Chapter Thirty Three - How to Topple the Ministry – Part two.
A man with a black hood on walked towards Luna, a large shape axe in his hands whilst the Auror guards grinned and extended the wards around the Dementor to include the two prisoners. With a snarl the Dementor began to move towards the pair.
As the creature came closer it suddenly stopped and its head shot upwards as it looked at the pair of immortals. It seemed to sniff the air and stopped but despite the urgings of the Auror guards it refused to move forward whilst it considered the pair. It stood for a few seconds before throwing back its head and screaming in fear, pain and ...something else. Everyone was starring in shock; the black cowled executioner paused in his act of raising the axe high to remove Luna's head.
"What's wrong with the ruddy creature?" Jugson asked, frustrated that the pair hadn't been kissed yet. "Make it kiss them!" he shouted.
One of the Aurors conjured a long stick and tried to poke the screaming Dementor with it, but instead the Dementor started to back away from the two immortals. It was still screaming in fear as it backed away; it's cries sending waves of fear and loathing to all those in the court. As it moved it's ward line moved with it and it bumped into the executioner causing the man to take a sharp intake of breath as he relived his life's worse moment, the axe dropping from his unfeeling fingers with a loud clang. The Dementor took no heed of the man and continued to back away in terror. It was then that the Auror with the stick made his last mistake. Frustrated by his apparent lack of success, he moved closer to the creature, intending to try to move it back to the pair. Inadvertently he crossed the ward line and suddenly with a snarl the Dementor grabbed the stick and pulled it closer to itself bringing the Auror with it. The Dementor grabbed the man by the neck and with a nasty slurping noise sucked out the unfortunate mans soul. The creature let the body fall with a sickening thud and continued its retreat from the pair until it got to the edge of the courtroom where it stood making odd whimpering noises.
The death of the Auror had happened so fast that everyone was still stunned by the Dementors actions.
"Wah...What?" Jugson yelled incoherently.
#I think it's time love.# Hermione gently thought to him.
Harry sighed and mentally nodded to his wife. With a single thought he banished the chains from both Hermione and his bodies and slowly stood up. The chains holding Luna melted away and she stretched he arms wide and grinned at the now terrified executioner, her fangs gleaming in the light. Harry walked over to Hermione and took her hand. With a final grimace they both turned to look at the cowering Dementor and with a wave of their hands the creature burst into red flames and with a long drawn out scream died. Luna had the executioner in her arms and with a slash of one of her claws she ended his life quickly and mercifully. She did not drink any blood and seemed very sad as she completed her task.
Jugson upon seeing this also jumped up and started to shout and rave, he was even starting to foam a little at the mouth so frantic was he. The assembled members of the Wizengamot who were sympathetic to the teens slowly stood and summoned their wands aware that the powerbase was about to shift once more.
"Aurors, stop them!" Jugson yelled and the few Aurors near Harry and Hermione ran towards them only to encounter a strong shield that held them back.
Jugson panicked at this point and withdrew his own wand, pointing at Harry he yelled the first spell that came to his mind.
"AVEDA KEDAVERA!" Three things happened at this point; the first was the green spell flew towards Harry who made no attempt to move or protect himself. The second was the gasp from the assembled member, shocked that an Unforgivable had been used in the chamber, and the third was the effect of the spell as it hit its target. That effect was absolutely nothing, an effect that surprised all those who witnesses it.
"I think that's enough Jugson, don't you?" Harry said as he summoned Jugson's wand to his awaiting hand. With another thought he snapped the wands of all the Death Eaters still in the room and bound them with metal ropes.
"What? How? You don't have a wand!" Jugson screamed.
"Nor do I need one, and I think this charade has gone on long enough." He glanced at Jugson and with a slight flash Jugson was sat in the chair and bound and gagged. Harry turned to the assembled Wizengamot and raised his voice to address them.
"Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot. Voldemort is dead and his reign of terror is over for good this time. This should be a time for rejoicing and celebrating but there is something foul at the heart of this world. That something is you! You have become fat and ineffective as a ruling body due to your corruption and greed. I see from your reactions that most of you disagree with this, although there are some, a few honest people who are nodding at that. You have been judged and for the most part found wanting. That is why as of today, you are not needed and as of now I am in charge of the Wizarding world of the United Kingdom and Ireland." Harry declared and then was silent as he waited for the expected response. He was not disappointed, for after a few seconds of stunned silence the room erupted into a cacophony of sound. There were screams, shouts of derision and insults as well as a few...a small few spatters of applause. Those faces were noted and burned to memory by the three stood in the centre of the room. Finally the assembled masses slowly realised that Harry was just stood there with a small smile on his face and the noise slowly died down. Eventually the room was silent but Harry just stood there, waiting for the question he knew would come and ever so slightly dreading it. Finally an old man, rage etched on his face as he contemplated the words spoken by this young whippersnapper stood and spoke.
"You!? What right do you have to suggest such a thing? Who do you think you are?" he asked in a wheezy but annoyed voice.
Harry smiled to himself as he glared at the old man. "I am Lord Harry James Hufflepuff-Griffindor-Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Emrys-Potter, that's who I think I am!" he grated.
The old man looked stunned but recovered quickly. "That name gives you the right to speak to us, but it does not give you any rights in disbanding the entire Wizengamot Potter!" he snarled in a disrespectful tone.
Harry sighed and knew that the time he was dreading had come. He took Hermione's hand in his and with a slight smile to each other they concentrated. Deep within a dark vault under Gringotts bank two delicate golden circlets briefly glowed before fading from the vault. Within the court room, the two immortals had begun to glow also. With a soft golden light the two circlets gently appeared on their heads and the glow faded slightly. With a few tears collecting in Harry's eyes he reached down and gently brushed his lips against Hermione's before turning back to the now awed crowd.
"Did I forget to mention that I am also Prince Pendragon and my lovely wife is the Princess Pendragon. That is what gives me the right to disband this body."
As expected there was chaos as the members of the court room considered then news. Harry let the chaos run for a minute or so before he raised his voice.
"SILENCE!" he yelled, his magically amplified voice. "As of this moment, the Wizarding world of this county is now under my law. I Prince Pendragon, heir to the magical throne of Great Britain do hereby take control of my ancestral seat and take my place as head of this realm. So mote it be!" he said and a magical flash signalled the acceptance of his pledge.
Suddenly there was a commotion within the audience and as one five wizards all stood, there wands drawn.
"You will never take control from us!" one of them yelled as they all cast the killing curse at the same time. The five beams of green light merged to form one large beam that buzzed angrily as it moved quickly to the pair stood in the centre of the room.
It struck them both at the same time and they both felt the power of the curse tug at their souls. Luna screamed as they both collapsed to the ground, the power of the five spells even too much for them to bear. There was a stunned silence as everyone looked at the two fallen teens. The man who had shouted laughed and a few of his comrades cheered.
"So much for Prince Pendragon! Someone get rid of that scum and we can get on with our business, oh and someone release Dante. We need to move on the school and arrest to bloody trouble-causers over there." He snarled.
The Aurors had been still during most of the altercation but now moved forward. Once moved to stop Luna from escaping whilst another moved to the bodies of Harry and Hermione. He first bent down and took both gold circlets of the two bodies and with a grin turned to put them somewhere safe. As he turned around he missed the next few events. First Harry's body gave a twitch and then Hermione's followed suit as there immortality kicked it. Harry clambered to his feet pulling Hermione with him as he did so.
"SHIT! That hurt!"Harry growled quietly as he looked around, taking in his surroundings. Seeing the Auror with his back still to the scene, Harry gently tapped him on the shoulder.
"I'll have them if you don't mind." He said as he took the circlets from the now slack jawed Auror who looked at Harry from feet to head before fainting clean away. Harry looked at the fallen Auror with an amused grin before handing Hermione her circlet. He placed his back on his head and glared at the Auror holding Luna at wand-point. The Auror gulped and slowly dropped his wand to his side and moved away.
Harry raised his head and looked at the stunned people. "Now that wasn't very friendly was it?" he asked the wizards who had fired the curses at them. Raising his voice so all could hear him he addressed the Wizengamot.
"As you can see, the Princess and I are a little hard to get rid of. Now don't worry too much, I am no Lord Voldemort. In fact I really didn't want to do this today but I was advised that this was the only way. As I said before being rudely interrupted, I am in charge and you are all dismissed. I have no desire to rule you or anyone else for that matter. I am quite content to live my life with my wife and make lots of babies, but that may have to wait. Once we have sorted a few things out there will be public elections to create a new government to rule; these elections will be held in a few weeks time and everyone over the age of seventeen will be eligible to vote, Squib, Muggleborn, half bloods and purebloods; man and woman! No one will be barred from this vote. The years of corruption end today and once we have a new leader then they will form a publically elected government to rule us." As he spoke he could hear the rumblings of dissatisfaction mostly due to his statement of everyone been able to vote and not just the elite. Harry let the cries die out and noticed that one of the wizards raise his hand. He nodded to him and awaited his question.
"My Liege, as you can no doubt tell many here are not happy with your statements. Whilst you have shown great power - power that we have never seen before; and I mean this with great respect, you are only two people whilst we are many. You may have the right to lead, but you are missing the forces with which to back it up. How are you going to maintain control whilst you arrange these elections?"
Harry nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you asked and it's easy my friend, like this!" and he sent a brilliant white Patronus out of the court. A few seconds later there was an almighty bang as the two great doors to the courtroom were smashed open and a full legion of Goblins marched in. At the head was Ragnok in full battle armour and behind the legion was the remaining members of the Order along with the DA. Also surprisingly was a full complement of red robed Aurors lead by non other that Viktor Krum. Following behind were a number of journalists, Rita Skeeter at the helm. The assembled Wizards finally realised that this was happening and fell silent as they observed the impressive show of power. Viktor broke away from his Aurors and walked over to Harry and Hermione. He stood in front of them for a few seconds, observing the pair before slowly falling to one knee and bowing his head.
"My Liege! I present a full complement of Aurors for you in this moment of need with da full compliments of my Uncle. I am also here to help you in return for your vork in ridding us of our Vampire problem." He said, head still bowed. Hermione walked over and gently pulled her friend to his feet. She kissed each cheek and held him gently.
"Viktor, good to see you again. You need not bow to us, we are your friends. How is Katarina?" she asked.
Viktor smiled and with a grin he replied. "She is good my Hermy-own-ninny and looking forward to meeting you." Harry walked over and took Viktor's hand in his.
"Good to see you again Viktor, thank you for coming and please thank your uncle when you see him next. The Aurors will be very useful."
By now Ragnok had walked over and was stood in front of them. He saluted by clashing his arm across his chest and briefly bowed his head. Everyone watching gasped at this show of fealty, the leader of the Goblins had never bowed to any wizard before.
"Well met my Liege! May I present to you a full legion of Goblin warriors in aid of your efforts. I will leave my son and heir in charge of them and he will report directly to you for the duration of this transition."
"Thank you friend Ragnok, I understand your warriors performed brilliantly in the recent battle. May the survivor's honour grow with the passage of time and the fallen dine in the goblin halls for all eternity." Harry said, the words coming to him because of his heritage.
Ragnok bowed once more and then winked at Harry before retreating back to his men. Harry turned back to the assembled wizards and witches and addressed them once more.
"Until the elections have been held I name Kingsley Shacklebolt as the interim Minister and Arthur Weasley as his deputy. These men have shown themselves to be true and honest and will lead us in this time of change. Those men who attacked myself and my wife will be arrested." As he spoke the Bulgarian Aurors were moving to take the five men into custody.
"Dante Jugson, you will also be arrested for attempted murder and unlike the 'trial' you gave myself, my wife and Miss Lovegood; yours will be a fair one. Anyone with the Dark Mark will also be arrested; as you're so called lord and master is now dead, you will find you're magic much less powerful than before. The Mark was much more than a summoning tool, it allowed Voldemort to draw power from you as well as share his power. Now that he is gone you will find, life more difficult Finally all current UK Aurors with the exception of Nymphadora Tonks, Edward Savage and Gawain Robards are now disbanded and under investigation. I am placing Auror Robards in full charge of the Aurors and we will start recruiting new Aurors as soon as possible. All current Aurors please turn in your badges and wands and give yourselves over for questioning to Auror Robards. Any failure to comply with these orders will result in deadly force. You are all dismissed but as you leave you will be checked for the Dark Mark and other dark items. Anyone found in with either of these will be subject to arrest. That is all!" Harry declared and with that the old regime as gone, replaced by the birth of a new and more just system.
I.Y. I.Y. I.Y.
The creature that had been known as Ron, now only known as the Creature was feeding once more. This time he had taken an entire family of Muggles and was just finishing off the soul of the father who had been forced to watch his entire family butchered as the Creature fed of their fear and horror. The Creature looked a lot different now, tall at nearly twelve foot and with a very powerful looking if inhuman body; the only feature that resembled anything human was the face. The face was that of the wizard Ronald Weasley, scraps of red hair still visible on the skull amongst the black tendrils that hung from it. The Creature was also a lot more powerful and knowledgeable now thanks to his draining of the Dark lords soul essence. He was glad he didn't drink all of the evil soul as due to its break-up after been attacked by Potter; the power of love would have hurt the Creature. No, he had only taken what he needed and left the rest to rot and fade into the inky darkness of eternity.
The Creature could feel the time to spawn approaching and was preparing for the day by eating plenty of souls. Before he could reproduce however he knew he would have to kill and destroy Potter and his whore as they would never let his younglings grow to maturity. The younglings would be vulnerable at first and even he would be unable to protect them during the spawning due to the nature of the event.
He snapped the back of the human male he was eating and relished in the death throes of the pitiful creature. "Soon, very soon Potter!" he grated, his voice an evil parody of the boy he once was.
I.Y. I.Y. I.Y.
Harry and Hermione along with Luna appeared back in the cottage, exhausted and hungry. After dismissing the Wizengamot they had spent the next two hours checking for Dark Marks. Sadly over fifty of the so called leaders had either the Mark or dark items on their persons and were currently being held in a modified jail that had been set up in the bowels of Gringotts. All but two of the Aurors had surrendered; the two in question choosing to fight rather than hand in their badges. Both were now dead - regretfully killed by Harry and Hermione. Happily as they left nearly twenty of the ex-members swore a fealty oath to Harry and Hermione and promised to work with them in the creation of the new government. After this they had a four hour meeting with Kingsley, Arthur and other key figures as well as conducting an interview with Rita for the Prophet.
"Merlin, I'm knackered!" Harry announced as they arrived in the kitchen of the cottage. There were a few people still wandering about but they all stopped and stared at the two immortals and the vampire. Slowly one by one they all dropped to their knees. Molly, Andromeda, Remus, Bill, Fleur, Pansy, Lisa and followed by a bemused but awed Dudley. Finally Emma looked at her daughter and nodded before dropped to her knees and bowed her head. Harry and Hermione looked on in dismay as their friends and family showed there respect.
"Why?" Hermione whispered.
Luna answered her by pointing to her head with one finger. Hermione raised her hand to her head and felt the golden circlet that signified her new position as well as the pair's acceptance of what that entailed. Her eyes widened as she felt the crown and she quickly removed it.
"Mum, friends - you never need to bow to us. We are just Harry and Hermione, just as we have always been. Please get up." She begged.
Emma Granger slowly stood followed by the others. "Hermione, you will always be my daughter and I will love you till the end of days, but you are never ever going to be 'just Harry and Hermione' ever again."
Hermione looked stunned at the statement and tears formed in her eyes.
"But...but..." she began.
Her mother moved to embrace her and wiped away the tears. "We will treat you the same as before but you need to know that you are both special now. People will sense that and treat you both differently. You have taken a great responsibility and I know that as soon as the new government is in place you both intend to move away from the limelight but it will never leave you totally. I for one am very, very proud of you both and I love you both very much."
Harry also embraced the pair and they stood for a few moments whilst Hermione composed herself. Harry had also removed his golden circlet and vanished both of them back to their vault.
Remus came over to them with a tray containing tea cups for the two immortals and a bowl of chocolate cake for Luna. Luna took the bowl and looked at Harry with puppy dog eyes. Harry grinned and waved a hand. The bowl was now swimming in fresh blood and the happy vampire took a spoon and attacked her supper with relish.
"Remus, how's Dora and young Teddy?" Hermione asked trying to get some normality into the conversation.
Remus managed to turn his slightly nauseous face away from the happily slurping vampire and with shake of his head looked at Hermione. "She is well and having a bath. Teddy is asleep for the moment, no doubt waiting for us to go to bed before waking up once more." He said with the look that only a new parent can have.
Harry laughed and took his cup of tea. "Ha, if only Sirius could see us now, me a married man and you a knackered father. He'd laugh so hard that he's wet himself."
Remus took his own mug, his full of strong black coffee agreed with Harry. With a sad smile they both clinked mugs and raised them.
"To the smelly mangy dog, where ever you are. We miss you and love you." Harry said with a single tear rolling down his cheek.
Dudley and Lisa walked over to them and Dudley looked at his cousin with a large degree of awe.
"Harry, I'm a little confused as to why everyone bowed to you both. Hell I'm confused as to why I did as well, it just seemed the right thing to do."
"Dud, you're confused? How the hell to you think I feel? It's all ridiculous but apparently I'm related to both Merlin and King Arthur. My current title is Prince Pendragon and 'Mione's is Princess Pendragon. We could have been King and Queen but I abdicated the throne...or so I thought. The powers that be seem to like biting me on the arse though and I am lumbered with the title for the moment. Don't worry though, as soon as we can we will try to fade into the background and get on with our lives."
"Wow! Does that mean I have to bow when we meet?...hey if your related to royalty does that mean I am as well?" Dudley asked.
Harry laughed at the look on his cousin's face, despite the loss of his parents he seemed to be coping very well, although Harry suspected that had a lot to do with the young woman holding his hand and smiling at the look on his face.
"No Dud, you don't need to bow when you see me, and as far as I know the royal line comes from my Dad, that said you will be distantly related to some of the founders as I get blood from both my father and mother for those... but before you ask, no you don't get a title." He said with a smile.
Dudley looked disappointed but Lisa whispered something on his ear causing him to blush bright red. He cleared his throat and looked at Harry with aplomb.
"Don't worry your Highness; it seems that my wife to be has a good title for me. If you would excuse us." He said and with them both giggling they left the room at a fair pace.
Harry looked on with a mixture of amusement and sadness on his face as he contemplated another family broken apart by Voldemort.
"Come on Harry, let's sit down. I think some people want to know what happened today." Hermione told him gently. Harry allowed himself to be pulled to the large kitchen table where they discussed the day's events with the interested parties. Towards the end of the conversation the floo activated and Professor McGonagall requested permission to come through.
After she had been given a drink she turned to Harry.
"Lord Potter...Harry, first let me thank you for ridding us of 'He Who'...oh sod it...Voldemort. You have performed a service to our community that cannot ever be repaid. The school is to hold a memorial event on Saturday and we would dearly love to have you and Lady Potter present. Secondly all the relatives of the fallen have agreed that they would like their loved ones to be buried in an area set aside on the school grounds. The school meant a lot to all and as owner of the school we need your permission to do this. There will be a permanent memorial to all those who fell and you are both invited to a service to honour the dead on Sunday. The individual families involved will have the interment ceremonies themselves after the service and many have asked for you to be present. I know this will be hard for you both but it would mean an awful lot to the grieving families."
Harry briefly looked over at Hermione who just nodded slightly before answering the headmistress.
"Off course Headmistress, we will be there both days. What time on Saturday?" he asked.
"Noon, but if you could come before, I know a lot of the students would like to see you both...and we have to discuss your futures. Are you coming back to repeat your seventh years?"
Harry felt a tug of longing from Hermione despite her new vast knowledge and for a brief moment it was like the old times. Harry didn't know what the future held but he could tell that Hermione wanted this, if only to feel normal for a short while.
"Well we haven't discussed it but I think that there may be a strong possibility that we will be back. We have a few things to sort out, like a new government and of course Ron... but we will see."
"Good that's all we can ask. Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to my school and my students."
"Off course, we need to get some sleep." Harry replied.
Harry and Hermione eventually managed to get to bed where they finished the day in the same manner in which they started it; in each other's arms making love to one another.
Chapter Thirty Four – Moving on?
The next few days seemed very long and each day felt very similar for the pair. Meeting after meeting within the Ministry whilst they tried to create a more fair constitution for the Wizarding world was the order of the days. The press were been very helpful for once and continued to publish accurate and true stories about the events at the school as well as the continuing events at the Ministry. Over a hundred people were finally arrested and another two hundred questioned by the fledgling Auror force aided by the Aurors from Bulgaria. All trials were to be held after the elections and when a stable government was in place and so all the prisoners were been held on remand. Since all the Dementors were either dead or had fled, Ragnok had cleared one of the larger empty vaults in the bank and converted it to a temporary prison. Due to presence of over a hundred Goblin warriors as well as two very large dragons, none of the imprisoned wizards had been brave enough to attempt to escape. The marked Death Eaters however were having a bad time of things; as they continued to get weaker and weaker due to the magical drain they were experiencing. After a second day in the makeshift prison, the first Marked Death Eater died due to a complete collapse of his magical core. Despite urgent medical help by the end of the day all of the marked wizards and witches had perished. The last to die was Peter Pettigrew who asked to see Harry in his final hour in order to beg for forgiveness. Harry refused and Peter died alone in agony.
Three days after the events in the court room they felt that they had done it. The documents and treaties were written and the date for the elections set. In two weeks, for the first time in their history, full and fair elections were to be held. There were four candidates running for the position of Minister; Kingsley Shacklebolt was the public's favourite candidate running with Arthur Weasley as his second. Stephen Greengrass, father to Daphne was also running. He was not one of Voldemort's supporters and had been considered to be 'grey' in the war. He was furious that his daughter had been threatened in the school and pledged to stamp out any sign of the Dark from the future Government and thus was a popular candidate. Peter Davis was his second, a fact that Tracy was immensely proud of. The other candidate, Jack Goyle; distant cousin of Gregory, was trying once more to promote the Pureblood doctrine, but it seemed not many were listening to him and he was considered a bit of a dangerous choice to support. The forth candidate was a surprise and most considered a joke. Fred Weasley was 'standing' for the post, his manifesto was simple – pranking was to become an official subject at Hogwarts and general silliness was a common theme in his speeches. George was of course his running mate and the pair were both having a great laugh at everyone's expense but also were bringing a sense of fun to the serious proceedings.
The rebuilding to the damage to the village of Hogsmeade was in progress, but so complete was the destruction in many areas, that many were using it as an opportunity to redesign the entire village to include a lot more up to date shops in the muggle style as well as the Wizarding style. Indeed many of the new shop owners vying for a plot were muggleborn's attempting to bring things like muggle fashion, jewellery, food and cosmetics to the new village. There were even plans to have a small branch of Gringotts in the extended village, magically linked to the main bank in London so the villagers and students would have easier access to their money. Even so the old shops were still to be included and it seemed that the village would be twice as big as before. Progress was fairly rapid, magic still was very useful and both the Goblins as well as influx of newly freed House Elves were helping with the construction. After every long day, Harry and Hermione would apparate back to the cottage and spend time with the guests living there. It was on one of these nights that Harry suggested something to Hermione.
"Mione, we are married yes?" he began.
Hermione looked confused as she looked at her immortal husband. "Yes love, you know we are."
"But we didn't have a proper wedding; we just made our vows in the shower after having sex." He replied, forgetting that Emma was sat with them. Upon hearing her gasp, he blushed a deep red colour causing Hermione to giggle out loud and Luna to chuckle into her evening drink of blood.
"Yes, and very good sex it was too my love, but what is your point?" she replied, totally unfazed by the talk of sex in front of her mother.
Harry glanced at his mother-in-law with some discomfort before clearing his throat and once more looking at his wife. "Well you deserve more than that, we should have a proper wedding, one where our friends can come and celebrate with us."
Hermione felt the tears threaten to fall once more as she gazed at the man she loved more than anything else. "Oh Harry! That's a lovely idea. I would love to have a proper wedding but it will have to be soon. We will need to go back to school soon." Then a thought struck her and suddenly the tears in her eyes were not such happy ones. "Oh, but who will give me away? With my d-d-dad dead I have no one to do that."
Harry gulped; he had not intended to re-open sore wounds. As he moved to take Hermione in his arms he saw Emma wipe away a few tears.
"Hermione, despite your father not been here, I know he would still have wanted you to have a proper wedding. He will be with you in spirit always and nothing would please him more than to see you walk down the aisle. Why don't you ask Arthur to give you away? I know he thinks a great deal of you and he and Dan got on very well that one time he met him." Emma said to her crying daughter.
Hermione sniffed and hiccupped a few times before she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Your right Mum, it just hit me that I will never see him again and it hurt so much. Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to get so upset but what with the talks and everything that's going on in the world I guess it just got to me a bit. I think it's a lovely idea and I would be honoured for Arthur to give me away. Can we arrange it for next week after the funerals? Say Tuesday? It would help to have something nice to look forward to. Luna can be a bridesmaid and we can ask Ginny to be another Bridesmaid." She said.
"What about Charlotte as well?" Luna asked.
"Oh yes, Harry 'Lotte would love that!" Hermione gushed.
Harry nodded and kissed her gently on the mouth. Emma however was looking pensive.
"Do you think we can arrange it that quick, I mean where will we hold it and the catering and everything?" she asked in a worried voice.
Hermione just laughed and smiled at her mother. "Mum, don't worry we can have everything sorted even quicker that that if we wanted. We will have the wedding at Hogwarts and we can ask Cassie to perform the ceremony, as to the catering... Dobby! Winky!" she shouted the last two words and with a slight 'pop' the two house elves appeared looking very happy.
"Mistress calls for us? How may we help?" Winky asked.
"Winky, Dobby. Harry and I have decided to have a proper wedding next week at Hogwarts on Tuesday. Do you think you could help with the catering arrangements for the whole school plus another thirty or so?" she asked the excited elf.
"Easy my Lady, we shall go and speak to the house elves working at the school now." Winky replied and popped away. Dobby remained for a few seconds during which he hugged Harry's legs and then he too popped away.
"Harry don't you think you should ask the Headmistress first?" Emma asked.
"But Mum, we own the school." Hermione began before Harry interrupted her.
"She's right 'Mione, we should ask Minerva if we can use the school. It's only polite." And with that he walked over to the floo and threw some of the glittering powder into the fireplace. Once the emerald flames had stabilised Harry called out the address as stuck his head in the flames.
"Harry, how may I help you?" they heard the headmistress ask.
"Ma'am, Hermione and I have decided to have a proper wedding service next Tuesday and we would like to use Hogwarts for the ceremony. Naturally all the school is invited as well as a few others but we wanted to check if you were happy with that?"
"Oh Harry! That's a lovely idea and yes the school will be available for you that day. We can cancel what lessons we still have and it will be nice for the students after the memorial service as well as the funerals." Came the ecstatic reply.
Harry finished the 'call' and stood up. "All sorted; now all you need to do is to find a dress."
Hermione's eyes widened and her face paled. "Mum, we need to go shopping!" she almost yelled.
"Dear, it's gone nine at night. I don't think the shops will be open now." Emma told her now frantic daughter.
Harry grinned at Emma with a mischievous grin. "I'm off to bed, she's all yours Emma!" he said and ran out of the room with a laugh.
"Hermione, calm down. I'm sure with all the vaults you own, there will be a wedding gown fit for a princess in them. Why don't you and Emma go to your vaults tomorrow and have a look." Luna told her nearly hyper-ventilating friend.
Emma shot a grateful look at the Vampire and Hermione began to calm down. Suddenly she looked up towards the bed rooms and glared.
"Oh he's such a tease!" she growled and without warning stalked off to their room.
Emma looked at Luna for a second before the pair of them burst out laughing.
The following morning Emma and Hermione left the cottage for Gringotts and returned many hours later. Both were exhausted but very happy. All Hermione would tell Harry was that it was perfect and he would have to wait to see the dress.
I.Y. I.Y. I.Y.
Before either Harry or Hermione knew it, Saturday morning was upon them and they awoke with some trepidation for the day ahead.
"You going to be alright today love?" Harry asked Hermione as they lay in the large bed; both holding onto each other. They were both naked after spending the hours before they slept making love to each other.
"I think so Harry, so long as you are with me."
"Always and forever my love." Harry replied, kissing her on the lips gently with each word. Hermione smiled and grasped his hand tight. They both knew that the next few days would be tough but with support from each other, they would get through it. They silently dressed in sombre dark clothing and descended down to the kitchen for a light breakfast. Emma and Molly were sat at the table chatting quietly. Both were coming to the service along with the rest of the cottage's residence. When Dudley was invited he was unsure of how to feel about the event. On the one hand he was excited to be going to Hogwarts for the first time, but on the other he was aware of the seriousness of the event. Nevertheless he had vowed to stand with Lisa and support her on this difficult day.
As the immortal pair entered Emma looked up and smiled slightly at them. "Morning you two, coffee?" she asked.
Both teens nodded and soon were sat munching toast with the two older women.
"Harry, you got your speech prepared?" Molly asked. Although it wasn't a surprise, Harry was still worried about the speech he had been asked to give as Prince Pendragon.
"Mostly Molly, I'm gonna kinda wing it though. You know, speak from the heart." He replied.
Molly nodded and was about to reply when Bill, Fleur and Arthur walked in, all dressed in dark clothing. The grey dress that Fleur wore made the beautiful Veela look sad and ill, the colour not working well for her but she smiled at the other room's occupants and this brought her face to life. Arthur beamed at Hermione for a second before he also took on a more sober attitude. He had been over the moon about been asked to give Hermione away and had been seen practicing his speech many times. Pretty soon the room was full of everyone staying at the cottage and breakfast was been managed by Winky. The service was due to start at noon and nearly everyone was planning on getting to the school later on that morning but Harry and Hermione wanted to see everyone sooner. With a tearful goodbye the pair of teens faded from view only to reappear in the entrance way of the school.
"Where to first love?" Hermione asked.
"Infirmary I think, I want to speak to those still there." Harry replied in a low voice. As he spoke he could feel Cassie greeting him in his head and promising to inform the headmistress that they were there. They pair slowly walked the short distance to the Infirmary only to be greeted by the Headmistress and Cassie who were both stood outside.
"Prince and Princess Pendragon, thank you both for coming." The headmistress greeted them formally.
Harry shook his head and to the surprise of the older woman, embraced her and kissed her gently on the cheek. "None of that nonsense Minerva, its Harry and Hermione to you." He told her causing her to blush bright red at been kissed by a student. Harry grinned at her reaction before embracing Cassie. Cassie had no problem with showing affection and nosily kissed Harry on the lips, earning her a glare from Hermione. Cassie solved the situation by kissing Hermione as well just as hard. Harry laughed out loud and Hermione blushed just as red as the headmistress.
"Harry can you please come and see me before the service, I need to speak to you about your return next year if I may. I will take my leave of you now and take this giggling one with me." She said with affection in her voice as she almost had to drag Cassie with her. Harry and Hermione smiled as they both looked fondly at the retreating pair, giggling a little as Cassie blew a kiss to them both.
Turning away Harry opened the door to the infirmary and the good mood vanished as he observed the still full room of injured students and teachers. The room was quiet and only the sounds of people speaking in hushed tones that people use in hospitals could be heard. Madam Pomfrey was sat at her desk filling in reports and a number of additional healers were seeing to their patients. A few people looked up as Harry and Hermione entered and smiled or waved as they spotted him; that was until Lavender Brown spotted Harry.
"HARRY!" she yelled causing all the healers to jump and glare at her. Lavender was unrepentant and she clambered off her bed and limped painfully over to him, wincing with every step and walking in a very odd way. Harry walked over to meet her half way and she flung her arms around him, laughing and crying in equal measure. She saw Hermione walked over and pulled her into a group hug with them.
"Lav how are you?" Harry asked once he had managed to disentangle himself from the buxom blonde.
She grimaced and Harry helped her hobble back to her bed.
"Miss Brown! You know you should not be walking about yet." Madam Pomfrey yelled at the now wincing girl as she tried to climb back onto her bed. As Harry looked at his classmate, some of her injuries were clear to see. Her arm was badly scarred and there was a long scar running from the bottom of her ear and across her chest under the gown she was wearing. Luckily her face had escaped the worst of the mauling with only a few scratches on it.
"Worst than detention in here!" Lavender muttered before looking up and smiling at the Mediwitch stood at the foot of her bed and glaring at both her, Hermione and Harry.
"Sorry Madam Pomfrey, I was just excited to see my friends and the moment got the better of me. It won't happen again." She said contritely. Harry struggled to repress the snort of laughter earning an even longer glare from Madam Pomfrey before she also laughed. Walking around the bed she surprised Harry by taking him in her embrace.
"Lord Potter! It's good to see you well. Or is it Prince Pendragon now?" she asked with a grin. This caused Lavender and those listening to the conversation to gasp out loud. "Yes my liege, I heard what happened at the Ministry although the press for some reason haven't mentioned your elevation much." The Mediwitch smiled as she spoke. Harry grimaced at her and looked at the other rooms occupants.
"For you and everyone here it's Harry, Mr Potter or if you really need to be formal Lord Potter. All that royalty stuff is nonsense anyway. If was up to Mione and I we would have kept it a secret but we needed to use it to force the Wizengamot out and prompt the elections. We intend to dispense with the titles as soon as we can."
"Very well Mr Potter, please try not to disturb any more of my patients too much with your visits. I shall see you at the service later." She ordered, aware that she was bossing one of the most powerful people, politically and magically, around like just another one of her students. Harry nodded his head with a smile playing on his lips as he was aware of Lavender staring, not at him but at Hermione.
"FUCK ME Hermione, you got a prince?" she started before she became aware of just what she had said and to whom.
"Merlin, that makes you Princess...oh shit! I'm sorry my lady..." she began before Hermione stopped her by the simple act of hugging her. Lavender found it very difficult to be demure when she was been hugged.
"Lav, it's Hermione to you. How are you?" the brunette girl asked her classmate as soon as she let her go. Lavender tried to make herself more comfortable on her bed and smiled up at the pair as they wandlessly and silently conjured up two chairs for them to sit on.
"Well they are not sure if I am a werewolf or not, but they will only know after the next full moon. I have felt odd sensations since my attack. My vision is better and my sense of smell if off the chart. Remus has been in to see me and explained some of it. I will be taking the potion and locking myself in a cage at the next moon just to be safe but everyone is trying to stay hopeful." She said with a relatively happy voice.
"That's good, and the scarring is not too bad..." Harry began. That was before Lavender grimaced and with a wave of her wand closed the curtains around her bed and with a red face removed her gown leaving her sat in only her knickers. Both Harry and Hermione gasped at what they saw. The scar that ran from her ear also ran along her chest before it came to where her left breast once was. With tears in both teens eyes they could see that her entire breast had been ripped away, leaving a red and angry looking area of healing tissue. Her right breast was also scarred with what looked like claw marks running across it. There were also a run of claw marks across her belly and some of these extended further down. Most of her lower body under her knickers was bandaged up and what little could be seen seemed scared and sore.
"Oh Merlin!" Hermione breathed as the tears ran down her face. Lavender replaced her gown and the obvious glamour charm kicked back in as it appeared that she still had two breasts under the gown.
"The Werewolf tried to rape me; it ripped of my breast as you saw and clawed me down 'there'. There is a lot of damage and Madam Pomfrey doesn't know if I will still be able to have children, but hey; at least I am still alive. I mean I'm as ugly as sin and may never be able to get a man but I'm alive" She said with obviously forced jollity.
Harry and Hermione looked at the young girl with horror in their eyes as she spoke about her attack.
#Mione, we have to help her.# Harry thought.
#How love?#
#Well you must know some healing charms from Rowena?# came the thought back.
#Well it would be impossible to create a new breast for her from nothing. I can create inanimate objects but living tissue needs the spark of life and only Gods can do that...but maybe?...#
#What?#
Hermione's face took on a concentrated look and she began to bite her bottom lip in concentration before she turned to Lavender who seemed unaware that the conversation had taken place.
"Lav, first you are not ugly and if a man will only look at you because of your breasts then he does not deserve you. That said I may be able to help you, but there would be a price involved." She said quietly. Lavender looked over at her with hope in her eyes.
"What price, I'll give you anything you want..."
"No Lav not that sort of price you daft twit! We don't want anything for our help. I think I can re-create a new breast for you, but as you may know it's impossible to create living tissue from nothing. When we transfigure inanimate objects into animals, they are not really alive, well not in the strict sense of the meaning. Sure they look alive and act alive but after a while, even the best transfigured animal will revert back to the original object. I cannot make new living tissue from nothing, well not that will live for a long time anyway; but I can use the existing tissue to create you a new breast. I can use the tissue from your remaining breast and make you a new one."
"That's brilliant but what is the price?" Lavender asked confused and excited at the same time.
"Well, you see I will have to use your existing breast tissue to make you a new one, that means you will have two breast made from the one, but both will be smaller than your old breast used to be. In fact they will be half the size you used to be."
"Oh I see." Lavender replied. Lavender had always been big up top and she was very proud of her assets; that said this would at least give her an opportunity to look more normal.
"Just how small are we talking?" she asked.
"What are you now, a D cup?"
"More like an E." Came the reply.
"Wow, ok then that will give me more to work with. I guess you would end up around a C cup or something."
"Will they work? You know if I can have kids?"
"Yeah, because I would be using breast tissue then I can share out the milk glands and such. I can also remove the scarring from your existing one. The other problem is one more of embarrassment for you. I can do this but I will need help... help from Harry. He will need to be here and I'm sorry but he will need to touch you for this to work."
At these words Harry looked up mortified at this news. He had been steadily going red during the entire conversation but this news bumped up his blush to meteoric standards. Seeing this actually helped Lavender come to a decision. If Harry had looked happy to be touching her then she would have felt uncomfortable about it, but the fact he was embarrassed showed that he was honourable.
Lavender shyly blushed and looked at Harry with a small smile.
"Where would he have to touch me?" she asked.
Hermione coughed and also blushed. "Lav I'm sorry but he would have to place his hands on your existing breast and I would have to place mine on where your new one would appear."
Harry coughed and spluttered but Hermione glared at him.
"Harry, this is to help Lavender, nothing else. It was your idea to help her." She grated.
"Sorry Mione, off course I'll help Lavender. What do we do love?" he asked Hermione.
"Well first we will need Poppy to monitor the process. Then all I need you to do is to place both hands on Lav's...er breast and concentrate on your power and allow me into your mind. I'll do the rest. Lav, are you sure you want me to do this? It will be irreversible once we start, but I'm sure it will work."
"Hermione, off course I want to do this, I don't want to be known as 'One-Tit-Lav' for the rest of my life." She said, the tears rising unbidden in her eyes. She lowered her head and stared at the covers on her bed before asking in a quiet voice.
"Can you do anything about...you know?" she asked in a whisper.
"Er..?" Hermione asked confused.
"My fanny! Can you fix my sodding fanny?" Lavender asked heatedly.
"Oh!" Hermione blushed. "I'm not sure what's the matter with it..." she began. Lavender looked her in the eyes before turning to Harry.
"Harry, would you mind for a second." She asked politely. Harry nodded furiously and left the bed bay with his face bright red. As he left he could hear the movement of covers and in his mind he heard Hermione gasp in shock. There was some more shuffling and then he 'heard' Hermione ask him to come back in to the bay in his head. He cautiously re-entered the bay and found the two girls looking at him with pensive looks; Hermione looking shocked and Lavender looking worried.
"What?" he asked, dreading the reply.
"Harry, we need to help her, what that bastard did to her...well it's horrible." Hermione whispered.
Harry sat down on the chair and put his face in his hands.
#Show me# he thought and winced as Hermione fed him images of what the werewolf had done to Lavender's vagina. He had nearly ripped through her with his claws and caused massive amounts of internal damage to the poor girl. Poppy had been able to stop the bleeding and repair some of the damage but it seemed that the werewolf had also cursed the girl so the tissue was resisting normal healing charm. As things stood; even if her reproductive organs were undamaged, she would be unable to have children, or even have a normal sex life. Harry blanched and looked at them both with horror filled eyes. That some...thing would do that to another sentient being saddened him beyond measure. Despite his embarrassment, he knew that Hermione could help her and that she needed him to help her do this. Not trusting himself to speak, he just nodded once.
Lavender let out an explosive breath and gasped out her thanks to Harry. She knew that despite everything that had happened to Harry, he was still very shy around most women and that this would not be easy for him.
"Like I said we will need Poppy in her to monitor things and to make sure that the results are good." Hermione said as she left the bay to find the Mediwitch.
"Thank you Harry, you know that if Hermione hadn't bagged you, I would have pursued you don't you?" she asked in a plaintive way.
Harry looked at her in surprise, "I thought you and Ron...well the Ron we knew..?"
"Only because I knew Hermione was into you." Lavender replied.
"Really? How come we didn't know it until recently?"
"Oh Please! That girl has been so yours since the first day you met. Everyone could see it, well everyone except you two! You do know she loves you with everything she has don't you?"
Harry smiled and nodded with a shy grin forming across his face. Suddenly he felt close to the bubbly blonde.
"Yeah, I know! Just as much as I do her. Say Lav, how would you like to be a bridesmaid at our formal wedding this Tuesday?" he asked, aware that he could feel Hermione's approval of the request through their bond.
"Wow! Are you sure? Wont Hermione mind you asking me?" Lavender asked.
Harry grinned at her, "No, she already knows I asked and she approves. Mione and I are fully bonded and we know what the other is thinking and feeling all the time."
Lavender gawped at him and swallowed deeply. To be so connected to another person was so rare. As she stared she became aware that Hermione was back with Madam Pomfrey in tow.
"So Miss Brown, Princess Pendragon has explained what she has in mind and what the process will entail." As she said this she briefly glanced over at Harry who blushed even more. "Are you happy to try the procedure?"
"Hell yeah, if it only half works then I'd be better off than now." She replied.
"Very well, Hermione it's up to you." Poppy said and moved the stand in the corner of the bay. Hermione nodded and walked over the Lavender. She held her hand briefly and then spoke.
"Lav, you will need to be naked for this. We will sort out your breast and then try to help with the other. I'm sorry but it may hurt a little and we cannot give you any pain relief until after the procedure as the potion may interfere with the magic."
Lavender nodded and Hermione helped the girl remove the gown, exposing her damaged chest once more. Hermione then gently removed the bandages from her lower body exposing the extensive damage done to her vagina. Harry gasped and paled as he saw the wounds that the werewolf had inflicted on Lavender and the sight of this made him more determined to help.
"Harry, place both of hands on Lavender and concentrate on your magic. I will do the rest." Hermione told him. Harry walked over to the bed and with an apologetic smile, he placed both of his hands on Lavenders large but damaged breast. Lavender gave a little scream as he touched her causing Harry to jump backwards as if scalded. Lavender looked amused for a second.
"Sorry Harry, but you have cold hands!" she muttered causing everyone to relax a little. Harry apologised and rubbed his hands together to try to warm them a little before he once more placed his hands over Lavender. Hermione moved to place her hands over the scarred section of her chest and closed her eyes and Harry could feel her draw in her magic. Watching the sweat break out of her forehead he fully opened the link between them to allow her to use his magic as well.
Hermione slowly began an incantation that no one had heard before.
"Cumsanaremulieris huiusmagicae, cumanimosuototo."
Lavender gasped in pain as both her and Harry could see the flesh beneath his hands begin to glow and then the flesh seemed to turn to liquid as half of it 'ran' across her chest and under Hermione's hands. The remainder felt like liquid jelly in Harrys hand as he could feel it morph and re-shape itself. Lavender was grimacing in pain as her body reformed itself and she could see Hermione's hands raise up as her new breast formed under them. She suddenly screamed in pain as her new nipple was formed and then suddenly it was all done. Hermione opened her eyes and nodded before gently removing her hands from Lavenders new smaller but perfectly formed breast.
"Er Harry, you can let go now." Hermione told him. With a start Harry quickly removed his hands and allowed Lavender to see for the first time her new 'assets' Her eyes widened as she saw two perfectly formed breasts with absolutely no scars on either. They were quite perky and seemed to be a perfect 'C' cup as she jiggled her chest from side to side with a wide grin on her face. Before she could say anything Hermione moved her hands down and placed them on her pelvic area.
"Harry, put your hands on mine and concentrate. This is going to be even harder." Hermione said in a tired voice.
Harry complied; glad that he only had to place his hands on Hermione's this time. Hermione once more closed her eyes and concentrated. She repeated the incantation and Harry felt the magic suddenly drain out of him as the process began to work. Lavender screamed in agony as her tissues, skin and muscles reworked themselves. The sweat was pouring off Hermione and she began to sway as she worked. Harry dug deep and sent wave after wave of magic to his wife in aid her in the process. He distantly heard Poppy gasp and she held Lavenders hand before the darkness overtook him and he knew no more.
I.Y. I.Y. I.Y.
Harry slowly woke and found himself lying in a bed. As his faculties kicked in he realised that he knew this bed. With a sense of increasing dread he slowly opened his eyes to see Poppy Pomfrey smiling down at him and he knew at that moment he was in HIS bed in the hospital wing. With a groan he asked the inevitable question.
"How long?"
"This time, only ten minutes. You passed out from magical exhaustion just before Hermione did the same, but she managed to complete the procedure and Lavender is resting now."
"Where's Mione?" he asked.
"Sleeping in the next bed Harry, she will be fine...I mean what the hell can hurt you two? She should be waking soon..."
"Already awake! You okay Harry?" came a familiar voice.
Harry slowly sat up and grimaced as a wave of dizziness came over him, that quickly passed. He swung his legs over the bed and gently stood up. Waling the short distance to the next bed he took Hermione's hand and both gasped as their magic quickly recharged itself. Hermione smiled at him briefly before she also stood and the two quickly embraced.
"Did it work?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded and they both walked over to Lavenders bed, who looked up to see the pair.
"Harry, Hermione I can't thank either of you two enough. You have given me my future back and I will be eternally grateful." She said with tears in her eyes. She was now back in her gown, minus the glamour charms.
"They are smaller than before but it's only now that I realise how heavy my old ones were. It feels as if a great weight has been lifted from my back. And...well and my fanny feels great... if you know what I mean." She said without any embarrassment.
"It's a pleasure Lavender, we were happy to help our fourth bridesmaid and friend. However there is some bad news I'm afraid. When I was treating you I could sense something. I really don't know how to tell you this but..."
"I'm a werewolf?" Lavender asked.
Hermione slowly nodded, unsure on what to say.
"I think I already knew. Don't worry about it too much, if nothing else it means I had better start liking gold more than silver and I'm good at potions. Who know I may even come up with a cure." She said, even this news wasn't going to damped her happiness.
"Lav, when we have the new government in place, werewolf will be allowed the same rights as everyone else provided they take their Wolfsbane, so this want hinder you in anyway. I will tell Remus if that's okay and he can talk to you about what to expect. Since werewolf's have always been shunned in the past, there has been little work done on a cure but I expect that to change pretty soon." Harry told her.
"Harry, Hermione please don't fret, thanks to your help at least I am whole. So what if once a month I will turn into a raging, angry and violent beast...and then later in the month I will turn into a werewolf." She said with a silly grin. Everyone stopped and looked at the blonde in astonishment.
It was Poppy who went first, the normally strict and serious Mediwitch looked at the blonde girl with an amazed look before she snorted out a laugh. This soon set Harry and Hermione off, followed by Lavender as they all laughed like they had never done before. The rest of the infirmary looked at the curtained off bay with amazement as they heard the four laughing. Finally they managed to regain some dignity and Lavender eventually managed to speak.
"Harry I need another favour. I know I have no right to ask this of you both but I think she really needs your help."
"Who Lav?" Harry asked.
Lavender sighed, all signs of jollity now gone. "It's Parvati, ever since she lost Padma she has been really depressed, I mean really depressed and I'm worried about her. I think she may do something silly and hurt herself. Even when she comes to see me, she cannot stop crying and I think I saw marks on her wrists this morning. Please you have to help her before she tries ... before she tries to kill herself." She finished in an anguished voice.
Both immortals looked concerned and Hermione went to comfort the girl whilst Harry spoke to Poppy.
"Is she right, do you think Parvati is potentially suicidal?" he asked.
Poppy looked anguished. "My Liege, my oath forbids me to speak about a patient's medical condition without their permission and Miss Patil has asked me to keep our conversations confidential. That said speaking as a friend; I would value you speaking to her."
Harry nodded as he read between the lines of the mediwitch's words. "Cassie! Where is Parvati Patil?"
Cassie replied in his head, #My lord, she is on her way to the Astronomy tower, she is very distressed and is crying.#
"Shit shit shit! Hermione stay with Lavender will you." Harry snapped and immediately vanished from view.
"Oh no! Pav what have you done?" Lavender wailed with Poppy and Hermione trying in vain to comfort the girl.
I.Y. I.Y. I.Y.
Parvati Patil ran blindly up the stairs to the top of the Astronomy tower, her tears blurring her vision and her sobs audible if anyone has been there to listen. She had written her notes, apologising to her parents, her friends and also a special one for Lavender. However she had reached the end of her tether and could not stand the loss of her twin any more. No one, not even her best friend could grasp what it meant to be a twin. Even though they were in separate houses at school, they were twins and that was all that mattered. If asked she would have always been able to point in the direction her twin was; her internal compass had Padma as its north. But now she had no north, it had been cruelly ripped away and Parvati was lost without her. She had tried, Merlin knows she had tried but she wasn't strong enough. She burst out of the door slowly walked to the edge of the tower. With the tears still blurring her vision she slowly climbed up onto the wall and looked out over the sunlit grounds of the last place she thought she would ever see. It was a beautiful morning with the winter sun casting long shadows on everything. Slowly she began to lean forward when she heard the approach of someone causing her to freeze to the spot.
"Go away! This has nothing to do with you!" she yelled unsure as to who was with her, but that was when she heard the voice that she had been dreaming about since she was eleven.
"Is this what you think Padma would want from you?" Harry asked in a gentle voice.
Parvati cried even more. "It hurts so much Harry, she was my everything, it feels like part of my soul is missing and I cannot stand it any longer; I have to be whole again." As she spoke she let go with both hands and stood on the wall facing the drop. Harry knew that this moment was the critical moment. He also knew that he could stop her from jumping in a heartbeat and magically levitate her to safety but that wasn't the point. Even if he stopped her from falling, once she decided to jump she was lost. Once her mind was made up to fall then even if she didn't die that day physically; he knew that her soul would die and if he was to save her he had to make her not want to jump in the first place so he asked the question again.
"Is this was you think Padma would want you to do? To throw your life away instead of to live it? I don't profess to know how you feel Parvati, I have never had a twin but I do have Hermione. If I was to lose her and if I survived the experience then I guess I would feel as you feel now, but I also know how much 'Mione would be pissed at me when we met in the next adventure. You've seen Hermione pissed and that's not something I want to witness for eternity. I can't say I knew Padma well but what I do know is she will be as pissed with you if you do this as Mione would be with me. She would want you live a full and happy life, to do the things she cannot do, to see that thing she cannot; to love the men or women she cannot. You owe it to her to live, you have friends and family who love you; we have just come from seeing Lavender and she is very worried about you, she loves you very much, you are her best friend and she want to share her good news with you."
"G-g-good news?" Parvati asked despite herself.
"Yeah, Mione and I helped her a bit and now she is whole again, but she will need your help in the future. You see she IS a werewolf and she will need you to survive this."
"Oh Lav!" was all she said, but she did place one of her hands back on the wall she was stood near.
"Parvati, I cannot tell you it will be easy because it won't be. I cannot tell you that there will be no dark days because we both know that there will be, but there will be good days as well and all I know after I lost Sirius is that eventually the number of good days begin to outnumber the dark ones. It takes time and effort but you can live a good life; live a good life in honour of the bravery and sacrifice that Padma made." He told her. Parvati stood very still as she heard his words, she looked out over the school and to the rebuilding of the village in the distance. She wasn't sure but she almost heard the words in her head.
"Pav, live for me please. I don't want you to do this – I love you and want you to live; live for me and live for you."
"Pad?" she whispered and before Harry knew it he had his hands full of crying, grieving, messed up but alive girl.
"Thank you Harry!" was he heard her say as she cried. Knowing they would be there, he looked over to the doorway to see a crying Hermione and Lavender Brown as they saw Harry save another soul.