Chapter 23
… --- …
The uproar from the Board of Governors subsided when it became obvious that public opinion was solidly behind the ministry, Potter and the school. The next week drifted by with no news of murders, robberies or other mayhem.
The only other noticeable change was the reported circulation numbers for the Daily Prophet were down by half while those of the Quibbler had more than tripled. Apparently Reggie McDonald's editorials and Whiteheart's articles may have met the approval of Lucius Malfoy, but were not of interest to the common witch or wizard.
Lovegood's operation had really taken off. He had added staff and was seen as the voice for the light side. His coverage of the battle at Hogwarts was corroborated by hundreds of witnesses whereas Whiteheart's attacks on Abraxan, John Thomas and McGonagall were all but unsubstantiated.
Abraxan responded in kind by being certain that Lovegood had first access to the newsmakers while shunting the Daily Prophet's appointments to timeslots that were likely to get cancelled.
… --- …
Hermione made a discovery when reviewing the pensive memories from the campers. Malfoy had made a reference to going back to Dolohov's home. She found Alyx and they made their way to Hogsmeade station. Hermione used her cellular telephone to contact Abraxan. She told her what she had discovered, and asked if she could quietly get a location of Dolohov's home.
Abraxan told her that she would take care of it, and that she would contact her within a few weeks.
… --- …
"Where should we spend the Christmas Holiday?" asked Emma.
"What did you have in mind?" replied Dan.
"Another planet would be nice, but I'd settle for Bermuda, St. John or Brisbane. I suppose we could go back to the brownstone."
"So you're limiting the venues to someplace warm, that doesn't have Inferi gladiators, Death Eaters, dementors or a madman that wants to torture us? Kind of limiting our options, aren't you dear?" Emma asked. She had a feeling that all of the places her husband would like were near a golf course. While she struggled to see the attraction to the game she knew it made him happy.
"That sums it up pretty well for me." They hugged each other as they sat enjoying the warmth of the fire.
"How long is school out for?" She asked thinking about travel time being built into the trip.
"Two and a half weeks."
"Let's leave on the 27th and come back on the third."
"Are you OK with any of the choices?" Dan asked. He knew what his wife was thinking about sandy beaches and he wanted her to be happy too.
"They all sound great. Given that their friend was sent to Australia, maybe we should stick to the Caribbean. St. Kitts would be nice too."
"Let's leave the final choice to Hermione and Harry," Dan told her. She nodded her agreement. Then something else occurred to her.
"Can we afford it?"
"Not really, but can we afford not to? Let's go talk with them."
They walked hand in hand towards the suite. Both were still enamored with the castle. Peeves flew over them and reared back to throw a water balloon at them. He stopped and muttered something about not wanting to make Harry or Hermione angry. Emma smiled wryly at Dan as the poltergeist flew off. Sometimes they both felt like the kids were taking care of them.
Hermione answered the door and gave both of them hugs. Harry was at his table reading one of the Auror training manuals. He looked up at the two, obviously glad to see them and smiled. "Hi Dan, Hi Emma. How was your day?"
"Excellent," said Dan. "We wanted to talk with you two about taking a holiday after the wedding. We thought someplace warm might be a good choice rather than another ski trip."
"Where?" asked Hermione, easily slipping back into teenaged daughter mode
"We were thinking of someplace in the Caribbean, St. Kitts, St. John or maybe Bermuda. How does that sound?"
"Just a sec…" Harry went into his room and pulled out an expandable folder. After a minute of shuffling he pulled out several sheets of paper with a photograph. He said, "I own some sort of villa on Tortola Island. It's a few miles from St. John and overlooks Cooper bay." He looked at the parchment another minute and said, "It has six bedrooms and three bathrooms." He looked at it again and said, "It also has an adjacent guesthouse."
"Who lives there?" asked Emma.
"No one. Bill told me that it's normally let out by the week. No one is there at the moment."
Hermione said, "What about Susan?"
Harry replied, "There's room for twelve in the main house. The guesthouse has two bedrooms. She should come with us."
"Maybe Tonks and Remus…?"
"I'll ask them if you want?" Hermione and Emma nodded.
Harry called for Brigid and with a flash the swan sized bird appeared, startling Emma.
Harry stroked the beautiful bird for a moment, wrote a quick note on a parchment and asked her, "Can you please take this to Remus?"
A few minutes later Remus and Tonks knocked on their door. "Wotcher Harry? Hello Grangers. What's up?"
"We were wondering if you two wanted to go to Tortola Island with us after your wedding. Harry has a property."
Remus smiled and said, "I went there once with your parents. About nine months later you were born, Harry." He turned to Tonks and said, "It's an amazing place to spend a few days, unless you wanted to stay in Brighton?"
Tonks glanced at Hermione then Harry, who both nodded, hugged Remus and said, "We'd love it. Thank you so much."
"We can leave the afternoon of the 27th. How long would it take to get there?"
Remus replied "About a minute to get to Boston, then another minute to the island by portkey. I think we're about five hours ahead so we could leave mid afternoon and get there late morning."
Emma chuckled remembering her earlier concern about travel times. Dan quipped, "Sure beats flying."
Harry said, "I see Bill tomorrow. I'll ask him to make the arrangements. Who do you want to invite?"
"Susan, Lisa, and Alyx," replied Hermione.
"Don't forget Remus and Tonks," said Harry smiling at Remus. "There was a note on the parchment that said that the guesthouse was quite private."
"How about Diane and Jack," asked Emma.
"Maybe Bob and Gunner. Thomas is busy."
"Is he still afraid of you?" asked Tonks smirking at Harry.
"I don't think he is. We practice together sometimes," replied Harry.
… --- …
The weekend before Christmas Diane, Harry and the Grangers left to return to London. Diane was going home while Dan and Emma were returning to Grimmauld Place. They had an easy time shopping for each other as they all needed beachwear.
Emma overheard Hermione telling Harry, "We'll work it out." as she walked by the library a few days before Christmas. She was going to stop and visit with them, but her arms were full of unwrapped gifts.
… --- …
December 23
The most challenging part of Diane's work at Hogwarts was a group that had tagged itself The Orphan Brigade. They would meet twice a week and it was always eventful. She was also seeing all twenty-six of the members of the group individually.
Every member had lost both of their parents to this war or the last one. Harry, Susan, Neville and two others were the kids who had grown up without their parents.
Harry, to the surprise of everyone except Diane, had offered to let anyone in the group stay with him for a couple days during the holiday. He didn't want any of them to be alone at school on Christmas Day.
Most of the group had other family and had declined.
Neville had been looking at spending the holiday at school. Since his Gran had been killed during the attack at the wedding he had no one and was very grateful that he was going to get to spend some time with his friends.
Lisa Turpin didn't want to travel to China to spend the holiday with her brother that she had never gotten along with and eagerly accepted Harry's offer. She had apologized to Hermione a day after the Inferi attack and had become friends since.
Anderson Condor, the Slytherin who had thrown the book at Hermione during the scuffle in the library, had six older sisters. He had told Harry that he didn't want to be forced to choose because no matter what his choice was the other five would get upset.
Harry had traveled with the three students by portkey earlier that afternoon to number twelve.
They, along with the Grangers, Susan, Molly, Arthur and the twins had enjoyed a dinner of pizza, sodas and beer at a local pizzeria. Anderson and Lisa had never had pizza before. Lisa seemed to like it and Anderson, being a thirteen-year-old boy, approved whole-heartedly.
Watching Anderson amused Harry. He seemed to be fascinated by muggle life, much like Arthur. It was a strange site to see the Slytherin boy and the older wizard driving Dan half mad with their questions. Dan liked the boy. He could see the intelligence in Anderson. He offered to teach him and Arthur how to play golf causing his wife to roll her eyes.
Molly was quieter than normal. She was still adjusting to celebrating Christmas without three of her children. Fred and George were subdued also. They each thought about Ron and missed Ginny's mischievous smile.
After dinner they had gone to Trafalgar Square to see the tree from Oslo. Harry had hummed along with the carolers not brave enough to sing out loud. Hermione had also hummed but she claimed it was because she didn't remember the words. No one believed her.
They had returned to number twelve to find hot chocolate and a warm fire waiting. They all gathered in the living room, talking. Eventually the discussion turned to Christmas memories. Hermione retrieved her pensive and they took turns sharing memories.
Harry watched as Anderson was dressed as an elf by his six older sisters. He was four at the time and his sisters were torturing him with tights and makeup. Dan laughed seeing Lisa and her mum decorating the tree on December first with her father whining good-naturedly. Neville escorting his Grandmother to the ministry Christmas party was funny too. He looked like he wished the floor would swallow him up.
Molly shared a memory of Bill and Charlie pulling Percy and the twins on a sled, all the time asking why they couldn't use magic. Susan showed them a memory of her Aunt Amelia singing Oh Holy Night. Then it was Hermione's turn. She looked thoughtful and put the memory into the bowl.
An eight-year-old Hermione dived out of the way of a snowball. She started packing one of her own and threw it at her father. Dan ducked and it hit Emma. There was an older lady in the memory too. She teamed up with Hermione and they pelted Dan and Emma. Nothing her parents threw at her came close. After a minute of watching Anderson began to laugh. He accused Hermione of using magic, which she didn't deny. Emma explained that the older woman was her mother.
When it was Harry's turn he shared a memory of the Christmas he had spent with Sirius. Sirius was singing about merry hippogriffs. Emma shuddered at the house elf heads and Mrs. Black. He also shared a second memory of the first Christmas dinner he had at Hogwarts. Red heads surrounded him as Ron, Fred, George and Percy sat with him. The memory and the fact that they were all wearing Molly's sweaters made her smile.
Emma was the last to share. Her memory was of Hermione's first Christmas. She walked into her living room and found Dan holding baby Hermione. The two of them were looking at the tree and Dan was talking softly to his newborn baby daughter. He was telling her the story of Jesus' birth. Emma watched for a few moments and then sat down next to Dan. She took her daughter into her arms and Dan kept talking. Little Hermione was hanging onto every word.
Seeing Emma holding Hermione like that made Harry wonder what his girlfriend would look like with a baby in her arms. He felt himself smiling and he took Hermione's hand. While he didn't have any good memories of his childhood at the Dursley's, he was happy to share in his friend's memories.
They started discussing Christmas traditions and Harry just sat back and listened. When asked about the Dursley's traditions he just shrugged.
"The Grunnings Christmas party was always on the twenty fourth. Christmas day was always at the house with Aunt Marge," he said. Hermione could tell there was a lot more to it than that but didn't press him.
As the conversation continued he felt himself getting sadder. He had no idea what traditions his parents had celebrated. His aunt never mentioned any and he knew not to ask her questions.
After a while he left the room with the excuse that he had to use the loo. Hermione found him fifteen minutes later, sitting on the staircase on the third stair from the bottom. His head was in his hands and he was trying to not cry.
When Hermione pulled him close it was like a dam opening up. A few minutes later Emma joined them and held him from behind. Eventually his tears slowed and Emma asked him what was wrong.
"I'm sorry. I'm ruining Christmas," he said.
"No you're not, Harry. I…" Hermione hesitated and then continued, "I was going to say that I understand. I don't really but I am here anytime you need me."
"Me too," Emma told him.
Harry wasn't sure why but the words started spilling out.
"I told you that the Dursley's went to the Grunnings party every year. They never took me. They left me with Mrs. Figg or locked me in my cupboard. They would get home and Dudley would have some really expensive present and he would make sure to play with it in front of me. Christmas Day, Aunt Petunia would make me make breakfast for them. She never let me eat any of it because Dudley was in such a hurry to open his presents. After watching Dudley open all of his presents they would lock me in the cupboard. They told me little freaks didn't get Christmas presents or Christmas dinner. The cupboard was right off the kitchen. I could smell it all day and not have any," he said choking on his words. Emma silently pulled him into an embrace and cursed Petunia Dursley in her head.
Hermione hugged her lover from behind wishing she could change his memories.
Harry went to wash his face and actually use the loo and Emma asked Hermione about Harry's childhood. She knew that his childhood was not exactly happy but his comments about the cupboard really made her wonder. Hermione explained and was on the verge of losing her temper when Emma took her hand.
"You have a good man there, love. After all the things that those nasty people did to him he still had it in his heart to protect them. The message of the season is love, peace and forgiveness. Today isn't the time to talk about his relatives. Let's just be there for him," Emma said.
Hermione agreed. Harry seemed okay when he returned to the living room but Hermione wasn't fooled. The rest of the night she sat with him and they held hands.
As they went their separate ways before going to bed, she gave him a firm hug. She was just starting to brush her hair when he apparated into her room. She smiled as he took her brush and began stroking her hair as he gently kissed the back of her head.
As they lay down to go to sleep, she vowed that she would give him a lifetime of happy Christmases.
…---…
Christmas Eve started out as a depressing day at number twelve.
Susan, Lisa and Neville all left early, Susan and Lisa to go visit their parents' graves, and Neville to St. Mungo's for his annual visit to Frank and Alice in the long term care ward. Anderson's parents were buried in the same cemetery as Emma's parents so Hermione side along apparated Emma and then Anderson to the cemetery. Neville was the last to return as he also visited his Grandmother and Great Uncle's graves.
After everyone had left it occurred to Harry that he didn't even know where his parents were buried. He had never asked anyone. He usually just talked to the air above his bed if he wanted to say something to them.
While they were gone Dan and Harry had a short talk. Dan let Harry know that he was there for him. He had been horrified at what Emma had told him the night before. Harry didn't want to dwell on it, so he magically set up a nine-hole putting green on the third floor. Arthur joined them hitting the balls, feeling like a real muggle with a huge smile on his face. Molly just shook her head at the men.
The day got better as it continued. All of them had fun trimming the tree and drinking eggnog. The house felt peaceful as they sang carols and laughed a lot. Harry felt his sadness lifting. He knew better than to live in the past.
Molly and Anderson were playing an epic game of chess. Molly's playing style reminded Harry very strongly of Ron. He knew that Anderson wouldn't stand a chance.
Harry wondered how his buddy was doing. He had shared the last report he received on Ron with Molly and Arthur who were grateful for the news.
The rest of Harry's evening was spent relaxing by the fire with Hermione. He sat with his back against one of the love seats and she sat between his legs. He stared into the fire as she read, occasionally making a comment about the text. He wasn't paying attention.
Instead his mind was wandering back to Emma's Christmas memory. It was the perfect representation of what Harry wanted out of life. He wanted to sit on the sofa, with his wife and baby watching the Christmas tree.
He leaned close to Hermione's ear and kissed it gently. She looked at him questioningly as they were in the living room with everyone else. He smiled.
"I was just thinking," he said as she shut her book. He kept his voice low and squeezed her a little more.
"About?" she asked in a tone as soft as his.
"Kids. Do you want to have any?" he asked. Her jaw dropped. That was about the last thing she had expected.
"Sure. In the future," she told him. He nodded and turned back to watch the fire.
After a short while he asked, "How many?"
"More than one," she commented sitting up and turning so she could see his face. She knew that this wasn't as casual of a conversation as he was making it seem to be.
"Five?" he asked hesitantly.
"Five? Want to side your own Quidditch team?" she asked and he snickered.
"Well, we better have ten then. Some of them might take after you and not like flying." He smiled looking into the depths of her eyes.
She laughed, hoping it was true.
"What brought this on?" she asked him.
"Family. I want to have a bunch of children to give happy Christmas memories to."
He saw the shadow pass over her face for a second but then it was gone. She put her hand to his cheek and smiled.
"You're going to be a great dad someday," she whispered.
"But not today," he said. He leaned in and kissed her gently. The kiss' length passed a minute when they both remembered that they were in a room filled with people that included her parents. Anderson making noises like he was going to vomit was a good clue. They both looked up sheepishly.
Molly cleared her throat and crossed her arms. Emma was smiling and Dan looked a little shell-shocked. Arthur was oblivious as he was intently taking apart the old CD player that Harry had let him experiment on.
"I'm sure I don't want to know what you two are talking about," Susan said amused. She and Lisa were grinning. Neville looked at them thoughtfully.
Emma snickered. Hermione rolled her eyes but Harry chuckled. He picked up Hermione's book and opened it to the marked page. They pretended to read, ignoring the rest of the room.
The other teens teased Anderson about snogging when he started in on how gross it was. Dan mentioned that as he grew older he would learn more about girls and find that kissing a girl really wasn't that bad. Anderson retorted that he had six sisters and if there was anything to know about girls that he didn't already know then he didn't want to know it.
…---…
Christmas Day started out a lot nicer than Christmas Eve had. The group was quieter than usual. They were attending an early church service at the Granger's church in Crawley. The early hour saw them subdued. Emma was quite happy, as she had missed going to church since they had moved into number twelve.
The Grangers were the only ones that had been to a muggle church service before. Dan was going to ask Harry about the Dursley's but thought better of it.
Harry was excited. He had never been to a service before but one of his best childhood memories was of meeting a pastor who was teaching in the park. The man had been extremely kind to Harry who looked like a ruffian with the black eye Dudley had given him. Harry had come back several times to see the man but his Aunt had put a stop to it, afraid of what people might think.
Arthur and Anderson were both excided about getting to experience some muggle life. Hermione transfigured their robes into suitable muggle clothes. Anderson was primping in the mirror when Emma and Harry came up behind him.
"You look fine Casanova," Harry told him. Emma smiled.
"You make a lovely muggle, Andy," she said. Anderson smiled his best smile at her and then stuck his tongue out at Harry.
Susan and Lisa were spending the morning with Alyx and her family. The others left by portkey and landed in a parking structure not far from the church. Hermione set some wards around them and then Emma led the way.
As they walked up the path to the church the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. It was cold but there was no wind. Harry decided that it was almost perfect. He took Hermione's hand and squeezed it.
The pastor was happy to see the Grangers and there were hugs all around. Hermione introduced her friends and then pulled Harry into the church. Anderson and Neville followed closely behind them.
"Wow," Anderson said looking up at to see the sunlight shining through the stained glass windows near the ceiling. Neville's mouth dropped open as he looked up.
"That's beautiful," Harry said in awe.
The choir was on the risers and they were singing. Harry listened to the unfamiliar song for a moment and then was over come with a feeling of peace. When it finished he asked Hermione the name of the song and she told him it was called Oh Come All Ye Faithful. She seemed saddened that he was unfamiliar with it but when she considered his childhood she was not surprised.
Hermione led them to an empty pew and found herself surrounded by boys. She had seen Harry's reaction to the church and wondered what was going through his mind.
After the pastor had spoken for a bit, a group of children preformed the annual production of the birth of Christ. Harry noted that Arthur was just as enraptured as Anderson and Neville were. Harry smiled when Hermione told him that she had played a sheep one year when she was little. He smirked and ran a finger over a tendril of her bushy hair that had escaped her braid. She gently poked him in the side and smirked back at him.
After the play was over and the pastor spoke more about the meaning of Christmas the choir began to sing again. Harry and Hermione followed along in the hymnal but neither sang. The row in front of them all turned around to see who was singing when Anderson and Neville both started singing. They sounded fantastic.
After the service was completed people began to gather and talk. Many members of the church approached the Grangers and asked about them. Hermione left her friends to become the dutiful daughter. Harry watched her from his seat, only half listening to Molly fuss over Neville and Anderson.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. Happy Christmas," a voice said and Harry looked up. Diane was standing there with a very serious looking man. Harry smiled at her.
"Dr. Turnbull, how nice to see you. Happy Christmas," he said formally and she laughed.
She introduced her husband, Jack, to the three boys and the Weasley's. They chatted a bit while waiting on the Grangers. Harry immediately put Jack in the same category that he had filed John Thomas - he was silent and intimidating. Harry could also tell that he thought the world of Diane. Harry liked the man.
They talked for a while and as they parted Jack shook Harry's hand and said, "I look forward to seeing you tonight and getting to know you better."
When they returned to number twelve the portkey took them to the back garden area. It was an overgrown mess that Harry would like to fix one day. As they began to walk to the door Hermione picked up a pile of snow, formed a ball and threw it at her father. Dan looked at her for a second, grinned, and then retaliated. It didn't take long before a full-fledged snowball fight had erupted.
The shrieking and laughter continued and soon they were all covered in snow. Wet and cold, they entered the house to have brunch. Winky had set up a large buffet of breakfast and other choices. After changing their clothes they all dug in. The laughter had followed them inside the house.
Emma had been impressed with Anderson and Neville's voices and kept attempting to get them to sing again. After a while Anderson broke into the Hogwarts school song in a style that made Dan think of American Jazz music. Neville joined him after a verse. They got a round of applause when done. Anderson looked pleased and Neville looked embarrassed.
After brunch they entered the living room to open presents. Lisa and Susan had not returned but they decided to not wait.
Chaos reigned as they all opened their gifts at the same time. Everyone received a Molly Weasley jumper, including Dan and Emma. Harry caught only about a fourth of the madness but noticed a few of the gifts that drew the best reaction.
Harry had gotten Anderson a Celtic cross earring. Molly objected as the dark haired Slytherin put it on and wondered where the other one was. Anderson had given Harry a handwritten book on the values of being Slytherin. Both were happy with their gifts.
Dan gave Harry a new putter. Harry snickered and thanked him mentioning that Hermione had broken his last one. Hermione gave him a cover for his new putter and a beautifully framed picture of himself, Hermione, Ron and Ginny from their fifth year. She also smirked and whispered that the rest of his present was upstairs in her bedroom. Neville gave him a book that Diane had recommended to him about overcoming obstacles. Harry nodded understanding and thanked his friend.
Arthur exclaimed loudly when he opened the books that Hermione had found for him. He examined How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life by Louis A. Bloomfield, The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay and How Things Are Made: From Automobiles to Zippers by Sharon Rose and Neil Schlager with great joy.
Molly gasped when she opened the painting that Harry had commissioned. He had gone into his pensive with his camera and taken a couple pictures of each of the Weasley children. The painting showed all of them in a scene on the paddock behind where the Weasley home had stood. Molly cried a bit and almost smothered Harry with her hug.
Dan was excited to receive a card that stated the date and time of a reservation at the St. Andrews Old Course. He noted that it was for a foursome and invited Harry almost instantly. Emma innocently asked Hermione if she wanted to go shopping on the third Saturday in June, drawing a laugh from her daughter.
Hermione loved the binding runes that Harry purchased for her. She translated them for the rest - Luck, success, protection, health and creativity. He also gave her a couple of books that she had been looking for. He also had another gift for her that he had left upstairs. Her parents had given her a couple of muggle textbooks that she had asked for.
Neville was impressed with the Longbottom clan wall plaque that Hermione had found for him. He also loved the muggle board games that Emma had gotten him. Anderson received a matching set. They agreed that Risk and Clue looked intriguing.
Harry waited until the chaos was almost over before he slipped into the seat next to Emma. He handed her a small box and smiled.
"This is from me and Hermione," he told her. Hermione watched as her mum opened the little box. Dan glanced over her shoulder and smiled when he saw the ring.
"A mother's ring?" Emma asked softly.
"Do you like it?" Hermione asked. Emma nodded and slipped it on her right hand. To her surprise the sapphire stone vibrated a bit and then moved. Four other stones joined it. She examined it and looked to Harry for an explanation. He grinned.
"It will adjust the number of stones to how many children you have. Apparently you think a lot of me and Susan," he said softly. "Thanks."
"Brilliant," Hermione whispered.
Emma hugged Harry tightly. "I love you," she told him. He squeezed her a bit tighter and then sniffled. They laughed when they realized they were both crying.
"I'm not sure why it has five stones," Harry said examining the ring.
"Hermione was the only child of ours to survive. We had a stillbirth and a miscarriage before she was born. Both of those children would have had May birthdays," she said tracing the three emeralds, one sapphire and one ruby.
"Susan's birthday is May 13," Hermione said looking at the ring.
"It's beautiful," Dan declared. He looked like he might cry too. Hermione hugged him tightly.
Molly fussed over the ring and then the Weasleys left to join their boys at the twins' flat.
Emma found herself glancing at the ring off and on all afternoon. Dan had taken the seat next to her. He held her hand and spoke softly to her as to not disturb the kids.
Dan was watching as Hermione attempted to teach the boys how to play Monopoly when it hit him. His daughter had grown from a sometimes troubled, often too lonely little girl into a brilliant young woman. Her lover, and Dan really hated thinking of Harry that way, was a terrific young man.
"She's not a little girl anymore is she?" Dan asked his wife softly as he watched his daughter try to teach two pureblood boys how to play Monopoly. Emma laughed gently.
"She hasn't been for a long time, love," Emma told him.
"I guess on some level I knew that," he responded. She gave him a small smile. He voiced his thought, "No Dad wants to see their little princess all grown up."
"We got lucky. She's a terrific woman," Emma told him but she was surprised when he shook his head.
"She has great parents. Especially her Mum," Dan said softly.
They watched Hermione and her friends for a while longer and then Emma spoke again.
"Do you ever think about how much she has lost in this war?"
Dan pulled her closer and sighed.
"Yes. We've been very lucky so far. Hermione has lost several of her good friends. Harry's lost almost everything. Then there's us. We lost a nice house but we even had time to get the important stuff out first," he said.
"I know. I feel terrible about feeling sorry for us when I think of what Harry, Susan and Neville have missed in their lives," Emma told him. Dan pulled her even closer and kissed her temple.
"There by the grace of God go we," he murmured. She held on tight knowing it was the truth.
They watched Hermione, frustrated in her effort to teach them, charm the game to be a magical version with Honeydukes and Hogwarts as Park Place and Boardwalk. They played most of the afternoon with Anderson winning by a large margin. Dobby and Winky popped in and out of the room wearing the new wool outfits that Harry and Hermione had gotten them. Dobby had a new four-button suit jacket and matching trousers, Winky had a matching grey dress. Harry had also given them a bottle of German wine.
Harry joined Emma and Dan on the couch as Neville and Anderson convinced Hermione to teach them a muggle card game. Emma slipped her arm around Harry and he leaned into her. He looked up and smiled. Dan was napping on her other side and was using her as a pillow.
Harry felt himself dozing off and was happy to let the feeling over take him. A few minutes later Hermione looked over at them and smiled. Hermione retrieved her camera and took a picture of the three of them napping. It was a perfect moment, she decided.
Hermione moved everyone to the library not wanting to disturb her family. Neville and Anderson played games while she read. Her father entered the room a little while later looking refreshed.
"Mum and Harry still napping?" Hermione asked looking up from her book. Dan nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Dan sat across from her and started to read the paper.
Hermione returned to her book. She looked up several times to find Dan staring at her. After the fifth time she spoke.
"What is it Dad?" she asked warily thinking about some of the things that her mother had spoken of while wearing that look.
"It's hard on an old man to realize that his baby has grown up," he told her cryptically. She thought about it and then realized that he was really seeing her as she was and not his little girl.
She hugged him and repeated what she had told him at her birthday. It made him smile and she kissed him on the cheek. His little brown-eyed girl may have grown up but in the end she would always be his daughter.
…---…
Tom Riddle woke up in a cold sweat with his heart pounding hard. What a horrid dream. As reality set in he scowled harder.
Ghosts of Christmas past. Nonsense.
He put the dream out of his head. He had no use for the idiocy of fear. He was not afraid of the future. He was still immortal, as the putter hadn't been found. Potter was probably too afraid to re-enter the Chamber.
There was nothing that was going to stop him from his goal. Not even Potter and his mudblood bitch. His mood was horrible and he felt his power level rise. Today would be a good day to show Draco Malfoy exactly what thieves received for Christmas.
It never occurred to him that he hadn't dreamed since he had first split his soul.
…---…
Emma woke up when Harry began to move around. She looked at the young man and decided that the dream he was having was not a good one. She held him close and spoke soft words to him as he slept. She had done this many times with her daughter and her childhood nightmares.
Harry eventually stopped jerking in his sleep. He relaxed against her and murmured, "I love you, Mum."
She closed her eyes and wished that Lily Potter could hold her son while he had bad dreams. Since that was impossible, Emma swore that she would do her best to be a good stand-in. Harry needed to be loved and not just in the way Hermione loved him.
He woke up a little while later with no memory of calling her Mum. She didn't tell him instead keeping that memory for herself.
They joined the others. Diane and Jack had arrived. Susan and Lisa had also returned. Jack and Dan were giving Hermione and Anderson a run for their money in Monopoly. Diane was talking to Neville about gardening. There was a lot of laughter in the room.
Harry hesitated in the doorway. He looked over his friends and his family. He grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed it. She looked at him puzzled and he grinned. It was a perfect Christmas moment, just as he always had wished for.
… --- …
Meanwhile former Hogwarts professor Severus Snape sat on the cement bunk in the Ministry holding cell contemplating his life. Certainly he had made his share of poor decisions, but felt that much of his life's path had been set by environment. His family life growing up had been mediocre at best. His mother had cared about him but his father had been abusive and generally had a bad disposition.
He'd had no visitors, either because they weren't allowed or because he had no friends. In reality, he'd killed or helped kill the only two people who'd ever befriended him, Lily Evans and Albus Dumbledore.
He would face trial in a few days and most likely be put to death shortly after. Tonks' words still bit at him, "They're the last you'll ever see." Lucius's story of the graveyard conversation between the Dark Lord and Potter took on a new meaning to him. "Yes, your father was brave. He faced me like a man." He vowed to himself that he would face his own death like a man.
… --- …
Boxing Day
Hermione, Emma, Diane, Lisa and Alyx along with Dobby and Winky had decorated the formal dining room at number twelve the night before. After some work and a lot of magic the room looked as if it were a multi colored rose garden. To their surprise Lisa was able to charm the ceiling to look like the sky on a perfect day. Hermione added a gentle continuous breeze.
There was a ten-foot ring of white rocks in the middle of the room. Intertwined within the rocks was ivy. Just inside the ring was another circle. This one was made of water that gently flowed in a counter clockwise direction. Floating in the water were a number of lilies and tulips. In the middle of the circle was a perfect eternal blue bell flame.
Tonks had shrieked with joy when she saw the room.
The wedding guests entered the room and gathered outside of the circle. Remus and Tonks were standing on each side of Minister Abraxan. Abraxan was standing behind a rock that was larger than the others. After all of the guests had situated themselves around the circle Abraxan pulled out her wand.
Tonks was wearing a ruby red set of robes but her hair was her natural black. Remus was in mostly white with trim that matched Tonks. His face looked years younger and he wore an easy smile. They looked fabulous.
Harry stood between Hermione and Diane. The wedding was different enough from Bill and Fleur's to ward off any feelings of fear. The guest list had been limited to twenty-five. It was an eclectic group that had gathered. The only relative for either Tonks or Remus was Ted Tonks' older brother, Michael.
Minister Abraxan had not performed a wedding where neither person had any living parents for many years. She had been happy to be asked to officiate at this one. The spunky young Auror reminded Abraxan of a younger version of herself.
Abraxan began a long complex spell. She was blessing the circle making the rocks glow slightly. She stopped and smiled as she stepped into the circle. Then she faced the couple.
"I invite you to join me in this sacred circle. Cross the water and the earth to join me only if by your own volition, without being compelled and with no restraint," she said.
Tonks stepped over the rocks with grace. Harry held his breath praying she wouldn't trip. Remus stepped over the rocks and water and stumbled a little. Harry heard Dan mutter something about the couple being perfect for each other.
"As the element of air surrounds us, the elements of earth and water encircle us, join me at the element of fire," Abraxan said to them.
Harry listened to Abraxan expound on the elements and relate them to Tonks and Remus. He took Hermione's hand and caught her eye. He was rewarded with a beautiful smile.
"It is not often that the parents of both the bride and groom have preceded them. It is a sign of our times that this is the case today. As is tradition I ask that all of the mothers present step into the circle and give your blessing upon the couple."
Emma stepped over the rocks and water. Abraxan nodded to Fleur who, with one hand on her abdomen, joined Emma.
The women repeated the blessing that Abraxan gave them and then the process was repeated with Dan, Bill and Michael Tonks giving the blessing as fathers.
"In the spirit of Andromeda and Theodore Tonks and Galileo and Jillian Lupin we all offer you the blessings of those who came before you."
Abraxan spoke of what makes a strong marriage. Passion for each other, growth together, freedom, courage and love. Harry liked the message.
As was the Druid tradition Tonks and Remus wrote their vows to each other. Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she listened. Harry squeezed her hand. He noticed that Dan was standing behind Emma with his arms around her waist. Emma was crying too. He caught Dan's eye and shrugged. Dan smiled.
Tonks and Remus sealed their vows with an R rated kiss. As they snogged, red and yellow rose petals fell from the charmed sky.
The ceremony ended with the sharing of bread and mead between the couple. They fed each other and then walked the circle sharing with their friends.
After they stepped from the circle Abraxan waved her wand a couple times and the circle shrank into a glass dome.
"Congratulations," offered Abraxan as she handed it to Tonks with a smile. Tonks grinned like a schoolgirl.
… --- …
Emma smiled as she and her daughter watched Tonks and Remus dance their first dance as husband and wife.
"They're good for each other," Emma observed. Hermione agreed and watched the couple finish. Tonks came towards them and Remus towards where Dan was standing with Michael, Jack and Harry. Both of the Granger women hugged Tonks.
"I want to thank you for the blessing," Tonks told Emma.
"It was my pleasure. You and Remus deserve a lifetime of happiness," Emma told her.
"The ceremony was beautiful Tonks… err should I call you Lupin now?" Hermione asked. Tonks laughed.
"I'll always be Tonks though I wouldn't object to being called Mrs. Lupin," she said with an easy grin.
All three of the women laughed.
"It's wonderful to have such a happy occasion during all of the darkness," Emma said looking around. Tonks nodded.
"We were going to wait but then we figured that waiting would be a win for them," Tonks said as Diane joined them.
"Life is too short to not live it," Hermione commented. The older women all looked at her.
"That's quite profound," Diane told her.
"Ginny told me that once. She lived it too. I'm glad you decided to live Auror Lupin," Hermione told them. Tonks let out a peal of laughter.
"Me too," she answered.
…---…
Remus joined Dan, Harry, Jack and Michael as they discussed golf. He listened in on the conversation and wondered what they were talking about. When he finally got his opening he thanked Dan and Michael the same as Tonks had Emma.
"Ted would have loved to have given you his blessing," Michael commented.
"I don't know about that. You know what a hard time he gave me when I asked him for permission to marry Tonks," Remus commented.
"That had to be frightening," Harry said.
"Don't worry about it mate. If the bird is worth it then you'll work up the nerve," Michael told him. Harry wrinkled his nose at the thought of calling Hermione a bird.
"Been thinking about popping the question, Harry?" Remus asked, trying not to laugh at Harry's discomfort.
"Uh… not until quite recently," Harry admitted.
Dan was about to take a sip of his beer but the glass stopped half way to his mouth.
"You're a little young to be thinking about that aren't you?" Jack asked. He was amused by Dan's reaction.
"I thought I we should finish school before I even consider talking to her parents about it," Harry answered. He was watching Dan for a reaction.
"Parents? Is it different in the wizarding world? I thought you had to get the girl's father's permission," Michael commented. He had loved his wizard brother but didn't understand all of the differences in their worlds.
"I reckon so but I respect her Mum too much to not include her," Harry answered.
"Maybe you should ask her Godparents too," Jack said with a smirk.
Dan laughed and said, "Be glad you don't have to ask her Grandfather for permission."
Jack let out a loud laugh and Dan said, "Oh sure, laugh it up. He liked you."
"Emma's father didn't like you?" Remus asked. The women were approaching and Emma heard the question. She gave her husband a look.
"Daddy liked you just fine," she said to Dan. Dan looked at the men and shook his head.
"Her father was a WW2 war hero. He was at Normandy Beach and witnessed the surrender by the Germans. The man was scary on his good days and terrifying on his bad ones," Dan said.
"He was a teddy bear," Emma told them as she pulled her husband to the dance floor.
When they finished their dance, they went to get something to drink. As Dan was pouring Emma watched Harry and Hermione slow dance. It occurred to her that the next wedding she attended she could probably be the mother of the bride. She was surprised to find that she liked the idea.
… --- …
Harry and Hermione had left several methods for McGonagall and Thomas to contact them in the event of an emergency. Moody gave them all a lecture about maintaining constant vigilance.
Emma who had been the organizer of their previous trips had spent a fair amount of time obtaining proper documents for the others. The wizarding world was easily a hundred years behind the nonmagical world in terms of birth certificates, passports and the like. In the end she had collected the statistics needed for the documents and gave the information to Minister Abraxan who produced seven sets of documents the next day.
Their bags were all packed, shrunk and placed in the small backpack that Hermione carried. For traveling they wore sweatshirts over short-sleeved shirts, and trousers. They all could pass as muggles. They each held their passports, driver licenses, cash in their pockets and took hold of the hula-hoop. At 3PM it activated. For half a minute they felt like they were flying through a wind tunnel, then they landed with a thud.
The attendant looked up and saw them. He reminded Harry of Stan Shunpike. "Welcome to the Logan international visitor center. My name is Jerry Johnson. May I see your passports please? What is your final destination?"
Emma took control. "Good morning Mr. Johnson. We're on our way to Tortola Island via St. Thomas."
Jerry checked the list on his clipboard and saw Alyx group – party of thirteen. "Right this way Ma'am." He led them to a waiting room checked his watch and said, "Your portkey is scheduled to activate in three minutes."
Five minutes later they were in the immigration line in St. Thomas looking at the sign that read, Welcome to the Virgin Islands.
Remus took over when they cleared customs. "Good day sir. We would like tickets on the ferry to Tortola." They walked down to the docks and got on the ferryboat from St. Thomas to Tortola. Dan got on last. He'd been talking with one of the agents at the reservation counter. He nodded to Harry.
They took the Red Hook ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola Island. Harry gawked at the bluest skies and the bluest water that he'd ever seen. It was warm and sunny. Within minutes they pealed off their sweatshirts. Too soon it seemed they'd reached Tortola Island. As they walked up the dock they took in the colors and the fresh smell. The blues seemed bluer, the yellows seemed brighter. After they again cleared customs they walked out the door to a carnival of the sights, sounds and bright colors of the Caribbean.
"Where to Gov?" asked the thin attendant at the hire car counter.
Dan looked at the hire car agent and replied, "We need two vans to take us to the Crow's Nest house. It's by Turnbull Hill. We'll be staying a week."
"Sure t'ing Gov. Where's your luggage?"
"We had it sent earlier," replied Hermione. In truth, she had everyone's bags shrunk in her knapsack. Dan paid the agent and he showed them to the vans. He handed Dan and Jack each a map of the island, the keys and pointed out the directions.
They got in the vans and a half hour later had found their way to the villa. Harry got in one of the nine-passenger vans and they made their way along the beach for a mile until they turned onto the winding Great Mountain road. It wasn't far, only a few miles but along the way they climbed some twelve hundred feet. Harry felt his ears pop once as they made their way back and forth up the switchbacks. He smiled looking at the tourist map that they were given noting that the villa was on Turnbull hill. Finally the driver turned onto a long driveway. Hermione noted that the sign read Crow's Nest.
They stopped and got out. The view was breathtaking – a combination of palm trees, pines and the bluest sky that he'd ever seen. Looking down they could see the light blue waters of the ocean.
Hermione squeezed Harry's hand and said. "It's so beautiful."
Harry just nodded and said, "I've got the house keys here." He handed Remus the other set.
Remus smiled and said, "We'll go check out the guest cottage."
Tonks stood on her tiptoes, kissed Harry on the cheek and whispered, "Thank you, Harry."
He just nodded and replied, "No worries. I'll see you later."
The villa was quite large but simple. On the upper level were six bedrooms and three bathrooms with a walkway around them. The center was open creating a very open feel to the home. Three of the bedrooms had ocean views with sliding class doors leading to a wooden deck and a pool. The three on the other side of the wide hallway were well appointed and also had their own private decks.
The first floor had a spacious food prep area, a large informal eating area and a large great room. Bill had made arrangements to have the pantry stocked. As Emma looked around, it was obvious that nothing was lacking.
… --- …
Prior to arriving, Emma had a somewhat embarrassing conversation with Harry and Hermione letting them know that they had their blessing to sleep in the same room. As such Harry and Hermione shared the room next to Jack and Diane. Harry had insisted that Dan and Emma take the master bedroom on the other side of Diane.
Hermione took everyone's luggage out of her backpack, carefully set the pieces on the floor and charmed them back to their regular size. Jack was amazed at their goddaughter's ability. Diane whispered, "That's nothing. You should see her when she really gets going."
… --- …
Surprising no one, Hermione and the witches wanted to go visit the beaches. Dan, Emma, Diane and Jack decided to sit outside by the pool, so Harry, Bob and Gunner went with the witches. Hermione carefully drove the van. She was the only one of the bunch who had actually acquired her driver's license by means of attending class and passing a test. They made their way back down the winding road and took the turnoff to drive along the north coast. They drove past beautiful beaches, dive and snorkel rental equipment shops, bars, and an interesting building that advertised, Swim with the dolphins. Hermione had read about them and explained how they worked.
They decided to stop at Brewer's Bay, a beautiful crescent shaped bay with a beach that wasn't very crowded. Hermione and Susan conjured up some beach blankets and the witches all removed their tee shirts and shorts and stretched out to sunbathe. The three wizards just stopped to appreciate the view. All four of the witches had chosen string bikinis, and when they rolled over onto their stomachs and untied the strings in back the wizards had to swallow hard. Harry was glad his swim trunks were so baggy. Hermione turned and smiled at him and motioned to the sunscreen. Harry didn't have to be asked twice and moved up next to her to put the sunscreen on her back. Bob and Gunner quickly showed why they were in Ravenclaw and offered to help the other girls. As Bob spread lotion on Alyx and Gunner helped out Lisa Harry noticed Susan looking over at Bob and Alyx sadly. He quickly moved over and offered to do Susan's back too. After she smiled and thanked him he turned back to Hermione.
Her back felt so soft and warm as he continued to rub the lotion in much longer than necessary. Hermione wasn't objecting, lying there contentedly and purring much like Crookshanks. Eventually Harry moved down to do her legs, gradually working his way up from her feet. As he got to the top of her legs he couldn't stop himself from sliding his fingers under the edge of her swimsuit bottom, rationalizing that he needed to make sure he covered her completely with the lotion. His heart was pounding in his chest by the time he was finished, and when he heard Hermione gasp he knew he'd better stop. He lay down between her and Susan and turned to gaze at her.
They looked into each others' eyes communicating their love without a word being spoken. Harry reached out and put his arm on her back and Hermione sighed contentedly. After a while Hermione reached back and retied her top, and sat up behind him and returned the favor with the sunscreen. Harry noticed that she also took much longer to rub the lotion onto his back than necessary, and he appreciated her hands caressing her back as much as she had his.
Soon Harry began to get restless and Hermione suggested going snorkeling. He followed her into the water unable to keep his eyes off of her figure. So much skin and so little fabric. She showed him how to put on the mask and fins and they pushed off and floated away kicking slowly. Hermione grasped his hand as they drifted over the grassy bottom, which quickly turned to sand dotted with coral heads. Brewer's Bay was one of the prime snorkeling spots in Tortola and colorful fish darted in and out of gently waving sea fans and other soft corals. A small blue damselfish with fluorescent light blue spots appeared and disappeared in a honeycombed piece of rock. A multicolored parrotfish gnawed noisily on a coral outcropping and a large school of midnight blue tangs swept by. A pair of four-eyed butterflies moved along just out of reach, never separating for more than a moment before rejoining.
Over and over Harry found his eyes returning to watch Hermione as she swam alongside him, his own beautiful mermaid come to life. Every so often she caught him looking and smiled back shaking her head at him. She had bought a waterproof copy of a guide to corals and fishes of the Caribbean and kept trying to stop and tell him the names of the fish and corals they saw, but he was mostly interested in the beautiful creature next to him. As they finally swam back and waded out of the water and back to the beach blanket Harry found himself wishing that this day would never end.
Hermione, Susan, Alyx, Tonks and Lisa wanted to visit the swim with the dolphin center, meaning that Harry, Gunner and Bob were talked into going along. "Come on Gunner," said Lisa. "They'll be a lot more fun than some old grindylow." They were amazed at the strength of the beautiful and brilliant dolphins. The attendants were amazed how friendly their dolphins acted with the swimmers. It was a great afternoon.
Several hours later and a bit redder they shook the sand out of their towels and made their way back to the van. Alyx asked to stop in a convenience store and Bob got out as well. She had looked stunning in her swimsuit and Bob had obviously noticed, having taken plenty of time with the sunscreen himself. They got back in the van a few minutes later carrying a bag that had packages of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers.
… --- …
After they had been there a few days Diane asked Harry to take her over to Shark Bay. The area was breathtaking. The water was quite shallow for at nearly two hundred yards and the beach sand was a beautiful pink formed from millions of crushed shells. The beach was nearly deserted as they walked along the water's edge.
"Thank you for bringing us here Harry. Jack and I needed some time together and I needed a break from monsters." She smiled at him and said, "You probably wanted a break yourself."
Harry nodded as they walked along. He picked up a little shell and threw it back into the water. "This place is great. I could stay here forever."
"That's the point Harry. You could stay here forever, marry Hermione and raise lots of beautiful, handsome, smart and brave little witches and wizards here. You have that option."
In truth, before the Christmas break, Harry had given almost no thought to what his post-Riddle life might be. The Dursleys had never talked about a future for him. As far as that went, the Professor really hadn't either. The only two conversations that he could recall on that topic were his conversation with McGonagall that Umbridge had insisted on ruining and the few minutes that he and Hermione had joked about raising their own Quidditch team.
She asked, "Snogging Hermione aside, what has given you pleasure or satisfaction over the years?"
Harry thought about it as they walked. After a minute he replied, "This week, playing quidditch, helping the other orphans, playing golf, the DA, and helping Fred and George."
She looked at him carefully and asked, "So you don't aspire to be ruler of the world?"
Without a moment's hesitation he replied, "Nope."
"Minister of Magic?"
"No, but Hermione might be great at that."
Diane was skilled at not getting off track. She asked, "General of the Aurors?"
Harry looked at her sadly and replied, "I would prefer that there was no need for a general of the Aurors."
"Me too. You could be a great professor or headmaster at the wizarding school." She wanted to find something that he would admit to looking forward to.
"It might be a hard place to raise children."
She found it, but shelved the information for a moment replying, "Maybe. Where did your friends Ron and Ginny go to school before Hogwarts?"
"I think they were home schooled."
"So after seven years of wizarding school, who would you say is best prepared for life, you or someone who was home schooled?"
"Definitely someone who went to a school with nonmagical kids. I can do magic but Mr. Weasley can barely turn on a light switch. The wizarding world went to such lengths to isolate itself. It's like they missed the last hundred years."
"Tell me about helping Fred and George."
"They always wanted to open a joke shop. I gave them the money to start it. They've done really well for themselves. They insisted on giving me a ten percent interest in their shop."
"You invited all of the orphans over for the holiday. How come?"
"The castle is a lonely place to spend Christmas. Professor Dumbledore did his best to make it fun, but…"
"Anderson seemed to have enjoyed spending time at your home. Jack and I certainly did. You certainly can find a meaningful life after Hogwarts and after Voldemort, Harry."
There was a silence for almost a minute. It might have been uncomfortable except for the gentle sound of the ocean water rolling against the sand. Diane said, "Em told me that you purposely spent your way into a solution with the Gladiators. Can you do the same with Voldemort?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"It seems like he did most of his dirty work fighting lopsided fights. Maybe it's time to turn the tables on him."
"But the prophecy…"
She cut him off before he could start. "Maybe the prophecy meant that you would finish him off, not fight him alone. Dan told me that your Order and the Ministry have been systematically eliminating his resources and supporters. If I understand the soul splitting theory, you took away that protection, but he may not even know it yet. Maybe you need to get him in a situation where it's ten to one or a hundred or a thousand to one. Harry what I'm trying to say is Hermione needs a husband to give her those babies, not the memory of having been loved by a martyr. You have a life worth living and people worth living it with. Do what you need to do and come back here for weekends, winters or the rest of your life. You are without question the bravest man that I've ever met or even heard of. Please don't prove it again by getting killed."
There were tears in her eyes. As they walked along the waterline Harry heard her sob and held her for a minute. After a bit she smiled at him and said, "Hugs are good. Thanks."
… --- …
Mahogany Run is one of those courses that would be quite ordinary if you disregarded the billion-dollar view. Its narrow fairways favored Harry's strategy of leaving the woods in the bag and teeing off with his 2 iron.
Jack had a very different style than Dan or Harry. He took his driver out on each hole intent on getting a 300 yard shot. Unfortunately he only played his second shot from the fairway on a small handful of holes. He was paired with Bob Sunset who had played a half dozen times in his twenty-four years. They had the opportunity to see other parts of the course than Dan and Harry. Bob's problem was that for half of the holes there was ocean on the left side of the fairway and he invariably hit way to the right rather than just a straight easy shot. Fortunately there were no snakes in the long grass of the rough.
Dan played each hole carefully, preferring to play from the fairway than the rough even at the cost of 30 yards off of his tee shot.
They talked as they played. Dan winked at Harry and asked him if he owned this course too.
Harry thought about it for a moment and realized that Dan was joking. He replied. "No thanks. We'd lose too many balls on this one."
Dan replied, "True, but you could come by at night, do one of those summoning charms for all of the lost balls, resell them and make a bundle."
They laughed together, then Dan smiled and asked, "How's the new putter?"
Harry replied, "Nice. It has a good feel to it. Thanks again."
Dan looked at the Scotty Cameron blade putter and replied, "It has a brass face for a really soft feel. I think you'll do well with it." He suspected that Harry was too inexperienced to realize that he'd been given a world-class putter, but was happy that his young friend liked it.
Bob and Jack seemed to enjoy each other's company. They talked about investigative techniques, surveillance and the inevitability of paperwork. Eventually they got around to discussing body armor. Dan surprised Jack by saying that almost everyone who had come owned and regularly wore body armor. Surprised at Dan's words, Jack replied, "Kevlar armor isn't sold to the general public in Britain. It would be as unusual as a citizen receiving a pistol permit."
Harry smiled and said, "We use dragon hide and I believe that Dr. Granger received a permit for his pistol. I have one for mine." It was evident that Diane had relayed only the barest of details of the last few months to her husband.
Sunset looked at Jack and replied, "I don't have either one. I'm just a regular Auror. I've only faced the Death Eaters once and I didn't do as well as the others."
Jack pointed out, "You faced your enemy and lived to talk about it. There's a lot to be said about that."
Sunset shook his head and replied, "I'm just an ordinary bloke. Mr. Potter over there saved my arse that night at the wedding last summer… He saved almost everyone that night. He was awarded the Order of Merlin for another battle a few weeks later. He and a handful of others saved an entire village that night. He and Alyx and Master Auror Moody are the stuff of legends at Auror Headquarters. Last summer he caught two Death Eaters at Gringotts bank single-handed, right in the middle of the flipping lobby. That Death Eater would have made mince pie out of me. Mr. Potter took him down like it was nothing and recovered millions in Voldemort's gold stash to boot. He's that good."
They continued discussing surveillance, their comparative justice systems, losing balls on nearly every hole and having fun.
Meanwhile Harry and Dan were having as much fun as possible. "Thanks for setting up the tee time, Dan. This is a really great day to be out playing."
Dan nodded, and replied, "I've had fun playing the game my entire life, but I've come to the conclusion that it's not the course or the sticks that make it a fun outing, it's finding the right partner. We're a good match Harry." As Bob and Jack putted out, Dan said, "Let's go in. I'll buy the first round."
After an hour they met up with the women who had been shopping and took the ferry back to Tortola. All in all, everyone had a fantastic day.
… --- …
New Year's Eve was fun. Everyone went into town. They had a nice dinner then went to one of the clubs that had a large outdoor deck overlooking the ocean. The house band played a delightful mix of steel drum, reggae, and other Caribbean sounds. They danced to the music for hours. Tonks pulled Harry up for a long song and they had a chance to visit for a few minutes.
"Thanks again Harry. This is a great place to come and visit. Remus and I can't thank you enough for all of the wonderful things that you've done for us."
Harry replied, "Nothing needs to be said. I'm glad that you two are enjoying your stay. Is the guest house OK?"
"Brilliant. It's the best. Thanks again."
… --- …
After another dance Harry took Hermione's hand and they excused themselves, saying that they would get back to the villa on their own. Harry took Hermione down to the deserted beach, pulled out his wand and disillusioned them.
"What are you up to Mr. Potter?" asked Hermione. A moment later she felt Harry place her small hands along the sides of his broomstick, which he had taken out of his pocket and enlarged.
"Climb on," said Harry softly. "I thought we could go for a moonlight fly along the beach."
She stiffened slightly and replied, "Harry, you know I don't like to…"
Harry wouldn't be thwarted and replied, "I'll go slow. Up. You get on behind me and hold on tight. We'll come back down when you want to."
"OK." She carefully put her leg over the polished pole, adjusted herself on the cushioning charm seat, held on tightly and said, "OK."
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged herself to his back as he kicked off. Eventually her nervousness eased. Holding onto the man she loved, she felt safe and contented. She remembered back to the first time she had flown with him, on Buckbeak, and the funny feeling that had stirred in her stomach, making her aware that she felt more for him than just friendship. She smiled and relaxed as she reflected on how those initial feelings had matured into the love she felt for him now.
Harry rose to about two hundred feet and they slowly floated along the shore. On one side were the lights and sounds of the shops and restaurants. On the other there was the moonlight over the water and the sound of the surf. It was a beautiful blend. If Harry had been trying to seduce Hermione, his efforts were working. After a half hour she kissed his neck and with an urgent sound to her voice, demanded, "Fly us home Harry."
Twenty minutes later Emma, Dan and the Turnbulls came back to the villa. Emma thought that Hermione and Harry had returned, as the lights in the villa were on when they arrived. She was going to softly knock on their door to check on them when she heard, "Oh Harry. Yes."
Emma turned around, smiled to herself, went to her room, closed the door and smiled seductively at her husband. Deep down she was a happy woman.
… --- …
The days flew by far too quickly. Three rounds, several shopping trips and seven dinners later, it was time to leave the islands. They cleaned up everything, packed their bags and got back into the vans. Harry was glad that Hermione had brought their camera along. This had been the best two weeks of his life.
Realizing what he was thinking, Hermione whispered in his ear, "We'll finish this war and come back for as long as we need." In the seat behind them, Diane was sitting next to Emma. She turned to her best friend and smiled.
… --- …
Twelve thousand miles away Ron Wilson woke slowly, the last vestiges of a dream slowly slipping away. He shook his head. That had been a strange one, like something out of Dungeons and Dragons. Even as he thought about it, the dream faded from memory. As he brought himself back to reality, he looked around, blinking at the unfamiliar room. He ran his hand through his ginger hair trying to clear his head. Gradually it came back to him. He was in Melbourne, about to start a new school. He had been in the Homestay housing program that the college had arranged for him until school had started. Today he would move into the boarding school for his last year.
Ron was determined to forget all about his previous life and start over. His parents had been killed in an auto accident in Britain when he was young, and he had grown up with his aunt and uncle and cousin, who barely tolerated him at best until they had been killed in an auto accident while drunk. The feeling had been mutual. Now he was finally on his own, starting a new life at a new school. He wasn't sure why he was so determined to forget his past, but it felt like the right thing to do.
He got up and got dressed, feeling great about all the new clothes his caseworker and he had picked up over the last few months. He hadn't ever been able to go shopping for new clothing while growing up, and it was a great feeling getting his very own things. He really liked his caseworker, a nice woman named Mrs. Newcombe. The family he had been staying with was nice, too. Melbourne seemed to be a pretty friendly city, and he was looking forward to meeting the other students today.
He had a nice breakfast with his host family, said goodbye, and Mrs. Newcombe drove him to the campus. After meeting with the dean, and putting his trunk away in his own dormitory room, he was taken to the common room to meet some students.
"G'day, mate," said a boy, walking forward extending his hand. "Brent Thompson."
"G'day, Ron Wilson," said Ron, shaking his hand. "I'm new here, just transferred in."
"No worries, let me show you around Scotch College," offered Brent. He saw Ron's eyes light up as he looked at a group of very pretty blonde girls standing off to the side, watching him with interest. "I think we'll start with some introductions. Ladies …"
Ron happily followed Brent over to the others. This was going to work out just fine.
… --- …
Term started on Monday January 5. Everyone arrived back at the castle Sunday about dinner time. The Grangers and Diane decided to go back to the castle too. Dan and Emma accepted McGonagall's request to fill in for the Muggle Studies professor who had been badly hurt in a Death Eater attack over the break. Diane believed that there was a lot of unfinished business with respect to helping kids affected by the war. After dinner, McGonagall asked Harry, Hermione, Anderson and Lisa to come up to her office.
They arrived and met with Diane, Tonks, John Thomas and Minister Abraxan.
Minister Abraxan handed Harry a formal ministry document and wished him a happy belated Christmas. She smiled as he opened it.
Harry read it twice and then looked up at her.
"When?" he asked. Hermione recognized the leader of the Order emerging.
"Three weeks ago. In Bucharest. Auror Tonks can tell you about it now that it will become public knowledge tomorrow," Abraxan told him.
"You knew?" Harry demanded. Tonks shrugged.
"I arrested him, Harry. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. Not even you," Tonks said.
"No, she wasn't. The task required complete secrecy, Mr. Potter. It's a fact of life for officers of the law to have secrets. Even from their loved ones," Abraxan told him. Harry frowned not liking the thought of that.
"What is it, Harry?" Diane asked. She knew all about secrets. Jack was a Scotland Yard Inspector.
"It's a summons. My testimony has been requested in the matter of the Ministry of Magic verses Severus Snape," Harry told them. "Tomorrow morning at ten."
"Snape's been caught?" Hermione asked in shock.
"Auror Tonks didn't even hurt him when she brought him in. I was quite impressed by her restraint," Abraxan told them. She handed McGonagall thirty passes to attend the trial and told her, "I assume that you and most of your staff will insist on attending. Please pass them out appropriately. Harry please meet with Director Thomas at nine tomorrow morning. Spectators will need to be seated by nine in courtroom ten. The staff from the Department of Mysteries and the Aurors stationed here have volunteered to take over all of the classes tomorrow."
"Thank Merlin," Anderson said softly. Lisa, sitting next to him, put her hand on his shoulder. They looked at each other knowing that Snape had been instrumental in the murder of both sets of their parents. They had all died refusing to be recruited for Voldemort.
It was the best Christmas present either of them could have hoped for. In time maybe it would bring closure. They hoped anyway.
… --- …