Chapter Two
Hermione awoke the next morning early. She was too excited to sleep. Today Harry and Ron were to arrive. After she took a shower, Hermione spent an unusual hour fixing her hair up. This was very unlike her, but she was so excited, especially to see Harry, she wanted to look perfect. Normally, if Hermione ever saw Harry or Ron during the summer, it was near the tail end and only at the Burrow, Ron's home, or Diagon Alley for school supply shopping.
She knew Harry wouldn't notice the time she'd taken to straighten it, but she still wanted to look good. 'Best be looking sharp. It's always good to make an impression in the beginning,' Hermione thought to herself. It was going to be a long and wonderful summer with Harry and Ron by her side. She especially wanted Harry to remember how nice she could look since they were going to be at camp where not looking one's best is common.
After fixing herself up, and applying make-up, which she'd begun to wear during her fifth year, Hermione decided to read 'Hogwarts: A History' her favorite book until lunch.
~*~
At the same time, Harry Potter sat in his upstairs bedroom of his Aunt and Uncle's house packing his school supplies meticulously into his trunk. Next to it laid two pre-packed suitcases he had prepared the night before for camp. As soon as he'd received Hermione's owl, he began to pack. That is, until his other best friend Ron Weasley called. After that, he had to take a break to wash dishes as his Uncle had become very angry over the phone call.
It was about 11am and he could hear his Aunt Petunia preparing lunch downstairs. His Uncle had been grumbling since they day before so Harry and been making himself scarce. Every few minutes, he would glance at the clock and debate if it was too early or not to go to Hermione's. He wanted to see her very badly. Since the middle of his fifth year, unbeknownst to anyone, even Ron, Harry had developed quite a crush on Hermione. The summer after fifth year had been horrible. He hadn't been able to see her much at all. She'd been vacationing with her family in Australia. Any time away from her became harder and harder every time. He refused to admit it to anyone. He'd contemplated on telling Ron, but Harry just couldn't bring himself to expose his true feelings.
During his fifth year, he'd attempted a relationship. It was going great until one day, during Christmas break, Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room wearing a simple black skirt and a lavender turtleneck sweater. It just hit him. It came up, out of now where, and smacked him right in the face. He loved her. He sat there and gaped for a minute until she noticed. He immediately blushed and ran up to his room. Hermione had obviously just thought he was being strange. When he got to his room, all he could do was pace around his room trying to make sense of it. He'd had no idea he'd grown to love her so much. True, he'd always thought she was beautiful, but she was always his friend, his best friend. Then out of nowhere, he was just admiring her simple beauty one day and he just realized it. Every day since, he tried to tell himself why it couldn't be. He even tried to continue his relationship, but it wasn't fair to Rebecca. He hadn't attempted to date anyone else after he ended the relationship, but instead spent his time miserably pining away for his best friend, Hermione.
Harry finished packing the rest of his school trunk that he was taking with him to Hermione's. He glanced at the clock again and it read 11:24am. He wanted to get over to Hermione's as quickly as possible. He knew he'd said he'd be there later, but he had hinted he wanted to arriver earlier. Hermione had replied very positively about wanting to see him early.
Debating again, he decided he'd better go now before he chickened out on arriving early. Stacking his bad atop his trunk, he dragged it all downstairs. He hoped by arriving early, he'd beat Ron and earn himself a bit of alone time with Hermione. Wishful thinking he knew, but it was still his wish nonetheless.
"Uncle Vernon, I'm leaving now, see you next year," he announced, dragging his bags to the fireplace. It was still transfixed by Mr. Weasley so Harry could fit in and out. Uncle Vernon insisted it be left that was when he left for fifth year due to the large inconvenience of all the Weasley's continually trying to arrive via floo powder with it boarded up. Rather that see the use magic more than once, he simply yelled to leave it be that time.
"Boy, what's the meaning of this?" Uncle Vernon said in a gruff voice coming in from the dining room with a large white napkin tucked into his shirt. He'd been enjoying a nice pre-lunch with his well-overdone son Dudley. Naturally they needed a snack sine Aunt Petunia wouldn't be finished with lunch for another thirty minutes at least.
"I told you yesterday, I'm going to visit my friend Hermione. I won't be back all summer," Harry drug in trunk squarely in front of the fireplace.
"I forbid it," he barked, food flying out of his mouth.
"And you'd rather put up with me all summer long then," he inquired, pulling a small bag of floo powder out of his bag.
"Well, no," he mumbled under his moustache.
"Right then. See you," he took a pinch a floo powder and threw it into the fire announcing, "Granger Residence". He thought her heard Uncle Vernon mumbled a goodbye, but he shrugged it off assuming it couldn't be true. Instead, he felt a smile growing on his face at the thought of momentarily being at Hermione's home.
~*~
Hermione yawned and looked at at the clock. It was 11:45am. She closed 'Hogwart's: A History' and decided to venture downstairs for some lunch. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a trunk and a couple bags stacked there. She immediately recognized them and a giant smile grew across her face.
"Harry!?! HARRY!" she called, excitedly running down the stairs.
"'Mione?!" She heard in call back, she could hear the enthusiasm in his voice and her smiled widened. He suddenly popped out of the dining room, followed by Hermione's mother.
"Oh Harry, you came early!" she squealed, launching into a hug. He reciprocated fiercely, spinning her a partial turn. She felt her heart skip a beat as he feet left the ground momentarily. As he put her down and they pulled away, she noticed him smiling back at her, his eyes dancing with something she hadn't noticed before, but she didn't have time to analyze it as her mother interjected.
"Harry and I were just enjoying lunch. Why don't you come eat something, dear?"
"How long have you been here?" she inquired to Harry, his hands still resting on her hips. Neither of them seemed to notice they were still there.
"About fifteen minutes," he smiled sheepishly.
"And you didn't inform me," she frowned moving to cross her arms, but running into his. Both blushed and pulled back. "Never mind it, let's eat." She turned quickly so he could not gauge her reaction.
After lunch, Hermione helped Harry move his school trunk into storage and found a room for Hedwig's cage where she would be comfortable when she returned. She was off delivering a letter to Sirius so he wouldn't wonder why Harry wasn't replying to any owls and he'd know where Harry was. They then went to sit in the living room and wait thirty more minutes for what they expected to by Molly and Ron Weasley's prompt arrival.
"So," Harry began as they sat down. They were alone. Hermione's father was still at work and her mother was beginning to prepare a roast for dinner. She's taken the week off from work to spend some extra time with her daughter before she left for the summer and near following school year. Neither of them spoke, they just kind of smiled at each other looking into one another's eyes.
'She is unbelievably beautiful,' Harry thought, 'I wonder if she did her hair just for me? Right, like that would happen.'
'Is it possible he grew more handsome in the six days I haven't seen him? I wonder if he noticed my hair! No, of course not..' she was still smiling like an idiot.
"So..." Harry started again, which seemed to break the spell that held them their gaze on each other. They both laughed.
"Are you a bit nervous?" Hermione inquired.
"Pardon?" Harry was a bit flustered. 'Did she notice my staring?' he wondered.
"About camp I mean," she blushed a bit. She hadn't expected him to look so alarmed at her inquiry.
"Oh, no, not really, you?"
"No," she smiled. He smiled back much to her appeasement.
"Right then," Harry said. "Perhaps Ron is?"
"Oh, Ron, yes," she snapped back to reality at the mention of his name, "I mean to say, no. I mean, I don't know. Maybe we should ask him when he gets here?"
Sensing her being uncomfortable due to her flustered response, Harry decided to change the subject. 'Think Potter, what to say, what to say.' "Um, Hermione?"
"Ya, Harry?"
"Today your hair i....t, it looked," he noticed to wait edgily for him to finish, "it looked good. I mean nice. I mean, well, you know what I mean," he blushed.
"Thanks for noticing," she beamed back. 'Oh, he noticed! He actually noticed! Maybe...' "Harry," she ventured. She was contemplating on whether or not to try and test the waters and see if he responded.
"Ya 'Mione?" he smiled, leaning closer.
"I..."
As if by cue, a horn sounded outside.
"That must be..." Hermione started.
"Ron," Harry finished a little bleakly. He covered though not wanting Hermione to notice. "Let's go then. That bloke'll disturb the neighbor hood with that horn." (It was still sounding.)
"Right then," Hermione laughed as they got up and went outside to greet Ron.
~*~
"I mean, it was amazing! And the Wronski Feint, WOW! He was better than Krum!" Ron said between bites of food.
"How close to the ground did he get before pulling up?" Harry was at the edge of his seat listening to Ron recount the Chudley Cannons game his father had taken him to. As the new Minister of Magic, he had access to season tickets. Ron had been telling Harry, and whoever else was listening, about his new favorite play, Michael Park, an American who had come over to play. Molly Weasley and Mrs. Granger were having their own conversation at the other end of the supper table. Hermione was also listening to Ron's story, but gave a disapproving look at the mention of Krum's name.
"About an inch I reckon!" Ron said excitedly.
"Wow!" Harry's eyes grew.
Ron continued to recount his story for the rest of dinner until it was over.
"Well," Molly said from the doorway. "Thank you for dinner. Ron, behave. I'll see you at Diagon Alley," she pulled Ron over and kissed his forehead. "You too Harry," she pulled him into a hug. "And you Hermione dear." As she pulled her close, she whispered into her ear, "Don't let those two cause any trouble now. You have the best head on your shoulder's, we're all certain of that. I trust you'll look after them," she gave Hermione and extra squeeze and smile at her. After thanking Mrs. Granger for dinner, she left.
"Now all of you off to bed," she instructed the three, "We have to leave bright and early tomorrow.
The bid their goodnights and went off to bed, eager to begin their first day at Camp Silver Lake.