Harry POV
A couple hours later after we set up the tent, we had set up everything inside the tent. It was like the tent from the Quidditch World Cup, only a little smaller. We all had bunks for all of us, and of course, Hermione and Y/N were sharing one. The tent was glowing from the stars in the sky while the smell of tea was filling it up, clearing up the awful smell of food. Y/N was helping heat the tea and Hermione poured it into four cups. Four, since Ron was still out of it.
"How're the mushrooms?" Hermione asked as we began to eat. "Seems to be the only edible things growing round here."
We were all chewing on them. And I'm very sure we all thought they weren't edible. Y/N was having trouble keeping them down but eventually had to go out to vomit. Hermione muttered, "Aguamenti" into a spare cup and ran out to help him. They came back as Hermione was patting his back and he was drinking water.
"Well, now I know Mushrooms make me sick," He said weakly.
"You gonna be okay, love?" Hermione asked him softly. "I'm sorry about that."
"I think I will be, 'Mione," He looked back with a small smile. "And don't worry about it, you didn't know that." Still Hermione stuck with him and let him lay down in her lap as she stroked his hair. I set my plate aside along with Lana's while we glanced at Ron.
"How bad is he?" I asked them.
"He'll be alright in a few days," Lana said. "Hopefully. If we could take him to Hogwarts, to Madam Pomfrey --" I looked at her as she realized we couldn't do that.
"So where do we go next?" Hermione asked.
"Dumbledore -- he had a theory," Y/N said, still weak from what happened. "He felt that the Horcruxes would not be made out of random objects. And he felt they wouldn't be hidden randomly either. We know of three so far. The ring, which according to Dumbledore belonged to Tom Riddle's grandfather. The Diary belonged to Tom himself."
"And this," Lana said as she held up the locket. "Which -- again, according to Dumbledore -- belonged to his mother."
"It scares me a little," Hermione said. "Thinking it's a piece of Vol-"
"No, don't!" Ron yelled, scaring us all. "Don't say it!"
We all looked at him as he stirred up and hurt himself. "It's taboo -- You-Know-Who's name. That's how they track people now. It's how they found us in the cafe that night."
"How'd you know?" I asked.
"And could you have told us earlier?" Y/N added.
"I overheard a bloke from the Enforcement office talking about it at the Ministry," Ron said before he smelled the air. "Blimey, what's that smell?"
Hermione shrugged and said, "Dinner?"
"Hey, Hermione?" Y/N said. "When we move in together, you mind if I cook?"
"I see no problem with that," She smiled at him, bent down a little, kissed his forehead and continued to lovingly stroke his hair.
"Not bloody likely," Ron said. "Smells like something Ginny would cook."
"Tea?" Lana asked as Ron nodded. She grabbed the kettle and poured him a cup while Ron noticed his sling made from some fabric of our clothes from the Ministry. "Is that it?" Ron asked. "The Horcrux?"
I stared at the silver locket that we obtained from the now-deceased Dolores Umbridge. It felt so off. Ron took it in his hand and turned it in his hand as he frowned. "At least we have it," He said. "We need to destroy it now, right?"
"If it's anything like the Ministry," Y/N said. "It isn't gonna be easy. Umbridge learned that the hard way."
Ron looked curious. He didn't know that Umbridge was dead. "Why's that? What happened with the toad?"
"She's dead," Lana said. "She tried to kill Y/N and I with the Killing Curse."
Now Ron's eyes went up. "The toad's dead?" He asked. "Might be the greatest news I've heard in a while."
"But you can hear the thing, right?" I asked. "It's... it's like it's... ticking or something, like it has a tiny metal heart, like it's --"
"Alive," Ron finished.
"And it's also thinking," Lana said as Y/N agreed. "We can hear it thinking in Parseltongue. Just muttering what it wants to do."
"I hate it," Hermione said, still playing with Y/N's hair as he still rested his head in her lap. "It's like he's here with us."
"That's why we're going to kill it." I said as I stood up.
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"Dissendium!"
"Incendio!"
"Exitium Elementis!"
"Oppugno!"
"Expulso!"
"Confringo!"
"Reducto!"
"Impedimenta!"
(A/N: Exitium Elementis is another spell I made. It tries to destroy something with the elements surrounding it.)
And yet, the damn thing wasn't destroyed. Impact craters were left from our spells. Y/N was left awe-struck and Lana was cursing in French. Hermione was just staring at it while Ron and I examined it.
"How the hell is this thing not destroyed!?" Y/N yelled as he raised his arms in the sky.
"How did Dumbledore destroy it!?" Lana yelled as well. "Bloody piece of shit!"
"Where did you get that one spell from?" I asked. "The Elementis one?"
"Our grandfather made it," Lana said. "Grindelwald, I mean." Hermione kept throwing any spell she knew with rage in her eyes but as Y/N touched her arm, she softened as his eyes met hers and lowered her wand. But now a ticking came from the locket and the twins heard their heads in pain.
"It's angry..." Ron said.
"You think?!" Y/N said. "It's thoughts are raging!"
I took the locket from the ground by the chain as it continued to tick away. I slung it over my neck and rose to my feet.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked as she was helping Y/N.
"We have to keep it safe until we can figure out how to destroy it," I responded.
"I can put it in Hermione's bag or my overcoat," Y/N said but I cut him off.
"No."
"Seems strange, mate," Ron said. " Dumbledore sends you three off to find a load of Horcruxes, but doesn't bother to tell you how to destroy them. Doesn't that bother you?"
I ignored it as the ticking slowed down. I walked off, leaving the four to look to each other and walked in the opposite direction. As Dusk came by, we all went to bed. Y/N and Hermione slipped into their bed together while Lana, Ron and I went into our separate ones. As sleep consumed me, I had the same dream I've had for a while now.
"Tell me, Gregorovitch. Tell me where it is..."
"I told you! I no longer have it! It was stolen from me! Many years ago!"
"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Gregorovitch? Because, I must tell you... that will only make it worse for you..."
"I speak the truth! I remember like it was yesterday..."
"Who was he? The thief?"
"Just a boy! Not of the village. It was he who took it. I never saw it again. I swear on my life."
"I believe you..."
And then Voldemort killed Gregorovitch.
Lana POV
Harry opened his eyes as I stood up in front of him. "I thought it had stopped." I asked him as I sat next to him. He shook his head and sat up a little. "You can't let him in, Harry," I continued. "Dumbledore himself said it. You have to close your mind. It's too dangerous --"
"It's not a candle I can blow out, Lana," Harry said. "It always burns, even if it's just a flicker. Can you understand that?"
"Then tell me," I said to him. "What you saw."
"He's found him," Harry said. "Vol--" He looked at Ron and back to me. "You-Know-Who. He's found Gregorovitch --"
"The wandmaker?" I asked.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked.
"Gellert got his from him," I explained. "Most Durmstrang students did at one time. What's he got to do with You-Know-Who?"
"You-Know-Who wants something Gregorovitch once had -- dunno what." He said. "But he's desperate to have it. It's as if his life depends on it." I kept looking at Harry as Ron continued to play with the radio. Somehow, it didn't wake either Hermione or Y/N. They were fast asleep. But Harry looked mad as he was about to open his mouth, I managed to stop him though.
"Don't..." I said quickly. "It... comforts him."
"Well it sets my teeth on edge. What's he expecting to hear? Good news?!" He spat violently.
"I think he just hopes he doesn't hear bad news. It gets him through the day."
"And what gets you through the day?"
"We've all made sacrifices, Harry."
"How long before he can travel?" He asked me.
"We don't know. It takes time," I said to him. "We're doing all I can."
"You're not doing enough." He looked at me with rage as my eye glowed at him before looking at the locket.
"Harry," I said calmly as the glow diminished in my eye. "Take off the locket."
He looked at me with the same glare before I used my older sister persona on him. "Take it off. Now." I said sternly. He looked down and slipped it off, but the angry stare quickly went away as it slipped off his neck.
"Better?" I asked him.
"Loads." He said and looked down. "I'm sorry about that..."
"Don't be." I said and put my hand on his shoulder while taking the locket as well. "We'll take turns, okay?" He nodded as I slipped it on. It still whispered but I could handle it.
"You know, I can't help but think what your life would have been like if you did come to us, Harry," I said with a small smile. "Mum talks about it sometimes, it kinda got me thinking about it."
(A/N: I forgot to do this, but Lana's faceclaim is Dove Cameron.)
"Yeah, Mum was telling me the same," Harry said. "I'm not sure, I've only thought that I would be raised by her after my parents died."
"I'd imagine it as you, Y/N and I growing up together, but I would be very protective of you," I said. "Even if Y/N is older than me, I was protective of him in primary school. And Mum, don't get me started with that!" We both laughed as he asked, "What would Mum do?"
"She would make sure you weren't hurt at all!" I said with a chuckle. "Even if you were, she would baby you and make sure you were okay. It was what she did for us. But still, she would raise you right. You would know of magic and your parents, but most of all... we would have had a little brother."
As Harry heard that, he immediately hugged me and put his head underneath my chin. I hugged him back and rubbed the back of his head, but I also felt tears fall from his eyes. "Thank you, Lana," He sobbed as he rose up.
"Of course, Harry," I said as I wiped the tears off his face. "I'm your older sister now, so Y/N and I will always be there for you. We both care for you a lot." I hugged him closer and kissed his head. "Now you should get some sleep. Please."
He nodded and fell back onto his pillow. Soon enough, he was fast asleep. I watched him for a while until I went back to my own bed to go to sleep.
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"... Severus Snape, newly appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts..."
The next day came around shortly as Ron finally got a radio station working on the radio. Y/N had woken up earlier as Hermione followed after him. I managed to hunt some animals to help us survive and I was cooking a stew for us. Y/N was reading our grandfather's journals near a stack of books as Hermione walked next to him, sat down on the log and kissed him.
"...bears little resemblance to the school left under Dumbledore's leadership. The school was meant to have Addison Lovegood's, Dumbledore's adoptive daughter, curriculum in place, but Snape's curriculum is severe, reflecting the wishes of the Dark Lord and infractions are dealt with harshly by the two Death Eaters on the staff..."
Harry came out, looking at the map and Ron took his turn to wear the Horcrux around his neck. We nearly had a small encounter with a Snatcher, but Y/N knocked him out and wiped his memory, placing him near a lake, careful not to leave anything behind.
As the day went on, we always watched carefully for Death Eaters but some came around, so we couldn't hunt for food. We were all sitting in our tent waiting it out. Ron looked up to us while Y/N and Hermione were still reading, Harry at the map and I was also reading.
"I'm hungry..." Ron whined as we turned to him.
"What?" Harry asked him.
"I'm hungry." He repeated to us. I looked at the three and back at Ron while Y/N said. "We're all hungry." I came over to him to examine his bandage, but he brushed me off.
"Leave it," He said as I looked at the Horcrux and Hermione passed her bag to me to look through. "Mum can make food appear out of thin air." Ron said.
"No one can conjure food out of thin air." Hermione said to him. "Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law. The other four are --"
"Oh, speak English, can't you?" Ron said sharply to her as Y/N glared at him. I kept looking at the bandage as Ron said. "I said leave it."
"It'll be dark soon," Harry said. "We need to get back in the tent."
"Good plan," I said to him.
"Yeah, brilliant," Ron said mockingly. "Only, correct me if I'm wrong... wasn't that yesterday's plan? And the day before that? And the day before that? Walk. Sleep. Walk. Sleep."
Y/N silently stared at him as he stood up, walked to him and held his hand out. "My turn," He said. Ron ripped off the chain and threw it to him. Y/N glared again and put the chain around his neck.
A couple days later, we were listening to the radio again. Y/N and I were still researching as Hermione was giving Harry a haircut. We were all researching while Ron was waffling around. We were reading Grindelwald's journals, while Hermione was reading "A History of Magic". Suddenly Hermione gasped as she said. "Oh my god..."
"What?" We all said as she looked at us.
"I'll tell you all in a minute," She said.
Harry's hair dropped to the ground as he looked at her. "Maybe you could tell us now?"
"Alright," Hermione said. "The Sword of Gryffindor? It's Goblin-made."
"Brilliant," Harry said sarcastically.
"You don't understand," Hermione continued. " Dirt and rust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in that which makes it stronger. Harry, you destroyed one Horcrux, right? Tom Riddle's diary -- in the Chamber of Secrets."
"With a Basilisk fang," he added. "If you tell me you've got one of those in that bloody beaded bag of yours --"
"Don't you see!" She said. "In the Chamber of Secrets, Y/N killed the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor. It's blade is impregnated with basilisk venom."
"It only takes in that which makes it stronger..." I muttered to myself as Hermione smiled.
"Exactly! Which means..."
"It can destroy Horcruxes!" Y/N said. "That's why Dumbledore left it to us in his will!"
"You're brilliant, Hermione. Truly." Harry said to her.
"Actually, I'm highly logical," Hermione added, "which allows me to look past the extraneous detail and perceive clearly that which others overlook."
"And one more thing," Y/N said as he stood up. "You are incredibly amazing and I love you."
"That's two things, Love," She said to him. "And I love you too."
"But there's only one problem," I said to them. But the lights switched off immediately.
"The sword was stolen." Ron said as the lights flickered back on with him staring at us with the Deluminator in hand.
"Yeah, I'm still here," he spat. "But you four carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun."
And he was wearing the locket.
Y/N POV
"What's your problem?" I asked him.
"Problem?" Ron said in a hateful tone. "There's no problem. Not according to you, anyway."
"Look, don't be shy," Harry said. "If you've got something to say, spit it out."
Ron slipped out of his bed as the locket glimmered in the light. "All right, I'll spit it out," He said again. "Don't expect me to skip up and down because now there's some other damn thing we've got to find."
"I thought you knew what you signed up for," I said to him again.
"Yeah , I thought I did too."
"I don't understand. What part of this isn't living up to your expectations?" Harry spat his words like venom. "Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?"
"No, I just reckoned after all this time, we'd have actually achieved something." Ron said to us. "I reckoned you knew what you were doing. I reckoned Dumbledore had told you something worthwhile! I reckoned you had a plan!"
"We've told you everything Dumbledore's told us, you dumb git!" I said. "And in case you haven't noticed, we found one of the damn things!"
"And you!" Ron said pointing at me. "You've told us everything Dumbledore's told you all, but you're the one still keeping secrets!"
"Take it off, Ron," Lana said calmly. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day --"
"No!" He yelled. "Y/N's the one keeping secrets from us all!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" I said to him. Surely he didn't know about...
"ALYA, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" He yelled at me. "YOU DIDN'T THINK I HEARD YOU THAT NIGHT!? YOU KNEW ABOUT THE FUTURE, SO WHAT HAVEN'T YOU TOLD US, HUH, Y/N?!"
Shit...
Lana watched Ron yell at me and looked at me. Other than Hermione, she was the only other one who knew about Alya. However, Harry and Ron didn't know about her.
"HUH?!" He yelled again. "So one of our know-it-all's is finally silent about something? Go on, tell us! What else have you seen, huh?!"
I was sweating from my hands and head. What was I going to say, I saw my future daughter, Cedric dying, The fire snake, Dumbledore dying?
"I-I-I... I saw so...many...things..." I said as Hermione glared at Ron. "I saw Cedric dying, but I prevented it! But about everything else..."
"WHAT DID YOU SEE?!" Ron yelled.
"Ron, stop it!" Hermione yelled back.
"He needs to tell us everything! He needs to prove what he saw!"
"HE HAS NOTHING TO PROVE TO YOU!" She yelled back at him.
"I have to..." I said. "I saw the Department of Mysteries, but I couldn't stop Sirius from dying... I saw Dumbledore falling, but I didn't know Snape killed him."
"And yet, when Hermione is hurt, you decided to kill the one responsible!?" He said. "But when your own uncle is killed, you did nothing to save him!? Harry should be as mad as I am! He was his godfather!"
"Ron, I'm not," Harry said as he defended me. "He didn't know Sirius would die, I don't put the blame on him."
"Well, you should!" He retorted. "He's the grandson of Grindelwald! I would have saved Sirius as well if I was in his place!"
That dumb idiot.
"YOU WANT TO BE IN MY PLACE, HUH!?" I yelled louder than him. "TRY BEING A DARK WIZARD'S GRANDSON! BEING OUTED BY THE MINISTRY, HAVING THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY HUNTING YOU DOWN EVERYWHERE YOU GO?! MY AUNT AND UNCLE ARE HUNTING US WHILE WE'RE LOOKING FOR HORCRUXES, AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, NATHAN WANTS TO KILL EVERYONE I HOLD NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART! I DON'T WANT HERMIONE, LANA OR ANYONE TO GET HURT OR KILLED!" My voice cracked as I remembered everything in the previous years.
"And I..." I stuttered for a moment as tears fell out of my eyes. "I don't want anyone, especially Hermione to get hurt because of me." Ron still angrily glared at me and huffed.
"You're an arsehole," He spat.
"Arsehole?" I scoffed and questioned again. "Of all people, you're calling me that! You're the one who got Hermione upset in 3rd year because of your damn rat! You're the one who kept thinking we entered the Tournament and didn't talk to us because of it! And you're the one who snogged Lavender when the girl you fancy was in the same room as us, you fucking prick!"
My eye glowed with rage as Ron still glared at me. "You're a goddamn hypocrite!" I said. "Calling me an arsehole when you're doing the acts of one! Not even Bloody perfect Percy would do that! Your own family!"
"AT LEAST I HAVE A FATHER!" He roared at me.
"That's a step too far, Ron," Harry said.
"Do you know why I listen to that radio, every night? Do you! To make sure I don't hear Ginny's name or Fred or George or Mum or --"
"You think I don't listen!" Harry yelled at him. "You think I don't know what it's like --"
"NO!" He roared again. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD! YOU HAVE NO FAMILY! AND MINE ISN'T TRYING TO KILL ME!"
I no longer held back. I rushed towards him and we both locked on each other's throats. Harry had come to help and fight Ron as well, but the girls came in to stop us.
"Stop!" Lana said to us. "The three of you stop."
We did so, but I was so pissed. He had the fucking nerve to say that to us. Harry pointed to Ron's neck. "Go then. But leave that." Hermione and Lana looked towards the locket and ripped it off his neck, casting it away and walked to Lana. "And you?" He said to her.
"Me?" She said.
"Are you staying?" he asked. "Or coming?"
"Leave my sister out of this, Weasley," I said to him.
She looked at him with disgust. "Going with you?" She said. "You not only insulted Y/N, you insulted me. What the hell is wrong with you? You're lucky I didn't slap you right now, Ronald Bilius Weasley."
Ron scoffed again. "Fine. I get it." He then looked at me. "Screw you, Y/N."
"This...was all your fucking fault, Weasley," I said coldly as he left the tent.
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20 minutes after Ron left, I left the tent to clear my head. Lana was upset at Ron for saying that and Harry couldn't believe Ron outed me. I mean, what would you do when you can't tell what other things your visions would say. I turned into my Animagus form to run around the forest surrounding us. It was a way to clear my head, I did that sometimes at Hogwarts. I hoped everyone was safe, including the Weasleys. But Ron was being a selfish prick.
I ran around the forest for a while until I reached a river. I turned back into a human and sat there for a while. It was calming, the sound of the river flowing. I felt at peace.
'Would I ever have a moment like this?' I thought to myself. 'A moment of solace and bliss? Without Voldemort or any of my demented family members trying to kill us?'
I hoped Mum was doing okay with the Carrows at Hogwarts. I knew Anne was under her protection so she would be safe. I missed the little girl, she always knew how to put a smile on my face. She was so sweet, so kind, so adorable... I stand by what I said, I feel like I'm her father.
And speaking of fathers... I wonder what Dad would think of me now.
I went from a stuttering shy boy who was a know-it-all to a somewhat badass wizard that killed a Death Eater and fought Voldemort. But I was willing to take another step further in my life. Something I really wanted to do. I remember the moment when it popped into my head back when Hermione and I had our anniversary.
~Flashback to December 24th, 1996.~
"Hey, Y/N?" Mum said to me as we were finished with the flowers in the garden. "May I talk to you in private?"
"Yeah, Mum," I said as Harry went back to his room to play some Quidditch. She led me into the library, where Hermione would usually be, but she was out with Lana and Anne getting ready for tomorrow.
"There's something I want to show you," She said as she moved a certain book off the shelf, but it acted as a lever, opening a spot on the bookshelf to open with a small box in the spot. She reached in and pulled it out, revealing the box in her hand.
"What is it, Mum?" I asked as she showed me the box. She didn't answer as she showed me the box and winked. I was still confused as I opened the box to find a ring in the box. It was really elegant and there was a diamond in the middle.
"Woah..." I said as I admired the ring. "But why are you showing this to me, Mum?"
"Y/N..." She said with a small chuckle. "You really don't know? This was the ring your dad proposed to me with. This... was my engagement ring."
"Really?" I asked, flabbergasted. "Damn... Dad had good taste in rings."
"Oh yeah," Mum said as she was dreamily looking up. "Your dad... was an absolute romantic. Kinda like you and Hermione right now.
"Mummm..."
"Okay, okay," Mum said with a chuckle. "But really, your dad was amazing. You take a lot from him, you know, but you no doubt got my personality. But enough with that, I should really get to the point."
She walked closer to me, closed the box and placed it in my hand. "I want you to have it," She said with a smile. "You're 17 now, and I feel this should be the right thing to give to you. Your dad would want me to give it to you. It might come in handy someday."
I looked at her with a strange look until I realized what she meant. "You mean... I propose to Hermione?" I asked her as she nodded. "But I don't know... would she say yes? After everything? And at this age too?"
"Y/N..." Mum said as she placed her hands on my head. "You both are in love with each other. You know how old your dad and I were when we were engaged? We were fresh out of Hogwarts! He proposed before we even got on the boats! And I've heard you both talk about it, you both want to be married to each other, honey. She'll say yes, whenever you decide to do it."
"You sure?" I asked one more time.
"Of course," Mum said and kissed my forehead. "Besides, I approved of her the minute I met her. Even before you both were dating. She's good for you, sweetheart, you two are practically soulmates!"
I smiled at her. "Thanks, Mum," I said. "When do you reckon I should do it then?"
Mom smiled again and rubbed my cheek. "That... is for you to decide. But I'd recommend a perfect moment to do it. Just a moment where it's you and her. No one else there. Harry, Lana, Ron, no-one should be there at the same time."
I looked back at the ring. It was my mother's ring, and now hopefully...
It would be Hermione's as well.
~Flashback to July 20th, 1997~
While I was at the Granger's to provide comfort to Hermione and while I was staying there, I was helping Monica and Wendell around their home. When Hermione saw me and her parents working together, she would always smile and kiss my cheek. One time when I was reading a book while Hermione was helping her mum outside the house, it was just me and Wendell in the house.
As I was reading my book, "The Lord of the Flies," in the living room, Wendell walked in with a chess set and the pieces in his other hand.
"Hey, Y/N," He said to me as he grabbed my attention. "Fancy a game of chess?"
"Yeah, I don't mind, sir," I said as I closed my book.
"Y/N..." He chuckled for a moment. "I told you, you can call me Wendell. No need to call me sir."
"I know, it's just..." I said a little nervously. "You can look very... intimidating sometimes."
Wendell stared at me before he burst in a fit of laughter. "Me? Intimidating?" He asked. "I thought that would just be for my patients to get them to floss! Don't worry, I'll try not to be. Now, about that game..."
We walked to the opposite ends of the coffee table as Wendell set the pieces and we began to play.
"I take it you've played before?" He asked me.
"A fair few times, but not as Muggle chess," I said. "My sister's better. And no offense about that."
"None taken, son," He said. "How is Wizarding Chess different from Muggle Chess anyway?"
"You command the pieces and they move on your command," I explained. "When you take the piece however, your piece destroys the opponents. Hermione thought it was barbaric at first."
"Really?" Wendell chuckled again. "When was that?"
"First year at Hogwarts, round Christmas time," I said, moving my rook on the board.. "She saw our mates, Ron and Harry playing before she left. 'Absolutely barbaric', was the way she put it. It was kinda cute."
"Oh, yeah," Wendall laughed as he moved his knight. "Hermione mentioned you both had your first kiss in your 3rd year, but you started dating in your 4th year... why was that?"
"Oh, uh... believe it or not, mistletoe can be magical. No pun intended." I chuckled.
"Really?" He said. "Magical Mistletoe?"
"Mm-hm," I nodded. "It seeks out couples and people with secret crushes. I didn't think of it at the time, but that's when I fell in love with her. I remember it like it was yesterday."
"Alright, but in all seriousness," He said with an equally serious look on his face. "What are your plans with my daughter after Hogwarts?"
I gulped for a moment. There's the father persona coming in. I had to lie, he didn't know that we weren't attending this year. "Well, Wendell..." I said as I took his bishop. "First I'd graduate with her from Hogwarts. I would visit her, you and Monica here more often and take her on dates with your permission, of course. And then when we're both of age, I'd ask for your permission..."
I stuttered for another moment. How was I going to tell him I want to marry Hermione? Rip it off like a bandaid? Hope for the best and he takes it well?
I decided on that.
"I'd ask for your permission, or your blessing rather," I repeated. "To marry your daughter." To prove it, I pulled something out of my pocket. It was the ring Mum gave me on Christmas. Wendell took the box and saw the ring. He looked at it and I think he admired it.
"It was my mother's," I explained. "My father proposed with it when they left Hogwarts before he... he died."
Wendell looked at me with another unfamiliar expression.
Sympathy.
He didn't know about my father. I've never mentioned my father to either him or Monica. "Oh... I'm sorry," He said. "I didn't know. You've never mentioned him, now that I think of it."
"That's cause I don't really have a good memory of him," I said. "He died when Lana and I were infants. But from what my mother told me, he was a good person. A good man."
Wendell smiled. "At least you have something to remember about him other than memories," He said. "As for mine and Monica's blessing... I don't need to answer that."
"Pardon?" I asked. "I'm not sure if I'm following. What do you mean, 'don't need to answer that?' Do you not want me to marry Hermione?"
Wendell shook his head. "No, no," He said. "I mean I didn't answer that, because, heh, heh..." He paused for a moment, composed himself and said.
"You've already received it."
I was shocked. I already had the blessing?
"You're... serious?" I asked. "When did I receive it?"
"The moment Hermione introduced you as her boyfriend," He said. "Monica and I knew from that moment you would be perfect for her. And you would be the perfect husband for her. A great son-in-law for both Monica and I."
We had finished the match and I had won the game, surprisingly. I was terrible at chess. We stood up and Wendell went in to shake my hand, but I had hugged the man instead. Wendell certainly wasn't expecting it, but he returned it. "Thank you," I muttered as I separated from him.
"Of course, son," He said to me. "And when you do propose and she says 'yes', I expect invitations for Monica and I to your wedding."
"Of course," I said as Wendell gave me back the ring.
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Back at the river, I pulled the box out of my pocket and rolled it in my hand, making sure it didn't fall out. I still held on to it, making sure no-one knew. Just like how Mum told me to. Snuffles had come with me and sniffed the box, which got my attention. Sometimes, he would keep the ring in his small pocket to make sure I wasn't searched for it and sometimes, I would find him looking at the ring, admiring its shininess.
"Hey, Snuffles," I said softly to him. "Can you hide the ring back in your pocket please?" Snuffles didn't hesitate, put the ring back in his pocket and ran into my hands. I chuckled as he scurried into my arms, rubbed his head and kissed his head as he rested there. "There's our little Niffler baby," I cooed to him as he chirped happily.
"I guess we should get back to camp, the others must be worried," I said to him with another chirp from him. "Come on, Snuffles. Let's go back to Mummy." I turned back into a wolf as Snuffles rode on my head and ran back to the camp, finding Harry casting the spell to protect us and Lana resting near a log. I walked next to her and stood up as a wolf, rubbing my head on her shoulder.
"Hey, Y/N," She said with a sad smile. "I'm gonna be fine. Don't worry." I made literal puppy dog eyes at her as she smiled and ruffled my fur. "I love you, bro," She said as she nuzzled her head on mine and rubbed my fur again. I decided to turn back into a human and walk into the tent, where Hermione was in our bed. As I walked in, Hermione spotted me and ran to me.
Hermione POV
Y/N had just walked into the tent after a while. I was wondering what would happen now since Ron left us. I still couldn't believe he would say that. Telling Harry he doesn't have family or Y/N and Lana not having a father. And telling everyone about Alya...
That was a step too far. And Ron had done too many things like that in the years we've known him. Only Y/N, Lana and I knew about her.
I was quite mad at Ron. He had no right, he's known what the twins have gone through and he still did it. If he did come back and apologize, he was in for it from both of the twins. He might fear Lana more than Y/N at that moment.
Y/N walked in the tent with Snuffles sleeping in his hands and I ran to him to hug him. "Are you okay?" I asked as I clutched his face with my hands. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, Y-yeah, I'm fine, 'Mione," He said as he rubbed my cheek slowly. "Just had to go to think about things." He kissed my forehead before he walked to our bed, set Snuffles down, and curiously, bent down to reach for something in Snuffles' pocket, but I couldn't see what it was. Just then, the radio cackled to life, then went static, but turned to "O'Children" By Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He and I heard it crackle as I looked at the radio, waiting to hear the lyrics. He walked over to me and stretched out his hand with a small smile on his face.
Pass me that lovely little gun
My dear, my darting one
The cleaners are coming, one by one
You don't even want to let them start
They are knocking now upon your door
They measure the room, they know the score
They're mopping up the butcher's floor
Of your broken little hearts
O Children,
Forgive us now for what we've done
It started out as a bit of fun
Here, take these before we run away
The keys to the gulag
"May I?" was all he asked. I didn't have to answer as I took it and stood as he pulled me to the center of the room. He then pulled my arms back and forth as a smile began to grow on both of our faces.
Hey, little train! Wait for me!
I once was blind but now
I see, Have you left a seat for me?
Is that such a stretch of the imagination?
Hey little train! Wait for me!
I was held in chains but now I'm free
I'm hanging in there, don't you see
In this process of elimination
We continued to dance around the camp as Y/N spun me around with his arm and I did the same for him. I couldn't help but giggle. He was always romantic with everything, even if he wasn't trying. And I loved to see it. It made me love him even more.
(A/N: If this scene played out like how it does in the gif, Hermione's dancing with her... Godbrother-in-law?)
Hey little train! We are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
It's beyond my wildest expectation
Hey little train! We are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
And the train ain't even left the station
As the music stopped, we looked in each other's eyes and our foreheads were pressed against the other. Y/N rubbed my cheek with his thumb again and smiled at me.
"Hey, Hermione?" He asked me as his eyes looked lovingly in mine.
"Yeah?" I asked with my hands wrapped around his neck.
"We've spent years trying to stop You-Know-Who," he began. "Everything with the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Triwizard Cup, all hoping for a better future. Not just for us, but for all wizards and human kind."
"You know, I realized something. The Universe... can't stop us. We've solved mysteries, fought Death Eaters, travelled through time and we've survived all for the thought of a better future."
"And you and I, we've been side-by-side through it all since the day we met. As friends, to us dating, and to lovers and we're unstoppable together. And there is nothing in the world that can stop us. Absolutely nothing. No matter what happens, we keep pushing. And pushing to be together. No Death Eaters, No werewolves, no You-know-Who can stop us being together."
"And now that I didn't think of it," He said. "I didn't just find out I was in love with you in our 3rd year. I've been in love with you the whole damn time. Ever since we first met in Diagon Alley seven years ago."
"After all this time?"
"Always. I always have loved you."
I was nearly in tears of joy and he was too. He took my arms off his neck, kissed my hands and held them for a few minutes as he collected himself and took a deep breath. "And I..." He took another breath. "I don't want to live another day without you. I can't even think what my life would be like without you by my side."
"So, Hermione Jean Granger..." He slowly let go of my hands, pulled something from his pockets and kneeled down facing me as my hands flew to my mouth, covering them as I watched him.
"Will you marry me?"
He opened a box with an elegant ring facing me as I covered my heart with my hands. A long moment of silence deafened the room for a few minutes as Y/N was still on his knee. I walked to him and got down to his level and wrapped my arms around his neck once more as I said...
"Yes."
It was similar to how I dreamed it. Y/N smiled widely and hugged me as I cradled his face and kissed him. "Of course I'll marry you, you prat." I said to him as we stood up and kissed again. We separated as Y/N removed the ring and slid it on my left ring finger. I wasn't just his girlfriend anymore. I was his fiancée.
(A/N: Y/N is like Leopold Fitz from Agents of Shield. Try to change my mind, cause I won't.)
"I love you," He said to me as I giggled. "I still can't believe you said yes."
"I'll always say yes. No matter how you did it," I said. "And I love you, my-soon-to-be-husband."
He kissed me again. "And I you, my-soon-to-be-wife. So as we finish at Hogwarts, what do you say we get married soon after?"
"That sounds wonderful to me, love," I said to him. "But there's also something I'd like to do after we graduate."
"And what's that, sweetheart?" He asked as he brushed my hair behind my ear.
"I want to adopt Anne."