Chap 4:
The rest of the week passed
quickly. Harry and Mione spent all their time with his family. After that first
night at His great-grandmother’s home when he realized he loved Mione, He was
at loss as to how to tell her. He didn’t want to scare her, but at the same
time, he wanted to do say this to her because she meant so much to him. Her
parents left for a few days to go to a conference in
“Is our other house ok?” Helen asked quizzedly as she looked at the Wizard and Witches around the room.
“Yes, we believe so…” Tonks said as she looked at Helen, to Edward, to Mione then back at Helen, as if waiting for more of a reaction.
“Good…is there anything else.” Helen asked as she, Edward, Mione stood up. Harry was looking at her incredulously. Whatever anyone else had been doing stopped. As all eyes looked at the family in stunned amazement.
“Mrs. Granger, you do understand your house it gone…” Harry said emphatcily as he looked at her. Then Mione who’s face was quiet expressionless, then Edward who looked calm as well.
“Yes, Harry, Albus anticipated something like that might happen, so all our stuff should be at the old house. No Biggy. So ready to go?” Helen asked as she looked at him. He looked from Helen, to Mione, to Edward, then back to Helen again…Before saying…
“This is a joke right…some kind of prank or bet…so who won?” Harry asked with a grin. The rest of the staff looked at him like he lost his marbles.
“It’s not a joke, nor did we bet on this. We just counting our stars that we were gone when this happened and not there…However don’t get all worried because this happened It’s just a house…Whatever our insurance doesn’t cover Albus said he’d replace. Were all here, and ok and that’s all that matters. Angel here was telling me about the legal system…Can I possibly sue Voldemort for destroying my home…” Helen asked as she looked at the various people in the room…after several winces at the name.
“I don’t believe anyone has ever asked that before” Kingsley said as if mulling the thought over.
“Probably cause no one lived…” said a stately brown haired woman who looked at Helen with a cold gray eyes.
“Re-gard-less…My home is gone, it was destroyed by magic and I expect to be reimbursed…We can handle this in either Muggle or Magical court…The choice is up to you?” Helen stated boldly as she looked at the brown haired woman with eyes so dark blue they appeared black
“I’ll be more then happy to take you Mrs. Granger…” Kingsley said in his deep voice rather quickly. He stepped forward and held out his arm, that Helen took with a smile, Harry, Edward and Mione following behind. As the door closed he could hear them whispering at once.
Once outside Helen stopped and looked at Kingsley.
“I’m sorry I got carried away…I hate condescending bitches like that…Its’ ok, but thank you Mr. Shacklebot, Come along dears…” Helen said as she shook Kingsley hand, nodded slightly then turned and walked away. Once back outside they hailed two cabs and set off. About half an hour later both cabs were pulling up to a large red brick home. The house was smaller but no less grand then the other. Crookshanks and Hedwig were already in their rooms. They settled in had a light lunch, then set Helen went to lay down for her afternoon nap, Edward went to the office and Harry and Mione settled on the couch in the living room watching a movie…Star Wars…Mione was a complete Sci-Fi freak and loved Horror movies, the gorier the better. The gray clouds that greeted them upon arrival had finally burst and flooded the area. The rain was steady for the rest of the day. Curled up on the couch Mione who had seen Stars Wars several times over…fell asleep. After awhile Harry drifted off to sleep as well. He had a dream…
He was standing on a sidewalk looking up, it was late and very dark,
close to midnight…The brick building was old…it had been there for years, three
stories, with several windows on each level, but it was one window he was
looking at in particular. Second from the right on the top floor, her window,
he first gazed upon her at that window. It had been over 6 months now since
that first night and even then he still looked at that window hoping to catch a
glimpse of her. He had seen her several time at that window, her peach face pressed
against the smooth glass, The riot of brown curls laying over her shoulders and
surrounding her heart-shaped face, tears falling from those vivid blues. He
wanted her…He wanted her straight away; he wanted to see those lush full lips
smile, and those deep blue eyes to shine, upon him. Tonight would be the
night…Tonight she would never cry again. She would never feel pain, or
humiliation. For he knew what went on at that place…why she shed those tears
and he, He alone would take that pain away, he had planned this carefully, He
would not just take and not give in return…She would be better because of him.
He lifted his arm and looked at the expensive silver watch on his pale wrist…
“For 6 months now, I’ve watched this place…I had planned on doing this
months ago, ridding myself of this hovel, but was stopped. As I stood here a
light came on in that window…” Tom said as he pointed to the second window on
the right top floor.
“I saw a woman…girl crying, her face pressed to the glass, tears
streaming down her peach face and I felt awful…for I knew what would make her
cry like that, having been threw the same myself…For months now I’ve come back
to see if she would reappear again…and she has, every Friday night at 12
o’clock. This will be my last act of kindness, my last to a breed of human that
is not worthy of my goodness…For I will spare her…As for the children just make
it quick for them, the Adults do as slowly as you want. Let them suffer for
their acts of crulity against humanity. One my count three…two…one…”
With a pop he appeared, He looked around the dark room and saw her, moonlight streaming over the beautiful face of his Angel…a bruise on her chin. Her riot of curls spread across the stiff white sheets, thin white sheet at her waist full breast pressed against the thin white nightgown. He kneeled down reached under her Knees and shoulders and stood up. She stirred but with a small pop he disapperated.
Harry groaned as he felt the stabbing feeling in his scar. He took slow deep breaths willing the sick feeling away. He blinked for several minutes, felt to the left for his glasses on the coffee table, finally grasping them he put them on with trembling hands, the room coming in focus. He felt no pressure on his side and looked down to see Mione gone. He sat up slowly and put his head in between his knees. It was the position that Helen and Mione found him, laughing lightly they stopped abruptly and not bother to look up he felt two bodies sit on either side of him.
“Harry are you ok?” Mione asked as she put an arm around his shoulder. He sat up and looked at her, then Helen next to him. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Oh my god, It’s you…It’s you.” Harry said in a raised voice as he looked at Helen.
“Yes, I know it’s me…” Helen said patiently. Harry stood up and shook his head. Mione just sat there, somewhat bewildered expression on her face.
“No, It’s you he’s been dreaming about, I’ve been dreaming about, for over a month now…Voldemort he knows you…He took you…Am I wrong?” Harry asked as he looked at Helen, then Mione. The door open and Harry spun around to see Edward standing there hold two white bags in his hand.
“I brought dinner…” He said before lifting his head and seeing them. He looked to Helen, then Mione and Finally Harry. “Is everything alright?” He asked as he set the bags down and came to seat next to Helen.
“We need to leave now, go get the portkey.” Helen said briskly. Without a word, Edward stood up and ran up the steps two at a time. Harry and Mione sat there bewildered.
“Mum what’s going on?” Mione asked in a quiet voice.
“Angel remember what I told you about myself when I was younger…That last night, we’ll there’s a couple of things I didn’t tell you, But I’ll tell you when we get to Grimmuld place alright.” Helen said soft voice. Edward came back in the room with a small box, he lifted the lid inside was old necklace, silver pendant with two snakes intertwining and a large oval shaped emerald in between the snakes.
“So how’s this work again.” Edward asked looking at Harry and Mione.
“Just take hold with one hand and count to three…” Mione said in strained voice as she looked at her parents. She pulled the chain out of the box, Harry, took one part, Helen another then Edward.
“Ok…1…2…3…” And in a whirl of color and wind they disappeared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They landed with a thud, but all four managed to stay upright. Edward had his arm wrapped around Helen’s waist. Mione let go of the chain, turned and walked right out of the room. Harry looked around noticing the differences.
“Hi, is everything ok?” Tonks as she looked up from the chess set she was playing with against Remus.
“Not really and it’s bound to get worse, can someone get a hold of Albus please…” Helen said as she turned and headed out of the door.
“So like the changes Harry, Hope you don’t mind, Albus thought you’d like this better.” Remus said as he prodded his knight that took out one of Tonks bishops. Tonks grabbed some floo powder threw it in the fire and shouted “Anna’s Place” before sticking her blue haired head in the green flames.
“Ya, ya their fine…” Harry said as he began walking towards the door, before he felt a strong hand on his arm.
“They need to talk about this by themselves Harry…Sit let’s a have a drink…” Edward said as he walked to the fridge and pulled out two butterbeers.
“Ok I’m completely confused…” Harry said as he took the bottle Edward offered.
“Understandable, Life is riddled with confusion at worst and Angelic at best…I wasn’t much of a believer of coincidence in my youth but now. I don’t believe anything is an accident…Fate has obviously needed you and Mione together for a reason. So I just accept most things and figure that was the way it’s suppose to be…” Edward said ironically, as flames shot from the fire and the Headmaster appeared. He pulled himself out and dusted himself off.
“Hello, Harry, Edward fancying seeing you here?” Albus said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Ya what’s it been a whole 12 hours…” Edward said casually, as he took another swig of his bottle.
“Want something stronger?” Remus asked as he walked to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey.
“So is anyone going to tell me what’s going on or are you just going to leave me in the dark as usual?” Harry asked sarcastically as he looked at everyone. He looked at Albus who winced, then Remus who cringed. Tonks who looked disgusted, finally, to Edward who looked at him with such cold brown eyes that Harry shivered. Without a word, Edward stood up and left the room. Harry noticing how he had his fist clenched and trembled as he walked stiffly out of the room. It was Tonks in a voice filled loathing voice who said.
“Harry, if you were anymore primitive, you be prehistoric.” Tonks said as she shook her head and left the room. Remus stood up and followed.
“Harry, I had planned on having you to the meeting that was soon to be held, but for that comment and that comment alone. I can’t…Excuse me…” Albus said in a cool voice as he stood up and walked out of the now vacant kitchen, Harry sitting on the chair with a completely shocked look on his face.
This was how they found him an hour later, when the rest of the members found him. Still sitting in the chair, His green eyes dazed, lips pressed in a thin line. Occasionally lifting the now warm bottle to his lips. No one acknowledged his presences. They conjured chairs and talks amongst themselves as if he didn’t exist. When Albus, followed by The Grangers’ walked in he got up. He looked at Mione, her face pale, full lips pressed together. Cheeks stained with tears, large brown eyes filled with tears. Helen didn’t look much better, blue eyes looking so lost and filled with dread, as if the energy was drained from her, Edward in the middle, arms around each of them as if supporting them. None of them looking at him, He was waiting to be told to get out. He stood against the farthest wall. A god awful silence filled the room and when Albus stood up at the front Harry would and forever never feel so little and insignificant as he did after what that man said to this room of people.
“Today is a very special day for me…Today 50 years ago, I took someone’s life. I stood in a dark room, hurling hexes and curse as fast as I could think of them, Neither feeling, nor consciously thinking about what I was doing. Finally after what seemed an eternity but most likely was only a mere minutes, David Grindelwald fell to the ground from one of a number spells, that when I did. I took one last look at his face pointed my wand and said the two worst words of my life…Avada Kedavra …To this day I never have nor ever will forget the look on his face, of shock and utmost terror. As I took his life, I felt nothing. Not pain, or fear, not Joy, or love…I felt nothing. It was afterward I realized what I had done. I was deemed a hero, I save the world and was glorified by all. However, I didn’t feel any of that, No joy, or pain, no happiness or proud of what I did. I felt so god awful…I thought How could I do that…How can anyone take another life. I don’t know if it’s fate, or predisposition or what it is that make people do the most unbelievable things. However, I tell myself even now, that it was for the greater good. I have to adapt what people tell me, Because if I didn’t agree with them, or convince myself to believe them…I would not be standing here. I’d be just as dead as David Grindelwald. I’ve have met thousands of people in the 150 years that I have been on this planet. In all these years, only 5 have truly affected me in ways that I never thought possible. Five people with tales to coin a muggle phrase were straight out of science fiction. Such unusually surreal people that even now, I thank Merlin I got to know them. My Best friend Alex was such a wonderful person. He was the type on man everyone respected. He was kind and loyal to a fault. He was understanding and intelligent and just someone you had to trust. He didn’t die quickly. It was over a month after David hit him with the Coleus Curse that he passed away. His wife on his left and myself on his right. He made me promise to take care of her, for he knew I loved, loved her as much as he loved her. However I did not just keep that promise, I went over, by killing the man who took his life. In the process, I angered Anna to no end. Those 6 months that followed were the worst months of my entire life, But finally, I pulled myself back and did what I had promised. I married her, I had a child with her. I was a father to her children, a grandfather to her grandchildren and a great-grandfather to her and Alex’s great-grandchildren. A promise that has given me the greatest joy of my life. But this story doesn’t end with Anna and Alex. It goes on with a student that I taught by the name of Tom Marevolo Riddle…Then ventures on to Anna’s grandchildren James and Lily Potter then to their son Harry. Finally ending with a woman named Helen and her daughter Hermione. Now most know about Lily, James and Harry…They know Harry lost his parents at the age of one, grew up with Lily’s sister and has escaped Riddle over 5 time in his life, But no one knows about Hermione or Helen. That until last summer I like everyone else lived to believe Hermione was just Harry’s best-friend and one of the smartest, brightest and most brilliant Muggle-born witches I had the privilege of mentoring. Every knew who the brains of the trio was, just like everyone knows who’s loyal to a fault and who was the most daring and had no problem bending if not outright breaking the rules if necessary. However, that has changed now. Does it change my opinion of Mione? Does it make me see more to the young witch who many look up to and admire…No it doesn’t. I don’t think less of her, nor fear her, or feel any different towards her. It just make me prouder all the more of her. With her bravery and compassion and kindness and every good thing she does, I just swell with pride when I think of how life could have been so different if I didn’t know what I know about her. Over a year ago, After Harry had emerged from the third task of the Tri-Wizard tournament I told Harry phrase that always sticks in my skull. I like to convey that phrase to you Hermione…That understanding is the first step to acceptance and only with acceptance can there be recovery. I know there are no words that could comfort you now…fate has obviously given you a burden that no one in this room could likely handle…except you. We are always here for you and will always be here for you. Trust in us as we trust in you…” Albus said kindly as he kneeled down in front of her, took her hand and kissed her knuckle before bowing. Tears fell openly from her brown eyes. She managed a weak smile and nodded.
“The Granger family is now one of
Riddle’s number one targets. As such all family is to go into hiding with the
exception of Hermione. She along with Edward and Helen deem it necessary. So, now
I need volunteer’s for secret keepers. Other then here
or Hogwarts you will be under
“Yes, sir” They both said at once.
“Good, I believe that is it…meeting adjourned. I need 5 people to come with me.” Albus said as he nodded. The scrape of many chairs filled the room. He noticed how everyone walked up to the three Grangers and offered their hands in friendship and said they would help in any way possible. However, no one asked them how they were involved in this war now. They just accepted that they were in danger and made plans to help them. That it did not matter how Voldemort affected their life that they would do what was necessary to protect them. Harry was
Nervous at first see how angry Mr. Granger was at him over an hour ago. He waited till their was only a handful of people left before finally going over to the three. He looked at Mione, then Helen finally to Edward and to him he spoke first.
“Mr. Granger I’d like to apologize for what I said earlier, it was rude, and tactless and I had not right to say what I said…I hope you can forgive me…” Harry finished sincerely as he looked at the older man whom he grown to respect in such a short amount of time.
“I forgive you, I try to remind myself what it’s like to be 16 and young and having a life like yours and experiences that few go through. I know you love my daughter. I can see by the way you look at her, what your feelings are for her and I have to trust in those feeling that you will never hurt her. If you do…Savior or not…I will come out of hiding and beat you within an inch of your live if you hurt my daughter…Then I will let Helen finish that last inch got it…” Edward said in a serious voice as he looked at him.
“Yes, sir…” Harry said solemnly as he nodded his head.
“Good, now go draw Angel a bath, get her night clothes and find her Star Wars tapes, you two can finish watching them, do not leave her side. Now go…” Edward said firmly as he pointed to the door. Edward lifted his arm from her shoulder and Harry grabbed her hand before guiding her out of the room. He took her up two flights of step not even bother to look at the changes that had been done to the once derelict house and stopped at the door to what he remembered to be her room. He guided her too the bed and darted around the room. Grabbing her under things and nightclothes all they while she sat on the bed. When she spoke it was in a tired voice, that he could almost fill the pain coming off from.
“Harry it’s ok I can do the rest myself…” Mione said as if all words hurt to be spoken.
“Even so, I want to, I like waiting on you, it’s one of the many joys I have with you. So what’s your favorite bubble flavor?” Harry asked as he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. He walked backward guiding her out of the room and across the hall. He flipped the switch then sat her down on the commode.
“Strawberries, I like strawberries.” She said softly, the pain somewhat less as the words flowed from her mouth.
“Ok, let’s see if we can find some.” Harry said as he opened the door to the linen closet. Finally, spotting a bottle near the back of Strawberry bubble bath he pulled it out. He closed the door and showed her the bottle. She smiled weakly and took a deep breath. He turned and started the water, flipped the lid and poured about a quarter of the bottle into the claw-footed tub. He turned and looked at her. Her brown eyes dazed as if she were her in body but not spirit. Not even bother to stop and think about what he was going to do, he kneeled down in front of her and reached forward, and started unbuttoning her blouse. She didn’t stop him. Next came the bra, after that, he keep his eyes glued to her face, then the pants, socks and finally panties. A few days ago this would have been sheer hell but now it was more like he knew she couldn’t this herself. She was so helpless, unable to do or feel anything. He remembered very well what that felt like, that ache that impaired someone so much that one felt completely immobilized by it. He turned and shut off the now filled bubble tub. Bent down picked her up and put her gently in the bath. He grabbed the washcloth, soaped it up and began to wash her skin. Starting at her feet then moving up. He rinsed her off then, wet and washed her hair. While he did this his entire, thoughts were not motivated by lust but by kindness. She needed his help and that was what he would give her. When he was finished, he pulled her back out of the tub, covered her in a thick fluffy towel and used another to dry her off before dressing her. He picked and crossed the hall sitting her on the bed, he dug into her trunk and found the tapes she was look for. All the while as she sat there, her face completely devoid of motion, eyes glassy, lips pressed in a thin line, unmoving, unseeing. He grabbed the tapes put them in her lap then picked her back up. It was about then that Edward walked into the room.
“Dinner’s ready, Albus said the Tele is in the first floor drawling room, I get her…thank you Harry.” Edward said as he leaned down and scooped her up. He walked out of the room, down the hall to the steps, down the steps, till they ended in the drawling room. He deposited her on the couch and kissed her on the cheek, muttering softly in her ear. She looked up at him, tears filled her eyes, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and cried, Her sobs filled the room. Harry felt like an intruder, but at the same time he couldn’t force his feet to move. It lasted for several minutes, till Finally her arms feel limply to her side, her cheeks, nose and eye lids red, her lips trembling. Harry left and went to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and coming back into the room handing it to Edward, before he handed it to her. She washed her face and looked up at him, in a hauntingly soft voice she said
“I’m in love you…I really, truly Love you Harry, with all my heart…I just wanted you to know that…” Mione said as she looked at him, her brown eyes so clear he felt like she could look into his soul.
“I’m in love with you too, I truly, deeply, madly, insanely love you, with all my heart and soul…I just wanted you to know that too.” Harry said as he sat beside her, took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She reached forward and hugged him. Neither teens noticing Edward walking away with a sad smile…sending a silent pray that their love would make it through this hurdle.