Author Note: This is chapter 1 of Fate's reward. I wanted to share this preview as I'm still working on it but with the way my scattershot mind is working right now progress is a bit slow. I have two and half chapters typed up for it and am still working on it. So it'll come at some point.
===xxx(Begin)
Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, Champion of the light and chosen one stood breathing hard over the body of the Dark Lord Voldemort. The being who had ruined his life and murdered his parents. It was over and he had won. He could get on with trying to develop a normal life for a change. Finally tell the girl he loved how he felt. What he should have done ages ago. He bent down though as before he could do all of that there was one more task to be done. He plucked the Elder Wand from the cold dead hand of Voldemort and sighed. It should be restored to Dumbledore's tomb so no one else would be able to use it Harry thought to himself..
Neville limped over, dragging the sword of Gryffindor behind him as he no longer had the strength to wield it. His left arm a shattered burned mess. "You did it Harry! You did it."
Harry shook his head, black ash filled hair coated with sweat from the exertion of battle barely moving. His glasses cracked and askew on his face which had blood running from a gash on his cheek. "No Nev. We all did it. We all played a part."
"If you say so Harry. You're the one that struck him down. You're the one they'll remember forever. People like me will get forgotten about."
Harry stared intently into Neville's eyes, "Then we'll have to make sure that you're not forgotten about." He said with a weary smile as he put his hand on Neville's shoulder.
Ron came running up at that point. He stopped a few feet away, his breath coming in great heaves, tears streaming down his pale face, "Harry. Harry. You better come. Better come quick. Its Hermione."
Harry didn't need to hear anything else as he felt a rush of fear giving his feet speed. He burst into the great hall shoving people aside to reach the Weasleys who were gathered around two figures on the floor. Long red hair splayed out around the pale unmoving head of Ginny Weasley. Her eyes had been closed and she might have been asleep. Harry barely registered that due to the brown haired witch laying on the floor beside her. She looked like she might have been tired and laid down beside her friend. The two of them at a sleep over. Harry started shaking his head chanting the word no over and over as he slowly stepped closer to her. Arthur came forward and started to put his hand on Harry's shoulder but felt a small burst of lightning leap off of Harry stinging him.
"Why isn't anyone doing something for her. She'll die. She's going to die if you don't help her." he cried out in anguish and fear.
Arthur tried again and this time managed to touch Harry. "She's dead already Harry. It was the Killing Curse. Ginny and her were fighting Bellatrix and Molly wasn't able to help out in time."
"Where is she, what happened to her." Harry said in a tone of voice that sent shivers down the spine of all around him.
"Bellatrix is dead. Molly took her down but, but she's in the hospital wing when she saw what happened to them." Arthur said looking at the two girls.
Harry said nothing. He did nothing. Some were not sure he was even breathing. Suddenly he knelt down and brushed the hair out of Hermione's face. He caressed her cheek softly. He whispered something that no one heard before he stood up. Walking to Ron he slid a key out of his pocket holding it out to the boy.
"Harry, is that your vault key?" Ron looked down in shock at what he was being handed.
"Yeah it is. Take it. I won't need it anymore." Harry shoved the key at Ron who retreated.
"No Harry. You're just talking out of your arse right now. You're in shock, in pain."
Harry raised the elder wand that he had picked up from Voldemort. He was its true owner. He was the Master of Death. Which was all he wanted right now. "Ron so help me GOD! I will send you to see your sister if you do not take this key right now!" He said in an angry tone of voice that held a thunderous reverb and left Ron with no option but to take the key being offered to him.
"I'll hold onto it for you. Until you're ready."
"You will take as much gold as it takes to give them a monument, to build a monument to all of the dead. To all our friends. A monument worthy of them. You understand? You will do that. I don't care if it takes every last coin. Then you will find a girl. Lavender or Luna or someone and you will live and you will have babies and you will go on. You understand that?" Harry had begun to cry. Tears running down his face as he choked out the words in a harsh painful voice.
Ron nodded, tears of his own trailing down his cheeks. "I will Harry. I will."
He slid the mokeskin bag from around his neck and handed it to Ron next. The two said nothing more to each other. There was nothing more that could be said.
Harry nodded then walked out of the hall. He stared straight ahead, not watching, not caring. Just walking. He left the doors of Hogwarts. Walking down the lane.
He froze when he heard soft footsteps following him. Spinning he saw Luna walking towards him holding a silvery silken piece of cloth, like spun mercury. She had a worried look on her wide open face.
"Harry? You forgot your invisibility cloak."
"Oh. Thank you Luna. You keep it. Maybe it'll help you find your Crumple Horned Snorkack."
"Maybe Harry. I will miss you when you commit suicide."
Harry gave a brief smile as he felt her comment pierce him through the core of his soul as he knew that was what he had been thinking. "Thank you Luna."
"Do you really think that would be what either of them would have wanted for you?"
"No. Hermione would probably have slapped me across the back of the head and Ginny would have helped her." He sighed.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. My future, my world is laying in there on the floor." Harry cried as she walked up to take him in her arms.
"I am sorry Harry that my heart was stolen by Neville. Otherwise I would gladly give it to you. Only I know it would be a pale compensation."
"I. Maybe Luna, I don't know. You've always been a wonderful person." Harry said pulling back from her.
She leaned up and kissed him gently, softly on the lips. Harry tasted tears that may not have been his own.
"Goodbye Harry. I will always treasure the time we had together."
"Goodbye Luna. So will I." Harry smiled at her and squeezing her hands one last time he turned and walked out the gates of Hogwarts forever.
===xxx===xx
Hermione, the Chosen One, the Girl of Destiny stood over Lord Voldemort. The man who had terrorized muggle and magical alike for the last decade. She was too tired to even work up the energy to glare at him. After seven years of dealing with either him or his followers she could finish school she could tell the boy she loved how she felt finally. Instead of hiding it and keeping it inside. She would first return the stolen Elder Wand to Albus Dumbledore's tomb she thought as she bent down to pluck it from Voldemort's cold dead hands.
Luna limped over dragging the Sword of Gryffindor behind her. She came up and put her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "You did it. You finally did it. You killed the evil bastard!"she said then spat on his body.
"You helped Luna, a lot of people helped. It wasn't just me."
"You're the one that struck the killing blow. You're the one they'll remember. If I'm lucky I'll just get a footnote in your book."
"When I write a book about this, you'll be more than a footnote Luna. I promise you that." Hermione said as she gave the blonde a weary smile.
Ginny ran up at that point. Her pale face covered in ash that was streaked by tears. Her breathing was rapid and shaken by great sobs. "Hermione! Hermione! You better come. You better come quick! Its Harry."
Hermione's eyes grew wide as she heard his name. She ran into the castle at full speed, fear giving her an adrenaline boost that let her move swiftly through the crowds still in shock. Still not registering that it was over. She knocked several people to the ground in her rush but didn't notice.
She froze though when she saw two bodies laid out side by side. Short red hair, freckles on a round face that had usually sported a goofy self assured grin as he laughed at some private joke would do so no more. Ronald Weasley her friend was laying dead at her feet. His body marred by a large purplish burn running diagonally across his chest from shoulder to hip.
What tore her heart out though was the boy laying beside him. His messy black hair perpetually tufted and untamable. The gold rimmed glasses she had bought him with her inheritance now laid askew on his face, bent and twisted with the right lens shattered. She, by reflex, cast occulous reparo on him once again.
"Why aren't you helping him. Why are you just leaving him to lay there? Do something. Someone do something." She repeated in a voice that was not hysterical but was in the same district as it.
Molly pulled the girl into a hug, "Hermione. He's gone already. He can't be helped anymore. There's nothing we can do. I'm so sorry." Molly gave a great heaving sob but still tried to comfort the brown haired witch.
Hermione's voice was a flat emotionless drone when she asked, "What happened?"
"It was Bellatrix. They were fighting her and Dad tried to get to them. I tried to get there but got hung up by Malfoy. He was closer but he wasn't in time. Him and Mum took her down though." Ginny quietly explained beside her friend.
Hermione shrugged her way out of Molly's arms. Kneeling beside Harry she swept his bangs out of his face. Kissing him on the lips she whispered something that no one heard then stood and walked to Ginny.
Standing before the distraught redhead Hermione reached into the brown leather messenger bag she had managed to keep with her through all of the chaos and havoc going on. She pulled a key out of the bag and thrust it at the Weasley girl.
"Hermione. Is that your vault key?" Ginny gasped.
"Yeah. It is. Or was, now its yours."
"No Hermione. I can't take it." Ginny said trying to shove the key back at Hermione. "You need it. You're just in shock right now."
Hermione growled and raised the Elder wand at Ginny. "Ginny Weasley you WILL. Take. This. Key! Or so help me by all the saints and all that is holy! I will send you to be with your brother."
Ginny swallowed hard at the pain and determination in her friend's voice. She nodded and took the key. "I'll just hold onto it for you, until you get back."
"NO!" Hermione shouted into Ginny's face as she put her hand on Ginny's shoulder, touching her forehead with hers. "You will take all of my wealth. All my inheritances. You will take everything and build a monument to them. To our friends we lost. You'll make it worthy of them. Then you'll take anything left over and find some nice boy and settle down. Pop out a few kids. But you will live Ginny. You will live."
Ginny nodded. She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her before Hermione pulled away. She began to walk, not turning back. Not looking around. She heard Luna begin to sing a song of sad lamentation over Ron and Harry in her lilting Gaelic. She paused briefly but took another step and another as she forced herself not to falter. She went out the doors of the castle and began to walk down the lane. Gravel crunching under foot and under the feet of a person following her.
She spun with her wand out to find Neville standing there smiling politely at her. The Hufflepuff had become one of her friends when he started dating Luna. The two of them had somehow become inseparable even though he was a self-proclaimed tree hugging dirt worshiper and she was a shield-maiden hell-raiser. In battle though Hermione had not wanted to leave either one of them behind. She counted them among her closest friends and family.
"Neville." She simply said.
"Hey, Hermione."
She sighed, "What do you want?"
"To let you know that we'll miss you." He said stepping up to her.
"Thanks, Neville."
"Your death won't change anything Hermione." He said softly.
"It'll stop the pain. It'll let me be with them." She sobbed. "I hope."
Neville smiled before he hugged her and let her cry out her eyes on his shoulder. Eventually she stopped and pulled back. "I could have fallen for you Nev."
He smiled shyly, "Nah. You deserved someone better then me."
Hermione sighed deeply, "Yeah maybe, but he's gone. He lies in the great hall awaiting his mighty tomb. My entire world is gone. O! that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew' I shall not look upon his like again." She intoned gently then squeezed Neville's hands. "Say goodbye to Luna for me. Then you two better have plenty of kids."
Neville chuckled, "I think we can do that. Goodbye, Hermione. Parting tis such sweet sorrow for that we shall not meet again." He said in a strained voice around the lump in his throat.
She smiled with watery eyes then turned and walked through the gates never to be seen again.
===xxx===xx
Two women stood in a place that could not really be called a place. It was beyond all of space and time, yet touched all of it. One of the women was dressed in garb that on many worlds was called Victorian mourning dress. A veil of dark gray hung from her hat across her face.
The other woman stood bare faced with a dress that looked like it was made of layer upon layer of spider webs. Strands breaking and forming at seemingly random patterns. Little sparkles here and there as lines intersected.
"Sister did you hear what he said to his beloved?" The one in the veiled hat asked with a soft gentle voice. Her champion's pain and grief reaching across their realms like a physical thing.
"Nay I did not sister. I was hearing what she said to her beloved." The spiderweb dressed woman replied in a atonal tinkling voice. She had felt the loss, the pain of her champion reach out to her.
"What did she say?" Death asked looking into the pool of radiance they observed many things within.
An image of Harry whispering into Hermione's dead ears floated to the top. His voice carried to the women though "Goodnight, my love... the brightest star in my sky."
The image of Hermione kneeling and kissing her Harry floated next to it her voice brought forth "Goodnight, you, who were my sky, and my sun, and my moon."
The two sisters looked between each other and shook their heads. "We must atone for this. Their pain will never allow them to rest."
"They have served well as our champions. They were supposed to receive their beloved as their reward."
"Our sister took that from them though."
"There is another world though. A world that they can receive each other as their reward."
"They do not know each other. Will they accept the other as their own?"
"We shall see. We must do all that we can though."
"What of their others. The ones they leave behind."
"Their spirits have already received their just reward. They will understand."
"Then let us set the course they will follow."
"So mote it be." The two spoke as one.
===xxx===xx
Harry had apparated to the Forest of Dean. Arriving in the clearing that he and Hermione had spent several nights in after Ron had left. They almost confessed their love for each other in this clearing. The time they had spent there was a respite from the pain, the darkness, the horror.
He smiled as he remembered the first night Hermione had crawled into the bed with him. She had said she was cold and lonely and scared and needed to just be held by him without any questions. Harry was happy to oblige. Over the next several days they had become more relaxed, more comfortable. They got to know each other more than they had ever done before. He finally confessed to her about how the Dursley's treated him, how he felt so broken by Dumbledore's manipulations. She confessed to him about how scared she was she would never see her parents again, how she was angry at Ron for leaving them, how she had hoped that Dumbledore would have supported them more.
They had grown close then came the night of the patronus and Ron's return. The torture and the final battle. It was all just a blur to Harry anymore. The only thing that he remembered clearly was his love for her. Her smile. Her laugh. The smell of her hair when she laid in his arms. The feel of her soft body pressed against his.
He transfigured a rock into a tablet and used his wand to carve a goodbye letter. Then he shattered it into dust after a moment of consideration.. Let them ponder over what happened to him. One of those mysteries that would never be solved. He knelt in the first rays of the rising sun. Tears did not fall any more. He raised his wand to his heart and swallowing deeply said, "I'll see you again Hermione. I love you forever and a day." Then girding his courage he closed his eyes and whispered, "Avada Kedavra."
===xxx===xx
Hermione had apparated to the Forest of Dean and the clearing they had spent several days in. They had just barely managed to escape the Godric's hollow home of Bathilda Bagshot a historian and friend of Dumbledore's. It had been Nagini wearing the body as a suit which almost cost them their lives. A tactical error she had made and not caught. They had escaped before Voldemort had arrived but only just barely. Ron had abandoned them before their trip to the Hollow calling it a trap and a suicide mission. For once his skittishness had been proven right.
Looking around the clearing she sat by the remains of their campfire. Remembering how Harry had cooked for her the canned goods she had packed supplemented by wild berries and shoots from the forest. Since she had grown up in a city orphanage she did not have very good survival skills. His country gentleman farmer family background had taught him a great deal about what was and was not edible. Being friends with the Weasleys and Neville a master herbologist had also helped he said.
It had been just the two of them. Sitting and wondering what to do next, where to go. Her notes and planning and research had failed them and she almost gave up. Harry though had been there for her. His support and concern for her helped her regain her composure. Had helped her realize she had to keep going. She opened up to him about growing up in the orphanage, how when she found out she was a witch she had felt fear and then when she found out her parents had been the final victims of a dark lord that had plagued the wizarding world for almost a decade she was confused. A child of prophecy is how Dumbledore had described her. Harry had talked to her about the nights with his mother when she would sing for the family. How his father had taught him to ride a broom when he was very little. They had talked and talked. Her head resting on his chest or in his lap as they looked up at the cold stars.
It was an idyllic bliss until one day while out scavenging Harry had discovered Ron who had the sword of Gryffindor. He had received it from his father who had received it from an ally in the Order. That set off a chain of events that eventually culminated in the final battle. The final battle that had killed Harry. She sighed. She had almost given herself to him on this very spot. Only she had stopped herself for some reason. She couldn't explain why and regretted it greatly.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the cursed dagger she had pulled from Dobby's chest after Malfoy Manor. She didn't know why she had kept it other than by force of habit from never having anything of her own. She had made a sheathe for it but had another one in mind now as she drew the dull black blade with its strange runes.
Rising to her knees she looked into the rays of the rising sun. Letting them make her eyes water as she whispered, "I love you Harry and I'll see you soon."
Swallowing her fear she raised the dagger and plunged it into her chest with the words, "Oh happy dagger here be thy sheathe."
===xxx===xx
Harry woke up with a groan. He felt himself laying on green grass, the sun shining on his face. He heard birds singing and the wind rustling trees. At least it wasn't King's Crossing again. He groaned again as he tried to get his mind fully back up and running. At least his body was responding he noticed as he sat up. Even if it was doing so slowly and in protest.
Hermione woke up. Her chest did not hurt. Actually she reflected nothing on her body hurt. She felt rather pleasant laying on the grass in the sunshine. Singing birds and the wind were the sounds she heard, as well as what might have been a person making a groaning noise. A person? Her eyes sprang open and she sat up.
Harry was sitting on the grass looking across the small glen at Hermione? She looked different somehow. More muscular in a toned and fit way. Her hair pulled back in a plait that had come partially undone allowing wild strands to go off on their own. Her clothes were burned and torn a bit with a brown leather messenger bag over her shoulder. He stood up carefully in disbelief and hope.
Hermione sat up and froze. Across the glen was Harry. Only it wasn't Harry, this one had the same messy black hair and round face but his glasses were a black round frame instead of the gold wire rims she had bought him as a gift. He was standing up slowly carefully so she thought she had better do so as well.
Harry felt the Elder wand in his belt but did not draw it. She had not drawn a wand or any weapons. Not that it mattered as Hermione was beginning to become quite good at wandless. She stood up and was watching him carefully. Evaluating him Harry felt like. Glancing around this did not seem to be the after life as no angels or family members had come to welcome him here. Maybe the suicide had made him go down instead of up. Or maybe something else was going on he had no idea. He felt himself breathing, he felt his blood pounding in his temples as he examined her.
Hermione studied this Harry Potter. He stood relaxed and wary of her. Like he should. He briefly touched a wand in his belt. A wand that it should be impossible for him to have as she had it in her bag. He didn't draw it which she approved of. It meant he was at least trying not to provoke her. Taking a moment to assess the area it seemed to be the same glen she had just killed herself in. Closer to noon so she had been unconscious for about three hours. She felt herself breathing, felt her heart beating so if she wasn't alive it was a very good illusion.
Harry thought that standing in this glen staring at each other would never answer the million and one questions screaming through his head but he didn't know what to say.
Hermione controlled her breathing. One of them was going to have to take the initiative and say something only she didn't know what to say.
Harry took a deep breathe then smiling said, "Hello very nice day isn't it?"
Hermione blinked a couple times then smiling back said, "Yes it is. Seems like it at least."
"Yes well. Uh. So are you. Are you really Hermione?" Harry felt incredibly foolish asking that but she couldn't be as Hermione was dead. She was standing in front of him healthy and alive, but he had felt her cold still body back at Hogwarts.
Hermione frowned briefly but nodded, "Well I was when I got up this morning. You look and sound quite a bit like Harry Potter."
"So I've been told." Harry replied jokingly, "Especially by my friends."
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure I saw Harry Potter lying dead on the floor of Hogwarts great Hall." She said shakily but in a flat tone.
"I could say the same about Hermione Granger."
She frowned in confusion. This was impossible. She had committed suicide but the gods should have understood her cause. Her true love had been taken from her and all she wanted to do was reunite with him. They should have accepted that. Maybe she did not do the proper rituals? She had not been thinking properly. She ran her hand over her chest where she had plunged the dagger and felt no pain, no stickiness from her blood. Glancing down there was no sign she had stabbed herself at all.
"Something wrong?"
She wondered if she could or should trust this person. Maybe she was being tested before allowed entry into Heaven. But she had not heard of that. Had not studied that. Maybe Sister Margaret had been correct after all? But no this did not seem to be purgatory or hell at all.
"Look. I'm rather confused about all this as well. So if you have ideas I'm willing to listen." Harry said politely.
"We are dead. I plunged a cursed dagger whose blade caused wounds that could not be healed ever into my heart." She simply said.
"Oh. Well. That would do the job I guess." He said, "I cast the killing curse on myself."
Hermione stared at him. "You did what?"
"I cast the killing curse on myself." Harry took his finger and mimed putting it under his chin.
Hermione sighed, "So we are both dead. But we live and are here. This does not look like the after life as it was described to me by anyone. In either faith."
"No it looks rather like this glen I knew in the Forest of Dean. Spent a few nights there in a tent." He gave a slight sad smile remembering those days.
She noticed but her own memories overwhelmed her briefly. "Yes. I did as well. So this was an emotionally important location for you?"
Harry had seen her close her eyes to control herself a single tear escaping and running down her cheek. "You as well it seems."
"Yes well. As I don't know if you're real yet or not, or if any of this is real. I may just be hallucinating all of this as I lie bleeding out. There may be more of gravy than of the grave about you." She snorted.
Harry looked at her strangely, "Uh. Well I feel pretty alive right now. And I don't think I'm a hallucination."
"Which is exactly what you would say if you were one." She countered.
Harry stepped forward until he was barely an arms length away from her. He reached out with his hand, standing there patiently waiting for her to make a move. She looked at him then looked down at his hand. She hesitantly reached out and took it. She felt warm and solid and real. Her hands had a slight bit of callous on them like she was not immune to hard work.
"You feel real." He said.
"So do you. But then senses can be disturbed and fooled. There are several spells that can do that."
"Hermione. You're over thinking things again." Harry said with a chuckle.
She stopped talking as deja vu hit her in the heart hard. She had heard him say those exact words multiple times in the last several years.
Her stomach growled causing the both of them to let go of their hands and chuckle, "I guess its almost lunch. I haven't had anything to eat since dinner last night." She said by way of explanation.
"Yeah I am a bit peckish myself." Harry agreed. "Do you want to see if we can find someplace to get some food or go hunting?"
"I think I still have some food in my bag. I'll share."
"Even if I'm a hallucination?" Harry chuckled gently.
"I am going to revise my initial assessment. You may be real. This entire situation may be real." She said pulling several pouches out. "Do you like roast beef or ham?"
"Whichever. I'm not picky." Harry shrugged.
She handed him one pouch which held a complete meal magically in stasis.
"Nice. We could have used something like this."
"The idea came from a muggle invention called a meal ready to eat. I tried one of them and it was less than appealing."
"Ahh yeah." Harry said sitting on a log to eat.
"So if you are real and this is not a dying hallucination then what is going on?" She asked Harry.
He shrugged, "I dunno. Hermione was the brains of the group. I have a theory though but it's pretty out there."
"After having spent the last several years around Neville I can deal with that." She said.
Harry looked at her curiously, "You mean Luna. Nev's a pretty solid guy."
She raised her eyebrow, "Chubby, blonde haired Neville? The Hufflepuff hippie? Always has the good pipe-weed for the parties? Believes almost every conspiracy theory that comes along?"
"Uh no that's Luna. Her dad runs the Quibbler. She's a sweet girl who you called Alice as she'll believe a dozen impossible things before breakfast."
She shook her head, "Luna Lovegood? The shield-maiden of Gryffindor? Sweet? I have never heard anyone other than her boyfriend Neville describe her as that."
Harry was nodding, "Yeah that makes my theory a lot less out there. You and I did not die."
"I know my own anatomy sufficiently not to have missed my heart. The dagger went between my third and fourth ribs. I felt it enter my body." Hermione said oddly with no shudder or inflection.
"Do you have the elder wand, resurrection stone and invisibility cloak?"
"I did. Harry let me borrow his cloak, I found the stone during the hunt and took the elder wand off Voldemort's cold dead body after I defeated him."
"Sort of the same thing I did. So that means we reunited the Deathly Hallows. Luna told me all about them as her dad was a Quester." he held his hand up when she started to ask a question. "A Quester is someone who sought to reunite the Hallows."
She nodded then signaled for him to go on.
"Well since you and I both reunited the Hallows. We each became a Master of Death. No one knew what that meant according to Luna. So suppose what that meant was when we died we got to choose where we wound up?"
Hermione's eyebrow raised as she considered that, "Neville said that reuniting the Hallows would allow you to become effectively immortal. Or at least die only when you chose to."
Harry shrugged, "Okay well. That's a theory too. Let's look at the facts then shall we?"
She smiled, "I love looking at the facts."
"Good. Fact 1. We both knew someone who looked like us right?"
She nodded.
"Fact 2. They died." he said with a hitch in his voice.
She sighed as she sadly nodded. Harry took a deep breath before continuing.
"Fact 3 we loved them." He almost asked that as said it.
She nodded again with a shy smile.
"Fact 4 This glen means a lot to us."
once again she did not argue. She swallowed again but nodded.
"And fact 5 we committed suicide here."
She sighed, "Okay what does that all mean? Adding that up, you cannot be the Harry Potter I knew and I am not the Hermione you knew."
"No. we came from different worlds. Different parallel realities. I was the boy-who-lived. I defeated Voldemort with the help of my friends."
She looked at him making a low humming noise, "I was the child of destiny. The chosen one who defeated Voldemort with the help of my friends."
"Okay so now that we have established who we are. How about figuring out where we are?"
"We are in the Summerlands the land of eternal summer that the honored dead arrive at according to Luna, or Heaven if you ask me. You will probably find your Hermione here and I'll find my Harry here. Somewhere."
"Somehow I don't quite think we're in Heaven yet." Harry disagreed with her.
"We cannot be alive. Neither one of us used a method that had any room for error. Even if I had missed my heart or aorta the wound would never heal." She lifted her shirt showing a dark blue sports bra clad bosom. There was a lightning bolt shaped scar in between the breasts as well as a small jagged purple weal that ran from her right shoulder down across her abdomen to her left hip.
"See. Its not there." She said looking down at her chest.
Harry's breathing had gotten a bit strained by her doing that, "Uh yeah. They look perfect." He said in awe.
Realizing what she did she hastily pulled the shirt back down. "Sorry. I. Harry and I were very comfortable around each other."
"I can see that. Yeah, Hermione and I were too. Especially since she impersonated me once with poly-juice." He chuckled.
"Why would she do that?" Hermione asked with her head tilted slightly.
"Uh to get me out of my house to a safe place so that Voldemort wouldn't know which 'me' was the real me." Harry replied absent mindedly.
"It sounds like you had a very different life than I did." She sighed.
"No doubt. Different world, different life." he shrugged.
She sighed. "So what do we do now if this isn't the afterlife?"
"Well I would be in favor of going to Hogsmeade and seeing what's going on. How about you?"
"That would be a good start I'm sure." She agreed.
"Well you want to apparate there together or separately?" Harry suggested without pushing for one or the other choice.
"I would prefer to do it separately until I get to know you better."
"Okay." He said then spun in place and vanished.
She smirked, "Oh so that's the way its going to be." She then spun in place and vanished as well.
===xxx===xx
They arrived just outside the village. Seeing smoke rising from the location they both froze.
"We must not have traveled in time. Their battle was just this morning." Harry observed in distress. "We better go see if they need help."
"Wait. If there is a Harry or Hermione here already and we just come strolling into the village they'll probably not react too well." She said stopping him from going on by grabbing his arm.
"Okay what do you suggest?"
"We can alter our appearance a bit." She said drawing her vinewood wand from the bag. She tapped her head causing a ripple to spread down her body. Her hair started changing as it lengthened and straightened into a long waist length blonde cascade, her breasts swelled slightly from their normal handfuls into more produce section melons. Her eyes were now bright blue and her skin a light olive tan.
"See this is what I mean." She smiled as her voice had changed a slight bit too.
Harry stood looking her up and down before clearing his throat. "I'm not really great at transfiguration. Maybe you could do me?" He asked in an awkwardly aroused tone.
Looking at him with a slight smirk she said, "Maybe when I get to know you better."
Realizing what he said Harry cleared his throat, "I mean maybe you could disguise me?" Though he did smile.
She smiled back saying, "Of course." Pointing her wand at him Harry felt his frame shift and change. He was slightly chubbier, his hair felt much shorter and he felt a tingle along his face. He reached up and felt a full beard and mustache had formed. He pulled his glasses off and discovered they were octagonal lenses with gold wire frames.
"Nice glasses. Good job on the rest."
"Not much I could do to alter the shape of your lenses without more work. I take it you're rather blind without them."
"Oh yeah. I'm as bad as Daphne is without my glasses."
"Velma. Daphne was the one that got kidnapped often." Hermione sighed as she corrected him.
"Oh yeah right." Harry grinned.
"Okay unless anyone looks too close you're Harold Jamison not Harry Potter. I'm Donna Farmer."
"How did you get those names. Harry asked her.
"Well Harry, Harold. Your father was named James right?" She gave a half shrug.
"Okay that makes sense what about yours?"
"It just seemed right." She said.
"Oh okay. Well let's go."
===xxx===xx
Entering the village they saw that many of the buildings had been smashed, burned, or both. There were dead bodies littering the streets of creatures, giants, and a few wizards or witches. They were being gathered and taken some place by survivors wearing red armbands with a white caduceus on them.
Harry pointed and saw Lavender Brown carrying a clipboard. Hermione nodded and the two of them made their way towards her. When she saw them approaching she stopped and looked at them tiredly.
"Hello. Can you help us?" Harry asked her carefully.
"Maybe. Who are you and what do you want?" Lavender asked with a great deal of fatigue in her voice.
"Uh we're looking for Luna Lovegood. You wouldn't happen to know if she. Where she is." Harry asked as two of the stretcher bearers carried someone past who was moaning out of a mouth on the back of their head which was sticking out of their chest.
Lavender looked at her clipboard flipping a few pages and called out, "Diggory. Do you know where Lovegood is?"
"She's up at the castle with the rest of the big heroes." Cedric Diggory said sticking his head out of a tent.
Lavender pointed up the lane, "There ya go mister. Up that way." She then turned back to going over each body and noting details about them before marking them with a 1,2 or 3 on their forehead, assuming she could find their forehead.
Harry swallowed and said to her back, "Uh Thank you."
Lavender had already moved on and dismissed him from her world.
===xxx===xx
"Why exactly are we looking for Luna?"
"Well she seems to have a pretty good perception of things so she might be able to help us figure this out." Harry suggested. "That and if anyone can believe our story it'll be her."
Hermione shrugged as she couldn't argue the point.
The two of them walked up the lane. Crossing over trees and around great craters. They stopped briefly and puzzled over a leg and shoe sticking out of a tree like it had partially phased into it. Since they could not agree that it was someone they knew they moved onward.
"Their battle must have been a lot worse." Harry observed.
"It looks like it. I wonder if they lost anyone we knew." Hermione casually wondered.
"Uh probably. Although its interesting that Cedric apparently lived here." Harry pointed out.
"True. So you had the Tournament too?"
"Yeah." Harry agreed with a disgusted tone of voice.
"It was not much fun." She said rubbing her left arm slightly.
"You got bled too eh?"
"Yes. Blood of my enemy?"
Harry nodded as they were reaching the castle. There were people milling about collecting things, moving debris and looking for people. The walls looked like they had been smashed and scorched and in some places melted. Professor Sprout was watching everyone with a tired countenance.
"Excuse me. Can anyone tell me where Luna Lovegood is?" Hermione asked.
Professor Sprout looked at them then asked, "Why do you want to know?"
"We're friends of hers and got here too late to help. We wanted to see if she was alright and see if there was anything we could do to help." Hermione explained with a worried awkward smile on her face.
Sprout looked at the two of them suspiciously. "What're your names?"
"I'm Donna Farmer and this is Harrison Jamison." Hermione tried to look as harmless as possible.
Harry sighed, "We're fans of the Quibbler. I lost my spectra-specs or I'd look for the Wrackspurts ma'am."
Sprout frowned but shaking her head told them, "She was last seen in the hospital wing. Third floor west."
"Oh thank you so very much ma'am." Hermione gushed then dragged Harry with her.
Once alone in the corridors she hissed, "What was all that crap about the Quibbler and Wrackspurts?"
"Luna. Her dad's magazine and Wrackspurts are some sort of creature that causes you to act stupid."
"Oh. Let's just try to get to the hospital wing without causing any trouble." Hermione frowned walking ahead of him.
The paintings were either damaged, empty frames or the contents immobilized. There were a few spaces where shadows had been burned into the wall like a nuclear bomb had gone off. The very stones themselves melted and cooled.
Climbing the stairs they reached the hospital wing without any trouble. A few students moved around in a daze. Some with bandages on their wounds, others with parts missing.
When they reached the doors they paused as Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom were standing there checking the wounded. Looking at tags that had been tied to their wrists. Neville had the Sword of Gryffindor strapped to his belt and was looking like he had been wrung and pressed before hung to dry badly.
Stepping to the side Harry frowned, "Great. Ginny and Neville. They are not going to be easily fooled you know."
"If you say so. He does look more imposing with the sword I have to admit." Hermione studied the pair for several minutes. "They are very familiar with each other. I think they are together in a relationship."
"Okay. If he's anything like the Neville I knew that makes this more dangerous. He would end anyone who hurt his friends. I'd hate to see what he would do to someone if they hurt a person he's in a relationship with." Harry whispered.
"Well we're not going to find her just standing here." Hermione declared moving forward.
Ginny looked up and stopped them, "Sorry only the wounded that can't be treated at the field hospital are being allowed in."
"I know. We're not wounded. We're looking for someone." Hermione pouted with a sigh.
"Go talk to Lavender Brown in the Field Hospital her or Cedric Diggory have the information you'll need."
"You don't understand the person we need to see is Luna Lovegood. We've got a message we need to give her." Hermione begged.
"Look Luna is indisposed at the moment so if you have a message I'll give it to her." Ginny growled.
"Look Gin. We really need to talk to her." Harry said stepping up without thinking. "Its vitally important."
"Look she said back off." Neville's voice sounded loud in the suddenly quiet corridor, "Luna's not seeing visitors right now."
"We're not a threat Neville, get your hand off the sword. Gryffindor's don't pull it out unless they mean it." Harry exclaimed.
"Who the hell are you?" Ginny hissed as she drew her wand, "And yes I do mean it."
Harry had her wand pointed at his tender vittles causing him to freeze with a suddenly worried look. Especially as he noticed Hermione sliding her hand towards the hidden holster for her wand.
"Uh look maybe we could calm down and start over before someone has things blasted that they'd really rather not have blasted eh?" Harry said trying to move Ginny's wand into a safer direction while blocking Hermione's action. It was like trying to move an oak tree to move Ginny's arm though.
"You looked and sounded like someone I knew there. Start talking!" Ginny demanded.
"Uh can we go someplace private and talk. I'd rather not do this out in the corridor."
Before Ginny or Neville could answer Professor McGonnegal stormed up. There was blood on the apron she wore as well as other fluids Harry was not entirely certain he wanted to identify lest he become too sick.
"What is the hullabaloo out here? I could hear you at the other end of the ward."
"These two ma'am. They came up demanding to see Luna with some kinda bullshit story about having a message for her." Ginny growled never taking her eyes off Harry.
"Who sent the message?"
"Uh well its kinda complicated." Harry tried to figure a way out of this but aside from attacking his friends, or whomever these people were, and running there wasn't much in his mind. Minerva was giving him the stare so he sighed and made a choice.
"Uh. You're probably not going to believe this but I'm Harry Potter." Harry smiled his most winsome smile.
Minerva raised her eyebrow and looked at him, Dryly she replied, "Pleased to meet you Mister Potter, I'm Queen Victoria. Now shall we try that again?"
"Uh. Look Aunt Min. He's not lying."
"I have no niece young lady." Minerva turned her attention to Hermione.
"Please. Minerva. Can we go to someplace alone. Please." Hermione begged.
Professor McGonnegal took a deep breath and with a frown said, "Very well come with me."
"Professor?" Neville spoke up.
"Very well Mr Longbottom, You and Miss Weasley arrange for relief, and bring Miss Lovegood. We will be in my office."
===xxx===xx
Harry and Hermione had followed the headmistress to her office. Walking up the stairs and across the castle they saw more damage. The higher they went the less damage there was. Although the headmaster's office had been broken into it looked like. Harry and Hermione looked around in sadness at he destruction. They also looked at the portraits, many of which had empty or burned contents in their frames.
"Yes there was an attempt to find certain items in this office. Fortunately the individuals who made the attempt were defeated before they did. Unfortunately it resulted in the damage you see."
"So the war went really bad here?" Harry asked looking around.
Minerva raised her eyebrow, looking at him carefully Harry felt like he had stuck his foot in his mouth up to his elbow. "Young man I do not know where you have been however it must have been the depths of the most remote and isolated mountain chain in the world."
"Uh more like off of it." Harry chuckled. "Really far off of it."
"Now that is an extraordinary claim." Minerva drolly said, "I presume you have extraordinary evidence to confirm it?"
Hermione cleared her throat. "If I may draw my wand I can drop the transfigurations that I placed on ourselves."
"I would rather you did not. If Mr Longbottom enters and you have a wand out I cannot guarantee his actions." Minerva quietly said.
"Is he really that unstable?" Hermione asked.
"I would not exactly call myself unstable." Neville declared entering the room. "Just prudently careful."
"Ahh Mr Longbottom. Is everything secured at the Hospital?"
"Yes ma'am. I got Seamus and Daphne to cover for us."
Harry raised his eyebrows to hear the name Daphne. The only Daphne he knew was Daphne Greengrass and she was a Slytherin. Could she be in another house here, he supposed it was possible.
He did not have much time to think as Ginny came in holding hands with Luna. Harry looked at Luna in confusion as this one was moving carefully and slowly. Somehow she looked the same yet more fragile than the way he remembered her. Slender, waif-like with a perpetually lost, yet pleased about it expression. The only difference was she had a bandage wrapped around her head.
"Luna? Are you okay? What happened." Harry jumped up without thinking. Helping her to his recently vacated seat.
"Yes, Harry I am fine. thank you." Luna said with a smile. "I hit my head during the battle and since it was only a minor wound Madam Pomfrey put essence of dittany on it and bandaged me.
"Uh Luna. You know what happened to Harry." Ginny warned in a strong tone.
"Yes I do. But this is Harry in front of me." She said reaching out to touch Harry's chest as he stood beside Hermione. "I believe the other person sitting beside him is Hermione. As usual."
"Luna. Are you sure?"
"Yes Ginny as certain as I am that you and Neville are standing near me as well." Luna sighed sitting back.
"Miss Lovegood. Are you sure you're not just hoping that its them. Given what happened." Minerva steepled her fingers on the desk in front of her as she leaned forward.
"Yes. I know the feel of the boy who I gave my virginity to. His heartbeat, his voice, the very feel of his magic ma'am. This is Harry Potter." She firmly declared. "Even if his body is not the same his soul is still Harry Potter. Somewhat."
Harry smiled at her as he put his hand over hers. "Thank you Luna. I'll explain what happened later."
"I look forward to it." Luna agreed looking at him with her big doeful eyes.
Hermione felt a stab of jealousy go through her at the touching scene. Even if this wasn't her Harry it still made her feel odd. Pushing it out of her mind using her Occlumancy she turned to the professor, "May I now drop our disguises Ma'am?"
"Yes I think it would prove most beneficial for you to do so."
Watching Ginny and Neville very carefully Hermione slid her wand out of its holster. She tapped Harry then herself while whispering a word causing Harry to feel himself shift and change back to himself.
Ginny gasped in horror as she stepped backwards dropping her wand. Neville had the Sword of Gryffindor out of its sheathe and heading for Harry's neck when Hermione cast a spell freezing him in place.
Harry stepped backwards and took Luna with him when he did. "Look its really us. Only we're not the ones that belong here. We came here from someplace else. Sometime else. I can't really explain it because I don't know how it happened." Harry quickly explained watching Neville's eyes. They were still moving and watching him but otherwise held confusion and not anger or fear.
Minerva studied them for a moment before speaking, "Mr Longbottom when you are released please put that away." She then nodded to Hermione who released her spell causing Neville's slice to continue but he missed everyone at least.
"Who are you?" He practically screamed at Harry. Although he did obey Minerva and slid the sword back into its sheathe.
"I am Harry James Potter. I was born in Godric's Hollow." Harry proudly said, drawing himself to his full height. "And I have utterly no clue what's going on."
Ginny recovered at that point by beginning to laugh maniacally. Everyone turned to look at her except Luna who stood passively between Harry and Hermione as he had moved her behind him when he took her out of Neville's sword path.
Ginny composed herself barely with tears running down her cheeks, "Oh Merlin. That sounded so much like Harry. I could almost believe it."
Hermione stood up, "Well believe it. We are who we say we are. Don't you have any tests that confirm it?"
"Yes we have several. Unfortunately the Goblins are unavailable at the moment so having them perform a heritage test is out of the picture. Ollivander is dead and his shop in shambles so identifying you by your wand is not possible at the moment. That leaves the Familia Paternis."
"That shows your blood father's family." Hermione said. As Harry glanced at her for clarification.
"Oh. Then yeah. I'll do that. I am a wizard like my father before me." When no one reacted Harry sighed but stepped away from Luna.
The headmistress pointed her wand at him and cast the spell. A small glowing sphere with the Potter crest and the words James Potter floated in front of Harry's chest for a moment before fading.
"It can't be. It absolutely can't be." Ginny whispered as she fell back against Neville.
"It has to be. Is there anyway to fool the spell?" Neville asked in shock.
"No. Not very easily. The spell operates off the residual magical attunement of the person's blood to their father's bloodline. It will only tell you who the blood father is but nothing else. Its almost as foolproof as muggle DNA testing." Hermione explained.
Neville frowned, "Well that certainly sounds like Hermione."
"Yes well perhaps you could step away from Miss Lovegood so I may perform the spell on you."
Hermione traded spaces with Harry who looked at her curiously before the spell caused a strange formless light to appear then the name Daniel Granger floated in front of Hermione's chest.
Minerva nodded as Hermione looked at her blankly, "Yes that is the name of your father. At least according to the spell these are the people who they claim to be."
"So why are you guys reacting so badly to us. Why not just get the local versions of us up here and we talk this out." Harry asked testily.
"It might be better to show you than to tell you why that would be problematic." Minerva quietly said.
===xxx(Reviews)
TomHRichardson. Thank you sir. I am honored you liked that.
All the reviews for Chapter 42 have been repleid to on chapter 2 of Little Talks.