Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. But I do own this story, so please don't steal it!
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They've been great! A few answers to:
Eschiva: I'll keep the vegetarian thing in mind. And the mirror things....I actually wrote that chapter before the fifth book came out, interestingly enough...it kinda freaked me out!
Meresger: Oh you judge too quickly... :D And I hope that what I do with the summer doesn't bore you too much. I think it's a little cliche too. But parts of it come up later.
Please keep in mind that I did write these chapters before OoTP came out. I will not switch it to sixth year. I am going through the chapters and changing a few things before I post them....so I hope it'll be a bit more like the actual books when I have fixed what I wanted to. Please enjoy!
Chapter 4
The Best Birthday
"'Arry! 'Arry! Your stop is next!" Stan's grating voice pushed its way through Harry's dreamless sleep.
Harry sat bolt upright in his bed. Fumbling for his glasses on his bedside table, he realized that he had forgotten to change out of his clothes last night. He quickly got out of bed and pushed open his trunk. He pulled out a green T-shirt and pulled it on. He nervously tried to flatten his hair. 'Why am I so nervous about what I look like? Hermione's seen me looking worse.' he thought. He pushed those thoughts out of his head and focused on his unruly hair. Suddenly remembering that Hagrid was there and that he wanted to say goodbye, he swivelled around from the cracked glass mirror. But Hagrid was gone!
"'Arry! Your stop!" Stan thundered up the steps.
"Stan, where did Hagrid go? And how do you know where my stop is? I don't remember telling you."
"'Agrid did. 'E told me last nigh'. Said you was goin' to some girl's 'ouse. 'Oo is she, 'Arry? Your girlfriend? Eh?" Stan chuckled to himself.
"But where is Hagrid?" Harry asked pointedly, purposely ignoring the question, although his cheeks began turning red.
"Aw, 'Arry, 'e 'ad to leave. 'E told me to tell you goodbye and 'appy birthday for him, cuz 'e dinna want to wake you up."
With that Stan began pushing Harry's trunk down the steps, with Harry following behind with Hedwig's cage. When Harry stepped off the bus, He was blinded by the light, but his eyes quickly adjusted. In front of him stood an attractive brick house with green shutters. It was two- stories, with a freshly cut lawn and roses lining the stone path that led to the front door. Harry turned around to thank Stan, but the bus had already gone, leaving Harry and his trunk on the sidewalk. Two wheels had somehow appeared on the bottom of his trunk, so that he was able to quite easily roll it along the sidewalk, and up to the front door. Harry reached out a finger and pressed the doorbell. About two seconds passed, when Harry panicked and started wondering if he had gotten the wrong house, but his fears were quickly pushed aside, when a pretty fourteen year old girl, with brown hair and chocolatey eyes threw open the door. Her grin was unmistakable, and Harry felt that his face might break, his smile was so big. The screen door was quickly unlatched and Hermione ran out and jumped on Harry. Being considerably taller than her, Harry picked her up and swung her around all over the lawn. When he finally put her down, she said,
"Harry, I'm so glad to see you! Come inside and meet my parents!" With that she gave him another tight hug, in which he caught a whiff of her shampoo, and he thought that it was the best smell he had ever....well, smelled. She had done quite a bit of growing, and she was looking more and more sophisticated, as she grew into her once overlarge teeth and her bushy hair, although bushy as ever, made him think that she almost wouldn't look like Hermione without it. She was wearing a red tank top and denim shorts. Hermione grabbed his hand and together they dragged Harry's trunk inside the door.
Her parents were waiting for them inside.
"Harry this is my mother, Susan Granger and my father, Frank Granger. Mummy, Dad, this is my best friend, Harry Potter." Hermione said this all very fast.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger," Harry said nervously.
"It's very nice to meet you too, dear. You may call me Susan," Hermione's mother responded jovially.
Mr. Granger was looking suspiciously at Harry. "We've heard a lot about you, son."
"Daddy!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Oh, Frank, don't embarrass the poor boy!" Susan said to her husband. To Harry, she said, "Hermione will show you your room. And I understand today is your birthday, so we're going to take you to breakfast!" Harry felt that this would be his best birthday ever, until he realized...
"But, Mrs. Granger, I don't have any Muggle money. All I have is....."
"Oh, don't worry about that! It's our treat!" Susan said. Harry looked at Hermione in awe and then back at her parents. He couldn't remember the last time someone had treated him to a meal out.
"Th-thank you..." he sputtered.
"Come on, Harry! We'll be down in a minute, Mum," Hermione said impatiently, grabbing Harry's hand. Harry pulled his trunk up the stairs, following Hermione, who had grabbed Hedwig's cage. As they went through the house and up the stairs, Hermione gave him a quick tour. When they got to the top step, Hermione turned to the right down a small hallway.
"Here's your room. It has a bathroom connected and everything. My room is just down the hall. I must say that Daddy wasn't too happy that you were sleeping so close to me, but it's the only guest bedroom," she told him, grinning at the last part.
"So how are you, Hermione? How's Krum?" Harry asked, as they deposited his trunk and began to walk back to the hallway where her parents were.
Hermione scowled. "Oh, him? I found out what a jerk he was. All he talked about was Quidditch, and how much better he was than anyone else on the team. He seemed so sweet last year. I could only stand a week with him. He just did not appeal to me anymore. And now Daddy's convinced that you're going to be just like him." She sighed. "Oh well, don't mind him anyways."
By then, they were back in the entryway, and together they greeted her parents. They all walked out to the car and drove off.
* * *
When they arrived at Pretty Polly's Pagoda of Pancakes, they all got out of the car and Harry noticed a woman dressed all in green, sitting in her car, watching Hermione. She looked a little like his neighbor at the Dursley's, Mrs. Figg, but from so far away he couldn't really tell. He blinked, shook his head to clear it and quickly led Hermione inside, keeping close to her parents. A smiling waitress led them to a booth in a corner of the restaurant. He and Hermione slid into the back of the booth while her parents squeezed in across from them. After they all had ordered, they settled back to wait for their food.
"So, Harry. Hermione tells us you are quite the wizard.... Defeating that what was his name, Voldemort?" Susan asked.
"Er, yes... but that was a long time ago. Hermione's a lot better at magic than I am," Harry said. He noticed that Hermione blushed and her father frowned at her.
* * *
As the Grangers continued to question Harry until their food came, Hermione wondered who that man in the brown was that was watching Harry. He was sitting across the aisle and down a few rows from them. He would watch him for a little bit then write something down. When the man looked up and saw Hermione watching him, he quickly got up and walked swiftly towards the door. Hermione elbowed Harry in the side and nodded at the strange man. Her parents were busy talking to the waitress and didn't notice. Harry looked puzzled and Hermione mouthed, 'I'll explain later", and took a sip of her orange juice.
* * *
When they were done eating breakfast, the Grangers told Harry and Hermione that they would drop the two of them off at the cinema for a movie. Then they would come home for a birthday dinner at the house. Harry grinned and thanked them.
* * *
At the cinema, Harry and Hermione bought a large tub of buttered popcorn to share. When they got inside the cool dark room where the movie would be shown, Hermione started to shiver, and Harry pulled off his jacket an put it around her shoulders. She turned and smiled at him. They chatted for awhile to catch up and when the movie started, Hermione spoke up.
"I have to admit that this is a scary movie, and they spook me out," she confessed, "I know it's silly since I've faced a lot more frightening things in real life.
"It's okay. I understand," he reassured her.
As the movie began to play, Harry looked over at Hermione. With the light from the screen playing on her face, her chocolate eyes and her almost regal profile stood out in sharper view. He grinned and turned back to the screen. A few times during the course of the movie, they both reached for popcorn at the same time, and their hands brushed. Harry felt a tingle go up his arm. He and Hermione looked at each other and their arms drew away. At one point, when the actress in the movie got confronted with the monster, Hermione let out a squeak and clutched his arm. Then she looked up, embarrassed.
"Sorry,"she whispered.
"It's okay," he whispered back and he truly meant it.
* * *
Meanwhile the man in brown and the woman in green were watching together from above, and each of them chuckled to themselves.
* * *
When the movie was over, and the two friends were back at home, eating the delicious birthday dinner that Hermione's parents had concocted, Harry thought that this was one of his best birthdays since he was 11 and had spent it with Hagrid. After dinner, Susan and Mr. Granger, presented Harry with a book about Quidditch, that they had obviously gotten in Diagon Alley. Harry thanked them profusely. When Hermione delivered her gift in his lap, he was surprised to see that it's size and shape did not at all resemble a book. Harry tore off the wrapping, and found a thin, velvet box. He opened it and inside, glittering on the plush, inky-black velvet was a necklace. It was a silver chain, with a locket on the end. In the center, was a green emerald.
"I thought it matched your eyes," Hermione said shyly, "Open it."
It folded out three times. Inside were three pictures. One was of Harry, one of Hermione and one of Ron. They were surrounded by three rings of emeralds.
"Wow, Hermione! Thanks!"
"It's a magical locket. The ring around each picture glows red when the person in the picture is sad or in trouble. You know when to look at it when the front emerald glows really brightly. When that emerald glows red, something big is about to happen," explained Hermione, "It's called the Amulet of Augury."
"That's really great, Hermione. Thank you all so much; this has been the best birthday ever!" Harry exclaimed.
He stood up and shook Frank and Susan's hands, and gave Hermione a hug.
Then the Grangers disappeared, and Harry leaned over to Hermione and whispered, "You are such a good friend, Hermione. Thanks." And with that, he pulled her in for a hug.
She looked pleasantly surprised at his uncharacteristic show of affection and just then her parents walked back in. He smiled amiably as the other three people sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Then he and Hermione ate as much cake as they possibly could.
When all of them were content and full, Harry and Hermione bid her parents goodnight and headed up to bed.
"I had a really great day today, Harry," Hermione said, and smiled a pretty smile that made Harry realize how attractive she was.
"Me, too, Hermione," he replied. Just as he turned to go into his room, Hermione grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward her. In a split second she brought her face close to his and whispered,
"Happy 15th birthday, Harry Potter." And with that she hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek before turning away and going into her room.
Harry turned a slowly walked into his room, and getting dressed for bed he thought about how he had had the most perfect day in all his life.
* * *
A/N: For those of you who don't know what "augury" means, it means prediction. Took me awhile to come up with the right name for that gift! And if you can see one of the storylines of this fic already, then you're pretty darn smart!!!!!