Return to Life

Harry stared out of the window at the snow that had begun to fall. Since defeating Voldemort in his seventh year, he had become even more somber than before. The past 3 years had been spent studying to be an Auror, meanwhile still fighting the Death Eaters that remained. Shortly after the last of his tests, he took refuge in his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. He had just returned from a three month long mission.

He frowned as he noticed a figure slowly walking towards the house. He watched, wand at the ready, until the face started to come into view. Hermione. Smiling grimly to himself, he opened the door and waited.

She stopped in front of him without smiling. "Hi Harry."

He gave her a short nod. "Hi," he said as he turned and walked into the house. She stepped in and closed the door behind her. "How have you been?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. What brings you this far out?"

Not hearing an immediate answer, he turned to look at her. "Hermione? What is it?"

Tears started to fall slowly down her face. "Harry, it's Ron."

That was an hour ago. Harry stood looking at the mannequin in front of St. Mungo's that he had Apparated in front of just moments before.

"Harry Potter, here to see Ronald Weasley."

The mannequin beckoned and he stepped forward through the glass. He walked to the receptionist's desk and asked which department Ron was in. "I'm sorry. There's a restriction on visitors for Mr. Weasley. Can I have your name please? I'll check your clearance." She looked at him expectantly.

He sighed. "Harry. Harry Potter," he said. The nurse's eyes' stretched. "Oh, Mr. Potter. I-I'm sorry. Mr. Weasley's on the 4^th floor. Please go right up." He nodded and turned away from the desk. Up on the forth floor, he turned towards a set of doors on the right. He stopped in front of the third door that had the initials 'RW' on it and went inside.

Ron was lying on the bed absolutely still. Harry walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Dammit, Ron. What did you do to yourself?" He put his head in his hands, and cried. He cried as he had never cried before. He cried for the parents he never knew, for his godfather Sirius, and for Luna.

Luna Lovegood Weasley. Ron had thought the girl was rather batty when he met her, but somehow she grew on him. By seventh year, they were inseparable and married right after graduation. Ron, Hermione, and Harry went on to train as Aurors, while Luna started working with her father at the Quibbler. Harry felt a pain in his chest as he remembered.

They were all meeting up to celebrate the fact that Ron was about to become a father. Harry and Luna arrived first. Hermione was coming from her parents' house, and Ron was stopping by the Burrow to meet with his family and tell them the good news. They had both just rounded the corner when Lucius Malfoy and Goyle's father attacked them. Harry and Luna fought like crazy. Before they knew it, three more Death Eaters had joined the fight. Harry kept trying to get Luna to run inside the restaurant, but she wouldn't go. They had almost succeeded in disarming all of them when Bellatrix Lestrange Apparated behind Luna. "Avada Kevada!" she yelled pointing at Luna.

"No!" Harry screamed. Several popping noises were heard and the Weasleys and Hermione appeared, but it was too late.

Harry looked down at Ron. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her. God, I'm so sorry. I wish it had been me."

Hermione peaked into the room and saw Harry crying. She remembered everything that happened. After Luna's death, Harry became even more withdrawn. Everyone knew that he blamed himself for what happened. Ron kept trying to tell him it that wasn't his fault. He knew if anyone had tried to save her it was Harry. But he wouldn't listen. Soon after finishing his Auror training, he moved into his parents' house. He stopped returning owls and cast a spell so that no one could Apparate inside the grounds or the house. He started taking the most dangerous missions he could find. It was as though he no longer cared.

She entered the room slowly. He looked up at her. She didn't say anything, just held out her hand to him. He stared for a moment before placing his hand in hers. She gently pulled him to his feet and out of the room. They left the hospital and stood outside on the sidewalk.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked.

"To my flat," she said. "It's not far." They walked in silence, still holding hands.

Once inside, Harry looked around with a small smile. Everything was neatly in its' place, typical Hermione style. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I want to know how it happened," he said quietly.

Hermione sat down beside him. "We were on assignment in South London. We'd had a report that Malfoy had been spotted there and we went to check it out." She sighed. "It was an ambush. Ron, h-he pushed me out of the way and I hit my head. They used the Cruciatus Curse on him."

Harry closed his eyes. "Oh, god."

"I wasn't able to get to my wand in time." She said wringing her hands. "If I could have moved a little faster, I could have-"

"No. Don't blame yourself." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. "There was nothing you could do. Ron was determined."

"A lot like you, huh?"

"It's different with me, they shouldn't have been able to get past me."

She stood up fuming. "Why? Because you're the great Harry Potter? The boy who lived, the one that defeated Voldemort? You're not perfect Harry! You can be outnumbered just like anyone else. You can make mistakes! Luna's death was not your fault! No one blames you!" Her voice softened and she pulled him close. "Harry, you can't save the world. All you can do is live and do the best you can. We all make mistakes. You can't keep shutting us out. It's not the same without you."

Harry took a deep breath. "I've missed you, too." He said looking into her eyes.

She moved forward and kissed him gently. "Harry, I-," she started.

"Hermione," he said, pulling away slightly. "It wasn't just because of Luna that I left." She frowned. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

"It was because of you, too."

Her eyes widened. "Me? Why?"

"Because." He rested his hand on her face. "Everyone I love or care about either gets hurt or dies. It's like I'm cursed. I didn't want to lose you and Ron. So I decided that if I stayed away there was less of a chance of you being hurt."

Hermione sat back opening and closing her mouth, looking like a fish. "You great idiot!" she raged.

"Hermione-," he tried to stop her before she got on a roll.

"You think that taking yourself out of our lives was going to save us?"

"But Hermione-," he tried again.

"You were never the only one in danger. We all knew the risks when we signed up to be Aurors. We knew our lives would be in danger-"

Harry shut her up the only way he knew how. He kissed her.

Hermione found herself holding onto Harry. He kept kissing her until she had to pull away to breathe. "Harry," she groaned and closed her eyes as he bit her lightly on the neck. "We've got to stop."

Harry sat up abruptly, running his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump on you."

"It's not that. It's just-," she stood up and walked around the couch. "I can't take a chance on you walking out on me again." She turned and looked at him. "There's something I need to tell you. I should have made more of an effort to tell you. Harry, that last night were together-," she took a deep breath and blushed. "When we, you know."

"Yes," he said standing to face her.

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We have a son."

"A-A son?"

She nodded. "I didn't want to just send you an owl saying 'Hi Harry, how are you? By the way you're going to be a daddy.' It's something that should be told face to face."

He nodded. He had been so busy trying to cut himself off from the rest of them that he stopped even looking at the notes. He held his head down. It hurt to think of all that she had faced alone without him. "I'm sorry, Hermione. God, I've been such a prat!" He walked forward and folded her in his arms. "Can I see him? I'll understand if you say no."

Hermione looked at him for a moment before smiling. "You are a prat." She laughed at him when he started to smile. "Come on. He's at the burrow with Mrs. Weasley."