Harry opened the door to Grimmauld Place and before he was able to shut it a familiar face was standing in front of them.
"Tonks?"
"You didn't expect Dumbledore to let you guys go out on your own, did you?"
The two sheepishly nodded confirming their thoughtlessness.
"Well, I'm supposed to escort you anywhere you want today. Of course you do know once the day is over you two aren't allowed to go out again until the Weasleys come."
They nodded, knowing the Order couldn't be bothered to take two teenagers out for ice cream at their every whim.
They headed off to Gringotts and exchanged some of Harry's Galleons into Muggle money.
They got every colour of paint that seemed to jump out at them. Truthfully, they got the vibrant colours Hermione 'oohh'ed and 'aahhh'ed over. They got sanders for the dark wooden floors and clear finish. Added to the large pile were new door knobs and fixtures; Tonks assuring them she knew how to install them. They decided that they were going to try to start as fresh as they could with the kitchen, which excited Tonks so much she promised to come over and help on her off time. Harry was nearly positive Tonks just loved to change things, whether it was rooms or her hair.
They got all new furniture, which both Harry and Hermione were able to agree on.
As soon as they got everything they needed, and things they didn't need, they headed to a muggle grocery store and stocked up for a week alone. It was rather difficult to try to get Tonks out of there, she kept pointing at things like string cheese and jello and asking 'what's that for?' or 'why would anyone want to stick that in their mouth?' Tonks also tried to buy them beer, thinking it was the same as butter beer, and although they were tempted to let her, they said no thanks and instead picked up a couple different flavors of soda, including Jolt which promised twice the caffeine.
With the rest of the items bought earlier that day, Tonks shrank the remaining groceries and put them in her trunk. It was rather odd to see that the shrunken items filled the trunk to the brim, even Tonks was surprised at all the items they bought that day.
Tonks said goodbye once Harry, Hermione, and the trunk were carried over the threshold, and with a blink of an eye she was gone.
Like most of the summer, Harry had a lot to keep him busy, and he took full advantage of that. What was left of the rest of the day was spent getting everything 'Black' out of the house, which included... finally, Mrs. Black. Hermione became so sick and tired of hearing that woman screaming she took the entire wall that the portrait was connected to out.
"Hermione, I think I'll love you forever for getting that...woman out," seeing the quizzical look she was giving him he added, "among all the other things I love you for... as a friend... one of my best friends."
"You're welcome," she said, her hair covered her face so Harry couldn't see her reaction.
"Harry I.... I wonder.... That is.... What about Sirius-"
"We're leaving that the same," Harry said quickly. He even fooled himself to think, 'He'll want it to be the same when he comes back.'
"Okay. Well I'm beat, I'm going to call it a night. Don't work too hard."
"Night," he watched her walk up the stairs and heard her door close. He turned to the living room and enlarged the sander.
* * *
"Harry!! Harry wake up!!" Hermione screamed.
Harry's sweaty form jumped from the bed and into her arms, he was breathing heavily and started to cry.
"It's okay, it was only a nightmare," Hermione cooed.
This apparently did not help because Harry continued sobbing in her arms.
"I don't want to... I can't... don't make me... please..." Harry panted between sobs.
"You don't have to do anything... everything is alright."
At that moment Harry snapped out of wherever he was, pushed her away from him, and got out of bed. He quickly rubbed his eyes, now aware that a girl had seen him crying.
"I'm f-"
"Harry James Potter if you dare say you are 'fine' I swear I will turn you into a newt," Hermione shouted.
She changed her tone then to soothing, "Tell me what's wrong?"
"You don't want to know," he ran his hand through his sweaty hair.
Hermione seemed to think about this for a minute. Harry determined that she wasn't thinking whether she wanted to know it or not, but rather how to word what she was about to say.
"Since our first year I've done everything in my power to help you. What makes you think this is any different?"
'Because you'll hate who I've become once I...' he thought to himself.
"Please Hermione, if you really do care about me you'll just leave and pretend you didn't see anything tonight."
"I can't do that Harry, you know that," she said with a half smile.
Yes, if Hermione Granger had one fault it was in having to know everything.
Harry could feel the tears forming in his eyes.
"I heard the prophecy. Dumbledore was the one that heard it first so he told me. He hadn't told me before because I wasn't OLD enough. I... I have to kill Voldemort... I have to kill him or he'll kill me. If I die he'll kill soo many people, but I.... How am I.... He's too strong and I'm just me, I can't do it and the world is counting on ME!! Not just the wizards, he'll kill everyone and he'll start with the muggle-borns.... Hermione..." the last word was choked out.
She walked over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him in one of her crushing hugs, which at that moment, Harry found very comforting.
"We'll just have to learn everything there is to know about magic."
That would be Hermione's answer. Harry couldn't help but let a chuckle escape before he began to sob again not caring Hermione was there.
"Harry, you can beat him, you will beat him. You are a great wizard, and you've got one thing he hasn't got."
"What's that?"
"Me."
Harry hugged her tighter and they stayed there until they both fell asleep on the floor of Harry's bedroom.
* * *
Harry woke up still on the floor of his bedroom, but with a blanket on top of him and a pillow underneath his head. Once he showered and got dressed he went downstairs to see Hermione finishing the floors in the living room.
She took the white mask off that covered her mouth and nose. "This is fun!" she said enthusiastically.
"Breakfast is in the kitchen. I got a book from the library, didja know the entire west wing of this house is the library? Actually, considering there are two west wings I'd call it the northwest wing. I forgot how huge this place was! We won't be able to finish this by the end of the summer. Oh! I almost forgot, I told you about the library because I got a book on defense against Dark Arts there. I figure we should study a book a day. Then of course once we get our letters from Hogwarts we'll have to study those on top of it. Oh, you will study with me, won't you? I know you don't like to, you and Ron usually go on about the Cannons or what not, but I'd really appreciate it!"
"Hermione, was there ever a point in there that you took a breath? Of course I'll study with you. We can consider it my payment to you for helping me study for... the other thing."
She seemed satisfied with that and went back to the finishing.
* * *
"You think they'll like it," Harry asked as he was finishing the outline.
"I love it. I don't know how they couldn't. Harry, where did you learn to paint?"
Harry got back to the painting, concentrating, but still talking adamantly.
"You see Dudderkins got a model set for his... fifth birthday. It was all knights on horses and stuff. Well, he didn't have the patience or the time to actually paint the little models, so Aunt Petunia made me paint them for him. She was very strict that I wasn't to mess up on her precious Duddy's toys or she would lock me in the cupboard for a week without food. So I was as careful as I could be.... Well, you could imagine how long it took me. Once I was done Dudley lost interest and Aunt Petunia let me keep them."
Harry smiled at the memory, then turned to see his friend's reaction. She didn't seem to find it at all amusing. She shook her head and looked back to the doors.
Under her breath Harry heard her say, "I'd like to leave that woman with Filch in the dungeons..."
"You know I only put up with it for my mother," he said, he got the response he was looking for when she looked at him with a scrunched forehead.
"The reason I'm the 'boy who lived' isn't because I'm such a great wizard. It's because my mum sacrificed her life for mine. That put a magic on me that stumped Voldemort-"
"Wherever your mother's blood is you'll be safe," Hermione finished for him.
He half expected her to know as much.
"I'm sorry you have to go back there..."
"Well, now that I have your help, maybe I won't have to next summer."
That seemed to brighten her up. She looked back up at the solid doors Harry was painting. In large gold letters on the top of the doors it read: 'O O T P', with the T between the two doors. Underneath that was a brilliantly coloured pheonix. Harry put the last finishing touches on and near a claw he wrote in small script "Fawkes."
"Beautiful," she sighed.
* * *
Hermione woke when she felt her bed shifting slightly. Thinking she would see Crookshanks she looked over to the other side of the bed. She saw something she wasn't expecting, Harry.
His back was to her and he was occupying as little space as he could, looking as though he could fall off the corner of the bed. In the dim moonlight she could see that his black hair was damp with what was no doubt sweat. She smiled and pulled some of the covers over him, went back to her original position, and fell asleep.