The Prime Princess

Harry woke up under a tree. The sun was shining through the leaves and the light glided warmly over his face as he looked up. An old and imposing oak stood alone on a little knoll top with meadow of sweet flowers surrounding it. Birds were singing above his head and yellow butterflies fluttered around the field. He hadn’t seen anything so beautiful and peaceful in his entire life.

“I’m glad you came,” said a voice. Harry turned his head and twisted himself around to see behind the tree-trunk. He saw a girl of his age but didn’t recognize her at first. She was leaning against the tree with closed eyes. She wore a white simple summer dress and a friendly smile.

“I’ve been missing you, Harry,” she said and opened her coffee brown eyes. Her long chocolate brown hair with sun kissed highlights floated in the mild wind. Long stubborn curls drifted in the air like a golden halo with sunshine reflecting from them.

“Hermione?” asked Harry in a shaky voice. She nodded and sat down next to him.

“What is this place?”

“This is the end and the beginning,” said Hermione and looked over the meadow. “This is where you felled and everyone with you.”

“I’m not sure if I understood you correctly,” Harry started off but then he remembered the final battle with Lord Voldemort. But this time his memories were different. He remembered clearly Hermione by his side with Ron.

Harry looked up with a shock and stared at Hermione. She was so different. The posh princess he thought he knew was entirely something else he could have imagined. Under the false elegance she was just a beautiful English rose.

“I have come back here more than once and tried to come up with an answer to all my prays – a way to save everyone. I wanted it so much I couldn’t stop myself from making mistakes. I thought a Time-Turner would give me enough time to save you. But each time you died, I died with you. I tried and tried but how ever I tried, it wasn’t enough,” she said and bowed her head, “Until I was sent here.”

“What was here?” asked Harry and looked at Hermione.

“You were,” she answered, “You had won and the world with you. But I wasn’t with you. I wasn’t even me. I was an Ariston – the best in everything.”

“I’m sure with you I’d…”

“No, Harry, with me you always lost… I was no good to you… I failed, not you,” said Hermione with a sigh.

“But that’s just nuts! I can remember now that you were the one to help us out of trouble every single time. And Ron… He’s madly in love with you,” protested Harry.

“I failed you, Ron and everyone else back then but I’m not gonna fail now,” she said and Harry felt how he was pushed out of her world.
***
St. Mungo was decorated in merry lights and owls brought in Christmas cards and presents. Harry had just been released when Ron and Neville walked in. Neville was bouncing around like a little happy red ball. He just couldn’t hide his joy no more.

“My Mum is cured!” he declared and burst into tears. “She’s… Oh Merlin, it’s a miracle! They said my Mum could not be helped but… here she is!”

Healthy looking Alice Longbottom stepped into the ward and smiled to everyone. Harry stared at her and found the change incredible. Mrs. Longbottom hugged her son while getting to know his friends.

“I saw an angel, of that I'm sure,” she said after greeting Harry, “She set me free.”

Ron looked at Harry with a weird look in his eyes.

“Um, Mrs. Longbottom, the angel was Hermione Ariston,” told Harry quietly.

“Ariston? That sweet little girl?” she wondered and went on with her son to visit others.

Harry and Ron stood in silence. The bed where Hermione slept in deep sleep was hidden behind curtains. The ward had no other residents, so they were alone.

“Did she really…”

“Yes.”

“And she’s…”

“Yes.”

“When she’s…”

“Don’t know.”

“Right,” muttered Ron, “I saw Malfoy and Zabini snooping around here.”

The next moment Draco and Blaise stepped in. Behind them came Pansy and Millicent bringing loads of presents that Vincent and Gregory carried.

“Great, all the Slytherin is here,” grumbled Ron staring the six people disappearing behind the curtains.

“I think we should go,” said Harry and pushed his friend out of the ward.
***
Three days later Hermione sat in a little coffee shop alone and drank cocoa. Snow was covering Hogsmeade’s streets and people were wearing warm coats with mittens and scarves. She looked out of the shop window and just followed people with her gaze. She didn’t wait for anyone. She just drank her cocoa and was happy. She was Hermione. Not Ariston or Granger, just Hermione. And she was happy.

Something started to buzz in her purse. She tried to ignore the sound but soon she was forced to dig the source of the sound out of her purse. It was a little device she remembered from a fuzzy dream. Why was it there? It had a display that read: Countdown 7, 6, 5…

“Oh fuck,” hissed Hermione but was too late. Bright light surrounded her for a second and then on the other side she dropped onto her ass on the landing platform.

“Welcome back, Reaper,” greeted Saga.
***
Harry sat in Griffindor Common Room and watched Carmen yelling out orders. She was fussing with Christmas decorations and had banished house elves so she could be a little bossy Head Girl and charge a bunch of cute guys. Who was she anyway? Ron was dating with her but sometimes even he had confessed he actually feared her a bit. And then there were these memories he had seen while seeing insides of Hermione’s mind.

Ron chose the exact moment to step in from the portrait hole when Carmen was looking a volunteer to sing Christmas songs all over the school.

“What?!” shrieked Ron as Carmen gave the job to him. “I absolutely am not gonna do that!”

“But sweetie,” purred Carmen and advanced Ron, “I need you to.”

“To sing? I can’t sing!”

“Honey, I love you and I need you to sing. Just few songs,” whined Carmen and looked up to face Ron.

“Why not to use magic? I know you could come up with something,” tried Ron to slither out of the mess he was in.

“But that wouldn’t be authentic! I want a real thing!”

Harry smirked and went on with the book he’d been reading.
***
Hermione sat in the briefing room and got a quick summery of things happening while she was away. Ancients had started to dig out Hiveships from the Void. They ravaged them and left to die.

Saga was doing her best to give as much information as possible. But something was distracting her. Saga sensed something was different about Hermione. Her all seeing senses went out to explore the difference and found she was looking at Hermione. One and only.

“I see,” whispered Saga and went on with the short lecture about the positions where Ancients fleets were last seen.

“Saga,” interrupted Hermione, “I wanted to know what became of Major Draconis? He was sent back.”

“Yes, he’s under custody for further…”

“I want to see him,” said Hermione and stood up. Saga stared at her a while and then gave up.

“Fine. But I warn you – he’s not himself.”