Hermione watched the heart-warming reunion with tearful and joy-filled eyes. She felt so happy for him. The orphan finally reunited with his family. No one deserved this more than Harry. She felt a small sadness in her heart when she thought of her own family.
Was there no one here to meet her? She dismissed this thought angrily, not wanting it to tarnish this beautiful moment.
Harry meanwhile felt happier than he had ever been in his life. When he had looked into the Mirror of Erised in his first year and seen his family staring back at him, he had secretly looked forward to the day he could see them again and be with them forever.
"My baby boy," Lily cried as they held their son, "my brave, baby boy!" James too wept, but remained silent, his eyes tightly closed as he embraced the family which for so long had been apart.
After a good few minutes, Lily and James reluctantly released him, leaving Harry to turn to the other people in the gathering. His godfather smiled warmly at him and with tears streaming down his face, he held out his arms.
"Hey pup, glad you could join us!" Sirius said beaming at his godson.
The guilt, sadness and self-loathing Harry had felt after his godfather had died in the Department of Mysteries were all but gone, leaving him with an intense longing to hold him again. Harry ran at Sirius and held him for all he was worth, the marauder letting out a grunt of discomfort at the impact, before laughing with joy.
Harry pulled back from his godfather and beamed at him, before breaking the hug and turning to the last member of the group. Last, but most certainly not least. His unofficial uncle stood, a little nervously, not too far from Sirius.
"Hey Harry," Remus said with a smile.
The old werewolf looked slightly uncomfortable with the emotions in the air. In life, he had tried to stop people from getting close, blaming it on 'his furry little problem', but in truth this was a cover for his image and self-esteem issues.
He saw himself as a monster, and despite those close to him trying to dissuade him of that belief, he remained emotionally distant. Nymphadora Tonks had broken this rule through sheer bloody-mindedness and determination, but even in death Remus was shy around emotions.
Lupin hesitated for a moment, before holding out his hand to Harry. Harry glanced at his hand, before ignoring it and tackling the old wolf in a tight embrace. Upon being hit by this hugging missile, Remus wheezed audibly, drawing some good natured laughter from the others around them. The werewolf quickly returned the hug and he allowed tears to fall down his face, as he held the boy he had regarded as his own son.
After a time, Harry pulled away from the embrace and smiled at his family. It had taken a while, but they were reunited once again. As the emotionally charged atmosphere began to ebb away, however, the nagging doubt, guilt and uncertainty began to creep back into Harry's mind.
Despite Hermione's reassurances from earlier, he could not deny his role in the death of Sirius and Remus. They had died for him, defending him. It was his fault. Feeling overcome with a need to apologise, Harry turned to the two marauders and took a breath to begin his apology. Before a word left his lips, however, Sirius cut him off firmly.
"No," Sirius said strongly, "not a word!" Harry stared at him with wide, surprised eyes. "You will not apologise to us, Harry, and yes, I know that's what you were about to do." His stern look softened and he sighed. "I will say this only once, so listen well." He walked over to Harry and placed his hands on his shoulders. "It was not your fault! I don't blame you for what happened to me..."
"But, but," Harry stammered, but Sirius continued.
"No buts, Harry." Sirius argued. "My death was caused by three people, none of whom are you. Bellatrix hit me with the stunner that killed me, Dumbledore put us and you in that situation, and I..." he paused, and sighed, "I acted like a fool. I took no care while fighting, so happy to be outside and doing something useful. If I had been taking things seriously, I might still be alive."
Harry frowned at Sirius' self-deprecation, and his absolution. He saw where his godfather was coming from, but couldn't bring himself to fully agree. After a moment's hesitation, however, he nodded in understanding.
"Ok Sirius," Harry murmured, "I see what you're saying." He paused. "It's just..."
"...you still feel guilty." Remus finished, chiming in. Harry's gaze snapped to his and he nodded. "Harry, in all the years I have known you, I have seen you place such a burden on your shoulders. You carry the weight of decisions and actions that you did not make and take that blame for yourself." The werewolf smiled kindly.
"You blame yourself for Sirius' death, and I know you blame yourself for mine." He waited for confirmation, and Harry nodded guiltily in answer. "So I must ask you a question," he leaned forward and watched him carefully, "did you ask me to fight in Hogwarts?" Startled, Harry did not reply immediately.
"W-what...I..." Harry hesitated, "well, no. No I didn't." Remus nodded.
"Right," he agreed, "and did I jump in front of a spell for you, sacrificing myself to save you?" Harry shook his head.
"No, no you didn't." He replied quietly.
"Then what part of it was your fault?" Remus asked amusedly. "Harry, I fought that day for more than just you. I fought for my wife. I fought for my baby boy. And I fought for friends I had lost on the way." He smiled at Sirius, Lily and James, who returned the gesture. "I was fighting with Tonks, side by side. When she went down..." he smile faded and he fought back tears. "I just stopped. Nothing else seemed to matter as I watched her fall. And then, I was hit by a curse and died."
"I'm sorry," Harry murmured, more on reflex than anything.
"Oh Harry," Remus sighed, before pulling him into a hug, "please don't blame yourself for deaths you could not prevent. That sort of baggage will drag you down and drown you."
The Boy-Who-Lived closed his eyes and held the old wolf tightly. He was right. He had carried the burden of deaths he could not prevent for so long. Hearing the two marauders tell him that they didn't blame him lifted a great weight from his shoulders. Pulling back from Lupin, he smiled at him.
"Thank you," Harry said warmly, "both of you." He finished, turning to Sirius. They both grinned in reply.
Feeling Hermione watching him, he turned to look at her. She had a beautiful smile on her face, and the remains of tears lining her cheeks. He smiled back at her, and was about to walk to her, when a thought crossed his mind. With a frown, Harry turned to the immortal.
"Where is Hermione's family?" He asked Amanda confusedly. "I know her parents won't be here, but is there no one to meet her?" Hermione walked over to him and took his hand, drawing his gaze.
"It's alright, Harry," Hermione replied softly, "just knowing that my parents might still be alive is enough for me." Harry frowned at her reply, but nodded slowly. Amanda, meanwhile, scratched her head, ordering her words.
"That's...a difficult question to answer, Harry." The goddess replied. "The long and the short of it is, appearing in this place," she gestured to the station, "requires magic. All beings have some level of magic within them, but it takes a lot to manifest here."
"It's true, honey," Lily added, "just being here...I can feel the strain on my magic." James nodded in agreement.
"It's like carrying a heavy trunk on your back," James explained, "you can feel it weighing you down." Hermione sighed sadly.
"So because my family are muggles," Hermione murmured, "they can't appear here." Harry, feeling her sadness, lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, drawing a small smile and chasing away her melancholy.
"As a matter of fact, Hermione," Amanda began, "most of your family on your father's side come from a magical bloodline that has since lost its magic." Hermione's eyes widened with this information.
"Really?" She asked interestedly.
"Yes indeed!" Amanda replied, happy to give her some knowledge of her family. "You are the first of your line to attain magic in quite some time. While your close ancestors do not have sufficient magical power to be here, I would imagine that your parents would be able to appear." She smiled cheerfully. "Fortunately, however, they are still alive, living happily in Australia." Hermione beamed and began to tear up at the reassurance her family were safe.
"Thank you, Amanda," she said, trying and failing to stop her happy tears, "I'm so glad they're ok!" Seeing her cry, Harry put his arm around her.
"You ok, Hermione?" Harry asked concernedly. Seeing his worry, she pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek.
"I'm fine Harry, but thank you." She murmured, before smiling mischievously. "So Harry," Hermione whispered in his ear, "are you going to properly introduce your girlfriend to your family?" Harry pulled back and looked at her in shock, before grinning like a madman.
"Really?" Harry asked excitedly, and she chuckled warmly at his reaction.
"Yes," Hermione replied, before hesitating, "I mean, if that's ok?" She added, some of her old insecurities resurfacing. Harry ended those thoughts by pressing his lips to hers.
"Absolutely," Harry responded with a grin, after pulling away from her.
Taking her hand in his, Harry squeezed it lightly before leading her over to his parents. Lily and James stood side by side, her head leaning on his shoulder, smiling at the clear love they had for each other.
"Mum, Dad," Harry began, smiling brightly, "allow me to introduce you to Hermione Granger. She is..." he paused for a moment, grinning goofily as he thought about what he was about to say, "...my girlfriend!" Lily and James chuckled at Harry's reaction.
"Hello Mr Potter, Mrs Potter," Hermione began, smiling nervously at the couple, holding out her hand toward Lily, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
In turn, Lily ignored the handshake, and pulled Hermione into a tight hug, rivalling those given by Molly Weasley. After she had been released Hermione offered her hand to James, who lifted it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.
"The pleasure is ours, Hermione," Lily replied softly, "we've wanted to meet you for a very long time."
"Aye, that we have!" James added with a grin. "We've been watching Harry grow up since we died, and you have done so much for him. We can't thank you enough for that." She blushed, and smiled shyly.
"You don't need to thank me," Hermione replied, squeezing Harry's hand, "it wouldn't be fair when Harry has given me so much in return." She smiled warmly at her boyfriend, before kissing him on the cheek. James nodded in response, before grinning at Harry.
"Oh, she's definitely a winner, Harry," he announced, jokingly, "well mannered, modest, kind, and very beautiful." Hermione blushed furiously in response, and this only intensified when Harry let go of her hand, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and continued.
"You're forgetting she's also courageous, cunning, smart as a whip, utterly gorgeous, and most importantly..." he paused, smiling at her lovingly, "the truest and most loyal friend I have ever known." Hermione looked at him with wide watery eyes as he spoke, and as he finished, she chuckled tearfully and playfully slapped his shoulder.
"Flatterer," she accused teasingly. He merely grinned in response. James, meanwhile, smiled proudly at Harry's response and nodded.
"Quite right Harry," James exclaimed, "the best basis for a great relationship is a strong friendship! You two complemented each other brilliantly when you were just friends, as well! Hermione is a woman of thought, while you are a man of action! The perfect team!"
"I don't think it's just Harry," Lily spoke up, smirking at her husband, "I think the Potter men must have a certain need for intelligent witches in their lives, don't you agree Hermione? It must be to balance out their impulsive personalities…" Both Harry and James blushed at this, with Sirius and Remus laughing out loud at their reactions.
"Absolutely," Hermione agreed, trying to sound serious but with a smile curling the edge of her mouth. Lily grinned at her before continuing.
"Anyway, James is quite right." She said, addressing Harry and Hermione. "You are perfect for each other. Although it took a bit longer than it should have, you found each other and have the rest of your lives together." Picking up on the choice of words, Harry frowned thoughtfully at the implication.
"Mum," Harry began uncertainly, "I thought we were…you know…dead?" He struggled to say the last word. Lily and James shared an apprehensive look, considering what to say.
"That's...difficult for us to answer." James replied uncertainly. "I think it would be best if Amanda took the lead on explaining this." Collectively, they turned to the immortal, who had been silent up to this point.
"Right, yes," Amanda began, "answer time." She hesitated for a moment, while she considered how to broach the subject. "Well, there is some good news, and some bad news..." she ran her hand through her hair and sighed, "as a matter of fact, there is a LOT of bad news. So which do you want first?" Harry and Hermione shared a concerned look.
"The good news?" Hermione replied hesitantly. Amanda brightened and clapped her hands.