The Light

Chapter 91- The Stars

Chapter 91- The Stars

July 1981

They were going to kill Voldemort in November.

Hermione had protested, asking if they could do it sooner, if only to ensure that Lily and James lived, but Dumbledore had said that he was not finished with whatever he had started in Europe; that November was the earliest they could do it, if their plan was to go smoothly.

She neglected to point out that 'smooth' was not in their vocabulary.

As the weeks passed, the Order slowly learned to relax. They took their time to grieve, and this time, the radio silence was not eerie but comforting. There was a sense of finality to it all. Now that the Horcruxes were gone, and a plan to destroy Voldemort had been given a date, they all felt a weight lift from their shoulders.

That is, all of them apart from Hermione.

But even though she knew that it was inevitable, and that she wouldn't be able to bask in the glory of freedom with them once November came and went, Hermione still let herself enjoy this solace.

That was the reason why she turned up on the doorstep of Godric's Hollow at 8am on the 31st July, present in hand, feeling contentment down to her bones.

Lily opened the door and her smile was blinding. Her eyes were bright, like they had been on that day when she'd ghosted her fingertips down Hermione's arm and told her that they could make this her home. Her hair had grown out and it was no longer chopped and uneven. Hermione felt herself falter, and she couldn't help but smile at the woman stood before her. Lily finally looked happy. She finally looked whole.

"Hermione!" She greeted, and she pulled her into a tight embrace. She'd made good of her promise, Hermione realised, hugging her so closely that she could feel every intricate nerve and beat of her heart; Lily smelt like home.

When they parted, Lily held her cheeks in her hands and said, "You're just in time! I'm trying to fish out Harry's presents, so I've been forced to leave my child in the hands of a six-foot-something werewolf and a rat who, and I can't believe I'm saying this, is actually a rat."

Hermione laughed, stepping into the house. She said, "Why? Where's James and Sirius?"

"James is doing something- God knows what- and Sirius has yet to return," replied Lily, stopping at the foot of the stairs. She lowered her voice, "He turned up on our doorstep at the crack of dawn this morning."

Hermione's eyes widened. Even though she sounded irritated, the less than impressed look on Lily's face was marred by something soft and fond, and Hermione suspected she wasn't nearly as annoyed as what she pretended to be.

"Godfather of the year?" she commented jokingly.

"Tell me about it," Lily replied. "Harry was thrilled to see him. James even more so. Me? Not so much."

Hermione snorted, peering through into the living room when she heard a high-pitched giggle, followed by a squeak and an exasperated, "No Bambi! Come back-!"

The two girls shared a look. Lily announced abruptly, "Well! That's my cue to leave!" She got half way up the stairs before she turned round and added, after a moments thought, "Don't let them kill my son."

Hermione couldn't stop herself from laughing at the witch's melodrama. She walked into the living room-

And stopped dead in her tracks. As it turned out, if anything, Lily hadn't been dramatic enough.

It looked like something (and by something, Hermione would have guessed an avalanche, or hurricane, or something of similar catastrophic destruction) had ravaged the room. The chairs were tipped on their backs, pillows and blankets lay strewn across the floor, along with baby toys and clothes, chaos littered throughout and, in the middle of it all, there was Harry, in nothing but a nappy, being held upside down by Remus, who was saying, "No. Harry. Look at me- no, actually, don't look at me, your baby eyes are far too tempting. Drop him. Come now, Harold. Don't play coy. Drop Wormtail. You're blowing bubbles so I know you can hear me-"