Second Coming

Chapter Two: Home

"Ron! Ron!" Hermione called from the kitchen of their apartment. "Ronald Weasley! If you don't get in here this instant we're not going to be there in time to meet Harry!"

Before Hermione knew it, Ron was in the kitchen, coat in hand.

"Let's go," he said, smiling at her and pulling on his coat.

Hermione laughed and shook her head at her husband as they left the apartment.

It had been just under two years since Ron had proposed to Hermione. Just under two years since Voldemort had finally been defeated. It had been the day of their graduation from Hogwarts and they had all just thrown their caps into the air when the Dark Mark appeared overhead. Before there was even time for the crowd to gasp, a horde of Death Eaters were upon them. The young children were rushed into the castle. Every fully trained witch or wizard at the service was up, fighting the Death Eaters.

In the midst of the chaos and death, Ron had turned to Hermione and dropped to one knee. Hermione accepted instantly. Then they turned away from each other and went to fight the Death Eaters. Not long after, a team of Aurors apparated in. The force of Aurors and Hogwarts faculty converged to take on Voldemort. In unison they said the words that would destroy the Dark Lord. His ashes floated to the ground and were blown away in the wind. Voldemort, the arch nemesis of the free wizarding world, had been killed. Afterwards, the dead and wounded had been carried away, and Ron went to find Hermione.

The conversation that had occurred when he found her was one that Hermione would never forget.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," he'd said "I bought the ring some time ago, and I was planning on asking you at a more romantic time, and if you don't want to, we... we don't have to get married. It's just that when I saw the Dark Mark, I was scared that we would both die, and I didn't want to die without you knowing how I feel about you. But if you were scared to, or you were just being nice, then I understand. I just need you to know that I love you. I hope you feel the same, but if you don't-"

"You'll never know if I do or don't if you don't stop babbling," she interrupted. Ron closed his mouth in what seemed to be an attempt to not say anymore.

"Ron I do love you, and I would be honored to be your wife." Hermione had pulled the ring from her pocket and slipped it onto her finger.

Hermione smiled at the memory of Ron's proposal as they walked into the lobby of the London Airport. Just as they entered the lobby, Harry walked through the entrance from the concourse and ran up to them.

"It's great to see you two!" Harry said hugging Hermione. "How have you been? You've been keeping Ron in line since I left?" Hermione laughed and shook her head at Harry's little joke.

"We've never been better," she said "How was your trip? How was America?"

"How was the Quidditch?" Ron cut in.

"I'm great, America was incredible in this odd, I-wouldn't-want-to live-there-but-it's-nice-for-a-visit way, and the Quidditch, Ron, let me tell you, it was nothing compared to games here. The Americans have this game called Quodpot where you throw around a quaffle that's enchanted so it will explode at random, and try to get it into this pot with a solution that keeps it from exploding; it's really quite odd to play. In any event, most of their Quidditch teams would be an easy win for all of the English and Irish league teams. Except maybe the Chudley Cannons." Harry's last remark was followed by a quick glance over at Ron, who in turn gave Harry a friendly push.

"Watch it!" he said, laughing. "So how were the games?"

Harry began to answer, but Hermione, who was inching ever closer to bored out of her mind, interrupted him.

"Harry can tell you and your brothers all about it." She paused and smiled at Ron "When we get to the Burrow."

Ron looked at Harry and shrugged, then the trio retrieved Harry's bags from the conveyer belt and set off for the Burrow.

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Draco sat in the large black chair in his dimly lit study. Wondering, as he often did, how Lord Voldemort had survived that day almost two years ago.

He remembered throwing his cap into the air and looking up to see the Dark Mark glowing above him. He remembered watching Voldemort come towards the school. He remembered the cries of witches and wizards dying. Then, he remembered hearing the spell be cast from multiple wands and mouths, and he remembered watching the ashes of the Dark Lord drift away in the breeze. He knew that the ashes were all that could have survived; the spell that had been cast had that effect. When cast on one person by a large group, it had results similar to those of burning a person's body.

"But how?" he thought. "I watched him die, but I see him so often still, and there is no possibility of anyone's soul, no matter how powerful, living through that. And he would have had to get a hold of Potter again to get a body Besides, I'm quite certain Wormtail had ALL of his limbs intact the other night." He'd asked Antonin Dolohov and Quentin Avery repeatedly, but each time the response was the same: 'When the time is right, I'll tell you.'

"Well, WHEN is the time going to be right? Once Voldemort is actually dead?" Draco took a sip of gin from his glass and continued to think. The frustration was growing stronger, and his glass was growing empty, when he sensed someone else in the room. Draco spun around in his chair and faced Antonin.

"I think," he said, pausing ominously, "that the time is right."

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When Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived at the Burrow, they were greeted by Fred and George, who were sitting on the front step.

"Hallo, Harry!" said George. "It's about time you got here."

"Mum's had us waiting here since noon!" Fred added in comical frustration. Hermione glanced down at her watch.

It was now six o'clock.

"You mean to tell me that you've been out here for six hours?" Hermione asked. Fred and George nodded.

"Don't let them lie to you," said Ginny who was standing in the doorway with her hand on her hip, her red curls falling into her face. "Mum only sent them out here twenty minutes ago."

"Well it FELT like six hours!" said Fred. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she replied. "Mum said to tell you two that dinner is ready and on the table in the backyard. Come on, Hermione."

"Well, you heard the woman!" said George "Lets go eat!"

Once in the backyard they found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley setting food on the table, Bill and Charlie tossing around a quaffle on their brooms, and Percy, sifting through a large stack of papers.

"Bill! Charlie! Harry's here!" Mrs. Weasley yelled before even turning around. "Hallo Harry!" she said. "Come on and get something to eat."

Bill and Charlie landed their brooms, and everyone took a place at the long rectangular table. Hermione sat at the far end across from Percy, to her right were Ron and Harry. On the other side of the table to Percy's right sat Ginny, then Fred, George, Bill and Charlie who were all cramming together to be able to talk to Harry properly. At the opposite end of the table from Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat across from each other.

After everyone had finished eating, the boys (minus Percy who hadn't even paused in his work to eat) got into a heated debate on Quidditch.

"No way!" she heard Ron exclaim, "The Ballycastle Bats are sure to win! They've got Harry after all!"

Hermione remembered the day Harry had gone for the Ballycastle Bats tryouts. Ron, Harry and herself had been living together in a flat in Dorchester when they got news of the Ballycastle Bats seeker, who was notoriously clumsy, crashing into the ground during practice while trying to do a Wronski Feint. Harry had immediately apparated to Ballycastle and had been given a tryout immediately. He'd made it, and the next day he moved to an apartment of his own in Ballycastle so that he could get to practice easier. Everyone had been happy for him, and he'd become completely enthralled by the job, often, missing events with Ron, Hermione, and the other Weasleys who were all like family to him.

"He even came to my wedding in his Quidditch robes," Hermione thought.

The boys continued their conversation, and Hermione turned to Ginny who was sitting, with her chin in her hands, seeming very bored.

"What are you thinking about Gin'?" she asked.

"Nothing." Ginny followed her statement with an irritated sigh.

"You know you can't lie to me," Hermione said. "Did something happen with Adrian?"

Adrian was Ginny's boyfriend of a year. Hermione always saw them as a perfect couple. Adrian seemed like perfect guy for Ginny, and Ginny was just what Adrian needed.

"I...I..." Ginny stammered, "I broke up with Adrian yesterday."

"Why?" Hermione was shocked; Ginny was always so happy with Adrian!

He just isn't what I want anymore. I mean, he's a great guy, but..." Her voice trailed off for a moment while she seemed to collect her thoughts. "I want someone, something new and exciting! I want to go places, and meet people that I've never met before. I want to have my own life before I get stuck with someone for the rest of it."

"She wants to go travel around with Harry," Percy muttered under his breath without even looking up from his papers.

"I do not!" she shouted, and then in a quieter tone, she said "Well... maybe a little." Ginny's face flushed bright pink. Percy shook his head at her while still consumed by his work.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, Percy?" Hermione asked.

"No," was the only answer she got from Percy.

"Percy never eats anymore," Ginny whispered. "All he ever does is work, work, work, work, work."

Percy looked up from his papers.

"I'll have you know that I had a very large lunch with Penelope today, and besides, these are very important papers that I need to get into Minister Fudge by Monday! And it's SATURDAY already!"

"Oh, come off it, Percy," said Bill from the other side of the table. "I swear, one of these days you'll work yourself to death."

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Draco refilled his glass with gin and waited for his father to speak.

"The person you watched die was not Lord Voldemort." Said Antonin

"You've got a very firm grip on the obvious, I see". Draco thought, though he knew better than to vocalize that thought. Antonin had been particularly edgy for the past month, and Draco wasn't anxious to find out what would happen if he crossed the line.

"We chose a decoy, someone who was willing to die for the cause. The whole day was planned out perfectly in advance, and for once it came off perfectly, as well. We hid in the Forbidden Forest while the ceremony was in progress, then, the second you walked onto the stage, I gave the decoy polyjuice potion that was made with our Lord's hair. Then, when your caps began to leave your heads, I summoned the Dark Mark over the crowd. When you threw your caps, there was a collective gasp. That was the signal for the other Death Eaters to converge on the ceremony. Once they left, we waited for exactly fifteen minutes, then I sent the decoy off towards the crowd, watched him for just long enough to ensure that he made it all the way down. And returned to Him."

"So you didn't kill anyone? You let your "brothers" go down there and die?"

"Yes," Antonin responded vaguely. "Understand, Draco, that death and killing are messy businesses; those of us with the power, leave the danger to those without," Antonin turned to leave the room, then stopped and looked back at Draco. "You'd also do to remember that for the cause, everyone is expendable."

With that, Antonin left the study.