Hermione doesn't remember marrying or falling in love with her husband. In fact, when the healer asks her if she'd like to see her husband, she thought Ron would walk through the door. Instead, it was George.
A stray Obliviate from a dissenting blo...
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That night in the castle, in the midst of the final battle, George wept over his brother's broken body. Horrible, strangled sobs that tore through the Great Hall and wounded all who heard them.
Hermione stood nearby, helpless. There was nothing she could do. There was no way for her to take his pain from him, just to hold it for a moment and give him time to catch his breath. Something inside her spurred her to take George into her arms, but the boy was so fractured that he didn't react as she reached around him. Not breaking his gaze on Fred's empty shell, he took in an agonizing, shuddering breath. When he exhaled, it came in the form of a choked, plaintive cry. His hands found her forearms around his hunched shoulders, and he gripped her like a lifeline.
And yet, in the midst of the storm of grief, they'd all seemed to have forgotten the deeper magic within the school. Something older, and far more wild than any of them could imagine. The walls of Hogwarts pulsed and thrummed with displeasure.
And if any of the witches and wizards present had known how to listen to that great, kind castle, they would've heard it say: "Not this boy," deep, down, rumbling in its foundations. "Not this boy that pressed his hands to my walls and studied my mysteries, not this boy who brought life and smiles to my children in the darkest of times. Not this boy who gave so much of himself. This boy's sacrifices will not be forgotten. These children will not be so cruelly separated, and the world will be a better place for it."
The castle's ever-changing staircases and hallways lengthened and distorted. Time itself seemed to bend, slowing, moving backwards and forwards in a tangled river, and then there was shimmering, golden pop around Fred's body, and breath found its way into his lungs once more.
"This is my gift," the school's words sang past their ears, whistling and fading into the night. Hermione blinked at the monumental shift, and something clicked inside of her, like a key being placed into a lock.
George's sobs stilled. Fred stirred, groaning.
His eyes flickered open.
To the rest of the world, it had felt as though a warm breeze passed through the room. Like they'd forgotten what they were doing for just a moment, as the timeline shifted and groaned to accommodate the miracle. But to the children grouped around the cot, everything had changed.
Embers of that wild magic flickering in Fred's eyes. Letting loose a fierce cry, George lunged forward, crushing his twin in his arms.
Hermione stared, happy but perplexed at the storm of magic inside of her, and how it seemed to reach towards the redhead that she called her brother. The voices around her sounded distant, and her head was light. When Ron's arms snaked around her waist, she turned, expecting the familiar tide of longing to sweep over her, but instead, darkness rushed to meet her.
--
A/N (Added 07/14): Hello! If you're reading this, you've just opened the first bit of a WIP, long-form fic called "Lumos." Because this fic is over 700,000 words, I wanted to give a bit of context here to explain what you can expect from the reading experience (without spoilers), for those who might find that helpful. "Lumos," at its heart, is an exploration of hope in a time of darkness, a celebration of the beauty in the mundane, and a love letter to the complicated, messy notion of caring.
It is a slow burn.
"Lumos" is updated every other Monday, and chapters on Wattpad include the "trailer" for the content (after these began to be made). As the story proceeds, the chapters tend to get longer. The story falls within a T/PG-13 rating.
Because I didn't start posting to Wattpad until a decent way through the story, you won't see author's notes (A/N) for the first portion. Usually, these are placed at the beginning. If you prefer to skip straight to the story content, simply scroll until you see the line marking the beginning of the chapter. A/Ns contain a brief thank you, a music playlist for the chapter, a checklist for getting cozy before the read, and content warnings, when applicable.
A word on Content Warnings (CWs): Eventually, I do plan to edit to add warnings to the chapters currently missing the A/N section. Please use discretion while reading the first part of the fic that doesn't have these warnings. That said, here are a few things that I will consistently warn about and how warnings work (if you find that helpful to know): -Depictions of violence that push the upper limit of the T-rating. -Discussion of pregnancy, intimacy, substance-abuse, or more mature themes. --In the case of the above warnings, I locate the portion of the chapter containing the content, and I include a short quote that marks when the content is finished being featured for the convenience of anyone who wishes to skip those passages. -Character deaths (marked as minor, moderate, and major). Examples: A death from someone on the Weasley clock would be considered "Major," a death of a prominent side character, well-loved fan favorite (even if not prominently featured in the story), or more "grey"/sympathetic-styled villain would be "Moderate," and a death of a background character or an unsympathetic villain would be "Minor." -Warnings are preceded with spoiler warnings ranging from mild to major, depending on how much the spoiler warning gives away about the chapter's contents and significance in relationship to the wider plot. If you do not find warnings helpful, feel free to skip this feature.
If you continue with the story, at present, there are a few other stories of varying lengths in the works that all connect or expand upon characters, relationships, and dynamics explored within "Lumos" and which occupy the same "Lumos!Universe." As such, I recommend reading "Lumos" first (though it is not strictly necessary).
If you are interested: Presently, two of these works are available to the public. "Chaser" is a one-shot centered around Fred & Angelina. "Mollywobbles" is a novel-length WIP centered on Arthur and Molly that is posted intermittently, alongside Lumos. You can find either on my Wattpad profile or on my AO3 account (Treesap). For maximum enjoyment of "Chaser," I recommend reading up through at least the "Ashes, Ashes" in "Lumos." For "Mollywobbles," I suggest first reading through "Matriarch," in Lumos, (although it's not necessary). <3
At the time of this added note, "Lumos" is nearing its completion. When the story is 1-2 months from being finished/posted in its entirety, I will release an announcement in the most recent chapter's note, as well as here.
