A/N This chapter is the longest till now (it is nearly double that of the last one), and the reason for that is I won't be updating for the next two weeks as I have my entrance examinations nearly a fortnight from now. After that, I will either stick to the weekly schedules or adjust it to get at least 5 chapters per month.
Also, warning, the end of the chapter contains some emotionally dark scenes. Even though it isn't that graphic, it yet warrants a warning to the readers.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Don't Let Go
"Okay, let's start again. You asked her what?", Harry asked as he tried to calmly sit down on Ron's bed.
Ron tried to calm himself by breathing for a few seconds but the effect was jarred by the loud clanking and banging from the attic by the ghoul.
" I asked her if she knew what time turners were and she gave me a perfect word-to-word answer from the Standard Magical Devices book we found when we were researching for that charm.", Ron replied nervously.
"Wait a second, that's how you determine that adult-Hermione is not here?! What the hell is wrong with you. I see you are still the tactless git that the current Ron is supposed to be.", Harry replied loudly albeit with a small grin.
"Alright, why don't you just tell me exactly what the whole interaction was, and then we can calm down and not raise any suspicions around the house. Also, on that note-", Harry stopped himself to cuff Ron on the back of his head,"-that is for making her cry"
"Ow. That's unfair, I didn't say anything to make her cry, I just-"
"Walked out on her? Jeez, I wonder why a 13-year-old witch will cry when her best friend and her crush just walks out on her conversation", Harry retorted sarcastically.
"It's not like that, alright. Don't take the mickey", Ron grumbled. "What happened was that she recited the facts and, apparently, I may have shown my shock on my face. So, she asked me if I was -
"-alright?", Hermione asked, with a concerned expression on her face.
"Ya, ya, I'm fine.", Ron said with his hands on his knees.
"Why did you ask me about time-turners?", Hermione asked shrewdly.
Ron tried to come up with a viable explanation but failed on multiple attempts and tried to change the subject via showing his usual tact, by nonchalantly asking, "Did you miss me?"
Hermione blushed furiously and nodded before asking the same to her with a poorly hidden hopeful expression on her face.
Ron mentally berated himself for backing into this corner. He wanted to reply yes but he realized, just in time, that she was 13 years old while he was a fully grown man, though in a child's body. Yet, he could not prevent a feeling of perverseness by replying in affirmative to an innocent question, so he didn't say anything.
Instead, he bent again and, with his hand on his knees, started taking deep breaths to calm down as he wondered what the fuck they were going to do.
It wasn't that he and Harry didn't have the knowledge to get on with the plan, but the simple fact, that Hermione knew everything. While he and Harry had searched for all the ingredients to be used when enacting the charm, Hermione had prepared and prepared, remembering everything and planning contingencies. It was all in her head, as he and Harry tried, and failed, in remembering them. Without her, it was going to be a big mess with a 13-year-old Hermione tagging along.
Ron was shaken out of his thoughts, by a concerned Hermione who was patting his back and asking him if he was alright. Ron muttered something like "dehydration" and jogged out of the backyard-
"-and I came to my room and sat here. I must have gone to sleep because I was woken up by a scrawny midget with glasses… Oh, that was you, mate, yeah, that's it. So, what's the plan now, detective?" Ron finished sarcastically.
"We tell her everything", Harry replied, quite anti-climatically. Ron jumped up and started pacing around.
"WHAT? Are you mad? Would she even believe us? YOU ARE NOT PUTTING HER IN DAN-", Ron got cut off as his voice stopped while his mouth still moved. He stopped moving his mouth then and gave Harry's wand a glare, which was currently pointing towards him.
"Sorry about that, but I never really liked your angry monologues. It makes you look like a ketchup bottle, you know, with the ginger hair and everything", Harry grinned as he leaned against the window.
Ron only glared back in return, but at least he was calmly sitting on his bed now.
"I'm taking off the silencing charm but listen to my reason and answer my questions. First of all, where's Pettigrew? "As Ron mimed towards the shoebox. Harry nodded. In response to his eyes narrowing at his wand, Harry continued," This is fine, we are in a magical house anyway, the trace wouldn't work here. I won't be able to find whether I used magic or not here. Also, the reason why we need to tell Hermione is twofold. First, she is our best friend and we can't exactly leave her alone when we are talking, it is not right and will look suspicious. Second, a 13-year-old Hermione is still a smart Hermione and between you and me, we need all the smarts for this plan to work", he finished his monologue with a flick of his wand and expected Ron to immediately start talking.
Ron surprised him by saying alright and got up. "Let's go, it's dinner time already and I need to apologize to someone"
The next three-and-a-half-weeks flew by as everyone enjoyed themselves at the Burrow. The only thing that was somewhat weird was Harry's strange reluctance to go out in the orchard behind the garden. Whenever they went there to play quidditch or ride their broomsticks, Harry pretended to do his homework or stayed with Hermione to talk, or just took a kip.
To clarify, everyone, except Ron, found it weird. He ignored this repeating pattern and encouraged others to do so. Getting the hint, everyone else also ignored this peculiarity.
The future duo had decided to tell Hermione about everything on the day before they boarded the Hogwarts Express. Ron's apology, although a little awkward, was sincere and everything went back to normal fairly quickly. The new normal, as there was still the problem of two-time travelers with the third not present.
Pettigrew, on the other hand, was confunded and, for good measure, stunned, while also blindfolded in his rat form. Ron had cast an anti-transfiguration spell on him to transform and had locked him in a soundproof shoebox which he had locked and kept in the attic.
On the last day before leaving the burrow for platform nine and three-quarters, the trio met in Ron's room. Ron laid down on his bed while Hermione sat down on Harry's camp bed while Harry, himself, leaned against the tank of fish spawn.
"So, what's the reason that you wanted us to meet privately", Hermione asked as she adjusted her position on the bed to a more comfortable one.
" Well, first of all, what we are about to tell you, you can't tell this to anyone. We need your word. No teachers, no parents and, definitely, no Crookshanks.", Ron said seriously.
" You have to trust us on this", Harry said.
Hermione looked at them suspiciously for several minutes as she considered that. Harry and Ron knew that it was in her nature to tell adults about potentially dangerous things, or trouble of any sort, but if all their plans were to work out, they would need her to make her own decisions, instead of relying on adults.
"Okay, I can do that."
Harry nodded as Ron cast a muffliato charm around them and locked the door.
"So you are probably wondering why Ron asked you about time turners and saying things about his family when you met him, right?", Harry asked.
"Really smart, glasses. If she wasn't, she is definitely now. You just couldn't be straight about it can you?", Ron retorted from his bed.
"Ron! I was wondering about it but since you apologized and everything, I thought I would deal with it at some later time", Hermione replied while motioning Harry to continue.
"While I love to prove Ron wrong, we won't tell you about everything. We will tell you about most things to a certain degree of precision." He took a deep breath before starting,
" We are from the future..."
"So, in essence, you are from 2015 and have come back in 1993 to change the past because ?" Hermione asked skeptically, silently wishing it to be a huge joke.
"Yes", Ron sighed. "You are taking this rather well, you know"
"Trust me, I'm not.", Hermione replied crossly." How can I? You are telling me that even though Vol-.. You-know-who is destroyed, the ministry falls and magical Britain falls into anarchy? How is that possible? Surely, the other wizarding European nations would have intervened?"
" Voldemort is the reason that none of the other countries did anything when they could have prevented all of this. By the time, they got over the fact that the post-war government was not corrupt, we were already on the brink of anarchy. They then sealed their borders and prevented emigration. Even MACUSA decided on the same and they closed their borders and transportation routes too. By the time, we started planning to go back in time, we had to smuggle food and clothing from our few contacts in France and Bulgaria, as production in Britain had stopped. Even the muggles had to import these quantities and since we couldn't quite interfere without danger, we had no choice but to smuggle."
" But..but what about Aurors and MLE? And staying at Hogwarts for protection", Hermione asked desperately.
Harry gave an uncharacteristically harsh laugh and said," There wasn't much left of them after the war, and we had to start over to prevent corruption. That was our first mistake."
" and Hogwarts is….well, it was destroyed", Ron continued while glancing at Harry's sobering expression.
Hermione saw the look and hastily changed the subject. "So, why did only two of you come?"
She quickly looked shocked and continued," I didn't die, did I?"
"No, no, of course, you didn't. You are the smartest witch in wizarding Britain", Ron replied nonchalantly.
"And you were supposed to come with us too, We don't know why the spell didn't work", Harry continued, coming out of his stupor.
"I still need some sort of proof. How about telling me something about me which I have definitely not told you about yet", Hermione challenged
"The sorting hat nearly placed you in Ravenclaw", Harry said, which didn't convince Hermione as it could have been a wild, although well guessed, conjecture.
"Your favorite colors are violet and burgundy", Ron said, oddly, with a blush.
This convinced Hermione because she was sure that no one knew about this. Even her parents didn't know about this as it was a recent affiliation. She, oddly, felt quite happy about it that Ron knew her favorite colors since he couldn't even remember something about things like goblin wars to save his exam marks. She tried to maintain a neutral expression and continued.
"Weirdly enough, I believe you now.", Hermione replied." This is definitely weird but a cool piece of magic. One last question, tell me about my future and of others too . You know, my job, my husband, my kids and yours too", Hermione asked shyly.
Both of them stiffened, at first. Then, Harry turned around and tried to steady and clear his mind while Ron looked both embarrassed and sad.
The latter shook his head. "We can't tell you"
"You certainly can". Hermione cleared her throat and continued with confidence." You came back in time with the intent of changing the timeline. The theory that you cannot tell people of events of the future hinges on the principle of trying to prevent the events of the future from changing. Since changing the future is your intent, it would not be harmful to me to know the future that will no longer occur. Even you knowing the future has already rendered the future you came from non-existent."
" No, we can't", Ron said forcefully and with a sense of finality." The events of our lives and yours which we are not telling you about are things we don't want to change. You knowing them could inadvertently change them. "
"How very articulate, Ronald," Hermione replied coldly, but her gaze softened as she asked," Is it a good thing?"
"The best", Ron replied as his eyes started to moisten.
They shared their gaze for a few moments before Harry coughed loudly and said that they will tell more details regarding what to do when they reach Hogwarts. Hermione murmured her farewell to them and exited the room. Ron looked at the door as Harry changed into his pajamas and laid on his bed. As he removed his glasses, he said," At least, this time it won't take 5 more years for you two to date"
Ron only sheepishly grinned in response as he closed the lights.
The journey from the Burrow to the King's Cross was as normal as it was in Harry's second year. All in all, it was what happened that should have happened, and he quietly listened to Arthur telling him about Sirius and dementors on the platform, at the end. He nodded along and avoided promising not to look for trouble, since it would have defeated the whole purpose of coming back. His talk went so long that the whistle from the train alerted them that the train was going to leave.
"Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley. Steam was billowing from the train; it had started to move. Harry ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let him on. They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view.
"We need to talk in private," Hermione muttered to Ron and Harry as the train picked up speed. She, obviously, wanted to know more details regarding their 'plan'.
Harry, knowing very well that Ginny was beside him and listening, said," Hermione, I told you we will talk about it when we reach Hogwarts. Come on then, let's find an apartment. Gin, do you want to join us?" Harry cursed himself for using her nickname and hoped she wouldn't notice.
Her blush indicated that she did as she nodded her assent on his question. Ron looked weirdly at him but didn't say anything.
Harry wanted Ginny's presence, simply because he missed her. He had tried to behave normally at the Burrow and their interactions had been limited to the dining table, but he couldn't quite control himself now. It had been years since he had talked to her, he thought, and then tried to push away those thoughts as he walked.
They set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train. This had only one occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window.
Harry and Ron had expected this but still couldn't keep out the low moan that escaped them when they saw the occupant.
The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray. Harry tried to control his tears and failed, but luckily Ron diverted Ginny's attention as Harry wiped his tears.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ginny hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut.
Harry couldn't answer the question before Hermione though his answer would have been different from hers. The man was the father of his future-godchild.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once, pointing towards his case.
The train ride went as expected with the familiar irritating interaction with Malfoy and his cronies and the sweets from the trolley witch. The addition of Ginny was fun as she opened up after accepting some chocolate frogs from Harry.
The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. Harry dreaded what was coming but he knew he didn't have any choice. He couldn't very well perform a Patronus in front of lupin and Ginny and he certainly was going to faint since his memories now had more horrors than his previous 13-year-old self.
The train slowed down and then came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. The trio used the Lumos charm to light up the carriage.
Harry took a deep breath as he felt the temperature dropping. Ron quietly helped Neville to sit down when he came, casting a worried look at Harry.
Harry gave him a half-hearted nod of bravery and waited for the inevitable, as the door suddenly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. The dementor singled out Harry and Ron and moved towards them. Hermione's bright wand light pushed the dementor away from Ron towards Harry.
And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.
An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart. . .
And Harry had expected this but yet he felt the plunge into his memories. He heard voices and the scene before him shifted
It was a dark evening as the clouds blocked any remaining sunlight from lighting the quidditch field. Ginny was going to be late today but at least he had left Albus at home so that his pregnant wife could have some company while he watched his oldest son fly in the mini-quidditch tournament. He was a really good chaser and he looked so much like James, that it made his heart ache.
He loved him, and his pranks, and that he was having a happy childhood, even if the world was getting mad. He cheered as James Sirius Potter scored another goal before he felt an odd sense of deja vu like he knew what was going to happen.
The whistle blew as the match was over and all the other kids huddled at the edge of the field with their parents. James went towards the opposite side to take some water from the cooler as Harry got up from the stands and moved towards him, happy and scared for some reason at the same time.
The other parents started disappearing towards their home as Harry reached the center of the field when the explosion happened. The stands behind the cooler blew apart as James was thrown further away from Harry.
Three hooded and robed figures moved towards James as Harry ran towards them.
"More than three", Harry thought as he dived to miss the stream of light which he felt coming from behind him.
He sent stunners towards the two figures, which hit one of them while the other disappeared.
Harry ran towards the three figures as one of them picked up a smaller figure lying on the ground.
"James", Harry thought and then subsequently screamed the name.
His 4-year-old son looked at him and got off the hooded figure before the latter held his arm and pointed a wand at his throat.
"Don't come forward, Potter, if you know what's good for your son", the figure spat.
"Please leave him. Don't do anything to him. He is just a kid. You have a problem with me"
"Damn right, we do, Potter. We have a problem with Potters but isn't the little one a potter too"
Harry felt his blood rise but he controlled his temper. He couldn't lose control now.
"Throw your wand away from us and raise your hands."
Harry did as he told, not knowing what else to do. He desperately wished that Ron would come as he usually did after James' matches, but he was always late.
The figure, a large man, Harry determined, threw a leg locker curse at him. He, then, pondered a bit, before pointing his wand at him and said "Petrificus Totalus"
Harry, petrified, started panicking, wishing that he knew what to do. He didn't want anything to happen to James. He had thought that maybe now they would let him go but it didn't seem so. He wished they would.
They didn't. The man was obviously crazy as he, out of the blue, shot killing curses at his two partners before looking at Harry.
"I didn't want to leave any loose ends, though I am sure you will never get the answers you want."
Harry desperately tried to do something, to summon his wand, but he didn't know even if it partially worked.
"Crucio", the man shrieked gleefully. Harry expected pain and he got it, just not the kind he expected.
"AAAAAAHHH", James screamed and started sobbing as Harry screamed in his head .
The man continued, laughing maniacally, for a few minutes, after which James stopped screaming.
Harry, himself, had screamed himself hoarsely in his head, so when the man partially removed the body bind curse from his mouth, he was silent for a second. And then he broke down.
"Leave him, please. Please, don't do this. He isn't moving, please, OhMyGo- JAMES, JAMES. WAKE UP, PLEASE. JAMES. ", he turned to the man," LEAVE HIM YOU BASTARD, HE IS JUST A CHILD. LET HIM GO. HE NEEDS TO GO TO ST. MUNGOS"
"Dad", James whispered in a low voice. "It hurts, dad"
"Well, if it hurts you, I think we should stop your pain, shouldn't we?," the man said loudly.
He looked at Harry," You will never find me, Potter. There is no point in trying. There is no grand plot. There is no reason. It happened because I wanted to do it. I did it because I wanted to. And, I must confess...I enjoyed it a lot!"
"Dad, it hurts a lot, Dad, I can't see anything. Dad, are you there?" James whispered as his oddly white eyes looked around. The blood vessels in his eyes appeared to be damaged due to the cruciatus.
"James, I am here, son. I am here, everything is going to be alright. You are not alone-"
"Tch tch, one must not tell lies, Potter. Nothing is going to be alright and you are not going to be with him" the man said to Harry before going towards James.
"You are all alone but don't worry, the pain is going to go, No more pain. In fact, no more pain ever.", the man whispered before he walked around and now James laid between the man and harry.
"Say bye, Potter." and then he pointed his wand at James,
"AVADA KEDAVRA"
And Harry's world broke down as he stood there, unable to move as the green light, the inkling of death, moved towards his son, lighting him up before falling down, like a marionette whose string had been cut, the life fading away from his lifeless eyes as he stopped twitching and lay still.
The man had disappeared but Harry didn't notice. He screamed and screamed as he saw his son dead, after all, he had done in his life, after all the sacrifices, it had killed his son.
The disappearance of the man removed the body bind curse as Harry moved and dropped down on the lifeless body of his son. He screamed his name, willing him to come back, offering his own life in return, but death cruelly mocked him as the master of death couldn't save his 4-year-old son.
However long, he screamed and held his son, he didn't know as he saw, from his peripheral vision, some people running towards him, a splash of ginger in them.
He screamed and never let go, even as he felt hands on him, but he couldn't let go.
He screamed but he couldn't let James go, let him die.
He couldn't let his son die as his throat shut down.
He couldn't let him go as darkness engulfed him
A/N
Well, Did you like this chapter? Do let me know in the reviews. Regarding the scene at the end, I won't be primarily writing like it (because it's painful to write) but it will be somewhat frequent as more snippets from the future are revealed. Some of you may be wondering how, even after such a traumatic experience, Harry was still jovial with Ron in their interactions. Their reactions are also part of the mystery and will be revealed at some point.
Do let me know what you think happened to the Adult-Hermione and whether you think she will be back or not.
Review Responses:
cuteasaduck: Thank you, I was definitely going for unique. I really appreciate that you liked the idea and I am looking forward to hear more of your thoughts on my story
GloomingDarkLove: Thank you! You are quite right that she is the brains and without her, there is a chance of trouble, but food for thought: won't the smartest witch try to rectify whatever happened so that she could come back to 1993?
Smithback: Thank you
katherineee: This made me smile. I hope your excitement persists!
Also, special thanks to Baboy Ako, Ghosts140296, GloomingDarkLove, KariBookworm, Septimus Heap, buford12, cjunk921118, dante784, emijade, fantasylover17, fragglegoddess, ihatesandhmm, jrenglund, jwloubser55 & swadoo for following "Here We Go Again"
(Some dialogue is taken from Harry Potter & the prisoner of Azkaban)
See ya guys later, follow and review please.
