Crime King

2025 May 23rd

Hermione wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry and scream. She wished she could send an anger filled blasting hex right up Professor Dumbledore's Greater Good. She had watched as her brother-because Harry was more than her friend by now-suffer. Harry had suffered, at the hands of his- they were his jailers. Not even relatives, they were jailers. Harry had been starved, been beaten, and locked up. She had been young and foolish letting adults cloud her judgement. Look where being a good girl had gotten them. The Magic War of Blood, followed by the War against Magic. The Earth was dying now. The forests had been turned to ash. The seas became toxic, and the people kept killing. Nation vs. Nation. Magic vs. Weaponry. Millions died everyday, until only the seven of them were left.

Harry Potter, 45 years old. Having risen to the call of duty at 17 to fight against Tom Riddle, he lead an army of school students into battle. It was less than a year later that the war against the Mundanes started. 27 years later and he spends his days jumping at shadows. Forever living a nightmare, as the Earth dies under his feet.

Ron and Ginny Weasley, the last of the Weasley Clan, and barely even that. Ginny had been disowned when her older brother Percy found her kissing another girl in an abandoned classroom. Ron had disowned himself in support of his sister's sexuality shortly after. The wars had not been kind to the two siblings. Ginny had been abducted and tortured for information. Ron had stormed the military base that held her, with Neville and Harry close behind, to rescue her. When Ginny revealed she was pregnant with one of her rapists children, Hermione worried what else the redheaded girl kept hidden. When the twins, April and May, were born Ginny obsessed over their well being like a lifeline. Five years after their birth, they died. The safe house where all the children were hidden had been bombed, and everyone inside had been killed.

Luna Lovegood, 44 years old. The insightful Ravenclaw could read magic, but because magic is an ever changing energy her attempts to translate what magic's told her resulted in heavy bullying while at Hogwarts. She became an important member of Harry's army, working alongside Harry. She found better ways to phrase what magic told her, and Harry made plans around that information. Saving thousands of lives, even if only temporarily. Attacking the Headquarters of their enemies, or preparing for an attack long before it came.

Neville Longbottom, 45 years old. As true warrior he had fought and trained with Harry as the war got worse. Taking time to train the new recruits, and aid the healers. His bride to be, Hannah Abbott, was killed when Hogwarts was attacked by suicide airplane pilots. He grew a deadly forest of magical plants that killed any planes that flew near.

The seventh, surprisingly enough, was Dudley Dursley. Or Lee Evans as he seemed to prefer. Harry's pig of a cousin had joined the Mundane army helping Harry sabotage the mundanes by stealing Mundane weapons. As the planet died, Lee got sicker. Being the only non magical in the group living on a planet with no water or fresh air was taking it's toll far sooner.

During the wars, Hermione had created several rune sequences. Some made it difficult to connect an Agent of the D.A with the person who wore the rune. It convinced the viewer that they saw only what they wanted to see. If the person was given enough proof then another Rune on any stolen goods or classified information made that object completely unmentionable. Hermione was very happy with her creations, she only wished she had access to that knowledge back when she was eleven.

"The Mother is dying." Luna's soft voice drifted through the air. Hermione blinked away her distracted thoughts as she looked around. Harry lay on what could be a couch or the backseat of a car, while Neville held the charred remains of a stuffed doll toy. Ginny lay on her brother's lap, while Ron ran his fingers through her not so red hair. Luna sat on the ground, her matted blonde hair and old battle robes not hiding any of her scars. Lee sat off to the side, like the rest of them, just waiting for death. They all knew, once the earth dies, they'd all die with it.

"If you had the chance to change any one choice you made, what would it be?" Ginny asked seemingly at random.

"I'd introduce myself to Harry Potter in 1992." Luna said with a wishful smile.

"I'd stop believing books and authority at face value when Professor Mcgonagall changed my coffee table into a dog." Hermione answered.

"I'd stand up to my Grandmother before I started Hogwarts." Neville admitted next.

"I would learn more strategy games." Ron sighed.

There were a few minutes of silence before anyone spoke next. Lee coughed, great gasping breaths of pain and blood.

"If I could, I would be a better brother to Harry when we were kids. Hell, I'd even bow and call him my King." Lee said, his voice dry and raspy.

"I would talk to my friends about my problems before they became everyone's problems." Ginny sighed.

Everyone glanced to Harry as he lay on his couch. He lifted his arm from his emerald green eyes and smiled bitterly at them.

"You wanna know what I'd change?" Harry asked them rhetorically.

"When I was seven, I had the chance to join a criminal gang in the Mundane world. The leader was sick, but he said I had potential to be a leader. He said that a gang, was a family, that stuck together no matter what. If I had the chance, I'd go back and accept his offer."

It was sudden, and sharp. Hermione felt the pain shooting through her mind, her magic, her very soul. The light was bright and everything was loud and her ears were ringing.