Prologue

Arc Two:Potter Universe-1168

It began at the Quidditch World Cup. Despite the threat of his 'deranged escaped convict godfather,' the summer between third and fourth year had been horrible with the Dursleys. Due to the inflation of his Aunt Marge prior to third year, his relatives had inflicted punishment after punishment on Harry in retaliation. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had a long memory, and had plenty of time to invent creative ways to 'beat the freak' out of him while extracting their pound of flesh for the humiliation and fear from the 'Marge incident'.

Of course, Hermione noticed his attempt to hide the painful after effects of his punishment as soon as he arrived at the Burrow. In conjunction with her noticing, of course, Ron didn't notice.

She'd been watching Harry, and he, in his turn was watching her watching him. With grim humour, he'd played it out in his head, "I see you watching me, watching you, watching me…"

It could be a Beatles song.

It wasn't until the tent had been erected on the grounds of the World Cup, and the various Weasleys dispersed, that Hermione had finally addressed the elephant in the room.

"Do you have any broken bones, or is it only contusions?" she'd asked him in a matter of fact, yet extraordinarily kind fashion.

Sighing, he didn't even try to dissemble. "Bruises and cuts. Uncle Vernon was very proud that he'd fashioned a home-made cat-o-nine tails."

Her face hardened for a long moment before she began to dig into the satchel in her lap. Withdrawing a brown bottle, Hermione directed, "Take off your shirt and sit backwards on the chair." Sliding behind him, he heard her pop the cork on the bottle before she muttered, "This will sting." It took ten long minutes of application, but the Murtlap Essence healed the cuts, welts, weals, and bruises that littered his body.

Not once did she comment on the extent of the damage to his back. Just as she finished cleaning him up, Hermione once again shocked him as she placed a gentle kiss to the centre of his freshly healed back.

"You don't deserve this, Harry. You never have."

Turning about, he was surprised to see tears dripping down her cheeks. In a completely natural, but unthinking act, he reached up to thumb away the trails of sorrow while he cupped her face.

Everything was different after that.

His terror for her safety after they became separated in the riotous aftermath of the match, nearly drove him mad. In his panic to get back to her, Harry's spells overcooked; killing two Death Eaters while maiming one more. Later he told Hermione, "To be honest, I wasn't really thinking about anything other than getting back to you so as to make sure you were safe."

They shared their first kiss after that.

There was no big pronouncement, but upon returning to the Burrow, Harry told Ron, "Just so you know, Hermione and I are together now."

Ron snorted as he rolled over in his bed, "Mate, you two have been together since first year. You're just figuring it out now."

Harry couldn't disagree with his friend.

The TriWizard Tournament had been terrible; the aftermath of the third task was a nightmare. Of course, the Ministry stooges refused to believe that anything could upset their perfect little applecart-of-a-career.

"Most inconsiderate of Lord Voldemort to return at this time," Harry had snarked to his friends after Minister Fudge's histrionics that the Dark Lord could not have returned.

Hermione and the Yule Ball had been the only bright spot in the entire year. True, he'd learned a ton of new magic throughout the year discovering he was an untrained prodigy in Ancient Runes along the way. Still, his fourth year at Hogwarts had been terrible.

"I doubt I would have survived this year without you," he told his girlfriend as they lay together in his bed that night shortly after they lost their virginities to each other.

That next summer had begun terribly. The Dursleys had taunted Harry the entire way to Surrey from King's Cross. Uncle Vernon had been especially vindictive in promising to carry on the "discipline" from the previous year.

Fortunately, Hermione had had a long chat with Sirius in the infirmary after the Third Task, which spurned the wizard to be waiting on the Dursleys' doorstep as they arrived home from King's Cross. Before Uncle Vernon could stoke his indignation into full on outrage, Harry's godfather poked the porcine man in the chest. Harry nearly laughed when Vernon realized that he was being poked with a wand.

"Listen here, you worthless piece of krup shite," Sirius snarled. "Harry has to be here for two and a half weeks for both his and your protection. Personally, I would dance a jig while you burn in fire for the rest of your worthless life, I hate you that much. To be honest, you are not required for Harry's protection, only Petunia and the lard arse boy of hers are truly needed for the protection to be renewed. No matter, I'll be watching if you put one finger on Harry." The furious Lord of the Blacks held up his thumb and forefinger an inch apart, "One little bit out of order, and I'll be on you like Hell's Wrath. You can count on it." Shaking in his fury, Sirius spat, "Do you understand?"

Vernon's nearly purple visage contorted, not wanting to submit to the Wizard who was ordering him around. The obese man was a bully, and bullies hated to submit. The wand poking his sternum reminded him that there was no way he'd ever win, though. Finally, Vernon nodded his acquiescence.

Hermione came to visit him at least twice a week and he went to visit her more than a few times as well. The phone line was put to good use during the day. Hedwig winged her way back and forth between the young lovers, getting all the exercise she could want. He came to know her parents quite well. Desmond and Molly Granger were kind, just like their daughter. And like their daughter, they were very quick on the uptake. At their offer to house him for the balance of the summer, he balked at their knowing, yet sad, expressions.

"I wouldn't want to put you out," he demurred.

"Nonsense," Molly retorted; her smile softening the rebuke.

So, after three weeks at the home of his relatives, he moved house from middle class stodgy in Surrey, to upper class stodgy in Cambridge. He told Sirius that he was leaving the house of his torment, but it never occurred to him that he should tell his Headmaster.

After being dropped off by the Knight Bus, Hermione's greeting was rather enthusiastic. Being the middle of the day, her parents weren't home yet. Their reunion was very enthusiastic.

The rest of the summer was the best time period of Harry's life. He found that he and Desmond Granger had similar tastes in music and humour (to his girlfriend's horror). She tolerated the Beatles, but couldn't stand Monty Python.

Molly Granger mothered him in a way that Molly Weasley just couldn't quite manage. Where Molly Weasley was condescending and treated him a child, Molly Granger was respectful of his experience and treated him as the young adult he was.

All the family were wonderfully supportive of him dealing with his grief over Cedric Diggory's death.

Sirius visited often. He cackled when he told Harry and the Grangers that he'd 'failed to mention' to Dumbledore about Harry moving house. He'd also 'failed to mention' that he'd arranged for Harry to catch the Knight Bus for his move when a fairly inattentive member of the Order of the Phoenix – one Mundungus Fletcher – was assigned to watch over Harry's relatives' home. Sirius had settled into the 'Wacky Old Uncle' role in Harry's life, which seemed to suit both of them quite well.

Musing to himself as he sat in the back of the Grangers' BMW on the way to King's Cross, it was the first time that he was reluctant to head off to Hogwarts. Hermione's warm hand in his was a steadying force that made everything better.

A/N

1. I own nothing

2. Recommendation for this chapter is Wand and Shield by Morta's Priest. Great HP/Avengers crossover.

3. Wanted to get this chapter out there early so you can see the pattern. The chapters will interleave from the 1122 universe to the 1168 universe. In Arc Three they meet. I've already written 5 chapters in Arc One and one more in Arc Two. Expect updates every other week or so. For the first time, I wanted to get ahead with the writing before I posted.

4. As usual, my universe(s), my rules. I choose to ignore much and embrace even more. Don't like it, don't read.