"They did," Bones returned. "They even sent an Unspeakable to visit Dumbledore and told him directly. He basically threw them out of his office and said he knew, for a fact, it would be either Mister Potter or your grandson even before the two boys were born.
Then, as he was still Chief Warlock at the time, he ordered Saul to not come forward with that information to anyone else under his imprimatur authority as Chief Warlock, as he considered it a security of the realm issue."
Longbottom scoffed and said, "He really abused that authority a lot, didn't he?"
Bones nodded and said, "He did."
"Bastard."
"Bastard," said Neville Longbottom.
He and his grandmother were sitting at his Head of House desk in the office at Longbottom Manor; he, now sitting in the office chair, while she sat opposite. His grandmother had just relayed to him what she and the Minister had discussed.
"That was my thought, too," she said. "Both of us had also run through the mental exercise to see if the prophecy could also apply to either of us if we were male. It can, if you stretch things a bit.
"And, if we can logically deduce either of us could be the Chosen One if not for our gender, then it is not a difficult exercise to extrapolate that to recognise there would be a great many people - wizards, squibs, muggles to whom it could also apply.
A week later and at the Black Townhouse, Harry had barely left the house for the past week. His focus was on getting his girlfriend (Luna), godfather (Sirius), honorary uncle (Remus) and his honorary uncle's girlfriend (Tonks) up to some level of snuff with his way of performing combat magics. And the four had made significant leaps and bounds in accomplishing what they needed.
When he was honest with himself about it, Harry realised they were learning it so fast because of a number of factors. Firstly, they were in a war and getting fast at casting and dodging could mean the difference between life and death 'tomorrow'. Secondly, they had trust in him not to lead them astray; or, at least to not 'bullshit' them. Thirdly, with the exception of Tonks - who still had to go to work as an auror they had nothing else to do with their time, but learn and train. And fourthly, Harry was actually a damned fine teacher.
The other matter was Harry and Luna's relationship.
Harry had sat her down in their room and asked the young woman outright, "How long have you known you were the one for me?" "Off and on since just before we headed to the Ministry that night," she replied. "It actually became clear to me I could be your future spouse just after the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"I tried to See what I could do to resolve those visions over summer and into fourth year... my fourth year and your fifth. That's the main reason I joined the DA; one of the first to join, too."
"When were you sure?" he asked.
"That night in the Ministry, as you were knocked back through the Astra Porta. It was you going through the Astra Porta which firmed it all up. Before that, my visions mainly centred on you eventually marrying Ginny."
Harry took only a moment to consider that before he gave a shudder of distaste. "No way."
"Yes, way," she returned. "Potions." Horrified, he asked, "She was going to use potions on me?"
Nodding, she replied, "Her mother would have driven her to employing them. However, after a couple of years you would have discovered what she'd done and was doing and handed her over to the DMLE to be prosecuted.
"From that, she and her mother would both have been tossed through the Astra Porta after first being convicted of Line Theft. Fred would have been killed before then in battle with the Death Eaters, so that left only Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, George and Ron still alive.
"Ron would have married Hermione. However, he'd have killed her in a drunken rage only a few years later when she received a promotion while working at the Ministry. It would have been the same day he was also kicked out of the Auror Academy in his final year for stealing from his fellow cadets. That she was receiving a promotion while he was being fired was all too much for him.
"You would have then hunted him down and, when he resisted arrest and tried to curse you, you'd have killed him. It would have led you to cutting all ties with the remaining Weasleys, right there.
"At that point I would have stepped in and we'd have married within the year."
"So, we were going to marry, anyway?" he asked.
"If all had gone as it was heading... yes," she replied. "However, I'd have never let things get that far that, for a start, the Battle of Hogwarts would have occurred as it would otherwise have occurred. That meant Fred Weasley, along with a great many others, would at least have lived. Then I'd've made sure Hermione never married Ron." Suddenly realising something, Harry said, "You advised Sirius to get Hermione out of the country, didn't you!"
"Yes," she replied. "It was the only way to save her from Molly Weasley's potions and Albus Dumbledore's manipulations. It was the only way I could See, at the time, to save her life."
"Thank you!" he gratefully returned.
She just nodded back and replied, "You're welcome. However, I only had that option because you went through the Astra Porta. If you hadn't, she'd have never willingly left; even with Sirius arranging with her parents for her to go."
"Because I would have still been here," he said, understanding her point.
"Yes," she replied. "And, she'd have come back, even if she was forced to go. Then she'd have still succumbed to the potions and..." He continued, "And, she'd have still been murdered by Ron Weasley?"
"Yes."
Harry was a long moment, thinking things over, before he said, "You know... I think I could kill him just for that. He might not have killed her now... he might not ever kill her... but he stillrepresents a threat to her."
Then he looked to her and asked, "Does he still represent a threat to her?"
"Yes," she replied. "However, it is a very tiny one. A lot of things would have to happen... I would have to allow and steer them to happen... for Ron to be a threat to Hermione ever again. You no longer need to worry about Ron harming Hermione, even through accident."
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