Disclaimer: I do not own anything and make no monies writing this.

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Chapter 15

"They're here!" Hermione exclaimed, excited for her brother to meet her new friends. She waved her hand to open the flap and allow them entrance.

When Eric and Godric walked in, they were a bit surprised. Instead of greeting them at the door, Hermione was sitting on the couch with a young man they didn't recognize, her head on his shoulder and his arm around hers. When she saw their expressions, Hermione smiled at them and stood up before she walked over and gave each a hug, then turned to introduce Harry to them.

"Eric, Godric, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Harry Potter." She said with a beaming smile. Both vampires relaxed at this news and gave the young man a nod in acknowledgement. They remembered Hermione mentioning the young wizard a few times when answering their questions but she always had a sad tinge to her eyes and voice. It would seem that whatever had caused such emotions had been erased, which they were happy to see.

Harry stood and held out his hand for them to shake, even though he had been told the vampires here were the same as in their world where physical touch was concerned; he was curious if they would reciprocate or not. It would show Harry if these two beings would accept him into her life without duress and to not cause him concern for Hermione. Harry knew Hermione had said that vampires could be quite jealous and possessive over anyone or anything they thought were theirs and their reactions when they saw how he and 'Mione were sitting told him they thought more of his sister than she knew or realized.

Godric stepped forward and grasped his hand first, introducing himself properly while doing so. "Godric Nevii. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Harry Potter, likewise." Harry said, shaking the young looking vampire's hand, knowing his looks were quite deceptive. He had to agree with what 'Mione had told him about the ancient vampire, he wasn't at all what Harry had expected.

"Eric Northman." Eric said after Godric released Harry's hand and grasped it in his. Neither vampire missed the young wizard sizing them up. They smirked internally at this. It pleased them that Hermione had another being on her side and concerned for her well-being. After giving Harry a firm shake, Eric stepped back.

"Harry Potter" Harry responded in kind, shaking the vampire's hand and mentally realizing Eric was almost exactly as he had pictured him. His size alone was enough to instill caution but Harry couldn't help but try to send warning vibes to both vampires when shaking their hands. They may be ancient and well-seasoned in the art of intimidation and warfare but Harry hadn't survived a war to be cowed by the likes of them. He knew a few spells he had used during the Final Battle against vampires and werewolves that he wouldn't hesitate to use against these two if they ever hurt Hermione.

"Do you have to go to the bar tonight Eric?" Hermione asked, breaking the silent "standoff".

"Not tonight, the bar is closed tonight and tomorrow. The only reason for me to go in would be to deal with Sheriff business and only if it is something my child cannot handle. So far, there is no reason for me to go." Eric told her.

"Awesome! Please, sit." Hermione told them as she curled back up to Harry. She really needed to feel that her brother was truly there and not some figment of her imagination. It had felt so good to see Harry on the other side of the portal even if she had been a bit wary about his presence and then to have him want to join her, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy and content. She was also curious how Godric and Eric would take her choice of sitting curled up with Harry. She was delighted to see no sign of trouble, which Hermione took as a good sign. They believed her when she called Harry her brother and internally sighed that there should be no problems later if she chose to have a relationship with either of them… or both.

Once seated, Godric noticed the redness and puffiness to her eyes and commented on it. "You have been upset and crying, min älskling."

Hermione wondered what he had just called her but decided to let it go for the moment and clarify what had taken place. "Well, yes, I have been crying but they were happy tears. You see, Harry and I have spent the last few hours sorting out the past year and our misunderstandings." Hermione explained while grabbing Harry's hand to hold. "You see, Harry is my brother in every way but blood and it was wonderful to finally get everything sorted. Oh, and he's decided to stay here, in this world, but that's his story to share if or when he wants." Hermione finished, her eyes bright with happiness.

"I notice we are one person short tonight. Where is Master Snape?" Godric asked, as he enjoyed the bright shine to their witch's eyes and the warmth of her smile.

"He's been in my potions lab since Harry arrived, giving us some privacy to hash everything out." Hermione answered.

Harry chuckled and added, "We probably won't be seeing him anytime soon. Potions are the one thing Severus can immerse himself in totally and lose all track of time."

Hermione joined in his chuckle just as a baritone voice carried into the room, "Thank you, Mr. Potter, for that most favorable statement."

Harry jumped a bit upon hearing Severus' voice and then smiled sheepishly at him, saying, "Anytime… Professor"

At Severus' scowl, Hermione and Harry chuckled while Godric and Eric only smiled. There was definitely history there.

"Hermione, I was wondering if I could have your assistance in the lab for a bit." Severus asked her.

"Sure, Severus." Hermione answered. "If you'll excuse me." She said towards the others as she rose to follow her Master to her lab.

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After Hermione and Severus disappeared into her lab, Harry observed Godric and Eric a moment before speaking.

"So, you are both Sheriffs?" Harry started with, thinking he might as well take advantage of a bit of alone time with these two while he had it, especially if his instincts were right in their interests in his sister.

"We are." Eric answered, noticing the intense look the young man was giving both him and his Maker.

"For now" Godric added, smiling at the concentration Hermione's brother was giving his thoughts and their reactions.

"I see and what does that mean? Are you planning on quitting?" Harry asked, not knowing if they would answer or not.

"We do, actually, so we will be able to spend more time with Hermione." Godric told him and after a moment continued, "I see no reason to not share with you our intentions towards your sister."

"Does she know this? That you are planning on quitting your jobs?" Harry asked, fairly certain she did not.

"No, we have not told her yet." Eric answered, "Will this be a problem for you? That both of us are interested in pursuing her." he asked, very curious to Harry's answer.

"No, triads are known to happen in the wizarding world. Also, I can tell being around the two of you makes 'Mione happy." Harry replied with a slight frown.

"But…?" Godric prodded.

"But…if either of you ever hurt her, know I have quite a few spells in my arsenal I can use to make you sorry for whatever pain you cause her." Harry told them with a piercing stare. "I may be quite young compared to your ages but I assure you I will not hesitate to find you and show you just what I learned fighting in a war." His voice was calm and full of steel and conviction for his words.

Eric and Godric watched Harry with a bit more respect than before. This young man was willingly standing up to two ancient vampires without hesitation or fear, for his sister. They very much appreciated his conviction to her wellbeing and took his threat seriously.

"We have no doubt you would do exactly as you say." a slight smile in Eric's voice.

"We would expect nothing less from her brother." Godric added, "However, I will put your mind at ease. Our intentions towards Hermione are pure. When the time is right, we plan to pursue her. We will never intentionally hurt her or cause her harm and if that were to happen, we would gladly come to you for whatever punishment you deem appropriate."

Harry stared hard at Eric and Godric while they spoke and appreciated their honesty. He finally let a smile creep across his face after Eric gave a small nod of his head to Godric's comment.

"Very well, I believe you." Harry said.

"How much has 'Mione told you about me?" He asked, curious of what all his sister had told them.

"Not much, she told us she met you her first year in school, that you had some adventures during your school years, that you were the one chosen to fulfill a prophecy and you both fought in a wizarding war." Godric shared.

"Ah, I see." Harry grinned widely.

"Yes, we met on the train to Hogwarts our first year. She had been helping another first year look for his lost toad. Then she told my former best mate that he had a bit of dirt on his nose. At the time, neither one of us knew just what to think of her. She had a bit of snobbishness to her and spoke so properly." Harry chuckled a bit before continuing, "Then we all were sorted into Gryffindor. Our friendship really didn't begin until around Halloween that year though." Harry paused, remembering.

"How much has 'Mione shared of her school years?" Harry asked, not wanting to say something his sister hadn't wanted known.

"She has glossed over her personal life." Eric informed Harry.

"Hmm, well, I'll make sure to respect that then. But I will tell you that that Halloween was when our friendship truly started due to my former best mate hurting 'Mione's feelings, he and I had to go find her. You see, there had been a mountain troll let loose in the castle. 'Mione wasn't at the feast so she had no clue what was going on and since it was Ron's, my former best mate, fault that she had ran off, I decided we had to look for her." Harry told them.

"Where had she run off to?" Eric asked.

"To the second floor girl's lavatory." Harry answered.

"I take it this lavatory wasn't a commonly used one?" Godric asked and at Harry's nod, continued, "Why would she run there instead of somewhere closer?" Godric asked, truly wanting to know what had happened.

"Not sure, she just took off crying after Ron had insulted her, yet again, earlier in the day and that's all I'll say about those two. If you want to know more, you'll need to ask her. Although I will tell you that those two fought more than they got along." Harry told them.

"Fair enough." Eric said.

"Anyway, we found her there after the troll had entered. Our DADA, ah, Defense Against the Dark Arts, professor came running into the Great Hall screaming that a troll was loose in the dungeons before fainting. Well, as you can imagine, all of the students started panicking until our Headmaster silenced us. Then the prefects gathered their respective houses and led us back to our dorms. However, I grabbed Ron and we went to Myrtle's bathroom to find Hermione and warn her since Neville had said that was the last place she had been seen." Here Harry paused and got a faraway look in his eyes.

"When we arrived, the troll was already there. Hermione had darted into one of the stalls to try to hide from the troll only for the troll to use his massive club, swinging it above her head and splintering the tops of the stalls. When I saw her, she was buried under the debris but was trying to come out. Not knowing what else to do, I told her to run then Ron and I picked up the wood and stone littered on the floor and started throwing them at the troll. Ron, he actually called the troll a pea brain." Harry chuckled at the memory.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to keep the troll's attention and it saw 'Mione crawl under the sinks to shield herself. As you can imagine, the sinks didn't shield her one bit. Actually, she almost got hit by the club when the troll swung it down towards her, just missing her after it smashed the sink she was under as she tried to move away. Of course, Ron and I were trying to figure out a way to beat a mountain troll. We were only first years and had only been that for a few months at this time. But when Hermione yelled for us to help her, I did the only thing that came to mind; I ran up to the troll and grabbed its club." Harry paused to see their reactions so far and couldn't hold in the chuckle at their looks of disbelief.

"Yeah, not my finest moment but it worked, well, sort of. The troll, of course, did his best to fling me off. Somehow, while flailing around on its shoulders, I managed to stick my wand up its nose." Harry grinned wide at Godric and Eric's look of disgust. "Yeah, it was quite disgusting but it saved us because the troll tried to shake it out of its head instead of focusing on us. After several shakes, it gave up and was able to finally grab ahold of my leg and pull me off its shoulders. Then I found myself hanging upside down with this massive club being swung at me. Fortunately I was able to pull my body up and miss being hit but I knew I wouldn't last long. Just before the troll could swing a third time, Ron levitated his club above his head, with 'Mione's guidance of course. When the troll figured out it didn't have its club, it looked up and the spell wore off. The club fell and knocked it out. I was dropped and watched as the troll swayed before falling. When it fell, well, I don't think I've ever crawled backwards as fast as I did then." Harry finished with a chuckle, joined by the two vampires.

"What became of the troll and did the three of you get into any trouble?" Godric asked.

"I don't know what happened with the troll, just that the professors or Headmaster took care of it. Hermione was given a stern talking to by our Head of House, Minerva McGonagall and points taken for her 'serious lack of judgement'. Ron and I, because 'Mione took the blame for everything, were awarded points for 'sheer dumb luck' at defeating the troll." Harry smiled at the fond memory of his former professor.

"So your friendship started from a lie being told to your professors?" Eric asked, not liking that Hermione had lied for them when she had been innocent of any wrongdoing except being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Yes and no. You see, I already liked 'Mione and thought of her as a friend. Sure she was bossy and stubborn and already extremely intelligent but she also was one of the first people in my life to tell me the truth; the complete truth. However, it was when Ron finally started to be a bit nicer to her." Harry explained.

"I see. So from that point forward, you became the best of friends then?" Eric inquired.

"Yes. It was the best thing to happen to me. I never knew what it was like to have a friend, any kind of friend, before Hermione and Ron. However, it has always been 'Mione who has stood by my side when no one, not even Ron, would. She has never left me or judged me. Through our years at Hogwarts and the Final Battle, she has always had my back. I wouldn't have survived first year, or any year, if not for her." Harry told them with a fond look on his face.

"Although I do not doubt what you say, that is quite a statement to make." Godric commented.

"I know but it's the truth. I don't know exactly when 'Mione became my rock and voice of reason just that she did." Harry's voice was strong and his words sincere.

Over the next hour or so, while Hermione was busy helping Severus, Harry told Eric and Godric a bit about his life. He glossed over much, not ready himself to divulge much personal info to two beings he had just met, but it was enough for the two ancient vampires to understand he had had a rough life and then to find out he had been drugged on top of everything else by those he trusted; they understood why he was willing to come here instead of stay in their world. It just proved the old saying right; with friends like those, who needed enemies?

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Translation: min älskling means my darling

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