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Harry poked the contents of the pensive with his wand a few times before looking to the others. "Ready?" The others nodded and they all held hands. "If you want out, just let me know okay?" Hermione nodded, and Harry leaned into the pensive.
Chapter 5
Hermione Staggered, slightly dizzy from entering the pensive. When she opened her eyes, she gasped at the scene. She was at Hogwarts, but it was like she had never seen it before. Bodies were thrown around, Bleeding, and cut, some with no harm at all, merely fear on there faces, obviously dead all the same. Looking around more, she saw a huddle of people closer to the school. With out thinking, she bolted towards it, Harry and Ron trailing at her heels. Walking through some of the people, she made it to the center of the group. There, she saw Voldemort starting avidly at a chain of people on the other side. Hermione focused on the others, Luna, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Neville, stood side-by-side, straight, and tall.
"Potter," Voldemort hissed, "You need your friends to back you up, to afraid to take me on alone are you?" The death eaters, who were on his side of the circle, laughed.
"I'm not afraid of you, but neither are these people. They wouldn't let me take all the credit; they all will help with your murder. You have killed thousands of people in your wake, enough to make even the bravest fear you, but these five have stuck by me and will continue to stand by me for as long as they can." Harry sneered
"Potter, I thought you were smarter than that, only 4 people stand by your side."
"That's where you're wrong. Four are here physically, but one was taken away, against her will for her own safety. She fought to stay with me and therefore is still here." Hermione turned to the Harry who had brought her, tears already forming at both of their eyes.
"Whatever, Potter, she's not here to fight, therefore, no good to you."
"We'll see about that." With one fluid motion of Harry's wand, all hell broke loose. The death eaters ran forward to protect their master, and the people on Harry's side of the circle ran forward to kick death eater ass. Hermione Screamed several times in a row as Figures of her friends fell around her, and was especially shook up when Charlie Weasley fell right through her. She quickly followed the battle of Harry and The battle of Ron, keen to know what happened. Suddenly, she heard a drawling voice behind her that could only come from a Malfoy.
"Weasley, Weasley, Weasley." Hermione turned to see the elder Malfoy taunting, "You really thought you loved her didn't you. Ahh, well, I guess I can't blame you. Your father fed you all the nonsense about muggles didn't he? I guess you just assumed Mudbloods were okay. But then what does she do, run off and leave. Scared I assume, or maybe she just found a new and better lover and ditched you the second she could."
Hermione, forgetting that he couldn't hear her, had began to yell. "I would never, if anything I wouldn't be surprised if your son is the one running around with the sluts of the school!" The Ron of her time came forward and put his arm around her.
"I never believed him." He said, calming her down. But soon she was screaming again, this time in horror. The past Ron had sprinted forward Attack Malfoy with full might, but before even a minute had past, Ron was laying on the ground, unconscious. Hermione Flung herself toward the past Ron, crying freely now, her hand skimming right over the top of his face. The real Ron came behind her, scooping her up, and led her to where the only to men standing were.
"No help to you at all were they." Voldemort sneered. Harry looked a right wreak. It appeared that his scar had split open, blood was pouring from behind his bangs. He was stumbling along, and his left leg didn't seem to want to support his weight.
"They helped me more ways than you can ever image." Harry sneered right on back. Right then his leg gave away. He struck an odd kind of pose where he was supporting himself on his right leg and left arm, clearly most of his weight was on his left arm.
"Now, that won't do," Voldemort sent a blood red Jet of light through Harry's arm, knocking him to the ground. "I want you rolling in the mud when I kill you, like the pathetic weakling you are, Potter."
"Perhaps you should joining me." Harry Screamed an incantation that Hermione couldn't recall learning, but it knocked Voldemort to the ground. As if on cue, Rain began to fall in big drops around the scene. Ron gave Hermione a soft push, and Hermione stumbled forward, and notice that Harry was whispering something.
"With the love of 2 Muggle-born, I gather wisdom, for both were sent away because of me, leaving me with all they could. With the love of a family of Purebloods, I gather Strength, for with their ancestry they still accepted and cared for me, teaching me everything they knew. From the deaths of those who loved me, I will kill he who hates all." When Harry finished speaking, His whole body began to glow a faint pink. He hoped to his feet, and walked over to Voldemort.
"Don't worry," Voldemort struggled with the mud that was making it hard for him to stand again, "I have a healing spell up my sleeve too." He laughed but was obviously nervous.
"No you don't," Harry smiled, much more confident than Voldemort was. "All healing spells require love of another to do, which you don't have. Plus, none of them would be as strong as this one, specially designed for me with certain people in mind, Voldemort, you haven't a prayer." With a scream escaping Voldemort, Harry performed the curse, leaving Voldemort dead on the Hogwarts ground. No sooner, than Voldemort had died, then the pink left Harry, and he passed out. Black enclosed the three, and seconds later, they found themselves in an entirely different scene. They were in the great hall, but all the tables had gone, instead there were thousands of chairs, each one filled with a look of pleasure and relief. Hermione easily spotted seven of the nine Weasley's sitting in the front section of the group. She was standing on the elevated area where the teacher's table usually sat. Turning, she saw Dumbledore standing at the podium, clearly in the middle of a speech.
"And, finally, for the six that were unofficially, up until now, known as the powerful six, will all be awarded with order of Merlin, first class, and special services to the school and ministry, they will also each receive a thousands galleons a piece. That is of course except for Mr. Potter who would like his money to be donated instead to the foundation for saving werewolves, under the name of one of his good friends." Hermione saw Lupin beaming up from the front row of the crowd.
"As I call your name, please come forward to accept your awards. Mister Harry James Potter." Harry, cleaned up considerably, walked forward form his chair, which was placed of to the side. Dumbledore places a Purple Ribbon over Harry's head. Hanging from the ribbon was a silver metal. Hermione moved closer saw what that the metal was engraved with 'Order of Merlin, First Class. H.J. Potter.' Harry headed back to his seat. Soon Dumbledore had called Mister Ronald Bilius Weasley, Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley, Mister Neville Franklin Longbottom, and Miss Luna Linda Lovegood, each of them also received a sliver medal along with a bag of gold. Hermione was eagerly waiting, with a good idea of who the sixth person was to be.
"And now," Dumbledore restarted his speech as Luna sat down again, "The sixth person to receive all these awards could not join us today. So, Her best friends Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have agreed to hold the awards until she can retrieve them herself. I present the awards for Miss Hermione Jane Granger."
Hermione smiled and began crying again, as Harry and Ron went forward to collect her awards.
"They're in your Gringotts vault." The Harry of her time told her. Hermione smiled.
"I have an Order of Merlin? First class?" Hermione almost squeaked. Ron nodded. Hermione's smile got wider, and she wrapped her arms around herself, giving herself a giant hug. "I have Order of Merlin, First class."
"And you graduated top of our class, have special service awards to the school and ministry, plus 1000 Galleons with 3 years of interest." Ron added, as the ceremony, which turned out to be their graduation, continued. Hermione hugged herself tighter as she watched her classmates rise one by one, getting their diplomas. She smiled as Draco stood up, limping to the front. She almost started bawling as he stumbled, and then Ron rose, supporting Draco all the way to the front and back to his chair.
"Inter-house unity" She whispered. She finally stopped hugging and instead hugged Harry and Ron each in turn. "Okay, I think I'm good. Lets head home." Harry smiled and before they knew it, they were standing back in Hermione's kitchen.
"I was wondering when you were going to pull that out." Ginny smiled, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "What did you go to see?"
"The final battle and The Graduation." Ron Smiled to his sister.
"I have Order of Merlin, first Class." Hermione said for the third time, obviously pleased with herself.
"So do I, Hon," Ginny smirked, "So do I."
Draco appeared Behind Ginny in the doorway. "But not me, I feed information from my father to Snape, which in turn went to Dumbledore, every year I was at Hogwarts, but did I get anything? No." Draco smiled.
"But did you pass the information willingly to Dumbledore?" Hermione smirked
"In seventh year, yeah." Draco smiled again. Hermione rolled her eyes.
Right then, a large owl smashed into Hermione's kitchen window. "Errol's still alive?" Hermione asked, opening the window to allow the bird to enter.
"Yup." Ginny smiled pulling the letter off the bird's leg and setting him down on the table. "Oo, Mum's pissed that we didn't write her as soon as we got to America. She said she had half a mind to send us a howler." Ginny said reading over the letter.
"Does your mum know you found me?" Hermione asked.
"Nah, Theirs a Weasley family reunion in about a month and we figured that it would be a great surprise if you just, showed up." Ron smiled. "The burrows been completely remodeled though. Fred and George's shop sky rocketed and they paid for the house to be redone as a Christmas present to mum and dad last year."
"Yeah, I think you'll like the new basement, " Harry added as Ginny let out a small laugh, "It was made into a small library, Mainly so Percy could do research for work, but I think you will definitely enjoy it."
"So Percy and you came to good terms again?"
"Yeah, about a month after you left, he sent us a letter officially apologizing. Mum didn't stop smiling for a week, even when Fred and George accidentally burned a hole through the kitchen wall." Ginny smiled.
"Okay, enough of the blast from the past." Hermione stood up, "Whose for dinner?" Harry, Draco, and Ron all shot their hands into the air. Hermione laughed. "Okay, someone round up Alex, I know the best restaurant in the city."
When they returned from eating, they found Akane waiting at the house watching TV in the living room. "About time you got home!" She sat covered with the Slytherin blanket, "I was worried sick."
"Did you even notice I wasn't home?" Hermione asked
"Yeah! It was to quiet, I think I was talking to myself earlier just to hear the noise." Akane joked as Draco plopped down on the couch next to her. Ron sat down in the lazy boy only to be sat upon by an ginger cat with a slightly squashed face.
"Crookshanks, good old boy, how are you?" Ron smiled stroking the cats back.
"Oh, That reminds me!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, "Are the rest of you animagi as well? Ron can't have been smart enough to do it himself." Hermione smiled and dodged the couch pillow Ron had throw at her from the chair. Hermione Laughed and Akane gawked as Ron again transformed into his bright red cat, Ginny transformed into a small red dog, Harry transformed into a small black snake, and Draco became a pale lion. Hermione laughed and sat down on the floor. "The irony, Harry a snake while Draco's a lion. How terribly ironic!" Hermione laughed as she sat on the floor. Alex, who had been sitting on the floor, now crawled his way toward Draco, pulling on his tail until he kneeled down, then crawled quickly onto his back, griping Draco's mane for support.
"Wow!" Akane gasped, "Can you do that too?" She turned to Hermione
"No. Not yet at least." Hermione Sighed, Scooping Ron up into her arms and stroking his back.
"We could teach you." Draco became himself again, His hair ruffled, still holding Alex on his back. "Given a month or so of private lessons from us, you could probably nail it."
"Yeah. There's nothing you have failed to learn yet." Ginny smiled, removing Alex from Draco's back.
"Well if you don't mind, its been a long day and I have work in the morning," Hermione smiled placing Ron back down on the ground, "I think I'll head to bed, see you in the morning." Hermione climbed up the stairs. Once she had changed and crawled into bed, she heard the door squeak slightly open and hear soft purring coming from the floor. Sliding towards the wall, Hermione patted the side of her bed, inviting the cat up. A bright red cat jumped up, snuggling to Hermione's side. "Its okay, Ron." Hermione smiled as Ron, turning human again, wrapped his arm around her waist, and fell softly to sleep.
Okay. There we are, Chapter 5 is done. Please Read and Review. Thanks a bunch
BEK