Reunion at King's Cross

Harry felt no pain, if this was death it was overrated! He felt a presence near him, a presence that he knew almost as well as his own and then his Hermione was there with him. Their love had crossed the boundaries and now they would be together forever, the swell of happiness generated by both of them was enormous as their souls joined in a way far more intimate than any sexual act. The power proved too much for the vessel they were contained in and then they were gone, she was gone as he drifted alone with no external stimuli whatsoever.

It could have been minutes or years but the next thing Harry remembered he 'awoke' in a place instantly recognisable as Kings Cross Station but there was no Dumbledore waiting on him this time. This was no dream but actual reality, he was standing there with a trolley containing his beloved Hedwig staring at him from inside her cage on top of his trunk.

While attempting to figure out just what the hell was going on he heard a well-known voice, the last time he'd heard it she was shouting that the murdering bastard and his whore should get what was coming to them, '-packed with muggles of course-' Molly Weasley could never have been accused of being quiet so anyone within a ten-yard radius must have heard that comment.

"Now what's that platform number?" She attended the school for seven years and had been sending her children there for the last nine, how could she possibly forget the platform number? Was his whole 'meeting the Weasleys' saga a set up? One thing was for sure, Harry wanted nothing to do with them this time, turning his back while trying to figure out how he got to be standing here on the first of September in Nineteen Ninety-One.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped Ginny, Harry had noticed the look of revenge on her face as Hermione met her end, he wasn't about to forget it. More hints were dropped, each louder and more direct than the last until Harry felt a hand on his arm.

"Hello dear," Molly said, "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too!"

What Harry really wanted to do was start firing curses but in the middle of Kings Cross that was not perhaps the best idea, he just got another though. "Ma'am I don't know you and have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh nonsense dear, we'll soon have you fixed out, Fred, George, help with this trolley, just you come with me."

As he knew she would Molly started dragging him towards the portal, taking a deep breath he shouted at the top of his voice, "Help me, someone help me, this woman is trying to take me away!"

Muggles may not be able to apparate but they move pretty fast when a child is in danger, Kings Cross on a Sunday was still a very busy station and people pounced on Molly from every direction. The twins and Percy got involved but were soon restrained as well, Ron met with an unfortunate accident in the shape of Harry's elbow to his jaw as he was running past while Ginny just stood there, looking on in bewilderment and total horror.

A kindly lady was asking Harry where his parents were, he told her they were dead and he was off to visit a great-aunt, a wandless 'notice me not' charm and he was able to make good his escape. He really didn't want to go anywhere near Hogwarts but Hermione was on that train, he would march through the gates of Hell to save her but it was going to be extremely difficult pretending he didn't know his fiancée, Harry was certain he wasn't that good of an actor.

Harry released Hedwig to fly to the castle, used his wandless magic to shrink her cage and his trunk before racing for the barrier and the girl on the train.

Harry boarded as the train was about to leave, he was just about to start searching for Hermione when she appeared, pulling her heavy trunk along the passageway. Seeing her and this age again totally floored him, she looked up and brown eyes met green, for a second Harry would have sworn he saw recognition there. Then again he was the boy-who-lived and Hermione had been reading about him, perhaps that was it, "Can I give you a hand with that?"

Hermione was lost for words, not something Harry was used to but when he reached down to assist with that weighty trunk it was his turn for silence, on her finger was the diamond ring he himself had placed there.

Harry rubbed his fingers over the diamond to confirm it wasn't just his eyes playing tricks on him, "Hermione, my Hermione?"

"In this world and the next, is that really you Harry?"

"I'm the same Harry who put that ring on your finger but how is this possible?"

Hermione shook her head, "I really don't give a shit!" as she sprang into his arms and kissed him like there was no tomorrow, her actions finally convinced Harry that this was real, or both of them in the same dream was as good as real to make no difference.