Chapter 7: A Better Man
Sirius woke up at the crack of dawn, made himself some coffee, and went down to the beach. He had happy memories of summers spent here as a teen. No, no nostalgia. I need to focus. I have a to-do list I better complete before I see the Potters again or they will welcome me even worse than last time. I did deserve that though. He heard light panting to the left and turned to find Harry and Hermione running towards him.
"Morning," he raised his mug at them.
Harry ran towards him and hugged him.
"Ugh, you are sweaty and gross, son," Sirius scrunched his nose but hugged his godson tightly anyway. "Go, shower... Both of you. Professor McGonagall is coming, and we need to have a long talk." The day before, Andromeda had insisted on health checks galore to everyone, so they didn't have a chance to talk much. Even the elves and Dudley were checked up.
"Yes, sir," the teens responded. Harry ran back to the house, but Hermione stayed behind. "I have been thinking," she began with a blush.
Sirius chuckled. He was expecting the girl to question him as soon as the shock of his resurrection passed, "Ask away."
Her concerned expression turned relieved. "I don't know where to start except... Did you actually die die when you went through the veil?"
"Not that you need the dumbed-down version... but I am not a genius like you so I will explain it as best as I can. Yes and No. I went into the in-between place. I was a soul floating in a humanoid form with no features. However, I was not able to come back on my own. I tried. Many times. I was in a sort of empty room with no doors or windows. Then out of nowhere, I am slapped several feet away by Lily Potter who was angrier than I ever saw her."
Hermione's eyes widened. "If you didn't have a body... Did she? How could you recognize her?"
"Her energy..." he shrugged then winced, "Her slap... And then her yelling at me."
"Oh... Made her angry before, did you?" Hermione laughed.
"Well, I am a Marauder so... obviously. But she has a temper," Sirius chuckled. "She was right, though. I mean... I did let them down. When James and Lily were killed, I was supposed to take care of Harry until he could take care of himself. That is a godfather's duty. Instead, because I allowed Albus and Molly to interfere in my decision-making, Harry ended up putting himself and his friends at risk to 'save' me. All the while I was nice and cozy waiting for Dumbledore to give me permission to parent my godson."
Hermione looked down. She didn't want to say those words, but she had been quite upset that Padfoot wasn't standing his ground when it came to Harry.
"It's okay. I know you agree... I should have done better, but I was damaged goods, and I was also a fugitive."
"He kept you a fugitive to make sure you had no agency," Hermione sighed.
"Yes. Lily said the exact same words to me... Hermione, I wasn't right up here," he pointed to his head. "I was paranoid and scared... and depressed. I had nightmares every time I tried to sleep. The Ministry was blaming me for the prison break of the Death Eaters... I wasn't much good. I should have forced myself to do better. Now I will. I am healthier than ever inside, and I am hoping to recover the great physique I had as a soul..."
"Souls can work out?" Hermione blinked repeatedly. That made no sense.
"Yes," he smiled.
"And if you overexerted yourself in the in-between place... Did you get sore? In a body that isn't even there?!" the teen was shocked.
"Yes. There is no soreness like dueling without wands as a spirit soreness."
Hermione chuckled. "That's wild but good to know... I guess." She turned formal and placed her hand on his elbow as he started to turn towards the house, "Sirius... Before you talk to Harry... You need to know that he is in a... delicate state right now."
"Okay..." Sirius frowned. He wouldn't doubt Hermione. There was something about Harry that was different. But what was it? Last night they spent mostly just enjoying each other's company.
"I mean it. He needs to know you are here for good. He has been abandoned by too many people already and I really don't think he could overcome losing you once more. That means no pulling stupid stunts that can send you back to Lily. Or saving people things that will send you back to me within an inch of your death because once Andi heals you, so help me God, you will have to determine whether you fear my punch worse than Mrs. Potter's slaps. I will dislocate your jaw, Padfoot!" Hermione's hair split the elastic band that was holding it and went up as if a gust of wind had blown it away from her face, but it was just her magic.
Sirius swallowed thickly and took a step back. He knew Hermione was a powerful witch, but this was beyond normal. "I will be a good boy... if only because you are equally terrifying."
"You better."
They started to walk towards the house, Hermione's hand in the crook of Sirius' elbow. At least dying didn't affect his gentlemanly traits.
"Hermione, I am really sorry about your parents... and about the Department of Mysteries. You could have died..."
"But I didn't... My parents are better off without me," she said shakily.
"But you are not better off without them, doll," Sirius squeezed her shoulders.
She shook her head.
"Whatever I can do... Whatever you need, just let me know. Alright? I know it's not the same as having them, but I got you. The Potters are so grateful to you. So am I, Hermione. Truly. I will adopt you into House of Black if you want me to. I know Harry would feel better knowing you have both the protections of House Black and House Potter," Sirius winked. The teen looked a bit overwhelmed, so he tried to make her smile. "We are kind of a big deal. Who knows, we may even get you an extra scoop of Fortescue's for free..."
Hermione laughed and wiped away a lonely tear. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you would do that."
"Hey, you saved my life and Harry's. Plus, if I have any biological children... Who knows what I'd get? With you, I would have a kick-ass, genius, gorgeous daughter to be proud of... Just saying..."
"I knew it! It was just for the bragging rights," she chuckled.
"You know me so well already..." Sirius smiled and waved her away as she jogged back to the house.
Professor McGonagall was glad she was given a strong calming draught before Sirius Black walked inside the living room. She could have died from the shock. While she was sure that killing her of fright would be an accomplishment to the Marauder, she had a mission. Once Voldemort was gone and Harry was safe and sound, she would be able to die in peace. However long that would take was up to Merlin and Morgana.
"Harry has authorized me to tell you all this before he and Hermione join us," Andromeda started after greeting the professor. "As most of you know, Harry was severely abused, starved, and beaten within an inch of his life more than once."
"We saw. Fortunately for the Dursleys, they are already dead," Minerva growled.
"Yes, well, be that as it may, we still have to deal with the consequences of all that damage. We are talking about injuries he has lived with since he was a baby and that cannot be undone overnight," Andi replied. "I have designed a potion and nutritional regime that must be followed to the letter. Harry is about a foot shorter than he should be at his age and he should put on a good 25 to 30 pounds of muscle. He needs to recover the weight he lost in the hunt, but even before he lost that he was already too skinny. He has the genetic potential to have his father's built."
"I am so sorry they are already dead! I would love to pay back their kindness," Sirius grunted.
"Yes, well. My point is that if you see Harry for the next few weeks and he's not eating, you tell him to eat something from the list I gave him. I placed a copy of his dietary needs on the kitchen island. He needs the extra calories. As for Hermione, things are better insofar as she had a healthy upbringing and was of a healthy weight before their recent deprivation. I don't think anyone needs to remind her to eat, but if you see she's leaving a lot of food on her plate, remind her that she needs to bring her weight back up. Her cycles stopped because of a lack of nourishment. Her body couldn't waste the meager calories that were being consumed worried about childbearing when it was supposed to worry about mere survival," Andromeda frowned over the chart on her hand.
Remus's eyes widened. Witches' cycles were very important to their wellbeing. Their entire magical core had to harmonize with their cycles for them to perform at their best, "Please tell us that is only temporary and that she will recover."
"Oh, don't worry. I think she will. Once she takes all her potions and gains some weight, she will be better, and her cycles should go back to normal on their own. If they don't... We will cross that bridge when we get there. However, my biggest concern is that there is residual spell damage to her core from Dolohov's curse at the Department of Mysteries," Andromeda replied.
"What does that mean?" Tonks asked with a frown. Core damage was never good news.
"It could mean many things. It's like a chunk of her core chipped away. I can't tell which. Hermione is a powerful witch, and I think that is why no one noticed before. Even with the missing piece, she can kick ass," Andromeda shrugged, "I am surprised that Poppy missed it. Perhaps she didn't and was made to forget? I don't know... The important thing here is that this may eventually affect her offspring, if any, or her reaction to strong spells and her body's natural capacity to heal."
"Bloody hell. Does she know that?" Sirius asked with a frown.
Andromeda nodded.
"Does Harry?" Remus asked.
"No, and she forbade me and you from telling him. She thinks he has enough on his plate. I agree."
"So, it is up to us to make sure it is a non-issue. Got it," Tonks nodded confidently.
A couple of minutes later, Harry and Hermione walked in drying their hair with towels. They sat down together, touching from shoulder to hip. Sirius was about to comment about their closeness, but Remus stared at him and shook his head quickly. They had to talk about that later. Sirius nodded. Dobby placed scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast on Harry and Hermione's placemats.
"We are as ready as we'll ever be," Harry said, taking a sip of the homemade orange juice Kreacher placed in front of him. "Thank you, Kreacher."
"Your orange juice is so delicious," Hermione smiled at the old elf. "Thank you."
"You are welcome," Kreacher blushed and left with a pep in his step. Harry and Hermione shared a smile. Hermione was right, as usual. All Kreacher seemed to want was to serve a family and to be treated with respect. He left with the towels.
"Professor, how are you?" Hermione smiled at Minerva and started eating.
"Hanging in there, as most of us are these days," McGonagall sighed and looked uncomfortable.
"What is it, professor? Any news on Ronald?" Harry asked with a frown. He only managed a couple bites and pushed his plate away. Andromeda frowned, but she knew difficult conversations could kill one's appetite.
"No. However, I brought this," Minerva placed the deluminator on the table.
"Wait, I was about to ask... what happened with Ron?" Sirius looked around the table to see angry faces all around.
"We didn't have a chance to tell you..." Ted sighed.
"Ronald walked out on us months ago. He then came back with a group of Snatchers," Harry stopped talking. It was still difficult to say.
Sirius looked a bit confused.
Hermione squeezed Harry's hand and carried on, "Snatchers are the groups of people, animals really, who are hunting muggleborns for the Ministry and throwing them in concentration camps. When Ronald returned, there was an altercation between him and the people he brought. He was crucioed and fell..."
"That's when we saw he had taken then Dark Mark," Harry said all this as if in physical pain.
Hermione placed her hand on his knee and took over once more. "We only made it out alive because Dobby had just found us a few minutes before and whisked us away to this safe haven."
Sirius went around the table and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, "I have no words, pup. I am sorry that happened to both of you. I know what it feels like to have a friend end up being a foe," Sirius frowned. "Dobby," the elf appeared and took the hand Sirius offered.
"Yes, sir?"
"House of Black owes you."
Dobby's eyes widened and he tried to let go of Sirius' hand, but the man held on steady. "Lord Black, Dobby is living to serve. Dobby is loving Master Harry and his Mione."
"House of Black owes you a life debt. I will honor your service as it should be honored, Dobby. Don't fight me on this," Sirius raised a brow and Dobby grew a full inch and looked a bit stronger.
"Thank you, sir," Dobby lowered his head with humility and vanished after bowing over Sirius' hand. It was telling for the elf that he had been granted a debt that was usually reserved for humans only.
McGonagall took the deluminator and offered it to the teens, "Harry, Hermione... Before his death, Dumbledore linked this to you using your blood. That is how Ronald was able to keep finding you."
"That bastard!" Sirius slapped the table, making the glasses jump.
Remus was pale. "M-Minerva... Please tell me that it was keyed to Ronald."
Everyone turned to the professor who pushed herself away from the table on her chair to stand. She took a deep breath. "No."
The string of expletives that followed her answer could have broken a world record. Harry and Hermione were in a daze. They didn't scream. They didn't move. Hermione who had taken the artifact threw it away towards the center of the table. She felt dirty. Harry felt so tired of being taken for a fool that he had no energy left to react. Yet another low that Dumbledore had reached. Harry knew very little about blood magic, but Hermione did. She felt violated. How did Dumbledore get her blood? Let alone blood that could be used in a ritual. It wasn't just any blood at any time. She stood up and ran to the kitchen where she threw up imagining all the ways in which someone could have taken ritualistic blood from her. Harry left a step behind her and held her hair back on autopilot.
"How could he?" she sobbed into the kitchen towel that Harry handed her.
"Mione, at this point... Nothing surprises me. It's bad, right? Using someone's blood in a ritual without their knowledge?" Harry rubbed small circles on her upper back. He had filled a glass with water and offered it to her.
Hermione took a sip. As her brain did a million calculations with this information, and her face broke in anguish. It had to have been Madam Pomfrey or one of her dorm mates. She slid her back down the cabinets to the floor and cried in earnest. Immediately, Harry was next to her, holding her tight.
Sirius approached them slowly, as not to startle the crying teen, "Harry, it's not just bad. It's a crime that lands people in Azkaban for many years, even life, depending on how serious the ritual was."
Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione, I am sorry... All these bad things happen to you because of me."
Hermione kept crying but shook her head against his chest. "Don't take on his blame."
"Hey, it could have been worse," Tonks knelt next to them, trying to lighten up the mood. She placed her hand on Harry's head. "You could have been found by anyone, Harry. At least, the enchantments on this were well hidden enough that Voldemort didn't figure out he could have just killed Ronald and found you himself."
"Gee, thanks. That makes us feel better," Harry looked at Tonks in disbelief.
"Regardless of that, you are safe now," Remus said, helping a blushing Tonks up from the floor.
"You already started working out. However, just running is not going to cut it. You need less cardio and more strength training. I instructed Dudley to prepare an area down by the beach for you to do weightlifting, calisthenics, and swimming for recovery," Andromeda smiled at them. She offered a vial to Hermione, "Here, dear. To settle your stomach."
"Thank you," Hermione took the vial and drank it in one gulp.
"Do you think Madam Pomfrey-?" Harry began.
"No, Harry. Poppy couldn't have given him the blood willingly. As I understand, muggle doctors have something called the Hippocratic oath. So do magical healers. However, healers would be violently ill if they tried to harm a patient knowingly in any way," Minerva replied. "If she did give him the blood, she was probably imperiused."
"Great. Just great," Harry cursed under his breath. "The person who has all of our medical information has been compromised. Wonderful."
"Harry," Minerva began. "When I realized that this had both of your bloods, I sent one of the elves to get your records. As far as the Hospital Wing is concerned, neither of you were ever patients. I brought it here so you could destroy it yourselves, so you are sure it is gone."
"Thank you, professor," Harry sighed.
"Mr. Potter, I am prepared to do the Unbreakable Vow as your healer for your peace of mind," Andromeda offered. "Nymphadora, please don't go to the floor like that. You know your condition. As you get heavier, you could injure yourself."
Tonks' hair went red. "Mother, don't call me that."
"Then don't do things that I have already forbidden you to do!" Andromeda snapped at her daughter.
"I think the Unbreakable Vow is too much," Hermione murmured against Harry's neck. He tried to ignore how that made him feel, but he couldn't. She wouldn't get up and Harry wasn't about to make her uncomfortable. "They could be official allies though... sign an alliance book."
"Whatever you say, and they agree with goes," Harry replied kissing her forehead. Sirius was happy to see his pup showing affection freely.
The adults shared a look. "An Alliance would be beneficial. It would at the very least guarantee no hostility among us," Sirius said with a smirk at the teens.
"Sirius, you need to tell us everything."
"Yes. Here is the deal. I am back because your mother who is a veritable genius and a downright terrifying adversary found a way for me to return. The how is complicated. I can show you my memories once we get a pensieve. However, I come with knowledge and resources beyond what you have so far. From what I have heard, there are few people you can trust. Namely us here, right?"
Harry looked at Ted with unease. "I... think so."
Ted looked at Harry with a smile. He took out his wand and pointed it at his own heart, "I, Edward Tonks, hereby swear fealty to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, and their cause. May magic judge me."
Hermione's eyes were as wide as they could go. She had never seen a fealty oath before, but it was life long and if you didn't mean it, you could lose your magic.
Harry blinked. "That was unnecessary."
"No, Harry. This is very necessary. We are at war. You and I don't know each other. You have no reason to trust me yet. You have been through a lot, and it is very understandable that you are hesitant to trust new people. All I want is to help end this. I want my grandchild to live in a better world," Ted said with a smile.
"Are we all willing to do a fealty oath?" Sirius asked.
Every wizard, witch, and elf said a resounding 'Yes.' One by one, they all swore fealty to Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. Padfoot swore fealty to Harry, Hermione, and Lily and James Potter for good measure. He expected a better welcome next time he died. They all took a seat in the living room.
"Good. So here is the deal. The people in charge up there," Sirius pointed up. "Are pretty mad at Vol-"
"Don't!" Hermione silenced him with her wand. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. The name has been jinxed. If you say it out loud, they will send Snatchers to investigate. I don't know if that will work when we are so far away and under impressive wards, but I don't want to find out."
Harry ended the spell, "We are not really sure how it works, but Hermione thinks it's connected to the book of the living."
Minerva smiled, "Indeed. The British Book of the Living Wizards and Witches has everyone's names on it. It is also used to register underage magic and all other accidental magic. Heaven knows if Mr. Black here is back on it now. I don't think so because Gringotts didn't seem to know you were alive and the book is updated simultaneously in their ledgers. That could pose a tactical advantage."
"Yes, well. So, the powers that be decided that if he wants to play dirty, they can play dirty too... And better because they are literal gods and goddesses. They imbued a lot of knowledge into Lily and ordered me to heal and train. Since I died, Lily and James had been figuring out the logistics for me to come back. It took this long, but luckily, they figured out how to get me back through the veil right on time because the Death Munchers have been trying to pervert the freaking veil to import dead fighters for their ranks. My coming here disintegrated the veil and that is no longer a possibility... Well, at least not using the veil."
Hermione let out a groan and massaged her temples. "He's trying to get zombie soldiers?! That's just marvelous. Now, on top of everything else, we also have to avoid getting bitten!"
"Hermione," Harry tried to calm her.
"Harry, I'm sorry. This is too much... I can't-!" She started to breathe shakily.
"Kreacher," Sirius called. "Can you please make us all some Long Island Iced Tea?"
"Sirius, the children don't need alcohol," Minerva chastised.
Hermione screamed into a pillow. Harry pulled her towards him and squeezed her. He raised a brow at the professor. "I think the children do."
Soon enough they all had a tall sweaty glass of the drink.
"Now, Hermione, care to elaborate about the zombies, you called them?" Remus asked with a frown.
Hermione groaned and took a long sip, motioning for Harry to answer. "Um... Okay... How can I explain this to you..."
Dudley knocked on the front door. Harry motioned for him to come in.
"Sorry for the interruption, I just came here to do my dishes. Since the plates are from this kitchen," Dudley explained, looking at the new people warily.
Dobby appeared, took the dishes, and vanished. "Thank you, Dobby. I should go."
"No, wait! You love the zombie genre, right?" Harry asked his cousin.
"Yes," Dudley's eyes were a bit brighter at that. "Why?"
"Everyone, this is Dudley Dursley and he's staying with us. Dudley, how would you explain zombies to someone who has never heard of them? Can you help me out here?" Harry asked while everyone nodded curtly at the introduction.
"Sure. But... Is she okay?" Dudley asked noticing that Hermione looked pale and shaky.
"I'll be fine, thank you for asking," Hermione grunted and went back to cradling her head with her hands.
"Ooookay. So... There is this whole genre of science fiction that talks about zombies and the zombie apocalypse. A zombie is an undead person or animal. Meaning, a living being that died but revives as a monster if you will that doesn't need to sleep or to go to the loo. It lives to eat brains and people."
Witches and wizards alike looked incredulous. Remus asked, "How do they become undead?"
"Well, usually there is a natural, sometimes lab-made, virus or bacteria that goes rogue and infects people which turns them undead when they die. But to become a zombie, one doesn't necessarily have to die. If you are bitten by a zombie, then you get infected, and well... in the apocalypse medicines are at an all-time low in availability because the world went to hell. Right? That means there is no electricity or phones, you now..."
McGonagall looked at the teen blankly.
"Oh, right. You don't have electricity. Never mind... So... anyway... Zombies bite you, then you get an infection that can't be cured because there are no medicines. Sometimes, people who are bitten in the arm, for example, cut it off and prevent the infection from spreading so they don't die and become zombies. The most important thing for you to know is that zombies can only be killed by stabbing or shooting the brain," Dudley finished with a shy smile. "Anything else is wasting effort."
Harry nodded. "Thank you, Dudley. You can go now."
Dudley shrugged and left. That was a strange question. "Mrs. Tonks. When you have some time, I have a couple of questions about the training area."
"I'll be with you in a couple of hours, Dudley," Andi smiled at the teen who nodded and left quietly.
"Mione, are you okay?" Harry whispered in her ear.
"Not really, but I want us to get through this so we can go do some research on the Horcruxes," Hermione replied, not realizing that everyone had gone quiet.
"How do you know about that?!" Sirius jumped towards the teens. "You are not supposed to know about that!"
"Dobby, can you-?"
The elf came in with the chest in which they had stored the locket. "Yes, master."
"We had been taking turns wearing it," Harry explained. "We found it at Grimmauld."
"You wore it!? What were you thinking!?" Sirius asked opening the chest.
"We didn't know we weren't supposed to touch it. Sirius, who is R.A.B? Do you know?" Hermione suddenly remembered.
"W-What?"
"Dobby, please bring Hermione's bag," Harry raised his hand and Dobby placed the bag on it and vanished. He rummaged through it and found the note. He handed it to Sirius. "This was with the locket."
To the Dark Lord,
I know I will be dead long before you read this,
but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret.
I have stolen the real Horcrux & intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death in the hopes that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
Sirius' eyes filled with tears. He could have recognized that handwriting anywhere. Everyone was staring at him. Tonks squeezed Remus' hand as encouragement. Moony sat beside Sirius.
"Padfoot, what's wrong? Who is R.A.B?"
"Regulus..." Sirius said, his voice merely above a whisper. Andromeda gasped, so did her husband. "Remus, my brother... He wasn't... He turned around... He- Fuck!" Padfoot embraced the note and cried.
Remus sat beside him. "I don't understand."
"Read it!"
"Bloody hell! Regulus, who everyone thought to be a Death Eater, tried to end a Horcrux and lost his life trying..." Remus explained to the confused teenagers.
"Sirius, I'm so sorry. If I had known I wouldn't have just dumped this on you," Harry moved to hug his godfather.
"It's okay... I just... I never knew... The last time I saw him, I told him the most awful things... I" Sirius collapsed against Moony who held him tight.
"You didn't know... I am sure he forgave you..."
Most people echoed Remus's kind words.
It took a while for Sirius to calm down enough. "What do you know about Horcruxes?"
"That they are very dark and that they shouldn't be touched," Harry said.
"Harry is convinced that we have already been near and managed to destroy three different Horcruxes," Hermione added.
"T-Three!?" Sirius looked shocked. "Which ones?"
"First, there's a wraith that lived inside Professor Quirrell. When I went after, who I thought was Snape trying to get the Sorcerer's Stone, I had to fight Quirrell who wanted to use me to get the stone out of The Mirror of Erised which was where Dumbledore hid it," Harry tried to explain.
"That fool had the Resurrection Stone inside Hogwarts!?" Sirius could faint.
"Yeah..."
"And you had to face Vold-Voldypants," Sirius caught himself at Hermione's shush. "While you were at Hogwarts?"
"Yes," Harry replied nonchalantly.
"How old were you then?" Andromeda was shocked.
"I was a first-year. Hermione and Ron helped me get there though," Harry shrugged.
"Minerva, can you explain why the hell did a First-Year student had to do that?!" Sirius snapped.
"Sirius, we designed an extremely difficult obstacle course. But Dumbledore changed it once we had all approved its difficulty. We didn't know of the change until Harry was in the Infirmary," Minerva looked ashamed.
Hermione moved forward in her armchair and looked at Harry like he was a stranger, "I thought you told Sirius everything."
A wave of cold angry magic escaped Harry's core and pushed her and everyone in the room back into their seats. Hermione had goosebumps. Shit. I shouldn't have said that, she thought. Sirius raised his hands in a clear gesture to calm down, but Harry's anger was too spiked.
Harry looked at her in a way he never had before. He felt betrayed and was incensed. He rolled his eyes hard and then he took a deep breath to yell, "When was I supposed to do that? Huh, Hermione? While I was trying not to starve at the Dursleys? While I was hearing my mother's screams every single time I had a dementor anywhere near me? Why don't you tell me, Miss Know-it-all?! When should I have swapped stories with Sirius? While I was being thrown into a fucking deadly tournament I never wanted to participate in? While I was having daily night terrors about Cedric? While I thought my stupidity had killed you? Or maybe while I was mourning Sirius?! Tell me when it would have been appropriate to tell my dead godfather about all our school adventures!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears, and she looked down. Harry got up and left the house, slamming the door behind him. Everyone froze. Hermione looked like every word he said had been a punch to her body. She winced at the door slam. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. I am the brain. I must keep my cool.
"Hermione," Tonks began.
"Don't. I did that to myself... I will give you the summary. Harry killed Quirrell because the protection his mother gave him meant that his hands turned the man to ash when he tried to kill Harry. Then in his Second Year, the Chamber of Secrets was open for the second time. Everyone thought it was Harry who did it because a dueling practice made it public knowledge that Harry was a parselmouth so people thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. Lucius Malfoy slipped Tom Riddle's diary into Ginny Weasley's books, and she was the one who actually opened the chamber which allowed a 50 feet basilisk to roam the school using the pipes."
"50 feet?!" Andi was pale.
"Is Hogwarts a school or a nightmare? Shit!" Ted was making a mental list of all the lawsuits that could have been filed against Dumbledore.
Hermione shrugged. Her ability to stay calm after Harry had snapped at her would not last long. She just wanted to finish giving them this information and lock herself up to cry. "Anyway, this resulted in many students, myself included, petrified for months. I had figured out it was a basilisk, but I went to make sure alone and I was attacked before I could tell anyone. Harry went to see me at the Infirmary and saw that I had a paper crumpled in my closed fist. He saw the page I had copied from a book and he and his saving people thing, along with Ronald, went to our DADA professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. By then they knew the Heir had taken Ginny to the chamber to kill her."
Tonks gasped. Remus had a deep frown on his face as did Sirius. Minerva was just covering her face with her hands. The shame was too much.
"This part I didn't see, but from what Harry told me, Lockhart tried to attack them and erase their memories, but he used Ronald's wand which was broken, and the spell hit him instead. Something happened and Harry and Ron got separated... Maybe a wall caved in, I don't know... The point is that Harry fought Riddle again and his pet giant snake. Fawkes came in the chamber, although we never knew why or how," Hermione pondered.
"Fawkes?" Ted asked.
"Dumbledore's phoenix," Minerva clarified.
"Anyhow, Fawkes brought Harry the sorting hat, Harry pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the hat. He used it to kill the basilisk, but the basilisk did get him with one of its fangs," Hermione was stopped by Sirius flipping the coffee table in anger while he yelled, "Oh, for fucks sake!"
Remus forcefully sat him back down.
"Harry stabbed the diary with the fang that went through his arm. The only reason he didn't die was that Fawkes cried on his wound."
There was a full minute of silence after that. All that could be heard was Sirius's heavy breathing while Tonks and Remus tried to calm him down.
"You mentioned a third?" Ted asked.
"Yes, the one that did most of the killing of Albus Dumbledore. He put on a ring that belonged to Riddle's ancestor. It was cursed. You remember his blackened hand, professor McGonagall?"
"Yes. But I had no idea it was a Horcrux. He said a spell backfired. I thought it was healed but it was probably a glamour. He wore it for over a year... inside the school too," Minerva was dismayed.
"Yeah, it was destroyed by the sword too," Hermione said. Her lip started to tremble. She had to leave now. "That's all I know. Harry can tell you more once he calms down. If you'll excuse me, I have to go."
"Hermione," Tonks tried to stop her. The teen was really putting on a brave face for their sake.
"Don't. I will be fine, but someone needs to go talk to him before he does something stupid. When he is in a funk, he won't speak to the person that upset him so I can't go. Whoever talks to him, bringing him something sweet and a glass of water will help..." She stood up. "I will be in the library."
"Hermione," Minerva tried. It hurt her to see her cub in pain.
"Please, just let me go. Whoever goes to him... Don't talk. Just sit with him. Eventually, the awkward silence will make him talk. He can't stand it for long. When he starts talking, he will talk very fast until he can talk anymore. Don't interrupt him. Any questions or comments must wait until the end. I need to be alone right now."
Remus stood and pulled her into his arms as he did with Sirius, "Hermione, just because you know that he doesn't mean to snap at you, it doesn't make it right for him to do so."
Hermione shook her head, "It does. You don't understand. We... I know better. He hates to appear vulnerable in front of people, especially people he admires. He knows that I know that. And I essentially just made him cause a scene in front of the people he both looks up to and trusts the most."
"Regardless, he knows that he can't talk to you like that. Had he rolled his eyes like that at his mother, she would have ripped him a new one," Sirius replied in a harsh tone. "He doesn't get to yell at you because he can't handle his feelings. You don't have to coddle him, Hermione. You are not a healer. You are not a shrink. You are certainly not his mother. Harry wants to be treated as an adult, well... then he needs to act like one and that means this kind of behavior is entirely unacceptable, not to mention unbecoming of both the Houses for which he is the sole heir."
Hermione's lip trembled and she sighed. "Whatever you do, don't yell at him. If you do, Harry will fold into himself, and you will never manage to get him to open up to you again. I have to go." She went upstairs quietly.
"I'll go talk to him," Sirius stood.
"Padfoot, no. You heard Hermione. If you are going to go yell at him-" Remus was interrupted by Ted.
"I'll go. I have no dogs in this fight," he winked at Sirius. "He will probably snap at anyone else here. We just met. I can be more objective than any of you."
"Kind but firm," Andi whispered.
"Yes, ma'am," Ted stood up, and Kreacher handed him a chocolate muffin and a bottle of cold water.
Harry was kicking sand in frustration. He growled and groaned. He pulled his hair and punched the sand until he grew tired. The sun hitting his pale skin. Dudley approached him carefully, as you would an injured animal.
"Sorry for the interruption, Harry," Dudley said softly.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!" Harry turned, furious.
"Shit. What happened?" Dudley asked with wide eyes.
"Nothing!" Harry snapped.
Dudley looked at Harry deadpanned and blinked but said nothing. It took a couple of minutes of extremely awkward silence and Harry yelled.
"ARGH! I am such an idiot!"
Dudley sat down on a log that had washed up on the shore and patted the wood next to him.
Harry looked at Dudley like he grew a second head, but he still sat down. Dudley raised a brow at Harry as if to say, "You were saying..."
So, in his usual fury-fueled verbal diarrhea he usually had while cooling off, he told his cousin everything that had happened inside the house. He was speaking quickly, and Dudley could have asked a lot of questions, but he was more worried about the gist of his cousin's speech.
"Are you going to say anything?" Harry asked.
"You are fucked," Dudley shrugged.
"Huh?" Harry stammered.
"It's just... Um... You just told me you yelled at 'the queen of the castle' for simply asking you why you hadn't told your resurrected godfather anything about all the crazy shit that happened to you before he died."
Harry's face lost all color. Fuck.
"I mean, from what I have gathered, that girl loves you something crazy. She lost her parents for you. She starved with you. She went to war to keep you safe. She has been the only person not to ever turn her back on you. She puts up with all your hero shit and all the danger that entails... and for simply asking a question, without any bad intentions mind you, you bite her head off?" Dudley asked in as calm a tone as he could muster. He had only spent a few days with them, but Hermione truly was a great person. Enough to let him come to the island even knowing about Harry's upbringing. He was forever in her debt.
Harry stood up and paced. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad!"
"Well, your head and limbs are still attached... maybe she's used to you snapping at her by now?" Dudley shrugged.
The mere thought that she could have gotten used to his ill-treatment froze Harry's very blood. "I am a git with a death sentence. You don't know her... Hermione is a great witch. If she wants to cut my head off, I don't stand a chance. I don't even have a wand!"
Dudley frowned, "What happened to your wand?"
"It broke."
"Well, then... I think you may end up as shark food before I do... Who would've thought?" Dudley chuckled. "You have company. I'll get out of your hair."
Harry took a few deep and terrified breaths. "I am an absolute tosser. I was a jerk. I don't have my wand, but if I did, I would throw it away and let you do whatever you want to me. Punch me, slap me, scream at me... I deserve it," Harry turned fully expecting to see Hermione.
"You do... Deserve it that is," Ted handed Harry a chocolate muffin and a bottle of water.
Harry looked at the items in surprise, took them, and sighed. "Hermione-"
"Did not deserve that. She told us how to get you out of your funk but apparently, your cousin already helped so... Just be glad I came instead of Sirius. He wanted to rip you a new one. Remus is seething as well. Hermione warned us that yelling wouldn't help and that's why I am here with peace offerings," he pointed at the muffin.
"Where is she?" Harry asked, dread settling in his stomach.
"She wants to be left alone."
"Where is she?!" Harry growled. To his surprise, Ted laughed.
"Listen, son, the alpha male act may have worked with your little Death Muncher red-headed mate, but it doesn't work with me. I am too old to be intimidated by moody teenagers... I raised the moodiest one so, tough luck. I know that life has been very unfair to you and that you never got to have parents who loved you to show you better, but if my daughter was a teenager, and any boy had ever treated her like that, I would have shown him just what happens when you decide to be a smartass and to disrespect young women who are under the protection of real men."
Harry suddenly felt small, "I know. I am sorry."
"Don't waste your words with me. You will need them for her. Sirius is very upset. You would be in a screaming match right now if Remus hadn't interfered. Look, Harry, I know we just met, and perhaps I am overstepping with this-"
Harry shook his head. He needed all the help he could get.
"You need to know something going forward, son. Hermione is a unicorn."
"What?" Harry blinked.
"Hermione is a unicorn. She is special. She is rare. She is good. Do you know how many girls would stick by their friend through everything you have been through? How many would not run for the hills after almost dying to help said friend?"
Harry was quiet. His eyes stung.
"How many girls would sacrifice their families and their own wellbeing to support you? You need to understand that she has you. Period. Her parents are gone. It's as if they died. And she chose you over the rest of her life with them. That means that you don't get to trample all over her sacrifice so callously."
"I know that I just-"
"Perhaps a part of you thinks that she is under no one's protection because her parents are gone and so you have no one to answer to," Ted scoffed. "From what I saw in there, both Remus and Sirius love her like a daughter. They will put the fear of your maker in you if you don't stop this ridiculous fragile ego bullshit and come correct. My Tonks and Minerva adore her. Even me and Andi like her a lot and we have only just met her."
"I don't-"
Ted raised his hand to shut him up. "Hermione is a unicorn, Harry. She is not the kind of person you can win over with half-assed anything really, and that includes bad apologies. She deserves nothing but your best, every single day. I get it. Life has sucked for you. But do you really think her life next to you was a walk in the park?"
Harry covered his face with his hands to try to prevent himself from breaking completely at that.
"Life is not fair for anyone. That doesn't give you permission to hurt her. I know about your background, son. The things you have been through are truly terrible. But don't be a victim, be a victor. I don't want to hear any of that 'hurt people hurt people' bullshit either. Hermione is a wonderful young woman. She needs a good man by her side, not a boy."
"Are you telling me to grow up?" Harry looked at the man with wide eyes.
"I am telling you that you have two options. You can either grow up and be blessed with your perfect match, from what they told me in there, or you can keep acting like an idiot and lose her forever. Listen to me very carefully, son. One day soon a real man is going to waltz in here and whisk her away. Unicorns are exotic and highly sought after, you see. Men can smell them from miles away and once a man knows he has found one, he will go to hell and back to keep her. He will come correct. That means no more snapping. That means going forward, you don't get to act up like this. You have to be a gentleman. You have to be considerate. Don't ever raise your voice at her either. You hurt her deeply. Andromeda and I have been married for 30 years. We have been angry at each other hundreds of times, but I have never yelled at her, and she has never yelled at me... in anger. We respect each other too much for that. If you want to make her happy, every interaction you have has to be founded on how much you respect and love her..."
Harry's jaw fell, "H-How do you know-?"
"That you have feelings for each other? Harry, honestly, a blind man could see it. The way you talk without words with just looks. How you look at her and how she looks at you. How you finish each other's sentences and can tell when the other needs something... It's too evident. Now eat your muffin and go begging. I want to see you on your knees."
Harry nodded. "What if she won't see me?" his voice just above a whisper.
"How many years have you been friends?"
"Seven"
"Good. How many days of begging do you think that unicorn is worth?" Ted was very serious. Harry's answer would determine whether the adults could support this relationship.
Harry's face went through many emotions until his expression centered on acceptance. "The rest of my life," Harry whispered as realization hit him like a warm breeze. "I... S-She... She's the love of my life... My home... My everything."
Ted smirked. "Atta boy! Now go beg."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Harry took a big bite of his muffin as he walked to the house.
Ted chuckled, "We may still make a good man out of you, Harry Potter," he looked up, "Lily, James, we never really get to meet before, but I got you. He will make you very proud. I promise."
Harry came into the house to find all adults sitting down staring at him with deep frowns. He looked down. They were angry and disappointed and that was the worst combination.
"Hey," he started walking away.
"Where do you think you are going?" Sirius exclaimed.
"To see Hermione," Harry replied. That was the worst answer apparently.
"Like hell you are," Remus replied. "Come here and sit your ass down."
Harry jumped at Moony's tone. "Look, I am a jerk. I know. I have to go apologize."
"No, you have to sit down and bloody listen," Sirius narrowed his eyes at him.
McGonagall gave him her most severe look, "Mr. Potter, sit down."
Harry walked towards them dragging his feet and sat. "Go ahead. I deserve this."
"I love you, pup. Until today I have never wanted to hurt you so badly," Sirius said slowly.
"I love you, Harry. But when Hermione helped me in third year, she became a part of my pack. That means I care for her as if she were my own blood and watching you yell at her... I wanted to rip you apart, and you know I can," Remus growled. Harry squirmed in his seat and nodded.
"Harry, Hermione is one of the brightest people I ever had the pleasure to teach. She is brilliant. Her brain is impressive, but her heart is made of gold. She is loyal to a fault. That means that she will put your first always, even when your actions hurt her deeply," Minerva pursed her lips. "Your father almost lost your mother for good because he kept being an immature boy when she needed a man."
Harry was surprised by that.
"It's true. Believe it or not, you could have been Harry Snape," Remus added.
Harry felt sick. His eyes widened as he tried to process that terrifying tidbit, "I... What?"
"But I digress. The point here is that you can't hurt Hermione because she will excuse you. That's what she did today. You treated her poorly and she still defended you to us. That is unacceptable. She shouldn't need to protect herself from you, and you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing your temper to give you leeway to hurt the one person that you should treat like a queen," Remus said with a frown.
Tonks reached over and took his hands, "Harry, we love you. We really do, and we all understand that you had a terrible upbringing, but that doesn't excuse your behavior. Don't do to her what they did to you."
Harry hung his head low. The shame was too much
"Mr. Potter, at the risk of losing my new job... This needs to stop. You don't get to mistreat others out of your own insecurities. While you may have had it rough, she hasn't exactly been living a dream. Do you know how much this has affected her health? The frozen tent? The little to no food? The stress? The worry for you and for her parents? She needs peace and quiet. She needs love, care, and support. So do you, but bear in mind that you had to do this. This was your destiny... Hermione chose to come with you. I will consult a Mind Healer and you need to start therapy sooner rather than later. I still don't know how we are going to do that. But we will figure it out, if I am still working for you, that is," Andromeda looked at Harry in a way that made him feel worse than he already was.
"O-Of course, you don't have to fear any repercussions from calling it like you see it. Thank you all for your candor and concern. I know I deserve everything you all want to tell me, but honestly, I need to apologize now. The longer I wait, the worse it will be. Excuse me," Harry stood up.
"Son, next time you make her cry like that, we will make you cry worse, understood?" Remus growled.
"Yes, sir. I will not resist."
Harry stood outside the library. The door was locked. He could hear Hermione crying inside and his heart shriveled. She sounded so sad... and it was all his fault. He knocked.
"Go away!"
"Hermione, please..."
"No. I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to see you. Leave me alone."
"I can't. I will sleep here if I have to, but I am not leaving," Harry rested his face against the door.
"Then go get a bloody pillow because I am not opening the door."
"Hermione, I only have to wish for the door to open and it will. This is a Potter property. But I won't do that because if you want me outside, I will stay outside."
"Ugh! Why don't you go away and make yourself useful to someone? I don't want you here," Hermione yelled.
Harry felt as if someone punched the air out of him. I deserve this. "Hermione, I am going to stay right here until you want to talk to me."
"Then go get a chair and wait sitting down!" She growled at him but broke down in sobs.
Each sound pierced Harry's heart. I called her a know-it-all, what the fuck was I thinking?. He knew he had hurt her deeply. It was more than just the word. He had yelled at her in public for simply being her caring self. You know you have fucked up when Dudley Dursley makes you feel like a piece of shit. His cousin was right. Harry felt like he deserved to have his feet in a block of cement. Would sharks even eat him? He was still quite bony. Harry sighed sadly as Hermione's muffled crying continued.
Harry summoned a pillow and sat down against the doorframe. I guess I'm sleeping here, he thought. He summoned his bank account ledgers. He might as well do something useful, as Hermione wanted. They needed to start throwing more serious money at the problem. He summoned a notebook and a self-inking feather pen. He started writing a list of supplies they needed to purchase with due dates and possible alternatives. Harry swore to himself that this was the last time he ever made Hermione cry.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you are all well. Most of my files were saved. Those of you who asked or offered solutions and tips, I appreciate it. I hope to get my files before the end of the month. No idea yet if the laptop will revive, but as long as I have my files it's going to be alright. I will not be updating other stories until I get my plot bunnies back. -Lux-