Chapter Seven
Present day London
The morning after Harry's arrival on Hermione's doorstep………
When the sun broke through Hermione's window, she officially gave up on getting any sleep. She wanted to sleep. She had wanted to sleep so badly. She'd even contemplated going into the kitchen and brewing up a sleeping potion, but she didn't have any of the ingredients. She'd been meaning to stop by Diagon Alley and restock her supplies, but with the impromptu engagement party at the Burrow, she hadn't had time.
What she wanted to do more than anything was to crawl back under her covers, and sleep. She knew that wasn't going to happen. She quickly walked into her bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and wondered who was that haggard, pale person looking back at her? She swore she could probably have hauled Hagrid in the bags under her eyes. She gave a long sigh and pulled her long hair into a loose ponytail. She slipped her robe on and walked out of the room.
To her surprise and anger, Harry was asleep on the couch. "How can he sleep?" she whispered under hear breath. "He turns my life upside down in the matter of one night and I can't get a decent night of sleep, yet he sleeps like a baby. Totally unfair."
As she stood there looking at him, she couldn't help but wonder how he did it.
She'd been wondering how she'd react when and if she and Harry saw each other again. She'd thought up different scenarios in her mind over the past five years. She'd wondered what he'd say and what she'd say and how they would act toward each other. She'd had little dress rehearsals for that event in her mind for five years now. That was the funny thing about life, though. Things never go as you plan, Hermione thought.
Any plan she might have had went right out the window when she opened that door and saw those familiar green eyes and that warm, infectious smile. Even after all this time, they could still make her turn into a pile of goo. She couldn't count the number of times that she'd been mad at him or disappointed in him and all he'd have to do is smile at her and she'd melt.
Her mind went back to that time in their third year at Hogwarts when Harry had been prohibited from going into Hogsmeade. When he'd used his Invisibility Cloak to sneak into the village. She and Ron had been standing outside a shop called Unusual Tastes examining some blood-flavored lollipops when he'd surprised them. He told them all about the Marauder's Map and how Fred and George had given it to him. Hermione, worried for Harry's safety, urged him to turn the map in at once.
"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea was ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"
"No, I'm not!" said Harry.
"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"
"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George nicked it!"
"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have to know!"
She and Ron and Harry had argued back and forth about what to do with the map.
"Yes, but---but---"Hermione seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! If anyone finds out, he'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet---what if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"
"He'd have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break."
Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried.
"Are you going to report me?"Harry asked her, grinning."
"Oh---of course not---but honestly, Harry---"
After all these years, he could still do that, she mused to herself.
She silently cursed herself for thinking this way about Harry. She should be getting that feeling from Ron, not Harry.
"Ron!" she thought suddenly. He has no idea that Harry is back. But, she thought, he's already left for that road trip to Ireland. She knew that his team was to depart for Ireland at 5:00 a.m. If she really wanted to, she could get word to him that Harry was back and that her life could be in danger.
She thought better of that, however. This wasn't something you sprung on someone right before they were scheduled to leave for an important trip. Besides, he'd be back in three days, she reasoned. He'll know everything in three days, she thought. She'd tell him when he returned.
She didn't really know how Ron would take the news. Ron had been just as upset as she was---albeit for different reasons---when Harry left. She knew he'd be thrilled to have Harry back. She also knew that if he knew what Harry's return meant to her, he wouldn't be too pleased. Truth be told, she didn't really know what Harry's return meant or if it meant anything at all. She didn't know anything, really. She only knew that he was back for now, but she didn't know for how long. If past history were any indication, he'd solve the problem at hand and leave her behind just as he did before.
She had thought the pain of that heartbreak had eased with time. Seeing his green eyes and bright smile brought all of those feelings back. Having him sleep just a few feet away from her made a thousand memories she'd tried so hard to suppress come flooding back to her.
She resolved to stop thinking so much about this. It wasn't doing her any good dwelling in the past, especially when her future lied with Ron. She felt as if she was being unfaithful to him just thinking these thoughts.
Taking one last look at Harry soundly asleep on the couch, she decided to make breakfast. Walking swiftly into the kitchen, she opened up the refrigerator and took out the milk, a carton of eggs, a package of bacon and the orange juice. She retrieved a frying pan from the counter and a bowl to crack the eggs. She took extra care to make as much noise as possible. Harry might have been able to sleep, but she'd be damned if he was going to sleep in, she thought.
To her delight, she heard rustling coming from the living room.
"Mission accomplished," she whispered, smiling slyly.
Within seconds, Harry came walking, groggily, into the kitchen. He wasn't wearing his glasses and his short, brown hair was disheveled. He was wearing a white cotton t-shirt and a pair of navy boxer shorts. "Good morning," Hermione said, brightly. "Sleep well?"
"Up until I heard the ruckus coming from in here," Harry said, yawning.
"Well, that's good," Hermione said. "Coffee?"
"Uh, yes," Harry said, sitting down at the table. "Thanks."
He watched as she took an extra coffee mug from the cupboard and poured him a cup of coffee. He watched in amazement as she poured a teaspoon of sugar into the cup along with a splash of milk. She walked over to him and gave him the mug.
"What?" she asked, noticing the look of amazement on his face.
"You remembered how I like my coffee," he said.
"Oh," Hermione said, not knowing how to react to this. "Do you still like your eggs scrambled with cheese?"
"Yes," he said.
"Don't look at me like that, Harry," she said. "Honestly. I remember a lot of things. I practically have Hogwarts: A History committed to memory. It's no big deal. Besides, how long were we friends?"
"You're right," he said. "Sorry."
She was quiet as she walked back over to the stove and took the frying pan off the burner and quickly spooned some eggs on both of their plates. She also placed a couple of strips of bacon and a biscuit on the plates.
"Here you go," she said, putting the plate in front of Harry.
"Thanks," he said, taking a bite of the eggs.
They ate in silence. Hermione nervously looked over at her watch.
"Oh, I'm going to be late if I don't get a move on," she said, getting up from the chair and picking up her plate.
Harry dropped his fork. "Late for what?"
"Work, silly," Hermione said.
"You aren't going to work today," Harry said, firmly.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked. "What do you mean?"
"Uh, hello?" Harry said. "What part of 'your life is in danger' do you not understand?"
"I have to go to work, Harry. People are counting on me. I have experiments and meetings scheduled."
"Hermione," Harry began, standing up from his chair. "Those experiments are precisely why you shouldn't go to work today. Those experiments could get you kidnapped or worse. You could be killed, for Merlin's sake."
"Harry," Hermione said. "I'll be fine. I have to go to work. That's all there is to it."
Harry walked over to her and gave her a stern expression. She couldn't remember him ever looking so serious. "I forbid you to go to work today."
Hermione laughed. "You have got to be kidding me? You forbid me to go to work today.
You forbid me?"
"I do," Harry said. "I can't let you go to work today."
"Who died and made you my father?" Hermione asked, incredulously. "Of all the pompous, self-centered, chauvinist, pig-headed---"
She could feel her cheeks getting hot. There weren't words to describe the anger that was building up inside her. She hated more than anything for someone to tell her what she could and couldn't do. She took a deep breath.
"You, Harry Potter, are not my father. You are not my boyfriend and you aren't my husband. And even if you were, I still wouldn't allow you to tell me what I could and couldn't do."
Harry grabbed her by the arm. "Do you want to get yourself killed? Is that what you want? If you go in there today not knowing what is out there waiting to attack you when you least expect it, that's exactly what's going to happen. And I will not let that happen to you. That is the reason that I came back. The last thing in the world that I want to happen is for you to get hurt or killed. I'm here to protect you. I'm here because I-" he looked at her and stopped speaking.
"Because you what?" Hermione asked.
"Because I-" Harry said again. He was still holding on to her arm and their faces were so close. She could feel that pit in her stomach that she'd felt that night that Harry had first kissed her outside of the club. His eyes were staring intently into hers. She felt light-headed and dizzy. Their lips were inches apart.
"Because you what, Harry?" Hermione whispered, again.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Hermione!"
Harry and Hermione quickly pulled away from each other. "Who is that?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Hermione said. She still felt light-headed. She couldn't think.
"Go check," Harry told her. Hermione nodded and walked towards the door. Looking through the peephole, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's Ginny," she whispered back to Harry. "What do I do?"
"Let her in," Harry said. "But don't tell her I'm back yet. I'll, um, I'll go hide in your bedroom. Don't tell her that I'm here, okay. The less people that know, the better off we are. At least, until we know what we're up against."
Hermione nodded. She took a deep breath as she watched Harry scurry back to her bedroom. She noticed that he kept the door slightly ajar. No doubt, to hear what she and Ginny would say to each other, Hermione thought. She quickly smoothed her hair and pushed a loose tendril behind her ear. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Well, finally," Ginny said. "What are you doing here, Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"I had an appointment with a OB-GYN mediwizard early this morning. It's near your flat so I thought I'd pop in and see how you were. I was worried about you after last night. You were awfully quiet," Ginny said, walking past Hermione into the apartment.
"Was I?" Hermione asked nervously, shutting the door behind Ginny. "I guess I've just had a lot of stuff on my mind what with work and the wedding plans, you know. It's a bit much all of a sudden, you know?"
"I know," Ginny said. She'd taken a seat on the sofa and motioned for Hermione to do the same. As Hermione went to sit down, she noticed Harry's glasses and his shoes. She quickly picked the glasses up and popped them in her robe pocket. When she was sure Ginny wasn't looking, she kicked Harry's shoes under the couch.
"And Mum, I love her, but trust me, she's not going to give you a moment's peace. I still remember how she hijacked Draco's and my wedding plans," Ginny continued, oblivious to what Hermione had just done.
"Well, I know that she means well," Hermione said with a quick smile.
"Oh, did you have a guest last night?" Ginny said lifting up the pillow.
"Huh?" Hermione asked. "No, of course I didn't have visitors. Um, when I got home last night, I was so tired, I just crashed on the sofa."
"You poor thing," Ginny said. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, of course," Hermione said. "Why do you ask?"
"You keep looking around like you're expecting someone or something to pop out at any minute," Ginny said. "Ah, let me guess. You have a bloke somewhere in here, right? One last fling before the wedding?"
"Of course not," Hermione said indignantly. "How could you think that? I would never-"
"I'm just joking, Hermione," Ginny said quickly. "I know you'd never do that to Ron."
"I know, I know. I'm just still so exhausted," Hermione said, yawning. "I'm actually thinking of taking the day off and resting."
"Well, that sounds like a brilliant idea," Ginny said. "You know that's what you need to do more often, I say. Take time for yourself. All work and no play, and all that."
"Yeah, you're right," Hermione said, looking around the apartment again. "Listen, won't you
be late for your appointment?"
"Yeah, I'd better get a move on," Ginny said standing up. "Hey, take care of yourself. And any help
you need with the wedding or anything, I'd be glad to help you. All you have to do is ask."
"Thanks, Ginny," Hermione said. "Here, give us a hug."
"Alright, if you can get your arms all the way around" Ginny said. "I'm huge. I have my own postal code."
"You're the best, Gin," Hermione said, laughing. "Thanks for stopping by."
"That was close," Harry said, coming out of the bedroom.
"Yeah," Hermione said. "I hate lying to her."
"Hopefully, it will be over soon," Harry said, putting a reassuring arm on her shoulder. "So I heard you tell Ginny that you weren't going to work."
"You're right," Hermione said. "I should stay out until we have a clue what's going on. Not that I'm happy about it, mind you. I am stubborn to a fault, you know."
"I know," Harry said with a chuckle. "It's one of things that I love most-I mean that I loved most about you."
Hermione's eyes got big at that remark. "Well, something's never change. So what do we do?"
Harry smiled. "We're to meet Sirius at Kings Cross Station this afternoon. He's trying to run intel on this with his contacts. We couldn't' chance meeting in Hogsmeade or at Diagon Alley or anywhere near the Ministry. We figured it'd be better to keep things in Muggle London. Less chance of being recognized."
Hermione nodded. "At least we don't have to stay cooped up in here all day. I honestly don't think that I
could do that."
"Yeah, cabin fever," Harry said. "Do you mind if I take a shower?"
"No, go right ahead," Hermione said. "There are some extra towels in the closet beside the
bathroom."
"Thanks," Harry said. He gave her a quick smile before retreating to the bathroom.
Hermione sighed and sat down on the couch. The reason that she was glad they wouldn't be staying in all day in that apartment alone together had nothing to do with cabin fever. She was afraid of what might have happened, or what could have happened if they'd spent anymore time like that alone.
"Talk about turning your life upside down," she said. She fell back onto the couch and finally the sleep that she had been wanting so much came. And with it came sweet dreams.