A/N: Thanks again everyone for the great round of reviews!
We forgot if we made clear the rules for the contest since we're getting emails and such on the topic. Here they are:
Review every chapter and you will be entered to win a 'soundtrack'
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After the final chapter is posted (21) you will have two weeks to review it. After that we will post one more chapter with the winners so they know who they are!
After that, the three winners will have ONE week to contact Heaven. If you do not send her your address, your prize will be forfeit and a new winner drawn.
That's pretty much it! We're both enjoying all your comments on our story and thanks again for reading!
The Calling - Wherever You Will Go
I know now, just quite how
My life and love might still go on
In your heart, in your mind I'll stay with you for all of time
If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low, I'll go wherever you will go
Harry pushed his waffles around his plate as he stared at the wall. He wasn't very hungry- his mind was more or less on the previous night. After leaving Ron and Luna at the lake, he and Hermione had gone back to his cabin. Instead of making love right away as they were prone to do, they'd talked more about their futures and Harry knew more than ever that he wanted his future to be with Hermione.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Ginny Weasley strolling into the cafeteria talking animatedly with two other girls Harry recognized as lifeguards. As they passed his table, Ginny looked at Harry with a grin. "All alone today?" she asked, stopping at his table.
Harry looked coolly at her, his fist curled underneath the table. "Not quite sure what business that is of yours," he replied, his eyes dark in anger.
"Just making an observation," she said breezily. "I was awfully sorry to hear about your break-up."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, a snide smile appearing on his lips. "I've not broken up with anyone."
"Oh?" Ginny asked, trying to sound surprised. She looked at him and bit her tongue from asking him who he thought he was fooling. She saw her brother and Luna Lovegood walking into the cafeteria at that moment, hand in hand.
"Well, I better be off," she said quickly. "Take care Harry."
Harry snorted as she walked away but smiled at his friends. "Morning you two," he greeted them.
"Morning," Luna said dreamily as she let go of Ron's hand and sat down.
Harry looked at Ron with raised eyebrows. Ron avoided looking back at him until Harry kicked his leg under the table.
"Ow!" Ron exclaimed, jumping in his seat. "What'd you do that for?"
Harry cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows again. "What's new with you guys?" he finally asked when Ron still didn't take the hint.
Ron and Luna exchanged a look and grinned goofily back at each other.
"Well..." Ron began. "We... that is... Luna and I..." he looked up at Harry who was still smirking at him. "We're together."
"I should hope so," Luna teased.
Harry suppressed his laughter. "That's good to hear," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"We think so, too," Luna said happily. "Don't we, Ronald?"
"Yes, very." Ron grinned at his new girlfriend as he leaned over for a quick kiss.
Harry felt happy for his two friends. "Well... you two enjoy your breakfast... I'll catch you two later in the studio."
"You don't have to leave on our account," Luna said, turning her attention away from Ron.
"No, it's all right." Harry replied. "I've got things to do and I've been sitting around for too long already. You two have fun and congratulations."
Ron quickly told Luna he'd be right back and quickened his step to catch up to his friend. "Harry!" he called to him "Wait for a second!"
"Yeah?" Harry asked.
"I, um, wanted to thank you for what you did for Luna and I last night," he said quietly. "I can't believe you went to all that trouble."
"Yeah well..." Harry grinned. "I felt bad for interrupting you all the time. I take it everything went well?" he didn't want to tell Ron that they had been spying.
"It didn't start out that well," Ron admitted. "But it ended really, really great."
"I'm glad," Harry squeezed his friend's arm. "She's liked you for a long time mate."
"The only bad thing about this is that I have to admit that you were right all along," Ron said, shaking his head. "You know how much I hate to do that, right?"
"That makes me want to hear it even more," Harry replied.
Ron laughed. "Well, I better get back to Luna."
"All right," Harry grinned. "Catch you later."
*** *** ***
Lavender had put it off as long as she could. She'd taken to avoiding him by not going to meals with her family. She'd have Hermione or her aunt bring her back something. She hadn't wanted to face him, but as time went on the angrier she became. Now, she wanted to see him and she wanted to tell him exactly what she thought of him.
Finding him was the problem. He'd not shown up for his breakfast shift according to Hermione. Lavender joked that she could probably guess where he was. So, she decided to stake out his cabin. She'd perched herself just outside and waited. She didn't have to wait long.
At just around noon, he emerged looking as gorgeous and smug as ever. To Lavender's relief, she didn't feel the same butterflies in her stomach when she saw him. She felt an overwhelming anger, not just at him, but at herself for letting herself be taken in by him.
He looked to be in a hurry, but she wasn't about to let that stop her. "Going somewhere?" she asked.
Draco stopped in his tracks. "What are you doing here?" he frowned.
"Waiting for you," she said, crossing her arms.
"What for?" Draco smirked.
She looked appraisingly at him and circled around him, trying not to laugh at the confused expression on his face as she did so. "Hmmm," she murmured.
Draco narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing Lavender? I'm sorry you can't let go of me but checking me out will only make you want me again."
"You're right," she said, nodding. "You're right. What girl wouldn't want someone like you?"
"You tell me," Draco replied lazily. "Bet you all wish there was more than one of me."
"Oh, we do," Lavender said. "We do. I mean, let's see....you're handsome, charming and quite witty."
Draco nodded. "It's nice to see you appreciate my finer qualities." he took her hand and gave it a condescending pat. "But I'm sorry things didn't work out with us," he said in mock sympathy.
"Are you?" she asked, moving closer to him. She smiled seductively at him. "Well, sometimes these things happen. Can I have one more thing before we say goodbye forever?"
"Sure," Draco smirked.
"Come a little bit closer," she whispered, grinning coyly at him. "Come on."
Draco had fleeting thoughts of Ginny but it seemed his libido had other ideas, for he drew closer to the blonde.
"That's not so bad, is it?" she asked, tilting her chin up.
"Hardly," Draco replied. "What do you want from me?"
"Just stay real still," she whispered huskily. "You can do that, can't you?"
Draco curled his lip in reply. Lavender kept her eyes focused on him and slowly lifted her knee and leaned in as if she was about to kiss him before kneeing him as hard as she could in the groin.
"OWWWWWW!!!" Draco howled as he fell to the ground. "What the fuck did you do that for Lavender?"
"I wanted something to remember you by," Lavender said, rolling her eyes. "And I honestly can say that I will always remember you for that. That felt damn good!"
She leaned down and with a look of mock concern whispered in his ear, "You don't look too good. You might want to get that checked out. Goodbye, Malfoy."
"Bitch!" Draco called out to her retreating back. He spent several minutes hunched over in pain but was finally able to stand on his feet. He briefly wondered if he should talk to Ginny about framing Lavender as well as Harry but decided to just go talk to Vernon Dursley according to plan.
Vernon was sitting in his office, ostensibly trying to go over the books for the resort, but he was enjoying the peace and quiet of his office and was about to pull open his desk drawer and dig into the chocolates he'd stashed away when there was a knock on the door. He sighed and closed the drawer. "Who is it?"
"It's me sir," Draco held open the door. "May I talk to you?" he smiled convincingly.
"Of course," Vernon said, waving his hand to usher the young man inside. "Have a seat."
"Thank you sir." Draco sat down in the cushy chair. "This really isn't easy for me..." he began, biting his lower lip and thanking his mother for the dramatics she had passed down genetically.
"I like to think that all you kids see me as a father figure while you're away from home," Vernon said. "I would hope you'd think my door is open anytime you need to talk. It's what makes a good boss."
Truth be told, Vernon didn't believe one word of this. But, he was willing to make an exception, especially for someone as well connected as Draco Malfoy. While he'd never met Draco's parents, he'd heard that they were quite well off and it never hurt to have influential friends.
"All right," Draco let his hair fall into his eyes as he stared down at his hands. "Well... it really has to do with the thefts that have been happening around here."
Vernon perked up immediately at this. Those thefts had been a thorn in his side this entire holiday. "What do you know about them?" Vernon asked.
"I think I know who's responsible." Draco said slowly.
"Who?" Vernon asked. "Boy, if you can lead me to the culprit, there'll be a raise for you."
"Well... I can't say this for absolute certain..." Draco kept his voice hesitant. "But I'm pretty sure I saw Harry Potter sneaking off with wallets the other night when I was walking back to my cabin after dinner."
Vernon's eyes grew wide. "Are you sure?" he asked, trying to hide the gleeful tone to his voice.
"Pretty sure sir..." Draco looked up. "If you want a second confirmation, Dudley was leaving the kitchens and he would have seen him as well."
Vernon smirked. He'd been looking for any excuse to wash his hands of Harry and here he had it. "It was very brave of you to tell me about this," Vernon said proudly. "I know it's never easy to tell on someone, especially a fellow employee. But, when it's for the greater good of the resort, I think that all bets are off, don't you?"
"Oh I agree sir," Draco nodded vigorously. "I don't want to be a rat, but I didn't want Hillsdale to get a bad reputation."
Vernon nodded. "You'll be rewarded for this, Mr. Malfoy. You can count on that. I will use the utmost discretion when I confront Harry about this. He never has to know that you helped bring him to justice."
"Thank you sir. I told my girlfriend about this and she was worried Harry might try and get back at me for this." Draco replied.
"Don't you worry about that, son," Vernon said, getting to his feet and walking around the desk. Draco followed him toward the door. "Harry Potter will be a distant memory by tonight. You can count on that."
*** *** ***
Harry stretched himself lazily, setting his glasses on his nightstand. He'd managed to pawn off one of his lessons on Ron so he could go back to his cabin for a quick kip. The lack of sleep he got from his nights with Hermione were catching up to him during the day. He curled up on his side and was dozing off when a knock at his door made him jump back up. "Dammit..." he grumbled, slipping his glasses back on and going to the door. "What do you want?" he asked crossly.
"Hey," Hermione said sheepishly. "Don't shoot, it's only me."
"Sorry," Harry replied. "I was almost asleep."
"Go back then," she said with a smile. "I'll just come back later like usual."
"No it's all right," Harry grabbed her arm. "I didn't think I'd see you until later."
Hermione followed him inside. "My mum and Lavender went into town and my dad's playing golf. I was bored out of my mind. I thought I'd see if you were in."
Harry grinned. "I am most definitely in for you." he said, giving her a quick kiss as he closed his door.
She smiled and walked over to his bed and lay down, making herself comfortable. She patted the empty space beside her. "We can lie down together."
Harry climbed back onto the bed and Hermione fitted herself neatly in next to him. "This is nice," he said several minutes later.
"Yeah," she said wistfully. "We'll be able to do this all we want soon."
He smiled into her hair. "I can't wait until we don't have to hide our relationship anymore."
Hermione nodded. "On my way here, I saw Ron and Luna on the way to the studio. They looked so happy and I was so...jealous of what they have."
"Why's that?" Harry asked softly, brushing some stray hairs off her cheek.
"They can walk together anywhere they want," she said simply. "They can hold hands. They can kiss in public. The whole world doesn't seem to be against them. I want us to have that, Harry...that freedom."
"We will," Harry said, more firmly than he actually felt. They fell into a comfortable silence again as he stroked her long hair. "So..." he cleared his throat. "What sort of flat are you thinking we'll live in when we get out of here?"
"I don't care if it's a one bedroom hovel," she said with a laugh. "As long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me."
Harry snickered. "I reckon we'll get something nicer than that."
"It better have huge bookshelves," she said thoughtfully. "I lost count as to how many books I actually own."
"And a large bedroom," Harry nuzzled her warm skin.
"A large bedroom?" she asked, laughing as his breath tickled her neck. "Why would we need that?"
"You're right," Harry replied. "We just need a bed." he kissed her skin, suckling softly.
"Exactly," she said, giggling. "Hey, I thought you were sleepy."
"Once again, your fault for distracting me." Harry replied. "I wonder if you really are a good influence or not?" he teased.
"I was thinking the same about you," she replied. "I'm going to have all my classes and I'm going to have to study very hard and I'm going to have this live-in distraction. I don't know if we know what we're getting ourselves into."
"I just know I like it," Harry's voice was muffled as he was still placing strategic kisses over her skin.
"Harry," she said softly, hating to interrupt him, but needing to tell him what she'd really come here for.
"What?" he asked.
She looked up at him and placed her hand on his cheek. "I-I'm going to tell my father about us...today."
Harry pulled his mouth away from her skin. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I've been thinking about it for awhile now."
"Do you think he'll... he'll make you leave?" Harry asked.
"If he does," she said resolutely. "I won't go with him."
Harry sighed. "Maybe I should go with you..." he started to say but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Shit.... Get down behind the bed."
Hermione did as she was told and watched as Harry walked over to the door and swung it open.
One of his co-workers stood on his porch. "Harry... sorry to bother you but Dursley asked me to get you. He wants to see you in his office."
"What for?" Harry asked.
"Don't know," the other man said, shrugging. "He just said immediately."
"All right..." Harry's eyebrows knit together as he closed the door. "What the..."
Hermione crept out from behind the bed and stared back at Harry. "What do you think he wants?" she asked.
Harry's face turned to stone. "Better not be what I think it is..." his anger rose in him like a volcano.
Hermione put a hand on his arm. "W-what do you think it is?"
Harry shrugged her hand off. "Meet me here after dinner." he said shortly, pulling a clean shirt on.
"Harry," she said. "You're scaring me. What's going on? Did something happen?"
"I don't know, all right?" he said snappishly. "Look... I've got to go now... just please meet me here later..."
"Okay," she said softly, hurt by how he'd snapped at her.
"I'm sorry," he said in a gentler tone. "It's just that whenever my uncle and I talk, it's never a good thing." he touched her cheek and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered. "I'll meet you here after dinner, I promise."
"All right," Harry forced a smile for her benefit and she waved goodbye as he locked his cabin door behind him. His anger overtook him again as he strode through the resort and arrived at his uncle's office minutes later. "You wanted to see me?" he asked, not bothering to knock.
"Thank you for coming so promptly," Vernon said dryly. "Close the door behind you, boy."
Harry rolled his eyes and shut the door. "What do you want?" he asked coolly.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," Vernon said, getting to his feet. "Haven't Petunia and I treated you well? Have we not provided for you, given you a home. We even gave you a job here...all out of the kindness of our hearts."
"Kindness?" Harry snorted. "Treated me well? The only reason you keep me on here is because the guests like to see me and Cho dance."
Vernon was trying hard to keep his temper in check. "Your dancing days here are over," Vernon said dismissively.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Don't play the innocent with me, boy," Vernon spat at him. "I know what you've been doing."
"Actually I've no idea what you're going on about," Harry returned coldly.
"How much money did you steal from my guests?" Vernon asked him, getting right in his nephew's face.
"WHAT?" Harry nearly shouted.
"It's been brought to my attention that you were the one behind the missing wallets," Vernon said. "I had someone check the studio earlier and they found where you'd stash them. Not very clever of you, I must say."
"I didn't steal any wallets!" Harry snapped. "I have enough money of my own!"
"I figured you'd try to say that," Vernon said, shaking his head and snorting with laughter. "I told Petunia as much."
Harry was breathing heavily. "Who told you I stole the wallets? Was it Ginny Weasley? She tried to accuse me as such... it was probably her who did it!"
"Who?" Vernon asked nonplussed. "I don't even know who that is! It was someone else...a brave soul who came forward because they were concerned about the resort."
"Bullshit," Harry said angrily.
Vernon rounded on Harry. "You will not talk to me like that in my office." He took a deep breath, trying again to gain control over his temper. "B-because you are family," Vernon said, saying the last word as if he was gagging on it. "I have decided not to contact the authorities about this. All that I ask of you is that you leave tonight and never step foot on this property again. If you do, I will not hesitate to have you arrested. Do you understand that?"
Harry glared at his uncle as a glass paperweight on the desk exploded. "I'm not leaving because I didn't DO anything!" he shouted.
"Have it your way then," Vernon said, stepping over the shards of glass on the floor. "I imagine the police could be here in ten minutes time."
Harry realised the seriousness of the situation and without another word he slammed out of the office and stormed back to his cabin. "Running like a fucking coward..." he spat.
*** *** ***
Hermione sat at the dinner table, her stomach turning. She was so nervous about what had transpired earlier that afternoon that she wasn't able to eat a bite. Vernon Dursley looked awfully smug about something, and Dudley kept sending her knowing smirks that distorted his already disfigured face.
"Hermione?" Lavender asked impatiently. "Earth to Hermione?"
"Sorry..." Hermione shook her head at her cousin. "I'm just a bit tired today."
"It's okay," Lavender said. Lowering her voice, she leaned in and whispered, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Not now..." Hermione whispered as her father spoke up.
"So what's this you told me before dinner Vernon?" Robert asked. "You said you caught the person who was stealing from all the guests?"
At that, Hermione, Lavender and Dudley all snapped their heads to stare at the resort owner.
"Yes, Robert," Vernon said proudly. "And I am amazed to say it was one of our own employees. I guess it's true what they say, it's so hard to find good people these days."
"Who did it turn out to be?" Elinore asked, mildly interested.
"One of the dance instructors," Vernon said dismissively. "Though, I blame myself, really. I knew he was a bad apple right from the beginning. But, I'm always willing to go out on a limb for these kids and this time, it came back to bite me on the arse, so to speak."
Robert nodded agreeably. "Which instructor was it?" he asked with his doctor's curiosity.
"Harry Potter," Vernon said simply. "Found almost everything we needed in the dance studio."
Robert's eyes turned dark as Hermione gasped. "No it wasn't!" she burst out before she could stop herself.
"What did you say, sweetheart?" Elinore asked, looking at her daughter with concern.
"No it wasn't!" Hermione said, now angry. "Harry never stole anything from anyone!"
"I don't understand, Hermione," Elinore said confused. "I wasn't aware you knew any of the dance staff. How would you know that this boy didn't take those wallets?" At her question, the entire table turned its attention to Hermione and waited on baited breath for her answer.
Hermione ignored everyone else and focused on Vernon. "How could you accuse him of this?"
"I had proof, my dear girl," Vernon said flippantly. "I wouldn't just go about accusing someone without having cold, hard evidence to back it up. We searched the dance studios and found where he'd been keeping everything."
Robert stared coldly at his daughter. "Why do you care about this, Hermione?"
"Because I know he didn't do it!" Hermione snapped back. "Who told you he did this? What proof do they have?"
"Someone saw him," Vernon said pointedly to Hermione. "We have two witnesses who say that they saw him with the wallets."
"When?" Hermione asked, her throat burning.
"Last night," Vernon said condescendingly. "What does it matter now?"
Hermione smiled coldly. "Well then whoever your informant is was lying. I know for a fact that Harry wasn't anywhere but his cabin last night."
"And how do you know this, sweetheart?" Elinore asked.
Hermione hesitated a moment before replying. She knew the severe repercussions that her next words would have, yet she couldn't let them get away with falsely accusing Harry. "Because," she said, her voice hard and clear. "I was with him. All night long. I didn't leave until six this morning. We were together all night long," she emphasized her last words.
A long, uncomfortable silence followed as everyone seemed to be processing what they'd just heard. The silence was broken only by the sound of Robert pushing his chair away from the table and getting to his feet. Without a word of goodbye or a look in his family's direction, he walked quickly out of the restaurant.
Hermione cast one last hard glare at Vernon before pushing her chair back and following her father out. "Dad!" she called out. "Dad will you stop?"
Robert stopped, but didn't turn around to look at Hermione.
"I'm sorry," she said, coming up next to him.
"You lied to me," he said quietly.
"I know," Hermione looked down at the ground. "But you know what Dad? I'm not sorry about Harry. I'm just sorry that you couldn't look past the opinions of an obviously bitter man about his own nephew!"
Robert looked as if he was about to yell, but thinking better of it, simply turned on his heel and walked away.
Hermione sighed as two tears ran down her face. She ran after her father and managed to catch up with him on the porch of their cabin. "Dad will you just listen to me?"
"How long has this been going on?" he asked her point-blank.
"Since the night I came to get you to help with Cho," Hermione admitted. "Dad... will you please just sit down and let me talk to you about this? There are things you need to know about me... about Harry..."
"I know everything I need to know about him, Hermione," Robert said tersely.
"No you don't!" Hermione nearly shouted. Her father looked surprised. "No you don't," she repeated in a quieter voice.
"Okay," Robert said reluctantly. He sat down on the steps. "Go ahead."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to her father. "First of all... Harry... he's like me and Lavender. He's a wizard..." she told her father an abbreviated version of Harry's life so far. "Vernon Dursley is his uncle and his family hates all things magical." she let out a sarcastic laugh. "If he only knew how many witches and wizards he has working here at the resort he'd probably sell the place." she looked up at her father. "He's here because he's taking a break from his normal life to do something fun for a change.... Harry's not a troublemaker, at least not like you think he is."
"What about Miss Chang?" Robert countered.
Hermione sighed again. "I don't think she'll care any more if I tell you about that. Harry's not the father of her baby Dad. Draco Malfoy is. No... no let me finish," she said when it looked like her father would interrupt. "The lot of them didn't want to rat him out... I don't know why. Probably because Malfoy denies he's the father and he probably will until the day he dies. But it wasn't Harry. He and Cho are just friends- they lean on each other and have one of the strongest friendships I've ever seen."
Robert shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know what to believe anymore."
"You should believe me," Hermione's eyes glittered with unshed tears. "Just because I fell in love doesn't mean I'm not your daughter anymore."
"So now you're in love with this boy," Robert said, looking at Hermione with tears shining in his own eyes. "You've only known him a short time, Hermione."
"That doesn't matter to either of us," Hermione replied hoarsely. "Love isn't always a time related thing. We can't help what happened to us. We're going to be together whether you or Vernon or whoever wants us to be or not. I've felt horrible having to hide this from you.
"It's the first thing I've ever had to lie to you about. I'm not proud of that... but I am in love with Harry. And he loves me. And I think you would like him a lot if you would just open up and get to know him." Hermione released a shuddery breath as she wiped at her eyes.
"Hermione," Robert said, softening as he saw past his own anger to see that his daughter was genuinely hurting. "I know you don't like to hear me say this, but you've always been my little girl. From the moment you were born, I felt this connection with you. When I held you in my arms in the hospital, I knew that I would spend the rest of my life making sure that you were safe and happy."
He put an arm around Hermione and hugged her to him. "I love you very much," he said softly.
"I love you too," Hermione sniffled. "And I know you want me to be happy. With Harry I'm the happiest I've ever been."
"Are you really?" Robert asked, looking her straight in the eyes.
"I am," Hermione nodded.
Robert sighed. "It's never easy for someone, especially me, to say that they're wrong. For your sake, Hermione, I'm willing to give this boy a chance."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat. "Thank you Dad!" she threw her arms around her father and hugged him as tight as she could.
Robert chuckled as he hugged her back. "It's not going to be easy, Hermione, but I'll...I'll try."
"I know," Hermione said. "But that means so much to me, it really does."
Robert smiled back at her. "And I have to admit I've missed my little girl."
Hermione laughed through her tears. "I'm not so little anymore Dad."
"Well," Robert said good-naturedly. "What are you waiting for?"
"What do you mean?" Hermione brushed the tears out of her eyes.
"Go get your young man so I can interrogate him," Robert teased.
Hermione laughed again. "All right... hopefully he'll still be here." she got up and began to walk away then came back and hugged her father again. "Thanks Dad." she kissed his cheek.
"You're welcome, love," Robert said. "Now off you go."
Hermione felt quite light-hearted as she made her way toward Harry's cabin. In her excitement and relief about making things right with her father, she'd momentarily forgotten about what Vernon had told them at dinner.
She knocked insistently at Harry's door. "Harry!" she called out. "Come on! I have great news!"
Harry crossed his almost bare cabin and yanked the door open. "I was afraid I'd have to leave without seeing you," he said immediately, pulling her into his arms.
"You're never going to believe what happened!" she exclaimed. As she relaxed into his arms, she noticed that the walls were bare and boxes were scattered haphazardly across the room. "What's going on?"
Harry sighed, his heart weighing heavy in his chest. "I've been accused of stealing. Ginny must have seen us together because she did what she said she was going to do." He shook his head. "They found a stack of wallets hidden in the dance studio and I've come across at least six more stuffed in places in here."
Hermione shook her head. "But, it's okay. I told everyone at dinner that you couldn't have done it...because you were with me." She watched as he walked past her and put another box on his bare mattress. "Don't you see?" she asked, getting in front of him. "You don't have to go."
"Yes I do," Harry replied. "Even if we could truly prove I didn't steal these things, I'd still get sacked just for being with you." he reached out and gently touched her cheek. "It's one of Vernon's stupid rules, one of his more important ones. I don't want to leave you but he hasn't left me much of a choice."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "You can't leave!"
"I have to," Harry said. "He'll have me arrested if I don't." he hung his head and threw some clothes into another box, sealing them all up with a wave of his wand.
Hermione sank onto the bed while Harry waved his wand again and all the boxes shrank themselves down and flew into his palm. "I think that's everything." he said quietly.
"I-I'll come with you," she said, getting to her feet.
"No," Harry shook his head. "You need to stay with your family and work things out with your father."
"It's okay," Hermione said quickly. "We talked everything out. He's willing to give us a chance, Harry."
Harry turned around and looked at her. "Really?"
"Yes," she replied. "It wasn't easy for him, but he said he'd try for my sake."
"That's great," Harry said honestly. "I wish I could stay here to get to know him."
The tone of his voice and the look on his face told Hermione that he was resigned to the fact that he would be leaving the resort. "Do you love me?" she asked looking up at him.
"Of course I do," Harry replied immediately.
"Let me go with you," she said desperately. She got quickly to her feet and closed the distance between them. "Take me with you, Harry."
"Hermione," Harry held her at arm's distance. "I can't... I don't even know where I'm going to be staying at this point. I love you and I want to be with you but you can't stay with me until one of us is settled somewhere."
Hermione knew he was right, but she honestly didn't know how she would be able to let him go, even if it was for just a short period of time.
Harry hugged her to him tightly. "I love you," he said as her arms went around him. "I promise that we won't be separated long." he pulled back and tipped her chin up. "You ARE the best thing to ever happen to me Hermione. Ever."
"Harry," she whispered, staring up into his green eyes.
He kissed her then, as hard as he could, his tongue thrusting into her mouth as his hands began to roam freely over her body. "I can't..." Harry broke away several minutes later as they both tried to catch their breath. "If I keep kissing you like that I'll never get out of here."
She grabbed hold of his hand. "Please, not yet."
"Hermione," Harry looked down at her. "I have to leave tonight. In fact, I'm sure Vernon will be coming to see if I'm gone or send someone to do just that." he pulled away from her with great difficulty.
"Can I walk you to the gate at least?" she asked.
Harry's eyes warmed over. "I'd love that," he said. He grabbed his bag, shoving his wand in a side pocket while he pulled a jacket over his shoulders. Hermione took his hand, weaving their fingers together.
"Do the others know?" she asked as they made their way out of his cabin.
"They might," Harry said. "Will you tell Cho and the rest of them what happened? If they don't already know?"
"Of course," Hermione said. "Cho will be beside herself about this. This is so bloody unfair!"
"I know," Harry sighed. "But I don't know what else to do. I can't be arrested, especially since Vernon gave me a clean way out." they reached the parking lot and Harry pulled a box from his jacket pocket and a moment later, held a full size broom in his hand. "Well..." he turned to face her.
"I guess this is goodbye," she said softly, looking down at the pavement.
"Not forever," Harry said, tipping her chin back. "I promise I'll be in touch with you soon."
"Okay," Hermione said, feeling a fresh set of tears welling up in her eyes. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and leaned his forehead against hers.
"I love you," Harry whispered as his lips grazed hers.
"I love you, too," she said, feeling him start to pull away from her. Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and watched as he mounted his broom. She brushed a tear from her cheek.
"Don't cry," Harry said. "I don't want to leave you crying."
"I'll be okay," she said, trying to muster a smile. "Really. See? No more tears."
Harry smiled and touched her cheek one more time. "That's my girl. I'll see you soon all right?"
She nodded. "You promised. I'm going to hold you to that."
Harry kissed her one more time, then took off on his broom, leaving Hermione staring up after him.