AN: The premise of the story is based more or less strictly on Harry Potter canon, except that Hermione ended up with Harry after Ron ditched them during the horcrux hunt. Ron did return, as he did in Canon, but he was under no illusions that he and Hermione were good for each other, and was resigned to the reality that Hermione really was better off with Harry.

I know that it may seem like there is Ron Bashing in this series, but I promise, it really isn't bashing. Despite knowing that he and Hermione aren't compatible, Ron still can't help feeling jealous, and another major factor for Ron in this series is that he has undiagnosed PTSD which is really doing a number on him. Eventually, in the last installment of the series, whenever I get around to writing it, Ron will be well along the healing path.

I originally decided to stick with the timeline as established by canon in the Harry Potter book series. This is shortly after the end of the second wizard war in the summer of 1998. As Alex Russo would have been 6 then, I pushed the Waverly Place timeline back to fit. This takes place after the episode in which Alex wins the Wizard of the Year Award for defeating Gorog and the Angels of Darkness - somewhere in the middle of season 4.

But honestly, you could do it either way. I didn't specify any dates in the story, so WoWP fans can just bump the Potter timeline forward in their minds to match it up with the Waverly timeline. ... In fact, I found during my many edits, that I couldn't picture it any other way. I suppose it's because the Harry Potter films were finishing around the same time that WoWP was concluding.(Indeed, Book three will be more obviously set in the HP-Movie/WoWP timeline, as there are references to more modern technologies and such).

As to reconciling the magical systems, when in doubt, Potterverse rules apply... I can't say any more without spoiling the story.

As of June 2020, the story is currently undergoing an overhaul, and so far I've got the first few chapters revised and reedited.

PART 1

Death in the Dark

Chapter 1

Ron, George, and Ginny Weasley stood at the gate of terminal 4 with two of their closest friends. Though, in truth, Harry and Hermione were more like family to the rest of the Weasley brood.

"I still don't understand why you're flying the muggle way!" grumbled Ron. "The International Floo Network would be much quicker."

Hermione sighed. Despite Ron's protestations to the contrary, she knew that he was still hurting. The war was won, Voldemort defeated, but Fred was dead and the Weasley family still had not recovered from his loss. The horcrux hunt and the final battle had been hard enough on Ron, and it had not helped matters that she was now Harry's girlfriend instead of his.

Ron had accepted that she and Harry were together rather well, all things considered. In fact, Ron had blamed himself for his breakup with Hermione — not that they had even been official in the first place, but the expectations for the future had been high until Ron had left halfway through the camping trip from Hell. But just because Ron claimed he was perfectly fine with things, that didn't mean he had no more feelings for her, and every once in a while he just couldn't help himself, jealousy would overcome him.

"Ron, I told you. Harry and I lived like muggles until we got our letters for Hogwarts. But Harry..." Hermione began, but Harry interjected. He needed Ron to hear it from him.

"...I need this Ron. I need a break from magic for a bit. I want to know what I missed about being a muggle when I lived with the Dursleys..."

"Yeah? Well, I bet you won't be halfway across the Atlantic before you use magic!" Ron sniped.

Harry reckoned he knew what was wrong. He was fairly certain that it had very little to do with Hermione — Ron had been insistent that he and Hermione had never really had a future together, and Harry had taken him at his word. Clearly Ron wanted to go too.

But Ron couldn't go. Mrs. Weasley was having none of that. She wasn't letting any of her children out of her sight for a good long while. She had said it was because she needed them to help sort things out while Arthur Weasley was adjusting to his new role as the (reluctant) Minister of Magic, but everyone knew that it was because Fred was gone.

"Come on Ron! You know I would bring you all along if your Mum would let me," said Harry pleadingly.

"Yeah.. I know," Ron sighed, "Go on mate. Have a good time! Sorry for being such a prat."

Ron wasn't the only one looking somewhat bitter. Ginny had not taken it well when Harry had told her that he and Hermione were together. She had had a crush on Harry since before she had met him, and she was having difficulty accepting that whatever they had briefly had, was over.

Ginny wasn't sure she would ever get over Harry, but she knew she wanted to be a part of his life, even if it was only as a friend. She pushed her feelings down. Mostly she just wanted Harry to be happy, and she couldn't bring herself to begrudge Hermione either, who was more like her sister than anything. She smiled through tears and gave Harry and Hermione both a warm hug.

George gave Harry a lopsided grin.

"Have fun, you two. ... But don't be gone too long. Mum is having a blue fit because she knows she can't keep you both at home."

They all had a bit of a laugh. Then after some more hugs all the way around, Harry and Hermione set off towards the gate for their British Airways flight to New York.

Hermione had traveled abroad many times with her parents, but Harry had never been on an airplane of any sort. After many years in the Wizarding World he had to agree with Mr Weasley. It was amazing really, what muggles could do without magic. He made a note to himself to take some courses at a muggle college whenever he got a chance. He really had been deprived of a proper muggle education after he had finished primary school. Maybe he should have taken Muggle Studies after all. Harry was a bit anxious; the plane was huge, and he couldn't imagine how it would possibly get off the ground without magic.

Hermione tried to explain to him about aerodynamics, speed, and wind-resistance, but he didn't quite follow it until she patiently drew some pictures. It all made sense then. Despite the size and shape of the airplane and the power source, he figured it wasn't so different than flying a broom. Sure, his broom was small, had no wings, and was powered by magic instead of jets, but the same principles seemed to apply while in the air.

Harry felt a bit better after that, but he still wished he had some firewhiskey. He had no control over the airplane; his safety was completely in the hands of Muggle pilots.

Hermione peered at Harry, who still looked a bit pale to her.

"It's alright, Harry..." she said knowingly, "Your birthday was a week ago. You're perfectly legal to get a Muggle Whiskey if you want to — at least until we get to the United States."

Harry grinned, his face brightening!

"Thanks, Hermione. I completely forgot. I can't believe I'm eighteen! ... And I missed out on seventh year. We both did," he sighed. "You know what's weird though," Harry continued, his face scrunched in puzzlement, "somehow I feel loads older than that now. It's like..."

"...the war changed us." Hermione finished Harry's sentence without missing a beat. "We aren't children anymore, Harry — and not just because we're over seventeen. We've lived a lifetime's worth in just twelve months, and defeated the most dangerous and powerful Dark wizard since Grindelwald!"

Harry marveled. That was exactly what he had been about to say, word for word.

"Yeah, and the idea of returning to Hogwarts just seems really strange now. It's been my home for six years, but I feel like I've outgrown it..."

"...and in some ways we have!" Hermione concluded simply. "Harry, don't you see? You've learned more about magic in the past year than you could have ever hoped to learn at Hogwarts! And yes, you had a lot of help from the Order and the DA, but in the end it was only you against Voldemort. And you proved that your magic was more powerful. You've learned how to control it in ways you hadn't dreamed of before — not from books, but from experience."

"But I wish I knew a few more spells!" sighed Harry. "I relied on you way too much to make up for my shortcomings."

Hermione laughed.

"But that's what I'm here for, Harry!" She waited a moment, then continued on a bit more seriously, "Don't worry, there will be plenty of time to further your education. In the meantime, I think I can manage to pick up the slack!" She gave Harry a hard stare which barely hid a hint of laughter.

"Yes, well, you've always gone above and beyond, Hermione!" He left the rest of the sentence unsaid: that's why I love you. But Hermione saw it in his impossibly green eyes.

"I love you too," she whispered in Harry's ear as she put her arm around him. They kissed briefly, then Hermione leaned into his shoulder, still holding him. Harry looked out of the window down at the fluffy clouds far below and the blue sea further still below that.

This was a perfect moment. Harry realised that he no longer needed a Whiskey, and after a while they both drifted off to sleep.

~o0o~

Hermione was still asleep, nestled under Harry's arm with her head against his chest. He sighed contentedly and looked out of the window of the 747 airliner bound for New York. All he could see below were billowy clouds now, hiding the Atlantic beneath them. His mind wandered to the events which had led him to this moment.

This was the first chance that Harry and Hermione had had to be alone together since the end of the war. He thought back to Ron's bitter features as Ron, Ginny, and George had seen them both off at Heathrow several hours ago. Every once in a while Harry still felt a bit guilty about how things had turned out — and this was one of those moments. He traveled past the thoughts he'd had back at the airport where he had tried to convince himself that Ron was simply hurt about not being able to come with them to New York.

Now Harry couldn't stop himself from thinking about Ron's feelings of jealousy. Ron was his best friend, and Harry couldn't help thinking that in some way he had betrayed Ron. But it wasn't like that, a little voice whispered in the back of his head — a little voice which sounded suspiciously like Hermione's. Ron couldn't possibly expect to be forgiven so completely by her after abandoning her to possible capture, torture, and death — or worse, given the proclivities of many Death Eaters — in the middle of a war.

Harry tried to push aside all of the niggling doubts and sighed. After everything they had all been through together, he hoped Ron could get past it eventually. Harry really wanted his best friend back, but he had a bad feeling that things might not be the same between them again. Despite Ron's best efforts to put a good face on things, he was showing signs of strain; trying to battle his jealousy seemed to be a bit more than he could handle.

And there was something more that Harry sensed in Ron — a deep abiding pain which had nothing to do with hurt feelings over a failed relationship with Hermione — but he couldn't quite work out what it was and tried again to put it out of his mind.

Harry held Hermione a bit tighter and breathed in her minty fragrance, relaxing as her presence occupied the space he had made for her in his heart. She was beautiful, kind, loyal, and smart, and fearless in the face of danger. He loved her more than he had ever imagined that love could feel like. It wasn't unlike the pain he had felt at losing Sirius, but it was so much more than that. For the first time in his life Harry really understood what Dumbledore had told him at the end of fifth year. Harry finally knew what it truly meant to love someone; if he lost her, he knew it would break him.

Harry wondered why Hermione had chosen to be with him. She didn't have to be with him just because she had broken up with Ron. He thought back to the conversation they'd had just after Godric's Hollow.

Hermione had told him that all she had ever wanted to do was protect him from Voldemort. And after their first kiss she had said to Harry that she had let herself grow closer to Ron against her better judgment — that she'd known for years that it probably wouldn't work with him. But did that really mean that Hermione had known for years that she loved Harry?

"I love Harry, Ron. I... I think I always have..." Hermione had said to Ron the night he had returned and killed the Horcrux, and Ron had seemed to accept that, having already recognised that they weren't really good for each other. But Harry had never quite had a chance to ask her what she meant.

Hermione stirred in his arms, then opened her eyes. She sat up properly and they peered at each other, both of them turning pink, and both of them feeling a bit puzzled as well. She had heard his thoughts and they had awoken her. It was a bit odd; this thought-sharing business had been occurring with greater frequency over the last few weeks.

Hermione smiled, but there was a hint of regret.

"Since third year, Harry. I... I've liked you ever since first year, actually. Ginny isn't the only girl who ever had a crush on you. But I finally realised how much I loved you at the end of third year when you saved us all from those horrid Dementors. When you thought you saw your father..." Hermione's voice cracked, and a tear rolled down one cheek. "It was so sad, and I knew that I just wanted you to be happy. ... And when we flew together on Buckbeak, as frightened as I was of falling, I knew you wouldn't let me.

"I... I wish I'd asked you to be with me years ago. I don't know why I didn't... except you never seemed particularly interested in girls until fourth year. I thought about asking you to the Ball myself, but only after I had already agreed to go with Viktor. Then there was fifth year... and Cho." Then Hermione's tears began to flow in earnest. "And... and then I thought that you and Ginny — but she's a good friend... I didn't want to stand in the way of your happiness together."

Harry looked at his girlfriend soberly with regrets of his own.

"I never really knew, Hermione. I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to relationships and girls. But I always knew that I was happy when you were around, and miserable when you weren't." He sighed. "And after Ron left during the horcrux hunt, I realised that what I had with Ginny wasn't really real — it was nothing like what we have... Looking back, I wish we'd got together sooner too."

Then Harry brightened a bit as he continued.

"But we're together now..." he said, gently caressing her flushed cheek with the back of his hand.

"...and that's all that really matters," Hermione finished for the both of them.

She leaned back into Harry, her arm across his waist, and his over her shoulders. He kissed the top of her bushy head, then tilted his own until their lips met and kissed her deeply as the 747 trundled above the clouds, bringing them closer to a long-needed holiday.