The Second Try

Conflict

Harry sat in his new cottage outside the Leaky Cauldron. He'd warded it under everything from the Fidelius charm to war-level defensive wards. The kind of wards that make an enemy wish that they'd never been born. It was Unplottable and warded from Portkeys and Apparition by anyone who didn't know the secret. He made sure that no one would breach his home again. A shudder passed through him as, for an instant, he saw the cold body of his daughter. Every light in Diagon Alley shorted out for an instant and a tremor shook the buildings. It was as if the entire alley was mourning along with him.

He took a breath of fresh air. He was at the window, reading Hogwarts; A History, because it reminded him of Hermione. Every time Mia was out flying without him, he started to feel depression setting in. He usually picked up a book at that time, one that Hermione had quoted to him. Just reading it made him remember her: the sound of her voice, the scent of her hair, the feel of her skin. Since he had mastered Temporal Magic, the sensation had gone from mental to actual. It allowed him to bring his senses back to the exact moment where he'd felt the sensation.

He looked over to the trunk and sighed. He'd purchased a trunk with multiple compartments, then expanded on the charm. Each of the five compartments was the size of a small house, even having multiple rooms. He could alter the rooms with a thought. One of them was filled with books that would rival the collection of the Hogwarts library. Actually, his library was more complete, seeing as it had books from the future as well as those rare books that were considered too dangerous for students. Another contained a room filled with clothing. It had muggle clothes, dress robes, school uniforms, even armor. It also had a weapon rack for those magical weapons that Harry had collected. The third contained a living space, complete with a bed, a couch, chairs, a table and a Floo-capable fireplace. He would only use the space if he needed to hide or he was away from his bed, but it was nice to have.

Suddenly, Harry heard a scream. He pulled on a cloak and initiated his Glamour. He ran, moving as fast as any vehicle, until he found the source. A couple of people with ragged clothes and savage countenances were dragging a young girl away. Harry could see the curse of the werewolf upon them, clear as it would have been if they'd worn nametags. He pulled out his wand. Mid-run, he chanted "Arma Magestus" as he ran his arm from the top of his hand to about two feet past the tip. A metal blade appeared. It was the Sword of Griffindor. The silvery blade cut through one of them, and Harry extended an arm, a pulse of magical force throwing the second wolf back. Before it could get far, Harry had impaled it with the sword.

He pulled out the sword and released the spell. The wand returned to normal. He rushed back to the girl, hoping that his eyes had made a mistake. They hadn't. The girl had a large bite in her left arm. She was going to change. Everyone around was hysteric, running and screaming. Harry had no choice. He placed the wand on the girl's cut and began a long incantation. As he spoke, he pulled his wand away, bringing white and red threads with it. Men had run up to pull him away from the girl, thinking that he was going to harm her. They'd run into a barrier that Harry had placed subconsciously. They could only watch as he fought to save the poor girl.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry pulled the wand away for the last time, this time extracting a large black mutating sphere. With a twirl of his wand, the cords wrapped around the sphere and it vanished. He also removed the barrier. A woman, obviously the girl's mother ran over to her. She looked at the wound, which had healed, then up at Harry.

"She'll be fine, Ma'am." He said in a deep voice that was not his own. "I managed to extract the poison before it got too deep rooted."

"Thank you! Thank you!" The woman cried, tears pouring down her face.

Harry nodded to her and began to walk away. "What's your name?" The woman begged. Harry paused.

"I have none. Call me Phoenix." He said softly.

"Thank you, Phoenix. If you ever need help-" She started.

"Really. I don't need any thanks. It was good enough that she's fine. Good bye." Before the woman could protest, Harry Disapparated.

Back in his sanctuary, Harry laid down on his bed. Two days and already he was butting into things that he wasn't a part of. He remembered a time in his old world, fifty years back. The Death Eater attack. They'd been after vengeance.

"Crucio!" One of the Death Eaters had shouted, the last Auror screeching in agony as the curse hit her.

With a silent stunner, Harry had paralyzed the man, ending his curse. He turned and set another aflame. Before the man could do anything, he removed the man's neck with a Severing Charm. Unknown to Harry, a green jet of light was shooting towards his back.

"Protego Ultima!" Hermione had shouted. A crackling field of light had absorbed the Unforgivable Curse. It shattered instantly. Harry hit the man with a fireball and turned, kissing Hermione.

She stopped everything for a moment, then pushed him away. "Not now, Harry!" She said sternly, the effect ruined by her flushed cheeks.

"Why?" Harry asked, innocently. Hermione indicated the Death Eaters. "So?"

Laughing, Hermione spun around, fighting back to back with Harry. Jets of light exploded from her wand as she fired of a chain of spells. From her left hand, a blade of light materialized, allowing her to attack any enemies that came close. Every spell she fired hit its mark.

On the other side, Harry stood. Waves of energy flowed from his wand as he directed them, like a conductor. Bolts of energy leapt from him to strike enemies. When he struck, the impact almost always took them down. Sometimes, it hit the nearby enemies as well.

They fought as one, she struck like lightning, quick and powerful. He was a tidal wave, pure destruction that obliterated anything in its path. The two fighters either killed or incapacitated dozens of Death Eaters. Eventually, they separated to finish off the few stragglers.

Harry summoned the Sword of Griffindor, using its magical properties to send a blade of energy following his swings. He drove it into the ground and the ground cracked, a fissure connecting him to the Death Eater. A plume of flame enveloped the man, once the fissure reached him. He hurled the blade at another, striking him in the neck, then used wandless magic to take out another who was sneaking up on him.

Hermione fired off a pair of stunners, the blade of light keeping the enemies at bay. They'd seen the destruction the woman could inflict with the sword. Several disintegrated corpses were evidence of that. She gestured and a 360 degree wave of force knocked the enemies back. She hurled the sword into the air, then fired a spell at it. It shattered, a thousand shards striking the enemies with pinpoint accuracy. At least a dozen shards were in each Death Eater.

After checking the battlefield, Harry and Hermione embraced, meeting in the middle of the battlefield. The two lovers kissed amidst the destruction. They were a point of light, the one thing holding back the darkness.

I wanted to establish two facts with this chapter. The first being that he is still a hero, despite everything. The second is how much he needs Hermione. I might not have done a good job, but I wanted to convey the idea that the thought of being with her is what kept him going. The presence of Mia, who contains Hermione's spirit, is the only thing that keeps him grounded. I want to know what people thought about my scenes. I do pay attention to suggestions. Keep the reviews coming!