Chapter 9

This was it. The time had come to talk to his parents.

Harry thought that it shouldn't be possible to be this nervous when you were returning to a place that you'd already visited once before. But that's exactly how he felt right now, as they stood in front of his parents' gravestone.

Questions suddenly started flashing in his mind. What if he completely choked up and still couldn't say anything? Would they be ashamed of him, think of him as a coward for that? What if his nightmares had all been true, and they would say that they were disappointed in him for not being with them now that his purpose had been fulfilled? What if the only reason he'd seen them with the Resurrection Stone was because they'd expected him to stay dead after he faced Riddle?

The growing terror within him caused him to start taking short breaths. Maybe he was nothing more than a gutless coward. Would never be able to really face his parents. Could never live up to their example.

But then…

Right before it seemed as though his anxiety was going to completely overwhelm him, someone wrapped their left arm around his waist and firmly held him. Then, they laid their head on his right shoulder, as though they were trying to be in as much contact with him as possible. In his peripheral vision, he could see a familiar mane of brunette hair underneath a pink knit hat.

Hermione. He'd started drowning in his fears so much that he forgot she was here when they arrived at the grave. And here she was indeed, as though she already knew what was flitting through his mind, and she was trying to lend him strength for what he wanted to do.

"Hermione," he nervously said.

"I'm right here, Harry," she warmly replied. "Do you need more time before doing this? If you think you may not be ready, we can wait until another time. I won't think any less of you. And I'm certain that your mum and dad wouldn't, either."

Her worry for him and the reassurance of her feelings washed away just enough of his terror that, for the first moment since they'd stopped here, he believed he would be able to get through this. But he had one familiar request to make of her.

"No, I – I want to do this now. And besides, it's like that day where I told you that nightmare. If I don't do it now, who's to say that I won't keep putting it off in the future? But if you don't mind me asking… please don't leave my side while I do this?"

She squeezed her arm a bit more tightly and then nuzzled her head against his shoulder for a second. Then, like in the Forest of Dean, she replied, "You don't even have to ask. I won't go anywhere."

He just whispered, "Thank you." Then, locking his gaze back onto his parents' grave, he took one long breath before finally beginning to speak.

He said, unable to help the shake that still remained in his voice, "Mum, Dad. It… It's me, Harry. I hope it's OK that I came here tonight, and I'm sorry that I waited so long to return since the first time."

Already, he could feel a few tears building up and had to rapidly blink them back before talking again. "Well, it's over. Tom Marvolo Riddle, the man you knew as Lord Voldemort, is finally dead, along with all of his followers. Maybe you already know if you've been watching me from wherever you are, but I started exclusively calling him Riddle since the war ended. The bastard doesn't deserve the respect of being known by the pseudonym that he wanted everyone to fear. He was nothing more than another person, like me. The only difference is that he chose to do evil acts and try to make people suffer, whereas I wanted to protect those that I cared for."

Unbeknownst to Harry, Hermione couldn't help the small smile that came to her face as his words brought forth memories in her mind. She couldn't recall either of them making any references to Riddle immediately after the war, because they'd been too busy planning everything for their trip to Australia to find her parents. And when she'd told the story of the previous year to her parents, she just once again called him Voldemort, since he and his remaining army were all dead by that point, while Harry remained silent the entire time.

It wasn't until she'd reunited with Harry at the beginning of the school year that she noticed that he kept referring to Voldemort as 'Riddle' whenever the focus of a conversation turned to him. And when she asked Harry about it, he gave her the exact reason that he just told to his parents. The idea that he saw his long-held nemesis, a wizard that had wished to be feared by the entire population, as no greater than himself or anyone else filled Hermione with pride and caused her to start following Harry's example. It took her a while, though, to get out of the habit of initially calling him Voldemort but having to catch herself and switch to Riddle.

She came out of her thoughts once she heard Harry speaking again.

"But… the fact that he's dead. It forms the basis of so many thoughts that have plagued me since the end of the war, even before I realized what they were. Because… what do I do after the purpose my entire life was built around has been fulfilled? How do I continue when all I've ever known was to sacrifice myself for others, and now there's no more fight in which to do that? And there have been times where I couldn't help wondering… was I supposed to have stayed dead when I went to meet my end at Riddle's hands? Was I supposed to have followed the example that you and Sirius showed for me and fully give my life, and then be with all of you after my task was complete?"

At the final question, Harry felt Hermione wrap her other arm around him before she frantically shook her head for a second. Even as daft as he was, he knew that she was disagreeing with him in her actions, and she probably desperately wanted to speak up. And yet, she remained silent, as though she knew that this was his time to say anything and everything that he needed to his parents.

He appreciated this on two levels. First, there was the fact that she was urgently trying to convey that he still had a reason for being, as long as he was at her side. And second, her silence was good because he had reached the point that the words were now spilling out of him, unable to be blocked.

"If you don't know, Mum and Dad, there was a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney. It said that the one that would vanquish the Dark Lord would be born at the death of the seventh month to those that defied him three times, that the chosen one would be marked as the Dark Lord's equal but have some power unknown to the Dark Lord, and that neither person could live while the other also survived. Snape overheard part of this prophecy, specifically just the bit about someone being born that would vanquish the Dark Lord, and told Riddle about it. That was why he came after me, and forced you to die for me. That was why he continued hunting me and wanted me dead."

Harry had to stop and take another shaky breath before continuing with his next statement. "And that's why I say that my only purpose was completed. Because… hasn't my entire life been focused around that moment specifically, to finally kill Tom Riddle? Because of the prophecy, I inherited a nightmare and had Riddle completely focused on me. And ever since the night that you both died, I've been surrounded by that fate, unable to run away from it, never getting the chance to know anything beyond a life of eternal struggle. Never knowing anything except the descent into misery that came with having the weight of responsibility for ending Riddle's life.

"But now, the task has been finished. I'm no longer constantly chasing that destiny. And for so long since the end, I've felt like I don't belong anywhere. Like I should just disappear into the night, nothing more than a lost shadow to be left behind. And isn't that the irony of it all? The darkness that constantly clouded Britain was finally over with Riddle gone, but that darkness is essentially all I've ever experienced in my life. And I have so little idea of how to move on without it, because too many circumstances in my life have done everything possible to completely bury the light away."

He felt Hermione shake her head again, and then she hysterically whispered, "That's not true. That's not true."

His heart ripped in two at how much his confession was hurting her right now. He needed, however, to tell all of that to his parents. It was the only way to build up to the second part of what he wanted to tell them. What it was now time for him to also say to Hermione.

Thus, while keeping his eyes still locked onto the gravestone, he slowly brought his right arm up and circled it around Hermione's upper back, pulling her even more into his side. Then, still fighting tears that were becoming harder and harder to keep at bay, he continued.

"But something finally changed. One thing that showed me that there could still be a life for me after the end of what I once believed was an everlasting struggle. And it was… well, this may sound all too cheesy, but I learned that angels really can exist on this planet. That they can be here for us in our greatest time of need."

On his shoulder, Hermione was mostly confused but also a small part hopeful. What was he talking about? Was that… was that truly what he thought of her?

Meanwhile, Harry started to feel a single tear slip down his cheek. But he couldn't help the smile that also rose to his face when he prepared to say his next sentence. "I learned that, Mum and Dad, because I'm standing next to an angel right now."

Hermione immediately lifted her head from his shoulder, and he had to stop and look at her to see her reaction. Turning his head, he found her staring up at him with huge eyes, in complete shock. His smile grew as he just silently squeezed her with the arm that was around her, before turning his gaze back to his parents' grave. He gave up the fight against his tears and just let them start falling as they wished, but the happiness was clear even in his trembling voice.

"Mum, Dad. The woman standing next to me, the angel in my life… this is Hermione Granger. We met in our first year of Hogwarts and have been close friends since that Halloween. She's been my best friend even when I was too stupid for far too long to know it was truly her. She's helped me out, looked after me, suffered so much pain in these seven years of friendship because of me."

Still feeling her gaze boring a hole through him, he couldn't help being afraid that his next words might be overstepping what he could reveal, but it needed to be said. "Hopefully, she'll forgive me for what I'm about to reveal now."

Harry didn't see Hermione's momentary puzzlement before he clarified what he meant.

"Mum, Dad. Did you two know that she made herself an orphan for me? She modified her parents' memories so that they would forget about ever having a daughter, as well as having them go to Australia. She did that without any guarantees that she would ever see them again. And there are not enough words to describe just how thankful I am that she would do something like that in order to fight at my side in the war against Riddle. Not enough words to say how glad I am that she was actually able to get her parents back. Because, for all that she says I deserve, I think that she's the one that truly deserves more than could ever be repaid."

His throat was rapidly closing up from his emotions, but he forced himself to continue before the growing lump could take hold. "She stayed at my side to fight. She stayed with me on the hunt for Riddle's Horcruxes even at a time when our other friend left because he thought we weren't making enough progress. She suffered through torture because I got us caught. She was willing to die with me when I realized that I had to give myself up.

"All of that would be enough to make her the greatest person in the world. But adding on everything she's done since the war's end, that's what has me convinced that if anyone on this planet is worthy of being an angel, it's her."

"Harry," he heard her tearfully whisper. He honestly couldn't tell if that was a good sign or a bad one. But he couldn't look at her just yet. Not if he wanted to get through the rest of this. So, he continued to fix his gaze on the gravestone while speaking.

"Since the war ended in May, I've done all I could to keep people at a distance. Sure, maybe some of them had actual reasons. I dropped Ron because Hermione reminded me, even if unintentionally so on her part, that his abandonment of us during the Horcrux hunt was something that couldn't be overlooked. I dropped Ginny for not knowing me at all, as well as for being selfish when she completely ignored Hermione's protesting about trying to force me to answer questions on what had been going on with me. But I've been keeping everyone away from me. Hermione was the only person I allowed to be somewhat close, but I still even put her at an arm's length, never giving her a straight answer about my problems whenever she asked.

"But that's just it. She never gave up, no matter how many times her efforts failed. And last Friday, like a bullet, she finally pierced through the shell that I'd retreated into and got me to reveal what was on my mind. And I'm so glad that she came down to the common room that night and was able to do so… I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if I'd spent the last week at Hogwarts all alone."

Closing his eyes momentarily, he didn't see Hermione shake her head at the last statement, a way of saying that she never wanted to imagine it, either.

Opening his eyes after a few seconds, he said, "And since then, she's thrown herself into doing everything she can to give me any kind of happiness, to show me that life isn't over just because the night that I've always known has ended. She brought me to stay with her during the holidays, and it's been so unreal. Her parents not only easily accepted this but also have shown me the same consideration as though I was an actual member of the family. All because Hermione is my best friend. And Hermione herself… how do I even respond to how she's completely shown over the past week that she really does see me as the most important person in her life? How she's made me realize that all I want for her is that she can be happy, as well?"

At that point, he gave a tearful laugh. "Well actually, I think I do know the one thing I could say. So, let me see if I can end this and finally get to that."

Hermione had absolutely no clue of what to think. What more did he need to say? Why would he need to talk specifically to her?

Meanwhile, knowing what he wanted to say to Hermione, Harry was now having to fight in order to keep from looking at her as he tried to end this confession to his parents. "Mum, Dad… I needed to talk to you tonight in order to let you know that your sacrifice all those years ago wasn't in vain. I needed you to hear about the crushing weight of responsibility that fate seemed to have in store for me, forcing you to make that sacrifice in the first place. And, while I still don't really know what I want to do with my life even now, I wanted you to meet the woman that showed me that I'll never just be drifting in the ocean all alone, as long as she still has a breath in her body. The woman that gave me a single place where I know I'll always belong.

"And now, Mum and Dad, I hope you'll forgive me for ending this speech to you. Because I need to talk to Hermione directly. There's something I owe her that has been long overdue after everything that's happened over the last few days."

With that, he twisted his body in Hermione's arms so that they were standing face to face, holding one another. Her mouth was open in shock, and her expression was a mixture of fear and astonishment. He hoped that what he needed to say would wipe that away and leave her with nothing but a great smile.

"Hermione. I know you must be on pins and needles after hearing me say all of that to my parents. So, what I need to tell you, I'll just try to say it outright, OK?"

She closed her mouth and just gave a tiny nod. Taking a deep breath, and wondering just how many tears he could possibly have within him since they just continued to build up in his eyes, he finally spoke the words that he'd been choking upon every time they came up.

"I… I love you, Hermione."

Her mouth dropped open with a gasp. Before she could respond, there was yet more still that he wanted to tell her.

"I'm sure that you probably weren't expecting almost any of that. But we agreed yesterday to reach forward to the future. And to do that, I needed to tell my parents not only how I'd been forever burdened by the weight of the world, but also to show them the person that's fought so hard for me to have a future. The person that finally gave me hope that I'll be able to continue on through life, however long it may take me to figure out how else to use that future."

At that moment, he leaned down and touched his forehead to hers before whispering, "The person that showed me what true love is, and that I can be capable of feeling that way."

She let go of him with her left arm in order to place her hand on his right cheek. Tears were also streaming down her face, and she whispered, "Harry, I… I don't know what to say."

He tenderly said, "Then don't say anything, like you told me this morning. Just listen to me as I say, once again… I love you, Hermione Granger."

And there it was. The smile that he'd been so desperately hoping he could put on her face. It was so infectious that he had to respond with one of his own.

She replied, with what must have been all the affection in the world, "And I love you, Harry Potter."

With that, she tilted her head to bring her mouth forward, taking his lips with hers in a deep kiss. And the surroundings seemed to melt away during the kiss, as the only thing either of them could sense and feel was each other.

Eventually, they both pulled their heads back just far enough to gaze into each other's eyes. Their tears had finally stopped, and only the huge yet tender smiles remained.

At that point, the two of them both turned to look back at the grave of James and Lily Potter. Harry shifted so that they were standing side by side again, with his right arm wrapped around her upper back. Thus, Hermione placed her arms around his waist, holding him tightly, before laying her head on his shoulder. And for another minute, not a sound could be heard in the graveyard.

Hermione was the one to break the stillness. "Harry," she hesitantly said, "could I do something while we're still here?"

He blinked his eyes in confusion. "Do what?"

She nervously shuffled in place a bit before she timidly whispered, "Could I… would it be alright if I talked to them?"

His heart lifted at the idea that she wanted to connect somehow with his parents, no matter what it was she may say. He quietly answered, "I think it's more than alright. I bet they would love to hear from the woman that unlocked and stole my heart."

Hermione was a bit glad that Harry couldn't see the massive blush that instantly rose to her face at his response. She was happier, however, to know that Harry approved of her spontaneous thought. She couldn't help being somewhat afraid that she had no idea what all she would talk about while speaking to James and Lily, but she would simply take her mum's previous advice and think with her heart. Thus, she pulled her head off of his shoulder, took a long breath, and began talking to his parents.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. I'm Hermione Granger. This… I apologize in advance if I may ramble somewhat. I'm at quite a loss for words right now from the heavenly praise that your son just heaped upon me."

Harry immediately responded to that last sentence with, "All of which was more than deserved."

She couldn't help the chuckle that left her, which washed away a bit of her nervousness about talking to Harry's parents. Keeping her eyes to the gravestone, she playfully said, "Seems he just can't quit doing it, can he?"

She quickly sobered up, however, for her next words. "But then, Harry wouldn't be Harry if he wasn't placing others above himself, would he? Even if it's to his detriment or he's ignoring the praise that he deserves for his part."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that Harry had now turned his head to look at her as she spoke. She just continued to speak, words beginning to pour out from her heart.

"And I would never ask him to change. I fell in love with Harry because he's Harry, with all his strengths and faults. And right now, a fault of his showing through is his overwhelming tendency to not see the recognition that he deserves. Because…"

She paused for a couple of seconds and felt tears beginning to build in her eyes once again, as her emotions started to become turbulent within her. Then, she said, "For all of Harry's generous and wonderful praise, I in no way can take full credit for it. Because the only reason I'm the person that I am today is because of him."

Beside her, Harry was taken aback by her statement. Did she really believe that? He knew that Hermione would never tell him anything that she didn't mean, and she did just talk earlier this morning about how she thought he was amazing. But to say that he was the reason for her being her? Especially after all the times that he was terrible to her or neglectful of their friendship? His shock was such that he couldn't have said anything, even if he'd wanted to and his mind had been working. He had to remain silent in case she would go into some kind of detail that would make things clearer for him.

Meanwhile, Hermione kept talking to James and Lily, her voice becoming shakier with the memories beginning to fill her head. "Growing up, I was the kid that was actually excited when the teacher told us to read silently. I always had a book with me to read at school, and I just loved learning new things in general. But none of the other students had the same enthusiasm for reading as I did. And eventually, many of them started picking on me.

"It was all verbal at first. Things like calling me bookworm, know-it-all, and other names deriding my love of books whenever they spoke to me. Ostracizing me out of their groups during free time or lunch, saying things like 'no bookworms allowed.' And as much as it hurt that I was alone, I tried to keep everything to myself, afraid that going to my parents or a teacher would just make things worse by giving me the reputation of a tattletale. I remained quiet even after I knew that Mum and Dad were soon beginning to suspect that something was terribly wrong, since I was becoming unable to fully hide my sadness when one or both of them would pick me up from school."

Her vision was starting to become blurry from the tears that were growing in her eyes. "And it wasn't long after they started becoming suspicious that things finally became physical at school. One day, people stole my book during recess and played keep-away with it the entire time we were outside. And somehow, no teacher ever saw a thing. I have to believe that, because the alternative of them knowingly seeing me desperately wanting my book back and not doing a thing about it is too wretched to think about. But I suppose after all the things that I've seen Hogwarts professors ignore, or even cause themselves in cases such as Severus Snape and Dolores Umbridge, maybe that would actually be more sensible to believe."

She took a couple of seconds to rapidly blink her eyes clear of tears, as well as take another long breath. "At the end of that day, when I went to use the bathroom before going to find Mum and Dad, some of my classmates cornered me. They overwhelmed me and stole my book again, knocking me headfirst into one of the bathroom stall doors, before ripping as many pages from the book as they could and flushing the pages down the toilets. As I was finally able to push away the pain of hitting my forehead on the door, they dropped the book at my feet and mockingly said, 'Enjoy, bookworm!' before finally leaving me all alone. And after I picked up my book and saw it in such tatters, I went into one of the stalls, shut and locked the door, and just sat on the toilet and cried."

Harry instinctually tightened the arm with which he was holding her, almost painfully so. He wasn't sure if he could even just listen to much more of this without breaking down. This… none of this should ever have happened to a brilliant soul such as hers. And the fact that he let something like that happen to her again, by remaining silent after Ron called her a nightmare and said that it was no wonder that she had no friends, made Harry feel like the worst scum of the world. But even now, she still had more to say.

"Mum ended up finding me in that bathroom when I had grown quite late in meeting with them to go home. She was horrified at the state I was in, my book completely torn and a gigantic bruise on my forehead from where I'd hit the door. But she just hugged me for a full minute before taking me out of the bathroom, where Dad was waiting. I could tell he was completely furious, but he held it in as he hugged me just like Mum had before then taking us all around to find any staff member that was available. He ended up finding a group containing my teacher and the headteacher. Once we had a private room, Dad asked me if I was willing to tell them what happened, and I burst out with a confession of everything that had taken place since the verbal bullying began.

"When I finished, there was a minute of silence before Dad quietly told Mum to take me out to the car and wait for him. She did so and sat with me in the backseat, hugging me as she apologized over and over that this happened. And when Dad finally came back, all he would say about what took place between him and the teachers was that the school staff had a good idea of what would happen if I suffered even the slightest hint of bullying going forward. To this day, I still don't know exactly what he may have said since he always refused to talk about it, but it caused every staff member I was around to watch me like a hawk to make sure no one ever picked on me again. But the damage had been done, as my classmates simply took to ignoring my presence as much as they were able. So, nothing changed. I was still friendless, and remained that way all throughout my pre-Hogwarts years of schooling."

Her words were filling Harry with so much guilt. If it was possible to be worse than a Death Eater, or even Riddle somehow, that's what he was right now. Something below even the worst scum the world could produce. He was desperately trying to hold it together, knowing that right now, Hermione probably needed to get these words out.

"That's why," she continued, "I was so excited when I learned that I was a witch and would be going to a new school to learn magic. Getting a fresh start, a second chance to make friends. I even got sorted into the house that I had wanted, even though I couldn't help being afraid beforehand that I would be seen as too great of a coward after the bullying from my earlier childhood. But soon enough… nothing had changed. I was still seen as just a know-it-all. People still avoided me because I loved my books. So, after Charms class on Halloween, when Ron said out loud that I was a nightmare and talked about me not having friends, it hit so close to home that I couldn't keep things together. Only now, as I sat in the bathroom and cried, I knew I wouldn't even have my parents for comfort this time.

"I had decided to send Mum and Dad a letter, telling them that things were no better than that time of bullying when I was younger, and hoping that I could just come home. But of course, that's when I walked out of the stall and found a troll in the bathroom, a troll that now had me as its only available target. And in my terror, the only thing running through my mind was that I was going to die there, all alone and completely forgotten."

Even as the words poured out from her, Hermione was still aware enough in her mind to be certain of what kind of effect they were having on Harry. So, when his arm around her started to loosen its hold, she instantly tightened her arms around his waist and placed her head back on his shoulder. Like she hoped, it made him pause his action. While she knew that he would be blaming himself for everything she'd just said, she needed to give that context of her life prior to Hogwarts so that it would make sense to him about just how he'd changed her life so much.

Thus, a smile grew on her face as she continued talking about the troll incident. "So, imagine my surprise when suddenly, someone comes rushing into the bathroom and starts trying to distract the troll, eventually even climbing up onto the troll's back and holding onto it to allow me a chance to get away. A boy with black hair, emerald-green eyes, and a pair of glasses that I fixed for him on the Hogwarts Express. A boy that even managed to convince the person who bullied me to come with him and find me, which I had always suspected was the case but only recently had that confirmed to be so."

She could feel Harry turn his head slightly, probably trying to look at her as best he could. She paused for a second to give Harry's shoulder a nuzzle and then continued.

"A boy that showed me what bravery truly was when he completely risked his own life for a girl that he barely knew and had only even met two months prior. He was my first friend, and he has remained my best friend ever since that night. And as the years passed, and I continued to see just how badly life seemed to want to hurt him, all that I wanted was to always be there for him, to help him with his troubles, and to give him happiness in whatever way I was able. I haven't always held to that vow, as my actions in our sixth year of Hogwarts will show, but he's never even held that against me."

She gave Harry a momentary tighter squeeze before her next words. "Yes, that's your son, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Someone who, even at eleven years old, had the courage to risk his life in order to right something that he felt had been wrong. Someone whose friendship gave me the courage to begin standing up for what I believed in, even if that meant going against the entire world. So, when your son calls me the angel in his life, the only reason I'm able to be that for him at all is because he was the one to give me my wings. And that's why I will do whatever it takes to bring the light into his life after everything he's suffered."

Harry tearfully whispered, just like she'd done when he spoke, "Hermione…"

She lifted her head off of his shoulder to look at him. The sheer amazement in his expression nearly took her breath away. Rather than words, she simply gave him a loving smile. Then, she turned back to the grave to wrap up her long speech.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter… James and Lily, if it's alright to call you that. I'm sorry that you were forced to give up your lives so that your son may survive. I'm also completely and utterly thankful that you were willing to make such a sacrifice. Because, by giving Harry a life to live, you indirectly gave me my entire world. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

She waited for a few seconds, letting her final words hang in the air, almost as if to let James and Lily process them. Finally, with a small but content sigh, she looked at Harry for a second before they both shifted their bodies to face each other, with him also circling his other arm around her after doing so.

The two of them just silently hugged and stared at each other for at least a minute. Harry was looking at her with a complete and tearful astonishment. And Hermione was gazing at him with nothing but affection.

Finally, Harry disturbed the silence, but only just barely, when he whispered, "Hermione, I… I had no idea about that happening to you. I know you said that people called you bookworm before Hogwarts, but all of that…"

When he trailed off, she quietly replied, "Like my nickname, no one else knows except for Mum and Dad."

He somewhat absentmindedly nodded at first, but after a second, his expression started falling. As soon as she saw his mouth begin to open, she quickly pulled her right hand up and placed a finger on his lips. He blinked in confusion but remained silent, knowing that she had something to say.

"Please don't, Harry," she begged, removing her finger from his lips afterward. "I know exactly what you were going to say, as well as what you were thinking about earlier when you were going to pull away while I was speaking. You were thinking of how bad of a person you must be for not standing up for me after Ron called me a nightmare, and basically allowing what I just revealed in my childhood to happen again. Weren't you?"

His eyes glanced to the ground as he simply and shamefully replied, "Yes."

She felt a mixture of sympathy and a bit of exasperation towards him, but she gently said, "Harry, I didn't tell that story for you to feel guilty of what happened in our first year of Hogwarts. And I'm sorry that I made you feel as such again. I needed to give that context, though, so that not only your parents but also you would understand just why I could say that you shaped me into the person I am today."

She placed her hand on his cheek and continued, "I am who I am because you had so much courage to give that you were able to share some of it with me once we became friends. That's why I called you a great wizard in first year, Harry. Because you taught me courage, and you showed me friendship. Without you having that bravery and coming to find me, only two things could have happened. I would either be dead at the troll's hands, left all alone to die in my own suffering, or I would have contacted my parents and gotten pulled out of Hogwarts if I'd survived the troll or if the troll even didn't show up to that bathroom."

Then, she gently brought his forehead towards hers until they were touching. And after wrapping her arms back around him, she whispered, "We would never have gotten to be like this. And nothing in the world… no, nothing in the universe, could ever get me to give this up. No matter what I had to suffer in the past, or what I may have to suffer in the future."

Like so many times before, Harry was without words. He closed his eyes, with his emotions close to overwhelming him. But he couldn't help the watery smile that he knew was on his face.

When he finally opened his eyes, he murmured with a bit of adoration, "I guess you weren't kidding at all when you said we were good for each other."

Hermione was unable to keep from giving him a little smirk as she replied, "No. Not a bit."

That brought forth a chuckle from him, wiping away all traces of his previous melancholy. All that remained in his eyes was his tremendous affection for her.

Then, he said, "Well, I hope you don't mind being stuck with me, then."

Her smirk became a warm smile, and she responded, "There's nowhere else I would rather be."

And with that, he surprised her by lifting his forehead off of hers but then immediately leaning forward and giving her a soft kiss, to which she happily responded as soon as his lips touched hers.

When the kiss ended, they wordlessly stared at each other for a few more seconds before Harry looked back at the gravestone. He let go of Hermione and took one small step closer to it, almost instinctually so. Though he remained silent as Hermione slowly linked her left arm into his right one and then comfortingly placed her right hand back on his upper arm, his lips did curl upwards into a small smile. And now, it was time for him to say one last thing to his parents.

"Mum, Dad. It still may take a bit of time to completely get past my issues. God only knows how many times Hermione has already had to remind me about falling into those old, miserable thoughts of mine. And unfortunately, she'll probably still have to do it at least a few more times even after tonight."

Hermione couldn't help interjecting here to say, "And I'll gladly do it as often as I have to."

Harry chuckled and glanced at her for a second before focusing on the grave again. "To which she also unintentionally proves the next point that I wanted to make, which is this."

As he continued, the gravity in his tone was so heavy that Hermione could almost physically feel it pushing down on her. "She's shown time and time again, even if just counting the last week alone, that she'll stay at my side throughout everything that may happen in the future. And… as long as I have my angel," to which he didn't see the large blush appear momentarily on her face as he once again called her that, "I know that the darkness still hanging over me will eventually fade away, and I'll be able to fully live my life. Live life as you would have wanted me to when you both gave up your own. And I hope that my words… no, our words, are enough of a Christmas gift that you two can finally rest in peace."

Taking a shaky breath as tears began rising in his eyes again, he could only end with a whisper. "Merry Christmas, Mum and Dad."

Seeing him beginning to break down again, Hermione quickly hugged her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling him a couple of times. She felt him lean his head against hers and give a tiny nod, so she knew that he was grateful for the support even if he didn't say a word.

And then, hearing a calling from her heart after remembering the last statement Harry made before wishing his parents a Merry Christmas, she did something that she never would have expected from herself.

Slowly, she began humming the melody of the song "Silent Night." No other action could have been more fitting for this moment. With the stillness of the night as the two of them talked to James and Lily, and her desire that all of the Potters could have peace for this holiday, it was no wonder that she felt the temptation to do this.

She only went through the first verse before stopping her hums. Upon finishing, the silence was so great that she couldn't even hear Harry breathing. Deciding to bite the bullet, she shifted back into her previous position of just linking her arm into his, so that she could fully look at his reaction.

His expression contained a bit of confusion but mostly wonder. He quietly said, "What… what was that, Hermione? It sounded kind of familiar, but I can't place it."

She hesitantly smiled and replied, "It was the melody to the first verse of the song "Silent Night." It's a long-held Christmas carol. I think it played on Mum's radio at some point earlier today when we had that going. That might be where you recall hearing it, if you never heard the song in earlier years. And, it's just… nothing in the world felt more right for me to do in that moment after you wished your parents a Merry Christmas."

The confusion in his face went away to leave nothing but stunned adoration. But after a few seconds, he became quite timid. Enough so that she asked in concern, "Harry, what's wrong?"

He nervously shuffled a bit and replied, "Well, this will probably be kind of silly to ask, and you can completely refuse if you want to since I might be putting you on the spot – "

"Harry," she gently interrupted, causing him to snap his mouth shut. "Go ahead. You can ask me anything."

The left side of his mouth twitched upward for an instant before he shyly asked, "Would you… sing the words to what you just hummed?"

He grew even more afraid when she simply stared at him for a couple of seconds. But then, she tenderly smiled at him and replied, "Sure, I would be honored."

She gave a small, nervous laugh before her next words. "Just promise not to laugh if my voice sounds too awful."

He instantly answered, "I promise I won't laugh, even though I'm sure that you won't sound awful at all in the first place."

She couldn't help the amused snort that left her as she turned her head away from Harry to face the gravestone again. Then, with one final deep breath, she tilted her head enough so that she was looking up a bit into the sky and began singing the words.

Hermione simply let her heart guide her through the verse. She didn't bother trying to keep her voice quiet, wanting to be sure that Lily, James, Sirius, and everyone else that Harry had lost since his birth could hear her words. Could hear that she and Harry were thinking of all of them, hoping that they could all be at peace now with his survival against Riddle.

Meanwhile, Harry gazed at her with a tearful smile as she was singing. How she could think she might sound terrible, he couldn't understand. She even had the voice of an angel, with every note she hit being so melodic and wonderful. And her voice was lifting his entire spirit as she gradually made her way through the lines of the verse. He truly was the luckiest person in the world to have such an amazing woman, in every way possible, by his side.

Finally, at her second iteration of the line "Sleep in heavenly peace," in which her tone went lower and the pace of the words had been slowed down, he knew she must be on the final line of the verse. She held the last note for almost five full seconds before slowly trailing off into silence.

When she turned her head and timidly looked at him, he said with full and complete reverence, "Hermione, that was so beautiful."

Though her timidity remained, a little smile came to her face as she replied, "I don't know about beautiful, but thank you."

While the words that he wanted to respond with came to mind instantly, something stopped him from opening his mouth to speak. And then, looking down into those chocolate eyes that were so expressive and which would light up with a great brightness whenever she was happy, glancing at her cheeks that were twinged with pink from the cold and maybe even a bit of a blush from his compliment, and seeing the pink lips that could make the rest of the world fade away when they gave him a smile, it hit him. There was one more thing that he could tell Hermione. Something which he knew she would probably fight fairly hard against once he said it.

"It was beautiful," he started out with, saying his original thought first. Then, he shifted out of her grip so that they were fully facing each other.

Placing his left hand on her cheek, he continued, "You are beautiful. Inside and out. And I've waited much too long to tell you that."

Her expression turned quite crestfallen, and she responded, "I wish I could believe you, because I know you truly think that if you're saying the words. But I just don't and can't feel that way."

It ate away at his heart that she couldn't see that of herself. But then, a light bulb in his head sparked to life at what he was seeing.

This was exactly what it was like for her when he would constantly put himself down. Even just this morning, he'd tried denying the idea that he could be amazing when Miranda had called him that for his reason of helping her and Jack with their donation task, but Hermione immediately interrupted and insisted that he was amazing, and she would tell him as often as she had to for him to start believing it of himself.

Thus, as he removed his hand from Hermione's cheek but lowered his forehead down to hers, he knew exactly what he needed to say here.

"You are beautiful, Hermione. You are now, and you always have been. And I'll tell you that as many times as it takes for you to finally believe it."

Her eyes widened immensely, and tears began quickly rising in them. She rapidly blinked for a few seconds to try and rid herself of them, but a single stray tear escaped her right eye. It only got halfway down her face before he reached up and gently wiped it away, which caused her to smile at him.

Knowing that she was at a loss for words, he whispered, "You don't have to say anything more. Just try to always keep those words in the back of your mind, just as I'll try with how you call me amazing."

This brought forth a quick laugh from her as she said, "OK. That works for me."

He nodded against her forehead, and the two silently took comfort in their position, and from each other, for a good while.

Eventually, Harry was the one to pull up, and he turned back to the gravestone as he did so. Hermione saw him pull his left sleeve back and then glance at his wrist. Upon hearing what seemed to be a reluctant sigh, she asked, "Is it getting late?"

Without removing his gaze from the grave, he replied, "Already ten o'clock. Definitely doesn't seem like that much time passed, but I guess it has. And I wouldn't doubt that your mum has probably already started worrying by now, no matter how much she would have tried to resist."

Hermione knew he was right. But there was still one last thing for her to do.

Stepping closer to the gravestone and kneeling down, she pulled out her wand. And just like last year, she slowly moved it in a circle through the air while thinking of exactly what she wanted, and a wreath of Christmas roses appeared. She then gently levitated it down until it was laying against the gravestone.

"Merry Christmas, James and Lily," she said, just loud enough that Harry could hear her as well.

She stepped back until she was beside Harry, and turned her head to find him already looking at her. He then said, "Thank you. I hope they'll appreciate that."

"Me too," she replied. Then, she grew nervous as she asked, "So… if you don't mind me asking, how was it? Do you feel any better about things after finally talking to them?"

He gave what she could only call a dejected smile as he said, "Unfortunately… I still can't help worrying about what their reaction would be like, how they would truly feel. It's hard not to think about how I could have disappointed them at any point with some of my actions over the years. Still though, I like to think that I took a first step by coming back here and telling them at least some things. That's got to mean something, right?"

She took his hands in hers before reassuring him. "It does, Harry. It means you are making progress in wanting to accept and move past your issues. Especially since you only admitted them to me a week ago. And you know the old saying. The first step is always the hardest."

Smiling tenderly at him, she said, "You'll get through this, Harry. No matter how long it takes for that to happen. I promise."

He looked at her with complete gratitude as he replied, "I know I will, with you by my side."

She simply gave his hands a squeeze in response before letting go. Then, gazing all around and making sure that they were still all alone, she quickly said, "Alright, when you're ready, pull out your Cloak and throw it over us as quickly as you can."

He was already getting his pouch that held his Invisibility Cloak even as he nodded. And in a matter of seconds, the two of them were concealed underneath the Cloak.

Grabbing his hands again, she had an idea for him. "Do you want to try Apparating us home?"

He was taken aback for a second before hesitantly replying, "Are you sure? It's your house, you would get us there with a hundred percent certainty."

"You know what our living room looks like by now, Harry. I trust you. Besides, I was thinking that we might not be as loud if you lead us. You had enough power and control to successfully Apparate over ten thousand miles when you left Australia. I bet you would be able to get us out of here more discretely, along with allowing us to not scare Mum and Dad too badly."

She could see the left side of his mouth just barely curl upwards at her once again affirming her trust in him. Then, he answered, "OK, I'll try. So, on the count of three like we've been doing?"

She simply nodded without a word.

"Alright then," he said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them to gaze at her again, like he was preparing himself so that he wouldn't let her down. "One… two… three!"

And with only a faint pop, making her happy that her hypothesis was confirmed, they disappeared from the graveyard of the Godric's Hollow church and were right back in the living room of the Granger residence.

Hermione kept hold of Harry's hands for a second as she turned her gaze to where the sitting furniture was. She found that her parents were standing in front of the sofa, looking in confusion at the spot where she and Harry were currently standing.

It was at that moment that Miranda hesitantly asked, "Hermione, Harry? Was that little pop because of you two?"

Hermione immediately replied, while letting go of Harry's hands, "Yes, it's us, Mum."

Only a second later, Harry had flung the Cloak off of them to reveal their presence. As he was hastily folding it up and placing it back into his pouch, he added, "I hope we didn't scare you two, either with our sudden appearance just now or with staying out somewhat late."

Jack was the one to respond. "No need to apologize, Harry. We were just thrown off a little by how you two didn't make nearly as loud of a cracking sound this time."

"You can thank Harry for that," Hermione said. "He was the one to lead us back this time."

Miranda then jumped in, the relief from their return clear in her voice. "Well, you've got me curious as to how exactly that worked. But maybe we can save that story for another day. I think I'm going to head to bed, knowing that you two are back safely."

Then, looking back and forth between the teenagers a couple of times, she added in a motherly tone, "And as for whatever may have taken place once you two were at that Godric's Hollow village, you don't have to tell us anything if you'd rather not. I know that this was a matter of personal business, so we promise not to pry into it."

Harry looked at her and just quietly said, "Thank you once again for such consideration. But… I won't mind talking about it later. Maybe doing so will help me to better accept certain things."

Jack replied, "Well, whatever you're comfortable talking about, we'll gladly listen. But for now, I'm going to join Miranda in retiring for the night. We'll see you two in the morning."

Thinking about it for a second, Hermione jumped in and spoke to Harry. "Maybe we should get some rest too, Harry. We've had a pretty full day as it is."

He responded, "Yeah, you're probably right." Looking to the parents, he continued, "Hope you don't mind us following then."

With that, the group all made their way to the second floor. After saying good night to the parents at their bedroom door, and then taking turns using the bathroom and brushing their teeth for the night, Harry and Hermione once again found themselves staring at each other at the junction of their rooms.

They were completely silent for what seemed like a full minute. And in that time, she couldn't help feeling a pit growing in her stomach at leaving Harry alone tonight. After everything he'd revealed when speaking to his parents, everything she'd revealed about her childhood bullying that led him to disparaging himself again for what happened in their first year of Hogwarts, and his final comment about still worrying about his parents' reactions, her mind was occupied by a single question.

What if he ended up having a nightmare tonight, even after willingly taking the steps he did in working through his problems?

Something in her thoughts must have shown in her expression, as he asked in concern, "You're thinking about something. What's wrong, Hermione?"

She waited for a second before, with some hesitance, vaguely saying, "Do you think you'll be alright tonight?"

His own expression fell at her question, and he sadly murmured, "You mean do I think I can sleep without having a nightmare."

Thinking she had been wrong to bring that up, she immediately and fearfully responded, "I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have made mention to that at all – "

He held up a hand to interrupt, causing her to instantly shut her mouth. She was still afraid as he looked at the carpet and then took a deep breath. And a second later, he raised his head and dejectedly responded.

"I admit, as we got here and were gazing at one another, my own words played in my mind about being fearful of how my parents would react to my confession at their grave. And after everything that's already happened with me since the war's end, the possibility of having yet another nightmare about my parents isn't exactly a small one. But what can I really do, Hermione? It's not like I've actually figured out how to stop the nightmares. Hell, it was basically only because of your presence that, on the train, I got the first good rest that I can even remember in probably months. That's the best I can do for now, is to try and remember that you're right across the hall if I would end up having a dream."

Her presence.

That reminded her of the offer she'd made to him last night. Upon remembering, she glanced down the hall and was satisfied that her parents' door was shut, so the rest of this conversation wouldn't be overheard. Looking back at Harry, she took a cue from last week and didn't hesitate before speaking her sudden thoughts.

"Then let me keep away any nightmare that tries to show up tonight."

He just asked in complete bafflement, "What do you mean?"

She took hold of his hands before quietly replying, "Stay with me tonight, in my room."

His eyes widened a bit in astonishment that she was making that offer again. But then, like last night, he glanced in the direction of her parents' bedroom. This time, she couldn't remain silent and started pleading to him.

"They won't get angry, Harry. But even if they somehow did, I'll take all of the blame. Tell them that it was entirely my idea. And I also promise that I won't take this as a cue that you'll spend every night with me, in case that's something you're worried about. I just… I know that I'm completely begging right now, and I won't force you if you truly don't feel comfortable with this. But I'm afraid that if I let you go to sleep alone tonight, then you'll have some kind of nightmare that could set back so many of the steps you've been taking this week."

There, she made her case. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see what his decision would be.

His expression turned somewhat grim as he looked down to their joined hands. And for almost another minute, he remained like that, silent and unmoving. Hermione was so nervous that she wouldn't be surprised if there was a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach right now.

Finally, Harry looked back up and into her eyes, and he began speaking in a quiet yet resolute tone.

"I didn't listen to you about the Firebolt being from Sirius, and only the twist that he was my godfather and not looking to murder me kept me safe. I didn't listen to you about the Department of Mysteries being a trap, and you were the one that nearly paid the price for it. I refuse to make the mistake again of discounting your fears."

Her heart lifted with a spark of hope. "So, you'll stay with me?"

He only had time to give a nod, because she had crushed herself to him in a hug as soon as he did that. His arms instantly wrapped around her as well, and they held each other for a few seconds before she pulled apart.

He spoke again before she could. "Let me get in my pajamas, and then I'll knock on your door."

With that, they separated for a bit to get dressed for bed. Hermione went faster than ever before in her life, hoping to be quick enough that Harry wouldn't have to wait outside very long.

And it was good that she did, because just as soon as she had finished getting into her pajamas, there was a knock on the door. She rushed over and opened it to find Harry there and gestured for him to come in. After closing the door and turning back to him, she saw that he held his wand in his right hand.

Seeing what she was glancing at, he gave an embarrassed half-smile and said, "It feels weird if I don't have it close by when I'm sleeping nowadays."

She replied, as she walked over to the side of the bed, "No, Harry, I understand. With everything from the war, I always keep mine under my pillow when I sleep now, just in case. I won't mind you doing that as well, if you want."

Pulling the covers back, she looked at him and nudged her head at the bed, silently asking if he was ready to get in. He simply nodded, stuck his wand underneath the pillow, and then crawled in to lie on the side of the bed closest to the wall. Once he stopped shifting around and seemed to get comfortable while lying on his left side, she turned the lights off before getting into the bed with him. She pulled the covers up to their shoulders, and once her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness, the two of them simply stared at each other.

Then, Hermione scooted forward a bit so that she could hug her arms around him while still looking into his eyes. She hesitantly asked, "Is this alright? Is it too uncomfortable?"

His mouth twitched upward for an instant before he wrapped his own arms around her and said, "It's alright. You're fine, Hermione."

"Well, OK. I just know that you wanted to wait before we started even just sleeping next to each other, so I wasn't – mmph!"

She was surprised to have been interrupted by him giving her a soft kiss, but it took less than a second for her to close her eyes and respond. The kiss lasted for about five more seconds before he pulled his head back and looked into her eyes again.

He whispered, "It's OK, Hermione. If I truly didn't want to be here right now, I wouldn't."

She couldn't help the tender smile that rose on her face. Thus, she whispered right back, "Alright then. Well, in that case, what do you say we save any more talk for tomorrow and just get some rest?"

"Sure," he said. But then, with a heartfelt expression, he added, "I know I've said something similar to this before, but… thank you, Hermione. Thank you for always looking out for me. Thank you for truly being my angel."

Tears rose in her eyes as she leaned up and kissed him on his forehead scar. When she pulled back, she replied, "I always will, Harry. Sleep well. I love you."

He couldn't help blinking a few times in surprise at hearing those wonderful words, even now that he had actually taken the leap to say them to her. Thus, all he said in response was a quiet and grateful, "I love you, too."

Only then did he close his eyes. And in no time at all, his breathing quickly leveled out until he was soon fast asleep.

Hermione simply watched Harry as he drifted off into slumber. She was taken aback some at just how quickly that seemed to happen, given not only everything he had told her about his sleeping habits since he returned from Australia but also the tension that she'd seen in him when she snuck into his room three nights ago to check on him. She desperately held out hope that this meant he truly was healing from all of his problems. If nothing else, maybe her mere presence helped him more than either of them could have foreseen.

She remained awake for a little while longer, continuing to gaze at him as she reflected on the events of this day. The hours spent bonding with her parents. Harry shedding more light on just how terrible a home life he had for so long. The conversation at the grave of the Dumbledore family. The confessions from both of them at the grave of James and Lily.

Harry calling her beautiful. Saying that she was an angel. His angel.

She couldn't help tearing up a little again at just how highly he truly thought of her. That he could even call her beautiful on the outside, when no one had ever given her even half as good a compliment about her looks.

Of course, tears were also building up because there was one more thing that she'd been hiding and which only her parents knew about: the terrible scar that was left over from the purple curse that Antonin Dolohov hit her with at the Department of Mysteries. A diagonal scar that was three fingers wide and started at her left shoulder, went right between her breasts, and finally ended all the way down on the right side of her hips. A scar that hadn't faded a bit in over two years and always taunted her with the knowledge that no one could ever find her even the least bit attractive if they would ever see it. And because of that, she'd always taken great care to make certain that no one ever caught even just a minuscule glimpse of the scar.

She let out a tiny sigh, trying to be quiet enough that she wouldn't disturb Harry. Maybe, since he was here with her now, she should reveal the scar to him in the morning and just get his reaction as soon as possible. She would certainly have to show him at some point if she ever wanted their physical relationship to progress further, right?

But for now, she should heed her own words and get some rest.

Looking at Harry's face, she couldn't resist leaning in and just barely grazing her lips on his scar again. Then, she whispered as quietly as she could, "Thank you for giving me my wings, Harry. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that before you fell asleep."

And with that, she closed her eyes, only thinking of how glad she was that she could always have this moment as she finally drifted off to sleep.


A/N: Longest chapter thus far! Hopefully, it's all worth reading. This is another chapter that I wanted to be a sort of standout moment, in the same vein as Harry and Hermione becoming a couple in Chapter 5.

Now, a few things. First, a few bits in this chapter were inspired by two of the songs from Devil May Cry 5. Specifically, Vergil's theme "Bury the Light" and Nero's theme "Devil Trigger." There's more usage from the former in a straight comparison, but the credit still needs to be given. See if you can figure out all the bits that took inspiration before looking up the source. I say that because it will be plainly obvious where the songs were used in this chapter once you've read the lyrics once lol.

Second, shout-out to user DarkSpyder88 on the HMS Harmony Discord server for posting a headcanon image that had the "I was the kid that was actually excited when the teacher told us to read silently" line, which served as my inspiration for the section where Hermione talked about what she experienced in her pre-Hogwarts time of schooling.

For anyone reading that may be interested in the server but aren't yet on it, feel free to go to "discord dot com/invite/zeU6XHbtrJ" and check it out (obviously, replace the word "dot" in that quote with just actual periods and then remove the spacing).

Like always, if you made it this far, thank you kindly for reading, and I hope you stay tuned for more!

And to the guest reviewer WHR, if I'm right in assuming who you are and since there's no way to directly respond besides putting something in an author's note... thank you for letting me know things seem to be alright with you.