Emerald Orbs

When Hermione’s Purgative Potion had finished the first explosive first stage of its effect, Harry busied himself with preparing her room. He had been planning this for months. His first inkling of suspicion came during the hunt for Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Ron couldn’t very well dose their food when they barely had anything to eat, could he? In the two years since then it seemed like Hermione chalked the friction between the three of them up to the Locket fraying on their nerves, but Harry knew better now. 

“You’ll need to sleep and let your magic keep working on sweating out whatever effects you’re under. I’ll be just down the hall. I know this has all come as a shock, but I’m here for you,” Harry reassured her. He steadied Hermione by her elbow and led her towards the bed. “Towels and toiletries are in the ensuite bathroom. Just call if there’s anything you need.”

Hermione flopped face down on the bed and groaned loudly.

“You need to tell me everything tomorrow. I can’t believe I’m engaged to Ron Weasley, a man with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”

Harry chuckled, his emerald orbs flashing with mirth, “I’ll prepare my notes for after breakfast. I could really use that brilliant mind of yours on where we go from here”

—

Hermione walked into the kitchen while Harry was puttering away on the hob. He didn’t really miss making breakfast for the Dursleys, but they did leave him quite prepared for adult life. More than Dudley, in any case. 

“Morning. How’re you feeling ‘Mione?”

“Much better. I am of course reeling from this enormous betrayal, but I am eager to start planning our revenge.”

“Great! Okay, so I have some vague ideas so far, but I was so focused on getting you out from under their thumb that I don’t have anything concrete yet. Let’s eat, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Hermione started tucking in to the delicious spread Harry had prepared, and gave him as much attention as she could spare. She wasn’t aware of just how great Harry was at cooking before, but now that she finally could sample his fry-up, she was amazed. A full breakfast, with bacon, sausages, fried tomato, eggs, some mushrooms, hash browns, black pudding, baked beans and toast. The pinnacle of British cuisine, as at least half of it was fat and even the meagre amount of vegetables had been turned into greasy goodness. 

“Well, I guess I should start at the beginning,” Harry said, steepling his fingers under his chin. “At first I thought it was just the Locket messing with my head, but while we were in the tent I can’t recall ever thinking of Ginny Weasley. Not even on the days where we did nothing at all because we had no leads. I was supposed to be torn up about breaking up with her, but really, since Bill and Fleur’s wedding she never crossed my mind. Also, she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”

Hermione hummed thoughtfully at that, and gestured for Harry to continue.

“Then, when all was said and done and I’d died for their sins, Molly invited us back to the Burrow for a celebratory dinner, and suddenly I couldn’t take my eyes off her. You and Ginny both went back to Hogwarts after that summer and I started Auror training. Ron washed out after a couple of weeks, but I stuck with it. Towards the end of my trainee-period, one of the last lessons I had was about detecting poisons and potions. Something pinged, I was rushed to the infirmary, and then given a Purgative Potion just like I gave you.”

“Oh! That’s when you stopped coming over to the Burrow for Sunday dinner a couple of months ago?”

“Yeah, I was all clear at that point. Then, and this is the really unbelievable part, I went to Gringotts. Turns out, they really hate Horcruxes so I was able to smooth over their ruffled feathers from when we broke in, stole their dragon, ruined the lobby and all that by explaining our reasons. Did some goblins die during that thing? I can’t really remember” Harry paused, deep in thought. “I guess it didn’t really matter either way. Anyway, when negotiating reparations for that whole adventure, they called me Lord a bunch. When I asked what that was about, they told me about how the Wizengamot is just a bunch of Lords deciding everything or something, and that I was Lord Potter and Lord Black.”

“Yeah of course, this is all covered in History of Magic. I thought you knew and didn’t care?” Hermione was really puzzled. Looking back, they’d never really discussed politics, even when she was an oppressed minority and was best friends with someone that could really wield a lot of political power and make changes to their society. 

“No I never realised I could use my obscene levels of fame, hereditary political seats or massive wealth for anything, I just wanted to enforce the discriminatory laws and practices of the government I never had any faith in.”

“Makes sense to me,” Hermione smiled. It’d been too long since it was just the two of them, chatting and just being together. With them both being quite new to their jobs, and Harry no longer coming to the Burrow on Sundays, she found that she missed him quite a lot more than she expected. 

“Then, while auditing all of my many vaults, they discovered that Molly Weasley had been withdrawing a thousand galleons every month. I really should have wondered why she had my vault key during the summer before our second year, and she never gave it back or anything. Now, while the goblins hate thieves and stealing, they don’t really care about what they called wizard on wizard crime, so they couldn’t magically solve all my problems like I expected. They have been tutoring me on politics, Curse-Breaking, and Combat Magic, in addition to their healers helping me with the repercussions from having a Horcrux attached to my forehead and childhood malnutrition, you know, normal bank stuff. That’s why I look super jacked now.” 

Harry was indeed super jacked now. Hermione had noticed last night, but didn’t think much of it until he mentioned it, but gone was the scrawny, wiry frame he sported throughout their school-years. He was well muscled, and he must’ve shot up several inches. 

“So that’s why you’re so hot now? The goblins?”

“Yes, I am very attractive, as are you.” Harry said, making Hermione blush. He didn’t seem to notice, and continued speaking. “I haven’t really started planning for our revenge, but seeing as we are now both potion free, and we have the same information available to us, I think this would be the perfect time for a brainstorming session. Just let me clear away the table and tidy up, if you would step into the sitting room and wait for me there?”

Hermione turned toward the door he indicated, and stepped into a richly furnished sitting room. She didn’t think it was too flashy, gauche or gaudy, it was an understated display of wealth. Harry was definitely rich, but he wasn’t weird about it. It was really lucky how Harry was so humble, he really had everything. And he found Hermione attractive! 

— 

As far as Harry could tell, Dumbledore and Molly Weasley were the instigators behind the entire plot against Hermione and him. Dumbledore didn’t really account for the fact that Harry would survive having the Horcrux removed, and decided that the Weasleys deserved a reward for their long and loyal service. As Dumbledore was dead, there wasn’t really much to be done about him, and his actions towards Harry were mostly negligence anyway. If you overlooked him approving of Molly making potions for her kids to ensnare Harry and Hermione at least, that really wasn’t very nice. Arthur and the older brothers had no idea about any of it, according to Harry’s investigations. That left Molly, Ron and Ginny.

Hermione uncrossed her legs and leaned forward as Harry entered the sitting room carrying a stack of parchment. “I think we need to decide what we should focus on first. Obviously, we need to hit every aspect of their lives,” Hermione stated. She was quite looking forward to this. The Weasleys had worked to rob her of her agency and self-determination, and they would get no quarter.

“Good idea. I think, if we split their lives into distinct areas, we can decide what to do about each part.” Harry sat down opposite her, and spread his notes on the coffee table. “This is the research I’ve done so far. Financially, I’m not sure if there’s much we can do. Obviously, Molly doesn’t have a personal income, as she doesn’t work. Ron helps whichever twin survived with the shop. Ginny has done some tryouts for different quidditch teams but so far haven’t received an offer.”

“I don’t see an obvious angle there. I guess you could use your position as a shareholder for the shop to get Ron fired?”

“I suppose. It’s not that satisfying though, and the shop isn’t really earning enough for him helping out here and there to be a livable wage.”

“How about socially? Could we get them shunned from society somehow?”

Harry’s emerald orbs twinkled. “I don’t think isolating them should be very hard. Molly is a harridan, and doesn’t really have much of a social circle now that the Order of the Phoenix has been disbanded. Rons only social contact was with or through the two of us. Ginny does have some friends with the younger Gryffindors, but as far as I can tell it’s not very deep, and wouldn’t take much to make them drop her”

Hermione giggled. An idea began to form, and she decided to voice it before she lost her nerve. “What if we got married?”

Harry stared silently at Hermione for a moment.

“I’m not saying no,” he said, and Hermione’s breath hitched. “But I would like to hear your reasoning.” Hermione rubbed her hands together nervously, and stared into those captivating emerald orbs.