-Chapter 1 - Aurors' House
The night was very cold but so beautiful, thousands of stars were watching the young couple returning in their house. Some lights were still alive from the village houses. They didn't want to transfer themselves back home. They needed a walk in the snow and they did so in the large path for their house out of Hogsmeade.
They crossed their house's snow-covered garden and enter the building. Harry opened the door and entered the dark hall first; then, Hermione followed him. With a movement of his hand, some candles lit themselves and the colors of light yellow, dark red and brown came to their view.
"Finally home," Hermione said as she took her scarf off and shook her bushy hair for take the snow away.
"Yeah, finally back...this mission was harder than others. We need to talk about the problem that showed up, don't you think?" Harry said and helped his wife with her coat.
"We will...later. Would you like a cup of tea?" Hermione asked trying change the object of their chat.
"That sounds better than great, "Harry answered and kissed her.
"Okay, I'll be right back then." Hermione broke their kiss and left.
She entered the kitchen. "Dobby, could you please, show up? I need your help." A little pop heard and the sort house elf showed up.
"Hello Mrs. Hermione," the elf said looking at her.
"Please call me Hermione, Dobby, it's already enough for me to have you under my orders so please..."
"Oh, Dobby is happy to be here. You and Mr. Harry is paying Dobby, so Dobby is happy to be here and take care of the Potter house, Mrs. ermmm Hermione," the elf said and lowed its ears. (He had made the process by calling them Mr. or Mrs. but with their last names).
"Ok Dobby, fine," Hermione said and took a deep breath. She couldn't believe she has her S.P.E.W. and two house elves under her orders (Winky and Dobby), even if she were paying them like true servants, but they didn't have another choice because no one else was accepting two house elves like them. So Harry and Hermione had taken care of them.
Harry had watched the talk between Hermione and the elf and entered the living room. He took out his wand and some moments later, a big fire had started dancing in the fire place. Harry sat on the couch close to the fireplace and start watching the flames and the random figures of them. Then, he started to remember again...eight years ago...the greatest night of his life and the next one...that terrible night.
FLASHBACK - eight years before - at Grimmauld Place No 12
Hermione was sitting on her bed. Everyone was in their bedroom but none was asleep. Everyone was too tense to relax. The last Horcuxe (Nagini) was destroyed by Harry, Remus and McGonagall two nights ago. Now, Voldemort knew his Horcuxes were destroyed and he was madly furious about it. The day after would be the last one for many people who now were lying on their beds or watching out of the windows. Hermione was watching a dog trying find something across the House. She had feelings for Harry. She couldn't stop blaming herself for that; she was crying for hours; she never went down for eat something; she was there sobbing, blaming herself for her feelings for Harry and her "behavior" to Ron. She shouldn't be with Ron. His temper wasn't good when they were friends. Why would this change now? She didn't do anything with him... she didn't want to... she wanted to be with a boy just like as many girls were at this age, but she knew that Ron wasn't that boy for her.
The door opened. Hermione turned to her right side ready to shout to the person who was there; she wanted to be alone, but she froze when she saw him.
"'Mione? troubled sleep?" Harry asked with a small smile on his face. How could he still smile? He could fight his worst enemy in less then 24 hours, and he was still able to smile? She wasn't even able to scream her pain and he could smile?
"Well I can't sleep at all so there is no trouble...with it," she choked out.
"Oh, I see. Well, you want to stay alone? Shall I leave?" Harry asked her.
"NO, no, no, please stay here. I'd like you to stay here..." she cut him with something like a smile on her face.
"Okay, sure," Harry said and sat next to her. "Well... I think this is the end." Harry said looking the floor in front of his shoes.
"Harry, I beg you; Don't say that..." Hermione sobbed lightly.
"Hey, hey... I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you cry. I'm just trying to get used to this option," Harry said and embraced her.
"You are going to fight him and you are still apologizing to me 'cause you made me cry..." Hermione said between her sobs. "You are so kind, Harry. Your parents would be so proud of you, so please fight for them tomorow -- for Padfoot, for Dumbledore, for everyone who had die until now..."
"I won't fight only for the dead, Hermione... I will fight for our future too," Harry said and kissed the top of her head.
"Our? You mean?" Hermione asked him as she rose her head for look at his face.
"You thought I haven't see how sad you are next to him? I know you better then anyone else Herm. I know you have feelings for me, and I want you to know... I have the same, if not stronger feelings for you too, 'Mione..." Harry said and kissed her lips waiting for a response.
Hermione started kissing him passionately and tried to save everything in her mind: his smell, his taste, his scent. "Harry, I love you so much, since months ago..."
"I love you too, 'Mione... more than anything else," Harry said and stroked her hair which made her wake up and sat on his lap.
Hermione took his hand and place it on her chest. "Harry, if this will be my last night...I want it to be special. I want it to be special because you will make it be that way. If I die, I want to die with our picture in my mind." Hermione looked at those wonderful green eyes.
"'Mione, are you sure that you want to? This will be both of our first time, right?" Harry said as he embraced her tighter.
"It will, Harry, and for that reason, I want you to be the one. You love me and I do love you. We will probably be dead by this time tomorow, or worse... one of us will. If that will happen, the survivor deserves to have a good memory of the other," Hermione said and kissed him again.
"I love you so much, 'Mione," Harry said and laid both of them on the bed. They made sweet love for their first time...maybe their last. The next night may be their last one, so they both knew that they were just meant to be there, that night, before their possible end.
The next night at Godric's Hollow graveyard
The Order was fighting with the Deatheaters. Hermione had just hit (maybe killed) Narcissa Malfoy. Draco was attacking her, but Mad-Eye took care of him, so Hermione kept moving. Harry and Voldemort where fighting close by Harry's parents' graves.
"So Harry... still alive? Spectacular, really... You have lost so many and you are still here. Tell me, really, who do you want to be the next to die? Maybe you... CRUCIO!!"
Harry was trying to wake up and accept the hardest pain because of the curse, but he didn't. He actually heard screams and turned to his left side. Hermione had just been between the two and was hit by the curse. she was screaming and her whole body was spazzing. She was bitting her lips; they were already bleeding. She was beating her body on the ground casting unwillingly more pain to herself.
"Well, well, well... let me see your mind," Voldemort said as he threw Harry some feets away for take some time with Hermione, who was now gusping for air -- unable even talk or scream for help. "Knowlege and oh... what can I see? You are Potter's love? Awww, how touching... You saved him, but for how long? And as I can see, you are the Mudblood. At least, my dear, I met you and have the pleasure of killing you in front of Harry's eyes. This will be entertaining."
Voldemort raised his body and got ready to hit Harry, but first "CRUCIO!" on Hermione, she start screaming again. As Harry was fighting with The Dark Lord, Hermione was under the curse, suffering more and more every passing moment. Harry knew this could drive her crazy and even kill her. Voldemort laughed when he threw Harry's wand away with a simple spell and pointed his wand on Hermione, which caused her more pain and could kill her in front of Harry's eyes...
"ACCIO WAND!! AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!" Harry screamed with all his power. He hit him straight on his chest... Voldemort didn't know Harry could use wandless magic so he didn't have the time to disapear or ptotect himself. His tall, white body fell on the ground near to the two young people.
Hermione stopped screaming and started gasping for air again. "Harry..." she whispered weakly.
Harry ran close to her and took her in his arms. "It's ok, 'Mione. It's over... I swear it is," he said and hugged her tighter.
Deatheaters started disappearing and Members of the order started screaming. They approached Harry and Hermione full of happiness, anger, pain and so many other feelings still mixed with each other. Around the graveyard were full of bodies; Harry could regornize some -- some other were DeathEaters'. He didn't care, the only thing he cared about was the young woman in his arms.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Earth to Harry! Sweetheart are you alright?" Hermione was asking for his attention for third time, she was standing in front of him and was trying see if her love was still conected to the world.
"Yeah, sorry honey. I was lost in my thoughts." Harry smiled and took the cup of tea from her hand and make some space for her between his legs for her to sit close to him.
"Yeah, I notice that." Hermione said and sat in front of him with her back to his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. "What you were thinking?"
"The Battle..." Harry answered simply.
"Oh why? Again?" Hermione said and closed her eyes to relax.
"Well, I just did..." Harry said and kissed her forhead.
"And did u find any good from this memory of our hard past?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I did. I realized that I have the best woman in the world," Harry said and kissed her lips.
"Oh, I see. We lost many that night...Charlie, Alastor... I can't believe the ministry punished Draco Malfoy just with six years in Azkaban for his crime. I was fighting with Narcissa. I didn't care if he was under the curse. His familly was there. He killed Alastor. Snape... I couldn't believe he was innocent, he tried to save us in the end... that was terrible," Hermione said, and a tear start making its way down her cheek.
"Hush... it's over baby. We lost them, yes, but they are the true heroes. They had fallen for us; they wouldn't want us crying over their brave actions."
"I know, I just missed them sometimes. Alastor was the one who encourage us to be Aurors. They were such good friends, and kept us alive. We were that close to losing Minerva. Remus was in St. Mango's for six months. Tonks for three. I was there fo just one, but my wounds kept months to close, especially the mental ones, and we were apart... that was the worst..." Hermione sobbed a bit more.
"Yeah, we did...but that was just a mistake, 'Mione. We were just 17. We didn't know what we wanted to do. We had lost our virginities the night before the Battle, but that didn't mean it could keep us united after the pressure of the Battle, remember? Pain, confussion, the fame... all that made us act wrong," Harry said and wipped her wet cheeks.
"Yeah, but we hurt our friends..." Hermione said more calmly.
"Well, 'Mione. I told you, we all were young, and I will tell you two important things: first, Ginny wanted to have the Harry Potter-The-Boy-Who-Lived person, BUT you wanted that and I hope you still want the Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Loves-You one. Believe me, I couldn't feel the same with Ginny as I do with you. Second: You didn't love Ron; it was better to be broken up with him and be honest to him and his familly, but most importantly to yourself, than stay with him and be unhappy and make him feel the same way sooner or later..." Harry said and kissed her again.
"I know you are right but we are not the trio we were in the past..." Hermione said sadly.
"Well, we wouldn't remain the three kids who were fighting giant dogs, crazy plants, Hagrid's siblings and other crazy things... and now we are fine. Ron is with Luna. Ginny is with Nevile. You are with me. Everything is fine, and the most important thing, we are not alone. We have our friends in the ministry, the aurors, the Order members, and we still have the Weasleys -- even if they were not like before -- we still have them, the teachers in Hogwarts, the people in Hogsmeade, your parents, but most important... we have each other. It took us two years in wrong releationships, and three years to make our careers. We are three years in our marriage. Let's not lose one more time, baby..." Harry said and shared a passionate kiss with his wife.
Hermione broke the kiss after some long moments for air.
"Speaking of the Weasleys. Ron sent an owl today. Dobby gave me the letter some minutes before..."
"Oh, what does he want?" Harry asked as he started kissing Hermione's neck.
"Well, he wants us to visit the Burrow on Sunday night. He said he wants to announce something important, and he wants us there as well," Hermione replied and closed her eyes once more to enjoy Harry's lips on her skin.
"You think we should go?" Harry asked as he pulled away from her neck.
"Well, yeah I do. Ron is our best frined... we should be next to him just as he was next to us. He was with Padma when we got married three years ago. Two years had gone since I had broke up with him and he was there next to us..." Hermione said and laid herself close to Harry for him to kiss her neck again.
"Well, Okay. We will go then. I want to see the Weasleys. They are friends, indeed, and I have missed Molly's pies soo much." Harry laughed and looked at Hermione playfully.
"Oh, what? So my pies are not good? Is that what you are saying, mister?" Hermione said as she turned her self as much as she could and punched him lightly on his chest.
"Well, yours are good, but you have to accept that your mother's and Molly's are just briliant. Hey...hey...stop punching and tickling...don't mess with me, Granger." Harry laughed and start tickling back...
"Oh, Harry please stop. Okay, I quit...you can't keep tickling a poor woman..." Hermione laughed and made a puppy face to her husband, asking for his "mercy".
"Poor? Poor? Poor? You are an auror. Oh, by the way...could you please tell me what happened at the mission when you passed out at the return in the ministry? Were you not okay or what? I'm worried about you..." Harry stoped tickling her and looked at her, she was gusping for air but she wasn't laughing anymore.
"Well, it was nothing... I was just tired and stressed when we captured that gang..." Hermione said and start tickling him again.
"We are not over with that talk, this is the second time you avoied to talk about it... oh, stop." Harry started laughing again and attacked to her, he laid her on the couch and kept tickling her untill she started begging.
"Okay, mister. I will do anything you say...I promise. Harry, please, stop..." Hermione laughed.
"Hmm, ok, let's see." Harry stood for a moment. "Who is the love of your life and the best thing that had ever happened to you?" Harry asked.
"Hmmm, let me think." Hermione giggled.
"WHAT? You will pay for that Granger!" Harry said. He lifted her in his arms and got her upstairs in their bedroom...laid her carefully on their bed and made her sweet love all night long...