Ok, for those of you who didn't see it before: There are THREE endings to this story because I couldn't decide how to end it. This is the "good" ending. Congratulations for making it this far. :) You beat the game. lol

Twist of Fate

Chapter 17

Hermione heard Christopher's scream from a floor away. She looked up at the ceiling before she started running for the staircase. Her wand in hand, she took the stairs two at the time to reach Christopher as quickly as possible.

She burst through the door and saw him sitting in bed, drenched in sweat, with a look of terror on his face. Hermione was reminded of the last time she had seen Christopher in such a state and rushed to the boy.

She held her son tightly, just as she had the last time he had cried like this. She soothed him by softly singing a lullaby that her mother had once sang to her. She had him nearly calmed down when he started struggling against her, crying repeatedly "She's hurting him! She's hurting him!"

"Christopher!" Hermione had to shout, just to stop his struggles and cries.

Christopher stopped suddenly and stared at his mother with eyes that showed too much white from his fear. "She's hurting him," he nearly whispered before Hermione heard the phone ringing downstairs.

Shaking, Hermione took Christopher down the stairs with her. She reached the phone as it sounded for the fourth time. "Hello?" she asked with her heart in her throat.

"Hermione?" she heard. "It's Ron."

"Ron! Hi," Hermione replied, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. "What's going on?"

"I just got the message from Harry," Ron said. "The call came in about two hours ago. Anna's been found—she's in Scotland. They're out there now to bring her in. I'm going out there in a minute, but I wanted to pass the word on to you."

"Oh my god," Hermione whispered. She blinked back the tears in her eyes as she readjusted Christopher on her hip. She cleared her throat. "Ron, will you...will you tell him to call me the minute he has the chance?" she asked. "I'm really worried about him."

"I will," Ron promised. He cleared his throat as the conversation fell into an awkward silence. "Can I ask—"

"I gave everything I had to our relationship, Ron," she replied. "I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't try to betray you, I just..." she sighed heavily. "I didn't love you like that. I'm sorry, Ron, but you're like a brother to me. I love you, but not that way..."

Ron sighed. "At least you're honest with me," he said. "And if that's all I get, then at least it's better than nothing. I'll tell Harry that you love him and he needs to cal you as soon as we get a minute."

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione said. She sighed as she put the phone back on the receiver. "What did you dream?" she asked her son.

"Anna is hurting Daddy," Christopher replied.

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and fought back her tears as she hugged Christopher tightly. She could only pray that Christopher didn't see.

Harry looked up at Anna. Mac, Caden, Bruce, and the other two Aurors were unconscious or bound by magic. Anna wanted Harry and Harry alone. He was amazed that she hadn't just killed any of them outright.

"Did you know that a piece of your soul transfers to your children when you have them?" she asked. "It's how children and mothers recognize each other even after years of separation. It happens with fathers and children as well. That's why Chris bonded to you both so quickly.

"That's also why he can see what I do. You see, Harry, you forgot something really important. Not only did you pass on a piece of your soul, you passed on the connection you had to my father. That's gone from you now, but Christopher still has a piece of Voldemort inside of him. As do I. You see, Harry, until you kill me and you kill your son, you will not have defeated Voldemort. You have not won."

With a scream of rage, Harry pushed himself to his feet and charged her, magic forgotten. He ran at her at full speed and crashed into her, knocking them both to the ground. He ignored Anna's screams as he hit her repeatedly in the face. Over and over, he punched her. He didn't hear her cries. He didn't hear his screams. He didn't feel the pain in his hands.

He also didn't notice when Anna's screams were silenced. He didn't notice that her spells broke with her death.

It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he even looked up. He saw Ron standing above him. "She's dead, Harry," he said softly. They were the only words.

Harry looked down at his shaking, bloody hands. His eyes took in Anna's battered face. He had literally beaten her to death. It was the first time since he had killed Voldemort that he had truly wanted anyone to die.

But this was the first time he had ever killed anyone with his bare hands.

Hermione paced back and forth. Christopher sat at the desk in the study, working quietly on his studies. He looked up at Hermione as she made her next circuit. Suddenly, inexplicably, he felt the urge to hurt her. She was an impure blemish in his perfect world. Intelligence was of little importance when it was put up next to purity of blood. He remembered Anna saying those things.

He suddenly, clearly, remembered the night the Brownings died. Yes, Anna had killed them in the fire, but only because he had informed her that his true father was Harry Potter. The Brownings were only killed because they knew that it would bring Christopher back to Harry. It would ensure that nothing would stand in the way of them completing the task Voldemort had set out on so many years ago.

But no. These were his parents. They loved him unconditionally. They had let him go for his safety and protection. They had believed that they were doing the right thing. And then, with the deaths of the Brownings, they stood up and became the parents they were meant to become. They had loved him, cared for him, and comforted him.

He knew he had to fight the darkness inside of himself, but he also knew that there wasn't a way for him to do it and be stronger than the piece inside of him that had latched on to every possible crack and crevice in his soul. This is what had happened to Anna; he saw that now. He remembered her being so nice in the beginning. Then, when she found out he was adopted, she began to change. She discovered who his parents were before anyone else had the chance. She was the one who formulated the plan to get into Harry's life again. She was the one who, more than anyone else, wanted to see Christopher back with Harry for the purpose of killing him to avenge her father.

Christopher looked back at Hermione. He thought about the possibilities that frightened him more than comforted him. What if they killed him? What if they hated him for what he was about to become? What if they decided that he was better off in an orphanage where no one would love him the way they had once loved him?
What if they could cure him?

"Mum?" Christopher asked.

Hermione stopped pacing and looked at her son. "Hmm?" she asked.

Christopher cleared his throat. "What was it that made Dad the Chosen One?" he asked. "Why was he the Boy Who Lived?"

Hermione sighed. "Because the night Voldemort attacked him, a piece of his soul was transferred into Harry," she replied. "It connected them. It made it possible for Harry to see things that he couldn't possibly see, hear things he couldn't possibly hear and..." her voice trailed off and Christopher saw where her thoughts had taken her. "Oh, Merlin," she whispered as she sat down on the chair next to her. "Come here, Chris," she said.

Christopher obliged his mother's request and came to stand in front of her. She brushed his hair back. "When you dream, is it like you're actually Anna?" she asked. "Or is it like your watching what Anna's doing?"

Christopher didn't want to answer her because he knew that whatever answer he gave, it was going to be just like the one Harry would have given. "Sometimes I'm watching," he said. "But usually, I'm Anna..."

Hermione sighed before she wrapped Christopher in a tight embrace. "Oh, my sweet boy," she whispered with tears burning her eyes. "How do I fix this?" she whispered.

Harry burst through his office door and went directly to his desk. He ripped one of the drawers out, sending papers and files everywhere. He knelt and began sorting through everything until he found exactly what he had been hoping to find. He unfolded the papers and scanned everything while Ron stood above him, completely dumbfounded.

"Here!" Harry said, pointing to a line on the paper. "We don't have much time," he said before he stood and nearly ran from the room. He passed Mac and the other Aurors who were standing outside, just as confused as Ron was.

Harry didn't stop moving until he was back at Grimmauld Place. He burst through the front door and ran into the study just off of the hallway, thankful to see Hermione and Christopher in one piece. He ran to her and took Christopher from her arms. He held the boy up and looked into his brown eyes. Deep, in the bowels, he saw that flash of red and knew that Anna's story was true.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. "What are you doing?"

"He's an accidental Horcrux, just like I was," Harry replied.

"Harry, no!" Hermione cried, trying to take Christopher back. She knew that there was only one way to stop a Horcrux from being a Horcrux. "You are not hurting him!"

Harry sat down with Christopher on his lap. He met the boy's eyes again. "How close is it?" he asked.

Somehow, Christopher understood the question. "Becoming too much to hold in," he replied.

Harry nodded before he kissed his son's forehead. "I love you," he whispered. He looked up at Ron. "Get Hermione out of here," he said.

"No!" Hermione protested. "Harry, you can't! He's our son!"

"I'm very much aware of what he is, Hermione," Harry said, looking up at her. "I need you to leave the room. I can't do this with you in here."

"I won't let you hurt him, Harry!" Hermione cried. She tried to pry Christopher from Harry's grasp, but Christopher wouldn't let his father go. He clasped his arms around Harry's neck and screamed.

Harry reached up and held Hermione's face in his hands. "Hermione, I need you trust me," he said in a soft, calm voice. "I need you to believe me. I'm going to do my best to help Chris, but I can't have you in here while I do that. Please. Go with Ron."

Hermione stared at Harry with tears welling up in her eyes. She felt those tears spill over and forced herself to let go and trust that Harry knew what he was doing. She kissed them both before letting Ron take her out of the study.

Harry stayed sitting on the sofa. Mac refused to leave the room, but ordered the others to stand outside and only come in if there was a problem. Harry grabbed his wand and held it to his son's temple. He closed his eyes and focused on the very root of his magic. He remembered what it felt like to have a piece of Voldemort trapped inside of him. He focused on that feeling and he reached for it inside of Christopher.

This, he knew, was something that could only be done to a person who had become a horcrux. It could not be done to any object. Still, it was the first time he had attempted it, and it was the only possible solution given Voldemort's current non-existent state. It was almost more dangerous than being killed.

Black smoke began to come out of the joint of Harry's wand and Christopher's head. Mac started to step forward but stopped himself when he realized it was forming the shape of a Dark Mark.

After nearly five minutes, Harry pulled the wand away from his son's head. The Dark Mark stayed attached to his wand. Harry stood with Christopher in his arms, and walked to the fireplace, where a blaze was already burning. Harry guided the smoke toward the fire, but it seemed that the closer it got to the flames, the harder it became to move his arm. Eventually, Harry's arm was shaking with the effort.

"BURN YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Harry shouted before he screamed and put everything he had into burning the last pieces of Voldemort's soul. The smoke went into the flames and Voldemort's voice came from the fire in a high-pitched scream of pain and anguish. Mac stared in horror, having never seen anything quite like it before.

Harry fell to his knees, panting and sweating profusely. Christopher slipped from his arms and passed out on the floor next to his father. Harry swayed as the door opened and Hermione rushed in. She went to Christopher first, cradling him and making sure that he was alive. When his eyes fluttered, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and turned her attention to Harry, who looked impossibly pale and fragile.

Harry met Hermione's eyes and smiled briefly before he passed out on the floor as well.

***Eight Months Later***

Christopher ran up to where his parents sat on the back porch, drinking iced tea in the warm afternoon. They smiled at him and he held out a flower that he had picked to Hermione. She took it from him with a smile. "It's for Lily," he said before he ran off again. Hermione chuckled and held the flower to the small baby in her arms. "See that, Lily?" she asked softly. "You have a big brother taking good care of you."

Harry looked over at the two best women in his life. "Yes she does," he said softly before taking a sip of his drink. Everything had been good for the last eight months, and he prayed that it continued to stay that way.

AN: Ok, so the reason there are three endings is simply this: I couldn't decide which way I wanted to go. Part of me wanted to go Shakespearian on this whole deal (hence the first of the three endings). That ending was written first and kinda broke my heart. I loved the ending for its impact, but I didn't want to do that to Harry and Hermione. Hence the second ending where I still destroy that part of Voldemort. Then I thought about how Hermione reacted the first time they lost Christopher so I vetoed that because I didn't want to rip them apart again after almost five years of nothingness. So I wrote this ending. Ironically, this was the hardest ending for me to write. I wanted them to be happy, but I didn't want to spoil them. I also wanted a new baby for them, but I didn't get the chance to reveal it either. So I gave them a daughter in the mini "epilogue" that you see above. I also didn't want to break too many hearts with the ending here. Since I ended up loving all of the endings, each one was posted here. You can ask my husband: I agonized over this! lol

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did. Look for more HP awesomeness to come! This is been a joy to write and I'm cooking up new stories as I type. Keep an eye out for them and don't forget to review! :D