"No, I'm not doing that!" Hermione nearly screamed.
"Come on, Herm, you have to learn sometime."
"No, I don't, I don't even like riding it."
Harry groaned and shook his head. He was trying to teach Hermione how to ride a broomstick, but she just refused to cooperate. They were out in the backyard, and he'd placed several invisibility and silencing charms around the area so no one saw what they were doing.
"Please sweetheart, try it again; I want you to be able to do this." She felt her reserves crumbling at his tender gaze.
"All right, but I don't see why I'm doing this; it's not like I need it to graduate."
Harry suddenly became very quiet, and she looked at him suspiciously.
"Harry?" she asked, noting how his eyes darted anywhere but her.
"Why don't you take a break?" he said nervously.
"What are you hiding?" she demanded and dismounted the broom.
"Well…um…that is…you kinda do need to know how to fly to graduate." Her eyes shot open in horror.
"Are you serious? How do you know?"
"Fred and George told me about it. He said that the N.E.W.T.S. are given by each professor - including Madam Hooch. She won't pass you if you can't fly." Hermione's face fell.
"But…but I…I've never been able to ride a broom properly. I do well in everything else but flying! Why should one subject matter?" she said franticly.
"Calm down, love," Harry whispered and touched her shoulders, "Everything is going to be fine. I'll have you flying high in no time."
She turned her head and grinned at him slyly.
"What do you call last night?" she cooed. He flushed slightly at her remark.
"I don't mean that, angel, and you know it."
"Now, come on, let's try this again."
Harry summoned his Firebolt and waited for Hermione. She stood next to her broom, which was lying on the ground. She never knew why she actually bought one - just to say that she had her own or something. Lifting up her hand, she took a deep breath and put a determined look on her face.
"Hold it!" Harry ordered.
"What's wrong?" He shook his head and went behind her again. Setting down his broom, he once again put his hands on her shoulders.
"Relax sweetheart, or you'll never be able to do this. Flying isn't like studying potions or pruning mandrakes; it's meant to be done with a light heart; it's meant to be fun. Now, lose the serious look."
"So what should I do?"
"Okay, close your eyes and relax your mind. Don't think about anything in particular - just let yourself drift for a moment. Good, now raise your hand and call for it."
Hermione lifted her arm over her broom and opened her eyes.
"Up!" she said firmly, and the broomstick snapped into her hand.
"I did it!" Harry squeezed her shoulders gently.
"There you see, don't take it so seriously. Let's see if we can get you off the ground."
Hermione gulped at that prospect. She'd always had a slight fear of heights. The other night when she and Harry were floating high above the town, she was certain her stomach was going to explode, but his presence kept her calm. She mounted her broom and waited for his next instructions.
Harry mounted his Firebolt and rose off the ground slightly. He floated around in front of her and looked directly in her eyes.
"All right, Hermione, you can do this. Grip the handle, but don't try to crush it. Now make sure that you feel comfortable with the way you're sitting…" She nodded at him.
"…Okay, this is tough part. Don't think about trying to fly; don't think about not touching the ground. Just push off the ground and not even think twice about where you're going."
He could see her hands tremble slightly, and she took several deep breaths.
'You can do this, Hermione, you can do this!'
Even if she didn't do it right the first time, Harry wouldn't belittle her; he would just encourage her to do it again. Closing her eyes, she kicked off the ground, and a second later she couldn't feel the ground anymore.
"You did it!" Harry said happily.
His fiancé opened her eyes and looked down. She was hovering steadily, approximately five feet above the ground, and a smile broke out on her face.
"I'm flying; I'm really flying."
"Yup, told you could do it, Herm. There's nothing my girl can't do," he said proudly and winked at her. She just blushed slightly.
"Um Harry…how do I get down now?"
"Okay, slowly lean forward but don't bend over, or it might think you want to go forward. Lean forward and push down on the handle gently."
Hermione did as he instructed, and her broom turned down and slowly sank back to the ground. Her feet touched the grass, and she let out a much-needed breath.
"Phew, I'm glad that's over," she gasped.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to the feeling; you just need a little more practice."
"Can we stop for today? I'm still a little edgy about it," she whispered, and he smiled warmly at her.
"Course we can. Besides, there are some other things I wanted to show you anyway."
"Like what?" Hermione asked and dismounted her broom. Harry joined her back on the ground and set down his Firebolt. Looking around, he picked up a rock out of the grass.
"Like this…" and he tossed the stone into the air. Pulling it out his wand, he took aim.
"Exploda!" and it shattered into a million pieces of dust. Hermione gulped, and she gawked at him.
"You want me…to learn…that!" He nodded at her.
"Not just that, Hermione, there are other spells too. I want you to learn how to defend yourself - not just disarm another wizard. I need you to know how!"
She looked into his eyes and saw the seriousness in his eyes; this went much deeper than he was admitting.
"Won't you get in trouble for showing me this though?"
"Not as long as you don't curse someone in public."
"Harry, why are you doing this, and don't say because I could get hurt?" He groaned slightly.
"Hermione, there's only one thing that I truly hate and that's to see you get hurt. I'm not just talking about physically either. I can still remember back in second year when Malfoy called you a Mudblood; you stood there in Hagrid's hut trying not to cry your eyes out. You're a very strong-willed person, and I want you to be able to prove it. You may be a muggle-born, but I know that you have great potential inside you."
"That's sound like the same thing Dumbledore keeps saying to you," she laughed.
"I know, and it took me a while to get it through my thick head!"
"So what exactly do want to teach me? I know a lot of charms and hexes - if you recall."
"Course you do, but those are strategic spells. I want to teach you magic that is both offensive and defensive. I'm not gonna teach you how to kill someone obviously, but you'll put up one helluva fight!"
"Well…I never thought I'd like stuff like this, but I guess it wouldn't hurt."
"I admit that this is for my benefit as well - especially considering you agreed to marry me," he said softly.
"How do you mean?"
"You may think this sounds selfish, but I'm afraid to leave you alone sometimes. I'm afraid that something bad is going to happen to you, and I'll be responsible…"
"Harry, don't-" He cut her off.
"…I know it sounds stupid, but it's the truth. If I train you how to duel and defend yourself, then at least I have a slight peace of mind that some rogue Death Eater won't curse you if I'm not around."
Hermione gazed at him and shook her before smiling warmly. Poor guy, he was trying so hard not to sound like an idiot, and she couldn't help but think that he was quite right. Being his wife meant that she would become a target, but bloody hell, she already was a target when it came to him.
"If you want to make sure that I can match wands with the best of 'em, then by all means…show me how!"
"I knew you'd say yes, and if I'm right, you may soon be giving McGonagall a run for her money - not to mention Sirius…the poor guy."
Hermione started laughing hysterically.
"And what about Malfoy, hmm?" she asked with a rather sinister smile.
"Believe me, by the time we're through, you'll be able to strip him down and hang him upside down by his underwear in the Great Hall."
"Why Harry…what an interesting idea?" she said with a sly grin. He walked right up to her and cupped her cheek.
"Do I dare ask what devious thoughts are brewing in that brain of yours?"
"A woman does not reveal all of her secrets, Harry - not yet anyway. One must keep her man interested after all."
"That won't ever be problem for me," and he kissed her long and hard. His hands framed her face, and her fingers tangled in his hair.
"Hmm, are we going to snog or practice, love?" she cooed softly. He chewed his lip for a moment.
"Both are quite important, but I must say that practice should come first…" Bending down, Harry nuzzled her ear, "…we can play later."
As the final weeks of the summer rolled by, Harry continued training Hermione. It wasn't nearly as rigorous as his own training had been, but he wanted to teach her how to fight - if necessary. The one thing that he didn't want Hermione to feel was inadequate. He was afraid that if she ever saw his true power, she'd feel out of place being at his side. This way, she would have no cause for such nonsense. The only thing that he didn't try to show her was how to apparate. It had taken him long enough to learn it, and he didn't want to be responsible if she did it wrong. Besides, Hermione would learn it at Hogwarts this year anyway.
Harry's last day at the Grangers was very happy. Hermione had leaked it to her mom that it was his birthday, and Melinda had baked a cake for him. He told her that he didn't want one, but as he expected, she shut him up.
As they saw at the dining room table finishing up dinner, an owl arrived at the window. It pecked at the glass, and Hermione immediately went to see it. Opening the pane, she saw that there were two letters attached to its leg. Untying them, she petted its feathers, and the barn owl squeaked as it headed back home.
"Who's it from, Herm?" Harry asked, as he took a bite of cake.
"It's from Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Here…this is yours," she replied and handed him an envelope.
"Thanks."
They both ripped open the seal and took out their letters.
"Oh my gosh!" Hermione gasped.
"What is it? Has something bad happened?" her mother asked worriedly. Her daughter shook her head emphatically.
"No, nothing like that, here…"
Melinda took the letter from her and looked at the calligraphic writing.
TO MISS HERMIONE GRANGER,
IT IS MY ESTEEMED PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN NAMED HEAD GIRL AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT OF WIZARDRY. CONGRATULATIONS.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
SCHOOL HEADMASTER
"Oh Hermione, this is wonderful; I'm so proud of you," her mother sighed and hugged her tightly.
"Congratulations Hermione," her father added and kissed her cheek. Harry did not say anything; he just sat there grinning.
"What?" his girlfriend asked, seeing the sly smirk on his face.
"Looks like we're a matching pair!" he laughed.
"What do you mean?"
"I got named Head Boy for this year," Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes, "I can just see the look on Fudge's face right about now. A previously expelled student being named Head Boy of the entire school."
"Harry, that's wonderful," Mr. and Mrs. Granger said at the same time.
"Now Harry, you do realize this means that you have to behave yourself this year," Hermione said cheekily.
"I beg your pardon!"
"You know what I'm talking about - no fooling around. It would look bad if the Head Boy got into more trouble than anyone else."
"I resent that, Herm, it's not my fault if trouble seeks me out."
"Oh please, you and Ron attract it like a magnet."
"Ouch, that one hurt," and he clutched his chest in mock pain. Hermione giggled and rubbed her foot against his.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you in line."
"Don't you always?" he countered with an arched eyebrow.
"Good point."
"My goodness, you two, how often do you fight like this?" Melinda asked, watching them go back and forth. Harry scratched his forehead to look like he was thinking.
"I'm not sure. What do you say, Herm…five or six times a day?"
"Sounds about right."
"A day!" Mr. Granger gasped.
"Yes, we like to think of it as intellectual warfare," Harry teased.
"And I win every time!" Hermione giggled.
"Not every time, sweetheart, just most of the time."
Harry reached across the table and took her hand. Hermione smiled warmly and squeezed his hand in return. Their eyes conveyed their feelings to one another without saying a word.
"You know, I was kinda hoping that Ron would get picked," Harry admitted.
"Why do you say that?" Melinda asked.
"It's always been his dream. He wanted to be able to step out of his brothers' shadows."
"Don't worry about Ron, he won't mind; he'll have more free time this way anyway," Hermione explained.
"Just think, we're gonna have to go to all the prefect meetings and handle all the problems that students complain about."
"Trust me, Hermione, I'm not gonna spend my last year at Hogwarts cooped up in meetings all the time. If someone has a problem, they can explain it to me straightforward, but I'm not going to listen to a load of crap from people."
"I agree completely; this is gonna be quite a partnership," she teased and winked at him.
After dinner was finished, Harry and Hermione headed upstairs to finish packing their things for the following day.
Harry loaded his clothes into his trunk but left a pair out for the morning. He put his Gryffindor robes on top for easy access and put his Firebolt underneath his clothes. He remembered the first time that Mrs. Granger had caught him teaching Hermione how to ride a broom; she'd completely flipped! However, after explaining that nobody could see them outside the residence, she calmed down.
He turned his head as someone knocked on his door and in walked Hermione. He smiled, and she walked directly into his arms.
"Well…our summer's over now, Harry."
"Thank you, Hermione, I've had a wonderful time here; you don't know how lucky you are to have parents like these."
"I'm glad that you came here for the summer; I would've missed you too much."
"You know, Herm, I was just thinking…"
"That's always good."
"Smart-aleck. I was thinking that each of us is going to have our own room this year."
"I know, that's gonna be great for studying," she chirped. He should've known she'd say something like that.
"That's true, but it also means that we won't be interrupted so easily…" His sighed and cupped her cheek. His eyes darkened, and she melted under his gaze.
"…I think I'm gonna like having you all to myself."
"But you already do," she quipped.
"Without any prying eyes around. From what I've heard, the Head Boy and Girl's rooms are adjunct to one another. We even have our own portrait password."
Hermione smiled coyly and draped her arms around his neck.
"That has definite possibilities. Just think, I could come by and surprise you right in the middle of the night."
"And so could I, sweetheart."
Apart from the intimacy portion, Harry was glad that he would be able to have Hermione alone. It was be nice to be 'living with her'; they were engaged after all. Harry picked up her left hand and rubbed the ring on her third finger. He brushed his lips against her knuckles, and she pulled him closer to nuzzle his palm. Harry kissed her softly and let her go.
"Did you finish packing?"
"Yes, my dad said that he'll drive us to King's Cross in the morning."
"Sounds good to me. I'll be done as soon as Hedwig gets back from her evening snack hunt," he sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well then…I guess we better go to bed," Hermione said reluctantly. Her eyes held a question and a look of hope.
"As much as I don't want to, sweetheart, we better sleep separately tonight. I don't want your dad to catch us on the last day that I'm here."
"Okay, I understand."
Hermione leaned forward, and Harry bent down to her soft lips. This kiss was passionate but not overheated; it was just simple and wonderful.
"Goodnight Hermione."
"Goodnight Harry."
He walked her to his door and let her out. Bending down next to her ear, he whispered something softly.
'I'll see you in my dreams.'
Hermione flushed slightly, but her smile was appreciative, and she slipped out of her lover's arms. Harry let her go and quietly shut the door.