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Hermione stepped from the lift into the Ministry atrium. She had her overcoat over one arm and her clutch bag in her hand, her wand was in its Auror issue wrist holster, one of the perks of being the best friend of rising star and the youngest ever Head Auror, Harry James Potter. That particular dish was standing in the centre of the floor waiting for her to meet him for their usual Thursday lunch date. She smiled as she saw him, standing like a rock, a green eyed island in the chaotic melange that the witches and wizards of the Ministry create as they rush here and there on their errands, pursuing their lives, oblivious to everything else around them.

He caught sight of her heading through the throng of lunchtime foot traffic and his lopsided smile appeared. Hermione no longer tried to fool herself about the fact that she lived for that smile, she had long ago accepted the truth of her feelings for Harry, and that even if he did feel the same about her, they have their existing relationships, and neither of them are prepared to hurt their partners. She felt her smile spread across her face to match her lunch date’s expression.

“Have you been waiting long?” she asked as she approached Harry.

He shook his head, “Couple of minutes, tops.” He grinned, “Italian or Chinese?” he asked as they walked out to the main entrance, which allowed them to walk out into London where they could apparate to their desired restaurant of choice. “How’s Ron?” Harry enquired as they left the building.

“OK, I guess, I think he is nerving up to propose.”

“You don’t sound thrilled?”

“No. I have a case of cold feet I think.”

“I thought you were happy?”

“I am, mostly, but I don’t know. I just can’t help but think. ‘Is this it?’ Is this what I worked for, what we fought for, what people died for?” she shrugged as they reached the apparition point, “Italian.”

“Italian it is,” the pair popped away with a soft crack and reappeared in an alley near to their chosen restaurant.

“How’s Ginny?”

“Fine, she’s in Rome I think.”

“Mmm, nice.” She replied neutrally.

As they walked along the alley two more cracks announced the arrival of another pair of magicals in the area. Harry looked over his shoulder at the landing spot, expecting to see someone else from the Ministry heading for lunch. He saw a blonde girl in her late teens and a man it took him a moment to identify. Dolohov. Harry went for his wand as the male fired a curse at him he dodged it, stepping between Hermione and the arrivals as he did. The girl fired off a killing curse at them and Harry flicked a trash can up into its path. The dustbin exploded with the curse impacting as Hermione was still delayed pulling her wand as she was carrying her coat and bag.

With another crack a second girl appeared between them and hit Dolohov with an Avada Kedavra, before spinning on the spot and holding Hermione at wand point. She called out to the other girl, “STOP.” Harry looked, they were twins, the first girl walked up to Harry and pulled his wand out of his grasp. The second girl was carrying a baby. Harry was puzzled. Death Sitters?

Girl two spoke, “Take Potter to the Manor, I will bring Granger,” with that she grabbed Hermione’s arm and disappeared with a crack. The other girl grabbed Harry and they apparated over to the destination. They appeared in a drawing room, the building had seen better days, and Harry looked around, slowly working out where he was, Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton.

Girl two spoke again, to girl one, “It’s all lies, everything, our whole life, everything I have been brought up to believe, it’s all false. He doesn’t want to protect magic, or keep anything pure, he just wants power and to kill and torture whenever he wants to.”

“What do you mean, how do you, Why are we meeting?”

“When I did the first run through, after Dolohov and I had killed these two, I spun back to meet our parents, told them we had succeeded. All they wanted from me was the turner, so they could correct mistakes, go back and change time, go back and kill people. My own mother attacked me, he just laughed as I defended myself.

“Mother attacked?”

“She tried to crucio me, and when I put a table in the way she started firing killing curses at me, I grabbed infant me and jumped back to the alley to stop you, me, us, killing the Potters.”

“She tried to kill us?”

“She did.”

“What should I do?”

“Jump back as I did, grab little us, and jump to the alley to close this loop. Kill them if you want to, they are no family I want to be part of.” Girl one pulled a time turner out of her blouse and setting it’s outer wheels, spun it up and was gone.

The remaining girl handed the child to Hermione, “hold me” She pulled her turner out of her blouse. Grabbed Harry and with a flick of her wrist looped the chain over them, “Hold onto Granger,” Hermione stepped into his embrace, checking his face as they sorted what to do. The world whirled around them, Hermione realised that the time turner has taken them back a lot more than a single day. The Room looked similar, but cleaner.

“It’s the second of May, 1998.” The girl announced as she disentagled them from the chain, “Since I discovered that you can change the past, we might as well go sort things out at Hogwarts.” She handed Hermione the turner and Harry his wand back, “I am Delphini, and in your girl’s arms is infant me. We both had rubbish childhoods, you and I, we were both lied to, we both made mistakes Potter. I was brought up to believe killing you was my reason to exist, and it’s all lies.”

She frowned at the pair, “You two are with the wrong people, you love each other, but feel too guilty to end your relationships.” She pointed at Hermione with her wand, “in two weeks you get engaged and I watch you cry your eyes out in the girls bathroom, and try to convince your mother that you shouldn’t marry this guy, Potter, she doesn’t believe you either.”

Hermione looked at Harry and her mouth opened to speak, Delphini interrupted, “He was no better, his mate Longbottom was arguing with him that he should intervene, that Weasley would make your life miserable and you both deserved better, you deserved each other. Potter here admitted he loves you, but doesn’t want to hurt the Weasels by doing what’s right by you two. Stupid. Stupid Potter. Noble and honourable, but stupid.”

With a flick of her wand she transformed Hermione’s ‘business smart’ skirt and jacket combination into combat trousers, boots and dragonhide vest over a black roll neck. Harry slipped his wand into its holster and regarded the young teen. “What do you want of us?”

She grimaced, pointing at the child in Hermione’s arms, “Give her the life we were denied, see that she grows up to be the best version of me she can be, I am a killer, I doubt I will survive today. She is me, I can’t change my stars, but I can ensure that she will grow up happy, knowing love, and you two can tell your younger selves to be honest and be together before the Weasels get involved.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, we have to kill about fifty Death Eaters, My insane parents, and end the battle. Should be easy for us three, oh, and we can take the soul shard out of young you, no need to let him stand and take the hit, just in case daddy dear decides to use something other than a killing curse to end you.”

“Daddy. Tom Riddle is your father?”

“Guilty.”

“Who is your mother?”

“Bellatrix.”

“Fuck.”

“Language Harry,”

“Sorry, but fuck, that is fucked up.”

“Yep. Welcome to my life, my parents are insane psychopaths, hell bent on ending the world. It they win, the muggles intervene and one of their flying machines hits Hogwarts with a bomb that wipes the place from the planet. It goes downhill from there.”

“You saw that future?”

“I saw the aftermath, magic being purged from the world. I came back to make sure he lost. Killing you was a peace offering to get them to listen, it failed and I knew then that they had to be defeated.” She took a deep breath, “Are you in, break the time laws, twist time to create a better version of the world?”

“Yes.” Harry replied, “I am in,” he looked at Hermione, “It’s the end of the world again, and this time, I will be honest, I love you Hermione, more than life itself. I thought you wanted Ron, so I stepped back, I tried to be happy with Ginny.”

“Oh Harry, I waited for you to show a sign, any sign, that you felt that way, but you never did, and Ron is so easy to read, I knew he was interested, but I was settling for second best.” She reached up and kissed Harry gently on the lips. “Do not get yourself killed, today, not now that we have found each other.”

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The three of them apparated directly into Dumbledore’s office, the castle wards were down and they arrived unseen. On schedule the younger version of Harry entered the office alone looking for the pensieve to view Snape’s memories. The three travellers dropped their disillusionment spells and Hermione spoke to younger Harry. “Harry. We need to talk, before you rush off and nobly sacrifice yourself for Dumbledore’s grand scheme. There are some truths you need to know.”

He looked at her puzzled, “Hermione?”

“Yes Harry, but from the future, we travelled back, using a more advanced type of time turner.”

“So you are me from the future?” he addressed himself, “I thought it was really bad to meet.”

“It changes time, and can cause problems, but in this case we want it to change.” Harry told his younger self. “When you go back downstairs, Hermione will tell you she wants to come with you, she would rather die at your side, than lose you. She loves you every bit as much as you love her, and is only thinking about Ron, because she thinks you are not interested. Ron is not the man for her, arguing is not love, those two bicker like a brother and sister, he will make her miserable and it will be your fault, so buck up buttercup and tell her you love her.”

Hermione snorted, “Don’t feel too bad, this Harry only admitted his feelings about half an hour ago.” She smiled at the younger man and as she gave him a hug, she whispered into his ear, “I really would have stood at your side and crossed over with you, I do love you that much. Do not let me down, We deserve to be happy, Ron will manage, his happiness is not your concern.”

She pulled him across the room and sat him at the small table in the back office. Delphini spoke, “We need to get that bit of Tom Riddle out of your head first, no point killing the raving lunatic until all his horcruxes are done for. Take a seat.” Harry junior sat and Hermione gently pulled his head back, Delphini stepped out of the shadows and placing the tip of her wand on the scar incanted in parseltongue, after a few moments Harry let out a low moan and Delphini pulled a black strand from his head similar to the look of a memory strand and with a swirling motion dropped it into a conjured glass jar and placed the lid over the top.

“Is that it?” Harry senior asked, “I took a fricken killing curse to lose mine, and you can pull it out with a glorified accio?”

Delphini laughed, “It helps that I am family, but I reckon you could have managed this yourself if you had access to the right books. I am sure Hermione would have figured it out, but Dumbles hoards all the magic he considered dark, so anything mentioning a Horcrux was removed, and he cannot read or speak parsel, so he would not have found it.”

The three older magicals sat down around the table, Harry Senior started, “The snitch opens if you tell it you are about to die, it contains the resurrection stone and will bring the spirits of your parents, Remus, and Sirius. It is a lie. Dumbledore has enchanted it to help you decide to sacrifice yourself, because he believes unless you die Riddle cannot be killed, because of that soul piece in that jar,” Harry looked at the swirling black mass and glowered. Delphini pointed her wand and murmured ‘Avada Kedavra’ the green curse impacted the jar and the black smoke within, shattering both and ending the horcrux.

She turned back to Harry Jr, “I should introduce myself, I am Delphini Riddle, daughter of Tom by Bellatrix. I am here to help you kill my parents.” Harry sat and stared at her, she shrugged, “My mother is insane, and my father isn’t even human anymore, let alone sane.” She gave him a Luna style smile, “This little one is me as well, from this timeline, she was born on March 28^th, my payment for saving your life and happiness, is that you and your Hermione, will make sure she is brought up in a happy home, she can be Teddy’s sister, they are cousins of a sort. I will leave a full set of instructions with you how to do a blood adoption, you and my Aunty Andromeda or Narcissa can supply the blood. That will purge Riddle from her system, give me the life we were both denied by the dark lords that persecuted us both. Will you do that for me Harry?”

“She is like me? her parents will be dead before she knew them, brought up by people who hate her?” Harry asked.

“She, just like you, never knows love at home, does your Hermione know that she was the first person to touch you without it being a punishment? Does your Hermione know she is the first person to show you love, to love Harry, not the legend?” He shook his head slowly. “Then tell her, she is your future Harry, you have had all the bad any life deserves already, go get the girl you deserve, and be the man she deserves.” Hermione insisted.

“I think that is scaring me more than the thought of facing Tommy boy in a fight if I am honest.”

Delphini laughed, “Well you are a teenage boy still, girls are complicated.”

Hermione smiled, “We aren’t that complicated, really.” Older Harry was nodding eyebrows raised, which caused the younger version to grin a little.

“Ok, Harry, we need to sort out a plan of action, then we can spin back to the time you left your friends and we will all go down into the woods and give the Teddy Bears a big surprise. First thing we do is kill the snake, that’s the last Horcrux. This is how I think we can make the best use of the four of us……”

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Harry walked down the stairs, his Hermione was sitting talking to Ron, she looked up as she heard his footsteps and Harry smiled when he saw the state of her, soot and dirt stained, emaciated from their time on the tent and her face tear streaked. “Where have you been? I was worried.” He heard it, it was obvious now he knew, he could hear her love for him in her voice, his chest felt warm and he felt as if he could take on the world.

“I used Dumbledore’s pensieve to look at those memories of Snape’s.”

“What did you see?”

“Snape had a creepy fixation on my mum, he hated my dad, and me really, but deluded himself that he was protecting me. The bloke was a monumental knob.” He sighed, “Dumbledore set me up to die. He is responsible for just about every crappy thing that has ever happened to me, and if he was still alive, I might be tempted to kill him myself.”

“What do you mean die?”

Harry pointed at his scar, “I think you already know, the reason I have a connection to Riddle, Dumbledore’s grand plan is for me to sacrifice myself so Tom can be killed.”

“I am coming with you,” She threw her arms around him and sobbed, Standing under the cloak next to Harry, older Hermione cast a mufflato charm so Ron could no longer follow the conversation, and spoke, “Time to be Honest Harry, tell the girl the truth.”

“Harry, who is that?”

“You. That is your voice. Future you.”

“What do I mean, how,” Harry placed a finger on her lips.

“Hermione. I have help, we are going to ambush Riddle and his Minions, we shall end this. Then I am going to come back here and kiss the girl I love, who I am pretty sure loves me, since she just told me she wants to die at my side.”

“You love me?”

“I do, sorry. I thought you wanted Ron.”

“NO. No, I do love you Harry. I always have at least a little bit.”

“Good, I need to tell you all about the plan and ask you to look after someone special whilst we finish Riddle, We can spin you back to now so Ron doesn’t notice.”

“You don’t trust Ron?”

“Not since he abandoned us in the tent, sorry. I should have told you how I felt then, but I didn’t know if I was going to die and it sort of hangs over everything.”

“You seem confidant.”

“Future me is here, he won.” Harry apparated the pair of them back to Dumbledore’s office where Hermione met older Harry and Delphini, and they went through the details with her, she sat in his lap with her arms wrapped around her Harry’s neck the whole way through the story and the outline of the plan.

“So you want me to babysit whilst you go off and risk your necks?”

“In a nutshell, Yes, we also need you to watch for Greyback, he kills Lavender in the old timeline and injures Parvati, if you see him, use reductos and drop him. Forget stunners, go for kill shots.” Hermione the elder intoned. Her younger self regarded her with awe, and nodded. “Ron will need Lavender, once he realises you are out of the picture.”

They spun back once more and apparated back to the steps, as Harry and Hermione stepped back from their hug, Delphini walked down the few steps and handed the baby to her, “Look after the little one, she is an innocent and deserves a life, she needs love.” With a smile Delphini and Harry both walked down the stairs and out of the castle accompanied by the older Harry and Hermione each under a copy of the cloak. As they worked their way into the forest Delphini disillusioned herself and unseen by Harry apparated into the clearing, landing silently and settled into position waiting for the moment to strike at Nagini.

Harry walked up to the clearing, “Well Tom.” He shouted, “I am here, do you want to come quietly, or do I have to kill you all?” the roar of laughter answered his challenge. Delphini hit the snake with a cutting curse and beheaded it as Voldemort started to monologue.

“I think you should bow to me before I answer that, Potter.” He lifted the wand, the Elder wand and started to say ‘Crucio’ only to be hit in the head by a reducto fired almost point blank by Harry senior from under the cloak. As Voldemort’s brains sprayed over Malfoy and Bellatrix, Harry started firing spell chains of cutting and blasting curses into the assembled Death Eaters.

Harry Junior dropped into a crouch as a volley of green strikes flew over his head, next to him Hermione transfigured the ground around them into a concrete wall and started firing out reductos with the pace of an automatic weapon, she moved constantly and her power levels punched through shields like tissue. Malfoy lost his wand arm and most of his shoulder, he would bleed out in seconds as his blood fountained out of his ruined chest.

Bellatrix was blasting at the area around Nagini’s cage, someone cast a finite and Delphini shimmered back into view. Mother and daughter traded curses, “Is that the best you have got, MOTHER.” She taunted the elder witch.

“What! My ickle girlie all grown up and trying to take over, naughty naughty.” She screamed, and clipped Delphini with an organ dissolving curse and as the girl collapsed Bellatrix stopped to gloat. As she writhed in agony on the ground, Bellatrix stood over her, Delphini hit her with a Black family curse that would boil her blood, a curse that only worked when a family member cast it against another. Bellatrix grew redder and redder, and screamed as her own magic cooked her from the inside. Delphini decided to end her own suffering, and fired a reducto through her own head. Bellatrix died convulsing a few seconds later.

Out in the melee, Hermione and Harry, both casting silently and from under the cloaks were mopping up those that were still trying to stand their ground, Fenrir caught Harry’s scent and charged across to where he was crouching near Riddle’s body, Harry and Hermione both hit him with spell chains of cutting and piercing hexes and Harry junior hit him body centre with a bombardier max. To an outside observer Fenrir ceased to exist and a pink mist was all that remained.

From the side of the clearing huge volleys of arrows rained down on anyone still standing and the last Death Eaters left in the clearing perished. Harry and Hermione stood and removed the cloaks, Hermione handing hers back to Harry Junior. Narcissa Malfoy stood slowly from where she had been knocked down and raised her hands, her arm clear of any mark “Is Draco still alive?” she asked Harry.

“He is, he may have seen sense, time will tell.”

Hermione pointed, “Narcissa, levitate Voldemort’s body and accompany Harry back to the castle, the world needs proof that he is gone.” The older witch nodded, Harry senior passed his younger self the Elder wand Riddle had been using.

“That makes five times I have killed that fucking psycho, this had better be the last it is sooo boring.”

“Where will you go, when will you go to?” Harry senior shrugged. He looked at Hermione

She smiled, “Let’s find a nice hotel in Edinburgh, and get a bath, I need a bath. And a massage. Then Potter senior, you are getting lucky.”

Harry junior blushed, Hermione laughed, “go get your Hermione, Harry. She is waiting just for you, and I think she will probably have the same ideas as me.” She reached around the younger man and gave him a hug, “Tell her you love her, and mean it. Look after little Delphi, she came good in the end.”

Harry stood with Narcissa and the shrouded corpse of Voldemort, as they watched the elder Harry was talking to the Centaurs, when Hermione joined him the pair apparated away from the clearing. “I am sorry about your husband Mrs Malfoy.” Harry said quietly.

“Really Mister Potter, you are sorry that Lucius is dead? I am surprised.”

“OK, I am sorry for your loss, he had tried to kill me on several occasions and I cannot honestly say I shall grieve him, but I have lost my family, so I know it is painful.”

Narcissa regarded him critically for a moment, “You are of age?” he nodded, “Then you are the defacto head of the House of Black. You are my Head of House Mister Potter, and I am bound by family magics to serve your wishes. As is my son. You may wish to contemplate these facts before you speak with him next.” She looked around, “We can apparate to the courtyard outside the Castle, a simple walk from there. When we enter, keep me at wandpoint please, it will prevent anyone attacking. I do not wish to die now it is finally over.”

Harry nodded, “I’ll go first,” he apparated to the courtyard arriving in amongst the piles of rubble, a second later Narcissa appeared with the corpse. “Levitate the body ahead of us, I will follow, as if you are my prisoner.”

They walked in through the shattered doors and towards the Great Hall, Harry entered at her side so there were no mistakes and she lowered the body in front of Shacklebolt who was covering her with his wand. “This is the body of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self styled Lord Voldemort.” Harry declared to the people in the Hall, “The bodies of the remaining Death Eaters that did not flee are in the clearing in the forest. You will find an unconscious Hagrid there as well, he is a little too large for me to apparate with.”

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Hermione stood at the foot of the main staircase holding the baby she had been handed and watching Harry, her Harry, walk out of the doors and towards his destiny. Her stomach was in knots of worry and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She was reeling with the discoveries of the last few hours.

Harry loved her.

Both of them.

They were going to deliberately change time. Everything she had been told about time turners was false. No. It was a partial truth. If they created a new timeline, it would vary from the original. A timeline where she would be with the boy she loved. The boy she had given up on, the boy, the man, that she thought did not love her.

But he did love her. He had stood and told her, looking into her eyes, those emerald eyes of his blazing as he declared his love for her. He was going to come back for her, and they would be together. She knew it was true because her older self told her to believe him, and had kissed older Harry. Her Harry had kissed her then and it was everything a kiss could be.

She smiled softly remembering the kiss, the feel of his lips on hers, the warmth in her chest, and lower. She was gazing off into the world when reality intruded.

“Who was that? Who is the baby?” It was Ron. She had kissed him in a moment of excitement, what felt like a day ago, and now he thought they were an item. She chewed on her lip pondering how to let him down, she would say nothing until she was back in Harry’s arms, but her lips belonged to Harry now, and always would.

“She is called Delphini, and she is an orphan, her parents are gone, she is like Harry was, I promised to make sure she has a happy childhood and grows up in a loving home, unlike Harry.” She glared at Ron, but as usual he did not heed the warning.

“Are we expected to bring up some random baby?” His voice sounded harsh to Hermione’s ears. “Who are her parents.”

How did I think I could make a life with this manchild?  Tired and aching her temper was short. “WE? What do you mean we? There is no we Ronald.” His pout appeared, next would be some sort of put down, and he would belittle her, “I am going to make sure she had a family, if that means I become her mother, then so be it. I do not need your permission, Ronald.” She lifted her chin and glared at him, “Her mother was Bellatrix Lestrange and she was fathered by Voldemort, but she is only a month old, so she is innocent, Ronald, she will be loved.”

“What!.” He stood blinking and goggled at her, “Kill it, kill it now, before it grows up into another monster.” He spluttered.

‘There you are, Ronald the bigot, full of hate and envy, you would kill a one month old baby because of your beliefs. Just like Voldemort. I would die a virgin before I make a life with you Ronald Weasley.’ He made to draw his wand and found himself looking at the pointed end of hers, the tip glowing with power. “Leave. Walk away. No one that I would have in my life would ever threaten a baby. I will end you if you try.” Looking at the ugly sneer developing on his face she reached a decision. “Obliviate.” Ron’s eyes glazed for a moment. “Go into the Hall Ronald, there will be food, and Lavender will be looking for you.”

He turned and walked away from her, she slipped her wand back to its holder, and entered the Hall herself. She saw Tonks and Remus off to one side and walked over to join them. “Hi, I might need some help. Harry has saved this little one, and she has no parents now, I wondered if we could bring her up with Teddy, as family?”

Remus looked at the child and she saw his nose twitch, “Who are her parents?”

“Dead. She needs a loving home, Harry will not stand by and allow her to have a life like his. Maybe Harry and I will adopt her. I will sort that when he gets back.”

“Hermione, don’t tell me Harry has gone to Voldemort.” Tonks hissed.

“Harry has gone to finish this, he will be back. He promised me, if he breaks that promise I shall drag him back from the afterlife and kill him all over again for leaving me.”

Tonks looked at Hermione her mouth working for a few moments, “You are? You and Harry are together?”

The smile split Hermione’s face, “Finally.” Remus commented with relief, “I was worrying you would go off with Ron.”

Hermione scowled, “That ship has sailed, in fact that ship should be towed out to sea and set ablaze.”

The child in her arms grizzled and started to cry, Tonks immediately took her from Hermione, “When was she last fed?”

“I don’t know, I only was given her ten or fifteen minutes ago, can you feed her?”

Tonks laughed, “As it happens I can, since Teddy is with Nana, I am quite happy to give the little one a feed. Just stand in a bit closer, I don’t want to be giving the lads an eyeful.” She turned her back and rearranged herself so the child could feed. “Hermione?” She said once the baby had latched, “This child is family. She is a Black, her magic is bonding to mine, just who is the mother?”

Hermione sat down next to her and whispered, “It’s Bellatrix. But the baby is innocent?”

Tonks looked at her, “Can Harry reinstate me and mum to the Black family? we can care for her, the Black vaults will cover it.” Hermione wrapped her friend in a hug and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Thank you, we will help as much as we can.”

“You will, Godmum. You will.” Hermione wiped her face leaving a huge streak in the dirt encrusted visage she currently presented. As she sat with Tonks she heard the intake of breath and looked to the doors, as Narcissa and Harry walked in with a body under a shroud levitated just in front of them.

She heard Harry declare, “This is the body of Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self styled Lord Voldemort.” She ran over to him and as he finished speaking enveloped him in her arms and kissed him passionately.

“You are alive. You came back. You won?”

“We did, older you was at my side, she was a machine, she was knocking down Death Eaters like coconuts in a shy. We outnumbered them four to fifty.”

“Where are they?”

“They left. Older Delphini killed Bellatrix, but died doing it. Is little Delphi OK?”

“Tonks is giving her a feed. She wants you to reinstate her and her mum to the family, she said they will look after Delphi.”

“I’ll talk to Narcissa, she might know how to do that.”

“She surrendered?”

“She did, Lucius is dead, I think it was older you, but it might have been me, we were firing curses everywhere.”

“Who killed Voldemort?”

“Older me, fulfils the prophecy, the power he knows not, or should that be Nott?”

“What?”

“The Time Turners were made by Theodore Nott in the future, but he died in the clearing, so they will not be made in our future.”

“I think in a few days we need to sit down and figure out just what is going on, it’s obvious that the things we were told about time turners was not entirely true, have the older versions gone back to the future?”

Harry grinned and almost made the joke, “I don’t know, older you told me to make sure to tell you I love you, and then kissed my cheek and they apparated I think.”

“Well, I am waiting.”

“Hermione Granger, I love you, will you be my girlfriend and in time much more?”

“OK, since you asked nicely.” She smiled coyly. “I want a bath and a comfortable bed, any ideas where we can go?”

“Grimmauld will need checking out, and I don’t fancy Privet Drive if I am honest. What about your home, is it empty?

“I can side along you, as long as Tonks is OK looking after Delphi. Let me check with her and we can go, I am running on fumes.” She slipped over to Tonks who was cradling the child, and had a quick conversation, she walked back to Harry, “Lets go, we can worry about the other stuff later.” Harry nodded and with a soft crack the pair of teens left the Hall.

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The Elder Potters were never seen again by their younger selves in this timeline, The younger pair travelled to Australia together and returned later with Hermione’s parents. They finished their NEWTs at Hogwarts as Head Boy and Girl and visited their Godchildren daily, as the Lupins were working at Hogwarts teaching Defence (Tonks) and History (Remus) They took a slew of mundane courses and went to University away from the magical world and after graduation became engaged, and married just after Harry’s twenty second Birthday. Their godchildren in attendance and surrounded by friends.

Ron had to marry Lavender before the end of 1998, they had four children and are reasonably happy. She is a columnist for Witch Weekly, and he stays home looking after the kids.

Delphi, was blood adopted by Harry and Nymphadora, Remus afraid to use his own, and grew up to be a spectacular witch, her Aunty Hermione was as proud as anyone when she graduated Hogwarts at the top of her year.

Draco Malfoy moved to Italy and was never heard of again, Narcissa entered politics using the Black and Potter Proxies, she championed the long job of dragging Magical Britain into the twenty first century.

After the birth of their third child, the Potters took up offers of Professorships at Hogwarts and helped Minerva revamp the school to face the future.

Chapter Text

As the Centaurs strutted across the clearing mercilessly ending any surviving Death Eaters or snatchers remaining, Harry waved and nodded, Bane stopped and spoke to the time travellers. “Harry Potter, the stars foretold you would have a great impact, I see they were not wrong.”

“It has been a strange day, my old friend. I am not sure this is what the stars predicted. It will be a while until the Ministry can deal with the bodies, is there anything you need us to do before we leave?”

“No, the planets foretold of this, you have a role in another time, we shall clear the glade and leave the bodies outside the Castle, the wizards can deal with them from there.”

Hermione joined the pair having just given younger Harry a hug and a pep talk to ensure he went to Hermione and didn’t mess up. “I know a rather nice Hotel in Edinburgh, the Balmoral, the rooms have bathrooms to die for.”

“When do we go? Now, a few years ago, or our present?”

“Let’s slip back to our time, at least our bank cards will work? I hope?” She pulled the time turner from inside her jumper, she dialled in the date they had gone for lunch, what felt like a lifetime ago, and spun the dial. With a flicker they arrived in the glade in the future. A marble column stood in the centre of the glade, it listed every name of every witch or wizard lost in the Blood War. Listed just after Sally Anne Perks, was Dobby Potter. Harry smiled as he saw the name, he was pleased that the pillar was plain, and no statue of himself or anyone adorned it.

They apparated over to Edinburgh, guided by Hermione, who quickly reversed the transfigurations on their clothes leaving them looking like a pair of exec’s she conjured some wheeled overnight cases and they walked into the hotel reception, after a few minutes they had the key to a junior suite and rode the lift to the floor and entered the room.

Hermione slipped into the bath luxuriating in the scented water, and called to Harry, “Are you joining me then?” He entered carrying a couple of glasses an ice bucket and a bottle of a nice Sancerre, he poured a glass for her and himself, before hanging his robe and slipping into the bath with the woman he loved. With his help Hermione shampooed her hair, and he washed her back, and her shoulders, working his way down, she leaned back onto his chest and as his hands moved to more intimate areas she relaxed fully and gave herself to his ministrations.

Later. Laid entangled in bed together, she murmured into his chest, “I wish we had done this years ago, I should feel guilty, but all I felt was relief at never having to face Ronald again. Am I a bad person?”

“That world is gone to us isn’t it? Ron is probably with someone else and has been for years. If I never got back with Ginny, then we went out for about three weeks in our teens, nothing to lose sleep over. More importantly, what are we going to do, where do we go, and how do we live?”

“Apartment trunk, like Newt Scamander.”

“A tardis?”

“What.”

“Time travellers, and our home is bigger on the inside, you will have to call me the Doctor”

“Prat.” She mumbled, “lets talk over breakfast, I am sleepy” Harry leaned over and kissed her head, pulling the duvet up and over them with a little wandless magic he too settled and slept better than he had in years.

Hermione woke, conscious that she was not alone in her bed. She never allowed Ron to stay over, and the arms wrapped around her waist, and holding one of her breasts were not Ron’s. She laid still for a moment and the events of the previous day, or decade? Tumbled into her consciousness. She was in a hotel, and the appendage pressing into her from behind belonged to Harry.

Harry loved her.

They had made love last night, and it had been everything she had ever fantasised about. She had only one regret, she hadn’t done this years ago. She reached between them and guided Harry’s manhood into the gap between her thighs and started to gently rock back and forth, gyrating her hips a little as she enjoyed the sensation of his flesh rubbing against her folds, she was lost in her dreams and suitably happy when his hand slid down her stomach and began to caress her centre. The wake-up sex was every bit as good as she imagined and they shared a shower, eventually ordering breakfast and sitting to talk about what they would do next.

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They walked hand in hand along the quiet suburban streets, moving through the pools of light cast by the street lights until they turned at last into the road they sought. Privet Drive was an oasis of dullness, it suited the residents of number four, as they hated anything different, or unusual, or foreign, or out of the ordinary. They loved their cocoon of bigotry, masquerading as propriety, a truly unpleasant and cruel family. Harry despised them, and everything they had done to him.

They walked up to the drive and Hermione addressed the tabby sitting on the wall. “Hello Minerva, been here long?” The cat regarded them with a stare, “Dumbledore not here yet then?” she continued. “May I introduce ourselves; Harry and Hermione Potter. We are here to take custody of Harry, since Albus has arranged his kidnapping by Hagrid.” The last statement was too much and McGonagall morphed into her human form.

“What do you mean kidnapping?”

“Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, neither position gives him any authority over the placement of a child, least of all Harry Potter.”

“But, he is the acting on behalf of Harry’s parents.”

“Minerva, If Harry is left here, he will suffer years of neglect and verbal abuse, there is little actual physical abuse, but the fear of it is a day-to-day reality. He will appear at your school, malnourished, emotionally undeveloped, and ripe for the great Albus to groom him for his ends. I will not permit a member of the Potter family to be abused by that bearded fraud.”

“I was unaware that James had a brother?” Minerva snipped back.

“He doesn’t. I am his son. Time Travel Minerva. I am here to save myself.” He gave her a look over his glasses, “For the record, it was Lily’s magic that saved me last night, and thanks to Albus, I have faced Voldemort no less than five times so far. Dumbledore did nothing of value to assist me.”

“Time travel is not possible.”

“Our existence would suggest that it is Minerva.” Hermione remarked, the Scot pursed her lips, “Don’t get snitty with us Minerva, you didn’t exactly stand up to the old blowhard, we came to you when we were pupils and you sent us off with fleas in our ears. You claim Lily was a favourite, yet you allow Albus to use her son in his schemes like some sort of pawn.”

“I see. Is that why you address me with such little respect?”

“We used to respect you, but you allowed too many injustices, mostly at the behest of the Bearded Bloviator.” As Hermione finished talking they heard the crack of Dumbledore’s apparition and with a casual flick of their wands they disarmed Albus and bound him.

“Good evening, Mister Dumbledore. You are currently kidnapping the heir to the Potter House, do you have a reason for placing him with his magic hating muggle relatives, leaving him like a late night parcel delivery, not even asking them if they want an extra mouth to feed?”

Dumbledore went into twinkle level two and put on his best kindly old man act. “And who do I have the pleasure of being addressed by?”

“I am Harry James Potter. Subject of the prophecy you have used to enable the deaths of my parents and used throughout my miserable childhood and teenage years to control my life, despite having no actual mandate to do so. The Power he knows not, is time travel Albus. You are not required for it to be completed, We shall ensure that Voldemort is sent to the other side completely before the end of the month, if you attempt to interfere I shall declare you an enemy of the House of Potter, and since I am a descendant of the Blacks, and Godson to the Heir, they will declare you likewise.” He gave Albus a curt nod, “Then I will kill you.” He held up the Elder wand, “I already possess this in the future, and the stone, the cloak you have stolen from my family will return to me when summoned, and the tracking charms you are attempting to weave in will fail. I am the owner of all three Hallows Albus. Your Hubris cost me so much in life, I would happily kill you where you stand.”

“My boy, if what you say is true, then you have chosen a dark path, is there no forgiveness in your heart?”

Hermione growled, “Oh for Merlin’s sake listen to yourself? you forgive the guilty and allow them to continue to persecute the innocent. You allow clemency when the guilty show no contrition. Forgiveness is granted to those who regret their actions and show remorse, not murdering psychopaths that claim they were under the imperious curse at the time. If you want to earn our respect enforce the use of veritaserum on everyone on trial for capital crimes.” She glared at him, “You allowed Sirius Black to be imprisoned without trial in Azkaban for twelve years, you are as Dark as any Wizard I have ever encountered, and I was tortured by Bellatrix.”

The rumble of Hagrid’s approach alerted them to the moment they were waiting for. Hermione snapped her wand into Minerva’s face. “No.” she held the woman in her gaze, “I used to revere you, but Harry shared his memories with me, you pair are responsible for ruining his life. Do not attempt to stop us taking Harry to a safe place, somewhere he will be loved and will grow without ever hearing the pointless platitudes of this old fool. I will strike you down,” the tip of her wand was glowing slightly, and sparks were visible in her hair.

“James, is tha’ you?” Hagrid asked as he walked over to them from Sirius’s bike.

“Sorry Hagrid, but no. James and Lily are gone. I am Harry. You are holding younger me in your hands. I have come back in time to end Voldemort before any of Harry’s suffering begins. You will have to excuse Albus, he is responsible for almost all the suffering in my life, so I cannot allow him to influence you. Please hand the baby to my wife, and we can pull the damned Horcrux out of that scar before we leave.”

Hagrid stood looking puzzled but made no attempt to resist as Hermione took the swaddled child out of his hands. Harry placed the tip of his wand on the scar and incanted in parseltongue, as before when Delphini had removed the shard in the Headmaster’s office a black thread like a dark memory came out on the wand tip. With a swirl he gathered it around the tip. Hermione conjured a jar windlessly, without any incantation and he placed it inside as she transformed it into a globe. “We should hang onto this one, we can use it to track the others in case any are in different locations.” Harry pocketed the globe and she ran her finger along the scar, murmuring “episkey” and healing the scar.

“Horcrux?” Minerva spluttered.

“Yes Minerva, Albus believed I had to die in order for Riddle to be defeated, as you can see Horcruxes are easily dealt with. If he had asked a Curse Breaker, such as Bill Weasley he would have known. That however requires dear Albus here to share information, a habit he has never gained. I actually allowed Voldemort to kill me, and died for a while, all for nothing.” Minerva’s glare moved over to the garishly robed buffoon still held in place by the Potter’s spells. Hermione was casting diagnostics over the child;

“He has bindings on his magic, a mail diversion charm, a repulsion charm? You deliberately caused his abuse.” She stared at Dumbledore for a few moments, her wand flicked in his direction for a second. She huffed out in anger. With a few sweeps of her wand she removed most of the spells. “Harry, you need the wand for some of these, he has overpowered them.” Harry passed her the Elder Wand and with a shrug she carried out the cleansing.”

“You use each other’s wands?”

“Since we were first years, always have.” Harry commented.

“Only soulmates can share wands so effortlessly?” she said in a soft voice.

“Yes well, Albus here tried to ensure Harry would be swept up by the Weasley family, we found all the compulsion spells and repulsion charms on our younger selves in our last trip. He didn’t want his little soldier to actually love anyone, that might give them a reason to want to live.” She pulled a face.

“Oh my, I think I need a large dram.”

“Minerva, you need to speak to the board of Governors, and either take over as Head of Hogwarts, or leave. Albus is evil, but he does it in the belief that he is doing the right thing, and only he knows the right path, and he chooses everyone’s path regardless of their wishes.”

Harry looked over to Hermione, “Ready?”

“Yep.”

“Hagrid, make sure you give Sirius his bike back.” Harry stopped for a moment, “Sirius. We need to stop him being an idiot.” He flicked the wand and his Patronus leaped from the tip, “Prongs. Go to Sirius Black and give him this message. ‘Sirius, meet us at Godric’s Hollow, we have Harry and it is time for you to honour your vows to James and Lily. Leave Peter to the Aurors. Harry needs his Godfather.” The huge golden hind nodded and spun away bounding away in a flash.

“Oh my,” Minerva quietly exclaimed. “That was the most powerful patronus I have ever seen.”

“Rudolph is quite cute isn’t he?” Hermione quipped.

“It’s not a bloody reindeer.” Harry muttered.

“No, it’s quite fine, cold though. Shall we pop off?” With a head shake they apparated away from the driveway without a sound.

Hagrid looked from Minerva to Albus, “Wha’ jus’ ‘appened?”

“It appears our dearly respected Headmaster faced the consequences of his meddling. I will let you take him back to Hogwarts Hagrid, I need to speak to some people before I speak to Albus again, or I may not be responsible for my actions. Lily Potter’s son was abused, and holds me partly responsible. This is not a feeling I am comfortable with, I need to have a long hard look in the mirror, I am not sure I like what I have allowed myself to become.” With a twist she disappeared. Hagrid picked up the still frozen Dumbledore and carried him over to the sidecar of the motorbike standing in the road. Once wedged in place he set off along the road and into the air, turning north once he was clear of the rooftops.

Once back at Hogwarts Filius Flitwick released Albus from the body bind, but the bowel loosening hex Hermione had put him under lasted a month. Albus was not pleased with the Potter’s but could not leave his quarters.

______________ᓚᘏᗢ

They appeared in front of the ruined cottage; Harry stood silently and took in a few deep breaths. Hermione wrapped an arm around his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. “We should pop back and kill Moldyshorts aged whatever?” he murmured.

“No Harry, that would turn you into him, we should pop to that orphanage, and find him a loving family, turn him into a decent human. Take him to the Potters of that era perhaps.”

Harry looked at her for a moment and sighed, “You are right, I could no more kill him as a child than I could kill anyone in cold blood.”

“You always fight defensively Harry. You never strike first. I could not love someone who could kill a child.”

“No. I couldn’t either.” A crack announced the arrival of Sirius, “Padfoot, it’s nice to see you again.” He grinned.

“Who are you?” Sirius had them at wand point.

“Harry James Potter, and so is he.” He pointed at the baby in Hermione’s arms. “We are time travellers. We rescued the little fella from Dumbledore. Don’t trust that old goat, he knew Severus heard part of the prophecy and I think he knew Peter was a Death Eater.” Sirius stood, wand trained at Harry. He was blinking hard, and he looked from one adult to the other, and to the child.

“Sirius, Death Eaters cannot create patroni, it requires a memory of love, they cannot do it.” Hermione flicked her wand and a doe leaped out, she huffed, “Where’s my otter?” Harry created Prongs and the two deer rubbed noses, and stood regarding Sirius. “Harry calls his Prongs after his father, I prefer Bambi, but what do I know.”

“You sound like them, you sound just like James and Lily.” Sirius’s voice broke, he dropped to his knees and Harry took the baby as Hermione grabbed Sirius into a hug.

“He has Lily’s eyes, and her temper. If you think I am like Lily, then I am deeply flattered, all of my favourite Professors held her in high regard.” She held Sirius as sobs racked through the young man, ‘he is so young, I only met him after Azkaban, he is a boy here, he is barely past twenty, I am older than him now’ she rubbed his back, “We need to contact the Longbottoms, they will be attacked soon, we can mop up a few Death Eaters, and prevent Frank and Alice being hurt, Harry will have Neville as a brother to grow up with. Can you contact them?”

They climbed to their feet and Sirius looked at Harry, holding Harry, “I thought it was really bad to meet yourself?”

Harry grinned, “Nah. More Unspeakable Dragon shite I think, Hermione is right though, we need to protect the Longbottoms, and you need to go talk to your grandfather, you are his heir, and get Andromeda reinstated, her daughter should be in the family.”

“You know Nymphy?”

“She is awesome. We love her, can’t tell you more; spoilers Sweetie.” Hermione grinned.

“I can say, that adult Auror Tonks, would hex your balls off for calling her Nymphy.” Harry laughed.

“We need to go somewhere Dumbledore won’t find us straight away, he must be kept out of Harry’s life, how does moving to America and enrolling him in Ilvermorney sound?”

“You two really hate Dumbledore that much?”

“With good reason, where can we go? – we can tell you our story, but it needs to be outside of Albus Dumbledore’s reach.”

“Perhaps we could visit my Grandfather, he hates Dumbledore.”

“Where are we going to? Can you give us the location, can we pop to the Leaky and use the Floo?”

“It’s quite late, might be best to get a room at the Leaky and I can meet you for breakfast, and we can floo over then?”

“OK, we will see you about nine tomorrow at the Leaky, for breakfast. Do you want us to look after our little man, or are you taking him?”

“Tomorrow, I need to get my shit together first.”

“OK, don’t go chasing the rat, we know where he runs to, let the Auror’s chase him, we can get him later.” Sirius nodded and with a twist disappeared.

They met up in the pub, just after nine and sat and enjoyed a friendly breakfast. Hermione sat and watched Sirius, he was so lively, so exuberant, so young. He only called Harry senior James three times, and after the third time, Harry told him it was fine, it would avoid confusion.

“How old are you two?”

“I am twenty five, Hermione is almost a year older. We have been friends since the day we met on the train.”

“James, your dad, he met Lily on the train, first day. He was obsessed from that day on,” Sirius laughed, “She thought he was an obnoxious prat for most of their time in school.” He smiled wistfully and looked at his plate for a moment, “She was probably right, we were pretty stupid as kids. When did you two actually get together?”

“Two thousand and Five.” Hermione answered with a grin, “About two months ago to us. We danced around each other, and wound up with our second choices, because we both thought the other didn’t want a romantic relationship, oh, yes, and of course, a shed load of Dumbledore’s manipulations pushing us in certain directions so we were in too deep to make the change until it all went pear shaped.”

“Sounds like quite the story”

“If we can talk to your House Head, and maybe get Andi over, we can tell the tale once?”

“I sent him a message, I got his reply just before I flooed over, he is expecting us at ten.”

“Let me settle up with Tom, and we can floo over.”

Arcturus listened to the story with growing anger at Dumbledore’s manipulations of a member of his extended family and once their tale was done, contacted the Tonks and invited them over, reinstating them with all the privileges, and casting out Bellatrix, which allowed the retrieval of the cup. He then annulled Narcissa’s marriage, and as part of the compensation he demanded from Lucius, obtained the diary, and Narcissa gained custody of Draco, now Draco Black.

It took the pair, aided by a certain excitable elf less than a week to round up and destroy the remaining Horcruxes.

The Blacks decided Hogwarts would be far too easy for Dumbledore to manipulate the children, and along with the Longbottoms moved out to a ranch the family owned in the United States. The three boys enrolled at Ilvermorney in 1991.

____________________ᓚᘏᗢ

Helen Granger was a woman of science. She had spent over seven years at University and Dental School, she was a surgeon professionally, and she understood the sciences deeply. She was highly intelligent as was her husband Richard, and their daughter was a prodigy. It was a point of fierce pride that their little girl Hermione was so special. What was causing Helen to almost freak out was the telekinesis she had just witnessed her cute little six year old munchkin perform. Hermione had promptly fainted.

She had wanted a book from a high shelf, and her mother had answered “just a minute,” as she dried her hands before walking into Hermione’s playroom come library. As she entered the door she saw her daughter reaching for the book and it floating down to her lap. She caught Hermione before she toppled from her small chair and had laid her in the small sofa. She was in turmoil, she was in equal parts amazed, and terrified. She did not want her child treated as a science experiment.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a polite rap on the front door. Checking Hermione was stable, she walked to the door and opened it to see a young couple. The woman looked like her from her university days, and Helen found herself liking the girl before a word was spoken.

“Mrs Granger? May we come in? We can set your mind at ease over the little trick Hermione has just performed.” The young woman smiled.

Helen noted her almost perfect teeth out of habit, “Please come in. May I ask who you are, you seem familiar to me?”

As the male gently closed the door the young woman beamed at her, “I am Hermione Potter, nee Granger. Mum.”

“Sorry?”

“Harry here, my husband, and I, we are time travellers, like Doctor Who. I am your daughter, grown up and married. Little me is in her playroom?”

“Is this a trick, is there a hidden camera?”

“No mum. It’s real. Hermione is a witch, she just did some magic,” Harry conjured some Dahlias out of fresh air, “Harry is a wizard. We came to set your mind at ease and tell you and dad about Hermione’s future, my past, and we want to change it. We want to spare her a lot of unpleasantness.”

Helen stood looking at the bunch of flowers in her hand, Harry, as her grown up daughter called him walked into her kitchen and with practiced ease demonstrating a knowledge of where things went made a pot of tea and placed three mugs on the tray.

“Hermione will need a sugary snack, she will be drained from that burst of magic. Don’t worry about her teeth, she will never need a filling, her magic will see to that.” Grown up Hermione guided her mother to the table and sat her as Harry poured out the milk into the cups.

“The tea needs a minute. Shall we revive little you, or will she be better to sleep it off?”

“What time will dad be home?”

“Richard will be back after lunch, he only works the morning on Saturdays.”

“Let her sleep until dad gets here, we can do the full explanation then.”

Helen was catching up, “So do you two have a Tardis then?”

Hermione smiled, “sort of, it’s not a time machine, but our temporary accommodation is bigger on the inside, and we can always make the outside look like a police box if you like. It might be fun to set it up so when little me wakes up the Tardis is sitting in her room.”

“You are cruel, love.”

“Nooo. I loved Doctor Who, it was one of my favourite TV shows.” She giggled, “We can transfigure the entry to look like a Tardis control room, she will be in seventh heaven.”

A Little later the six year old blinked awake and sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stopped and stared at the navy blue police box standing incongruously in the corner of her play room. The door was ajar and she could hear her mother’s voice inside. Carefully standing she trotted over and peered into what she expected was a replica of the television show prop. She gasped aloud as she saw the three adults standing too far away from her to be possible. Quick as a flash she ran around the box and back to the door. “Mummy! It’s real. It’s bigger on the inside!” her excitement overcame any caution and she ran to her mother.

The man turned to her and spoke, “Hello Hermione. Did you have a good sleep?”

She stopped in her tracks and looked in awe at the handsome stranger. “Are you the Doctor?”

The woman standing with her mother, who looked so similar to her mum, answered. “No Hermione, we have borrowed it to visit you and your parents, we have a message from the future.”

Her mouth dropped open in a perfect ‘O’ and for once she was lost for words. For a few seconds.

The lady walked to a panel in the control room wall and pushed, a door seam appeared and opened, shall we sit down. Hermione bobbed in behind the adults and climbed into a sofa next to her mother looking around at what was to the older pair’s eyes a fairly normal room. Hermione homed in on the stereo system and the Flat screen TV on the wall, with a grin, elder Hermione set the DVD playing and the opening credits of Star Wars Episode 1. The Phantom Menace started on screen.

“You have films, from the future, that says it was released in 1999, but that’s fourteen years from now.” She looked from the screen to the couple. “When are you from?”

“2005 Hermione. We are from twenty years in your future. Well. To be completely correct we are from a parallel version of your future, as we have already made changes to the past as we remember it. You will not suffer as we did.”

Hermione was blinking away and clenching and releasing her fists as she processed what she had been told and as her amazing brain made the connections. “Are you me?”

Harry burst out laughing. “Too clever by half as always. She is you, a parallel world version of you aged twenty six years old.”

“Are you her boyfriend?”

“I am her husband Hermione.”

“Will I marry you in my future?” she sounded a little worried, boys were not nice to her in her experience so far.

“Perhaps, you have a different destiny, you may never meet me. Your life will be what you make of it.”

“Are you a good husband. Boys are mean to me and always trying to make me do things I don’t like. They don’t like books and learning, they want to play football or silly chasing games. Are you mean to your Hermione?”

“No, he is not Hermione. He would die for me. I know he loves me, and I love him, he is everything a woman could dream of in a partner, and if anyone pushes anyone, it’s me making Harry do things, he has never ever been mean to me in the way the schoolyard bullies of our past were. When I was just twelve, he jumped on a twelve foot high mountain troll and saved my life. We were best friends from that moment on, and we married a couple of years ago.” She pulled her wand out. “Your copy of the Hobbit got damaged last week didn’t it.”

Little Hermione nodded and looked over to her mother guiltily, “Hermione, you never said a word.”

“Sorry mum, it gets worse if I tell on them. I go to the library, they ignore me most of the time.”

Elder Hermione held her hand out and caught the damaged book as it responded to her summons, “repario” she said softly and the book riffled and became as good as new. She handed it over to her younger self. “Here, a little magic and it’s all fixed up.”

“You can do magic? Can I do magic?” her eyes were wide.

“When you are a little older you will learn how to do magic, you are a little young to have full control over it yet, but we want to explain everything to you and your parents about the magical world that exists hidden within the world you know, it can be beautiful, but some of it is dark and best avoided.”

Richard Granger arrived a little after two o’clock and followed the sound of voices into the ‘Tardis’ in Hermione’s downstairs room, entering the lounge where he found his wife and daughter, sitting with a young couple, the woman strikingly similar to Helen in her University days.

They stayed for the weekend, and at the end of their visit the Grangers had decided that they would look into America and Australia, once little Hermione was tucked up in bed, they showed them some of their memories, how Hermione would be treated as some sort of inferior being. Richard sat quietly for a while, “you endured all of this?”

“I did dad.”

“Was it worth it?”

“Yes. Given the chance, and you have the opportunity, I would go to America where they actually revere new bloods because of the magic they bring, or Australia, where they just don’t care. Britain is stuck in a Dickensian time warp and it will not be fixed quickly enough to protect Hermione if she goes to Hogwarts. This timelines version of Harry is no longer living in England, so she would not make friends so easily, it could be a lonely and dangerous place for her.”

“Which would you recommend?”

“Little me is in America, and since my world’s version of your daughter is the love of my life, I would want them to at least meet. They might hate each other, they will be different children and grow into different people. But I still like to think little me would look out for Hermione if she needed a friend.”

“We have been approached by an American Hospital, we were reluctant to disturb Hermione’s education, but from what you say, she would have a better life on the other side of the Atlantic.”

“I think she would. There are a lot more opportunities for such a clever witch in America than there currently are in the UK.” She pulled a face, “I was working in the Ministry before we tumbled through time. I heard my blood status remarked on every single day, ‘ideas above my station’ it was like a parody of an Austen novel.”

____________________ᓚᘏᗢ

Hermione Granger enrolled at Ilvermorny in 1990, she was allowed to start that year as her birthday was only days after the beginning of the semester and she was a long way ahead of her peers. She made a few friends over the years, but it was not until her senior year, when she was acting as a Teacher’s Assistant in Runes that she got to know the small group of boys that had fled the troubles as they had been referred to in England. The three of them were all on the school Quidditch and Quadpot teams, and she was asked by one of them if she would help them in their study group.

She liked the boys and their easy camaraderie, when Drake started to tease his cousin James about the upcoming school dance, the boy turned to her, blushing to his roots and asked her if she would accompany him to the dance. She had never been asked to anything, she avoided them for fear of sitting at the side ignored. Here she was being asked out by the School’s star Seeker, a boy that had a fan club within the school, and he was nervous.

“Do you mean that James?”

“Yes. Yes I do. Will you come to the Yule Dance with me Hermione?”

“As a friend?”

“As a date actually. I want to ask you out. I really like you.”

“A Date?” she squeaked involuntarily.

“We could go out this weekend, if you prefer, get some ice cream, and soda. Maybe watch a movie?”

Hermione was undone. She had quietly crushed on this handsome young man with his emerald eyes. He was handsome and polite, but so far out of her league. She wanted to say yes, but she was terrified it was all part of some massive trap, and she would be betrayed like some sort of Carrie from the movie “I don’t know, do you really like me James? You wouldn’t try to trick me would you, no one has ever shown any interest in me before and most of the girls in this school would jump to be on your arm, why me?”

“Because the curse of the Potter’s has bitten him, and he is over the moon in love with you.” Declared Harry’s cousin Drake. The other two boys were laughing and James was redder than ever.

She looked into his eyes, he nodded and shrugged a little. “your magic, it feels so right, I feel empty after you leave a room. My birth family were the Potter’s, and the men have what the family jokes about as a curse, once they meet a witch with the right magical feel, no one else matters. I have been wanting to ask you out for about a year, but never had the nerve.” He took her hand and holding it up, “I could no more hurt you than I could hurt a new born. If you say no, I will accept your choice, but it will hurt. I am a bit besotted. Sorry.”

“Yes.”

“Sorry?”

“Yes I will come to the ball, yes, let’s go out this weekend. I need to be braver. I can feel your magic now, and it feels nice, I think I can trust you. I hope I can trust you.”

“I should tell you, I am adopted, I was born Harry James Potter. My Godfather Sirius Black adopted me when we came to America, and I use my middle name.”

“Harry Potter?” her eyes opened. “Oh.” Without thinking she wrapped him into a hug, “I am so sorry, you lost your family.” She held him for a few moments until she became aware of the giggling boys looking at them.

“Congratulations Lady Potter, I think you might just have blown James’s fuses.” Neville grinned at her. She released the hold and saw James’s grin. On impulse she kissed him gently. Her body nearly betrayed her. She intended a chaste kiss, the merest brush of their lips, but she was still kissing him and she wondered if the universe still existed. Time had stopped for her, she felt his hands on her waist and her heart was swelling up fit to burst from her chest. They stopped the kiss to breathe.

Her eyes were wide. “Yes. James. I want to go out with you.” She kissed him again. It felt so right, so complete.

That Saturday, she walked back to her house hand in hand with her new boyfriend, James Black. Harry James Potter-Black. The fabled Boy-who-lived, lost to the British years ago and holding her hand as she led him up to her front door. “My mum wants to meet you. I hope you don’t mind?”

James shook his head, “No, I expect your dad will do the scary talk at some point.”

“Not if my mum has anything to say about it.” She pushed the door open, “Mum, it’s us.” She called out.

“In the kitchen” came the reply and Hermione led him into the room, to find her parents sat at the table. Smiling at them. “Good film?”

Hermione grinned and guided James to sit at the table, he hesitated and pulled out her chair as his father and Aunt had drilled him to do. He caught the slight smile from Hermione’s mother as he did.

“Take a seat James, we have heard quite a bit about you these last few days. Hermione tells us you were born in England as well.”

He glanced at Hermione and she nodded imperceptibly. “Yes, my parents were killed by a terrorist, called Tom Riddle, he was the leader of a sect calling themselves the Death Eaters. They were wiped out by a pair of hit wizards before I was two years old. Officially they are wanted, but no one wants to see them caught, they did the world a favour. I was born Harry Potter. I don’t know if that name means anything, I try to keep it quiet. I don’t want the fame. The British press print a load of nonsense about what happened, they forget that they celebrate the day I became an orphan.

“You are Harry Potter?” He wasn’t expecting the roar of laughter from Hermione’s father. “Well, we wondered when you would appear in Hermione’s life.”

“Dad?”

“Do you remember when you were little, and some time travellers appeared in a real life Tardis? Hermione.”

“Was that real, I wondered if I imagined it?”

“No sweetheart,” her mother continued, “It happened, they were probably the Hit Wizards Harry. Sorry, James just mentioned. They were also called Harry and Hermione. They were married, and she was a version of you from a parallel reality, they were very much in love and he did say he thought if you two ever met you would become at least friends. I am sorry I laughed, but I was told to expect you eleven years ago.”

“Daaad.”

“Sorry Hermione. Just let me say, I don’t need to do the scary dad speech. I already know this young man will not hurt you, and if it doesn’t work out, he will be respectful and probably still be a close friend, which is all any parent wants for their daughter.”

The dance was a dream come true for Hermione, with her mother’s help and some ‘special’ shampoo Harry’s Aunt Narcissa sent over they tamed her hair and wearing a dress she felt fabulous in, she spent the night in James’s arms and knew when he kissed her goodnight on her doorstep she would have his children in their future.

She was four months pregnant when she presented her defence of her PhD paper, and Doctor Hermione Potter Black gave birth to their first child, a daughter. They had two more children and sent them all to Ilvermorney.

Albus Dumbledore had been arrested in 1992 on American soil attempting to kidnap Neville Longbottom, he was given truth serum by the Aurors of MaCUSA and when the litany of his schemes came to light he was executed in the bowels of the building.

Lucius Malfoy was killed in an honour duel in Italy by Sirius in 1982, when he attempted to take Draco from Narcissa. They too left for America and Drake Black joined Neville and Harry/James at the Black Ranch in Wyoming.

Remus Lupin married an American First Nation Skin Walker, and they have a litter of cubs as Sirius refers to their children. Sirius married the tutor they initially hired to bring the kids up to speed with the culture in magical America, and they have two daughters.

Minerva initially resigned from Hogwarts, but after the 1991 Quirrellmort incident when the shade of Voldemort possessed the DADA professor for a year, the board fired Dumbledore and invited Minerva to return and modernise the school. She had a visit from a pair of familiar looking magicals, answering to the name of Peverell, but they declined her offer of employment. They did remove the curse on the DADA job, and exorcise Binns before they left.

Chapter Text

Henry (Harry) Peverell was enjoying the sun on their Nile cruise. It was 1922 and Hermione wanted to witness the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. They had become History Tourists, visiting the grand historical events of the world, watching the elephants in the Alps with Hannibal had almost got them caught as his battle mages had detected them, but they slipped though time unobserved, leaving no impact where they travelled.

To them it had been nearly five years since they had plucked Harry junior out of Hagrid’s arms and set in motion the downfall of the Dark Lord they felt had done the most damage, Dumbledore. They had slipped into Ilvermorney a couple of times, once to check up and see if they were both there. Discovering little Hermione was in the year above was a surprise, but not a shock, and when they attended the Graduation ceremony for Hermione and saw her grab her boyfriend for a hug and a kiss after she picked up her certificate, they smiled as they saw the couple had come together again.

The Nile Barge they were travelling on sat at the bank not far from the great Pyramids, tomorrow they would visit the Valley of the Kings and Howard Carter would open the tomb, they apparated to the site and were not surprised to find a crew from Gringotts busy neutralising the various curses. One of the goblins saw them and challenged.

“We are just curious. We offer no challenge, honoured warrior.” Harry replied. The goblin made a rude remark in his own language.

“Would you speak to you mother with that tongue” Hermione replied to him in Dverger.

The goblin stopped. “You speak our tongue?”

“We do, and as my mate informed you, we are simply curious, this tomb is world famous amongst the Humans.”

“Well, the boy King was another Ptaak that made phylacteries, they must be destroyed or your human tomb raiders arrive, or they will be learning a lot more about this Pharoah than they bargained for.”

“Can we offer assistance, we have destroyed a few of these things in our time.”

Another voice from within the tomb replied, “If you know how to destroy a horcrux without using fiendfyre or Baslisk venom that would be a boon, the canopic jars are tainted as is the death mask, if we have to destroy them our client will not be best pleased.”

“So is one of the players a wizard?”

“George Herbert, the Earl of Carnarvon, hired us to cleanse the tomb before it is ‘discovered’ by that charlatan he has hired.”

“I can summons a Horcrux out of the vessel, a simple killing curse will send it on after that.”

“The killing curse will destroy a Horcrux?”

“Yes, I am part of the House of Black, one of their Grimoires had a whole chapter on how to destroy the things.”

“Really?” the voice answered. “Do I know you?”

“Henry Peverell, to whom do I have the honour of addressing.”

The silhouette moved into the torchlight, “Doreah Black. How are you related to my House, the Peverells are the Potter’s ancestors.”

“Because my great grandmother was a Black, she married a Potter, and my godfather was a Black and he named me his heir.”

“Sounds made up, I don’t know of any Potters marrying Blacks.”

“Have you met Charlus yet?”

“He is inside, we work together.”

“Well then, Great Grandmother, now you know.” He grinned.

“You two are the time tourists we keep detecting?”

“Guilty.”

“When are you from.”

“I was born in 1980, my wife Hermione was born in 1979.”

“Hmm.” She looked thoughtful, “You have his hair.” She looked at the pair, “Which Library?”

“Grimmauld Place, the London town house.”

“That dungheap, I am not surprised. Come in, let’s get this over with, then I think we should head back to the Hotel and you can tell us your story, it sounds like it should be a good one.” As they walked down the rough-hewn steps she looked at the man, “Grandson eh? Does he respect you young lady? or is he another idiot that thinks women are for babies and embroidering?”

“He treats me like his Princess, and we are equals in our relationship, either of us would die for the other. I am muggleborn as you call it, Harry was raised in the muggle world. Neither of us hold with the pureblood dogmas.”

Doreah looked shocked and started to speak, before apparently thinking better of it. “Then you are a lucky witch, men like your husband are rare in this world, especially in this era. Perhaps I will relent and let the Potter here take me dancing as he keeps asking.”

“I think you will find he will respect you Doreah, I spent hours talking to your portraits over the years, I am surprised you aren’t together already.”

“My fault young man, marrying means giving up my freedoms, I am outcast from my family, but a marriage contract makes me the chattel of the male, I will not be controlled in that way.”

“The Potters don’t use that type of contract, we are simply bonded, we promised ourselves to one another. I cannot order Hermione to do a thing, I doubt I would survive the attempt if I did.” Doreah laughed

“I think I like your lady Henry.”

It took them a quarter of an hour to gather all the soul shards into a conjured glass ball, and Harry casually zapped it sending the soul onward to the next destination.

“Well done,” a cultured voice commented from the shadows, a man so obviously a relative of Harry’s walked into the light, “I think we are done here, we can seal everything back up and Carter can find it all in the morning.” He looked at Harry and Hermione for a long moment. “You are family, where are you from. I can sense the family magic heavy on you both.”

“More of a when, than a where.”

“Really.”

“My father was James Potter, son of Fleamont, who will be your son.”

“Really? Interesting, dare I ask who is Fleamont’s mother?”

“Not if you still want to take me dancing Charlie?” Doreah answered from the other side of the group. “Allow a girl some mystery?” Charlie’s eyebrows rose, and he looked from Harry to Doreah thoughtfully. “I believe we should all apparate back to the hotel, I think a bottle of fizz for us ladies, and well, you boys can have a glass of whatever takes your fancy.”

Sitting at a table in the Hotel Garden a little later Hermione and Doreah were talking heads together and hands forming shapes as they discussed something Harry was worried to ask what. Harry had just finished telling Charlie the story of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets under Hogwarts and he could see the younger man wondering if he could get in. “You need to speak parseltongue to open the chamber, my ability comes from the Peverell line as far as I know, you may have it, it often skips generations, like metamorphs.”

“I have never met a metamorph, it must be incredible to be able to shape shift.”

“One of our close friends in our timeline was a metamorphmagus, she was killed in the battle against the Dark Wizard of our time, and was one of the reasons we agreed to time travel, and change things. She viewed it as a mixed blessing, she didn’t even know what she herself looked like anymore. She had her work appearance, another for formal occasions, she changed shape like the ladies change their dresses. She hated any male who thought she would mimic the shape of some film star or such. She married a werewolf of all people, lovely couple in the end.”

“Charlus,” Doreah called

“I am in trouble, it’s only Charlus if I have done something to annoy her.”

“Not this time. I want to know what a Potter betrothal agreement would contain?”

“Other than financial guarantees, and perhaps some House alliance stuff, it’s usually just a bonding statement, love and fidelity.” He frowned, “why do you ask?”

“Well, if you are a decent dance partner, I might be interested if it doesn’t mean magically binding myself to your wishes. If you are happy to meet me as an equal, I think we could be very happy together.”

“Are you proposing to me Doreah?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself Charlie, I am agreeing to go dancing with you. Vertically. With clothes. The rest may follow, but we have time to decide.”

Charlus nodded lifted a glass in a toast, “to dancing, and what may follow.” Hermione grinned and raised her glass.

__________________________ᓚᘏᗢ

They walked into the bar. Aberforth was cleaning a glass and they picked a stool each, Hermione flicked her hood back allowing her face to be visible, “What Whisky do you have?”

“Ogdens.”

“I said Whisky, not the magic pish.” She replied.

Aberforth smiled, “I have Laphroaig, Talisker, Bunnahabhain, Jura or Bowmore.”

“Jura, doubles, over ice.” Aberforth gave her a look, “I know, we live in the tropics, I like scotch over ice, fuck the purists with their drip of spring water.”

Aberforth chuckled silently and poured out two doubles, then placed and ice bucket between them, “help yourself.”

“Slàinte mhath.” Harry muttered. Aberforth nodded in response and walked down the small bar to serve another. “Language is pretty ripe dear?”

“Local colour, part of our cover.”

“Hmm, Snape alert, dungeon bat at five o’clock, slytherin his way to the stairs.”

“Ever wondered why he was here to overhear the prophecy?”

“Not really?”

“Before we kill him, we should rip his mind open, find out who sent him. Riddly or Dumblebee?”

“OK. I owe him a severe mind fucking.”

“Now who is the potty mouth?”

“Just getting in character.”

“Keep that thought, I fancy a bit of bad boy later.” Harry chuckled and his mind wandered to where Hermione was leading.

Snape slipped up the stairs, they noticed Abe’s attention catch him entering the stair access and once he finished serving he went to the door and returned moments later propelling the disgruntled Severus in front of him. They slipped out of the bar, one per entrance and as Aberforth turned to go back inside, Harry hit Snape with a massive stunner. He dropped like a pile of old clothes, Hermione deftly levitated him and the pair disillusioned themselves and the recumbent Snape, before apparating over to the shrieking shack, where they suitably bound and disarmed their prey, prior to enervating him.

“Good Evening Severus, welcome to your worst nightmare, I am the son of James and Lily Potter, and I fucking hate your slimy greasy existence, compared to me Sirius Black just thinks you need a wash.” He leaned right in so Snape could see his face and especially his eyes. “You have some sort of sick crush on my mother, even after you called her a mudblood bitch to her face, and you really hate my father, just imagine how much my mother enjoys being fucked senseless by James Potter, she loves it so much she got pregnant and had me. How does that sit in your twisted mind Snivellous? Imagine Lily screaming in pleasure as James fucking Potter shags her into ecstasy, do you know she loved sucking his cock?”

“ENOUGH.”

“Sorry Sevvy baby, not an image you want?”

“Who sent you to listen tonight?”

“Who are you really?”

“Harry James Potter, son of James and Lily, Your sworn enemy. Tell me what I want and I will only kill you.”

“and the girl.”

“I am his wife, another mudblood know it all. You are beneath contempt. I have flushed more worthy things down the toilet.”

“I will tell you nothing”

“Thank you.”

“You are thanking me?”

“Yes, because now I can rip your mind apart, without guilt. You are a twisted, sick fuck.” He put the tip of the Elder wand against one of Severus’s eyes, smiling as the bat recognised the wand, “Yes Severus, that wand, I am a Peverell, legillimens” He pushed into the man’s mind, he saw the barriers and ripped them apart without mercy.

He found the fantasies regarding his mother and pushed past, he found the meeting he was looking for, sat in a familiar office, Albus Dumbledore told the young Severus where to be and when to arrive. Albus then performed a memory block and sent Severus on his way.

Standing, having discovered what he needed Harry cast an obliviate, and held the spell until Severus Snape no longer existed. He would require feeding and a nappy from this moment on, the smell should attract someone eventually he considered.

“I feel dirty, fancy a bath over at the Balmoral?”

“Hmm, I rather do, husband of mine. I hope you are hungry?”

“Hungry?”

“I want you to eat me afterwards.” She giggled, “let’s go.” They snapped away.

Some months later they apparated outside Sirius’s flat and knocked on the door. After a few minutes the door opened and a suspicious Sirius part opened the door. “Hi Padfoot, we have a little bit of information for Prongs.”

“Who are you?”

“Well, I call him husband, sometimes Bambi. You used to call him Prongslet, or pup. Mooney called him cub and me kitten. He is Harry James Potter, your godson, and we are time travellers. Are you going to let us in or should we stun you carry you indoors and revive you?”

Sirius stood in the doorway, lost in thought, “We know that James once saved Snivellous from a prank, where you sent him to meet Mooney on the night of a full moon. We are not Death Munchers.” Sirius decided and stepped back from the door, keeping his wand trained on them he motioned them inside and up the stairs to his flat.

They dropped onto the couch and smiled at their old friend, “Wormtail is a Death Eater Sirius. You need to tell James and Lily to go back to the Manor, and lock the wards down. Leave the summer cottage and we three can sit and wait for Moldyfart to turn up and then send the sick psycho onto the next plane of existence. Peter, we can argue over him later, our animagus forms are big cats, perhaps we could share a snack?”

“Can you prove any of this?”

“Not without a pensieve?”

Sirius patted his pockets and shrugged, “Sorry, fresh out.” Hermione placed her handbag on a table and reaching both hands inside, pulled out a pensieve and placed it on the table.

“Luckily, here is one I prepared earlier.” She gave Sirius a smug smile. “You don’t really need to keep us at wand point, if we were here to kill you, you would already be dead.” Sirius opened his mouth to make a clever retort and Hermione silently and wandlessly disarmed him, catching his wand and placing it on the table alongside the pensieve. She looked at him for a moment, eyebrows raised, as Harry pulled a memory thread away from his temple and swirling it around his wand like candyfloss placed it into the pensieve.

An hour later they were sitting in the front room of Godric’s Hollow, as they told the story again, Lily was staring at Harry, she believed them, James was suspicious of the pair, as Hermione produced the pensieve he drew his wand. Harry took it off him, by hand, snatching it out of his grasp, “Sit down, you bloody fool. We are here trying to save your arrogant arse. I survive this, neither of you two do. Maybe young me will be a better person without you in his life.”

“Harry.” Hermione admonished.

“Sorry love, but he is still the stupid arrogant jerk that bullied Snape and sent him off to be a Death Eater in the first place.” Harry turned to his father from another timeline, “Sit down, if you pull a wand on my wife again, I will slap you so hard Harry will not misbehave until he is a teenager. You might be a bigshot Auror in your own head, but we fought Voldemort face to face, and won. We overmatch you so much, you have no idea. You venerate Dumbledore, and you are too naïve to realise he is setting you up like lambs to the slaughter. He is the Dark Lord of the Prophecy, not Tom Riddle.” Harry was breathing hard, he was surprised how easily he had become angry with his own father.

“Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive.”

“Really, why doesn’t he just go out and kill Voldypants then.”

“I asked the same question?” Lily spoke up. “Sit down and listen James, your own grown up son is not here to arrange his own death, is he?”

“I don’t like the way they disrespect Dumbledore.”

“Oh trust me Prongs, we have only just started on that side of things.” Hermione snarked. James gave her a sullen look. “Aaah, that’s where Harry gets the brooding from, I owe you an apology Lily, I thought that was the famous Evans temper.” Lily smiled at the other woman.

“He is stubborn. Ideas take a bit of effort to shift, once they are embedded. Is Harry the same?”

“Not so much once we removed the soul shard Riddle left embedded in his scar. It was like a little nagging anger source in his head all the time. He became a much more thoughtful and altogether sweeter man afterwards.”

“You really love him, don’t you.”

“Enough to trek up and down the timelines trying to improve his lives. We came here to try and give him parents he can remember, currently being brought up by you and his godfather looks like the best option to me.”

Lily laughed, “James isn’t so bad. He has a blind spot for Dumbledore, Remus is worse.”

“And Peter is a Death Eater, and has almost certainly betrayed you. Riddle will turn up on Halloween and kill you both. Why don’t we apparate over to Potter Manor, hide under it’s wards, and argue about it there. Tell Alice and Frank to stay locked down for at least a month after, otherwise they get hit by Death Eaters.

“I will go and fetch little Harry, we can open the floo and slip back across to the manor.” She stood and left the room, Hermione tossed Harry James’s wand and replaced the pensieve into her bag.

“I don’t get a say in this?” James said with an edge in his voice.

“James, wind it in.” Sirius said, “The Manor has some of the best wards in the country, as good as any my family possess. Lets go there, hear out what they have to say, watch their memories. Try to keep an open mind.”

Lily reappeared with a sleeping toddler in her arms. “Siri, do the business with the floo, thanks.”

“Hold it Sirius, Have you got elves at Potter Manor?” Harry asked

“Yes, Tippy and Pappy?” Lily replied.

“Call them get them to ferry us over, floo travel can be intercepted by the Ministry, and they are not secure.”

Lily called for the elves and two smartly turned out elves appeared, Hermione murmured and Winky and Dobby also appeared. “Dobby, do you know Potter Manor. “Yes Master Harry.” He looked around the room, nodding at the other elves. “Lets go then.” He looked at the Potter Elves, “Take everyone to Potter Manor.”

“Yes Master Harry.” they replied and much to James obvious surprise they were elf popped over to the main House.

“James, put the wards into their full lockdown, and take everyone outside of this room out of your ward book.”

James was not stupid, his own family elves had accepted Harry as the defacto leader, elf magic was steeped in family. Only a true Potter could command them. He nodded looking a little dazed.

“James, in our timeline, Hermione and I are the heads of the House, sadly Dumbledore never told me this place existed. I have no memories of it. It was Dobby who told me about it after we rescued him from the Malfoy family in another reality.”

James frowned, “Where did you live.”

It was Hermione who answered, “In Petunia Dursley’s understairs cupboard until he started at Hogwarts. That’s is what Albus did for your heir.” James looked at Sirius, “He was in Azkaban, innocent, Albus left him to rot.”

“I think I need to see these memories.” He walked them to a room as Lily went to settle Harry in his cot. Hermione once more extracted the pensieve. “Where did you acquire that pensieve?” he asked looking closely at the rune encrusted basin.

“It was Dumbledore’s, I liberated it one year.”

“It is a Potter heirloom, I asked, because it looks identical to the one that is in the library, how did Dumbledore acquire it?”

“Does he have access through the wards here?”

“Not anymore, I took everyone off the list except Sirius. Family are automatically allowed access, and the wards identify you both as Potters.

I suspect, that once you had fallen to Riddle, he helped himself to the library, and anything else that took his fancy, all for the ‘greater good’ of course.”

“You really do not like him do you?”

“James, I will kill Tom Riddle on sight, and any of his Death Nibblers, Albus Dumbledore, I will obliviate back to a cabbage and leave him drooling in Diagon Alley. We have a few days, let Harry show you the life Albus had him live, and see how you revere the old goat then.”

At nine o’clock on the evening of the thirty first of October, Harry, Sirius and James waited concealed in the shadows of the garden across the road from the cottage in Godric’s Hollow, they watched Voldemort walk down the street on his way, alone and supremely confident, he was focused on the cottage. As he raised his wand to blast the door open the three fired their curses at the figure. James fired a stupefy, unable to kill someone from behind, Sirius fired a bonebreaker, but Harry sent a massive blasting hex that left nothing but a pink mist in it’s wake.”

James promptly vomited his evening meal. Sirius half turned, to Harry, “You do not mess about?”

“I trained in a war Sirius, if you stupefy, they get back up and you have to fight them again. He was here with the intent to kill James, Lily and fifteen month old Harry. We showed you the Horcruxes, they require a murder, preferably of an innocent, basically a virgin sacrifice, he has made five already. I am not going to fight fair, I have kids at home, and a wife. This is not duelling, it is war.” He patted James on the back, “Let’s go back.” They apparated away.

The following day Dumbledore attempted to apparate into the Manor, the wards bounced him off to who knows where. An hour later he flamed into the hall courtesy of Fawkes and Hermione dropped him with a point blank stunner and methodically stripped him of his portkeys, spare wands, rune encrusted glasses, and all his other magical do-dads. She twirled the Elder wand, “I think I’ll keep this, it saves me borrowing Harry’s.”

Harry slipped a magic suppression collar, he had acquired from the goblin nation earlier that month as reward for alerting them to the cup in the Lestrange Vault. The Gold went into the Peverell coffers and any goblin made artifacts, back to the nation. They levitated him into James’s office and bound him to a chair. Fawkes was perched on a door top, he flew down and settled on Hermione’s shoulder. Trilling and singing, the bird was sounding concerned.

Enervated, Albus faced James sat alone at the desk, his face lit by a solitary desk lamp. The others stood back in the darkness, disillusioned. Harry noted the glow of the collar as it absorbed Albus’s attempts to perform wandless magic. “Why did you tell Severus about the prophecy? Albus.”

“I told no one, you are the only person I have told James, why have you restrained me, am I your enemy now?”

“I believe you are an enemy of the House, Albus Dumbledore. You attempted to apparate directly into the building, and when the wards rejected you, used Fawkes to circumvent our security. These are not the actions of a friend. Why did you not simply call on the floo and ask to enter?”

“I was concerned for your safety James?”

“Then why are you HERE? We are supposedly tucked away at Godric’s Hollow, this Manor is empty, and no one outside of this room knows we are here. Why did you break into our home Albus?”

“James, I can assure you, my only concern is for your safety, and the safety of your wife and child. When I discovered the Voldemort had attacked you at the cottage, but your bodies could not be found, I was concerned. Where else would you go but here?”

“Bodies Albus. Tom Riddle died in the front garden of the cottage, killed as per the prophecy. He never stood a chance, and we were not even scratched. Why did you expect bodies?”

“I am sorry, forgive an old man’s concern, a slip of the tongue.”

“Why come here, did you check with Frank and Alice, or Ted and Andi, or Sirius, or Remus. I doubt you would ask Peter, since he is a Death Eater, something we learned a few days ago.”

“This is your family seat, I assumed you had retreated here, I came out of concern for your safety.”

A voice spoke from the darkness, “James, father, he will talk in circles until the sun cools. Time to drown him in veritaserum, but then again, he probably took antiserum before he left the castle, phoenix tears and unicorn blood are both available to Albus. I am sure he has guilt tripped Slughorn into making some, since we took his pet Death Eater off the table.” Harry stepped into the light and Albus’s focused on the unknown, to him, man.

“Who are you, you look like a Potter?”

“We are asking the questions Albus, but I am the one born as the seventh month dies, I am the one that killed Tom Marvolo Riddle, who you all call Lord Voldemort. I am the one that shall vanquish the Dark Lord of the Prophecy.”

“If what you say is true and Voldemort is truly deceased, then you have fulfilled the prophecy.”

“But Albus, YOU are the Dark Lord of the Prophecy, holding Britain in the past, ensuring pureblood dogma survives, encouraging dissent and division between the various social groups of Hogwarts, you created Tom Riddle, you had ample chances to stop him, but never did. You arranged, and manipulated the people around you so that the Potter’s would die tragically. If your plan had panned out, Harry would have survived, with a cursed scar from the encounter, and you would have shipped him off to the Dursley’s house. They kept him in the cupboard under the stairs Albus. This is your legacy. You are the Dark Lord I am prophesied to defeat.” Harry placed a Prophecy Sphere on the desk, the smokey contents circling inside, clearly not completed.

From behind him Hermione smacked a syringe into his neck and pushed the plunger home, “That’s an enhanced version of truth serum, in five minutes, Albus dear, you will tell us every single thing we ask, and no amount of occlumency will save your secrets.” She looked to the desk, “You need to record all of this, and we shall need to extract the memories.” For the moment Albus slipped into unconsciousness as he fought to maintain his mental defences.

James once more asked the questions, and as the night wore on, became more despondent as he realised that the ‘Leader of the Light’ cared not a jot for the lives of members of The Order of the Phoenix, he had sent the Prewitt twins into an ambush, just to ensure a particular piece of misinformation reached the forces of Voldemort. He knew Pettigrew would betray them. He expected the Potters to die, he had arrived today to begin his looting of the family library amongst other things.

Two days later an Auror patrol found Albus Dumbledore in Diagon Alley, he had no memory of how he came to be there, nor of who he was, he was barely above a squib magically. Fawkes was never seen again, having left in shame as Albus’s confessions piled up.

The following day, the Lestrange’s and Barty Crouch junior were cut down outside the Longbottom residence, by Lily Potter and her friend Hermione, who just so happened to arrive to visit at the same time. Bellatrix’s remains took the Aurors almost an hour to collect, even with magic.

Six months later a book, ‘The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore’ by Hermione Peverell & Lily Potter was published. Bathilda Bagshot provided the introduction. It was a best seller.

Chapter Text

Harry was sitting on the veranda of their beach front villa. The Island it sat on, had no magical protection, nor did it need any. The location they had named Echo Beach, after the song of the same name, was in the distant past, the location would one day be at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, so they weren’t worried about an archaeologist finding an earring or a Lego block from one of the kids. They were in what Hermione claimed was the Permian era, 275 million years in the past, they were the only mammals on the planet and would be for perhaps a hundred million years, maybe two hundred million. Harry had wanted to go to the Jurassic era, but Hermione was quick to point out that Dinosaurs and curious children did not mix.

Hermione and Harry had researched and understood the ‘Nott’ time turner they had been using, and had created, in all effects a ‘TARDIS’ this allowed them to travel anywhere and anywhen. The spatial mechanics had proven difficult, as the planet is hurtling through the universe at a colossal speed, so the coordinate system had to be redesigned if they were to still be on the planet when they shifted from one part of spacetime to another.

Harry had just finished preparing lunch, they grew a lot of vegetables, magically warding their gardens against the large insects that would otherwise eat everything. He sat with a cold beer, bought from Waitrose in Camden, some things required a trip. As he watched his wife playing in the waves with their two children, he marvelled at how lucky he had been to be loved by this remarkable woman. He sent Prongs down to the surf to tell them that the food was ready and as they made their way up the shore, wondered if they would ever get their children to wear clothes. They had mostly abandoned clothing a few years ago, before the children had arrived, and only wore loose fitting tees and shorts to stop them sticking to chairs, they were close to the equator and the temperature was hot all year around.

Biting insects were not an issue yet, but their magic defenced them against anything, a dragonfly briefly hovered over Harry’s daughter, causing her to squeal in delight and call to the four foot long insect, it’s almost six foot wingspan and loud chopper like noise attracting her attention, it zipped away. Seafood was plentiful and delicious, this world was pristine and untainted. Magic here was stronger, effortless, wandless, silent was the norm. Both of the children used magic as part of their normal development. The adults had unlearned and relearned how to perform magic, Harry wasn’t even sure where his wand was anymore.

Hermione was close enough to speak now, as naked as her children, tanned fit and to Harry’s eyes still as beautiful as the first time he had ever seen her naked, many millions of years in a future that perhaps no longer existed. “Can you give me a hand rinse the munchkins, whilst I have a quick shower myself?”

“Of course. There is a cold beer on the table for you.” With a wave of his hand he levitated the twins into the air and made a mist cloud form around them washing the salt of their squirming, giggling bodies. They were almost four years old, a girl and a boy. Rose Luna and Richard Neville were full of life and mischief. Both had messy black hair that was naturally curly and Rose had emerald green eyes whilst Ricky had brown like his mother. Constant sun had tanned them to a deep bronze and the outdoor life left them lean and fit.

Lowering the now cleaned up mini Potters to the decking he poured them a glass of juice each and they settled around the table as their mother arrived with a wrap around her waist to stop her skin sticking to the seat. They ate and listened to the children arguing over who had seen the biggest fish, and who has swum the furthest, dived the deepest or could hold their breath the longest.

Half an hour later the pair were asleep in their bunks for a nap, and Hermione snuggled into Harry’s side in the hammock on the veranda corner. “We need to start thinking about introducing the kids to other people, they need to make friends, and when they are older meet the opposite sex.”

“If any boy has sex with Lily before she is thirty, I will hex his bits off.” Harry muttered.

“You sound just like my dad.”

“I know, she is just four. We will need them to wear clothing for longer than five minutes before we go anywhere with other kids, it’s not an issue yet, but if they wandered around Hogwarts naked, they would be popular for all the wrong reasons.”

Hermione giggled softly. “I really would not have wanted to see Malfoy and his minions naked.”

At breakfast the following morning they watched bumblebees the size of tennis balls flit from plant to plant as their children ran chasing foot wide butterflies across their garden. “If we return to our time, we need to end pureblood dogma before Riddle or Dumbles or any of it get’s a foothold, either that or we go to Australia or Italy or South America, where blood status is ignored for the nonsense that it is.”

“I would like our kids to be at school with Luna and Neville.”

“That also means Draco, Pansy and Ron.”

“Ron wasn’t so bad.”

“Really. The troll thing was his fault. The Scabbers and Crookshanks stuff, the Firebolt, he blew that out of all proportion, the Tournament, The Tent. I do not remember him well.”

“He had his moments, they were few and far between, but if we take our kids into Hogwarts in 1991, they can just go into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff and ignore the drama. We will remove Riddle, Dumbledore and the whole Death Eater schtick before it starts.”

“How do you think we should deal with them this time.”

“Well, hubby dear, this is how I see it working………”

____________________ᓚᘏᗢ

Doreah Potter sat at the breakfast table spreading a little marmalade on the slice of toast she had buttered as her husband of three years, Charlus entered the room and gingerly sat down. “Feeling under the weather dear?” she asked with a malicious grin, “Tippy.” She called. A house elf popped into existance. “Can you fetch Charlie a hangover cure potion, and a fresh pot of tea for us both dearie.” The elf bobbed it’s head and moments later a glass gilled with glowing blue fluid appeared at Charlies hand. The teapot swapped out for a fresh one, the toast rack filled up and some fresh eggs appeared on a plate for him. He swallowed the glass of potion in one and after a few breaths relaxed.

“That was a rather good New Year’s party of Berty’s, But if I see another pink gin as long as I live, it will be too soon.”

“Kitty was on good form, although I think she is about to be married of to one of the Rowles, so I doubt we shall ever see her again.”

“That’s appalling darling, I hate how these old families trade their daughters like livestock. Our children shall marry for love, regardless of family connections.”

“Well said Husband. Let us hope that the Healer was wrong and we can have the family we wish for.”

One of the elves popped into view, “Master Charlie Sir, there is a couple wishing to call, say they are your friends, Master Harry and Hermione Peverell, they are requesting permission to come to the Manor Sir.”

“Yes, ask them in, they can join us for breakfast if they wish.” The elf nodded in agreement and popped away. A few seconds later the couple in question appeared in the room, Hermione was carrying a newborn baby in her arms.

Harry smiled, “Happy New Year Potters” he grinned. “We need to ask a really big favour, if you are feeling generous.”

“Would that have anything to do with the child your lady wife has in her arms?”

Hermione grinned, “We have five year old twins back at home, I am not sure we can take another on at the moment, and this little man needs a loving home. In the normal timeline he is orphaned, probably abused and goes about as bad as it is possible to go, his mother used a love potion to entrap his father and once she stopped dosing him, he legged it. She died in childbirth, last night. We have collected him from the orphanage, and wondered if you might like to adopt a one-day old baby, I would recommend the full blood adoption, purge the Gaunt family out of him.”

“He is from one of the other Peverell lines, the same line as Salazar Slytherin, and the boy is off the charts smart, we think with a loving family, he will be fabulous young man. Left to the fates, he becomes a monster.”

Doreah stood and walked over to the couple, lifting the newborn from Hermione’s arms. “Yes. We will give him a family, this can be Fleamont Potter.” She grinned, say hello to your grandfather Harry.” Harry looked at her gone out for a moment and then laughed.

“That would be Karma.” He looked at the child, “Goodbye Tom Riddle, Hello Fleamont Potter,” he looked across to Charlus. “You will have to do the blood adoption with him, the Gaunts are terribly inbred, and I think it made him psychotic.”

“We shall Harry, come and join us for some breakfast. I am sure you have tales to tell. Where have you been since we last saw you?”

“Never mind that Charlie, I want to meet these twins.”

Hermione laughed, “Dobby.”

The little elf appeared, “Tell Winky to bring the kids over for breakfast, you might want to join us.” Dobby popped out of the room appearing moments later with the twins and Winky. More plates appeared on the table and chairs and place settings appeared and everyone took a seat and began to eat.

A few hours later Harry and Hermione popped away with the twins and Charlus stood looking over his wife’s shoulder as she held their newly adopted son, “It’s rather gratifying to see that the descendants are turning out fine.”

“The girl has her father twisted around her finger.”

“Exactly as it should be, he will never send her off to a house where she would be unhappy.”

“That Charlus, is exactly the correct thing to say. I believe you and I should take tiffin as they used to say in the desert, Tippy will look after little Monty for an hour or two.”

“An hour or two?”

“Well, it would be nice to give Monty a sister or brother, wouldn’t it.” He laughed.

_________________________ᓚᘏᗢ

The sleepy magical village of Mould-on-the-Wold close to the Muggle Village of Barnetby-le-Wold was in full swing to celebrate the Summer Solstice, A young couple walked along the street, and felt as much as witnessed the flash of accidental magic. The apparated to the source and saw a young girl of about six years old being taunted by a small gang of over excited boys, who were distressing the girl. With a flurry of stinging hexes and threats of worse to come the boys ran away to torment something else and Hermione gathered the small girl into her arms and gave her a hug, pouring some magic into it as she did.

The little girl looked up and smiled, “You just did some magic, can you do some more?”  she asked. The little girl gazed up at Hermione with her big blue eyes and Hermione created a werelight and held it in her palm, “Hold this,” she whispered and placed it into the girls outstretched hands. “Does it feel nice?” the little girl nodded. “See, magic is beautiful, nothing to be scared of is it.” The child shook her head staring in awe at the ball of pale blue light, “Are your family inside?”  She nodded, “why not go show them your light ball?”  Her face lit up and she ran off inside. With a nod to one another they apparated away.

A few years later the newspaper reported a tragedy of a foreign student slipping under the wheels of a train in London. Gellert Grindelwald, aged 19 was on an exchange programme but tragically died at London Kings Cross Station.

Promising Hogwarts Transfiguration Mastery student Albus Dumbledore was found dead in the second floor girls bathroom. His cause of death was difficult to determine. His body was unmarked, but none of the usual spell traces could be found upon him.

Another Daily Prophet Front page from 1932 described a terrible accident at Malfoy Manor, fiendfyre had ripped through the building killing all the occupants bar the House elves, who had been banished from the building, the Malfoy’s had been holding a fund raiser for their political cause. The attendees of the pureblood rally were all killed, their families would never recover to their former prominence.

In the Wizengamot reform bill after reform bill were pushed through the system, by the lighter families. Pureblood advantage and privilege became relegated to history. Following the second world war, where the remaining blood purists in Europe perished, along with the muggle side of Britain welfare reforms swept through the country, The Wizengamot was disbanded in 1950 and replaced with an elected council, that reported to the Prime Minister. The Ministry became an administrative enclave, the department heads reported to the elected Council.

Hermione used the Potter’s potion business to introduce a similar elixir to Wolfsbane and convinced the government to make it available to werewolves free of charge. Special Parks where opened were they could run free in their wolf forms and burn off the aggression and excess energy. Acting via the bank the Peverells set up cooperatives for the families of the bitten, and they became farmers, growing potion ingredients and other crops creating self-sustaining communities and allowing them to live near normal lives.

In the mid-eighties, a retro virus was developed and Lycanthropy was all but wiped out in Europe. A side effect was a much less involved method to become an animagus.

In the Summer of 1991, Harry and Hermione Peverell rode through the gates of Hogwarts on horseback, tethering their mounts near the castle doors, they were met by a staff member and followed her to the Head’s Office. They walked straight up the stairs and knocked on the door, “Come in.” a Scots burr replied.

They entered the office to see a younger and softer looking Minerva, the name plate on her desk read Headmistress M. Urquart. ‘her husband is still alive, I wonder if she has living children in this timeline?’ Hermione smiled at the woman. She had to remind herself that they have never met in this version of reality.

“Please, have yourself a seat, I will send for tea, would you like a piece of cake, the kitchen’s here are wonderful.”

The couple took a seat at the small table arranged near the fire, a tea services appeared on the table and Ms. Urquart sat down to join them. “would you pour the tea for us all Mister Peverell?” she asked. As Harry set the teapot pouring and the milk jug lifted to match. “Thank you,” she replied as her tea was poured, “Now if I may get to business, you are applying the both of you for the vacant teaching positions we have, Mr Peverell for Practical Magic, and Mrs Peverell for Potions.” The pair nodded.

Hermione spoke up, “Our twins will attend the school starting in September, and we have never been away from them, and we would miss them terribly, so we thought we could put our Masteries to a good use.”

“Mrs Peverell, you have Masteries in; Potions, Charms, Transfiguration and Runes, I believe.”

“Please call me Hermione, “I also have degrees, mostly post graduate, in Mathematics, and Arithmancy, Theory of Magic and Physics.”

“I have reviewed your qualifications and I am most impressed, although I expected an older looking couple.”

“We created a philosopher’s stone decades ago Mrs Urquart, we are a lot older than we look.”

“You must call me Minerva, and the same for you Mister Peverell.”

“Please call me Harry.”

“Thank you, now Harry, you have Masteries in Defence, Transfiguration, Runes, and Charms. Do you have others that are not listed?”

“I am listed in Italy and France as a magus and classified as a Hit Wizard, in the old terminology. Like my wife I studied abroad and took degrees in History, Politics, Economics and Spell Creation.

“I noticed that your magic is wandless. How powerful are you without a wand.”

“It makes no difference to my power level, with or without a wand, I can do the same. Hermione likewise.”

Hermione spoke up, “We don’t intend to teach wandless magic to the pupils unless you ask, whilst wands are not strictly necessary, as we have discovered, they are a useful learning tool, and also allow some control, once removed, most witches and wizards can no longer perform magic. Unless you want us to teach pupils to manage without?”

“I would prefer you to teach wanded magic, perhaps you could show the final year pupils wandless techniques as an elective.”

Harry nodded at Hermione, “We can do that. Do you want us to demonstrate anything?”

A little later Minerva ushered the pair out of her office, “allow me to show you around the castle,” she stood and took the couple on a tour, they exchanged a look, it might be tricky not to appear familiar with the Castle.

“The school has had many changes over the centuries. After the Wizengamot was dissolved, the house structure of the school was brought into question, back in the sixties, the Houses were dissolved and now the pupils are dormed by their years. The Advanced level students in their sixth and Seventh years used to Dorm together, but we are seeing increased numbers of students studying to advanced level and have recently opened up a second dormitory so the sixth and seventh years now have their own dormitories.”

The First years are in the Badger Sett, once the Hufflepuff Dormitory, then the Second years are in the old Slytherin Dormitory, known as the snake pit, among pupils. Third Years move to the old Gryffindor Dormitory, which has been modified so that they share bedrooms with just one other. The fourth Years have a Dormitory created in the Astronomy Tower and the fifth years are in the Old Ravenclaw Dormitory. Sixth and Seventh years are on the Third and fourth floors of the main castle building respectively.” She regaled them with this information as she led them along the corridor towards the staff quarters.

Stopping at an opening in the corridor, with a statue of an armoured knight, Minerva addressed the statue, “Sir Owain, may I introduce our new members of staff, Harry and Hermione Peverell, please grant them passage and guard their quarters as they request.”

The Statue became animated, and turning from one of the adults to the other, bowed to Minerva, then took a knee to Harry, It spoke in a Welsh accented English, “Lord Gryffindor, is your task yet complete. I see you have faced many trials, It is my humble honour to serve you and your good lady.”

“Arise Sir Owain, I accept you featly and humbly offer my respect. My Lady and I believe our trials are complete and it is our wish to serve as educators within the castle for some time to come. Thank you.” The statue raised it’s head once more, standing stiffly to attention it gave a closed fist salute over it’s chest and stepped to one side, an ornate timber door appeared in the wall and a name plate appeared upon it. Lord and Lady Peverell Earl and Countess Gryffindor.

Minerva turned to them, “I shall expect to hear the story of how the pair of you are regarded as founders by the castle itself, perhaps over a drink one evening.”

Hermione smirked, “It might take more than an evening, and you will want more than a glass Minerva. I shall look forward to our talks.”

Minerva regarded them with a look for a moment, “Well, let’s not dally, away into your quarters, it appears you have the castle’s favour already, so I imagine anything you ask for will appear.”

Sunday September the first had Harry and Hermione watching the room fill with pupils as the carriages brought pupils up from the station at Hogsmeade or those that flooed into the Three Broomsticks and walked to the pick up point. The pupils filled up their tables allocated by year groups indicated by pennants fluttering in the imaginary breeze above each table. The Hall was filled with circular tables seating twelve, the front row of eight tables ready to accept this years intake. Their children had chosen to ride the Express from London, they had already let them know that the younger versions of themselves from this reality should be aboard, and they should at least make friends. Harry was sure his younger self would be quite self confident, but Hermione was worried that she would still be the slightly over bearing and bossy individual of her past.

As the first years walked into the hall lead down to the front to cheers and applause from their new schoolmates, the traditional welcome for new pupils at the school. There was no sorting, as school houses were no longer important, they were simply allocated alphabetically to new pupils, unless they wished to follow a legacy.

As they walked in Rosie waved at her parents, Rick (too cool to be Ricky now) gave the slightest of nods. Hermione watched and realised that Rosie was walking with little Hermione and the pair were chattering away together. The little introduction ceremony took place and Filius in his role as Deputy Head, called each first year out by name and they then took a seat on one of the tables. When he got to Granger, Hermione the blushing eleven year old walked to an empty table and was exchanging looks with Rosie. As the rest of the alphabet went by they eventually called out Peverell, Richard, and he went and sat alongside Hermione, appearing to be on good terms, Peverell, Rose, was next and she skipped over to the other side of Hermione and the pair began to talk animatedly, and then Potter, Harry was called out. He went to sit with Richard and the pair seemed to be talking happily enough, The table filled up before the list got to Weasley so Ron sat elsewhere.

The kids had decided to at least try the dorms, rather than be strangers to their classmates, Hermione and Rose made sure they had a room together and Harry and Rick found themselves sharing another. Ron was sharing with Blaize Zabini, which would prove to be entertaining over the years.

At breakfast the following morning Hermione Peverell saw her two children sat in amongst a group of first years as if they had known them all their lives, Hermione Junior was chatting between Rose and a girl Hermione Senior suspected was a young Daphne Greengrass. There appeared to be no prejudice she could see about blood status, but she listened carefully enough anyway.

The next few years flew by, no Trolls. The Basilisk slept on undisturbed, Sirius had children, but they were a few years away from attending, in their fourth year the top performing six pupils went on an exchange visit to Beauxbatons. When they returned after the Christmas break, Hermione noticed that the younger Harry and Hermione were holding hands as they walked around the castle. This timeline Harry was taller and more self-confident, but his mother ensured he was not arrogant with it, and the pair had become more than friends it appeared.

Her children did well at the Ordinary Level and enjoyed the last two years of their schooling, Hermione and Harry were selected to be Head Boy and Head Girl, as Minerva thought choosing Rick and Rose would be accused of favouritism, they were part of the seventh year prefects, and Rick captained the school football team.

On the last day of term they watched their son kiss Daphne Greengrass and the pair blush to their roots, Rose was still trying to keep her own romance a secret and had her cover blown when Neville presented her with a bouquet he had prepared himself. She was shy amongst others, but pulled the tall young man into a kiss and beamed as she held her flowers.

Hermione had to sniff away a little tear, she saw a very much alive Lavender holding hands with Ron, who had done better than in their original life, and of course Harry the younger, encouraged by James, and Sirius, proposed to Hermione on stage in front of the whole school. Luckily she said yes, but scolded him for making such a show of it.

“Do you think we finally fixed it?” she whispered to her Harry.

“I think so, what do we do now?” he asked.

“For me, a long bath, a glass of wine, and I think a massage from my husband. What about you?”

“I think I can go along with that.” He replied with a grin. “The kids will be partying till late I assume.” She nodded.

THE END.