CHAPTER SIX

PARADOX UNWOUND

"Harry?" A faint voice said with concern. "Harry, are you ok?"

He frowned at the familiar voice but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard it before. "Hello?" He asked cautiously. He opened his eyes tentatively and saw his own eyes looking back at him. The woman's face the eyes belonged to was framed by a cascade of long auburn hair. "M-Mum?" He asked incredulously.

"Hello, Sweetie." His mother said tenderly. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

Harry's mind reeled at the implications. "I-I'm dead?" He whispered with shock showing in his wide eyes.

"We all are, here, sweetie." She said quietly as tears began to streak down her cheeks.

"Son ..." James Potter said tenderly offering a hand to his son. "I know it's a shock ..."

"A SHOCK!?" Harry shouted pulling away from the offered help to his feet. "You're damn straight it's a shock! If ... If I'm dead, that means that Voldemort ..." Harry looked up in surprise. "I-If I'm dead that means that Voldemort ..."

His mother smiled for the first time. "No, Harry." She said comfortingly. "Voldemort died before you did. You were on the operating table at St. Mungo's when you died ..."

Realization hit Harry. He had finally defeated Voldemort, but what about his friends? What about Hermione? His heart began to break at the thought of never being with her again, of never seeing her smile or the way that she furrowed her brow when she was deep in thought. He felt the tears start to swell when the thought of family flitted across his mind and he had hoped that Hermione would be the one to build that family with. He got to his feet, wiped his eyes and looked around for the first time. They were standing on a grassy hillock under a sky of the purest blue. There were small puffy clouds dancing on an unseen wind and all around them were fields of wildflowers. Beyond the fields was a crystal blue lake with a beautifully green forest lining one side.

Harry sighed. "This place is beautiful." He admitted. "Not as beautiful as Hermione, though."

"You'll see her again, sweetie." His mother said as she pulled him into a motherly embrace. "It'll be a while, but you'll see her again. From what we've seen, she's a wonderful girl."

"Y-You can see what's happening?" Harry asked with surprise.

"Of course, son." James said with a sad smile. "Did you think we wouldn't watch over you after all this time?"

Harry looked at his father and within seconds pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, Dad, I was just upset. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"It's alright, Harry." His father said as he embraced his son. "We fully understand what it's like. My father and mother, your grandparents, were here for me and your mother when we arrived. I went through the same thing, so did your mum."

"Harry! I can't say I'm glad to see you so soon, but I am!"

Harry turned and saw his godfather stride up the small hillock they were all standing on.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted as he was caught in a fatherly hug. "I've missed you!"

He looked back to his mother and father and crossed to them as fast as he could. "I've missed you too, Mum, Dad." They quickly hugged.

"We'll have as long as we want to get to know one another again, Harry." His mother said with a smile and a tear of joy slipped down her cheek.

When they broke the family embrace, Harry smiled happily for the first time he could recall. "I can't believe that I'll finally be with you from now on." He looked at the others and his smile grew bigger.

"Come on, Harry! Come on!"

"What?" Harry said as he looked to Sirius. "Where do you want me to go?"

Sirius's smile faded. "I didn't ask you to go anywhere, Harry."

Harry looked at his father. "Dad?"

James shook his head. "I didn't say anything, Son."

Harry looked at his mother whose face had suddenly lost its glow.

"Harry ..." She said tentatively and tears started streaking down her cheeks.

"What's happening?" Harry said curiously. His family seemed to be slipping slowly away from him though they weren't actually moving.

"We love you, Son!" James shouted.

"Take care, Harry! We'll see you later, we promise!" Sirius called with a wave.

"We'll see you again, Sweetie!" His mother called after him.

"Mum? Dad?" He looked at her again and she had stretched her hand out to him. "MUM!" He grabbed for her hand but she was just out of reach. He found himself shouting as he snapped into a sitting position with his hand stretched out into empty air.

He looked around the room, his heart racing and he flinched at the pain in his sides. He was in St. Mungo's and in pretty bad shape from the soreness and pain that was wracking his body.

Hermione snapped her head up at the sudden shout and her eyes went wide when she saw that Harry was awake.

"HARRY!" She cried as she threw her arms around him in a fit of sobs. "I thought I'd lost you again!"

The door burst open and Dumbledore entered the room at a run.

"Harry! You're alive!" His old headmaster crossed the room and stood next to him. "We thought you had died ..." He said with a grin and a twinkle in his eyes.

Ron was soon to follow and without hesitation joined Hermione by clapping the stunned Harry Potter on the back. "Good to see you back in the land of the living, mate!"

"Why did they bring me back?!" Harry asked quietly. "I was with them, I was with Mum, Dad, and Sirius ..." He realized there was nothing he could do about it and he looked at the three friends before him. "I'm sorry." He said quietly as he returned Hermione's hug. Wait a minute, did she say again?

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry." Albus said as his smile went wider. "You've saved the wizarding world, Harry. I'm sorry that you were taken from your family again, but it seems that it wasn't your time to go."

Harry's vision began to blur. "I'm hungry." He said sleepily.

Dumbledore looked at the savior of the wizarding world and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest first, my boy, get some rest. You deserve it."

Harry nodded and fell asleep still feeling Hermione pressed tightly against him. He held onto her as best he could and found himself in dreams where he and Hermione were finally together, building the family that he so desperately wanted.

Harry woke with a start. "Ouch!" He groaned in displeasure.

"Harry, Dear!" Mrs. Weasley snapped to and rushed to his side. "H-how are you feeling?" She put a comforting hand on his shoulder as softly as she could. Harry looked into the eyes of his surrogate mother and noticed the tear stains that enveloped her cheeks, the dark circles that told him she'd been awake far too long, and the disheveled hair that meant she'd rushed to the hospital without a second thought.

"I'm ok, just a bit sore." He said quietly.

Molly Weasley broke down into fits of tears as she cradled his head in her hands. "I'm so, happy that you made it, Harry." She laughed and cried at the same time while her tears splashed into his hair.

Harry remembered that Hermione had been there when he fell asleep. "Where's Hermione?" He asked as he was pulled into a motherly embrace.

She pulled back and sniffed. "She's gone to the cafeteria with Ron." She smiled at him comfortingly. "She said something about you being hungry."

Harry smiled. "I guess I did say that, didn't I?" He laughed at the recollection. "How are Remus and Tonks?" He asked suddenly remembering his two friends unconscious on the floor of the lift car.

"They're fine, Harry." Molly said with a smile. "They were brought in shortly before you were. They had concussions and bruises, but nothing major."

Harry sighed in relief. "That's good. Lupin lost a lot of blood and I didn't know if my healing charms were strong enough."

"Oh, they were, Harry." Remus said at the door. He was supporting Tonks who seemed to still be a bit woozy.

"Remus!" Harry said with a smile. "Tonks! I'm glad you got through it all ok!"

"Well, if Dumbledore hadn't moved that statue in the way of those killing curses, we might not have made it!" Tonks said with a smile as the two friends made their way over to Harry. "Thanks, Harry." She said as she caught him in a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

"You don't need to thank me." Harry said with a blush. "You would have done the same for me."

Lupin clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "That we would have, Harry!" He said with a smile. "Come on Nymph, let's get you back to your room, you still don't look too well."

"Don't call me that!" She hissed through clenched teeth as everyone laughed. "I'll see you later, Harry, take care now!" She and Remus waved and left the room.

"Well, have you told Hermione yet?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a sly grin.

"Told her what?" Harry looked at her in confusion.

"About your feelings, dear." She smiled back. "There's nothing stopping you now."

"Well, I think I did before we apparated here." Harry said with a look of concentration on his face. "Everything was a blur after the fight and I vaguely remember saying something ... How did you know?"

"We mother's know these things, Harry." She retorted with a laugh. "I know I'm not your real mother, but you've been a part of our family for such a long time, and so has Hermione. It's difficult not to see what's going on."

Mrs. Weasley sat back in the bedside chair Harry looked at the smiling woman and said in a very quiet voice, "I saw them, Molly."

"Who, dear?" She asked as she pulled a brush through her hair and looking relieved at the simple activity.

"I saw Mum, Dad, and Sirius." He said with a sigh. "Mum told me she was surprised to see me so soon ... I guess she knew I wouldn't be there long."

Mrs. Weasley smiled softly and put a comforting hand on his arm. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. You'll see them again someday and I'm sure you know that they'll always be here for you."

A small smile twitched to life on Harry's face. "They all said they'd see me again ... I'm looking forward to it but I'm more looking forward to her." He added quietly as he looked to the doorway where a smiling Hermione was standing.

"You're awake! I hope it's longer than last time, Harry." She walked swiftly to the side of his bed after a quick hug from Mrs. Weasley.

"I'll leave you two to catch up." She said with a wink to Harry and left the room.

Harry smiled at his surrogate mother and then looked at the girl pulling the chair closer to the bed. "Hi." He said softly as he took her hand.

Hermione blushed and smiled shyly at him. "Hi."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments but Harry broke it by clearing his throat. "Thanks." He said simply. "Thanks for being there at the end, I don't think I would have been able to make it without you."

He was startled to see tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" He asked quietly as he wiped her tears from her cheeks. Hermione's voice echoed in his mind. 'I thought I'd lost you again!'

She sniffed and held his hand tighter. "I-I thought you were dead, Harry." She said after a moment. "You felt so cold and limp when we got here ..."

"Hermione, what did you mean when you said 'I thought I'd lost you again'?" He asked quietly. "When did you ever lose me?"

Hermione snapped her head up and looked him in the eyes. She glanced away as tears began to run down her cheeks again. "I ... you, you died in my arms on graduation night." She said bluntly.

"WHAT?" Harry asked incredulously. "How could I have?"

Hermione smiled for a moment and looked at him. "It wasn't you, Harry, but a future version of you. That you caused a paradox that destroyed the timeline he belonged to."

Harry looked at her in confusion then remembered third year. "He, I, that version of me used a time turner?" He asked incredulously.

Hermione nodded. "By telling me what was going to happen, he doomed his timeline including himself to destruction. H-He died in my arms a-and faded away." She broke down in tears and Harry pulled her into a comforting hug. "Damnit, Harry! I wasn't worth that!"

Harry stroked her hair lovingly and cooed softly to her. "Shh, I'm sorry, Hermione." He whispered. "But you're wrong, you are everything to me." He said in a barely audible whisper.

"What?" She sniffed and pulled back to look into his eyes.

"I said that you're everything to me, Hermione." Harry said with a serious tone. "I guess you meant so much to me that I was willing to throw everything else away."

Hermione looked into his shining emerald eyes. "Why? Why didn't you just tell me, Harry?"

"I was afraid that you didn't feel the same for me." He said quietly as he looked at his hands. "After that summer when Sirius died, I couldn't imagine wanting to live, but after your visits, I realized that I wanted nothing to do but spend the rest of my life with you." He looked back to her face and scanned for any reaction with a faint glimmer of hope.

He didn't have to wait long before he found himself on the receiving end of the sweetest kiss he had ever had or ever wanted. Lightning seemed to jolt from Hermione's soft, wet lips through his and start a chain reaction of nervous warmth that spread through his body. He pulled her in closer and reciprocated with a passion that he had never experienced and felt her arms encircle him with her fingers running haphazardly through his hair.

They broke apart after several, short, minutes.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked with a smile.

Harry nodded mutely as a goofy grin spread across his face and he pulled her into another long kiss. After they finished their second kiss, Hermione pulled him into a tight hug.

"And since you didn't hear me when we got here, I love you too, Harry." She whispered in his ear.

A/N:There you have it. The Time Turner challenge completed! I hope you've all enjoyed it and I really appreciated all of the reviews! :) This, as you can see, was my first time travel/paradox kind of fic and I hope I didn't confuse anyone with it. Unfortunately due to the nature of the fic, there was alot of re-used text and scenes that I tried to change due to the first trip that Harry made. And I hope you like the happy ending :) On to other H/Hr fics of fluff! (or maybe just more fics :) )

-Ex