Promise to the Past | 🐾 ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀs ✓

36 | Arise from the Ashes

I know this song is from the fantastic beasts franchise, but the music is strangely fitting for the chapter and ending scene! Enjoy! 

 ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ・☽ ༓ ☾・  ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶  ̶̶̶̶

A blinding whiteness painted Hermione's surroundings. She wasn't sure where she was- perhaps the afterlife? Though, to be honest, she would've expected more people.

"Hermione!"

The young witch whirled around in the blank space, meeting a familiar face.

"James?" Hermione tilted her head in confusion. "Why are you here? Did you die?" A horrified expression fell upon her face.

The wizard standing opposite her merely chuckled, clutching his chest in mock hurt. "Wow, it's been less than a year, and I'm already second fiddle?"

Hermione froze, taking the time to really look over the man in front of her. Same messy hair. Same defined jaw. Same glasses. But different eyes.

"Harry?" Hermione choked out.

"Hi," he smiled sheepishly, giving her a small wave.

Hermione flew into his arms, clutching on to him with a desperate hold as though he might disappear at any moment. "I missed you so much! I've been so scared!"

"I've been with you this whole time," his voice soothed as he rubbed circles into her back. When Hermione merely clung on with no sign of releasing him, Harry tilted his head back jokingly. "'Mione, I love you, but if you keep doing that, you're going to choke me with your hair."

She pulled back with a small laugh, shoving him in the chest. "We're both already dead, genius."

"Are we?" He asked, his eyes twinkling in a manner that reminded her Dumbledore.

"Where are we anyway?"

"You know," Harry said with a laughable seriousness. "I was going to ask you that. Though I reckon it looks a bit like King's Cross."

Hermione looked around blandly. "Sure- I mean if you remove the trains, and the paint, and the brick, and the stairs, definitely!"

Harry rolled her eyes at Hermione, pulling her to one of the nearby benches.
"What do you intend to do?" He asked her curiously.

"You mean, I have a choice? I thought I was dead?"

"Not quite, but you could be if you choose," Harry said nonchalantly.

"Is Voldemort's horcrux still in my body?" She asked urgently. The others wouldn't know to dispose of it properly because she'd never told them! And bloody hell- Voldemort was still alive!

"I knew you'd figure it out," Harry's eyes gleamed proudly. "And no- luckily, it's not. When you died by Voldemort's wand and his magic, the curse targeted his piece of the soul within you and not you."

"Oh, thank Merlin, it's gone!"

"Sorry you got stuck with that, by the way," Harry apologized sheepishly. "I didn't realize trying to give you my magic would give you a little piece of me and him. Then again, I had no idea I had a piece of that maniac's soul either," he trailed off grumpily.

"It's not your fault," Hermione said softly. "I'd be dead if you hadn't done that. It's nothing less than what you would've had to do if you'd lived," she realized with a morbidly sinking sensation.

"Yeah," Harry echoed meekly. "Do you reckon Dumbledore knew? That I had a horcrux in me?"

"I think that man knew a lot more than he ever let on."