Vagary

{Four}

Hermione pulled her head up from getting sick to her stomach with tears in her eyes. Harry rushed towards her, completely forgetting their plight of being unable to go back to where they belonged and hugged her tight. It was second nature to close them in spells while they sat there, the war close on their heels, both mourning more than they ever could have imagined. What made this any different?

Having a sobbing Hermione in his arms was a tragic thing, and he tried to comfort his friend best he could as he thought about everything they'd left behind and how he never should have written that bloody book that had gotten them here. His mind couldn't help it now that this was permanent, and he worried how Malfoy would react. He seemed so confident that he'd have his Harry back, that he'd do anything for him, but now?

Putting it from his mind, he tugged Hermione a little closer.

Some time went by like this before Harry let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fuck."

"Harry," she sniffled, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," he told her, and he meant every word as he stroked her back.

"No, I know, but Harry, you're married to Malfoy," she said at an attempt to lighten his mood. He gave her a chuckle for morale's sake, and let her pull back as she obviously wanted to.

Seeming to feel better, she continued, "Merlin, that was dreadful. How'd you figure out what I was thinking?" She asked, wiping at tears and holding her stomach, Whether it was in pain from the vomiting or protectiveness of her new information, Harry wasn't sure.

"We're them now, physically, and we can't... destroy the book, it won't do any good. Nor can we go that far back in time. Imagine how long we'd need to stand in the time turner for that, you reckon?"

"Sometimes you're brilliant, Harry."

He only laughed, not feeling very smart as they moped on his bathroom floor.

"What are you going to do?" She asked gently.

Knowing she meant about his marriage (that would take some getting used to), Harry only shrugged.

"I'd promised him we wouldn't be here for long, that he'd have his Harry back... but now... I mean I've taken his husband away, what am I supposed to do? I don't love him."

He never thought he'd feel bad for Malfoy, but really, he'd taken the man's husband away just because he decided to write a stupid book. On a brighter note, he wouldn't ever let Hermione live down the fact that sometimes books could be bad for you.

"You ought to discuss it with him."

Harry nodded, then looked up at her, his married-to-Snape, pregnant-with-their-child, best friend.

"What are you going to do?"

Hermione sighed, hugging herself and closing her eyes, willing the nausea to go away.

"Stay married to Snape, I suppose. Live this Hermione's life... my life," she gestured to herself pathetically. "I can't come clean now... I mean I suppose I could, but what good would that do him? And honestly, I could have made out worse. It could be Draco's father I'm married to."

Smiling, she was glad she could make Harry laugh from her own difficulties.

"You're a good person, Hermione. Better than I."

She scoffed. "You would have done the same if you were me. And don't act like this isn't working out better for you, I mean... Harry you'll get to know your parents for the rest of their natural lives."

Taking that in, he nearly started crying again, though it would have been from extreme joy. Gods, his parents, and from here on, he would know them and see them, not just ghosts of their former selves, younger than he was now.

"I won't lie, I'm very excited for it... and if it means having to deal with Malfoy or even get to know him, then that's a rather cheap price."

Hermione agreed with a slight nod.

"I wonder if I'm having a boy or a girl?"

"That's what you're thinking about?"

"Well, would you like me to focus on the fact we now both have marriages we have to uphold with bonds we didn't agree to?"

Harry raised his hands in defeat. "Alright... I'll do the spell then."

Hermione smiled as though she won something while he took down the wards he'd thrown up earlier then pointed his wand and cast the incantation. They had to wait a few moments to see the results, white light for a girl and red for a boy.

"Do you think they miss us downstairs?"

"No... maybe. I feel like a right idiot not knowing anything about anyone. I can't predict anything about the way they'd feel if they're not the people we knew."

"This will be interesting, for sure," Hermione said as she watched Harry's wand. They were still waiting while the magic determined its results when he remembered an earlier topic he thought he wouldn't have to come to terms with.

"Hermione-" he said, tone flat and his eyes trained on her.

"What?"

"Ginny... she isn't-" faltering, wondering if he should even tell her right now as she waited for good news, Harry groaned and just outed with it. "She passed away in her fourth year here."

If it weren't for the faint white glow of Harry's wand, Hermione might have been far more upset about this news. As it were, they barely had the time for all of these miserable feelings, the whiplash of it making Hermione sick to her stomach again.

This time, however, she just mourned and rejoiced in Harry's arm, scooting across the floor and burying into his chest. Nausea be damned, she needed a hug.

"You've gained some muscle," she told him through the tears.

"Really... I thought I always looked like this?"

He was serious, and she was heartbroken enough to just laugh at him, curling up in themselves while they dealt with everything going on in their head.

Footsteps approached, then a soft voice, "Are you two alright?"

Harry looked up at Malfoy -his husband, Merlin save him- and nodded. "We've got to talk later. You and I."

"Yeah... I just came up to say your parents are here."

This perked even Hermione up, the Potter reputation preceding the couple downstairs.

"Showtime," she whispered to him, casting a quick glamour on her reddened eyes, suggesting he do the same.

And for the first time since he was an infant, Harry Potter was going to meet his parents in the flesh.