Hermione's parents and gran came over to her with shocked looks on their faces.
'Honestly, Hermione. I thought after the week battle I couldn't ever be shocked but I've been proved wrong again,' Michael said in a befuddled voice, 'We were up there, we went past the moon!' he pointed upwards.
Hermione fell into their arms as they had a group hug. Her two Doppelgangers stood a little nervously to the side as Hermione beckoned them in. With shy smiles, they all joined in the Granger families hugs.
They all heard the front doors of the castle open.
Making their way to them were the four founders. All those in the courtyard gasped. Tonks almost curtsied as both Remus's went to steady her. All of them blushing at this incident.
Sirius and Bella were looking a little vexed.
'Is she alright?' Sirius asked, running towards them.
All four founders smiled, 'She is,' Salazar said soothingly. Hermione felt her knees give way as the relief flooded through her. Her gran held her up with a small smile.
'She is having a long sleep, however,' Godric informed them. Ron sighed. He had spent a great deal of time being bored watching Iris nap.
Sirius and Bella had brightened up considerably. They turned to each other. Now the important stuff was dealt with they pulled each other into an uncharacteristic emotional embrace.
'We did it, Bella!' Sirius grinned.
'She did it. The ring. Albus. Harry. Draco. All of us did this. He's gone! They've gone!' Bella was in tears now as Sirius spun her around, 'It's over.'
Hermione gazed at the sight of Bella and Sirius being so affectionate with each other. It really underlined just how momentous this moment was. For years they had barely tolerated each other. Draco was yanked into the hug by Bella but he didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Ted and Andromeda scuttled in as Tonks also jumped into the fray. Draco spotted Hermione watching and pulled her into the group, 'You're family too,' he said to her in a warm voice as Hermione blushed a little.
The others watched in amazement as the notorious Black family took Hermione in as one of their own and bounced about like excitable puppies. Hermione truly was family at this point. Hermione and Iris was certainly Hogwarts' worst kept secret.
Sirius spun Hermione around, 'It's over. We're alive, we're home!' he said with joy in his voice, 'Iris is safe,' Hermione hugged him back tightly.
Albus had approached the founders with many of the others. Fawkes had flown down from merlin knows where and had landed on his shoulder. Everyone felt a sense of normality flooding back into themselves at this simple sight.
'How?' Albus asked them as he gestured towards the castle, 'We saw the world explode. Not that I'm not incredibly happy to see her standing again, but how?'
Salazar gave a smile that looked odd on his sombre features, 'You have been gone for much longer than you thought,' he said mysteriously, 'You were in the infinity,' Hermione thought of her stopped watch. 'For all your bravery you have all shown, from many of you from all around the world, many of us from Origin came back to Earth to help rebuild your homes. The ring has proved most vital in expanding our knowledge of connections between worlds. We salvaged all your belongings just before the Big Bang. We may have used our superior knowledge to halt time for a moment on your Earth. It is all very technical and difficult to explain so we won't.'
Ron sighed in relief.
'We also had to give our helpers from Hell and Equilbirum time to return home. Although this time break was much longer for us.'
They were all astounded at this.
Helga stepped forward with a warm smile, 'We miniaturized your homes and establishments and put them somewhere safe. Hogwarts was very damaged of course, but we restored much of the original castle. Gringotts and your vaults have been kept secure,' the founders took a moment to indulge in the grateful looks they were receiving. Gareth Greengrass and the Goblins all gave a huge sigh of great relief, 'Your Earth has changed. It is not how you will remember it. It is a different Earth. Not poisoned, nor tainted. It is young. Those of you who respected the lands and prioritised what truly matters in life have earned the right to live here.'
They were all quiet as they let this sink in.
'You all have earned a new start,' Rowena said to them, 'With all you have learnt, to collaborate with both the Magical and Muggle together to make this Earth one to truly be proud of. To live within nature. To never allow the mistakes of the past to flourish again.'
Albus thought Rowena was being a little too naive with her optimism of eternal utopia, but still. With a start such as this, it would be many centuries until the likes of which they had experienced began again.
Hermione edged forwards, 'How many of us are left on the Earth?' she asked in a low voice.
Helga looked a little disconcerted, 'Not nearly enough of you. Too many of you have been killed before your time due to the horrendous regimes of Hitler and Riddle's monstrous reign. Riddle's nuclear attack on Britain took many people's lives, the fallout took many people's lives in Europe,' she told them sadly.
People's faces dropped at this news.
'Although, in the other world's, the good and the gentle who remained were also taken to Infinity on their Judgement days.'
The faces watching brightened.
'They are with Iris, for now, healing. In time they will be with you,' Rowena told them.
They all looked intrigued at this.
'You are all aware of your five other alternate worlds. There are thousands of other universes, but we now have confirmation those were the ones in your circle. We know so much more than we did about how immense Infinity truly is. It has been a learning experience for us all on Origin. The ring has taught us much about how we can connect to your world, and other Origins,' Rowena said as they all looked at the Doppelgangers and nodded with varying expressions of curiosity.
'Your own counterparts and millions of others have been fighting against their own evils. Most have died fighting this over the years, but there are survivors. For now, there shall only be one Earth. In time this may change but for now, it is a time for all of you to begin again.'
Draco was already there as his face lit up. He glanced at Cedric and the newest two Greengrass sisters. This was very welcome news to them all.
'They shall be arriving with Iris. Arrangements have been made here for their accommodations and futures on this Earth,' Helga told them all with a beaming smile.
'That's amazing,' Luna said with great delight.
Luna grinned at the other Luna who also looked radiant at this news, 'Oh, how lovely. There may be three more of us.'
Hermione felt the beginnings of a headache.
Rowena stepped forward, 'It is now the time to heal. To grow.'
They followed the founders back into Hogwarts. There had been some changes. It looked a lot barer than before although they had managed to salvage a suit of armour and there were many portraits hanging on the walls. They made their way into the hall as they all looked up to see the charmed ceiling. Molly sniffed at the sight and hugged Aurthur closer. The white glowing portal surrounded the mirror.
'Don't touch the mirror unless you fancy a trip to the beyond,' Salazar warned them all. Ron pulled back Fred who was getting a little close to it all.
The castle seemed to hum with the familiar magic.
'It is as new,' Godric told them, 'A new start. Although, being a place of education we took the liberty of adding your library books.'
Madam Pince smiled for the first time in years.
'And the Quidditch pitch has been completed, courtesy of Salazar and Godric,' Helga offered the information.
They all perked up at this.
They all looked around in interest. The tables were in place. The defining flags of the founders hung from the back wall. The windows looked magnificent.
Hermione hugged herself. It would take time to recover from all of this. All of them had seen too much. It would take time to adjust to this new world but some things remained solid.
Godric put the kettle on, 'I think a cup of tea each will be appreciated by all,' he said to them all.
They all collapsed thankfully onto the nearest chair.
The two Minerva's made their way up to the staff table and sat down. It was seeing this that made everyone relax. Professor McGonagall, both of them, were sat where they were meant to be. Hedwig flew in and sat on a rafter. Several cats sauntered into the room as if they owned it. Filch and Mrs Norris stood to the side with a look of peace on their faces.
Albus' eyes twinkled as they surveyed the room. He couldn't quite believe what his eyes were seeing, but he trusted what he was seeing. Fawkes trilled in his ear. His eyes glided over all the faces. Muggles sat with Magicals. All the houses were mixed up. His eyes caught Fleur Delacour. Now Weasley. He smothered a grin. The moment Iris came out of the portal the Veela would be making a hasty exit.
The Potters sat there still looking overwhelmed. Albus made his way over to them. Hermione had the same idea as they approached the table.
'Albus. We can't get back to Equilibrium, we can't get to the Astral plane,' James told his old headmaster. He didn't sound angry. He sounded hopeful.
Albus nodded. He had expected as much, 'I feel the ring wanted to have the final word with Tom,' he told them.
Lily looked at both Harry's and the two James's. She had an expression of complete bewilderment on her face, 'Why didn't the protection work this time? It had worked in the future,' she asked.
Hermione jumped in, 'The ring resurrected you both completely when you got close to Iris. You couldn't get through to Earth in the previous timeline. Your sacrifice has been voided as you are now alive.'
Harry jumped forward at this, 'Is this true? Are you really back for good?' he asked, his emerald eyes glowing.
'We both felt strange when Iris hugged us. It was a rush of sorts that went through us both just after she did,' James said in thought.
'You had both been coming back to life slowly and surely all these years,' Albus told them, 'The ring completed the resurrection.'
'We can be a proper family again?' Lily whispered as she held Harry's hand.
Albus and Hermione nodded with big smiles. Lily and James had been so young when they had died.
Harry didn't care at all who was watching. He started to bawl his eyes out as he pulled his mum and dad into a big hug. Sirius and Remus had been listening to Albus and Hermione barely breathing. Their faces crinkled up in happiness.
Severus didn't look very happy about the news, but he was the only one. The other James and Harry looked thoughtful at this but ultimately pleased to see at least one Potter family got their happy ending, even though it was bittersweet for them to witness.
'Hey, mum. You might be able to have more kids,' Harry said to her through his tears, 'A little brother or sister maybe,' he smiled at her as Lily had tears running down her face as well.
'We'll trade you, Harry. You give us a grandchild and we'll give you a little brother or sister,' James said in a teasing tone.
Harry went bright red but his smile was wide as he nodded. Ginny looked very pleased with this bargain.
They all looked at the portal again.
'How soon before they come?' Hermione asked Rowena.
'I expect a few days. Iris has had a very traumatic ordeal. She needs to rest.'
Hermione expected this, 'Will she open the portal for the others then?'
Rowena nodded, 'Yes. The ring will decide when. They are resting too. They have come from worlds that have not been kind to them. They endured though. They will heal there too.'
'Can we have a good look at our homes now?' she asked. She was curious to see all of this.
'Of course,' Rowena smiled, 'We managed to salvage your parents' smeg fridge. The delivery men had left it on the porch.'
Hermione smiled with simple nostalgia. Her mother was very fussy about her white goods.
'Is there electricity here then? Television?' Hermione continued.
Rowena smiled, 'Iris would not be happy to come back to a world without movies and her stereo. It was the least we could do. It was our way of saying thank you to all of you. We're also very fond of Abba too.'
Hermione beamed, 'What is London like now? Is the Queen still alive? Are there aeroplanes?' she fired off a few of what Rowena suspected would be many questions.
'London is very different from what you would be used to. Smaller. A lot quieter. The Thames still runs through it though. We've adapted the magical motorcycles for everyone. Much cleaner and better for the environment. With built-in charms, if you fall. Safer too. Magical cars, buses and trains too. I know your parents are very fond of their Saab. The Queen is safe and very much looking forward to meeting all of you again. Buckingham Palace has been rebuilt and the Ministry too. No aeroplanes. They poison the Earth. The human race can use those lovely portkeys that Albus invented for travelling. We imagine people will find it a much suitable alternative. We have representatives informing people globally of the situations and helping people adjust to the changes. We shall be broadcasting to the world tomorrow evening our plans,' Rowena answered several questions.
Hermione opened her mouth to ask more questions but Percy interjected, 'Is the Ministry going to be back open for business?' he enquired.
Rowena knew Percy well, 'It is indeed. We'll be looking for those people who worked there to regroup. The filing cabinets remain. The stationary and records. I believe you had your own inventions when you were working there. Muggle mixed with magical. I saw some of them myself. They were very well made and so much more efficient. I was impressed.'
Percy blushed bright red at this praise from Rowena Ravenclaw herself.
'When will the offices be reopened?' he asked eagerly.
'You can start tomorrow if you like. The building is completed. You can choose your own desk and get started on getting the country back up and running. I imagine many will join you soon. You have the experience already. I suspect, in time, you have the skills to be the head of one of the Ministry departments.' Rowena said to him.
Percy was almost salivating at this point as he nodded to Rowena and told her he would report for duty at eight am. She turned back to Hermione who was ready to bombard her with more questions.
Percy bit his lip in anticipation. His eyes made their way over two tables where he spotted someone he needed to speak to. He had delayed asking this question for several years due to all the chaos. He made his way over to Penelope Clearwater. She smiled when she saw him.
'Hello, Percy,' she said to him in her no-nonsense tones.
'Hello, Penelope. It's good to see you. Now everything appears to be settling down into something resembling order, I would like very much to ask you out for a dinner date if you would be agreeable.'
Penelope blushed slightly and gave a shy smile back, 'I would like that very much, Percy.'
He gave her a winning smile and felt his body relax. Finally. He could now see a glimpse of the future he had truly craved all these years.
Molly was ear wagging in and gave a grin. Penelope was naturally ordered, polite and very sensible. She was perfect for her son.
She looked around the room and saw the flaming red hair of all her children. She pinched herself. Somehow they had made it through all of this. Merlin, it had been tough with some very near misses and the dark times would follow them all for a while but she still had her family. Her greatest treasure. She took Arthur's hand and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled down and hugged her. They didn't need to speak. Their relief was written all over their faces.