They spent the next few hours under the stars. With dinner over, the tables disappeared and the chairs were transformed so they reclined. The lights around the restaurant dimmed to almost nothing. The only illumination left behind was the faint glowing of the boardwalk, to keep people from tripping as they walked.
As Harry watched the sky and let the song of the stars fill his chest, Hermione reached out and laced her fingers with his. He turned to her, causing the song to cut out, and saw a mix of emotions on her face. Harry got up and shifted his chair closer to her, so the armrests were touching, and when he sat back down, she curled into him, linking her arm in his and resting her head on his shoulder.
During their dance, they'd come to an unspoken agreement to push romance to the side and simply support each other at the end of the trip, which was going to be difficult for both of them. Hope coursed through him, and as he listened to his complicated song and was hit with another rush of self-compassion, he became more sure than he had been the whole trip, that if he stayed patient and showed Hermione he was serious about her, they'd find happiness together, one day.
Just like the night before, they all took turns watching the sky and telling stories. Hermione stayed quiet for most of the conversation and let Harry and his parents talk. She remained nuzzled into his side and fortunately, his parents didn't draw attention to it or say anything else to scare her away.
Harry was relieved since he needed her there. He needed the warmth, the solidity—the reminder that he wasn't alone in this, as one of the last conversations he'd ever have with his parents passed far too quickly, just like dinner had.
Harry covered the few good stories from his life left to tell: play-by-plays of some of his best Quidditch matches, the time he'd used Felix Felices to get a memory from Slughorn, and funny moments from the weeks spent cleaning up Grimmauld Place before Fifth Year. His parents told them how James had proposed to Lily, about their wedding and then, shortly after that, how Lily had learned of her unexpected pregnancy.
As they walked up the path to their tent just before dawn, Lily was still finishing up the last of her stories, telling Harry about his birth and sharing stories of how he'd been as a baby. Once at the tent, Hermione wished everyone a good night and they agreed to meet at noon to pack up and return to England. She went upstairs, wanting to give Harry and his parents some time alone.
Hermione was currently sitting on the bed and flipping through the last of the photos they'd brought from the other Harry and Hermione's flat. She'd already washed up for the night and changed into her pajamas, plaid bottoms with a grey tank top, and was about to set the photos to the side when Harry walked into the room.
"Hey."
"Hi."
He'd removed his outer robes but was still wearing a light grey button-down with black slacks. It looked like he'd started unbuttoning his shirt, then changed his mind, so the top three buttons of his shirt were open, revealing some of the dark hairs on his chest. A chest that she knew was accentuated by lean muscles. Couple that with his tidier than normal hair which was pulled out of his face, making his green eyes look brighter and… Yeah, Harry looked good. Really good. She dropped her eyes.
"Anything interesting?" he asked, noticing the box of photos on the bed.
Just you. "Um, yeah, actually," Hermione said shakily, looking down at the box as she tried to push her inappropriate thoughts about Harry to the side. She picked up the photo at the top of the pile and held it out to him. "Take a look at this."
Harry sat on the bed and took the photo from her hand. It was taken during the other Harry and Hermione's last year at Hogwarts. Neville was at the center of the picture, sitting at a table in one of the smaller Greenhouses used for advanced study. Ginny and Ron were sitting on either side of him and they were all laughing at the plant on the table.
There was a small tree in a pot with six arms swaying rhythmically. If Hermione had to guess, there was music playing, probably out of Neville's raised wand, and the tree was moving in time to the song. Every so often, Ron looked up and shimmied his shoulders, which made both Ginny and Neville laugh.
"What am I looking at?" Harry asked, his lips turning up slightly.
"I believe that plant is related to the Whomping Willow."
"Looks more like a Waltzing Willow."
"Good one." She smiled and shifted closer to him, leaning over him to look at the photo. "I think what struck me about this was that it proved that even with all the differences between the Neville in this world and the one in ours, he maintained his passion for Herbology. It's clear he's the one studying the plant. You can see the notebook and quill in front of him."
Harry leaned forward and nodded. She was right, only Neville had a notebook. Ron and Ginny just seemed to be there for a laugh.
"It's similar to how you took to Quidditch in our world," Hermione continued. "Parts of us, they're just, inherent. And I—I don't know. I find that so interesting."
Harry's eyes drifted to Ginny. Hermione searched his face for signs of distress, but he just looked curious as he asked, "Do you think Neville and Ginny were together here? You have that uncanny ability to read things off the photos."
Not with the other Hermione and Ron, she thought. "I don't think so. They just look like friends. Plus, your parents said they just started dating in this world and this was taken a year and a half ago."
Harry hummed. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Ginny dating Neville in this world. Was it real or did she only like him because he was the Boy Who Lived? Had she had a crush on Neville her entire childhood? Or maybe they were just dating casually and it would fizzle out. Did Harry care? Did pinpointing exactly where things had gone wrong between him and Ginny really matter, or was the fact that it was over enough?
"I didn't mean to get you down," Hermione said in a soft voice.
"I'm fine," Harry said, tossing the photo back into the box. "Oh." He reached forward and picked out a photo he recognized from the pile. "This is one of my favorites." He showed Hermione a picture of the other Hermione brewing potions. "I came across this the first night of the trip and couldn't get over how serene she looked."
Hermione nodded. "Yes. I saw that one."
"I want this for you. This peace," he said in a throaty whisper that sent a chill through Hermione. When her eyes met his, he was watching her with that admiring look she still wasn't used to. A bead of warmth slid down her spine. They were really close. Only a few inches separated their lips. She looked down at his mouth now, just to be sure she'd got the distance right, and he caught her looking.
She blushed and leaned back slightly. "The other Hermione meditates. Maybe—um—maybe I'll start too. Though, uh, I always thought I'd be dreadful at it. Can't turn my brain off…"
Except for now. She was having trouble remembering all the reasons she shouldn't be sitting here, this close to him.
It was Harry who moved away first. He put the photos back in the box and moved them onto the bedside table. "I guess we should sleep. I came in here to get my pajamas."
He started to pull himself out of the bed when Hermione grabbed his arm. "Stay."
He sat back on the bed and turned to face her. "What?"
Hermione looked down at her hand, which was still on his arm. She didn't know what had come over her, probably just desperation at the fact that this was their last night in this world, and likely her last chance to pretend that they could be something one day. "It's our last night," she said, keeping her eyes down, "and I want you to stay."
"Why?"
She shrugged and tried to pull her hand away, but he covered it with his, keeping it in place. "I know you haven't been sleeping well on the couch and I haven't been sleeping well either and—I don't know—I just thought— there's just one night left and—I don't know."
"Is that why you're asking? Because it's our last night here?"
"You're right. It was a bad idea and we shouldn't—"
"No. We shouldn't," he agreed. Harry reached his hand out and tilted her chin up. "I'm going to sleep downstairs tonight because I'm sure it's not the last night for us." His lips twitched up before he added, "We'll be sharing a bed for many, many nights."
Hermione couldn't help but smile at his confidence.
"You told me in China that you don't believe in soul mates, that there are a lot of people out there we could end up happy with, but you're wrong."
"I am?" she breathed, completely caught up in the intensity of his gaze.
"I know soulmates exist, because you're mine."
Hermione's breath hitched.
"I end up with you in every world. I know it," he continued as the look of determination in his eyes seared through her. "Sometimes we figure it out early, like in this world. Sometimes we figure it out just in time, like in ours, and in others, maybe we marry the wrong people and have to deal with messy divorces down the line. Either way, I know that unless one of us is dead, we end up finding our way to each other."
Harry leaned forward and grazed his lips against the side of her mouth, so softly she wondered if she'd imagined the touch. Either way, it lit her body on fire. He dropped her chin and finally climbed off the bed. Hermione watched him rummage around his trunk for his pajamas, unsure what to say after something like that. He stood up and when he reached the doorway, he said, "Sleep well, Hermione," before closing the canvas flap.
She wondered if he'd meant it ironically, since there was no way she was going to be able to sleep soundly after that.
Later that day, Hermione and Lily were walking up the path from Hogsmeade to the front gates of Hogwarts. Hermione was studying the Marauder's Map she'd found in the other Harry's desk at their flat in London, while Lily held a Water Repellent Charm above their heads to shield them from the light drizzle.
After James's insistence that no Muggleborn witches in his family would be setting foot in Knockturn Alley, the boys had taken the task of going to Gringotts for money, then to Borgin and Burkes to purchase the jade amulet Hermione showed Harry in her mind, while the girls went to Hogwarts to get the Deluminator.
"There's a secret passage that goes from a rowan tree outside the west side of the gates to a nook off a corridor on the third floor," Hermione announced. "That's what I used to get into the castle last time and it looks like the area around it is mostly empty, so that's lucky."
"No," Lily said simply.
"What?"
"I have a better idea."
"And what is that?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the edge out of her tone.
Lily's lips twitched. "You'll see."
Hermione folded up the map and walked with Lily, stopping when they reached the gates. "Okay," Hermione said, placing her hands on her hips and turning to face Lily. "What now?"
Lily remained impassive. "Be patient."
Hermione took the map out and when she saw a dot coming up the path, she gasped. "You told her?"
Lily shrugged. "Why not? It's so much better than sneaking around, huddled under that Invisibility Cloak."
"But—what did you tell her? And when?"
"I sent an owl from that town on Hølen."
Hermione nodded. She remembered being confused about Lily's insistence that she needed to run an errand in town before they left. "Okay. And what did you tell her?"
"That we needed to look through some of Dumbledore's gadgets. Sometimes the truth is best, Hermione. Especially when I can say I'll explain everything later, without any intention of doing so," she added with a wink.
Hermione shook her head. She thought again how Lily probably would have ended up in Slytherin, had she not been a Muggleborn, and would have done very well there, as they waited for McGonagall to appear.
Professor McGonagall looked exactly the same as her counterpart in Hermione's world. The only difference was in how she greeted Hermione, with a firm hug. Hermione had to keep from stiffening in surprise as she hugged her favorite professor back. She reminded herself that this Hermione had lived at Order Headquarters for months and had therefore become close with all its members.
"Have you thought more about my offer?" McGonagall asked as she pulled away, still gripping Hermione by the shoulders.
Hermione's eyes darted to Lily, who just shrugged.
"Uh, yes," Hermione said nervously. "I'm still thinking about it."
"Take your time, my dear." She started walking back toward the castle and motioned for Lily and Hermione to follow, pausing for a moment to recast the Water Repellent Charm over her head. "It'll be years before you can teach here," McGonagall continued, "but it's never too soon to start planning. I'd be honored to have you as a colleague one day, Miss Granger." She paused and said over her shoulder, "Well, I supposed that won't be your name for long. You'll be Mrs. Potter soon. Then there will be two of you."
Lily beamed at Hermione, who quickly averted her gaze. Mrs. Potter. She pushed the engagement ring she was wearing around on her finger. Why was she still wearing it? She told herself it was out of habit, and that she was using it as a reminder that she was engaged back home, but that was a weak excuse.
It's because you like the idea of being engaged to Harry. Because you want to be Mrs. Potter, instead of Mrs. Weasley.
Hermione shook her head and focused back on the other witches. Lily was telling McGonagall about their trip, listing out all the Wonders they'd seen. Hermione jumped into the conversation, eager for a distraction from her thoughts.
Less than an hour later, Lily and Hermione were back at the entrance gates, this time with Dumbledore's Deluminator tucked safely in an inside pocket of Hermione's robes. Lily was right, her way had been much easier. They'd found the Deluminator within minutes of arriving in McGonagall's office, since Hermione knew exactly where to look, then passed the rest of the time having tea with the Headmistress.
"That was a good idea, Lily. Thank you," Hermione managed to force out as they walked down the path to Hogsmeade.
"You have a tendency to over-complicate things," Lily said in response.
"Well, in my defense, I knew nothing about this world and Hermione's relationship with McGonagall the last two times I was here. I wouldn't have known if it was appropriate to just ask to go through Dumbledore's things."
Lily just shrugged and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the Apparition point, which was on the side of one of the shops, shielded from the rain by a large awning, Lily turned to Hermione and grabbed both of her hands.
Hermione's eyes welled with tears. This was it. Time to say goodbye. They'd get one more chance, after they traveled back in time two weeks, but this was their last chance to speak in private. Several tears began to fall down Hermione's face. She wasn't ready.
"I have no idea how to begin to say goodbye to you, Hermione," Lily started, holding her hands firmly. "So I won't even try." She pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "I love you."
Hermione nodded into her shoulder. "I love you too, Lily. I'm going to think about you all the time."
Lily was smiling as she pulled away. She moved her hands up and pushed Hermione's hair back before gripping her shoulders. "Promise me you'll take care of him. No matter what happens between you two, I need to know you're going to be by his side."
"Of course," Hermione said, relieved Lily had asked her to make a promise she knew she could keep. "I'm not going anywhere."
Lily searched her face, probably looking for a hint of a lie, but there was none there. Lily smiled again, then fixed Hermione with a stern glare. "You need to find your pillars, okay? Find the things in your life that are most important, then align yourself with them each day, and then… live. Just live, Hermione, okay? The fighting is over—you won—and now it's time to live."
Hermione was crying fully now. The thought of going home in a few hours scared her. She was terrified of trying to make it without the support of this incredible witch. Someone she really did love, even after just two weeks of knowing her. Someone Hermione would miss more than she ever thought possible. Hermione had thought she was sad on Harry's behalf, which she was, but she was also sad for herself. Lily and James understood her so well. They'd welcomed her with open arms, been patient with her, and pushed her when she needed it. And Lily, especially, had been wonderful.
Lily knew what it was like to be a Muggleborn. She knew what it was like to be ambitious—struggling to balance that constant drive to achieve more with being content with where she was now. She knew what it was like to love someone so much it hurt without it becoming too overwhelming. Lily was the person Hermione wanted to be when she grew up. She was devastated that she was forced to say goodbye almost as soon as she'd discovered the mentor she didn't even know she needed.
"I'll try," Hermione choked out. She dropped her head and several tears fell onto the wet stone.
"No," Lily said, tilting Hermione's face up. "You're not just going to try. You're going to figure it out. I know you, Hermione, and I know you can do this. You're lost now, but you're going to find your way. And whenever you doubt yourself, remember that this Hermione figured it out, and she's not even as smart as you," she ended with a conspiratory whisper.
Hermione gave her a teary smile. Lily pressed their foreheads together, then leaned back and started wiping Hermione's face with a handkerchief she'd conjured. "I think that's enough of a heart-to-heart. If we do this for much longer, we're going to turn into two puddles of tears," Lily murmured. "Unless you have anything else you want to say?"
Hermione shook her head. "Just that I'm going to miss you terribly and that I sort of hate the other Hermione for getting to talk to you whenever she wants."
Lily smiled. She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief before vanishing it, then held her wand up. "Ready? Let's see if the boys managed to keep themselves out of trouble."
"Yeah," Hermione said, pulling her wand out of her robes. "Let's go."
When Lily and Hermione arrived at the meeting spot, a dark alley outside the guest entrance to the Ministry, Harry and James were already there. "You weren't kidding about this costing a fortune," James said after they arrived, holding the amulet out to Hermione. "This is it, right?"
Hermione nodded. "Perfect, thanks. And don't worry about the money. It'll be back in your vault once we go back in time. Then there will be two copies of the amulet and Deluminator until we bring these copies into the portal to the other worlds. Then they'll sort of...disappear, and everything will be as it was."
It was still too early to break into the Ministry, since Hermione wanted to wait until well after work hours, to ensure the Department of Mysteries would be empty, so they went to a Muggle cafe to pass the time. While there, Hermione explained how they would be breaking in. She told them that anyone without magic could walk right into the Department of Mysteries, so they would need to temporarily shed their magic. Since Hermione wouldn't be able to walk through the door in this world, as she had done in hers, they would use the amulet to store their magic.
"The problem is, the amulet has a limited capacity," Hermione was saying as she absently stirred her tea. "I won't know for sure until I check how much power we have, but I'm pretty sure it can only fit the magic of two of us, which just means we'll need to take turns going in."
"You can check that?" James asked. "How much power someone has?"
"Yes," she said simply. "Hopefully, none of you is exceedingly powerful, like Dumbledore, because that would cause a bit of a problem, since we need to be able to get at least two people through the door at a time for this to work, ideally more."
"I think you're safe," Lily said with a small laugh. "I'm not hiding any excessive magical capacity anywhere and I don't think James and Harry are, either."
"Who do you think is the most powerful?" James asked with a grin.
They took turns going around the table and guessing. Everyone guessed Hermione except for Hermione, who guessed Harry.
"I think you're confusing knowing lots of spells with having a lot of power," she explained. "Harry's very powerful. His Patronus in Third Year chased away nearly a hundred dementors, he was the only student in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class who could shake the Imperius Curse on the first try, and he's one of the few wizards in history, maybe even the only one, who has successfully possessed all three Hallows."
"You're making me blush," Harry quipped.
Hermione just shrugged and turned back to James and Lily. "And if I had to guess, he got that power from both of you. I might even be the least powerful one in the group."
"That doesn't bother you?" James asked. "You're usually so competitive."
"I can't control how much magic I'm born with. Plus, I know more spells than all of you combined and you'd be completely lost without me, so I still win," she said matter-of-factly, which made everyone at the table laugh.
An hour later, while the group stood outside the door to the Department of Mysteries, Hermione was proven right. She cast a spell over everyone to check their magical capacity and the orb that appeared in front of Harry's chest was the largest, followed by Lily's, then James's and Hermione's, which were nearly the same size.
"Good," Hermione murmured, vanishing the glowing orbs with her wand. "We should be able to fit two people's magic in here."
She pulled the amulet out of her robes and cast a modified version of the spell she'd used with Harry back in their world to transfer his magic to her. Her magic left her with a hiss and Harry thought she looked immediately paler.
"Okay, Harry," she said, turning to him. "We need to move quickly. Repeat after me, okay?"
They trapped Harry's magic in the amulet next and that empty feeling came over him. Hermione asked Lily to recast the spell to check Harry's magical capacity and was relieved when no orbs of light appeared. "Good. It all fit," she muttered under her breath.
Next, Hermione guided Harry through the familiar black door, then past the circular hall into a mostly empty room with nothing but a loveseat and a portrait of a group of people with no heads. "Perfect," Hermione said when she saw the portrait, "no one else is here." She turned to Harry and talked him through the incantations that would release his magic from the amulet.
Once he had his magic back, Hermione dashed out of the room. He knew she was trying to get all of them into the Department of Mysteries in under ten minutes, after which it would be considerably more difficult for her to recapture her magic from the amulet. Harry set a timer on his wand, starting at three minutes to account for the time that had already passed since Hermione had given up her magic.
At five and a half minutes, Hermione burst into the room with Lily. She worked quickly to return Lily's magic, then sprinted out of the room again. At eight minutes and forty-five seconds, she came in with James. She was about to walk James through the process of restoring his magic when Harry caught her elbow. "No. Do yours first. You've been without it for longer."
She started to protest, then gave him a curt nod and started speaking the incantations. The jade amulet glowed in her hand and she let out a sigh of relief as the color returned to her cheeks. She handed the jade amulet to James and once his magic was back, he declared that he never wanted to be without it again.
"What about when you return to Fall's End?" Harry asked. "You're not going to try to find Enlightenment with the other Harry and Hermione?"
James groaned. "Right. I think I'll suggest we enjoy the view of the waterfall and move on. Maybe spend an extra day at the Sanctuary instead."
"Good plan," Hermione said, though it was clear her mind was elsewhere. "Let's go." She led them back to the circular room with the doors and was about to walk through one of them, then seemed to remember something and pulled her hand away from the knob. "Um, Harry. You're going to recognize this room."
"Oh?" he asked as his chest clenched tightly. Was it going to be the room where Sirius had died? He didn't think he could handle that. Not today, when he was going to be forced to say goodbye to his parents.
"Not that one," she said quickly, guessing at his thoughts. "The one with the bell jar."
"Oh, right. Yeah...I should have guessed." He remembered that glittering crystal bell jar that had made the Death Eater's head turn into that of a baby's. "Time, right?"
Hermione nodded. James and Lily were watching the interchange with solemn expressions, but didn't say anything.
"I'll be fine, thanks for the warning," Harry said, taking a deep breath to clear the tightness in his chest. Hermione reached for his hand and linked their fingers together before turning back to the door.
The room was just like Harry remembered it, filled with a bright, glittering light. Clocks still lined the walls, causing a relentless ticking to fill the room. This time, there wasn't a bird in the bell jar, but a toad. As it drifted downward, it turned into a tadpole. Lily let out a gasp.
"Okay," Hermione said, unimpressed. "This way."
She pulled Harry toward a bookshelf on the left side of the room which was filled with small clocks, rather than books. Hermione reached for a large bronze pocket watch on the top shelf, flipped open the lid, then vanished the glass with her wand. She gently turned the hands so the time matched the time on her wristwatch, then restored the glass and placed the watch back on the shelf. As soon as the bronze touched the wood of the shelf, there was a click as something released. Hermione grabbed the edge of the bookshelf and pulled it toward them to reveal a hidden room on the other side.
"What's the point of hiding rooms inside the Department of Mysteries, which is already well-protected?" James asked as they walked into the secret room.
"It's not impossible to break into the Department of Mysteries, as we've just proven," Hermione said, leading the way through the narrow room. "And this room is especially dangerous."
Harry's head whipped around as they walked. At first, he thought the room was dark, then realized it was lit about as well as a standard room, with floating lamps hanging along the walls, but just seemed dark compared to the extreme brightness of the previous room. He was currently walking by a series of mirrors and stopped in place when he caught sight of his father on the other side. "Wha—?"
He backtracked and as he did so, he watched James grow younger. Then, he realized it wasn't his father in the mirror, it was him. His green eyes and more oval face, like his mother's, marked the difference between them.
Lily, who had stopped to watch Harry, let out a small cry when he walked back in front of the mirror that made him look like he was his dad's age. "Merlin, is that you?"
"Yeah, I think so," Harry nodded.
"You really do look like James. It's so much more obvious when you're both the same age. Hey, James, come over here."
James smiled widely when he saw Harry in the mirror. "Very handsome," he commended. "You're welcome, for those brilliant genes I passed on to you."
Harry laughed, then pulled his dad backward to the mirror that made his dad look like he was twenty again. They looked a little less similar, though still alarmingly alike. They walked slowly down the hall, finding they became more similar in appearance as they aged.
Lily was waiting at the end of the row, laughing at them, then turned and jumped when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. "Oh, dear! I look just like my Great Grandmum."
James joined her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well, that is a very good-looking old couple." She laughed, then kissed his cheek. Harry felt a pang in his chest for the Lily and James in his time, who never aged past those first few mirrors.
"Are you all done?" Hermione asked. She was standing ahead of them with her hands on her hips.
"What's the rush?" James asked. "We're about to go back in time, aren't we?"
"We shouldn't dawdle," Hermione replied. "An Unspeakable could come in at any—"
"Hey, Hermione!" Harry called from the mirror that made him look like he was his parents' age. He was pretending to have missed the interchange between her and James. "Come here. I want to see what you look like."
"Why?"
He shot her a playful grin. "Because if you don't age gracefully, I'm probably going to change my mind about wanting to be with you."
James guffawed while Lily said, "Harry, that's not the best way to woo a woman."
But Hermione was smiling. She turned to Lily. "I got the sense your Harry was rather charming but you should know, this Harry is dreadful with witches."
"I really am," Harry confirmed, motioning again for Hermione to join him.
Hermione huffed, but still started walking toward him while James said, "Yeah, we're seeing that." He winked at Harry behind Hermione's back and Harry had to keep from looking too smug. He may be "dreadful with witches," but he'd convinced her to join him, hadn't he?
When Hermione reached his side, they turned and looked in the mirror together. "You really do look like your dad," Hermione said. "It's eerie."
"You don't really look like your mum," he said, studying her reflection. She looked about the same as she did now, just with a few more lines on her face. Her hair had some strands of grey, like his mum's hair, but was still wild and curly, and her eyes were shining bright with amusement. He smiled when his gaze met hers in the mirror.
"Well?" she asked. "What's the verdict?"
"I think I'll stick with the original plan," he said with a grin.
"And what's that?"
"To pester you until you agree to be with me."
She rolled her eyes and started making her way back to his parents. Harry chased after her, watching as her reflection changed in the mirrors. Her hair turned grey, she grew thinner, and more lines appeared on her face. But she was still, undeniably, Hermione, which was most evident by her eyes, which remained large and dazzling, even when she was a hunched-over, old woman.
"That pestering tactic works. You'll see," James said when they reached the end of the mirrors, wrapping his arm around Lily's waist.
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on. We've wasted enough time."
Hermione stopped at the end of the room in front of a large, glass cabinet that held about thirty Time Turners. She knew immediately which one she wanted, reaching for a small black one near the bottom. "This one has a short range but is very precise, which is exactly what we need," she explained to Harry.
Harry just nodded. He wasn't in any position to question her judgment. Next, she turned to what looked like a wardrobe with a large clock on the left door. Hermione pulled out her wand and fiddled with the clock for several minutes, then opened the wardrobe to reveal a vortex of colors that reminded Harry of springtime.
"Wow," Lily gasped. "Is that...the portal?"
"Yes," Hermione said simply.
"It's lovely."
"Yes," Hermione repeated. "Every time my boss sees it, he declares, 'Time is a beautiful thing.'"
Harry nodded. It really was lovely. The portal was the crisp blue of the sky on a clear day mixed with the color of bright green grass and wildflowers. He could feel a cool breeze emanating from the swirling hues and could almost imagine the smell of blooming flowers and the feel of warm, sunny rays on his skin.
"I feel the need to warn you one more time—" Hermione began, but was quickly cut off by James.
"You've told us the risks. We're doing this."
Hermione sighed. "Okay. Well then, I guess this is, um, goodbye. I set the clock for 6:00 pm on that Thursday night, two weeks ago. You'll appear in your bodies in whatever location you were in at the time, which I assume was your house, preparing for dinner?"
James and Lily nodded.
"Okay then—um—I guess this is goodbye."
"Wait, what?" Harry asked.
Hermione turned to face him. "When we take the Time Turner back, we'll reappear in this same room. It's easier to just go home from here, rather than trying to meet up with them again. That way we won't have to break into the Department of Mysteries a second time."
"But I—I have a letter for them." Harry pulled an envelope from his pocket. "It's, er, for the other Harry," he explained.
James's face broke into a heartbreaking smile. "You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to. It might not help, but I don't think it will hurt." He looked at Hermione, who was biting her lip. "How do I get this to them?"
"They can't take it with them," she said, "since it will be lost in the portal. But we can take it back in time with the Time Turner, then send it to them using the mail system at the Ministry. We should be able to send it to the front desk without having to leave the Department of Mysteries, then they will send it on to them using an owl in the morning. They'll probably get it right before they leave for their trip."
"Oh. Okay," Harry said, looking down at the letter and trying to hide the disappointment in his tone.
"Or…" she continued. Harry perked up. "We could leave the Department of Mysteries, meet them at Godric's Hollow for a final goodbye, then break back in."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," she sighed as he engulfed her in a large hug.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she gasped, struggling to breathe through the tight embrace. "Now let go of me. I need to adjust the time of the portal. I'm going to add another thirty minutes to give us more time. It's imperative that we jump into the portal back to our world one second before we arrived."
Once Harry let go of her, she closed the door of the wardrobe, used her wand to spin the clock back thirty minutes, then opened the door again. "Okay," she said, stepping aside to make room for James and Lily. "We'll see you in the past."
There was a quick round of hugs, which Hermione said was unnecessary, since this was definitely going to work, then Lily and James grabbed hands and stepped into the vortex.
Harry watched them spin around, getting smaller as they made their way to the center of the spiral, and then, they abruptly blinked out of sight. His stomach lurched. "They're not gone yet," Hermione said as she grabbed his arm and led him back to the entrance of the Department of Mysteries. He focused on her firm grip as he tried to push the thought of his parents blinking out of sight from his mind. When they were in the first room she'd led them to again, the one with the loveseat, she turned to him and placed the Time Turner around their necks.
Hermione fiddled with the dials around the small hourglass and once the time interval was set, she looked back up at him, her eyes determined. "We need to be quick, okay?"
"Yeah," Harry breathed, struggling to speak through the tightness in his throat.
She lifted a cool hand to his cheek. "We're going to be okay, Harry. And I really am sorry for the rush, but I thought it would be better if we didn't draw it out."
"Yeah, you're probably right." He raised a hand to cover hers, then grabbed her side with his other hand as he took a step closer to her. "I'm ready."
She cocked her head to the left. "There's an Apparition point on the other side of that sofa. Once in the past, we'll go to Godric's Hollow from there."
"Okay."
She smiled softly. "Ready for another time travel adventure? Hopefully less eventful than the last one."
He forced out a laugh and tightened his grip on her side. "Sure."
Hermione began to spin the tiny hourglass and that strange feeling that Harry had felt the last time he'd done this, like he was flying backward, came over him. He closed his eyes as a blur of shapes and colors surrounded them, opening them once he felt solid ground under his feet.
Hermione stepped back and her head snapped to the portrait above the loveseat. There were still no heads on any of the people in the picture, which seemed to be a good thing. She cast a spell to check the time, then nodded and made her way to the side of the couch where a small circle of the ground was glowing faintly. "Do you want to —?" she began to ask.
"Ladies first," Harry cut in.
"Okay. I'll see you there." She turned on her toe and disappeared with a pop.
Once he was alone in the room, Harry took a deep breath. This was it. Time to finally say goodbye. He blinked back several tears, stepped onto the Apparition point, pictured the doorstep of his parents' house, and Disapparated.
Lily opened the front door as soon as she felt a shimmer in the wards surrounding the house, signaling someone's arrival. It was Hermione, looking at her warily. "Well?" Hermione asked.
"It worked," Lily said as Hermione walked into the house. "We remember the trip, that you're from another world, the time portal, everything."
Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
"Why do you look so relieved?" James asked, coming into the hall and leaning casually against the wall. "You said you were sure this was going to work."
She gave a small shrug as Harry appeared on the doorstep behind her. "Did it work?" he asked immediately.
Lily nodded and watched him smile tentatively, like he was worried if he showed too much joy, someone would take it away from him. Lily's heart ached. This was one of those quirks that belonged completely to him, not her Harry. She wondered how he'd managed to fool her for over a week, since the differences between him and her son were so obvious. She imagined this was how mums with twins, like Molly, could tell who was who—not by looking for differences in appearance, but in mannerisms.
Harry was standing in front of her now, his face filled with so many emotions, she couldn't even begin to name them. This man had taken her completely by surprise and she'd grown to love him so deeply, you'd never guess that just two weeks ago, she didn't even know he existed. And now, Lily had no idea how she was supposed to say goodbye.
"Mum," he whispered.
"Harry," she whispered back. Tears were already beginning to fall down her cheeks. She cupped his face in her hands. "I love you so much and I'm going to think about you every day," she said, her voice shaking.
"Me too."
Lily threw her arms around him. He folded his frame around her and gripped her with strong arms. She wanted to say more, articulate just how much she loved him, how proud of him she was, how sorry she was that the other Lily hadn't been there for him, and how much she was going to miss him, but the words caught in her throat. So, she tried to impart them in her hug, instead.
It was over too soon. Harry stepped back and went to James at the side of the room. Lily watched Harry pull a letter out of his robes and her heart swelled as she pictured him writing it back in Norway. Poor Harry. It must be so hard for him, being faced with this other world, where another version of himself had enjoyed all the things he was denied. But in the midst of that, he'd taken it upon himself to try to help mend the rift in their family. Lily had to blink back a new round of tears that were threatening to fall.
She looked around and spotted Hermione lingering on the opposite wall. She looked shyly at Lily, as if unsure if Lily would want to talk to her. Lily closed the distance between them and pulled Hermione into a hug. She was stiff at first, but melted into Lily after a few seconds. "Remember your promise?" Lily murmured into her hair.
Hermione nodded as she pulled back. Lily could tell by the look in Hermione's eyes that she meant it. She had no intention of pushing Harry away. Even if things didn't work out for them romantically, which was highly unlikely, Hermione would always reserve a spot for him in her heart.
"Lily. The other Hermione and her wound," Hermione began, talking in a rush. "I've been thinking about it all day and I'm worried she'll struggle to have children."
Lily shook her head and gave Hermione what she hoped was a comforting smile. This witch spent way too much of her time worrying—usually about the wellbeing of others, instead of herself. "The Healers checked her for that," Lily explained calmly. "Her reproductive organs are intact and her cycles are regular. She'll be fine. You don't need to worry about her."
"She may be okay anatomically, but there's a possibility the Dark Magic will cause trouble. I've read about it happening in rare cases, but it can be controlled, if you know what to look for. You need an expert, okay?"
Lily nodded dutifully.
"Reach out to Damien Miller. He's an Unspeakable and knows more about the composition of Dark Magic than anyone. He'll help; I know he will. And you can trust him. You can tell him everything and he—he'll love it. He loves insane things. He also loves breaking the rules."
"Okay," Lily said. "Got it. Damien Miller."
"And if anything goes wrong with you and James," Hermione continued, the words spilling out of her mouth, "headaches, illnesses that won't go away, a feeling like you're floating outside your body, memory loss, a sudden onset of overwhelming terror—anything out of the ordinary, go to Miller and tell him about the time portal. He can help with that, too."
"Yes, we'll reach out to him if we need to."
"And the spell to heal the other Hermione. Do you remember the incantations? Do I need to write them down?"
"Hermione." Lily placed her hands on either side of her face. "You never turn it off, do you?"
Tears welled in Hermione's beautiful brown eyes.
"We're going to be fine, Hermione," Lily said gently. "You don't need to worry about us, okay? When you get back to your world, you focus on yourself."
Hermione nodded and Lily saw her lip quiver. She pulled her into another firm embrace. "I love you, dear."
"I love you, too," Hermione responded tearily.
When Hermione stepped out of Lily's arms, she went straight to Harry and curled into his side. Lily saw her sway slightly and noticed then how pale she looked. Harry seemed to notice Hermione's exhaustion at the same time. "You okay?" he asked, eyes swimming with concern as he looked down at her.
"I'm just tired. I used a lot of magic back at the Ministry and the wound—it doesn't hurt as much, but it still takes a lot out of me."
"You should have said," he scolded. "I could have come alone. I know how to get back in with the amulet now."
"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," she whispered back. "Where you go, I go."
A strong arm encircled Lily's waist as she watched Harry kiss the top of Hermione's head. When he looked back at them, his eyes were wet with tears. Lily smiled at him, trying to convey all the words she hadn't had time to say.
"I love you guys," he said as he opened the door, fumbling with the knob.
Lily wanted to hug him again, but knew if she did that, she'd never let go. She wrapped her arms around James instead. "We love you too. Good luck, though with Hermione with you, I don't think you'll need it."
Hermione gave Lily a weak smile before letting Harry pull her outside. Lily watched them have one of those silent arguments couples have and smiled inwardly. She wished she could be there when Hermione finally gave in and let Harry know just how desperately she loved him.
Harry appeared to have won the argument, which seemed to be about whether or not Hermione was going to let him take her back to the Ministry using Side-Along Apparition to conserve her magic. She grudgingly wrapped her hand around his forearm, then they turned and gave James and Lily a final wave before popping out of sight.
James closed the door with a wave of his hand and pulled Lily against his chest as a fresh wave of sorrow washed over her. She cried into his chest for several moments before she felt strong enough to step back and stand on her own. James's eyes were wet and he wiped them with the back of his hand before taking Harry's letter out of his pocket.
"You're not going to read that," she said sternly.
"The last thing he left behind? Of course I am. Plus, he didn't seal it. I'm sure he knew I'd read it."
"Fine," she sighed. She couldn't deny she was curious to see what Harry had written. She tucked herself under James's arm as he flipped open the folded sheets of parchment. Lily smiled when she saw the messy scrawl, so similar to her Harry's.
Harry,
First off, thank you for loaning me your body. I know you didn't have a say in the matter, nor any memory of having done so, but I'm grateful, nonetheless.
Secondly, you're being an idiot. I know why you're angry with your parents, but you've punished them enough. War is not fun. You should be glad you missed out on it. Do you know how much I wish someone had whisked me away to safety?
Also, imagine for a moment if another war broke out and you had the opportunity to send Hermione away and keep her safe. We both know you'd do it in a heartbeat, despite her protests.
And by pushing them away, you're just depriving yourself of happiness. I got to spend two weeks with them and I will remember every second for the rest of my life. I'll replay it all in my mind: every conversation, every joke, every game, even the moments we spent in silence. I'm going to have to sustain a lifetime of remembering with just two weeks, but you don't have to.
You have your whole life with them. Don't waste it. You're lucky to have them and if you don't see that, then you don't deserve them.
Lastly, never take Hermione for granted. I'm not sure if this is something you've ever done, but I have, which means you're not the only idiot who's inhabited this body. Treat her well and shower her with love and praise every moment you get. I want her to be happy, no matter what world she's in. She's your soulmate, by the way, in case you hadn't already figured it out.
Okay, enough lecturing. I've never been that great at writing letters. Goodbye, thanks again for the body, and please, stop being a prat.
-Harry
Lily laughed when she reached the end of the letter. "Blunt."
"That's Harry for you," James said as he folded up the pages and returned them to his pocket. "He gets it from you."
"Do you think it will help?" she asked as she tried to imagine her Harry's reaction when he read that letter.
"I have no idea. One way to find out."
Lily kissed the underside of his jaw. She knew she needed to go and finish dinner, but couldn't make herself move from James's side. Dinner would be late. Whatever, they had a good excuse. She focused back on the other Harry and Hermione, who would be back in the Department of Mysteries by now. "Did you hear what she said to him, just before they left?" she asked James.
He smirked down at her. "'Where you go, I go.' It sounded like the beginning of wedding vows."
"Most of the things they say to each other sound like wedding vows."
"Yeah. They're going to be fine."
"I know they will."
They finally went to the kitchen to finish making dinner. Lily opted for a simple salad and used her wand to chop the vegetables while James set the table. "How long will it take them to get together?" James asked from the other room.
"What do you think?" she called back, whisking the salad dressing in a small bowl.
"A month?"
"No. Longer. They need to cancel their weddings, rebuild their friendships with Ron and Ginny, quit their jobs—"
"Move," James added, coming into the kitchen. "At least, I hope Harry moves. I was giving him a hard time about living in that dung heap while we were getting the amulet. I think he's clinging to it because it reminds him of Sirius, but Sirius hated that place and I know he'd hate the thought of Harry living there."
"Good. I hope he moves, too. So, with all that, my guess is that they'll be together in three months, four at the most."
Just then, Lily felt the shimmer of the wards, followed by a knock at the door. Her heart started beating rapidly as she followed James to the foyer. This was it. She placed her hand on the doorknob, but it froze there. James wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "I've got you, Evans."
For a moment, they were back at Hogwarts. He was catching her by the waist before she stepped onto a trick stair, wearing that playful smirk that always made her heart leap. She'd loved him even that early on, then spent the next several years denying it until she couldn't anymore. The day she'd finally let go of her fears and kissed him was one of the best of her life, second only to the day Harry was born.
His eyes were filled with a mix of raw emotions: adoration, fear, sorrow, hope. It was the type of look he saved for her alone. This was going to be so difficult for him. He'd always taken Harry's estrangement personally, and now he had to deal with it while also mourning the loss of the other Harry.
"I've got you too, Potter," she whispered back.
"I know," he replied, blinking back tears. "That's why this works so well."
Lily grabbed his hand and linked their fingers together, then pressed her lips to his knuckles. He was going to be fine. They were going to be fine. She forced a smile on her face, twisted the doorknob, and pulled it open.
