Taking the First Step
Harry awoke just as the sun began to break through the early morning sky. The arm that rested behind his head was stiff as he moved to wipe the sleep from his eyes. His movements awoke Hermione and she stretched next to him.
"What time is it?" She mumbled sleepily.
Harry laughed. "How does daybreak sound?" He mumbled back as he stretched his arms above his head and tried to work out the stiffness that had taken over his body.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at him before the meaning of his words could sink in fully. "Oh yeah, no sense of time. I forgot about that."
Harry sat up and continued to stretch. He raised his head to stretch his neck and was awed by the sight before him. "Hermione come here." He said as he reached for her and pulled her to sit between his legs. "Look at this."
She leaned back against him and followed his gaze to the most glorious sunrise she'd ever seen. "Harry it's beautiful." She whispered.
The sun was just beginning to rise above the mountains surrounding the castle, casting dazzling colors across the morning sky. All shades of orange, yellow, and red flowed randomly across the horizon with the darkened yellow of the sun at the center. They sat in silence, neither able to speak as the sun made its glorious appearance. With the dawning of the new morning came a renewed faith in their love and a rebirth of hope in their quest for a peaceful, happy life.
Harry wrapped his arms around her and rested his head close to hers as he watched her watch the sunrise. If watching her last night had been a moment of awe, it was nothing compared to what he felt watching her now; he was mesmerized by her.
Her eyes never left the sight of the sunrise when she spoke, "Harry, why are you staring at me? I thought you were watching the sunrise."
"Would it be romantic if I said I was watching the sun rise in your eyes?" He asked with teasing affection.
She turned to face him. "No. It would be cheesy. You can't even see my eyes from there." She was blushing though and he knew that whether or not she wanted to admit it, she was thrilled by what he'd said.
He laughed. "Okay. Truth be told, I find you much more beautiful to watch than any sunrise. The look on your face is…"
"What?" She asked softly.
"…captivating."
There was no mistaking the way he made her feel as her eyes shined with the love she felt for him. "You're so silly." She said as she moved in to capture his lips.
"That's why you love me." He said softly after they parted.
She nodded her head and reached her hand up to touch his cheek. "Yeah, probably so." She said as she pulled him close once more.
She jumped away from him quickly and scrambled to her feet as a new thought struck her. She was shaking her hands at him and looking at him as though he were crazy to still be sitting there. Harry began to laugh at her, "Hermione, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean `what am I doing'?" She said quickly, still shaking her hands, "What are you doing? Don't realize what this means?"
Harry shook his head as he tried to decipher her words. One minute they were enjoying the sunrise and he was working on his romantic-type skills and next she's practically jumping up and down in excitement. "It means…" He raised his head in thought, "…it means…"
"Agh! It means we can go to Ollivanders Harry, that's what it means! Come on." She said impatiently as she pulled him to his feet.
He looked at her pointedly, "No, Hermione, it means we can go eat breakfast and then go to Ollivanders. You got the sleep but you have to eat too, and I'll not take no for an answer."
"All right," She huffed. "Let's go then. I want to get this over with."
Before Harry could say or do anything she was already halfway to the stairs on her way back inside. "Hermione wait up," He called out to her.
She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Well? Are you coming?"
He reached out and smacked her bottom when he caught up to her. "Knock it off," He said through his laughter. "You look like a spoiled little brat when you do that."
"All right," She said, laughing with him. "You win. But let's hurry," She linked her arm through his and together they climbed the stairs and entered the castle.
Their steps were hurried as he followed her lead to the kitchen. They no sooner got to the door than Hermione tickled the pear and quickly entered. She'd never really liked entering the kitchens and seeing all of the house elves `slaving' away, but today she gave it no thought; she was on a mission and she didn't have time to worry about anything else.
"Dobby is most happy to see Harry Potter and Miss Hermione." Dobby said as he sidled up to them the moment they walked through the door.
"Good morning Dobby," Harry said, smiling down at his friend. "We came to get something to eat if that's all right."
"Of course. Come in. Dobby would be most pleased to get Harry Potter food." Immediately Dobby walked away and within minutes returned with a small basket, which he handed to Harry.
"You always give prompt service, don't you Dobby?" Harry said light-heartedly.
Dobby's ears wiggled and his eyes shone brightly as he looked first at Harry and then at Hermione. "Dobby tries Harry Potter, sir."
"Well thank you Dobby," Hermione said as she began pulling Harry toward the door. "We're sorry to rush out so quickly but Harry and I have someplace we need to be. Thanks again for the food."
"Yeah, thanks Dobby." Harry said. "You know we always appreciate it."
Dobby's eyes and smile couldn't have been any wider as he spoke, "Thank you, Dobby is most pleased to be of service."
"Come on Harry," Hermione said anxiously. "I wanna get going and if you're going to make me eat than we need to go eat."
"All right, I'm coming. See you Dobby." He said, giving a wave to Dobby as Hermione pulled him out the door. "I can't believe you just did that." He said, surprised by her abrupt behavior. "Whatever happened to S.P.E.W. and elf rights and treating them like they have feelings?"
"I said thank you." She retorted. "I'll apologize later, Harry. Besides, I don't even think he noticed anything he was too busy idolizing you. Now let's go."
Harry laughed. "Dobby does not `idolize' me, Hermione." Although he knew her words were true even before he tried to contradict them.
She looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Harry."
"All right," He conceded. "Maybe a little."
Hermione was laughing at him as they made their way into the infirmary to have their breakfast.
"Just eat, already." Harry said in mock frustration as he set the basket down. He looked up at their beds and saw her wand still lying there. "See?" He said, pointing at it. "We had to come back here anyway. You can't forget to take that thing with you when we go."
She picked it up and casually waved it in his direction and he flinched slightly as he remembered what happened to his chair the day before. "You're not still scared of the itty bitty wand, are you?" She teased.
Harry reached out and took it from her. "No, Hermione. It's not the wand I'm scared of." He answered dryly.
She looked up at him in shock that quickly turned to laughter when she saw that he was kidding. She smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Ah! I can't believe you just said that."
"I'm only kidding. Come on. Dig in."
They spent the next twenty minutes in silence as they each filled their stomach with the delicious food Dobby had prepared.
"You know, I'm really going to miss this when we leave here." Harry said.
"Me too. Although, my mum's a pretty good cook." She replied.
"Yeah, but what about after that?" He asked, trying hard to contain his smile.
"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously.
"You know, after we move in together or get married or whatever? Maybe I should talk to Dobby about coming to work for us." He said, appearing deep in thought. He looked at her horrified expression and quickly added, "With pay of course."
"Harry James Potter you know perfectly well that's not…I can't believe you'd insult my cooking before you even got to try it."
"Tell me then Hermione. What can you cook?" He asked, trying hard to keep his voice serious for her.
"Well…I can cook…" She appeared to be deep in thought and he rolled his eyes knowing there was no way she would come up with anything. "…I can…I think I can boil water." She said proudly, casting him a challenging glare.
Harry laughed. "Well it's settled then, isn't it?" He said. "Who needs Dobby when I've got you to boil water for me?" He rubbed his stomach and widened his eyes, "Mmm…I can't wait!"
Hermione started to laugh and Harry looked at her in mock surprise. "I don't understand what's so funny Hermione. Boiled water sounds quite appetizing to me. You better watch out or I may have to have you make it for every meal."
"Shut up, Harry." She said through her laughter. "Of course you can ask Dobby…but only if he's willing to take pay."
"Oh, so you want him now that you know how hard you're going to have to work in the kitchen. Is that it?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Okay, I see how you are. S.P.E.W. goes right out the window when you have to think about slaving over a hot pot of water all day, doesn't it?"
"All right! That's enough. You made your point." She said as the last of her laughter died away. "Can we go now? I've eaten and I've slept and I've showered and I've changed my clothes and I think…I've put up with you long enough."
"Yeah, let's go." He said, making sure he had his wand, some money, and whatever else they might need. "You know, you have a lifetime of putting up with me ahead of you. I wouldn't be thinking you're tired of me already if I were you."
"Never." She said as she pulled him closer. "At least not this part of you." She said softly as she pulled him in for another kiss. "It's good to know that mouth of yours is good for something besides belittling my cooking skills."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "I bet this mouth is good for a lot more than just this. Care to find out?"
Hermione blushed and smacked him again. "I can't believe you just said that. Let's go."
Harry laughed at her sudden uneasiness. "Yeah, I knew I'd get you with that one." He said softly. He saw her smile and the faraway look in her eyes as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Yeah, someday, he thought in silent anticipation.
The walk to Hogsmeade was short. It was, of course, the first time they'd taken it in the summer and the difference in the scenery was amazing. Where there was usually either snow or the first leafs of spring on the trees, everything was now a brilliant shade of green and they spent the walk in silence as they admired their surroundings. When they got to Hogsmeade they decided to stop in the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before apparating to Diagon Alley. Hermione breathed deeply as she felt a certain freedom she hadn't known in quite some time. "This is great Harry. It feels so good to be out of there. I feel so alive."
I hope this works so she can really feel alive, he thought. "I know what you mean. Do you realize this is the furthest I've been away from Hogwarts since the battle? I've not yet enjoyed an ounce of freedom since Voldemort was killed."
Hermione's eyes dropped to the floor. If he hadn't been watching over her he could have finally had the chance to enjoy his life.
He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. "Do you remember what you told me last night on the steps?" When she nodded he continued, "Well it works both ways. I don't want you blaming yourself for my not getting out of there and enjoying this time. I was with you and that's all that mattered to me."
"Thank you." She said softly.
The last few minutes they spent in the bar were spent in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they finished their butterbeer and prepared to apparate to Diagon Alley. It wasn't long after they left apparated that they appeared just outside their destination.
"Are you ready?" He asked her.
"Yes," she answered with a nod.
He held out his hand for her and together they took the first step toward reclaiming their future.
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