Chapter 17- And So The Fairy Tale Ending Begins
*
Disclaimer- Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.
*
AN- OK so what happens in this chapter is too good to be true, am I giving
too much away here? I couldn't resist doing this..
*
Life for Hermione had become relatively normal again, minus the constant letters from Ron. He wrote of ordinary things but reading within the lines Hermione could tell he missed her as much as she missed him.
Her friends were sympathetic. They could see through her transparent attempt to be her usual cheerful self and could see that she was clearly pining.
One day at the start of November Hermione was sitting in her office, day dreaming. She was brought back to earth however by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" She called.
The door opened and a black cloaked figure entered. She gasped- the stalker! She was frozen with fear and stared into the hood trying to look into the deatheaters eyes.
"Not like the Hermione Granger I knew to be sitting daydreaming instead of working." The black-clad person said in a voice that seemed from deep down in her memory, familiar yet estranged. The hood came down. Nothing could have prepared Hermione for that face, and it was a while before she could speak.
"Harry?" She whispered.
"Yes."
"But you can't be.you." She stammered in pure disbelief at the mess rave hair, green eyes, glasses and lightening scar that were part of the man's face that stood before her.
"Dead Hermione? No."
Was this a trick of dark magic; a dream; a cruel joke? No, it was in his eyes, Hermione knew that this was Harry.
"Oh Harry!" She said leaping up to hug him, "How?" She asked as she let him go.
"It's a long story," He said. Hermione saw how thin he was, and pale, she saw the shadows of long suffering on his face.
"Go on." She urged him.
"That wasn't me you buried." He said.
"Then who?"
"Draco Malfoy," He said spitting the name.
"But polyjuice potion wouldn't last for that long," She reasoned.
"Not the kind we made in second year, no. But Voldemort had engineered a permanent version. Apparently they planned to use Draco Malfoy, looking like me against you and Ron."
"But what happened when you snapped the wand?" She asked.
"I'm not sure, but four years imprisonment has given me time to think about it. It seems to me that Malfoy lunged in save his master and any power that Malfoy himself had obtained. Remember by this time Malfoy was my double. His father in a strange show of fatherly affection tried to save Malfoy but got me instead.""
"Where have you been then?"
"Well Luscious Malfoy took me to the last stronghold of Dark magic in Europe. A prisoner camp just a few miles south from here. I hadn't known you were living here but from a Daily Prophet that the elderly Malfoy had dropped I read an article by Ginny saying she wouldn't be writing any more over the summer as she was going to visit a friend in Barcelona. Feeling reckless I stole one of the guard's wand and fled here knowing I had friends here to help me."
"But while not show when Ron and Ginny where here?" Hermione asked confused.
"I tried to but you thought I was a deatheater. I tried to talk to Ginny alone but she fled. Then I saw you and Ron on the beach and well I didn't want to spoil your moment." Harry grinned, Hermione blushed.
Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question but changed her mind, "Oh Harry! I can't believe I'm really talking to you!" She said instead, "I mean I'd gone for the past four years believing I'd never see you again! And it didn't stop with your death."
"Who else?"
"Dumbledore died purely of old age and then killed my family!" She said breaking down into sobs.
Harry was overcome by a familiar surge of anger at the destruction and unhappiness Voldemort and his supporters had caused.
*
Harry would be making his way to England the very next day. Hermione decided that she would be there to support him as he revealed himself to his friends, one-time fiancée and what would prove difficult, the press.
"I have to return home Senor, there's no escaping it, it's very important." She was telling her boss.
The scrawny, balding, beady eyed Senor Caresta was proving unreasonable.
"I'm sorry Dr. Granger; your holiday won't be until Christmas." He said.
"Senor you can't possibly imagine how important it is for me to go home tomorrow," She said suddenly feeling very used, she worked hard and had very little time off and considering her ability was extremely underpaid.
"It's impossible."
Feeling reckless Hermione rose from her seat, a steely glint in her eyes, 2Fine then, I resign and when you find out why I returned home, you'll feel very foolish indeed."
*
"This isn't something to do with a certain Senior Weasley, is it?" Asked a suspicious Maria.
"No," Hermione said, although she wasn't entirely sure that he didn't have a role in bringing her home.
"Can't you tell us why?" Rose asked.
"Oh I wish I could, but I've been asked to keep it secret, I dare say you'll find out soon enough." Hermione said,
"We will see you again, won't we?" Carra asked.
Hermione laughed, "Of course!"
"Because you know Ron Weasley is handsome." Lise teased.
"Hands off, he's mine!" Hermione said throwing a pillow at her, "Anyway this isn't to do with Ron."
"But it's not as if you won't be pleased to see him again." Rose giggled.
"Well." Hermione began turning red upon which her friends erupted into giggles.
* AN- The story just didn't feel right without Harry!
Life for Hermione had become relatively normal again, minus the constant letters from Ron. He wrote of ordinary things but reading within the lines Hermione could tell he missed her as much as she missed him.
Her friends were sympathetic. They could see through her transparent attempt to be her usual cheerful self and could see that she was clearly pining.
One day at the start of November Hermione was sitting in her office, day dreaming. She was brought back to earth however by a knock on the door.
"Come in!" She called.
The door opened and a black cloaked figure entered. She gasped- the stalker! She was frozen with fear and stared into the hood trying to look into the deatheaters eyes.
"Not like the Hermione Granger I knew to be sitting daydreaming instead of working." The black-clad person said in a voice that seemed from deep down in her memory, familiar yet estranged. The hood came down. Nothing could have prepared Hermione for that face, and it was a while before she could speak.
"Harry?" She whispered.
"Yes."
"But you can't be.you." She stammered in pure disbelief at the mess rave hair, green eyes, glasses and lightening scar that were part of the man's face that stood before her.
"Dead Hermione? No."
Was this a trick of dark magic; a dream; a cruel joke? No, it was in his eyes, Hermione knew that this was Harry.
"Oh Harry!" She said leaping up to hug him, "How?" She asked as she let him go.
"It's a long story," He said. Hermione saw how thin he was, and pale, she saw the shadows of long suffering on his face.
"Go on." She urged him.
"That wasn't me you buried." He said.
"Then who?"
"Draco Malfoy," He said spitting the name.
"But polyjuice potion wouldn't last for that long," She reasoned.
"Not the kind we made in second year, no. But Voldemort had engineered a permanent version. Apparently they planned to use Draco Malfoy, looking like me against you and Ron."
"But what happened when you snapped the wand?" She asked.
"I'm not sure, but four years imprisonment has given me time to think about it. It seems to me that Malfoy lunged in save his master and any power that Malfoy himself had obtained. Remember by this time Malfoy was my double. His father in a strange show of fatherly affection tried to save Malfoy but got me instead.""
"Where have you been then?"
"Well Luscious Malfoy took me to the last stronghold of Dark magic in Europe. A prisoner camp just a few miles south from here. I hadn't known you were living here but from a Daily Prophet that the elderly Malfoy had dropped I read an article by Ginny saying she wouldn't be writing any more over the summer as she was going to visit a friend in Barcelona. Feeling reckless I stole one of the guard's wand and fled here knowing I had friends here to help me."
"But while not show when Ron and Ginny where here?" Hermione asked confused.
"I tried to but you thought I was a deatheater. I tried to talk to Ginny alone but she fled. Then I saw you and Ron on the beach and well I didn't want to spoil your moment." Harry grinned, Hermione blushed.
Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question but changed her mind, "Oh Harry! I can't believe I'm really talking to you!" She said instead, "I mean I'd gone for the past four years believing I'd never see you again! And it didn't stop with your death."
"Who else?"
"Dumbledore died purely of old age and then killed my family!" She said breaking down into sobs.
Harry was overcome by a familiar surge of anger at the destruction and unhappiness Voldemort and his supporters had caused.
*
Harry would be making his way to England the very next day. Hermione decided that she would be there to support him as he revealed himself to his friends, one-time fiancée and what would prove difficult, the press.
"I have to return home Senor, there's no escaping it, it's very important." She was telling her boss.
The scrawny, balding, beady eyed Senor Caresta was proving unreasonable.
"I'm sorry Dr. Granger; your holiday won't be until Christmas." He said.
"Senor you can't possibly imagine how important it is for me to go home tomorrow," She said suddenly feeling very used, she worked hard and had very little time off and considering her ability was extremely underpaid.
"It's impossible."
Feeling reckless Hermione rose from her seat, a steely glint in her eyes, 2Fine then, I resign and when you find out why I returned home, you'll feel very foolish indeed."
*
"This isn't something to do with a certain Senior Weasley, is it?" Asked a suspicious Maria.
"No," Hermione said, although she wasn't entirely sure that he didn't have a role in bringing her home.
"Can't you tell us why?" Rose asked.
"Oh I wish I could, but I've been asked to keep it secret, I dare say you'll find out soon enough." Hermione said,
"We will see you again, won't we?" Carra asked.
Hermione laughed, "Of course!"
"Because you know Ron Weasley is handsome." Lise teased.
"Hands off, he's mine!" Hermione said throwing a pillow at her, "Anyway this isn't to do with Ron."
"But it's not as if you won't be pleased to see him again." Rose giggled.
"Well." Hermione began turning red upon which her friends erupted into giggles.
* AN- The story just didn't feel right without Harry!
