A/N: The ending of Chapter 3 was to tide everyone over as I put together the pieces of Chapter 4. This chapter will answer quite a few questions I'm sure you have. If all of your questions aren't answer just let me know and I will try to explain them in the next chapter. Thank you again for reading and reviewing.
Chapter 4
Hermione and Cedric almost an hour sitting on the floor together as he held her while the years of unshed tears poured from her eyes. With all the things that happened since Cedric's death she still hadn't properly mourned and now the pain caught up with her. It had been almost an hour when Hermione's tears stopped and she thanked Cedric for being there for her.
In Dumbledore's office the others were joined by Harry, Ginny, Ron, Tonks, Draco, Fred, George and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Sirius was going crazy trying to get answers as to what happened since he fell through the veil and how he was back. He asked questions to which everyone's response was that he would have to wait until Hermione came back because she was the one who should answer most of his questions. Sirius, being the impatient man that he was, paced around the room. "She should be back by now. Wasn't that boy supposed to bring her back here?"
"I said I would go talk to her, Mr. Black," Cedric answered from the doorway with Hermione beside him, her eyes puffy and bloodshot from crying.
Hermione stepped forward to Sirius. She wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I should have explained everything to you earlier," she whispered in his ear. She backed away and took a seat beside Remus and Cedric sat beside her. "I suppose we all owe a little history lesson, no?" Hermione asked smiling lightly looking at Harry to begin.
"What are you looking at me for, Mione?" he asked laughing. "You wrote the books on it." Ginny, who was sitting beside her husband, swatted his arm.
"I knew you were going make that an excuse to get out of explaining." Hermione sighed. "This is going to be a long story." She turned to Cedric. "At cemetery, after Wormtail…killed…you, he succeeded in bringing Voldemort back and giving him a body. From Harry's accounts, he summoned the Death Eaters and almost killed him. I'm going to make this whole story as short as possible and fill you in on details later. If you a question ask when we're done, please. Anyway, Harry returned to the school with your body and told Professor Dumbledore what happened."
"Fudge insisted upon making the world believe that it was a lie and the Dark Lord wasn't really back," Arthur Weasley added. "The Prophet made it all out to be a lie as well."
"Do we really need to explain everything that happened in our fifth year?" Draco asked annoyed at the possibility of having to hear the entire story of that year.
"I'm more concerned with how I'm back. I'll just read Hermione's books to find out the entire story," Cedric said.
"Anyone object to skipping ahead to what happened after our Hogwarts days?" Harry asked the room. When no one replied with an objection he turned to Hermione. "Take it away, Mione."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. Alright let's start with the Final Battle. It took place here when Voldemort attack the school with his horde of Death Eaters. We were faced with a full out battle extending all the way to Hogsmead. Everyone who could, which was pretty much fourth through seventh years, fought."
"We lost sixty-two students that day. Many more were injured, some beyond the healing capabilities of even the best healers this side of Europe," Tonks added. "It was the most devastating time. Worse than the first war. "
"That was also the day Voldemort met his final end," Harry announced proudly. "But, I assure it wasn't a glorious event. There was no glory that day. Just loss."
"We could go into great detail about everything that occurred that day but that really isn't the most important thing right now," Hermione said. "The reason we're going through all of this, besides so you know, is so that you understand what kind of world you're going to be walking into soon." She paused considering her next words carefully. "As you've seen today, some still haven't dealt with devastation and pain."
"Now, as to how we believe you four are standing here today, that is most definitely Hermione's story," Fred informed smirking. He was now on the receiving end of Hermione death glare.
"Yeah, our Hermione's the cleverest witch of the times!" George added high-fiving his twin.
Sirius turned to Hermione with a question gaze. He mouthed the words 'our Hermione' in question. She shook her head in frustration. "Not even a conversation I want to have right now."
"Tell 'em, Mione!" Fred said jumping a little in his seat.
"Yeah, Mionekins! I love this story!" George agreed.
Sirius turned to her again mouthing 'Mionekins'. She rolled eyes. "I do not even know, okay?"
Fred and George came to sit in front of Hermione's chair like little kids waiting for story time. "Story time!" they announced. They were even bouncing around a little. Draco jumped up from his chair before bounding over them mockingly rejoicing like a little kid.
"Some of us, however, have yet to grow up," Hermione pointed out looking pointedly at the three boys seated in front of her.
"Just thought we'd lighten the mood, Mione!" George said.
"Yeah, it was getting a bit depressing," Fred said quivering his bottom lip. "Almost…"
"…cried." George finished for his now mock weeping twin.
"Fine, fine," Hermione conceded. "Anyway, about two years ago, we had finished getting rid of the remaining Death Eaters. We were finally done," she said. "We had no one to fear but the losses were far too great. Most had lost a lifelong companion in one way or another. I got to where I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand to see George without Fred, or Dean without Seamus, Fleur without Bill, or Lavender without Ron. So many of us lost someone that completed us and that wasn't something I could live with, especially when there was a chance, however small, that I could fix it."
"What do you mean fix it?" James asked curiously speaking up for the first time. "Do you mean that you knew there might be a way to bring back the dead?"
Hermione shrugged a bit. "I didn't know it. I had read a book on the subject of the veil a one point…" she glanced at Sirius and he instantly understood what she meant. "…and there was a certain passage that stood out. When I reread it after the war…I found that one wizard had tried to open the veil to bring people back from within it. He did an entire study on it and began to write a book on it." When she didn't elaborate on the book Cedric worried.
"Why did he only begin a book on the veil?" Cedric asked cautiously not quite the answer was something he really wanted to hear. He could hear the hesitation in Hermione's voice.
"He went completely mad before he could finish it. He never even made it past the third chapter before he lost his mind and burnt down his Wilshire flat with him inside it," Hermione explained. She took a deep breath before continuing. "But that is not the point. I thought that if I tried to find out where he was headed before he went mad that I might be able to achieve what he couldn't."
"You thought you could bring back the dead using the veil?" James asked in awe.
"Prongs, I haven't seen you this interested in something since Lily," Sirius joked. Lily just rolled her eyes.
"I do hope it's not for the same reasons though, Sirius." At Lily's statement Remus and Sirius both looked completely shocked.
"Lily? Lily…you…made a…a…" Sirius stuttered incoherently.
"Yes, it's called a joke, Padfoot. I had thought you were well acquainted with them, funny man," James joked winking at Harry who couldn't have looked happier at the moment.
"I'm terribly sorry, Hermione. I didn't realize Sirius was still as dull witted as he was before. Please continue your story; I would love to know how you managed to bring us all back," Lily said sweetly.
"Yeah, Mione!" Fred cheered.
"It's still story time!" George agreed.
"Yes, well. I read up on the wizard's studies, thanks to Kingsley's approval, and I found that he created a spell and potion that was supposed to be thrown into the veil. With a truly complex and precise formatting of the spell and potion I was able to improve his idea to perfection by adding an object that had value to the person I was trying to bring back. I tried to bring back 'the twin terror' here first. When that worked I through something from everyone that died into it with all the components multiplied to specific amount and found dozens of people flying out of the veil. What doesn't make sense is that you four are suddenly here after three years of trying. But, don't worry, I will figure it out."
Cedric approached Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder smiling down at her. "We know you will, Hermione." Hermione couldn't help the smile that graced her features at his confidence in her. She would make sure his confidence was proven appropriately placed at any and every cost.
A/N: It's a bit longer this time!! Yay! Hope you enjoyed and that I cleared up a few questions. Reviews are highly appreciated. Thank you for reading.