Chapter 14: Love, Lies, and Laughter
"You said that you have been lied to for years, by whom?" asked a blushing Emma.
"I would have to say everyone apart from the lovely lady by my side, Remus at least only lied by omission, but everyone else wanted to have a piece of the boy-who-lived. By far the worse perpetrators were Dumbledore and the Weasleys."
The Grangers appeared perplexed until Hermione explained, "In our world Harry is famous for surviving the killing curse and banishing Voldemort, though he's not dead as everyone hoped. Harry is also incredibly wealthy, something we just found out and it makes no difference to us." Dan Granger had sat quietly, content to let his wife discover just what the hell Hermione was playing at but he couldn't let the last comment pass him by.
"Hermione, how can you possibly say that wealth won't make a difference? You're fourteen and I can see how all this might impress you but I'm really starting to get angry here, if you wanted a boyfriend we wouldn't have objected but this cock and bull story has got to stop."
"Dad, the rings we wear means that there can be no secrets or lies between us, Harry knows what I'm thinking and vice-versa, he has already added my name onto the Potter account and knew I was unhappy about it but pointed out that when we married it would be ours anyway. As to the story, please ask Harry any question you want about anything that I would know, I'll even go and powder my nose so I can't be accused of helping him." Hermione and her mum headed for the ladies while Dan tried to think of something that there was no way Hermione would tell this young man.
Emma wanted to talk to her daughter alone and they had barely entered the restroom when Hermione's face was once again bright red, "I can't believe he asked him that," Emma heard her whisper. Her enquiring look told her more than she was prepared for. "Dad just asked Harry what was my favourite type of knickers when I was four, remember when I wouldn't wear anything else, I had forgotten about my Paddington Bear pants"
Emma didn't need a pad to write down the questions that were coming to her brain thick and fast, "How could you possibly know that? Does Harry know the answer and just how far have you gone with this relationship in whatever time you care to talk about?"
Hermione's wry smile had her mother really worried, "Relax mom, Harry's answering every question dad's asked, including about my pet tortoise that next door's dog tried to eat. We were waiting until we were married before sleeping with each other though we were going to elope to Gretna as soon as Harry turned sixteen. We couldn't tell you as all our mail was being intercepted, we spent the last year just keeping our heads down and training very hard."
"Harry really was serious when he said we nearly didn't come back, shitty doesn't even begin to describe Harry's life, and it was touch and go for a while but his parents were delighted with the choice we made. You would love them, mum; you'll love Harry, even with all the crap he's had in his life, Harry is the kindest, most gentle, loving person you will ever meet and with a set of moral and ethical values that are forged in steel."
"I saw his memory of what he did when I was killed, Harry didn't want to survive and only the fact that he wanted the people who had murdered me to pay kept him going. They didn't stand a chance; my Harry went through the cruellest, toughest fighters the opposition had to offer as if they were nothing. When he died killing Voldemort, his main emotion was relief that he wouldn't have to live without me. Have you any idea what it feels like to share a love that strong?"
Hermione knew she'd said the wrong thing as her mother burst into tears, she wasn't used to seeing emotions coming from her parents so did the only thing she could think off, she pulled her mother into a hug.
Emma's whole body went ridged with the unaccustomed contact before wrapping her arms around her daughter and really let her emotions go; the thought that her daughter could feel so unloved that she would even consider not coming back was eating away at Emma's insides. For a mother to hear that her child would choose death rather than the life she was leading was the final nail in her emotional coffin. She knew that she was a miserable failure as a wife but now this apparently extended to being a mother as well; her life seemed pretty hollow when her only accomplishment was being a good dentist. She sobbed so hard that it took a couple of minutes before realising that Hermione was talking to her.
"Mum, it's ok, the reason Harry and I came back is to change things. Never doubt that I love you and dad but Harry is my future, my life."
Emma was washing her face when Hermione gasped, "We need to get back in there, dad's getting pissed at Harry answering all his questions and is starting to make stuff up, he just asked Harry about my former boyfriends."
"What former boyfriends?" asked her mother.
"Exactly! Dad has no idea what he's dealing with. Harry's just laughing at the moment which isn't going down to well with dad."
Dan Granger was getting frustrated at this smart arsed kid in front of him who knew more about his daughter than he did, he almost jumped out his chair when two hands landed on his shoulders, one belonging to his daughter and even more surprising one belonged to his wife. Both acted in unison by squeezing his shoulder and saying "relax" but what really got his attention was the evidence that his wife had been crying.
Hermione sat on Harry's lap and gave him a gentle kiss, "And you behave yourself!"
....
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