AN: Hello, AO3 and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter, but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it, please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!

Can You Take the Jump?

Chapter 59

"What are you going to do about Vernon?" Lily gently held her sister's burnt and scarred hands with her own mangled. Magic was healing them, but the process was painstakingly slow and it included a very large number of disgusting potions that wouldn't even heal them fully. They'd always be left with scar tissue around their most severe burns.

Petunia's worst burns stretched across her back and up her right shoulder, indicative of how she was lying down during the fire. Lily's worst was all on the left side of her body. Her left ear and head, hand, arm, hips, and legs had taken significant damage from her prolonged exposure to the cursed flames. The freckles she'd been self-conscious about for her entire life became an insignificant imperfection on her body compared to the mottled disfigurement of her fair skin where the curse had touched. She'd look like Two-Faced from Batman for her entire life (actually, that was an over-exaggeration, her face was rather unscathed). Pomfrey had told her that between the chaos fire, saving her own life and everyone else's, Hermione must've had enough sense in her cover Lily's face while flipping to the left side so that Lily's wand arm was relatively unscathed.

Lily and Petunia felt a sense of camaraderie about their burns because they couldn't complain to anyone else, their burns affected their aesthetic appearance, however, their parents took an even worse hit, causing them to lose their functional ability. Their father's arm had to be amputated from the elbow down to save the rest of his arm and to prevent infection from spreading to the rest of the body, their beautiful mother lost an eye to the fire and had severe disfigurement, but not once did she cry about herself, only with relief that her children had survived. So how could they be insensitive enough to complain in front of them?

"Vernon doesn't want me now anyway," Petunia wrote in her notebook that she was using to communicate. The smoke inhalation had affected her lungs more than other members of her family. She could still talk, but it had been painful, so while it was uncomfortable, she had opted to take the less painful method by talking through the notebook.

"Do you want me to convince him to wait for you?" Lily asked gently. "The burns will heal more, it's just taking some time, by the time you see him, you'll practically be the same as before. Not that you're not beautiful now!"

Petunia couldn't meet her eyes.

"You are," Lily reassured. "You're just a little redecorated, that's all."

There was a soulless look in her sister's eyes as she reacted to the words that James had used to Lily when she first noticed her appearance.

"Is that the new way of saying 'ugly'?"

"No," Lily insisted. "It's the new way of facing our new reality while still being kind to ourselves."

"Yeah well, reality can go fuck itself."

While Lily felt tremendously sorry for her sister, she was also secretly relieved. Petunia loved Vernon Dursley. At the end of the day, it didn't matter how much the rest of the family didn't like him, Vernon was Petunia's first serious boyfriend and first love. Lily had seen the way her sister lit up in his presence, blushed at his compliments, and sighed whenever she thought of him. He was going to whisk her away from her ambitions and big-city dreams to some small town where he would get a cushy corporate job. He'd romanticized it, telling her that he was going to take care of her and make sure she'd never lack anything. Coming from a low-income family, but an eye for luxury, that kind of promise was seduction and temptation for Petunia.

He made Petunia feel special and happy, promising her a future together. They'd spoken about marriage. And it all came crashing down in a blink of an eye, or more like a bite from a cupcake.

When Lily used to complain about Vernon, Hermione used to say something that broke her little romantic heart. "Not everyone gets the fairy tale love story, not everyone finds their soulmate. Sometimes it's just about two people who are ready and about timing. Just because you don't think Tuny's relationship is not the happily-ever-after that she deserves doesn't mean it's not valid or important. She doesn't need or want our approval. Petunia loves Vernon and he loves her in his own, albeit shallow, way. That's good enough for her."

"So you're just going to let her date him?" Lily used to ask.

"Sure, but marriage is a whole different question," Hermione smirked.

Lily couldn't imagine the kind of betrayal she felt when Vernon had taken an appalled step back at her appearance. He hadn't come back since and now there wasn't any more time.

Knock knock.

The girls turned to the door of the private hospital room to see Hermione at the door, except now there was not even the smallest hint of a smirk on her face. It was the same infuriating blank look on her face that she had for most of their childhood. It felt like they'd gone back in time to when Hermione first came to their home at the age of 5, detached and distant.

Ah, Hermione. Reality did fucking suck. Of course, neither of the sisters could ever say anything against their saviour-sister. How could they? She had literally saved their lives, they were speechless because of how thankful they were, so how could they have the audacity to express their small, yet seemingly unavoidable sense of resentment for the fact that the family was now being forced apart for god-knows how long.

The Sleeping Draught in the cupcakes was so powerful that it might as well be poison. As well as suffering from smoke inhalation, the rest of the family remained unconscious for 2 days after the incident. Imagine how disorienting it must've felt to fall asleep on the 30th of January, and then wake up on the February 1st.

It was mind-fucking nonsensical, that's what it was.

…

February 1st, 1977 (The day before)

Once James told her everything he knew about what had happened to her and her family. Lily sat in her bed in stunned silence. There was nothing that could be said about such terrifying news. She had been on fire. Literally.

"Where is everyone? Where are my parents? My sisters? Are they all right?"

James nodded, continuously stroking her hair, comforting her through the shock.

"Hermione was with you most of the time, but your oldest sister had a small relapse, so she's there right now."

"Tuny? What's wrong with her? Is she okay?"

James nodded, "Hermione runs a tight ship, everyone's fine, my love. Everyone is fine."

Her salty tears stung when they touched the burnt flesh past her face cheekbones, and to the back of her head.

"I w-wanna see… them."

"Lily, you're not fully—"

"Now." She demanded.

James didn't push back this time. He removed her from his embrace, being as soft and gentle as he could to flag down Pomfrey.

Her tears wouldn't stop. She knew the war was happening, her best friend had died in her arms, of course, she knew it was happening, but they'd targeted her again. The pain, the sense of loss and the appalling cruelty against her and her family left her flabbergasted.

"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter informs me that you wish to see your family?" Pomfrey approached her bed again. This time Lily had the mind to observe her more carefully. The woman looked absolutely wrecked, although Lily supposed that's what it takes to take care of someone whose body was 30% turned to crisp.

"Yes, now, if possible."

"Of course. Your sister has been waiting with bated breath for you to wake."

Pomfrey unlatched the fixed wheels of her bed and rolled her to the back wall of the Hospital Wing, somewhere Lily hadn't seen before. There was a large curtain that covered the wall from ceiling to floor. The school Healer flicked her wrist to draw the curtain to reveal the largest fireplace Lily had seen in her entire life.

"Is that a fireplace?" James's jaw dropped.

"Yes, it's to transport bed-ridden patients that are too hard to treat here in the school. It doesn't happen since Hogwarts is so well stocked with potions and other Healing equipment, but it is used in emergency cases."

"My parents and sisters aren't here? I thought that maybe…" Lily looked around, realizing that if they'd been in the Hospital Wing, she would have been able to see them from her bed or at least hear them.

"No," Pomfrey smiled sadly. "All of you had such terrible burns that it was too much for me to take on alone, your parents and sister were quickly taken to St. Mungo's, but once they were stabilized, they were moved to a secret facility."

"A secret facility?" Lily asked.

The woman simply nodded but made no further comment. She stepped up to the fireplace and ignited the fire, causing a visceral response in Lily.

"Lily, love, I got you. It's fine."

"How foolish of me." Pomfrey quickly extinguished the flame. "I'm so sorry, dear. I wasn't thinking."

"Those flames aren't going to hurt you, Lily. They aren't going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you anymore." James cradled her, muttering soothing words. Although the fire was out, she could see the flames dancing in her vision, taunting her, burning her, and killing her. She couldn't stop shaking. She felt like she needed to scream in terror, but was frozen in fear. She couldn't even breathe.

"No one will ever hurt you again," James promised.

In the end, Pomfrey had to sedate her to get her through the floo as no other method of transportation was safe or feasible.

As soon as she was rolled out of the fireplace, Lily's vision was compromised when a body was thrown into her embrace. She could hear James shout in protest about being careful of raw wounds, but the body didn't move. Even in her sedated state, Lily could easily recognize her sister's embrace.

Hermione was not a hugger. She was not a toucher in general, which is why hugs from Hermione were rare. Lily had never been able to explain it before, but now she realized why they felt so different than other people's hugs. If others hugged to comfort or share joy, Hermione's felt desperate or sad, as though she never thought she'd see you again or as though she was saying goodbye.

The sisters remained in that embrace for a long time, rejoicing the feel of the other's breath and heart rate, assuring themselves that the other was alive.

"You saved me again," Lily finally broke the silence.

"I was scared I couldn't."

They separated and looked at each other. Hermione's eyes traced over her sister's burns on her head and the left side of her body. Although she couldn't hear it, she could see the apologies screaming through her sister's hazel eyes.

Hermione, on the other hand, looked relatively unscathed. There were signs of struggle with the fire along her hands and on random patches of her skin that Lily could see outside of her clothes, but other than those superficial burns, there wasn't anything severe.

"I thought Tuny was awake."

"She was," Hermione nodded. "But she's couldn't take the pain or the shock, so we had to put her under again."

When she got off the gurney, she could see Hermione hobble. Immediately, Sirius, whom she didn't even notice was there, was at her side, helping her.

Wrapped in bandages, it was clear to see that Hermione had injured her leg quite severely. Lily wouldn't know for quite some time, but Hermione had burnt her leg right down to the bone. She couldn't even feel the pain because she'd burnt it past her pain receptors. She'd never feel anything in that area again. The Healers tried, but with so much damage, the least they could do was cover it and try to support the muscles as they tried to grow back, but the nerves were gone. She'd have no motor or sensory function in the outside of her legs again. Thanks to the inner side of the leg being saved, an amputation wasn't necessary, but permanent damage was inevitable. Hermione also had some deep to superficial burns along the side of her body, but nothing that a healing potion couldn't fix in 3-6 months. The Obscurus had protected her from most of the cursed flames.

"Mmph!" Someone with half their face covered was wheeled to next her. It didn't matter that Lily couldn't see most of her face, she'd never be able to forget her mother's eyes.

"Mum!" They hugged as fiercely as their bandages and pain could manage. The bandages around her face prevented her from speaking, but Lily could hear her mother's words just by her gestures and gaze. "Are you all right? My beautiful baby, I'm so glad to see you alive."

"Lily, now that you're awake, I need to update you on a few things."

"Update?"

Sirius touched Hermione on the shoulder, "Hermione, maybe we should give her a minute to—"

"We don't have time."

And that was the end of their conversation.

"What's happening? Am I the last one awake?"

Their mother nodded, stroking her hair.

"We had the most smoke inhalation and the most burns, you needed to remain unconscious for your body to recover from the shock and for you to get used to the drugs running through your system."

Hermione settled down in the wheelchair thanks to Sirius's and a Healer's request, but then quickly started to rattle off a landslide of information that was frankly very hard to comprehend.

The Aurors being under new (and terrible) management had arrived late to the scene, thus the muggles were first to see everything; the Morsemordre in the sky above their home, the cursed fire that wouldn't extinguish with water, and the bubble that it was contained in. By the time the Aurors arrived, too many muggles had seen everything, reporting their sightings to various people. They couldn't trace everyone down, resulting in papers being published and the statute of secrecy being threatened. The new head of the Auror department was fired after only 3 weeks on the job.

Hermione refused to meet anyone's eyes as she told her the next part in a clinical manner. Their parents and Petunia were now legally dead. DEAD. Without giving her a second to breathe and digest that information, the two of them were now fugitives, charged with the arson and death of the rest of the family for insurance-fraud reasons. There was a city-wide manhunt for them, therefore, they could never enter muggle society for the foreseeable future.

"Wait!" Lily blinked rapidly. "W-why…" words tumbled out before she could think of the question she wanted to ask. There were too many questions to choose from. "Why can't mum and dad just go to the police now? Tell them that they aren't dead?"

"Then it wouldn't explain the 3 bodies found in the wreckage that we planted before the Aurors even got there."

"Bodies?! BODIES?!" Lily could taste a metallic tang in her mouth as her throat ripped from the scream.

"They're fake bodies," Sirius reassured, but Lily glanced at her sister skeptically. Hermione's face remained as unmoving till the end, neither confirming nor denying Sirius's assurance.

"Our family was targeted," Hermione whispered. "We were singled out and hunted. They cannot report that they are alive because if they do, those that did this will try again. And that time, I'm not sure if I'll be there to save everyone."

Lily sputtered. There was an indignant feeling that couldn't be expressed because what could she say to that? 'No, put our family in danger again?'

Hermione continued to explain everything that happened in a sequence that was far too quick for anyone but Hermione to fully grasp. Lily only picked up bits and pieces of what she was saying, but as far as she understood it, the entire Evans family was currently in a private hospital in Switzerland, thanks to some secret connections that Headmaster Dumbledore had. Fake IDs were made for Petunia and their parents to live a quiet and unassuming life in America, under special refugee status with the MACUSA.

No personal contact was allowed: no letters, holiday gifts, wishes of health and good fortune. And NO VISITS.

"You cannot be serious," Lily felt breathless. From the lack of Sirius's input about the stupid pun with his name, it was clear to Lily that this was in fact, very serious. "You can't just command people to simply uproot their life and leave like that!" Her eyes were wider than they'd ever been. Any sedative left in her bloodstream was gone from the pure disbelief she was feeling. "Mum, you can't let her do this!"

Ivy Evans said nothing as she gently stroked Lily's hand. "Everything's already been decided."

"What have you done?" She spat. "What did you say to them for them to just accept everything like this?! Did you… Did you curse them? Did you plant ideas in their minds as you did me for that holiday party? Violate minds and their basic human right as you did to me?!"

Ivy pulled Lily's hand and shook her head as fast as her bandages allowed.

"Mum, your skin will tear if you move like that." Hermione quietly reminded, ignoring Lily's rage as usual.

With a sibling like Hermione, Lily often felt like she was the overdramatic one, the emotional one, the crazy one. Sometimes she wondered if she was overcompensating for Hermione's lack of emotions as if being twins meant that there had to be some level of balance at all times. However, it was at that moment Lily realized that it wasn't her that was abnormal, it was Hermione.

"You're orphaning us, and you couldn't even wait for me to wake up and ask for my mere opinion."

"You wouldn't have made this decision. You couldn't."

"… ." Lily couldn't even look at her sister. "I guess we'll never know."

…

Present time: February 2nd, 1977

"It's time," was all Hermione said to her sisters before hobbling out of the room.

Petunia and Lily looked at each other. A day to say goodbye was all the time that was allotted to them to say their farewells to each other.

"You know I always felt like Hermione was a visitor in our house?" Petunia whispered, squeezing Lily's hand as if she was telling Lily a secret. Although, she supposed she was. "A visitor just squatting in our house for our whole lives. A stranger."

A stranger that had saved their lives, but a stranger nonetheless.

Lily had no response, but Petunia didn't require one. The sisters silently got up from their spots and slowly walked to the foyer where the Evans family, minus Hermione and Lily, would be flooed to America.

Professor Dumbledore, Healers, Sirius, James, and even Severus had come to bid them farewell. No one except Professor Dumbledore knew where they were going. It was a scheduled floo so they didn't even have to say the place they were transported to, in case someone heard and tried to find them later.

Hermione walked in after the sisters with three boxes in her hand. She gave them to each member leaving.

"They're protean charms," she explained when their mother opened the box to see a simple and unassuming necklace. "They're like little SOS necklaces. If you are in danger, squeeze it tightly for an unusually long period, and help will come."

"Will you come?" Their father asked, his dead eyes shimmered slightly for the first time since Lily had seen him awake.

"No." Hermione coldly cut his hope off. "The authorities within the MACUSA who are responsible for your safety will be alerted."

"It's time soon, I think we should light the fireplace," Professor Dumbledore gently cut through the awkward silence by guiding the injured family towards the fireplace.

"I-Is the fireplace the only way?" Ivy asked hesitantly. Their trauma to fire could not be taken lightly.

"Unfortunately yes. International portkeys are too easily traceable. Fire Floos are the most incognito and secure, but Ivy, remember, the green fire can't hurt you. The worse it can do is put a little soot on your clothes."

"R-right, the green fires can't hurt us." Mrs. Evans repeated. She placed a trembling hand over her heart and took deep breaths.

Robert Evans lifted his arm to comfort his wife, only to see a stump where his arm used to be.

Lily gave her father a comforting touch. "The next time we see each other I'll give you a magical prosthetic, Dad. You remember my project at work during the summer, right? I'm building functional prosthetics! It'll be like you never lost an arm." She promised.

"Yes," their father struggled to smile, causing a grimace to appear. The next time they saw each other, none of them knew when that would be. "Yes, that'd be quite nice."

"It's time," Dumbledore flicked his wand to the fireplace, igniting it with fire. The whole family flinched.

"I guess this is it," Ivy looked at her two daughters, their differences so clearly defined by their reaction to what was happening. Lily was wiping a continuous stream of tears down her face, hugging them all tightly. Hermione stood there stoically, ignoring Sirius's push to give her family a 'proper goodbye'. "It's weird. You're always the ones who leave us, going off to Hogwarts and all that. It's never been the reverse before."

"You will be safe," Hermione told them. "I promise you."

"Can we really never send a letter or anything?" Robert begged.

"Our deal was either you leave with your memories intact, but zero contact or your memories wiped, and still no contact. Either way, letters, messages, gifts and others cannot happen. Ever."

"But how will we know you're okay?"

"You'll just have to trust that we're awesome witches, Dad." Lily gave him her best smile while she hugged her mother. "Now go. You can't miss the floo."

The new family of three with new identities, new homes, and new everything grabbed the floo powder in their hands. They hesitated at the fire.

"The green fire can't hurt you," Hermione reiterated. "You'll be safe."

Ivy looked at her youngest daughter, unmoving even in this situation.

"I love you. Both." Ivy told them like it was a promise. Their father repeated those words, but Petunia only looked at Lily when she said those three words.

"I love you!" Lily was sobbing now, James had to hold onto her so that she couldn't follow them. Green flames engulfed them and they disappeared.

"You'll be safe."

…

His shackles echoed loudly against the wet stone. He didn't know how long he'd been here, pain and confusion made time move differently. The last thing he remembered was grabbing a pint with his partner when he suddenly fell unconscious. He'd woken up in this cell in a dungeon of sorts as if he was in some regency show and captured in the tower of London. He'd been blindfolded the entire time, dragged before odd people who praised a man they called Dark Lord.

At first, he thought he was having a bad dream due to the alcohol, but the pain, the pain they were causing was far too real. He didn't even know what they were doing. He couldn't see. All he knew was that it felt like acid replaced his blood, his skin was melting off and his bones disintegrating. The pain was so great he couldn't do anything. He couldn't hear, he couldn't breathe, or think a single thought. They kept asking him about things he couldn't comprehend, nonsense as far as he could tell. It was only when a familiar name rang out like a beacon of light.

Hermione Evans.

"I know her! I know her!" He screamed until he couldn't anymore.

"You know her?" A smooth and silky voice asked. Their Lord. "How?"

"I-I'm investi…gating her for a-a f-fire." He stuttered as his muscles seized from the residual pain. "A f-fire that k-k-killed her… f-fa…mily."

"She escaped?"

He nodded jerkily, "Her a-and h-her t-t-twin sis…ter."

Suddenly, with a yank, his blindfold came off. The light of daylight blinded him. He'd thought it was night because of how dark his vision had been with the blindfold. Once his eyes adjusted, he found himself face to face with the most handsome man he'd ever seen.

"Well, Detective Chief Inspector Lancor," He dropped his wallet and badge onto the floor in front of him. "It seems like you are of use to me."

He looked young, but there was no youth in his eyes. He was smiling, but there was no joy. His eyes didn't make any biological sense, but he was sure they flashed red, and for a second, the pupils were vertical slits instead of circles, like a snake.

"Give me everything you have and can get about Hermione Evans, and I'll let you live."

…

Hermione stood in the foyer of the private hospital alone. Everyone had gone. Dumbledore was off to thank his old friend, who was the hospital director. Lily had fainted from physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion which caused the healers and James to rush away. To Sirius's credit, he stayed for a long time, whispering sweet and comforting words in her ear, even though she didn't believe a word of them. In the end, he left telling her he'd give her some time alone to grieve in private.

Which left Severus. She didn't even know why she called him, but she had. To her surprise, he came in a heartbeat. Although she had to admit that Severus was quite close with her parents as well. He should be given a chance to say goodbye.

"You were right," he broke the silence between them. They stood far apart, not even looking at each other or facing each other. "You made the right decision."

She blinked.

"That's why you called me right? You needed to hear this. You needed someone who can tell you that you made the safest decision amongst the screaming Gryffindors who can only see in black and white, you needed the silver lining." She could hear him giving her a bitter smile. "It couldn't be the other Slytherins, they'd never seen or met your parents. Their reassurances would mean nothing since they'd just speak out of pure logic, but I knew them. I spent time with them. They cooked me many dinners and treated my mother and me kindly. You want to hear it from me."

It didn't click with her before, but Severus was right. It wasn't her benevolent nature that wanted to give Severus a chance to say goodbye to significant people in his life, it was her selfishness and sense of guilt.

"So this is me telling you what you want to hear. What you need to hear." He walked up to her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "You made the most logical solution to keep them safe and alive. You and Lily will never have to bury your parents and sister. They will never be used against you as hostages. You did the right thing."

When she didn't respond, he gave her a gentle squeeze and then walked out of the foyer. He didn't need to stay anymore. His job was done. He'd done it well. He'd given her the reassurances that she needed to hear.

So why in Merlin's godforsaken name did she not feel reassured?

"You could've said goodbye. You should've at least said I love you." Harry told her. "That was probably the last time you could see them."

"Why didn't you say goodbye when you were walking into the Forbidden Forest during the Battle of Hogwarts?"

Harry opened his mouth but closed it quickly.

"If it's too difficult, I'll say it for you," she sounded bitter. Perhaps she was, but she felt very detached from her emotions. "You knew it'd be too difficult and that I'd never let you go. It didn't matter if it was illogical or that the soul of Voldemort lived in you. It would have been you versus the world and I would have chosen you. I would have never let you go into the forest. It's why I never acted on my suspicion that there could be a piece of him still left in you later on. Deny, deny, and deny until I believed it. Because if I acted on it, then I would have to let you go, but that time it would have to be knowingly and possibly forever. How could I do that? You were Harry Potter and I was Hermione Granger. We weren't just best friends, you and me. It's why you're STILL here with me like this."

"Hermione, I didn't say goodbye It's not that I was scared you wouldn't let me go," he shook his head. "I was scared you'd come with me."

Tears finally dripped from her face as she stared at the fireplace where her family disappeared. They were finally gone and the assurance that they were safe came with a rush of relief, emotions and now the reality of what had happened and what she'd done was starting to dawn on her. By the time the war was done, she'd be dead or so close to death that they wouldn't be able to see her. Those moments before the floo was actually their last moments together, but Hermione couldn't say goodbye because everyone there at that moment knew that her goodbyes were permanent. She couldn't utter the words bye or even I love you for the same reason that Harry couldn't. Perhaps that's why her parents weren't begging her to say goodbye to them or pushing her to tell them she loved them because they knew that if she did, they wouldn't be able to leave. They wouldn't be able to say goodbye and then they'd miss their only chance of freedom.

It broke Hermione's heart in a multitude of ways because she knew that deep down, they were choosing her sisters over her. They were choosing to leave and live for Lily and Petunia, not choosing to stay and likely die, standing with their youngest daughter.

"They love you. Just don't doubt that."

"I know. I know that this choice killed them and will continue to kill them in the future."

Harry nodded in consolidation with her and her parents.

He was gone, and she was truly alone.

"I love you." She whispered to the fireplace, wiping the final tear from her face.

…

AN: Just in case you guys are confusing movie info and book info, in the movie, Harry tells Ron and Hermione that he needs to die after seeing Snape's memories. However, in the books, which is what I usually (not always) reference, Harry doesn't tell them. He sees his best friends in the Great Hall but forces himself to turn away because he feels like he wouldn't be able to go through with what he needs to do if he talks to them. He does, however, see Neville, which is when he tells him to kill Nagini.

Just a quick recap of DH, in case it's been a hot minute since you've read it.

That's all for this week folks! Love ya!