Chapter Three

~Severus~

Severus lied awake among the naked men who'd returned to life with him. He stared up at the sky through the opening in the roof above the platform; it was made to let the sunlight and moon's rays in for magical rituals. Orange, pinks, and yellows blended together over fluffy clouds as a gentle breeze moved through the temple. The light snores of the other people were the only thing to break the stillness of it all.

His hand rested on his bare and lean stomach. Never in his life, not a single second could he remember being so at peace, with himself, with his life. It was as if he'd been reborn. He'd lived his life. Made mistakes, so many of them, and then finally the reprieve only death can bring came calling. He thought at the end, he'd done all he could do. He'd given Potter his memories, and that was that. It was time for him to move onto whatever awaited him in the afterlife. The Fates, however, appeared to have other plans. He could still hear her sweet voice calling for him at the platform. He'd been given a choice, he could go to it or he could stay, and nothing in him wanted to stay.

Then he awoke gasping for air. His lungs burned, his skin tingled as sensation returned to his limbs. He fought through the pain of the pins and needles. He knew one thing and one thing alone, his magical core was empty and if he wanted to live beyond that moment, he needed to find her. The woman that had called to him. He dragged himself at first toward the door of the Great Hall, rubble laid all around, some in his way, but it didn't matter. The faster he got to her, he knew he would be okay, and she would no longer scream in pain.

Soon, others joined him, dragging their lifeless legs behind them as they waited for their strength to return. They, too, had been with him on the platform; the Weasely Patriarch and his twin sons. Lupin was there as well, and as they grew ever closer to her, to where her magic called to them, they found they could stand and make their way to her.

Severus turned his head to look at her sleeping form. She lied between Arthur and Harry, her breathing even, as she rested her head on Potter's chest. For some reason, he didn't find himself angry over that fact. He was just happy she was at peace for the time being. He closed his eyes, recalling the way his body hummed to life the second he touched her. It was as if he'd been sleeping for the past thirty-eight years, going through the motions of unrequited love, Death Eater, Double Agent, Professor; he never felt much. He never allowed himself to. Feeling was dangerous, but the second he touched her he felt everything at once, before settling on contentment that he was finally home. He knew that they would need her for the rest of her life. Their life forces came from her. In return, they made sure she didn't destroy herself from the inside.

He knew from that second he would forever share her with seven others. She would never fully be his, but he couldn't seem to find the anger he would've felt in his past life. All he felt was gratitude at the fact she gave him a second chance. The warmth he felt inside his chest for her was an emotion he'd only felt when he was a child and his mother would sing him to sleep. Was this what love felt like? Did he feel love for the woman?

Severus wasn't sure, but for the first time, in a long time, he smiled. Whatever she wanted from him he would give it to her and he had no doubt the others felt the same way. He sighed. Once they all awoke, he knew things wouldn't be easy. No doubt some people at Hogwarts realised what the witch had done. There would be a media frenzy and no doubt backlash from the world. Not to mention fallout with private matters as well. His gaze went beyond her to Arthur; his wife was still alive, but if the man felt the same way he did for the woman, he knew that the Patriarch wouldn't be able to return to his wife's side. Even as they lied there, Severus longed to reach out and touch her, simply to just hold her hand, eventually they'd be able to do more, but if he felt like that, the others had to as well. There would forever be a symbiotic give and take with her and them.

Arthur's eyes opened and he met Severus' gaze before it fell to the sleeping girl next to him. His eyes held sadness and desire. Yes, they were in the same boat. They would forever be hers, no matter what that meant for their lives.

~Hermione~

Hermione stirred from her sleep. Reality hit her all at once. She laid in a temple, naked men slept around her, most having moved to get closer to her in the night. Light aches moved through her, mostly resting in her core.

She turned to look over her shoulder at Arthur. 'It wasn't a dream.'

'No, child. It wasn't.'

She jumped at the sound of the other woman in her head.

'So, we'll forever be bound together? You'll forever be in my mind, with the ability to take me over whenever you see fit?'

'No, child. Not forever, when you die, I will return to Tartarus, and you will move onto the next life. I will not join you there. And I cannot take you over unless you're willing. Rest assured, I'm more your servant than you are mine. Though, I do get some enjoyment over getting to experience the physical plane again. So I guess we both get some enjoyment out of this.'

Hermione suppressed a snort, not wanting to wake her sleeping lovers. 'I've bound seven men to me, they never got a choice in the matter. A married man was forced to cheat on his wife, and I don't even want to think about what will come of that.'

'That is where you're wrong, they did have a choice, they could've moved onto the next life. They chose to aid your call. That man chose to come back for you. He didn't have to. Without him, you wouldn't have had enough anchors to hold all my magic, child. Without him, you would be dead. You owe him a life debt as much as he owes you one.'

She sat up. 'I doubt Molly will see it that way.' She looked down at her body, dried cum speckled her chest, legs and arms. Her inner thighs were sticky. For more reasons than just the physical aspect, she felt disgusting. Sure, she had her life, and she gave them back theirs, but was it worth it? Would they still be grateful to her decades down the line when they realised they missed out on chances to love other people?

Careful to not disturb Harry or Arthur, she stood and padded her way over to the edge of the platform. She stared down into the unnatural cerulean blue of the magical water below her. Without a second thought, she leapt from the edge and dove headfirst into the warm depths. The water surrounded her, she stilled at the bottom. Allowing the silence and stillness to wrap around her. She just needed a moment to not think, and she didn't want to obtain that mindlessness through sex. She opened her eyes under the water and let out a scream. All her frustrations went out with it. She couldn't undo what had been done, not without taking their lives away. She dreaded the moment she would have to stand in front of Molly. She would take whatever abuse the woman would want to throw at her. Kicking off the bottom, she broke through the surface and ran her fingers through her hair. She let the water cleanse her.

'I agree, child. Let go of this anger now. It won't do to keep it. Those men will be happy with you, even if you don't think so. You'll see it eventually.'

Hermione ignored her, focusing on rinsing off her body. If nothing else the waters helped centre her. Perhaps they could return to this place every once in a while to have more orgies. Despite her guilt over Arthur, she didn't regret sleeping with most of them. Remus worried her, simply because he just lost Tonks. The woman didn't come back with him. Would a woman have been an option?"

'Had she been capable, yes, but her soul was not with them in the Between.'

'Where was she?'

'I assume Elysium, she moved quickly, not waiting for Remus to go to the next step. Some souls do that, others like your anchors linger.'

'What of James and Sirius? Their bodies weren't around, how did they come back?'

'If I have the soul, I can bring the body back to life. It was not hard. They were greeting Harry, Remus, and Severus in the between. It was meant to be, or the boy and his mentors would've been there to figure out the train on their own.'

Two splashes hit the water in front of her. She looked up to find the twins surfacing. George's ear returned since they'd bonded. Her eyes widened.

'Yes, the healing properties in the water helped with that, since the ear was taken off with a curse. The water returned it.'

'This place could truly heal people with the water here.'

'No, child. Only while you and I reside here do the waters have any kind of healing effect. Once we leave the water will be the same water you would find in any river.'

'That's a shame. But it makes sense. If magical waters like these were around for everyone, I imagine it would bring the worst out in people.'

Fred looked at his twin and his eyes widened. "You're no longer holey, George!"

George's hand went to his left ear and he mimicked his twin's surprise. "By Merlin! I'm healed. Now we can once again trick people."

They looked to her and the expressions in their eyes shifted as they took in her naked form. They swam toward her.

She smiled at them. "I've always been able to tell you apart. Anyone could if they paid enough attention. And, since your ear was cursed off, George, the waters healed it. While we're here these waters have healed every one of any curses that reside in or caused issues such as your ear."

George blinked at her. "Bloody hell, that's incredible, Granger. Not only did you bring us back to life, so we could still reign as the kings of practical jokes, but you also made it so I'm no longer holey." He reached out and pulled her closer to him. "What other secret talents do you have?"

A heat flooded her cheeks at the lust in his voice. She knew they no longer had the magic driving them to sleep with her so this was all him. The second he touched her she felt better and she hadn't even noticed the twinges of pain that set in since she awoke. Would she always need one or more them close by to siphon off the magic from her so she wouldn't blow like a bomb?

'Yes, which is why you need to make some kind of contact with them every day. Each of them take equal amounts from you. When they're running low, they'll feel the need to touch you, and when you have a build-up you need one or more of them to take it from you.'

It sounded a bit dire, but honestly, she could still have a career, she would just need to make sure to spend time with them in the morning, meet one or more of them for lunch, and then she would have the evening with them, once they figured out a plan for their living situation. It wasn't the end of the world. It would just take some getting used to.

George frowned at her. "You doing okay, Granger?"

Fred neared her as well, effectively sandwiching her between them. He pressed his chest to her back, instantly making her feel like a thousand galleons. His arms snaked around her waist. "Yeah, you look sad." He kissed her shoulder. "Is there anything we can do to help you smile?"

She leaned back into him, as she held George's hand. Her thumb rubbed slow circles into his skin. Her core warmed at his words, but she wasn't sure she was ready for more sex just yet. He hadn't had time to process the night before.

Her voice came out so soft they had to lean in to hear her. "Just be here with me? Is that okay?"

George's brown eyes softened and he came closer. He kissed her, his hand cupping her cheek. "Of course, Hermione. We can float here with you for as long as you need."

She swallowed hard and nodded. Her mind swarmed, trying to compartmentalise everything that had happened and what that meant for their lives. They were irreversibly tied to one another. The hot tears came before she could try to fight them back. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!

Fred placed his chin on her shoulder. "Whatever could you be sorry for? You gave us back our lives. We weren't ready to die yet, we still have so much we want to do."

"No women are going to want to date or marry you when you're bound to me. From how it's been explained to me, we'll want to do more than just hug and innocently touch. I don't know of a lot of women who like sharing. I've taken away your choice."

The twins looked at each other, a silent conversation going between them.

Fred nuzzled the crook of her neck, placing butterfly kisses against it. "I can honestly say neither of us want another witch. We haven't dated since Hogwarts."

She frowned. "But Ron told me you two were players, having different birds every week."

They laughed. George reached under the water to hold her hips under his twin's arms. "That's what we told him, just to get him riled up and jealous. But we swear on our magic, we haven't dated since Hogwarts."

'They're speaking the truth, they can't lie to you. Not when you would be able to feel the negative energy through the bond.'

Even with their confession, the tears didn't stop. "I'm a homewrecker! You both should hate me!" Her hands came up to cover her face, unable to look at them. Not only had she had their father's cock in her mouth, she'd enjoyed it, and he was happily married still to their mum.

They each took one of her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. George kissed the tip of her nose, surprising her and forcing her to open her eyes to meet his gaze. He shook his head. "Hermione, you are not a homewrecker. You saved all our lives. The place we were in before we came back gets fuzzier by the hour, but I do remember one thing. We were all given the choice on whether we wanted to come back to help you or not. We knew that we would be bound to you. It all came to us right before we stepped into the fog. Dad knew what he was doing, and mum, mum will understand."

Hermione snorted. "I doubt she'll be okay with her husband sleeping with one of her son's friends. And, how it's been explained to me by... by the goddess, he's not going to want her the same way as before. The dynamic will have shifted, I'm not sure that's something someone can look beyond and be okay with." It felt strange to admit to any of them that she could hear the goddess inside her head. As if she should be admitted to St. Mungos.

The twins looked to each other again and Fred kissed her shoulder. "We know. We're just trying to look on the brighter side of things. We don't think mum will hate you. It'll be different. But you didn't do this on purpose. You went into the act thinking you were going to die. You didn't expect to bring anyone back to life. She can't fault you for that."

She sighed as more tears tracked down her cheeks.

'Best to just move on, child. Nothing you can do about it now. Deal with the woman however you see fit, and go from there. He can't live without you, and without him, our magic will eat away at you from the inside. Sure, there are seven other anchors, but that's not enough. They can't hold the amount needed. You need eight anchors for this to work.'

She huffs at the goddess. 'Why didn't any of the texts I read mention that this could be a possible thing? I can't be the first to be powerful enough to house you. What about Morgan le Fay? It's said she became powerful overnight, and had a harem, but no reason was given to how or why.'

'Morgan went through this with me, she had her anchors as well, but it's not in any of the scripts because she didn't want people using it as a means to bring people back to life, or to abuse my power. The community villainised her over the matter. Before she died she made sure all texts that referenced her being possessed were removed.'

'You couldn't leave just one, so I knew of what possibly could happen?'

George nuzzled the other side of her neck, bringing her back to reality. "Are you talking with her? You've gone quiet."

Hermione cleared her throat. "Sorry. Yes. She was letting me know of how Morgan Le Fay actually got her powers; they removed her having invoked the goddess from any texts from that time. I suppose I should be thankful none of you are my half brother. I'm sure that made things even more difficult."

'Not as much as you would think, child. Times were different then. Though, for your sake, I'm thankful for that fact as well.'

The twins laugh, their voices echoing in the temple. Splashes came from all around as the others jumped into the water with them. She peered around, they were all naked, of course, but it felt as if she just realised that fact. She suppressed the urge to feel embarrassment. After the night before, it didn't make sense for her to be self-conscious, they'd already seen her do lewd things, it couldn't get much worse than that.

She found her voice as they resurfaced and looked at her, they all held something in their eyes she didn't fully understand, she wanted to say it was love, but she doubted that. "Good morning. I hope you are all well?"

James grinned. "For being dead seventeen years, I feel incredible!"

Sirius slung his arm around James' shoulder. "Same, mate, same. I feel like I could conquer the world and not even feel out of breath after it. And it's all thanks to kitten." His silver eyes met hers, as George moved to her right and Fred still held onto her from behind.

Her gaze moved off to the side of the pool. "This wasn't planned, Sirius. I was supposed to be in the afterlife with you lot by this point. I didn't even know something like this was an option. Because someone removed any mention of it from the texts of Morgana and her..." she couldn't bring herself to say the word harem. It felt odd, almost like she was a queen and they were her concubines, and she never wanted them to feel like that. As if they were only around to aid her. No matter how true it might be.

The goddess spoke through her, so they could hear her as well. "That was not my doing, child, don't blame me for her acts. She was the one that chose to change the texts before she died. I simply aided her, as I aid you. And I'll aid you when you choose to do the same thing, as all those successful before you have done. Circe, Grimhild, and others too old to have scripts written about them now. When I went by a different name."

Hermione frowned. Circe wasn't shone in a good light having turned Homer's crew into swine and poisoned a nymph's water for taking the attention of a suitor away. Grimhild was seen as evil, often being called an evil queen. Morgan le Fay had been as well. A rival to that of Merlin. No one spoke fondly of those witches in the History of Magic class, nor in the tomes she'd read as a first-year getting every drop of information she could on the history of magic. "Is there anyone who you've possessed that isn't depicted as evil or morally questionable?"

"You're the first since Morgan la Fay to be able to not be ripped apart at the invoking. I find the negative tales tend to outlive the positive ones, and are often embellished for those that wanted a more interesting story. Circe kept to herself with her anchors on an island. Homer tried to court her, she didn't want him. He brought back tales of how she kept him a slave. They were all false, she bore no sons with him. Grimhild did not use a love potion on anyone for her children to marry. She also kept to herself. Finding it better to be away from society, so they made up tales of who she was. Same with Morgan. Merlin and she hated each other, for he claimed she stole Arthur from him, which had not been her plan. She invoked me in order to save Arthur's life. Like you, she did not realise what that would mean for him or the knights of the round table that died together in battle that day. All of them were misunderstandings or lies. But there's not much that can be done when people rather believe the worst over the truth. Perhaps it will be different for you, there is less room to embellish tales across the land now."

They all snorted at that. Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's worse today than back then, I assure you. Especially if Rita Skeeter has any say in it. She'll be raking me across the coals by the time the Daily Prophets hit people's tables. She'll want to get back at me for keeping her in that jar."

Sirius laughed. "You kept her in a jar? How did I not hear about this?"

Hermione shrugged. "The bitch was writing horrid lies about Harry, I had to do something. I thought keeping her in an unbreakable jar for a few weeks would teach her to not spread lies. It didn't work. Once a dung beetle always a dung beetle. I let her go after we got back to London for the summer holidays."

They all stared at her with wide eyes. Arthur swam a bit closer to her. "How were you not found out? She didn't report you?"

A small smile pulled at her lips. "Rita is unregistered, if she outs me for what I did to her, she outs herself as being an unregistered animagus, which means Azkaban. It's how I got her to give up writing articles for a year. We'll see if she remembers to keep her quill to those that have nothing to do with us."

The twins, Sirius, and James laugh.

Fred let her go. Leaving her free to move around. "That's bloody brilliant, Hermione, and almost Slytherin of you."

She shrugged. "I'd do it again."

Harry waded over to her and reached out for her hand. She took his and he pulled her close. "I still think it's amazing that you did that. That woman is horrible. It's a shame she didn't learn to become a better person and not spread gossip after that. If I had been her, I would've only written articles about facts from then on." He leaned in and kissed her softly for a long moment, keeping it chaste but no less filled with a scorching heat that made warmth pool in her core. As they broke apart, she caught the tail end of yellow magic passing from her to him. Had the magic looked like that the night before? She could've sworn it was white, whispy. She hadn't fully noticed it while in the heat of the moment, but as she thought back, she remembered seeing the magic pass between them.

'Now that you're bonded they will each pull magic from you for their cores, lacing a bit of their old magic with it. They're magic isn't fully gone, but it's our magic that helps them to live. His magic is yellow. Every magical being alive has a colour to go with their magic, most just don't get a chance to see it.'

She blinked at him. "A woman like her will never learn. As long as she doesn't spread lies about us, I don't care what she does."

Her heart raced as panic set in, she frowned. It wasn't her panic, but one of them. It tugged at her. Arthur? No, though he still appeared sad, he wasn't the one she was feeling. She looked around the group reaching out with her magic. She plucked the thread that sent her pause and it ran straight to Remus. If she focused on it, she could see what caused him to worry. Teddy. If she were him, wanting to see her child after the end of a war would be the first thing on her mind. Her heart broke for the kid. He'd almost lost both his parents, but at least he wouldn't be an orphan. She would make sure of that. He would be with them from that day forth. She wouldn't force Remus to be away from his son just because he was one of her anchors.

Letting go of Harry's hand she went to him. He stared at her, a curiosity in his blue eyes. She took his hand and the panic in him stilled some. She smiled at him. "Don't worry. We can go get Teddy right now. I'm sure he's anxious to see you as well. We just need to get dressed and figure out where we're going from there. I'm not entirely sure if Grimmauld is the best place right now, since order members know of it. Though, I suppose I should face that music sooner rather than later. If we need to move, we'll figure something out."

He lets out a sigh. "Thank you." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm dying to see him."

James swam over to them and took her hand. "Who's Teddy? We could use Godric's Hollow as well. It would be big enough to house us and I doubt many know where it is."

Hermione looked to Harry. Of course, James wouldn't know of the destruction that befell his family's home.

'With our power, fixing a structure or making it bigger would not be a problem. We rebuilt this temple, did we not?'

Hecate had a point. Hermione nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea, James. That town is relatively quiet with only the elderly there. Does anyone oppose that suggestion?"

She looked around the group, her eyes lingered on Severus, knowing how he felt about James, but he shook his head.

She cleared her throat. "I feel as if Grimmauld may have too much traffic to stay there, though I should probably at least deal with what the Order will have to say about this and..." she trailed off. "Other things." She glanced at Arthur. She didn't want to have to face Molly or any of his other children for that matter. Ginny pined for Harry for so long, and he'd promised to get back with her when the war ended and he was no longer a risk to her well being.

Arthur came over to her and placed his hand on her back. "It will be okay. I'm not worried about Molly. I don't know what will happen, but we can figure it out. Don't worry, sweetheart."

She swallowed hard, keeping the tears back. Despite his comforting tone, and what the twins said before she still didn't feel good about the situation. But they were right, they would figure out something. She'd be more than willing to have the woman live with them if she was willing to do that. And she wouldn't stop Arthur from having relations with her as well. She had no claim to him. At some point, she had to let them all know she was fine with them pursuing people if they found people they wanted to be with who could accept how things were. There was no way around the bond and the give and take they had to do for them all to live. She was realising that by the minute. Every time any of them touched her it felt amazing for her. Sex had been incredible, she knew she would want more of it once things were settled.

Sirius came to touch one of her shoulders. They were all surrounding her, touching any part of her they could. "I'm going to echo James's question. Who is Teddy? Did you get a pet, Remus?"

Remus snorted at the fact they were asking if his son was a pet. "Teddy is my year and half old son."

Both his mate's jaws fell open. "What?" They said in unison. Sirius ran a hand over his wet hair. "Who's the mum?"

Remus cleared his throat, his grip on her hand tightened. "Tonks. We got married last year. It took her forever to talk me into marrying and having a child for her. I'm not sure if she made it. She wasn't at the platform with us, but she was on a stretcher next to me when I came to in the great hall."

Hermione's eyes lit up as the goddess spoke through her. "She is in the afterlife. She moved fast, bypassing the between. Some souls do that. It was beneficial that you all lingered there or we would not be standing here."

A small smile pulled at Remus' lips. "Yeah, that sounds like something she would do. Charge in and ask questions later. She probably is having the time of her life."

James clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I never met the girl, Mooney, but I'm sure Lilly has found and met her. Showing her around. Lily loves it there. Can't say so much I agree, after a couple months it got tedious, but Lily was never bored. Perhaps that's why she didn't hear your call?" His brown-eyed gaze found hers.

She nodded. "Yes. If she were willing to leave, she would've heard it as well and been a ninth anchor. But she was happy where she was." The glow left her eyes. "I'm sorry to have split you two up."

He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Don't be. We can discuss that matter on another day. Right now, I want to meet Mooney's kid."

Chapter Four

~Remus~

The world came to a standstill as Hermione and the goddess transported them outside Andromeda's home, everyone dressed in the clothes from the final battle. Remus still couldn't get over the fact that she had felt his panic set in over his son. He hadn't seen him in weeks, and there had been the briefest of seconds that his son had been an orphan. As he waded in the pool with her and the others, the thought of his son struck him and he needed to see Teddy, and there was a chance she might not let him do that. The child was from another woman. Would the goddess understand? He knew Hermione was still there, but he didn't know how much pull Hecate had over her thoughts.

It was in that second she came to him, and her touch instantly soothed his racing mind. She let him know they would get his son before anything else, and he knew in that moment, he would follow her to the ends of the Earth until her dying day. He'd always cared for Tonks, she was the first woman to make him not feel like a monster; she'd given him his son. And even though he wasn't happy she was gone, he was glad she wouldn't have to experience the heartache Molly would have to go through with Arthur.

He knew what the man was feeling. What they all felt as if they were truly awake. They were flowers and she was their sun, feeding them, opening their petals and keeping them bright. They took their energy from her and in turn kept her shining bright. Arthur may always care for Molly, but it would no longer be in the way he once saw her. If Tonks were alive and tried to kiss him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to, the thought alone turned his stomach.

They stood in the backyard. His gaze went to hers as his hand still lingered in her hold. She had told him to think of the location, and then they were there. All of them. She'd apparated all of them so easily. The immense power her little body held still blew his mind, but he would be forever thankful to her over the fact she was powerful enough to hold a goddess in her magical core. "Do you want to come in? You're all welcome."

Hermione nodded but dropped his hand. "Yes, but out of respect for Tonks' memory and her mother, I think it best we don't hold hands. I don't want Andromeda to hate me as well."

He smiled softly at her. He felt bad he couldn't bring her comfort, knowing the guilt she felt would have to go away on its own. All they could do is love and support her.

Before they could even make it to the back door it opened and Andromeda stepped out. Her hand went to her mouth. "By Merlin! Remus? I heard..." Her brown eyes scanned the rest of them and stopped on Sirius. "Sirius! How?"

Sirius grinned at her. "Dromeda! My favourite cousin! It's been a long time. We're back from the dead, and feeling better than ever."

She blinked, and stumbled a bit on her feet, as if to keep herself from fainting.

Remus stepped closer to her. "It's a sort of long story, but it's true. I'm sorry, but, Dora didn't make it." He cleared his throat as tears sprang to his eyes. Even though he now found his heart belonging to someone else. He did care about the woman, and he wished he didn't have to be the one to tell her mother that she'd lost her daughter as well.

Tears filled her eyes. "I know. Minerva came by to tell me. She also told me of..." her eyes went to Hermione. "What happened. But it was all speculation. You disappeared. It's been almost a full day since the battle."

His eyes widened. He knew they'd slept a while, but he assumed the sunrise that morning had been only a couple hours after they passed out. Apparently it had been much longer. "A day, really?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He licked his lips. "I would like to get my son. We'll be moving to a secret location until we know how the world is going to react to this. I'll send word when it's safe so you can come and visit."

Hermione stepped forward. "We'll have a room for you so you can stay longer if you wish."

He looked over at her and smiled. She was such a kind soul. "

Andromeda took out her wand. "First, I must make sure it's truly you. Where is Dora's birthmark that is shaped like a star?"

His cheeks heated up. It was certainly a question only someone who raised her or knew her intimately would know. He cleared his throat. "Her inner right thigh."

Andromeda nodded and lowered her wand. "Come in. He's in his travel cot in the den."

Remus's heart leapt for joy as he moved past her into the house, making his way through the rooms until he found his son in the tan cot playing with blocks. The little babe stood up, bracing himself on the side and laughed as he saw his father. His hair turned a brilliant shade of yellow. "Dada!" He reached out for him.

Remus wasted no time sweeping him up in his arms and holding him close. "Teddy! I've missed you so much!" He cried, relieved sobs racked his shoulders.

Teddy cried confused by his father's reaction. Remus forced himself to calm down. "Hush, son. I'm sorry daddy scared you. It's okay. He blinked and pulled back from him so Teddy could see his face. He smiled. "See, no more tears. Daddy is just so happy to see you. I missed you very much."

Teddy's tears stopped as he leaned forward and pressed his head to his father's chest and spread his arms out, returning the hug. "Miss you, Dada."

His heart swelled. A small sob came from behind him. He turned to find the others. Andromeda stepped forward, dabbing a handkerchief at her eyes. "I'm just so glad he has you. I feared more than anything he would wind up another orphan because of the war."

Remus held Teddy a bit tighter. "I'm not going anywhere, ever again. As far as I know, I will live for a long time to come. He'll never be an orphan. Thank you for taking care of him as long as you did. As Hermione has said, you're welcome to come stay with us whenever you like. I want you in his life as much as possible. I know it's going to be hard for him to understand why I'm here, but Dora is not."

The tears fell more from the older woman's eyes. "Yes. It will, but I hope that you'll keep pictures of her around, so he does not forget her."

Hermione stepped closer to the woman and placed her hand on her arm. "Of course, Mrs. Tonks. Teddy will know who his mum is."

Andromeda leaned down and pulled Hermione into a bone-crushing hug. Her eyes widened at the sudden contact, but she returned the woman's embrace. "I know why Dora didn't come back with him. She was always too quick. Jumping from one thing to the next without taking the time to smell the flowers. Perhaps she'll learn patience in the afterlife before she's reborn. Thank you for making it so my grandson isn't an orphan. I'll forever be in your debt."

Hermione pulled back from her. "No, please. No. Don't feel like that. You owe me no such thing. I would do it a thousand times over for Teddy's sake. If I could, I would bring his mother back as well."

The woman gave her a watery smile and cupped her face with her hands. "He'll be just fine, I'm sure." Her gaze looked to the men beyond the woman as well. "He has many now who will look out for him." She leaned down close to Hermione's ear. "I'm sure he'll have playmates soon as well."

Hermione's eyes widened at that and her cheeks flushed. Children had always been a far off thing for her. Certainly not something she was thinking about at eighteen. Panic surged in her as she recalled the night before with Harry. He had come inside her, and she, like a dunce, hadn't used any kind of protective spells. 'Bloody hell!' she thought. She didn't want to freak out in front of the others.

'Calm yourself, child. The magic can be done now silently. And you'll only become pregnant once you truly want it. At least that's how it worked for Circe, and Grimhild. They went without children for many years. It wasn't until they wanted children with every fibre of their being that they started to conceive with their anchors.'

Hermione let out a small sigh and smiled at the woman. "Perhaps."

The woman patted her cheek and turned back to face Remus. She held out her hands. " Let me give him some hugs and kisses. I know I'll see him soon, but I'm going to miss the little firecracker. I'm sure you have to go. Many things to attend to. Minerva let me know if you showed up for Teddy to tell you they're at the Order's Headquarters and she and the others would like to see you. I haven't seen anything in the Daily Prophet about what Miss Granger did, but I'm sure it will be front-page news tomorrow."

Remus handed Teddy over to her and the boy's hair turned purple. She gave him several kisses and hugged him close. "You be good for daddy Lupin and his friends, okay? Keep learning your letters. Gamma loves you and will see you soon, okay?"

Teddy leaned into her. "Love, Gamma."

Remus's heart nearly broke. He didn't want to take his son away from her, since she'd been a constant in his life over the past year, but he knew she would be over a lot once things were settled. She would still be a big part of his life, he would make sure of it.

Andromeda wiped away her tears. And pulled out her wand. "If you give me just a moment I can get his stuff together. I should've already done it, but I wasn't sure what to expect after the news I heard.

Hermione placed her hand on the woman's arm again. "Please, don't trouble yourself. It will take me but a moment."

Remus watched her flick her hand. And instantly things started flying into the room from the other places in the house. His son's clothes, cot, bottles, toys, nappies. Anything he would need. She held her beaded bag open, it all shrunk and went inside. Teddy laughed as he watched it, clapping his hands.

"Bloody brilliant, " James and Harry muttered in unison.

At last, a full bottle flew into her hand. and she tested the liquid against her inner wrist and handed it over to the child. "There you go. So you don't get too hungry while we run around."

Teddy took the bottle from her without a second thought, lifting it to his mouth.

The action of her anticipating his son's needs almost made him hard. It took every ounce of self-control not to reach out and kiss her deeply then and there, but he knew that wasn't the best of ideas. Her brown-eyed gaze met his and she smiled at him. She then peered over her shoulder. "I suppose we should face the other music before we go to our new home."

They all nodded. Andromeda handed Teddy back to Remus, who held him tight. Hermione reached out to touch his arm. Her pinky also grazed Teddy's skin. "Don't worry, I'll make this trip as gentle as possible."

The others came over. All finding places to lay their hands on her. Even though they were simple touches, they pulled more magic from her and into themselves. The weight of an elephant no longer sat in her chest.

Remus nodded to Andromeda. "Thank you, and we'll speak soon."

Chapter Five

~Hermione~

The world came to a stop, as they stood outside of Grimmauld, still hidden within the wards as London life continued to walk on by on the outside. Blissfully unaware of the magical world that sat mere meters from the sidewalk. If a Muggle stumbled onto any of it they would forever have their minds blown.

The group stood outside the old manor. The lawn overgrown, long since given over to the forces of nature. 'Child, you called this place home at one point? The negative energy here is enough to suffocate anyone.'

'It's been The Order's headquarters for several years. It's never been my favourite place, but it does the trick in a pinch. I suppose, if we can ever move here we can brighten it up. But for now, we'll use Godric's Hollow.'

Hermione reached for the door and opened it. Surprised that someone hadn't already sensed them from the inside and done it.

'I'm sure the island Circe, and eventually Morgan used is still open and free, if you wish to completely remove yourself from society. It eventually became a necessary thing.'

'I would like to try and make things work. Perhaps it will be different this time around.'

'For your sake, child, I hope it is. Morgan and Circe had been hopeful as well. Grimhild already had much hate for people beyond her anchors and children. She preferred being away from the world from the start.'

Hermione had so many questions about the other witches Hecate hand possessed, especially the ones she had not heard of at all, but that would have to be another time. She needed to focus on facing the Order, Molly, and her other children. She let out a breath as they all walked through the house.

"Blood traitors! Filthy Mudblood in my house!" The portrait of Walburga screamed as her curtains opened causing Teddy to cry as they neared the stairs to pass them.

Hermione frowned. That would not do. She snapped her fingers and the portrait burst into green flames. The canvas burned away before the frame fell to the ground empty.

Sirius came to wrap his arm around her waist. He whispered in her ear. "By the gods, Kitten. You just made me so hard. I may have to commission her portrait to be made several times over, just so I can watch you destroy that evil woman again and again." He kissed the top of her head.

Hermione's cheeks flushed. "I always headed her screeching, and she made Teddy cry. No reason to have her around any longer. Those spells she had used are no match for the magic we have now," It felt odd to talk about herself as two people. But it was true.

She frowned as still no one came forward in other places of the house to at least greet them. They head toward the back of the house. Sirius pushed open the kitchen door for her. Several dozen people sat around the long table in the kitchen. From Molly and her other children, to Kingsly Shacklebokt, McGonagall, and most of the Hogwart staff, along with a few Order members Hermione barely knew. Her heart raced a little, but Sirius' touch managed to keep her grounded. If it weren't for them being so close to her, she was sure her magic would go haywire.

She didn't miss the fact McGonagall frowned at them all.

Kingsly stood. "We figured you would come here. Please have a seat. He motioned to the empty chairs at the end of the table. Hermione started toward one and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

'There's a trap here, child.'

She held out her arms. Stopping the others from taking any of the seats offered. Her gaze went to the ceiling where a runic circle of magic had been burnt into the wood.

She cleared her throat, knowing it best if the goddess didn't speak through her. She could feel Hecate's rage, but for all their sakes it was best if they didn't show the goddess to any of them beyond what the outsiders had already seen when she defeated Voldemort. "We prefer to stand, thank you, though."

Molly stood next and smiled at her, but it was clear it didn't reach her eyes. The woman's brown eyes held nothing but coldness for her. "Please, dear. You must be tired after everything. Sit, and we can talk about what happened."

Arthur stepped forward to Hermione's left, his hand grazed hers ever so slightly, but he didn't openly touch her. They both knew that wouldn't be a good idea. "Please, Molly, don't take part in this. There is no need to use such tactics on her. She means no one any harm."

Kingsley shook his head. "The script Merlin left behind warning of this would beg to differ. They told of Morgan Le Fay being possessed by the goddess Hecate and the chaos she created over the world. He set forth a plan and created spells for if it were ever to happen again what the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards should do. We can not let her walk free from here. There is a cell in Azkaban that has been held for thousands of years, made only for the goddess.

Hermione frowned at him and her gaze turned to Molly. "If you separate me from them. They will die, and my body will become a bomb. All will stay peaceful if you stop what you're doing now. Do you wish for him to die a second time?"

She glared. "He should've stayed dead. That's how it's meant to be. I'm no fool, girl. They taught of invoking when we were in school. Though no one had been successful. There had been theories about what would happen if it were. And Kingsly has briefed us on Merlin's secret writings. Tomes that can not be found in any library you would've been able to access. I know what it takes for you to be bonded to them!" She hissed out her words, disgust lacing every syllable.

Hermione blinked fast. Forcing the tears back. "I swear to you, I did as little as possible with your husband. I did what was required so he could live, and I will not stand in your-"

"Shut up!" Ginny stood, slamming her hands down on the table. "That does not change the fact you're a slag!" The redhead went up to her. "This is for my mother!" Her hand met Hermione's cheek. "This is for Tonks!" A second slap rang through the room. Hermione took both, not fighting the girl for a single second. She felt as if she deserved both of them. Ginny raised her hand again. "And this is for-"

Before her hand could meet Hermione's cheek, Hermione grabbed her wrist. "No, you don't get to slap me over Harry. You two were not together."

Ginny's blue eyes widened. "I bloody knew it! You've always been in love with him, haven't you? All the while you acted like you were pining after Ron, but I could see the truth. I saw the way you looked at him when you thought no one was paying attention. While he'd been looking at me. And you knew you couldn't have him, so you went and did this. That makes you all the worse."

Ron pushed his chair back from the table. "Is that true, Hermione? Were you just using me because you couldn't have him?" He lumbered over to them.

Her gaze went to Ron, her heart hammered against her breast bone. She had forced herself to have feelings for him, yes. Simply so she wouldn't feel for harry. But she hoped with enough time with Ron those feelings would become real. "No, Ron. I did like you."

A frown pulled at his lips and his glare turned onto Harry. "It's just never enough for you is it, Potter? You have to get it all. The fame, the money, Hermione. Everything. I wish the world saw you for what you really are."

Harry said nothing, but refused to back down from his once best mate's stare.

Ginny wrenched her arm from Hermione's grasp and she sneered at her. "He'll never truly love you. None of them will. They're compelled by the magic. They will never fully love you. You'll always be a slag, and a homewrecker."

That one hurt, and try as she might, she couldn't stop the tears with it. Because in the back of her mind, she knew her words to be true. With how the bonding magic worked, they loved her because she provided them life.

"Hey!" George called.

"That is not bloody true!" Fred finished.

They stepped forward, standing closer to Hermione's back. They each placed a hand on one of her shoulders.

Fred cleared his throat. "We were in love with Hermione long before she ever brought us back to life. We've been in love with her since fifth year, but we never did anything about it because we knew Ron loved her and we didn't want to cause even more strife within the family after what happened with Percy."

Ron snorted. "You're bloody liars. You've told me all about the birds you get, a new one every week." His eyes narrowed as he looked to Hermione. I bet you didn't know about that."

George lifted his chin. "You told her, imbecile, or is your brain that small? We did that just to make you jealous and riled up. The fact of the matter is Hermione knows the truth, and that's all we care about."

She leaned back into them, needing their reassurance. Their touch stilling the pain that began to build in her chest.

James stepped forward. "Frankly, I don't know most of you well, but you know nothing of what's actually going on in our heads or how we feel. You just know of what Merlin wrote, and from what I hear, he was a jealous git, and his writings shouldn't be taken as written in stone."

Arthur looked to Molly. "I must agree with the others. None of you know what we do. And you won't be taking Hermione anywhere."

Hermione looked up at him. The conviction in his voice filled her with such warmth.

Molly tilted her chin up at her husband. "So you're choosing a girl old enough to be your daughter over the woman you shared a home with for thirty-one years? We could get around the bond. You don't need her, you can take my magic."

Hermione felt that Hecate wanted to comment on the ludicrousness of that idea but she forced the goddess back. She and Arthur knew it wouldn't work and that's all that mattered.

Arthur scoffed and for the first time since they got there, a coldness entered his voice. "Come off it, Molly. For the first time in decades, my mind is clear. I've realised what you were doing to me for all those years, slipping me love potions. Our Seventh year at Hogwarts, I refused your request for the Yule Ball and then all of a sudden we were going together. It can't be a coincidence you became pregnant at the end of our Seventh year either. And you continued to slip it into my drinks for years until my mind was convinced I loved you for real. We had children together, so that must mean I loved you. That's how I rationalised it, but that magic went away as I came back to this plane. Tell me I'm wrong, I should have you tried by the Wizengamot!"

Gasps erupted in the room as all eyes went to the woman.

Hermione's eyes widened, and a memory from her third year came to the forefront of her mind of Molly saying she made a love potion in her youth. Her and Ginny had laughed over it, not taking the matriarch seriously. "You admitted that to Ginny and I! I didn't think you were serious! How could you do that to him?"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Like you're any better, girl. I would say you're worse. One just wasn't enough, huh?"

Hermione's cheeks burned with both anger and humiliation.

"Enough!" Kingsley barked.

Teddy began to cry again.

Kingsley took out his wand. The wizards around her did the same. Soon, wands all over the room were drawn. The air crackled with tension. Kingsley levelled her with a stare. "Either you submit yourself willingly, Miss Granger. Or I, as acting Minister of Magic, order you to do so.

Hermione let Hecate come out in that moment, knowing she would need her full power. Her eyes glowed. "Merlin was a jealous fool and a simple man. You, child, cannot begin to comprehend the power it would take to make me submit. Sleep." Her voice reverberated throughout the room shaking the pans that hung above the fireplace. Every Order member fell in a heap to the floor, wands clattering against the wood.

She turned and looked at her men. "They clearly are not very intelligent. I have no doubt they will try again. Do you wish to take anything from this place?"

All her men stepped toward her and shook their heads. They reached out for her and she placed a hand on Teddy's arm, he still cried softly, but at her touch his tears stilled and he looked at her with wonder. In one swift motion, they were swept up in the grey smoke headed for Godric's Hollow.

Note: I know, I messed with Teddy's age. I couldn't have him be an infant still! I have cute scenes planned and he needed to be able to talk at least a little! All comments are appreciated. I respond to all the ones that allow me to. Thank you to the anonymous commenters as well!