Potter. I was surprised because she seemed to know who I was even though we've never met."
"Hermione," Ginny said tightly, clearly suppressing a wince at Tanner's addressment of her. "Mister McGonagall."
She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for Ginny right now. The poor woman had no idea that either Hermione or Robert knew her secret, much less both of them. She likely saw their arrival as a relief, sparing her from talking to the son she walked away from. She didn't realize they were the noose to hang her.
Hermione flicked her wand and cast a quick privacy ward, along with a notice-me-not charm to make the rest of their group disinterested in the exchange unfolding. "She knows your name, Tanner, because she gave it to you."
Tanner let out a squeak of surprise, and Ginny stared at Hermione in disbelief. "How…?"
"He's our godson," Hermione explained. "We've known since the day he was born."
At this point, all three adults looked at Tanner, who was staring wide-eyed back and forth between Ginny and Hermione, as if trying to decide if this was a joke. Finally, he knelt down so that he could look up at Ginny despite his towering height, his gaze finding a pair of eyes that matched his own, and he finally spoke. "You're my mother."
It wasn't a question.
She nodded sadly. "Yes," came a whispered response.
He looked pained. "Why? Why wasn't I meant to know?"
"Mostly to protect your father, and to protect Harry," Ginny replied. Then she added with guilt in her voice, "And to protect myself. Your father and I… your conception was a combination of friendship and alcohol. The problem was that it was an inappropriate friendship between a very young woman and a much older man, who had been her teacher until very recently. Please believe me when I say that our decision - my decision - had nothing to do with your father's mixed blood, and it didn't mean that I didn't love you…"
Hermione watched as a tear escaped Tanner's eye and his head tilted forward, allowing himself to fall into Ginny's waiting embrace. He'd spent his whole life feeling rejected, so to hear his mother say she loved him was a relief beyond words. For the first time since the day he'd been born, Ginny allowed herself to comfort her first-born son, stroking his hair lightly as she continued, voice raw.
"I was seeing Harry. Harry and your father were dear friends. The truth of your conception would have destroyed that friendship. My parents trusted your father. They would have seen what happened between us as him taking advantage of me. They may very well have filed assault charges, and your father already had a record. He may have been sent to Azkaban. I may not have loved him romantically, but I cared very much for your father, and I did not want that to happen to him. Tanner, if people knew I was your mother… there was no happy ending there. Not for me or for him. So we made a choice to keep it a secret. It was an impossible situation."
The young man nodded, trying to understand. "And it still has to stay a secret, doesn't it? Even now that I know, I can't tell anyone, or it could hurt a lot of people, right? I can't...Merlin, that means James and Albus and Lily…"
Tanner's grin couldn't have gotten any wider, and Ginny chuckled. "Yes, that means James and Albus are your brothers, and Lily is your sister. As to telling anyone, Albus found out recently because he's a dirty rotten snoop…"
"Ahh…" Hermione said, finally understanding. "Even after Riddle, you're still dumb enough to keep a diary?"
Ginny scowled. "Yes. It's cathartic, you nosy bitch. Oh, and speaking of dirty little secrets, what's this I hear about you shagging Minerva?"
"That it's far more enjoyable than shagging your brother?" Hermione offered.
"Okay, please, can we not?" Tanner pleaded, looking mortified.
"Right," Ginny said, blushing. "Sorry, your godmother tends to bring out one of my more colorful sides. Hazard of having gone to school together. Anyway, Albus knows, so I'd suggest that the three of us sit down and have a conversation about how to go about the rest. Does that suit you?"
"Suits me fine," he agreed. "But I think you should probably have a conversation with Dad when we get back to London. If you mean to actually step into my life, I think it's fair that he has the chance to speak his piece first. I've had enough years of 'Yer mother…' speeches to know he's likely got things he'd like to say to you."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course you had to be a bloody Hufflepuff like your father. I will speak to him when the chance comes up in which I can do so without looking suspicious. I can't simply avoid the man for twenty odd years and then randomly decide to look him up without it seeming odd."
Tanner nodded, understanding.
Hermione looked thoughtful, then smirked. "Hey Gin, if you go get knocked up by a Ravenclaw, you'll have a shot at the full set. I mean, Al's Slytherin, Tanner's Hufflepuff, James and Lily are Gryffindor…"
"You're a real cunt, you know that?"
"So Albus learned that word from you, huh?" Hermione poked.
Robert groaned. "Come on Hermione, stop Weasley-baiting. Doctor's orders. You apparated out a god damned kidney yesterday for fuck's sake."
As he wheeled her back toward where the rest of the group had already sat down for breakfast, leaving Ginny and Tanner to talk a bit more, she thought about what had happened the afternoon before. As the poison had started shutting down her organs, it occurred to her that she could, easily enough, use a siphoning hex to force the poison into one organ. Of course, that didn't do much good if the poison was still in her body. It would just rupture the single organ under the pressure after a few seconds and she'd be dead anyway.
However, if the organ under pressure was no longer in her body, then the problem would be solved. She wasn't willing to risk that the appendix wasn't big enough to contain the poison, and she really didn't want to lose her spleen if she didn't need to, but she didn't necessarily need to have two kidneys. Then of course came the question of how to get a kidney out of herself without assistance, because there absolutely wasn't enough time to go the traditional surgical route. There was time for rip and go. She had a better chance of survival if they were trying to save her from bleeding out than she did if they were trying to save her from multiple organ failure. It was simple arithmetic. If only she could apparate a body part out of herself.
Then, it had struck her. What if she simply apparated, but deliberately left behind the kidney? Could she splinch on purpose to that degree? She'd only have to move half a meter at most, and given how much deliberation played into apparition to start with, if she deliberately willed to not bring her kidney, in theory, she wouldn't bring the kidney. It just took focus. Focus was not something Hermione Jean Granger had ever lacked. This, she supposed, was what she and Albus Dumbledore most had in common. They were both obscenely focused individuals, sometimes to their own detriment. It had made them both great, in their own ways, but as proven by the likes of Tom Riddle and Gellert Grindelwald, if not checked with humility the power that could be gained with such focus, especially when coupled with great pain, could turn one into a monster.
As Robert pushed her up to the table beside Minerva, and her older paramour leaned over to kiss her again, she concluded that there was definitely nothing wrong with being a know-it-all, provided she didn't let the power the knowledge begat consume her. She, despite her Muggle blood, despite the pain, despite PTSD, despite the emotional shitestorms that had happened in the last month alone let alone in her life, had won the Duel-Off fair and bloody square, and defied death in the same stroke. The fact that she'd sent her lover's brother down a new line of medical research in the process wasn't a bad thing either. Of course, after all of that, after all of the fighting on so many forums, Hermione was exhausted. She was done fighting the physical battles of the war, and the mental and emotional battles that had been the consequence of it. She was ready for this to be over. She was ready to find out what home looked like after so many years of wondering in the course of her marriage to Ron, and before that, while growing up in a home not so dissimilar to the one she had ended up creating for her own children. She couldn't wait for Minerva to show her how to do things differently; how to do things right. Harry had been correct about her having developed one final spell. The spellwork she'd used to manipulate the apparation field and purposely splinch a specific part of the body would be the last. She didn't need to do it anymore.
She was done dueling.
So. How many of you were holding your breath for half a chapter until I finally let you know for sure that Hermione was alive? PLEASE REVIEW! Epilogue to follow!