After the War - By Erin

Disclaimer: - I do not own anything except Harry's 3 children and the plot. The rest that you recognise belongs to the wonderful JK.

Chapter Nine: - An overdue talk with the headmaster.

Harry sat opposite Dumbledore, his children were safely tucked up in bed after an exciting day but his seemed to be just beginning. He looked at the clock above the mantle, it was nearing midnight.

"I am very sorry Harry." Dumbledore said quietly, Harry looked up surprised at the man's tone. Albus Dumbledore looked back at him wearily, there was no beginning of a smile on his lips, and his eyes had lost their custom sparkle.

"Whatever do you mean Professor?" Harry asked bewildered, Dumbledore allowed himself to smile slightly. "Albus, Harry, I thought you were comfortable using my given name? You seem to have relapsed eleven years." Harry smiled slightly. "Forgive me Albus, but you should understand that it's a bit of a shock seeing you again, we thought that you had died Albus." He said quietly, "Especially when you didn't floo call us. Ginny was very distraught, we both were, and James, he was calling for his 'Granddad Albus' for quite a while." He said with a small smile. Albus looked at him apologetically.

"That is one of the main reasons for my apology, I added to your burden when in reality I was quite safe." He began, "I mislead you Harry, I didn't go to Peru for a holiday, far from that in fact. I had a disturbing owl from a friend in Peru. He saw fit to notify me upon his sighting several familiar British death eaters, those who had fled from Ministry confinement, and within that group he distinctively recognised Lucius Malfoy, I believed at the time that I should check this out, and as Ginny was heavily pregnant I didn't inform you of the truth…"

Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily breaking off, after a while he began to speak again wearily. "I eventually found out that my old friend whom I believed to be reliable was actually long cold in his grave, he had been killed a month earlier, and unfortunately for the both of us young Mr Malfoy was impersonating him, and leading me in a merry dance." The old man sighed again, "But by the time I was able to discover this, I had played into their hands, and their plan had gone accordingly to plan, your house was attacked, and Ginny although not killed as intended originally was disposed of. They had intended to kill Ginny, and your children, to break you."

Harry sat tensely, his eyes dulling several shades and although he hid his emotions deeply within his soul he twitched slightly at the news. After a while he spoke.

"You need not blame yourself Albus. Thank you for trying." He spoke solemnly staring out of the window, whereupon he noticed an owl pecking at the window. He opened the window and relieved the owl of its burden but every move he made felt strained. The old headmaster noticed this.

"It's from Hermione." Harry said shaking slightly, "With all the weeks disruptions I forgot to renew the owl repellent charm." He shook his head and looked at his old friends familiar scrawl. "You should read that Harry." Albus told him gently, "She would not have owled you unless it was of great importance. Hermione has always respected your decision to distance yourself from Wizarding society, but you should know that she's suffered because of the loss of your friendship. I do not believe that she has made another close friend since."

Harry looked up momentarily shocked. "What? Why? How do you know?" Albus smiled at him gently and led him to a chair, he helped him to sit down, and then he sat next to him. He smiled again, but this time it was filled full of sadness.

"The rest is Hermione's story to tell. You should read that Harry it might bring you some closure." After a few moments he broke the seal and began to read the letter.

Dear Harry,
I'm so sorry about how I acted today when we met, but I hope you'll understand when I say that it was a shock seeing you again after all these years, as I know it was for you to see me again.
I have a confession to make here but it has nothing to do with the letter you mentioned which obviously caused you distress.
Whenever you came to visit Ginny, I had the reception alert me of your presence and I stayed away from you knowing that I was the last person you wanted to see. It was agonising to know that you were in the same building, and I couldn't talk to you.
This bit will be hard for you to read Harry, but I beg you to read what I'm writing, because it holds the truth, of which you've been ignorant of for so many years.
Albus never died. He did go missing for a month but he returned relatively unscathed a week after your home was attacked. As I right this now, I am conscious of the fact that I believe he will visit you soon, he told me today that the visit would have been sooner but that you 'went to great lengths to conceal your whereabouts from us all,' and because of that he could not find you. Listen to his story Harry; your disappearance has been almost as hard for him as it has me.
The second thing you didn't know was that by chance I met up with Ginny in a muggle Library a week after the twins were born. We reconciled our differences, but she didn't want you to know, she didn't want you to feel betrayed, and as a result of this she never gave me your home address. She gave me a picture of your children. You're all in a muggle hospital sitting on a bed, the two of you are both cradling one of the twins and James is sitting in between you smiling. That's the only picture I have of you both. Ron destroyed all of our school photos a few years ago in a drunken rage.
I hope you don't mind but I gave it to Mrs. Weasley when I passed James's message alone tonight.
The day of the attack Ginny had arranged to meet me in a coffee house, we had decided to bring our children along to meet each other. We had joked about them becoming as close friends as we all had been, and I wanted my children to know their aunt. She didn't arrive, I sat their for two hours waiting for her, knowing that something didn't feel right but that I couldn't even check because I was never given you address. That's the reason why I trained as a healer, I owed it to you both.
If I could change anything, it would have been to make Gin tell me where you lived, because then I could have traded places with Ginny for you. Or I could have helped. Either way I will always blame myself.
I found out tonight about what happened with the letter you sent. I… I had just found out about what happened to Ginny on the muggle news but they also did not give out the address to your home, and when I called the television station they would not tell me either. I was asleep in my bedroom when your letter arrived; I had cried myself to sleep. Ron admitted to me that he had sent the letter back to you.
The bastard boasted about it at our dinner at Molly's tonight. I never knew Harry, or I would have been straight around, and that's why Ron did it, because he knew that I would leave him to help you.
Forgive me Harry, I never saw just how much his resentment for you clouded his judgement. We are divorcing, and after everything that was said at Molly's I doubt any of the Weasleys would take me in. Yes… he's kicked me out, and it's all because I hurt his pride, but it was my folly for never insisting that our house was signed in both of our names. If you want to reach me I shall be staying at the leaky cauldron.
I await your response,
Your old friend,
Hermione

Harry blinked rapidly and tried to make sense of what she was saying, he looked up at Dumbledore and shook his head in confusion.

"I…" He shook his head again breaking off when he couldn't find the right words, his thoughts to jumbled up to make sense of. Fury began to pump into his veins, he closed his eyes trying to calm himself down, eventually when not succeeding he spoke to his mentor through gritted teeth.

"All of this time. All this time Albus!" He growled opening his eyes and slamming his fist into the arm of the chair. "That complete bastard!" He snarled. Albus looked at him pensively, Harry decided to clarify what he was saying.

"That night…" He couldn't bare to name it, but Albus knew what he was implying. "… I was so alone, and the children, well I needed help to say in the least. I owled Hermione, hoping that even though we hadn't spoken for several years that she would come and help me. Ron intercepted the letter and returned it to me unopened, he scrawled 'return to sender on it,' and all of this time I've blamed Hermione."

"If you would like my advice Harry?" Harry nodded in response clutching the letter to his chest. "Then the way I see it is that you have two choices. You can help Hermione through this experience as she wanted to help you long ago, or you can chose to ignore it. I hope that you will not ignore this plea for help Harry, Hermione has no family left except for her children to turn to, as you will undoubtedly remember."

Albus Dumbledore patted his sholder and smiled in reassurance, "I have no doubt that you will make the right decision in the end Harry but for now I must take my leave, Hogwarts needs me, but I shall return soon.

Harry nodded and watched the old man walk away, his emotion conflicting tightly in his chest. What in Merlin's name was he going to do?

End of Ch9

Thank you all for reading, please review! I shall update again soon!

Erin

Special Thanks : -

Thank you for your lovely reviews: - Loopyloony, bledding black rose, Tanydwr and Queen of the Elven City.

Wytil: - He might have, he might not have – you will have to see as the mystery evolves!

Ms. Realista: - I'll bare that in mind! Thank You!

Chocytwo:-

The kids should meet Mrs. Weasley at sometime I believe, but that might change so don't hold me to it! Thank you for your wonderful review!

Jbcna: - I think she finally did! Especially Ron.

SillyGillie: - Hmmm, I think I just hate Ron in this fic, not all of the Weasleys. They might repent but as for Hermione, all I can say is 'Go Girl!' Thanks for you review!

Later!