A/N: This fic has hit it's one year anniversary! YAY! Interesting, isn't it, that at almost exactly a year, is when I finish it. So, folks, the final instalment of Subject To Change. Look for it's sequel, Change to Subject, soon.

Dedication: For the gaudy's. They stuck by me in the hard times, the sad times, the times when I was so happy they must have wanted to hit me, the times when I was so sad they must have wanted to hit me, the times when they just wanted to hit me for no apparent reason…

Disclaimer: All proceeds go to the Harry Potter fund.  Because that boy will need therapy after all I've put him through. Additional proceeds will go to the Hermione Granger fund, the Ron Weasley fund, The Lily and James Potter fund, the Remus Lupin fund, the Sirius Black fund, the Draco Malfoy fund, and the Albus Dumbledore fund. For pretty much the same reason. Note to J.K. Rowling: I'm sorry that your characters will all have some sort of physiological disorder once I've finished with them. If you really need someone to sue, blame it all on my twisted mind. And my friends that all have twisted minds…

~**~

Another turning point,

 a fork stuck in the road,

Time grabs you by the wrist,

 directs you where to go,

So make the best of this test

 and don't ask why,

It's not a question,

 but a lesson learned in time,

It's something unpredictable,

 but in the end it's right,

I hope you had the time of your life.

~**~

            Harry couldn't move. He felt as though some sort of leg locker curse had rooted him to the spot and forced him to stay where he was. Wave upon wave of guilt pooled from his thoughts.

These were the people that he had killed. He had brought death upon them. They should have had families, lives, they should have fallen in love, gotten married, been successful. The Grangers would never see their daughter graduate, or get married, or see their first grandchild.

He couldn't fight them. He couldn't. He had murdered these people. He had ruined their lives. He deserved whatever they did to him. They should kill him. They had every right to. He had killed them.

              He watched numbly as Voldemort grinned maliciously.

            "Enjoy yourself," he said. "For there will be more where they came from. I am giving you a chance to run, Harry. But they will hunt you unmercifully. I'm giving you a chance to defend yourself. But, in order to do that," here he smiled again, that horrible travesty of a smile, "you have to commit murder. Because they know what they are doing, Harry Potter. They can't stop themselves. But they can feel pain. And they can feel hurt. And they will know that you are killing them." And then, he was gone. Just gone.

            Harry knew he couldn't do it. So he stood, frozen to the spot, with certain death only a few metres away.

~**~

            Fortunately, Hermione was only a few metres away as well. Now she ran, throwing the invisibility cloak away, knowing that she had to reach her parents before Harry obliterated them. Because that's what he did, she knew it. If something was evil that stood in his way, it would have to go. His instinct for survival was what dominated his thoughts in times of crisis. She knew that too. It was all part of Harry, she couldn't be angry with him for it, it was just the way he was. But she knew she had to stop him. That was…until…

            Harry stood frozen. He made no move to get his wand, did not even reach up a hand to defend himself. That's when she saw it. He wanted them to kill him. Wanted it. She could've killed him right then and there. After all the work she did trying to keep him alive, and now he's going all suicidal on her…the nerve.

            "Hermione, darling…Help us, please." It wasn't Harry's plea for help, but one coming from her parents. They were compulsively moving toward Harry, unable to stop themselves, Cedric and Cho at their heels.

            "You can't let us kill him," said Cedric, his voice rusty from being dead for a year. "Hermione, he'll just stand there and let us rip him apart. You can't let us."

            "But…I can't," Hermione said helplessly, now faced with the very same dilemma that Harry was. "I can't kill you, murdering my own parents…"

            Harry had finally noticed that there was a conversation going on.

            "Hermione, what are you doing here?" He said.

            "Please, Hermione," said her mum desperately. "Please. Just blast us to pieces. We'll go to a better place. But you don't know how terrible it is to be killing somebody when you can't help it. And we have to. Don't you understand? We have to."

            "You'll be killed," said Harry. "Go away. Go back. I told you not to come!"

            "Hermione, it's alright. We've got people waiting for us. My grandmother is waiting for me," said Cedric.

            "And so is my mum, just like we'll be waiting for you, once we're gone." said Mr Granger. "If you loved us at all, you would stop us. If you loved him at all, you would stop us."
 

            They were all crowded around Harry now. Cedric had his hands around his neck. Harry's face had taken on a bluish tinge. But he still stood there, not defending himself.

            "I love you, mum and dad," said Hermione quietly. "I never got to tell you before you died. I love you." And then she took out her wand.

~**~

            The whirlwind charm was strong, strong enough to blow already deteriorating bodies to pieces, and Harry and Hermione to the ground. Hermione lay there, not bothering to get up, not even wanting to. When she finally looked up, she noticed that Harry stood next to her. He gave her his hand, and helped her up.

            "You were brilliant, Hermione," he croaked, as if Cedric's hands had damaged his vocal cords permanently. "I couldn't have done it without you…I would have…"

            Hermione didn't bother wasting words. Feeling that she should get the point straight across, she slapped him.

            "Don't you ever do anything that stupid again," she hissed. "Running off to fight Voldemort without telling anyone! Rubbish!"

            Harry was momentarily struck dumb.


            "But…Bugger it, Hermione, I wrote you that bloody letter!"

            "Telling me what?" she demanded. "That you loved me and you were sorry you were dead?"

            "Yes, well, what about you?" He retorted. "Coming down here, you could have been killed!"

            "I wasn't the one who was wearing Cedric Diggory's hands like a noose," said Hermione, sarcasm pooling around her words.

            "I was trying to keep you from getting hurt!" said Harry. "If I died, Voldemort wouldn't bother killing you, if I killed Voldemort, he'd be dead so he couldn't kill you…it was a win-win situation, Hermione."

            "For you maybe," said Hermione. "You're so selfish!"

            "I'm selfish!" said Harry. "I was trying to protect you!"

            "And that's selfish too! If you died, you'd be happy, you'd be with all your dead relatives, and I'd be stuck here without…." She gave herself a very hard mental kick, and changed the direction of her tirade. It was moving into sappy very fast, and she was still quite angry with him.

            "And that note you wrote, that was just a disgusting display of egotism. 'Oh, woe betide, I'm hurting everybody I love, it's all my fault, it's always my fault, I need to leave, don't follow me.' Honestly. How stupid do you think I am? Do you think I wouldn't figure out that you were going after Voldemort? Do you think I'm a docile little female who will do as she's told? Not when your life is on the line, Harry Potter."

            "Now who's the selfish one!" said Harry irrationally. "You'd put your life on to help me!"

            "That's right," said Hermione scathingly. "And I do it again in a minute."

            "You would not!" said Harry.

            Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Would you like me to prove it? Dumbledore has a time turner. I can do it again."

            "You wouldn't dare," said Harry.

            "Try and stop me," said Hermione.

            They stared at each other for a moment.

            "Fine. I will." Said Harry.

            "I'd like to see you try," said Hermione, turning her back to him, and beginning to walk away. Harry followed her, caught her up, grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her hard.

            "There," he said. "I told you I could stop you."

            "Don't make me slap you again," Hermione grinned. "Now come on, before Voldemort brings more little minions of doom that are after your blood."

~**~

            Christmas was a resting, relaxing time. Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat in front of the common room fire, contentedly eating peppermint toads and play wizard's chess. Harry was, yet again, losing spectacularly to Ron.

            "I can't believe Malfoy gets to be trained as well," said Ron, sighing slightly and taking Harry's queen. "When will it be my turn?"

            "I dunno," said Harry, grabbing another peppermint toad. "I hope soon, though, because I dunno if I can take just Malfoy…"

            "I heard that," came a sulky voice from out of a high backed chair. "It's not my fault that they're making me train with you."

            Ron glowered at him, and Harry laughed.

            "Why is it still in here?" he asked.

            "Dumbledore wants him to get used to us, and us to him," said Harry.

            "Let's not play the, 'lets talk about Draco like he isn't here,' game, please," said Malfoy. "It's very distressing."

            "Wonderful," said Ron. "All the more reason to play. Why are they having it train and not me?"

            "Because you're a dolt and I am brilliant?" Malfoy suggested.

            "Shove it Malfoy," said Harry. "Because he knows tons of valuable dark arts stuff."

            "Got that right," Malfoy smirked. "Valuable is the key word."

            "Like what?" Ron snarled.

            "Well, for instance, my father, whenever he goes on a muggle killing spree, bathes his temples in eau de cologne and puts on his black two thousand galleon cape from Armani wizardwear." Said Malfoy.

            "It brings a new meaning to the saying 'dressed to kill,' doesn't it?" asked Hermione brightly. "Anyway, I think it's present time. I'm in the mood for gifts."

            "And I'm in the mood to loudly pout and leave the room," said Malfoy. "I don't want to see the sappiness."

            "Trot along to your dungeon," said Harry cheerfully.

            "I'll save a few manacles just for you, Potter," said Draco, sweeping to the portrait hole.

            "Goody," said Harry. "I can't wait."

            "I'm glad he's gone," said Ron. "He's such a smarmy git…"

            "Ahem," said Hermione. "Presents. Now."

            "Why don't you start," said Harry, with a slight grin.

            "Fine, I will then," she said. She handed Ron and Harry to wrapped objects. Ron ripped his open first.

            "A Chudley Cannons Jersey! Thanks Hermione." He pulled it on over his head. It clashed horribly with his hair.

            Harry was staring at the contents of his package in puzzlement.

            "A…cat collar…." He said. "Um…thanks?"

            "It's so I can hear you when you go sneaking out at night," said Hermione. "I got you these, though, too." They appeared to be shiny black shoes.

            "Swing shoes," said Hermione with a slightly sadistic grin. "I hear we have to start dancing next."

            Harry groaned. "I think I'll just keep the cat collar." He handed Ron what turned out to be a book about Quiddtich, and Hermione a small box.

            "Harry…" she said. "These were mum's…how did you get them?"

            "They're her wedding rings, right?" said Harry. "I think she slipped them into my pocket when she was trying to strangle me. But I know she wanted you to have them."

            "How?" said Hermione.

            "Because she told me," said Harry cheekily. "But she told me not to give them to you until Christmas."

            "I never really did get a good look at them," said Hermione. "Because she hardly ever wore them." The engagement ring was white gold, intricately carved, with a diamond in the very centre. The wedding ring matched it, except it had a row of smaller diamonds across it. The same saying was engraved on the inside of both. Ever mine, Ever thine, ever for each other.

            "Thanks, Harry," said Hermione. "Thanks a lot."

            "I hate to break up this terribly touching moment," said Ron. "But I have your Christmas present. I had to get only one for both of you, but I figured you'd understand."

            "Cheapskate," said Hermione, grinning.

            "Ah well," said Ron. "Here you go."

            He pulled out two tickets. Tickets to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe theatre.

            "I figured it could be a date or something," said Ron. "You better like it, 'cause it was really hard to get especially with the muggle money and all…"

            Harry and Hermione looked at each other.

            "How did you…"

            "But we didn't tell you…"

            "We didn't really know ourselves…"

            "I dunno," said Ron, shrugging with a grin. "Maybe I'm just psychic."

~**~

Finis.