Chapter 11: The Morning After
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“
December promise you gave unto me
December whispers of treachery
December clouds are now covering me
December songs no longer I sing”
--Collective Soul “December”
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I…I…I choose--”Hermione Weasley smiled at the young Harry James Weasley as he held his baby sister Lily Jane Weasley while sitting on the couch. She didn’t know how Molly did it. She was tired only after two and Ron wanted more, “For Harry, he always wanted a large family,” he would say and then the two would perform the act again.
Hermione had added everything together. Harry had used a combination of alchemy, spell work, and potions to take himself from England to wherever he was. She also knew that it had something to do with the disappearance of Draco Malfoy. Where did the other wizard go? From what she learned from Pansy Malfoy, Draco disappeared the same night.
She and Severus Snape, after the latter had with the help of Neville Longbottom returned Alice and Frank Longbottom to their right minds, had analyzed the blood that had been the “paint” for drawing the transmutation circle. According to Albus Dumbledore, complicated alchemic transmutation circles required specific ingredients to make the circle and obviously Harry had used a combination of alchemy and magic. Dumbledore also indicated that their was some unknown, obviously new, spell used around the same time as the magical wave.
The blood had came up positive for several potions ingredients that even a Potion’s Master of Snape’s caliber had not been able to completely identify.
“To tell you the truth, Mrs. Weasley, I’ve never seen anyone use these ingredients together before, either Potter was a certifiable genius in alchemy or he was an absolute nutcase,” Snape had said. “What I can tell you is that many of the ingredients are common in love potions, which doesn’t make any since for his purpose, unless that was to make himself disappear from the sight of his loved ones.”
Hermione, between babies, researched tirelessly on what happened in hopes of either forcing Harry back into their world or joining him with Ron, Luna, Neville, and all their other friends and family. She never expected what happened next to happen.
Back at the Gate“I…I…I choose--” Suddenly Draco had an epiphany. “How do I know that if I choose one option you won’t do the other already?”
The thing actually sighed. “I can not. If you choose to go back to England than Harry Potter’s life will return to him until such time that he gets killed, kills himself, or dies. I will have no control at that point, nor do I have control to control the time. Should you choose this option than I can only guarantee that he’ll live another hour at the least, though, I’m betting at least a few days. Should you choose to stay in Amestris Harry Potter’s life will expire regardless of what you do, however, you will never return to England.”
“What about my memories, will I still have those, or do you plan to remove those again?”
“I can not, Equivalent Exchange, you alchemist call it. I’m the truth, I have a bit of sadistic humor, but once a punishment for interfering in god’s domain is established neither side can go back on it without the use of the Philosopher’s Stone.”
Draco thought about all the things Harry had told him about his childhood and student life and remembered that Harry had once had the Philosopher’s Stone. He had decided. With a gulp as if what he was about to do was costing him more than a little bit of pain he whispered weakly, “I’ll go to England, just save Harry.”
“Very well,” the gate opened and suddenly the black tendrils reached out and pulled Draco in. His last thought before passing out from the imagery assault was ‘
Harry!’
AmestrisHarry James Potter cried, ‘
Why did the people he care about have to die?’ He felt sick and as soon as he turned over he threw up. With his face in his former stomach contents he continued to cry. As if hearing Draco back at the gate he whispered, “Draco!” before passing out.
Harry woke up only a few minutes later and stumbled back to camp. His face was tear streaked and the evidence of his throw up was on his face still. Ignoring everyone, not even carrying if this would give him a court martial he went into his tent and curled up in a ball on Draco’s bed, crying himself to sleep.
The only people to see this were Roy and Maes who had greeted the alchemist who didn’t even see them. They instantly knew something had happened to Draco and knew that they’d need to be there for their friend in his time of grief.
When Harry woke up, and to Roy and Maes who were there with a wash rag and some food, he vowed to find a way to bring Draco back to him or bring himself to Draco.
England, 2006Draco Malfoy landed with a thud and groaned. Fresh images threatened to make him pass out, but he had no idea where he was so in German, the language of Amestris, he said, “Where am I?”
A familiar voice, one he hadn’t heard since he was 18 and graduating from Hogwarts said, in German with a heavy English accent, “You’re in my living room.”
Draco groaned and said, in Amestris-accented English, “Hermione Granger?”
“Weasley, but yeah,” she said. “Where have you been? Were you with Harry? How is he? What have you been doing all these years? Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Uh…I’ve been in a country called Amestris on the continent we call Atlantis. Yes, I was with Harry. He’s probably depressed now, but before the mission we went on he was quiet happy. I joined the Amestris military, the uniform of which I’m wearing. And yes, I’ll take you up on the offer for tea.”
“You must tell me everything,” she said taking the baby from Harry. “I’ll get it as soon as I lay Lily and Harry down.”
“Lily and Harry?”
“My son and daughter. Harry James Weasley and Lily Jane Weasley, named for my best friend and his mother.”
“I’ll bet he’d like that,” Draco said, following the woman down the hall.
She, after laying the baby and toddler in their beds, led Draco to a tea room and served tea. “So tell me about it.”
Draco told everything to the girl who used to be Harry’s best friend. About how they arrived, the new friends they made, the fact that they became friends and later lovers, the way they lost their memories and regained them, the cities in Amestris, generally about Atlantis, and finally the Ishbalan War.
“He got shot and without thinking I began to combine magic and alchemy to heal him. I didn’t know it, but I still had one of the red stones, I used it to heal him, but it wasn’t enough. The stone broke and I had to make a deal with the truth Harry’s life or my return to Amestris. It really wasn’t a choice I knew how to make. I finally choose Harry’s life over going back, but I swore to myself I’d find the Philosopher’s Stone and return to Harry.”
Hermione was in tears and when asked she said, “It’s so sad that you two finally start a relationship more than friends and are split apart, plus,” and here she cracked a smile, “I’m pregnant with Ron Jr.”
Draco laughed, “A red-head machine?” she smiled and nodded.
“I’ll help you find the stone, only because I want to try to get all of Harry’s friends there. It sounds wonderful, but first I think I need to teach my husband and children German.”
Draco smiled, “That and his other friends.”
“Neville, Luna, Frank and Alice, Remus, Tonks, Ginny, Blaise, oh my, there’s a lot to do.”
“Why don’t you focus on giving German lessons and I’ll look for the stone?” Draco said receiving a nod from Hermione. “Oh, and don’t tell my wife, I don’t fancy getting tied down by her again.” Hermione nodded again and Draco apparated away.
On that day, two people set about on a similar quest one that would take nearly eight years to finish…__________________________________________________
“It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.”
--Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
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Stay tuned for Crimson Revival and the introduction of the Fullmetal Alchemist.BTW, in case anyone wants to know, I typed this fic originally on a single Word Perfect document and this thing turned out to be 37 pages long. Icrumba...