A/N: I put a little more detail into the aftermath and corrected a blatant missing section of a sentence. I'm amazed no one caught me on it.

Chapter Seven

Dinner and Destruction

Harry led Hermione to his car, which she was surprised to see he had purchased an Audi A4. He opened her door for her, and held out a hand for her to help her into the car. They chatted amiably while he drove to the restaurant. When she asked him where they were having dinner, he smirked and said she would have to wait and see.

He turned onto King Street, and rolled to a stop. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw they were in front of Maggiore's. She turned her face to Harry, and he just smiled and nodded.

"I hope you are in the mood for some French cuisine," Harry said as he helped her out of the car. Hermione could only nod and smile as she was stunned by his choice of places to eat at. He chuckled and led her into the front door.

"Harry, have you been planning this for a while? I thought you had to have a reservation for a restaurant like this," she asked quietly. He merely smiled as the hostess brought them to their table.

They ordered their drinks and gazed at the menu. Harry decided on the Roasted Scottish Ribeye, while Hermione chose the chicken dinner. They made some small talk as they were waiting for their dinner. One subject they had to discuss was how to tell Ron that Harry had returned.

"Hermione, when should we tell Ron that I have come back?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know he came to his senses, but how will he react to the fact I am hanging out with you long before I told him I was back?"

"I don't think you will have to worry about that Harry. He will just be glad that you are back period. These last four years have changed him quite a bit," she said. Harry just nodded, and looked at his hands. "Harry, don't slip into that mode again. None of the Weasley family blames you in the slightest. Don't ever think that they do."

Harry nodded and still looked unconvinced, but shrugged his shoulders. Their meals came out and their conversation switched to different subjects. Harry spoke more of his travels and skills he learned. He was really excited about telling her about his most recent and possibly the best thing he had ever learned, enchanting.

"I was in Japan last fall, and I was learning all I could from an old wizard in the northern mountains. He was running me through some spell drills, and then we had a friendly duel with each other. The whole village had heard of me, of course, but they did not make me feel like they had a huge hero worship thing going on. They treated me as a welcome guest. Well, the wizard had begun to step it up a bit and got some more powerful spells going. I got frustrated and dove to the side to get some cover, and work out a counter strategy. I saw one of the swords that way lying by my feet and infused the blade with a simple protego so I could at least use the sword to deflect some of the curses. When I jumped out of my cover and used the sword in my left hand, and my wand in the right, the wizard stopped firing after he saw some of his stronger spells being deflected by the blade. He asked me what I had done and where I got the sword from.

I told him that it was on the ground, and that I had just put a shielding spell on the blade to help me protect myself. I didn't understand why he was amazed, I mean after all it was only a mild shielding charm. He explained to me that his village was responsible for training intermediate enchanters so they could perfect their skills in weapons enchanting. One of their newest students had tried on that particular sword several times, and could never get anything to happen. They figured that the sword metal was not forged correctly, and that it was scheduled for destruction.

The wizard explained this to me, and then he asked what else I could do. I then gave him a list of some of the things I had done in the past couple of years, and yes I did include the messed up stone. By the way, how is that coming along?"

Hermione blinked, lost for a second by the sudden switch of topics. She cleared her head by shaking it and gave a quick rundown on what they had found so far. She gave him a look that plainly said, 'continue with the story'.

"Sorry about that. So where was I? Oh yeah. So there I was being interrogated by the elder wizard about what I had done. It turns out I was a natural enchanter. They took me in and the elder wizard taught me himself. I spent about seven months of nothing but learning the finer points of enchanting. For my final work, I was to forge a weapon and enchant it. It had to be an original design, and the enchantment had to be very advanced; and if it was possible, to get more than one enchantment on the blade itself. I worked for a month on creating the blade and the design. When I got the sword ready, it was tested against another sword that they had made for actual sword play. I did not do so well the first time. After a very spirited fight, the elder used his sword and snapped the blade I had made. He told me to try again, and to put more work into it.

Once I had finished a second blade that I put everything I had into it, it was impressive. We had another fight and this time I was able to have the blade last the brutal beating it took. My arms were sore for a few days from the vibrations of the impacts. Then it was time for the enchantments." He stopped there and watched Hermione barely able to hold herself back from bombarding him with questions about what he enchanted the sword with.

"With that said, it is best if I just showed you what it looks like. Only then will I tell you the rest," he said. Hermione's eyes narrowed at annoyance that he would stop there.

He gently patted her hand and asked her to have patience. They moved to a different topic after she coerced him into saying that he would have her look at the sword very soon. Their desserts arrived as they talked about many other subjects.

Hermione was astounded that Harry had become this deep and introspective. She realized that if he had become this intelligent, he must have been holding back in school. He explained that while he was somewhat holding back, it was more that in a school setting, his early years with the Dursley's had conditioned him into never putting the maximum effort into everything for fear of punishment. Hermione's face darkened at that comment. He shrugged it off and told her that he had finally got past that belief.

They stayed chatting for about another half hour. They touched on a few more subjects, and then he asked if she would like to see his home.

"Hermione, would you like to see where I live?" he asked quietly. He was afraid she would say no, that she did not feel comfortable with that. "I'll understand if you think it is too soon, but I was kind of hoping you would come home with me tonight. I do have a guest room that you could stay in if you wish to."

"Harry, of course I would like to see your house! What did you think I would be offended by your offer?" she asked as he nodded sheepishly. She put her hand on his, and spoke softly. "Harry, I know that you are still a bit nervous about us, but you have to understand that I will be here for you no matter what. I have waited for you for so long and now I have my chance. I know you would not try to take advantage of me. I trust you. Would you mind stopping at my flat so I can get some clothes?"

Harry nodded and smiled. He was happy that she was coming over. He paid the bill and left a nice tip for the server they had. He was walking to the front to get Hermione's coat, when he felt someone pulling on his pant leg. He looked down at a beautiful little girl, probably five years old at the most. She looked frightened, and looked at him with wide eyes. He crouched down and smiled.

"Hello there, are you ok?" he asked, getting a shake of the head. Her eyes flicked up to his scar, and her eyes widened even more. Her mouth fell open a bit as her eyes lit up with recognition. He chuckled at her and nodded his head to her silent question. "Did you lose your parents?" He got a nod of her head this time, and he reached out his hand. "Well let's go find them shall we?" She gripped his hand and smiled. He was about to ask her what they looked like, when he heard a couple of people running up to him. His hand went to his wand in the blink of an eye, seeing that they were after the little girl.

"Crystal! Are you ok?" the woman asked. Harry relaxed a little when the little girl brightened and smiled.

"Oh, sir thank you for finding her! We turned away for just a moment to get our coats and then she was gone!" the woman said hurriedly. She looked up at Harry and a small squeal escaped her lips. She was about to say his name when he put a finger to his lips while his eyes motioned over the quiet restaurant. She recognized the sign for her not to say his name, and reached out a hand. "Thank you again sir. It is an honor to meet you."

The lady picked up her daughter and started to push her gaping husband along. Crystal leaned over her mother's shoulder and smiled and waved at Harry. He winked back and she smiled even wider. Hermione had been watching the whole exchange with a small smile.

"Do I have some competition?" she asked. His head whipped around and he looked startled. "I'm sorry for scaring you, but should we get going now?"

Harry and Hermione were walking out the front door of the restaurant when it happened. Several sharp cracks echoed through the street, and black robes could be seen. Everyone on the street stopped and stared at the strange and sudden appearance of the robed figures. One of the figures raised his arm and shouted the killing curse. In a bright flash of green light and what seemed to be slow motion, the first man fell to the ground. Harry and Hermione grabbed their wands and then all hell broke loose. The Death Eaters started firing spell after spell into the crowds.

Harry raised his wand and bellowed out a reductor curse at the Death Eater that was close to him. The Death Eater did not have time to avoid the spell. The hastily conjured shield did not even slow the spell down as the Death Eater was thrown against a wall, bleeding heavily. The other Death Eaters saw this and all of them turned to face the new threat. Harry stopped in mid-stride and took stock of the situation. Hermione used this opportunity to sneak behind the group and sent whispered stunners in their direction. She quickly avoided the counter attack as the Death Eaters scattered to avoid the two attackers.

"Potter! I should have known it would have been you!" Draco Malfoy yelled. "And the mudblood! How touching that she came to save you!"

"Pity anyone won't be able to save you!" Harry yelled back as he sent a strong cutting curse towards Malfoy. Malfoy was able to avoid the curse, but he was not fast enough to avoid Hermione's stunner. He fell hard onto his face and she heard a crack as Malfoy's nose impacted the sidewalk.

Harry turned his attention back to the others. He was facing off three of them and had them cornered. The spells were turning darker as their desperation increased. Harry nimbly dodged each curse he could not block with his left hand, and soon he was able to eliminate that section of the threat. He was about to run to the other side of the street when he heard a young child scream. He whipped around and saw that one of the Death Eaters was attacking people running from the restaurant he was just in. He broke into a run as he saw a Death Eater closing in on Crystal and her family. Just as he reached them the Death Eater sent a spell at the family.

"CRUCIO!"

The curse struck Crystal's father as he shielded her from the spell. His wand slipped out of his hand he screamed from the pain. Harry reached the Death Eater and threw a sharp elbow into the person's face. A loud grunt was heard as well as a sharp crack. The Death Eater collapsed and grabbed his face. Harry was about to get the family back inside when he heard a voice he thought he would never hear again. It was Snape.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" In an instant, Crystal's mother fell to the ground with a muffled thud.

"NO!" Harry shouted. He spun around and faced off with Snape. "How could you? They did nothing to you!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Snape just laughed at Harry.

"Silence Potter! You could not beat me before and it looks like you have not changed a bit! Shall we settle this once and for all?" Snape said with a sneer.

"Tell the rest to stop attacking. One on one, Snape," Harry growled. Snape just smirked and nodded. He waved his hand and the other Death Eaters stopped firing spells. Hermione stayed hidden behind a trash bin, wondering how soon the Aurors would arrive. She did not have to wait long as she heard a dozen sharp cracks and the Aurors started to advance. However, one of the Aurors stopped when he saw Harry. Ron let out a surprised yell.

"Harry?!" he yelled as he started to run over. Harry shot up his left hand, and Ron was unable to move.

"Ron, stay back. Keep the others back as well. This is between me and Snape. Just watch the other Death Eaters," Harry said. He raised his wand and set his stance in a defensive, yet highly maneuverable stance. Snape raised his wand as well.

"Now Potter, try to elevate your pitiful intellect above sixth year spells," Snape said mockingly.

"Oh don't you worry, professor," Harry spat. "I have a few new tricks up my sleeves."

Snape merely sneered and started to cast his spell. His confidence vanished a second later when he was knocked backward by a strong bludgeoning curse. He winced as he pulled himself up off of the ground, the pain from his newly broken ribs making him hiss in pain. 'So, the Potter brat can cast silent. At last, I can let loose on this annoying child!' He raised his wand and cast a silent cutting curse. His eyes widened as Harry dodged the spell and cast a spell Snape had never heard of.

"CAECUS EXIMO!" Harry shouted after he sent two stunners, intending for Snape to dodge the first two. He guessed correctly as the third spell hit Snape dead on. Snape snarled in frustration as he was blinded. Harry quickly put silencing charms on his shoes and ran to Snape's left side, sending minor spells to keep him off balance. Snape began to send spells in all directions attempting to hit Harry if he could while he waited for the curse to wear off. Harry knew he only had another minute before the spell faded. Harry took this opportunity to place a few traps around Snape, hoping he could trip him up.

His timing was not the best when a reductor curse glanced off of his left leg. Harry was thrown to the ground, clutching his injured leg. He raised his wand to send a spell at Snape, when his wand was torn out of his grip. Unfortunately for Snape, he caught the wand and was promptly burned by the wand when it contacted his hand. Cursing he tossed the wand to the ground. He was about to step on the wand to snap it, when Harry summoned it back to himself. Harry managed to get a decent shield up to ward off the curses Snape was raining down on him. Harry rolled out of the way and the fight went on for several minutes.

"Very good Potter, it seems like you are at least somewhat competent in dueling, but this ends now!" Snape shouted and in a flash he had summoned Hermione in front of him as a shield. Harry froze on the spot, his eyes flashing in anger. "Now, if you don't mind, throw your wand behind you, or I will gut her like a fish. You have three seconds to comply."

Snape had not even finished say one when Harry whipped his wand behind him. Snape smirked while Hermione's face registered shock and disbelief as Harry's wand was heard rattling to a stop a half block away. Harry's eyes turned a dark menacing green.

"You see that Ms. Granger? That is his greatest weakness, caring for scum like you," Snape said. He readjusted his grip on Hermione as she struggled to get free. "Now Ms. Granger, did I dismiss you?"

Hermione responded the only way she could at this point, by bringing her heel up as fast as she could. Harry winced at the sour and pained expression on Snape's face. His grip on her slipped and Harry instantly summoned her to himself. He caught her and quickly turned around as Snape had already retaliated against Hermione. Harry screamed as the crutiatus curse hit him and Harry stumbled. Hermione raised her wand but Harry shook his head slightly. Harry the turned around and started to slowly fight the curse as he walked towards Snape.

Severus Snape believed he was a man who could be impressed by no one. But as he watched Harry Potter slowly walking towards him while under the crutiatus curse, was surely a sight to behold. Snape ended the curse and Harry stopped walking. He gasped at the look in Harry's eyes, and he could feel the power radiating from him. Snape tried to raise his wand for a parting shot as his other hand was almost touching his emergency portkey. What happened next would be burned in Snape's memory forever, as he had never seen anything like it before, not even from Voldemort.

Harry raised his hands and roared with rage. Bluish-green energy started to form like lightning from his hands. He unleashed his power and hit Snape with all of his stored energy. Snape could not even scream, as the pain was so intense. Even Voldemort never could generate this much pain. As Snape was flying through the air, his hand touched his portkey. Snape never even landed back on the street. The smell of burnt ozone was thick in the air as Harry stopped his attack. He dropped to his knees in exhaustion.

ooo

Severus Snape landed with a sickening thud in front of a couple of guards. They gasped in shock at the condition of the man. His robes were still smoking, and his wand had been burnt beyond recognition. The scorch marks on Snape's face did not distract the men from the vacant look in his eyes. They quickly picked him up and carried him into the hideout they were close to.

As they entered the main room of the mansion, they laid Snape in front of a throne. They both bowed their head and dropped to their knees. A scathing look met them when their leader looked down at them and the near lifeless form of one of the top remaining Death Eaters. In his weakened state, he could do anything to them yet, but their punishment would be forthcoming. He would make his displeasure known in a short time.

ooo

Harry shakily stood up and walked over to Crystal and her father. His heart broke at the little girl's expression of sadness and loss. He knelt down and put his hand on her father's shoulder. John Edwards reached up and put his hand on Harry's, patting it gently.

"I'm so sorry I could not stop him," Harry choked out. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at the woman. "Let me carry your daughter while you take care of her mother. It's the least I can do."

John nodded jerkily and gathered up the distraught little girl in his arms. He hugged her tight and passed her to Harry. Crystal wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and started to cry. John gently picked up his wife, and cradled her in his arms. The crowd parted and let the four of them through. Not a word was said as they slowly waked through the crowd. Harry heard a few muffled sniffles at the sight, but no one spoke. As they reached the end of the block where the ministry forces had gathered, Hermione walked up and put her arm around Harry's shoulders. She had picked up his wand and carried it for him. The aurors were securing the few Death Eaters they had captured. Harry had a quiet discussion with one of the ministry officials about the family. Ron caught up to Harry and Hermione and put his hands on their shoulders. He pulled them into a three way hug and held tight for a minute.

Harry promised that the three of them would get together the following day to talk, as Ron was busy doing his duties and Harry was dead on his feet. The Obliviators were working fast to contain what has occurred in front of the group of muggles. Harry was about to walk away when a pair of arms stopped him.

"Mr. Potter," John said. "Thank you for trying to help save my wife. If you ever need anything, please feel free to ask me."

Harry shook his hand and nodded tiredly. Harry and Hermione slowly walked over to his car. She was watching Harry, making sure he was alright. He noticed this and stopped walking. Without a word, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead. He stood there holding her, and broke down. The grief he felt over the lives lost that evening came crashing down on him. They both sank to the ground as Hermione did her best to comfort him.

Harry had calmed down after a few minutes and was just holding onto her. She was afraid he would disappear again. When she gripped him tighter to make sure he would not run for it, he simply smiled and hugged her back. They got up to go to his car and back to his house. Suddenly Harry grabbed at his scar and screamed. Hermione's face took o a look of horror, as that meant only one thing.

"Dear God," Harry said through clenched teeth. "He's back!"