Keeping with the Company

xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

Keeping With the Company

by coven

Rated PG-13

Hermione offers her best friend Harry a place to stay after a girl discards him. Harry accepts, knowing that the arrangement is indefinite until he finds a suitable place for himself. But things take a strange turn when they both find out that keeping each other company is turning out to be a permanent thing after all.

Disclaimer: This is a Harry Potter fan fiction. Standard disclaimers apply.

xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx

Chapter 1: Midnight Visit

It was a peaceful normal night. The streets of Muggle London were sleeping soundly in their silence. Nothing could be heard except the occasional hum of cars passing through. Everyone, both Muggle and Wizard alike, was in bed enjoying his or her weekend respite.

But in a room somewhere, one Hermione Granger woke up in a start.

"Harry," she said with a sharp intake of breath.

And as if on cue, a muffled "poof" sounded just right outside her bedroom door.

"Hermione?" an unsure voice called out.

"God," Hermione shut her eyes tight for a second. "It is him."

It wasn't supposed to be surprising at all if Harry would visit her at midnight. After all, he had done this countless of times before. If Harry had any good news that couldn't wait until the next morning, he'd apparate in. If Harry was bothered by something and needed someone to go things over with, he'd apparate in. If Harry was being stalked by one of his millions of fan girls and wanted to hide for a few hours, he'd apparate in. If Harry had another of his now-seldom-occurring nightmares and couldn't go back to sleep, he'd apparate in. In other words, if Harry needed to be with someone, he'd apparate in.

It wasn't supposed to be surprising at all because Hermione was so used to this that she had developed a "Harry Radar"- something more like a sixth sense when it came to her best friend. What happened earlier- waking up a second before Harry crashed in, was one such example.

It wasn't supposed to be surprising at all. Except, perhaps, for the fact that it had already been six months since Harry's last midnight visit. That particular time being when Harry enthusiastically dropped in and announced that he had found the “girl of his dreams.” This was in the form of Bianca, a perpetually overexcited quidditch fan girl. Apparently, Harry had seen something redeeming in “Blanca dahling,” otherwise he wouldn't have moved in with her. This big step that Harry took had stopped altogether his nightly rendezvous with his dear best friend.

Therefore, it wasn't supposed to be surprising at all, and in fact very much justified, if Hermione Granger had the urge to throttle the Great Harry Potter. Another option was to plague him with hexes. Either way would nicely nurse her bruised feelings.

“And where is Bianca now, Harry?”

With that question in mind, Hermione sneered. She stood up, shrugged into her dressing gown, and energetically walked to the door to let her prodigal friend have a piece of her mind.

“Hermione, can I come in?” Harry's uneasy voice filtered through the closed door. “Are you decent?”

For a brief moment, Hermione rubbed her forehead, and out of annoyance answered, “No, I'm naked in bed with Draco.”

She smirked as she heard a shocked “Oh,” from Harry.

With that, she yanked the door open and her smirk melted away as she saw the disheveled bloke that was her friend. There was something about a bothered Harry that made him irresistible to Hermione's eyes, and she didn't like it one bit.

“Honestly, Harry James Potter!” she started. “You bloody believed that I was in bed with that git?”

“Shagging Draco,” Harry admitted quietly, running his hand through his hair, seemingly a bit embarrassed.

Hermione tried to find ways to hide the complacency she felt at seeing Harry squirm at the idea. She ended up placing her arms across her chest, looking at him as if he was Professor Snape deducting points from Gryffindor.

“Ha!”

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, Hermione saw the lackluster in them. She knew then that something was really wrong, and for a moment she was willing to forget her selfishness.

Not!

Instead, she steeled herself, mentally trampling that seed of sympathy budding at the depths of her heart into a pulp. She would make him pay.

Harry stepped closer to her, softly placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I'm sorry Hermione,” he whispered. “What was I supposed to think? You dated the guy.”

“Once!”

“Which I thought was one date too many…” Harry muttered then added aloud, “I said sorry right? And besides, I wouldn't know if you were actually er, alone would I?”

Hermione sighed. This was so true. And she couldn't really blame Harry. Once, almost a year ago, he had walked in on Hermione and Draco Malfoy locked in an embrace - which was actually the result of a spell gone wrong. Being Aurors on the same assignment, the two were formulating ways of apprehending Death Eaters. Unfortunately, Draco mispronounced one of the spells they were trying out. Thus, resulting in him getting stuck with Hermione in such a compromising, if not really unpleasant, situation.

To say that Harry was shocked was an understatement. Of course, Draco had redeemed himself by joining their side during the final years of the Second Great Wizard War, but Harry found the idea of his best chum snogging with Draco Malfoy as still implausible.

“Better me than your other best mate, right?” Hermione had mischievously said, when she confided in him that she had indeed went out with Draco. That made Harry wary of the other bloke for about a week. Draco and Hermione, he could still take, but him and Ron? From then, Harry shuddered when he recalled the image in his head. He blamed his overactive imagination for this.

Anyway, that experience taught Harry to apparate outside Hermione's bedroom door. Whatever extracurricular activities she was engaged in, he didn't want to know. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was a bit disturbed at the thought of Hermione getting intimate with anyone. It was a normal reaction due to his brotherly feelings towards her, he thought. However, he had a nagging suspicion deep inside that it was something else. This, he didn't bother to find out. Harry, the boy who defeated Voldemort more than once, was afraid of whatever answer this self-questioning might bring.

Harry was aware of Hermione's grumpiness, and he knew exactly what to do.

Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust. She wasn't expecting Harry to pull out his best weapon-The Puppy-Dog Look.

“Oh bloody hell Harry,” Hermione whined. “I hate it when you do that!”

“What?” Harry shrugged.

Hermione jabbed a finger in his chest.

“That!”

“This?” Harry joked, pouting forlornly.

She bit her lip, trying her best not to smile, although, it did make her glad to notice the sparkle returning in those emerald eyes of his. Hermione exhaled loudly and started to walk towards the kitchen, turning lights on as she went.

“Okay, Harry that's cute,” she said in semi-defeat. “ So what brings you here?”

Harry, relieved and amused at Hermione's actions, sat on the kitchen chair.

“She left me,” he said tiredly.

Hermione froze at the act of putting the kettle on the cooker. She turned around with a skeptical look on her face.

“What?”

Harry looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Bianca,” he said softly. “She left me.”

“Wait…” Hermione wanted to leap in happiness, but she saw that bland look return. She started to mentally do a cartwheel instead when Harry blurted a, “No.”

“Oh,” Hermione frowned. Too early to celebrate; hold the cartwheel!

“She told me to leave,” Harry corrected.

She cleared her throat, not wanting her delight to be too evident in her voice. Okay, she was happy about this latest development because she hated the woman and how she manipulated Harry's time. However, it doesn't mean she wasn't feeling sorry for him. She really was. Whatever affected Harry, affected her too. For some reason, she had become Harry's sponge - one that absorbed everything Harry, from his problems to his thoughts, and of course, his moods and emotions.

“Rewind that a bit… Bianca told you to leave?”

“Yes,” Harry grunted. “My things are actually making themselves comfortable in your drawing room right now.”

Hermione glanced through the door and saw the said bags plus several boxes. Turning around she said, “And this sudden moving-out results from what incident?”

“She replaced me with another bloke!” Harry muttered.

The whistling of the kettle interrupted them. Hermione simply raised a brow. Taking her time, she went on pouring the tea into two cups. She added milk and two sugar cubes in one, this she set in front of a glowering Harry. While in the other, she just poured milk.

“You didn't waste time, did you?” she said quietly, stirring her tea.

“Why would I?” Harry, frustrated, pushed his cup away, and added, “A bloody fortnight with no decency to inform me about her sudden decision to change bed mates!”

Hermione merely watched Harry as he went on his tirade.

“I adjusted to her erratic mood swings. I rented a space at the owlery for poor Hedwig because she's allergic to feathers. I even gave up my flat just to move in with her! ”

“Ah,” she nodded knowingly.

Harry took a sip of his tea, not minding that it was scalding hot.

“And I can't believe you're giving me the cold-water,” he spat out; pointing the way Hermione was being blasé about the whole thing.

Hermione simpered at this, her irritation growing by the minute.

“What do you want me to do then? Cuddle you like a babe?”

“No!” Harry threw his hands in the air. “But you could at least be sympathetic about it.”

Hermione set her cup down and as nonchalantly as she could replied, “If what you really are worried about is your flat, then it's not your heart that's hurting- it's your ego…”

Harry scoffed at her.

“Since when have you become catty?”

For some uncanny reason, she felt angry tears burn at the back of her eyes. Hermione wasn't usually emotional. This kind of remark from Ron and/or Harry would normally just earn them a glare from her, but there was something to be said about pent up anger trying to get out. Her fury, at the moment, was on the verge of boiling over.

How dared he!

Hermione stood up so suddenly that the tea sloshed on the table. With bright eyes, she glared at Harry, her hands gripping the edges of the table tightly. She saw Harry opened his mouth with no words coming out, but she didn't care.

“Catty!” Hermione shouted. “Catty? Well I'm so sorry Harry James Potter, if you think I'm being catty.”

“Herm…”

“No,” Hermione held up a hand trembling with rage. “Let me finish this. Otherwise, I wouldn't be rational for days.”

Harry plainly nodded.

“Bugger Harry! You lost touch with Bianca for a fortnight and you obviously felt dejected. How about six months? Half a year with nothing except a note or two from Hedwig. `Hello Hermione. How are you? I'm doing really great and so is Bianca. Well, that's it. See you soon.' See you soon? How soon are six months Harry? How soon are six months?”

The man being questioned opened his mouth again to answer, but decided to do otherwise as Hermione screamed in aggravation.

“And then you come in here, disturbing my peace as if nothing bloody hell happened. Now tell me, do I have the right to be catty, or don't I?”

Harry continued to stare at her dumbfounded. Silence ensued as Hermione tried to catch her breath. Harry cleared his throat and quietly stood up. Hermione followed him with her eyes as he got a glass from the cupboard then proceeded to fill it with water. Turning around, he gave the glass to his friend and watched with amusement as she downed the liquid in three huge gulps. Harry took the glass from her hand, and placed it on the table gently.

Now facing her, he started, “Can you be rational now?”

Knackered with her unexpected eruption, Hermione nodded and allowed Harry to pull her down to his lap. To her great mortification, she burst into tears. She couldn't stop and she cried more in embarrassment as she felt Harry chuckle.

“I… I…” she hiccupped. “I'm glad you're finding this amusing, you twit!”

Harry brushed her hair away from her wet face, and gazed into her eyes.

“I'm sorry,” he simply said. No explanations, no excuses. This caused another bout of weeping from the woman in his arms.

“I'm sorry too,” she croaked, words flowing from her easily as were her tears. “I didn't mean to fire up like that. I guess I was jealous of Bianca because of all the time you were spending with her. It felt like you didn't need me anymore.”

“Oh…”

She shook her head.

“ I know it's silly but I spent fifteen years of my life being needed by you and Ron. I told myself that it wouldn't always be like this and that you wouldn't be needing me all the time, but I can't help it. I can't let go of you gits! Remember the time when Ron got together with Luna?”

Harry smiled, recalling the scenes ten years ago. Hermione was so protective of Ron that everybody thought she had more than friendly feelings towards their other best mate. Of course, this wasn't true. She was just that - being overprotective. Besides, she was readily able to get over her “motherly nature,” because she happened to like Luna immensely. Hermione was even bridesmaid at the couple's wedding a year later.

“Yeah, you were really mental about that one.”

Hermione playfully swatted Harry, and clamped her mouth to stifle a yawn.

“You'd better get to bed,” Harry said concernedly, helping her to her feet. “And I'd better get going.”

“Huh?”

“Well,” Harry explained. “You need your beauty sleep right?”

Hermione scoffed at the idea. With an incantation, she cleaned the cups and put them back in order.

“And where are you supposing you'd sleep?”

Harry shrugged.

“I was thinking of getting a room in a hotel…”

“Heavens Harry!” Hermione rejoined. “What is wrong with staying here?”

“Er…”

“I'm not bound to slaughter you in your sleep.”

Harry grinned guiltily, he was actually thinking in those lines. After seeing Hermione earlier haranguing, he decided she really was capable of doing anything when livid.

“Thanks,” he said. “Go ahead then. I can get myself comfortable on the sofa.”

“Hah!” Hermione grinned evilly. “Not a chance. I just got you back so I'm not letting you go for a while. You're sleeping with me!”

“What?” Harry gaped at her as if she had changed into a human-cat (which he had seen happen once, ages ago).

Hermione laughed.

“Of course,” she giggled - something that is so uncharacteristically Hermione. “Not in that sense, silly!”

Harry sighed.

“Yeah, I know,” he murmured to himself. “It's just the emotional turmoil brought by the roller coaster of events taking over.”

“Well come on now,” Hermione grabbed his arm, dragging him along with her towards the bedroom, the change in her mood obvious. She was really glad Harry was there.

Harry shook his head in defeat and couldn't resist a “Well I hope there's no Malfoy there.”

“Honestly Harry!”

The two laughed, as they got ready for bed.

After a while, Hermione found herself nestled in Harry's arms.

“Sorry about earlier, I was absolutely gutted!” she said tiredly. “You're the one who went here for a crying shoulder. I turned you into one instead.”

Harry grinned, his chin resting on the top of her head. He was just happy to be in the good graces of his friend again. It was with no doubt that he truly missed Hermione.

“Wouldn't miss your outburst for anything,” he said then shrugged. “And I guess you're right. Though I'm sad about what happened with Bianca, I realized that it was more out of disappointment of not being able to get what I had expected from the relationship in the first place.”

“Let me guess,” Hermione, being smart as she was, couldn't keep from concluding. “ Marriage?”

Hermione felt him move his head in agreement.

Hermione pulled his arm around her more tightly.

“It'll come Harry. The future Mrs. Harry James Evans Potter will come eventually.”

He smiled at that.

“And this is coming from the girl who doesn't believe in Divination.”

“Hahaha,” she said blandly. “You know what I mean, Harry.”

Then silence.

“Harry?” Hermione murmured sleepily after a few minutes.

“Hmmm?”

“I'm glad you're here.”

Harry smiled.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Me too.”

And with that the two friends let exhaustion, and the comfort of each other's warmth lure them into a contented sleep.