God Save The Children

by tweety-src-clt9

Long ago, magic's purest form is elemental bending. As the years pass, wand magic causes its eradication. Hermione Granger-Weasley mysteriously dies at fifty due to a conspiracy plaguing her entire life. In the in-between, she meets Aang and discovers her true destiny is way beyond being Minister. She prepares to go back in time to make things right but Harry changes her plans.

4. Chapter 4

A/N: Welcome back to God Save The Children.

Hi! How are ya?

So I only have this chapter prepared for posting because the next one is pending the final beta seal of approval.

After that, the waiting game gets real.

Y'all have been calling Hermione badass here and I'm so happy! HAHA.
She IS badass here. I guess this fic truly is in time for women's month.

I've been getting PMs and questions about this story and I'm like, "Oh shucks! I can't answer all of it without spoilers."

So... Here you go.

Chapters 6 - 8 (or maybe an additional 2 more, I don't know) are still in the works. It's in my head but my fingers don't want to type for God Save The Children. I've started writing this in January this year so it makes sense that my other WIPs are jealous. My other fics want more love so I might focus on them for a bit. Who knows? I follow where my muse takes me.

Enough said. ENJOY!

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GOD SAVE THE CHILDREN

by: tweety-src-clt9

CHAPTER FOUR: In Power, Greed Only Harms

With all the people who witnessed Avatar Hermione's most powerful display of magic yet, the rumors easily spread throughout magical Britain through the various retellings in the students' letters for their parents. Since rumors spread like wildfire, the very next day the news about what happened during the announcement of champions reached the desk of various officials in the Ministry of Magic.

Susan Bones, the niece of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, wrote a very detailed letter to her aunt containing what had happened on October 31, 1994. Susan told her Aunt Amelia about Professor Dumbledore's unseemly reaction to the betrothal of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She then expounded about Hermione's first display of elemental magic when their headmaster protested about the presence of her goblin guards. After that, the letter skipped to the announcement of the champions with Harry Potter as the unexpected and unwilling fourth. She discussed the reaction of Dumbledore once again, along with the magical oaths from the betrothed couple. When it came to the part where the Potions Professor, Severus Snape, attempted to cast the Killing Curse, Amelia was outraged.

"Bloody hell!" Amelia exclaimed. What the fuck is going on at Hogwarts? Professors attacking students! Headmasters butting in on things he's got no business in!

A few days ago, Amelia Bones received a confidential letter along with some evidence that would prove the innocence of her former subordinate, Auror Sirius Black. The Potter's will and the goblin authenticated memories from Harry Potter and his betrothed just corroborated Sirius' innocence. Upon investigation, the poor man wasn't even granted a trial. He was just thrown into Azkaban and left there to rot without the chance to clear his name.

She knew that she needed to make a reply to young Mr. Potter's request soon but she wanted to know more details as to why Sirius, as the apparent Lord Black, a prominent figure in their society wasn't granted a trial. Even that vile bitch, Bellatrix Lestrange got a trial and everyone knew she's guilty! She already met with Director Ragnok yesterday in a secret meeting wherein they talked about the potential angles to all that had happened in Harry Potter's life.

Both of them had only one conclusion. Someone wanted Mr. Potter isolated and uncared for. Knowing Sirius, the fun-loving wizard would've spoilt his godson rotten. So, the only way to isolate the Boy Who Lived was to separate him from his supposed legal guardian.

There was only one person who'd have a motive for doing all this – Albus Dumbledore. Who else could it be? After all, the old wizard was the de facto magical guardian of Harry Potter.

It was time to bring all her findings to Minister Fudge. She only hoped that he was sober today. Cornelius Fudge used to be a very credible and just leader in his youth. In fact, she had admired the wizard. Now though, he seemed to be operating like he had two personalities. On one side, he was the same Cornelius she looked up to. And then there was the darker side of him, the one that was easily manipulated by Lucius Malfoy, Dolores Umbridge, and Albus Dumbledore. While his two-fold personality was odd, she reckoned it was just being enamored by power that caused it. With so many things happening at Hogwarts, she could only hope that it's the good Cornelius she would be facing today.

With the Head of Slytherin no longer a wizard and held in custody by the goblins for attempting to cast the killing curse on the ward of the Chief of the Goblin Nation, the minister should have a clear head today. If not, then they might just face another goblin rebellion. Per her niece's letter, Hermione Granger, the betrothed of the Boy Who Lived, was a formidable witch that should never be taken lightly. Along with the recent evidence she had received and perused, it seemed that she would have to file a vote of no confidence against Albus Dumbledore, a wizard supposed to be as great as Merlin himself. What a long day ahead, she sighed as she left her office to visit the minister.

oOOOOo

"My dear Amelia, what can I do for you this fine morning?" Cornelius Fudge greeted the Head of the DMLE.

"Good morning, minister. Do you have an hour at the very least? I have something very important to tell you." Amelia Bones said in a no-nonsense voice.

"Of course, Amelia. Please have a seat." Cornelius pointed to the empty chairs.

"Thank you, minister – "

"Cornelius, please."

"Cornelius, do you mind if we cast privacy charms? The topic at hand is very controversial but it involves high-profile people…"

"Of course, my dear. Please wait a second." The minister removed the ward stone of his office from one of the drawers. Tracing his wand on the privacy rune, the Office of the Minister for Magic was now impenetrable.

"Thank you, Cornelius… First of all, can I borrow a pensieve? I have a memory here, authenticated by the Goblin Chief, along with some other legal documents… Evidence for a case of injustice that I feel we must rectify." Amelia explained calmly. She was observing the minister and she felt that he seemed to be his normal self, the good Cornelius.

"I suppose we should watch the memories first before I ask any questions." Cornelius flicked his wand to summon a pensieve and set it on his desk. Amelia carefully removed the vial of memories from her robes and dropped it on the runic bowl. As the memory swirled inside, she gestured for the minister to check the memories for himself.

"Aren't you going in, Amelia?"

"I've already viewed them, Cornelius."

"Alright… Please sit down as I dive into this memory. I hope you're ready to answer my questions." Cornelius said before dipping his face into the bowl.

oOOOOo

"Amelia… Is all of this true?" Cornelius Fudge was dumbfounded as he slowly sat back on his armchair. Everything that he'd seen in the memory would change so many paradigms in the British Wizarding World. He feared that his ministry wouldn't survive it. He noticed something odd though. He couldn't remember ever being at Hogwarts during Mr. Potter's third year.

"Yes, Cornelius. Everything you've seen is all true… I have one question though. Why didn't you tell me that you visited Hogwarts during this fiasco?" Amelia tried to control the accusation in her voice. She was very invested in this case not only because it was brought up by Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. What made this case very important to her was the fact that this could prove Sirius Black's innocence, thereby granting him freedom. If Sirius would be set free, then maybe she could find her happiness with him. Maybe they could pick up where they left off. If not, then at least her dear friend (and the man she once loved) could finally leave the horror that was Azkaban.

"I – I don't know, Amelia. Honest! I don't even remember ever going to Hogwarts at that time to have Black kissed. Everything is all hazy now." The minister massaged his temple.

Amelia noticed the tired and stressed demeanor on Cornelius' face when she saw him pull out a box from one of the drawers. She waited to see what was inside the shiny round metal box. The minister was about to pop a yellow-colored candy into his mouth so she decided to satisfy her curiosity, "Cornelius what is that?"

"Oh! These are lemon drops. Albus sends me a box every week. It's so kind of him really since these candies keep me calm and energized." Cornelius said happily.

"Do you mind if I conduct some diagnostic spells on it? Just to confirm its components." Amelia offered.

"Amelia! Do you honestly think that the Chief Warlock will give me something shady?" He gave her an incredulous look.

"Well do you even know what these candies are made of?" she challenged.

"Well, no… Not really. Oh, alright then! Go do the test." The minister acquiesced.

Amelia pulled the box closer to her side of the desk and she conducted basic diagnostic tests on it. After a minute, the results were in as the lemon drops flashed in various colors that meant something hazardous had been added to them.

"Cornelius, I propose that you see a goblin healer now. Those lemon drops are dosed with some sort of loyalty potion along with many other mind control formulas that I can't name… Please, Cornelius, you must see a healer now." Amelia pleaded with her boss. Now she understood the twisted personality the minister displayed during various encounters.

"I trust you, Amelia. But what should we do about all this? How could we incriminate Albus? He's everyone's hero, well aside from the Boy Who Lived that is." The minister sighed in defeat.

"I'm gathering evidence to have the Chief Warlock removed from the Wizengamot at the very least… It seems to me that he's been meddling in the affairs of one Harry Potter and even that of Sirius Black."

"Alright, Amelia. Lead the way." Cornelius Fudge stood from his seat and exited his office. Giving last-minute instructions to his personal assistant, he left the ministry feeling anxious about the result of his tests.

oOOOOo

Just like the rest of Wizarding Britain had contacts with the students at Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge had also heard of the rumors of an uppity mudblood who was betrothed to the half-blood Boy Who Lived. It was even said that the mudblood had managed to remove the Head of Slytherin's magic. To Dolores, that was unacceptable! A mudblood removing her professor's magic! That's uncalled for. She wanted to have the mudblood executed on sight along with her filthy muggle parents but her hands were tied. The mudblood was a ward of the Goblin Nation. As a pureblood, she knew that one should never mess with the goblins, especially their barbaric chief, Ragnok.

Dolores needed a plan. She needed to remove this mudblood's taint from Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world. While she would never believe that a mudblood was capable of that level of power, this Hermione Granger was still a threat that should be eliminated immediately.

So, with a determined stride and her chin held high, she walked towards the Office of the Minister. To her utter disappointment, Cornelius had already left the ministry with the headstrong and incorruptible Amelia Bones.

I guess I should check with Lucius then… He has young Draco at Hogwarts. That way, I can get more information about this mudblood and determine if the rumors of her extraordinary powers are indeed true. Dolores walked back to her office thinking of possible plans to take down the mudblood filth and wrote a letter to Lucius Malfoy.

oOOOOo

After all that had happened last night, Hermione Granger wasn't able to sleep. As soon as Snape collapsed on his feet, her goblin guards had handcuffed him so he could be taken to a goblin prison. Since Snape attempted to cast a killing curse on their ward, goblin law superseded the Ministry's.

Of course, the headmaster tried to intervene and argue Snape's case but her goblin guards were adamant. She and Harry were escorted out of Hogwarts after the entire fiasco. With everything that happened, she was thankful that her guards were so concerned for her well-being. She needed time to be away from Hogwarts so she could think.

Removing Snape's magic using energy bending was one of the special abilities she had learned during her first immersion in the Avatar State. Energy bending was the origin of magic.

Long ago, when the world was divided into four large bodies of land each controlled by a Lion Turtle, a large animal that had rich soil on its back, these magical creatures had the ability to select citizens that would be gifted by the power of bending an element. These citizens who were blessed by the Lion Turtles were the first witches and wizards. When the spirit of Vaatu was creating mayhem all over the world, Wan sought the favor of the spirits and the four Lion Turtles so that he would be gifted with the power to bend fire, air, water, and earth. Because he was deemed worthy, Wan became the first Avatar, the only one who could bend all the elements which were only strengthened when Raava's spirit merged with him.

As humans became greedier and greedier, the spirits were disappointed with the race they selected to bless. When the spirits returned to their own world, the spirits of the Lion Turtles left as well. Thus, the landscape of the Earth changed through time to the world we now live in.

It was only the spirit of Raava that remained on Earth because of the Avatar incarnations. Raava chose to stay with the Avatar because the spirit of Vaatu was locked somewhere on Earth. To prevent his escape, the spirit of light and peace stayed with her truest friend, the Avatar.

As the years passed when the spirits left the Earth, bending no longer came from the Lion Turtles. Instead, it got passed on randomly either from parental heritage or a random blessing nobody knew. Since elemental wandless magic – bending – took so many years to master, a group of magicals decided to try creating a focus item. Something they could use to channel their magic on. Thus, the first wand was created.

With a wand, what seemed like impossible to do, now became possible and accessible for all benders. A fire bender could now conjure water. A water bender could now make flames. And so, all benders forgot the origin of magic. Nobody opted to master their inborn elemental affinity but instead, focused their efforts in pursuit of wand magic. Only the Avatar continued with the practice of elemental bending.

Severus Snape was the first person in so many years to have his magic removed through energy bending. It was a great risk to Hermione because one who performed energy bending could be corrupted by the person they sought to remove abilities from. Since it was her first attempt ever, she was scared. With the help of all the incarnations of the Avatar though, she was able to conquer Snape's magic and successfully convert him into a muggle.

Hermione sighed as she thought about all that had happened recently. After a quick meeting with Director Ragnok, she and Harry were then escorted to her home in Crawley. Seeing her parents again, after all these years, was the only bright spot of all the events that happened last night…

oOOOOo

"Avatar Hermione, Mr. Potter, please hold on to this rope so that we can all arrive at your parents' backyard in Crawley." Riptooth handed them a rope.

"We're going to see my parents?" She was so excited.

"Yes. The Director believes you should spend the evening or even a few more days with your parents. We will be escorting you of course. Just to make sure you'll be alright. The wards will have to be adjusted so that it's keyed to you, we have it keyed to a goblin guard for now." Sharpfang explained.

"There is a goblin guard on my parents' home?" Hermione was shocked.

"Yes, Avatar Hermione."

"Wow! Thank you so much, Riptooth, Sharpfang. You don't know how much that means to me."

"It is our honor." Sharpfang and Riptooth chorused with a respectful bow that Hermione and Harry eagerly returned.

"Everyone grab on tight. We'll be portkeying now." And with that, they were on their way.

As soon as they landed in the Grangers backyard, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and ran to the back door. Knocking frantically while calling out for her parents, Emma and Dan Granger hurried to answer the call.

"Hermione? Darling! What are you doing here?" Emma had a big grin on her face as she hugged her daughter.

"I miss you, mum." Hermione savored the feeling of being in her mother's arms again. After that, she hugged her father tightly as well. As the reunited Grangers composed themselves, Hermione remembered they had company.

"Mum, Dad, let me introduce to you, Harry James Potter, my betrothed – "

"Your what?!" Dan exclaimed.

"Daddy! Please calm down. We will be explaining everything."

"Fine! I'll listen first before I blow up," her father said grumpily.

Clearing his throat, Harry said, "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I'm Harry Potter." He extended his hand and Emma shook it first followed by Dan.

"Mum, Dad, these are my honor guards. Sharpfang and Riptooth. They keep me safe," Hermione turned to their companions. The goblin guards respectfully bowed to the Granger parents.

"Hello, sirs! You must be thirsty. Please come inside," Emma beckoned the goblins inside.

"Yes, please do. It is a pleasure to have you here. Do tell us if you need anything. It's the least we could do for all that you're doing for our daughter." Dan seconded.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. – "

"Please call us Emma and Dan. You too, Harry." Emma smiled at her daughter's boyfriend.

Everyone stepped inside the house and Emma led them to the living room. Harry and Hermione sat beside each other while the goblins insisted that they stand guard on each side. Emma was about to stand so she could make tea when Dobby popped in. The Granger parents yelped in surprise.

"Dobby is sorry, Mister and Missus Grangy. Dobby just wants to make tea for Harry Potter and his Grangies and his Grangy's goblin guards." Dobby bowed.

"Oh… Um, of course. Do you need any help in the kitchen?" Emma asked.

"No, Missus Grangy! Dobby be knowing what to do! Dobby is a good house-elf!" Dobby said with pride.

"Thank you for all your help, Dobby." Hermione grinned.

"You're the best, Dobby." Harry agreed. Dobby was so pleased with being praised that he bounced to the kitchen.

"He's so cute and friendly," Emma gushed.

"So, Hermione, would you care to explain about your betrothal? When the goblin warders came to our house on Monday morning, we were surprised at the offer but we gratefully accepted the protection. They didn't tell us about any attachment between you and Harry though… Also, aren't you too young to enter into such an engagement? And more importantly, I – I mean we, haven't even scrutinized this young man yet." Dan said in all seriousness.

"Daddy! Be nice," Hermione pouted.

"Well? Harry, do you want to say something?" Dan prodded.

"Sir, I love your daughter. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. She's my best friend. She's my voice of reason. And I would never deliberately do anything that could hurt her… I might do stupid things, like forget to put down the toilet seat and those kinds of things, but I promise to always love her. I will always be there for her. I will support her, take care of her, all the days of my life… I know I'm not worthy of her, I think no one else could ever be really, because she's brilliant and kind and beautiful and a million other things… But I need her in my life, sir. And she's silly enough to accept me in hers. I guess what I'm really trying to say is, there's no one else for me but her. I hope you will give us your blessing." Harry's emotional speech made the Granger women teary-eyed.

"That's a good answer, son. Welcome to the family," Dan gave Harry a sincere smile.

Hermione squealed as she stood up and tackled her father in a warm hug. "In as much as it pains me to accept this, princess, I could not have parted with you to anyone else as worthy." Dan was teary-eyed as his daughter released him.

"Oh my! Hermione! Your ring is gorgeous!" Emma exclaimed as she saw the ring on her daughter's finger.

"Harry's grandmother was the last person who wore this ring. It's a family heirloom." Hermione smiled as she held out her hand so that her mother could see it better.

"Well… Your grandfather has excellent taste in rings, Harry." Emma remarked.

"Oh, er, I'm not sure of its origin but my grandmother was the last wearer," Harry replied.

"Why don't you go sit beside Harry, darling, and you explain to us the real reason why you now have goblin guards, our house is warded, and for your sudden betrothal." Emma gestured to the space beside Harry.

Dobby popped in again with some tea and biscuits. He was about to pop away when Harry stopped him. "Dobby, we want you to join us. You're part of the family now."

"Thank you, Harry." A happy Dobby squatted on the floor.

"Why don't you sit on the couch, Dobby?" Hermione pointed to the empty armchair.

"That's too much for Dobby, Miss," Dobby said shyly so he conjured a seat for himself.

"So? Darling, tell us all that we should know?" With that question, Harry and Hermione explained the reason for their betrothal, the potions, and the reason why the goblins took her in as their ward. It was a long discussion but at least the Granger parents now understood the important details.

oOOOOo

Hermione checked the time and she noticed it was still too early. It was just five in the morning. She had spent five hours meditating after the long conversation they had with her parents. While entering the Avatar State, she met Avatar Nezral, the last incarnation before her. Nezral was a natural earth bender who served as the Avatar from May 9, 1865, until his death on September 19, 1979. During their discussion, he told her about what to expect as she fulfilled her duties in a world where wand magic was the most popular medium of expressing one's powers.

Because of their discussion, Hermione realized that if she desired to pursue a career in politics once again, it would be an inefficient use of her Avatar powers. So, she could not become the Minister for Magic this time around. Instead, she was determined to follow Avatar Aang's example after he ended the Hundred Years War. Aang built a community of Airbenders so that the practice of the ancient art would flourish once again. With this idea, she planned to emulate Aang's legacy but instead of just building a community for Airbenders, she planned to teach the ancient ways of fire bending, air bending, water bending, and earth bending so that the original form of magic could be widely established once again.

With that vision in mind, Hermione Granger promised that this time around she would be an educator. She already spent her first life as a politician anyway. Proud as she may be of her legacy in the past, she believed that as the Avatar, she must restore the ancient practice of magic – bending.

Remember Aang's last words, Hermione. God save the children, she thought. With that inspiration, along with the drive to prevent the birth of Rose Granger-Weasley this time around, she went downstairs so she could practice her bending techniques.

Thank Merlin for the goblin wards, she thought as she started her breathing exercises. As a natural Firebender, the rising of the sun made her more powerful. Thinking about this, she realized that it's the reason why she had always been a morning person.

oOOOOo

Harry Potter woke up in a comfy bed and an unfamiliar room. Right! I'm at Hermione's parents' house. Even from this side of the bed, he could hear noise from his window. So, he groggily got out of bed to check it out.

He gasped when he saw Hermione practicing her elemental bending. He had never seen her do this before, she was producing lightning! She was doing an exercise that alternately produced blue flames and lightning. Merlin! What other powers does the Avatar possess?

He hurriedly went to the ensuite bathroom so he could brush his teeth and freshen up. Since he was determined to learn about air bending, he decided to join his fiancée as she trained.

Because Hermione was so focused on her training, she didn't notice his presence. Harry respectfully bowed to the goblin guards watching their ward from a distance. Riptooth and Sharpfang returned his gesture.

Hermione was doing the Dancing Dragon now as scorching hot flames blaze from her hands and limbs with every agile move she made. He was familiar with this one since he could remember her doing this with Aang in the in-between. He eagerly waited for the last part – her roaring with fire. When that happened, they heard a startled scream.

Quick as a flash, Harry immediately had his wand at the ready and looked for the imminent threat. To his surprise, it was just Emma and Dan watching their daughter train.

"Mum? Dad? Is everything alright?" Hermione asked with worry after she hurriedly vanished the flames.

"We're sorry to disturb you, darling. We're just surprised that's all. That was amazing! And so scary! You know that we've never seen you do magic before so seeing you roaring with fire, that's just – "

"I'm sorry, mum, dad. I guess I never thought of it that way. I'm sorry for waking you all up, you too Harry." Hermione said sheepishly.

"Good morning, Hermione." Harry leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "Good morning Emma, Dan," he greeted her parents politely.

"Good morning, Harry, Riptooth, Sharpfang," Emma said. The goblins bowed to her before putting on their warrior face again.

"So… Could you do that too, Harry?" Dan was curious.

"Oh no, sir! It's only Hermione who could do that… And magicals with affinity to fire bending of course, but as of now, she's the only person in the world who could do that." He said with pride and his fiancée blushed.

"Well, this is a shock since we've never seen you do magic anymore, darling… Although, now that I've seen you breathe fire, I do remember you setting veggies on fire as a little girl." Emma chuckled.

"Avatar Hermione, I would be so honored if you would take me in as your apprentice while I learn the ancient art of air bending," Harry said gallantly but there was a cheeky grin on his face.

"Of course, you goofball!" Hermione pinched his cheek.

"Thank you." Harry grinned.

"Could you give us a summary of all your powers, sweetie? That way we won't yelp in surprise when we see you do it." Dan said pensively.

"Oh… Er, okay… Maybe you should sit over there…" Hermione pointed to a bench. Harry joined the Grangers as they waited for the show.

"Okay… So, you've already seen fire bending," Hermione grinned and they nodded. "Fire benders can master two other special skills, we have bending and redirecting lightning. I can show you how to bend lightning but as for redirecting it, I can't since it's just a defensive skill. Basically, if I get hit by lightning, I can contain it and have it focused on something else so I won't get hurt… Er, any questions?"

"Can you show us?" Dan was very excited.

Hermione stretched her right hand and moved it in a circular motion before she pushed it forward, causing a small lightning bolt to form on her fingers. She pointed her fingers on the grass and the lightning bolt created a small hole in the soil.

"Okay so apparently my daughter is like Zeus," Emma remarked.

"Mum!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Sorry, please continue…"

"This is water bending," she waved her hand in a slow gliding motion and the pool water rose higher. When she lowered her hand, the water immediately went still. "Water benders could also be gifted with healing abilities."

"Now for earth bending, it looks like this." She kicked her foot and made a pulling motion with both hands and the hole she created from the lightning bolt was immediately covered in new soil. "A variation of earth bending is sand bending and metal bending, both techniques are harder to master," she added.

"The last one is air bending. Harry can learn this too because he has an affinity for it." Hermione then demonstrated through an air scooter as she moved in circles on the grass.

"That is so amazing!" Dan and Emma chorused.

"Air benders can also fly with the use of a glider. I have to find time to – "

"Air benders could bloody fly and you didn't tell me?" Harry was bouncing with excitement and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, love. What with all the excitement, I forgot to tell you this tiny little detail." She snorted.

"Sorry," Harry blushed but then he pouted, "you will make me a glider too, right?"

"Of course," she smiled.

"This is weird, a good kind of weird, but still weird… My daughter has superhero powers!" Dan was gobsmacked.

"Not a superhero, Dan… She's more like a spirit goddess," Harry grinned with pride.

"Any more powers that we should know of darling?" Emma asked gently.

"Er, there is blood bending and energy bending, but I – I don't want to talk about it," Hermione muttered.

"We understand, darling… You kids be careful while you train, alright? I'll go cook – " Emma was interrupted by a loud pop.

"Dobby be already making breakfast, Mrs. Grangy mum!" Dobby announced with excitement.

"Thank you, Dobby!" The Grangers and Harry chorused, making the house-elf puff out his little chest in pride. When Dobby popped away to continue making breakfast, Dan and Emma grinned. They could get used to all of this.

"So… What should I learn first?" Harry stood from his seat and approached Hermione.

"Let's start with meditation… Since air benders are very calm people who are well-versed in defensive magic, I reckon we should start with that. Is that okay?" Hermione seemed slightly apprehensive and Harry understood. He could be rather impatient sometimes.

"Whatever you say, darling." He winked at her and she shook her head in fond exasperation. Hermione then proceeded to teach him some meditative poses and the hand gesture for making a gust of wind.

oOOOOo

Cornelius Fudge and Amelia Bones had a very long day. As soon as they arrived at Gringotts and sought sanctuary with the goblin healers, all the revelations from his health scans had the Minister of Magic gobsmacked. It turned out that Cornelius' failing mental health condition was worsened by the lemon drops his 'dear friend' Albus had been supplying him. He now had to take a special variant of flushing potions three times a day for the entire week. Also, what only used to be chronic stress due to the pressure of being the minister had already developed into something worse because of his dependency on the potion-dosed candies.

The meeting they had with the Director of the Goblin Nation truly shocked the minister at the manipulations that their beloved hero, Harry Potter, had endured. Also, the lack of a trial for Sirius Black, an heir to an Ancient and Noble House was indeed very troublesome. The fact that Albus had gone to extreme lengths to conceal what happened during Harry's third year was also very alarming.

They also learned important facts about Hermione Granger, the ward of the Chief of the Goblin Nation. Since Ms. Granger was a very special witch with her elemental powers (aside from the fact that she's the betrothed of the Boy Who Lived), she must be protected as well. It seemed that Albus had an unhealthy interest in the extraordinary muggleborn witch too.

So, despite how tired they both were from all the revelations, they decided to visit the Granger house so they could talk to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. It was very important for them to try and fix the mess that Albus Dumbledore had created.

oOOOOo

Amelia Bones and Cornelius Fudge already knew that the Granger home in Crawley was protected by the strongest goblin wards per Director Ragnok's information. They were thankful that the Goblin Chief was kind enough to provide them a portkey. Still, the portkey took them a couple of blocks away from the Grangers home.

As soon as they landed in the hidden alley, one goblin guard suddenly appeared.

"Are you Minister Fudge and Madam Bones?" The goblin said gruffly.

"Yes, sir," Amelia replied.

"Take my hand. I'll take you inside the Grangers' wards. This is the only way for a witch or wizard to be able to enter Avatar Hermione's home. Her house has the most secure wards that Gringotts has ever built. All the best for the living incarnation of the spirit of magic." The goblin said with pride.

"Thank you, sir," Cornelius said as they each held a strong calloused hand. With a quiet pop, they disappeared.

oOOOOo

Cornelius and Amelia landed in front of a beautiful home. They were quiet as they glanced over the surroundings. There were two things they noticed. One, the Grangers were clearly well-off. Two, this family was a close-knit one because their house emitted a feeling of warmth and comfort. Both Amelia and Cornelius thought that Harry Potter was in good hands for choosing to be a part of the Granger family.

The goblin knocked three times before the door was opened. To their surprise, it was a house-elf that answered the door.

"Good evening Madam Bonesy, Minister Fudgey. Mr. Harry Potter and his Ms. Grangy be waiting for you inside. Ms. Grangy's parents also be waiting for you." The excitable house-elf greeted them.

"Thank you." They chorused.

"Follow me, please." The house-elf said and they were led to a family room that had two large bookshelves filled to the brim.

The goblin who fetched them immediately walked towards the other end of the couch where four people sat. Another goblin guard was standing on the opposite end.

"Good evening, Minister Fudge, Madam Bones." Harry greeted formally; his arm was protectively wrapped around his betrothed's shoulder.

"Good evening Minister, Director," Hermione said.

"Hello, Sir, Ma'am. Welcome to our home. Please take a seat." The older version of Harry Potter's betrothed gestured to the armchairs across from the couch they occupied.

"Thank you." Amelia was the first to recover and Fudge nodded. He was still astounded with all the revelations he learned today. When they each sat on an armchair, the house-elf popped in with tea and biscuits he placed on the center table.

"Thanks, Dobby." The family chorused with a smile. The house-elf was about to pop away when Hermione said, "family rules, Dobby."

"Of course, Ms. Grangy," the house-elf conjured a stool for himself and he sat beside his family.

"So… What can we do for you, Minister, Madam Director?" Harry asked.

"Mr. Potter – " Amelia started to say but was interrupted by the raven-haired wizard.

"Please call me, Harry, Madam Bones… Oh, where are my manners! It's my pleasure to introduce my betrothed, Hermione Granger. And these are her parents, Dan and Emma."

"Nice to meet you all, thank you for letting us disturb your evening… We've heard that you've been through a lot yesterday. Especially you two." The minister finally managed to have his brain cells working.

"Oh, yes… Luckily though, the goblins were quick to support us. May I introduce my goblin friends, the warriors who protect me, Sharpfang and Riptooth." Hermione introduced with a kind smile to her guards. The goblins only bowed at the guests.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, we have two things that we wish to discuss… One, about Sirius Black. Two, about you, Ms. Granger. We are curious about your extraordinary powers not because we want to hurt you, but we want to help in protecting you," Minister Fudge explained.

"Please call us Harry and Hermione, sir," Hermione said and Harry nodded.

"Harry, I received your evidence regarding Sirius. I've also talked to Director Ragnok about it. Also, I have already shown all the evidence to the Minister and we discovered some anomalies… It seems that he was obliviated. Cornelius doesn't remember his visit to Hogwarts during the incident of Sirius' near kiss from a Dementor. So, we went to Gringotts to have him checked and it turns out, aside from the obliviation, Dumbledore has been feeding him lemon drops dosed with potions that weaken his resolve against manipulations… Anyway, long story short, we have a big case here. And that's just the icing on the cake… So, we want to know, do you have any means to contact Sirius? We are willing to offer him sanctuary." Amelia expounded.

"Dobby, do you – "

"Dobby can be popping to Harry Potter's dogfather! Dobby be going now!" With a snap of his fingers, the house-elf disappeared.

"I love house-elves! Are they all like that?" Emma asked.

"Dobby is extra special, mum. He's the best house-elf ever."

"I agree, darling… I agree." Harry pulled Hermione closer to him.

oOOOOo

Meanwhile, Dolores Umbridge was at the private study of Lucius Malfoy toasting their impending success. Per Lucius' insider information, the mudblood and Harry Potter left Hogwarts after she allegedly took away the Potions Professor's magic. The couple was expected to stay at the mudblood's parents' home in Crawley.

With Dolores' high-ranking position in the ministry and Lucius' palm-greasing galleons, they easily obtained the address of Hermione Granger.

The plan was simple. Send the dementors to attack the mudblood's home late at night when their entire family would be asleep. All of the occupants in the house full of filth would be kissed by the dementors. Problem solved.

Dolores and Lucius glanced at the grandfather clock. Seeing the time, they had sinister grins on their faces. In less than two hours, Hermione Granger, her muggle filth parents, and Harry Potter would be empty soul-less husks.

Purebloods will always be in power, Dolores thought with a smug sense of entitlement.

Money is the real power; Lucius Malfoy couldn't wait to read the headline tomorrow that would announce the tragic fate of the Boy Who Lived and his pet mudblood.

oOOOOo

"Who are you?" Sirius Black pointed his smuggled wand at the house-elf that appeared in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Harry Potter's dogfather! I is Dobby, Harry Potter, and his Ms. Grangy's house-elf! I be fetching Harry Potter's dogfather! Harry Potter be needing his dogfather!" Dobby explained.

"Oh… Can you wait a sec? I'll call Remus. He's friends with Harry too," Sirius said.

"Dobby be knowing Professor Wolfie! Dobby be taking you both!" Dobby nodded eagerly.

"Moony! Get your hairy arse in here!" Sirius called out.

"Shut up, Padfoot! What the hell?!" Remus exclaimed as he saw the house-elf.

"Do – Dobby?" Remus asked.

"Hello, Professor Wolfie!" Dobby greeted happily and Sirius laughed.

"Har-har! Very funny, Padfoot," Remus huffed.

"Moony, Dobby over here is Harry and Hermione's house-elf. He says that Harry needs us – "

"Harry and Hermione? As in like, together?" Remus confirmed.

"Harry Potter sir and Ms. Grangy be mates now!" Dobby clapped his hands.

"Alright! Way to go, pup!" Sirius said with pride.

"Can you take both of us to see them, Dobby?" Remus inquired gently.

"Yes, Professor Wolfie! When Dobby bonded with Harry Potter, sir, Dobby be more powerful. Harry Potter be powerful wizard but his Ms. Grangy is goddess of magic!" Dobby grinned. The marauders chuckled at that. Harry already knew that to have a happy relationship, you must always let your witch get whatever it was that she wanted. That's how they interpreted Dobby's statement anyway.

"Well, Moony? Are you ready to go?" Sirius asked. When Remus nodded, he turned to Dobby, "we're ready to see Harry and Hermione, Dobby."

"Dogfather and Professor Wolfie take Dobby's hand," the house-elf held out his skinny hand and the Marauders grabbed hold.

oOOOOo

Sirius was horrified when he saw the Minister for Magic sitting in an armchair. When he saw Amelia Bones, the love of his life, he was gobsmacked. Despite the elation he felt upon seeing her again, he was anxious.

"Harry? What the hell is going on?" Sirius asked.

Before Harry could answer, it was Amelia who replied. "Sirius, the Minister for Magic can give you an immediate pardon should you prove your innocence tonight through veritaserum."

"Amy – is that – is that even possible?" He was hopeful but there was still disbelief lingering on his mind.

"Please, Sirius… Trust me." The longing look on Amelia's face wasn't lost on anyone.

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. They never knew that Sirius and Amelia Bones had a history together. With the way they were looking at each other, the betrothed couple could immediately tell that Sirius and Amelia had a very strong connection.

Sirius sighed. After all these years, Amy Bones still had his heart. "I have always trusted you, Amy…"

"Open your mouth, Sirius." Amelia walked closer to the fugitive wizard and removed the cork on the vial of veritaserum on her purse. She was about to dose him with droplets when they all suddenly felt cold and lonely.

"Shit! Dementors!" Harry exclaimed. He was about to cast a Patronus when Hermione stopped him.

"I'll handle this, Harry." She gently swatted his hand away.

Hermione headed outside trailed by the curious group to find three Dementors.

Everyone gasped in surprise when Hermione levitated in the air with her eyes glowing an eerie shade of white. Her hair was rippling with magical energy and she was surrounded by a ball of wind, rocks, fire, and water.

"The incarnation of Raava commands the broken spirit of Koh the Face Stealer to speak!" Hermione's voice was the unified chorus of all the past avatars.

To everyone's surprise, the dementors bowed down to the Avatar. Sirius and Remus muttered an expletive since this was something they had never expected to see. While Cornelius and Amelia had already been informed by Director Ragnok of the extraordinary powers of Hermione Granger, they were still slack-jawed at the sight before them.

Emma and Dan thought that seeing their daughter roar fire and produce lightning was the pinnacle of her power. But this! This was entirely beyond anything they could ever imagine. They now understood why Harry called their daughter a spirit goddess.

All magicals present in the room were shocked to hear the combined voices of the dementors. This was the first time ever that a dementor's voice could be heard and understood. The only thing they knew about dementors was that they could take away all of a person's happiness and they could suck out a person's soul.

"My dear Raava, I was tricked many many years ago by a magical mortal. She lured me away from the spirit world promising me the faces of evildoers. Instead, she bound my spirit to the mortal world to have me suck out the souls of her enemies… As time passed, I got broken and broken until all that's left of me is the pieces of my soul that inhabit what these mortals call Dementors. Help me, Mighty Raava! I need to go back to the Spirit World." Koh pleaded. Koh was the once known Face Stealer, a spirit who enjoyed speaking to humans in order to help the deserving and punish the cruel ones by taking away their faces.

"The souls you have taken, where do they go?" Avatar Hermione asked in a stern voice.

"To judgment in the afterlife, Mighty Raava. That is why the soulless bodies wither away in just a few days."

"Have you ever sucked the soul of an innocent?"

"Mighty Raava – "

"Answer me!" Avatar Hermione screamed with venom.

"Yes! But that was many many years ago when I was under the control of that Vile Witch, Morgana Le Fey!" Koh admitted.

"I see… Why haven't you made any effort to return to the spirit world?" The Avatar was much calmer this time.

"We're stuck in Britain. And the previous incarnations of the Avatar weren't from here… Please, Mighty Raava! Relieve me of this burden… I need to go back." Koh's voice was filled with anguish.

"Who sent you to attack this house?"

"The Undersecretary of the British Minister for Magic, Dolores Umbridge."

"How many dementors are in existence?"

"There are around five hundred broken pieces of me, Mighty Raava."

"Come closer… I will grant your wish to return to the Spirit World. But – I demand you must promise me something!" The Avatar said sternly.

"Anything, Mighty Raava! I'll do anything!"

"You are never to talk to any mortal again. You are never to intervene and to make any punishments. You shall never steal any face again!" The Avatar demanded.

"I – I promise, Mighty Raava. Your wish is my command." All broken pieces of Koh moved closer to the Avatar and kneeled.

Avatar Hermione lowered her hands and touched the hood of the three dementors. When she lowered all three hoods, she called forth the other broken pieces of Koh the Face Stealer's spirit. The elemental ball surrounding Hermione now enveloped the three dementors kneeling in front of her.

The astounded audience shivered in fear as they saw more black-hooded spirits – dementors – appeared. Despite the dementors, they didn't feel cold, lonely, and affected by the darkness. They really couldn't see much since Hermione and the dementors were enveloped in a blinding light and a ball of elements floating around them. They did notice though that the number of dementors lessened and lessened until there seemed to be only one left.

"Koh the Face Stealer, you are to return to the Spirit World. You are to never speak to a mortal. You are to never intervene and make punishments on mortals again. You shall never steal a face again… Do you so swear?" Avatar Hermione proclaimed.

"Yes, Might Raava! I so swear!" The last dementor morphed into an enormous centipede-like creature which made the witnesses gasp in horror and surprise.

"Go, Koh! You are free!"

"Thank you, Mighty Raava… So long, Avatar Hermione…" With that, the dementors were banished forever.

As the elemental ball dissipated, Hermione collapsed due to magical exhaustion.

"Hermione!" Harry Potter ran as fast as he could to his worn-out betrothed.

"Mr. Potter, I think it's best if we bring the Avatar to see a goblin healer. You could all continue your unfinished affairs at Gringotts," Sharpfang suggested. Riptooth handed everyone a long rope that portkeyed them straight into an underground occupied by their best healers.

oOOOOo

As Hermione was being attended to by the best goblin healers, Harry was in a Conference Room with Sirius, Remus, Madam Bones, Minister Fudge, and Director Ragnok. He was worried for Hermione but the healers wanted him out of her room so they could focus. The Grangers were the only people permitted to stay with Hermione. Once he was reassured that his fiancée would be alright, he reluctantly joined the rest of their party.

"I suggest that we bring in a reporter so that the public will be made aware of all that has happened." Ragnok opened the conversation.

"I'll handle that, sir. Rita Skeeter as you know is an ally of ours. She's the one who broke the news of our betrothal after all." Harry offered.

"Please do, Mr. Potter." Ragnok agreed.

"Dobby!" Harry called out.

"Harry Potter sir be calling beetle woman?" Dobby confirmed. Harry and Ragnok, who knew about Rita's animagus form, chuckled at that.

"Yes, Dobby. Please tell her that we have another exclusive for her to write about."

"Right away, Harry Potter, sir." Dobby popped away.

"I always tell the little guy to call me Harry but well, at least he doesn't call me master. Harry Potter sir is a mouthful though." Harry had a fond smile on his face as he thought about Dobby.

"Amelia, maybe you should call on some aurors that you trust the most to arrest Dolores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy," Cornelius turned to the Head of the DMLE.

"Are you sure about Lucius, Cornelius? The dementor only spoke Umbridge's name." In as much as she wanted to finally put the arrogant Malfoy in Azkaban, they didn't have any evidence of his involvement.

"For Dolores to get the address of the Grangers, she sought Lucius help. She needed the galleons to bribe the person who has access to the records. Who else would she go to but Lucius? I am willing to testify to the bribery of Lucius through the years... My motive for accepting is not the money but for him to keep my secret." The Minister for Magic was ashamed of himself.

"What secret, Cornelius?" Amelia asked.

"My mental health problems, the stress, anxiety… They are the reasons why I turned to Albus for help in the first place," Cornelius sighed.

"Oh, Cornelius... You should've opened up about this. To your wife, to your friends, to me..." Amelia sighed.

"I've decided to resign from my position, Amelia. After all the manipulations, I'm afraid I'm no longer capable of the job. I will be issuing a statement through Ms. Skeeter's article… In two weeks, I will be leaving my post. In the meantime, I will be appointing you as the interim Minister. I only hope that once an emergency election takes place, you get to keep the position for good… I will be doing my last act as minister today. I will use my amnesty powers to pardon Sirius Black on the grounds that one, he wasn't given a trial. Two, with veritaserum, we prove his innocence."

"Cornelius! Let's not be too hasty with the resignation!" Amelia was aghast.

"Resigning is the only way to save myself, Amelia. Lucius will bring me down the drain with him. At least I get to leave with my dignity intact… Should you need my help and support, I am always willing to give it. Although, I firmly believe that you will do a better job than I ever did."

"I respect your choice, Cornelius… I hope you will find healing from all that's happened to you." Amelia sighed in acceptance.

"If our goblin friends, under Director Ragnok, will continue to help me then I believe I will make a full recovery and regain my mental faculties one day, my dear."

"Minister Fudge, the Goblin Nation is always willing to lend out a helping hand to people victimized by those who have a hunger for power… I will be sending some goblin warriors to Azkaban for now, to aid the aurors as interim forces to watch over the prisoners. Now that the dementors are banished by Avatar Hermione, that is the first thing you need to do – secure the prisoners so they won't escape." Ragnok offered.

"Thank you Director Ragnok," Cornelius said respectfully.

"With your permission, Director Ragnok, I wish to draw my wand so I can summon my most trusted aurors to capture Umbridge and Malfoy," Amelia requested.

"Do what you must, Madam Bones," Ragnok nodded.

"Expecto Patronum!" Amelia Bones' Patronus, a grim, floated around the conference room. Harry turned to his godfather who looked pretty pleased with the sight of the playful grim. Remus too noticed this and he elbowed his best friend.

"Please go to Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. Tell him to assemble a group of aurors to capture Dolores Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy on the grounds of them attempting to administer a dementor's kiss on the Ward of the Goblin Nation, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, the Granger parents, along with myself, and Minister Fudge. Report to Gringotts in an hour! Only bring people you trust the most." Amelia commanded her Patronus who playfully nuzzled her wand arm before floating away.

"Harry Potter sir, Dobby be bringing beetle woman as requested!" Dobby popped in with Rita Skeeter in tow. The beetle animagus looked angry at being disturbed so late at night but when she noticed the prestigious people in the room, she grinned.

"Hello everyone! Well, Mr. Potter, it seems that you intend to deliver your promise of giving me juicy exclusives," Rita drawled.

"Sit down, Ms. Skeeter! We have a lot of stories for you to write about." Cornelius Fudge ordered.

oOOOOo

The next day, the British Wizarding World woke up to startling news written by Rita Skeeter. It was so shocking that they could hardly believe that everything stated was true. When they read the appendix containing details of the evidence, they were gobsmacked. It's like their world was being spun uncontrollably and things had just gone haywire.

First, Minister Fudge informed everyone about his resignation. In two weeks, he would be an ordinary citizen again and Madam Amelia Bones would take over as interim Minister until the emergency elections could be sorted out. While Cornelius had people who didn't agree with the way he ran the ministry, it was still a shock for them to have him resign like that because of mental health issues that were worsened through manipulations he didn't specify. The darker factions were saddened by this news. Amelia Bones was a formidable bitch. She would never be manipulated to suit their leanings.

Second, Sirius Black, a man despised for many years due to his betrayal of the Potters was granted amnesty – Cornelius' last act as the Minister. Since there was a thorough explanation of the facts along with a verbatim transcript of what had happened during his veritaserum questioning, nobody could disprove this newly established fact.

Third, goblins and aurors would now be guarding Azkaban prison because all the dementors have been banished by Hermione Granger after her home was attacked by the soul-sucking monsters by the order of Dolores Umbridge and her benefactor, Lucius Malfoy. Now, this was a fact that the public could hardly believe to be true. With the pictures of goblins and aurors guarding Azkaban though, they begrudgingly gave credence to the story. The darker factions were heavily affected by this piece of news. Dementors were supposed to be unbeatable. The fact that a mudblood was able to do it was such a bitter pill to swallow.

Fourth, the Head of Slytherin, Professor Severus Snape was now under goblin custody due to his attempted assassination of their ward, Hermione Granger, through the use of the killing curse. When it was expounded that the muggleborn witch removed the professor's magic, everyone who read this news was astounded. How could a muggleborn do all these extraordinary things?

There was a last bit of news that narrated Harry Potter's selection as the fourth champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament despite not having entered himself. This news was easily forgotten because the other exclusives revealed by Rita Skeeter were so much more important.

After devouring all the information they could read from today's paper, the purebloods had one question, 'Who the fuck is Hermione Granger and why is she so powerful?'

oOOOOo

Hermione was asleep for twenty-four hours straight before she awakened and was happily welcomed by her family and friends with relieved smiles. Harry and the rest of their party informed her of what had happened and she was very delighted that Sirius had been freed. With that news, she remembered something.

"Harry, can you lean in closer please?" She called for her betrothed.

"Oooh… Looks like someone's getting snogged," Sirius teased and Harry blushed.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry whispered as he lovingly pushed away strands of hair that covered her face.

"Tell Sirius about Kreacher. The locket, Harry," she whispered back.

"Thank you, darling." Harry kissed her forehead before he resumed his original position by her bedside holding her hand.

"Sirius, we already talked about Voldemort's soul piece in my head in the conference room, right?" Harry started to say. Sirius nodded at that, all playfulness gone. The marauder still blamed himself for all the shit that his godson had faced through the years.

"Well… In Voldemort's memories that I've seen through my visions, there is a young man who looks like you… Someone called Regulus and an old house-elf. I think he knows where another soul piece is hidden, a locket actually. But do you think – "

"I'm on it, Harry! Kreacher! Come here!" Sirius interrupted with tears in his eyes.

A few minutes later, they heard a loud pop. "Filthy blood traitor master is back! What can Kreacher do for filthy blood traitor master?" Kreacher sneered.

"Why you bas – "

"Kreacher, do you know of a locket that has dark magic contained in it?" Hermione interrupted Sirius' angry hiss.

Kreacher gave Hermione an odd look. The witch laying down on the bed was a mudblood, he could tell. But this mudblood had the spirit of magic coursing through her.

"Yes, Miss." Kreacher replied after a minute.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Harry and Hermione chorused.

Kreacher continued to look at Hermione which unnerved the young couple. The house-elf finally asked, "Does Miss know she has the spirit of magic inside her?"

"Er, yes. I do know that, Kreacher." Hermione said awkwardly.

"Kreacher be nice to you Miss because you are nice to Kreacher. Kreacher always respect the Spirit of Magic even if yous a mudblood." Kreacher grinned before popping away to retrieve the locket.

"That slimy old – "

"Sirius! Please be kind to him… Besides, Kreacher is an old elf who's set in the ways of his old masters. He doesn't mean it as a slur. I'm a mudblood, so what? It's true after all. It might be derogatory, but at the end of the day, I'm born of non-magical parents and I'm proud of that!" Hermione said passionately.

"It also helps your confidence knowing that you're the most powerful magical being alive, darling," Harry teased and she snorted.

When Kreacher returned, he was holding the Horcrux and waiting for Hermione's instructions. "Will Miss remove the darkness now, so Kreacher can fulfill his promise to Master Regulus?"

"Please place the locket on the floor, Kreacher. I know someone who can help you fulfill your master's orders… I'm still too tired right now," Hermione smiled kindly.

"Harry, please call Riptooth or Sharpfang for me."

"I'll be right back, darling," Harry squeezed her hand in comfort before he stood from his seat.

Harry returned with both goblin guards who immediately greeted Hermione with a respectful bow. The young witch struggled to sit up in bed but she was able to do it with Harry's help. She returned the gesture by lowering her head and placing her palm across her chest.

"Sharpfang, Riptooth, this is Kreacher. The locket on the floor is another one of Voldemort's soul pieces… Can you be so kind as to bring it to those who know how to remove the taint?" Hermione explained.

"Of course, Avatar Hermione. I will be taking it to our curse breakers right away. Riptooth will stay outside, in case you need anything," Sharpfang held the chain on the locket and with a disgusted face, walked away.

"Oh, Miss! Kreacher be so grateful! Thank you! Thank you!" Kreacher was teary-eyed as he bowed to Hermione.

"It's nothing Kreacher. You are a good elf to the House of Black." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you Kreacher," Harry thanked the house-elf.

"Master Sirius, Kreacher be cleaning the manor now! I be calling once everything ready!" With that, the grumpy old house-elf popped away with an eagerness to serve the House of Black. His honor was restored since Master Regulus was avenged.

"You two – are just so bloody amazing!" Sirius exclaimed.

Hermione noticed Tonks standing in a corner as she surreptitiously stole glances at Remus. Sensing her gaze, Tonks looked at Hermione.

"Wotcher, Ms. Granger! My name is Tonks. I'm your parents' auror guard. Since Sirius, my cousin, and his friend, Remus, will be living with your parents for a while, I'm tasked by the Minister and Madam Bones to keep them safe." Tonks introduced herself.

"Oh. Hello, Auror Tonks!" Hermione had a bright smile on her face since she missed the vivacious metamorphmagus.

"You better rest, Ms. Gra – "

"Please call me, Hermione," Hermione grinned.

"Right! You better rest, Hermione. I'm told that you'll be back to Hogwarts in two days. Merlin knows you need to rest after all the shit you've been through," Tonks's hair changed colors to show her emotions.

"I'm happy you're free now, Sirius. And I'm so glad that everyone's alright... Uniting the dementors' broken soul pieces to free Koh the Face Stealer was so tiresome…" Hermione yawned.

"Sleep, darling. Everything is fine now," Emma lovingly tucked her daughter in. The heroine of the hour needed to rest.

oOOOOo

Hermione held Harry's hand as they walked towards the Hogwarts' main gate. Standing on each side of the couple was Sharpfang and Riptooth, their eyes ever ready to scout for any threat to their ward. Walking behind the couple was Madam Amelia Bones, Minister Fudge, five aurors, and a squad of goblins tasked to remove the basilisk carcass from Hogwarts.

Despite Harry's support, along with everyone else who believed in them, Hermione couldn't help feeling nervous. She had displayed quite the extraordinary feats of magic recently and she was frightened about the reactions of their peers. She reckoned that it could only go two ways. Either they fear her or they would now be clamoring to secure her favor because she was very powerful. Hermione felt Harry squeezing her hand reassuringly and she glanced at him.

"I'm here, darling. You're not alone," Harry whispered.

Hermione smiled as she mouthed, 'I love you' in reply.

Before entering the Great Hall, Hermione took a deep calming breath. When she nodded to Riptooth and Sharpfang, they opened the doors so they could enter. Madam Bones had been in contact with Professor McGonagall so they were at least reassured that Dumbledore wouldn't be present during the harvest of the carcass.

Due to Rita Skeeter's articles, the International Confederation of Wizards had filed a motion to have Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore removed as Supreme Mugwump, so he was away for a few days in a desperate attempt to hold on to his position.

Despite that, the stares and whispers from the students almost made Hermione want to run away. As she practiced her meditation exercises in her head, she strengthened her resolve. She must push through. As the embodiment of Raava in this world, she must face her duty.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, Mr. Potter, and Ms. Granger! Minister Fudge, Madam Bones, aurors, and goblin warriors, welcome to Hogwarts." The Deputy Headmistress greeted all of them.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry and Hermione muttered.

"Hello, Minerva," the minister greeted while Amelia only smiled at the professor.

"I presume you can lead them towards the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets yourself, Mr. Potter?"

"Er, professor, we would like to offer the chance for a few students and members of the staff to explore the Chamber of Secrets with us," Harry replied.

"Why?" The Deputy Headmistress frowned.

"Well, I think it's a victim's right to see to it that the monster that had attacked them is gone… Here is a list, professor." Harry handed over a piece of parchment containing names he and Hermione had thought of. The Deputy Headmistress immediately perused the list.

"I see what you mean… but why did you exclude Ms. Weasley and invite the Weasley twins instead? Also, I notice that Ronald Weasley isn't here… Oh! You added the names of Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Longbottom," Professor McGonagall inquired.

"We reckon it's too much for Ginny to handle. Besides, she and Ron seem to disagree about our betrothal so best avoid that awkwardness," Harry said.

"We decided with the twins and Neville because they're our friends. As for Ms. Lovegood, we heard that Luna's father owns the Quibbler. Since they feature magical beings in their publication, we reckon she'd enjoy this opportunity," Hermione supplied.

"Very well… Please stand here for a while. I will be calling the students on this list."

"Mr. Colin Creevey, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, should you wish to see what happened to the creature that petrified you, please remain in the Great Hall… Ms. Lovegood, as a daughter of a magazine owner, you are granted the privilege too should you wish to see it for yourself... Mr. Longbottom, Mr. George, and Mr. Fred Weasley, you are given the option to go too – "

"What! What about me?" Ron exclaimed angrily.

"Sit down, Mr. Weasley! You are not included in the list! Ten points from Gryffindor for shouting in the Great Hall!" Professor McGonagall scolded. Embarrassed at being called out in public, a red-faced Ron grumbled back to his seat while stuffing his face with food to drown his sorrows.

"Ah, Mr. Digorry! Do you have a question?" Professor McGonagall saw the Hogwarts Champion raising his hand.

"I was wondering if I and the rest of the champions could see it, Professor," Cedric said.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Of course, Professor. All the champions are welcome to see it too."

"Alright! All students mentioned, should you wish to take this opportunity, please stay… The rest of you except those taking Transfiguration with me for their first period, as well as those taking Charms for their first period, you best be on your way to class."

As the students cleared the Great Hall, all those mentioned in the list decided to stay. Who would want to miss the opportunity of seeing a dead basilisk after all?

Neville Longbottom ran to his friends. He was delighted to see them after all that happened. "Harry! Hermione! I'm so happy to see you're both alright."

To his surprise, Hermione hugged him while Harry clapped him on the back. "We miss you too, mate," Harry said. When Hermione let him go, Neville blushed. He just couldn't believe that the two most popular teenagers in Wizarding Britain missed him – Neville Longbottom – a mediocre wizard.

Luna Lovegood timidly walked towards the golden couple. The nargles told her that Hermione Granger and Harry Potter would change the world for the better. They would propel the magical community to greater heights. Together, they would impact positive change and bring forth equality. The spirit of magic living in Hermione Granger along with the boy of destiny, Harry Potter, would eradicate pureblood supremacy. Before she could say anything to the couple, the curly-haired witch greeted her with a friendly grin.

"Hello, Luna! My name is Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter. We hope you can be our friend." The Avatar offered her hand to the young Ravenclaw.

"Re – really? You want to be friends with me?" Luna was shocked.

"Of course, Luna!" Hermione smiled at her.

"Thank you, Hermione! I'd like that!" Since she couldn't contain her happiness, she wrapped the Avatar in a big hug. Hermione chuckled and she returned the hug with a tight squeeze.

When Luna remembered who she was hugging, she pulled away blushing.

"My Hermione loves her hugs, Luna. So, you'll get along splendidly with us," Harry Potter grinned.

"Harrykins! Goddess Hermione! It's good to see you here. Hogwarts is boring without you two," Fred playfully punched Harry's arm.

"Goddess Hermione," the Avatar huffed.

"At your service, dear goddess," Fred and George feigned a gallant bow making them look like a pair of idiots.

Luna giggled at their antics. "Luna, meet Neville. Neville, meet Luna," Hermione introduced. She knew that the reason why Neville and Luna didn't get together in the first timeline was because of the marriage contract between the House of Longbottom and House Abbott that Neville only learned about when he accepted his lordship. So, if she would be able to find a way to circumvent the law, then she reckoned it's best to help bring these two together.

"Hi, Luna," Neville said shyly.

"Hello, Neville. I hope we can be friends too," Luna smiled and Neville smiled back.

"Alright! Is everyone here?" Harry looked around and saw that every student on the list, along with the three champions, were already waiting for him to lead the way.

"Let's go, Harry," Hermione held Harry's hand again and together they walked toward the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets with the rest of the party.

oOOOOo

"Bummer! I wish I had my camera," Colin Creevey muttered as he saw the basilisk carcass. He turned around when he felt someone poking him.

"Here you go, Colin! I asked Dobby to bring a camera. I reckon you'd like a photo… Promise to give me a copy though or else my friend Rita Skeeter would be pissed," Harry chuckled as he handed a camera to the younger Gryffindor.

"Wow! This is top of the line – "

"Huh, I didn't know that… Say, you can keep this Colin. I don't have the knack for photography. I just want to take pictures of Hermione and stuff," Harry grinned.

"No way!" Colin exclaimed. "Are you sure?" His eyes were shining with hope since he wanted this camera.

"Of course, mate." Harry winked at him and Colin practically skipped to test his new camera.

Hermione watched the by-play between the two wizards and she wrapped an arm around Harry's waist. "You are so sweet, Mr. Potter."

"Don't I get a reward for it later?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she elbowed him.

"Ouch, woman!" He feigned injury. Hermione whispered something to him and he had a shit-eating grin on his face.

While the rest of their party, professors, ministry officials, students, and goblins were focused on the sixty-foot basilisk carcass along with the shredded skin scattered around this smelly and legendary chamber, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum watched in envy at the way their coveted witch, one Hermione Granger, was making eyes at her betrothed, the blasted fourth champion, Harry bloody Potter.

"Mr. Potter, you already told us the story about this basilisk but seeing it in the flesh! Wow! I believe you deserve an Order of Merlin for this young man!" Cornelius Fudge praised.

"Oh no, sir! I was just lucky, I guess. Besides, Hermione told me that it was a basilisk that I had to face down here, that's the reason why she got petrified. She was researching in the library and – well, if you think I deserve recognition, then Hermione does too." Harry blushed at the praise.

"Don't listen to him, Minister Fudge. He's just too bloody noble! He saved me from a mountain troll during our first year and he drove away over a hundred dementors to save me in our third year. Also, he stepped in front of a werewolf just to protect me – " Hermione summarized her betrothed's heroics but he interrupted her.

"And this is coming from the witch who banished the dementors and who only got into trouble because of me," Harry snorted.

"Well, Cornelius, I think an Order of Merlin for these two is the only solution, eh?" Amelia Bones joined in.

"Yes, indeed! Although, since I'll be out of office soon, I think the nomination will fall on your lot, Madam Bones," Cornelius teased.

"Excuse me, Avatar Hermione?" Sharpfang addressed his ward.

"Yes, Sharpfang? And please call me Hermione," she said kindly.

"It's a sign of respect, Avatar Hermione… Anyway, can you lend us a hand with the carcass? Maybe move the rocks so we can move it easier?" Sharpfang requested.

"Of course! Excuse me Minister, Madam Bones… Catch you later, love," Hermione followed Sharpfang and Harry felt his heart melting at the endearment. She very rarely used endearments because it reminded her of her potion-induced relationship with Ron in the previous timeline. The fact that she seemed to not notice the way she said 'love' made him happy because it meant that she was slowly starting to heal.

"That's a fine witch you have there, Harry. Don't you dare let her go," Minister Fudge advised.

"Oh, I know, sir! Believe me, I know," Harry grinned.

Hermione used earth bending to move the rocks easily so that the goblins could efficiently store the carcass in boxes. Her elemental magic made the task of extracting a very heavy monster away from the chamber a much easier one.

While Harry and the rest of their friends watched on with pride, Fleur and Viktor just wanted Hermione even more. Fleur wanted to be with the most powerful being in the world. Viktor on the other hand, wanted the privilege of having the most powerful being as his property, making him the envy of all wizards.

oOOOOo

Thirty minutes before the lunch break, the carcass extraction was completed so while the guests left Hogwarts, the students and Professors Flitwick and McGonagall freshened up to clean themselves of the smell of the basilisk remains. To save time, Harry and Hermione went to the Room of Requirement so they could freshen up before lunch. Since he knew that she was conscious of the other students' reactions to her powers, Harry agreed to his fiancee's request for some alone time.

"Harry?" Hermione asked when they're lounging on the couch after freshening up. She didn't want to go to the Great Hall yet.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Do you think we should approach Draco Malfoy now? We're supposed to meet him but due to the Snape fiasco, we weren't able to follow through with the schedule… What do you think?"

"Well, I suppose we should try… I can try approaching him after DADA. Ask him if he still wants to meet up and talk?"

"Do you think he'll say yes? Lucius is in Azkaban because of me – "

"Hermione, I think we should try… I think we can still get Malfoy on our side. I think he'd be relieved that we took his father out… I think he's been severely abused by Lucius but he just didn't want to expound on it during our talk in the in-between… Besides, he loves Astoria very much. So, I know he'll listen to us."

"I hope you're right, love – "

"Love?" Harry grinned and Hermione blushed.

"Well you call me darling so," she shrugged.

"I quite like it… It's just I know how you feel about endearments given what happened before," Harry said gently.

"I know Harry but being with you… The progress we've made together, the horror of that past life seems to slowly fade away." She snuggled closer to him.

"I love you, darling… You may be the all-powerful Avatar, but I'll protect you, support you, whatever you need, I'll try and be it for you."

"I love you, Harry," Hermione turned to Harry and she gently pulled his face closer to hers. He understood what she wanted so he closed the gap between their lips and kissed her sweetly. It was a kiss that conveyed all his love for her and the fact that he would always be there for her.

"We should go. The longer we stay here, the more attention we will get," Hermione sighed as they pulled apart for air.

"We got this, Hermione. We'll make things right… We'll save the children both born and unborn… We'll have our own children, born out of love. We'll get through this, darling. Just like we always do." Harry pressed his forehead to her own. They closed their eyes and enjoyed the quiet for a few more minutes. After leaving the Room of Requirement, it would be another battlefield they had to thrive on. So, they needed this moment to just be with each other.

oOOOOo

Draco Malfoy walked toward the unused classroom on the third floor that Potter asked him to go to for their meeting after dinner. Upon reading the note from Potter and Granger a few days ago, when they wrote about knowing his two biggest secrets, he was intrigued.

While the house-elves knew about the abuse he got from his father, nobody knew about his promise to marry Astoria Greengrass when he was a six-year-old boy. So, he was truly curious as to how his archnemesis learned about it.

When he read the detailed article by Rita Skeeter about the capture of his father and Dolores Umbridge, he was utterly relieved. He no longer had to live a double life – that of a pampered Slytherin prince and as his father's personal stress reliever.

Knocking on the door, he waited for a reply. Potter opened the door and ushered him inside. He saw Granger there and he winced. He enjoyed making fun of Granger because it was his petty retaliation for her getting the top marks. Since his father hated muggleborns, the fact that he could never beat Hermione Granger for the top spot earned him severe punishments during the summer. Now that Granger displayed the full extent of her powers as some sort of spirit goddess, he was truly scared.

"Granger, Potter, I'd just like to say sorry for being a right bastard to you both… I'm just jealous of your friendship. And I'm envious of your intelligence Granger, you're a major reason as to why I get more beatings in the summer since I could never beat you for the top marks." Draco apologized profusely.

"Apology accepted, Malfoy… I have a question though," Harry had a pensive look on his face.

"Sure, Potter. Ask away."

"If you don't like – "

"Not liking my father is an understatement. I hate him! For what he does to my mother and to me," Draco interrupted with gritted teeth.

"I'm so sorry for all that you've been through, Draco," Hermione said sympathetically and Draco was surprised.

"Why are you so nice to me, Gra – Hermione?"

"All of us are fighting our own battles. You are a victim of the situation. I can tell you're a good person but you're forced to act cruelly." Hermione said with a kind smile.

"For what it's worth, I truly am sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"Your father forces you to act like him, right? And you have to sing his praises all the time?" Harry confirmed and Draco nodded.

"We want to help you, Draco… That's the real reason why we wrote you that letter," Hermione propelled the conversation forward.

"What do you want in return?" Draco asked bluntly but his stormy gray eyes were void of resentment.

"We need you to spy on who amongst the Slytherins have Death Eater tendencies… In return, I promise to do my best to heal Astoria, a girl you've loved ever since childhood." Hermione said in a no-nonsense tone.

"I'm not gonna ask how you know all these things. I'll just assume this is because of your special spirit powers… You've already gotten rid of my father, something I am truly grateful for… And now you are offering to help cure Astoria of the curse from her family…" Draco mused out loud. There was only one thing he could do.

Draco flicked his wrist to summon his wand from its holster. He held it firmly against his chest as he promised, "I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, do solemnly swear to pledge my allegiance to the House of Potter, with its future head, Harry Potter, and his future spouse, Hermione Granger. I will support them in their endeavors and align the House of Malfoy with their principles. So, mote it be!" As the magic seeped through him, Draco Malfoy had a real smile on his face – something that's very rare for him.

"Thank you for your sincerity and effort to show your support to us, Draco… So, what do you say, friends?" Harry Potter held out his hand to the blonde Slytherin.

"Friends," Draco smiled at his former nemesis as they shook hands.

"Thank you so much, Draco… We still have to keep up pretenses though. Until we end Voldemort at least," Hermione offered her hand too.

Like a true pureblood, instead of shaking her hand, Draco kissed her knuckles. "It would be an honor to help the living embodiment of magic here on Earth. Thank you for accepting me into your fold."

"You should learn how to speak pureblood, Harry. It's kinda sweet and charming," Hermione grinned.

"Stop making me look bad, Malfoy," Harry said grumpily.

"You got to up your game, Potter. Viktor Krum wants your betrothed," Draco said seriously.

"Oh, we know. We're just waiting for him to make one wrong move before we do something," Harry sighed.

"Good. Whatever I hear from the Slytherins and the Durmstrang delegates, I'll be reporting to you… How often should we meet?"

"I think once a week is enough for now… unless there's an emergency. If that happens just corner us for a discussion when it's necessary." Harry answered.

"I'll keep my eyes and ears open," with a respectful nod, Draco Malfoy walked away knowing that he made the right choice.

oOOOOo

Two days later, when Albus Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts, he learned about what had happened to the basilisk carcass in the Chamber of Secrets. His office was now flooded with angry mail from concerned parents and he's certain that the new Bones-Fudge alliance would be using this against him. With Bones as Fudge's appointed interim Minister and her good relationship with the goblins, he must tread carefully.

His trip to Switzerland was an utter failure. He was ousted from his position as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Since his dirty laundry was being aired out in public because of that nosy witch, Rita Skeeter, he knew that he'd be ousted as Chief Warlock any time now.

He was losing control of his greatest weapon against Voldemort. Harry Potter had now made solid allies with the Ministry, the goblins, and he was betrothed to the most powerful being in the world. There's no way that Harry would willingly walk to his death now.

While Harry Potter used to be his greatest focus, the boy was now relegated as a second thought. Lately, he was obsessed with figuring out Hermione Granger's powers. Why was she able to do extraordinary feats of magic? Why did the goblins address her as an Avatar? What's an Avatar? What was her weakness? How did she learn about her elemental powers when the potions he had been giving her had been so effective for years?

He knew that Voldemort was just waiting for the right time to rise again. So, he really didn't need an even more potent threat lurking around in the form of an innocent little witch – Hermione Granger. He must stop Ms. Granger before she became the next Dark Lady. If ever the brilliant witch would delve into the Dark Arts, then no one would ever stand a chance against her.

oOOOOo

Lord Voldemort, in his piteous form of a baby, heard about one Hermione Granger, the supposed most powerful being alive. Vanquisher of dementors. The witch who removed Severus' magic. And more importantly, the betrothed of his enemy – Harry Potter.

He needed to study this mudblood. He needed to find her weakness. No one should ever exceed him in power. With this mudblood firmly in Potter's camp, the Boy Who Won't Fucking Die would be unbeatable.

He needed to either bring Hermione Granger into his fold, which was truly impossible, or he must have her killed. But how would he do that when the mudblood could even banish dementors who were supposedly indestructible?

Good thing I have Barty at Hogwarts. I need a reliable spy from within… I must think of a better plan. I must know more about this mudblood.

oOOOOo

Molly Weasley wanted Hermione Granger as a daughter-in-law. She would make an excellent wife to her stupidest son, Ronald. With Hermione as Ron's property, then her little Ginny could finally be with her hero, Harry Potter. It would be One Big Happy Weasley Family. The Boy Who Lived for her Ginny. The Most Powerful Being Alive for her Ronald.

Molly may be underestimated as a plump witch who only cooked meals and cared for her family but nobody knew that she had a natural affinity for making potions. In fact, she had perfected a special form of Amortentia that's untraceable by any form of wizarding spells.

I must get to work soon before it's too late. My children deserve the best. And Harry and Hermione are clearly the best. That way, when Ron had Hermione and Ginny had Harry, the Weasley family would be the most prominent in the Wizarding World, Molly thought happily as she started making her special love potion.

oOOOOo

In the afterlife, Avatar Aang could only shake his head in exasperation at the silliness of humans as they let themselves be consumed by greed for power, wealth, and status. He was confident that the current Avatar, Hermione Granger, would succeed this time around but the utter thirst for power displayed by her enemies was truly revolting.

Good luck, Avatar Hermione. I hope to talk to you again when you decide to enter the Avatar State during your meditations…

---

A/N: Avatar Nezral is a made-up character (an inverse of my second name).

Koh the Face Stealer is a real Avatar character for those of y'all not familiar with the Avatar: The Last Airbender Universe.

On a real note, this chapter is LONG.
Seriously though, what do you think?
Does this fic even make sense? HAHA.

Oh! The A03 version has an artwork if that's your thing.