A/N:

I will be posting maybe one more chapter to My Cheating Heart before I will take a short hiatus. I am participating in an online writing event soon. It will be about writing a time-travel AU story for any fandom. Of course, my entry will still be a Harry/Hermione story. The thing though is that I can't post the story here on FFN until the full story is posted on the site. So, with that said, the updates will be slow after this one. Since the writing challenge requires a completed novel that is at least 50k in word length, obviously I will be rather busy. If I hit 90% completion for that story, then I can start building up on MCH once again. The challenge will run from November 1, 2019, and the deadline will be in May 2020. So I do hope I can complete my entry before then.

Anyway, I will still be posting short stories as part of my writing obligations for my two forum affiliations.

I also signed up for a Halloween short story fest. It's already posted on A03. I will be sharing it here once the results of the voting and the author reveals are done on the day of Halloween itself.

Also, I have two short stories for Christmas. These stories are gifts of sorts to my Harry Potter Fandom Facebook Groups. The plots and cover pics are ready, I just need to write them. Once reveals are done, I will be sharing them here too.

Lastly, for New Year, I have a revenge story lined up. It will be anchored on Cho, Marietta, and Cormac's revenge on the Golden Trio post-war. It features how their cruel intentions will change the lives of Ron, Hermione, and Harry. Some sort of crime, romance, and angst story. This will be written for another fandom challenge based on a collage mood board I handpicked from a list of 60 choices.

Before anything else, I would like to plug my new short stories:

- Shelter From The Shadows = sequel to my Incubus Harry story

- The Potter Potion = Fluffy Romantic Comedy

- The Daredevil's Fears = If you love traveling, you'll enjoy this

- Just The Way You Are = Fluff and Humor featuring Professor Trelawney

Anyway, here is the update.

For those who don't read announcements, this chapter is indeed Chapter 3 for MCH 2. Chapter 2 is entirely posted as a restricted chapter. I had to reiterate that in case I get reviews or messages about a missing chapter.

I hope you will like this new chapter.

If you read between the lines, this chapter will give you a glimpse as to why MCH needs a second book.

I can't wait to hear your feedback on this.

Your reviews, faves, and follows are highly appreciated as always.

My Cheating Heart Book 2

By: tweety-src-clt9

Chapter Three: Family Discussions

After three fun-filled days of just frolicking all around Black Island, Hermione now wants to start talking about the decision she and Harry must make. While their nights were filled with slow and sensual rounds of lovemaking and their days filled with easy conversation and various activities, she believes that the time has come for them to start discussing their next steps.

Harry had already talked to her about how they plotted her rescue. He even showed her the letter written by Kei containing all the things he discovered about the history of Osiris and Isis. He also shared the memory of his conversation with the spirit of Osiris on the night before Operation Isis took place.

"Harry?" She was resting her head on his chest. After all the swimming, their failed attempts at fishing, and enjoying boat rides, they decided to have a quiet afternoon in bed for today. Of course, since Harry is a very determined and thorough husband, he interpreted quiet times as sexy times. He argues that he must make sure that the side effects of the cocaine injected into her bloodstream is completely eradicated. According to him, the only way to make sure of that is to make love to her as often as possible. While she always rolls her eyes when he uses that line, she always gives in. Making love to Harry is such a sweet feeling of utter bliss, contentment, and completion.

"Again?" He smirked.

"No, you prat! I reckon it's time for us to start talking about all the things we know about the responsibilities of being the Master of Death. You know, those sorts of things."

"Oh. You're right. We better change and talk in the living room. You know to be safe." He chuckled. Since he was a very vigorous and insatiable lover, she reckons that he's making a valid point. Hoisting herself up from his chest, she stretched her arms out.

"Harry? Shouldn't we – " She smacked his face with a pillow since his eyes were glued to her bare chest. She forgot that she only wrapped herself in the silk sheet that fell away during her stretch.

"Sorry, love! Sorry!" Harry laughed as he playfully peeked behind the pillow that hit him.

"Honestly! It's not like you haven't seen them before." She huffed.

"It's a bloke thing." He smirked.

"Come on! Let's go for a quick shower and let's talk." She got out of bed. She used the sheets to cover herself.

"Can I come?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Just shower. No funny business." She insisted.

"Fine!" He pouted as he got out of bed.

After their quick shower, Harry held his wife's hand as they walked towards their favorite part of the beach. He conjured a blanket before they sat down. The sound of the gentle waves, the sun shining brightly, and the peacefulness of their surroundings provide a perfect backdrop for this important conversation.

"Can we talk to Viola Lily before talking about our next steps? Maybe she could give us more insight or something." Hermione shrugged.

"Great idea." He agreed. He closed his eyes to summon all the Deathly Hallows to him. As his eyes opened, the cloak was draped over his shoulders, the Elder Wand in his hand, and the resurrection stone on his index finger.

"It seems you are now more comfortable with summoning the hallows to you, Harry." She mused.

"Er, yeah. My connection to all three strengthened when I used it to anchor my magic to find you when you were taken away from me." He said sheepishly. He never felt comfortable talking about his power.

"Oh, Harry!" She scooted closer to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. He was inhaling the sweet scent of hair. Feeling the light sea breeze, he adjusted the invisibility cloak to warm them both.

"Are you ready to see our little Viola, Hermione?" He whispered in her ear. When he felt her nod, he extended the hand that bore the resurrection stone in front of her face.

"Do the honors please, love." He wiggled his fingers playfully. Hermione gently removed the ring from his finger. Turning the stone three times, both of them closed their eyes as they thought about their precious little angel.

"Finally! You and mummy are back together, daddy!" Viola Lily squealed making them chuckle.

"Hello, sweetheart!" They chorused.

"I'm so happy you are safe now, mummy. Though I never doubted daddy! I knew he'd do anything to save you." Viola gushed as she bounced up and down.

"I miss you, baby." Hermione tried to fight the tears but they still escaped. Harry tightened his arms around his wife while his left hand wiped her tears away.

"Please don't cry, mum." Viola pouted. She floated closer to her parents. She hovered just a mere foot away from her mother.

"Do you have anything to share, sweetie? News from Mister Death? Things that you've been up to lately?" Harry took charge of the conversation.

"Well, not much from Mister Death. He just pesters me to convince you to hurry along with your decision so that he could rest. The only thing significant I could remember is that he is open to talking to you one more time before you decide. He says that whatever choice you will make, he will always respect it." Viola reported.

"Hmmm…I see. Do you see Mister Death while performing his duties, darling?" Hermione inquired. From the way her brows furrowed, her head tilted to the side, and the dazed look in her eyes, he could tell that she was processing all this new information in her mind. She's bound to suggest something soon if he interpreted her facial expressions correctly.

"No, mummy. Only the adult spirits could see and remember the process of segregation. The good people go to the place I am in, which is also the place where Mister Death takes his breaks on since he lives there with us. While the bad people, like Mr. Voldy thingy, live in a bad place. That's all I could remember." Viola shared. Her finger tapping on her chin adorably. Their little girl is a replica of Hermione in terms of personality and gestures.

"I have an idea!" Hermione announced and he chuckled. He kissed the top of her head. He missed this! He missed being a witness to Hermione's moments of genius.

"Do share." He teased which earned him a nudge on the elbow.

"Harry, what if you ask your parents to come here? Maybe you can ask Sirius and Remus to come too? That way we can ask them about what Mister Death does. That should help us in planning our next steps before we make our decision." Hermione suggested.

"That is an excellent idea, love! Besides, I never formally introduced you to my parents yet!"

"You'll love Grandma Lily, mum! You are so much alike!" Viola clapped her hands happily.

"Harry will you summon – " Hermione stopped in midsentence when she saw the five spirits floating towards them.

"Mum! Dad! Sirius! Remus! Tonks! I'm so glad that you could join us." Harry exclaimed.

"Er pup, maybe you should remove the invisibility cloak around yourselves? Who knows what your hands are doing under the cloak?" Sirius teased.

"Sirius Black!", Lily Potter hissed.

Harry and Hermione blushed simultaneously as he withdrew the cloak away from them. Instead, he wandlessly cast warming charms around the area. His arms still wrapped around his wife's waist.

"I always knew that you'd get together!" Tonks said happily. She leaned against her husband, Remus, her hair turning blue.

"Hello, Sirius, Remus, Tonks! I can't believe that I get to see you all once again. And well, er, hello Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter", Hermione addressed the newcomers.

"Just call us James and Lily, dear. My! You are a chocolate eyed beauty, aren't you?" James Potter moved closer to Hermione just so he could get a better look at his daughter-in-law.

"Er, dad, you're embarrassing Hermione. She's not big on compliments on her beauty." Harry chuckled when he noticed his wife's blushing face.

"James Potter! Stop making a poor first impression on our daughter-in-law." Lily smacked her husband's chest making Remus and Sirius laugh.

"This feels so weird," Hermione whispered to Harry.

"I know. A rather crazy lot, aren't they?" He whispered back.

"Nice try, son. Spirits have perfect hearing. We can all hear you whispering from here." James smirked.

"And Harry? I can't believe that you would talk badly about us to your beautiful wife!" Sirius playfully pouted.

"Hello, Hermione dear! Do ignore the ignorant childish prats. It's so nice to finally meet you." Lily Potter gestured to the marauders before flashing Hermione with a bright smile.

"Maybe you should have just summoned Grandma and Grandpa. When all of them are together, it is so annoying!" Viola huffed which made all the adults laugh.

"So, Hermione, what questions do you have for all of us?" Lily said with a kind smile.

"Well, I'm sure you guys know about the whole Master and Mistress of Death thing, right?" She addressed all the newcomers.

"Yes, we all do, dear. I assume you are curious about the responsibility of Mister Death since little Viola over here cannot answer that question?" Lily replied.

"Yes, that's right. So, could you please tell us your experience?"

"Maybe I should answer the question first. Since, well, I died first." James Potter joked making the other Marauders roll their eyes. Tonks and Lily sighed in exasperation.

"Please go ahead, dad. Guess we're doing this in order of deaths then?" Harry remarked. The adult spirits nodded.

Viola Lily squatted in front of her mother with a bright smile on her face. She idolized and loved her mother very much so she always wants to savor her little moments with her mum. When Hermione noticed, she gave her daughter a sad smile. This is the closest thing they could ever have to some sort of bonding moment because they cannot touch each other. Upon noticing Hermione's eyes shining with the tears she tried to hold back, Harry laced their fingers together as a gesture of comfort. He silently promised that he would do whatever it takes to reunite mother and daughter. They will gather all the information they could get before they perform whatever is necessary to be able to prove their worth as the Master and Mistress of Death.

"I'll go first, and then Lilyflower, then Padfoot, Mooney, and Tonksie shall share all that they know," James said after clearing his throat. Harry shot his father a grateful smile. If not for his father's effort to interrupt the sweet yet poignant moment, Hermione would most likely be crying by now.

"Sounds brilliant dad!"

"Alright, so I died on October 31st. You all know that. When I got there, I could see two lines. The one on the right is rather short but it led towards a very beautiful golden gate. I could see vast lands of lush green grass and flowers of all color. Of course, I immediately lined up to the queue that led to some sort of paradise. There is an angel at the end of each line that evaluates a person's file. After that, they get to enter the correct gate. Anyway, Mister Death or as you already know him to be Merlin, he makes sure that each spirit falls in line with the appropriate queue. He also makes sure that no spirit is taken away from where they truly belong. When I passed the brief evaluation, the golden gate opened and I entered. At first, I thought Lily survived Voldemort since I waited a bit for her to come and join me. That's all I can remember from my experience." James narrated.

"So, it's my turn. I'll pick up on where James had left his story. The reason as to why James waited a bit for me, is because I didn't make the daily cut-off. I died in between the end of one cut-off and the beginning of another. There I was, and I just saw the same thing he did. I didn't notice much because I was busy looking for Voldemort's soul. I wanted to make sure that the bastard died so that he could no longer go after my baby. Anyway, an angel suddenly appeared out of nowhere and she started whispering something to Mister Death. When the angel disappeared, Merlin started muttering about Horcruxes and evil immortal wannabes. When I heard that, I knew. Voldemort is still sort of alive and my baby is still at risk." Lily shared her experience.

"So, for me, it's rather straightforward. I fell into the Veil, which is one of the seven secret entrance halls towards the Judgement Room. I overheard that's what they call the place where souls line up to be segregated to the right gates. Upon entering the Veil, I was escorted by the Master of Death. He says that I shouldn't have entered via the Veil since he knows I am not guilty of any crime, but he still escorted me to the Judgement Room. After that, I observed the two queues and I saw the Master of Death dragging a soul that tried to sneak into the good people's queue. I don't want to narrate what happened to that soul since it's not pretty. It remains to be the scariest thing I have ever seen both in life and in death. That's saying something given my thirteen years of Hotel Azkaban with all those dementors." Sirius last statement ended with a slight shiver in his deep baritone voice.

The other spirits winced at Sirius' words. The place where all the bad people go to must be such a horrible sight basing on their reactions.

"Right, so my experience is much crazier than theirs. The line was long for both the good people and the bad people queue. I saw a lot of our side waiting in line. I also saw the people who sided with Voldemort in the other line. Anyway, I was there, I was praying that my Dora would live. But when I saw her in the same line, my heart broke for our little Teddy. Thanks, Harry for helping Andy raise our son. Well, all was running smoothly until Voldemort appeared. Nasty sight if you ask me! He was forcefully dragged towards the bad people's line. All seven little pieces of his soul, since you know, he created those dark objects. I could never forget his ugly cries of pain and regret." Remus told everyone.

"Serves that bastard right!" James and Sirius chorused.

"Got not much to share except I understand why Merlin is tired. It's hard to guard both queues. I met Isis and she says that when it was her and Osiris' time, there were fewer souls since the population of people is much less. But she still says that it was a tiresome responsibility which they held for more than a thousand years. So, she says that she can't imagine how tired Merlin must be. I reckon Merlin likes little Viola over there because he wants his replacement to be ready as soon as possible. Such a tragic thing, whatever happened to him and Morgana. He still loves her you know? It hurts him so much every time he sees her suffering when they could have been together." There was a lace of sadness in Tonks' voice.

After Tonks' story, everyone fell silent. Each one of them processing all the new information shared.

"I'm bored. Can I go play somewhere?" Viola broke the silence.

"Are you sure you'll be alright sweetie?" Hermione said with worry.

"Mum, I'll be fine. Besides, I'm dead so, you know." Viola said cheekily.

"I'll come with Vi. You guys talk." Tonks took Viola's hand as they floated towards the water. Harry and Hermione's eyes followed the duo's every move. When they disappeared, they gasped.

"They'll be alright. Most likely looking at the creatures underwater." Lily reassured them.

"How are you, Hermione?" Remus asked.

"Yes, sweetie. We were so scared when you got kidnapped. Of course, we knew Harry would save you. But still, when you wouldn't awaken, we thought you'd be joining us soon." Sirius added.

"I feel a lot better now. Sure, I could still recall that bastard's memories. Sometimes, I see them in my dreams…but well, Harry's always here for me." She replied. The haunted look in her eyes speaks so much about all the pain that she's been through. Harry kissed the top of her head in a gesture of comfort and support which made her smile a little.

"I should've gotten married when I was alive." Sirius sighed dramatically.

"Hermione, dear? Harry told you about everything he knows I suppose?" Lily said.

"Yes, he did, Lily. Should we decide to push through with everything, I guess the only thing lacking is the marriage ritual. I'm confused as to what ritual – "

"Come with me, dear. I'll tell you all that you need to know. It will be our girl bonding of sorts. Let's leave the menfolk to talk about their beloved Quidditch." Lily interrupted.

Hermione smiled at Lily before slowly standing up from her comfortable position on the blanket with Harry's arms wrapped around her waist.

"You girls have fun!" James winked.

"We sure would. And you boys have fun congratulating our son for marrying the catch of the century." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yes! We'll be doing that!" James had a naughty grin on his face.

"I can't believe my little pup is all grown up and married to one of the most influential women in Wizarding Society." Sirius dramatically wiped imaginary tears.

"Mum? Can I come with you?" Harry whined.

"You stay with these idiots, love. I need to talk to my daughter-in-law in private." With a cheerful wave, Lily and Hermione walked away from the men.

"So, Harry, you seem rather cheerful these past few days." Sirius had a knowing smirk on his face.

Great! I should've forced mum to allow me to come along… I'm in for a whole lot of teasing from these old Marauders, he thought to himself as he felt his cheeks heating up.

After their long afternoon with the spirit of their loved ones, Harry cooked Hermione a sumptuous dinner. As they sipped some wine while lounging on the couch in front of a fire, she looked at her husband.

"Harry, your mum told me interesting things about marriage rituals. You mentioned to me that Osiris says that the merging of the flesh, as part of the Ritual of Attestation, is some form of a marriage ritual. She already told me what ritual is best. She suggested that we use the same one she performed with your father." She narrated.

"Mum and dad had a magical binding ceremony?"

"Yes. On their wedding night, they performed a magical ritual. It's the strongest marriage bond. There is a caveat though." She mused.

"What is it, love?"

"Well, should we decide to use that ritual, our marriage could never be dissolved. I will belong to you in this life and even in death, forever. And you will belong to me." She explained.

"Oh. Er, is there a problem with that?" He asked curiously.

"Well, no. But I just, well, are you ready for that sort of commitment?" She muttered bashfully.

"Of course, I am! There's no one else for me, but you. It might have taken me a much longer time to realize that fact, but Hermione, I love you so much." He gently held her hand. He gazed into her chocolate brown orbs so she could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Oh. Okay." She smiled at him.

"Any other reservations my dear?" He said in a sing-song voice.

"Well, the marriage ritual is rather weird. Your mother says that the shagging should be very thorough. Something like sex magic being more powerful if the pleasure derived from the activity is as intense." She blushed.

Harry snorted. "We got that part covered. Don't worry." He winked. She threw a pillow at him which he easily caught.

"Well then, Lord Potter, if you are so cocky that we got that part covered, I guess I have no more reservations on my part." She huffed.

"Don't get mad but, have you considered for me to chose the Merlin route instead?" He asked.

"Merlin route! Harry Potter! Don't you dare take on this task alone!" She hissed.

"I just, well, I could always find you. We could still be happy. But it will only be I who will carry this burden upon my death." He shrugged.

"Don't be such a noble prat, Harry Potter! You're doing this with me! We're in this together." Her voice filled with determination.

"Alright! Alright! I was just saying, you know. You don't have to get all huffy." He chuckled.

"Have you made up your mind about this?" She inquired.

"Anything to save Viola Lily, Hermione. You know I'll do anything to correct my mistakes. Also, I want to prevent all the bad things that happened to you because of Karim. I want to – " His emotional speech was halted when she leaned in closer to kiss him.

"I know, Harry. I know. That's the reason why I gave you another chance in the first place. I saw how determined you were to atone for your mistakes." She whispered as they pulled apart.

"So… when are we pledging ourselves to be the Master and Mistress of Death, Lady Potter?" He said jokingly. They both know that should they prove to be unworthy, there could be dire consequences.

"How's tomorrow night sound, Lord Potter?" She sassily retorted.

"Sounds like a date, my lady. I'll pick you up from our bedroom at seven." He winked.

"Brilliant! You won't have any difficulty in finding me since I'll be the one in the ritual robe." She laughed.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they enjoyed the comfortable silence. It is a big risk that they are about to take. Even if it's not directly stated in any of the books Irie or Hermione has read, or from the information they received, should they prove to be unworthy, they could be severely punished. Or worse, maybe even die.

Despite the consequences, if they fail at this task, both of them are very determined to try. It was their one chance to save their daughter. It was their chance to make things right. If they fail, at least they will still be together.