Vox Corporis: Rebirth

Vox Corporis

Chapter 75: In Memoriam



Original story by -> MissAnnThropic

http://fanfiction.portkey.org/story/6586/1

Email: miss_annthropic@yahoo.com





Pursuant to the Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 and the Digital Millennium Copywrite Act of 1998, this work is copywrited 2007 with all rights expressly reserved by its author unless explicitly granted. No portion may be reproduced in any fashion without the express written and notarized permission of the author.



Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted.



Standard Disclaimer: This story contains sexually graphic and explicit material and it is not suitable for minors. If you are a minor, please leave now, as it is illegal for you to be here. If it is illegal for you to read or view sexually explicit material in the community you view such material, please leave now. This story and characters are purely fictional and any resemblance to events or persons (living or dead) is purely coincidental. If you are offended by sexually explicit stories, please read no further. These stories are just that, stories, and do not promote or condone the activities described herein



In Gratia: The original story was created so beautifully and so powerfully by MissAnnThropic. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to her for her kindness in letting me ‘play in her sandbox’.



NOTE: Please – Read and review my work. Over 24,777 of you have read all or parts of this story so far, but only 95 people - less than 0.382% - THAT’S ONE THIRD OF ONE PERCENT! - have taken the time to post a review. Positive reviews or constructive reviews are REALLY helpful and I live for them. I’m writing for fun and it does me worlds of good to hear what people think. If you have ideas or just reactions…I really want to hear them. THANKS!!!



NOTE 2: I understand that Miss Ann chose not to write any graphic scenes between Harry and Hermione; believing that the two were too young to be portrayed in such situations. I applaud her for her judgement and for her taste in writing what she did. However, this is a different story. Harry and Hermione have come a long way and have grown up a lot. I am using a description of their sexuality and sexual interactions as a foil for greater character development. I hope that adults will read this and understand that there is a time and place for erotica in good fiction and appreciate it for what it is.

A/N – From Chapter 74 – Love, Pain, and Vengeance



“I’ll be ready, Headmaster. I won’t let you down.”



“No, Harry, I don’t think that either you or Mrs. Potter will do that.” Dumbledores’ eyes twinkled like mad as he referred to Hermione as “Mrs. Potter” and his mouth crinkled into a broad smile. Harry knew that the Headmaster knew how much joy it would give him to hear Hermione spoken of that way.

*********************************

Once everything had been brought downstairs and the house had been prepared for an extended absence, Dumbledore himself levitated the sleeping form of Hermione out the door and down along the driveway. The bags, school trunks, kneazle, and assorted items, were all sent ahead to the Head Boy and Girls’ common room, there to await Harry and Hermiones’ arrival.



Once the four of them had gone beyond the outer boundary of the house wards, and Harry had disillusioned the entire house, so that only the trees behind it could be seen, the Headmaster created a port key. Harry placed Hermione’s hand on the branch that Dumbledore had selected for the key, and then his own, and then the four of them vanished in a swirl of wind and magic.

______________________________________________________________________________



Hermione sat up. They were in the hospital ward at Hogwarts. What the?....



Hermione was often too nice a young woman to swear, or at least, she told herself, she avoided the muggle habit of dropping the f-bomb – even in her own thoughts. Harry, she knew, was pretty restrained in his language, too. She liked that about him. It made her feel like he understood what dignity meant. Not like Ron. Her red-headed brother was infamous within the walls of Gryffindor House for dropping the f-bomb. She remembered vividly the first time he did so. She nearly spit out the tea she was drinking. It was so shocking that she had even written to her parents about it.



Oh well… she thought. At least Ron knew not to use his more colorful language around the professors.



So…why am I here? And where’s Harry? Hermione didn’t remember much. Her last thought was being with Harry, going to dinner at The Capital Restaurant in central London; making a quick exit in order to avoid being seen by Rita Skeeter; and then pulling Harry into bed for a wonderful night of touching, kissing, and ‘catting’. Thank god for Harry and his silencing charms! She thought with a grin.



She didn’t have to look very far to see her husband. He was three feet to her right, in a separate bed. Hermione immediately wondered why they were in separate beds. I wonder if Madame Pomfrey knows. Hermione looked down at her ring. Just seeing it on her left hand filled her with a powerful warmth and sense of peace. Lily’s ring. Now my ring…



Hermione looked over at Harry. He was sleeping so peacefully. His glasses were nowhere to be seen and his raven-black hair was even more unkempt than usual as he lay in the sterile hospital bed. He’s beautiful and he’s mine. She thought about what Harry meant to her and how her life had changed since her eleventh birthday. I can’t believe I’m getting married in less than four months! I love you, Harry.



One thing that she knew was that she didn’t want to be in a hospital bed alone, so she reached over and found her wand on a side table and a second later, the two beds melted together to form one bed. Harry was still asleep, but this way, she could be next to him and feel his warmth again. It didn’t take much of that for the ever proper Ms. Granger to start feeling something much more personal. Feelings Harry’s warm, broad back and the muscles that rippled there always turned her on. Hermione looked around the hospital ward, to see if Madame Pomfrey was anywhere nearby. Satisfied that she wasn’t, Hermione let her right hand drift purposeful down Harry’s back, to his waist, and then down to cup his muscular ass. One of the things that always got Hermione going was the fact that Harry kept himself very lean and his body was sinewy and strong. Clothes looked awesome on him because they seemed to flow with him as he moved, just like the jaguar that was so much a part of him.



Do I dare? He’ll hate me if I start and then have to stop. Well – I better make it good!



Hermione slid her hand over his hip and down into his shorts. His organ was soft and warm and felt silky in her hand as she felt its heft. With her other hand, she eased his shorts down enough so that she had unrestricted movement. Every movement of her hand around his manhood seemed to send a pulse right down to between her legs. It didn’t take long for Harry to become totally erect and it was a source of wonder for her that it could grow so much or feel so good to her.



She looked at his face. His eyes were closed and his breathing, while mostly even, was starting to have erratic moments. Oh well. It won’t be a terrible way to wake up. Hermione smiled to herself. She thought back to the forth morning at her parents’ home – two days after Harry had asked her to marry him – when she woke up to the most amazing feelings between her legs. She had looked down her naked, uncovered body to see his amazing green eyes staring back at her as his mouth covered her sex and his tongue repeatedly pleasured her clitoris. It hadn’t taken her long to explode over the edge and into the bliss of release.



Oh god. I want him so much.



Hermione’s silk knickers were damp and growing more so every moment as she stroked Harry’s organ up and down. The tip of his shaft was getting wetter every second and, though she thought of herself as sexually adventurous, she had never done for him what Harry did so marvelously for her. It took her only a second to make her decision. Again, she looked around to see if they had unwanted company. Seeing none, she rolled Harry onto his back and bent herself over him, so that she could take him in her mouth.



One good thing about being around the Patil twins was that she had learned a vast number of creative ways to please a man short of actual intercourse, a pleasure from which the Patil twins had to abstain until they were actually married. Hermione had learned that was so because there was a huge premium on virgins in the part of India from which they hailed. Hermione had surmised that Parvati and Padma were very skilled at giving oral sex from the clinical and professional way they taught the subject to other, like-minded female Hogwarts students. Thinking about what the Patil twins had spent so many evenings teaching made Hermione suddenly wonder who had taught Harry all he knew about giving oral sex.



Then she realized, with some great excitement, that no one had taught him. She knew Ginny and Harry had done together – mostly because Ginny couldn’t contain herself and blabbed to anyone who’d care to listen about the four times that Harry had kissed her. When Hermione thought about that, she giggled. If Ginny only knew how good he really is, she’d throw a serious hissy-fit.



Back to the matters at hand…Hermione snorted at her own joke.



Harry’s erection had lessened not at all during her moment of inattention. She lowered her mouth to the tip of it and extended her tongue so that she could taste him. Hmmm. Salty, sweet, almond?…nice. I like it. Once Hermione realized that it was something she could definitely cope with, she engulfed the head of his erection in her mouth and closed her lips around it. Even though she had never actually given oral sex before, she had, like the other girls Padma and Parvati had taught, practiced diligently with a simulacrum which she had conjured for the purpose.



She began to bob her head up and down slowly at first. “Oh….God, Hermione!”



Harry’s voice caught her off-guard momentarily, but after her heart had skipped a beat, she tilted her head so that she could look Harry in the eye as she continued so suck on him. “Hermione? I love you. That feels really amazing.”



She couldn’t nod, so she took as much of him into her mouth as possible and then slowly drew back. The effect of it was to make him gasp out loud. She sped up and her movements, as well his, became more energetic, almost frantic, with need. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer and she plunged her free hand down into her own pajama bottoms, furiously to rub her clit. Harry saw what she was doing and the image was more than enough to make him cum hard.



Hermione was ready for it though and she reveled in her ability to take all of his release and drank it down. After he was spent, she kept his organ in her mouth as he began to soften; swirling her tongue over the head gently as he did so. Finally, she looked up at him and licked her lips, before moving up to kiss him.



Harry was grinning at her as she moved to kiss him.



His arms ensnared her and drew her into a full-body hug and their kiss went on for some long minutes. Eventually, they separated, to look at each other and to take a moment to talk. Harry was disappointed that she had layers of clothes on, but looking around and realizing that they were in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, not surprised, either.



“Any idea why we’re here, Harry?”



“No. I was going to ask you. I can’t believe you just did that!!! Oh Merlin, Hermione. What if we had been caught?!!”



Hermione made a silly face at him and stuck her tongue out. Her response was like as aspirated raspberry “Pfffffffffffffffffffffffff. I was careful…no one’s around, Harry. I think that we’re the only students in the school right now and I bet Madame Pomfrey is talking to Professor McGonagall or to the Headmaster.”



She started thinking about what they were doing in the hospital wing. ”Harry, it’s funny, but my memories of what I or we have been doing are very fuzzy. I get the feeling that whatever happened, we were together when it did, though.”



“Me, too. I was thinking that maybe we should go and find Madame Pomfrey and get some answers.”



Harry looked at her with his own puppy-dog eyes. “Can we wait a bit? I feel like we’ve not gotten much time together to take care of each others’ needs and I really, really want to make you feel good, too. I knew you were close when you were finishing me off.”



“Harry? I want it too. I’m desperate to have your touch, but I think I want to get to our room before it happens. Can you wait? I can, though not long.”



Her husband-to-be pulled her close and kissed her. First her nose, then her eyes, then along her jawline, before settling his lips on hers.



“Ahhem.”



Harry and Hermione were pretty far gone into their snog and were beginning to grind against each other and had no idea that Madame Pomfrey was standing above them.



“Ahhem.”



It took several long seconds for the sound of her voice to register with the amorous couple. The moment it did, though, they broke apart and both looked up, beet-red with embarrassment. Harry spoke first, trying to give Hermione cover and time enough to make herself presentable.



“ahh. Hi. Can you give us a moment?”



“I’m afraid not, Mr. Potter. The Headmaster specifically instructed me to give you this as soon as I saw that you were awake.” With particular emphasis on the word ‘awake’, she smiled and held out a small orb. Harry took in from her hand and looked at it. It was small and blue and he could feel the magic resonating from it. Port key, most likely, Harry thought.



“It’s a port key to the Head Boy and Girls’ common room. I’ve been asked to tell you that all you must do is count three and it will take you both there. Thereafter, when you use it, all that will be required is that you think about your room and it will carry you there immediately. There is a second one for Mrs. Potter on the night table in the spare bedroom.”



Harry fumbled and choked, because he was trying to prevent himself from either bursting with laughter or dying of embarrassment. For the moment, he struggled to find the right thing to say. He was very embarrassed that he and Hermione had been caught practically shagging in the hospital ward and more, caught by the very woman who had saved his life more times than he cared to remember.



He looked up at her again and said simply “Thank you. We’ll leave in just a moment.”



“Take your time, Mr. Potter. I’ve not had anyone under my care in almost three months and it’s been too quiet.”



It was odd, Harry thought, to find humor in her statement. He knew all too well that she had no desire to see students hurt, yet he knew that she didn’t feel like she like she was earning her keep if there wasn’t at least one student recuperating in the hospital wing. Harry suspected, though he couldn’t prove it, that Madame Pomfrey also tended to the Headmaster’s medical needs.



The Medi-witch turned her back and walked the length of the hospital ward, returning to her office and closing the door.



“Is she gone?” a quiet voice asked.



“Yes, she’s gone back to her office.” Harry said, turning over to face Hermione.



“Harry! I’m so embarrassed! I can’t believe that we were kissing like that. If we hadn’t been wearing clothes, we’d have been…shagging.”



He looked at his fiancée and smiled. “I know. You know what? It was wonderful, ‘Mione. I can’t tell you how good if felt. Did you hear? She called you ‘Mrs. Potter’ !!”



The look on her face was wonderful. He had always said that she had one of the most expressive faces he had ever seen and that he loved watching her eyes expressing her feelings. “I know, Harry. It felt brilliant for me, too. I can’t wait to marry you!! Right now though, I’m really wet and I want you.”



Instead of saying anything more, he held the port key out and looked at her. “Want to go find that privacy you were thinking about? I’m not done with you and I think maybe you’re not done with me, either.”



She nodded and took his hand. On the count of three, the two of them disappeared in a swirl of color and light.



***********************************



“…..But Albus!!....she performed oral sex on him! How can I just let that go?”



“What do you propose to do about it, Poppy? There are no house points to take; you can’t assign detention; and frankly, she thought they were alone. You said that yourself. I really don’t see what the problem is with that.”



“It’s just that it was…..”



“Obscene? Prurient? Lustful? Amazing? Unexpected?”



“No, but…”



“Poppy, you knew that they’re engaged and I told you, Harry asked if they could be married here in the Great Hall on New Years’ eve, so I really don’t see what you’re complaining about. They’re of age – well, Harry is, at least – and really, you had to have expected that they are intimate. They had, after all, been living together after they left St. Mungo’s.”



“No, Albus. It’s just that…it’s not decent.”



Albus Dumbledore, for the first time in a while, threw back his head and laughed hard and long.



“Oh, Poppy. You’re wonderful and I love you for it. Not decent….”



Poppy Pomfrey stood in the Headmaster’s office as she watched him laugh. Although she was amused that he found it funny, she still looked slightly scandalized by the reaction for her friend and mentor.



“Well, it’s not. Certainly not the behavior that Arthur or Molly or James and Lily would have engaged in, I think.”

“Oh, you think so? I will have you know that James and Lily were as lustful and exuberant as any two seventh year students could be. Why do you think they shared a bedroom as head boy and girl?”



“They didn’t!”



“Oh yes, they did. Didn’t you know that? James and Lily approached me about officiating at their wedding around Christmas of their last year. They were very open about the status of their relationship.”



“Well, I still don’t think it’s proper. I mean, how could Harry and Hermione do that? No sense of propriety at all.”



“Poppy, I really think you need to let this go. Harry and Hermione were raised as muggles, with muggle sexual morals. They are much more comfortable with their bodies than children raised in magical household. In that way, wizarding society is fifty to one hundred years behind. Maybe you need to get out into muggle society more and see how they think.”



Poppy stopped and turned serious for a moment. She really hadn’t considered the fact that Hermione and Harry could think about things, particularly sex, so differently. However, she was not a dumb woman or medi-witch. She knew that how a person is raised makes a great deal of difference. That was one reason that Harry was such a wonderful paradox. Raised by horrible muggles, he had largely remained unsullied by their brutality and cruelty, and had developed an incredible sense of self-sacrifice. More, Poppy knew that just as Dumbledore had said, Harry loved Hermione with a love that defied adequate description.



Her face softened as she looked at him “I’m glad they came back, Albus. The school needs them. The other students need them. Having them here will be a tremendous boost for the school.”



Albus Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled merrily as he nodded his agreement.



“Albus? One more thing that you should know about. When Hermione was taking care of Mr. Potter’s ‘needs’, I saw something else you should know about.”



“Oh?” He looked at her expectantly for the answer.



“I saw the Nimbus lumens amor. Albus – Harry and Hermione have already bonded.”

***********************************

Hermione was bouncing happily up and down on the bed. It was muggle-made double pillow-top king mattress in a mahogany sleigh-bed frame. She couldn’t believe how adult it looked and how beautiful it was. How did Dumbledore know that she’d want something like this for the Head girl’s room? she wondered. Moreover, somehow Dumbledore had contacted her parents and had gotten them to send her comforter from her bedroom. She was happy.



“Harry?”



His voice came from their shared common room “Yes, love?”



“Come here?”



Suddenly his face appeared at the doorway of the Head Girl’s room. The moment that he saw her, he broke into a grin. “Having fun?”



“Oh yes, Harry! Can you imagine?....” she left the question hanging.



It didn’t take any effort at all to understand what she was asking him to imagine and he almost instantly became hard. He swallowed once and croaked out “Yes, I can.”



Hermione was nothing if not a wily seductress. She knelt on the bed and then turned to face away from him as she skimmed down her pajama bottoms. Underneath, she was wearing something that she knew would capture Harry’s complete and undivided attention: her favorite pair of off-white, string bikini, silk knickers. In the back, they covered just a little less than the smallest of the bikini-bottoms that her mother had bought her for sun-tanning purposes.



Before she knew it, she was face down on the over-large bed and her pajama-bottoms were being stripped from her body. Strong hands and long fingers then began to caress her perfectly formed bottom. Alternating soft squeezes and finger-tip caresses, Harry paid attention to every incredible inch of her arse. No matter how often he had the chance to explore her this way; it was never enough for him. The silk of her knickers slid back and forth over the perfect, unblemished skin as he caressed her and it enflamed his desire for her. Harry lowered his face to one cheek and very softly, he kissed his way along the edge of her knickers, until he was fully between her legs. Gently, he moved the gusset of her knickers aside to place a kiss on a very sensitive spot causing Hermione to moan and press her thighs together, to trap his head. Aware that he was in a good position of leverage, Harry placed his hands on his loves’ hips and rolled her over onto her back, so that he could kiss that magic spot again.



Hermione moaned again as he pressed his face into the silk fabric covering her sex. “Oh…Harry. Please, please….”



God, ‘Mione…so wet, Harry thought. Facereaperte Harry incanted, wordlessly. That one cantrip stripped Hermione of her knickers and left her sex uncovered and bare to his gaze. Like most witches her age, her sex was completely hairless – except for a small, narrow, strip and no matter how often Harry had been this close to her, it still turned him on powerfully and completely.



Harry felt Hermione’s fingers playing through his hair and caressing his scalp as he worshipped her with his tongue.



Every time his tongue grazed her button, her body jolted upwards. It was during one of those jolts that Harry placed his hands under her thighs and pushed her legs upwards and outwards, opening her sex still further to his oral ministrations.



As he worked her body and gave her wave after wave of pleasure, he heard her incanting. Harry stopped what he was doing just long enough to see her ankles supported by stirrups that had suddenly sprung into existence from the ceiling. He caught her eye and she smiled broadly at him.



He brought his right hand down the length of her body and, stopping so that she’d watch him, he put two fingers of his right hand into his mouth and wet them sensuously. Hermione gulped and then nodded. She knew what he was going to do and though she was very excited by it, she was still nervous.



She felt his long fingers beginning to press into her and her body begin to accept the intrusion. She started panting and her voice was throaty and full of longing “Oh God, Harry. Please! Please do it!”



Harry too, a deep breath of his own, because his own organ was throbbing with desire as he pressed his hips downwards and into the comforter. There was nothing that Hermione could do as Harry’s fingers plunged into her again and again. She was going to cum. She closed her eyes as he sucked on her clit and as his fingers filled her, because the pleasure he was giving her was crashing over her senses.



It started with her toes. They started to tingle – not in the way that they so often did when they ‘fell asleep’, but with a tingle that made her whole body feel alive. Then her legs felt the same tingle. Then her fingers and arms. Finally, it was her scalp, her neck, and her back, as the pleasure pooled in her belly. It was too much. Hermione screamed “HARRY!!!!!!!!! OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” and clutched his face with her hands and thighs.

When Hermione started to come down from her high, Harry crawled up between her legs. Sometime during his administrations, he lost his own pajama bottoms and as he looked down at her, being naked was exactly what he wanted to be.



“Inconceivious” Harry muttered and pointed at roughly where Hermione’s ovaries were.

He looked down at Hermione. Her legs were spread and Harry was gripping his own organ, his eyes filled with desire and need. Hermione nodded slowly, thinking that Harry was asking her permission to do the thing that they had waited so long to do. Instead, Harry shook his head and began to stroke himself. Harry moved his knees so his thighs were touching hers. When he did so, Hermione figured out what Harry was doing and she quickly stripped out of her top, so that her breasts were exposed. She licked her lips lasciviously and took her breasts in her hands – to play with them and show them off to him - while Harry watched her.

“Do it, Harry. Let it go. Cum on me.” She whispered as she looked in his eyes. Harry nodded as his breath came in short gasps.



She had never seen him masturbate before and it was incredibly erotic for her to see how turned on he was by her. She wanted to be his everything – lover, friend, wife, seductress and she wanted him never to doubt how much she desired and loved him.



She reached out and ran a finger over the tip of his erection. It was very, very wet. She drew the pearlescent string of pre-cum to her mouth. Harry mouthed, “I love you”; grunted hard and then came. He leaned back so that his seed poured out in volleys and covered her sex completely.



It was the most erotic thing that she had ever had happen to her and it took just a moment for her to convulse and cum again as she rubbed his essence all over her sex. Harry collapsed next to her; his head falling to rest on her chest.



“Feel better, Harry?”



“Hmmmmm.” Was all he said in response, as he pulled a part of the comforter up and around the two of them.

As they drifted off to sleep, Hermione felt the wetness between her legs, and instead of cleaning herself up magically, she savored the feeling instead.

Four months. Only four months. We can make it.

***********************************



The next day, Harry and Hermione left the Head Girls’ room and went in search of food. After their almost-love making, they had fallen asleep and stayed asleep for more than twelve hours.



There was no one in the school, so Harry became Knight and Hermione fell in beside him as Sagehunter. They walked the school, smelling entirely new smells – ones that they had never notices in their human forms. As they got closer to the Great Hall, the smell of food became more and more enticing and irresistible. The last hundred meters Knight covered in an almost dead-run. He was hungry. Sagehunter was no less motivated and she kept her place, shoulder by shoulder with him.



The moment that they entered the Great Hall, Dumbledore felt their presence. He was not used to seeing them move and or feeling their presence together. For a lesser witch or wizard, it might have been overwhelming. Seeing Hermione in her animagus form was a treat for him, as he had not seen it before. She was tawny in color and extraordinarily beautiful. The tip of her tail was black, as were the tufts of her ears. Like most animagus, her eyes were the same color as her human form – deep brown. Harry’s eyes were so deep green that they appeared almost black.



Dumbledore stood as the two creatures approached the head table. Hermione had been right when she had described the animagus form as being ‘unspeakably beautiful’ when it was truly an integral part of the witch or wizard. When Knight was in front of the head table, he sat and raised one paw, as if in salute. Sagehunter did the same thing.



He looked down with love at the two students. They were the finest, bravest, most loyal students that had ever entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



“Lord and Lady Potter.” And then he said more softly, “Harry, Hermione. Welcome home.”



Harry and Hermione reverted to their human forms. Hermione was slightly mystified, because she knew that she was not Lady Potter yet. Further, her birthday was not for another three weeks and they weren’t to be married until the end of the year.



Harry and Hermione took the final steps to reach the head table and they both looked up at Dumbledore. He smiled at the two of them as they unashamedly held hands. “I see that the two of you are wondering why I called you Lord and Lady Potter.”



The two of them nodded. They were both very, very hungry and the fact of it was diminishing greatly their patience.



The Headmaster looked at the two of them and smiled. “I have received a letter from Griphook. He has written to let me know that it is the official position of Gringotts that you have reached the age of majority and that your union with Mrs. Potter is valid in their eyes.”



Hermione’s eyebrows threatened to ascend into her forehead they went up so much. Dumbledore caught the look on her face. “Yes, Hermione, I was wondering about that too, until Madame Pomfrey told me about seeing the Nimbus lumens amor appear around you two in the hospital wing. Being the incredible healer that she is, she was able to suss out what it meant regarding your relationship.”



The blush that both Harry and Hermione were exhibiting was quickly moving towards the infrared, as their faces felt hot with the embarrassment of having been observed in their intimacy.



“That means that you are now Lord Potter-Black, as you have inherited all of the Black Family’s assets on top of those from the Potter Family; both families’ votes on the Wizengamot; and the mantle of leadership of both families. The last bit doesn’t mean anything, as there’s no one left to lead. You are the last of both lines. When your time comes to pass on, if you have not named an heir, both families will die.”



Hermione felt Harry tense and knew that he was about to complain, when Dumbledore raised his hand to cut off his protest. “I know that it is distasteful to think about all of the responsibilities that accompany this letter, but it’s minor in comparison to what you’ve already handled. If you wish, I can ‘encourage’ the Goblins to help you manage those things that you choose not to handle.”



Harry looked relieved. He had no desire to do anything more than marry Hermione; be a student; and help Dumbledore run the school by doing his best as the Head Boy.



“Thank you, sir. I really don’t want to deal with it. I know that I have some papers to sign at Gringotts and I’ll do that tomorrow when we go to Diagon Alley.”



Dumbledore nodded. “That will be fine, Harry. I expect that it won’t take very long.” He turned his attention to Hermione. “Will you be going as well?”



Hermione clutched Harry’s hand and nodded. She didn’t need to say more. “Very good, then Mrs. Potter. You have floo access directly from your common room, if you choose to use it. Otherwise, you can walk to the edge of the school’s wards and apparate from there. I know you won’t have your license yet, but Harry can take you side-along and that shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, and one more thing. I know that Harry has become tremendously proficient at wandless magic. I don’t want anything to hinder that, but I still recommend that he get a back-up wand, just in case. I’d recommend the same for you. Perhaps another one that is good for charms?”



Still blushing from being called ‘Mrs. Potter’, Hermione looked at Albus and said, “Yes, of course. I’ll make sure that I remind Harry and that we both get new ones. Is there anything else that I should do while I’m there?”

The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled and he smiled. “Have a good time together.”

Hermione beamed back at him and then she and Harry went off to a private table in the Great Hall so that they could eat in peace.



After the two of them had eaten their fill, Harry looked into her eyes from across the table and took her hands.



“I want to go see my parents, Hermione. And then visit Sirius and Aberforth. I think that I need to spend some time being grateful for what they did for me. And..” He hesitated “I need to learn how to pray.”

Hermione thought about that. She had grown up in the Anglican Church and had sung in the churches’ youth choir until she had left for Hogwarts. She hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but she missed it. Hermione had always prayed when she was in school. She had always prayed for Harry and his safety and for her parents. For Dumbledore, and for Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys. Finally, if she had anything left in her heart at night, she prayed for herself. Those prayers were the most private, because she could admit that she needed Harry’s love and wanted to be with him to the one person who would not tell. She knew, maybe better than any of the students in her year, what prayer could do – because her prayers had been answered.



“Harry, love? I think that maybe I can help with that.”

Harry’s eyes and his expression brightened at that. He had so long not dared to admit that he had this need. It was the most private thing that he had inside him, save for how much he loved Hermione and what he’d do to keep and protect that love.



She took his hand and led him out of the Great Hall. Once they were clear of the schools’ wards, they apparated home, to Godrics’ Hollow.



The cemetery was a half-kilometer walk from their home and as they passed through the wrought-iron gate that marked the entrance to the hallowed grounds, Harry felt a growing sense of shame that he had not come her, first thing, once he and Hermione had been released from St. Mungo’s. Hermione sensed that Harry’s mood had shifted and she stopped for a moment, which caused Harry to stop.



“Harry? Are you feeling ashamed or blaming yourself that you didn’t come here a long time ago? Because if you are, you’ve got to stop. Your parents are watching. You know they are. What’s more, I know they are.” Harry looked shocked. He thought that only he that. “Shocked, Harry? Are you surprised that I know that there were voices on the other side of portal in the great hall of the Department of Mysteries? Yes, I’ve heard them. I’m pretty sure that I heard my grandfather calling to me. I heard him when I went to get my time turner before our third year. The voice told me that he loves me and not to be afraid. That’s why I know that your parents know that you did the best you could.”



Harry stood there, immobilized by Hermione\'s revelation.



“Harry! Come on. You of all people should know that anything is possible. We both know that there are people on the other side of that gateway that are waiting for us. When our time comes, one of us will be there for the other or we’ll pass through together. That’s why I’m not afraid now. I was afraid – afraid that we’d not get the chance to bond with each other, but not now. Now I know that we’ll always be together, Harry. You and I can never be separated. Just like your parents couldn’t be separated from each other. Now, if you’ll trust me, I’ll show you how I pray and we can talk about what it means.”



For the first time, Harry’s soul felt free. If what Hermione was saying was true, and Harry believed that it was, then he didn’t have any more worries. They’d already overcome the hard part and even if they didn’t get a chance to say ‘I Do” in front of a bunch of people, they would never be apart again. Harry felt tears stinging his eyes,

which he wiped away, furiously, as they walked up to his parents’ graves.



Harry dropped to his knees and he felt Hermione do the same next to him. He took her hand as he looked at their headstones and at the flowers which adorned their graves. “Mom, Dad? I’m finally back. I won. Tom’s gone, finally. I’ve brought my fiancée with me to see you. Her name is Hermione Granger. She’s from school. You’d like her, Mom. She’s the smartest witch in five hundred years, they say. I love her and she loves me. I wanted to come and tell you not to worry about me anymore. I’ve found the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.”

Hermione squeezed his hand and then she spoke. “Lily? James? It’s Hermione. I know that you can hear me and that you’re watching over us. I want you to know how much I love Harry. He’s my best friend and I am never going to leave his side. I’m the luckiest witch in the world to be loved by him.”



As the two held hands, they told Harry’s parents everything - everything that had happened to the two of them in their years together. They talked about their fears and their successes; what it was like to be together and to be apart; and how it felt that know the other had survived the battle with Tom. Finally, there were no more words to be said; no more fears to be felt.

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The sun was beginning to fall in the late summer sun when Harry and Hermione appeared in front of the gates of Hogwarts. They were still holding hands as they walked slowly onto the grounds and towards the edge of the great lake, where Sirius’ memorial marker stood and where Aberforth was buried. Per Sirius’ wish, he had been cremated and his ashes spread over the lake. Harry thought about what he wanted done with his remains. It didn’t much matter, he thought, what happened, so long as he was next to Hermione.



“You’re quiet, Harry. What are you feeling?" He couldn’t really answer, because it was all a jumble to him in the moment, so he did the next best thing and stopped. Hermione stopped with him and then felt herself being drawn into his arms.



“What is it, love?”



“Hermione? Please promise me that no matter what happens to me, that when the end comes, I’ll be next to you?”



“Is that what’s bothering you, Harry?” She could feel him nod, as he pressed his face to hers.



“Don’t worry, silly. We’ll always be together.”



He looked at her and his eyes were plaintive. “Thank you, ‘Mione. I just don’t ever want to be alone again.”

Hermione nodded. She didn’t want to be alone ever again either.



Harry suddenly brightened and he pointed at the memorial marker. He tugged on her hand and pulled her over, so that she was standing next to him.



Sirius Wulfric Black

Godfather, Friend, Mentor, Marauder

April 08, 1946 – May 05 , 1998



“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”



Harry knew that the quote came from Martin Luther King, Jr. - a muggle hero. When he had been approached regarding the plaque, he had found it in one of Hermione’s books and suggested to Dumbledore that it would be fitting. He remembered Dumbledore’s smile and words of appreciation for the suggestion. Dumbledore was nothing, if not well read, and he had recognized the quote immediately.



With his free hand, Harry ran his fingers over the marker. “Sirius? I love you. I never got a chance to tell you. I’m sorry. I was really proud of you – of all you did for us and for me. I know that I will see you again, someday. Watch over me and protect Hermione for me, k?”



Harry was crying openly as he touched the marker. He had never gotten enough time with his godfather. The loss struck him hard, because Sirius had made so many efforts to be involved in his life after he had gotten out of Azkaban and then escaped on Buckbeak.



Harry promised himself that he would not let that happen again. He swore to himself that his family would come first and no one would stand between him and Harry. Instinctively, Hermione had wrapped her arms around Harry as he cried. She knew what he was feeling and she knew, too, that he had to be allowed to let it out.



“Let’s go home, Harry.”



The two turned to face the lake as Harry took the small, blue port key from his pocket. Hermione placed her hand over his and they disappeared.



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A/N – Next chapter – “To the Alley”.