Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hermione felt rather foolish. It was an interesting turn of events to run across Colette and her practically ruins of an estate. However, as she came upon Leakwood Manor, she realized that she had simply not gone far enough. Harry's place was about two miles directly north of Colette's estate. At first glance, it was everything the tavern woman said it would be. It was quite magnificent, in its own way. It had a grand feel, while still keeping a sense of home about it. She guessed that it looked to be about 250 years old, or thereabouts. Harry had apparently done quite well for himself.

She took in the area around the manor. There was a small cemetery and a full garden that has obviously been kept quite well. The house itself, for its age, was in near perfect condition. No doubt the work of house-elves, she mused grimly.

Without further ado, Hermione made her way to the front door. She noticed a long rope dangling down. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed a hold of it and gave it a healthy yank. Within seconds the door opened and a particularly bouncy house-elf was grinning at her.

"Herm-i-nee?"

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"Master Harry… err… Harry has been talking much about you and has been wishing you would be coming here. He has described to Teebel many times what you would be looking like. Please be coming in, as you are most welcome here."

The last was said with a grand flourishing bow, which seemed strangely amusing to Hermione. With nothing left to do, she stepped inside and began to look around the entryway. Banners bearing the Leakwood family crest stood proudly to either side of her. The first thing that she noticed was the amazing similarity to Hogwart's architecture everything seemed to be.

Hermione looked down at Teebel and smiled. He gave a large, silly smile right back at her. He seemed very eager and pleasant. Her first reaction was to be upset at Harry about keeping a house-elf, but that conversation would have to wait until she could ascertain everything that was going on in his life. There would be room enough for discourse on the matter when the time was right.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Teebel."

"Oh, very much likewise Herm-i-nee."

"May I see Harry?"

"Oh, yes, of course. He is busy down in the cellar right now. Teebel is hoping it is okay that I show you to a room that you can rest in, until he is coming back up."

She had waited this long to see Harry, she figured she could wait a bit longer. She agreed and the elf motioned her excitedly up the stairs. He led her down a small hallway and to an elegant rosewood door. Teebel opened the door for her and extended his arm out towards the direction of the room. She walked in, held her breath and then exhaled in a somewhat mystified manner.

It was the most exquisite guest room she had ever laid her eyes on. A large, plush canopy bed draped in a crimson spread and silk sheets was sitting between two elongated, stained-glass windows. The sunlight came through in fractured color that lit up the room in sparkling rainbows reflecting off the floor and walls. The floor was a deep rosewood, perfectly matching the doorway. There was a priceless Turkish rug covering a large portion of the central floor. A small doorway off to the side, led into a cozy bathroom and shower. The bathroom floor was made of soft pink marble tiles. She turned around and on the wall with the entrance was a series of breathtaking muggle paintings, obviously done by a master artist. Then she gasped as she looked upwards and noted that the twelve foot ceiling was an immaculate mural of a twelfth century's rendering of an astronomical chart of the heavens. Hermione sat down right where she was at, which Teebel quickly pushed a chair underneath to prevent her from plopping down straight on to the ground.

"Teebel is hoping this room will be comfortable for Herm-i-nee while she is staying here with Mast… ahem, Harry. Harry is spending much time scolding Teebel for calling him master. Harry is not liking that at all. He has been trying to pay Teebel, but I am telling him that I serve here, because I am wanting to."

Teebel said it with such pride in his voice that she decided that pushing the subject would go nowhere. Plus, she was highly occupied by how amazing this place was. It was such a strange mix of a wizarding manor and an elegant muggle mansion all rolled into one. How strange to so perfectly blend the two different styles into one. Being who she was, it made her feel right at home. Well, except for the phenomenal amount of wealth tied up in the mix.

"When will I get to see Harry?"

"Teebel is going to tell Harry that you are here and I am sure he will be wanting to come straight up to see you."

--- ---

Harry heard a polite knock on the cellar door.

"Harry? This is Teebel who is knocking on the door. Forgive my bothering, but…"

"It's alright Teebel, come on in."

"Teebel is very afraid of coming inside. Could Teebel just smash his head on stone wall as punishment instead?"

"No! No, Teebel, no punishing yourself. I absolutely forbid it. I will come to you."

Harry stood up and walked over to the door.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes, everything is good Harry. You are having a visitor to come and see you."

Harry opened the door and smiled, "Is Bili here again?"

"No. Herm-i-nee is being here."

"Err… excuse me?"

"Herm-i-nee is being here to see Harry," Teebel smiled warmly.

Harry felt his heart skip a beat or two. She had finally come. Thank goodness.

--- ---

"Don't you think it's weird that we haven't heard a thing from Harry?" Ginny asked.

Mrs. Weasley put the book she was reading down.

"Yes, I do think it is a bit unlike Harry to not write. I do wish he would. I worry about him. Of course it would be nice if Ron wrote once in awhile as well."

"Can I go and visit Harry?"

Molly looked over at her daughter and let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I don't like the idea of you going off by yourself. Gillingham is a long ways away Ginny."

Ginny thought for a moment, "Well, what if I went with someone."

"Draco is not a someone dear. I barely even consider him human."

"Oh, he's long out of my life. He was just too full of himself, and quite the foul little wizard when he put his mind to it. I was thinking of someone a little more trustworthy, say like Neville?"

"Neville? Hmmm, yes he's a nice boy. I guess if you went with him AND promised to write to me everyday to let me know you're safe, then you could go and visit for a spell. Mind you, I would like to know that Neville's parents approve, but I don't see any harm in it."

"Really?! Thanks! I'll go and talk to Neville right now."

--- ---

Harry practically ran up the stairs. He only tripped twice, not that he noticed. Hermione was here and now everything would be better. He had no particular reason for thinking that; everything just seemed to make more sense now that she would be with him. Poor Teebel had to run as fast as his little legs could carry him to keep up with Harry. After awhile, he became exasperated and simply apparated himself upstairs. Harry, on the other hand, had no such rational thought. His heart beating and out of breath from the exertion, he arrived just outside the room that Teebel was leading him to.

"So, she's in there now?" Harry asked in a tired whisper.

Teebel nodded his head emphatically. Harry just about grabbed the handle to open the door and then realized what he was doing. He gathered his scattered thoughts, took a deep breath and politely knocked on the door. He heard footsteps approaching, then the door began to open and Harry came face to face with the one thing he had been waiting for all these weeks. It was like a cool breeze had just blown across the desert of his life.

"Hermione," he said with a smile.

"Harry," she replied as she rested her head on the edge of the door.

"I have so many things to tell you that I don't even know where to begin," Harry blurted. Then remembering he laughed, "But, perhaps I should start with 'hello'."

"It's good to see you Harry," she grinned.

"I've really missed you Hermione. I can't tell you how glad I am that you came to see me. Will… will you be able to stay for awhile?"

"Well, that entirely depends."

"Depends on what?" Harry asked.

"It depends on how long you want me to stay," she answered.

Harry stopped for a moment and thought about that. He had a dozen or so thoughts running through his head all at once. How should he answer that? What did she mean by it? Not quite sure of himself he answered very carefully.

"Well, it's like this, I have been working on something very special and I've been dying to tell you all about it. Would you be willing to stick around and help me with it?"

"Really, what is it you're working on?" Hermione said quite interested.

"I'm not exactly sure. It's a bit of a mystery. I can tell you this though, it's something really amazing. It's kind of a science experiment, wrapped up in a history lesson, topped with a healthy dose of magical research. I'll show you absolutely everything if you promise to stay, at least for awhile."

Hermione's eyes got quite wide. She was never one to turn her back on a good mystery. Plus, it was Harry asking her. Whatever it was, it seemed very important to him. She was deeply curious about all of this. Harry had not written her one single time, but she shows up at his doorstep and he acts like he's been waiting for her. How on earth could she resist his offer? Plus, like she thought before, it was Harry asking her.

"It all sounds so interesting. I would…" she almost said the word love, but for some reason it made her chest feel tight, "really enjoy staying here. I'll just send my parents a letter letting them now that I'll be here for a few days."

Harry's face immediately dropped and he began to stare hard at his feet. Hermione knew right away that she had said something wrong. She tried to think of what it might be and then she realized what it was. Harry was probably terribly lonely here in this big manor all by himself. He was not really just looking for a 'lab partner' for a few days; he was hoping she would stay longer. The thought of staying longer appealed to her, but she was afraid that if she appeared too eager than Harry would think that she was staying for reasons other than what he was asking. He wanted help with his little mystery. If she was not careful he might realize… that… she shook her head. No, he might push her away if he knew. What to say… what to say.

"Of course, this mystery might take a little longer to research; perhaps I should just tell them I'll be here… until we solve it. How does that sound?" she asked timidly.

Harry's face immediately lit up and he answered, "That would be wonderful. Who knows how long it will take us to figure it all out?"

Argh! He really wished he had not said that last line. She might get the wrong idea. Hermione might not understand how much he missed her and well, what if she thought… well that he… had been thinking about her a lot. She might not want to stay if she knew. He was relieved when she gave her answer.

"Yeah, who knows how long? It's not like there's no extra room for a guest here, right?"

"Right," Harry answered with a nervous laugh, "plenty of room."

Man he was pathetic. He would have groaned out loud if Hermione was not standing right next to him.

"Well, I tell you what," Harry announced, "Why don't I go see about getting some dinner ready for us. Would you like to meet me downstairs in the dining room in say, about fifteen minutes? It will be the first time I've eaten in there. We can break it in and get some use out of it."

"Sounds wonderful," Hermione answered. "Oh, Harry? I feel a bit silly, but I really didn't pack anything. You think I would have thought of that. I guess I wasn't sure how long I would be staying."

A small cough came from behind Harry. Both of them looked over and realized they had forgotten that Teebel was still standing there.

"Dinner will be served promptly in one quarter of an hour. I am pleased to be telling you that I have much clothes packed away that might be fitting Herm-i-nee. I will go and get them and put them in her room, so she will be having them after dinner is being finished. Oh, and Teebel has made sure they are very clean and fluffy. So, uh, no reason for anyone to be being worried."

Hermione responded gratefully, "Thank you so much Teebel. Would you like to eat dinner with us?"

"Dinner? Teebel eating dinner 'with' Herm-i-nee and Harry?"

There was a brief silence followed by a tiny house-elf laughing hysterically.

"You are being so very funny Herm-i-nee. Teebel met a dwarf once who was very funny, but you are being much funnier than he."

He wiped away tears of laughter from his eyes and continued to make running commentary on how funny Hermione had been, as he made his way downstairs.

"Well, that was unexpected," Hermione said to no one in particular.

"You'll get used to him," Harry replied, "He's really quite wonderful. He's just very happy to be a house-elf for some reason. You should have seen him when I first arrived, he practically cried with joy every time I asked him for something. I guess it's been really hard for him, being alone for so long."

Hermione nodded her head, "It is hard to be lonely."

Harry could not have agreed with her more. Realizing that he was just standing there staring at Hermione, he quickly changed the subject.

"Well, I need to go wash up. I'll meet you downstairs," Harry said as he bounded down the stairs after Teebel.

--- ---

Amelia was hovering quietly nearby. She guessed that the new girl would probably not be able to see her, but she did not want Harry thinking she was spying on him. This Hermione seemed very nice, but now that she was here, she knew that she would have to share Harry with her. He seemed quite enamored and would likely not want to bother with her anymore. The idea that Harry would not want to talk to her anymore made her very sad.

She had to find a way to remind Harry that she still needed him. A way to show how much she cared for and appreciated him. She thought for a moment and then came up with an idea. A gift! She would find a special gift to give to Harry that would help him think about her. Not that she wanted Harry to forget the whole rest of the world, it was just she was frightened of losing him. What on earth could she possibly give him though?

There had to be something that would make him still like her. Her ghostly eyes opened wide and she let out a girlish squeal.

"I have it! I know just what to give you Harry Potter. I know that you will simply love it!" she exclaimed.

The key had been lost for a long time now. She remembered that after the last of the Leakwoods had left, that it had been hidden away. Harry had to know that there was not enough graves in the cemetery to account for his whole family. Wouldn't he be so surprised to be able to see the rest? He could see where she had been buried. It had been a long time since she herself had gone there.

She swooped down to the floor just below the main level. She raced along the twisting hallways and stopped just in front of a black stone doorway. Harry had never been down this hallway. He had gotten sidetracked by the cellar and missed this place altogether. Not that he would have been able to get in. The door was sealed with a powerful charm, that only the family key could open. Just inside the door was a dark hallway covered in cobwebs. The floor was made of stone slate and brick. There, just inside, was the loose brick, right where she had remembered. She used every ounce of her concentration and willed the brick to topple out. There underneath was its secret hiding place. She peered in the small hole and saw it. A heavy iron key with the base being a smithed emblem of the Leakwood crest. Again, she used every bit of strength she had and willed the key up and out and then slid it beneath the small crack under the stone door, and out the other side.

Exhausted, but victorious she went through the door and saw that the key was now in plain view. Later, she would bring Harry here and show him. He loved learning about his family. He would surely love coming to visit this place; well maybe love was not the right word, but he would definitely be intrigued. Here underneath the house, stretching out under the outside grounds was a very special and unique place: The Leakwood Family crypt.