Shades of Grey
Chapter one
A Rose for Every Month
The door slid shut as the protesters protested behind the newly locked door. She burst into giggles as she slid down to the floor.
"Miss Potter, as your headmaster, I demand you unlock this door immediately," she heard though the door.
"Professor Cogsworth, I believe Miss Potter has some valid reasons for her actions," Aeryn could hear Professor Dumbledore say.
"We've been at these negotiations for three days," Aeryn told them through the door, "And quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of some of your childish behavior. All ten of you agreed that I should be the mediator as I am Guardian of Atlantis, so you I am telling you now, to shut up, sit down and start working together because you are not leaving this room until you do."
"Smart girl," Aeryn heard from the headmaster with the Australian accent.
"I'll be back to check on you in a couple of hours," Aeryn finally said as she started for the library.
There in the Library in Atlantis, people were buzzing about, sorting books and such. You certainly couldn't have school start and have certain books still available without caution.
It was the middle of September and school had yet to start. A lot of them had been working non stop in order to get started October 1st. All the schools that had been destroyed had now banded together to create the Atlantian International School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Are the negotiations finished already?" Professor McGonagall asked, she, Lily and Hermione had been helping out in the Library.
"Not exactly," Aeryn said with a mischievous look on her face. Lily did not miss it.
"What did you do?" her mother asked.
"Nothing, I just left and kinda locked them into the room where they will be forced to settle things once and for all or face starvation."
"You didn't," Hermione said looking surprised before bursting out laughing, as well as Aeryn did.
"I got tired of them nagging and complaining about how some people will be in more control then others and how two schools from the US will be there so they have more people, blah, blah, blah." Aeryn explained, "I think it sort of helped that I am no longer in Dumbledore's pocket so to say."
"Why did you decide to no longer remain a Hogwarts student?" Hermione asked.
"I've only attended Hogwarts for a year, where as I've attended Holic for five. If I hadn't died and the schools hadn't been blown up, I would have been required to attend Holic anyway." Aeryn explained, "Hogwarts was a temporary thing. Besides it's not like we won't be sharing the same roof now."
"But what if we don't have any of the same classes?"
"Hermione, it didn't spring out of a box and show up on Hogwart's doorstep, or in my case staircase; I did have friends of my own."
Just then, the familiar snowy white owl came swooping into the library and landed right in front of Hermione. In her talons was a single white rose with a note attached. Hermione smiled as she picked up the rose and held it up to her nose.
"What number is this one?" Aeryn asked.
"Sixty," Hermione replied reading the note, "'A rose for every month we've been friends, be ready by six o'clock'"
"Sixty white roses," Aeryn commented, "Wow!"
"He's had Hedwig deliver them all day. Poor Hedwig," Hermione said petting Hedwig softly.
"One would think he was getting tips from his father," Lily said.
"So how has your birthday been so far Hermione?" Aeryn asked.
"Well it was kind of embarrassing when I received a rose when I was getting my Apperations license this morning,"
"I think it's sweet," Aeryn said.
Hermione then glanced at her watch, "Is that the time," she gasped quickly getting up, "So much to do, so little time."
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Aeryn headed to the Quidditch pitch, where Ron, Harry, Draco, James, Remus and Sirius were.
"Got room for one more?" Aeryn asked the guys.
"As long as you promise to go easy on us,"
"I tell you Harry, you are doing a successful job of charming the pants off Hermione," Aeryn told him.
"Yeah, don't forget the proper spells," Sirius said, "We wouldn't want any accidents."
Harry started to turn a shade of red, "Sirius!" Aeryn scolded him, "I didn't mean it that way, and you know it." All of them had a good laugh.
"So, twelve more days, how are the arguments coming with the headmasters?" Remus asked.
"I don't know I'll have to ask them when I let them out of their room." Aeryn replied.
"You locked them in a room, all of them?" Sirius asked.
"Some of them don't care which office they get," Aeryn said, "But come on, it's been three days, if I go back and they still haven't agreed to anything they're pulling straws."
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Hermione looked at herself in front of a mirror for about the thousandth time.
"You look fine dear," the mirror said. Hermione ignored it. Lily then came into the room.
"You should listen to the mirror sometimes," Lily told her. Hermione smiled as she looked to the floor.
"I don't know why I'm so nervous," Hermione admitted, "I mean we've been together for a year now."
"Yes, but has he ever sent you sixty roses on your birthday before, other then going to Hogsmeade, have you actually been on a real date?"
"No, I guess not," she said, "I'll have to talk to Harry about his math skills though; we've been friends for more then sixty months."
There was a knock at the door, "It's just me," Aeryn said popping her head in, "came to see if you were ready yet."
"I am, but did you come here on your own or did a certain brother of yours send you?" Hermione asked.
"Would you rather he have sent Ron," Aeryn said her expression, "I rest my case."
"Anyway you could get into his mind to see what he is thinking or what he has planned?" Hermione asked.
"I can't do that," Aeryn said, "Not saying I would, but I couldn't if I tried. For some reason, since we've been back, I have not been able to read his mind or even talk to him telepathically and vise versa. I can read his emotions no problem, being an empath. But it's like the link has been severed for some reason."
"Have you let the Professors out of their room yet?" Lily asked.
"I'm going to after I'm finished here," she said, "I hope they have come up with something, I'd hate to have to resort to drawing straws." They laughed at that.
Soon Lily and Aeryn left and a couple minutes later there was another knock at the door. Hermione took a deep breathe and opened to door to finally come face to face with Harry.
"Hi,"
"Hi," Harry was standing there with his hand behind his back. Hermione smiled as he revealed what he was hiding, "A rose for every month we have been more then friends." In front of her were thirteen beautiful red roses. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pressed her lips against his.
"I have wanted to do that since rose number one," she said to him, "So what do you have planned for us."
"Well I thought I would let you decided. We could either go to a Quidditch match where I'm sure you would hate me forever for taking you there of all places, or we could go out to dinner and perhaps see a movie."
"That sounds good," Hermione said.
"Ok Quidditch it is then." He joked.
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
The evening proved to be very successful. They went to a quite restaurant in London where no one would know who they were so that they would be left alone and after that they went to see a movie of Hermione's choice of course. Hermione was having the best time of her life. It was good to be doing something normal, and she really loved that Harry went to so much trouble to make sure her birthday was perfect.
They were heading back to the Portkey point where they were scheduled to take a Portkey back to Atlantis, walking slowly hand in hand enjoying the scenery.
Harry suddenly stopped, "What is it Harry?"
"I've yet to give you your birthday gift."
"Harry, you've done so much already, I…"
"I'll have none of that," Harry presented her with a small box with gold ribbon on it. Hermione took off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a silver locket, on it was a sideways eight.
"Isn't this?"
"Turn it over," Hermione turned it over to reveal their initials, `HG + HP =' "It's identical to the one my Dad gave my Mum, indecently the same one that Aeryn had."
"It's beautiful, thank you," Hermione could very herself growing teary, "Could you put it on?"
Harry took that locket from the box and clasped it around her neck. "It looks beautiful on you," he said as they continued for the Portkey point.
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