I am putting both 2 and 3 in one post because chapter 2 is very short.
Title: The past catches up to us all
Main Character Harry Potter
Summery: It has been 20 years since the final battle, and the years have not been kind to Harry Potter. He has left behind the past that haunts him, or at least tried to. In this story you will find out that you can hide from your demons but never really escape them.
An: Ok not too much to say as there will be 2-4 chapters uploaded today. A little explanation about this chapter. It might seem similar to a chapter in the story Twenty Years Later by Reba Williams. The idea was taken from the story, but I tried not to copy anything else. Oh, my muse is not cooperating with chapter namesà so if you want to suggest some for the chapters I post today I will pick the best ones.
Chapter Two:
Harry Potter stood in the doorway and looked at Hermione standing on his doorstep. The first coherent thought he was able to have was, ôhow was she able to bypass the wards.ö It must have showed on his face because Hermione looked at him and laughed.
ôAfter twenty years you would think that you would have changed your general wards, Harry.ö She smirked at this and then looked at him. ôwell are you going to invite me in or not,ö she asked.
Harry nodded and moved aside so she could walk into the apartment. He noticed there was a girl standing behind Hermione. She looked familiar but. just like the voice on the phone, he could not place it. Hermione saw him staring and then indicated that the girl was her younger sister, Vivian. ôOf course,ö Harry thought, ôthe famous Vivian who had been 6 years younger then her sister.ö He had hardly spoken to Vivian in 10-12 years.
Hermione and Vivian both walked into the apartment and looked around, obviously taking in the dÚcor of the place. Hermione first noticed that they were in a room that appeared to be a living room. There was a television in one of the corners. Hermione thought it was what the muggles called a ôBig Screen TV.ö In the other corner, a computer was set up with all the bells and whistles. There was some assorted furniture that completed the room. Both of the ladies moved to the couch and sat down; Harry sat in what was obviously his favorite seat in the room, a large leather massaging chair.
Harry looked over at Hermione. The look on his face clearly told her that he was not happy to see his old friend. He glared at her and then decided to grab this bull by the horn.
ôHermione what are you doing here? I thought I made it perfectly clear when I left England that I wanted to move on with my life. I left England twenty years ago because I couldnÆt deal with all the fall out after the final battle. I have made myself a life here and I am happy.ö
At this declaration Hermione took a good look at Harry and decided he was not happy, in fact he looked as unhappy as she had ever seen him. She decided that the rumors she had heard must be true. It was these rumors that had caused Hermione to track Harry down; she felt that she owed it to him as a friend. She thought carefully before she began to speak.
ôHarry I guess itÆs only fair to tell you the real reason why I am here. I have heard some really disconcerting things about you and I wanted to come and check on you.ö
At this Harry looked up at her, the look in his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and wary. The last thing he needed was one of his friends coming out here to play nurse mother to him. He decided to see how much Hermione really did know of his life style.
ôSo, Hermione, what exactly have you heard about my ælife style?Æö
Hermione blanched and decided to be entirely truthful. ôI guess itÆs better if I tell you from the beginning. That way you wonÆt be so confusedö She sat back and began to explain.
END CHAPTER TWO
AN: Ok so this chapter turned out a bit different then how I planned it but thus is life. Next chapter will be HermioneÆs story. I am going to write it like she is kind of living it right at the time but also add in some stuff that she found out at different times. You will see how it goes. Oh and btw about HermioneÆs sister I just had to account for the different voice on the phone. I figured that he would recognize HermioneÆs voice.
Title: The past catches up with us all.
Main Character: Harry Potter
Summery: It has been 20 years since the final battle, and the years have not been kind to Harry Potter. He has left behind the past that haunts him, or at least tried to. In this story you will find out that you can hide from your demons but never really escape them.
AN: Ok this chapter might be confusing for some of you. Think about it this way: Hermione is telling Harry the story of what has happened to cause her to come looking for him. Yet we will be reading about it sometimes as if itÆs just happening right then. If this really bugs you I am sorry but itÆs the only way I could write the chapter and have it sound good in my head. You are going to hear a lot of names and things that you wonÆt recognize this is kind of my set up for a few different Original Characters. Oh and I will say right now you will notice sometimes I donÆt start a new line when a character stops speaking. ThatÆs just a personal quirk.
Chapter Three: HermioneÆs Tale
Hermione sat back in the chair and tried to figure out where to begin. She decided to begin at the beginning, which would have had to of been when she took the job of Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts.
It was a cold and rainy day in England; Hermione Granger got out of the Carriage that had taken her all the way to the front door of Hogwarts. She reflected that it had been at least been eighteen years since she had been in the castle. The last time would have been for the award ceremony after the final battle; she had received The Order of Merlin (first class), along with her husband, Ron.
She remembered the other person who had gotten that very same award that day, Harry Potter. She wondered what had become of him. After the last battle she had thought that he would settle down and live life as a normal wizardàas normal as Harry PotterÆs life could be. Yet the boy who lived had surprised them all; less than 6 months later he had disappeared. Many people thought he had been killed or kidnapped, but after a while people who had been close to him received mysterious letters letting them know that he was safe and healthy but that he had chosen to leave the Wizarding World for good. Hermione, Ron, Remus Lupin and Dumbledore, among others, decided to respect HarryÆs wishes and not try to figure out where he had gone. Hermione couldnÆt help but wonder, however, what had happened to the third member of the ôGolden Trio,ö as the wretched caretaker Argus Filtch had called them.
As if her thoughts had called him, Mr. Filtch stuck his head outside the great door and asked in his common sarcastic tone if she was going to come in or if she was going to decorate the outside of the door all night.
ôYes, Sir, I am coming in,ö she replied as she strode into the door and walked into the great hall. It was exactly as she remembered it, right down to the candles floating in the air and the enchanted ceiling above now flashing with bright bolts of lightning.
As she crossed the great hall she had to remind herself why she was here. Professor Dumbledore had finally decided to retire, and Professor McGonagall was going to replace him as Head Mistress of the school. She had been invited by Headmistress McGonagall to take over the post of teaching Transfiguration and of being the Head of Gryffindor. When she had gotten the owl with the offer, Hermione had of course written back to tell her that she accepted. She was now here to start teaching. Of course the students would not arrive for another two weeks so she had time to get her classes together. Hermione was pretty sure that Professor McGonagall would have things ship shape anyway.
ôMiss Granger, how nice to see you!ö Professor McGonagall cried out as she was walking across the floor to great her. She approached one of her all time favorite students and did a very un-McGonagall like thing to do: she gave her a hug. As the two walked together they were talking earnestly about old friends and catching each other up on their respective lives. When they approached the stone gargoyles that guarded the HeadmistressÆs office, Professor McGonagall spoke the password. ôLemon drops,ö she said with a wistful smile on her face.
ôYou kept the password the same, Professor?ö Hermione asked with a trace of admiration in her voice.
ôYes. I couldnÆt bear to change it. It doesnÆt seem normal not to have Albus in the school,ö Minerva said as they both took the stairs up to her office. As they stepped out into the corridor they heard voices in the office. Intrigued, Minerva entered first only to see her predecessor, Albus Dumbledore, sitting on a couch holding an animated conversation with five of the portraits in the office. As soon as he heard Minerva enter, Albus rose to his feet and greeted her with a hug.
ôAh, Minerva, I was wondering where you had gone off to.ö Suddenly, he stopped as he spotted Hermione standing in the doorway looking a little bit surprised at seeing her former Headmaster there.
ôHermione Granger, how wonderful it is to see you. Minerva had informed me that she would be offering you the job of Transfiguration Teacher. I told her that was a wonderful idea, as you scored the best on your Transfiguration NEWT.
Hermione blushed a rather bright pink, and Minerva laughed and told Albus to stop embarrassing the poor girl. Albus, laughed and gave one of his famous eye twinkling smiles. Then after some small talk, Hermione finally asked one of the questions that had been weighing heavily on her mind for quite a while.
ôExcuse me, Sir, but do you know anything about how Harry is doing?ö The mood in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Professor Dumbledore was looking very serious for a change and he seemed to be weighing in his mind what to tell Hermione. Finally he looked up at her, gazing at her over his half moon spectacles.
ôYes, Miss Granger, I do indeed have some information about Harry. As you know, about seventeen years ago, I received a letter-the same one that you received-telling me that he was ok and safe but he just wanted to leave his legend behind. I completely understood. How could I not? I watched him grow up and struggle under the burden of being the boy who lived. If you remember, I advised you all not to contact him and to just let him have his peace. I figured after a few years he would seek us out and then all would be well.
After about five years of waiting I decided to make sure he was ok. Using my numerous contacts I discovered he was living in America under a different name. He is a high level police officer, the equivalent of one of our high level aurors. He has not gotten married and is reported to be living alone. That is most of all I know. I do know he frequents muggle bars, which worries me but I assume that is not a problem.ö
Hermione looked over at Professor Dumbledore and knew there was something else that he was not saying. She then proceeded to ask Professor Dumbledore what it was that he was not telling her. He sighed and then spoke.
ôThe people I spoke to say that it is rumored that Harry is using drugs. At first he was doing it to bust people that were selling the drugs, but now they think he might be doing them himself.ö
Hermione was shocked and didnÆt believe it at first, but after listening to Dumbledore explain how hard Harry was taking things she began to understand. The rest of the evening went quickly with Hermione settling back in to life at the castle.
May of the next year:
Hermione was busy. She taught all the 1-5th year transfiguration students along with her NEWT students. Somehow she managed to find a little time to do some work on finding her old friend, Harry. Dumbledore would not reveal where he was living or the name he had changed to. She had managed to narrow it down to 10 cities and that was where she had been at for awhile. Suddenly she was called away to take care of something in Gryffindor house; the list lay on her desk, forgotten, in the bustle of exam time.
August of the same year:
Hermione had finally narrowed the list down to three different cities: New York City NY, Cleveland Ohio and San Antonio Texas. She had to pay a bloody fortune to get the records of all the cops who were not born in the United States, but she had succeeded. Now she just had to figure out which of the three cities it would be. Her money was on New York City but she could never be sure. Suddenly an owl flew in with her class lists from Headmistress McGonagall, and Hermione had no choice but to begin preparation for the upcoming school year.
December of the same year:
Hermione had finally managed to locate Harry. He was living as Harold Evans in New York City. Hermione found him through a contact of hers in the American Ministry of Magic. She had spoken to his current partner, Jack Brisco. Playing the part of a concerned friend-which she was-Hermione had managed to get Jack to trust her and give her the information she needed. It turns out that Harry was getting drunk at least twice a week and he had a standing tab at a couple different bars. More concerning to her where the things Jack had told her about the drugs that people thought Harry was using. The only reason he had not been investigated was because he was the best cop they had in that area and it was not affecting his job performance. Yet Jack had hinted that turning a blind eye to his habits would not go on forever.
June of Next Year:
It had been about 8 months since Hermione started talking to Jack Brisco, and his reports were only getting worse and worse. It seemed now that things were coming to a head and that Harry might be fired even or worse arrested. When Jack offered to help her come out and surprise him to see if she could talk some sense in to him, Hermione jumped at the idea. Hermione used Vivian, her sister, as a tourist cover in America. They ended up in New York City at the house of Harold James Potter (Evans).
END CHAPTER THREE
An: Phew, sorry folks that chapter just kind of got away from me. I found it turning into Hermione at Hogwarts and me apologies for that. If the transit seems kinda abrupt itÆs because it is. I had to cut it off or we would have had 3-4 pages of Hermione returning to Hogwarts. While that would be a great story itÆs not what this story is about. There will be some action in the next chapter... but donÆt get your hopes up for a teary Hermione/Harry reunion quite yet. This story is dark and it will prove it in the coming few chapters.
Title: The past catches up to us all
Main Character Harry Potter
Summery: It has been 20 years since the final battle, and the years have not been kind to Harry Potter. He has left behind the past that haunts him, or at least tried to. In this story you will find out that you can hide from your demons but never really escape them.
An: Ok not too much to say as there will be 2-4 chapters uploaded today. A little explanation about this chapter. It might seem similar to a chapter in the story Twenty Years Later by Reba Williams. The idea was taken from the story, but I tried not to copy anything else. Oh, my muse is not cooperating with chapter namesà so if you want to suggest some for the chapters I post today I will pick the best ones.
Chapter Two:
Harry Potter stood in the doorway and looked at Hermione standing on his doorstep. The first coherent thought he was able to have was, ôhow was she able to bypass the wards.ö It must have showed on his face because Hermione looked at him and laughed.
ôAfter twenty years you would think that you would have changed your general wards, Harry.ö She smirked at this and then looked at him. ôwell are you going to invite me in or not,ö she asked.
Harry nodded and moved aside so she could walk into the apartment. He noticed there was a girl standing behind Hermione. She looked familiar but. just like the voice on the phone, he could not place it. Hermione saw him staring and then indicated that the girl was her younger sister, Vivian. ôOf course,ö Harry thought, ôthe famous Vivian who had been 6 years younger then her sister.ö He had hardly spoken to Vivian in 10-12 years.
Hermione and Vivian both walked into the apartment and looked around, obviously taking in the dÚcor of the place. Hermione first noticed that they were in a room that appeared to be a living room. There was a television in one of the corners. Hermione thought it was what the muggles called a ôBig Screen TV.ö In the other corner, a computer was set up with all the bells and whistles. There was some assorted furniture that completed the room. Both of the ladies moved to the couch and sat down; Harry sat in what was obviously his favorite seat in the room, a large leather massaging chair.
Harry looked over at Hermione. The look on his face clearly told her that he was not happy to see his old friend. He glared at her and then decided to grab this bull by the horn.
ôHermione what are you doing here? I thought I made it perfectly clear when I left England that I wanted to move on with my life. I left England twenty years ago because I couldnÆt deal with all the fall out after the final battle. I have made myself a life here and I am happy.ö
At this declaration Hermione took a good look at Harry and decided he was not happy, in fact he looked as unhappy as she had ever seen him. She decided that the rumors she had heard must be true. It was these rumors that had caused Hermione to track Harry down; she felt that she owed it to him as a friend. She thought carefully before she began to speak.
ôHarry I guess itÆs only fair to tell you the real reason why I am here. I have heard some really disconcerting things about you and I wanted to come and check on you.ö
At this Harry looked up at her, the look in his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and wary. The last thing he needed was one of his friends coming out here to play nurse mother to him. He decided to see how much Hermione really did know of his life style.
ôSo, Hermione, what exactly have you heard about my ælife style?Æö
Hermione blanched and decided to be entirely truthful. ôI guess itÆs better if I tell you from the beginning. That way you wonÆt be so confusedö She sat back and began to explain.
END CHAPTER TWO
AN: Ok so this chapter turned out a bit different then how I planned it but thus is life. Next chapter will be HermioneÆs story. I am going to write it like she is kind of living it right at the time but also add in some stuff that she found out at different times. You will see how it goes. Oh and btw about HermioneÆs sister I just had to account for the different voice on the phone. I figured that he would recognize HermioneÆs voice.
Title: The past catches up with us all.
Main Character: Harry Potter
Summery: It has been 20 years since the final battle, and the years have not been kind to Harry Potter. He has left behind the past that haunts him, or at least tried to. In this story you will find out that you can hide from your demons but never really escape them.
AN: Ok this chapter might be confusing for some of you. Think about it this way: Hermione is telling Harry the story of what has happened to cause her to come looking for him. Yet we will be reading about it sometimes as if itÆs just happening right then. If this really bugs you I am sorry but itÆs the only way I could write the chapter and have it sound good in my head. You are going to hear a lot of names and things that you wonÆt recognize this is kind of my set up for a few different Original Characters. Oh and I will say right now you will notice sometimes I donÆt start a new line when a character stops speaking. ThatÆs just a personal quirk.
Chapter Three: HermioneÆs Tale
Hermione sat back in the chair and tried to figure out where to begin. She decided to begin at the beginning, which would have had to of been when she took the job of Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts.
It was a cold and rainy day in England; Hermione Granger got out of the Carriage that had taken her all the way to the front door of Hogwarts. She reflected that it had been at least been eighteen years since she had been in the castle. The last time would have been for the award ceremony after the final battle; she had received The Order of Merlin (first class), along with her husband, Ron.
She remembered the other person who had gotten that very same award that day, Harry Potter. She wondered what had become of him. After the last battle she had thought that he would settle down and live life as a normal wizardàas normal as Harry PotterÆs life could be. Yet the boy who lived had surprised them all; less than 6 months later he had disappeared. Many people thought he had been killed or kidnapped, but after a while people who had been close to him received mysterious letters letting them know that he was safe and healthy but that he had chosen to leave the Wizarding World for good. Hermione, Ron, Remus Lupin and Dumbledore, among others, decided to respect HarryÆs wishes and not try to figure out where he had gone. Hermione couldnÆt help but wonder, however, what had happened to the third member of the ôGolden Trio,ö as the wretched caretaker Argus Filtch had called them.
As if her thoughts had called him, Mr. Filtch stuck his head outside the great door and asked in his common sarcastic tone if she was going to come in or if she was going to decorate the outside of the door all night.
ôYes, Sir, I am coming in,ö she replied as she strode into the door and walked into the great hall. It was exactly as she remembered it, right down to the candles floating in the air and the enchanted ceiling above now flashing with bright bolts of lightning.
As she crossed the great hall she had to remind herself why she was here. Professor Dumbledore had finally decided to retire, and Professor McGonagall was going to replace him as Head Mistress of the school. She had been invited by Headmistress McGonagall to take over the post of teaching Transfiguration and of being the Head of Gryffindor. When she had gotten the owl with the offer, Hermione had of course written back to tell her that she accepted. She was now here to start teaching. Of course the students would not arrive for another two weeks so she had time to get her classes together. Hermione was pretty sure that Professor McGonagall would have things ship shape anyway.
ôMiss Granger, how nice to see you!ö Professor McGonagall cried out as she was walking across the floor to great her. She approached one of her all time favorite students and did a very un-McGonagall like thing to do: she gave her a hug. As the two walked together they were talking earnestly about old friends and catching each other up on their respective lives. When they approached the stone gargoyles that guarded the HeadmistressÆs office, Professor McGonagall spoke the password. ôLemon drops,ö she said with a wistful smile on her face.
ôYou kept the password the same, Professor?ö Hermione asked with a trace of admiration in her voice.
ôYes. I couldnÆt bear to change it. It doesnÆt seem normal not to have Albus in the school,ö Minerva said as they both took the stairs up to her office. As they stepped out into the corridor they heard voices in the office. Intrigued, Minerva entered first only to see her predecessor, Albus Dumbledore, sitting on a couch holding an animated conversation with five of the portraits in the office. As soon as he heard Minerva enter, Albus rose to his feet and greeted her with a hug.
ôAh, Minerva, I was wondering where you had gone off to.ö Suddenly, he stopped as he spotted Hermione standing in the doorway looking a little bit surprised at seeing her former Headmaster there.
ôHermione Granger, how wonderful it is to see you. Minerva had informed me that she would be offering you the job of Transfiguration Teacher. I told her that was a wonderful idea, as you scored the best on your Transfiguration NEWT.
Hermione blushed a rather bright pink, and Minerva laughed and told Albus to stop embarrassing the poor girl. Albus, laughed and gave one of his famous eye twinkling smiles. Then after some small talk, Hermione finally asked one of the questions that had been weighing heavily on her mind for quite a while.
ôExcuse me, Sir, but do you know anything about how Harry is doing?ö The mood in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Professor Dumbledore was looking very serious for a change and he seemed to be weighing in his mind what to tell Hermione. Finally he looked up at her, gazing at her over his half moon spectacles.
ôYes, Miss Granger, I do indeed have some information about Harry. As you know, about seventeen years ago, I received a letter-the same one that you received-telling me that he was ok and safe but he just wanted to leave his legend behind. I completely understood. How could I not? I watched him grow up and struggle under the burden of being the boy who lived. If you remember, I advised you all not to contact him and to just let him have his peace. I figured after a few years he would seek us out and then all would be well.
After about five years of waiting I decided to make sure he was ok. Using my numerous contacts I discovered he was living in America under a different name. He is a high level police officer, the equivalent of one of our high level aurors. He has not gotten married and is reported to be living alone. That is most of all I know. I do know he frequents muggle bars, which worries me but I assume that is not a problem.ö
Hermione looked over at Professor Dumbledore and knew there was something else that he was not saying. She then proceeded to ask Professor Dumbledore what it was that he was not telling her. He sighed and then spoke.
ôThe people I spoke to say that it is rumored that Harry is using drugs. At first he was doing it to bust people that were selling the drugs, but now they think he might be doing them himself.ö
Hermione was shocked and didnÆt believe it at first, but after listening to Dumbledore explain how hard Harry was taking things she began to understand. The rest of the evening went quickly with Hermione settling back in to life at the castle.
May of the next year:
Hermione was busy. She taught all the 1-5th year transfiguration students along with her NEWT students. Somehow she managed to find a little time to do some work on finding her old friend, Harry. Dumbledore would not reveal where he was living or the name he had changed to. She had managed to narrow it down to 10 cities and that was where she had been at for awhile. Suddenly she was called away to take care of something in Gryffindor house; the list lay on her desk, forgotten, in the bustle of exam time.
August of the same year:
Hermione had finally narrowed the list down to three different cities: New York City NY, Cleveland Ohio and San Antonio Texas. She had to pay a bloody fortune to get the records of all the cops who were not born in the United States, but she had succeeded. Now she just had to figure out which of the three cities it would be. Her money was on New York City but she could never be sure. Suddenly an owl flew in with her class lists from Headmistress McGonagall, and Hermione had no choice but to begin preparation for the upcoming school year.
December of the same year:
Hermione had finally managed to locate Harry. He was living as Harold Evans in New York City. Hermione found him through a contact of hers in the American Ministry of Magic. She had spoken to his current partner, Jack Brisco. Playing the part of a concerned friend-which she was-Hermione had managed to get Jack to trust her and give her the information she needed. It turns out that Harry was getting drunk at least twice a week and he had a standing tab at a couple different bars. More concerning to her where the things Jack had told her about the drugs that people thought Harry was using. The only reason he had not been investigated was because he was the best cop they had in that area and it was not affecting his job performance. Yet Jack had hinted that turning a blind eye to his habits would not go on forever.
June of Next Year:
It had been about 8 months since Hermione started talking to Jack Brisco, and his reports were only getting worse and worse. It seemed now that things were coming to a head and that Harry might be fired even or worse arrested. When Jack offered to help her come out and surprise him to see if she could talk some sense in to him, Hermione jumped at the idea. Hermione used Vivian, her sister, as a tourist cover in America. They ended up in New York City at the house of Harold James Potter (Evans).
END CHAPTER THREE
An: Phew, sorry folks that chapter just kind of got away from me. I found it turning into Hermione at Hogwarts and me apologies for that. If the transit seems kinda abrupt itÆs because it is. I had to cut it off or we would have had 3-4 pages of Hermione returning to Hogwarts. While that would be a great story itÆs not what this story is about. There will be some action in the next chapter... but donÆt get your hopes up for a teary Hermione/Harry reunion quite yet. This story is dark and it will prove it in the coming few chapters.