Summary:
It's Christmas in Harry's third year. When Hermione causes his new Firebolt to be confiscated, he realizes that she is more important than any broomstick to him. Continues on from there through their fourth year. Technology is 10 years ahead.Harry Potter, K, English, Romance & Humor, chapters: 45, words: 121k+, favs: 6k+, follows: 2k+, updated: Oct 15, 2007 published: Apr 10, 2006, [Harry P., Hermione G.] Ron W.
Chapter 1
Starts in …
…The Prisoner of Azkaban – Chapter 11 – The Firebolt
Harry sat there watching Professor McGonagall walking out the portrait hole carrying the greatest broom in the world – his Firebolt that he'd owned for a few short hours. He watched one of his best friends scream at the other, "What did you go running to McGonagall for?"
Harry knew that was a good question. Hermione had never turned him in for anything, even before they were friends. He knew she wasn't mad at him, so there had to be a reason. He just couldn't see it.
Hermione threw her book aside. She was pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly. "Because I thought – and Professor McGonagall agrees with me – that that broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!"
"What?" exclaimed Harry, shocked, "How could he?"
"There's no way!" shouted Ron. "You're just jealous!"
"Jealous?" retorted Hermione, her face turning red with anger. "Why? I don't even like flying!"
"That someone would spend that much on Harry and not you!" Ron shouted back.
"I AM NOT…" shouted Hermione, now furious with Ron.
"STOP! Both of you!" shouted Harry, earning glares from both Ron and Hermione. He then calmly stated, "It's my broom, Ron. If anyone's gonna yell at Hermione about it, I will."
"Fine!" agreed Ron. "You're right! Go ahead and yell at her for running to…"
"Ron," interrupted Harry firmly, "Hermione has been our best friend for over two years. I think she deserves the right to explain herself. I don't think she'd turn in the broom out of jealousy." He then turned at Hermione, who appeared nervous but pleased that Harry was willing to listen. "Before I yell at you, Hermione," he said calmly, "I want to understand why you believe Sirius Black sent me that broom."
At this point Ron's face turned bright red as he shouted, "I can't believe you're listening to that traitor!" and stormed out of the room.
She appeared very nervous. "Well, Harry," she began while looking down, "Sirius Black is out to get you, and this would be the perfect way." She then began looking him in the eye. "If he's hexed the broom to throw you off the way Professor Quirrel did in first year, it'd look like an accident. You've already fallen off a broom once this year, and I for one don't want it to happen again." Tears began falling down her cheeks at this point, but she kept looking straight at him. "I'm sorry that I did it behind your back, and, er, if that means you're mad at me, I, er, guess that's how it is. Your life means more to me than your friendship."
At that moment she ran toward the stairs that led to the girls' dorm. Harry easily caught up with her before she reached them. He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. They locked eyes for about ten seconds before he smiled at her and assured her, "You haven't lost my friendship, Hermione. I know you did what you did because you care about me." He then gave her a quick embrace, which caused a big smile to form on Hermione's face. He looked a little nervous as he released her. "That, er, means a lot to me."
"Thank you for understanding, Harry. What are we gonna do about Ron?"
"I don't know," Harry replied miserably. "He seems to bring out the worst in me."
"He just needs to grow up a little," Hermione giggled.
"What's so funny?" asked a confused Harry.
"I was just imagining how loud he'd scream at me if I told him to grow up. But then again, when isn't he yelling at me?"
"The only reason we don't argue is because I let him talk about quidditch all the time," Harry chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I like quidditch, but really, there's a lot more to life than a game."
"Things like friendship and trust."
"Exactly."
Hermione gave her friend an appraising look. "That seems awfully grown up, Harry."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe facing Voldemort twice, having a killer after you, and nearly dying from a fall will get you to start thinking about things besides games." He sighed. "I've been thinking about what's important to me, and I know that you're a whole lot more important than any broomstick to me."
She smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad to hear it. You mean more than a broomstick to me, too."
He smiled back. "I know I mean more than a broomstick to you, but what about your books?"
She chuckled and asked, "Which books? My divination book, yes. Hogwarts, a History, maybe…"
"Want to take a walk?" Harry asked.
"All right. Maybe we can build a snow person."
They got their coats, hats, and gloves from their dorms, and met back downstairs within five minutes. Harry helped her through the portrait hole, and subconsciously took her hand. They walked hand in hand through the castle, out into the grounds, found a good spot, and built a snowman when Harry insisted he'd be too embarrassed to make it a woman.
They wound up hanging together a lot during the rest of the break since Ron was still mad at Hermione for turning the broom in and Harry for speaking to Hermione. Ron ended up being miserable for the holidays while Harry and Hermione were happy. Harry found himself thinking about Hermione often when they weren't together, and wondered if he was starting to 'like' her as more than a friend.
The holidays were ending as more students started arriving back at the school. Harry and Hermione decided to go for another walk, hand in hand, on the last day before term started. They were talking amiably until they heard a familiar sneering voice shout, "Hey Potter, holding hands with the mudblood? Surely a celebrity like you can do better than that!"
Harry released her hand, grabbed his wand, and stepped in front of Hermione. "It's none of your business, Malfoy, so get out of here!"
"Not very friendly, are you?" he shot back.
"Get out of here, Dracula, son of Lucifer!" yelled Hermione with a smile on her face.
"How dare you speak to me, you filthy mudblood!"
Hermione stepped around Harry to face Draco. "Can't you come up with anything to call me besides mudblood? I can come up with a lot of things to call you, such as foul, evil, lying devil. Son of a Death Eater. Arrogant, cocky git! Ridiculous self-important nothing! Stupid coward! Idiotic little boy who can't think for himself, who's been told by his daddy that he's important because of something he had no control over, even though he's never accomplished anything for himself except for getting mediocre grades! Losers like you brag about your parentage because you know you'll never accomplish anything yourself!"
While this was going on, Harry was watching her with admiration while his wand was pointed at Draco, just in case.
Draco, whose face was falling, looked like he was on the verge of tears, finally shouted, "I don't have to listen to you, mudblood!" and ran off.
Harry started laughing and turned to the girl beside him. Without thinking he hugged her and kissed her cheek saying, "That was bloody brilliant!" and looked in her eyes again as she blushed. When he realized what he'd done, he blushed too. "I'm, er, sorry."
"You're sorry that you kissed me?" asked Hermione with a smile, knowing she was embarrassing Harry. "I'm not."
"Y-You're not?" stuttered Harry. "W-What if I'd kissed your lips?"
Hermione was blushing even more than before. "I wouldn't have been sorry if you'd done that, either."
Harry took a deep breath. "I-I'm not sure what's been happening to me, lately. I've been wanting to do that for about a week. I-I've been starting to kinda like you, er, as a girl."
She replied quickly, "Well, I am a girl, and well, I've kind of started liking you as a boy."
"You have?"
"Yes."
They stood there and stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. It was at least thirty seconds, until Hermione nervously broke the silence. "If you would like to kiss me, g-go ahead."
"I, well I've just never kissed…"
"I know. Me, neither."
They slowly moved their faces together, managing to bump their noses together three times until Harry suggested Hermione stay still. They'll never be able to describe the sensations they felt when their lips finally met, but they liked it. Hermione commented, "That was nice, but I think we should practice."
They were still 'practicing' when Ron, walking with Neville, came upon them. Ron shouted, "I don't believe it!" causing Harry and Hermione, who both started blushing, to break apart.
Neville said, "Excuse me," as he went bright red and got away from there as fast as he could.
Hermione glared at Ron. "What don't you believe, Ron?"
"Harry, how could you kiss, er, Hermione?" asked Ron, inserting his foot deeper into his mouth.
"Why shouldn't I kiss her?" asked Harry, getting annoyed.
"She's, she's Hermione. I mean, no one wants to kiss…"
"Ron," recommended Harry, "for your safety I would suggest you stop talking now."
"Why should I?" demanded Ron, getting angry. "I know why you're kissing her! You figure that since no one else wants her she'll let you take advantage…"
"SINCE NO ONE ELSE WANTS ME!?" shouted Hermione, causing Ron to take a step backwards, "TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME!?"
At this point, Harry shrugged his shoulders and quickly remarked, "I tried to warn you," while he took a step away from them, pulling his wand out in case the fight got out of control.
Harry wasn't the only one pulling out their wand. Hermione shouted, "How dare you say no one wants me! I don't see any girls lining up to date you! I know I never will!"
Ron turned a shade of purple that reminded Harry of his Uncle Vernon before shouting back, "As if I'd want you to…"
"Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Hermione, causing Ron to fall face first in the snow as he experienced the full Body-Bind.
"Hermione, that's enough," insisted Harry. "Calm down."
She looked back at Harry, took a deep breath and agreed, "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. It's just…" At that moment she started crying. "It's just I know part of what he said is true. I know I'm plain and my hair…"
"Stop talking about my girlfriend like that," Harry argued as he walked up to her. "I like you just the way you are, and I don't think you're plain. I, er, think you're pretty." He then pulled her into a tight embrace and held her close for about a minute. Then, he pushed them apart just enough so he could wipe away her tears with his left hand while his right hand was still on her back. He then kissed her on the lips once more. "I think you'd better release Ron before a teacher finds him."
After she performed the counter curse on Ron, he glared at the two of them. Harry explained, "Hermione and I are going out, and you're going to have to accept it if you want to hang out with us." Without saying a word, Ron turned around and walked away.
"I wonder if he'll ever speak to us again," commented Hermione.
"That, Hermione," replied Harry, taking her hands in his, "is up to him."
Chapter 2 – Angels and Devils
The portrait hole opened and Ron came storming inside, his face red and his eyes looking ready to kill. He was headed toward the boys' dormitory when he heard a female voice calling out, "Hey, Ron, what's wrong?"
He stopped, turned around, and snarled, "Nothing, Ginny! Leave me alone!"
His sister walked up to him and shouted, "I am not the person you're mad at, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like I am!"
Ron took a deep breath. "Fine, I'm sorry. It's just Harry and Hermione!"
"What about them?" asked Ginny, now obviously curious. "You spent the holidays here to keep Harry company."
"They've been ignoring me since Christmas, and now I just caught them kissing!"
"Kissing?" asked Ginny with her brow furrowed and a frown on her face. "But I thought they were just friends."
"That's what I thought, too!" snarled Ron. "When I caught them, Hermione hexed me."
"Hexed you?"
"Yeah! Can you believe it! She put me in the full Body-Bind and they kissed over me before they finally released me!"
Ginny was getting furious. Her face was getting as red as her hair. "I can't believe they'd! That Hermione would! That Harry! To think I used to fancy that git! Oh, we need to get back at them!"
"Yeah," agreed Ron, "But how?"
"We'll think of something!" promised Ginny forcefully. "Maybe we can get some help from Fred and George. In the meantime Ron, just ignore them!"
"All right, Ginny," replied Ron. "But how am I gonna pass my classes without Hermione's help?"
-MITAB-
Classes resumed the next day. Harry and Hermione were a little saddened that neither Ron nor Ginny would speak to them, but were not going to apologize for fancying each other. Harry guessed that Ginny was mad at them because she still had a crush on him. Whenever they'd show any affection, holding hands, hugging, or occasional kissing around either of the red-headed siblings, they'd get dirty looks from them. When they'd notice these glares, Hermione would simply instruct Harry to, "Ignore them!"
Ignoring them is exactly what they did for a week, until Saturday morning. Harry was eating his breakfast in the Great Hall, sitting next to Hermione, when George Weasley walked up in between them and said with a smile on his face, "Oi! Hello, you two. I heard you started dating."
Harry answered, "Yeah, Fred. That's right, and I've never been happier," while putting his right arm around his girlfriend.
"I'm sure you both are," replied Fred. "Congratulations. I'm sorry about how our much younger siblings have been treating you."
"They really need to get over it," remarked George, startling Harry, who hadn't noticed his sitting down on his left next to him. Fred then sat on the other side of his twin. Breakfast went normally. Before they knew it, breakfast was over and Harry had Quidditch practice while Hermione was going (surprise, surprise) to the library. Fred and George had already left. When they got up from the table, Hermione gave Harry a quick kiss, and then said, "Bye, Harry, I lov – WHAT?" and stared at her boyfriend from head to toe.
Harry began hearing sniggers around him, and with much trepidation, he looked down at himself. "I"LL KILL THEM!" he shouted. "Fred, George, along with Ron and Ginny! I know they put them up to it!" Harry was now wearing nothing but a large diaper. He had a case of arrows with hearts instead of feathers in the back over his shoulder and a bow in his hands. There were white wings sprouting out of his back and a golden halo hovering over his head. The moment he saw himself, everyone left in the Great Hall besides himself and Hermione started laughing. This included Ron and Ginny, who were on the other side of the table.
It also included Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table. They walked up to the table, and Malfoy sang loudly, "Hark, the Harry angels sing," causing more laughter all around them. "I know you haven't got a new broom yet, scarhead, but you can't use those wings in Quidditch!"
"Shut it, Malfoy!" Harry snarled, wishing he hadn't stored his wand in his now missing pants.
"Maybe it's an allergic reaction to kissing your filthy mudblood," sneered Draco, causing Crabbe, Goyle, and the remaining Slytherins to laugh while the rest of the school went quiet. Before Draco knew what was happening, he felt a sharp pain around his right eye, and he was falling to the floor with a ridiculous-looking Harry on top of him, beating him to a pulp while he muttered threats involving his father.
Hermione pointed her wand at Crabbe and Goyle while she yelled, "Harry, stop it! You'll get detention!"
"Actually," sneered a familiar voice, causing Harry to freeze, "You'll get five detentions, starting now, and you'll lose fifty points from Gryffindor." While Harry was paying attention to Snape hand out his punishment, Malfoy sucker-punched him in the face, giving him a black eye to match his own.
"What about Malfoy!? Sir," asked Hermione, furious at this incredibly biased teacher.
"Mr. Malfoy was defending himself against this fallen angel," replied Snape with a smirk on his face.
"But, sir," countered Hermione calmly, "he started it by calling me a mudblood."
"Ten points from Gryffindor for the use of that word, Miss Granger," sneered Snape, "and I suggest you go off to the library or wherever you were headed before you end up in detention with your new angelic boyfriend."
Harry insisted, "Go on, Hermione. I'll be..." at that moment there was a loud pop around him, and he was back to normal. "Er, fine."
"Come this way, Potter," sneered Snape. "I've got several jars full of rats' eyes that need to be cleaned. No Quidditch practice for you, today."
-MITAB-
Several hours later, after polishing a few thousand rat eyeballs, Harry showed up in the Gryffindor common room, looking ill. Hermione, who'd been waiting for him, put her book down and ran up to him, throwing her arms around him. "Are, Are you all right, Harry? You look a little, er…"
"…sick?" asked Harry. "I just polished a bunch of rat eyes, so I won't be eating anything for the rest of the day! I hope I don't have nightmares about it. If you know how to obliviate my memory, I'd appreciate it if you would."
"I, I can't do that," replied Hermione shyly, "but I can try to take your mind off of, er, things," as she leaned closer to kiss him.
"Hold on, Hermione. I don't know if I'll change again."
"Upon threat of death, the twins swore to me that what they put in your food only makes you change once," responded Hermione, looking deadly serious.
"I guess we can try. I know I wouldn't lie to you when you have that look in your eyes! Besides, if I'm gonna change again, I'd rather do it here than in front of Malfoy again."
"That's the truth," agreed Hermione softly, as she pulled his face down to hers.
-MITAB-
"Can't you two ever stop kissing?" shouted Ginny at them several minutes later. "After what you did to Ron, we thought the lesson this morning was enough, but obviously n…"
"What do you mean," demanded Hermione while panting for air. "What we did to Ron?"
"He told me about how he caught you kissing last Sunday and you hexed him!" hissed Ginny with her hands on her hips. "I couldn't believe it! How could you do that to him?"
"Is that what that prat told you?" asked Harry angrily while his face was turning pink with fury.
"Of course that's what he told me!" shouted Ginny, looking around the common room to find her brother, seeing him sitting in front of the fireplace looking timid. "Come here, Ron."
"Yes, Ronald," agreed Hermione, her face also pink. "I think it's time Ginny heard what really happened!"
Ron looked pale as he slowly approached. "It, it happened like, like I said, more or less."
"Less, Ron! How can you lie like that about us? I thought you were our friend!" asked Harry.
"The truth Ginny," explained Hermione, turning to Ron's now confused sister, "Is that when Ron caught us kissing, he said that I was ugly and Harry was using me! He said no boy would ever want me, and I lost my temper and petrified him for a few minutes while Harry calmed me down. When we released him, we told him that we were going out now, so he'd have to accept it if he wanted to hang out with us. He then stormed off without saying a word."
Ginny looked at her brother, who was now more pale than ever. "Is that what really happened, dear brother?" Ginny could see the answer by the way Ron started backing up toward the boys' staircase. Before he got very far, she'd performed the bat bogey hex on him and he was running up the stairs, trying to escape his own flying boogers. Ginny then turned back to Harry and Hermione. "I'm sorry, guys. I'll make sure to tell Fred and George the truth. I shouldn't have believed him. It didn't sound like something you would do, but…"
"But he's your brother," offered Hermione. "It's all right. Now you know the truth. Are we friends again?"
"Friends," agreed the embarrassed redhead.
"Friends," said Harry.
"Now," insisted Ginny with an evil look in her eyes, "we've got to get revenge on my brother for what happened today!"
Harry smiled at that thought, but asked, "Didn't you just get revenge?"
"No, no!" she answered with a smirk. "That was for lying to me. It had nothing to do with the prank on you."
Chapter 3 – Rising Above
It had been a week and a half since their discussion with Ginny. Ron had appeared nervous any time he was near Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, or George. He knew they were going to get back at him, but didn't know how. The five of them had quickly come up with a plan, but it needed the right circumstances. Finally, on a Wednesday morning just after breakfast, they had their chance.
Ron, who had been sitting in the Great Hall with Seamus and Dean, got up to leave when Draco Malfoy walked up to him. His wand was in his hand, which was hanging by his side. "Hey, Weasel! I've noticed that since Scarhead and the mudblood started snogging, they got rid of you! I can't blame them, either. I certainly wouldn't want someone wearing fifty-year-old robes carrying fifth-hand books like you hanging around me! Now if only Potter wises up and ditches Granger once he's gotten what he wants from her, they'll be hope for him."
Ron's face turned red as his features hardened. He glared at the Jr. Death Eater and shouted, "Shove off Mal…Whaaaaat!" At that moment, Draco's wand hand came forward as if pushed; all Ron's clothes except for his boxer shorts disappeared, and he levitated toward the ceiling as a huge spider fell, apparently from the ceiling, and landed on his head as a wet spot appeared at the front of his underwear.
Silently, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George stowed their wands away as the entire hall, including Draco Malfoy, whose wand was still pointed at Ron, erupted in laughter. Ron was screaming unintelligibly while holding one hand in front of the wet spot on his shorts, with the other one trying unsuccessfully to get the spider off of him. His complexion was pink all over his body, which was beginning to tremble in fear of heights, spiders, and humiliation.
Professor McGonagall, who'd watched the exchange between Ron and Draco, immediately marched up to Malfoy. She was not happy. "I saw that, Mr. Malfoy! Sixty points will be taken from Slytherin, and you will spend the next fourteen evenings in detention, cleaning the castle with Mr. Filch."
Draco paled. "What? You think I did that? I wouldn't have…"
"I'll have none of your lies, Mr. Malfoy," interrupted McGonagall, her lips as thin as they'd ever been. "Unless you want to make it seventy points."
Draco looked fit to kill, but lowered his eyes and walked out of the hall. Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at Ron, who floated downward. The professor pointed her wand at him again, and a Hogwarts robe appeared on him. "I suggest you go back to Gryffindor Tower to change before your first class, Mr. Weasley." He didn't need to be told twice. He ran out of the hall, causing another round of laughter all around. Professor McGonagall then walked toward the head table as a small smile appeared on her face.
"That was brilliant, the way you stripped his clothes off, Hermione!" whispered Harry.
"What about how you forced Malfoy to point his wand at Ron?" she whispered back. "Or how Fred levitated him up toward the ceiling."
"What about that spider George conjured above him," whispered Harry, doing his best not to laugh.
"My favorite, though," whispered Hermione, whose face was red from holding back her laughter, "was when Ginny made that wet spot appear on his shorts."
Both Harry and his girlfriend hid their faces in their hands while they faced the floor as they silently laughed for about five minutes. Occasionally a snort or two could be heard from them. When they finally stopped, both of them had tears running from their eyes, so they wiped them away, picked up their books, and headed for their first class.
-MITAB-
After dinner that day, Ron stormed into the common room looking both humiliated and angry. It didn't matter where in the castle he went; everyone was teasing him, even the first years. If Ron thought he would find peace in the common room, he was sadly mistaken. As soon as he walked in, everyone began chuckling. Lavender Brown walked up to him, looked him over from head to toe, batted her eyes suggestively, and remarked "It's not that you look bad, Ron, but I prefer men who don't pee their pants," causing Ron to turned dark purple while the room rang with loud laughter.
Ron saw Fred, George, and Ginny sitting in a corner laughing along with the rest of them. He walked up to them furious. "I can't believe it! Even my own flesh and blood laughing at my humiliation!
"You've got to admit it, Ron," replied Fred.
"It was pretty funny!" finished George.
"Well, at least Draco got what was coming to him!" commented Ron. "I'm surprised he was able to pull it off."
"Yeah, Ron," agreed Ginny, winking, "Draco did it."
"Absolutely," added Fred sarcastically.
"It was him. He did it," completed George in the same tone of voice.
"What do you mean? If he didn't do it, then who…YOU?!" he shouted, forgetting he was in a public place. Ron was furious. "YOU DID THAT TO ME!" causing all of the common room to explode with laughter, as Harry and Hermione walked inside, hand in hand. "WHY?"
"You lied to us to get us to humiliate Harry, and it ended up with Malfoy getting him in detention as well," explained Ginny.
"So the five of us," added George, indicating Harry and Hermione, who were approaching them with smiles on their faces.
"Decided to give you a taste of your own medicine," said Fred.
"You took away my robes," clarified Harry, "so we took away your robes."
"You gave Harry wings," added Hermione, "so we made you float."
"You gave me a diaper," explained Harry, "so we made you wet your pants."
"I suggested adding the spider," bragged Ginny.
"And we suggested framing Draco for it while McGonagall was nearby," declared the twins together.
Ron was now fuming! He was appalled. "I'm gonna, I'm gonna…"
"You'll what?" asked Ginny. "If you turn us in, you'll lose Gryffindor points, give Slytherin points, and get Draco out of detention."
"And if you try to prank us," threatened Hermione, "we'll do worse to you than we did today."
"I, I can't believe this guys! You were my friends."
"That's right, Ron," stated Harry firmly. "We were your friends! When we started dating we thought you'd be happy for us, or even nervous about being left out, which we wouldn't do to you!"
"Instead, Ron," shouted Hermione with tears in her eyes. "You insulted us and got almost your whole family against us by lying to them, and then you got them to humiliate Harry!"
"That was a very Slytherin thing to do to them, Ron," added Ginny. "I'm sure Draco would be proud of you!"
Ron paled at the mention of Slytherin. He knew he was mean to them, but he hadn't thought about that. He hung down his head. "I, I'm sorry guys. I, er, guess I panicked when I saw you together. I didn't think you'd want me around anymore."
"Not the way you were acting, mate," replied Harry. "But you're the first friend I ever had. Who am I gonna talk quidditch with?" Harry then chuckled. "Who will I steal flying cars and visit giant spiders with?"
"If you want to visit Aragog's family again, you can go with Hermione," declared Ron firmly, now chuckling too.
"So," asked Hermione, looking intently at Ron. "Are we friends again?"
Ron nodded and answered, "Yes, we're friends again."
"Good," responded Harry, Ginny, Fred, and George simultaneously.
"Maybe with my cloak and map, we can spy on Draco's detention with Filch."
Chapter 4 – Decisions
The weeks passed quickly as Harry and Hermione (who'd insisted she join despite her already hectic schedule) took patronus lessons with Professor Lupin. When he'd directed them to think of a happy memory, they looked at each other and blushed. They both produced a partial patronus on their first try. Lupin smiled at them and remarked, "I don't think I want to know what memory you two were thinking of," causing them both to blush. They were both improving a great deal and the professor claimed that they'd both have a fully corporeal patronus within a few weeks.
After Oliver Wood told them about the way he'd asked McGonagall about Harry's firebolt, claiming it didn't matter if Harry fell off his broomstick as long as he got the snitch first, Hermione rebuked him for thinking that winning a game of quidditch was more important than Harry's life. Oliver gave Harry an odd look and muttered something like, "women" as he walked away.
Although they were getting along with Ron, both of them noticed that he'd roll his eyes or sigh loudly whenever they'd show each other any affection. This was getting to be particularly annoying, because Harry and Hermione were in the habit of holding hands whenever they were walking to the same place, and weren't about to stop to accommodate Ron.
In the meantime, Ron's grades were steadily declining. At first, it was because he was avoiding Harry and Hermione, but then after he'd apologized, he started studying with them again. The trouble was that he'd spend the whole revision time glaring at his study partners if they were even polite to one another. After three days of this, Harry politely suggested that Ron study separately from them.
At that point, Harry's grades began improving. Without Ron distracting their studying by constantly bickering with Hermione, they got a lot more accomplished faster, and Harry retained a lot more knowledge afterward. It didn't hurt that, once Ron was gone, Hermione started bribing him with kisses for doing homework and memorizing definitions, etc.
Although Ron hadn't said a word against them, both could tell that Ron was really starting to resent them. Harry would never forget the look of loathing on Ron's face when Harry got the same grade as Hermione in a transfiguration quiz, earning a public compliment from Professor McGonagall. He feared that his first friendship was near an end.
During their fourth week of lessons, both Harry and Hermione were able to produce a corporeal patronus, a stag and an otter respectively, to the utter astonishment of Professor Lupin. "I always knew you were both very bright and powerful for your age, but this is an amazing accomplishment. Harry, your father couldn't produce a patronus until his fourth year, and I've never seen anyone else, not even your mother, produce one earlier than their fifth year! You should both be very proud of your accomplishment! Harry, I feel sorry for any dementors that try to interrupt one of your games." He then offered them each a butterbeer, which Harry pretended not to be familiar with after a quick look from Hermione.
The only thing that dampened their spirits was when Harry asked Lupin what was under a dementor's hood. This led to a discussion of the dementor's kiss, which both Harry and Hermione found to be very disturbing. After arranging for one more patronus lesson to practice, they left Professor Lupin and were headed toward Gryffindor tower. In an effort to change the subject, Hermione cautiously asked what Harry planned to ride during the upcoming quidditch match against Ravenclaw.
Harry answered, "Er, I hadn't really thought about that. I don't want to get a new broom unless I have to, so I've been waiting for McGonagall to tell me one way or the other." Hermione smiled, obviously pleased that he didn't seem to be holding any bitterness toward her. "I suppose I could try to borrow a broom from someone in Hufflepuff." Harry's face brightened up at this point. "Come to think of it, their captain and seeker, Cedric Diggory, felt bad about catching the snitch when the dementors attacked. I'll bet I could persuade him to loan me his broom for the match. I think once we get back to the tower, I'll pull out my map to find him!"
They were at that moment interrupted by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying the firebolt, and told them that the teachers couldn't find anything wrong with it. Harry told her, "I understand why you confiscated it, Professor. I want you to know I'm not upset that you had to test it for jinxes. I'm just as relieved as anyone else that it's safe."
Professor McGonagall smiled down at Harry. "I'm glad to see that you're growing up, Mr. Potter. Your class performance has also reflected this. I'm sure this is due in part to Miss Granger's influence." Hermione went slightly pink at this statement.
Harry put an arm around Hermione and smiled back at his head of house. "Yes, she's been a bigger help to me than even she knows." Harry's girlfriend's cheeks now went fully red at his compliment.
"Now do try and win the match, Potter. Good day, Harry, Hermione." With that, Professor McGonagall turned around and walked off, and Harry could swear he heard a soft sniffle coming from her direction.
They both walked through the portrait hole with smiles on their faces, Harry holding his new firebolt with pride. "I told you Hermione was nutters!" shouted Ron from across the room with contempt, effectively wiping the smiles off of Harry and Hermione's faces. "I don't know why you ever listened to that know-it-all!"
"That's enough, Ron," rebuked Harry, doing his best to control his temper while everyone in the room stared between the two of them.
"Fine," replied Ron, "just so you know that I was right and Hermione was wrong!" Ron stormed up the stairs to his dorm, and the room's atmosphere literally changed with him gone. People then started to line up to hold his new broom, sure that Ravenclaw wouldn't stand a chance in their next match.
This excitement was soon ended as Ron stormed back down the stairs, enraged. He was dragging a bedsheet with him, marching straight toward Harry and Hermione, shouting to anyone who would listen, "LOOK! THERE'S BLOOD ON MY SHEETS! SCABBERS IS MISSING! THERE ARE GINGER CAT HAIRS ON THE FLOOR! CROOKSHANKS ATE SCABBERS!"
"He did not, Ron!" yelled Hermione back at the red-haired, red-faced boy.
"Oh, yes, Miss I-know-everything, of course you're always right!" screamed Ron.
"Shut it, Ron!" yelled Harry, now beginning to lose his temper.
"Oh, yes, the great hero, the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, has spoken," mocked Ron, causing Harry's face to turn pink while everyone nearby started backing away, except for the Weasley twins, who were slowly approaching.
"Ron, the first time you showed me Scabbers, you said he was pathetic! You're always complaining about how useless he is! The woman at the pet store said he should have died ages ago! He's been sick lately, and maybe this is for the best, ugh!" At that moment, Ron punched Harry in the jaw, causing him to back up into Hermione, who looked very frightened. He clenched his fists and started to walk towards his Ron with a look that should have sent Ron running away. He moved his left hand, distracting Ron while he punched him full in the face with his right, causing Ron to fall on the floor a few feet backwards. At that moment, Fred and George stepped in between them, George taking Harry and Fred taking Ron. Fred pretty much forced Ron, who was screaming threats, up the stairs while George was making sure Harry didn't chase after him.
After a few minutes Harry said, "It's okay, George. I'm calmed down, now. I can't believe he hit me."
"I can't, either. If mum finds out, she'll have a fit. That threat should get him to leave you and Hermione alone." George smiled. "I'm sure that's what Fred's telling him, now. I think I'll go upstairs and make sure." George then left Harry alone with Hermione.
"I'm so sorry that you got into a fight with Ron over my cat, Harry," apologized Hermione, whom Harry just noticed was crying. "Are you all right?"
"Of course I'm all right. Do you really think Ron could hurt me?" Harry smiled. "Even Dudley can hit harder than Ron." He chuckled. "The only reason he hit me at all was because I wasn't expecting it. I had to learn how to avoid getting hit, and how to take getting hit when I can't avoid it, in order to survive at the Dursleys."
"I'm sorry for that, too." Hermione sighed. "Can't Professor Dumbledore do anything about the Dursleys?"
"He claims not. He says I'm safer there, but I think that's a load of crap!" He sighed. "How could I possibly be safe living with people who wish I was dead? I would rather die living with someone who cares about me than live with them!"
"How can you say that, Harry?" asked Hermione, looking nervous.
"You haven't lived with them. You don't know what I put up with before I finally lost my temper and blew up Aunt Marge. I spend my whole summer as their slave, and no matter what I do, it's not good enough! I can't tell you how many times I've cooked breakfast for them and had to watch them eat while I had to go without because Uncle Vernon said I looked at him wrong."
"Oh, Harry," sobbed Hermione, putting her hand on his shoulder, "I had no idea it was that bad."
"I don't usually like to talk about it. But you can't imagine how good it felt to spend that time in Diagon Alley free from the Dursleys! I don't care what Fudge or Dumbledore say; I'm not going back there when this year's over. I've made up my mind. If I have to run away again, I will."
"You can't, Harry."
"Yes, I can. You've never seen my vault at Gringotts. I have a lot of money from my parents. I know I can afford to live somewhere else. I'm going to send a letter to Gringotts to find out exactly how much money I have."
"I can't say I blame you, but could you at least let me talk to Professor Dumbledore about it for you? Maybe he can arrange for you to stay somewhere else. It would be better than just running away."
He sighed. "Okay, Hermione, you can talk to Dumbledore about the Dursleys, but don't tell him I'm thinking about running away. He might personally deliver me there if he's worried about that. Just tell him what I've told you about the way the Dursleys treat me, and that you're concerned. If that doesn't persuade him, then we'll both know he doesn't care anything about me."
Chapter 5 – Harry's Home
"Mars Bars," said a young woman with bushy brown hair as she stood at the entrance to the headmaster's office. She had asked Professor McGonagall for the password, so that she could meet with Professor Dumbledore on Harry's behalf. It had been about a week since her conversation with Harry about the Dursleys. It had been just two days since Gryffindor's quidditch victory over Ravenclaw and Black's subsequent attack on Ron.
She, of course, was glad Ron wasn't killed. She might have wanted him hurt a little, but not killed. She had to admit she was relieved that Sirius hadn't found Harry's bed. Ron had walked around in a daze yesterday, occasionally glancing at Harry and her. This time, it didn't seem to be with anger. It seemed more like regret. This morning at breakfast, Ron had come up to them and asked if he could speak with them tonight. They'd agreed to meet him in the common room at eight. It was now seven o'clock, and Hermione was walking up the stairs for her first private meeting with Dumbledore.
"Come in, come in, Miss Granger. Have a seat," greeted Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye as he indicated the chair in front of his desk.
She nervously stepped forward, walking toward her chair. "Good evening, Professor. Thank you for meeting with me."
"It's always a pleasure speaking to our top student," he replied amiably. "How are things going with your rather unconventional schedule?"
She sat down and smiled, feeling at ease. "It's keeping me busy, but all my classes are going fine. Although, I must admit I find divination to be less than…er…satisfying."
Dumbledore chuckled at that. "Yes; many of our students, not to mention Professor McGonagall, find divination to be a, shall we say, wooly discipline. At one time even I considered dropping it from our curriculum."
"I may consider that, sir," she responded, nodding.
"I understand that the student whose death Professor Trelawney is predicting this year is none other than your boyfriend, Mr. Potter, the topic I believe you wished to discus with me today."
"Yes, sir," she replied, blushing when he mentioned that Harry was her boyfriend. "I, er, would like to talk about his home life."
"You mean the Dursleys, don't you, Miss Granger," asked Dumbledore, now slightly tense.
"Yes, sir. I'm very concerned about how they treat him. He's told me that he's basically their slave. Many times he's cooked for them and not been able to eat because his uncle says he looked at him wrong. They constantly call him a freak, encouraging their son to taunt him! He's never happy or loved while he's there. They hate everything about him! They've never given him any clothes except for hand-me-downs from his whale of a cousin, even though they have plenty of money, and they don't even celebrate his birthday. How can he be expected to live with them? In the muggle world, they could be arrested on charges of neglect and abuse. Why does he have to live with them? Why can't he live elsewhere? Anywhere else?" By this time she was crying, and did nothing to hide it. She hoped her tears might help persuade him.
Dumbledore's countenance changed to sad. He appeared very old and worn out to Hermione. "I understand how you feel, Miss Granger. I know how he is treated there, and if I could, I would move him elsewhere. Unfortunately, that is the only place where his mother's blood lives."
"His mother's blood?" questioned Hermione.
He nodded, "Yes, Miss Granger. When I brought him there, I put a type of extremely powerful protection on that house, based off of his mother's blood. This is to protect him from any of Voldemort's supporters, such as Sirius Black, who may wish to do him harm. No one can harm him while he lives at his Aunt Petunia's house."
Although she did comprehend what the headmaster was saying, she did have one problem with his argument. "Not physically maybe, but mentally and emotionally. They have never given him love or support, and it has caused him to have low self esteem and…"
"I am very sorry, Miss Granger," interrupted Dumbledore in a very uncharacteristic manner. "Forgive my rudeness, but my decision on this matter is final. Good evening."
As Hermione walked slowly out of the office with her head hung down, she felt like all hope had left her. She had just known that the headmaster would see reason. Now she knew that Harry would run away, and she couldn't blame him. She would never have become the successful student she was without her parents' support. She couldn't imagine dreading the summer because you knew you'd be a slave, just like that house elf, Dobby, that Harry met the year before. Harry had managed to free that slave, but Hermione had failed to free Harry. She decided then and there, as she was walking toward Gryffindor tower, to support Harry in whatever decision he made and help him any way she could.
-MITAB-
"Hello, Hermione," called Harry from the chair near the fire a few seconds after she entered the common room. She turned and walked toward him. "Judging by the expression on your face, I'd say that your meeting with Dumbledore didn't go so well."
"Not really," she sighed, "Though one good thing came out of it. He suggested I drop divination, and I believe I will talk to Professor McGonagall about it first thing in the morning. But, as for your situation, he says his decision is final, that the blood protection spell he put over the house will keep you physically safe, and that's all he seems to care about." She started crying a little bit, and Harry took her in his arms and hugged her. After about a minute, they separated and sat down on two chairs facing each other.
"It's all right. I don't have to obey Dumbledore when I'm not here. I got my response from Gringotts while you were gone, so I know I can afford to live on my own!"
Hermione was slightly startled by this news. "You did? That's great news! How much money did your parents leave you?"
"About a hundred million galleons," answered Harry with a smile.
She paled. "A hundred million?"
"Yeah! According to my letter, I'll never have to work for a living if I don't want to. I can live off the interest alone. But that's not all. I own several homes across the world, including a manor twenty miles from London."
"What?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna move there when we get out this summer."
"I, I figured that." Hermione took a deep breath. "I'll help you in any way I can."
He put his hands on hers. "I knew I could count on you. I love you."
Hermione's eyes went wide at this pronouncement. "You, you just said you love me."
He blushed and put his head down. "I, er, I did say that. I, I hope it's y'know, okay. I've never said that before in my life. I, I don't expect you to…"
"No," she interrupted, thrilled that he loved her and scared he'd misunderstand her. "It's more than fine, Harry." She put a hand under his chin and lifted his face so that their eyes met. "I love you, too. I'm just surprised and honored you'd say that to me."
"It's true. I do love you. Hold on, you, you love me, too."
"Yes, Harry, I love you, too." She then pulled his chin close to hers and kissed him.
"Hem Hem," came Ron's voice, interrupting their kiss.
"Oh," replied Harry as they broke apart. "It's you."
"Er, yes, it's me, Harry," responded Ron as he sat in a nearby chair.
"Hello, Ronald," greeted Hermione coldly.
"Hello, Hermione."
"What do you want?" asked Harry.
"Er," answered Ron, his ears red. "I just, well I wanted to apologize."
"You treated us like dirt, glared at us for being together, and then punched Harry for no reason!" hissed Hermione fiercely, causing Ron to flinch.
"Yeah, I know. I've, well since Sirius came the other night I've been, y'know, thinking about what's important. I've, well been acting like a git, and I'm sorry." Ron took a deep breath. "I know I've messed up big time, and we'll probably never be as, y'know, close again. I just don't want you to hate me anymore."
"Ron," explained Hermione, "you've really hurt us with how you've acted. You've apologized before, but didn't change how you've acted."
"How do we know that you really mean it this time?" asked Harry.
Ron looked down at the floor dejectedly. "You're right, guys. There's no reason for you to believe me. I'm sorry."
"We'll think about it. For now, you can stop glaring at us every chance you get," suggested Hermione.
"I, I will," promised Ron. "Thanks. Thanks for talking to me." He got up and walked away."
Harry turned to Hermione. "What do you think?"
She sighed and answered, "I honestly don't know. We'll just have to see. Anyway, Harry," she asked, changing the subject, "What do you know about that mansion of yours?"
Chapter 6 – Secrets
It was now four days after Hermione's talk with the Headmaster, and she was in Hogsmeade. After some persuasion, she had agreed that Harry should sneak to the village under his invisibility cloak so that they could have their first real date. He took his cloak out of his trunk and covered himself with it. He then quietly snuck past Neville, who was sitting in the common room. When he opened the door, Neville looked in that direction and called out, "Who's there?" eventually walking to the door, looking outside, and shutting it.
When Harry arrived near the one-eyed-witch passage, he noticed Snape standing near it, so he waited as quietly as possible for about ten minutes until the greasy git left. After that, he had no problem getting into the passage and then on to Honeydukes. Upon coming upstairs (still under the cloak), he found Hermione browsing the sweets looking rather bored. He figured she had been waiting for a while. He snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and didn't see anyone. She then put her hands forward to feel him. When she felt his chest, she whispered, "Harry, what took you so long?"
He whispered back, "Snape was standing guard at the passage, so I had to wait for him to leave."
"Do you want to buy anything in here?"
"Yes, let's go to a quiet corner so I can get my money out."
After he'd given her his wallet, figuring it was easier than constantly handing her money, he instructed her to get what he wanted, along with something extra for herself for looking so pretty. She blushed at this but did as she instructed, purchasing a box of sugar quills for herself. They then visited several shops, with Harry whispering instructions to her. After about two hours of this, he had her return his wallet. He then instructed her to go to the Three Broomsticks in a half hour, order two butterbeers, and get a secluded table. As he was walking away, he heard her whisper, "Does this have something to do with Valentine's Day?"
When Harry, now holding a small bag that contained a wrapped item, entered the pub under his cloak, he quickly scanned the room, quickly spotting his girlfriend, who was sitting in a corner table looking around the room impatiently. He quickly made his way to the seat next to her and whispered, "Sorry I'm late, the shop keeper took a longer time to wrap your gift than I expected." The anger dissolved from her face, being replaced by a smile. She whispered, "May I join you under the cloak?"
When they were through at the Three Broomsticks, they made their way to the Shrieking Shack, both of them under the cloak. When they saw Malfoy and his goons, Harry led them to a nearby spot that was hidden and whispered, "Stay here, Hermione," as he pulled the cloak away from her so that it was just covering him.
"But, you'll get caught," she argued, wasting her breath as he was too far away to hear her.
He splattered all three of them with mud that seemed to come from nowhere. Malfoy screamed, "Who's there?" just before his pants fell down, causing him to bend over quickly to pull them back up. Crabbe then fell onto Goyle, and they both rolled into Malfoy, who fell with them. Unfortunately, when Malfoy fell, Harry's cloak got caught just enough to reveal Harry's face. Malfoy looked terrified as he exclaimed, "Potter?" just as mud from a completely different direction hit him square in the back of the head, causing the three Slytherins to run away. Once they were gone, Hermione, whose hands were suspiciously full of mud, came out of her hiding space with a worried look on her face. "Harry, you've got to hurry back to the castle before Malfoy finds a teacher!"
Harry pulled his cloak back over his head and ran as fast as he could back to the castle. He left his cloak in the passage and came out, only to be caught by Snape moments later. After being led to the dungeon and told Malfoy's story, Harry was instructed to empty his pockets. This revealed a 'spare piece of parchment' that proceeded to insult Snape when he tried to read it. Snape then called Lupin, who took the map and lectured Harry on how irresponsible he had been, causing Harry to feel worse than Snape ever could make him feel. After he'd spoken to Hermione about it, she agreed with Lupin that they had been foolish. He maintained that he needed to go to Hogsmeade, but his prank on Malfoy was a foolish, unnecessary risk, and it had cost him the Marauders' Map. She didn't entirely agree with his reasoning, but decided to retrieve his cloak, anyway.
A few days later, it was Valentine's Day. Harry woke up, got ready, and went to the common room as fast as he could. He got down the stairs just in time to see Hermione sit in one of the chairs. He quickly joined her, wishing her a "Happy Valentine's Day" before kissing her. He then told her, "I love you."
She blushed lightly. "I love you, too, Harry. Happy Valentine's Day!"
"Would you do me the honor of joining me after dinner for a walk to a place where we can exchange gifts in private?"
She looked at him skeptically, but replied, "All right, Harry. But for now, I think it's time for breakfast."
-MITAB-
The day went by smoothly, unlike the previous year when a dwarf had jumped him to make him listen to a singing Valentine, which Malfoy accused Ginny Weasley of sending. Somehow he thought she'd had more on her mind than singing valentines with Tom Riddle's diary and all, but he didn't know, and honestly didn't care, if she did or didn't. Hermione and he spent most of the day in class together, except when he was in Divination, which she had dropped upon Dumbledore's suggestion. He wondered how she still had class at that time even though she'd dropped the subject she had been taking, but whenever he brought it up, she changed the topic immediately. He decided that if she wanted him to know, she'd have told him, so he backed off.
After supper, they went back to the tower to grab his cloak and their gifts. They then snuck to a room Hermione had never been to before. It had a comfortable couch in it, and that was just about it. "What is this room?" she asked as he closed the door behind them.
"It's the room that used to hold the Mirror of Erised. It's also where I had my first conversation with Dumbledore."
"Really?" asked Hermione. "I'd have thought he'd want to speak with you as soon as you got to Hogwarts, possibly before." She sighed. "Did he ask you how the Dursleys treated you?"
"No. He told me the mirror showed me with a family because that's what I wanted most. Then he told me not to dwell on dreams."
"That was pretty rude of him!" responded Hermione indignantly. "He didn't even want you to dream about having a family that loves you!"
Harry sighed. "Hermione, let's not talk about that now. We're here to celebrate our love, not our problems."
She looked down. "I'm sorry, Harry. You're right. Why don't we exchange gifts?"
"Great idea!" agreed Harry, pulling the small wrapped box out of his pocket. He handed it to her as she handed him a thin rectangular package.
"You first," Hermione insisted.
Harry complied, tearing off the wrapping paper to find an eight by ten muggle photo of Hermione, wearing a light blue dress. The frame was wooden, stained a light shade of brown. On the bottom of the frame was a small gold rectangle with the inscription, "Harry, I love you, now and always. Love, Hermione." Harry hugged her, burying his face in her hair. When they separated, she saw him trying to hide the fact that he was wiping tears from his eyes.
"Did I ever tell you that you're the only person to ever say you love me?" asked Harry.
"Not precisely, but when you said you'd never told anyone you loved them, I assumed as much."
"I just want you to know how much you mean to me, Hermione. That wrapped box in your hands doesn't begin to express how I feel…"
"I know, love. I feel the same way. These are just tokens of our love, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you got me," she assured him as she tore off the paper, revealing a clear plastic case that contained a gold necklace with a locket in the shape of a heart with the words 'I love you' engraved at the front. She opened it to see one side had a wizard photo of himself with a wizard photo of herself on the other side. The pictures were blowing kisses at each other, which caused her to chuckle while her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, Harry. It's beautiful! Can you put it on me? I'll never take it off."
"All right," he agreed, as he took the necklace from her. While he was fastening it behind her neck, he noticed another chain. Before she could protest, he'd pulled that extremely long chain out from under her robes. He saw a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it. He went to touch it and she slapped his hand. She then started stuffing it back under her robes as quickly as possible.
"Ouch! That hurt," responded Harry, rubbing the hand she had slapped.
"I'm sorry," she replied sincerely. "I just can't let you touch that."
"It's all right, Hermione, but why? What is it?"
She looked desperate. "Please don't ask me. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."
He could see that she was pleading with him. "I won't force you to tell what it is, but, er, it's not dangerous, is it."
"Er, it can be, but it's not. It's not harming me. Please, don't ask me anything else."
"All right. On one condition," insisted Harry, with an evil look in his face.
"What's that?" asked Hermione, her voice sounding a bit shaky.
"You give me a kiss."