A/N: In honor of Hermione Granger's 24th birthday, I present to you a chapter you've all been eagerly waiting for! Some questions will be answered here! :) (Yes, another excuse to post early... heh heh heh)
Harry and Tonks were walking down the street, each deep in thought, when Harry's anger started to get the best of him. "I can't stand this, Tonks!" he growled in frustration. "She pushed her family away, pushed her friends away, and all for Ron?!"
"People do strange things, Harry," Tonks said with a shrug. "If she'd known how you felt, things might have been different."
"Well, I never told her," he said with a frustrated sigh. "And it's too late now..."
"How can it be too late? She's not married to him yet!" Tonks said consolingly. "Tell her how you feel."
"If she's willing to push away her own mother and father, what makes you think she'll turn away from Ron for me?" he asked glumly.
"You have a lot to offer," she said as they apparated to the castle's entrance hall. "I may be biased, but you're damn good looking, you're kind, gentle, friendly, intelligent... there's a good reason she was friends with you for so long. She even wants that friendship back!"
"Friendship, Tonks," Harry said sadly. "We need to get our stuff moved to the new house soon, I'll see about spending some time with her after we get settled in, but we need to keep our minds on our assignment."
"Harry, life isn't all about work," she said as she set a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. "It won't be easy, but you should try to let her know how you feel."
Harry looked into his partner's eyes and half-smiled. "We'll see," he said half-heartedly. If she's so in love with Ron, telling her how I feel will just push her away and I'll lose her friendship again, he added silently. "There's only the problem of getting in to see her. After Ron's little declaration, there's a good chance he's warded the house to let him know if I've been there."
"You'll find a way," Tonks said with a smile. "You always do."
Later that night, Harry sent Hedwig off with a letter for Hermione asking when a good time would be to see her in the next few weeks. The next morning, Hedwig returned with her reply.
Dear Harry,
Ron's set new wards around the cottage and garden to keep you away. I was so infuriated with him when he did
that! He wouldn't tell me why... you used to be my best friend and I was hoping to at least start some sort of
friendship up with you again. I explained that I felt lonely when he wasn't home and I needed a friend to talk to.
He stormed out of the house! Harry, he means so much to me, what can I do? I don't want to be left alone! What if
he leaves me? I don't know if I could handle that! I'll be at Molly's for lunch today, please come over? I
really need someone to talk to.
Love from
Hermione
Harry ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Hey, Tonks, how much time do we have before we have to be at the new house?" he asked as he walked into his sitting room. "Hermione is having problems and needs someone to talk to today."
"Not till after tea, Harry," she replied from one of the overstuffed chairs. She lazily flipped a page in her dossier and looked up with a smile. "Let her know how you feel, give her a choice."
"She's afraid she's going to lose Ron," Harry said sadly. "I doubt she'd be thinking about moving from him to me straight away."
"It'll take time," Tonks said reassuringly. "But the option will be there, she could think that Ron is her only choice."
"That's ridiculous!" Harry snorted. "She's beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful how can she think that Ron is her only choice?"
"Think about it, Harry, she poured herself into her schoolwork because she felt nobody liked her. You, Ron, and Ginny were her only close friends and look where everyone is..."
Harry nodded. "Since we have time, I'll stop by the Burrow. Let's hope that Ron didn't decide to come over as well."
"You'll deal with that if it happens," Tonks said with a reassuring grin. "She needs you, Harry, get over there."
Harry let the Floo powder fly and with the Burrow still echoing in his sitting room, he stumbled into the Weasley's kitchen once again.
"Harry! I didn't expect you to come over today," Molly said with a smile. She bustled from the stove to give him a quick hug before returning to lunch preparations.
"Hermione asked me to stop by," he admitted quietly. "Is Ron coming as well?"
"No, he's off somewhere with his teammates," Hermione said with a frown from the sitting room. She looked to him and smiled. "I'm glad you stopped by."
"As I understand it, you needed someone to talk to, so here I am," he said with a soft smile. He scanned her over for marks, in case Ron had gotten physical with her. Since she was wearing a sundress, any marks on her arms, neck, or legs would have been visible, unless she healed them. "Did you want to get some privacy?"
Hermione looked nervously at Molly and nodded almost imperceptibly.
"How's your stomach doing?" he asked in a whisper. He nodded when she mouthed 'not now' and with a smile he turned to his surrogate mother. "I'm going to steal her away for a little bit, how long until everything's ready?"
"Take your time," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. "There's still an hour yet before lunch is ready."
Harry believed the woman when she gave him cooking times and he smiled at his friend. "Shall we head out to the Quidditch pitch?" he asked as he offered her his hand. She took it with a smile and nodded. "We'll be back shortly," Harry announced to his host and the two of them began a slow walk to the Weasley's makeshift pitch.
They had been walking for just a few minutes when Harry noticed the tears glistening in her eyes. He stopped and quickly dried them from her cheeks as they spilled out. "Hermione, you can tell me anything you need to," he said softly. She didn't back away from his touch and he didn't feel her stiffen like she had before, much to his relief.
"I think Ron's going to leave me for real this time," she said quietly. "All I wanted was a friend to talk to..." She sighed and they continued their walk to the pitch. "I love him Harry, I really do and I know he loves me, I just feel like I've gotten too fat for him or I don't do enough to make him happy."
They stopped in the shade of the trees that surrounded the field where he'd played so many pick up games of Quidditch during summer holiday. Harry felt a pang in his heart when he thought of his long lost best friend, but set that aside for the one who needed him at the moment. Without hesitation, he took Hermione by the hand and guided her to the tree where she used to read when he and Ron were on their brooms. Harry sat at the tree's base, his back resting firmly against it, and pulled her down next to him.
"First, let me tell you that you're not fat, Hermione," Harry said gently. "You've changed, yes, but you're far from fat. Dudley, now he's fat!" Hermione snorted a laugh in reply but Harry continued. "Second, you cleaned the house when you were supposed to be resting, that's devotion if I've ever seen it. Does he help around the house?"
"It takes quite a lot of pressure to get him to help with the housework and it's just so much easier for me to do it myself instead of argue with him," she admitted. "It's not all that difficult, just time consuming."
Harry nodded. "How often are you home alone?" He thought it was an innocent enough question and he jumped at Hermione's tone.
"Are you interrogating me, Harry?" she asked somewhat annoyed.
"No, I'm just trying to get a feel for what your life is like now," he said with his hands up in an attempt to calm her down. "I don't know what it's like for you two, and until recently, I've never been invited over. Ron seems to like it that way."
Hermione softened at his response and nodded. "I'm sorry, Harry, sometimes I'm so wrapped up in how things used to be that I forget nobody knows how things are now."
"To change the subject, for now, how is your stomach doing?" he asked quietly.
"The potions and painkillers help," she said with a shrug. "I'm just getting tired of not having the money to keep the treatments up. As soon as I start feeling better, we run out and I relapse. It seems like a never ending cycle."
"The Ministry doesn't take care of your medical bills?" Harry asked incredulously.
"My department doesn't have the funding that yours does," she said with a sigh. "They cover the basics, but prolonged treatment is out-of-pocket."
Harry nodded. "Have you thought about Hogwarts again? They'd be able to pay more and handle your medical..."
"Ron and I have talked about it several times but we've decided that it would be best to stay with the Ministry," she explained.
"Did you both decide or just Ron?" Harry asked quietly. He braced himself for the angry reply that was coming and wasn't disappointed.
"What do you mean? We make decisions together, Harry!" Hermione said with an elevated, even, tone of voice.
"The only thing I understand is Ron has all the freedom and you're trapped at home like a slave!" Harry spat back, his patience finally getting the best of him. "I went from having two best friends to having nothing, Hermione," Harry said angrily. "One minute I'm happy and about to ask you out and the next I see you and Ron happily together. From then on I watched as Ron threw me out like an old piece of rubbish and then you followed afterwards!"
Hermione stood, her anger raised and her fists were balled tight enough that her knuckles were white. She opened her mouth to say something but Harry leapt to his feet and turned on her.
"No, you don't get to say anything! I hear that you and Ron are in love! I hear that you don't want to lose him! I hear that you're afraid that he's going to leave you! Did you ever wonder what it felt like for ME?!" he roared at her. "I know it sounds selfish, but I went from having two best friends to having nothing but an abusive family! I had hope and love in my heart then it was shattered when Ron happened to get to you first! I know you're not a prize, I never thought you were, Hermione," Harry growled and stopped to wipe the angry tears from his eyes. "Damn it!" He turned and stalked away from her.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Hermione shrieked after him, trying to keep up. "You sure as hell are not going to treat me like that and then walk away, Harry James Potter!"
Harry spun on his heel and stopped right in her face. "THAT'S THE HERMIONE I REMEMBER!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "That's the woman I fell in love with!"
Hermione glared at him in disbelief. "What?" she asked evenly.
"You bloody heard me, Hermione," Harry said, still incensed. "I fell in love with you and it tore my heart out when I saw you with Ron." His shoulders fell with his anger spent. "You looked so happy that I felt I'd take that away if I said anything. I thought it would be ok as long as we stayed friends, like we were, but even then, that was taken away." He shook his head and looked to her apologetically. "Here I was, supposed to be your sounding board and I go off on you. I'm sorry for that."
Hermione looked at him in confusion as his tirade began to sink in. "You were going to ask me out?" Harry nodded. "Ron... Ron said that he talked to you and you urged him to talk to me."
Harry sighed. "I don't know what to tell you... I didn't talk to Ron about anything like that. When it came to girls, the extent of our conversations was Cho or asking someone to the Yule Ball in fourth year." Harry looked to the ground. "When it came to you, it was about schoolwork and what the three of us would do on the next Hogsmeade trip. Honestly, the only ones who know my feelings for you are Dobby and Tonks; Dobby because he works for me and Tonks because we talk about everything lately."
"That's the second time I find out he's lied..." Hermione said quietly.
"Hermione, I don't know what happened to Ron, but he might have done more than just lie," Harry said quietly. "I spoke with your mother and she asked me to tell you that they miss you. Don't be angry with me, I just stopped by and chatted with her for a few minutes. I know it wasn't right to go behind your back and talk to your parents, but I'm worried for you, Hermione, I really am. Your mother is too, you should see her."
Hermione looked at him blankly and said nothing for a few moments then she looked to the ground. "Go away, Harry," she said quietly.
"If that's what you want, Hermione," he replied sadly, "you know how to reach me if you want to."
Harry turned towards the Burrow and a few moments later smiled apologetically at Mrs. Weasley. "I seem to have made things worse, not better," Harry said with a shrug. "I won't be staying for lunch, but I'll keep in touch when I can."
"I'm sure things will right themselves, dear," Molly said with a tight hug. "Don't be a stranger, Harry."
"I'm not sure our friendship was strong enough to save anything now... I'll try to stop by when I can," he said with a small smile. Hermione stepped into the kitchen just as he stepped into the green flames of the fireplace. He raised a hand and waved before whispering his destination. Harry caught a glimpse of Hermione's tear streaked cheeks before he was sucked through the Floo Network and deposited in his sitting room.
"You're back early," Tonks said concernedly from her chair. "Things didn't go well, did they?"
"No, we argued and I told her that I loved her, but I think it was all a bit too much for her to take," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just what I thought would happen, she told me to go away. True, I could have been more tactful, but it felt like all I could do was beat around the bush with her and I got frustrated."
Tonks crossed the room and pulled him into a comforting hug. "She just needs time, Harry, that's all."
Harry sighed and buried his head in the crook of her neck. "I don't know, Tonks, I thought our friendship was strong before, knowing my feelings won't make a difference at this point. I don't think they ever would have."
"Don't say that, Harry," she said tenderly. "They would have, and they might have, just give it time."
Harry nodded slightly and stepped back. "Well, we may as well get on with our next assignment, Mrs. Baker."
"I guess there's no turning you away from work, is there, Mr. Baker?" Tonks said with a snort.
Harry smiled slightly but it didn't reach his eyes. "Do we have everything in the new house?" he asked quietly as he concentrated on his new identity for the next few years. He looked up to see Tonks in her new identity and he smiled at her.
"Everything's there, but us and Hedwig," she said with a dazzling smile. "She left before you got back. I'm sure she'll be waiting for us there."
Harry let Dobby know where he could be found should anything important arise and the now disguised partners apparated to their new house. Unpacking went uneventfully and the two of them strolled hand-in-hand down the street to the market for fresh supplies. They looked at anything and everything on their way, paying close attention to the witches and wizards that were coming in and out of the shops.
The rest of the day went by quietly, a meal at the Three Broomsticks, a quick stop into Honeydukes for several bars of chocolate, and a quick kip into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George were racing around the store helping customers with purchases and making recommendations. Harry browsed over the familiar items and chuckled softly at the effects of a new confection.
"Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" Fred said cheerfully, sporting a wide smile as he bustled over to Harry and his wife. "Is there anything in particular I can help you with? A demonstration perhaps?"
Harry smiled at his unknowing friend and shook his head. "Sorry, we're new in Hogsmeade and just stopped in to see what all the fuss was about. Your store is one of the busier ones on the main street."
Fred smiled at the prospect of new customers and that they'd been attracted by the volume of business the store had been doing recently. "New in Hogsmeade you say?" he asked with a wide grin. Harry and Tonks smiled and nodded. "Have you been in one of our stores before? Our main shop is located on Diagon Alley..."
"We've seen the store but haven't gone in," Tonks said with a polite smile. "We don't have children yet and thought a joke shop wouldn't fit us that well."
"Oh, Sir, Madam, these aren't just ordinary jokes! Wizards and witches, even a squib or two, I might add, of all ages enjoy our sweet treats. They have slight side effects that are sure to make you chuckle and we haven't had a single upset customer, save for Filch at Hogwarts."
Harry laughed. "I'm sure your jokes are enjoyable, but we're not really interested."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Sir, perhaps if you were to try one of our free grab bags and make up your mind at a later time?" Fred said with a thoughtful grin.
Harry looked to Tonks as if he needed permission and she laughed sweetly at him. "Go ahead and take the grab bag, Dear, if anything blows up in the house, you'll have to do the cleaning!"
Harry laughed in return and accepted the package that Fred handed him. "Please feel free to stop in any time, Sir, though our stock tends to run low during the school term!"
Harry and Tonks thanked Fred for his generosity and friendliness before they left the shop. The couple found it hard to hold in their laughter and after they'd made it a block away, couldn't contain themselves.
"This might be a fun assignment," Harry said as he wiped a tear away and opened the door for his partner. "We have to be careful though, if anyone were to see through our cover, it would be those two."
"It's a good thing that we only had to deal with Fred!" Tonks said with another chuckle. "Both of them together would have been enough for me to lose it right there."
The couple laughed and tried one or two of the free jokes then laughed some more. The evening quickly turned into a few days and Harry found himself sitting at a round table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, being introduced to the gathered professors.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr. James Baker." Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry stood and nodded to everyone.
"It's good to be here," he said with a smile and took his seat again.
"James will be living in Hogsmeade with his wife Marion during his stay, patrol timetables will be made available by the end of the week. We will also have a new Transfiguration teacher when the term starts, allowing Minerva the opportunity to concentrate on her headmistress duties. An item of note, The Ministry has informed me there may be criminal activity in Hogsmeade, more so than usual, and I would like everyone to remain on high alert during trips. James has been kind enough to offer his services as an additional chaperone while students are present due to his living arrangements."
"Where did you say you went to school, Mr. Baker?" Snape said with a slight smile that came off as more of a grimace.
"I didn't, but I spent my first few years in America's Salem Witches' Institute and finished my instruction at Beauxbatons." Harry answered smoothly. He smiled softly and his eyes glazed over. "I met Marion at Beauxbatons..." He collected himself and cleared his throat. "But that's neither here nor there," he finished with a slight chuckle.
The other professors joined in his laughter, save Snape who just glared at the new professor, and they were soon enjoying their lunch. Afterwards, McGonagall showed him to his office and classroom.
"Your course material and class timetables can be found in your desk and files. You must obtain permission before subjecting your students to the presence of live specimens in the classroom..." she said as she continued his tour and reciting the information he'd need to run the class properly. "Do you have a booklist? If not, we have several that were used in previous years."
"Thank you, but I do have a list," he said, handing her a folded piece of parchment. "Everything the students need for class is listed," he said with a smile. "And I request permission for third years and higher to experience the listed creatures, in conjunction with the Care of Magical Creatures professor, in their order listed."
"You've assembled your materials quite well, Mr. Baker," Minerva said with a smile. "Very well, I'll leave you to familiarize yourself with your office and classroom, should you need anything further, you may visit the headmaster, any of the other professors, or me. You should stop by the headmaster's office for your sorting as well."
"My sorting? I thought students were the only ones who were sorted," he said with a look of surprise.
"Each professor is sorted into one of the houses when they begin teaching if they haven't attended Hogwarts," she explained quickly. "We use the sorting hat's recommendation for appointing head of house."
Harry nodded. "I see. I'll stop by the headmaster's office in a few moments, no need to keep him waiting for me in the afternoon."
"Very well, James, welcome to Hogwarts. Albus has recommended you highly and I'd like to see you succeed here," Minerva said with a smile before turning to the door.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Harry said with a return smile as he followed her out.
"You may call me Minerva when there are no students about," she said nonchalantly before turning to her office.
Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office and the wise old wizard smiled as Harry stepped through the door. "I expect everything is going according to plan?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Harry smiled mischievously as he sat in the offered chair. "So far, so good," he said with a slight laugh. At Albus' raised eyebrow, Harry explained the trip through Hogsmeade and the two of them were chuckling as he described their impromptu stop at the Weasley twins' store. "We had to leave quickly or we would have blown our cover," Harry said with another snort of laughter.
Dumbledore smiled delightfully. "I haven't had a good laugh since you three were in school," he said with an amused look. Albus reached into his desk and pulled out a small, lemon candy. "Sherbet lemon?" He asked with a smile. Harry smiled in return then took the offered candy. "After all this time, you finally take one," Dumbledore said with a laugh.
"I need something good and sweet," Harry said with a grin. "I've never had them before, so I thought I'd try for once."
"I suppose Minerva sent you here for your sorting?" The headmaster said with a smile. "Shall we get on with it then?"
"Couldn't we just mark down that I was sorted to Gryffindor?" Harry asked quickly.
"We could, but the sorting hat would know that you hadn't been sorted. As before, this will be painless," the old wizard replied as he retrieved Godric Gryffindor's ancient hat.
Harry placed it on his head and smiled at the long forgotten voice that whispered in his ear.
"Ah, Harry Potter, back again are you? I see you're in the guise of James Baker, but that makes no matter. Do you wish to be placed in Gryffindor again or shall we try Slytherin?"
Gryffindor, please. Harry thought with a grin. It's rather refreshing that you haven't changed your mind.
"It's true that I still think you'd do wonderfully well in Slytherin, but as you requested I'll have to say: GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry was slightly upset that his housemates weren't clapping for him, but he knew those days had passed. With a smile he handed the hat back to the headmaster. "As you always said, it's our choices that matter."
Dumbledore smiled at him and the twinkles in his eyes brightened slightly. "Quite different without your house to welcome you, wasn't it?"
Harry shrugged. "A minor disappointment, but that was a while ago," he said with a slight grin. "I should be off to square things away here seeing as my wife is expecting me home for tea," Harry said with a wink. "When is the new Transfiguration teacher due in?"
"Just before the students arrive," Albus said with a smile. "A few minor preparations had to be dealt with before joining us. I'll introduce the new professor at the welcoming feast."
Harry nodded, recognizing the finality of his last sentence and excused himself. He spent the rest of the day examining previous syllabi of the various professors who held this position and smirked at two of them. Harry worked over the next few days on his own syllabus and studied the material he was covering as extensively as time would allow.
"You've been studying that book for the past three hours, Harry," Tonks said with a smile. "Why don't we go to the Broomsticks for a quick bite and a butterbeer or two?"
Harry rubbed his eyes and smiled at his partner. "Sounds like a good plan. I need to go over this when we get back though, not many more days before classes begin and I need to be prepared. Any luck while you were out?"
"Nothing overly suspicious," she said with a shrug. "But we've got some time to keep an eye out."
Harry nodded and they were soon enjoying another meal at their favorite pub. Madam Rosmerta had begun to recognize them and the dishes they ordered since they'd started eating their meals there. When the couple entered, the owner smiled and had their orders ready.
"How did you know?" Harry asked with a wry grin. "Did you study divination when you were in school?"
Madam Rosmerta snorted as she set the bowls of stew in front of them. "I'm glad I did before Trelawney started teaching," she said with a smile. Harry chuckled in reply and the hostess left for another table.
The meal went well with no new or wanted faces spotted during the evening. They were home early and Harry spent the weekend refreshing his memory with the various texts that he'd used himself at one point or another. The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station later that night and Harry Flooed to his office.
A few moments later, there was a curt knock at the door. "Come in," he said from his desk, shuffling a few last bits of paperwork into their proper cubicles. He looked up to find a sneering Severus Snape at the door. "Ah, hello, Severus is it?" he said, pretending he didn't know the man.
"The students are set to arrive any moment and I do suggest you head towards the Great Hall." He turned dramatically and swooped down the hall like a giant bat.
"Always with the theatrics," Harry muttered to himself as he left for the welcoming feast.
He entered through the professor's entrance at the back of the hall and found the whole feeling a bit surreal for his tastes. He glanced down the table to see several familiar faces, several empty chairs, and a smiling headmaster who motioned to the seat on his left. Harry took it with a smile.
"Are you ready for the new term, Professor Baker?" Professor Flitwick said with an enthusiastic energy a few chairs down.
"I can honestly say that I'm not," Harry replied with a smile. "I've never been on the professor's side of the room before."
"It's quite a rewarding job, as I'm sure you'll soon discover," the diminutive man said in his familiar, excited, squeaky voice.
"I'm looking forward to it," Harry replied as the students began filing into the room. He watched a few that he recognized take the same seats they had during their second and first years. He glanced down the table to where he, Ron, and Hermione sat religiously for five years and the smile that was on his face dissolved. It wasn't long until the students were seated and Professor McGonagall walked in with the stool and sorting hat in hand followed by the new first years.
The hat sang its song and Harry clapped vigorously when it ended. Soon, the first years were being sorted and he tried to clap as politely as he could for each student but seemed to be a bit more enthusiastic for those sorted to Gryffindor. With the sorting complete and the students seated, Professor Dumbledore stood and began his customary speech.
"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he said happily. "Before we begin our feast, I'd like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is strictly that, forbidden. No student is permitted entrance without the guidance and protection of one of the professors or staff. Mr. Filch has asked me to once again remind you that several new items have been added to the banned list, you can find the items at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and the list on Mr. Filch's office door.
"This year, I'd like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Baker." He motioned to Harry who stood and bowed to the polite applause of the students. "Please show him the same respect you have for our other professors. I would also like to introduce our new Transfiguration teacher." He motioned in the other direction. "Professor Granger has just taken the position, I'm sure most of you are aware who she is, please show her the respect she deserves as well." He smiled at the assembled students who were still clapping for the new professors and raised his hands. "With that said, please, tuck in!"