Unofficial Portkey Archive

Author's Note:
Sorry it took so long for the update. Thanks for all the reviews. This one is a little long, but I hope you enjoy it. This is flashback of the Trio's Graduation Night.

Flashback

Graduation Day

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry

Hermione Granger was pacing back and forth in the corridor just outside of Gryffindor Tower.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered softly to herself. "The ceremony is going to begin in less than 20 minutes and I have no speech. Nothing. Zilch."

"Hermione?" a voice said from behind.

She turned. Harry had just stepped out of the portrait hall. He was decked out in his dress robes for the graduation ceremony. There was something different about him.

"Where are your glasses?" she asked.

"I need your help," he said. "Neville stepped on them."

"Well, you know the spell to fix them, don't you?" she asked, exasperated. "I'm kind of in a bit of a jam myself, Harry."

"Can't you help me out just one last time?" he said, holding the broken glasses up to her.

"Oh, all right," she said. She pulled out her wand from her dress robes and gave it a wave and muttered a quick, "Oculus Repairo." With that, his glasses were good as new.

"There you go," she said. She resumed her pacing.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm in the middle of a panic attack if you must know," she said. "I have no speech."

"Nothing?"

"Well, that's not entirely true," she said. "I have a little something."

"Well, let's hear it," Harry said. "Show me what you got."

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, friends and family and distinguished guests."

"And?" Harry said.

"And that's all I have," Hermione said.

"Oh," he said. "Well, at least you aren't going to quote from Hogwarts: A History."

Hermione looked down at her feet.

"Hermione! You weren't really going to quote from that, were you?"

"Well, it's all I had," she said. "I'm desperate."

"Okay," he said. "You want help. Here you go. Don't think so hard. I told you this the other night in the common room. Just go up there and speak from your heart."

Hermione was going to say something in response to this, but Professor McGonagall came out of the portrait hole at that very minute.

"Miss Granger," she said. "You need to come with me. Potter, you need to go downstairs with the rest of your classmates and get ready."

Harry nodded. "Good luck, Hermione."

"Thanks," she said, glumly. "I'm gonna need it."

****************

Hermione felt like she was going to be sick. She'd never failed at anything in her life. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she was about to do just that. She was sitting beside Professor McGonagall awaiting her doom. She tried to focus and listen to Professor Dumbledore's speech, but she knew this was useless. She was in panic mode.

She looked out at the crowd. She could see her mum and dad sitting near the middle of the Great Hall. They were sitting with the Weasley family. Hermione's dad caught her gaze and gave his daughter a thumbs up sign.

"Dad, if you only knew," she thought miserably.

Hermione looked away from her parents and looked toward the Gryfinndor graduates. She saw Lavender, Parvati and Dean and Seamus and Neville. Just to the left of Neville sat Ron and Harry. They, too, caught her gaze and gave her reassuring smiles. Professor McGonagall nudged her. "It's time, Miss Granger."

Hermione gave a weak smile. Her legs felt like jelly. To her surprise, she managed to walk up to the podium without tripping or falling. The Great Hall was as quiet as she'd ever seen it. They were all waiting for her to speak. She took a deep breath.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, friends and family," she began. "I, um,--"

She looked out at the crowd with a look of desperation. Out of the sea of faces, Hermione saw Harry smiling at her. And almost like magic, the words came to her.

"I came up here tonight, totally unprepared. I had no idea what I was going to say. Some of my classmates might find that a little hard to believe. Hermione Granger without a thing to say. Standing up here, tonight, I am reminded of a night seven years ago when all of us rode to this very castle on boats. We had no idea what was in store for us when we arrived. We had no clue to the many wonderful, amazing things that awaited us. The only thing we did know was that it was going to be an adventure. And what an adventure it was. "

"Seven years ago, I came here with one goal. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to be the top of my class. I wanted to have the best grades. I wanted to be a prefect and to be Head Girl. I accomplished those things, and don't get me wrong. They are important. I am very proud of them. Seven years ago, I didn't think there was anything more important than being the best. I was wrong. There are more important things. That was the hardest lesson, but the one that has taught me the most."

"At Hogwarts, I met two of the best people I'll ever hope to know. They showed me that there are more important things in this world than books and cleverness, like friendship and bravery. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry will always hold a special place in my heart for many reasons. It was here that I learned how to make potions and cast spells. It was here that I learned transfiguration and about arithmancy. It was here that I learned how to defend myself against the Dark Arts. It was here that I learned to apparate. And it was hear that I learned that without friends these things have no meaning. Friendship is the true magic. Thank you."

She took a deep breath and looked out at the crowd. There were tears in her eyes as she watched the crowd stand and applaud heartily for her and for her speech. She smiled broadly. Professor Dumbledore came up behind her and put an arm around her.

"Well done, Hermione," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Well done, indeed."

When the ceremony ended, Harry and Ron exchanged hugs and high fives with their fellow Gryffindors. Mrs. Weasley came up blubbering and enveloped the two of them in a massive bear hug.

"Mum," Ron wheezed. "We can't breathe."

"I'm sorry, Ron," she said, letting go of both him and Harry. "I'm just so proud of you. Of all of you. Where's Hermione? That speech…I can't even talk about it without bawling."

Harry looked around. "I don't see her."

"She's probably with her parents," Ron said, also scanning the crowd for her.

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. "We have a surprise for you. Your graduation present."

"What is it?" Ron said.

"Well, your father has made arrangements for you to visit Romania to see Charlie. He hated that he couldn't make the ceremony, but he wanted you to come and visit. You leave first thing tomorrow. For a week," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed, hugging his mother. "Mum, this is fantastic."

"That's great, Ron," Harry said.

"So have you all got big plans for tonight?" Mrs. Weasley said. "Don't tell me. It's probably best that I don't know. I'm going to go rescue your father….he was cornered by Neville Longbottom's grandmother." She walked away after giving both boys another hug.

"So what do we have planned for tonight?" Harry asked.

"Seamus said that we were going to go into London," Ron said. "See how the other half lives."
"Oh that should go down really well," Harry said, sarcastically. "Ron, you can't even use a telephone properly. And you are going to go into the Muggle World?"

"Just for a night. Besides, what can go wrong?"

"Famous last words," Harry said. "I got a room at The Leaky Cauldron for the next few days."

"You're not going back to the Dursleys?" Ron asked.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "That's just what I want to do. Live with them the rest of my life. I've had enough of them to last a lifetime."

"So are you going to go with us to London?" Ron asked.

Before Harry could answer, Hermione came up behind them.

"Hi, guys," she said. "Can you believe it? We made it!"

"I can't believe you tried to tell us you didn't have a speech," Harry said. "That was brilliant, Hermione. Simply brilliant."

"Yeah, you big faker," Ron said, giving her a hug. "You were great!"

"Thanks," she said.

"Yeah, I think I saw Ron's eyes well up with tears," Harry said.

"They were not!" Ron protested. "I had something in my eye."

"Yeah, it's called tears," Harry said, punching him on the shoulder.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Hermione said. She had begun to cry again.

"Oh, good Lord," Ron said. "You are as bad as Mum."

"Hey, Ron," Seamus Finnegan called over to him. "Come over here for a second."

"Okay," Ron said. "Be right back, guys."

Harry smiled at Hermione as they both watched Ron walk away.

"You really were great," Harry said.

"Thanks to you," she said.

"What did I do?" he asked.

"You said to speak from my heart and that's what I did. Well, it wasn't that simple, actually. I was so nervous when I walked up to that podium. I looked out at the crowd and I saw your face and it was like the words just came to me."

"Well," Harry said, trying to look arrogant. "I have that effect on girls, you know."

"You prat," she said, giggling. "So what are we doing tonight?"

"Ron said the guys want to go into Muggle London."

"Are you going to go?" Hermione asked.

"I had thought about it," Harry said. "Probably the last time we'll all be able to be together like that for awhile."

"Yeah," Hermione said. "You should go. You'll have a good time."

"You're not going?" Harry said.

"Oh, I'm sure that they'd want me there. Anyway, sounds like a boy's night out, anyway," she said. "Besides, my mum and dad wanted to take me out to eat. "
"Are you sure?" Harry asked, concerned. "Hermione, I'm sure the guys won't mind if you go. Besides, you'll have Ron and I. And you know that Seamus, Dean, and Neville like you."

"I'm positive. You go and have fun. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Ron. Unleashing him on Muggle London could be dangerous," she said. "You guys go have a good time and tell me all about it."

"If you're sure," Harry said.

"I'm positive," she said. "Now give me a hug and get your arse out there and have a good time."

*******************

Hermione and her parents enjoyed a quiet dinner at one of Hermione's favorite restaurants near their home. Hermione ate a wonderful Italian dinner before they headed back home. They had all just settled down in the family's living room when they heard a knock on the door. Hermione's dad got up from his easy chair to answer the door.

Within a few seconds, he came back.

"Hermione," he said, smiling. "Sweetheart, you have a visitor."

"I do?" Hermione said, looking up from her book. "Who is it?"
"Don't know," Dr. Granger said, winking at his wife. "He didn't say."

"Daddy," Hermione said. "Alright, let's go see who this is."

She couldn't imagine who would be calling on her this late. It was 11 o'clock at night. She walked into the foyer and was surprised to see Harry standing just outside the door.

"Harry!" she said. "I-I thought you were with Ron and the other guys."

"I was," he said. "But the whole night I felt like something was missing. If your parents don't mind, I was hoping to take you out for a walk or something."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Positive. Now get your coat, let's go," Harry said.

She smiled broadly. "Oh, Harry," she said.

"Just don't start crying on me again," he said, smiling. "I can't take it."

"Okay," she said. "Deal. Let me just go tell my parents. Be right back."

"I'll be right here," he said.

"So where do you want to go?" Harry asked her. "It's your night."

"Well, it's your night too," Hermione said.

"What ever makes you happy is what I want to do," he said. "You deserve to have a good night. It's time for you to have some fun, Miss Granger."

"Okay," she said, thinking. "A couple of girls from my neighborhood are always talking about this club just a few streets over, Maxwell's. Would you want to go there? I've never been, but I've heard some great things about it."

"Max's it is, then," Harry said. "Let's go."

To Hermione's surprise, Harry took her hand and held it. Something was happening here. She didn't know what it was, but she knew one thing…she liked it.

They arrived at the club almost twenty minutes later. It was a nice place. It wasn't too crowded and a deejay was playing music. A number of couples were dancing on the dance floor. Others were hanging out at the bar drinking and having a good time.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Harry asked her as they sat down at one of the tables. "I don't think they know what Butterbeer is, here, however."

"Diet coke," she said. "Do you have any Muggle money?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Summer job last year. Saved some up. You want anything else?"

"No, diet coke's fine," she said, smiling.

"Okay," he said. "Be right back. Don't you go taking off with some guy while I'm gone."

"Don't worry," she said, laughing.

She watched him leave to get their drinks. She couldn't believe all of this. Her heart had swelled at the sight of Harry on her doorstep. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. She knew he could have been out with the guys having a large time, but he was here. He was here with her.

He came back seconds later with their drinks.

"Here you go," Harry said sitting down.

"Thanks," she said. They sat there for a few minutes just listening to the music and enjoying the atmosphere. Hermione looked wistfully at the couples dancing.

"Do you want to dance?" she finally asked him.

"What?" he said, spitting out his drink. "Dance?"

"Yeah," she said. "Dance."

"I can't," he said.

"Everyone can dance," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "You danced at the Yule Ball."

"I moved my feet back and forth at The Yule Ball," Harry said. "That's not exactly dancing."

"Well, you said that tonight was my night and that I could have anything I wanted," she said.

"Well, I should have specified that dancing wasn't included in that package," Harry said.

"Please," Hermione said, pouting.

"No," Harry said. "I won't dance, don't ask me."

"Pretty please," Hermione said. "I won't tell anyone that you weren't being cool."

"It's for your own protection, you know," Harry said. "I'm only thinking of your toes."

"I'll take my chances," she said, smiling. "You know you're going to do it, anyway. Come on."

"Okay," he said. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

They tentatively stepped out on the dance floor. Hermione was leading the way. She led him to a spot near the back.

"This way no one can see you make a fool of yourself," Hermione said.

"Thanks, I think," Harry said. "You probably just put me back here so people won't see who you're with."

"That, too," she said, winking at him. "Come on, get your groove on. Shake your bootie."

The song was fast with a pulsating beat. To Hermione's surprise, Harry wasn't half-bad.

"Now who's the big faker," she said. "You're not that bad."

"Just you wait," Harry said. "I start out well, but it gets progressively worse as we continue. You're fantastic."

"Don't tell anyone this," she whispered in his ear. "When I'm at home for summers and vacations, I'll go in my room and put my walkman on and dance all over the place. I missed being able to do that while we were at Hogwarts."

"I had no idea," Harry said.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Harry Potter," she said.

All of a sudden the song ended and the deejay came over the speaker.

"We're gonna slow things down now. So you couples get together and dance real close."

Hermione started to walk back toward the table.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"It's a slow one," Hermione said.

"You don't get away that easy," Harry said. "You got me out here, we're gonna dance."

"Okay," she smiled, putting her arms around his neck. "Just don't step on my toes."

The song that played was "All Along" by Blessid Union of Souls. As they danced, Hermione was struck by how much the music affected her. The music seemed to fit the two of them, perfectly. She found herself holding onto him tighter as the music played.

Seems like yesterday but years have passed us by
Precious memories are clear before my eyes
I can hear your voice calling out my name
But I don't know you now, nothing stays the same

All along I have wanted you
I pray tonight that you want me, too
All along there was no one else
I've been waiting here all by myself

When the song was over, they still held each other. Hermione finally let go of him and looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. He took his hand and gently lifted her chin up to make her look at him. He softly kissed her.

She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She'd been kissed before, but never like this. She pulled away, scared of how this kiss made her feel.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

"You don't have to be sorry," she said. "I've wanted you to do that for a long time."
"I almost did the other night in the common room. If Ron hadn't interrupted, I would have," he said.

"I know," she said. She looked around. The deejay had begun to play another fast song. "Do you, um, want to get out of here?"

Harry looked confused. "Yeah, if you do."

"I do," she said.

They walked out of the club in silence. Neither of them said a word.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, finally.

"I think you should," she said.

"Okay," Harry said, hurt. "I'm sorry about that back there, Hermione. It's just we were dancing and that song and we were so close, I just couldn't help it. Now things are going to be all awkward between us and believe me that's the last thing I want. We can just forget that that happened."

"We can't," Hermione said. "That was huge. You can't just forget something like that. And I don't want to forget it, Harry. It's something that's been building between us for a long time. It was inevitable."

"Yeah," he said. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know," she said. They both stood there on the street staring at each other. Hermione looked at him intently. She couldn't think straight. Before she could stop herself, she went over to Harry and kissed him. This kiss was much more passionate than the first had been. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless.

"Wow," Harry said.

Hermione smiled. "So are you going to take me home or not?"

"Huh?" Harry asked, still dazed from the kiss. "Sure."

He started to walk toward her street.

"No," she said, standing still.

'What?" he asked, confused.

"Not my home," she said. "I, um, I heard you had a room at The Leaky Cauldron."

"Yeah," he said. "I do. Wait, are you saying---I mean, are you saying that you want."

She smiled. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. If you want to, that is---"

"Yeah," he said. "Are you sure?"
"More sure than I've ever been of anything in my life."

"Okay," he said. "I guess we should apparate."

"Okay," she said. "I should probably call my mum first and let her know so they don't worry."

"Okay," he said. "Do we need to find a payphone?"

"No, " she said. "I have a cell phone. My dad let me have one for my birthday last year. I'll just leave a message on the answering machine. They've probably gone to sleep by now."

She took the phone out of her purse and quickly dialed the number. When the answering machine picked up she left a quick message. "Hi, mum and dad. Harry and I met up with some friends from school and it got kind of late so I took a room at The Leaky Cauldron. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

Hermione hung the phone up and placed it back in her purse. She looked nervously at Harry.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

They found themselves back at The Leaky Cauldron and snuck back up the stairs to Harry's room. There were quite a few people in there celebrating so it wasn't too hard to sneak past the crowd. Harry opened the door and ushered Hermione inside.

They didn't say anything to each other. Hermione walked over to the bed and sat down. Hermione smiled as Harry sat down next to her.

"I've never done this before," Hermione said.

"Neither have I," he said, leaning in to kiss her. They fell back onto the bed. Harry started to unbutton Hermione's shirt. He stopped all of a sudden and looked down at her.

"Are you sure?" he said. "This could change everything, you know?"

"Promise?" she asked, smiling.