Time Keeps On Slipping - 26 (Patreon)

Harry slept for an entire day once he made sure Hermione had taken a break. He held her to the deal they had made in Hogwarts. It was something he had come up with when he found her passed out on a pile of homework for the second time. If he found her sleeping on books she was to take a break that included at least one actual meal and a nap of no less than two hours. He had managed to convince the majority of Gryffindor to report to him if they found her in such a state after a couple of days. Looking back, that probably saved her from a mental breakdown in third year. A quick breath freshening charm later he stepped out of the room.

She wasn't downstairs when he finally woke up. He searched for her, making sure she hadn't locked herself in the library before he found her sleeping in her bedroom. It made his heart hurt to see the décor. Every single piece of furniture was her style, the pictures magical photos stopped around the time Hugo started school, then they swapped over to muggle versions. Ron started showing up less and less. Soon, it was clear that someone else was taking the pictures; meaning Hermione wasn't there to see them off either. Photos of her and Ron were in short supply as well.

Harry left her there to sleep but continued his search of the house. He found Ron's study a couple of doors down the hall. It was done up in Chudley Cannons colors. He had framed a jersey for every year he had played. They were replaced by team-photos once Ron moved to the coaching position. Pictures of his family were few and far between. Those that did feature them were all from post-game celebrations with only a couple Hogwarts Express doting a small section of the wall. Most telling was the bed tucked in the corner of the room. The covers were still twisted like Ron had woken up that morning. A bottle of half-empty Odgen's sat on the desk next to a tumbler and a box of cigars was open beside it.

Curiosity got the better of him and Harry took a look at the papers that had caused Ron to celebrate. Harry rolled his eyes when he recognized a scouting report was next to an older Hogwarts Quidditch report with Harry's name highlighted. Ron clearly planned to recruit him for the Cannons.

The picture the clues painted was one of a strained marriage that was seeping into every aspect of their lives. Hugo and Rose had to learn how to take care of themselves or rely on their extended family rather than their parents. Hermione had focused her entire attention on the Ministry while Ron did the same with the Cannons. His death hadn't made things easier. It was difficult to mourn a person that had long since become a memory before their death.

Harry wanted to tell himself this wasn't his fault. He wasn't responsible for their marriage falling apart. As it happened, logic had little hold when emotions were concerned. He wasn't there. He should have been. He could have helped them talk to each other, he could have been a listening ear, he could have guided them to a better relationship, he could have been Uncle Harry to Rose and Hugo, he could have kept Hermione from falling too deep into her work.

It was his damned 'saving people thing' again. He tried to tell himself that it didn't make sense. The only way he could have been there for them was if he had let Sirius die. He wasn't desperate enough to think his godfather would have survived the Veil. There was something about him that circumvented fate. No other person that had gone through the Veil had appeared in the future. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Just like he knew that his cloak was connected to a wand that Dumbledore had and a stone in a vault in Gringotts. It wasn't world-changing knowledge. He didn't feel an urge to gather them, just something he knew for some reason. Well, he did want his cloak back, but he didn't think the Veil would give it back to him even if he asked nicely.

Harry busied himself in the kitchen. He focused on making the promised Grilled Cheese letting the world fade away as he worked. His hands moved with practiced ease. He never told the Vernon or Petunia that he really enjoyed cooking. It was the one part of his world that he could control. Something as simple as a couple extra shakes of salt was more important to him than he could ever say. If he happened to read an article about how certain ingredients could exacerbate health conditions, well, that was just happenstance. He slathered everything he cooked for them with extra salt and real butter in silent hope of triggering a heart attack or something like that.

He paused for a moment as he prepped another sandwich. Were they still alive? It didn't feel right for them to still be living their lives while Hermione suffered and Ron was dead. He could track them down easily enough. Lowering himself to killing them was out of the question. He would allow himself the option to ruin their lives though.

There was a stack of five Grilled Cheese when he finished. He was ravenous and he guessed the Hermione would be too. After a moment of consideration, he cut them diagonally then placed two halves on a plate for each of them. The remaining he set on the table on another plate.

With that done he went to check on Hermione. She was still out cold. He wondered if she had taken something to help her sleep or if she was just that tired. It was likely that she hadn't slept in a while without someone around to make sure she took breaks. Without assistance she would go into a zone when she was researching that would only break when she found what she whatever it was she was looking for. He would need to find something to distract her.

"Hermione," he called softly. "I made Grilled Cheese like I promised."

Hermione rolled over and put her face in her pillow, "hmmmnemm, wehnnemang eenp."

"That is a good point," Harry said. "But you need food."

Hermione held the pillow tighter against her head, "munnt reak umm bom."

"If you get up now I'll get started on homemade chicken soup," Harry added.

Hermione sat up, "promise?"

Harry nodded.

She winced, grabbed her wand, and tapped her chin. Her mouth glowed blue for a moment before the light faded away.

"Morning breath," she muttered.

Harry chuckled, "afternoon breath."

Hermione furrowed her brow then used Tempus to check the time, "shit."

"Language," Harry gasped.

He left her to get up once he noticed her clothes weren't on straight. A flash of flesh was enough to heat his cheeks. The process of making the soup thankfully directed his thoughts elsewhere. He didn't need to think about how smooth her skin looked, or that brief glimpse of the edge of aerola.

Harry shut those thoughts away. Hermione was old enough to be his mother now, not to mention she had just lost her husband. Susan, Daphne, and Gabrielle didn't have an issue with his age. Hermione wasn't like that.

Magic made the cooking process take less time. He had the soup finished and served at the two spot at the table before Hermione was of the shower.

"Here you go, Harry," Luna said sliding a potion over to him.

Harry stopped and looked at Luna. There was a third plate set for her with a grilled cheese and a bowl of soup.

"When did-"

{*}"Hello Harry," Luna said as she stepped into the kitchen. "Is that grilled cheese?"

"I promised to make Hermione some last night," he explained. "I'm going to get her out of bed. Did you want some?"

"Yes please," Luna smiled serenely. "I brought a potion for you too."

She held up a small vial of a light purple liquid before she put it back in her pocket.

"Why?" Harry asked.{*}

"For the headache," Luna said.

A migraine spiked in his head before he could speak. He grabbed the vial and downed it. The pain instantly faded away.

"The time turner again?" Harry asked.

She perked up, "again? You have already encountered another Luna?"

"Yesterday," he nodded. "You picked me up from Gabrielle's place."

Luna produced a notepad from a pocket that was too small to hold anything larger than a folded handkerchief. She pulled back the sleeve on her non-dominant arm exposing three different watches. He was pretty sure he saw a candy bracelet among them. She began to furiously take notes while muttering to herself.

"Did Gabrielle experience any side-effects from my arrival or departure?" Luna asked without taking her eyes off the notepad.

Harry shook his head out of habit, "no."

"It could do to her mixed heritage," Luna said. "I'll make sure to bring another potion."

"What?" Harry asked.

Hermione stepped into the dining room, "who are you talking to?"

"Luna," Harry motioned to the now empty spot at the table.

The plate and bowl were still there, but she was gone.

Hermione looked around the room before turning back to him with raised eyebrows.

"She was here a moment ago," Harry sighed.

The sound of flatware against ceramic snapped both his and Hermione back to the empty seat. Luna sat in her spot sipping her soup.

"I brought two this time," Luna held up a pair of vials that were identical to the one she had just given him.

{*}"Hello, Hermione," Luna waved at Hermione.

Hermione paused at the bottom of the stairs, "Luna, what brings you by?"

"I can't speak of it," Luna replied.

Sometimes Hermione forgot that the woman in front of her was not only an Unspeakable, but one of their lead researchers. Luna had multiple papers published in magical publications regarding more subjects that a person could learn in a couple lifetimes.

"Understood," Hermione replied. "Are you going to join us for a meal?"

She nodded, "I brought these too."{*}

Harry slumped into a chair as another spike of pain lanced through his skull. He snatched one of the potion vials from her hand and downed it.

"Do you need one?" Luna asked turning to Hermione.

Hermione shook her head, "why would I?"

"No reason," Luna replied with her usual smile.

Luna added a few more passages to her notebook. She continued to write while eating with the other without spilling a drop of soup. Either she was well-practiced in the art of eating with one hand, or it was just form of another small magic she had.

"Are you feeling well, Harry?" Hermione asked as she took her spot at the table.

He nodded, "just a headache."

"That Luna was prepared to handle," Hermione whispered. Her face went hard after a moment. "You said the Time Magic projects had been shelved."

Luna looked up at her, "when was this?"

{*}. . .{*}

Harry shut his eyes tight when another spike drilled into his head. He caught the falling potion and downed it. This was getting annoying. It wasn't until he had already put the vial down that he realized that no one had been there to hand it to him.

"Harry?" Hermione gasped. "Are you feeling well?"

He nodded, "Luna gave me a potion for the headache."

"Luna is here?" Hermione asked.

Harry pried his eyes open. The spot where Luna had been a moment ago was empty. There were only two settings at the table.

"Eat before it gets cold," Harry said as he fixed his posture.

Hermione shook her head at him but did as he said. Grilled Cheese and Chicken Soup was something that she absolutely loved. He had made it for her once after Christmas in their first year. She had been incredibly homesick after returned from visiting her parents. The meal was one that made that yearning fade to bearable levels. It became their go-to dish whenever either of them was feeling down. They ate in silence. Harry tried to get his jumbled thoughts from the last few minutes in order while Hermione savored the food and the memories it evoked.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said with a small, contented sigh.

He smiled, "you are welcome."

Hermione stood and collected the dishes. Harry followed her into the kitchen.

"Thanks for letting me stay," Harry said as she set the dishes in the sink. "I'm not sure what to do now."

Hermione tapped the side of the sink activating the charms, "you can still study for your NEWTS with tutors. There are more options than Hogwarts for school as well."

"I have my OWLS," Harry replied. "I don't know if I'm going to continue for the NEWTS."

Hermione turned to look at him, crossing her arms, "and why not?"

It was funny to see this version of Hermione being upset with him.

"I don't see much use in it," Harry shrugged. "I'm always going to be Harry Potter regardless of if I have my NEWTS. No matter what I do it will be on my name first and my qualifications won't matter." He sighed. "I'm starting to think that it would be best to leave the country."

Hermione studied him for a long moment.

"Unless there is another poor soul with a prophecy to save the world," Harry muttered.

"Don't even joke about that," she snapped. "I wouldn't wish our childhood on anyone."

"I never really had a childhood," Harry teased.

Hermione gave him a flat stare, "that is not funny."

"I know, I was there," Harry flashed a smirk at her.

She took a deep calming breath, "what are your plans now? Do you really want to leave the country?"

"I'm sure I can convince Sirius to take an extended vacation," Harry shrugged.

She took a slow, deep breath, "could you wait a little longer?"

Harry looked at her, truly looked at her. She was tired, deep in her soul. The spark in her eyes was barely holding on. Her drive to research the artifact had held her for a few days, but in this quiet moment he could see the cracks. Harry stepped closer to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. He could never recreate the bone-creaking squeeze she always gave him, though he did his best. Harry wasn't sure how long they held each other. He wasn't going to rush her.

~

Some time later, the duo sat in the study deep in research of books on Egyptian relics, tombs explorations, and reports from teams of curse-breakers. They hadn't spoken since the hug. He still knew her well enough to recognize her research methods and notes. Even then, this didn't make sense. She needed this, a part of him did too. He wasn't sure what they were looking for. They would know when they found it. Just like the old days.

Harry wasn't sure how the information could help now. They had the artifact and the one responsible was dead. There had to be something that he was missing. In fact, the artifact wasn't rare. The crystal would be set as a trap to drain the magic and life-force of whoever activated it. It would then use that power to keep the protections set for the next person to trigger. The trap was simple and efficient with no way to reverse or stop once it tripped. Surviving would only happen if it was disarmed before someone could activate it. The Egyptians did not play around when it came to securing their tombs.

He made it another half an hour before he had to ask.

"Hermione," he said to get her attention, it wasn't always easy.

"Hm?" She replied without pausing her scan of the text in front of her.

"What are we looking for?" He asked.

She paused, then looked up at him, "I haven't discovered her she was able to release the energy stored in the crystal. It somehow managed to summon magical creatures that were long thought to have vanished since the times of Merlin. Not only that, it temporarily empowered a squib to be able to use magic. She wasn't aware of the magical world; her father was a Muggleborn that chose to live in Muggle London rather than wait around for some Death Eaters to attack. It faded, but can you imagine how groundbreaking that is?"

Harry stared at her for a long moment.

"Hermione," he said slowly. "Didn't you just say that it strips people of their magic and lifeforce? It turned people into dried out husks. How many people did she have to kill before she had enough energy to release it? You're saying that we should kill people with the crystal for experiments."

She shook her head, "Azkaban has plenty of witches and wizards condemned until death. An instant death loke this would be more humane. It's painless, that's how it catches people unaware. That is better than they deserve. Not to mention there are multiple magical creatures that could be used to fill the crystal as well."

There was a side to Hermione that people usually overlooked. She was incredibly passionate about knowledge, but lost sight of things along the way. People interpreted that as academic focus, writing her off as a scholar. They didn't see the near-crazed edge that sheered logic away from her process. This was the same witch that set a professor on fire in her first year, brewed an illegal potion in her second, punched a Pureblood Heir in the face, used a magical artifact to help a fugitive escape the law, arranged a training program for child soldiers, and was a fugitive herself. Recently, she killed a prisoner in front of an Auror. Somehow she still was labeled as the sane one of their group. To be brutally honest, she was the most likely among them to go dark.

Harry closed the book in front of him, "Hermione, we're taking a break."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

He held his hand out to her, "do you trust me?"

"Always," she replied without a pause.

Harry smiled at her, "then let's take a break."