Harry's blood ran cold.
"Who are you?" James repeated. "Because I know you're not my son."
"I am," Harry bit out, finally finding his breath.
James shot a spell at him. Harry parried the spell and jumped to his left, to get away from the wall so he would have a better position with more room to move.
"My son has a knack for dueling, but he's never been trained in it. You have. I can tell by the way you're standing, the fact that you just moved off the wall, and that trick with the wind, where did you learn that? That's a trick a lot of the Aurors I work with use. So, I'm going to give you one more chance to tell me who you are."
"I am your son! I am. Just, a different...version."
James tried to hit him with another spell, which Harry deflected with a Shield Charm.
"What the hell does that mean? Where is my son?!"
Harry opened his mouth, but faltered. He hadn't been expecting to do this right now; not without Hermione. He didn't know where to start. And having his dad point a wand at him while his eyes gleamed with fury was making it a lot harder.
"You did a good job pretending," James continued. "Your Patronus is the same as his—I'm still not sure how you managed that. Your Disguising Charm is the best I've seen—outside of Polyjuice. And your acting is remarkable. You've copied a lot of his mannerisms. You fly like him, you managed to sound sincere when we talked about Sirius, and the dynamic between you and Hermione—but she's in on it, isn't she? It explains her memory lapses and how she seems to know every spell in existence."
Harry knew what his dad was doing. He was stalling, which the Aurors did often when they were waiting for backup. But who would he be—shit. The coin. Harry saw then that James's hand was behind his back, perhaps reaching into his back pocket. He must be planning to send his mum a message with the coin. But Hermione would see it at the same time. Who would see it first? Would they end up fighting, too?
Harry dove to his right as he shot a Summoning Charm at his dad with his left hand. "Accio coin!"
The coin flew out of James's pocket but he caught it in the air. "Stupefy!"
Harry dodged the spell. "Expelliarmus!"
James cast a Shield Charm and the Disarming Spell bounced back at Harry, but he ducked just in time. Then, they were dueling in earnest.
Harry was trying to hold back, not wanting to hurt his dad, but James was doing no such thing. He seemed to have no qualms about hurting Harry, obviously convinced by now that he was not his real son. The only good thing was he wasn't aiming to kill or seriously injure, since he thought he needed Harry to get information about his son's whereabouts.
"I don't want to hurt you!" Harry cried. "I can explain, I promise—" He cut off to block another spell.
"Start explaining," James said coldly.
"Your son's safe and I—like I said, I'm just a different version."
"Where is he?"
"I—I don't know," Harry said honestly.
James glowered at him. "Fine. If you're not going to tell me, I'll just find out myself." He began running at Harry and then, when he was just a few feet away, transformed into a stag. Now he was charging Harry at full force. Harry jumped into the air, using a spell to thrust him higher, and missed being stabbed by his dad's horns by an inch.
As Harry floated back to the ground, the stag snorted and scraped his hoof, getting ready for another charge. Harry swore to himself. He'd never fought an Animagus before, but they'd learned about them in training. Most spells he tried would be useless, since magic worked differently on animals. He was supposed to use an Animagus Reversal Spell to force him to transform back, but Harry only knew the theory behind the spell.
His dad charged again. This time, Harry rolled off his back, but nearly tripped on his way down. He wasn't going to last if things continued like this. He was already getting tired and his dad could go on in his stag form for hours.
Harry tried to cast the Reversal Spell and though it hit his dad square in the chest, it did nothing. Either he'd done it wrong, or James had figured out a way to block it. Based on the way the stag was cocking its head, wearing an almost smug expression, Harry guessed it was the latter.
Harry needed to entice his dad to transform back into a human on his own, but how the hell—? He got an idea.
The next time his dad charged, Harry dropped his wand. When he reached the other end of the clearing, he began patting himself and looking around wildly. When his dad spotted the wand on the ground, he lunged for it, transforming back into a human in midair. When James hit the ground next to the wand, he rolled gracefully and pulled himself to his feet, pointing two wands at Harry with a triumphant smile on his face.
Harry walked backward until he hit the wall and waited for his dad to approach. He hoped he was right and that James would try to force information out of him instead of Stunning him. If he decided to Stun Harry and go back to the campsite for Hermione… No, he couldn't think of that. James was impatient and would try to question him now; Harry was sure of it.
James slammed Harry back against the wall, holding him in place with his shoulder as he pushed both wand tips into his neck. "Where is my son?"
"I'm your son."
James shoved him harder into the stone wall. "Stop lying."
"I'm not lying. I'm your son, and I can prove it." Harry pulled his head to the side, so the wand tips in his dad's hands were facing the wall, instead of his neck, and cried, "Accio wand!"
James looked understandably confused and was probably wondering why Harry had tried to cast a spell without a wand. What he didn't see was one of the thug's wands flying toward them from the other side of the clearing. Harry caught it and pointed at his dad's side as he murmured, "Stupefy."
"That wouldn't have worked if I wasn't your son," Harry said as he caught his dad and carefully lowered him to the ground. He'd learned from two brothers in the Auror Department that family members could channel each other's magic since their magical signatures were similar. The brothers used it to great effect in battles, just as Harry had done. Though, in the case of the brothers, they were working together.
Tears stung Harry's eyes. How was he supposed to get James to listen to him when all he was concerned about was his own son? Of course that's who he wanted. Harry had been stupid to think he'd be understanding. He leaned his head against the cool stone of the wall and took a deep, shaky breath.
James had a point, didn't he? Where was the other Harry? Was he okay? Harry had never pressed Hermione on this. Honestly, even now, he was having trouble caring. He hated the other Harry and this life he got to live. Who cared if he came back a little worse for wear?
His dad cared, obviously. And what would James think if he knew of the dark thoughts Harry was currently having? The other Harry probably wasn't like this. He was kind and well-adjusted—that fucking prick. Harry sighed again.
He needed to get back to the campsite. But first, he should deal with the thugs. He secured their binds, pocketed all their wands, and planned to send them by owl to MACUSA before leaving the country. Perhaps he could ask the American couple they'd met last night to help him with that. Before he left the clearing, he sent a Patronus to the giant who guarded the entrance to the sanctuary. He'd know what to do.
Harry took a final breath. He considered sending Hermione a message through the coin, but what would he say? He wasn't in the right state of mind to think of a clever code his mum wouldn't be able to understand. He settled on simply asking Hermione for coordinates, remembering they were lost, which was how they'd ended up in this situation.
The coin burned in his hand a few seconds later as the coordinates of the Apparition point appeared in red. Harry sighed, cast a Featherlight Charm on his dad, then pulled him up and wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders as he made his way toward the Apparition point, using his wand to point the way. As he walked, he tried to ignore the feeling of dread settling in his gut.
When Harry returned to the campsite, he waited outside for a few moments, still holding up his dad's limp form. What was he going to do? He needed to get Hermione alone, but how would he do that? Leave James here, then go in and ask for a private word with Hermione? His mum would wonder where his dad was and he didn't want to scare her. Harry could say James was outside, chatting with the Americans. That was believable.
Before Harry could execute his plan, Lily appeared at the entrance of the tent. Fuck.
"I thought I heard you. What took you two so—James!" She ran toward Harry, looking panicked. His heart dropped. This is exactly what he'd been trying to prevent. "Is he Stunned? What happened?"
"We—er—met some thugs—illegal potions dealers—and we fought them off. We're fine. He's fine, just Stunned, as you said."
"Then let's wake him up!" She started to take her wand out of her pocket.
"No!" Harry cried, placing a hand on her arm.
Hermione was outside now, walking up behind Lily. Harry gave her a knowing look, trying to communicate with his eyes what had happened, but she just looked confused. He looked back at his mum, who was eyeing him warily.
"Before we, er, wake him up," Harry said, stumbling through his words, "I have to tell you something."
Hermione hitched her breath and Harry saw realization flash in her eyes. Finally.
Lily's gaze hardened and she shook Harry's hand off her arm. "What is going on here? Did you do this, Harry?"
"Stupefy!"
Hermione rushed forward and caught Lily before she fell to the ground. "Shoot! I'm sorry, Harry! I panicked. She was turning her wand on you and—bollocks! What—what do we do? What's the plan?"
"Calm down," he said sternly, looking around the area. Luckily, there was no one around. "Let's get them inside."
Hermione nodded and followed Harry into the tent. He propped James up on the couch, then helped Hermione place his mum next to him. He let out a large sigh and started pacing the room, raking his fingers through his hair as he swore under his breath.
"What happened?" Hermione asked as she watched him move around the room.
"We ran into some of those illegal potion dealers you were talking about. We heard them planning to sneak into the sanctuary and while we were listening, one of them came upon us and Stunned us. He was wearing an Invisibility Cloak, so I didn't see him until too late."
Hermione hitched her breath.
"It was fine. We fought them off quickly but—after…" Harry looked at James, who was still unconscious on the couch. "He knew. He could tell I was professionally trained and demanded I tell him where his son was. I tried to explain but—he attacked me, we fought, and I Stunned him."
Hermione pulled her lip between her teeth as she looked back at Lily and James. "We have to wake them up and tell them."
"I know that. It's the only option at this point. Well, besides Obliviating them, but I'm not doing that. I just—" He paused to sigh. "It's going to be awful. You should have seen how angry he was."
"I'll be here," she whispered.
Harry gave her a small smile, then sighed and lifted his wand.
"Wait!" Hermione said, holding out Lily's wand. "We should give them their wands back. That way they'll know we don't mean them any harm."
Harry shook his head. "We can't give my dad a wand. If he has a wand when he wakes up, he'll just start firing curses at us. You should see how fiercely he was fighting me. He even transformed and fought me as a stag."
"And you beat him? That's impressive."
"Is now really the time for this?" he hissed.
"Is there ever a bad time for a compliment?" she bit back.
"Yes!" he seethed, cocking his head toward Lily and James.
"Sorry! I'm stressed, okay? I was expecting to have more time to prepare for this. Practice the conversation, make note cards with talking points, think through—"
"Hermione!"
"Sorry."
Harry exhaled heavily. "It's fine. We need to be calm and, er, on the same page, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, so, erm...how about we offer them their wands if they agree to hear us out. How does that sound?"
"Good," she said, going to join him at the center of the room. "It's going to be okay, Harry."
"Yeah? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay." He turned back to his parents. "Please don't pick this as the first time you're wrong about something."
Hermione's lips turned up slightly. "Ready?"
Harry nodded. They both raised their wands. Hermione's was pointed at Lily and Harry's was pointed at James as they said, "Renervate."
As soon as his eyes opened, James shot to his feet. He turned and scanned Lily, then, seemingly satisfied that she was unharmed, moved so he was standing in front of her as he glared at Harry and Hermione. Harry could tell by the way his eyes were darting around the room that he was planning out a method of attack.
"What's going on?" Lily asked, her green eyes darting between Harry and James.
Harry was frozen in place and when it didn't seem like he was going to say anything, Hermione said to James, "We weren't trying to hurt you or scare you. And we're—um—going to give you your wands back, as long as you agree to hear us out."
James held out his hand. "Give me my wand, now."
Hermione looked at Harry, who was holding his parents' wands.
"Wand," James repeated.
Harry nodded and placed the wands in James's hand. Harry was holding his own wand ready, just in case, but James seemed content to listen, at least for now. James took a seat on the couch again and whispered something to Lily as he gave her back her wand.
"They're not the real Harry and Hermione?" Lily asked out loud. "How do you know?"
James pointed to Harry. "Apparently they're going to explain. And if they can't give me a good enough explanation of where the real Harry and Hermione are…" He leaned forward and glowered at Harry as he finished with, "I'm going to kill them."
Harry swallowed back a lump in his throat. When Hermione nudged his side, he began to talk. "We came from another—er—world. A world with all the same people, just a different set of circumstances. So, we—er— are Harry and Hermione. Just, uh, different versions. Hermione's an Unspeakable in that world and she found a way to go to different dimensions and, uh, that's how we got here. We ended up in the other Harry and Hermione's bodies, so we're not using Disguising Spells or anything."
"Where are the real Harry and Hermione?" James asked, not taking his eyes off of Harry.
Harry looked at Hermione. "I don't know," she said honestly. "But I do know they are safe and as soon as we leave, they'll be returned to these bodies, completely unaffected by this dimension-hopping."
"How are you so sure?" James challenged.
"I've done it before. Before I brought Harry, I'd come to this world and left, just for a few hours, and the other Hermione was fine. I know if she'd noticed something amiss, she would have written it in her planner, but she didn't, which means she was unaffected and had no knowledge of me being in her world. It'll be the same when we eventually leave and they return to these bodies. They'll be fine."
"Except for a large gap in memory," James said darkly.
Hermione looked uncomfortable. She dropped her eyes and began studying the leg of the coffee table.
"It's not Hermione's fault," Harry chimed in, finding his voice again. "She didn't want to stay this long. It was just supposed to be—er—that first dinner. Then we were supposed to go back but I forced her—well, not forced, but begged her to come on this trip and now—uh, here we are."
James and Lily just stared at him, both looking slightly angry. "I'm sorry," Harry added lamely. He looked down and started studying the same coffee table leg as Hermione.
"Why?" Lily asked. "I don't—I don't understand. I guess I can see being curious about another world, but why stay? Why steal this trip—this time—from the other couple? Our Harry wouldn't be so selfish."
Shame washed over Harry. He wanted to run away but forced himself to stay in place. He kept his eyes down and felt Hermione place a gentle hand on his arm. "You're dead," she said in a soft voice. "In our world, it's all different. Voldemort interpreted the Prophecy as referring to Harry and he went to kill Harry that night, not Neville. You two died, not the Longbottoms, and Harry was the Boy Who Lived.
"It was Harry who fought Voldemort, over and over again, Harry who hunted and destroyed the Horcruxes, and Harry who eventually led us to victory. And he—" She paused and Harry saw her looking at him out of her periphery, but still kept his gaze down. "He just wanted to meet you, once, and that's why I brought him here and then—extending it was...selfish, yes, but we—we're sorry."
James and Lily were quiet as they exchanged nervous looks. Harry was still determinedly looking away from them. Hermione scratched his back lightly and leaned into him as she waited for James or Lily to respond.
"I don't believe you," James said.
"I can show you." Hermione stepped away from Harry toward James. "Look in my mind."
"I'm not a Legilimens."
"I'm sure you know how to view memories someone is trying to show you. Don't all the Aurors know that?"
"I'm not an Auror," he countered.
"I know. But you worked with them and—please? Just try?"
James bit the inside of his cheek as he considered. "I'll try. But I don't want to see your memories. You say you're an Unspeakable. Who knows what strange magic you have at your disposal?" He turned toward Harry. "I want to see your mind."
Harry finally looked back up. James was eyeing him harshly. Harry took a deep breath and looked at Hermione. Was this really a good plan? Giving the man with a wand, who looked like he was a few wrong moves away from killing them, access to his mind?
"It'll be fine," Hermione whispered.
Harry nodded. He guessed it was the only way to get James to believe them. He knew if he were in James's position, he'd be just as wary. He was trying to figure out what to show him—Fighting Voldemort? Or perhaps a visit to Godric's Hollow, where the house was destroyed?—when Hermione leaned in and said in a low voice, "Show him the Department of Mysteries and how we got here."
James stepped around the coffee table, pointing his wand at Harry's head, and Harry had to fight the instinct to back away. Hermione moved the hand that was on his arm down and linked their fingers together. She gave his hand an encouraging squeeze as James asked, "Ready?"
Harry nodded again and the next moment, they were in his mind. Harry had decided to start at the point when he'd been sitting at his desk, working on the case report. He hoped showing his dad he was an Auror would add to his credibility. Hermione came and told him he needed to follow her somewhere and that it was an emergency.
They went to the Department of Mysteries, he gave her his magic, she gave it back once they were inside, and they stepped into the Portal, grabbing that strange silky ribbon. They reappeared in the other Harry and Hermione's flat and Harry retched for a few moments. Then Hermione took him to a mirror and showed him how his scar was gone.
James exited the memory. His eyes were wide and almost scared as he went back to Lily's side. He whispered something in her ear and she bit her lip but otherwise, her expression remained blank.
Harry watched James take a deep breath and when he turned back to face them, his face was also blank. "I'm sorry about your parents," he said in a cold, distant voice. "But you need to leave. We're going to go upstairs and the next time we come out of our room, we better find the other Hermione and Harry back in their bodies. If not, I'm calling the authorities."
He marched away, pulling Lily behind him, who gave Harry a parting, betrayed look over her shoulder before following after her husband.
Harry stumbled over to the couch. It was still warm from where his mum had been sitting, which made the coldness settling in his veins worse. He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands. But he didn't cry. He was too empty to summon tears.
He felt that darkness, the one he thought was long-buried, flowing through his body. That feeling that he didn't belong. That no one wanted him. That he was all alone. No...not completely alone. He focused on Hermione's warmth. She'd sat next to him on the couch and was rubbing the top of his back. He clung to that feeling like an anchor.
After a few moments, he leaned into her and was relieved when she didn't push him away. Hermione was here. He wasn't allowed to hug her, he'd mucked that up by becoming attracted to her, kissing her too fervently, and staring at her too much. But he was allowed to lean on her. And if he didn't do anything stupid, she'd stay by his side, just like she'd always done, and he would never be completely alone again.
Hermione rested her forehead against Harry's shoulder. Her heart was breaking for him. That devastated look in his eyes once his parents left the room—he'd look so young. Tears stung her eyes. This was her fault.
She'd orchestrated this whole thing. She should have anticipated this. But Hermione hadn't been thinking of Lily and James. She'd been solely focused on Harry, like always.
"Hey," she said, sitting up on the couch.
He nodded so she'd know he heard her but kept his face in his hands.
"I'm going to try something. Why don't you go to the room and I'll meet you in there?"
Harry finally looked up as Hermione got to her feet. "What are you going to do?"
"Prove to your dad that the other Harry and Hermione are fine."
"You can do that?"
"I think so." She was at the stairs now. "I'll see you in the room when I'm finished, okay? And then..." She let her voice trail off. They both knew what she was thinking. Then, they'd either stay, if whatever Hermione planned to show James worked to change his mind, or they'd travel back to their world.
Harry just nodded.
When Hermione reached the hall outside James and Lily's room, she paused to take a breath. She raised her fist to knock and realized she couldn't knock on the soft canvas. Just then, Harry came up the stairs behind her. "Do you, er, need help?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head and cocked her elbow toward their room. "I'll meet you in there. Um, wish me luck."
He forced a smile on his face, which was more like a grimace, before disappearing into their room. Hermione sighed as she turned around. He'd given up, that was clear, but she hadn't yet. She raised her voice and said, "Knock, knock."
"Who is it?" James's voice said from inside. "Our Hermione or the imposter?"
"Imposter," she said back, then paused to take another deep breath. "I can prove the other couple is fine. I have some memories to show you to—um—allay your fears."
Her words were met with silence.
"Please? I promise Unspeakables can't create false memories. We don't have magic that's able to alter the brain like that or—well—we don't have that sort of magic in my world."
James huffed as he went to grab his wand from the bedside table. "If I look at this memory, will you go?" he asked sharply. Lily was sitting on the bed but Hermione avoided her eyes.
"Well?" James pressed when he returned to the hall. "Will you go back to where you came from after I view this memory?"
Hermione simply hummed, then pulled back her shoulders and held her head up, waiting for that invasive feeling of having her mind entered.
"Legilimens," James murmured.
He was in her thoughts for a few minutes before pulling out violently, leaving Hermione's head pounding with pain. He was right, he was no Legilimens, but she could tell by the look of shock on his face that he'd seen the memories she'd let flash in her brain.
"Bloody hell," he whispered.
She nodded.
"Is that the only way?"
Hermione nodded again.
He frowned and was silent for a few seconds, then he set his jaw and said, "Very well. Do it. Go."
"One more memory!" she insisted. The pounding in her head was shouting at her to listen to him, since she didn't want to endure that pain again, but she had to try this, for Harry.
"You said you'd go after I viewed that one."
"No, I didn't. I just hummed. I didn't commit to anything. Please?"
James closed his eyes and rubbed his temples and she wondered if the Legilimency was painful for him too. "After this one, I'll leave you alone. I promise," she added in a soft voice.
"Fine," he sighed.
A few moments later, they were back in her mind. She brought him to the graveyard at Godric's Hollow. It was Christmas Eve, one year later than when she and Harry had first visited the place. She and Harry were walking arm and arm through the kissing gate while Harry thanked her for coming with him and explained how he'd been wanting to visit without Polyjuice.
Hermione sped through the memory, stopping when the memory Harry and Hermione reached their destination. They stopped in front of James and Lily's grave. Harry leaned forward and wiped the snow away, so they could read the inscription. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
"I've thought about this quote more...and what you said," he began, his voice rough. "About them living beyond death. I didn't agree when you first explained it. I thought, 'They're gone. They're not living beyond death. They don't even know I'm here right now.'" His voice cracked at the end.
"You keep them alive by loving them," Hermione said gently.
"Yeah, I got that, later… You know me, slow on the uptake."
Hermione laid her head on his shoulder as he continued speaking. "And I do love them. But I don't even know them. All I have are other people's stories and a few photos but—that's not them. Can I really keep them alive with just that?"
"I think so."
Hermione lifted her head from his shoulder and turned to face him. She grabbed his cheek and pulled it so he was forced to look at her. "I'm sorry you didn't know them. But I think what's more tragic is that they didn't know you. They would have been so proud to have you as their son. Not just because of your accomplishments but just… for who you are, and who you became, despite everything."
She grabbed his arm and turned back to the grave before adding, "Or maybe I'm just projecting because I'm so proud of you, but I think they'd agree."
Harry wrapped his arm around her, then Hermione jumped. "Oh! I nearly forgot. I brought this." She pulled a small wreath from the inside pocket of her coat and put it down, then looked around to make sure no one was around before Enlarging it with her wand. "This one's real, so it won't disappear after a few hours, like the one I Conjured last year."
Harry gave her a teary smile as he took her arm and tucked it into his. "Thank you."
James pulled out of her mind, a little more gently this time, but when she returned to the present, her brain was still thumping uncomfortably. James was watching her with a look of sorrow that matched Harry's from earlier.
"He just wanted to know you," Hermione whispered. "That's why we stayed."
James closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. When he opened his eyes again, he'd regained most of his composure and said in a flat voice, "You're not that different from the Hermione I know."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment. From what I've gathered so far, you like her quite a lot."
"I do. She's brilliant and bold and would do anything for my son."
"I'm the same."
They regarded each other for several moments, then James swore and turned back to Lily, who'd been watching the interchange and currently looked very confused. "What did she show you?" Lily asked.
James bit his lip and turned back to Hermione. "I need…" He sighed. "Give us...time."
Hermione nodded.
"But don't go back. Not yet."
"Okay. Um, thanks. For giving me a chance to explain."
James nodded and lowered the canvas flap, looking eager to put distance between them. The next moment, Hermione heard buzzing and knew he'd cast a Muffliato Charm. She took another long breath before turning back to her room.
She found Harry sitting in the same position on the edge of the bed as he had been downstairs, with his elbows propped up on his knees and his head in his hands. She went to stand in front of him. "Hey."
He peeked at her out of his hands. "Hey. What did you do?"
"Showed him some memories from my research that proved that his Harry and Hermione are going to be fine."
Harry hummed before dropping his head again. He knew he should probably ask for more details about that, but he couldn't find the energy to care. He was too selfish, just as his mum had said.
A firm hand on his shoulder drew his thoughts back to Hermione. "I was thinking," she said softly.
"That's new."
She forced out a small laugh. "I think we can end the hugging hiatus."
Harry looked up from his hands. "What?"
"We can put the whole 'not hugging thing' on hold for a bit, because of—uh—extenuating circumstances?"
His lips curved up. "You named it 'hugging hiatus?'"
"It was either that or 'embracing embargo.'"
Harry snorted. "What about...kissing kibosh?"
"Good one. But, um, we should probably keep that in place."
"Yeah."
Hermione took a step closer, so her legs were touching his knees, and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. Harry opened his legs and she stepped into them as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He snaked his arms around her torso and pulled her close, laying his head against her chest.
Harry immediately felt better. The tension in his shoulders relaxed and a few tears fell down his cheeks. He held her tighter, clinging to her like a lifeline. She knew him. She loved him. And as long as she was here, he wasn't alone.
He could feel her heartbeat and tried to focus on its steady rhythm instead of how perfect it felt to be in her arms, and the terrifying thought that had crept into his mind. The realization that when he was feeling down and everything seemed bleak, this was the only place that felt like home.
An hour later, Hermione was sitting on the bed with her back resting on the headboard while Harry laid down with his head in her lap. They were playing 'I've never' and had already established it didn't work with two people, especially not two people who knew everything about each other, but it was a way to pass the time.
Hermione was stroking his hair as she thought of what to say for the next round. He closed his eyes, relishing the massage. "I've never…" she began, "um...battled a dragon."
Harry snorted. "I didn't battle it. I flew around it." He cracked an eye open and added, "And that, you have done."
"Fine. I'll give you that. It's not like we're keeping score or anything."
"If we were, I'd be winning," he replied.
"No. But I'll let you think that because I feel bad for you."
"Because my parents hate me?"
"Yes," she said simply.
Harry couldn't help but smile. It was far from funny, but he was finished crying—at least for now. "I've never dated a famous Quidditch star," he said, thinking of Krum.
"Yes you have. You're engaged to one."
Harry opened his eyes. "Is she famous?"
"Everyone knows Harry Potter's fiancée."
"Oh. She's not a star though, is she? I mean, don't tell her I said so."
Hermione let out a laugh. She'd stopped running her fingers through his hair and he wondered if it was because they were talking about Ginny. "I'll give it to you," he said hastily. "It's your turn."
Hermione nodded and he watched her brow knit as she thought. "Oh. I've never freed a house-elf." Then, she added bitterly, "Though not for lack of trying." Harry was sure she was thinking of all the hats she'd knit in Fourth Year.
"Technically, I didn't free Dobby. Lucius did."
"Is that bastard still alive and kicking in your world?"
Harry sat up quickly and started smoothing his hair. James stood in the doorway, watching them with an unreadable expression. "He's—er—in Azkaban," Harry said as he got to his feet. "But he got a reduced sentence. He'll probably be out in a few years."
James just nodded and said darkly, "Same in this world."
Harry stood in front of his dad and waited for him to yell, or tell them to go again, or...something. He just studied Harry for a few long, awkward moments. Then he dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.
Harry turned back to Hermione, who looked just as confused as he was. When James looked back up at Harry, his eyes were wet. "If I ever lost my son, I would travel to countless worlds until I found him again. So, I can't blame you for doing the same."
Harry blinked back tears. James stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and pulled him into a firm hug. Harry didn't know what to do. He hadn't expected James to forgive him. Is that what was happening? He carefully wrapped his arms around his dad's waist.
When James finally pulled away, he gave Harry a small smile. "I guess we have a lot to catch up on."
Harry just nodded. He saw Hermione move from the corner of his eye. "I'll leave you alone," she said. Harry turned to her and gave her a panicked look. She shot him a comforting smile. As she passed him on the way to the door, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, then whispered in his ear, "Just be yourself."
Hermione made her way downstairs, planning to read to distract herself from what was going on between James and Harry. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted Lily on the couch. Hermione hesitated but unfortunately, there was nowhere else to go. She was sure Lily was waiting for her since if she wanted to be alone, she would have stayed in her room.
Hermione squared her shoulders, then went to the couch, lowering herself in the spot next to Lily. The same spot James had sat Stunned just a few hours ago.
When Lily turned to face Hermione, her expression was stern. Not angry or sad, like Hermione had been expecting, but rather, disappointed, the same way McGonagall looked when she was assigning Hermione detention. When she spoke, her tone was similar to McGonagall's, too. "You should have told us from the beginning."
"I know."
"Why didn't you?"
"I don't know. We never really talked about it but—I guess we thought you'd behave more like yourselves if you didn't know."
Hermione bit her lip. She wanted to tell Lily that she was lovely, easily one of Hermione's favorite people, in any world. And she wanted to say she was sorry for betraying her trust and for not being the person Lily thought she was. But Hermione couldn't make the words come out. She was paralyzed by shame.
"This whole thing was your idea?" Lily asked.
Hermione nodded. She took a breath, trying to loosen the knot in her chest. "Harry wanted to extend our visit, but bringing him in the first place, that was me. And, honestly, I think maybe I knew, subconsciously, he'd want to stay longer and had already agreed to it when I decided to bring him."
Lily shook her head. "Why did you do it? It's so...extreme."
Hermione had to look away from Lily's searching gaze before answering. "I just wanted him to know what it felt like."
"What what felt like?"
"To be loved and accepted just for being...him. Not for being Harry Potter, the one who killed Voldemort, the Boy Who Lived, or the Savior of the Wizarding World. But just...Harry."
"Are you saying he doesn't have that?"
Hermione took in a long, shaky breath. How could she explain? How could she put into words something so complicated? Something even Harry didn't really understand, but that she was pretty sure he felt. "Very few people in his life have loved him like that. And, um, most of them are gone now."
Lily frowned and Hermione watched her brow furrow as she looked down at the coffee table. Then, she placed a hand on Hermione's leg and said with a small, sad smile, "Except for you."
Hermione didn't have a response for that. Only tears.
