Chapter : 12
"Oh, sparring with my cousin. Dudley said I had the fastest hands of anyone he'd ever seen. After sparring with me, he said it was like his opponents were telegraphing their moves. Uncle Vernon converted the garage into a gym. I used it mainly to keep fit but Dudley's been heavily into boxing for years. He represented the school and even made county level. What's wrong, Hermione? It's like you don't believe me..."
"How well do you get on with the Dursleys?"
"Like all families, we're not perfect but do our best. Dud and me are more like brothers, and my aunt and uncle are the only parents I've ever known. Hermione, you're scaring me here..."
"Shite Harry, I'm so sorry. When the ministry altered your memories, they obviously would need to do the same to the Dursleys. The family you just described bear no resemblance to the people you told us about, the people in this timeline. Your aunt and uncle hate magic, they knew you were magical so passed that hatred onto you. Rather in the same way Snape does, only you don't have to live with him. They send you fifty pence for Christmas, knowing you can't spend it here. This coming summer, after a magical accident in their home, you end up with bars on your bedroom window and being passed food through a cat flap they cut in your locked door."
She couldn't look at Harry as Hermione continued with what she knew. "When you were smaller they would palm you off to some kookie neighbour while they took Dudley on outings. At school, Dudley used to beat up anyone who tried to befriend you..."
"Well that's just fucking peachy! My entire life, one big fucking lie from start to finish. My mum and dad were taken from me as a baby, now I've just lost the only family I've ever known. My Aunt Petunia held me in her arms, kissed my cheek and wished me luck as I headed off to uni. Uncle Vernon ruffled my hair and said he was so proud of me. Dudley joked I'd come running home first time I had my arm up a cow's backside to the elbow, Aunt Petunia laughed and said I'd better wash my hands. Are you saying they had to be magically spelled to act like that?"
Harry was now in tears so Hermione tried to sugar coat it as best she could. "The ministry would need to build an entire past where there was no magic involved. Take away the magic, the Dursleys would have treated you normally."
"Then why the fuck would I want magic? What has it ever done for me? I need to go and think about this, I'll see you later."
With that, Harry left. Sitting there alone, Hermione's own tears started to fall. She couldn't stop them and was soon sobbing into her hands. Hermione then felt a familiar pair of arms circle around her.
"I'm an idiot. A selfish fucking idiot, who's quite possibly the worst boyfriend in the entire world. I never even thought about what it's cost you to come back, what you left behind. I was too busy thinking about poor me. Your reaction to that Malfoy boy also speaks of a history. This can't be fun for you either, then I go and unload all my shite on you."
Hermione started giving Harry some of the background he needed to understand her reaction. "At the end of our third year, I smacked Malfoy on the jaw - in front of some of his friends too. He's not the type to forgive and forget, and then when you didn't come back for fifth year there was no one to stand up to him. His father has the minister in his very deep and well-lined pockets, Lucius Malfoy was probably behind getting you kicked out the magical world."
She needed a few steadying breaths before Hermione could continue with the next bit, seeing the little bastard this morning just brought it all back. "Draco threatened that he and his friends would rape me before the year was out, only Dobby kept me one step ahead of them. He would keep watch and popped me to safety a couple of times before they could spring their trap. Dumbledore made me a portkey to France so I wouldn't have to take the express at the end of term, I never came back."
Harry kissed away her tears. "Yes you did, you came back for me. Now I know why you were terrified of being caught. You wouldn't have made that Azkaban place, would you?"
A shudder past through Hermione as she held him close and shook her head.
Harry asked the obvious follow on question. "What about your mum and dad?"
"Dad knew my intentions and tried to support them. Mum just kept trying to set me up with other boys in the hope I would forget all about you. It wasn't that she didn't like you, my parents only met you a couple of times - and then only for a minute or two. It was more she understood how dangerous Hermione Granger coming back to Britain would be, and didn't want me to come."
Both now needed the contact of their arms around each other, Harry's thoughts had drifted in a different direction however. "We came back to change things, make things better. Hermione, do you think we can change my aunt, uncle and cousin? I was thinking of writing to them, tell them I was in an accident that affected my memory, see what they write back. Will you help me?"
"Of course I will, just don't expect too much from them. My Harry used to consider Hogwarts his home..."
"This just gets crazier and crazier..."
Hermione managed a giggle at that, wiping away her tears before offering a suggestion. "Like I said, your aunt and uncle hate magic. Having Hedwig turn up with a letter for them would be a very bad idea. How about I write home, explain a little of the situation to my parents and have them send some normal stationary. You write your letter, stick it in an envelope and we'll send it to my mum for posting. Your aunt can post any reply back to my house, Hedwig would then bring it here."
"Beautiful and smart, that's my Hermione."
"Harry, I didn't think I was beautiful at nineteen - and certainly not now."
"My Hermione is beautiful, brilliant, brunet, bookish, bashful and I've run out of B's. Thankfully there are another twenty five letters in the alphabet to come to my rescue."
They kissed and held each other, both recognising a crisis had just been averted. "We should have realised that going all 'back to the future' wouldn't be easy."
"If it was easy, Harry, those would have been some incredibly short movies."
"Yeah, we're here for the long haul. With me being eleven and you twelve, we don't have any other options. You're stuck with me now, Granger, and there's no getting away."
"I'll start writing home today. I'll wait until you're invited to spend Christmas with us before telling them you're my boyfriend though. I have no intention of spending Christmas anywhere but with you."
Harry at least had the thought of spending Christmas with Hermione to cling to. It was hard though to think all those memories of Christmases past were either magically induced or just plain lies. Someone was going to pay for all the shite they'd heaped on him. At the moment the only thing Harry could be certain of was that the wonderful witch in his arms loved him. That was going to be the foundation he built a new life on - their new future.
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