In the Name of Love by Mynuet

Rating: R
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 6
Published: 14/08/2005
Last Updated: 14/08/2005
Status: In Progress

The war has come, and nothing will be the same.




1. Prologue
-----------

The first time Harry Potter set out to end someone's life, he failed. He didn't
understand what had happened, not until much later, when things could be sorted out and explained
to him by others, when his emotions could be pushed aside. In the moment, though, there was too
much noise, too much shouting, shock and horror and guilt over the inflexible determination to stay
alive, even if he didn't deserve to, even if he should have died. That was what Lavender had
screamed at him, shrieking it while crying and trying to attack him with her fingernails. He
hadn't even stepped back, hadn't reacted in the slightest. After facing down Severus Snape
and any number of Death Eaters, he just did not have the capacity within him to back down in the
face of a girl's grief. Besides, she had the right to be angry.

Hermione had more right, because Lavender was an ex-girlfriend and Hermione was his true love,
but Hermione, though white and pale, was holding Lavender back, preventing her from attacking Harry
and then stolidly accepting the other girl's fists striking her.

That moved Harry into action, because it wasn't fair that Hermione be blamed. Ron was dead,
and it was Harry's fault.



2. Chapter One
--------------

The prologue was short, because it was the prologue. Probably none of the chapters will be
hugely long, but they'll come out in a hurry, so hopefully that will work out for everyone.
Yes, the ships as they stand here, at the start, are not PK-compliant. That's because I wanted
to start from canon, but rest assured, this is a Harry/Hermione and Draco/Ginny fic.

~~~~

Hogwarts had closed after Dumbledore's death. The same Board of Governors who had believed
the school would run quite well without Dumbledore during the Chamber of Secrets incident had
declared that the school could not go on without him. Professor McGonagall, who had rallied after
the immediate shock to declare that Dumbledore would not have wanted the school to close, had been
furious. None of her arguments were listened to, however, and ultimately the official paperwork
stated that she had been removed from her position, even before the school had closed.

It would have gone very poorly for the Governors at that point if Flitwick and Sprout hadn't
intervened to take McGonagall's wand away and drag her out of the room. After several rounds of
gillywater, and then several more of firewhiskey, Minerva McGonagall had made a sacred vow: She
would continue Dumbledore's work, and woe betide anyone who stood in her way.

That was why a good portion of Bill and Fleur's wedding reception was spent making plans.
Classes would be held at the private homes of Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall, with supplies
smuggled out of Hogwarts by Hagrid. Finding a place large enough to house students was a top
priority, but McGonagall swore that she would work something out for fall if she had to build her
own home tall enough to rival one of those muggle buildings all covered in mirrors.

In the meantime, however, they had other things to do. Harry explained everything he could
remember to Ron and Hermione, then went through it all again and again, until finally Hermione had
stood up and demanded to go to Grimmauld Place, immediately. She practically flew through the
hallways, throwing doors open and flinging the contents out of cabinets with no regard for her own
safety. Ron and Harry were bitten and stung and frightened out of their wits by a boggart version
of McGonagall screeching that they had failed the NEWTs and would never find careers outside of the
fast food industry, but Hermione barely paused until she came up with a locket that looked familiar
enough to send chills down Harry's spine.

"Bloody hell, that was here summer before last," said Ron. "Remember, we all had
a go at opening it and couldn't get it to budge?"

"And if we'd succeeded," Hermione said grimly, "Dumbledore wouldn't have
been the only one withering away."

"So how do we destroy it?" asked Ron. "I don't much fancy
withering."

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know."

"Never thought I'd hear that," said Ron. "I'll have to write it in the
diary I got last Christmas. Today, Hermione didn't know something."

"Oh, shut up," she said crossly. "I'll just have to do some research. And
don't think that you won't be helping me!"

There wasn't much else to do; Harry had no idea how to even begin finding the other
horcruxes, or what to do once they found them. They holed up in the attic at the Burrow, but the
constant interruptions made Hermione finally bring up the topic of Grimmauld Place. "I know
it's... Not the most pleasant place, and that you don't like it, but it'd be better
than trying to think while the ghoul is shrieking."

"Books and gloomy surroundings," muttered Ron. "We might as well be in
school."

"Ron, you're brilliant!" Harry blinked at the way Hermione's face lit up.
"Harry, can we? It'd be perfect!"

"Sure," said Harry, exchanging confused looks with Ron. "As soon as you tell me
what we're doing."

Hermione blushed a bit. "It's the perfect solution, really. We can get the professors
to cast all sorts of protection charms on Grimmauld Place, and then they can house some of the
students there. It's huge! And then if they're there, they could help us get books and do
research, and... It's perfect, really."

Returning to live in Grimmauld Place was the last thing Harry wanted, but Hermione looked so
eager, her brown eyes shining, that he couldn't resist. "All right," he said,
"but you've got to promise that defeating Voldemort comes before schoolwork, no matter
what."

"And that you'll let us copy your homework," Ron added hastily, only to subside at
Hermione's glare. "It was worth a try, anyway."

McGonagall agreed with the plan instantly, and Grimmauld Place was soon swarming with Hogwarts
professors, all casting spells. Even Madame Pince had arrived, bringing along a significant
proportion of the Hogwarts library. Harry spent a single weekend with the Dursleys and came back to
find the place nearly unrecognizable.

The kitchen swarmed with House Elves, the dining room had been expanded to allow any number of
people to eat at once, and the rest of the downstairs had been converted into classrooms. Upstairs
there was a single common room, a staff lounge, and the rest were all bedrooms, some of which had
already been filled. Seamus was there, and Neville. There was a quiet Slytherin girl who spent a
lot of time following Luna and Ginny around, and Lavender Brown was expected sometime in the coming
week, much to Hermione's chagrin. The relationship she'd had with Ron might be well over,
and Ron and Hermione might be snogging at every opportunity, but the subject of the other girl was
still a touchy one.

Everything was different, but somehow it had all turned out the same. Everything Harry had loved
about Hogwarts was here, except for Dumbledore. Even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there, and within
the first day, Harry's resolve had crumbled and he and Ginny were back together. It was almost
idyllic, except that most of each day was spent trying to work out how to stop the world from
ending.



