-oo0oo-
The beautiful and terrible truth.
As Harry walked in, several space extensions greeted him, looking at it now, the house seemed to be close to a castle in its dimensions. The threshold had an indoor garden, and even a pond that held fish; the garden had an array of exotic flowers and magical plants. To the left, though there was an aquaponics vegetable garden, once the garden reached its limit the living room and kitchen took shape, Harry noticed that there was a room assigned for magical birds. Inside the kitchen and living room, a couple of elders stood up.
"Hermione?" asked a woman, who looked like a mature and beautiful version of young Hermione.
"Mom, it's okay, this is," the twins chorused, to the adults, "Harry Potter,"
Mrs. Granger nodded and said to Harry, "Welcome Mr. Potter, we rarely get visitors, but those who get through the door, usually come with very interesting backstories,"
A man who could only be Hermione's father took a step forward and even though he did not offer his hand, he greeted Harry with a calm voice, "Yes, my wife is right, a rare treat, more so, to visitors that were housemates of Hermione,"
"Um, I'm sorry, I've seen to misplace my greeting tag and the basic information on this gathering, can any of you please tell me what is going on?" Asked the newcomer.
"Mom, Dad, can you please take the children to the pool, I think this is going to take a while," said Hermione.
"Very well, you better have those monster feeding sandwiches out, by dinner time, or these two will have a fit afterward, anyway, I'll leave you to it," said Mrs. Granger.
Once the grandparents and the grandkids left, Hermione turned to Harry, she made a head gesture to follow her to the library.
Harry followed Hermione. He noticed the home was ingenious. Still, at the moment he was keener on keeping his temper under control.
As Hermione reached her destination, she could feel the waves of raw magic, Harry was about to blow his top. She crossed the room and went to the Pensieve, and after opening it, she poured a memory from a beautiful bottle. Then she tapped the runes, and a projection started, relaying her memory.
Malfoy Manor,
It displayed the dark figures of Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy. While Hermione was barely awake.
Bellatrix sighed, "Stupid mudblood, you couldn't take more could you?"
Her clothes were in strips, and Hermione breathed heavily, bruised and bleeding from the gashes on her body. Close to passing out.
Draco was pale and mute.
"Well, go on Drakie boy, now is the moment where you prove your worth and establish the pureblood superiority over these animals."
Draco went from being pale to green in a moment.
Bella rolled her eyes and said, "Really, you're poofer, that's your excuse? well nephew, let me tell you, that didn't stop, your father from impregnating your mother, and Rolph and Rabastan from completing the marriage bond... just, you know, imagine Zabini's back or Nott's todger and close your eyes and think of England, now drop your pants and fuck her!"
"Oh, give it a rest Bella," said Narcissa,
"Fine! oh, I have a better idea," she said while clapping her hands. "We'll have that ginger bootlicker Weasley fuck her instead,"
Malfoy snorted and said, "No, she wants that moron, she might even enjoy it,"
Bella probed with malicious glee, "Does she? Well, I agree with you, Drakie poo, we don't want that, what about that half-blood, Potter?"
"You cannot Imperious him aunt, it will have to be by Amortentia, if not, he will not touch her," added Draco.
"And you know what? I don't blame him, she's far more hideous than dragon shit right now, okay, bring the potion and add this mongrel's blood and let the boy-who-lived have his fun, while we have dinner and a show," commented Bella,
It was then that Harry said in a whisper, "Stop the memory, or I will destroy the Pensieve and your home, please?"
Hermione was silently shedding tears. She nodded and stopped the projection displaying where Harry entered the room and went to her kissing her.
Harry felt as though his heart and soul got placed into a meat grinder. He couldn't blame her for disappearing from Magical England. Any residual anger was out of place. But there was one thing that stood up above all, he couldn't remember anything, so he said in a broken voice.
"You obliviated me, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but not before giving you the flushing potions and carving a magical rune set on your neck to protect you against any more future potions, yes, in a way it was my personal goodbye note, to you,"
Harry stood quiet for a moment and then added, "That makes sense, no wonder, the Weasley's couldn't hold my loyalty, or Ginny, my love, I was being poisoned and you took that from them,"
"I wasn't aware of that, when, how? I'll kill them!" Hissed Hermione.
Harry took a hold of her hand and said, "No, the Weasley's are mine," Only then, he probed, "You kept the children, why?"
"That fucking war had already taken my parents away, true, they were not dead, but they just couldn't remember me, and soon after arriving here, reality hit, I was pregnant, I've always been odd with my periods, but I knew, that your magic and mine complemented and these two beautiful babies were growing inside me, I, uh, I knew you were crazy about Ginny, and I decided that instead of being bitter about this turn in my life, I could be happy, I loved you, I mean I really loved you, since my first year in Hogwarts until the fourth year, when you were too sweet on Cho and then Ginny, I just realized, 'He's never going to notice you, Hermione, get over it' but after the war, I had no home, too many scars, and a couple of wizards on the way, I found my parents, familial magic lifted the Oblivious enchantment, and life caught up, and I was so busy not going crazy, and trying to provide, being a mother and father, designing and building the house, and dealing with the twins raw magic, oh Harry they are so powerful and mischievous, and I loved them and now I'm babbling, but I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Harry for this misunderstanding, I meant no ill will,"
Harry was crying while shaking his head in disbelief, he added,
"I don't believe you, this, I raped you and you are seriously apologizing to me? What's worse, you love me, really love me? And I took this, your virginity, your choice and you even protected me from future potions, and you raised my children alone because you loved me, what, what the fuck did I do to deserve you?!"
He pulled her against his chest and held her, while both wept in each other's arms.
Only then, Hermione felt a change as though an enormous weight disappeared at once, and she fainted.
It was then that Harry heard a pop, and Winky appeared next to them. Harry blinked.
"Winky, you're working here?"
"Ah, yes, now young Master Potter please follow me, she was overwhelmed, she needs to rest, you too, now, for the bond to resurface and gain strength you must lie, skin to skin."
"I'm sorry what?" Asked Harry, as he watched Hermione being stripped, cleaned, and placed in a beautiful four-poster bed in golden sheets.
Winky turned and raised her eyebrow and said, "My kind mistress has suffered far too much these years, she needs her magic to be stabilized, didn't you hear her say that her magic and yours complimented when she was at that horrible place and you made little Mattie and Henry? Your separation after the war almost depleted her magic, and I'm sure your core suffered, however, because my mistress had taken me and was carrying the children, their cores, and my wild magic, supplemented, now, undress, and charge her as she will recharge you, come on"
Harry added, "When you put it like that, how can I argue?"
Winky nodded and said, "Good, now, do yourself and her a favor?"
"Yes?" asked Harry, as he was now wearing his underwear.
"Forgive yourself and forgive her, you two, as a couple need to make new memories, let the war go, make your justice later, for now all it matters is that she is happy, and trust me, she will make you happy, she's very smart, she helped me with my speech and your sons are frighteningly bright, but as you will learn, that's not their worst trait, being reckless on the other side is."
"Thank you Winky," said Harry, "Oh, what about her parents and the children?"
"Leave that to me, focus on her now," said Winky, she snapped her fingers. Harry felt refreshed, he shook his head at Winky's antics and after the door closed, he got close to her and she embraced him. Harry sighed and slumber claimed him as though they spelled him to it.