Hermione was quite surprised when she and Harry apparated onto her front porch. Quickly scanning the area, he lifted off the invisibility cloak, and the pair reappeared.
"Harry, what are we doing out here? Why didn't you just bring us inside?"
"I wasn't sure when your parents were coming home, and I didn't think they'd like it if we just popped into their living room without any warning."
"I see your point." Hermione turned her head towards the driveway, but her parent's car wasn't there.
"Um Harry…I didn't bring my house keys with me."
"Oh come on, the great Hermione Granger doesn't need keys to open a lock. Remember first year?" Harry asked and raised his eyebrows. She just glared at him.
"Course I remember, you jerk, but I don't have my wand with me!"
"Who says you need a wand?" Harry turned her towards the door.
Hermione suddenly became very nervous; she'd never been able to magic without her wand before. She tried it once, and it had failed miserably.
"Harry, I can't do this," she pleaded.
"Yes, you can," he put his hands on her shoulders, "Now close your eyes and focus. Raise your hand towards the door."
She did as he instructed.
"Good. Now, try and imagine that you're using your hand as a wand instead. Concentrate your spell through it. See the magic leave your hand."
"I don't know." Harry hugged her gently.
"I know you can do this, sweetheart, just trust yourself."
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and calmed herself down. She could do this! Pointing her hand towards the door, she concentrated on the words she knew by heart.
"Alohomora!"
The latch came undone, and the lock retracted.
"I did it!" she said ecstatically. Spinning around, she jumped into Harry's arms and hugged him.
"Whoa, easy there!" he chuckled.
"Oh Harry, I can't believe I did magic without my wand. The last time I tried it - nothing happened."
"Maybe you just needed a little encouragement. I knew you could do it, and now, so do you." He kissed her forehead and smiled.
This day was getting better by the minute as far as Hermione was concerned. Opening her front door, Harry followed her inside.
Hermione's parents came home about a half-hour later. Harry had volunteered to make dinner again - with Hermione's help of course, but Melinda Granger had immediately shooed him out of her kitchen.
So, Harry and Hermione had elected to head into the backyard.
The two were flopped out on the grass; the dusky sky sent a rainbow of colors across the horizon. Harry lay with hands behind his head, watching the clouds roll by. Hermione was by his side; her right forearm draped over her eyes.
"Sweetheart?" he whispered.
"Hmm?" she replied without moving.
Harry turned on his side. Plucking out a few blades of grass, he ran them teasingly up her arm. Hermione flinched slightly but ignored the sensation. However, when Harry brushed the tip of her nose, she swatted at the annoying object, while trying not to laugh. She turned to face him and propped herself up on her right elbow. Harry reached out and brushed a few stray hairs off her face.
"I'm glad you invited me here, Hermione."
"And I'm glad you came, Harry."
"It's times like this when I finally have an answer."
"What do you mean?" she asked rather confused.
"An answer to the question, is it all worth it? Was the loss of my parents and my friends truly worth it?"
"Oh Harry." Hermione had never realized how deep his convictions were.
"All I can say is…that if I can have more moments like this with you…then I'll gladly face a hundred Voldemorts."
Harry lay back down, and Hermione scooted closer to him. She laid her head on his chest, and his arms surrounded her.
"You've earned this happiness, Harry, don't ever let anyone else tell you otherwise."
"Not a chance, my angel," he sighed and kissed her hair.
From the kitchen window, Melinda Granger could clearly see the pair outside. Her eyes surveyed the way Harry handled her daughter - such tenderness he possessed. He couldn't not love her and be that compassionate. Though it had only been for a few months, Melinda had come to care very much for Harry. The young man possessed an unusual aura. He could win over anybody with his charm, but it never went to his head. He was both humble and modest; never had she met a teenager who was as unselfish as Harry Potter. Most of all, he had brought a new life into her daughter's eyes. Hermione had always been a bit shy around boys, but she could always talk to Harry. He was her best friend, and that was why they fell in love.
A strong hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts.
"What is it?" her husband asked.
"Oh nothing," Melinda sighed, noticing that her eyes were quite moist.
"Talk to me, sweetie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, John, it's just that…I'm beginning to see why Hermione chose Harry."
"I agree. I think that boy would go to hell and back for our daughter."
"I think he already has," his wife laughed.
"So why the tears then?"
"My daughter's growing up. Can't a mother cry over that?"
"Melinda." John Granger hugged his wife gently.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but we have to let her go sometime."
"You're right, and I don't think I could've picked someone who's as perfect for Hermione myself."
Twenty minutes later, Melinda Granger called in the young lovers. They joined Hermione's parents at the table and took their seats.
"So Hermione, I forgot to ask you how the carnival was?" her mother inquired. Her daughter tried hard not to laugh, and Harry had to stifle a grin.
"It was wonderful, mom, we even met some of our old friends there!"
"Really? Who did you see?"
"We ran into Ron Weasley and his brothers, Fred and George. We also saw my roommate Lavender there."
"Ah, I remember you mentioning them before," her father stated. "Didn't you say that they were quite the accomplished pranksters?"
"Yes, they even had a booth set up with all of their things to play practical jokes on people, but it couldn't have topped what Ron was doing."
"And what was that?" Melinda asked, noting the way Harry and Hermione were looking intently at one another. The two suddenly burst out laughing.
"He…he was in the dunk tank!" Harry chuckled.
"My goodness!" Mrs. Granger gasped, trying not to laugh herself, "How did the poor boy end up there?"
"His brothers got him the job," Hermione giggled. "And we took full advantage of it; he was soaked through and through."
"So how was the new medieval show they added this year?" John Granger asked, taking a bite of his wife's ham.
Again, Harry and Hermione looked at one another, but this time, their eyes were full of love and warmth for each other.
"Well dad, we were kinda involved in it."
"What do you mean?"
"Hermione and I were chosen to play roles in the performance," Harry answered.
"Oh my, how exciting!" her mother said happily, "So what were your parts?"
"I…I was a princess," her daughter replied as her cheeks flushed, "and Harry was a prince. I had been kidnapped by an evil lord, and he was supposed to rescue me."
The two adults began laughing, making the young couple blush deeply.
"And did he?" her mother prodded.
"Of course, I did!" Harry interrupted.
"He came for me - just as he always does," she confirmed.
"Sounds like you two had quite a day," Melinda sighed.
"It was the best!" Hermione said with a bright smile.
Dinner proceeded with Harry and Hermione continuing their story about the carnival.
"Hmm, that was great, mom!"
Hermione sat back and stretched. She felt really relaxed, but a few of her muscles were a little stiff.
"If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a warm bath." Her eyes flashed towards Harry to see his reaction, but he just gave her a half-smile.
For once, Harry was actually thankful that Hermione was leaving the room.
Once he heard water running upstairs, Harry was sure that he could proceed with his plan. He looked at Mr. and Mrs. Granger sitting next to and across from him, and a lump formed in his throat. He'd been preparing this conversation over and over in his mind for months, but he suddenly forgot it all.
"May I talk to you two about something?" he asked quietly.
"Certainly Harry, is something wrong?" Melinda said worriedly, noting the slightly downtrodden look in his eyes.
"There is something that I wanted to talk about, but I didn't want Hermione around when I said it."
Now, the two parents knew this was serious. The young couple had been practically joined at the hip all summer.
"Did you two have a fight?"
"No ma'am!" Harry said emphatically, "It's nothing like that at all."
"Then spit it out, lad, we're here," John stated.
"I wanted to ask you if…if…" Harry steeled himself and gathered his nerves, "…If I can have your daughter's hand?"
John and Melinda sat back and stared at one another in shock. Had they just heard him say that?
"Harry, correct me if I'm wrong, but did you just ask permission to…marry Hermione?" The young man looked John Granger directly in the eye.
"Yes sir."
"Well, I wasn't expecting this when I came home tonight." He looked at his wife who was just as flustered.
"Aren't you a bit young to be doing this, Harry?" Melinda stated and looked at him intently.
"Mrs. Granger, my entire life has been based on who I am. I'm Harry Potter. My relatives despised me, and the wizarding world adores me. It's ridiculous. I had no real identity - until I met Hermione. She was the one person who saw 'me' and not my image. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a friend who likes you for just being yourself. She's always been by my side - no matter what. That's one of the reasons why I love her; she wants 'me' - not Harry Potter."
"You make a good case, my boy, but I'm still concerned about this. Neither of you is even finished with school yet," John said firmly.
"Mr. Granger, I wasn't planning to do this right away. I want us both to finish at Hogwarts first - then we can talk about a date. I know that you can't marry someone, and everything falls into place. Both Hermione and I will have to decide what we're going to do - as well where we would live."
"I see that you've thought about this quite a bit, Harry, I respect that."
"Thank you. I swore to myself a long time ago that I would always take care of Hermione - whether or not we are together. I want to marry her because I love her like I've never loved anyone else. I can't promise that our life is going to be perfect, but I will do everything in my power to make her happy."
John Granger looked at his wife, and she looked back at him. They were clearly impressed with the maturity that the young man possessed. He'd been asked to do so much at such a young age, and it had made him into an exemplary person. Melinda looked at her husband, and a soft smile appeared on her face. She could read his eyes clearly, and she nodded her head in agreement.
"Harry?" she said softly. He waited nervously for her answer. Melinda reached over and took her husband's hand.
"You have both our permission and our blessing."
The young wizard's face lit up, and he let out the breath he'd been holding for the last minute or so.
"Thank you so much!" he cried as his eyes moistened.
Melinda Granger smiled warmly at her future son-in-law. She'd had an instinct about Harry from the moment she met him. He brought a strength of character with him that few men possessed. Most importantly, he made her daughter incredibly happy. Sure they were both still young, but as Harry had said, he didn't mind waiting at all. Rising to her feet, the older woman walked around the table and kneeled down next to him.
"There's one other thing that I want to tell you, Harry."
"Yes, Mrs. Granger?"
Taking the poor boy by complete surprise, she reached out and gave him a loving hug - much as mother would do.
"Welcome to the family."
At that moment, Harry couldn't hold it anymore, and tears began to slip down his cheeks. Those words were more powerful than any spell he could ever cast. He gently hugged the older woman back, and she tightened her hold on him.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Not wanting to embarrass him any further, Melinda let him go.
"Just remember Harry, you'll have to start calling me mom soon," she laughed, and he blushed deeply.
The stairs creaked as someone came down, and a moment later, Hermione came back into the room. Her hair was still damp and hung loosely around her shoulders. What made Harry smile was that she was wearing her plaid, flannel pajamas; the same ones that he'd given her; the same ones she'd worn the first night they were together.
"Okay, what's going on here?" she asked, seeing her mother right next to Harry, and he face still partially red. When no one answered, she put her hands on her hips.
"Mom, what did you do to him?"
"Nothing sweetie, nothing at all," her mother giggled and stood back up. Her father started chuckling as well, but what really goaded her was when Harry started laughing.
"What is going on here?" she demanded with fire in her eyes.
"Nothing's wrong, Herm," Harry sighed and looked up at her; his face was practically glowing, "…Everything is absolutely perfect."
That left Hermione even more confused.
Later that night, Harry was in his room rummaging through his trunk. Finding what he wanted in the back corner, he pulled out the small box and tucked it into his pocket. Running a hand through his messy hair, he took a deep breath to clear his head.
'All right, Potter, this is it. It's time to ask her.'
With his heart pounding a million miles a second and determination burning in his eyes, Harry quietly walked down towards Hermione's room.