Unexpectedly Expecting

57: Waiting For A Train

Harry

He did not have his glasses on when he awoke to...a clean version of King's Cross Station. He looked down at himself, and noticed that his clothes were super clean. He heard a groan underneath one of the benches, and noticed a nasty, bloody misshapen fetus creature there.

Dumbledore startled him out of staring at this pathetic creature, "Not a pretty sight, is it?"

"Damn, you scared me."

"Sorry. You look...good, Harry. Really good. I am so very, very proud of all you have accomplished," He remarked, smiling. "Will you walk with me a bit?"

They did, and Harry dared to ask about Remus's final moments. Dumbledore looked sad, "From what I saw in this corner of the afterlife, after becoming injured, he meant to trail after you to guard you one last time before you went to your appointment with Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, Dolohov got the drop on him, and killed him."

Harry teared up. "You think it's weird that I loved him, didn't you?"

Dumbledore tousled his hair. "Oh goodness no, Harry. I had similar tastes myself when I was alive. But enough about our love lives. You have questions, no doubt about the horcruxes."

Harry nodded. "Why did Riddle assume I was the Chosen One when it could have easily been Neville Longbottom? I mean, Snape told him what he eavesdropped about your interview with Trelawney, and then, what, he just decided I was the one who should be targeted, I guess?"

His Headmaster sighed sadly, "Yes, sadly enough that is the case. But, the irony is quite intriguing in that he chose a boy with a similar magical background to his own, rather than the pureblood boy from a more upstanding magical family."

Harry frowned, "And yet Hermione married that murdering asshole, and had his kids."

Dumbledore surprised him by laughing, "Oh, Harry. How you do show off your affections in a most amusing way. Even now, in the realm between life and death you cannot admit it to yourself."

"I. Dont. Love. My. Best. Friend."
"Harry, come now. Admit it."

Harry got up to pace the vacant train station, restless, angry, and it was in that moment that he could admit it to himself. "Fine. Fine, I wish she had chosen me. Like, not long term, but to see if there was something there. A date here and there, maybe a casual fuck or two afterwards."

Dumbledore rose, and waved his right hand in the air. The air shimmered, and Hermione was playing with her twin boys, and a little brunette girl, and her belly underneath her blue sun dress was slightly rounded. The little girl spotted Snape first as she ran to him, and he picked her up, laughing as he pecked her cheeks with kisses.

He set the girl down, and she went to build sand castles with her five year old dark haired brothers. Snape and Hermione walked hand in hand on the beach, talking, and kissing with that casual familiarity couples long married and deeply in love share. Dumbledore smiled as he waved his hand, and the vision ended.

"I think they will be fine, Harry. If any wizard deserves some happiness in his life, it is Severus Snape. They will have a large family together, and face some tribulations, but they are meant to be together."

Harry felt better in his heart, but still, it was difficult to let go of his boyhood animosity for his most hated teacher. He asked about his other friends, and Dumbledore showed him brief glimpses into their lives as well. Ron would go from bed to bed, never really finding love, or would settle down, although he left quite a few illegitimate children in his quest for the 'right one.'

Neville and Ginny had a big family, and so did Luna and Draco Malfoy, and his dad and Tonk's mum had four kids as well: three boys, one girl. But the eldest girl married some vampire guy, and even Dumbledore didn't know what became of their future. Hermione, Snape, and one of their twin sons would go on to become Dragon Riders, but only Hermione would grow her family more by having five kids with this really hot Dragon Lord guy.

Dumbledore chuckled at his inner thoughts, "I have to agree with you there, Harry. The extra wizard is quite attractive. I'm surprised your friend was able to maintain her figure after Severus and this other wizard had her."

"Perks of being magical, I guess? Oh, and she's always been fairly fit. Pilates and Yoga is a big thing with Mione.' But, why are we here?"

Dumbledore looked around the vacant, sterile train station. "Hmm. That is an interesting question. Everyone's limbo is different. Mine was taking a doorway to my home in Godric's Hollow, and arriving here. I saw my sister, my parents, my Nephew Aurelius, and my beloved husky Sushi."

Harry laughed, "Sushi?"

Dumbledore laughed. "Aberforth named her that when she was a puppy because she was obsessed with the stuff when we brought it home in the all white takeout boxes."

"Cute. But why did Riddle make me a horcrux?"

Dumbledore sat on one of the nearest benches, and he sat next to him. "I believe that was a consequence of the killing curse rebounding on to you. Certainly, if your mother had not died protecting you, you would have been killed, but her magic shielded you at the last moment."

Harry understood. "I get why you didn't tell me. But, I don't think I'm ready to board a train to go to my parents, and Sirius yet. I have a wife I need to be around for, a stepson, other kids to make with her. One more question though, about you."

"I am all ears, Harry."

"Why did you support Grindlewald's cause?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I suppose that I was young and idealistic. I loved him, and I know he cared for me in his own way, but it was fairly one sided our relationship. I had wanted to change the wizarding world, make it into what I wanted, not what it needed. Unfortunately, it took the death of my dear sister Ariana to wake me up to who he was as a person. I carried the grief of losing her all of my life. Don't carry the weight of the dead, Harry. Love them, miss them, but don't despair in your grief."

"I promise."

A doorway began to form before him, and he knew that it was time to go back to the land of the living. Or, he could wait for a train to appear for him to board to go on to the afterlife. For a brief moment, Harry wavered, but then he decided to go through the door, and back to the land of the living...

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Harry breathed in great gulps of air as Hagrid looked him over. He looked very beaten up, but they were some distance from the castle, and it looked like a great smoking pile of ruins from here.

"Y'alright, Harry?" Hagrid asked, his tone gentle.

Harry smiled, his vision clearing, and he noticed that he didn't have his glasses on, because his vision was still blurry. "Um, Hagrid? You wouldn't happen to have my glasses would you?"

Hagrid chuckled, handing them to him. "Yep, right here. They're a bit cracked, but no less worse off. You Know Who is gone, like really gone for real this time."

Harry sat up slowly, and then stood, even though his legs had pins and needles in them. "I saw. How is everyone at the castle?"

"Longbottom got that snake. Malfoy senior, well...he um, not jus' killed the LeStrange witch but he had a vampire buddy rip her body apart. Brutal sight that was. Aragog killed cleaner than they did. She was crazy, but I didn't think Slytherins were so...vengeful. Specially' one as high falootin' as him."

"Bellatrix killed his wife, and so I get it."

"I suppose. Welp. I'll say no more n' that subject, but we should get back. Everyone will be wantin' to see us, dontcha think?"

"What, no hot wings at Hooters first?"
"I've got no notion what that is."
"Never mind. It was a lame joke."
"Oh. Right. I'm ready to go back now."
"Same here, believe me."

They headed back to the castle, and of course, the ending of the Battle of Hogwarts was bittersweet, indeed. The lightside had won the war, but at what cost? That was the question for the magical historians. All Harry Potter knew at this moment of time was that he needed to return to Dora Tonks, and begin his life post Voldemort. But, what kind of life was that going to be? He found couldn't wait to find out what that was, because for the first time in his life he loved journeying into the unknown, and he found that he was loving every minute of it...