Only a few more minutes ... He thought as he observed the watch that was smiling back at him from his left wrist. Nobody could see where he was hiding, if it weren't for his location, it was the invisibility cloak he had wrapped around his athletic frame. The building his attention was drawn to had barely begun to sing with the excitement of the celebrating patrons within it and he began to search the street for any sign of the woman he loved.
Harry Potter didn't have to wait long when he spotted the sudden appearance of two people, his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. She walked hesitantly towards the Three Broomsticks then turned away with her face in her hands. Ron grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into a comforting hug. There were whispered words and she took another step towards the wizarding inn, only to step back in uncertainty.
Ron rubbed her back and after a short exchange, entered the establishment himself. Harry watched her pace back and forth in the street and felt his heart begin to break again. This time, however, it wasn't for him, but for her. The merriment that was exuding from their weekly gathering place died away like the last breath of someone who'd been mortally wounded and Hermione strode adamantly towards the front door.
The sound of his heart began to throb in his ears and it slowly began to accelerate. The seconds stretched into hours in his mind's eye as he recalled the scene that had been etched in his mind. Despite his knowledge of these events, he was startled when his past self rounded the corner of the building and glared everywhere but where he was currently hiding. Then, in a childish huff, he slumped into an empty bench, followed by Hermione.
Did we talk for this long? He asked himself as the minutes marched on in the seemingly unstoppable way that time is portrayed. He gulped nervously as the final moments followed their course. Harry stood slowly and began timing the quietly, stealthy strides that would take him to the proper place in time and space. His past self pulled back from Hermione and he approached from behind, letting his cloak drop behind him. Just after he disappeared, Harry was right where he was that day, the day he almost let the love of his life slip from his fingers.
Without hesitation, Harry fell to his knees and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I was angry ... Can you forgive me?" He whispered desperately in her ear.
Harry slowly looked up to the pictures above his mantle, the smiling woman who was by his side in every one of them tore his heart in another direction. He took the latest one of just the two of them and traced her delicate features with his eyes.
"Why didn't we talk about our feelings?" He asked the photo version of Hermione. She smiled and winked at him playfully then waved to the camera. He sighed and placed the photo in its proper space and glanced around his sanctuary. Harry didn't realize just how many memories this room had of Hermione. Books he'd borrowed from her were stacked neatly on a bookshelf, photos of the three of them were everywhere, a forgotten cloak was still hanging on the coat rack, the sofa where she'd fallen asleep in his lap on a stormy night, everywhere he looked, there was a memory that he'd shared with her. Everywhere I held back my feelings ... He thought glumly.
He didn't have much time before Ron returned and without a doubt, he'd bring Hermione with him. Harry wasn't ready to face her, not just yet, so he gathered a few clothes and apparated to the castle.
"I'm going to have to give the Elves a raise." He said quietly when he arrived at the scene of their ill-fated last date. He looked at the bare ground and remembered the shock he'd felt when Hermione was revealed. The anger he had felt that night had slowly subsided and was instead filled with a sense of betrayal and longing. He wiped a stray tear that had snuck from his eye and he turned down the gravel path that led to the front gates of his Ancestral home. She'd know what he had to do and he hadn't had the heart to uncover her since he'd found out.
Harry stepped in front of the towering double doors of his family estate and smiled softly as they opened for him. He shook his head and slowly crossed the threshold into a world he hadn't seen since his last birthday.
"Master Potter, sir, welcome home!" A smiling house-elf said with a glint of happiness in her eyes.
"Bloom, I thought I told you to call me Harry?" He laughed as she took his meager luggage. "That dress looks wonderful."
Bloom blushed and bowed to him nervously. "T-thank you, Master Potter, sir." She stammered in embarrassment. "Will you be wanting something to eat or drink?"
Harry shook his head in mild amusement and smiled gently at the reddened house elf. "I'm fine, Bloom. I would like you to fetch Brin, Dobby, and Winky, however. I'd like to see the four of you in the study."
Bloom's eyes went wide at his request and she nodded. "Bloom will bring them all as you request, Master Potter, sir." And with a crack, she disappeared.
She's a worrier ... He thought with a chuckle and looked around the entrance hall. The four of them had been busy cleaning and restoring the castle. The marble pillars that lined the staircase were as shiny as the floor, the red, velvet carpet that ran up the middle of the stairs was free of the bat guano and looked like new. With a cursory glance at the portraits lining the hallway, Harry started on his journey to the second floor where he'd spent the majority of his last two weeks.
Excited whispers echoed down the paneled hall that led to his personal study and he smiled at the hushed gossip that his house elves were engaged in.
"Master Harry Potter is a good wizard." Dobby whispered harshly. "Master Harry Potter freed Dobby and the three of you!"
"Bloom knows that the Master is a good wizard, but something is wrong with Master Harry Potter ... Sadness ..." Bloom whispered sadly.
"Brin hates clothes, why did the Master force us to wear them? Brin wants his tea cozy back, he does ..."
"Clothes are embarrassing and why does Master Harry Potter pay us? House elves aren't supposed to be paid!"
"You can blame that awful Hermione Granger for that!" Brin said indignantly. "Hermione Granger doesn't understand what she has set in motion!"
"Ah, glad to see that you're here." Harry said with a smile as he glanced at Brin. The startled house elves took a step back at the sudden appearance of their Master. "I wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you have done in restoring the castle." He looked at the four of them and motioned to the chairs that suddenly appeared before the sofa.
"Master Harry Potter, sir! Dobby did not hear you arrive ..."
"That's quite alright, Dobby." Harry said with a smile. "I didn't want to interrupt your conversation." Harry smiled at their startled looks and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, you are all entitled to your opinions, I do not own you."
"But ... We're house elves, Master Harry Potter, sir. You are our master ..." Brin said nervously as he fidgeted in his chair.
"Nonsense." Harry said with a warm smile. "I have freed you, you may choose to work for me or not work for me. I own nobody and I will not change that thought. Now, I would like to state, once again, that you are to call me Harry. I am not your master. No buts about it, this is an order. Next, if you do not wish to wear clothes, that is your choice. I'm glad to see that Bloom and Dobby have decided to explore the idea but I respect your misgivings on the matter. Brin, you know where the house elf tea cozies are, please feel free to wear them instead of the clothes I've given you."
Brin smiled with relief and glanced around at the other faces in attendance.
"Master ... err H-H-Harry?"
"I know you're worried, Bloom, I just need some time. I am not going to fire anyone for the remarks you made about Hermione, but I will tell you now, do not speak ill of my friends while you're here, understood?"
The four elves nodded quickly, Brin and Winky looked to their feet with shame and Harry sighed.
"Don't worry about it." He said calmly. "Nobody is in trouble. Now, to why I wanted to talk to the four of you initially." He glanced at their worried faces and shook his head. "I notice that you don't enjoy earning wages ... I'm still going to pay you and I wanted to give you a raise, but that wince tells me I'm right in doing something else ..."
"Something else, Mas ... err ... H-Harry?" Dobby squeaked hesitantly.
Harry smiled. "You share a room behind the kitchens, don't you?" The four of them nodded slowly. "How many rooms do we have in the cottage by the lake?"
"You ... you're forcing us from the castle, H-H-sir?" Brin asked with wide, terrified eyes.
Harry observed the reaction his simple question triggered and he sighed. "I don't want you to leave permanently." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. "I can't give you a raise without insulting you, I can't let you live in the cottage ... If you don't want to leave the castle, you will choose one of the rooms in the east tower as your own."
"Our own rooms?" Winky exclaimed in horror. "House elves aren't allowed their own rooms!"
Harry looked at Winky with a warm smile. "Winky, you aren't servants, you're my friends and I would like you to live comfortably ... I have an idea, what if I transfigured one room that was next to the kitchens to be your size? Each of you will have a room for a bed and I'll put in a common room. Even house elves need to relax or have their alone time, don't they?"
Four hesitated nods were his reply to his assessment.
"But, sir," Brin said quietly, "Why are you treating us as equals?"
"Because I don't think anyone should be used, waited upon, or enslaved, Brin." Harry said quietly. "I remember how Dobby's first masters treated him and how my relatives treated me, I don't want that to happen to anybody."
Brin seemed to think about the words and nodded in determination. "If H-Harry wants to treat us as equals then Brin will do as he says."
Dobby smiled encouragingly at Harry then at Brin. The other house elves smiled nervously and Harry grinned at them all.
"Now that that's settled, why don't we create that room? Dobby, may I speak with you for a moment?"
The other three disappeared with a crack and Dobby smiled at his friend. The look in Harry's eyes turned that smile into a concerned frown. "H-Harry, Is Hermione Granger still troubling you?" He asked quietly.
Harry flinched at her name but nodded. "I was hoping you could bring Mum's portrait out of storage ..."
"She will be pleased!" Dobby said with a smile. "Shall Dobby bring H-Harry's father as well?"
"No, not yet, Dobby ..." Harry looked at the space above the fireplace where the two portraits had been waiting for him when he first arrived at the castle. "Over the mantle where she was ... Dad's can be put up too, but if you could leave it covered for now? I'll be up after we're finished with your suite."
Dobby nodded and with a snap of his fingers, he was gone. The next few hours were spent enlarging and designing the new house elf quarters that Harry had envisioned. The door to the room was still human sized but once inside, they enlarged the space to accommodate two floors. Harry stood in the center of the two story common room and the five of them expertly created the staircases, bedrooms, and furniture the four elves would be using in lieu of the cold floor they used before. Harry smiled at the miniature version of the Gryffindor common room they'd created, along with the large, magical windows that looked out over the lake. He left the bedrooms for their occupants to furnish and smiled at the four of them.
"I hope you become accustomed to your new lives ..." He said with a proud smile. "This was a big step for you and I hope you realize that this castle is as much your home as it is mine." He looked out the window and sighed when he saw the great, old oak at the edge of the lake. "I'll be in my study if you need anything."
Harry walked slowly up the stairs and stopped at the corridor that lead to his master bedroom and personal study. He took a nervous step then another until he was standing in front of the oak door that would lead him to his mother. Harry turned the golden, lion head door knob and opened the door quietly. He crossed to the sofa in front of the mantle and looked to the portrait of his mother.
She was scowling at him and he flinched when their eyes met.
"Harry James Potter, why did you have your father and me put in storage?! Do you know how long we were waiting to see you?" She said with a hint of disappointment and sadness in her voice. "Twenty-three years we waited!"
"Mum, I know, I'm sorry ..."
"Didn't you want to see us? I know we're not there in the flesh ..." Tears started to appear at the corner of her eyes.
"Mum, don't cry ... Of course I wanted to see you, I just wasn't ready then ..."
"Your father was hurt when you kept him covered, Harry."
"I thought he might be." Harry admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, but I'm still not ready to see the both of you fully ..."
She seemed to notice the pain in his voice and wiped her eyes. "What is it, honey?" She asked with concern.
"This is so surreal ..." Harry whispered as he slumped on the sofa. "Mum, I'm in love with someone and I feel she betrayed my trust ..."
She sighed in relief and smiled at him warmly. "I thought you were going to say that Voldemort was the cause of everything ..."
"No, he's gone ..." Harry said quietly.
"How did it happen? Who is this girl?"
"My best friend ..." Harry said in forced calm. "She pretended to be someone else because she was afraid to tell me how she felt ..." He really wished he could hug his mother at this point but that was impossible. "I was in a bachelor's auction and she won the bid, but I thought she was this other woman and I fell for her ..." He let out a shuddering breath and buried his face in his trembling hands. "We were kissing and I found out who she was ..."
"Is that so bad?"
Harry looked up angrily but the look on his mother's face leeched the anger out of him. "What?" He asked quietly.
"She loved you enough to do all that? Do you know how long she planned this?" Harry shook his head and sighed. "Do you know how long she's been hiding her feelings?" Again, he shook his head. "How long have you hidden yours?"
Harry looked up at her comforting smile then to his hands. "Too long." He admitted quietly. "I probably lost her today ..."
"What makes you say that, dear?"
"I was angry and hurt ... I told her that she hurt me worse than when Sirius died ..."
"SIRIUS IS DEAD?!" Lily Potter shot from the chair she was sitting in and stumbled forward. "W-what happened?" She asked shakily.
"Dad, Mum needs you ... You can stop hiding by the edge of the frame, I saw your shoes ..."
James potter stepped forward and pulled his wife into a comforting hug. "What happened, son ... Please tell us."
Harry cleared his throat and relayed the events that happened from third year to fifth year in as much detail as he could remember. He described the fight at the Department of Mysteries, the face that haunted his every dream and reassured his parents that Bellatrix met a similar fate during Harry's final confrontation with the Dark Lord. Harry explained he didn't want to talk about that fateful day and smiled at his parents apologetically.
"Don't you blame his death on yourself, Harry." James said sternly. "Voldemort tricked you."
Harry hung his head and nodded. "I know." He whispered.
James helped his wife into her chair and held her tightly. "What about Remus? Is he still alive?"
Harry nodded. "He lives in Northern Scotland." He smiled at the recollection. "He and Tonks were married two years ago and they decided they liked that part of the country. Before you ask, I killed Pettigrew with my own hands. I spared his life once, but he nearly killed Remus and came close to doing the same with Hermione ... I don't want to relive that, but he's firmly cast to hell where he belongs." He added with a cold, uncaring voice. The only emotion he showed in the declaration was a crack in his voice at the mention of Hermione.
Lily cleared her throat and patted her husband on the arm. "What are you waiting for?"
"What do you mean?"
"Hermione, tell this woman how you feel. If you're afraid you've lost her, apologize ..." James smiled at his son. "I made a mistake like that once, and Sirius kicked my arse until I corrected it." He looked at Lily lovingly and smiled. "That had to have been the smartest thing I've ever done in my life ..."
Lily hugged James and smiled. "Listen to your father, Harry, if she truly loves you, she'll understand."
Harry nodded quietly as the advice of his parents worked their way through his mind. "I hope she'll talk to me ..." He said quietly. He stood abruptly and smiled at his parents. "Thanks." He said simply and turned to leave.
"Harry, could you, uh, cover your mother's portrait?" James asked urgently. Lily held back a snicker as Harry magically covered the portrait. "Thanks, Son!"
Harry shook his head and ran to the apparition point. He arrived in Hermione's sitting room and was greeted with a dark, quiet house. He looked around quickly, calling her name and frowned when there was no answer. Without a second thought, he apparated to the Ministry and ran to the security desk.
"I'm here to see Hermione, Marshall, is she in?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but she hasn't been in today."
Harry nodded and quickly apparated to his flat, perhaps he'd find her with Ron. He arrived in his den and called for his friend.
"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron shouted from his room. "Didn't you see the tie on the door?!"
"Sorry, I just apparated in, do you know where Hermione is?"
There was some scuffling in his room and a moment later, Ron and Luna, both dressed in bath robes, were standing in the den with Harry.
"She left, mate." Ron said sadly with a clap to Harry's shoulder. "After your talk, she told me she was leaving."
"What?" Harry fell into his chair. "She's ... gone?"
"She told me to tell you that she'd be giving you the space you needed and that she was going on a trip. She said something about a bikini but she was still crying ... What did you tell her, mate?"
Harry's jaw went slack as he absorbed the news. "I-I told her how much she hurt me ... how it hurt more than Sirius ..."
"No wonder she's left!" Ron bellowed angrily. "That probably killed your friendship, Harry! Do you know that?! She's been in love with you since our sixth year!"
Harry looked up at his friend in surprise. "That long?" He asked bewildered ... "How could I have missed it?"
"You've loved her just as long, Harry." Ron said calmly. "You talk in your sleep when you dream normally so everyone in our dorm knew how you felt ..."
Harry blushed and stood quickly. "I need to stop her ... I need to find her."
"She's been gone for a long time, Harry." Ron said comfortingly. "She left just after you disapparated on her."
"Sorry how I acted towards you, Ron ... I've got to track her down!" Harry clapped his friend on the shoulder and smiled apologetically at Luna before grabbing his invisibility cloak and disapparating.
Where could she be? He tried to think about all the places that she might have gone when he suddenly remembered something they'd talked about during their last year at Hogwarts.
"Could she be there?" He asked himself and nodded. "That's the only place I can think of if I can't find her anywhere else ..." Positive he knew where she was, Harry held the cloak tightly to his body and disapparated.
The white beaches of St. Thomas greeted him as he looked around in a desperate attempt to find the specific hotel she'd mentioned. It didn't take long after he'd found an outcropping of rock that her father had fished from during their vacation. He looked at the towering hotel and carefully made his way inside.
The clerk at the desk was finishing the check in of his latest customers and Harry quietly made his way behind the counter, unseen beneath the blanket of invisibility that covered him, and searched for Hermione on one of the computer terminals. She was listed in room three-hundred thirty-three. Without hesitation, Harry flew through the mostly empty corridors and stopped at the indicated room. He raised his hand to knock but froze. A woman let out a low, soft moan from the other side of the door.
"Oh, don't stop." Hermione said seductively followed by another moan, this one deeper, the voice unrecognizable.
Harry barely had a chance to move out of the way when he heard the clink of dishes from the room service cart stop behind him. He stepped aside silently and watched as the bellboy knocked on the door.
"Room service!" He called to Hermione's room.
"Just a moment!" Her muffled voice replied from the room. The door opened a crack and she peeked out. Hermione's hair was mussed, as if someone had been running his fingers through her hair and the sight of her smile and the flush in her cheeks tore Harry's heart in two.
I was too late ... He thought bitterly. Hermione stepped into the hall in a bathrobe and tipped the young man before he pushed the cart into the room. Harry tried to sneak a peek at who Hermione was with, but the bellboy stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Harry heard Hermione's laughter on the other side of the door followed by heavy footsteps. He hung his head and looked to the floor, his eyes widened in surprise. Lying on the floor where Hermione had been standing was her Time Turner.
Without a moment's hesitation, Harry scooped the time travel device and fastened the chain around his neck. He whispered, "The Three Broomsticks," To it before turning it over enough to take him where he needed to be. Just as he had felt when saving his godfather and Buckbeak, Harry had the sensation of flying backwards very fast. The hotel's hallway dissolved and everything turned into a blur of shapes and colors. His heart began to pound in his chest and the back garden of the Three Broomsticks came into focus. Catching his breath, Harry quickly ducked into the bushes where he could see the road and the bench.
Just as he'd predicted, Ginny Weasley popped into view and began to scan the area. Her wand was in front of her as she scanned where he'd just been.
"I'm going to kill Hermione if she's playing around with that Time-Turner again!" Ginny growled in frustration. She pulled out her crystal and sighed. "Harry, when I see you this weekend, the bat-bogey hex is going to be the worst of your problems." She hissed as she put away her crystal then disapparated.
"H-Harry?" She stuttered between sobs.
"Please, forgive me, Hermione, I'm sorry I was so insensitive." He pulled her into a tighter hug in desperation.
Her arms wrapped around him and she returned the hug. "Me forgive you?" She croaked in disbelief. "Harry ..."
"I love you, Hermione, I was such a hypocrite ... I could have told you how I felt ..." Harry's rambling was cut off by the soft, familiar lips of his best friend's. Relief flooded him as she pulled him into a frantic kiss then brought him into a bone-crushing hug.
"I love you, Harry ... I thought I'd lost you ..." She whimpered in his ear.
"I thought I'd lost you, Hermione." He whispered in return and stroked her hair lovingly. "I'm sorry I hurt you ..."
"Harry, why don't we stop apologizing?" She said quietly and pulled away from him. "We love each other ..."
Harry nodded, not taking his eyes from hers. "You're right." He said with a slight smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "You seem to be that most of the time ..."
"I didn't mean to deceive you, Harry ..." Harry cut off her explanation with the press of his finger and he smiled.
"I've got some time off from training ... Can you take a few days off from work?" He whispered and smiled when she nodded. "Would you like to spend some time at the castle?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to go back just yet." She said quietly. "And I've seen enough of my empty flat and yours and Ron's ..."
"Where do you want to go then?" He asked quietly.
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Hold that thought, I'm going to let Ron know I'm leaving for a few days so he can watch Crookshanks."
Before Harry could stop her, Hermione bolted into the Three Broomsticks and a few minutes later, she was standing next to him with tears streaming down her face.
"Hermione ..."
"I'm not sad, Harry." She said with a smile.
Harry nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Where do you want to go?"
"Close your eyes, kiss me, and let me surprise you." She said with a mischievous grin. Harry did as he was commanded and after several long minutes of feeling her delicious lips pressed against his, he looked up to see white sand and blue water.
"S-St. Thomas?" He asked incredulously. Hermione nodded vigorously and bit her lower lip.
"You said that it would be nice to visit here someday ... I thought we could make up with one another ..."
"You are the most brilliant woman I know, Hermione." He said with an impish grin. "I assume we'll be staying at the same hotel?"
"If there's room ... Do you mind?" She asked hesitantly.
Harry laughed. "It's perfect ... Just perfect."