Note: Hellooo, before anything else, I just want to thank you guys. Those that leave comments (I take everything into consideration) and those that follow and favorite this fic.
It means a lot. There's no story without its readers.
Ginny
"Love, of course not. Everything is going to be fine." I hope.
She can see how worried he is, however, her attention keeps going back to Hermione and Cho.
"Are you even listening to me?" Draco sounds a little angry and she looks at him.
"Sorry. Sorry, love, I'm just… I was not expecting to see Cho here, that's all."
Draco nods. "Hermione seems so happy to see her, don't you think?" He says and Ginny can't help laughing a little at how 'happy' is the last word someone could use to describe Hermione right now. "Hey beautiful," He puts his hand against her cheek and she turns to him. "I love you." And he gives her a little kiss.
She can't feel more complete and privileged at the moment. "I'm so lucky I have you. And don't worry, things will work out eventually, they always do." She says before her attention returns to Hermione and Cho. Harry is walking in their direction. "Oh, look," she grabs Draco's face and turns it to them.
"I wish I had some popcorn for this moment."
Ginny agrees. Now that her emotions are under control and all her anxiety over reuniting with everyone is gone, her thoughts go back to her friends. What if Harry gets back together with Cho because Hermione is going to marry Jack? It would be a disaster! This can't happen, no… they have to find their way back to each other, if only-
"Aunt Ginny!" Lily is calling her. "Uncle Draco!"
She turns her head and sees Lily waving at them, calling with her hand. Ginny questioningly looks at Draco and he doesn't say anything, just grabs her by the hand and walks towards Lily.
"What's up, Lil?" Draco asks.
"Wait a second." She lifts her finger in a motion so similar to Hermione's that Ginny smiles fondly. This family has to be together. "Ah, there they are." She points to Laura, Ron and Luna. They're coming from inside the house to meet them.
Ginny squints. "Are you two up to something?"
"Maybe…" Lily says.
"Count me in." Draco says.
Lily smiles mischievously, and finally getting closer to them Ron says "I'm in too."
"Do you know what this is about?" Ginny asks her brother.
"No idea. But it should be good."
"So, okay." Laura clears her throat and assumes a posture of someone who is ready to give a lecture. The four adults are totally focused on them. "We were thinking that…"
"Mum can't marry that guy." Lily blurts it out.
"Lily!" Laura scolds her.
Ginny raises her eyebrows and glances sideways while the girls argue in hushed tones over something. Draco is smiling proudly, Ron too. And finally Luna's presence by Ron's side seems odd to Ginny. She widens her eyes. Are they together? She lowers her eyes and sees their intertwined hands. And when she looks up at Luna, the woman is already looking at her, smiling shyly.
"Look," Laura continues. "It's not that we don't like Jack," she rolls her eyes when saying his name. "But mum and dad have been apart for so long,"
"And it's obvious they still love each other," Lily says.
"They just need a chance to realize it, right?"
They look expectantly at them. Ginny ponders. Should we do this? She's sure they will ask for their help in doing whatever they are planning to do. Ginny looks over her shoulder where Hermione and Cho were talking. They're still there, Harry too and the conversation seems to be a little tense. Where's Jack?
"Okay, so what do you have in mind?" Draco asks.
"Draco!" Ginny is not sure about this. "Look, girls. They're adults, they know what they're doing."
Ron scoffs. "I wouldn't be so sure. Come on, sis, you can't say you haven't been thinking about this."
Okay, I have… "But Ron-"
"Please, aunt Ginny, just hear us." Lily pleads.
Ginny sighs. "Fine. But just because I'm listening doesn't mean I'm agreeing with it." She warns.
The girls smile. Who am I kidding, right?
And as they tell them what they have in mind, Ginny gets more and more excited because it might actually work. Merlin knows Harry and Hermione have a lot to talk about. Their plan is genius and it's no surprise, giving their parents. Her heart hurts a little for the girls, they want so bad to reunite them. However, Ginny knows it won't be an easy task. They can meddle as much as they want, but Hermione and Harry are very stubborn and no one can decide anything for them. At the back of her mind she's already agreeing to the plan and is also feeling guilty about it.
The girls stop explaining and widen their eyes at them. Anxious.
"Well-" Draco says.
"We'll think about it, okay?" Ginny cuts him. We have to think this through.
The others agree with her and the girls seem satisfied.
But then a series of successive explosions near Harry, Hermione and Cho catches their attention.
"What was that?" Lily asks, the girls seems ready to bolt for their parents, but Ginny holds her and Ron holds Laura. She can see the conversation between them isn't going well.
Then, another explosion. "MUM! DAD!" Laura calls. This time Ginny was able to see a ground light near them exploding into a billion pieces. This is untamed magic. She squints when Harry shouts at Cho and grabs Hermione by the hand, leading her inside the house. Hermione did that.
"Girls, girls." Draco is talking to them. "Everything is fine, don't worry. What if we call Dominic and play some crazy game your uncles have? Wouldn't it be fun? Right, uncle Ron?" Draco hints her brother and Ron agrees. Reluctantly both girls take Draco's hands, following him. Draco looks pointedly at her and Ginny is left alone with Luna.
"I'm very happy for you and my brother." She turns to Luna and smiles. "We used to be good friends, I'm sorry distance drove us apart, Luna."
"It's okay, Ginny. I- I really love Ron, you know?" Ginny nods and they start walking back towards the house. The way Hermione's magic was out of control bugging her mind. She never heard of an adult behaving this way, specially someone so powerful as Hermione. Wandless magic is something, but this… this was something else. She must be frowning because Luna says: "I've been teaching at Hogwarts for a few years now and I never saw someone that can handle a wand, even teens, lose control over their magic. It was weird, wasn't it?" Ginny agrees, but- "Did you know that only two times that happen?"
"What do you mean?"
"In History. Only two times. It says they were a powerful couple of many, many years ago, when the wizarding society was starting to built itself. It is said they had a special connection and that their magic was kindred and after they found each other, in some emotional situations they would display an incredibly amount of magic, untamed, but very powerful."
Ginny stops walking. "What are you saying, Luna?"
"I always thought Harry and Hermione had a special connection. Didn't you?"
Stronger than anything else. Luna shrugs and walks away. Ginny blinks fast. For her the conversation wasn't over, but apparently for Luna, yes. She exhales and tucks away what Luna said. I'll think about it later. She goes inside the house and Harry is coming down the stairs.
"What happened?" She asks. Harry waves his hand, dismissing the subject.
"Nothing. Things just got a little out of control. Lily and Laura?"
"They're a little anxious about it, everyone saw the lights exploding, Harry… and you shouting at Cho."
"She said awful things, but that's not important right now. Can we just enjoy the party?"
Ginny scoffs. "Are you really asking Ginny Weasley if she can leave all this drama behind and enjoy a party? Come on, don't you know me at all?"
She offers him her arm and he takes it.
Hours later, after telling her parents she's staying for good and hearing from them that they already knew because 'your father works at the Ministry, Ginny, he knows about your husband's transference' and 'we presumed it from the article about Harry in the Prophet', and after engaging in countless conversations about 'what have you been up to these past years?', she's taking some time alone watching the party.
She's sitting outside, a little further away from the house and everyone, but still close enough to see everything. The first thing that got her attention was Harry, Hermione and Luna exiting the outside tent and entering the kitchen.
It's night already and the lights around the house - with the exception of those Hermione blew away - brighten the place. She observes her son. Dominic hasn't stopped running around since they got there, he laughs and screams out of pure joy while playing with his cousins. Ginny met all of them, and was a little surprised to realize that her oldest niece is already 13 years old.
She was properly introduced to Jack. She knows Hermione is avoiding her. To be honest Hermione is avoiding everyone, but in a subtle way. She does it by not talking about herself or things that are too close to her. People now know about the relationship she had with Harry, but no one brings it up, her shining engagement ring blinding the topic. She announced her engagement to everyone, but again… the article in the Prophet was faster. Why does everyone read this paper? But what keeps bothering Ginny is Jack's face. He has a permanent smile that after a few hours can drive someone crazy, no one is that joyful all the time. She can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong with him.
At one point in the afternoon she saw Harry talking again with Cho. She was clearly apologizing. Later they were dancing, so she presumed he did accept her apology. She should apologize to Hermione.
Her eyes search for Draco in the crowd. He's talking to Ron and George. She smiles. He's doing just fine. As if sensing her, his eyes go to her and he smiles, sending her a kiss. Oh, Malfoy, you're getting lucky tonight.
In that moment, Harry and Hermione come from inside the house. He runs his hand through his hair - a nervous habit - and Hermione says something close to his ear. He nods and takes her hand, guiding her to the dance floor. Ginny shifts in her chair to get a better view of them. They're keeping a decent distance from each other, the song isn't slow. Someone needs to change this song! Obeying her wishes, the song changes. They stop, a little embarrassed. Hermione shrugs and places her hands on his shoulder and she's soon fully hugging him, both swaying to the music. Ginny smiles, transfixed. On the background she sees Jack. He's watching the scene. On the other far end Cho is doing the same. From her distance she can't see their expression, but I sure can imagine he's not smiling right now.
Lily and Laura come running from the yard and they hug their parents' middles. Harry and Hermione laugh and share a long stare. They stay in their hug, swaying with Lily and Laura now. It's the perfect image. Ginny brushes away a few tears. She perceives the energy and the atmosphere around the house change, as if things are falling into place.
The song ends. They stop. They're still close to each other. If I can sense, from this far, that the moment is charged… imagine poor Jack. Oh my, are they going to kiss? Her mouth is hanging open, but Harry takes a step back and Molly enters the tent calling to everyone.
It's time to sing happy birthday.
Draco
"Love, of course not. Everything is going to be fine." He squints at her, not trusting her words.
"I don't know, I'm just nervous about it, I mean, we talked about how your mother would be the easiest one to accept me, but your dad… he sees me as the man that took his only daughter away from him and I'm sure-" He stops. She's not even looking at him, he follows her eyes and notices she's watching Hermione and Cho. He rolls his eyes. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Sorry. Sorry, love, I'm just… I was not expecting to see Cho here, that's all."
He nods still a little angry at her, I'm here pouring my heart out and she's worried if Hermione is going to kill someone today. "Hermione seems so happy to see her, don't you think?" He can't help saying and Ginny laughs. Her laugh is beautiful and so pure he feels less angry. "Hey beautiful," He puts his hand against Ginny's cheek, getting her attention, finally. "I love you." And he gives her a little kiss.
"I'm so lucky I have you. And don't worry, things will work out eventually, they always do." He's ready to agree with her but his wife turns her eyes again to Hermione and Cho. "Oh, look," she grabs his face and turns it to that direction. He sees Harry getting closer to them.
"I wish I had some popcorn for this moment." And he truly did. It's like watching a greek tragedy unfolding before your eyes. Ginny agrees with him and he thinks for the hundredth time that Harry and Hermione are idiots. It's so obvious they still want to be together.
"Aunt Ginny! Uncle Draco!"
Lily is calling. Ginny questioningly looks at him and without thinking much about it he grabs her by the hand and walks towards Lily.
"What's up, Lil?" He asks. She has that look in her eyes. Of mischief.
"Wait a second." She lifts her finger. Oh, hello there little Hermione. "Ah, there they are." She points to Laura, Ron and Luna. They're coming from inside the house to meet them. When Draco sees Laura he has no doubt this is about their parents. Yes, if they try to put them together, Harry and Hermione can't blame it on us.
"Count me in." He says.
Lily laughs and finally getting closer to them Ron says "I'm in too."
He trades a accomplice look with Ron. He kinda likes his brother in law.
"So, okay. We were thinking that…" Laura begins.
"Mum can't marry that guy." Lily blurts it out.
"Lily!" Laura scolds her.
Draco smiles, and Harry can't marry Cho Chang. After a little debate between them, Laura continues:
"Look, it's not that we don't like Jack," The way you rolled your eyes says otherwise. "But mum and dad have been apart for so long,"
"And it's obvious they still love each other," Lily says.
"They just need a chance to realize it, right?"
Draco immediately concludes that they're way smarter than all these dumb adults playing grown ups. Of course they need a chance to talk, a way to recognize and admit all the stupid things they did over the past ten years. Isn't this what we're doing here? Isn't that why I'm here facing Ginny's family? Reconcile, forgive, grow?
"Okay, so what do you have in mind?" He asks.
"Draco! Look, girls. They're adults, they know what they're doing."
Ron is faster than him: "I wouldn't be so sure. Come on, sis, you can't say you haven't been thinking about this."
Of course she has! Busted there, Ginny. In reality, they all have.
"Please, aunt Ginny, just hear us." Lily pleads.
As they explain, Draco already sees how to make it even better. Genius these nieces of mine. When they stop explaining they widen their eyes at them. Anxious.
"Well-" He's totally ready to accept their idea.
"We'll think about it, okay?" Ginny cuts him.
He nods a little, agreeing only because he already knows she's going to accept it too. The girls seem satisfied. Like always I'm here solving your life problems, Potter. He smiles to himself.
But then a series of successive explosions near Harry, Hermione and Cho catch their attention.
"What was that?" Lily asks.
Then, another explosion. "MUM! DAD!" Laura calls.
He can't be sure but did those lights just explode? Then, Harry is shouting at Cho and leading Hermione inside the house. Draco looks at Laura and Lily and the shock on their faces puts him into motion. He was used to his parents fighting all the time, his father used to break things, because he wanted to scary his mother, and that usually gave him some anxiety attacks. He knows the situation is not the same right now, but children can't comprehend and process things the same way adults do. They're frightened. He holds them by their shoulders and says the first thing that comes to his mind.
"Girls, girls. Everything is fine, don't worry. What if we call Dominic and play some crazy game your uncles have? Wouldn't it be fun? Right, uncle Ron?" He looks at Ron.
"Yes! Yes, it will be fun!"
Reluctantly both girls agree and before leaving with them Draco looks pointedly at Ginny. She returns his worried look.
He can't complain. After the incident involving Hermione and Cho, nothing else remarkable happened. Ginny's parents were not surprised that they were here to stay. He mingled pretty well between the guests, yes some were a little rude to him, others mentioned Lucius and he heard a few words here and there about his mother. His father is in Azkaban for the rest of his life and he has no idea where his mother is right now. Not that I care. He hasn't talked to her in more than ten years. They had a fight after the trial, his father's sentence sent her over the edge… she lost it and nothing Draco did was enough to mend things. His mother dodged the same sentence because Harry testified in her behalf. And Draco was just considered an 'accessory', so he had to pay back to the wizarding community, he did it by becoming an Auror and helping putting away old 'friends'.
But he knows that soon enough Ginny is going to bring up his mother. Dominic is her grandson after all.
Night has fallen and the Burrow looks nice, cozy. He's a little drunk and a little giddy that he's there, being part of this celebration with the woman he loves and the son that he's crazy about. Dominic is having the best day of his life, no doubt.
He talked with all the Weasleys and was surprised that all of them seem to be okay with his presence, okay with the fact that he is indeed Ginny's husband and that Dominic has a 'Malfoy' as a surname.
He spent the rest of the time playing with the kids, he loves it. He never had the chance to do it when he was a child but now… He does it with a big smile on his face. Eventually he got tired and decided to try talking some more with the others, now, as he hears a few stories from Ron and George, his eyes search for Ginny. She's sitting alone, observing him. He smiles and sends her a kiss, eager to be alone with her.
"Oh," Ron says and Draco turns around to look at what he's looking. Harry and Hermione dancing. Immediately Laura and Lily's plan comes to his mind. We have to make it work. A slow song comes up and they embrace as they sway to its rhythm. Draco watches Jack sipping on his whine and observing his fiancee dancing with his subordinate. Oh, Potter… Draco also registers Cho's emanating hate towards Hermione. He smirks. You had it coming, Chang. He really doesn't like her.
The moment Lily and Laura come running from the yard and hug their parents' middles, Draco's smile widens. He was at New York with Harry, he saw how troubled and miserable he was even after almost two years apart from Hermione. He remembers one night, after a mission, that they went out for a few drinks and Harry got really drunk. He couldn't stop crying about Hermione, about how he wanted to be with her. Draco never understood. If they loved each other so much, what was keeping them apart? The scene of the four of them is touching and Draco is sure everyone is thinking the same, they belong together.
The song ends and they stop. After a brief moment that Draco was sure they were going to kiss and Jack was going to kill Harry right there, Potter takes a step back and Molly enters the tent.
It's time to sing happy birthday.
Ron
He wants to listen to the conversation, but Luna tugs his hand and tilts her head, dragging him to the inside of the house.
"What is it?" He already knows her well enough. There's something wrong.
She keeps pulling him and they only stop when they reach the middle of the stairs. "I'm not sure, I don't know. I just have this feeling, this strange feeling that something is near."
"What, love?" He embraces her. She's hyperventilating a little. "Everything is fine, nothing is gonna happen, we're all here, safe and sound." He soothes her while he strokes her hair. After a while she's calmer. But then:
"I think we should cancel this party, everyone should go home."
Ron laughs and tries to stop when he looks at her face, she's dead serious. "Luna, I promise you, nothing bad is gonna happen here, okay? Do you trust me?"
She seems unsure and he feels a little hurt. "Ron, of course I do. And I love you. And because of that I'm saying what I'm saying. If something happens to you I don't know if I would-"
"No, no. Look," He kisses her. "I won't leave your side and if anything happens you can save me, okay?" I have to try. She smiles a little, but takes a while to answer and before she can do it Laura appears by the end of the stairs.
"Uncle Ron, can you and Miss Luna come with me?" Miss Luna, huh? The endearing way Laura calls her seems to drag his girlfriend from her dark thoughts. Looking at Laura she says:
"Of course! And I'm just Luna, okay? Or maybe aunt Luna, you choose."
Laura takes Luna's hand and says, "Okay, aunt Luna."
As they exit the house, they pass near Harry, Hermione and Cho. Harry and Hermione seem to be on a staring contest while Cho is watching them. Ron frowns but soon his attention is elsewhere, Ginny and Draco are far away, waiting for them with Lily. Oh, something is up with these girls.
As they get closer Ron hears Draco saying "Count me in." And Lily laughs freely.
"I'm in too." He says, because of course he is.
"Do you know what this is about?" His sister asks him.
"No idea. But it should be good."
"So, okay." Laura clears her throat and in her best 'Hermionish' way - that Ron realized Lily doesn't have because she didn't spend that much time with her mother - stiffens her back, prepared to convince them. "We were thinking that…"
"Mum can't marry that guy." Lily blurts it out.
"Lily!" Laura scolds her.
Ron smiles. Of course. I should have known they wouldn't leave things this way. Ron has no idea what they are planning but he feels himself inclined to accept whatever they want. Because maybe Jack isn't the right guy… the way Hermione was total out of control because Harry was being cozy with Cho Chang… it must mean something. The obvious, right? She still loves him, she's still in love with him. Because otherwise she wouldn't bother.
"Look," Laura continues. "It's not that we don't like Jack," she rolls her eyes when saying his name. "But mum and dad have been apart for so long,"
"And it's obvious they still love each other," Lily says.
"They just need a chance to realize it, right?"
Ron agrees with them. There's so much between his two best friends, so much that still needs to be said, issues they need to address, things to apologize for. Bloody hell, even I have things I need to work out with Harry… They can't decide anything without a long and exhaustive conversation, if she wants to be with Harry and ends up marrying that guy she won't forgive herself. But what about Harry? Ron raises his eyebrows and realizes he isn't sure about Harry's feelings. Yes, he was furious when he found out about Jack, but… He hears Ginny saying that Harry and Hermione are adults and know what they're doing, right, just like when they split their daughters and didn't talk to each other for ten years while still madly in love. He scoffs.
"I wouldn't be so sure. Come on, sis, you can't say you haven't been thinking about this." Because if he knows his sister she already thought about putting them together, for sure.
"But Ron-" Ginny says.
"Please, aunt Ginny, just hear us." Lily pleads.
And they all do. Ron loves their idea and is impressed by how much they thought it through. The girls stop explaining and widen their eyes at them. Anxious. He wants to say he will do it right away, the same he imagines Draco wants to, but Ginny-
"We'll think about it, okay?"
Okay, he can deal with that, they need to talk between them and enhance a few things here and there on the girls' plan. But by his sister's face he already knows she's in. He smiles. Maybe they shouldn't do it, but… Harry and Hermione would do the same for me. They need this, even if they don't want it.
But then a series of successive explosions near Harry, Hermione and Cho catch their attention.
Ron holds Laura before she can run to Harry and Hermione, then another explosion. Something was definitely obliterated. He knows his mouth is hanging open. Who did that? Luna holds his arm, and they exchange exasperate looks. Harry shouts at Cho and takes Hermione inside. What happened? He's worried about his friend. They shouldn't have left her alone with Cho, by the way, where's Jack?
Malfoy talking soothingly with the girls averts his attention from a stunned Cho Chang that was left standing alone in front of the house.
"Right, uncle Ron?" He can't be sure of what Draco just said but the girls' haunted expression is enough for him to agree:
"Yes! Yes, it will be fun!"
Luna looks at him, hinting towards Ginny and Ron follows Malfoy, giving his sister and girlfriend time to talk alone. He'll talk to Luna about what happened later. She always knows something about these peculiarities.
He tried talking to Hermione but she shut him out. 'Nothing happened, everything is fine, let's enjoy the party'. He realized there was no point in pushing it. So, along with Luna, he did exactly that. Enjoyed the party.
They didn't say a word about them being together and surprisingly everyone acted as if it wasn't something new or unimaginable. They kissed and danced out in the open and it was natural, as if they always did that. He never left Luna's side, he talked to the same people she did while holding her hand and admiring her. But then he went to the bathroom and Harry and Hermione were talking to her, their faces serious. They entered the house to continue their conversation and Ron wasn't sure if he should follow them. And as he was pondering, Malfoy stopped by his side and started talking about Quidditch. They got lost in conversation and soon George joined them.
As he sips his beer his eyes find Harry and Hermione heading to the dance floor. He almost spits it out. They start dancing and he can't help the "Oh" of pure shock that leaves his mouth. Little by little all heads are turning to them and when the slow song starts and they embrace to keep dancing, Ron is sure people are already creating an impossible romance between them inside their heads.
It brings tears to his eyes when the twins hug them. They laugh happily. See? Is this easy. He can't even count how many times he held Hermione when she was crying because of Harry, he can't even begin to explain how much Laura missed having a father, how wrong it always felt with them apart, but now… the scene in front of them is clear. They're each other's home.
Ron is vaguely aware that Jack and Cho are watching them and when the music stops and they inch closer to each other, almost kissing, he's sure Jack is going to call off the wedding right there. But just as fast Harry takes a step back and Molly enters the tent.
It's time to sing happy birthday.
Hermione
"Hello, Cho." Hermione interrupts their conversation. She's not sure how she sounds, her voice is trembling a little.
"Hermione. Long time no see. How are you?"
She barely notices everyone else backing away from them, she's still being guided by her emotions. "I'm great, Cho, and you?"
"Just fine. Working much?" And she smiles at Hermione, a smile so telling. One of those smiles that says I know something you don't.
"Oh, you know, at the Ministry. And you?"
"I'm an Auror. I guess we'll see each other over there, huh?"
Hermione nods and says what is really bugging her. "I heard you talking to Ginny about my daughter." She's not proud of how she emphasizes the word my.
"Oh, yes, can you believe I just recently found out she was yours? Harry never talked about Lily's mother. Go figure, right?" Cho shrugs and Hermione breathes slowly, controlling herself. I won't give her the satisfaction of knowing how this hurts me. "She's an amazing girl. I love her very much."
Biting the inside of her cheek, Hermione says "Funny, she never mentioned you."
"I didn't imagine she would."
"Why is that?"
"Well, the way we parted wasn't the best one, I guess. She wanted me to marry Harry and be her mother but-"
She can't concentrate on anything else. She's angry, deeply hurt and she feels… betrayed. It's irrational, she doesn't have the right or even a good argument to justify her feeling that way. She knows her magic is wild, her emotions all over the place. And then Harry is there, by her side, a worried look on his face.
"Hey, Hermione, how are you?" He gives her an awkward hug, and just his touch is enough for her to feel a little more grounded. She holds him a bit longer than necessary and his voice echoes inside her head:
"It's fine. Everything is fine. I'm here."
She nods and they stare at each other for a long time. She feels hypnotized by him, by how much he makes her feel good, but at the same time… she blinks and her mind screams that this is all his fault. She narrows her eyes at him and he takes a step back, a little confused.
"So, Harry, Cho was just telling me you guys were going to get married." And she smiles. She's regaining a little of her control. Her mind is clearer and is like she can breathe again. Cho widens her eyes and Harry coughs.
"That's not exactly,"
"What?"
They say at the same time and Hermione's smile widens a little. "What are you doing, Hermione?"
"Just wondering if I should congratulate you."
"I was just telling her how Lily was upset when I left." Hermione can tell that Cho is angry. Good.
"Oh, right, yes." Harry clears his throat. "She was indeed. Her and Cho had a beautiful relationship." He nods at Cho.
"Like mother and daughter, right, Harry."
Oh, no she didn't. "Look, Cho I don't know what you're playing at, but-"
"I'm just saying that she saw me as her mother, Hermione, since her own wasn't there."
"How dare you-"
She takes a step in Cho's direction and Harry holds her by the arm, is he protecting her? She loses it. A few ground lights near by explode in a rapid succession.
"You need to calm down." Harry is still holding her, but she barely registers it, her eyes can't leave Cho's face. She has a triumphant smile on her lips, one eyebrow raised.
"Wow, Hermione, you can't even control your magic, what are you? A child?"
Another light explodes. And Harry, still holding her, turns to Cho.
"ENOUGH, CHO! Enough!" He shouts at her and Hermione's attention finally goes to him. As everyone else's. She realizes he's holding her, she perceives the way his posture is one of protection and how his eyes are threatening Cho silently.
"Harry, take me out of here, please." He nods and takes her hand, walking fast to the house. Hermione still hears Cho calling to him, but he doesn't turn away or even look back. He keeps guiding her upstairs and she notices he stops when they reach the old room he used to share with Ron. There's still a bed and a desk inside, but nothing else. He gently makes her sit and closes the door, a silencing charm around them.
She's shaking and crying. "I'm sorry, Harry, I'm sorry." She closes her eyes and rocks back and forth.
"Hey, hey." He sits by her side and brushes away her tears with his thumbs. "You did nothing wrong, Hermione. Cho should be the one apologizing." He spits the last phrase and holds her. She cries on his shoulder. "I'm here, love, I'm here." He kisses the top of her head. She doesn't think about the way he called her 'love' so naturally. She doesn't think about how good and safe she's on his arms. She doesn't think about anything. She just feels him. Feels his magic and his emotions. He's trying to soothe her, to let her know he's there, he's on her side.
She slowly calms down. Her tears seizing. She doesn't let go of him. He doesn't either. His hand caress her bare arms and the contact brings memories, she suddenly feels herself getting hotter. In the quietness of the room she can hear his breathing getting heavier, the same way hers do too. She lifts her head and looks at him. His expression is one of uncertainty. She traces his face with her fingers, first his strong jaw, his ears, they go through his hair and back to his full eyebrows, "I love your eyes." He smiles a little. Her thumb goes over his scar, and then tracing his nose to his lips. He kisses it slightly. She wants to kiss him.
She inches closer, her left hand pressing against his jaw. He closes his eyes and they're very close but her eyes inevitably zoom in her engagement ring. She exhales. I can't. She touches his forehead with hers and he sighs. Harry opens his eyes. "It's okay." He tells her.
Both her hands hold his neck on each side. Then she lifts herself from the bed, putting some space between them. He finally breaks the silence.
"I'm sorry about this whole Cho thing. I was going to tell you, but I just… I mean, she wasn't supposed to be back and," He sighs. "Don't matter now, I just want you to know that I was going to tell you-"
"It's okay." How long were you together? Do you love her? Do you still want to be with her? Were you happy? "I don't know what got into me, I clearly overreacted."
"She had no right saying those things about Lily to you."
"Lily knows, right?" She feels anxious, unsure.
"What?" He asks.
"That I wasn't there for her because I couldn't, not because I didn't want to." Harry looks down. "I won't lie, Harry. Sometimes I blame you for all of this, but this hurt and resentment are pointless… there's no way for us to go forward if we don't forget the past. If we don't forgive. And I don't mean each other. We have to forgive ourselves."
"I agree. Hermione," He gets up. "You're Lily's mother and that's never going to change. She loves you madly. No one can take your place, not in her life, not in anyone's." "Not in mine." The pure wave of love she feels from him overwhelms her a little and she holds herself not to jump him. He runs his hand through his hair and smiles. "We should go back, it's my birthday party after all."
She has her back to the door, Harry is in front of her and when he's walking past her to leave the room she stops him by taking his hand. "We need to talk to Luna about the prophecy." She lifts her eyes from their hands and is met by his eyes shining bright at her.
He nods. "We will."
They don't move. "Thank you." He knows why she's thanking him. He squeezes her hand gently and she tilts her head to kiss his cheek, her lips lingering. The moment so tender and similar to that first time she dared touch him with her lips when they were only fourteen. When a prophecy about us having children already existed.
He sighs and exits the room. She stays there, playing with her engagement ring. One finger goes over the exquisite diamond and her thoughts of Harry disappear. She needs to find Jack.
After her little fall out with Cho, everyone became insanely interested in her life. Because, of course, people saw the way Harry protected her. She knows soon enough an avalanche of rumors will hit them, maybe another article in the Prophet that will ruin all the fun of telling people things.
She found Jack sitting at the back porch. He was angry. He even asked if she wanted to call off the wedding. She denied. She explained that what happened had nothing to do with Harry. She had nothing else to do with Harry. She repeated that they were just trying to be friends, to have a good relationship with Lily and Laura. He believed her and after a while things went back to normal between them. She tried to forget the incident by talking to as many people as she could. She danced with Jack and played a little with the kids. She calmed down Lily and Laura and explained that nothing bad had happened. The same way she ditched Ron's questions and averted Ginny's eyes when she introduced her to Jack.
She did her best to avoid Harry. And she was almost successful. But when Cho grabbed him by the arm and they had a long conversation where she was obviously apologizing for earlier, she had to control herself again. The sight of them did things to her. Infuriated her. And then they were dancing and laughing as if nothing had happened, as if forgiving Cho was that easy for him. She turned her back to the dance floor. Out of sight, out of mind.
Much later Harry approached her and said that Ron was in the bathroom, it was the perfect time to talk to Luna. She agreed, Jack was talking to a group of people and he wouldn't notice her absence right away.
"Luna, can we talk?" Harry asks her. She widens her eyes at him and it's awfully similar to when Trelawney used to do it right before telling him that he was doomed. This wasn't a good idea.
"Sure, sure. I sense we should talk inside." So they head inside.
"Hermione, are you feeling okay?" Is the first thing Luna asks after they are alone in the kitchen. Hermione raises her eyebrows. "Because after what happened earlier-"
"That's not important." She cuts Luna quickly. "Luna, how much do you know about prophecies?" She can't wait any longer.
"What do you mean? Apart from the obvious? I mean, they're pretty clear and direct-"
"Can you tell us more about it in general?" Hermione asks.
"Yes, sure. A prophecy predicts the future. Almost always it manifests itself in a cryptic way, sometimes tricky and deceitful, so is very important to understand exactly what it's saying. Most of the times they happen, they become reality and I mean, Harry is living proof of it." Hermione sees him flinching a little. "But a lot of things are key to the fulfillment of a prophecy, those involved, the circumstances, everything."
Harry nods and Hermione feels like the conversation is leading nowhere.
"What if…" He begins, clearing his throat. "Hypothetically, okay?" Luna nods at him. "I had that prophecy about me, is it possible to have another one about me if that one was kind of foreseeing my death?"
"Well, it's a tricky question." Hermione holds her breath. "But if, hypothetically, there was another prophecy about you… I would say that the future was already set, there was no way of you dying, no way of Voldemort killing you. And if that second prophecy existed it would be connected directly to the one about you and Voldemort."
"Are these prophecies binding to those they talk about?" Hermione asks.
"Well, yes." Luna shakes her head. "They tell the future, Hermione, it's destiny, one way or another it's going to happen."
Hermione sighs. No, this can't be. I don't accept this. It has to be a way out.
"But where do they come from?" Harry asks.
"Harry, from where does magic come from?" Luna asks him.
Harry frowns. "I- I'm not sure."
"Exactly. Prophecies are another branch, another part of the magic that surrounds us, of the magic that is inside us. That's where they come from." She looks at Hermione, her blue eyes a little intimidating. "From our emotions, from our beings, from our essence, from the same place yours came today when you couldn't control it, Hermione." What? "I'm not judging, I'm just saying that magic is primal, it was here before us and it will be here after us. We're vessels, some stronger than others." She looks pointedly at both of them.
"Is there something else?". Harry asks. Hermione nods. "Luna, is there a way to break a prophecy? To prevent it one hundred percent from happening? Like a loophole or something?"
"I can see it. You guys have some kind of bond, don't you? Magic bonded you two. Because I know you just did something, right now." Hermione feels too shocked to answer and Harry says: "Can we talk about it later?" "Are we telling her?" She asks him. "She might know more about this." Luna keeps staring at them.
"Sure. But no, Hermione, there's no way of breaking a prophecy. Many tried running from it, but it never works out. Prophecies see the future and your future is already set by it, there's no preventing it, because your actions will lead you there, no matter how."
She wants to argue. To tell Luna she's wrong. To say that most prophecies never even come true. She wants to do something to feel a little better about the situation, but she also knows there's nothing she can do. There's no way out of this. She looks at Harry and can almost tell he's thinking the same. We can never be together.
"Well, thank you, Luna, we should head back to the party, right?" Harry smiles at her. It's a sad smile. Luna agrees and they go outside. She feels hopeless. Harry has a frown on his face and keeps running his hand through his hair. She wants to hug him. To comfort him, to be comforted by him. To just be with him.
"Harry, it's okay." She says into his ear, leaning closer. He nods slightly.
"It's just- it shouldn't be like this." He says.
"Dance with me."
She doesn't know from where this comes from. But it feels right. He takes her hand and they start dancing in a goofy way to the upbeat song that is playing. He smiles at her and she does the same. Their moves so similar to that night, years ago, when they danced in an isolated tent, trying to push away all the bad and ugly from their lives. It was the first time I dared imagine myself with him. In a way they do the same right now, both trying to accept that they can't be. They can't happen. Not if it costs their daughters' lives.
And when the slow song starts, she has no doubt in her mind. She takes a step towards him and fast enough she's putting her arms around his strong shoulders, pulling him closer. They sway perfectly. They don't talk, they don't think. The way he holds her is so familiar, so protective and tender. She closes her eyes.
"I'm so very sorry about everything. I just want you to be happy." Harry says.
"So do I, Harry. So do I."
When Lily and Laura hug them, it's a punch to her stomach. It's supreme happiness and never ending sadness. It shows how things could have been in the reality of how they truly are. It cuts her open and at the same time gives her life. She can't help shedding a few tears. She doesn't want to let go of him, of this. Of what they can have, of what feels right, no matter the consequences. She's vaguely aware that they are too close, vaguely aware that Jack - and everyone else - must be watching them. His eyes are screaming at her what he can't say out loud. He takes a step back and she wants to cling to him like a child. Her heart breaking all over again. It feels like a definitive goodbye.
Molly calls to everyone.
It's time to sing happy birthday.
Harry
George comes to his side and says "I think you should go there, mate." His head points to Hermione and Cho. They are talking, alone.
He nods.
As he gets closer to them, a sensation of pure hurt hits him. He walks faster and stops by Hermione's side. He doesn't care about what they were talking about, he doesn't even look at Cho. Why is she hurting so much?
"Hey, Hermione, how are you?" Harry gives her an awkward hug. He needs to touch her in some way, needs to feel that she's fine, there and alive. He realizes she wanted the same because her arms hold him longer than necessary.
"It's fine. Everything is fine. I'm here." He says to her, hoping he can make her feel better, hoping that this hurt can go away.
Hermione nods at him and they stare at each other for a long time. The way she's looking at him reminds him of years ago when they used to just talk without words, to understand one another with a look. But then, fast enough her expression changes and she's narrowing her eyes at him, angry. He takes a step back. What happened?
"So, Harry, Cho was just telling me you guys were going to get married." Harry coughs, choking on his own saliva.
"That's not exactly,"
"What?" He talks at the same time Cho does. Hermione has a wicked smile on her face and he can't even recognize her properly. "What are you doing, Hermione?"
"Just wondering if I should congratulate you." Harry purses his lips.
"I was just telling her how Lily was upset when I left." Cho says. An alarm goes off inside his mind.
"Oh, right, yes." He clears his throat. "She was indeed. Her and Cho had a beautiful relationship." He nods at Cho. The conversation feels like a trap, he can't lie to any of them. And things go down quickly enough.
"Like mother and daughter, right, Harry." Cho says.
"Look, Cho I don't know what you're playing at, but-"
"I'm just saying that she saw me as her mother, Hermione, since her own wasn't there." She can't be serious, she has no right, no-
"How dare you-"
When he sees Hermione taking a step in Cho's direction, a furious look in her eyes, he instinctively holds her, the same way she did many times with him when his temper was out of control. But apparently this makes her even angrier, a few ground lights near them start exploding, her magic totally off and wrong. Harry can feel exactly how wrong. Can she?
"You need to calm down." He says and holds her a little tighter, she's barely acknowledging him. Come on, Hermione, come back to me.
"Wow, Hermione, you can't even control your magic, what are you? A child?" Cho says and that's it for him. Another light explodes, and still holding Hermione he turns to Cho, anger building inside him:
"ENOUGH, CHO! Enough!" He didn't mean to shout, but he does. Cho flinches and Hermione finally blinks and turns her attention to him. He vaguely notices that everyone else is doing the same.
"Harry, take me out of here, please." He nods and takes her hand, walking fast into the house. Harry hears Cho calling to him but right now all he wants is to take care of Hermione, hold her, calm her down. He enters Ron's old room and sits her on the bed. He closes the door and puts a silencing charm around them.
She's a mess. Shaking and crying and apologizing and his heart bleeds just by seeing her like this. She should never feel this much hurt and sorrow. Never. But apparently I'm always the one that brings that out, that makes her feel this way.
"Hey, hey." He sits by her side and brushes away her tears with his thumbs. "You did nothing wrong, Hermione. Cho should be the one apologizing." She's crying on his shoulder. "I'm here, love, I'm here." Harry kisses the top of her head and holds her, soon he realizes they're breathing together, she's slowly calming down and their magic is in sync, perfect, mingling with each other. I'm here, I'm here for you. She doesn't let go of him. He doesn't either.
Caressing her bare arms he can feel her getting hotter under his touch, which consequently gives him some kind of satisfaction. His breathing gets heavier as memories of her soft skin fill his mind. She looks up at him, her chest rising and falling with difficulty. Is she going to do it? Kiss me? Does she still wants me after all this mess? Hermione traces his face with her fingers, first his jaw, his ears, his hair, his eyebrows. "I love your eyes." He can't help smiling a little. Her thumb goes over his scar, and then traces his nose to his lips. He kisses it slightly. I want to kiss you, all of you.
She inches closer and Harry closes his eyes, waiting, letting her decide. But she doesn't do it. She touches his forehead with hers and he sighs. Opening his eyes he tells her "It's okay." She has a pained look on her face. And in a blink she's getting up, putting some distance between them. He has to say something, at least try to explain:
"I'm sorry about this whole Cho thing. I was going to tell you, but I just… I mean, she wasn't supposed to be back and," He sighs. "Don't matter now, I just want you to know that I was going to tell you-"
"It's okay. I don't know what got into me, I clearly overreacted."
"She had no right saying those things about Lily to you."
"Lily knows, right?" He raises his eyebrows.
"What?" He asks.
"That I wasn't there for her because I couldn't, not because I didn't want to." He knows she blames him, he knows she suffers because she couldn't be with her daughter and he does too. How can we get out of this pit of hurt? "I won't lie, Harry. Sometimes I blame you for all of this, but all this hurt and resentment are pointless… there's no way for us to go forward if we don't forget the past. If we don't forgive. And I don't mean each other. We have to forgive ourselves."
"I agree. Hermione," He gets up. "You're Lily's mother and that's never going to change. She loves you madly. No one can take your place, not in her life, not in anyone's." "Not in mine." She has to know this, right? She knows that there's no one else like her to me, no one else… but I can't keep hurting her. He runs his hand through his hair and smiles. "We should go back, it's my birthday party after all."
As he's walking past her, Hermione takes his hand. He observes her and suddenly he feels like crying. "We need to talk to Luna about the prophecy."
He nods. "We will."
They don't move. "Thank you." She says to him and he squeezes her hand gently. To his surprise she kisses his cheek. It's tender and heartbreaking. He swallows hard to stop his tears. Then he leaves the room.
Ginny is waiting for him at the end of the stairs.
"What happened?" She asks. Harry waves his hand, dismissing the subject.
"Nothing. Things just got a little out of control. Lily and Laura?"
"They're a little anxious about it, everyone saw the lights exploding, Harry… and you shouting at Cho."
"She said awful things, but it's not important right now." He's tired of all the drama. "Can we just enjoy the party?"
Ginny scoffs. "Are you really asking Ginny Weasley if she can leave all this drama behind and enjoy a party? Come on, don't you know me at all?"
She offers him her arm and he takes it.
He decided he would enjoy the evening. Enjoy the company of his old friends and appreciate all the effort the Weasleys put into the party. He talked to everyone, he smiled at everyone, he played with the kids, he drank and he danced… or tried to. Hermione was avoiding him and he did his best to respect her feelings and wishes. He had to watch her holding hands and exchanging a few kisses with Jack. He had to watch her interact with others in a way he couldn't anymore because he'd been away for ten years.
And then Cho grabbed him and they had a long conversation about how sorry she was. She said it was never her intention to offend Hermione. Harry was inclined to not forgive her, to not talk to her for a very long time, but she was very persistent and when she brought up the time they had together, memories of them, Harry couldn't say he didn't feel nostalgic. She used the card 'you know me, Harry, I'm sorry, I'll apologize to her later, I promise', and he couldn't tell if it was the alcohol in him or not, but he forgave her.
And they danced. It was nice and fun, light and carefree, the same way everything he did with Cho was.
Much later when talking to Neville, Harry noticed that Ron was going to the bathroom, leaving Luna alone for maybe the first time in the day. He excused himself and approached Hermione. It was their chance to ask Luna a few things.
They head inside the house and the kitchen is empty. Go figure. Hermione is anxious and Luna bringing up the incident of earlier gives Harry a feeling of uneasiness. If she asked there must be something relevant about it. In his own way he always believed in Luna's theories.
He nods after Luna explains that a prophecy can be tricky, but it's the plain prediction of the future. He knows. He was once part of it.
"What if…" He clears his throat. "Hypothetically, okay?" Luna nods at him. "I had that prophecy about me, is it possible to have another one about me if that one was kind of foreseeing my death?"
"Well, it's a tricky question." Tell me about it. "But if, hypothetically, there was another prophecy about you… I would say that the future was already set, there was no way of you dying, no way of Voldemort killing you. And if that second prophecy existed it would be connected directly to the one about you and Voldemort."
"Are these prophecies binding to those they talk about?" Hermione asks.
"Well, yes." Luna shakes her head. "They tell the future, Hermione, it's destiny, one way or another it's going to happen."
Hermione sighs and Harry knows this is not what she wanted to hear. He didn't also, but deep inside he already knew. That's why I left ten years ago. However, there's something that keeps coming back to his mind:
"But where do they come from?" Harry asks.
"Harry, from where does magic come from?" Luna asks him.
Harry frowns. "I- I'm not sure."
"Exactly. Prophecies are another branch, another part of the magic that surrounds us, of the magic that is inside us. That's where they come from. From our emotions, from our beings, from our essence, from the same place yours came today when you couldn't control it, Hermione. I'm not judging, I'm just saying that magic is primal, it was here before us and it will be here after us. We're vessels, some stronger than others." She looks pointedly at both of them.
"Is there something else?". Harry asks. Hermione nods. "Luna, is there a way to break a prophecy? To prevent it one hundred percent from happening? Like a loophole or something?"
"I can see it. You guys have some kind of bond, don't you? Magic bonded you two. Because I know you just did something, right now." She can really sense things, huh?
"Can we talk about it later?" He says.
"Are we telling her?"
"She might know more about this."
Luna keeps staring at them.
"Sure. But no, Hermione, there's no way of breaking a prophecy. Many tried running from it, but it never works out. Prophecies see the future and your future is already set by it, there's no preventing it, because your actions will lead you there, no matter how."
I knew it… He glances at Hermione, he can see her mind processing, her face of indignation, her shoulders falling, surrendering. But I needed her to hear it from someone else. There's no way for us to be together. She looks at him and her eyes tell him what he's thinking. The situation dawning on them.
It's the night he heard the prophecy all over again. Sadness and anxiety take over him, he keeps running his hand through his hair in a desperate attempt to forget that this is true. That this prophecy exists. Hermione always made him feel better in moments like this.
"Harry, it's okay." She says into his ear, leaning closer. He nods slightly.
"It's just- it shouldn't be like this." He says.
"Dance with me."
He's a little stunned by her request, but he can't deny it. So he takes her hand and in his best fashion starts dancing to the upbeat music. She's smiling and that's enough for him. If he's still able to do that, after everything, is enough.
When the slow song starts he's ready to take a step back and end their little moment. But she holds him. And instinctively he puts his arms around her, bringing her closer, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. He feels privileged to just know her, an amazing woman, an incredible mother and his always - regardless anything - love.
"I'm so very sorry about everything. I just want you to be happy." Harry says.
"So do I, Harry. So do I."
When Lily and Laura hug them, it's like he can't breathe. The enormity of how much he loves the three of them is something that he's sure he's never going to be able to put into words or even actions. Right now he can comprehend exactly what his mother did, can fully understand how she saved his life, the amount of love that sacrifice took, because I would do the same for them. He's tearing up and Hermione is already crying a little. He doesn't want to let go. It's like he's leaving over and over again. But I have to. He takes a step back from Hermione, she was ready to kiss me in front of everyone. I can't let her do this. She's watching him with big, sad eyes. It feels like a definitive goodbye.
Molly calls to everyone.
It's time to sing happy birthday.
It happens so fast that no one can comprehend it fully. A blue blinding light invades the tent the moment they start singing happy birthday, and then an explosion, dark hooded figures appear amidst them. Screams and shouts are heard, spells everywhere.
Moments after, another flash of blue light and they're gone.
Hermione moves around the place, crazy, her eyes searching for Lily and Laura, they were closer to Harry. She finds them soon enough, they seem fine. And then she hears Draco saying it:
"Harry is gone. They took him."
Note: Well, well, next chapter we go back to Hermione and Harry's pov only! I'll post it very soon!